presidential election is a barn burner deadlocked. our new poll out today shows that the race is tied in three of the most important battleground states, nevada, colorado and iowa. chris is a contributor. iowa shows 44-44. this is a tie. only 10% undecided. >> you know, what's amazing is that iowa, remember, iowa and president obama mention this is every time he goes, iowa was the state that gave birth to barack obama as the guy who was going to be the democratic nominee. he won the iowa caucuses going away, he won iowa in the general election over john mccain going away. so, it's interesting to me at least that we are now in a tie in the state. though i would say that this is a state that did go for. go w. bush in 2004, republicans made a lot of gains in 2010. they won the governorship, chuck

grassley got re-elected. so, there's a lot of cross currents here. it's in the midwest, this is kind of where i think the battleground is. iowa, wisconsin, michigan, ohio, even maybe all the way east to pennsylvania though i'm not sold on that yet. this is where the fight is. i guess i'm not surprised, though it is the place that gave birth to barack obama as kind of the phenom presidential candidate that he became. >> and when we look at the other two, ties, talking about nevada. you see just how close these six now, we've done three before, three this week. and now nevada and colorado. again, states that obama won that bush won before him. and this is where the battleground is. >> yeah. you know, andrea, as a seasoned political analyst i can look at these polls and say i think it's going to be close in the fall. i feel confident making that prediction.

look. this is the reality. look at a national poll and the state polls. you have, thank you nbc and marist, you have six polls in six swing states, six out of the nine that are toss-ups between the two. what does it find? that in almost all of them president obama is either tied or ahead in the margin of error. it means it's going to be close and little things can matter when it's close. >> thanks so much, chris. syria's government forces have resumed shelling houla. many women and children were massacred. in denmark secretary of state hillary clinton blamed russia for blocking u.n. objection to stop the killing. >> we have very strong opposition from russia and china, but it's primarily russia. and that makes it harder to put together an international coahis. the syrians are not going to

listen to us, they will listen, maybe, to the russians so we have to keep pushing them. >> congressman mike rogers is chairman of the house intelligence committee and joins me. thank you so much for being with us. first of all, arming the syrian rebels. you have said don't arm the rebels. we're hearing a lot of criticism of that. john mccain you know is really out there. mitt romney blaming the president for weakness saying he's not showing leadership saying we have to pour resources into the opposition, not specifically arms but he doesn't say exactly what we should do. why are you so strongly against arming the rebels? >> i could see all of the intelligence every day. that's what i do as chairman of the intelligence committee. i'll tell threw is no syrian resistance in total. there are pockets of resistance, there are some emerging groups. we just don't have a good handle on who they are. we know that al qaeda in iraq is operating there and has a

sizable presence there. and have been successful in some of their efforts to destabilize the regime there. so we just don't know. we're not sure. so, i think that that ought to be very, very carefully considered. but not till later. we have a lot more information to learn about who these folks are and there's a whole bunch of things that we can do before that that can help destabilize that regime and bring about change. and we can do it with our arab league partners who are eager to do it, eager to get involved and eager to put people in the country to help destabilize that regime. i think all of that's important. >> can we do that as long as russia is roadblocking effective u.n. action? what can we do outside of the u.n.? >> again, with the arab league there is a lot that we can do. and it's unfortunate that russia has chosen to be on the side of a regime that slaughters women and children. i think the public pressure hopefully will change their minds about that. short of that, there are lots of

great things that we can do when it comes to clandestine efforts with our arab league partners who are eager, again, to be involved in this. that's the very unusual thing about syria is that the arab league is so forward leaning when it comes to getting assad out of control and out of power. we need to engage that, our arab league in a way that allows us to do -- to make them better and more effective in trying to upend that regime. >> are these military steps, you talk about covert steps. you're not going to be specific but are we talking about providing weapons and other communications, gear and help to the arab league to help support the opposition? that still gets to the question of who are the opposition and you don't want to get weaponry into the hands of some of al qaeda and some of these other extremist groups. >> again, i don't support arming the opposition, but there are things that we can do. here's the important thing. people say what is in our national security interest. one, it's a state sponsor of

