wild pitches. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. leading off tonight, agel's new angle remember when republicans forced a ludicrous vote to prevent sexual predators from getting viagra through the health care bill? well, the point was to put democrats in a bind. either allow the bill to be killed with amendments or force them to vote against the viagra amendment. the democrats voted, no, of course, and now sharron angle is predictably accusing harry reid of using taxpayer dollars to give viagra to child molesters. we'll get to this cheap shot and

other gems from the campaign trail. also, the target of that republican ad in west virginia featuring actors who'd been picked up in philadelphia at a certain -- remember they were looking for people who had ray certain, quote, hickey blue collar look? well democratic senate candidate joe manchin will be here tonight to talk about it, he's a fiscal conservative by the way backed by the chamber of commerce, now there's a democrat for you. and plus obama versus rogue. why is in the brand-new cnn/opinion research poll republicans have a

seven-point lead in the poll. that's getting big. seven points, 52-45. similar numbers in the new cbs poll, where republicans lead by eight. 45-37. we'll continue to check the "hardball" scoreboard in all of the big races each night leading up to november 2nd election night. it's getting down to crunch time in the hot midterm races and the accusations and ads are flying about we'll assess the field and some of the wildest claims with msnbc's analyst, richard wolffe, and politicsdaily.com's alex wagner. thank you both for joining us. let's take a look right now at this one. this is christine o'donnell playing defense. her second tv ad a bit of biography here in her senate d bid. let's listen. >> i didn't go to yale. i didn't inherit millions like my opponent. i'm you. i know how tough it is to make and keep a dollar. when some try to push me out of this race they saw what i was made of and so will the senate if they try to increase our

taxes one more dime. i'm christine o'donnell and i approve this message. i'm you. >> well, alex, do you feel like she's a sister in america there? you've got to like. i guess if you didn't go to yale and if you didn't inherit a million. got it? >> i did not actually in fact go to yale, although i have to say i found it interesting that the person who has led voters to believe that she went to oxford university and princeton university and claremont is now talking a big game about being salt of the earth and not having gone to yale. you know, look, gop and -- the gop's latest crop of female candidates and education curcuffels is nothing new. remember sarah palin she went to five schools. >> but she actually went to the schools, that's the difference here. >> that is true. but again played that as a sort of i am just like everybody else, i, you know, i'm making my

way in the world and i think that christine o'donnell is trying to do that as well. >> you know, it's interesting, we know what's going to here. it's not a bad play because we know what's going on here. a country that's had enough with intellectuals because they haven't really figured out the economy, to put it lightly. and all of the sophisticatedcanesy economics doesn't seem to be working yet. so bring in somebody who says my claim to fame is i don't know nothing. i'm better than the people who say i'm something. at least i'm not a fraud. i guess i get. >> you're right but she doesn't quite get that. she makes this ad about herself. instead of saying the democrats have got it wrong oerr the intellectuals. the less about her the less that she gets to the voters care about. her thelection isn't about her, what she's thinking, someone new to the stage, under all were these attacks, she's making this ad to be a defensive mood. >> it's not all stupid. here's the attack ad on her put out by the other side the coons' ad. the democratic committee

ad against o'donnell. let's listen the way that they're going after her. >> christine o'donnell claims that she'll control washington spending. but look at her record. she was sued for not paying her bills. didn't pay her taxes. has a federal complaint filed against her for spending campaign funds on herself. if christine o'donnell wants to be irresponsible with her money, that's her business. but she's running for senate and being irresponsible with our money is our business. >> you know, i got to go back to thisuck alex. i mean she's -- well i have to be careful with how i say anything, of course i'm a male talking about a female. but she's irresistibly cute, put it that way in the way that she presents herself. obviously she's attractive and all of that but she's playing on the cute thing and then going after that, those pictures portray her as an attractive young material. maybe not senate material yet but clearly it's a tricky thing. you see how sarah palin plays perk very well. she's perky, upbeat, gung ho. it's like mary tyler moore almost kind of thing. and that's attractive as hell.

