from washington, "the mclaughlin group," the american original. for over two decades, the sharpest minds, five dollars a gallon! >> gas prices are climbing across the country, and when gas prices go up it hurts everybody -- everybody who owns a car, everybody who owns a

business. >> $3.74. that's the average cost for a single gallon of gas in the u.s. now. that 3.74 is a spike of more than 30 cents over the last 30 days. rising gas prices mean less consumer money for goods, like groceries, cars, houses, pharmaceuticals. that zeroing out of consumer spending brings the economy to a standstill. so why are gas prices shooting up? president obama tells us. >> the single biggest thing causing the price of oil to spike right now is instability in the middle east. this time, iran. >> the president is referring to iran's control of the strait of hormuz, a water pathage that controls some 20% of the world's oil. israel go to war with each other. mr. obama also attributes the gas price hike to massive

superpower consumption, named by him -- india, brazil, china. >> over the long-term, the biggest reason oil prices will probably keep going up is growing demand in china, end 'ya and brazil. nearly 10 million cars were add indeed china in 2010 alone, 10 year! in one country! >> question -- what do you think of that -- those remarks from the president. >> i think the president is right, john. and i say the immediate cause here is the situation with iran and the united states israel. we have netanyahu coming to the united states. he wants this country to commit itself to go to war to prevent iran from having a nuclear weapons capability. he has support from mccain, in the congress, 38 senators have signed a resolution. it is the rising tensions in the persian gulf, the rising possibility of a collision not only between israel and iran,

but the united states and iran, before this election i think is driving up the price of oil. and it's going so high it could threaten the economies of europe, john. this issue of iran and oil and gasoline prices are all coming together. i think it's going to be the principle issue in the fall election. >> let me move along before i turn to you. okay, presidential candidate rick santorum blames obama for knicksing keystone! >> we now have $4-gallon gasoline. it's going to $5 or maybe more this year. why? because the president's doing nothing to allay the fears of the world that america is going to try and help replace the oil that is tenuous now in the middle east. >> question, can president obama reverse his position on the ski stone pipeline? he negated the pipeline a couple month ago. >> first of all, pat is right about the nightmare scenario,

if there is military action israel against iran. that might bring us $5 a gallon gas. so i think the president mightily does not want that to happen. the president won't reverse his decision on keystone. they're going to find an alternative route more environmentally desirable. but the republicans are going to hammer him for it, and they're going to try to get the american people to think that stopping the keystone is denying all this oil to the american taxpayer. and that's not right because the pipeline is canada's gateway to asia. they want to build a pipeline to port arthur, texas, a foreign free trade zone, and they want to export it. none of that oil will stay in the united states. and so to equate the blocking, the temporary blocking of that pipeline until a more environmentally reasonable route is found has nothing to do with the fact that gas

prices are rising. in fact, the exported oil last year from this country for the first time. >> thanks to the recession, which because our demand is down. look, president obama is right about the larger forces driving the price of gas and republican candidates said a lot of stupid things on this. it's not santorum that took the cake on that, it was newt gingrich who is going around promising $2.50 a gallon gas. but where obama has been dishonest and foolhardy is he's claiming credit for increased u.s. production that is happening entirely on private and state land while gas and oil production are decreasing on federal lands because of his policy. and where he is foolhardy is we had to share revolution going on with no reason in the united states should not be a gigantic power in the production of oil and gas. we're sitting on massive amounts of wealth, and his administration is slow walking it and doesn't want to go get it. >> does obama strategy entail decreasing the demand for oil

so that we can go green? is he fundamentally and was he dedicated before he ran for president the whole green world and con system? >> of course. and that -- >> that's not -- a negative -- [everyone talking at once] >> it's a negative if you so decrease the volume of oil. a million barrels a day could be transmitted by the keystone pipeline. as for whether or not it would all go abroad is another question. >> well, that's a pretty big question! >> that's what the obama people are saying. that hasn't been enough -- >> global market, it drops down prices globally, john. and so even if it does as eleanor said that, will bring down prices. if you get extra supplies say 90 million barrels a day, the price would -- [everyone talking at once] >> remember the solyndra disaster? does that give you an idea? do you remember what happened? >> yes -- >> it came in with another, what, enormous amount of money

to continue the operation. greene racketeering is going on. that's what obama is doing. green racketeering! >> are oil import in our energy imports drop from 60% of our consumption to freeh% in the last couple years because we have developed these great new sources as rick was saying of natural gas and oil. it is there in this country, being stopped. the pipeline i might say, canadians are now thinking and have the prime minister going to have the pipeline go to vancouver and export it directly to china, so we will not have a chance to get it. that -- all of that is not being exported. >> you sound pretty learned on this. let's see if you're good with domestic economics. this is ben bernanke. question have seen some positive developments in the labor market. private payroll employment has increased by 165,000 jobs for a month on average, since the

