thank you, you're the best at what you do. we'll talk about that. join us again in one hour for a special live edition of "hardball" and president obama's address to our country from afghanistan at 7:30 eastern. "politicsnation" with al sharpton starts right now. welcome to "politicsnation." i'm al sharpton. tonight's lead, the one-year anniversary of osama bin laden death. president obama makes a surprise visit to afghanistan. landing under the cover of darkness. he arrived this afternoon to sign an agreement for u.s. ties to afghanistan after our troops come home. and he spoke to the troops there. >> we did not choose this war. this war came us to on 9/11. and there are a whole bunch of feks here i'll bet who signed up after 9/11. >> in less than an hour and a half, he would deliver an address to the american people.

we will have much more about this visit and its implications later in the show. but already, the president is being slammed by critics on the right for this trip. was it political? sure it was. he's the president. everything is political. but what's astounding is the complete hypocrisy from the right. everyone from mitt romney to senator mccain to donald rumsfeld has hit him. it's as if they never mentioned 9/11. if you need proof, all you have to do is look back to 2004 bush campaign. >> after september 11th, our world changed. either we fight terrorists abroad or face them here. >> i've learned firsthand that ordering americans into battle is the hardest decision, even when it is right. >> it is the great test of our generation and he has led with great moral clarity and foirm resolve. >> our president took ashley in his arms and just embraced her.

>> he is the most powerful man in the world, and all he wants it do is make sure i'm safe. >> make no mistake about it, politicizing 9/11 was the worst play book. in 2002 karl rove signalled to the iron sea that the white house planned to politicize terrorism in the upcoming election. in june of that year, rove prepared a power point slide show for donors, not policy people but financial donors. how were they prepared for the mid term elections? quote, focus on war. yet today you have bush officials like donald rumsfeld, of all people, criticizing this administration. rumsfeld tweeted, the special operators who have every right to spike the football are too two pro fegsal to do so. the white house might follow their lead. and he wasn't the only one. >> to now take credit for

something that any president would do is indicative of the kind of campaign we're under, we're seeing. and i've had the great honor of serving in the company of heroes. and you know, the thing about heros, they don't brag. >> i don't think you should use it as a source of negative campaigning. i do believe that negative part of it is totally inaccurate. mitt romney, anyone else would have made the same decision. >> let's not make the capture or killing ever osama bin laden a politically devicive event. >> let's not make this a politically devicive event. that was willard mitt romney at 7:41 a.m. this morning. but by 2:26 this afternoon, he was standing with former new york city mayor rudy giuliani at a firehouse that lost 11 first responders on 9/11. and he was talking about the politics of bin laden. >> he had an important role in taking out osama bin laden. i think politicizing it was, and

trying to draw a distinction between himself and myself was an inappropriate use of the event that brought america together, which is the elimination of osama bin laden. >> at a firehouse where 9/11 heros were lost. even for willard mitt romney and his campaign, that's low. joining me now is joan walsh editor at large of salon.com. and david corn washington bureau chief nor mother jones and also msnbc political analyst. his new book is called "showdown." thank you for joining me. joan, how can they criticize president obama when their play book is politicizing national security? >> they are so brazen. the trip to the firehouse, reverend al, i shouldn't be laughing, it is kind of tragic. but they never fail to shock me. i should say something to set up this whole segment. you know more about politics than i do. but we have to understand that one rule of politician is, there

are different standards for democrats and for republicans. so if a democrat says something a little bit off key like hilary rosen, well democrats are expected to stampede to put her down and you know, completely toss her under the bus. if rush limbaugh calls a woman a slut or prostitute, republicans don't have to deal with that at all. with national security, i'm so glad you got that karl rove power point. they did it at every turn. they made the war, 9/11, their center piece of the reelection campaign and of the 2002 mid term campaign. dick cheney came out and said, if you vote for john kerry you're making the country less safe. so they are brazen. they do it every time. it feels like right now the main stream media is paying more attention and calling them on it. that's the only good news i have. >> david, you wrote a book called "huberous."

