everything you've ever done or said is looked at for clues as to who you are and what kind of leader you would be. that's why today's report about mitt romney in "the washington post" is potentially so revealing. the post's article recalls a bullying incident that happened during romney's senior year at the elite private high school he attended in michigan when he was 18 years old. the post reports, quote, john lauber, a soft-spoken new student one year behind romney was perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuality. he was walking around the all-boys school with bleached-blond hair that draped over one eye and romney wasn't having it. he can't look like that. that's wrong. just look at him. an incensed romney told his close friend. now mat tu tells the post that

he later saw romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut lauber's hair. they tackled him and held him to the ground and screaming for help romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors. it was a searing moment for those involved in the moment. 30 years later, one of romney's classmates ran into lauber at an airport and asked him about what happened. according to the polls, lauber said, it was horrible. lauber went on to explain how frightened he was during the incident and, quote, it's something i've thought about a lot since then. end of quote. and one of the young men who took part in the bullying told "the post," quote, it happened very quickly and to this day it troubled me, says the wrestling

champion who said he joined romney in restraining lauber. he subsequently apologized to lauber, who was terrified, he said. what a senseless, stupid, idiotic thing to do. but this morning a top romney adviser seems to shrug off the incident. >> governor romney doesn't remember that incident at all. it was high school. >> and in a radio interview this morning, romney was actually chuckling, chuckling while he was talking about this. >> you know, i don't -- i don't remember that incident and i'll tell you, i certainly don't believe that i -- and i can't speak for other people, of course, thought the fellow was homosexual. but as to the teasing and the taunts that go on in high school, that's a long time ago. for me it's about 48 years ago. so, again, if there's anything that i said that was offensive to someone, i certainly am sorry

about that. >> but by late this afternoon, romney's attitude and tone was different. >> first of all, i had no idea what that individual's sexual orientation might be. going back to the 1960s, that wasn't something that we all discussed or considered. so that's simply not accurate. i don't recall the incident myself but i've seen the reports and i'm not going to argue with that. there's no question that i did some stupid things when i was in high school and obviously if i hurt anyone by virtue of that, i would be very sorry for that and apologize for that. >> but when you run for president, the past is never really the past. joining me now is david, washington bureau chief and political analyst for msnbc. he's the author of a new book called "showdown." and cynthia, professor of

journalism at the university of georgia. thank you both for joining me. david, this happened 48 years ago. does it really matter now? >> that's a good question. and what happens that far back in the past in the relevancy to the character of a person is open to question. it really depends on whether it happened more than once but, more important, is what the reaction today is to revelations about the past. and that's where i think romney is failing the character test. i find it personally unbelievable that he doesn't remember such an event. i was involved in those sort of terrible moments during high school. i've witnessed them. and i remember them. i remember when they happened to me. i remember when i saw them happen to other people and the fact that you have four or five witnesses telling jason of the washington post incredible details about that moment shows that it really was of cons consequence to them. so for him to come out and say,

i don't recall but i do remember that i didn't think he was gay and have all of these sort of weasley words and to be chuckling about it, indicates to me that that's the problem. this is a moment for him to step up to the plate and say, i did do stupid things. that was wrong and i believe bullying is a problem today and to talk about it honestly. the fact that he can't do that to me is perhaps more troubling now than what actually happened back then. >> but cynthia, it's 48 years ago. is it that we have the right to go all the way back in any presidential candidate's life? i mean, we are hearing about the president's girlfriends decades ago. so is this a fair game for anybody running for president? >> absolutely. you know, whether it's fair or not, this is the way it's done. mitt romney is on the grand stage now. he's at the shoi, show, as the say in major league baseball. so, yes, they will go all the

way back to his kindergarten years, for heaven's sakes. reporters have gone back to the school that obama attended as a young boy in indonesia. so, yes, this is fair game. and i think david is absolutely right here. it's not so important to me what romney did as a teenager. i don't want to sound as if i think bullying isn't a problem. for heaven's sakes, i was bullied in school. i was a teacher's kid in a small town. i certainly got bullied. but people grow out of that. what troubles me much more is that mitt romney can't stand before the cameras now and give a straight answer. i was sometimes a jerk when i was in high school. i am so sorry. he didn't even really issue an apology. my mother taught me in first grade, any time you start a so-called apology with, if i offended someone, then you're not really apologizing.

