. >> host: there was a famous question that bernie shaw of cnn asked which is now referred to in yourook add the "-- as the "killer question" and it was referred to and can you talk about what that was? >> guest: well, the exact words i can't quote off the top of my head, but essentially it was -- it was the first question in the debate. >> host: number one, oh. >> guest: number one. he said governor and this was in 1988 against george h. w. bush, and he said, governor, if he were raped and murdered, would you be in favor of the death penalty for the perpetrator? >> host: what a question. >> guest: decaucus -- that was the question that bernie shaw decided to ask, and at that time, there was a moderator and three panelists. they had a meeting, the three panelists and bernie, the day of the debate and went over their questions and how they were going to do things and whatever, and long involved story, but the three other panelists, margaret warner, who was in with, i think, was with "news week," and of course now with the pbs news hour. andrea mitchell with nbc news and anne compton wi

and dukakis taking it one step at a time that was the question that bernie shaw decide to ask and at that time there was the moderator and three panelists. they had a meeting, the three panelists and bernie the day of the debate and went over their questions how they were going to do things and what ever and it's a long and all story, but the three other panelists, margaret warner then what "newsweek," of course now with the pbs news hour and andrea mitchell with nbc news and ann compton with nbc news. the three panelists, the three women said wait a minute. we think that question. they tried to talk him out of it and at least not use her name. and he was adamant he was going to ask the question and he asked the question. and i, just in doing some old fashioned reporting about the meeting and how it all came about discovered that there is hard feelings that exist to this day about the fact that these three panelists tried to talk him out of asking the question in the first place and there was back talk about somebody knew the question ahead of time and the word leaked out, look at an

and michael dukakis, take it one step at a time, that was the question that bernie shaw decided to ask. and then at that time there was a moderator and three panelists. they had a meeting the three panelists and bernie the day of the debate and went over the questions to see how they were going to do things and what ever and it's a long and all still story, but the three of the panelists, margaret warner, then with i think it was with "newsweek," of course now with the pds newshour, andrea mitchell of nbc news, and ann compton with abc news, the three panelists, the women said wait a minute, rethink that question and at least not use her name that the thought and bernie was adamant and she was going to ask the question and he asked the question, and i just in doing some old fashioned reporting live at the meeting and how little can about discovered that there is some hard feelings that exist to this day about the fact that the three panelists tried to talk about asking the questions and they're some back talk about whether somebody knew the question ahead of time and the word leaked ou

it isn't just the person who has points of view. >> rose: here is the famous question from bernie shaw to governor dukakis. >> governor if kitty kakis were raped and murdered would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer? >> no, i don't, bernard and i think you know that i opposed the death penalty during allof my life. i don't se any evidence that it's a deterrent and i think there are better and more effective ways to deal with violent crime. we've done so in my own state and it's one of the reasons why we have had the biggest drop in crime of any industrial state in america. why we have the lowest murder rate of any industrial state in america. >> well, dukakis explained to me he said, look, he had been running... he'd been the governor of massachusetts, he' been running for public office for years and he'd talked about capital punishment. he just automatical saw it as an issue question. he didn'see it as a person question. he just assumed that that's what really what wereny shaw was getting at. and he just had said this so many times that... and he... he is... he said