so they're they're going at it and putting it down. your thoughts on that ad. what do you think on that knock on her, is that overdoing it? we see her in person here. she makes a great appearance. she's always smiling. she's always happy. people like that kind of company. let's be blunt. >> well -- >> your thoughts? >> well, i think there are -- there might be something insidious there, like, oh, christine o'donnell is this -- this kind of cheery, thoughtless woman who has no idea how to control her own pocketbook but i think that lawrence o'donnell made this point a few nights ago. it is delaware. delaware's all about taxes. and the american public is all about the economy right now. and i think in terms of messaging, the democrats are right on this. i mean -- >> if she's a dead beat, it matters. >> fiscal responsibility. >> you can't be a deadbeat, you're saying. >> exactly. >> you might be a witch but a deadbeat won't work. >> exactly. >> it's kind of strange up there you have to worry about your witch thing. you cover the deadbeat. here's o'donnell iwant richard here, on o'donnell on cnn saying she's been a lot -- she's seen a lot of -- now first of all a lot

of buzz in our business about -- an i was up in massachusetts last night. a lot up there of course but i haven't seen any hillary for president signs. she has. let's watch. >> if the house and the senate passacy i bill to fully repeal obama care so that key can clear the way to start off over with true reform that helps most vulnerable and then the president goes and vetoes that bill when the will of the people has been made very clear if barack obama vetoes that, the year before his re-election, he's setting himself up to be very vulnerable. and i've seen many hillary for president ads running. >> running. i guess tv ads she's seen. >> does reality mean anymore? all overstatement, hyperbole. >> stuck in 2008, remembering the primary. but look the weird thing about that -- >> but she says that she's seen a lot of that. >> and i don't know what planet that would put her on. but i do think someone who's got a lot of tv experience, let's

face it. all of that bill marte. she's it v time, why is she projecting three or four hypotheticals ahead. it makes no sense. is she auditioning for this show or is she auditioning for the senate? that kind of -- that happens and this happens and then there is going to be hillarily out there. >> you know why, because she's gotten this far. just looping it, having fun. we're talking about her. >> i guess. >> she's running for the united states senate. she's the republican nominee. she's the republican nominee for senate in delaware. that used to nearly mean something. here's sharron angle in nevada. across the country. sharron angle's ad hitting harry reid over a bogus amendment. we talked about this viagra thing. some crazy amendment. well it wasn't crazy, they set it up so that people wouldn't accept it. kill the health care bill because they had to accept the bill that came over from the house and they'd already gotten 60 votes for, it was a technical parliamentiary trick that they used but look at how they're using it now. let's lift seen in but here's the kicker, reid actually voted to use taxpayer dollars to pay for viagra, for convicted child

molesters, and sex offenders. what else could you ever need to know? about her ay reid? >> there they get a young attractive actress to play i guess sharron angle doesn't want to do these ads. is that unladylike? is that unladylike for her to go after viagra ads. get an actress to do it. >> maybe you oinl want attractive women to be talking about viagra. i don't know. >> whatever. >> in terms of the marketing of it, i will say you know looking at that, you recall edward kennedy working across the aisle to pass no child left behind, and those days of bipartisanship are over. >> yeah. >> i mean, i mean, and now you look at -- i mean this is such a clear, i mean, and in some ways sort of brilliant political maneuver by the gop month ago. i'm surprised it took them this long to bring it up. i mean it was completely absurd when it happened but it's this sort of kitchen sink playbook with sharron angle at this point and she's thrown everything that she's got at him. >> some people are putting. you mike huckabee the republican on the political games, as he put it, being played in this

viagra ad. let's listen to him, mike huckabee. >> but this is af is a classic example -- it's good politics, it's great politics but it's one of those instances where it sounds like he said, yes there's a bill that will provide viagra and that was the primary purpose of the bill. >> no but if it's in the bill and if he didn't read it i think, isn't that fair game? >> absolutely. it's not unlike when republicans attack democrats for their support of the national endowment for the arts and sponsoring andrew sirano's christ in the jar. hideous stuff like that. but it doesn't always work. >> that's not what it was. >> okay. >> shawn's got that wrong on the time. it wasn't about a bill that was too complicate. it was about an amendment that was playing this game. >> i don't think this is a smart strategy. the more dirty that this race gets in nevada, the worst that it is for sharon angle her real competition isn't harry reid, or the above. >> explain? >> there are three major choices on this ballot. >> four. >> well, the tea party guy as well. but none -- >> democrat, republican, tea party or -- >> you can vote none of the above in nevada.

