pastor jeffers is an endorser of rick perry, wants to see him elected president.roductory comments that pastor jeffers said very interesting. he said, quote, do we want a candidate who is a good moral person or do we want a candidate who is a born-again follower of jesus christ? that was a not so subtle dig at mitt romney. and so when pastor jeffers walked out of the ballroom, he was peppered by reporters with questions about what exactly demean by that? and pastor jeffers did not mince words. he said he believes that mitt romney is not a christian. that he says mitt romney is a mormon and mormonism is part of a cult, and so therefore republicans should vote for rick perry because he is a christian. now all of this obviously cause the a huge uproar. we asked the perry campaign did you know that pastor jeffers was going to make these comments? they said it was the event organizers who set up pastor jeffers as the introductory speaker. we went to the people who were sponsoring this conference, the family research council, asked them who put this pastor before rick p

>> to the words of someone like pastor jeffers, you talk about mormonism being a cult. do you think people throughout the south, but specifically the question to you regarding texas, are folks in texas more exposed to it? >> well, i think so. obviously, there's a large evangelical community in the south and here in texas. it depends on what church you attend. and i think one of the reasons this makes people uncomfortable, the republican party did a very good job of making sure they had this conversation a lot of times when microphones weren't around. and they had their audience before them when they were going to have this conversation. then when you take it out to a wider audience, it starts making people pretty uncomfortable because some of us aren't exposed to it on a routine basis. the evangelical community obviously is, but not all of us belong to that community in texas. >> rick perry, is he the same guy you ran against or is he lost anything on his fastball, to use a baseball term? >> well, i think to a large degree, he's the same guy. but keep in mind, he to a l

not comment on his relationship with jeffers.08 jeffers made a similar attack on romney. >>> ron paul is celebrating yet another straw poll victory tonight. the texas congressman won the poll at the values voter summit in washington d.c. with 37%. paul told voters today that it is time for america to go back to its roots. >>> there is a whole generation of americans right now rising up and saying we were on the right track at one time. this gets back on that track and restore liberty and prosperity and peace. >>> paul is also won in straw polls in california and north carolina. herman cane came in second and the poll and with 23% and rick san storage had 16%. >>> president obama again pushed the jobs bill as the only way to get the economy back on track. the president's plan would reduce payroll taxes on workers and employers and extend benefits to long term employed people and spend money on public works projects. >>> independent experts who do this for a living have said that this jobs bill will have a significant effect for ou

we have a live interview with pastor robert jeffers in a minute. >>> legendary coach, commissioner and owner al davis died. over the years his oakland raiders won countless championships including three super bowls, and who can forget that saying, just win, baby. goodell says his impact and legacy will forever be part of the nfl. al davis was 82. >>> two days after his death steve jobs was laid to rest in a private funeral. services were held yesterday at an unnamed location. the source says that the funeral was a small, family affair. he died wednesday in california from pancreatic cancer. >>> now, back to that controversy that's overshadowing the values voters summit in washington. prominent baptist pastor robert jeffers who backs republican rick perry told reporters at the event that mitt romney shouldn't be the gop nominee because he's mormon, which the the pastor says is a cult. jeffers stood by those comments later during an interview with our political correspondent, jim acosta. >> the southern baptist convention, which is the largest protestant denomination in the world has lab

very inappropriate. >> addressing the value voters summit, mitt romney made no mention of pastor jeffers' comment, but did take aim at a director of the american family association who had denounced mormonism earlier. romney saying quote, decency and civility are values, too. >> poisonous language doesn't advance our cause, it's never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind. the blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate. the task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us. let no agenda narrow our vision or drive us apart. >> continuing his push in new hampshire, mitt romney holds a town hall in milford, new hampshire later today. it comes as a new wmur granite state poll showing the former massachusetts governor with 37% support in new hampshire, a wide lead there. herman cain, at 12%, followed by ron paul with 9%. but look down the list there, rick perry with only 4% support in the state of new hampshire. >>> around the world, deadly violence breaking out in cairo, as christian demonstrators clashed with sec

the pastor, robert jeffers of dallas, texas.mney's spokesman, perry's issued a statement saying governor perry does not believe mormonism is a cult. we just got a statement in from the church of jesus christ saying this -- that statement coming to us from a spokesman for the mormon church. we're staying on top of this story. much more coming up on this story later, but it's causing a huge, huge political uproar here in washington and indeed across the country right now. meanwhile, other political news we're watching including some occupy wall street news as it's called. the protests today in a number of major cities. the movement now three weeks old and growing. the political sparring over the protest is escalating as well. today, eric cantor called the demonstrators a mob and suggested they may have been egged on by the obama administration. that did not sit well with the white house. listen to this. >> if you read the newspapers today, i for one am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying wall street and the oth

. >> that's one within professor paula jeffers has been taking her geology students on a field trip for nearly 15 # year. >> they have to learn the other information to learn why there could be a disassistanter. >> the first stop was the national monument. >> it is located near the san andres fault system is the most famous in the world. it has affected how governments and communities across the cub industry prepare for -- countries prepare for disaster. >> it is a major branch off the falls and is continuously creeping. it is being ripped into as a result of this movement. >> many of the students say the trip was exhausting but well worth it. >> it was a hands-on experience, you hear her talk about it in class but to actually see it with your own eyes makes learning a little bit better. >> professor jeffers says students need to stop thinking of geology as being far away. after all for some evidence is as close as their front yard. in holster, update news. >> after one month of protests, the occupy movement has moved from wall street to main street. it has now gained media attention. "

