s behind him financing his campaign bob dole didn't have the bob dole couldn't even legally have we've seen this play out over and over again last few months candidates who have no business even being on a ballot alone being a front runner for president of propped up by their own daddy warbucks rick santorum was nothing until his wall street billionaire foster friess came along to write million dollar checks literally. newt gingrich was done until his billionaire sheldon adelson came along with his hong kong can see no fortune rick perry was nothing until his billionaire texas oil barons and wal-mart heirs came along. the difference between mitt romney and those guys is that mitt romney just has a heck of a lot more millionaires and billionaires on his side it's really that simple and eventually when the deep pockets behind santorum and gingrich realize that their investments are going sour and they're going to jump ship and join romney too so this really has nothing to do with favor ability ratings it doesn't even have much to do with voters this has to do with corporate cash and who

they love bill clinton, but did people get excited about bob dole's? did people get excited about bob dole in 2008, even though they barack obama. campaigns are one when you have someone who excites the days. it is not enough to say, i do not like a rock obama. i am going to vote for mitt romney. you have got to have a candidate to get people so excited they are willing to make phone calls. they are willing to pass out bumper stickers and signs may have in the back of their van in a church parking lots. i do not see that happening for mitt romney, because he has flip flop on social issues. he has flip flopped on health- care issues. he has flip flop on just about every issue there is out there. does that mean mitt romney cannot win this raised salmon and a does not mean that, but craig -- as that mean mitt romney cannot win? that does mean that real conservatives, mitt romney, george w. bush, that energized the base. people like john mccain, bob dole, george h. w. bush, they usually do not win close elections. tavis: i meant that they hate the presiden

"he was referring to bob dole -- he said bob dole -- in other words, this is pathetic. >> jeb has always been treated different. there is more of a trust in jeb than there was for the rest -- >> now, this is something i have been waiting for for weeks. top aide eric fernstrom was on cnbc today, and made a gaffe that could hurt his guy. >> is there a concern that he might force the governor so go so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the election. >> i think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign, it's like an etch-a-sketch, you shake it up and start all over again. >> here is what newt said about the etch-a-sketch, he showed a picture of one. here is a copy. he is showing an actual etch-a-sketch, let's watch. >> given everybody's fears on governor romney's flip-flops, so have his communication districter to say that if we are dumb enough to nominate him, by the acceptance speech he will move back to the left. >> here is santorum jumping on the etch-a-sketch remarks as well, let's listen. >> he said it's like an etch-a-sketch. he said you just turn it over an

how would you answer bob dole? >> i have a lot of respect for bob dole.i was privileged to serve with him in the united states senate. he left in 1996. i was two years in the united states senate. clearly i was 36 years old when i came to the senate. the bob dole and the rick santorum relationship was almost 20 years ago. so i don't blame senator dole for saying what he said and the experience he had 20 years ago with me. obviously i've gone through a lot more in my life since that time. and i think what the people are seeing is someone who can paint a vision for this country, someone who can go out and has the courage to lead and fight to make things happen in this country, and someone who tells them the truth. unlike governor romney who has repeatedly throughout the course of this election maintained that he simply did not advocate for obama care and did not offer a federal mandate as a solution to the healthcare problems that this country is confronting. and now we find repeatedly that governor romney in 2009 at the heart of this debate did just that.

bob dole really likes him. form unfortunately bob dole would have trouble getting elected in kansas nowadays. the state has gone saro far to the right. >> yeah. that's because the state has moved. so you think santorum has the leg up in kansas? >> well, see it's tough to say. santorum is the only one who is campaigning there except for ron paul. ron paul has made some appearances appearances. ansan santorum has gone around the state. i think santorum has the kind of message that resonates there. you know first of all, there is the social conservatism. >> that's very strong in kansas. but he also, you know, frankly, he does the economic pop ulism pretty well. he's a good -- i mean it's all fake populism. it wouldn't help the people at all but he appeals to those values talking about his grandfather who is a coal miner. they mine coal in kansas or they used to anyway a long time ago. >> your whole proemise was that kansas does come from this economic populist tradition? >> that's right. >> rick santorum at least

