joining me now, ari fleischer, cnn contributor and the former press secretary for president george w. bush. also bill burton, a democratic strategist who also has plenty of time working in the white house press room. he's former obama's former deputy press secretary. gentleman, good to see you. ari, let's start with these "wall street journal" poll numbers. how much of a surprise, do you view this as herman cain really taking off to the top of the pack? should romney be concerned? >> i think it continues to show how fluid and open the republican race is. i've been saying for months that nobody has a firm foundation underneath them and i think that's what this poll is showing. my advice to republicans and any other political observers is read political polls the way you should look at the stock market. don't look at it every day, look at it about once a month, because it's way too volatile and open on the republican side still. but good for herman cain, he's really caught on. >> good for herman cain, he has caught on. and bill, ari makes a good point, it's early, and these are national

let's talk about it with gloria borger, ari fleischer, you can follow him on twitter @ari fleischer and mary matalin and bill burton, who is president obama's former deputy press secretary. bill, thank you for being with us as well. mary, is this much ado about nothing? is it the problem that america doesn't have a sense of human or the media doesn't? >> he needs to -- the surge for him is serious. it is an attraction to a message that is the 75% of the people that still don't support mitt romney. he needs to stay a happy warrior. but he needs to get serious. it is not politically correct to have to answer questions about particularly the 9% sales tax, or you don't have to know the name of the president of uzbekistan, but you need to have clear foreign policy principles. so you can get away with that when you're the third man or you're just one of eight, but when he's the front-runner, he's got to put some flesh on the funny. >> what about that, ari? he says that people need to lighten up and not take everything he says as seriously as, you know, can't he make a joke? >> he's right, but

the democratic strategist, james carville, and ari fleischer, guys, thanks very much for coming in. rom the interview that governor perry did with bill o'reilly last night on fox. because in that interview, governor perry is blaming the debates for his problems. >> these debates are set up for nothing more than to tear down the candidates. it's pretty hard to sit and lay out your ideas and concepts with a one minute response. if there was a mistake made, it was probably ever doing one of the campaigns when all they're interested in is stirring it up between the candidates. >> you think he's got a point in blaming the debate as opposed to himself? >> well, there's no question the debates are designed to stir it up among the candidates, but that's what being a candidate is all about. debates aren't everything, but they are important. if i were governor perry, i'd recognize the debates, plus, they become even more important a year from now. so, he does need to take the debate seriously. he needs to spend more time getting ready for them and shouldn't dismiss them. i think there's a wron

back with the panel, cornell belcher and ari fleischer. ari, is this plan a strong move by governor perry? >> it is and here's why. what you're seeing on the republican side from perry and cain and to a lesser degree, mitt romney, is a desire to fundamentally change how washington is doing its business, to throw out the existing tax code which doesn't work, full of loopholes and anti-growth and replace it with something that encouraging economic growth to lift everybody up. it breaks from the stale debate we had in the '80s and '90s over should you get this distribution or that distribution and focuses instead on how does the country grow with a tax code that encourages entrepreneurialship and job creation. that's a fresh debate to be in. that's what i like about the republican proposals. as for the ideas what about the specifics, et cetera, we know that those get ironed out whoever the new president is with a republican congress. that's when you pay attention to the details. this is a directional move and the direction is a fundamentally n

gloria borger, ari fleischer, mary matalin, bill burton. people associated with rick perry or have been on the stage with rick perry attacking mitt romney and his faith, what do you make of it? >> i find this extremely distasteful. our constitution says there's no religious test for the presidency or for any high office or low office. that's the spirit on which our country was founded. you can be atheist, you can be religious, can you be buddhist. there is no religious test. rick perry is getting a bum rap if people think he's pushing it. just because david lane is doing it, that's not rick perry. he doesn't work for rick perry. he's doing this -- everything i can see, on his own. the perry people have not weighed in on this. i don't think they deserve blame for this. >> is it important to have a guy robert jeffress who introduced rick perry on the stage at the values voter statement, then went off stage and called mitt romney a member of a cult. >> rick perry did wade in to the extent that he said it is not a cult. but this election is not

about this with two cnn political contributors, the democratic strategist, james carville, and ari fleischer? not in the republican race here in nevada, but in a general election assuming he's the republican nominee? >> i don't think so, wolf. i think this is one of those issues where you're in favor of government spending, the problem ought to be solved. the issue is you have to let the market rebalance and come back. that's how you restore housing on a long-term foundation. if we go back right away, we are never going to get rid of the deficits and debt we have. >> james, you agree with ari? >> not at all, neither does president reagan's head of economic advisers who wrote a piece last week talking about how devastates this was and said the government should come in and secure the mortgage. i think 110% of the value of the mortgage and change from a non recourse to a recourse loan. pointing out the devastating effect this is on a much, much larger economy. i don't think romney is right. the problem is that we have too many foreclosures in this country. he seems to be arguing we need more f