and none of the above cannot get elected but significant protest to both of these people. you make them both unacceptable and the big loser out of this is going to be sharron angle. so that's number one. number two, classic ad, in ad history was for detergent, they showed these really dirty t-shirts, and the ad was so disgusting that no one wants to bate detergent. that's what this ad is. it's so ickey you don't want to go anymore near. >> here's harry reid going after her. let's listen. >> i work with kids who've been abused and their stories break my heart but when the assembly kratd program to weed out sex offenders by helping youth and church groups to background chicks on volunteers, it passed with only two members voting no. sharron angle was one of them. >> now i have no idea it's going to take a real trip to figured out why she voted against it but i am sure some good reason. it is weird the way that these people are cutting each other. alex? >> yeah, i mean we're talking about witches was kind of weird, talking about sex offenders and viagra all of the time i think is far ikier and to richard's

point, the poll eye think it was the cnn/"time" poll showed sharron angle up by two with harry reid but 10% of those voters were picking none of the above. there is a clear -- that's a clear sframt nevada voters who are grappling with the nation's highest unemployment rate at 14.5%. their homes are being foreclosed on, they're leading the nation in that. i mean they need real answers right now. and this stuff is nonsense chatter. i agree with richard. >> well, it gets worse. here it is in an event last week in muskegon nevada. sharron angle got a question about muslims wanting to take over the united states. here's part of her answer.

>> absolute nonsense, richard. there's no sharia law in the united states. >> yeah. >> there's no laws requiring birkas or hands being cut off or anything else or stonings or any of that stuff that you see under the taliban. and they're just saying this stuff. >> yeah. >> what is it? isn't there some limit a big bell goes off and says, that's dead wrong? >> well, if people are applauding it maybe they were in the place where they the hillary for presidents signs. i don't know. some alternative reality. it would be -- it would be just a joke if these people weren't actually within a whisker of becoming a united states senator. and then they'd be making policy decisions and taking votes based on what they think of the facts and, clearly, i mean, where is this true?

and who are the people she's talking to. >> alex, last question. has the establishment so offended people they're willing to vote for crazy people? or vote for people they're just loopy? >> i think -- >> question. >> i think that the frustration is absolutely part of it. i think people -- there's a lack of civil dialogue in this country and i think that using the muslim religion is a lightning rod to channel fear and hate. has been politically expedient for some candidates but i do hold out hope that the american voters will see past that. >> i wish that some people would roar out, no, you've gone too far. richard happy friday to you, columbus weekend. alex, great to have you on the show. for some people it's a three-day weekend but not for "hardball." up next republicans have pulled that ad in west virginia. remember the one that they hired three actors in philly, they figured -- there they are. the three guys for the casting call, and said give me some hickey guys, blue collar types. wear old clothes or whatever. they look pretty good to me. they're out there trashing governor manchin the popular governor up there.

manchin's coming here in a surprisingly tight race but can he use that ad in his casting call that went after, quote, hickey blue collar people, as i said, to turn things around. have they gone too far? that's our question tonight. ng. i'd like to put you in charge of cutting costs. calm down. i know that it is not your job. what i'm saying... excuse me? alright, fine. no, you don't have to do it. ok? [ male announcer ] notre dame knows it's better for xerox to control its printing costs. so they can focus on winning on and off the field. [ manager ] are you sure i can't talk -- ok, no, i get it. [ male announcer ] with xerox, you're ready for real business. lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price.

i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. well, seen plenty of democrats out there distance themselves from washington this cycle, but for the first time a democratic member of the house says he will not support nancy pelosi for speaker. alabama freshman congressman bobbright says he won't back john boehner either, saying a centrist will get his vote. wright the former mayor of montgomery is in a tough fight with republican martha roby in that house district that leans obviously pretty far right. ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link, that is always in sync ♪ ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ there will be no more stress ♪ ♪ cause you've called ups, that's logistics ♪

now to governor joe manchin, the democratic candidate in the senate race west virginia. governor, thanks for joining us. you know, there's been a lot of noise in our office about this crazy ad that's been run against you. you know, i'm from philadelphia, the only reason that's relevant

