a vacation or two. >> i was going to invite you next summer to go with me, keith. >> thank you very much. i don't like radiation. planetarium director after franklin institute, derrick pitts. a pleasure. >> thanks, keith. nf 16th, 15 days since republicans took control of the house. mr. boehner, where are the jobs? i'm keith olbermann. good night and good luck. tomorrow's election day, at least for nancy pelosi. let's play some "hardball." good evening. i'm michael smerconish in for chris matthews, who's in rome for the ceremony, elevating washington bishop whirl to cardinal. leading off tonight, challenges in the house. you can add charlie rangel to the list of embarrassments on nancy pelosi's plate. the new york congressman was found guilty on 11 counts and now awaits punishment.

pelosi may have held on to her job, but is still facing down challenges from blue dogs and liberals. on the republican side, at least 39 new house members are tea partiers and they're not shy about making their voices heard. we'll talk to two of the incoming freshman, a democrat and tea party republican. here is a sign of tea party power. at least 27 republican senators have agreed to ban earmarks, including minority leader mitch mcconnell who secured 113 million in pork projects for his state last year. and how far can a presidential library go in shaping the legacy of george w. bush? will a record that includes iraq, katrina and wall street's collapse be overshadowed by the construction at southern methodist university? among those celebrating, dick cheney. also, lisa murkowski took her best shot against sarah palin. now that the alaska senator leads joe miller in the vote

count, she said palin lacks quote leadership qualities and curiosity that are needed to be president.{ and let me finish with some counterintuitive advice for the national football league. if you want to cut down on head injuries, consider ditching the face mask. we're joined by two incoming members. congressman-elect steve sutherland of florida and karen bass, congresswoman-elect. mr. sutherland, you're in the midst of orientation. what have you learned in the last 48 hours that you department know? >> i'll tell you, we're busy learning the lay of the land. even the floor plans are all new to us. we're learning about our budgets and how to go about hiring our congressional staff which will be helpful you know, going forward. it's been a lot of information, somewhat overwhelming at times. >> do you feel more of an allegiance to the tea party or

grand ole party at this stage? do you have any concerns? >> let me say this, i am a candidate who has run on the desire of representing all the people of florida's second congressional district, so i believe that the constitution is the law of the land. i believe it should be honored, but i also believe that common sense and accountability must always be honored and recognized in this great house, the people's house. >> congresswoman-elect, tomorrow, nancy pelosi presumably gets elected as minority leader. does she have your support? >> absolutely. i was proudly to serve as speaker of my house and have been very honored to see her leadership over these last couple of years. >> but congresswoman-elect, to an outsider, one looks at the recent results and says perhaps in the interest of her party, perhaps she should step down and not be seeking that position.

>> i think what one has to remember is four years ago when she became speaker, she did bring us to the majority. and i have to say that i think the number one message from voters and the number one problem was unemployment.{ in my state, for example, unemployment is 12%. we have to focus on jobs. there was all of the outside money that we don't know where that money came from that also helped to defeat the democrats. >> any lesson in what happened to congressman rangel today, for either of you? i'll start, congresswoman-elect, with you. on your agenda was the briefing on standards of official conduct and legal issues. when you put that together with the experience of congressman rangel, it tells you what about carrying out responsibilities? >> what we heard yesterday means we have to always keep our eye on the ball. we have a lot more to learn in that area. we were given a thick handbook and encouraged to read it and i will make sure i do that. >> any surprise to you when you

got the briefing on the dos and don'ts as a member of congress? >> there's a lot to digest. we must be patient. it's impossible to digest everything we've got. i think that we just be committed to right as opposed to wrong and i think no matter how long you're a part of this great institution, you must be committed to accountability and to what is right. >> what is it you must do so that in two years, if you wish to stand for re-election, you can face those who just sent you to washington and say, there, i got it done? >> well, i think the american people spoke very loudly and with great clarity last week. they're concerned about the economy. they're concerned about jobs. i know in my own state of florida, we are running almost historic unemployment numbers, near 12% and i think that if people do not have gainful employment then they cannot realize the american dream of

