want to bring in our white house correspondent dan lothian. dan, this is fascinating but at the same time very frustrating. we've seen this kind of stage craft during the campaign, but this administration has taken it to a whole other level. you have the tax countdown clock, you have the twitter campaign. now he's going to be bringing out families who potentially will be hurt by the tax increase. what do we expect to hear from the president? >> reporter: well, look, you point out something that's very important here, that this is a big campaign from the white house. they realize that the message from the president is important, that putting out the spokesman and other administration officials to talk about the impact at letting this expire would have on middle class americans. that, yes, that message would get out there, but it wouldn't have quite the impact of having some of the people there in the room standing next to the president sort of symbolizing their own personal stories. the white house, as you pointed out, through their blog, throug

dan lothian, a lot coming up the next couple hours. the president coming up at 12:15, as you mentioned, as well. a lot more to talk to dan about and, as always, that event coming up in the noon eastern hour. we'll certainly have it for you here on cnn. >>> at five minutes past the hour, we need to turn to iraq. new concerns about the future of that country just days after the last american troops pull out. a wave of bombings has killed at least 63 people, wounded another 200. the explosions come after an arrest warrant. was issued for the country's vice president. arwa damon. people were back here seeing those pictures and seeing the american troops coming home and you were quick to say there was turmoil still in iraq. >> you, also quick to remind everyone that even the war may have been over for the u.s., it certainly is not for the iraqis and the violence today is really creating a nightmare scenario for this nation because it comes as you were mentioning there briefly, it seems that the government is collapsing like a house of cards.

our white house correspondent, dan lothian, is standing by. dan, what's the latest reaction we're getting from the obama administration, because clearly this is a very, very tense situation on the korean peninsula right now. >> reporter: this is a tense situation and it does remain uncertain. no new information from the white house, wolf, beyond what administration officials had earlier told us, that president obama in fact did speak at midnight with his south korean counterpart, president lee, a very close ally in the region. there's concern about security in south korea in light of what has happened in north korea. during that conversation they talked about security in the korean peninsula. they said they would continue to stay in touch and would continue to coordinate their national security teams. but as you know, wolf, the united states and its allies and those in the six-party talks have been concerned about trying to tame north korea's nuclear ambitions, and there have been some small steps in trying to improve the relationship between t

dan lothian live at the white house.president about being shopping and absent at leadership. why are you meddling in this? >> that's right. i mean, look, there's a lot of fingerpointing that has been going back and forth all week and the white house saying, really, this boils down to the ball being in the court of house republicans and time for them to act and go ahead and move forward on this short-term extension because they feel this, number one, can hurt middle class americans. those families making $50,000 a year stand to lose according to the white house, $40 from each paycheck. so, number one, it will hurt these families, but, also, the president believing that if something isn't done to extend this, then, perhaps, it could impact the overall economy, which we know has been struggling making some small gains. they feel that something like this could certainly impact and reverse some of the gains that have been made. so, what you will see from the president today again is making the case that the impact this will h

dan lothian is live at the white house. an best be described as a quiet reaction from the white house so far? >> reporter: that's right. we've been seeing a measured response not only from the white house, also other nations that are part of the six-party talks. according to the white house, the president overnight at midnight, in fact, did speak with south korean president lee about this situation there in the korean peninsula. they said that they would continue to stay in touch and would coordinate with their national security teams. this follow add short response we got from the white house last night. not long after news started to break of the death of kim jong-il. the white house, as you pointed outside, saying they're closely monitoring the situation there, but that was key, the stability on the korean peninsula and the freedom and security of our allies. we don't know yet if we'll hear further from president obama on this later today, but certainly the north korean situation is getting the attention of this administr

dan lothian, kate baldouan, thank you. we'll check in.tes past the hour i want to turn back to presidential politics. newt gingrich picking up a couple of endorsements. jim acosta is keeping an eye on this for us today. jim, gingrich, he kind of, i don't want to say peeked, but he got to a point in the polls and now it seems he's been slipping. he needs a couple of endorsements. will these help him out any? >> they might. it's been a tough week for newt gingrich. he's rolling out some endorsements today, pretty important endorsements from the speakers of the houses in both iowa and new hampshire. so i guess it's the speakers endorsing the speaker. so that's good news for newt gingrich because he lost out on a major endorsement in iowa yesterday when bob fanderplats who is a very influential social person in that state went with rick santorum. he told me personally that part of this was because of concerns inside the evangelical community out there in iowa about newt gingrich's personal life. it was a tough blow for newt gingrich. he's jus

