>> what would have been the most watched horse race in decades, but i'll have another has been scratched from the belmont stakes due to a leg injury. so this saturday is back to what we thought it was about all along. 150 days to the presidential election and with the press conference today, the president may have finally realized who his real opponent is. >> last september, i sent congress a detailed jobs plan full of the bipartisan ideas that would have put more americans back to work. if congress had passed it in full, we would be on track to have a misdemeanor more americans working this rear. the unemployment right would be lower. our economy would be stronger. of course, congress refused. >> and while the first rule of fight club is don't talk about fight club, the first rule of congress is do talk about jobs all the time, just don't do anything to help create them. >> listen, the american people

are still asking the question, where are the jobs? >> stop engaging in the blame game. it is not because of house republicans. >> let's extend the tax rates. let's stop the regulatory onslaught and let's deal with our debt. then we'll give job creators in america the freedom to go out there and to create their jobs that they want to create. >> right. so the store manager at target would surely hire another checker if not for the national debt. the factory would hire another hand online if only they could emit unchecked pollution into the air. mitt romney would hire another or one of several landscapers for his home if only he knew his taxes wouldn't go up. it makes perfect sense. and romney mocked the president's to-do list. >> i've got a copy here of his to-do list from his desk. you see, i was able to sneak that out. there are a few things that are missing. missing is lead a real recovery.

missing is reduce the deficit. missing is save medicare and social security. i won't have to have a long to-do list in my drawer at the white house. my to-do list is written on my heart and the first three entries are these. jobs, jobs and jobs. >> you know, it's possible romney can actually write on his heart because it is made, after all, of etch a sketch. let's bring in our panel now from tr washington, julian epstein. with me here in new york, michael eric dyson, professor at georgetown university. steve cornacki. steve, just explain something to me. republicans say the president is blaming the congress. okay? so the president goes to the congress with a jobs act. he agrees to break it down into selective parts and he says to them, here it is and they oppose it. but it's his fault. >> that's because he's not a strong leader. >> right. >> i think that's the conclusion

they want people to think. what romney's team is hoping people are going to ignore context. they're going to ignore or not be aware of or not care about the context that you just laid out. >> you mean the facts? >> they're going to look at the unemployment rate. they're going to say, it's higher than it should be. i've been out of work longer than i should. . they're going to say that and their instinct is going to be to fire the guy would is in charge. so the sole mission of romney is basically to throw out every possible rationalezation that he can think of so the voters in that mood can latch on to something that will justify voting president obama out. it's the age old strategy an incumbent will use. but it's been taken to an extreme here. >> republicans are now pouncing on the president for saying the private sector is doing well, he's not worried about the private sector. but wasn't the longer point he was making, the private sector is creating jobs.

but aus of republican opposition in the congress, he can't do anything in terms of local and state government in job creation. >> that's exactly right. look at the scott walker referendum that some people have taken now as a victory for republicans. but the narrow victory, again, suggests that these public officials who are in control, who are republicans are devastating local economies. look, the president has added 850 to 47,000 jobs this year in the private sector. that means about 169,000 per month, which means it keeps it right above the 150,000 level to keep unemployment rising, though it's stalled in the last -- or slowed down in the last two months to 90,000. now, what he's saying, relatively speaking, they're doing already by comparison. but the public sector has lost 23,000 jobs this year because others are standing as obstructionists to the very job creation that the president has put forth that would help stimulate the economy. they're just hip credits. >> right.

jul julia, it's even worse than it looks, describe the current congress as dysfunction driven by tribalism. we've had countless congressmen saying that this congress is really something very different from the past. how do boehner and cantor justify their absolute opposition to everything, given that we've been through the worst economic crisis in 60 years? and then if ever there was a time to do something, it's now. >> yeah. you know, as you know, martin, i ran two different congressional committees up there and i never saw republicans as being this obstructionist before. this is like the arsonist blaming the fire on the fire brigade and sitting back on their hands hoping they're collect the insurance money the next election time. the level of irresponsibility is amazing. we've had talked about the data before in this show. we've had about a million private sector jobs created this year, about 4 million since the obama recovery has started working. we've gone from negative 9 gdp to positive 2.