home ownership and sending their children to college. and i think that they've been very, very clear. they want government spending at the federal level to be drawn back and they want more power in their own family budgets and family pocketbooks. >> i noticed this looking at the agendas of briefings that have{( been offered to you congressman-elect -- heck, i want to call you both "congressman." i'm getting all tongue-tied. mr. sutherland, there were briefings by tea party patriots, freedom works and the claremont institute. these represent change on the gop side. when i look at the speakers, it's same old, same old, it's bill bennett, ed mease, dick armey. >> sure. well, i will tell you on sunday, we took advantage of the time we had here. we interviewed potential candidates for chief of staff. we were not able to attend any of those functions and

organizations and the meetings that they had because we felt we needed to get a drop on maximizing our time here. as far as attending those, i was not able to do so, so i can't really go into what was said or how it was said or how it was interpreted. >> congresswoman bass, tell me about your minutiae. did you pick out your office? do you know where to park? did they give you the pledge pin yet? >> we don't have the pin until we are sworn in on january 5th. we pick our offices on friday. we have been involved in the day-to-day work of what it means to be in office. i was sworn in six years ago in the state assembly. >> that's a pretty quick career path for you. six years ago and you've been the speaker of the california assembly. >> in california, we have very strict term limits. and so, that's right. i was

speaker in our third term. our current speaker, john perez, is actually a freshman, so he's finishing his second year in office. that's california. >> let me ask you if i may, the same question. what must you do so that in two years, you can go home and say, you wanted me to do it, i did it. >> first and foremost what i can do is move our country forward in terms of jobs, to make sure that health care reform continues and goes forward, making sure there's { transportation resources for the state of california and then having gone through the crisis we went through in california over these last couple of years. i know that all of my colleagues in the state legislature are very hopeful that i will be able to bring some resources back to california so that we get out of this economic crisis. but order number one, two and three is jobs, jobs, jobs. that is the issue we have to move forward on. >> you're each joining an organization that is not held in the highest of regard by the

public. i've got data. only 26% approve of the way congress is doing its job. 71% disapprove. you know the old adage. everybody hates congress, but they seem to love their member of congress. congressman, what can you do to raise the esteem of that collective body? >> you cannot have trust among the people if you don't have a conversation, if you don't listen to them. i think the american family is disenchanted. they know that this institution, and in many ways, washington, d.c., has not been a reflection of the american people. we have to start with that conversation. great leaders listen and listen well, hard work with honest dealings. >> does that go for listening to your opponent? congresswoman bass, are you ready to reach across that aisle? you both seem awful reasonable.

>> i'm used to reaching across the aisle. i will continue to do that. but let me just say, if you look at it historically, when you look at the poll numbers for legislative bodies, whether talking about on the state or federal level, it tends to go along with the economy. when we have the jobs, when health care reform is implemented, i believe that the prestige of this institution as well as the institution that i'm leaving will go up. >> those with the tea party say that this group is going to washington to put the brakes on this administration. is that a fair characterization? >> i think those who are not a port of a formal tea party organization, they want common sense. the unemployment numbers, they want jobs. they want this economy moving forward and they want the brakes put on federal spending.

it has increased 20% over the last two years while the family budgets and small businesses have decreased. i think they spoke clearly on that budget. >> and congresswoman -- go ahead. i'm sorry. >> having gone through the crisis i mentioned in california, i came here and we desperately needed the help of the federal government, frankly, so the state of california didn't go over the cliff. if it wasn't for the resources that were sent to us, for education, for public safety, not only would you have a higher unemployment rate, but our economic crisis would have been severe and we would have been thrown into a depression. so on the one hand, i do recognize people are concerned about federal spending. on the other hand, our country was in an absolute crisis and those dollars have helped california from going over the edge. >> congratulations to both of you. i wish you good things and appreciate you being on "hardball." coming up, minority leader

mitch mcconnell caved into the tea party caucus on earmark reform and now, 27 republican senators say they're committed to banning earmarks. what does that say about the power of the tea party and how much establishment republicans fear them? ♪ we all do it. but you don't have to. thanks to secret flawless renewal... with odor-absorbing micro capsules that capture... odor and release a fresh scent. it's still working, so you can stop checking.