dan lothian, quickly from the white house there. win for the white house, yes?r: it is a win for the white house. you know, the president, he stayed behind. his family went to hawaii earlier. the big question was whether or not the president would be going on vacation. he wanted to make sure that all of these matters had been taken care of, that he wasn't leaving american voters with this cloud of uncertainty. so now that this business has been taken care of, we're waiting to find out what the president's travel plans will be. the schedule remains very fluid. in fact, no times on the typical overnight schedule that's sent out about the president's various meetings. they're not time stamped today for the first time. so it could happen at any moment now. we do expect that he will be going, but so far nothing official yet. >> dan, it's now heading straight for the president. it's made it past the senate, the house. now it goes right to the president's desk? >> reporter: that's right. it would go to the president but, again, we don't have -- in fact, i sent an e-mai

dan loath lothian at the white house, the two declared the end of the iraq war? >> reporter: you did hear that, a war that lasted almost nine years, the president and prime minister pointion out there are big challenges that remain. there are concerns over whether or not iraq can handle its own security, whether or not it can have a stable government, and how it will be able to deal with influences from neighbori ining countries like iran. so those are some key issues that will no doubt draw the attention and continue to keep the attention of this administration. i should also point out on this day both of the leaders using this phase to remember all of those who lost their lives in the war, laying a wreath over at arlington national scemetery where some of the troops are buried. >> dan, what about support? what kind of support to iraq did president obama promise, be it trade, military, et cetera? >> yes, certainly all of those. we heard the president atalk about that, in fact the u.s. planning to sell f-16s to iraq to replace some of their fighter jet that's wer

dan lothian is at the white house. all messed up for sure. >> that's right. everyone is trying to get away for the holidays. most of the folks' first family is already in hawaii but the president is still here as up on capitol hill they try and figure out whether or not they can get that extension done. here at the white house behind the scenes, they really are pushing hard to make sure the taxes don't go up on middle class americans, but they are waiting to see what the house will do next. privately the thinking here is republicans won't come out looking very good, certainly house republicans, if, in fact, taxes go up on middle class americans something that, you know, is politically quite sensitive during an election year. >> the president is also marking the end of the u.s. mission in iraq. tell us about that as we wrap up the hour. >> that's right. they'll be at andrews air force base. the flag that flew over baghdad was officially retired last week during a ceremony in baghdad. that will now be a joint piece at an

cnn's dan lothian live at the white house. on tax cuts. >> that's right. and all of this coming because there was so much pressure on house republicans. first of all, pressure from the public when some of these lawmakers were back at home where they were hearing over the phone from their constituents who wanted them to get something done. president obama put the pressure using the public through twitter and their blogs to weigh in on what that $40 each pay check would mean to them. he was surrounded by those folks yesterday here at the white house. so, republicans bend to pressure from the public, but also pressure from within their own party. as you pointed out, president obama upon this deal being reached did talk about how his administration had been working very hard to make sure that 160 million americans did not see their taxes go up. he congratulated congress and also thanked them for "ending the partisan stalemate." he went on to say that this is the right thing to do to strengthen our families, grow our economy and cre

this is a cnn correspondent dan lothian he is interviewing president obama in hawaii. go. >> last night of the republic debate some of the hopefuls, they hope to get your job, they defended the practice of waterboarding which is a practice that you banned in 2009 her map cain said i don't see that as torture and michele bachmann said i think it's effective. i wonder if you think they are uninformed, out of touch or irresponsible. >> that's a multichoice question, isn't it? [ laughter ] let me just say, this they are wrong. >> bill: all right. a lot of people say look, the cnn reporter sympathetic to president obama's point of view by baiting him that way, and you say? >> when i first saw this i thought it was a "saturday night live" comedy routine. are you kidding me? a reporter from a major news organization asking if republicans are uninformed, out of touch, or irresponsible. president obama even looked embarrassed by the question. >> bill: he looked a little perplexed. >> during that pause i thought he was going to say hey listen i know you guys love me and for good

for more, let's go to white house correspond, dan lothian. that uncomfortable moment, the president reminded of something he said much earlier. take us inside. >> reporter: he was then state senator obama of the state of illinois. he was back in 2002. and he was some remarks at an anti-war rally. he was criticizing the planned invasion of iraq by saying, quote, what i do oppose is a dumb war. a reporter today asked the president if on this occasion, as the administration was marking the end of the war in iraq, if the president still felt that it was a dumb war. the president saying that he would leave it up to history to decide whether or not it was, whether the original decision was right. he did add because of the sacrifice of the military, but also civilians, that a lot of progress had been made in iraq and that country has enormous potential. >> and one of the big questions now is how does this relationship continue? ? what fashion does it continue once the u.s. troops are out? i understand the subject of continuing some military to milit