so he hasn't really even apologized. why doesn't he just say, i was sometimes a jerk. i am ashamed of the way i sometimes behaved. i am truly sorry. >> i might not add that, cynthia, we have an audio problem in the studio. that's why she's holding the cell phone. >> i'm holding a telephone, yes. >> yeah. i just wanted to he can plain to people why you are doing that. >> yes. >> david, let me go back to you. "the washington post" reports about the bullying incident, it was a hack job, recalled phillip maxwell, a childhood friend of romney, who was in the dorm room when the incident occurred. it was vicious. then romney's former classmate paints a dark picture of him, one former classmate and old friend of romney's who refused to be identified by name, said there are a lot of guys who went to kranbrooke who have really

negative memories of romney and describes him as evil and like the lord of the flies. >> let's be clear here, this was not a prank. that was part of the excuse and the cover story that came out earlier in the day, that i did some pranks, they might have been foolish pranks. this was even more than bullying. this was an assault. it was violent. i can see how this would have a searing effect on the victim, on john lchl auber who, unfortunately, died a few years ago and is not around to accept romney's half apology. so it goes beyond prank. and if people want to look at the question of whether there is something particularly mean or dark inside mitt romney, you know, this is a starting point. and, also, i think everything is fair game here. mitt romney is the presidential candidate that gets out there and he talks about how his grandfather used to spit nails as a carpenter, how his father

used to sell paint. well, if you can talk about that stuff on the campaign trail, other people can certainly talk about the time you brutalized a student because you thought he was gay. >> now, cynthia, let me raise this to you, because i think that it is interesting to me how later today on a radio show he talked about -- he being mr. romney -- that he's a different person today. he doesn't remember the incident but he remembers he's different today. listen to this. >> there are elements in life that change you. i'm a very different person than i was in high school. i'm quite a different guy now. i'm married, i have five sons, five daughters in law and now 18 grandchildren. >> and i'm the first to say, people can grow mature and be different. i have. a lot of people have. but why are you saying you're different if you don't remember

that you're different from? >> indeed. and that's at the core of a big problem for mitt romney. can he relate to people who are weak, who are vulnerable? "the washington post" account, the most horrifying episode involved lauber, the young man that they assaulted to cut his hair, but there are other episodes where it's clear that mitt romney had a pinchet for picking on the weak and the vulnerable. he had a teacher who was almost legally blind and he deliberately allowed him to walk into a closed door and hurt himself. he laughed about that. yes, could he have changed? maybe he could have. but i need to see some evidence that he can now relate to people who are weak, who are vulnerable and he still doesn't show any ability to do that. and that is the big problem for

mitt romney. >> yeah. thank you so much, cynthia tucker, david corn. thank you both of you for your time tonight. >> sure. ahead, president obama's historic endorsement of gay marriage has sparked some backlash. i'll explain why this is not a religious issue but a civil rights issue. into plus, paul ryan and the gop to slash food stamps and meals on wheels to protect the rich. a new low. and a day of gold. michele bachmann was a proud swiss citizen. now you won't believe what she's saying. it's amazing. you're watching "politics nation" on msnbc. nation" on msnbc. [ alarm buzzes ] [ female announcer ] wake up time,

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historic announcement yesterday. today, fallout, passionate agreement and disagreement. that's next. [ male announcer ] what's in your energy drink? ♪ power surge, let it blow your mind. [ male announcer ] for fruits, veggies and natural green tea energy... new v8 v-fusion plus energy.