it's an 11-point positive swing. if there's any criticism of the obama recovery, it's that he tried to fill a $2.5 trillion hole in the economy with $750 billion stimulus plan. we've seen the evidence that it's working and you go and you ask the republicans what they want to do. they say, we want to cut taxes. as i've said before, taxes are lower than they ever have been in this country for everybody. you ask them about the deficit. the numbers don't add up on the deficit. so there just is no alternative plan out there, other than to say this guy is that and that's the long and short of what republicans stand for today. you know, republicans used to stand for something. i disagreed with them in the past. but it didn't used to be that they stand for nothing. >> dysfunctionalism driven by tribal im. steve, we're watching the super bowl with the new york giants and he himself was aggressive

today when he spoke out about the suggestion that his administration has been leaking information for his own benefit. take a listen. >> the notion that my white house would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. we're dealing with issues that can touch on the safety and security of the american people. our families. er on our military personnel or our allies. and so we don't play with that. >> professor dyson says that that is the president extremely angry because he's a very measured man on all occasions. but he absolutely refutes the suggestion that he would do such a thing, doesn't he? >> yeah. and i get the sense on this the republicans are speaking out on the suggestion that this is a coordinated effort on the obama administration's part to get this out to the media. i can those suggestions have

gotten under his skin. i think you probably saw that there. and i think this is one of those issues, again, where he can't be seen as being anything but angry about something like this. >> let's take a listen if you wouldn't mind to the president. >> they won. they followed a simple motto. finish. finish the play, finish the game, finish the season. and after week 15, sitting at 7-7, they knew that every game was playoff game. but the players, the coaches, the staff, the owners, they didn't quit. they believed in each other and they kept winning all the way to indianapolis. the night before the super bowl, they watched a highlight reel set to justin tuck's song "in the air tonight." i don't know about a little phil collins before a big game. i may try that before a big meeting with congress, but apparently it worked. the next night, eli manning led the way, earned his second super bowl mvp.

so i would just advise the sports writers out there, the next time eli says he thinks he's an elite quarterback, you might just want to be quiet. eli wasn't alone, of course. justin tuck got to the qb. victor cruz scored and salsaed. mario manningham kept his feet inbounds for the biggest catch of his life. nobody was perfect, but everybody did their job. and when the patriots' hail mary hit the ground, the giants were super bowl champions. the fans back home went crazy. now, people from new york and new jersey don't fall for just anybody. it's a tough crowd, let's face it. you've got to earn the respect. they're never completely satisfied. you've got to earn it both on and off the field and that's exactly what the giants did. from fighting childhood obesity,

michelle likes that, to wrapping up left over food for homeless shelters to working with the make a wish foundation, to bring kids to practices and games, big blue supports the folks who support them. they've certainly earned the respect of folks like ray ordineo is here who is obviously one of our greatest warriors, one of our greatest soldiers. because this team is always there for men and women in uniform. this is a new york giants tradition that goes back to world war ii. back in world war ii, wellington mara served in the united states navy. so this is a long tradition here. and these guys have made it clear that no matter who you root for on sundays, if you're a veteran, the new york giants are on your team. whether it's setting up tickets to games or inviting folks to practices, the giants never forget the men and women who risk everything to protect our freedom.

and i especially thank and congratulation coach coughlin on receiving the army's outstanding sillan award. that's a great honor. by the way, let's give them all a big round of applause. >> you know, having these folks here today, seeing how many the giants means to them is a reminder of how important sports and football can be, but it's also a reminder that there's some things that are more important than football. and the giants know that. they finish strong, they won six straight games with everything on the line. they made a difference in the lives of those around them. but most importantly, they did it not just on sunday, but every week. so, again, i want to congratulaticon gra congratulate the in, giants. good luck this season. looks like we've got somebody

singing for you. that is how happy everybody is. give the new york giants a big round of applause. >> that was the president. that was the president for the new york giants, welcoming them to the white house after their fabulous super bowl victory. we'll be right back with more from our panel. stay with us.

