prior to eagleton there really wasn't vetting.sident was done very late in the game. but even more so politicians weren't in the habit of asking fellow politicians these incredibly intrusive questions. >> there was a cone of silence around parts of life that does not exist anymore. i remember when senator eagleton had to resign from the ticket because he had shock therapy to deal with depression. and obviously that began this vetting process. all right. we'll read the article with care, and thank you for going th

. >> his vice presidential candidate, john eagleton, got into trouble. he said how do you change the candidate for vice president. i said, i don't know. he said, you better find out, you're my lawyer. he left the senate, stayed in the senate in 1980, he's done lots of work for food for peace. this july, if i'm right, george, you will celebrate your 90th birthday, 90 years young. walter mondale, vice president of the united states under jimmy carter. don't we wish we had men like that in washington today. i got to -- he was the attorney general of minnesota, then he would be, he was appointed senator in 1964 to take hubert humphrey's place when lbj was elected president. in 1966 he was elected in his own right. as the democratic party nominee for president in 1984. ambassador to japan. for four years. in the 1990s. he is still practicing law in minneapolis and when he was vice president, i think it's fair to say that no one was more responsible for getting my job as secretary of h.e.w., than you were. a wonderful, wonderful -- man. >> bill moyers, probabl

party then, and george called me one day from south dakota when his vice presidential candidate tom eagleton had gotten into trouble and said how do you change the candidate for vice president? i said i don't know. he said, well, you better find out. you're my lawyer. he left the senate, stayed in the senate 1980. he has done lots of work on food for peace. and this july, if i'm right, george, you will celebrate your 90th birthday, 90 years young. [ applause ] walter mondale, vice president of the united states under jimmy carter. [ applause ] god, don't we wish we had men like that in washington today? [ applause ] i got to know -- he was attorney general of minnesota, then he was appointed senator in 1964 to take hubert humphries' a place when lbj was elected president and humphry vice president. 1966 he was elected in his own right, democratic party nominee for president in 1994 and ambassador to japan for four years in the 1990s. he is still practicing law in minneapolis, and when he was vice president, i think it's fair to say that no one was more responsible for my getting the job as s

and eagleton had a history of psychiatric treatments. investigate these guys. it's gone on from there and got enmore and more intense. >> some would argue with that. but in general that's probably true. let's take a look at this year's top candidates for vp. mitt romney has nard his list to three people, rob portman of ohio, bobby jindal and tim pawlenty. he describes the risk for each man. here's what he had to say. portman's risk is his ties to president george w. bush. used to be his budget director. pawlenty's risk is attack on romney. and bobby jindal's is faith-based extremism in the fact that he's written about spiritual warfare among other things. ted frank is not working with the romney campaign but what issues did he say he would look for if he were doing the vetting process? >> that's the kind of stuff you look at. the purpose of the vetting process, part of it is to uncover any skeletons. you're doing it so you have a full plate of information so you can sort of be ready to respond to the inevitable attacks. anything you find

george mcgovern to then texas cagi nf ratn,hich as lost stse dema, t r ention before they realize eagleton might not be the best vice presidential candidate. bill clinton, cochairman of texans for cgvernadtyo clniekd o ho a cn ice of them accompanies mcgovern in eagleton to the ranch to see johnson heard intosects nd meg,ch no , h w in ireor to l that is as close as clinton got to meeting all bjp but is great about the american presidey anwelrmr,evn 'sotdengyt fpeid. re rbeh a d tacaaiomre ow i think it was des moines. i'm pulling that, but it wouldn't count on it. everyone hasheir circu ti tht lnve m j. ol h htasll estsofir kit orll is that they all hoped for. right over her pren lbis erication of the arer i el pe oeoies? >> i think what is amazing -- but answer it this way. irderer iest nvabao wt piy ch president. the french like to presidents grandfatherly cool anti-america aur] say nof e gs w gfaly o. ths nothing about any of these guys. it's a classic american story. we elect presidents who don't begin to fit. if you have back hflo, ejs agdxo jon ny. csp around makeup and are out wide

tepthe snur weafo gote tcmhegr thomagn t demand, right after the convention before they realize eagletonmight not be the best vice presidtial cani. conchan te fmgve al br, vua to rest kind of sort of had to flip a coin out which one of them accompanies mcgovern in eagleton to the ranch tos jna inlo onas ylribaroe inhiid gll tea ged piture for clinton of lbj. that is as close as clnton got meeing b is r t amansiy wea eebe if it mcaoih strsnt n anembed he saw fdr at the back of a train somewhere in iowa. think it was des moines. i'm pulling that, but it wouldn't cou on i. eryo hasheirc eaaitoer lb tushoug preno he ccrsstwie er to him. is that they all hoped for. right overee se icn he idu tmn moy. thesmladin ronder democracies? >> i think what is aazing - buswt w. nim tt sieet srk ul dteca he wasn't a typically french president. the ench like to presidents andfatherly cool tiri [lte d ozs oos in he anderrco e ineyldba hict there's nothing about any of these guys. it's a classic american story. we elect presidents who don't begin to fit if b hng btasreananni d sodknedy. this club speaks aro