terror for iran and we know that they used a pipeline to get fighters into iraq to till u.s. soldiers. that's happened for years. also they have a whole stockpile of chemical weapons and weapon systems that maybe libya look tame by comparison that is in our national interest to make sure they are secure. we can do that by a more rational transition of the assad government with the arab league's help. so, those are kinds of places we should make sure we can secure and make sure the weapon systems don't go anywhere. if the regime falls or short of the regime falling those are the sort of things and the value added that the united states can bring. we can make the arab league folks much more effective whan they are trying to do through training and cooperation in a way that i think could bring about regime change. but you have to do it. stop talking, you have to stop wringing your hands. do it and put it in gear and get moving or assad is going to continue to dig in and do the

things he's doing which is shelling houla. >> briefly, congressman, is the president doing enough? how would you rate what they are doing so far? >> listen. i've had good conversations with the national security council folks. i just think they are too slow on this. this is something that needed to happen months and months ago and that frustration you hear from john mccain who is just a great national security expert, is arm the rebels, get something going. that's frustration. this is a better option with our arab league partners. they are just slow and not -- they haven't engaged in this and taken it to the seriousness i think folks like me and others would like to see happen. again, it's destabilizing to iran to have this happen, have assad go away. pressure on the russians can only help with their argued irrational position now on the assad regime. it looks self serving and you

have the arab league willing. there are lots of great solutions but we have to engage in them and stop wringing our hands about it. >> we have to leave it there. thank you very much. coming up next, new york mayor mike bloomberg explaining his push to ban super size sugar drinks. live coverage of the unveiling of the bush portraits. [ male announcer ] this is lois. the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth,

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after slamming mitt romney's career at bain capital the obama campaign turned up in massachusetts to attack romney's record as governor. andrea joins me now. thanks for joining us. so there on your turf, what do you say back to them, they are slamming his record as you know,

being far behind, 47th in job creation, he was not a job creator. and of course you know the continuing attack on bane capitol. >> if president obama had half the job creation record that mitt romney had he'd be running on it. this is another tired attack on president obama's campaign has no rationale for re-election so they are trying everything they can to bring mitt romney down. we're happy to compare the 4.6% unemployment rate that mitt romney achieved as governor of massachusetts versus what president obama has done. he promised with the passage of the stimulus bill that unemployment would be at 6% or lower today. that's not the case. also, if you look at the budget, governor romney came in -- >> that it would be 8 perlz. i think what the promise was was 8% -- >> they put out a chart, andrea actually, showing over time the

trend of what would happen with the stimulus. if you go to what the results were for today, it was 6% or lower. and that's just not what we're seeing. >> what about solyndra? you are stepping up what seems to be a coordinated attack on the subject of solyndra. we heard it from the candidate in his campaigning out in california, and now republican national committee video today, we still don't know exactly where mitt romney's going to turn up today or any moment. can you shed light on that? >> yeah. you know, governor romney, we've been talking all week about how solyndra is not only cronyism at its worst but a perfect example how president obama talks about job creators. it's okay to reward with taxpayer money and make risky investments that failed. but the free market is not a place that should thrive. he straddled job creators in the private economy with higher

taxes, with the burdens of regulation. he hasn't been a leader on free trade agreements so there are a lot of different areas where governor romney would ableader to make sure that we're taking the burdens off of people in the private sector so that entrepreneurs can start businesses, job creators can begin hiring. what we've seen with president obama is that he tossed out a job creator. you can't be against job creators and for jobs. he rewarded donors with failed projects like solyndra, and the american taxpayers deserve better. >> thanks so much, andrea saul from boston. we'll hear from the other side soon. new york city mayor michael bloomberg who has touched off a nationwide controversy with his efforts to combat obesity. he is proposing to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces from restaurant, food carts and concessions. diet drinks and fruit juices would be exempt.

joining me is the mafr. mr. mayor, explain how you think this would work and counteract the criticism that this is the nanny state run amok. >> well, the way it would work is those organizations, those industries that we regulate, which are restaurants and movie theaters and carts, they would -- they can sell 32 ounces of sugar drink to you but they have to put it in two containers. the idea is you tend to eat all of the food in the container. if it's bigger you eat more. if somebody put a smaller glass or plate or bowl in front of you, you would eat less. at this point there's an epidemic in this country of people being overweight, bordering on obesity, the percentage of the population that is obese is sky rocketing. in new york city alone the number of deaths from smoking has declined so much and the number of deaths from obesity has gone up so much those two are about to cross. we're going to have more deaths from obesity than smoking.

