popular and sticking to it. after the hurricane his popularity rose but rather than having dissipate he held on tait. -- to it. he is more politically savvy and might hang on to the numbers. republicans will get behind him because they want to win and he could win because he is a main stream candidate and he has charisma. charisma wins elections. >> he is down to earth. >> very down to earth. i think she a political natch -- he is a political natural talent. when he talks to you he has a way of expressing himself, in such language he doesn't kickoff everybody on the other side. he works across the aisle. he did in new jersey. and he can do it because of his personality. i think he is a real contender. i don't know if he will get the nomdition but if he does --

nomination but if he does -- >> the new jerseyites love him. you know who they want to be president? hillary. >> i am not saying she went the more popular candidate. >> john. >> if he is her opponent she has a real battle on her hands. >> you make a good point with hillary. he got 20% of the african american vote. and 50% of the hispanic vote. the last guy to get 20% of the african american republican was richard nixon. in 1960, 32%. if hillary clinton is in there those votes disappear and the hispanic vote, he won't get 50%. geroge h. w. bush didn't get near that. look, i tell you, the people are building the guy up, he is a good candidate but the idea he can win -- [ talking at the same time ] >> not going to get those numbers but if he boosts them then he puts party in

contention but the fact that he is now out there as a potential frontrunner saying the republican parties needs to remake himself. he didn't run as a republican. this is like the empires striking back. rush limbaugh -- they don't like chris christie. marko rubio said he has appeal in new jersey -- he mentioned new jersey three times like it is hawaii. [ talking at the same time ] >> okay. then there is this. time magazine covers this week after chris christie's win in new jersey. question, is this time magazine cover featuring his girth a cheap shot? >> a light shot. i think it is a cheap shot. but as i -- >> all publicity is good -- >> no. >> not all is good and this does not hurt -- >> they spell his name right. >> he is on the cover of time magazine.

very well regarded news magazine. i think chris christie, this is another step in his immergence -- [ talking at the same time ] >> who is the fattest president -- [ talking at the same time ] >> williamwilliam howard taft -- >> 300 pounds. they had to bailed new bath tub. >> how many men sat in that bath tub. 300 pounds. e same time ] >> interesting fact. >> his weight is his most identifying feature and he is smart enough as a politician to make that -- excuse me -- to make that work for him and he has done that already. he stuffed the donut in his mouth on letterman but we will have to answer questions, there will be health questions -- [ talking at the same time ] >> folks like you, all the liberates are praising him -- >> right. >> he is not tea party. [ talking at the same time ] >> the republican establishment -- [ talking at the same time ]

>> the number one republican in the country, mitt romney. >> mitt romney likes him. >> he didn't pick him for vp. >> he is a talented guy but already been in brawls. this is going to be a blood bath. and he is going into iowa and places like that -- [ talking at the same time ] >> he has personality. people like people with personality. >> you have to answer all the questions -- [ talking at the same time ] >> okay. okay. >> another race this week. >> thank you. we love you and you are spectacular. >> virginia's new governor. he defeated the state's outgoing attorney general. the race was a bruiser. he has never held elective

office. but once led the democratic national committee. for his statewide race he outspent his opponent by $14 million. the attack ads were inventive and unrelenting. also his high powered friends bill clinton and hillary clinton campaigned for him. his lead was in the double digits but in the final weeks the margin narrowed thanks to efforts to make it a referendum on obama care which he supported and he opposed. >> question, did the raising back lash over obama care almost think him? >> absolutely. if you look at the numbers he was up by 17 points. and that shrunk once the roll out got all the publicity that it did but he had a real handicap. the republicans weren't putting

money into his race. he was getting help from the clintens, joe biden, president obama. he had the big guns push him towards the end because he had low approval ratings. >> republicans gave him 3 million. >> that is not a lot of money in virginia. he had low approval ratings. voters apicked him because -- picked him because he wasn't as adept as others. i think he wasn't as good. >> he lost more than he won. this is a state that a republican was supposed to win. his biggest handicap were his views -- [ talking at the same time ] >> virginia shifting too -- [ talking at the same time ] >> yeah. [ talking at the same time ] >> the shifted more in democrat's favors. that is helping democrats win

-- [ talking at the same time ] >> this is contributing to the conflict inside the party. you get the tea party people and conservatives say our guy was abandon. he was coming on strong. christie was asked to help him out, he didn't. he didn't get the money he expected so you have this bitterness inside the party and a conflict, campaign is 26 month to the caucuses -- [ talking at the same time ] >> how much did he spend? 20million. >> how much did he spend? 11.7? [ talking at the same time ] >> almost double. >> the war is on within the republican party, conservatives -- [ talking at the same time ] >> like a simmering dispute. >> when the conservatives have to choose between chris christie and the democrats they

will go with the republican. >> what was the biggest loser on tuesday? >> i think basically the -- obama care. >> obama care is a work in progress. biggest loser republican party. chris christie didn't run as a republican. virginia red state, abandon him -- [ talking at the same time ] >> republicans have lot of work to do. >> obama care. probably the president. more of a ringing n pn dorsement for him. >> i agree. obama care and president obama. >> i think he hurt him -- [ talking at the same time ] >> okay. you are all correct. watch us on the web at any time