could've had a v8. this morning millions of americans woke up knowing for the first time that the president of the united states says that they deserve the same rights as other americans. the right to marry who you want. this is a fundamental right. president obama's decision to support marriage equality was the result of a personal evolution. >> ma lou yeah you a samalia an

have friends who have same-sex parents. >> did you discuss this with mrs. obama? >> this is something, yeah, we've talked about over the years. and, you know, she feels the same way that i do. in the end, the values that i care most deeply about and she cares most deeply about is how we treat other people. >> america is moving forward but house rups responded by trying to move backwards. just hours after the president's big announcement, republicans voted to stop federal funds from being used to oppose anti-gay act and meanwhile mitt romney now says he opposes both same-sex marriage and civil

unions. they have equal and full rights. unlike the president, romney is moving in the wrong direction on this. in 1994 he said he better -- he'd be better than ted kennedy for gay rights but earlier this year romney spoke at a conservative conference that banned a gay republican group and bragged about how he banned gay marriage in massachusetts. >> on my watch we prevented massachusetts from becoming the las vegas of gay marriage. >> and at a debate last year, romney stood by and said nothing while the republican crowd booed a soldier simply because he was gay. >> under your presidency, do you intend to for gay and lesbians in the military? >> here's how romney spoke out about his failure to speak out

against that. >> the boos and the applause is not always coincided with my own views but i haven't stepped in to try and say, this one is right and this one is wrong. i haven't made it my practice to listen to the cheers and the boos and them try and correct the people on their expressions of their views. >> ideally our presidents lead by example. they provide a model to the rest of the country. president obama has done that. what has mitt romney done? joining me now, washington post columnist e.j. dion and linda lake. thank you both for joining me. >> good to be with you. >> let me start with you salinda. are the american people ready for this from their president? >> absolutely. and the people who are going to

vote for president obama are more than ready. you'll never have a presidential nominee nor someone who doesn't support equality and the same rights for loving couples. >> now, if you look at the polling of supporters of same-sex marriage, 18 and 34 years old, 66%. democrats, 65%. moderates, 58%. independents, 57%. women, 56%. catholics, 51%. quite an impressive majority in these areas, celinda. >> that's right. i also think what is interesting here is, first of all, mitt romney yet again flip-flopping but more to the point, his position would take away health care benefits, benefits, hospital visitation rights and benefits in a number of states. his position is one for a

century ago, not today. >> now, e.j., you wrote a very compelling column about your own change of heart. the president talked about his evolution but i don't think anyone wrote more passionately than you did about your own evolution in this area and you said -- i'm quoting you and then you can expound upon t you said, i was sympathetic to granting gay couples of rights of married people but baulked at applying the word "marriage" to their unions. like a lot of people, i decided i was wrong. that's four years ago you wrote that. >> i did. and i decided i was wrong because i had always been a supporter of gay rights but i felt that it was asking too much of an awful lot of people in the country who were moving very quickly on this issue. i don't think there's any issue in which the public's mind has

changed more quickly than in having a warmer and more open attitude towards people who are gay and lesbian and i just decided that if you believe that people should be in committed and faithful relationships, if you think that it's in the country's interest to promote those, then that's actually the kind of socially conservative view, that we should be on the side of committed relationships, then how in the world could you deny that to people who are gay and lesbians. i decided that i was wrong and a lot of people have decided that and i think what gives power to what the president did is that, yes, there's always been politics. every politician has to think about the politics. but i think he went on the same journey that a lot of other people did and i think he spoke about it in that way and that's why i think that all of the talk about this being politically damaging is probably going to be wrong. it might hurt him a little bit here or there but it's going to help him in terms of enthusiasm

among young people, which he really needs to reignite right now and i always think it's better for somebody to -- a politician to say what he or she really thinks. and it was clear that he was evolving in this direction and he couldn't just sit there and say, i'm evolving. he had to take a stand. and so i think it's good that he did. >> now, celinda, i remember years ago when many of us debated this in the 2004 primary when i was involved, there was one or two of us that said, yes, we supported. and it was a tremendous backlash and the republicans used it as a wedge issue. but i don't know that they are jumping in to do that this time because john boehner, not a guy who sounds like he wants to use this issue. look at his reaction today. >> the president can talk about it all he wants. i'm going to focus on what the american people want us to stay focused on and that's jobs.