is apparently these actors in this ad were picked up in philly. maybe we can were the philadelphia access, let's watch the ad and we're going to have some fun with this, governor. the ad that the republicans are running against you. >> obama's messing things up. >> stimulus, obama care. >> and joe manchin's supported it all. >> but when he's with obama. >> yeah he turns into "washingtonio." >> apparently, governor, they're running that ad somewhere in your state but they've stopped running it now. what do you think that was all about? what's your take on that ad. >> chris, it's awful. it's offensive. there's been no apologies whatsoever from my opponent. i can't believe it but they're still running it. they might tell you that they're taking it off. it's still running and it's so offenseive to west virginians. chris, what people don't realize is that the state of west virginia, we're one of the best financial shapes of any state in the nation. we've been ranked the third-best fiscally sound and responsive state. and they get no credit nar

whether or not if, but they want to have this in a disparaging light and it's just awful and our opponent has not apologized whether or not if. he hasn't said, i'm sorry, that's not who -- nothing at all. so it really tells you a man that lives with his family in palm beach florida, is so far out of touch with west virginians, average west virginians. and this is why now we know he lives in florida because of what he thinks of us. it's unbelievable. >> let's get to that question. is he a legal candidate to run against you? is he allowed to run against you? i guess he meets the minimal requirements he intends to be in the state on election day is that all it takes in west virginia? >> well, i don't know -- i -- i'm i'm sorry the senate -- i'm sorry i know the law. the senate's opened to anybody. let me ask you about the weird thing about his wife. is she allowed to vote for him? because i understand she took some kind of tax deal down in florida as a resident apermanent resident. does that mean that she's a permanent resident of florida and is not allowed to vote in west virginia? >> chris, that's what we understand. it's a permanent resident and

then she won't be able to vote for her own husband but yet they're asking west virginians to do it and they're so far out of touch. but this ads offensive, we've got the hardest-working coal miners, truck drivers, research, scientists. it's awful what they did. they could have said we're cast for example hard-working, hard-working west virginians. the salt of the earth that made this country of what it is today. not at all. they went for absolutely the lowest blow and i'm offended. he should be offended and you know what he says, it's just politics. well, john, i'm sorry. it's not just politics to me or to west virginians. it's personal. >> would it had been all right if they just picked up three folks from west virginia that looked the part as far as they were concerned? country people that wear hats, you know, can hats whatever you call them, the john deere hats and working man's clothes. or is that they were hiring actors from out of state? what was it that offended you? >> the offended thing is basically the role-call as the casting call. >> yeah. >> they cast it and said

basically looking for blue collar hickey time people, dirty -- i mean this -- that's -- it's not who we are. >> i know. >> and chris -- >> i know it tonight? it's an insult. >> the language is pretty rough. >> it makes meed. >> they wouldn't say hicky. what would they say about new yorkers to use that language. i wonder what they would have come up there if these same guys were in the business. whatever. >> let me say this. >> go to this question. >> let me say this if i may -- >> why don't you debate your opponent. it sounds like you have the goods on him here. he's basically an out of towner, you argue. >> what debate. >> you want to debate him. >> chris, we want a debate. we're going to have a debate. we'll have as many debates as they want. the problem that they have is that there's two other candidates. i was the secretary of state. i go around the state and we've got 42,000 kids to register to vote. teaching democracy. the other two candidates, we have a candidate -- two other candidates that basically they say, well, they're not really contenders but they qualify to be on the ballot and they should be in the debate. that's what it's all about.

>> you want a four-way? >> well, you have to. how are you going to eliminate people to qualify to be on the ballot? how can you do that? i can't in all good conscience say that so i'm willing to debate anywhereux everywhere. we're going to debate on the 18th. i have many more. the bottom line is they're saying a rubber stamp. theome rubber stamp that i am is the people of west virginia. we've turned this state complete plea around. you can't make the decisions that i've had to make in six years, chris. i can't make those tough decisions without putting west virginia first. stop playing politics. quit playing party politic i've told them in washington while we're nad charleston and also all over the state of west virginia, we're mad because they're putting democrats and republicans ahead of our country. putting their party interest and they better start putting americans first. that's what we did in west virginia. we changed, and we're best shape of all. we can take care of ourself and it's a shame what i see going on. i have never been anybody's rubber stamp. and never would be, but how they have tagged this to make people

