. >> you know, jackie calmes, watching one of these stories unfold, it's tough for campaigns that haveal operations. they sort of brag about the fact they're not the sophisticated washington machine. >> it's the worst possible one because the people who are working for the candidate don't themselves know what the answer is. >> and that's the impression i got, is that he -- >> absolutely. >> he got appen answer and he's decided i'm going to accept it. >> you can go back through the whole prolonged monica lewinsky scandal. >> and john edwards, where it was clear the candidate was lying to the staffers. >> exactly. there's hardly a worse kind of scandal for staff to have to deal with. >> clarence page, if there is one aspect to this that could help him, right, you have the conservatives out there who just don't believe anything that the media reports. >> right. >> and use it as a badge of honor, which in their initial response yesterday, the cain campaign was trying to issue the rallying cry of going look at what the establishment media is doing to our man, herman cain. >> right, we've se

jackie calmes of "the new york times," and janet hook of "the wall street journal." >> award-winning reporting and analysis, covering history as it happens. live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week" with gwen ifill. produced in negotiation is national journal. corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by -- >> this rock has never stood still. since 1875 we have been there for our clients through good times and bad. when their needs changed, we were there to meet them. through the years from insurers to investment management, to real estate and retirement solutions, we develop new ideas for the financial challenges ahead. this rock has never stood still. and that's o t that will never change. prudential. >> a shrine a powerful thing. it connects the global economy to your living room. cleaner air to stronger markets. factory floors to less crowded roads. today's progress to tomorrow's promise. norfolk summit, one line, infinite possibilities. >> corporate funding is also provided by -- boeing. additional funding is provided by the annenberg foundation, the co

we talwith "new york times" reporters matt bai and jackie calmes and joshua green. >> what is shock to me, maybe it shouldn't be at this point, is just how little new these guys have to say. and i guess to some extent i felt this way in recent campaigns general leigh but it's all either old proposals or obvious proposals or what the base wants tohear or attacks on the president. at some point to want to be president in this moment, right, where the challenges are so profound you wod think, this is why herman cain is getting tractions. >> exactly. >> because the guy that brought the -- >> right. any of these guys who brings a seriously new idea to the table i would think would have a significant advantage, even if not everybody loves it just by being bold enough to bring real leadership. >> the two words that sum it all up from the white house point of viewis choice and priorities. that the election will be a choice. it's not a referendum on barak obama and they tnk he will stand up for whatever choice republicans will put forward and the other is priorities. everything they do includin

>>mark: jackie, thank you. a bit more calm. >>reporter: yes.e looking at five hours ago this is how it went down. it was very quiet for earlier. however, off 45 minutes ago we saw some protesters the near abroad will/14 to. there were taunting police. near broadway/14 at that point the police made significant changes by moving and swiftly. arrests were made. protesters started stopping traffic. at that point the police decided that they had had enough and moved into broadway. they reopen to broadway. since then it has been pretty quiet. we have seen a police walking around but for the most part it has been quiet. >>daria: where are the protesters going to demonstrate? the police have given them very little area. >>reporter: i can tell you they're not going to go back to frank a ogawa plaza. you saw video. that place is a disaster. it's a are going to move into that plaza and go through that entire thing and move out. perhaps they think that is a security issue in the one to make sure that that area is secure. where will those protesters go? tha