bob dole -- >> why do you say that? >> these are nasty. these people are personal.antorum and gingrich don't like mitt romney at all. >> reporter. >> do you think hillary clinton likes barack obama? >> you know what? [overlapping dialogue] >> the whole press conference, shame on you, inferring that bill clinton was a racist. >> it was an issue-focused campaign t. got nasty a little bit -- a little bit at the end -- [laughter] >> this has been nasty since january. >> in the words of barbara bush -- we just were talking about her endorsement of romney, she said, i have never seen a campaign as bad as this. i take her at her word. >> so do i. >> this is going to stick with him. then when have you president obama's campaign. when they can show romney switching positions on every single issue -- >> and obama hasn't had -- >> the obama positions have changed, but his hair stays the same [overlapping dialogue] >> a little history, bob dole started with 30% negatives and the party was very, very worried about bob doasm but people knew bob dole for his long and established c

bob dole -- >> why do you say that? >> these are nasty. these people are personal. santorum and gingrich don't like mitt romney at all. >> reporter. >> do you think hillary clinton likes barack obama? >> you know what? [overlapping dialogue] >> the whole press conference, shame on you, inferring that bill clinton was a racist. >> it was an issue-focused campaign t. got nasty a little bit -- a little bit at the end -- [laughter] >> this has been nasty since january. >> in the words of barbara bush -- we just were talking about her endorsement of romney, she said, i have never seen a campaign as bad as this. i take her at her word. >> so do i. >> this is going to stick with him. then when have you president obama's campaign. when they can show romney switching positions on every single issue -- >> and obama hasn't had -- >> the obama positions have changed, but his hair stays the same [overlapping dialogue] >> a little history, bob dole started with 30% negatives and the party was very, very worried about bob doasm but people knew bob dole for his long and established

he was talking about herbert walker bush and then bob dole -- and he throws in bob dole. >> jeb is different. from the rest of the bushes. that there is more after trust of jeb in the heart and soul of the conservative movement that there was frankly for the rest of the bush family. >> now for the best part of the show. this is something i've been waiting for for weeks. aid eric ferhnstrom made a comment that could come back it haunt him, let's listen. >> well, i think you hit a reset button, for the fall campaign. everything changes. it is almost like an etch-a-sketch. you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again. here is what newt gingrich said about the etch-a-sketch. he shows a picture of one. we got a copy of this? here is a video of it. let's take a look. he is showing an actual etch-a-sketch. let's watch. >> given everybody's fears about governor romney's flip-flops. to have his communications director say publicly to all of us, if we are dumb enough to nominate him, we should accept by his speech, he will go back left, triggers everything he talked about. >> it is like the

the argument goes like, this bob dole wrapped things up fairly early. at a time when he didn't have great candidate skills and ended up going to the general election frame before he was ready. the argue goes it is better for romney, while he is developing his candidate skills to do it against republican primary opponents rather than obama. i don't know if i buy the theory but it is an interesting one. >> i remember when bob dole wrapped that up and i sensed quickly, almost an immediate buyers remorse in the republican party. i did feel that if romney came out of new hampshire for example looking like oh, he's got this locked. he killed them in iowa. he ran away. they got 70% of the vote in new hampshire and here he goes. i felt like republicans would wake up two days later and be sick about it. if romney had wrapped this up too soon. >> well, that gets back to what mark was talking about earlier. what kind of leverage rick santorum, newt gingrich and ron paul have. the flip side is it will be their responsibility and it will be mitt romney's biggest dip

>> bob dole had to spend money for the insurgent candidate.e aired all of his commercials and drove up the negative it was over by september. romney will win ohio will he get the nomination sowed up. he's a weakened candidate. he has to raise money again and drive up his own positives. >> if he does end up sealing the deal, what is he going to be doing to try to beat the b-- be barack obama the presidential machine. >> he has no what i am calling a charisma cushion. you can do things wrong if you have this sort of extra thing. he is not giving that up. every single hit he takes is a huge hit. but i will say he does have as michael barone pointed out, he has a group in the affluent suburbs that could be important in places like ohio, new jersey, pennsylvania that republicans aren't great competitors. >>> what do you think about all of the swing states how important is it for him to steal those and not just ohio? >> he has to do well. swing state is where we had independents and moderates. when you look at santorum and newt he is in a position f