believe. i said barack obama is not on the ballot. he's not running. i'm running. i'm on the ballot and we've had proven performance. >> let me ask you, i accept the fact, you seem like a fellow from west virginia without making any aspirations about -- you don't have a new york -- or a upper northeastern accent or anything except the nact you're homegrown people like you down there. a guy like you who is popular as a governor not able to pass muster. what is it about the polls? is it just pr? the people's minds are being dwarfed by republican advertisement? >> no. >> what is it. >> it's -- chris, it's a fear and smear campaign. basically they've spent millions of dollars. they're trying to buy the campaign. they've spent millions of dollars. and basically, we're mad. i'm as mad as they are in west virginia. >> why aren't the people in west virginia, you've been bragging on the people, saying how good they are, how developed they are as a people, as a society, and yet you're saying they're getting their minds twisted by the sophisticated advertising. if it's -- if it's smear

campaign, what are the specific smearsta you want to correct right now? >> well, the smears that we want to correct right now, as far as being a rubber stamp, i've never been a rubber stamp. >> is that a smear. >> is basically what nair saying. >> they're calling you a democrat. >> you will go up and just basically -- they're going up and say you're going to vote just the agenda of whatever is up there. >> oh. >> that's not a west virginia democrat. it's not what we believe in. we don't believe in the expanding entitlement mentalities, if you can do something you should be working. taken we do that in west virginia. we've turned it around. we have surpluses. we haven't laid anybodyach. we haven't raised taxes. we haven't cut any services. tell many how many states in america are doing that today? so what would make anybody think that i'm going to go to washington and be like what's going on at they're mad about now. if you start to put america first and i can bring people together. >> let's nail it. i know that you have the -- let me ask you now, do you like the health care bill that obama got through, do you like it? >> no, not the way that it

passed. >> do you like t.a.r.p.? >> not the way it passed. >> do you like the stimulus bill. >> i didn't -- i'm more of a person that you have to have something coming in return, basically. this type of t.a.r.p. and all of that -- and you don't see me blaming president george bush. i said i've been -- >> no i'm trying to figure out where you are. you are saying that you're being smearred by rubber stamped and saying in each case that you're not for. what are you for that obama's done that you like? >> oh, it's education program i think is fantastic. i think it's fantastic bringing it to light that we have to have better attainment in education for us to compete in the global economy. that's been great but basically, again -- >> you like his policy, do you like his war policy, do you like his war policy in afghanistan and iraq? >> well, he inherited that war policy. and i think he's trying to get out as fast as he can but he inherited that, and basically a nine-year war is nothing that nobody wanted and could afford so i think that he'll get out as quick action he can there. the bottom thing is we totally different in cap and trade. epa, i've had to sue the epa, the federal government, how they've been fringed in west

virginia. stopping us almost from basically taking care of ourself and -- and it's just absolutely awful on some of the encroachment but i'm willing to take that fight. if west virginia's going to send a message, i'll be the messenger. let me take the message and i guarantee you we'll turn thing around. >> compared to most national democrats will you be relatively conservative as a senator? >> i am a conservative democrat in west virginia. i'm a centrist from the standpoint, because conservative on fiscal matters. i think a there needs to be a national budget balance amendment imean for war or national emergencies. >> okay, great, thank you for vuch. good luck in the race, governor joe manchin of wife. >> thank you, chris. >> good to have you on, thank you, sir. well that gives ups a taste of what's going to out there. by the way heard from one of the actors in that west virginia tv ad that the republicans put on, he says that he's actually pulling for manchin the democrat to win. he's going to come on "hardball" on monday. i love these little twists. up next senator al franken's taking pains not to be too funny

but he's centered his ambipgzs on the campaign trail government del tele. catch "the sideshow" it's coming up from al franken. ♪ sally, i'md 40 copies, obviously collated ♪ what's going on? when we're crunched for time, brad combines office celebrations with official business. it's about efficiency. [ courier ] we can help. when you ship with fedex, you can work right up until the last minute. it gives you more time to get stuff done. that's a great idea. ♪ i need to speak with you privately ♪ ♪ i found your resume on the printer ♪ everyone! ♪ i found your resume on the printer ♪ [ male announcer ] we understand.® you need a partner who gives you more time. fedex.