>> i'm going to stay focused on job. >> so directly asked about the constitutional amendment and a top romney adviser saying is it an issue, republican speaker boehner said i'm going to stay focused on jobs. celinda, is he looking at the shift that the country has gone through in the last five to eight years that it's not the kind of wedge issue that they once mobilized a lot of people around? >> i think that's right and thank you for your early leadership in particular with the multiple hats that you wear. it was so important. i think that's right. the other thing that i think is they paid a huge price for getting off on social issues and taking positions that were out of the mainstream and voters do not want to see them do that again and you know what, when you ask the public what are you more worried about, holding on to your job or who your neighbor is marrying, people are a lot more worried about holding on to

their jobs. >> thank you both for your time. >> thank you for those kind words, reverend, i appreciate it very much. >> you certainly deserved it and i agree with you, celinda, people are more concerned in this election about what is going on in the board room than what is going on in somebody's bedroom. >> that's right. ahead, house republicans show their true colors, cutting food stamps and meal on wheels for the disabled. and yesterday michele bachmann was gushing with pride for becoming a swiss citizen. what a difference a day makes. that's next. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more?

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that's the classic american song "american girl" and even though tom petty asked her not to, michele bachmann used that song last summer to kick off her presidential campaign. after all, she made a name for herself, wrapping herself in the american flag and being a tea party leader. she doesn't want there to be a doubt in anyone's mind that she's an american, especially now. as you may have heard, congresswoman bachmann became a citizen of switzerland through her husband, whose parents grew up there. last night she said it's no big deal and she's been a dual

citizen for more than three decades. and earlier this week she told a swiss tv station how much she loves their country. >> my husband is 100% swiss and his parents were raised in switzerland. they were married there. they came to the united states, they bought a farm in wisconsin and raised their three sons. >>. it's tough to find a place not to like in switzerland. >> but what a difference a day makes. today she announced she's withdrawing her swiss citizenship. quote, today i sent a letter to the swiss consulate requesting withdrawal of my dual swiss citizenship. i took this action because i want to make it perfectly clear, i was born in america and i am a proud american citizen. congresswoman, we know that you're a proud american citizen. you remind us all the time. >> god bless the united states of america. we will soundly stand for someone who believes in america.

the american people expect no less. what i believe is that i love the american people. and i love this country. >> congresswoman, we have political differences but we never doubted that you are proud to be an american. who would question a patriotism of someone serving their country? >> i absolutely -- >> anti-american views? >> absolutely. i'm very concerned that he may have anti-american views. >> that was definitely a swing and a miss, or should i say a swing and a swiss. we'll be right back. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. of how a shipping giant can befriend a forest may seem like the stuff of fairy tales. but if you take away the faces on the trees... take away the pixie dust.

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challenge that. olay smooth finish facial hair removal duo. first a gentle balm then the removal cream. effective together with less irritation and as gentle as a feather. olay hair removal duo. how math and science kind of makes the world work. in high school, i had a physics teacher by the name of mr. davies. he made physics more than theoretical, he made it real for me. we built a guitar, we did things with electronics and mother boards. that's where the interest in engineering came from. so now, as an engineer, i have a career that speaks to that passion.