it was bob dole that put the mandate which passed. it was newt gingrich who supported the idea of the man date. all of a sudden because obama's law they don't like the mandate but it was republicans idea to begin with. it should have passed before but it did not because bob dole put it in and democrats decided not to put it in but it was a republican concept as it is even though you and i disagree dana and paul ryans forcing to buy medicare insurance. >> kimberly: let's take a listen to howard dean because he is skeptical and he could have read it. >> i believe the individual mandate will be declared unconstitutional. everybody is a libertarian whether they are republican or democrat or independent. so it's relatively small to have the mandate. >> is that a screaming rule. >> is had a howard dean, right? >> bob: keep in mind that howard dean was against the but he was for smi, for making the government control all health care. dean was there, too. that is why it's sour grapes. >> eric: if this is uphold and the law goes through. $1.7

>> boy, i very much respect bob dole and jeb bush but i really disagree.legates have been selected. rick santorum is leading in the polls in louisiana on saturday. leading in north carolina. and, you know, mitt romney has done well with upscale suburban, nonevangelical republicans but he hasn't demonstrated the breadth and depth of appeal necessary to the close the sale and i would say, with only about 45% of republican voters or less supporting him, the fact that he has you know, 563 delegates or less than half he needs to get nominated suggests that the republicans should do what the democrats did. >> doug, i have to disagree with you because in the latest poll, 47% of tea party supporters supported mitt romney in illinois. he have freedomworks said they don't want this party divided. you also have red state say that mitt romney will be our nominee. now that is not an endorsement from freedom works or red state but the party is beginning to coalesce and senator dole was right. rick santorum has a tall hill to climb and i think right now the diversity wit

. >> bob dole. >> bob dole. >> close. >> let's see. house speaker tom cross. senate president. state of illinois delegates. and you know what i have to do? i have to tonight because i didn't get a chance to do this properly. i have to thank our friends in puerto rico. we were treated so warmly, so graciously, so loving. it was a great experience. but governor luis fortuno. his first lady. we so love her. committee woman zori fanadas, ron coffman, james garcia and all elected leaders. there were so many that helped us there. especially the delegates' volunteers. and the people of puerto rico for their support. thank you, puerto rico. now i get to sort of just say what's in my heart. you know, mitt and i have been in a lot of states. we've gone through every part of this country. and i am so moved by the people of this country that are counting on someone to go to washington and to take things in their hands and fix it. [ chanting mitt ] >> i sense everything that you're experiencing right here tonight 37 this sense we want to take this country back. that we are feeling as though

howard baker and bob dole, it was a remarkable moment. >> i'm going to plug my friend and evp christina her first marathon on saturday. >> see you back here tomorrow. coming up is chris jansing. bye-bye. [ degeneres ] what's more beautiful than a covergirl? two covergirls. that's right. get two miracles in one product. covergirl makeup... and olay advanced hydrating serum. it's new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation. one pump... covers spots, lines... and wrinkles. and one bottle helps improve skin tone over time. that's what i was supposed to say now. well, no one can understand you. ♪ new tone rehab 2-in-1 foundation from [ babbling ] ...covergirl. that's what i'm talking about. see? what did you just say? i'm looking for some "beeza-beeza-vuza-vuza." and hello to "whoa, yum." use campbell's cream of chicken soup to make easy enchiladas, cheesy chicken & rice, and other chicken dishes that are oh...so...whoa. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutralize odor

pretty early on. >> romney is going to be a stronger candidate than bob dole, you'd agree? t's hard to say. dole, we worried about that campaign right up until the very end. i think a lot of people thought it was over in september and august. and i remember i worked on that campaign right up to the end. we worried about it to the end. because these races are incredibly unpredictable. i worked on the '92 campaign for bill clinton. at this time he was in third place in the polls. so you can recover. the democratic primary last time around was pretty brutal. >> the other issues while these guys are fighting amongst themselves the president has not had to answer some of these questions about where we are in the economy on energy, on unemployment. so that's also a positive for the president. >> yeah. it was strange today. he did go out with an economic message in his press conference. and then the press conference which really is dominated by the questions were all about basically foreign policy. >> and middle east. tone yes, how do you see what's gone on tonight? >> romney had a