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back to "hardball."

time for the "sideshow." first round up the usual suspects. watch stephen colbert take on david vitter and sharron angle last night. >> there are two terrifyingly great ads out there year from nevada senate candidate sharron angle and louisiana senator david vitor. >> harry reid is fighting for a program that would give preferred college tuition rates to none other than illegal aliens. >> next time you think you just can't work any harder, remember charlie melancon who used our money to benefit illegals. >> holy -- those are the same hombres. look at those two pictures. this is the most terrifying scenario of all. there aren't enough stock photos of scary minorities out there. >> that is a riot. great catch by colbert. next, live from delaware.

it's al franken. while minnesota's junior senator's taking care to shed his funny guy image, last night at a chris coons' campaign rally for senate, franken let loose. >> we need to work from now until election day, many of you have families, ignore them. except the little kids. you know, about 8 years old, kids can -- can survive. for their future. >> wow, we've got the point. now to a not so successful foray. florida governor charlie crist threw out the opening pitch in front of a sold-out crowd at last night's tampa bay rays playoff game. it wasn't pretty. that's a little wild, but at least it wasn't a duster. you know, right there in the dirt? actually i've been there. up next, president obama's trying to rev up his base by

blasting karl rove but is that smart politics or should he be spending his time talking about something important? like fixing the economy. how are those flat rate boxes working out? fabulous! they gave me this great idea. yea? we mail documents all over the country, so, what if there were priority mail flat rate... envelopes? yes! you could ship to any state... for a low flat rate? yes! a really low flat rate. like $4.90? yes! and it could look like a flat rate box... only flatter? like this? you...me...genius. genius. priority mail flat rate envelopes. just $4.90. only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

i'm melisilissa rehberger. two students were wounded in a gunman opened fire in an elementary school and carlsbad, california. bystanders tackled him when he stopped to reload. police say the suspect is an older man who's not been able to provide a coheernt statement. employers cut 95,000 jobs in september driven by a way of government laughs. boosting chances that the federal reserve will step in to spur the economy. that helped push the dow above 11,000 for the first time in five months. the chinese government is protesting the decision to award the nobel peace prize to an

imprisoned dissident liu xiaobo is in prison. after a visit today from transportation secretary ray lahood. now back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." well, president obama was in chi-town last night his hometown. campaigning for the man who wants to have his old senate seat. well, here's the president, think what you make of this, tell us what you make of this. here he was talking about what he's up against, what the voters are up against. let's watch. >> two groups funded and vaepzed by karl rove have outspent the democratic party 2 to 1 in an attempt to beat alexi.

2 to 1. funded and advised by karl rove. just this week, we learned that one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign sources. so the question for the people of illinois is, are you going to let special interests from wall street and washington and maybe places beyond our shores come to this state and tell us who our senators should be? that's not just a threat to democrats, that's a threat to our democracy. >> i don't know, is that smart politics for the president to be talking about some of the nitty-gritty of partisan politics? is that the sound bite that you want out there with alexi giannoulias the democratic candidate for the senate his old seat and dick durbin one of the ranking democrats in the senate. why is he talking about that and not jobs? with me a real pro, "vanity fair." and salon.com steve kernaki. you've got two pros here. you first, todd. we're going to get to your piece

that you've written about what mccain would have done. but is the president smart to get into weeds and be talking like a paw? he's talking about carville or one of the pros in the inside. >> i think it's risky when a president starts to talk about a political operative. you can't imagine -- >> he's talking down. >> you can't imagine ad-lib stephenson talking about herbert brown l. campaign manager is doing this or that. partly we've built up people like karl rove and james carville in a different way. but look, the president doesn't have that much good news to share so they're trying to make the republicans into boogeymanb >> you can get democrats to vote en masse against tricky trick steres on the other side if you will. >> it's a -- that you can't. >> i wonder about that, let me go to steve. should presidents be talking like backroom guys. >> yeah the obvious comparison to me that this invites is that you look at the nixon white house when the nixon white house sort of made a calculation when taking in all of this illegal corporate money, all of these dirty tricks were going on. before watergate but still plenty of stuff out there in the

open and the democrats were howling up and down they thought political gold to look at how the white house and the republican national committee were involved in all of this. and the conclusion that people around nixon was you know what, to voters, eh, every side does something like this. >> you are so smart. that is so right. all of the talking about water gate didn't get him a single vote before the election. and it wasn't till you know to bob woodward and carl bernstein caught him red-hand andy judge nailed him that anybody pay attention. let's go to karl rove. reacted in a statement to politico, quote -- you see he got what he wanted a little back-and-forth match with the president of the united states. quote -- see a little shot here. see, you get it. you know? nixon, by the way, getting to nixon. he used to tell pat buchanan because he was on the show off. time and a friend of mine. he always said, look, attack up. don't attack down. so what this guy did, the president of the united states with all of his dignity is attack at political henchman and then the henchman says thank