thank you, mr. davies. welcome back to "politicsnation." remember that big shutdown that we almost had this summer? well, way back in july republicans and democrats reached a deal. they agreed to raise the debt ceiling on these terms. >> the big news this morning is after weeks of often bitter

negotiations, republicans and democratic leaders in washington have finally, finally agreed to the outline of a deal in this debt ceiling. >> that's right. it came last night. it would cut trillions of dollars over the next decade or so. >> if congress fails to make those cuts by the end of the election year, that kicks in automatic spending kits, including medicare and defense. >> otherwise medicare cuts will take place. neither side wants that to happen. democrats are pushing for a plan that makes the richest americans contribute more. today republicans offered this solution and congressman paul ryan told this yoke. >> this country, which should not be a class-based society, it should be a society of mobility, where we can make the most of our lives based on our own god-given talent and our own effort. >> you're hilarious.

i mean, you're joking, right? because just hours ago your party voted against that upward mobility that you're speaking so passionately about. you've ordered to cut billions from food stamps, billions more from health care. you even cut meals on wheels and just for fun, help for the disabled. make no mistake, this bill has no chance of becoming law but it speaks to what the gop believes in. that the poor should suffer while the rich get off scott free and that's why i thought this was a joke. >> it should be a society of upper mobility. >> the gop believes in upward mobility for the rich, the presidential candidate believes in upward mobility for the rich. this vote today was more for than just a gop bill. it was a testament to what the whole republican party believes in and what this election is all about.

joining me now is a congressman who's been at the center of this debate. representative chris van holland, democrat for maryland. con ves man van holland, thanks for your time tonight. >> reverend, always good to be with you. >> the gop plan includes cuts to meals on wheels, food stamps, and help for the disabled. is it just me or is this a new low? >> it's not just you have and i think the american people will see this as a new low. they are going to cut a food and nutrition program to 20 million kids they are going to say to 300,000 kids you no longer are going to get the health insurance program. they are going to slice back on meals for wheels and kids that are abused. they are cutting back on that. in fact, they are eliminating entirely the social services block grant and they are doing

all of this because they don't want to ask people that make $1 million a year to pay more to help reduce our deficit. and because 98% of the republicans in the house signed this pledge say they are not going to ask the oil companies to give up a penny of taxpayer subsidies, they are not going to ask the wealthy to pay more, because they do that, they have to hit everybody else much harder. they have to hit kids's health, the aging programming, medicare, they take it out on everybody else. >> you know what is also striking to me, they are supposed to be a party of defense but look at what secretary of defense leon panetta said today. watch this. >> by taking these funds from the poor middle class americans, homeowners, and other vulnerable parts of our american constituencies, guaranteed results will be confrontation

gridlock and see questions sister. >> when you combine that, congressman, with the fact that they twice this week tried to present an alternative and the gop wouldn't let the democrats offer it, they wouldn't even bring it up and it would have saved defense when the alternative was no defense cuts, cut $24 billion in farm subsidies, 5 billion by reform flood insurance, but they wanted $84 billion raised by increasing tacks on wilt three and i guess that's the deal breaker. you don't raise taxes on the wealthy and big oil guys. you remember take it from people at the bottom of the economy. >> reverend, that's exactly right. that's what exposes the hypocrisy of our republican colleagues in the house.

because the democrats offered a substitute amendment that would have also prohibited the across the board defense and we would have done it in a different way. they keep saying that they are going to jeopardize the national security but didn't even let us have a vote on our alternative that said, okay, we're going to present that to defense but let's close the tax loopholes for the big oil companies. let's ask millionaires to pay as much as the people working for them, let's cut some of these subsidies and when it came right down to it, the republicans chose to protect those tax breaks and subsidies rather than protect defense spending for our national security. so they talk a big game about defense but when it comes to actually paying for defense, they don't want to do it.