president obama awarded the medal of honor to army staff sergeant salvatore giunta. he braved fire to rescue two fellow soldiers. this 25-year-old soldier from iowa is the first living recipient of the military's highest award for valor since the vietnam war. we'll be right back.

i know the good that has come from the projects that i have helped support throughout my stay. i don't apologize for them, but

there is no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and out-of-control spending that every republican in washington is determined to fight. >> welcome back to "hardball." that's senate republican leader mitch mcconnell siding with the tea party wing of his party and announcing his support for an earmark ban. is this proposal a distraction from the real heavy lifting required to get the budget under control? senator mark udall of colorado supports an earmark ban. now who decides, if there's a community good works project that requires funding, will it be bureaucrats compared to elected officials? >> this is a real opportunity for us. it's americans across the board who think spending needs to be reined in in smart ways. what we can do to your question is upgrade and redouble our efforts on the grantmaking process.

i have a staff person who's dedicated to working with colleges, with universities, with non-profits, with for-profit companies that want federal funding. that's the way to send federal dollars into the state. this earmarking process has resulted in some bad habits. it's resulted in a focus on pet projects to the exclusion of really managing our budget and our appropriations responsibilities in the right way. so, this suspect democrat and republican it is an american idea to eliminate this pros. >> allow me to share with you the words of sherrod brown who said of earmarks -- how about those hospitals at all? what can we do to protect them? >> most earmarks are very useful and important. i've earmarked for government

and university and public sector entities and organizations. if you go and look at the earmarks i've generated, they're good earmarks, but the point i want to make is because we focused so much on these pet projects, we haven't performed the oversight we should have done. in many ways, we're forced into a corner to support funding. we did an earmark for over 200 years and the public survived. the process has gotten out of control. i think it's time to end it. >> to what extent do you feel that your role as a member of the united states senate is diminished if earmarks go away? >> there are plenty of other ways i can support what my state needs. one of the ways in which i can support my state is to get on the front end when the president presents his budget and advocate for all the funding needs in the state. anticipate and redouble the

efforts we can make on the part of those who want grants that are generated across the board. and that would include some of the projects senator brown has mentioned that are very worthwhile and need to be supported. >> let me show you a clip of the final debate from hofstra. it's senator obama at the time, senator mccain on this very subject. let's listen. >> senator mccain talks a lot about earmarks. that's one of the centerpieces of his campaign. earmarks account for one-half of 1% of the total federal budget. there's no doubt that the system needs reform and there are a lot of screwy things that we spend money on and they need to be eliminated, but it's not going to solve the problem.{ >> senator udall, in my home town of philadelphia, chris' hometown, we would call that chump change. >> it's $16 billion, michael. that's not chump change. it's not a significant portion of federal budget. we make an enormous statement to the american people who, across the board, think we've got to

get spending under control. we also have to strengthen social security and medicare and look at the tax code, so it's going take all three steps to get our federal budget on a sustained path. i was the ceo of a non-profit business for years and i want to tell democrats, independents and republicans watching, if you don't have a strong balance sheet, you can't pursue your mission. we need to preserve the safety net and make sure americans have opportunity. if we go broke, if america goes broke, we're not going to be a strong country. we're not going to be able to do what we want to do for our own people. this earmark reform is one step in that direction. >> senator mark udall, thanks very much for your time. appreciate it. >> thanks, michael. look forward to coming on again with you. >> howard fineman is senior political editor of the "huffington post" and msnbc analyst is it chump change? >> it is in arithmetic terms. the senator's right, there are

