and economic adviser to vice president bibiden. good to have y on the program. welcome. >> thank you. >> doug was there when the other night? >> i think there were several candidates who probably improved their chances. certainly newt gingrich increased his odds largely by sparring with you, maria, and you saw another solid performance by mitt romney. i thinkk those two stand out as having the best nights. >> what's your reaction? >> i agree. romney, he continues to seem most centered, most presidential. he's extremely careful not to make any of the kind of mistakes that others -- i won't name names -- did, and yet i didn't hear much from him or a anyone else on a real policy agenda to help this economy get back on trk on either the near or longer long term. >> one of the questions i asked was about the tax reform plans, because all of the candidates have tax reform plans as a way to lead to job creation. do you think that's the path toward job creation? >> i certainly think it's one piece of the puzzle. for example, if you look at the bull simpson commission, t