in brooklyn, where i'm from, we call it something else. this is amazing. standing in front of a firehouse where responders were called on 9/11, criticizing the president while you are playing on national security. then romney has the nerve to say that he would not rule out going to pakistan to take out bin laden in 2007. >> you know, let me pick up on another threat that came out in the opening package there. and that's when john mccain says, any president would have done this. you heard mitt romney say that yesterday. rudy giuliani has said the same. these guys really need to read chapter 10 of my latest book, showdown. because i think it is a great test case -- or case study, of presidential decision making. it wasn't as if this was a slam dunk no-brainer of a decision. have you people in the room two days -- actually a day before obama gave the final green light. joe biden, bob gates, secretary

of defense, saying don't do it. the intelligence is not strong enough. several people who wanted to do a missile strike. obama ruled that out because of too much possibility of collateral damage. and only a minority of his advisers favored the helicopters strike. they knew if he went ahead with that and he failed, that his presidency would be in ruins. again and again they say, oh, my god, he is playing politics. you know, anybody would have done this. they are wrong on both counts. i remember what dick cheney said at the beginning of this administration. he said, you know what, barack obama cares more about the defending the rights of terrorists than defending americans. that was as big an insult as can you lever -- levy against somebody. and indeed barack obama showed him that that's wrong and they have been looking for a way out, ever since the republicans because they are interesting trouble with the same old karl rove lay book that joan was talking about. >> joan, when you look at the

fact in 2002, let me show you this. george bush actually said, out of his own mouth, he was not really concerned about bin laden, listen to this. >> i don't know where he is. i repeat what i said. i truly am not that concerned about him. i know he is on the run. i was concerned about him when he had taken over a country. i was concerned about the fact that he was basically running afghanistan. and calling the shots for the taliban. so i don't know where he is. nor, you know, i just don't spend that much time on him to be honest with you. >> joan, can you imagine if a democrat, can you imagine if president obama had said a year after 9/11, i'm not worried about bin laden. i'm just not worried about him. i don't know where he is. can you imagine the outrage that we would have heard? >> no, the indifference to bin laden, whether feigned 0r actual, is awful, reverend al.

we know, we talked about it at this time, there were cia officials and military officiales who complained that because of the run-up to the unnecessary war in iraq, they tried to get resources to get bin laden that they could not get because the eye had been taken off the ball. so to mock this man, this president, and to say either he did something anybody would do or he is spiking the ball, you know, it is really, again, should be beneath anybody. but it is not beneath them. >> let me show you an example, in the race before the president had won. candidate obama had to deal with criticism from candidates mccain about taking out bin laden. listen to this. >> if we have osama bin laden in our sights and the pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then

i think that we have to act. and we will take them out. we will kill bin laden. we will crush al qaeda. that has to be our biggest national security priority. >> teddy roosevelt used to say, walk softly, talk softly, but carry a big stick. senator obama likes to talk loudly. in fact web said he want to announce that he's going to attack pakistan. remarkable. >> well, it is remarkable. he did take out bin laden and y'all are still complaining. i mean, david, you would think that someone that had the play book they did, 2002, i can show you where it was in 2002, the republican administration was already selling iraqi and even waited until after labor day it market it. let me show you this. andy card says from a marketing point of view the white house chief of staff, andy card, said you don't introduce a new

product in august. it goes on to say, a center piece of the strategy is to use mr. bush's speech on september 11th to move americans toward the support of action against iraq. this was their plan. this was their reelection campaign. now on a year anniversary where bin laden has been killed as the president makes a surprise trip to the troops and signs this agreement, they're yelling politics. >> you know, i don't know. i can just repeat what joan said. because you can say the same thing over and over again. this play book 101 for them. in fact, we wrote about it in that book "hubrous" you were kind enough to mention. they gave president authority prior to the 2002 election. they made it an election campaign issue. and you know, again and again, look what mitt romney's been saying about barack obama. that he's weak.