the government goes to the ranch, right after the convention just before they realized that tom eagleton might not be the best vice presidential candidate. bill clinton, the cochair of texas and mcgovern, and taylor branch, who would eventually be part of the clinton administration, flipped a coin about which one of them -- quentin says that taylor comes back from the meeting, which do not go well, by the way. a signed picture for clinton of lbj. that is as close as clinton got two leading lbj. what is great about the american presidency is that we all remember a motorcade going by. ronald reagan, on the back of the train somewhere in iowa -- i think it was the morning. i would not count on it. everybody has their creation stories that clinton never met lbj. he told us that he thought, as all presidents do, because history will be kinder to him. [laughter] >> that is what they all hope for, right? [laughter] >> so the presidents club, it is involved with with american democracy. are there some all models? >> yes, i think what is amazing about the presidents club in america -- i read a st

that's the eagleton question.e have seen this process get more and more detailed into finances and drug use and employment of household workers, something that wasn't asked too far long ago and became an issue with a couple nominees for senate confirmation, not really for vice president. it's become a much more elaborate process, and they also look at things are more personal, like the personal rapport between the presidential candidate and the perspective vice president. >> what about the questions of belief? and i know this sounds a little ethereal, jason, but what do you believe? what is your religiouss beliefs? do they get into that? why did you convert from one religion to another? is it that intimate? >> it was with me. ted frank was following a script he used in 2008. he had a lot of questions about stuff like my synagogue attendance, whether i was bar mitzvahs, whether my son was briszed, you want to be comfortable they're sufficiently relicious. in some ways, an atheist candidate would be a taboo. >> the

. >> susan, it seems to me this started with tom eagleton in '72 who had electroshock therapy and frankve electroshock therapy. you think he would have -- you think he would have offered that up. >> you would think so. that's one reason we know the standard final question people are asked when vetted, is there anything i haven't asked you that could prove to be embarrassing if asked during the campaign. we have seen the process go more and more detail flood finances and drug use and employment of household workers. that's something that wasn't asked too far long ago and then became an issue with a couple nominees for senate confirmation -- for vice president. it has become a much more elaborate process and look at things that are more personal like the personal rapport between the presidential candidate and the prospective vice president because that's something we know is also important the these nominees. >> what about -- what about questions of belief? i know th what are your religious beliefs? did they get into that? why did you convert from one religion to another? was it that inti

tom eagleton and george mcgovern, big example in 1992, and then when you look at it, it's basically about you qualified to succeed. you've got to pass that threshold, steve. and are you qualified to succeed, do no harm, get out in the campaign trail, play the little role of attack dog, do it in a way that's responsible. >> host: you said a vp making a difference in one occasion. are you referring to 1960, kennedy-dyson ticket? >> >> guest: absolutely where he delivered texas. some say not legally, and three southern states, absolutely. i mean, it's tough to find another election -- you might go back to the 19th correctoryo century and find it marginally so but certainly not in modern times. >> host: nortonberg, new jersey, democrat on the line, good morning. >> caller: good morning. my question to the gentlemen is about the swing states, when you go to pennsylvania, the idea they put on there, i don't have nothing against i.d.s, per se, what my problem is why was that not done two or three years before a national election, not just a few months. who affects people that cannot have it. i c

he y oes con anen elego de, t r en be th reaze eagleton might not be the best vice presidential candidate. bill clinton, cochairman of texans for mgvernadtyo anwhnllb clniekd o ho an ice of them accompanies mcgovern in eagleton to the ranch to seeohnson ard clinton losescts nd orngckm meg,ch no h w in ireor to l that is a close as clinton got to meeting all bjp but is great about thamerican presidency and welrmr,even 'sotdengyt fpeid. re rbeh a d tacaaiomre ow thit des moines. i'm pulling that, but it wouldn't count on it. everyone has their crcuit ti tht lnve m j. ol h htasll estsofir es, orll kit ishat ey a hoped for. right over here. >>o the implication of the pren lbis eri cr arer i el pe oeoies? >> i think what is amazing -- but answer it this way i rderer iest nvabao d efd ush wt piy ch president. the french like to presidents grandfatherly cool -america [laur] say nof e gs w gfaly o. res w gck totsur ths othing about any of these guys. it's a classic american story. we elect presidents who dot begin to fit. if you have back heflo ejs agdxo jon ny. csp rud makeup and are out widely