democrats and republicans, argue that these earmarks are kind of like the appetizers that whet the appetite for all the fiscal gluttony that's been going on here and it's also a way in which campaign donations can be focused to get specific projects. and of course, everybody who wants their project is going to look to give a donation to a member of congress, which is legal, rather than twist the { arms in the government, which they aren't allowed to do. in theory, it makes sense. >> but won't it give elected officials the opportunity to go home in two or four years and thump their chests and say, see, this is what i did for deficit or debt reduction, it's like flexing the beer muscles. >> if this is all they do, it's laughable. if this is just the prelude and the sort of moral scene setter, if you will, to something real, then it's valuable. there's no doubt that right now,

the republicans are doing it because their running scared of the tea party mitch mcconnell switched positions because rand paul got elected in his state as a tea party candidate. not only is it not a lot of money, it's not going save up that money because it will just be reprogrammed back into the bureaucracy where it will be spent if the members of congress don't look at what the bureaucracy spends, which is trillions of dollars. >> what i was trying to get across in my brief conversation with senator udall was the fact a hospital style requires funding. there's a lot of good that has come out of the earmark program and i think that constituents appreciate the fact that bureaucrats may make those calls, they may not be too happy with the outcome. >> i think that's quite possible. and i think, as you know, both harry reid who survived to live

another day as senate leader and nancy pelosi, who's clinging to that job and will have it, are earmark fans. they say there's more transparency and they're going to do the reforming barack obama talked about when he was a candidate, but the democratic leadership's not about to give up earmarks for precisely the reason that you said. and there may be a more cynical game going on here because on the senate side, if harry reid is correct, democrats are going to still try to put earmarks into legislation. the republicans will still have the majority. they are going to have the majority and the republicans may beat their chest and complain, but if some just happen to slip into a bill courtesy of the democrats and barack obama doesn't veto that bill, they'll hope to get part of that action if they can, if there's a way they can do it subtly. you had a situation where michele bachmann, the congresswoman from minnesota, already talking about things she wanted to exempt from the earmark ban, including transportation projects. transportation projects is one

of the main things earmarked these days. >> i'm glad you raised senate majority leader harry reid name. here's what his spokesman said on the ban -- it's reminiscent of my conversation at the outset of the program, they castigate earmarks, if they came home in their state, hey, it was a great thing. where's that ribbon cutting? >> what's happened is that everybody comes to congress with a list. really like first day of class. you hand in your wish list of projects. barack obama participated in this when he first came to the senate. that is a habit of the way you start your year in the congress. i think it's what the reformers are talking about, but you're absolutely right. if this is all they do, then it will be worse than nothing because it's not going to save very much money at all. it will be reprogrammed.

it will give people the illusion that something has been done when nothing has. >> many thanks as always. coming up, talk about calm down. an incoming congressman who ran against president obama's health care plan is up in arms that he has to wait a month before his federal health care kicks in. that's next in the "sideshow." pfffffffff! ♪ let's szush up this one tone hair color! try nice 'n easy, with color-blend technology. in one step, get a blend of tones and highlights for dimension that takes you from drabulous to fabulous. nice 'n easy. your right color.

welcome back to "hardball." time now for the "sideshow." first, the beatles and apple come together. today, the computer maker announced they struck a deal to bring the music to the itunes store. the beatles' record label has accused the computermaker for decades of its infringing upon its trademark. not only are the beatles the top

selling band in history, their greatest hits collection was the biggest album of the decade. now to a media rights us it that will isn't going as smoothly. former arizona state quarterback sam keller is suing electronic arts claiming they've illegally profited from using images of him and other players in their ncaa games. electronic arts argues that it free speech. the courts are expected to tackle this one in the months to come. next, an incoming freshman gets a big-time reality check. during his campaign, republican congressman-elect andy harris said he's fight to repeal health care reform, or as he called it, government-run insurance. when he got to washington, what did he ask for? his government-run insurance. at a freshman orientation meeting, he was dismayed to cover that his policy only kicks in four weeks after he starts his job as a lawmaker.