. >> 156 million americans get their health insurance from their employer's health care plan in 2013 and the budget office estimated because of the failure to keep the promise on the white house website that 78 million americans will not be able to keep their plans as promised. isn't that true? >> i don't know any idea what that statistic is. >> kathleen sebelius, the cabinet secretary of health and human services stood her ground. kathleen sebelius testified where chiros grilled about the promise -- where she was grilled about the promise president obama made americans who like their insurance can keep it. >> if you like your plan, keep your plan. >> he pressed kathleen sebelius to say whether the president's promise still listed on the white house website is still true or is it false?

kathleen sebelius insisted the president's promise is true for those whose plans qualify. but he artfully dodged the point that 78 million that do not quify under the obama care law will lose their insurance next year. the report contradicts the obama administration reassurances. that only a few face cancellation. constituents see this so their outrage is widespread. they perceive it as obama duplicity and welcome anyroomied. so on monday -- any remedy. so on monday two democrats introduced s1642, a bill that allows insurance plans offered to individuals to be sold in

coming years. here is the description. we said and the president said that if people have insurance and they like their insurance they have they can keep it. that is my bill. unquote. in the house of representatives, a republican introduced a broader bill that has 100 co-sponsors. it is called keep your health plan act. and it allows all plans that are sold to be available in the future, either bill, if enacted would roll back the obama care regulations that are causing the massive cancellations of insurance policy. >> do either of these bills stand a chance of passing congress? and if one does reach the president's desk will the

president veto it? >> if the president is not in on it he will veto it. i don't think it will reach the president's desk. you can keep your healthcare plan and that is being used against her. let me say one point -- [ talking at the same time ] >> old on. >> let's track with the president. the president apologized for statements like the following, june 15, 2009. if you like your healthcare plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan. no one will take it away. no matter what. that was then. now this week on thursday the president apologized. >> i am sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in that situation based on assurances they got from me.

we got to make sure they know we hear them and we will do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position. >> there are many more people who are sorry who voted for the president than sorry about his healthcare plan. the problem is not just the number of plans canceled but the mandate causes millions to have their insurance rates go up because they have to cover a much larger -- broader number of -- >> i have seen this. just ridiculous what is going on and it will create a huge number of part time workers. it is a bad bill. >> the president said he is open to fixes. some of the fixes may go through but they will not gut the bill. basically he is apologizing for

language that wasn't written tightly enough because insurances are free to remake policies that weren't grandfathered in. but this -- you are right, this is a huge remaking of the insurance market but is the end where the companies could kick you off if you had pre-existing conditions, boost your rates if you got sick, penalize women for being female and charge women twice as much, that will all go away and the way it works, everybody gets into. the risk gets spread. in the end the number of american people are going to have a better deal. [ talking at the same time ] >> will some people get hurt? yes and the white house will do what they can to fix it. >> one view of apology, president obama is sorry about people losing their insurance. stopping short of apologizing

for lying also an upcome of the meeting. in the meeting it was suggested he apologize, that was too much for him to w. >> sounded like he said i regret people are in this position but it is not my fault. it will have to turn out as eleanor said, unless more people are benefiting, it is going to be a debacle into 2014. right now it doesn't look like it will go the way eleanor is saying. we will have to wait to see. [ talking at the same time ] >> he would have had everything down in his head on what he was going to say -- [ talking at the same time ] >> he hasn't apologized for the ongoing deliberate deception that you can keep your health

policy. when those people had to know -- [ talking at the same time ] >> they did know. >> nbc did that story -- [ talking at the same time ] >> 2010 the democrats lost the house and a vote of back lash against obama care. 2014 will the backlogs cost the back -- back lash cost the democrats the sentt -- senate? >> it will. >> it won't. democrats keep the senate. >> something as big as this will overwhelm that and it will cost the senate if it doesn't turn outlet as you predicted -- out as you predicted. >> it revived the republican fiasco. i don't know what the outcome will be but it will change the odds of the election. >> republicans have no alternative. it is the law of the land -- [