we've got to do something. everybody is wringing their hands saying we've got to do something. you can still buy large bottles in stores but in a restaurant, 16 ounces is the maximum that they would be able to serve in one cup. if you want to order two cups of the same time, that's fine. it's your choice. we're not taking away anybody's right to do things, we're forcing you to understand that you have to make the conscious decision to go from one cup to another. keep in mind, 30 years ago 6 1/2 ounces was the size of all soda drinks in bottles in machines. when i was a kid coke came in 6 1/2 ounces, pepsi came in 6 1/2 ounce bottles. today, typical one is 12 ounces and a lot of people now 16 ounces. >> just to make the point, this is 12 ounces of pepsi. this is 20 ounces and this is what would no longer be possible. >> no. you can buy it in the store.

>> in the store. >> just when you order a drink in a restaurant or in a movie theater, they would have to give you no bigger than a 16-ounls cup. if you want multiple ones, that's up to you. we're not taking away anybody's right. all we're trying to do is remind you that this is something that should be, is, not should be, is detrimental to your health and to do something about this national epepidemic. it's not the only answer, it's not the only kautz of people being overweight. we've got to do something. sitting around and watching our kids get fatter and fatter and they are going to be overweight as adults, that's not something we should do as a society. we have an obligation to warn you when things aren't good for your health. i don't think we have an obligation or even the right to take them away from you though there are some things where i think everybody would agree we should f. there is asbestos in the room we don't allow people to go in there. we would stop people from going

in until the asbestos is cleaned up. in new york city you can smoke. you can't smoke where other people would have to be there and couldn't -- because they needed the job, leave. so you can smoke in volunteer place but you can't smoke in a place where there are employees. calorie counts. we tell you how many calories there are in foods. you can decide. do you want the big one or the small one t fattening one, i probably would because it tastes better or the dietic one. but it's up to you. we have a responsibility to tell you. you have the responsibility to take care of yourself and be in charge of your own destiny. that's not something government can or should do. >> and in schools, are these now banned from schools? >> we have a lot of cities around the country have no longer sell full sugar drinks in schools. kids do trend to drink a disportion nat amount of full sugar drinks, the average kid is something like three full

sugared drinks a day. at 12 ounces. you could not take that amount of sugar and put it in a tea and get to the dissolve much less drink it. it's an enormous amount of sugar. in all defense of coca-cola and pepsi, i think these companies are trying to do something about it. the public wants full sugar drinks, they would probably make the same amount selling diet drinks. and both of those companies have worked hard to try to bring down the calorie count and get people to act more responsibly. i would like to push that from the consumer point of view and force the consume tear make the decision and hopefully move over to the less fattening drinks. pepsi and coke will sill be selling making money to their stockholders and both companies are well led and do understand their part of our society. and they have a vested interest in making sure that the public is safe and products are healthy. and they are going in that direction. in this case, it's really the

public, there was a great study done that people sitting in fronts of a bowl of soup and as they were eating the soup, unbeknownst to them there was a pipe coming in the bowl so as they ate it the bowl kept getting refilled. that's the way people work. so here the idea is, if you have to take it in a smaller glass, you got to make a conscious decision to have another cup. and we think a lot of people won't and therefore that will reduce one of and only one of, the contributors to the obesity epidemic going on. >> the other is get kids out and to have more fis ed. are you closer to endorsing in the presidential race from what you've seen so far? >> i watch your program with intent interest and i've learned a lot about both of the candidates and we'll see down the road. i think it's fair to say the public really does have a choice between these two candidate who is have very different views and

that's healthy of a democracy. >> and you're not ready to endorse. >> i'm not running for office and i'm not ready to endorse. >> thank you very much, mike bloomberg. thanks for joining us today on the campaign against -- not only the physical problems of childhood obesity and the rest of us, but also the cost to society. thanks so much. good to see you, mayor mike. after slamming mitt milt's career at bain capitol the obama campaign turned up in massachusetts to attack romney's record as governor. stephanie joins us from boston. we heard from andrea saul from one of your counterparts at the other campaign making the point about solyndra and going after the president's jobs creation record. >> well, let me address solyndra first, then the president's job creation record and mitt romney's job creation record. on solyndra, as you know, that