middle of last year, and nearly 260,000 new private sector jurors are added in january. the decline in the unemployment rate over the past year has been somewhat more rapid than might have been expected. decline in unemployment. that's the good news. is it -- . >> let me give you an idea of the way federal statistics, government statistics work. why did we have job increases in january? because it's seasonally adjusted. this means we want to be lose 2.9 million jobs in january. instead we lost about 2.7 jobs because the warm weather and said therefore we created 200,000 jobs. this is just phony. the unemployment numbers are still very weak. the consumer numbers are we very long and the economy will continue to be weaker than what anybody expected, giving the fact if we had the normal reaction to the kind of monetary and fiscal still laws the gd, and would be growing allege the ray of 8%. now it's growing a little the

rate of 2%. >> are you going to put this on a column where we can read it? >> i think that's a very good inside, john. you're right. >> when will -- >> on next week! in a magazine called u.s. news and world report. i'm glad you asked! i'm going to listen to your comments and see what i add to it. >> you must feel quite disenchanted? >> i think there are good signs out there for the economy. it's weak. i think the president is doing the right things and i think the republicans do not have a credible alternative vision. so right now -- working pretty good. >> let's go to the heart of that matter. time warp forward. eight months from now, election derek november 6, 2012, will gasoline prices then be so high that they will lose the election for candidate obama? pat buchanan? >> i think that definitely prices could be up to $6 a gallon. i think this iranian thing

won't be resolved before then. and if it is resolved, it will be by some kind of conflict, so i only see gasoline prices headed north. >> president george w. bush got hammered when gas prices went up. they fluctuate. if israel does not attack gas prices are not going to reach $5 a gallon. >> i agree with that. it's only in the event of an israeli strike and continued conflict in the middle east where you have pat's nightmare scenario for the president and for the economy. >> gasoline prices go up to $5, it will take almost $150 billion out. of consumption turning this economy into a much weaker and have a huge effect on the election. i don't know if it will lose it for obama it. will certainly having a huge impact. >> is in a precedent for judging the election lost by obama by previous election? >> carter i believe had gasoline prices back in 1980 up

to record levels, and -- [everyone talking at once] >> he lost 44 states. >> he was zonked. >> yes. worse than that [everyone talking at once] >> hostages! >> of course he did, 44 states to 6. >> that's because the price of gasoline. >> one of reasons is -- >> was it a -- [everyone talking at once] >> hostages were being held. the russians were moving all over! [everyone talking at once] >> carter was seen as a very weak president. >> two things will decide this election, the direction. unemployment figure in late summer and how romney presuming he's the nominee performs in the debates. >> when we come back, romney's nail-biter!

>>issue two, romney's nail- biter! >> in this room are the people who knocked on the doors and made the calls and went to the polls and it made an enormous difference. we didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that count. >> mitt romney's victory in michigan tuesday may have been narrow but as he said a win is a win. governor romney also won in arizona, same day, defeating rick santorum, the new darling of the right wing, of the g.o.p. right wing. prior to tuesday's primaries, there were nine other primaries, romney won four of those nine. santorum four. gingrich one. with michigan, these lever races have been a roller coaster. rom niece's tuesday win makes him the most recent candidate with momentum. the the big mo, the mo. question, how significant was romney's michigan victory? >> very significant. he was facing seeing his

candidacy broken in michigan. there would have been cry for another candidate, fund-raising may have dried up. he could have very well lost ohio in that circumstance. so now we're looking at a race i think where you're just trying to keep romney below the number of 1144 and it's hard to do that. certainly -- >> super-tuesday is this coming tuesday and these are the 10 states holding pry mary's -- alaska, georgia, newt gingrich's home state, idaho, massachusetts, north dakota, ohio, oklahoma, tennessee, vermont, virginia. so which one of those is romney going to -- take or -- what -- >> i think romney will dominate super tuesday. he will not probably carry georgia, which is beginning rich's home state. long gingrich is in there he divides the opposition against romney so i think romney will come out of this day as the clear republican candidate. >> you agree? >> the big prize is ohio. no republican has won the