they would rather protect the tax breaks. >> it's obvious that the bill won't pass ultimately through the senate but really shows us what this party is about and with the republican candidate this is what this election is about. what are the priorities in this country? >> well, that's right. because mitt romney has fully embraced this house republican budget with the end of the medicare guarantee, with the very deep cuts to programs that help seniors and disabled in nursing homes and at the same time doubling down on tax breaks for the very wealthy. people like mitt romney would do just great under the house republican plan and they do great at the expense of everybody else to help our economy grow so this trickle down theory, we know that it

failed. you had a net loss of private sector jobs. you know the old saying, right? fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me. i'm sure the american people aren't going to be fooled by this again. >> maryland congressman chris van hollen, thank you for your time tonight. always appreciate having you on the show. >> great to be with you. ahead, the president's endorsement of marriage equality ignites a big religious debate in the black community. i'll explain why we must stand for civil rights for all. and president obama weighs in on willard saying he deserves credit for saving detroit. >> i think this is one of his etch-a-sketch moments. i don't think anybody takes that seriously. >> we'll see what else willard is claiming credit for. stay with us. [ male announcer ] research suggests the health of our cells plays a key role throughout our entire lives. ♪

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president obama's historic endorsement of gay marriage has sparked a lot of debate in the african-american community. we'll discuss that with both sides, next. just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need.

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like a ramen noodle- every-night budget. she thought allstate car insurance was out of her reach. until she heard about the value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. i was sensitive toed it fact that for a lot of people the word "marriage" was something that evokes very powerful traditions, religious beliefs and so forth. >> that was president obama talking about the sensitivity of religious beliefs and marriage.

the president's marriage equality announcement has sparked a serious debate on the issue of same-sex marriage and it's especially intense in the african-american community. a majority of black voters have traditionally opposed same-sex marriage. "the washington post" averaged numerous polls on marriage equality from march 201 through march of this year and found 42% of black voters say they support gay marriage while 55% would oppose it. i believe the fight for marriage equality is not about religion. it's about civil rights for everyone. that's why i fought for it this year in maryland where same-sex marriage recently became law. >> as a baptist minister, i don't have the right to impose my beliefs on anyone else. so if committed gay and lesbian couples want to marry, that's their business, none of us should stand in their way. >> you cannot be a selective

civil rights activist. either you stand for rights for all or none. but the debate rages on. we have both sides covered tonight. reverend daleman coats is fighting for equality in maryland and bishop strongly opposes same-sex marriage. >> thank you brother al. thanks. >> brother coats, be there is discomfort amongst those in the black community. what do you say to them? >> i attempt to help people understand that the issue of marriage equality is the issue of policy and not theology. the role of the state is decidedly different than the role of the church or any religious institute. the role of the state is to provide for the common good of all citizens and protect the rights of all citizens of the country, regardless of race, creed, color, or in this case sexual orientation.

so what i help people to understand is that marriage equality laws proposed around this country are providing civil marriage protection, which is decidedly different than religious marriage. no religious institution is permitted to not define marriage as they so find. and we recognize the separation of church and state which provides for religious liberty but does not allow people to impose their religious beliefs on others as a matter of public policy. >> bishop, how do you respond to that? marriage is civil and atheists can get married. how do we impose our religious beliefs on people? >> well, i don't want to impose my religious views. they are my views, period. i think in a democracy, everybody gets a say and one of the challenges about this time

is that very often folks don't want my side to be heard. you've got to be some kind of homophobe when in reality i'm looking at what happens in the future. heather has two mommies and taught in a second grade class and those are the kind of things i don't want to see happen because i don't think they are appropriate at young ages. >> biblical definition of second marriage is in the bible to be wrong. would you want a law against second marriages? >> i think there are a lot of laws that prevent people, like in the state of maryland, from getting divorced quickly. >> no. but there's no law from preventing them from getting divorced. my question is, would you outlaw second marriage? that's in the bible? >> no, i wouldn't outlaw a second marriage. >> so you would be selective? >> well, no. hear me out.