loan was part after competitive process that started under the bush administration. and it's part of a program that has made strategic investments in clean energy clulding the largest solar wind farm that's producing electricity for residents. the first ever nuclear power plant to be located in this country in two decades. that's because the president's invested in developing a clean energy sources so we can all make our country energy independent but we can create clean energy jobs. now on the romney side of the ledger in terms of clean energy, he supports big oil as we all noe know, including $4 billion in subsidies for big oil, paid for by taxpayers. and here in massachusetts which i'm pleased to be here today, he had a similar program as the president's clean energy program where he picked in withers and losers and many times contributors. we would like them to address that. the president has created 4.2

million jobs over 26 months. after being handed the worst economic crisis in our lifetime. now we're here in massachusetts to talk about governor romney's job creation record. we know that massachusetts fell to 47th out of 50 states in job creation under mitt romney. actually when mitt romney took office things were pretty good here in massachusetts. so he has explaining to do. and you know, at this point in his term as governor he created 4,000 jobs. at this point in the president's term, as we created five times that many just here in massachusetts so we'd love to have a discussion about job creation. the facts here are pretty clear. we heard from lots of massachusetts residents today talking about how mitt romney's experience in the private sector that he took here in massachusetts it didn't work then, he's making the same promises now to the american people and it's not going to work now. >> stephanie cutter from boston, thank you very much. and as we watch the white house right now, the president and

mrs. obama have just had lunch with former presidents bush, both former presidents bush at the white house. as you can see right now, we have live pictures from the east room, barbara bush now joining the others there. here with me watching all of this is michael steele, former republican chairman. thanks for being with us. it's always fun to see the former presidents. you all know them well. what is going through their minds. the vice president is in the room. president obama has gone after the president's record and blamed a lot of the current economic problems obviously on what he inherited. and now it's a very different event. >> it is. >> awkwardness? >> probably not so much. knowing both president bushes the way i do at least. they are both gracious men. they understand what this occasion is about and how to be part of it and make it you know, real solemnity.

i think they have a good lunch. a very complimentary lunch. i'm sure president obama who is himself a gracious man on these occasions was equally as gracious. and all of the partisanship goes to the water's edge and these guys focus on this is a unique special club of men. and so i think they probably had a good time. >> we can see all of the bush family is here. jeb is also, jeb and his family in the row, colin powell, the former bush cabinet members. and president bush 41 is so frail these days. he is suffering, we're told, from parkinson's and he once told me on a recent occasion the mind is sharp but the legs are gone. despite his frailty "hail to the chief" is being played. we're going to see the entrance of all of the presidents coming in. this is one of those moments we've seen with the book that michael duffy and nancy gibbs wrote about the presidents club.

there is a special relationship. let's listen as the presidents are walking in. ♪ >> good afternoon. i'm fred ryan, chairman of the board of the white house historical association. the association is honored to be part of today's historic ceremony. >> the introduction is by fred ryan, fred ryan has long relationship in the past with the reagan library and foundation. >> good man. >> worked so closely with the reagans and the reagan centennial. now one of the big investors and owners of politico as well and he is going to introduce them. each president chooses who is going to do the portrait. we the reagan portrait, in fact,

mrs. reagan did not like the first portrait presented so they -- >> had to redo it. >> some of the other famous portraits in the past were somewhat controversial. there was a rather impressionistic portrait many of us loved of the late president john f. kennedy which mrs. kennedy chose, and which actually was not as popular with many people. but the presidential portraits really are great moments in 2004, president bush, this president bush, welcomed the clintons to the white house and it was one of those occasions where former president bush then at the time, the new inhabitant of the white house, was very welcoming and gracious. that made a big difference in breaking the ice. >> i think it did. i think you know, again, with obama and president bush 43, you have that same kind of moment. all of these individuals understand and appreciate the

enormity of the work, the task they have as president. they have these moments, solemn moments, fun moment, personal moments and it gives them a chance to catch up and reflect about their time in that office as they are there with the current president. so, a lot of the hostilities that you see often goes away, dissipates. and a lot of folks want to sort of drum up the tensions, you know, is he going to talk about the bush administration's legacy. no, not in this moment. it's not going to happen. >> one of the things that does happen with the former presidents, after the ice was broken in 2004, the relationship between the bushes and the clintons became so close. >> very strong. >> we saw former president clinton traveling with bush 41 to crisis zones then, again with bush 43. and it reached the point where at a kennedy center event last year in honor of former president bush 41, bill clinton