he's feckless on farm policy. he goes around the world apo aapologizing. which isn't true. then when he stand up for leadership they say you can't do that. when you look at his performance in the case study of presidential decision making in the osama bin laden raid, you will get a really good feel for the guy and whether you want him making hard decisions on other fronts. i think this is a great insight into how barack obama works. and he should be taking about it. >> joan walsh and david corn, an important discussion. thank you for joining me tonight. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> ahead, we all remember where we were one year ago tonight. perhaps president obama's crowning achievement. so where is the today and how much credit does the administration deserve? plus, the president goes on the offense. getting tough on everything from the economy to terror to dogs.

and speaking of dogs, why president obama's dog, bo, might just be his secret weapon. you're watching "politicsnation" on msnbc. i am going to become facebook friends with our babysitter. no. these work, right? no. all right. mom! look what i found in the shed! no! no! no! ♪ ew! were you guys just making out in here?

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we all remember where we were onier ago, may 1, 2011. president obama made an announcement to the world that we waited nearly a decade to hear. >> tonight, i request report to the american people and to the world, that united states has conducted an operation that killed osama bin laden, the leader of al qaeda. >> there was celebrations around the world. the terrorist responsible for the worst attack ever on united states soil, and nearly 3,000 deaths, was killed. justice had finally been served. it was a unifying moment for the country and the following days more details came out about that night. the photos from "the situation room," showed the tense faces of the president and his staff. we saw images of the compound where we learned bin laden had been hiding and we heard more counts of the courageous navy seals who carried out the mission. and whose names we may never learn.

so today, where are we on the war on terror? joining me now is retired army colonel and military analyst jack jacobs and nbc terrorism analyst evan coleman. thank you both for joining me. let me start with you, colonel. one year after al qaeda's leader is dead, where do we stand in afghanistan today? >> well, we're leaving. the president already decided we're leaving. we have planes it redeploy, almost all, if not all, of the conventional troops from afghanistan. president says they are going to be out starting in 2014. i believe that redeployment will begin sooner than that. what are we leaving behind. special forces, special operations forces, mobile training teams, some support. but the conventional troops will be gone by and large by 2014. >> there was more expensive and more popular, i mean, where do we go from here? >> that's part of the problem is that with the death of bin laden, i think some people expect that is the end of al qaeda. the end of it with the war

against terrorism. what we have seen is that al qaeda persisted on. it has weak yenweakened, under . there are al qaeda factions on the rise. kwet is how do we fight al qaeda without generating more and more anti-american sentiment in these countries, with drone strikes, with other types of u.s. -- >> but are these countries, are these places where the other forms of al qaeda, are they a real threat to the united states? >> that's the problem. for years, i think that logic was, no, they are regional al qaeda factions. just interested in their own regional battles. and we learned a lesson on december 26, 2009 when a n nigerian national tried to detonate a bomb on the plane. he was sent by yemen. so the answer is, yes, they are interested in doing this. they are capable of doing this, and they will be doing this in

the future. >> colonel, i'm one opposed of the afghanistan policy even under there administration. 54,786 wounded. the cost has been $444 billion. do you think this has really been worth it? >> i think it was important that we do it. and you can never put a price on a human life. by the way, we are spending lots more money over time and spending more than everybody thinks because we are fighting a disbursed adversary. yes, i think it's been worth it. and i think the people who served in the military will tell you it's been worth it. the question is, what do you do if you don't do that? i think we saw the answer to that when we were attacked. on 9/11. the answer is, you can't do nothing. we have to do something. the good news is that attacks that we have conducted have fragmented al qaeda. the bad news is, the same thing.