♪ spread a little love today ♪ ♪ spread a little love my way ♪ ♪ spread a little something to remember ♪ ♪ ♪ spread a little joy... [ female announcer ] fresh milk and real cream. that's what makes philadelphia. ♪ so spread a little... [ female announcer ] and that's what makes the moment we enjoy it, a little richer. ♪ real belgian chocolate whipped with philadelphia cream cheese. new indulgence. the moment just got a little sweeter.

that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8.

a heckler in iowa greeted mitt romney with shouts of eye liar" today. there are lies, [ expletive ]

lies and then there's mitt romney as was said. back with us now are julian epstein, professor michael eric dyson and steve kornaki. steve, another day, another -- from the mouth of the great man. now he's saying that the president sabotaged the u.s. economic recovery in order to pass health care reform. take a listen. >> the idea that they knowingly slowed down our recovery in order to put in place obama care, which they wanted and they considered historic but the american people did not want or consider historic is something which i think deserves a lot of explaining. >> now, mitt romney was referencing something from a book he claim to have read by the author gnome shriver. we'll get to that in a moment. but are we now entering the field of complete make believe

as far as romney is concerned? >> it's hard to say this is something but that. if you get into the details, this is anything but what the book said. the book did not say if you pass health care reform, you're going to sink the economy. the argument the book got into was over priorities. look at the economic situation you're inheriting, do you want to focus entirely on jobs and the economy or do you want to do the stimulus and move on to health care? so it was a question of, you know, if we had not put health care at such a high priority, maybe the obama administration could've done more. more people around obama would have said no. certainly the question about priorities. that's a debatable point. >> so it is a conspiracy they'rist. mitt romney, let's see what mr. shriver's book says. >> i found no evidence of this. i encountered no administration who felt that way. they all thought this was a good

thing to do. it was, in the long-term interest of the economy. >> so here is the author saying that that's absolutely not true. what is mitt romney reading? >> i mean, tea leaves and certainly not this. again, this is a presidential candidate who is willing to prevar indicate, who is willing to tell an untruth to satisfy his particularly immediate need here. as brother steve said, as brother noam said, that's not my point. you can talk about priorities. if they were put off the dole, so to speak, and back on good stand, they would be healthier and stimulate the economy. there's a logic to that. disagree with the logic but don't tell an outright lie about the obama team. this is why people raise questions about his veracity and

his ability to stand up and tell the truth. as you said, lies, lies and more lies. >> and julian's military service or lack thereof keeps coming up. he said many different things about this over the years, as you know. but take a listen to this. >> i introduced three members of our veterans team that were there from the second world war. one of whom in particular i recall he -- he was a lookout on the uss tennessee on the day of d-day. excuse me, i said day of pearl harbor. and he said he looked into the eyes of a pilot flying an aircraft carrying armament that would come and attack his ship. he was injured in the attack at pearl harbor. he went on, however, to serve for 33 years in the united states navy. and i had him stand and receive applause -- >> now, julian, of course, that gentleman deserves every honor. of course he deserves to be louded. my father was in the royal navy

for 27 years. but there is something. i just can't get my head around this, julian. this man who lies about his own refusal to serve and every single place he appears panders towards the military. explain the that to me. >> well, he's -- he is pandering and he is serving up some good fodder for democrats in the fall. i mean, remember what happened to john kerry. there's actually some substance here for democrats to go after him on this. and just to return to the point for a second, if i can, on the tanking of the economy, getting health care passed, what mitt romney is -- mitt romney argues that he understands economics. what he is arguing by misinterpreting the book is that a president has some secret lever to either increase the economic performance or decrease the economic performance at will. if a president has that query, why isn't president obama using more of that right now? but it's a theory that no economist believes is true. and so he's making that up out

of thin air. and you're just left with the conclusion that mitt romney is spending far too much time with donald trump on the grassy knoll. it's just -- this is just bizarre. >> just a question to you, professor dyson. can america consider electing a man who lies so openly so often? >> i don't think so. he's serving all right, but he's serving us lies, he's serving up untruths and manipulation of the facts for the purposes of his own narrow idealogical perspective. i think that doesn't serve the american people well. >> thanks so much. next, shawn hammerty and others cry foul over a drummed up white house leak story. funny, i don't always remember them being so outraged. stay with us. >> there was a story in the national journal that cheney authorized libby to leak confidential information. can you confirm or deny that? >> i have the authority as vice president and an executive order issued by the president to

classify and declassify information. ♪ the one and only, cheerios [ male announcer ] whoa, megan landry alert.