. >> i'm dan lothian at the white house.will meet with canada's prime minister stephen harper. jay carney said the two leaders would touch on the economy and security issues among other things. he would not confirm if they would be discussing the controversial keystone pipeline. that meeting takes place on wednesday after president obama returns from a tuesday trip to eastern kansas where he will be delivering remarks on the economy at a local high school. >>> i'm kate bolduan on capitol hill. both the house and senate will be largely focused on taking care of critical year-end issues like the big fight over extending the payroll tax cut and how to pay for it. as well as extending unemployment assistance among other big issues that are all set to expire at the end of this month which is the end of the year. lawmakers also need to reach agreement on how to keep the government funded beyond mid-december. all of this ahead of the coming congressional holiday break. >>> i'm poppy harlow in new york. some key economic reports, in

let's go to dan lothian. he's working the story for us. what's the latest, dan? >> that's right.etting go of is the fact that millionaires, he's always believed, should bear a heavier burden so it eases some of the burden on middle class americans. right now, the negotiations continue. there seems to be more of an optimistic tone to extend the payroll tax cut and to prevent a government shutdown, but so r far, no deals is so the president once again turned up the heat. with the clock winding down to a deadline, president obama put more pressure on congress to extend a payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance. >> congress should not and cannot go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren't seeing their taxes going by $1,000 and those don't see these unemployment insurance expire. >> the president says 160 million working americans stand to benefit if congress acts and the economy could be helped, too. so, what is standing in the way? >> there are issues that need to be resolved and there are many paths here to getting a payroll tax extension done, so i th

dan lothian is standing by. what's the reaction over there? what are you hearing?first of all, the white house is encouraged by these numbers, but 8.6% is still high. there's still a lot of americans out there who are out of work and that is something that republicans have been highlighted today, but politically, some say that these numbers are a small victory for the president as he tries to convince voters he deserves a second term. >> he gives he advice all the time. >> president obama was joined by bill clinton at a construction site near the white house as they enthusiastically touted thousands of new green construction jobs, but mr. obama was more measured in his response to the better than expected employment numbers. >> the unemployment rate went down and the american economy has now created in the private sector, jobs for the past 21 months in a row. >> jay carney was quick to dampen any notion of a celebration. >> we don't make much out of one month's numbers. >> one word seems to dominate the 2012 presidential race. jobs. and with recent cnn orc polls th

let's go to dan lothian. the president was pretty well received at ft. bragg. >> he was.n the page moment for the country. the president during his remarks delivered a mix of triumphs and challenges. he saluted the troops and family members as well, and made the case that optimistic view as the final troops come home is not shared by everyone. president obama may not have supported the war in iraq, but speaking to some of the troops who fought in it, he embraced the outcome. >> all the fighting, all the dying, the bleeding and the building and the training and the partnering, all of it has let led to this moment of success. >> but there are questions about how successful this moment of success really is. not long after the president delivered his remarks at ft. bragg, senator mccain lost a verbal attack of what he called a failure of leadership. >> it is clear that this decision of a complete pull out of united states troops from iraq was dictated by politics and not our national security interest. i believe that history will judge this president's leadership with scorn a

our white house correspondent dan lothian is standing by.e more on team obama's strategy. >> reporter: well, first of all, they have a battle plan that divides the country up into what they believe are winnable regions. they're also going hard after the leading gop contenders. president obama today speaking to supporters made it clear that a lot is at stake. he believes that 2012 may be more important than 2008. but as he struggles to turn the economy around, he faces a lot of skepticism. with americans still struggling to find jobs, pay bills, and stay in their homes, president obama played the underdog card as he appealed to supporters at a campaign event in washington. >> we're going to have to fight for it. it's not a slam dunk. >> reporter: his poll numbers are down, and republicans say he's vulnerable. >> it's going to be almost disaster time for him. so i believe the white house, although they're not going to say this is feeling -- i'm not going to call it panic, but they're feeling a certain kind of anxiety about this. >> he's right.

dan lothian live at the white house. dan, what is this twitter campaign all about?cans. turning up the volume by appealing to the public. and with the help of the public and they're breaking it down pointing out that a family who makes roughly $50,000 a year stands to lose about $40 a paycheck. and, so, what they did was they appealed out there to the twitterverse to send in what that $40 would mean to them using the $40 hash mark. one person wrote, it is a third of my student loan. half of my groceries and gas money for the weak. another wrote kids' school lunch, $40. and then finally $40 is the amoubt that is in my bank account right now. for his part, president obama pop under to the briefing room yesterday, again, pointing the finger at house republicans making it clear this is not a game. >> one of the house republicans referred to what they're doing as "high-stakes poker." he's right about the stakes, but this is not poker. this is not a game. this shouldn't be politics as usual. right now the recovery is fragile, but it is moving in the right direction. our f