ari fleischer, former white house press secretary for president george w. bush and also chief political analyst gloria borger. ari, if memory serves me correct, the headline last night was herman cain was leading in a national poll and now mitt romney ahead in four crucial states. what does that tell you about the field right now on the republican side? >> number one, state polls are more important than national polls. this is a statewide series of elections. number two, interesting piece of data from those polls, 20% to 30% in all of those four states said they know who they are supporting. 70% to 80% could change their mind. this republican race for months to come is still marked by fluid electorate. people are not locked in. the foundations are not secure. anything could still happen, almost anything could happen. >> do you think there are people that could enter the race? >> i don't think that. i think among romney, perry, cain and something tells me, nobody agrees with this, huntsman in new hampshire, you have to keep your eye on him. things can change

here to talk about it erick erickson, former ed of of redstate.com, ari fleischer, now a cnn contributorle on twitter. and also political analyst and devoted texan, roland martin. perry's supporters are saying, this is basically slanderous, this article. nobody's saying that rick perry chose this name of the farm or of the ranch or painted it on that rock. is he getting a raw deal here? >> first of all, to suggest it's slanderous makes no sense. the reality is there are people who are saying -- some people were quoted, their names used, in that "washington post" story that that was a name on a rock. it was very visible. he said we painted over it. and so look, if you're the campaign and you say there are some inconsistent statements, but you know what? you knock them down, you knock them out of the way. so therefore, i read their statement. but look, you must knock this thing down, be very clear and at the end of the day, is the rock still there? are you still going there? and remove it. it makes no sense. forget painting over it. just destroy it. it makes no sense at all. >> erik eriq,

that ari fleischer and -- the shiners and mrs. be in court today. >>> how one researcher says a child's cough could help spot autism. >> the organizers ever occupy d.c. say they don't plan to back down but they are running into a few problems with their protest. we'll find out about that coming up. >>> let's check out the my fox half off deal. it is 70% off a package at capital martial arts and fitness. there are locations in dulles, montclair and alexandria, virginia and takoma park, maryland. if you would like more information, go to myfoxdc.com andlike for that on the right side of the home opinion -- and look for that on the right side of the home page. [ mom ] hey guys. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster. sunday morning ideas made easy. in 15 minutes, [ female announcer ] you call that bread? you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you

a reference to herman cain, and then this tweet to former white house press secretary ari fleischer.e took our advice, finally. lot of personality there. >> nice to see a little humor i suppose. and i guess i wanted to ask you

>> i didn't hear the question fully, but i think if ari fleischer is right and there's a chance he'stands these things, the way the compressed schedule is working right now, if mitt romney can win in new hampshire, which is likely, if he does okay in iowa and he may pull off a win here depending on how well perry does, i don't see herman cain getting a win in iowa and we see south carolina come >>> good morning. it's tuesday, october 18th. this is your "a.m. wake-up call." it's christine romans in for carol cos stall low joining you live from new york. the time is now 5:28 in the east. >>> investigators poring over the horrific scene discovered in a dirty philadelphia boiler room. they're looking to see if there may be other victims. the suspects are accused of locking up four mentally disabled people. those are the suspects there. police believe they did it to steal their social security checks, locked away for nearly two weeks in filthy conditions, the victims are now speaking out. >> came with a bat in my head. all this was real dirty. >> it was real dirty. >> did cue guys willing

i had this conversation with ari fleischer today.s great you put a big idea out and it's great if it sparks a conversation to change it, but if you want to win, there's a line between detail and giving a vision and where to draw that line is a big question. >> if this is the heart and soul of this campaign you have to defend it down to the details. >> yeah. maybe another promise in the campaign. well, thanks to david, john, j.c. and great to see you as always. have a great weekend. >>> still "outfront," american music is more about advertising than entertainment. we could not resist telling you about this because there's something special in there. >>> and senator jeff sessions introduced his budget act to cut needless federal spending and we ran the numbers. >>> disturbing new developments in the baby lisa case. what the police found when they sent dogs in the family's home today. [ applause ] [ jackhammer ] [ crowd cheering ] [ speeding car ] [ siren ] [ horse whinnying ] [ bell dings ] your true self -- uncover it, embrace it, pro

>> i didn't hear the question fully, but i think if ari fleischer is right and there's a chance he'stands these things, the way the compressed schedule is working right now, if mitt romney can win in new hampshire, which is likely, if he does okay in iowa and he may pull off a win here depending on how well perry does, i don't see herman cain getting a win in iowa and we see south carolina come next. that could be another good day for rick perry. it's possible it could be okay for herman cain. i think if mitt lom any does well in all those early contests, he'll get the big mo, and that will be it. that will be all she wrote for mitt romney. a lot of things have to play out between now and then. >> tim farley host of "morning briefing" on sirius xm potus. >>> another reminding, the republican candidates will gather in las vegas to debate the issues. you can watch the debate here on cnn at 8:00. >>> four disabled people found locked away in a dirty philadelphia sub basement. investigators say this may be just the beginning as they look at possible connections in other states. >>> marin