and she's looking directly at your new lumia, thank you at&t. first, why don't you show her the curved edge... now move on to the slick navigation tiles -- bam, right into the people hub. see megan, colin has lots of friends. hey, colin, what kind of phone is that? whaaa -- oh megan -- when did you get here? [ clears throat ] ohh yea no, let's... [ male announcer ] introducing the beautifully different nokia lumia 900. only from at&t. rethink possible. trouble with a car insurance claim. [ voice of dennis ] switch to allstate. their claim service is so good, now it's guaranteed. [ normal voice ] so i can trust 'em. unlike randy. are you in good hands? until i got a job in the big apple. adjusting to city life was hard for me. and becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but we had each other and he had purina cat chow indoor.

he absolutely loved it. and i knew he was getting everything he needed to stay healthy indoors. and after a couple of weeks, i knew we were finally home! [ female announcer ] purina cat chow indoor. always there for you. the president has responded to republican attacks over his remarks earlier today that the private sector is doing fine. take a listen. >> the economys not doing fine. there are too many people out of work. the housing market is still weak. there's too many homes under water. and that's precisely why i asked congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference. >> indeed, he did. stay with us. the week's top lines are coming up.

but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

i would not say i'm into it, but let's see where this goes. [ buzzer ] do you like to travel? i'm all about "free travel," babe. that's what i do. [ buzzer ] balance transfers -- you up for that? well... too soon? [ female announcer ] fortunately, there's an easier way with creditcards.com. compare hundreds of cards from every major bank, and find the one that's right for you. creditcards.com. it's simple. search, compare, and apply.

the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪

i'll have one may not be running, but i'll have one for the road, maybe even for the ditch. here are this week's highlights. >> there are steps we can take right now to put more people bap back to work. >> 46 million people in this country living below the poverty line. >> translation, 46 million people in poverty and you're on your own. he almost forgot to include the women. >> wow, thank you. third row up there, hey, guys, how are you doing? >> welcome to the world of misbelieve. >> you're lucky. if the speech goes on too long, you can disappear without even notici noticing. >> i met a guy yesterday, seven feet tall, handsome, great big guy. >> the world of misbelieve. >> i figured he had to be in sports, but he wasn't in sports. >> and he stepped on the ball. >> the i have a to-do list.

>> that has to scare the dickens out of people. >> we're doing okay. >> there's a window of opportunity. this was probably my time. >> you don't understand. i could have had class. i can have been a contender. i could have been somebody. instead of a bum. >> i want the boat. >> i propose kobe and kristin. you see, i just put two people back to work. you're welcome, america. >> obama's goose is cooked. >> for one, you need a little bit of levity in this job. he keeps on keeping on. >> keep on trucking. >> alex miller, time for beeres and brats, right? >> actually, it's pronounced -- [ foreign language ]. >> what's burning down here? >> i feel like i'm teaching first grade here. >> let's get right to our panel now. dana, joe williams and joy reed, managing editor of the grill.com

and an msnbc contrenter. rick, i want to talk about rick santorum as opposed to the angel voices, which is acquired in the uk. soont this really be called the save santorum fund? >> well, you know, rick santorum, seeing himself as viable and starting as a way to extend the political viability. if he was a strong and sort of an industrial heartland candidate, he should have been able to carry given his branding. >> dana, is this normal, that you never true high lose an election, but do you expect

patriot voices to focus solely on outlawing contraception? >> well, it's a pretty clever strategy. it's certainly not unique to santorum. the idea is raise a lot of money and give it to other people. you scratch their back, they'll scratch your back when he wants to run in 2016. the tricky part of this is he basically needs to route for romney to be defeated now. but doesn't want to look like doing that. he's going to be supporting romney nominally, but says he's going to use his money to push his delegates in a more consrveive direction so he can have it both ways and if romney loses, the tee up his next run. >> joe, this is how rick santorum went about rattling up the voices in chicago. take a listen, joe. >> i know i'm preaching to the choir. you're here, you're a cpac.