. >> as bob dole used to say, you know what, i know it, the american people you know it. you have china as a consumer, disruption anin the middle east. the president is in the hot seat. on the pipeline question, he is getting clobbered. not much to be had. >> i keep hearing how much oil consumption has gone down and how e drilling has increased, drilling everywhere. >> gas prices are not rational -- >> neither our politicians. >> neither aree -- >> he got hemmed in by republicans on the keystone pipeline. i thought he made it clear that he would approve it, and the administration thought they had a deal with officials in nebraska that fell apart -- >> clean drinking water, good water for irrigation purposes -- you cannot fault him for that. that is bipartisan. >> the aquifer they are worried about is crossed by 25,000 miles of pipeline, enough to go out and the world. the water you are drinking is nice and cle. obamwas t hemmein by republicans on keystone. he made a unilateral decision last year after the longest study conducted on any pipeline in american history, that t

they did not want bob dole who refused to even read the platform of the republican party on abortion. they did not want george h. w. bush, 41, who called them the extra chromosome set. the only candidate they really liked and got was ronald reagan, who rewarded them by going to church approximately once in his eight years in office. i am not saying they're insignificant. i am saying they are not determinative in the republican nominating race. >> that brings us to mitt romney. >> he is not going to win in tennessee, georgia. he might squeak out a victory in ohio, but you are going to have other players stepping up on super tuesday. gingrich will be partially back in the game. santorum might take tennessee. romney is not emerging as the inevitable candidate. he may be the one they conclude to stem the best chance against barack obama, but there is no enthusiasm. >> i have had an aha moment in the last few days. i have been watching the way the candidates treat each other. the savage way they treat each other. it is very similar to the savage way they conduct themselves in congress. you

. >> as bob dole used to say, you know it, i know it, the american people know it. it is the world market driving the price of oil. you have it disruption in the middle east. the president finds himself on the hot seat now. on the pipeline question, that you are getti -- he is getting clobbered. >> i keep hearing from the administration how much oil construction has -- how much oil consumption has gone down and there is drilling everywhere. >> gas prices are not rational a great deal of the time -- >> neither are politicians. >> neither are we -- >> there are factors going on and he does not have control over that. i think he made it clear ithat they would approve it at the administration thought they had a deal with officials in nebraska, and it fell apart -- drinkingike clean water and good water for irrigation purposes. you cannot blame them for that. that is bipartisan. >> the act or for they are worried about is crossed by 25,000 -- aquifer they are worried about is crossed by 25,000 miles of pipeline, enough to go around the world. obama was night hememmed in

today, former senator and candidate, bob dole, said he stayed in the 1988 nomination for too long and santorum is getting to the same point. >>> also on the campaign trail, president obama made a trip to a giant solar power plant. he chastised his political opponents who belittled that energy source. >> this is creating jobs, generating power, helping to keep our environment clean, making us more competitive globally. you would think that everybody would be supportive. of solar power. that's what you would think. and yet, if some politicians had their way, there won't be anymore public investment in solar energy. >> president obama says solar energy is part of his all of the above strategy, which includes everything from oil and natural gas to wind and go thermal energy. >>> right now, the parents of trayvon martin are getting ready to take part in a march up in new york city. it is being called the million hoody march because the 17-year- old was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and he was shot and killed in florida last month. tonight, we are learning the man who shot martin, george zimm

bob dold -- bob dole. [laughter] our entire state of illinois delegates and you know what i have to do, i have to thank our friends in puerto rico. [applause] we were treated so warmly, so graciously, so loving. i t was a great experience for us. thank you so much. thank you, everybody. there were so many that help us there, especially the delegates and volunteers and the people of puerto rico for their support. thank you, puerto rico. now, i get to stay within my heart be. -- say what is in my heart. you know, mitt and i have got to every part of this country. i am so moved by the people of this country that are counting on someone to go to washington and to take things in their hands in six itv. -- fix it. [applause] >> fix it! fix it! >> everything you are experiencing tonight -- we want to take this country back. we are feeling as though strong, arms of government are invading our lives. and me to use something else. women are coming to me and saying, will you please talk about deficit spending and bud