ari fleischer, erick erickson and roland martin weigh in. >>> day five of the michael jackson trial.or who tried to save jackson's life. ♪ don't stop till you get enough ♪ ♪ >>> right now guests john branca and howard weitzman. tell me about cirque du soleil, because your history with michael and this particular show goes back to santa monica pier, is that right? >> that's true, piers. i remember a night, i believe it was in 1989, where michael and i went to the first ever cirque du soleil tent show which was at the san to monica pier. what i remember about that night, we were in a van. i was driving. and why we were in a van, i cannot remember. michael had a nice car, i had a nice car. here was michael, the biggest star in the world, and we went with no security, and i was so nervous driving michael i got lost on the 405 freeway. we got lost going to the cirque show. michael was clearly captivated. he said to me, branca, we have to go backstable after the show. of course, michael. we go backstage and he wanted to meet the cast. i will never forget. i can't tell who was more excited,

i had this conversation with ari fleischer today.s great you put a big idea out and it's great if it sparks a conversation to change it, but if you want to win, there's a line between detail and giving a vision and where to draw that line is a big question. >> if this is the heart and soul of this campaign you have to defend it down to the details. >> yeah. maybe another promise in the campaign. well, thanks to david, john, j.c. and great to see you as always. have a great weekend. >>> still out front, american music is more about advertising than entertainment. we could not resist telling you about this because there's something special in there and senator jeff sessions introduced his budget act to cut needless federal spending and we'll have the numbers. disturbing new developments in the baby lisa case. what the police found when they sent dogs in the family's home today. my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male ann

let's walk through the dos and don'ts of a debate, cnn contributor ari fleischer is here and kevin maddenspokesperson for mitt romney in the 2008 campaign and senior political analyst david gergen. okay. i have to take a deep breath. i had to go for a long time there. david gergen, let's start with you. who has the most gain tonight? >> i think herman cain, if he can take the punches tonight, and if he can convince people that he's a serious candidate and not just sort of the flavor of the month, he could -- he could become the anti-romney candidate and that's been the name of the game. who can be the alternative to romney? nobody's been able to hold that second position yet. >> what do you think rick perry needs to do tonight? >> rick perry needs to be aggressive. rick perry needs to be articulate and he needs to go after mitt romney. now he has to retake that ground and he's got the ability to do it. he's gout the vulnerabilities of mitt romney that he can expose and he's articulate and on point and i can't understand why he has not done that yet in the debates. >> all right. what about

ed rollins, dana loesch, ari fleischer, peter hamby, ed rollins, thank you very much. >>> the antiwall swell to thousands today after local unions pledge their support to the fledgling government -- movement, i should say. the protesters are rallying against income inequality and corporate greed. >>> "360" follow, more fallout from fast and furious, that botched gun-running operation we've been reporting on. the new boss at the bureau of alcohol, firearms and explosives today announced aw major shake-up at the troubled agency, including 11 high-level staffing changes. >>> an emotional day in the michael jackson death trial. jurors heard a four-minute recording of the singer made just weeks before he died, describing his lost childhood and the pain he was in. he sounded as if he was in a drug-induced stupor. >>> it's being billed as the world's cheapest computer designed with students in mind. india's education ministry says it will begin producing an internet-ready tablet that costs just $50. that's the latest. now back to anderson. >>> thanks for being with us tonight. more at the top

joining me now from las vegas, our cnn political analyst s ari fleischer.ou know, the rap on this man, herman cain, he sometimes says things in public, that for example, people on the right and some white americans who are very conservative believe but would feel uncomfortable saying in public. he sort of gives voice to certain sent m. me me ments. do you agree with that and how well do you think that plays into the primaries? >> people are responding nicely to how blunt he is and doesn't sound like he's from inside the beltway. the trick is to be presidential while being an outsider and he's made a couple of bad mistakes along the way. everybody running for president makes mistakes along the way. the question is do you make fewer as you go along. barack obama famously said that people cling to their religion and guns out of frustration and that was a big set back to him. so the challenge for cain is to step up to the presidential level if he's going to be taken seriously. he has a good shot in the primary of being taken seriously. >> joe, here's the fundam

. >> has that been your sense, ary fleischer, the former press secretary during the bush administration. is it mitt romney's to lose right now? >> no, i think it's still too fluid and nobody has built up a big enough lead for it to be mitt's to lose. today's announcement by chris christie that he's not in is good news to romney. i think, wolf, what you're also seeing here is a man who's stock was already high rise even higher with chris christie. people wanted him in because he doesn't come across like a politician even though he is one and kept his word. that's the thing you hear from people more than anything else that drives them crazy about politicians, they want people who do what they say and keep their word. that's what chris christie did today. i think it was the right decision and republicans have to move forward and find a winner among the ones that they have. >> he made it clear, he said at one point, looking at my notes, new jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. you don't often here a sitting governor say that to not only a statewide audience but a nation