talking at the same time ] >> yes. issue three. baghdad blues. >> al-qaeda has still been affective and grown more active -- active and grown more affective recently. we have had discussions on how to push back against that organization that operates in iraq and poses a threat to the region and to the united states. >> iraqi prime minister met with president obama on an official visit to washington last week. with a shopping list in hand. he wants u.s. military assistance in quelling a sunni insurgency that has seen towns fall under sunni control. the iraqi death toll this year

is 5,700. casualties are mounting at 1,000 a month. the items on his wish list are extensive. u.s. intelligence aid. apache attack helicopters, missiles, f-16 fighters and lethal u.s. drones operated by american personnel. this was the first white house meeting since 2011 when they announced the u.s. troop pull out. on that organization they held a news -- occasion they held a news conference and president obama praised him. last week's visit was muted. no news conference. adjust statement about the meeting. that way there were no questions from reporters about the letter to president obama from a group of six u.s. senators representing the

leadership of the u.s. foreign affairs. the senate characterized him as under the influence of iran. with whom iraq waged a bloody 9 year ward. and warned that his mismanagement of iraq threatens to ignite a civil war. >> is iraq sliding into civil war and is there anything president obama can do about it? >> i don't think there is much the united states can do. it is a civil and sectarian war. the sunnies have al-qaeda out there all over the place trying to start this war. he hasn't been an inclusive leader. you will get the war and i don't think the americans are going back in. >> the leverage the administration has is all the

weaponry he came here for and he got a chilly reception. that won't be forth coming unless he becomes more inclusive, eases up within iraq. she not grateful -- he is not grateful for american help and his strongest alliance is with iran. >> he is going to rue the day he rejected the forces over there. president obama was willing to leave 5,000 soldiers to help him and he said no. [ talking at the same time ] >> do you think we had our fill of iraq? how much time we spent there. total number of lives we lost and money we spent? >> a thousand people a month being killed, that is a civil war. it is unwinnable for the united states. it is a religious wear. waging violence in iraq. that isn't going to go away.

>> our problem, we have abandon in the minds of the sunni countries who used to be our alleys, we have abandon them. the sudies and those countries are ut raged. this is -- outraged. this is another example -- [ talking at the same time ] >> is iraq tilting towards iran and is that bad? >> of course it is bad -- [ talking at the same time ] >> that is another reason why -- [ talking at the same time ] >> yes. yes. >> deal with iran which could slow thane nuclear program -- [ talking at the same time ] >> is congress likely to approve the request? >> no. >> you have had the last word. >> the next entity to lead a bail out will be puerto rico.

>> he will tweak the law to help ease the cancellations. >> he will change his senior staff to deal with this. >> i predict hillary clinton will run for the presidency in 2016. bye-bye. [ music ]

a and >> hello, i'm llewellyn king, host of "white house chronicle," which is coming up, but first a few thoughts of my own.

the ever world was gripped with chaos years ago, gas lines, people shot, and the energy problem was with usw for really nearly 40 years. -- it is only very recently that it has eased, and it has eased dramatically. 1970's, we had the iranian revolution, and there were umps up and down all the way along. every president talked about independence. but did not believe it was a possibility, and international policy was built around energy. big countries that were not oil producers became supplicant countries. all that has changed. why? technology. it has come to the rescue, but it did not come at the speed that people thought it would.

a lot of government money thrown into energy research in the 1980's, the great national , but bit by bit, it began to have an affect, and also we opened not only our research capacity but our minds. people decided to look for oil in the southern hemisphere. believe it or not, below the equator, it was never believed there was any oil. brazil started an elaborate campaign for sugar cane make ethanol because they believed had no oil. now, they have a huge oil field off their coast. the world has changed. with pollution, and our original in particular, technology may do it again, but you have to have a lot of patience. moneyve to spend a lot of . but now the world is in a

plentiful oil supply, and the united states can look forward to the technology of horizontal grilling and so-called fracking. until once again we can be self- sufficient in oil and all other energy, of course, and now we are one of the cheapest energy countries in the world, which is going to help our economy. put your faith in technology, but give it a lot of time to brew. i will be back with two of the most interesting and delightful men that i know for one of the strenuous shows we will have all year -- i'm sure of that. >> "white house chronicle" is produced in collaboration with whut, howard university television. now, the program host, nationally syndicated columnist, llwellyn king, and cohost, linda gasparello.

>> hello again, and thank you for coming along. when i'm in washington and when my staff and guests need somewhere to stay in the city, we stay at the american guest house on columbia avenue. it's more like a club than a bed-and-breakfast, which it is. it is somewhere between a club and a hotel. i love it. you will love it. very comfortable indeed. i promised you to extraordinary people, and here i have them. first, chuck lewis, my very distinguished editor at the "new york times" news service, who i've worked with many years. it's been a delightful collaboration. thank you, chuck. and i have one of my very old friends, paul dickson.