there should be somebody's morality at the end of all of the laws out there, basically, all i'm saying is that on this particular issue, i don't think it's going to be good for children coming up next generations for there to be this definitional change in the institution of marriage and i think it's wrong for folks to say that people like me don't have a right to speak out. >> you definitely do. that's why our on tonight. reverend coates, are you saying that there is a separation when the reverend says there has to be morality. let me show you this, reverend coates, he said that accepting gay marriage is the right thing to do, according to christianity. >> we are both practicing christians and obviously this position may put us at odds with the views of others. but when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only christ

sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the golden rule. >> reverend coates. >> one of the things at the core is loving everyone and respecting everyone regardless of their decisions and choices that they make. and at the core of our religious is freedom of choice and freedom of conscience. that is fundamental to what it means to be a christian and i believe it's critically important to make sure that we protect matters of public policy from issues of subjective theology. and i believe that people are going to see that african-americans are not just a one issue people. when i talk to people, reverend sharpton, be people are concerned about schools. >> yep. >> education and jobs. >> sure. >> and whether they disagree with marriage equality, they still believe that these other issues are equally important. >> bishop, how do you respond to that? isn't this really about people's civil rights being protected?

>> i think the presidencies it that way. you see it that way. i want the president, brother al, to define what he's going to do next. he says, i say he's a private citizen. i want to know if he's going to use a bully bull pit. i want to know what he's going to do. is he going to have another don't ask, don't tell kind of turn around. those kinds of things concern me. i want him to answer for himself not through surrogates so ministers are going to send out letters to obama and romney, what are y'all going to do? and are you going to enforce the laws as they stand about marriage. >> now, you have not endorsed anyone in this election as of yet, bishop, right? >> you're absolutely right. >> but you did in the last election around these issues? >> around these issues i came out, wrote some articles. i did not endorse anybody per se really but i wasn't really for president obama because of this

issue of marriage and the issue of sanctity of human life. you know, three times our percentage of the population we have black babies aborted in america. we have 40% of abortions, issues like marriage concern me and so -- >> well, i'm going to have you back on abortion but before you go, i brought up to the bishop about second marriages which is also raised in the bible. divorces in more families that hurt more children than gay marriages. >> that's absolutely correct can. and i think what the people see is, once you begin legislating the bible in one area, then you have to legislate it in others. i believe that our responsibility is to live in our faith, not to legislate it. i think the president took the right stand. it's a courageous stand and an historic stand. >> well, reverend delmon coates,

thank you. we'll have you both back on the show. ahead, willard's taking credit for just about everything. we have a credit check, next. do you eve r wish you could make some things just disappear? ♪ [ ping! ] [ ping! ping! ] that's why i use new tampax radiant. it helps keep my period invisible, combing tampax's best-ever leak protection

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we're back with a willard romney credit check. you may have heard, governor romney is taking credit for president obama's auto bailout. what do you say about this, mr. president? >> i think this is one of the etch-a-sketch moments. i don't think anybody takes that seriously. people remember his position which is, let's let detroit go bankrupt. >> your reaction, mitt? >> yeah, that's exactly what i said. the headline you read, let detroit go bankrupt.

>> yep, there was a man who saved detroit. of course, the guy who says that should be credited for saving detroit. we owe it all to willard. in fact, did you know that many great american moments are thanks to him, like the very first moon landing of apollo in 1969. that wasn't just one small step for neil armstrong. it was one giant leap for mitt romney. isn't that right, willard? >> and how can you forget the miracle on the hudson when sully safely landed in the hudson river saving the 150 passengers? well, it was actually captain willard piloting that plane. meanwhile, in hollywood, the avengers broke all kinds of box office records, grossing a

whopping $200 million in the opening weekend and, get this, willard directed it. yep, he gets that credit. and remember that big stink about al gore and the internet? he can't take credit anymore. twitter, google, funny videos for kit ken, all of that stuff that makes it harder to concentrate at work is all because of willard romney. that's a lot of credit for one guy. but don't worry, willard, i'm giving you credit. i tell everyone republican i know what a great job you did with romney care. thanks for