jack rice is a former cia special agent and, jack, before we get into this about blackwater, your reaction to the news that tom ridge was pressured to essentially use the terror security warnings for political purposes? >> this is amazing when you watch this in the first place. one of the first things i see is the use of terror as a political weapon. we've seen it from those who used it had if the first place, but if we're seeing this in our own country where whoever did it on whichever side actually wraps themselves in the flag and justifies what it is they're doing, this is outrageous. i don't care if you're left or right, it make nos difference. there are going to be a lot of people talking about what it means in the future. >> in tom ridge's book he says he pushes back against the pressure he was under but yet there was a time three days after the democratic convention in 2004 when the terror warning alert was raised. so a lot of questions about that. but -- >> absolutely. >> again, now also the cia, and this sort of secret program to use blackwater contractors. i think that would be a

also former cia officer jack rice. and radio talk show host and author of the book "the ten big lies about america." michael medved, good to have you with us tonight as well. >> thank you. >> let's start with you, michael. as the rhetoric just gone too far? and has talk radio played a real influence on the demeanor of the people that are showing up at these town halls? >> well, i don't know that you can blame it all on talk radio. i think there have been some very unfortunate remarks. i don't believe that it's in line to call president obama a racist, to say that he hates all white people. i regret that one of my colleagues made that remark. i also obviously, for somebody to come -- the problem with that guy in new hampshire, willi williamcostrick, he ended up being a fairly articulate guy. but he was carrying a loaded gun together with a sign that said "time to water the tree of liberty," a reference to jefferson's line, "the tree of liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

jack rice and republican strategist tim griffin, you were looking at the pictures at the jfk libraryrt kennedy, other kennedy family members are there paying respects. todd webster, you worked on capitol hill for a long time. you of course worked with senate leader on the democratic side, tom daschle, you knew the force, you saw the force that ted kennedy brought to people's lives and to action to get things done. how much of a divorforce was he it came to the 11th hour, todd. >> one of the great ironies in the last 48 hours, hearing the tributes to ted kennedy coming pouring out, after spending deck kids raising money by demonizing ted kennedy as the great liberal, irish catholic embodiment of all that's wrong in washington, republicans are actually coming out and being very gracious and making very kind and supportive statements, they loved ted kennedy, they knew that they could get a deal done with ted kennedy. if you look at president bush, his only two domestic accomplishments, the prescription drug bill, and another piece of legislation were only made possible because he had te

item jack rice is here. d special operations officer for the cia. making the point for the cia to move forward they have to become more transparent, at the same time, it seems that it's a business that is predicated on keeping secrets. how do i become more transparent in order to engender the trust of the government at the same time when my stock and trade is my ability to be hard to keep track of? >> yeah, you're absolutely right. the problem is trying to reconcile these two. this is a democracy representative incomes and so, as a result, we do have to make sure that the american people understand what is going on and this does have to come out and people need to understand. when i was a child we used to be able to look look back and say when the chinese and others did something, we were the touchstone and the standard and we would ensure that the world would uphold that strned standard. the side we would become something else and say, no, no, it's all right that we do this? maybe from an intelligence standp

joining me on the phone is jack rice, am forec.i.a. agent. ng with us. >> pleasure to be with you. >> jamie: you saw the interview with the former vice president and you know about the investigation and the call for the investigation and the prior investigation. what do you think should happen? s>> realistically, leon panetta is trying to carry the fight to the hill and carry the fight to the white house against what is happening with eric holder and the attorney general's office and the justice department. the real problem happening right now is how they balance those two, how they deal with one another. that is sort of over and above whether or not there should have been an investigation in the first place. in a narrow sense, i think that there are short-term problems, long-term we're going to see. >> jamie: based on the information that you have, and obviously a lot of americans are concern if an investigation goes forward there could be classified information that becomes not classified and that we give away secrets that could perhaps jeop

jack rice, former sigh special agent. our panel remains with us. jack, how did we end up with a third class of prisoner that was subject to all of these different treatments without ever having indulge the bizarre and unusual process of democracy where we debate the creation of a third class of prisoner before we start sticking power drills in people's mouths? >> yeah. very odd. isn't it? all of a sudden i just realized if i threatened to rape your children and kill your family, that's -- i guess i should thank people for that. if i'm going to interrogate people i didn't realize that's how it would play and make me safer. mr. vice president, thank you so much. i didn't realize. >> setting both of our sarcasms aside how is it that the justice department -- in other words, either the justice department at some point said listen, not what you need to do, we won't prosecute you and now here we are. or this was done without the endorsement. what is it? >> let's be serious about this now. you are right. it is the -- first of all, i doubt that the cia offi