but sometimes when you talk to the choir, the choir master has to encourage the choir to go out after practice and sing solos in their neighborhoods and their communities. >> joe, it's hard to believe santorum would win the nomination when he can strangle a metaphor about that. this isn't about the presidency or some post political pension plan. >> foster is standing in the wing with a checkbook just in case not enough people pass the hat and it comes back with a couple of ious and maybe a soiled dollar bill or something like that. but, certainly, it's no surprise that he chose church as a metaphor because american voices are definitely dedicated to preaching this socially conservative message. if i were mitt romney, however, the support that santorum is offering him would give me a little bit of heartburn.

they're planning to use american voices as a voice for americans at this convention to push romney in a socially conservative election. he needs to tone down the socially conservative stuff. he tried. santorum is still holding on to a bit of a grudge here. >> is this money really going to spread a conservative message around the country, in disneyland? what is this about? >> aside from the fact that he appears to be asking republicans to become street performers in a strange sort of way, i think this leads -- i agree with what was said before. the payroeril in this is that h could raise a lot of money. i think they feel they've been stepped aside and they're reluctant to support the man who is a mormon. >> and that's the bottom line. rick santorum could appear to be galvanizing the evangelical vote

for romney, while at the same time, keeping them for himself. >> and how about sarah palin touring the country and preaching, leave our privately created pacs alone and let them create jobs. >> that's why romney has a little bit of difficulty leading the party and having one coherent message when you have to torture the metaphor further, this cacophony going on of competing voices. and it's all a little bit off key. >> joe, i do give them credit, though. they have stuck to principle and they figured out a private sector solution about what to do with politicians who have grown accustom to a certain lifestyle, haven't they? you get a pac like that this is going to sustain you. how and why the money is being

spent. >> once you get oust of campaign season, newt gingrich almost raised this to an art form in that he managed to sustain himself not only between political cycles but also for some years with its pacs, with his speaking tours, with his engagements. rick santorum, if he's fiscally wise, will follow that policy because nobody is going to be paying as much attention to him after the 2012 election is decided and until 2016 cycle gets under way. so i think it's a way for him to sustain that campaign without really having to do much to sustain it, other than collect checks. >> joe williams, dana, joe reed, thank you all of you and have a good weekend. next, did the president regain the upper hand in the message war? stay with us. >> we just listened to the president say that the private seconder is doing fine. and my question would be to the president, are you kidding? >> we need to replace this

dysfunctional tax code with a solution called 9-9-9. the medicare debate continues in washington...

...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security at earnedasay.org.

on medicare and social security by what's getting done. measure commitment the twenty billion dollars bp committed has helped fund economic and environmental recovery. long-term, bp's made a five hundred million dollar commitment to support scientists studying the environment. and the gulf is open for business - the beaches are beautiful, the seafood is delicious. last year, many areas even reported record tourism seasons.

the progress continues... but that doesn't mean our job is done. we're still committed to seeing this through. this week may go down as one of the most ill disciplined for surrogates on both sides. bill clinton said something picked up by republicans to say that he saw the permanent extension of the bush tax cut. jeb bush offered such a feint hearted endorsement of mitt romney. the president sought to retake the lead in the message war, but then told reporters, quote, the private sector is doing fine. within moments, republicans pounced in unionson. take a listen. >> for the president of the united states to stand up and

say that private sector is doing fine is going to go down in history. >> and mr. president, take it from me, the private sector is not doing well. did he see the job numbers that came out last week? the private sector is not doing fine. >> now, the president has, in fact, taken a step of clarifying that at a media availability just now. but do you, brad, not envy the military discipline of republicans? the word goes out from boehner and cantor and everyone falls in line. >> well, look, martin, that is campaign 101. but let me just say this. we're not about to be lectured to by people who have spent more of the time in this congress trying to restrict the woman's right to choose, trying to defund planned parenthood or by someone who said, corporations are people, that he's not concerned about the very poor. i mean, these people are out of touch with what's going on in america. they haven't done anything on jobs in the congress. the president was talking about --

