alan colmes, host of alan colmes radio show, tucker carlson editor of "the daily caller" and fox newsributor. great to have you both on. >> happy new year. bill: happy new year to both of you. i don't know, tucker, i guess if you thought this fiscal deal was a big matter, buckle up. >> well the president says he won't debate it. he will debate it. this will be a debate. nobody argues a debate over the fiscal cliff is the best way to cut spending but there is no other way. it is not a republican talking point to say the debt is out of the control. at end of the bush administration the debt equaled 65% of the gdp we're now over 115% of gdp our debt is bigger --. bill: that is double. >> so using this debate as he have leverage not to not pay our bills, that is talking point that is false thing the president said, but to curtail future spending is really the only option. the ps has shown no willness seriousness to cut significant spending period. bill: alan, what do you think about that. >> there congress, if they really cared about the debt and really cared about the financial security

alcan combs -- alan colmes, host of the "alan colmes radio show". good morning. big day in america.ve you both with us. you heard david plouffe's remarks. you worked for president george w. bush. is there common ground that needs to be sought on this issue in this country, do you think? >> i think there can be. look, i have two daughters who are the exact same age as the kids who died in newtown. there are a lot of things the republicans can support like the president announced. better gun owner and safety education and mental health support and helping develop emergency responses and the rest but when the president goes to gun control i think the public support and bipartisan support drops dramatically. there is a fox news poll shows only 22% of americans believe more gun control would have actually stopped an incident in newtown where as 71% think the criminals will get guns anyway. the 71% are right. there sim peer call evidence that shows it. i think it is a mistake to go after gun control. >> criminals will always get guns. go ahead, i'm sorry. martha: go ahead, alan. >> crimin

. >> here now barack and hard place duo monica crowley and alan colmes. do you think it's a coincidence that collin powell has taken the positions. >> i'm not a big conspiracy guy. >> i'm not a conspiracy guy. >> you know, other people say the same things by the way. by the way, i had oral surgery. >> you know, i just didn't notice anything. you are always garbled to me. >> the fact is lindsey graham you can't be old white guy party same thing. marco rubio. >> you are gearing off the track here. you don't believe that general powell is in touch with the white house and they are kind of suggesting that he might bring these things up on msnbc, a very liberal network. you haven't seen general powell on fox news, have you? >> no. he has not appeared on this network. >> i'm not a conspiracy guy but this is what bothers me. i'm being quite honest. i general powell's patriotism to his country. he goes on the network in the softball liberals where he he is not going to be challenged. he bashes the republican party. he says it's not inclusive and it alienates mino

alan colmes host of the alan colmes radio show and author of thank the liberals for saving america.o he said we barely had enough time to scratch the surface of their complicated relationship. jim, assess what scratching they did? >> no scratching whatsoever, that is for sure. every journalist has to make a choice. if you want the interview you sometimes have to take the terms that the interviewee wants whether the termser explicit or implicit. when oprah winfrey be began to interview lance armstrong. was tough question, tough question, tough question, a tough interview at least the first half. steve croft has set himself up for puff tee interviews with the obama administration. it was quite striking. ron forneau of the national journal said the president and mrs. clinton were like an old married couple, happily sitting there and happily married. that is the kind of tone the whole thing set. jon: it was weird seeing the president on there beaming sometimes. >> i think it was a great send off for 2016. does it always have to be a gotcha interview? is that always the case in? is it ok

martha: joined by alan colmes, host of the "alan colmes radio show" and tucker carlson, editor, dailyand fox news contributor. good to have you here. i'm kind of two minds about issue and you guys are probably of two minds as well. alan, what do you think, good move or not? >> i think it is a great move. these are kids that wrote to the president, doing it with their parents, with the permission of the their parents. senior bills, affect seniors, when george w. bush signed no child left behind there were children there. how is this any different than any other piece of legislation that affects a group that has particular interest and the group is present when the signing takes place? martha: yeah. >> or when the announcement takes place. martha: the children wrote letters to the president, tucker. and they have been asked to stand by him. they're having their voices heard in america. what is wrong with that? >> well, this is not, this is very serious, very adult and incredibly complicated issue and to bring children on stage is to engage in a kind of moral blackmail. if you're against

reaction from our barack and hard place duo here now monica crowley and alan colmes. who punched you? >> it was a very ugly christmas dinner at the crowley household this year. bam, right in the kisser. >> what really happened? >> i'm auditioning for the real housewives of beverly hills. that's what's going on. >> what really happened to you? >> i looked like cass tell yesterday. >> bill: you snell. were you drunk. >> no. i fell. >> bill: for no reason? >> i was thinking of what i'm going to say next on the factor and boom. >> bill: you look like mickey rosenbacher. you would say you are a traditional conservative. >> i think so. >> bill: i'm surprised that there are in america very few traditional leaders, would you agree with that? nobody to rally around. it's a scattered tradition. correct? >> there are some obviously in the churches. some trying to lead a traditional cultural -- >> bill: no, no. who in the churches? who? >> i would say pastors -- i'm talking about. >> liberals are rallying around who? who? >> barack obama.ously. >> huge icon? >> you are right to s

joining us now from los angeles leslie marshall if for alan colmes this evening here in the studio monicarowley. i thought some of these people would respond. if they really believe that the newspaper is doing the right thing and gun control is paramount, very important issue of the day and certainly all of the aforemention have had bloviated almost beyond belief, why wouldn't they step up. we didn't have them sitting where you are sitting, which is frightening, isn't it, monica? >> it's very scary. >> bill: we didn't ask them to do that we said give us a paper statement and tell us how you feel. >> too busy to do that. >> not only are all of them committed liberals and very outspoken. >> bill: yes. >> most of them have been on the record in the past and even most recently after the newtown shooting being on the record as supporting stricter gun control laws. >> bill: ravel narrowed will come to your house if you ask him to. >> yes. >> bill: he will will if you give him a snack. >> to the opening of an nfl he will envelope and he will come. >> bill: if you are wyoming promise a snack -- >

joined by domes combs host of the alan colmes radio show.rad blakeman, former deputy assistant to george w. bush. welcome, gentlemen. brad, let me start with you. these are questions that i think a lot of conservatives have wanted to ask of colin powell point-blank. how do you think it went? >> i don't think colin powell made the case that the republican part tear is intolerant. by the way if it's everything that he says we are, then why would you still call yourself a republican? and the general has done nothing to change the party from within. did he run for chairman of the party? no. did he run for office? did he join the platform committee? was he even a delegate to the convention? did he attend. no. he voted twice for democrats. the question rhetorically is when does a republican cease being a republican it's when you act like general powell you make accusations with no back up, you taint the party, you call yourself a republican. martha: he says he's a nixon-reagan republican and he feels the party has left him. >> this guy has had a s