politico reports -- congressman-elect, some might congressman-elect, some might say millions of americans go without health insurance all the time for a lot longer than 28 days and will continue to do so { if you and those in your party continue to repeal health care reform. now "hardball's" big number. sarah palin's racked up big wins with campaign endorsements and book deals and reality tv. what are the chances she uses that success to launch a presidential run? according to the traders at intrade.com, 68%. the irish oddsmakers say there's a 2-1 chance palin makes the big run. 68% is tonight's big number.

up next, george w. bush breaks ground on his presidential library today in dallas. between the library and his new book, can bush reshape the legacy of katrina, iraq, the wall street collapse? we will find out. you are watching "hardball," only on msnbc. you go next if you had a

>> welcome back to "hardball." i'm michael smerconish. that, obviously, was former president george bush today at

the groundbreaking for his presidential library outside of dallas. he was joined by his wife, former vice president and condoleeza rice. much more than a building is being built. they're building a legacy. what will that be? pat buchanan is an msnbc analyst, david corn, a contributor to politicsdaily.com. men, thanks for being here. i want to show you a snippet of dick cheney delivering a zinger today. >> of course, the george w. bush presidential center isn't much to look at just yet. but the workers are ready, construction will move fast after today's groundbreaking. this may be the only shovel-ready project in america. >> now true to his recent fopm~- president bush didn't take the bait, in other words, didn't behave in kind.

>> the decisions of governing are on another president's desk and he deserves to make them without criticism from me. >> pat buchanan, you're a student of political history. which is more in step with predecessors? here's vice president cheney who has been relentless against the president and the former president, who's taken a different path. >> i was at carter's dedication and reagan flew down there. but i think clearly, former president bush is handling himself magnificently. since he's been president, he's been silent, out of the news. he has been used as a butt of attack by the democrats, but i think he has done well. but i think cheney, of course that was a cutting jab, but i think cheney feels he's the darth vader of the administration.

i don't fault either of them for how they've handled themselves since the presidency. >> david corn, do you think that pat's defense of vice president cheney's reaction to obama cuts the mustard? >> no, it doesn't, pat. listen, vice president cheney, he may forget this, but it was because of the financial crash that happened on their watch that we lost 8 million jobs in this country and we needed a stimulus program. so for him to go around making any jokes whatsoever about the economic condition of this country shows that the guy has no class and is out of touch and still hadn't come to terms with the destructive legacy of his own time in office. you know what it doesn't surprise me. >> patrick, what's the vibe between bush and cheney? play dr. buchanan for me. how do you read what's going on on that dais, that stage today? >> i think dick cheney feels libby, who was his top man, was not pardoned by george bush and

cheney is a loyalist and i think, however, it's got to be a mixture of feelings. i mean, it was george w. bush that pulled cheney out of that business community down there in texas and made him the most powerful vice president in history and a real figure in history. so i think there's got to be some tensions between the two because of that last episode. at the same time, there's no doubt about it, dick cheney was the most powerful figure in the bush administration. >> in the book, pat, you know, in "decision points," president bush talks about how he gave some thought to removing cheney and replacing him with former speaker bill frist. do you think he regrets not having done so? >> i don't, quite frankly. i think dick cheney -- i don't agree with dick cheney, the wars. and this is what's the administration's going to be judged on. if iraq and afghanistan turn out

badly, and they could for our country, there's no way the bush administration presidency is going to be a success. you know, as for what david corn said about the economy, what happened in the economy is a result of the federal reserve just like it wasn't hoover's fault is economy crashed on his watch. >> wait a second. these guys, while they were slicing and dicing subprime mortgages, bush and cheney did nothing. they fought for deregulation. the clinton people did the same as well. i'm not saying it's just a republican problem, but that problem exploded because of their negligence and because they thought there was no role for government. >> but david, david, the hoover of this piece is barack obama who has done nothing in two years to turn it around and has been thoroughly repudiated by the american people. >> every mainstream says that the stimulus he passed saved 2 to 3 million jobs, which is more than bush did.

