>> when you were discussing dick clark, you mentioned he was able to frame the debate which was unusual in many respects. many whistle-blowers do not really get to frame the debate. respects. a lot of whistleblowers don't really get to frame the debate. the media frame set before them. a prime example that i had was after 9/11, we had information that was well-known that the nuclear power facilities are at risk for airstrikes and the federal government was covering up the fact. and we have bleached to us the information that dennis or did that. so something could have been to address the issue. and when we couldn't get anyone to take it seriously and the government and admit that they're lying to the federal -- or at least tell us something that made us feel that the country was did. we went to the media and the media ended up running the story about how this document was found in the public records at the nrc identified that it was -- to the new power plants were safe and that al qaeda could have gotten this. but the point of going to the media was to correct the problem. and after whi

and so i'm wondering with dick clark and the whispers something in which he was able to do to frame thedebate. was whether this level of sophistication? did he have an attorney? to be at the representative? why was he able to frame it so successful? >> because he so smart. i think he anticipated everything at the white house would throw at them. i never had this discussion with him, but when they came after him, he seems to be one step ahead of them. and so i just think he not only did what he felt he had to do, but he was smart enough to realize what the reaction would he and he -- and you know, he prepared himself for it. in the other thing that went on acm agnew each other for a long time before the piece ran. and it was clear that we had a meeting of the minds about what the piece would be. i mean, if he shopped there and had one thesis and i have another thesis, you know, a would like to them about what my thesis was and if it was at odds with his, he might well have gone elsewhere to do it. and i wouldn't have blamed him. you know, for a piece like that, you know, you not only --

one of the best examples is dick clark. he was a counter-terrorism adviser.the guy who was telling everybody that osama bin laden and al qaeda was targeting the u.s. and meanwhile, the bush at the station was not taking it seriously. -- the bush administration was not taking it seriously. we were talking about it as it was all unfolding and it was all off the record and i could not report it. but there came a time when he wanted to go public. the dilemma for him was when you work for the president of the united states, york -- your loyalty is to the president. you are there to represent his interests. that is something that he took very seriously. he felt this higher calling that the administration was trying to play in iraq -- try to blame iraq for the 9/11 attacks in order to justify invading iraq. he did not believe that and he had to choose between his loyalty to the president tand hs sense of duty to the country. i know he was motivated by a sense of duty because i sell a high school yearbook that he wrote when he was a teenager. he said made the seventh

patriots who help expose evil and wrong doing in our country and i'm thinking that with "60 minutes," dick clark, jeffrey wygan, the tobacco case, the pentagon papers and so many more. in my own career, i haven't had any of those big ticket items but i have worked on some stories that i still think are important. steve mentioned bunny greenhouse. those of you who don't know bunny, she is -- she was a procurement official at the pentagon who came to nbc news and worked primarily with lisa myers at nbc and told us that her colleagues, other federal contracting officials had bent the rules regarding handing out contracts to halliburton. and, wow, i don't know if you remember. bunny was so nervous during that interview. our first take, we rolled a 20-minute data tape. we never used one sentence from it. she just was so nervous and she was -- had never been in this position before. of, you know, essentially talking out of school regarding what had happened with her former employers. but she warmed up and she did a great interview but she suffered as a result. it was very, very hard for her. another f

with 60 minutes, dick clark, the tobacco case. in my own career, i have not had any of those big-ticket items, but i have worked on some stories that i think are important. bonnie greenhouse was a procurement official in the pentagon who came to nbc news and told us that other federal contracting officials had been the rules regarding handing out contracts to halliburton. bunny was so nervous during that interview. she just was so nervous. she had never been in this position before. essentially talking out of school regarding what had happened with her former employers. she warmed up as to the great interview she suffered, as a result, it was very hard for her. another former government employee we interviewed is a woman named jane turner. she was an fbi agent. she came to us and told us that during the cleanup at 911, fbi agents have repeatedly removed rebel and artifacts and they handed out as souvenirs to their friends and family. on its face, it does not sound like that terrible of a crime. we went to talk to 9/11 families and

and so i'm wondering with dick clark and the whispers something in which he was able to do to frame the debate. was whether this level of sophistication? did he have an attorney? to be at the representative? why was he able to frame it so successful? >> because he so smart. i think he anticipated everything at the white house would throw at them. i never had this discussion with him, but when they came after him, he seems to be one step ahead of them. and so i just think he not only did what he felt he had to do, but he was smart enough to realize what the reaction would he and he -- and you know, he prepared himself for it. it was clear that we had a meeting of the minds about what the piece would be. if he sat there and had one theesis and i had another theesis, i wouldn't lie to him

clark. the man who's right in his warnings about al qaeda before 9/11 and wears as a badge of honor the fact that dickhe fact. plus the senate candidate who wants to pay doctors in chickens, and the supreme court of the united states, spectacularly uninformed and depicted by finger puppets. all ahead this hour. but first, about a week ago "the new york times" published a poll of tea party participants across the country. we do not spend a lot of time talks about polls on this show, especially those that don't have membership and loosely defined. but one thing was written up in that poll that has stuck with me that i can't really get out of my head. this is from the end of the "new york times" synopsis of their findings. nearly three quarters said they would prefer government if spending on domestic government would be cut. i cannot get this out of my