>> but brad, i'm asking you this question. are you not slightly envious of the kind of discipline that republicans display? it may be absolute boulder dash, but at the end of the day, they repeat it, one after the other. >> look, i've always been amazed at how they're willing to distort the truth. i've always been amazed that mitt romney can stand up and say the president has run around apologizing. they have no bounds of decency when it comes to telling the truth. i wouldn't say i'm envious. i would say when we get an opportunity, we show that we can take advantage of it. but i mean, this is kind of ridiculous. the president always qualifies his remarks about the economy by saying that we need to do more. and the truth is, this republican congress needs to do more. >> indeed. today, the president responded

to the suggestion that the white house has been leaking classified information in order to boost his prospects in the next election. just take a listen first, brad. >> the notion that my white house would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. but we're dealing with issues that can touch on the safety and security of the american people, our families. or our military personnel or our allies. and so we don't play with that. >> brad, i don't know the president personally, but i imagine he was seizing inside because he's a very measured man. he said that these are issues of national security, war and peace, and that people's lives may be endangered. this is just a load of nonsense, isn't it? >> it absolutely is a load of nonsense. i wouldn't begin to express it

any better than the president did. it's absolutely ludicrous for anyone to suggest that this white house, that this administration would play politics with classified information, with people's lives, with the lives of the military, our intelligence officers. it's insane. but i'll tell you what it says about the republicans on the other side, martin. they cannot compete with this president and his success in foreign policy. now they're just making stuff up. >> do you think that's what they're really doing here? it seems to me given only this week, number two in the al qaeda organization, an individual michael hayden described as a rock star in al qaeda, was literally blown away. this president has pressured with the international community, iran. he's supported the uprising in the middle east and in libya and so on. and yet they seem to be looking for any opportunity to undermine what is aus tenseble what is the president, perhaps one of his greater strengths.

>> that's right, martin. he has an unimpeachable foreign policy record and looking for anything they can think of to undermine that. it defies their frame of reference that a democratic president has been so strong, has been so tough on terrorism and has responded so well on the international stage. the fact is, he has. the american people recognize that and this baloney they're trying to trump up is not going to do anything to dissuade the american people in how they feel about the president's performance. >> as i said at the outset, brad woodhouse, always on message. thank you, sir. >> thank you, martin. coming, boehner and the boys are taking another week off. nice work if you can get it. [ male announcer ] this is anna, her long day teaching the perfect swing

begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ normal voice ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent.

i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything. it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?

wa kind of job allows you to take nine weeks vacation in the

first months of the year, pays $1134,000 per annum and doesn't expect you to do much in return? that would be a position in the house of happy to take the pay and do nothing, the president had had some harsh words for the lot of them. >> there is no excuse for not passing these ideas. we know they can work. now, if congress decides, despite all that, that they aren't going to do anything about this simply because it's an election year, then they should explain to the american people why. >> nbc's luke rossert live on capitol hill and kirsten welker joins us from the white house. when they money about a lack of leadership as they prepare to leave town, watch the belmont stakes, hit the barbecue circuit, go golfing? >> i think it's one of these things, martin, where they were very up front in the beginning of the year what their schedule is. they do two weeks here, one week off. they call it a constituent work

week. they say they're back there feeling the pulse of america. >> oh, luke, come on. we're being told every day the country is in a crisis. we're being told every day nothing is being done to resolve the situation, and they are the ones going off on holiday again. >> this is emblematic of our political process as a whole, martin. if you want to have this conversation, we need to talk about a variety of issues. number one, jerry mandarin. they can sit here this washington and literally do nothing because they are so safe. on top of that, we have all the money in politics. there is a series of reforms that could be made to make the democracy we have in this republic more able to conjure up the real desire of people to get things done. >> i'm sorry, luke, i have to interrupt you because our viewers just heard champagne corks popping behind you. now, this isn't funny. we are talking about the final