you can laugh at that, pat, but they're the ones -- >> you saved your state government jobs, all the politicians and all the -- but look what's happening in the economy.{ look, you cannot -- i don't defend what president bush -- i think he overspent and i think no child left behind -- >> it was letting wall street run wild. >> gentlemen, i want to show you a piece of footage from earlier today. this is president bush standing by former vice president dick cheney. let's all listen and watch. >> i can't thank dick enough for coming. you know, i've been doing these interviews, trying to peddle my book. i'm asked about dick cheney. here's what i say. dick cheney was the right pick in the year 2000. and as i stand here, there is no doubt in my mind, he was the right pick then, he was a great vice president of the united states and i'm proud to call him friend.

>> hey, david corn, i read your thesis on bush's handling of rove, complete with five footnotes. can you give me the dumbed-down version? what is it do you think he left out of the book relative to karl rove? >> there's a one-page description of the whole valerie plame leak case that led to the issue of whether there should be a pardon or not. he leaves out who was the number two leak. the confirming source was was karl rove. to write about the case -- coming to terms with the darker moments of his presidency. >> you cannot be saying that silly episode is the darkest moment of any presidency. >> i said a dark moment. >> david, you are involved in trivial pursuit as usual.

>> that's what he talked about with dick cheney. that is what led them be at odds. >> what was the significance of this thing? it's a minor matter. >> cia operations were blown because of this. >> gentlemen, to be continued. appreciate very much. pat buchanan and david corn, as always. next, lisa murkowski is headed to a third term.{ she's headed to an impressive write-in campaign victory. she's making bigger headlines by bashing sarah palin. that's ahead. this is "hardball," only on msnbc.

is this the final nail in michael steele's political cough in? one of steele's aides quit today. the aide skewered steele and says republicans could have won senate races in colorado and washington with a better ground game. at least one other republican is in the race to challenge steele and several others are considering doing so. "hardball" comes back right after this.

we're back. senator lisa murkowski is leading joe miller in the race for alaska's senate seat. now that she's won about 97% of the write-in vote, she went after the one person who boosted joe miller's campaign, sarah palin. >> she would not be my choice for president. i just do not think that she has{ that -- those leadership qualities, that intellectual curiosity that allows for building good and great policies. i don't think that she enjoyed governing. i don't think she liked to get down into the policy. >> michael carey is a columnist with the "anchorage daily news," shoshanna walsh is with the daily beast. she essentially called her a dope. >> those aren't the words she used. they do not get along. i don't think this was surprising that lisa murkowski

is not going to back sarah palin. you have to remember that sarah palin has gone after lisa murkowski pretty hard during this process. she slammed lisa murkowski. she called her shameless throughout the process on her facebook post about joe miller. >> michael, help me educate a national audience of the family history here. i guess it begins with governor frank murkowski having picked his daughter for the senate over governor palin? >> no, governor palin was not really a candidate for the united states senate, but she was the candidate who beat frank murkowski, lisa's father, in the election four years ago, and so i think it all starts right there in the family differences. >> palin becomes governor by defeating frank murkowski and then palin, of course, was for miller and not murkowski in this race. talk to me about the status of

this recount. what's being allowed? what is not being permitted thus far? >> they've counted almost -- >> go ahead, michael. >> okay. they've counted somewhere around 100,000 votes. eventually counting 100,000 votes.100,000 votes. they're counting right know today in juneau and getting to the end of the absentee question ballots and oversea ballots that might becoming in from the military or travelers or missionaries or who knows what. it's clear senator murkowski is going to wind up ahead. here intent of the voter is paramount. gale numei, the director of elections has been generally liberal in interpreting the intent of the voter when they're trying to write murkowski. to the dissatisfaction of miller who's in court. >> in other words it's a phonetic reading of ballots for lack of a better descriptor. if someone can look at it, the individual you identified and