you. >> it's a risky thing. >> sure is. we've seen the risk. take a look, unemployment remains at 9.6% with the announcement today of the september numbers. 95,000 jobs were lost last month. there it is looking at it right now. not good news. here's president obama today on the jobs numbers. let's listen to the president on the report. >> more than 850,000 private sector jobs gained in year, which is in sharp contrast to the almost 800,000 jobs that we were losing when i first took office. but that news is tempered by a net job loss in september which was fueled in large measure by the end of temporary census jobs and by layoffs in state and local governments. i should point out that these continuing layoffs by state and local governments, of teachers and police officers and firefighters and the like would had been even worse without the

federal help that we've provided the states over the last 20 months. help that the republicans in congress have consistently opposed. >> god, you feel for him. i feel like should be wearing one of those hockey player's goalie masks when he has to make that kind of report. what a bad bit of information. todd you did something for "vanity fair" this month that looks good. goes through basically through of what mccain would had been happened if mccain were president. the bowonders of such a stimulation. nothing to offset the great depression. those big auto companies, gm and chrysler, would have gone bankrupt. two conservatives on the supreme court rather than two progressives. all bush tax cuts extended. more iraq combat, more -- maybe even an iran strike. >> well, it's got -- >> that's what you think that mccain would have done. >> have consequences and i think if you look at the senator's record in the campaign, those are all of the kinds of things

that would have happened. >> because he kept on saying bomb, bomb, bomb iran. >> well, he did joke about that. but i think that the more serious point is that there are a lot of people in the republican foreign policy establishment who are really concerned about iran. >> and might have pushed the button by now. >> when the elections were amissed there might have done something, maybe sanctions, threatening move. >> the big threat when you did the homework on this, was the big threat of a mccain presidency basically jerry ford, buy. not really doing anything, just riding it out. >> well, i don't know. i think one of the things that senator mccain really never had any experience of was executive background of any kind. he never really ran anything bigger than sort of a squadron. the thing -- the piece really focuses on what mccain has done in the past year in his re-election campaign in arizona and all of his flip-flops on these -- >> he's gone pretty far right. >> yeah, it tries to explore whether, in fact, we all misjudged how much of a maverick he was all along and in fact he's pretty conservative in most ways. and he's also pretty willing to do whatever it took to get elected 'that's what he's done in these past few months.

>> just to kill jnkts d. hay worth. >> yeah, back to steve corn acki. this whole question what the president should do in the last 2 1/2 week. he's got about 2 1/2 weeks now to really making the closing argument as they say in court, he is an attorney. for his summation as he goes to try and stop, what i have to tell you, looks like right now perhaps a catastrophe in terms of seat in the house. how does he that back to a reasonable bad year for an economy that's rocking badly the way that it is now? >> honestly, i don't think that there's an answer, really much that he can't do. a technical reason in a lot of the ballots that have already been cast by now. not really much of a homestretch in this really. when you play that big clip of him addressing the jobs report today. make another historical parallel. i'll seeing ronald reagan. when the unemployment rate hit 10% the first time before the great depression reached that high and reagan's out there stressing, hey you know, we had two quarters of growth. we're going to get there. it's going to take some time. people don't want to hear that. they're not willing to hear

that. they only know what they've seen and feel now and what they see and feel now is the longest sustained period of unemployment at this level that we've had since the great depression. and i don't think that there's any getting around that in the midterm election. >> that's tough statement. thank you very much, todd. good luck with the piece in "the vanity fair." and steve kornacki. the mideast talks are stalling. this is a serious question. it's a tremendous opportunity for this president to really make his mark in history after health care. is to do something in the middle east that really springs about peace over there. warren fletcher's a real expert. he's walked the length of israel for his new book. he's going to join us here.