day before they go off on a week and now they're having champagne? >> it's a late celebration for the queen's jubilee. >> i thought we had a constitution that did not include monarchs and barons. kristen, after hammering it to the house of representatives, the president said the private sector is not as good as they used to be, but are they worried those comments will haunt him in some way. >> the proof is in the pudding, martin. the president came out and talked about this after he had a meeting with the president of the phillipines. sometimes reporters shout out questions after these bilateral meetings. the president can decide whether or not he wants to answer them. generally he does not. today he decided to, so this is a real indication that the president himself is trying to basically squash this, the whole controversy revolving around the fact the president earlier today

said the private sector is doing fine. republicans pounced on that and said it is an indication that the president is out of touch with what's actually happening. the president fired back and said, look, the whole reason i held a news conference is because i'm concerned about the economy. but the white house knows this did give a little bit of an opening to republicans. they're saying the republicans are taking the comments completely out of context, but the bottom line is it provided republicans with a little bit of opening, and that's a tough thing in this reelection year which is going to come down to the state of the economy. mart martin? >> indeed. final question, luke. what is the difference between this week and next week? >> when they koccome back, they pass an extension of the bush tax cuts for a full year. that will be the house saying they're trying to provide the biggest tax cut in history, and he will have to deflect that saying they're trying to pass

tax cuts for americans. >> have a nice holiday, luke. you, too, kristen. we'll be back to clear the air. ♪ on my journey across america, i found new ways to tell people about saving money. this is bobby. say hello bobby. hello bobby. do you know you could save hundreds on car insurance over the phone, online or at your local geico office? tell us bobby, what would you do with all those savings? hire a better ventriloquist. your lips are moving. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

high schools in six states enrolled in the national math and science initiative... ...which helped students and teachers get better results in ap courses. together, they raised ap test scores 138%. just imagine our potential... ...if the other states joined them. let's raise our scores. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this. oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad! [ laughs ] whoo! oh! you're up! oh! oh! so close! now where were we? ok, this one's good for two. score! [ male announcer ] share what you love with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes.

they're gr-r-eat! i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections,

have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. it's time now to clear the air, and for a man who has secured no more than four dra drafts, one of whom served in russia, mitt romney is nor a pass fist nor a conscientious objector. in fact, he is gung ho when it comes to military conflicts. here he is offering a highly inflammatory assessment of what to do with iran. >> the president should have

built credible threat of military action and made it very clear that the united states of america is willing, in the final analysis, if necessary, to take military action to keep iran from having a nuclear weapon. >> for a man whovietnam, for a in the middle of three romney generations, none of whom served in the war, it's hard to believe it comes so easily for a man who knows very little about military conflict. the same could be said for the current commander in chief, who was a child in vietnam. but listen to how he speaks of the impact of military service. >> as president, nothing is more wrenching than signing a letter to a family of the fallen, or looking into the eyes of a child who will grow up without a mother or a father. >> and if you're tempted to think he's offering kind but empty words, listen to what another world leader has said about the president of the united states and his attitude

to military conflict. >> barack has not rushed into picking fights but has student into america's resources of hard and soft power. he has taken time to make considered decisions, drawing down troops from iraq and surging in afghanistan. he's found a new voice for america with the arab people. >> now i ask you, who would you prefer to be in command of this country's forces? thank you so much for watching. dylan ratigan is here to take us forward. dylan, how are you? >> martin, good to see you. >> good to see you, sir. >> how long will we go? a staring contest, i've never tried to before. >> yes, you have. >> well, you know. should we start the other show? >> why don't you. >> it's a little early. >> go for it. >> you're going to give me 30 seconds here. 20 seconds. >> what have you got on the show today? >> ed rendell. somebody thought that was a funny question. what's so funny about who is on

my show? >> there's nothing funny about it, dylan. we're looking forward to it. please begin with your show and we'll all be mighty happy for you. >> ed rendell is here right after this, since you asked. >> good man. a good friday afternoon to you. delighted to see you. i am dylan ratigan. today's big story is the blame game, the president holding a news conference at the white house, wasting no time to point fingers at congress, the republicans in particular. >> last september i sent congress a detailed jobs plan full of the bipartisan ideas that would have put more americans back to work. it had broad support from the american people, it was fully paid for. if congress had passed it in full, we would be on track to have a million more americans working this year. the unemployment rate would be lower.