make out how it would sound, if it sounds like murkowski then the vote counts? >> yes, but it hasn't been perfect, and perfect in that sense. in the "anchorage daily news" today there were several examples of attempts to spell murkowski that seemed phonetically close to the ballpark but were overruled. tremendous responsibility that gale has had as director of elections. reviewing thousands and thousands of ballots personally. >> shasshana, play palinologist if you will. you've written the book about her. do you think this is all a precursor to her getting into 2012? >> i have to say yes. i think that this -- the reality show is going to be very good for her because you see a different side of palin we haven't seen over the last year. not the person we see an facebook blasting obama. it's more the palin that --

before she was picked to be john mccain's running mate. the palin that michael carey knows very well. that it's a softer, more appealing governor palin. i think this will really help her going forward. i spoke to some political operatives and they described it as an eight-week bio ad. every candidate has a bio ad. introducing the constituency or potential constituency to their family. this one's paid by tlc. >> there's more of senator murkowski on former governor palin that i'd like to air for the two of you and everyone else. let's roll that. >> since she left the governor's office we just really don't have much in common. we don't talk to{ one another. i would like to think that if there were an opportunity to help -- help do something good for alaska she would call me or i could call her. but she -- in fairness, she is

not -- she's not really that keyed into the state anymore. she is looking, obviously, at a bigger -- a bigger pond and so we don't see her up north as much. >> michael carey, how is she regarded at home? can you offer me a personal take as to whether you think she can win a statewide race in alaska? >> sure. first of all, i think senator murkowski was restrained in her evaluation of sarah palin. a lot of alaskans agree with her that she's in a bigger pond. if she came back here and ran in a statewide election, it would depend who she was running -- i don't think she could beat lisa murkowski and don't think you could beat mark begich. >> one wonders how it should play if she moves forward for 2012 given she did not fulfill the term in alaska. >> this is going to be her biggest achilles' heel to get over here. see her potential rivals saying,

if you can't finish a term in alaska, how can you be president? really, i think going forward, is going it be the hardest thing for her to explain to the american people if she decides to run. >> speaking as one who answers the telephone for a living and deals with a number of talk radio callers, i don't know if it matters much. people seem fixed in their views. they either love her or don't love her. that television program is reinforcing what opinions they hold. everybody wants to come visit alaska. thank you, michael carey and shashana walsh for being here. when we return, counterintuitive advice for nfl if you want to cut down on head injury, ban the players' face masks.

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tempur-pedic ever, and it comes with a 20 year warranty. ask me where i'd like to be right now... ask me how many people i'm gonna recommend this to... tempur-pedic brand owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. ask me how to take the first step to your own cloud... take the first step! call for your free information kit with dvd. call the number on your screen or visit tempurpedic.com/cloud. tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. permit me a final word tonight about football. first how about those eagles last night? michael vick played so well he almost made me forget what happened off the field. second, thinking of the nfl brings to mind a commentary i saw on hbo's real sports. like joe paterno, gumbo offered a way for the nfl to cut down on the high impact helmet hits that lead to concussions. ban the face mask. no player would want to lead with his head.

face masks weren't recommended in the nfl until the 1950s. i doubt the nfl's players union would buy in. i can hear die-hard fans across the country decrying the sisfication of the pastime. let's give it a test run. ban face masks in one preseason game. the best players hardly hit the field during the preseason and almost never in the final tune-up game. nobody in their right mind, not owners, coaches or fans believes the preseason is an accurate predictor of how good or bad a team will be in the regular season. case in point? 2008, the detroit lions had a preseason record of 4-0 and went 0-16 in the regular season. meaning the nfl's preseason is a joke. the only reason they played four games is so the owners can collect the television, ticket and concession revenue they'll bring in. so why not make at least one of those contests a meaningful one by pulling the face masks?