>> the documents during the raid on bin laden's kpount will be disclassified and published on-line thursday. what will the documents reveal? >> a little bit gf and a little bit of bad. the documents will show that al qaeda is under a tremendous amount of pressure. they are demoralized. they have disagreements between their various leadership figures. it is not a happy picture for al qaeda. the bad news is, that they will also show that al qaeda is still attempting to strike at the out. not just regionally. not just by setting off bombs at embassies in foreign countries. but by striking right here at the united states directly. i think that's what is worrying. >> but they don't have the central heard like with bin laden. how will these dongments paint bin laden? >> i think we will learn things about bin laden that won't be quite as complimently as the image we have seen heretofore. this there is in th mountain of

warrior, courageous among his men. he is much more of real person than that. he has the same faults as anyone else. same flaws as anyone else. he is no hero here. and i think we will see the lesser sides to al qaeda. things they didn't want to advertise. >> notwithstanding all of that, what is the legacy of the afghanistan war? >> well, i think we have learned a great deal about how to use the military instrument of power. we would have been out of afghanistan a lot sooner had we not spent seven years ignoring it after we had success destroying the taliban, chasing them out of the country and instead went it iraq. that was a big mistake. . spent a lot of money, a lot of lives and more time we could have product efly spent chasing the taliban pip think had we stayed in afghanistan, we would be coming home now with a great deal more success under our belt. the legacy here, is that i think we will hear and this is the bad

news, i think we will hear the same thing from the military establishment and pr politicians exactly the same thing we heard after vietnam. never again. and yet, after vietnam we wound up doing the same thing, trying to use the military instrument to donation building. so solve problems that should have been solved through economic means and political means. it has been worth it because we have managed it fragment al qaeda. but at the end of the day, where we are today, we should have been a long time ago. >> colonel jack jacobs and mr. coleman, thank you for our time. on issue after issue, the obama team is taking the fight right to the right. and, the romney's front door. and senator scott brown hates obamacare so much, he can't wait to use it to his family's advantage. incred ill. that's next. it's very important to understand

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well kurm back, folks. the gop is doing whatever it can to get rid of the healthcare law. but one republican is happy it take advantage of its benefits. massachusetts governor scott brown has a big section on his website, repeal obamacare. and bashing the law was a major part of his first senate campaign. >> i'm scott brown running for the united states senate. i'm concerned that healthcare bill in congress will have a

negative effect on you and your family. >> yeah, the law will have a negative effect on your family. but it's great for scott brown's family. yesterday a boston globe reporter asked brown fe used the healthcare law to put his 23-year-old daughter on his insurance plan. and get this, he said, quote, of koirs i do. of course he does, senator brown want the best for his kids. that's why his daughter is one of 2.5 million young adults now covered under their parent' insurance. and young people aren't the only ones benefiting from this law. it also saves seniors $3.4 billion on prescription drugs. helped 17.6 million children with preexisting conditions from being denied coverage. and helped more than 50,000 uninsured americans with presifting conditions get insurance. so it really surprise knows see senator brown wanting to to

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welcome back to "politicsnation." every four years republicans pull out all the stops to attack the democratic presidential candidate. remember the 2004 bush/cheney ad? >> john kerry and liberals in congress voted to slash america's intelligence operations. cuts so deep they would have weakened america's defenses. and weakness attracts those who are waiting to do america harm. >> and who could forget how bush's father crushed michael dukakis in 1988 where two of the most famous ads in presidential campaign history. >> in a ground emergency warning system against nuclear attack. even criticized our rescue mission no grenada and our strike on libya. now he wants to be our commandener chief.

america can't afford that risk. >> bush supports the death penalty for first degree murders. dukakis not only opposes it, he allowed the murders to have weekend passes in prison. one was willy horton who stabbed a boy 19 times. >> the obama team is going right after romney on everything from national secure it to the economy to romney's dog problem. business week reports quote given the grim economic reality, obama will have to render romney unacceptable in the eyes of most voters, and that indeed appears to be his plan. and as politico reported last august, barack obama aides and advisers are preparing to center the president's reelection campaign on a ferocious personal assault on mitt romney's character and business

background. so feisty team obama has a retort to the republican's every move, like this one today. >> over the top, erroneous, out of context. big oils new attack ad. president obama's clean energy initiatives helped create jobs across america, not overseaes. what about mitt romney? as corporate ceo, he shipped jobs to places like mexico and china. as governor the outsourced state jobs it a call center in india. he is still pushing tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseaes. it's just what you would expect from a guy who had a swiss bank account. >> we are so used to seeing republicans go after democrats, it is almost a cliche. now that obama campaign is flipping the script, can team romney take the heat? joining me now, steve corps knacky, political righter for salon.com p.m. and michael steele, msnbc analyst and former rnc claireman. thank you both for being here