referred to himself as the brother from another mother. >> again, that speaks to that sort of unique relationship that they have. and it does become personal at a certain lef. you covered these guys and so many ways, intense moments. but you get to see them relax with each other and get to appreciate that, it's a good thing. >> let's go back to fred ryan who is going to be introducing the president. he is as we say the head of the white house historical association. >> we will soon find that out. it is now my pleasure to introduce the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. thank you. please. good afternoon everybody. thank you fred, for that

introduction to president george h.w. bush and barbara, to all of the members of the bush family who are here. it is a great privilege to have you here today. and to president and mrs. bush, welcome back to the house you called home for eight years. the white house is many things at once. it's a working office, it's a living museum, it's an enduring symbol of our democracy. but at the end of the day when the visitors go home and the lights go down, a few of us are blessed with the tremendous honor to actually live here. i think it's fair to say every president is acutely aware that we are just temporary residents. we're renters here. we're charged with the upkeep until our lease runs out. but we also leave a piece of ourselves in this place. and today with the unveiling of

the portraits next to me, president and mrs. bush will take their place along side men and women who built this country, and those who worked to perfect it. it's been said that no one can ever truly understand what it's like being president until they sit behind that desk and feel the weight and responsibility for the first time. and that is true. after 3 1/2 years in office and much more gray hair, i have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the presidents who came before me including my immediate predecessor president bush. in this job no decision that reaches your desk is easy, no choice you make is without costs, no matter how hard you try, you're not going to make everybody happy. i think that's something president bush and i both learned pretty quickly. that's why from time to time those of us who had the privilege to hold this office find ourselves turning to the only people on earth who know

the feeling. we may have our differences politically but the presidency transsends those differences. we all love this country, we all want america to succeed. we all believe that when it comes to moving this country forward we have an obligation to pull together. and we all follow the humble heroic example of our first president, george washington, who knew that a true test of patriotism is the willingness to freely and graciously pass the reins of power on to somebody else. that certainly has been true of president bush. the months before i took the oath of office were a chaotic time. we knew our economy was in trouble, our fellow americans were in pain, but we wouldn't know until later just how breathtaking the financial crisis had been and still, over those 2 1/2 months, in the midst of that crisis, president bush,

his cabinet, his staff, many of you who are here today, went out of your ways, george, you went out of your way, to make sure that the transition to a new administration was a seamless as possible. president bush understood that rescuing our economy was not just a democratic or republican issue, it was an american priority. i'll always be grateful for that. the same is true for our national security. none of us will ever forget where we were on that terrible september day when our country was attacked. all of us will always remember the image of president bush standing on that pile of rubble, bull horn in hand, conveying extraordinary strength and resolve to the american people but also representing the strength and resolve of the american people. and last year when we delivered justice to osama bin laden i made it clear our success was

due to many people in many organizations working together over many years across two administrations. that's why my first call once american forces were safely out of harm's way was to president bush. because protecting our country is neither the work of one person nor the task of one period of time, it's an ongoing obligation we all share. finally, on a personal note, michelle and i are grateful to the entire bush family for their guidance and example during our own transition. george, i will always remember the gathering you hosted for all of the living former presidents before i took office. your find words of encouragement, plus you also left me a really good tv sports package. i use it.

laura, you reminded us that the most rewarding thing about living therein house isn't the title or the power but a chance to shine a spotlight on the issues that matter most. and the fact that you and george raised two smart beautiful daughters, first as girls visiting their grandparents and then as teenagers preparing to head out into the world, that obviously gives michelle and i tremendous hope as we try to do the right thing by our own daughters in this slightly odd atmosphere that we created. jenna and barbara, we will never forget the advice you gave sasha and malia as they gain their lives in washington. they told them to surround themselves with loyal friend, never stop doing what they love, to slide down the bannisters occasionally, play sardines on the lawn, to meet new people, and try new things, and to try to absorb everything and enjoy all of it, and i can tell that you malia and sasha took that

advice to heart. it meant a lot to them. one of the greatest strengths of our democracy is our ability to pleas flee go through transitions of power. we've had leaders who believe in america and everything that it stands for above all else. leaders and their families willing to devote their lives to the country that they love. this is what we'll think about every time we pass these portraits, just as millions ever other visitors will do in the decades and perhaps even the centuries to come. i want to thank john howard sandin, the artist behind these beautiful works, for his efforts, and on behalf of the american people, i want to thank most sincerely president and mrs. bush for their extraordinary service to our country. now i'd like to invite them on stage to take part in the presentation.

