david gregory, moderator of nbc's "meet the press" and ron brownstein, political director for atlantic media. we saw the president on a stage in pittsburgh. it's really a world stage for him now. does this change the dynamic of what his presidency is all about and who he is? is he now more of a leader of the western world than just the united states? >> well, inevitably in a presidency there are events that are thrust upon the president he has to respond to, shape, and he has to shape it not just for himself but as you say for the western world, for the western allies. that's what the president is in the middle of doing right now. this is the moment of confrontation, of challenge with regard to iran. this is the moment when he is able to say to the iranians, got you. we got you. we see what you're doing. now you sit down and talk and negotiate away nuclear weapons or there's going to be a dimpbts track you're not going to like. stop haranguing, stop negotiating and stop saying one thing one day and something else another. let's talk about talk about the potential for real relationship becaus

ron brownstein, atlantic media's political director and columnist for "national journal.", it's as if i've come in and landed from another planet. i'm seeing the president of the united states attacked for basically telling kids to do their homework and brush after every meal. i'm being told that tomorrow could be a break or make night for his presidency on health care. i heard harry reid, the senate majority leader this afternoon basically saying the public option, maybe it will happen and speaker pelosi standing along side of him saying, no, it has to happen. what's the deal tomorrow night? what does the president have to do? what's he going to do? >> i think the primary thing he's got to do is get the american people on board and try to persuade them and really drum up for public support for this than exists. the problem with august is the debate got off the rails. the white house knows it. the white house understands at this point there's too few people in america who have any idea who the president wants to do about health care. he's got to change that. he's got to ma

moderator of "meet the press" david gregory who asked the great question and ron brownstein, atlantic mediaike about this president when you get to sit down the benefit of doing is the way he thinks outloud and understands that great american tension, which is the very essence of our country. how much freedom do we have? how much equality do we have? how much taking care of each other versus how much do we leave each other alone? it is the great american tension. i think he got to it. >> absolutely. chris, something you and i have talked about off the air, this question of role of government. is this president effectively selling to the american people the proposition that government is the solution to some of these huge challenges? and i thought it was very interesting that a lot of what is lined up against him by way of opposition is not something he thinks is motivated by race. he makes the concession that some of it may be. from the president's remarks, you can get it. and talking to people behind the scenes, they do not want to turn this into a conversation about race. they don't think

ron brownstein is political director for atlantic media.kay, ron, the baucus bill, seems like this is something to hate for everybody, after all those months of hard work. realistically, is this a template going forward or is it dead on arrival? >> no, i think it's actually more the template than it might seem today. there is one obvious, large flaw with this, and then perhaps a second significant flaw. the large flaw is that it does not provide sufficient subsidies for middle class families who would be required to buy insurance under the individual mandate, which is essential in all the bills because it is the key to insurance reform. a second flaw is the way it deals with contributions from employers. it might discourage employers from hiring certain kinds of low-income workers. but savannah, he has built a structure here that i believe is going to be the foundation of any bill that ultimately reaches the president, because it does two things that none of the other bills have yet been able to do. first, it goes much further than anyone h

. >> coming up next, political director for the atlantic media company ron brownstein.e says the mountain west is becoming risky territory for democrats. we'll talk to him about that, and we'll get pat buchanan, harold ford jr., and joe and mika from san francisco in on the conversation. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. so maybe we can't control menopause. but we can control sagging, dulling skin. (announcer) now l'oreal's age perfect serum, our first for menopausal skin. it rebuilds skin substance to treat sagging and boost luminosity. age perfect serum by l'oreal. gm drivers.. it's goodwrench & go time. three great services: all in one place. all at one time. all for one price for most gm vehicles. but it's only for a limited time. at participating gm dealers. ♪ bicycle, what are we waiting for? the flowers are blooming. the air is sweet. and zyrtec® starts... relieving my allergies... 2 hours faster than claritin®. my worst symptoms feel better, indoors and outdoors. with zyrtec®, the fastest... 24-hour allergy medicine, i promise not to wait as lon