tonight. >> sure, rev. >> used to beating up on democrats in presidential elections, don't you agree? >> yeah. democrats have never in the television run a political ad against republicans until barack obama. i mean, i think that's what you're saying here. >> what i'm saying is that the republicans are clearly the ones that have usually played more on the offense and i think that we're seeing a kind of different push back from the obama team. >> i don't think so. i think obama's big a bit more aggressive earlier in this process than democrats typically have been in the past for whatever reason. but i think that this is going to be one of those campaigns and everybody said this from the beginning, where it is coming right and left, up and down and you've got you know, those 800 pound super pacs out there that will be doing their own level of carpet bombing. so i think both sides are prepared to fully engij here.

and i think that the po politico piece that you reffens are right. they want to get started early on their terms so we are talking about something about the way the president handles the economy and how people really feel about the economy. >> steve, politico reports the obama campaign has taken cues from bush/cheney 2004. i'm quoting them. in a move that make some shutter obama's command former president bush's 2004 take down of senator john kerry. a senior campaign adviser told politico, for clues on how a president with approval ratings can defeat a challenge. >> i think there's a lot do that. a lot to the basic model that bush used in '04 and what obama is using this year. i think one of the big differences, talking about bin laden and foreign policy but as this campaign unfolds, i think

the big difference is a lot of the negative attacks will be focused on the economy, about romney and the top 1% and things like that. it is vitally important in terms of obama's reelection prospect that he do that. because romney is basically run og an negative message. he is running o an lazy negative message but a very effective one that potentially says look at sta tifkt x. it's gotten worse since obama came into office. therefore, throw him out. it is essential from obama's standpoint to remind people what he inherited, who he inherited it from and to the degree the policies will be a return that preceded obama. >> does the romney campaign know it is coming since they are clearly an aggressive strategy on the side of the president and can they handle the heat? can they handle being on the defensive? >> i believe they can. to your first question, yeah, i think they do know what's coming. they have been warming up to this for some time. even going back into the gop

primary, the obama people would indiscriminately and without warning lob a bomb at romney during primary process. so, yeah, i think they've gotten the since that there is a lot more coming. there is a can of whoop ass coming. and can they handle it? i believe they can. look at the, you know, the assault if you will inside the primary process, how romney had to deal with you know, very wily and nervous republican base not accepting of his message and how he today claw his way and carve his way through that. i think they are more than prepared for the attacks, whether on healthcare, whether on -- >> yeah, but i don't know, steve. because they've been hitting him on this swiss account, swiss bank account. let me show you romney's response, in my opinion, kind of weak to the swiss bank area.

>> let me read it. it says president obama's trying to distract americans from the real issues with a series of side shows. not exactly hitting back hard and not answering a lot, steve. >> that's basic lay generic, you know, come back. generic counter right there. i think this illustrates the one area. i think it is fair it say mitt romney is the best bet the republicans have from that law. but this illustrates the one area where he is uniquely vulnerable. in his lifestyle, life story and personnel waem j and marks of wealth, like the swiss bank accounts he kind of exudes top 1%. that is sort of the term to describe it. and the message that obama campaign would use against any republican running this year was that they are protecting this pampered privileged be with you know, super elite. and mitt romney, embodies that elet. so it is not only the policy argument but sort of driven home

by, you know, swiss bank accounts and things like that. that is a potential effective attack. >> the one thing michael that does give advantage to romney is game changer could be the super pacs, you know. so far, mitt romney's outraged the president, i think, president obama has done 9,42,435,000. and romn some of this super pac money is spent but this could be a game changer in this election unlike what we have seen in the past. >> it'll be a game changer. for my friends on the left, don't fret. trust me, barack obama will be more than capable of making up that grab between the super pacs. simply because you have to keep in mind, the obama super pac really didn't come on-line until a couple of months ago where as the other super pacs, whether karl rove or mitt romney, well