[ applause ] >> thank you. sit down.

sit down. behave yourselves. mr. president, thank you for your warm hospitality. madame first lady, thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends. to my hanging. laura and i are honored to be here. mr. vice president, thank you for coming. we are overwhelmed by your hospitality and thank you for feeding the bush family, all 14 members of us who are here. i want to thank our girls for coming. i thank mom and dad, brother, sister, in-laws, aunts and uncles, i appreciate you taking your time. i know you are as excited as laura and me to be able to come back here and particularly thank the people who helped make this house a home for us for eight years, the white house staff.

i want to thank fred ryan and the white house historical association and bill allman t white house curator. i am pleased that my portrait brings an interesting symmetry to the white house collection. it now starts and ends with a george w. when the british burned the white house as fred mentioned in 1814, dolly madison, famously saved this portrait of the first george w. now michelle, if anything happens, there's your man.

i am also pleased, mr. president, that when you were wandering these halls as you wrestle with tough decisions, you'll now be able to gaze at this portrait and ask, what would george do? i am honored to be hanging near a man who gave me the greatest gift possible, unconditional love. that would be number 41. [ applause ]

>> i want to thank john howard sandin for agreeing to use his considerable talents to paint my likeness. you've done a fine job with a challenging subject. in the portrait there is a painting by w.h.d. koerner called a charge to keep. it hung in the oval office for eight years of my presidency. i asked john to include it because it reminds me of the wonderful people with whom i was privileged to serve. whether they served in the cabinet or on the presidential staff, these men and women, many of whom are here, worked hard and served with honor. we had a charge to keep and we kept the charge. it is my privilege to introduce the greatest first lady ever. sorry, mom.

would you agree to a tie? a woman who brought such grace and dignity and love in this house. [ applause ] >> thank you, all. thank you everybody. thanks everybody. thank you all. okay. that's enough. thank you very much. thank you, darling. thank you, president and mrs. obama. thank you for your kindness and your consideration today.

it was great of you to invite us back to hang a few family pictures. i'm sure you know nothing makes a house a home like having portraits ever its former occupants staring down at you from the walls. this is not the first time i've had the opportunity to confront an artistic likeness of myself. a few years ago just after the 2008 election, a friend sent me something he found in the gift shom of the national constitutionalal center in philadelphia. it was a laura bush bobble head doll. he said he found it on the clearance shelf. but i'm flattered and grateful to know that this particular work has a permanent home and thanks to the masterful talent of john howard sandin i'd like -- i like it a whole lot better than i do that bobble head doll. thank you very much, john howard

sandin, you're terrific to work with and thanks to elizabeth and your family who joined you today. thank you very, very much, john. [ applause ] and of course it's meaningful to me as a private person to know that these portraits will be on view at the white house, that my portrait will hang just down the hall from my mother-in-law, and that george's portrait will hang very close to his dad's. but what's more meaningful is it's meaningful to me as a citizen. this was our family's home for eight years, it was our home but it wasn't our house. this house belongs to the people whose portraits will never hang here t the ordinary and not so ordinary people whose lives inspired us, and whose

expectations guided us during the years that we lived here. in this room are many of the people who stood by us as we faced the the tragedy of september 11th, and who worked with us in the years after. thanks to each and every one of you for your service to our country. [ applause ] i hope others will see in this portrait what i see. a woman who was honored and humbled to live in the white house during a period of great challenge and who will never forget the countless american faces who make up the true portrait of that time. thank you all very much. thanks so much. thank you, michelle, if you want to come up. [ applause ]