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we're back. another round of talks between israel and the palestinians has come to a roadblock. no surprise there. nbc news foreign correspondent martin fletcher's covered the middle east for three decades. he's taking a short break now and two weeks he walked the entire coast israel which isn't like walking the coast of california, quite. but he went all the way from the lebanon border down to gaza in the south. and it's all in his new book "walking israel: a personal search for the soul of a

nation." martin, welcome to the show. thanks for joining us. we've got a lot of respect for you. and so i'm going ask you questions that go beyond your . is there a center to israel that wants peace? >> yeah, absolutely. not only for israel. the jews and the palestinians. i've always said, there was a peace agreement on the table, i'm sure say, 60% of israelis, 60% of palestinians would sign it on the spot regardless of what the deal was. they've had it up to here. >> when is -- when is that going to find its way into politics? it takes two to tango. can -- if the palestinians offer something good, in other words, if they offer peace, if they offer recognition of israel as a jewish homeland, will that be enough? >> you know, what israel's demanding is the recognition of israel as -- that's a sideshow really to the key issues, the borders, jerusalem, refugees and

all of those other issues they have been vainly debating for decades. the real question is, what does it take for the leaders of both sides to respond to the needs and wishes of their people? >> suppose we finance a buyout of this issue of right of return. financial compensation to the palestinians moved out of the state of israel proper since 1948 for whatever reason. suppose we agree to an international or american peace keeping, defense complement of troops in the jordan valley. suppose they could find some portion of greater jerusalem to allow the palestinians to form as their capital. are those enough? are those pieces enough to make this work? >> no. >> okay. you know so much. it's so complicated. >> for instance, for every issue that you just raised there's a counterissue. for instance, one example. money. the number of given -- of palestinian refugees who left or were forced out of palatine was

about 800,000. that's the roughly accepted figure. they have to be either allowed to come home or reimburse financially. israel says wait a minute, that same number of people, 800,000 jews were forced out of arab countries at the time. what about financial restitution for them? that's a lot of money. basically if you even out what money would be owed to the palestinian refugees the $800,000. what money would be owed to the jewish refugees, $800,000, you'd probably come to zero. >> you're making it harder. i've always liked bibi netanyahu, because he seems like a recognizable figure. he wants to be a successful politician. he loves being a leader like everybody. he's a world leader. look at him there with merkel. does he want to be the israeli leader who cuts the deal? >> that's what they say. the question is whether it's true. he wants to be the leader. all israeli leaders want to cut

a deal. they would all really love peace. the question is, can they take their government there? a majority of the netanyahu's government at the moment, for instance, do not want him to continue the freeze on settlement building. if he actually agreed with the palestinians and did what america wants, it's a given his government would probably collapse. then what does that leave? it's so complicated. i mean, bibi -- >> do you think there's a chance israel can cut a deal that allows them to form a split in the islamic world to have help from the arab islamic world against iran so it's not just them against iran. >> can they build a deal that gives them some kind of support in that part of the world so they're not alone? >> that sounds logical, chris. wean you're playing logic to the case that would be -- >> the sunni nations, for example. they don't like what's going on in iran. >> absolutely. they feel kuwait and those countries in the gulf, they feel as threatened, maybe more

threatened than israel by a possible airanian nuclear bomb. not only the nuclear bomb, it's as technology advances, weapons become more sophisticated and the damage done by other nations will become so great the urgency for peace agreements soon i believe becomes -- it just becomes even greater. not just a matter of stopping a nuclear bomb. it's the fact there's a very, very strong technological arms race going on with all kinds of weapons being delivered to other arab nations. syria getting the defense shield and attack rockets from -- >> you know the odd thing, you know it better than i, it's still wonderful to be in israel. every time i go there i love. . there's something wonderful about it. there's something spiritual great about that country. the name of your book "walking israel." when we return "let me finish" by pointing out the absurdity in the right wing character assassination of our president. decadently delicious. 60 calories.

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"let me finish" tonight with the latest ludicrous assault on our president. somebody wrote barack obama is getting his economic policies from his dead african father. the old man was against colonialism, and this is why the author writes, the president acted with president bush, or to save the country's financial institution. why he did the same with the country's auto industry, why he decided to give his health care plan to have it carried out by

private insurance companies but why he doesn't want the top income brackets to get their tax breaks extended. it's because he's anti-colonial, this guy writes. it's because he's inherited his african father's politics. got it? three good reasons to point out the absurdity of this argument. one, i've come across this guy before. he's the same guy during the last years of the cold war accused anyone who opposed building the mx missile of, quote, following the soviet line. if you argued as i did that a missile might be destabilizing because the other side, the sovie soviets, would have to hit it in the ground to keep it from shooting off its ten moore heads up in space you were taking orders from the communist enemy. there's two other good reasons to condemn this attempt. newt gingrich is out selling this guy's accusation that president obama is an anti-colonialist. now the "washington post" has chosen to give space to this guy and his argument. to prove we're not all losing our