i talked to someone that worked for bob dole and he had a theory, bob dole had bad candidate skills and it hurt him by wrapping it up early, and he had a long stretch where he was up against his general election opponent. he was arguing that romney has a longer run way to improve his skills. but that means you have to beat these guys. >> the kind of candidate that santorum is so different than obama. that is it, he will develop the perfect skills for putting away someone like santorum and then face a different opponent. >> in terms of team romney, what continues to be surprising to me is that they have not figured out in the let mitt be mitt, what is he good at and how do we do more of that? secretary clinton when she was rubbing for the senate, there was the idea of who she was, we knew, one on one, she was dynamite. so what did we do? more one on one contacts. if they have not figured out what he is good at, they have to figure out how do we cut through this perception. every single day he is re-enforcing that perception. >> maybe he is not good at that. maybe he is a technocrat. >> s

>> i think the articles would be that mitt romney's another bob dole and guaranteed to lose by ten points. for example, on thursday night, abc teased that video that the obama campaign released and the secment was almost as long as the video. there was no coverage of anything republican that day and only how good obama whys in the video. >> jon: we'll talk about that next week. what do you want to do if you're the president and want to upstage super tuesday? hold a news conference. >> what would you like to say to mr. romney? >> good luck tonight. (laughter) >> no, really really (laughter) >> the president holds a conference on super tuesday and stealing the spotlight from the g.o.p., and did the president see this as an outrate political maneuver? the answer is next on tuesday watch you lost some wei [ snoring ] [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu relieves your cough 50% longer than tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime. [ snoring continues ] [ male announcer ] because snoring sounds better than coughing. if you can't take a sick day, here's a cold hard fact. alka-seltzer plus cold & c

i remember working with my republican friend and leader bob dole to support the president in that endeavour. the question for another democratic president today and all of us in positions of leadership and responsibility, is whether we will allow similar mass atrosities to continue in syria, and whether we will do what it takes to stop them. i thank you, mr. chairman. >>> thank you very much, senator mccain. secretary panetta? >> chairman levin, senator mccain, thank you, for the opportunity to be able to discuss with you the ongoing violence in syria. this tragedy has evoked concern and outrage of the united states government, american people and much of the world. at the outset i would like to stress that the president in a pro broad cross session of the international community stated bashar assad must had campaign of killing and crimes against his own people now. must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately. furthermore, through its repeated violations of human rights, any government that indiscriminately kills its own people, loses legitimacy. this regime has

sound smart, tell your friends the only republican candidate ever to score a super tuesday sweep was bob dolen all seven states in 1996. george hw bush came close in 1998, carrying 16 of the 17 super tuesday states but edged out in washingtopat robertson. now you know. >>> let's huddle up around the water cooler to watch mitt romney's compliment to his wife ann. i have been married myself for almost nine years, while i don't know much i know you never ever, under any circumstances whatsoever, refer to your wife as a "heavyweight ". it cancels out whatever comes after it. the romneys hat a campaign even in youngstown, ohio. >> i introduce to you the heavy weight champion of my life. that didn't come out right. a great fighter is what i mean. >> if this goes on much longer i will be the heavyweight champion. things are getting a little tight. this is what happens if you are on the campaign trail, we have been on this a long time now and you don't always get to eat like you like or exercise like you like. >> he wanted that back the minute it left his lips. >>> stephen colbert began the countdown

a state like kansas, when you have the support of somebody like bob dole but you don't do that well in kansas, you get about 21% 22% of the vote like mitt romney does, it shows you got some real to this nominatio. >> as the president's re-election team gears up for november. it could be a tight race. president obama in a statistical dead tie at this moment with mitt romney and rick santorum. >>> still ahead on "way too early," it's like a quiz bowl with sneakers when my commodores fresh off their upset take on harvard in the ncaa tournament. we'll have some other teams for you to watch as you fill out your brackets this morning. that's ahead in sports. >>> and mitt romney did tell the crowd in mississippi last week that he's begun to say y'all and eat grits. newt gingrich saying he likes grits more. this and more when "way too early" comes right back. >>> elizabeth smart's family rush nothing the salt lake city police department this afternoon. a dramatic reunion. >> she's well. we believe whatever she has been through she'll recover from. >> the missing teen was found in sandy utah du