engaged for over a year. so you have that disparity. that gap will close. and i think steve's point about, that romney messaging, he is absolutely right. there is a vulnerability there. but remember, romney also has a pivot fu pivot opportunity to make this not about my wealth or swiss accounts. nothing illegal. but the reality of it is is, the conversation boils down to what is in your bank account. what are you able to bring home in take home pay. orngs wait a minute, you don't have take home pay because you don't have a job after three years. >> let me ask you, michael, you talk it a lot of republicans all over the country. are they nervous? are they confident? what is the feeling aftof the republican leadership? >> i would say there is a confidence about the fall campaign. i think the whole push from the primaries kind of settled folks down. we are getting geared up for the

convention. i see the slow steady burn for the romney campaign. it is picking up. and so now he has an opportunity and i think have you seen this more aggressive style from romney coming out. in some of -- not just in his asking but in conversations. i think folks will be anxious to get this thing on between him and the president. he still has newt hanging out there. you have ron paul, so i think they are really looking for this mano e mano battle between the two gentlemen come fall. and both bases, i think, will be there and engaged, reverend. >> we'll see. i'm always very cautious during elections. but if you call what romney is doing now his agreemeaggressive then can relax. thanks for your time. what was that? oh, michael wanted to congratulate the president a year later and say he is proud of him? maybe next time we will bring

you back, michael. >> congratulations mr. president on a job well done. >> oh, that's so wonderful. coming up, megan mccain tweeted this picture taken with sandra fuke at a party. and the stormy dog in rom nooe. that family trip where he took his dog strap netd roofer of his car. the president is going there in a big way and why his dog, bo, might be his secret weapon. that's next. ♪

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[ dennis ] dollar for dollar, nobody protects you from mayhem like allstate. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. we're back on politician nation with the gop controversial policies on women. 235 anti-abortion bills are pushed this year in 13 states are pushing person hood laws. that ban all abortions even from rape or incest. in some forms of birth control. this georgetown university student sandra fluke emerged as the face of war on women after being attacked by rush limbaugh for standing up for the rights of women and fighting for birth control access. over the weekend meghan mccain tweeted this picture taken with

sandra fluke at a party. now some on the right are attacking her. joining me now is meghan mccain, daughter of u.s. senator john mccain and msnbc contributor. it is great having you with us tonight. thanks for being here. what happened with h this picture you tweeted. >> i met sandra fluke at the party of msnbc. i just talked to her as woman to woman and i said that i had been called things, like she had been talked to about rush limbaugh. i told her any time she want it call me to vent about what it feels like, i am here for her. no sooner after i tweeted, it was tweet after tweet after tweet. michelle massachusetts alkin, conservative commentator went on a rampage attacking both of us.

she is a woman in the media saying she supports women, of course when it is me and sandra fluke. >> you are pro life republican and yet have you taken some stands on other issues. we can disagree and still respect each other without calling each other these names. you know, sandra fluke and i are rnd the same age. i have a larger hope for women of my generation than i do women like michelle malkin. she will only support women like ann. >> what do you make out of these -- all offes this laws going on throughout the country with some of these new laws? you are pro life but some laws that affect women's health issues. >> i think when it comes to banning birth control, it is dangerous issue to have eye

heig highlighted. this quote unquote war on women. this is not just pro life pro abortion. it is whether or not women should have access to birth control. which is a debate that hasn't gone on since the 70s. after effect of this argument and this rhetoric will be absolutely detrimental in the election to republicans unless we start thinking more open minded. >> now within you're right because majority of americans support covered contraceptive coverage. 63% support it. there seems to be republican, democrat, things with women's health and things that go above whether you are above pro life pro choice and people have the right to disagreement even inside their part party. all. >> i think when you talk about vaginal probing and egregious tactics people are trying to pass to humiliate women who get

abortions. i think it is a difficult decision for anyone to make wh you are pro life or o pro choice but to humiliate women in the process is where the war on women is getting all of the news it is getting and becoming the lightning rod that it is. i'm a pro life woman but that type of things scares me and i think it is disgraceful. >> you've gotten reaction before when you tweeted about gay marriage. >> oh, yes. >> you trweeted republicans who privately support marriage equality but refuse to acknowledge so publicly are the worst kind. >> i just keep meeting republicans in private a lot of places. who i support gay marriage but i could never do so publicly. right now the spokesperson for romney is stepping down because he is an openly gay man. very scary times for people to live in. i think we have to come together and take the stand that passing marriage equality is a civil rights issue, an political one.

