nixon went -- he went with gorbachev -- i'm sorry, at that time brezhnev. met with anwar sadat, that great man. big parades in alexandria in egypt. big crowds. he was kicked out of office after all because the evidence turned out against him. isn't the evidence going to decide this, not the pr, the personality or the politics? your thoughts, jonathan, and then katie. >> yes, absolutely. it's going to be the evidence. and you characterized it perfectly. he can try to be as normal as he can be with town hall meetings and radio interviews and going about the business of being governor of the state of new jersey, but as you accurately describe, the time release of documents and subpoenas where people are combing through thousands upon thousands of pages of e-mails looking for the smoking gun or something that resembles it to try to tie him to that, every time a bullet like that happens, knocks chris christie off stride, diminishes the luster that he has on the national stage and makes it more difficult for him politically. >> okay, thank you so much, jonathan a

russians because of current stagnation inside the russia economy compare putin increasely to brezhneve, you have great ambitions but preside over a weakening power, ultimatel that can be a very dangerous mix. lou: you know, i once, off the record was in moscow to look to join in look at a number of things, gos bank and other entutioning in the fall of the old soviet union. one of the things that impressed me was at that point, president george h.w. bush's commitment to do business with russia, to do much to invest in russia. that went away under the clinton at administration..3 is there an opportunity for partnership here? is there an opportunity that is still in existence tt we dismiss so many years ago? >> well you know part of the problem lies with vladmir putin because while we want to come to a win-win situation that would see everyone profit vladmir putin has created a situation where he presides over a pyramid of corruption and that ultimately is undercutting the russian economy. lou: so you thinkhat we are nsigned, if you will then, to intens competition with ssia. >> indeed.

russians because of current stagnation inside the russian economy compare putin increasely to brezhnevwever when you have, you have great ambitions but preside over a weakening power, ultimately that can be a very dangerous mix. lou: you know, i once, off the record was in moscow to look to join in look at a number of things, gos bank and other entutioning in the fall of the old soviet union. one of the things that impressed me was at that point, president george h.w. bush's commitment to do business with russia, to do much to invest in russia. that went away under the clinton at administration..3 is there an opportunity for partnership here? is there an opportunity that is still in existence that we dismiss so many years ago? >> well you know part of the problem lies with vladmir putin because while we want to come to a win-win situation that would see everyone profit vladmir putin has created a situation where he presides over a pyramid of corruption and that ultimately is undercutting the russian economy. lou: so you think that we are consigned, if you will then, to intense competit

michael is there a fear what it was one circa brezhnev and kruschev with little intervention from the u.s., is that putin's ultimate fantasy? >> absolutely. that was the major theme of my book "dancing with the devil" we can't project our own sincerity into the adversaries. the europeans in the united states look at it as trying to come to a win-win agreement but vladimir putin sees international relations as a zero sum game. he wince for that to happen, everyone else has to lose. the question is what he's willing to do to ensure his victory and whether we're going stand up to him. >> michael, you mentioned your book. i want to put up one item from the book you that write. you say when presidents embasra dialogue and incentive as solution to rogue behavior what is this part for ultimate policy? >> ultimately, i'm not against talk. the problem is, talk has to come at the end of the process, rather than at the beginning. when ronald reagan sat down with mikhail gorbachev it became as a year to set the circumstances. bill clinton said the same thing, you have for set the right circumstan

but you know that's just like nixon visiting sadat or brezhnev as he goes down the tube in watergate.t's nice pictures for a day or two. what is he thinking somebody hi, is probably thinking about trying not to think about it, because -- because if he were to spend all of his time or even most of his time thinking about the state investigations, the legislative investigations, and most ominously, the u.s. attorneys investigations -- >> why wouldn't you spend all your time doing that? you have to save your life. >> i don't think -- i think he can't do it all or he would never be able to get out on the campaign trail. don't forget, this was supposed to be the year of national triumph for chris christie. the republican governor's association, heavy travel schedule, a big fundraising schedule for other candidates. don't forget that chris christie got on the map politically by being a fundraiser for george w. bush in 2000. he was going to go out and raise money for all the republican candidates all around the country to win chips for himself. he can't do that now. >> i'm sorry, howard, you

prospect of being members of the eurasian union in which putin presides in moscow the way stalin and brezhnev did in the past? >> no. >> of course not. and they are doing what they can. we have been dodging, opposing, and that is what is making him frustrated but i think once he is gone and once he starts nationalism and instead of more european oriented middle class begins to take over will is a good chance that russia will follow the ukraine into europe and if it does, in one fashion or another it will become a truly important european state. they look eastward periodically and what a rising power that remembers that 750,000 square kilometers of its land were forcibly taken by russia when china was weak. >> where is china now? because it seems more focused on its internal growth and economic issues than it is on playing a role on the world stage and so, therefore, it is left. >> well, that is true up to a point. unfortunately, i think the last couple of years some of the chinese who are enormously enebriated by the fact that china is coequal to the united states in some respects and will so

nixon went -- he went with gorbachev -- i'm sorry, at that time brezhnev. he met with anwar sadat, that great man. big parades in alexandria in egypt. big crowds. he was kicked out of office after all because the evidence turned out against him. isn't the evidence going to decide this, not the pr, the personality or the politics? your thoughts, jonathan, and then katie. >> yes, absolutely. it's going to be the evidence. and you characterized it perfectly. he can try to be as normal as he can be with town hall meetings and radio introduce and going about the business of being governor of the state of new jersey, but as you accurately describe, the time release of documents and subpoenas where people are combing through thousands upon thousands of pages of e-mails looking for the smoking gun or something that resembles it to try to tie him to that, every time a bullet like that happens, knocks chris christie off stride, diminishes the luster that he has on the national stage and makes it more difficult for him politically. >> okay, thank you so much, jonathan

leonid brezhnev wrote a letter about the enormous amount of money to be spent hosting the olympics.esides the enormous cost, there may be all sorts of scandals that could disgrace the soviet union. maybe we should reconsider this issue and refused to hold the topics. the olympics did help the soviet economy go into a tailspin. what is seen as the effect of the orbix. theant -- the effect of olympics. we want to hear from you. the numbers on the screen. republicans, (202) 585-3881. democrats, (202) 585-3880. independents, (202) 585-3882. if you're watching from outside the u.s., we want to hear from you as well. (202) 585-3883. you can make a comment on social media. twitter, facebook, and e-mail. times" is on the olympic says well. a spotlight on mr. putin's russia. the olympic games are intended to be the fulfillment of president vladimir putin's quests for prestige and power on the world's stage. mr. putin and russia conflict starkly with the olympic ideals and fundamental human rights. here's how they conclude the editorial this morning. the olympics cannot but put a spotlight on