>> i don't think we have enough tissue to go around. jenna and barbara, they are just a mess. but i want to thank president and mrs. bush for joining us today. i'd like to take this opportunity to thank laura for providing such a wonderful model of strength and grace for me to follow as first lady. it is an interesting job, and it's just been amazing to learn

from your example. not just as a first lady but as a mother of two wonderful daughters, you know, you're on the other side of where we hope to be. in a couple of years. two daughters that sit up straight and cry when -- and think lovingly about their mom and their dad. we're working towards that goal. you've done a terrific job. i also want to echo barack. we couldn't be more thankful for the warmth and graciousness that both of you showed, all of you showed our family when we moved in three years ago. it is truly, truly a privilege for us to occupy this house. and hopefully we are setting the same example of warmth and love and hope that you all have provided as well. the warmth is truly reflected in these portraits and i promise

you -- i promise, i'm going straight for it. and i'm sure it will be closer right down the stairs, i'll get right to it. so i'm thrilled for all of the white house visitors who will soon have the chance to enjoy them as well. and i'm thrilled for both of you as you join these incredible americans whose portraits are already displayed here at the white house. so congratulations again. congratulations on the work that you have done, the example that you have provided to this country of what it means to be an american family. we are so happy and proud and honored to be a part. with that, it is my pleasure to invite you all to join us for a reception right outside in the state room. now it's time to eat. thank you all so much.

>> that is exactly the spirit. >> it was great. >> the beauty of two families, two political parties, political adversaries in every way, but they are members in every way. they are members of the club and back to the white house and i loved also the tribute from president bush and first lady laura bush to the white house staff. it is the men, they are the men and women. >> they keep the machine going and do a great job. >> let's take a break. a better investor. our new e-trade 360 investing dashboard shows you where your money is, live. e-trade pro is so usable you'll actually use it. and our apps are the ultimate in mobile investing. become a better investor at e-trade. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. 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.

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political stunts simultaneously. the obama campaign goes to massachusetts and mitt romney shows up in a surprise vista boarded up solyndra. both stunts trying to make their points. mitt romney showed up as we were going on the air with the white house so it didn't get on any of the cable live. it does show the highs and the lows. >> it does. i would say about solyndra, this is something that republicans and romney clearly believe is a weakness for president obama, that it is indicative of out of control spending. that there is some sort of suggestion that this was given because people at solyndra donated. no evidence of that yet but remember, americans for prosperity, trepublicans think s a winner for them and democrats want to make sure they respond to and do their best to

neutralize. and the solyndra issue is being used as a counter attack to the bain attack coming from the democrats and the republican national committee is out with a new video. a video attack on solyndra. this is clearly the theme. >> this is the flip side of what we just witnessed taking place in the white house. this is unfortunately going to be the rest of our summer. these tag team back and forth approaches to this campaign as opposed to both of these gentlemen going and laying out their arguments for the future of the country and dealing with jobs. >> we're arguing about the past. >> so you've got romney campaign at solyndra, old news. you've got the obama campaign at his, romney's ten you're as governor, old news. tell us where you're going next. that's where the job moment is. >> i'll tell you where i'm going next. we're out of time. thank you very much. michael steele, my buddy here, and chris cillizza, my brother there. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." >> we'll have more on those

dueling campaign events and this is a question floating out there right now. has another obama surrogate stepped in it? governor duval patrick called bain a perfectly fine company. now the rnc is comparing him to gray booker. in a few minutes, the house will vote on a bill that has set off heated words on both sides. it would outlaw gender selective abortions. are these procedures even happening in the u.s.? is this even a problem? plus, it is highlighting the divide between the gop leadership who want to focus on the economy and other members of the caucus who want to still focus on social issues. it is also setting off the debate with asian-american voters. we'll tell you why. your sill-b? ah, being a vegan is really working out for her. [ bowling pins ] ok, how's this gonna play? mi amore. [ chicken clucking ] [ male announcer ] ah common g., try manly, girls dig that! [ screams ] [ male announcer ] no, no, no, think smooth, but animal. like a werewolf in finance. diversify [ elephant trumpeting ]

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that's what they're calling it. at any moment the house will vote on a bill that would make it a federal crime for anyone to perform an abortion based on the gender of the fetus. political reports today that while these types of bills are often in committee, the leadership won't push for them to hit the floor because they want to focus on the economy. earlier on msnbc, house democrat sheila jackson lee said she is furious this bill is coming to a vote. >> i think the next act will be dragging women out of patient rooms into the streets and screaming over their bodies as they are dragged out of getting access to women's health care. that's what i feel like is during today. >> house speaker john boehner only had a short statement about why this is being brought up now. >> this is an important issue to the american people. this type of sex selection is, most americans find pretty repulsive.