i cannot handle meeting any republicans any more that behind closed doors will tell me they are for gay marriage, then go on television and rail completely against it. >> you said you are a fan of fluke because you admire a woman who stood what she believed in, could with stand controversy. >> exactly. there aren't enough strong women out there. not enough strong women on television. sandra fluke is out there speaking and teaking the hits worse than i have even ever experienced. you have to give it up for her for continue toing outspoken and take the controversy. >> people can disagree and still tick pictures. >> i'm a republican on this network. we can agree to disagree. >> my oldest daughter dominique took a picture with george bush and condoleezza rice. she even gave me at camera and made me take it. good having you on the show. >> thank you. >> good luck with your book.

>> thank you very much. >> and bo is hopping into the campaign. not on to the car's roof though. that's next. i am going to become facebook friends with our babysitter. no. these work, right? no. all right. mom! look what i found in the shed! no! no! no! ♪ ew! were you guys just making out in here? what? no! is it okay if i quit my job and start a blog? no.

really? cold cuts from a package? yes. [ male announcer ] in a world filled with "no," it's nice to finally say "yes." new oscar mayer selects deli meat. the tastes you love and no artificial preservatives. it's yes food. if you made a list of countries from around the world...tives. ...with the best math scores. ...the united states would be on that list. in 25th place. let's raise academic standards across the nation. let's get back to the head of the class. let's solve this.

we are still six months away from election day. in the 1980s the romney's strapped their dog, sheamus, on to the roof of their family car and took off for 12-hour road trip. >> sheamus is his fame, has climbed up there all by himself, enjoyed his ride. and whether in the back of a pickup truck or rooftop carrier, it was a good wide ryride. >> the dog loved it. >> he got sick, right? >> once. he ate the turkey on the counter and had the runs. >> yeah, sounds like a blast pz

romney can't seem to get away from the story and the president knows voters do talk about this issue. so he is calling in the big dog. that's right, bo. the obama's beloved portuguese water dog is now the star of an internet ad that asks pet lovers to support his pal, the president. and the obama campaign has launched pets or obama pages on-line. where furry friends of the president can show their support. like cleo the cat who says she loves her new obama 2012 collar. and her cardboard box. or butter the pood el who backs and box for barak. david axelrod ripped romney a few months ago tweeting this picture with the message, how loving owners transport their dogs. so the romney team's been trying to i couldn't they're dog on the roof issue. they are barking back. and it is hilarious. right wing website went after the president for eating dog as

a chao in interneesha. romney's top aides competed in hindsight a chilling photo hp here is how the president responded at the dinner. >> i know everyone is predicting a nasty election. thankfully we agreed that families are off limits. dogs with, however, are apparently fair game. my stepfather told me, it is a boy eat dog world out there. even sarah palin's getting back into the game. guest hosting on the "today" show. which reminds me, of an old saying. what's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? a pitbull is delicious. >> he even made this ad for willard to help him win over other pet lovers. ♪ in the eyes of an angel

>> america's dogs can't afford four more years of obama. for them, that's 28 years. our dogs need leadership now. >> who let the dogs out? >> this guy. and that's why we need to join mitt romney in sending a message this november, i'm an american, and dog gone it, i ride outside. paid for by the wooppac. >> that was a lot of fun but seriously can you tell a lot about a man from the way he treats his pet. and willard, we all will be watching to see where sheamus rides in the future. thanks for watching, i'm al sharpton. a special live edition of "hardball" starts right now. obama at the front wp let's play "hardball."