presidency without carrying ohio not only in the primary but in the fall. and that's everybody will focus on ohio, whether santorum can catch romney in ohio. then gingrich has yet to win his home state of georgia. and santorum said he will come in first or second in all 10 states. so -- the divide up the delegates and in the only thing that can derail romney is if santorum wins a significant -- more delegates which is unlikely. >> we're agreed that he will continue his mo, but it may not be the big mo after tuesday. >> the big mo for this reason. i think he'll win six states, romney. i think he'll win ohio, vermont, massachusetts, virginia, dakota and idaho. that's six. >> issue three, syria? >> i think that based on definitions of war criminal and crimes against humanity there, is an argument to be made that

he would fit into that category. >> the president of syria, bashar assad, may fit the description. but the united states is not declaring that to be the case. the u.s. expects assad to step down from power himself. assad is currently cracking down hard on protestors who are demanding that he resign from the syrian presidency. the civil rebellion and assad as crackdown on it have already lasted a year. 7500 syrian civilians have been killed by syria's military and assad's security forces, says the u.n. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. susan rice delivered this u.s. message indirectly to president assad. >> your days are numbered, and it is time and past time for you to transfer power

responsibly and peacefully. >> the u.n. security council 15 members recently reviewed the syrian rebellion and crackdowns. the council drafted a resolution calling on bashar assad to step down. the resolution was backed by the u.s. and both the 22-member area abe league and the 27- member urine union. but the resolution never saw the light of day. china and russia, two powerhouses, blocked the measure and called instead for a brokered deal between assad bels. no ouster of assad! question, regarding international diplomacy towards syria, there's a fundamental international conflict in foreign policy principles playing out before our eyes. what is the root of that conflict? can you speak that, rick? >> it's sovereignty, humanitarian concerns versus sovereignty. for me it's a huge strategic question. we really want assad to go. he is only arab ally of iran.

he's -- weapons hezbollah, complice knit the murder of american soldiers in iraq and lebanese politics so at the least we want this conflict to burn on. and if we're not going to -- the opposition we want the saudis, the turks to do it. we do not want to let assad off the hook. >> john look at who the on suggestion is. the opposition has got to for of hamas, the support of al- qaeda, they've got the support of a muslim brotherhood. if that opposition wins, the christians go to the wall in syria. this is a horrendous mess. we know the devil got in there but there's devils coming. my judgment the united states should work along with the russians to put an end to this conflict. [everyone talking at once] >> the sovereignty of the state -- that is the -- failure agreement, or will it be huynh

assistance? >> it's a sickening huynh. people are starve to go death and freezing to death. and i think -- yes, the saudis are beginning to talk about arming the opposition. the opposition is not a bunch of angels, but i think it's innerrable assad will go, and if you don't arm them it prolongs -- [everyone talking at once] >> let me -- [everyone talking at once] >> okay, hillary's reprimand. >> the entire world, other than russia and china, were willing to recognize that we must take international action against the syrian regime. it's quite distressing to see two permanent members of the security council using their veto when people are are being murdered, women, children, brave young men, houses are des it is just despicable! >> the security council, 15

members, five of those voted on this proposition. they didn't vote, but it came to their review. what was the results of that? >> china and russia vetoed any real action we could take that the united nations would take against syria. and therefore, that's what she was reacting to. [everyone talking at once] it was dispicable because assad is a terror. now, the real power there is russia. we have got to find a way to put great pressure on russia because russia's the -- because a lot of the leadership of russia has big personal financial investments in syria, all organized by assad to keep the russians on his side. it's a disgrace what is going on! >> assad's father in 1982 did the same thing. he brutally murdered 10,000 people. what did president reagan do then? it was 1982. >> nothing. in 1991, in iraq war, his father was an ally of the united states in the gulf war. >> this society is not our

ally. >> no, it's not. >> most enemy -- >> it's not our problem. >> no, and he is -- a black, evil villain who -- [everyone talking at once] >> namely the respect for state sovereignty. >> 1648 -- [everyone talking at once] >> and people have a right to decide -- [everyone talking at once] >> you mean you can have the -- assistance without -- [everyone talking at once] >> did you support to the contras >> yes, i did. >> kofi a known is the envoy there and hopefully we'll get some huynh assistance in the very least. rights definitely needed. >> we'll be right back with predictions.

predictions, patrick? >> i think if romney wins ohio, it will be virtually over for santorum and the rest. >> if independent form of governor angus king gets in the senate race in maine he would win as an independent. >> rich? >> the anniversary of obama care coming up, the signing of it. and democrats will be hiding under their desks in not talking about it bus it's such a loser. >> a conflict if >> i predict wisc]nsin republican govern scott walker will win his recall election and democratic presidential candidate barack obama will lose to wisconsin and