. >> pastor jeffers says mormons aren't christians and it's a false religion. romney's opponents say, it's a nonish. >> we don't have a test for people when they go into the white house, we do believe in tolerance and liberty. >> i'm dodging it because it's not going to help boost my campaign. >> he called it a ridiculous sideshow. >> i don't no idea why people are wasting so many political bandwidth. >> pretty existent in the values i share and the things i want to see happen in this country. >> jeffers said sunday, voters are smart enough to separate his beliefs from the candidate he endorses. as for romney, sox analysts think questions about his faith won't come up again. >> i don't think he can get the nomination without a confrontation on this issue. >> over the weekend, romney addressed another speaker who attacked gays and muslims saying that type of in his words, pousennous language hurts of conservative cause. >>> meanwhile, religion at the root of clashes between protesters and police in cairo yesterday. 24 people were killed and 200 were injured in t

president, that would credentialize a cult, says jeffers. but mormons point out their religion is a faith, not a cult. item, jesus. "mormonism is indistinguishable from christianity." so says the church them believe jesus christ is the messiah. the second person of the holy trinity, of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. item, mormon population, nearly 6 million americans practice mormonism in the united states, and 17 million worldwide, including the united states. item, tax-exempt status. mormonism is exempt from taxes on expenditures, exactly as are other religions like catholicism, judaism, hinduism. that tax-exempt status is a further guarantee that mar mannism is a religion and tax- free in its expenditures. not what a cult gets, by way of being tax-free. item, no polygamy! one man and one woman, not one man and many women, as used to define marriage in mormonism. the mormon church outlawed, in fapolygamy in 1904. question, will mitt romney's mormonism diminish his chance to become u.s. president? >> i think some christians may h

let's get to reverend jeffers. does this put the religion issue out in the open for mitt romney? >> it certainly does for a new cycle and through the weekend and probably through the next republican debate. i would think that at the next debate the moderator is going to pose this question to rick perry. but if you saw in those clips, rick perry was not comfortable addressing this. this is the problem with surrogates. sometimes with the supporters, you don't know what they are going to say on the stage but obviously this is something that the pastor believes officer eventually and i would be surprised if rick perry addressed this because he wants to keep his focus on the economy, not delve into the tricky religion stuff. >> well, he may not folk tus on it but rick santorum said this. >> is he a a christian? >> he's a good moral man. >> >> i'm not an expert in mormonism. if they say they are christian, as far as i am concerned, they are christian. >> what do you make of that response? >> well, this is a big slice of the republican party. i'm not sure if it's the majority of the rep

what you had to say. >> reporter: but later, jeffers did not back down. >> we ought to be able to say, yes, i believe that a christian in office is better than a nonchristian. >> reporter: with romney atop in the polls, many saw this controversy coming. >> i want to thank him for notm. i know it's there and i know it's tempting. >> i'm going to do it soon, real soon, you just wait. >> reporter: romney isn't the only candidate who had faith called into question. last year, 20% of americans mistakenly thought president obama is a muslim. first time he to defend his faith. as a candidate in 2007. >> if i'm for the natutunate to your president, i had serve no one religion, no one cause or interest. >> a recent survey shows a third of white he vevangelicals would less likely to support a candidate if they were mormon. those numbers have hardly changed since the last campaign. >> these things have taken time in the past with regard to other faiths and so sometimes it is a long period of time until attitudes change. >> reporter: and, lester, there is turmoil across the political spectrum. ye

>> jimmy: kris -- kris jeffers. >> it is jeffers. >> jimmy: kris jeffers. >> jefferson airplane?. >> jimmy: kris jenson? >> any who, citing the concentration of america's wealth in the hands of the top 1% of all wage earners, the protesters have taken on the mantra, "we are the 99" which we'll be covering in greater depth on my new prime time evening news magazine, "rock center" here on nbc. >> jimmy: aw, yeah. [ cheers ] tune into brian williams' "rock hard center" for more. [ light laughter ] >> jimmy -- jimmy, it's "rock center," not "rock hard." >> jimmy: oh, i know it's not. [ laughter ] ♪ that's what she said >> americans believe in people protests. >> occupy wall street and social media unrest. ♪ they're raising their voices because they like choices ♪ ♪ maybe they need god walking back those rolls royces together we can end all our conflict ♪ ♪ that is how we slow jam the news ♪ >> oh yeah! >> jimmy: give it up for brian williams and the roots! we'll be right back with more "late night." [ cheers and applause ] ♪ vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg

jeffers. from governor perry, the only statement we could get from him he does not believe mormonisms a couple. does that make governor perry any less of a christian because he doesn't agree with you? >> new york not at all. many christians would disagree, possibly some of my own church members, john. but it's in all how define the terms. i don't think this is the big issue of mormonism being a cult or not. it's how you define the term. i think the reali issue is we republicans need a conservative one out of conviction, not out of convenience. and i believe that that's the only kind of person who's going to energize conservative evangelicals to vote. my own feeling is if mitt romney is the republican candidate, i believe barack obama will be the next president of the united states. i remain people all the time, john, that in 2008, 30 million evangelical christians sat at home and didn't vote because they were not enter guienter gud by mccain. for all of those who say a candidate's faith makes

> instead of saying, in that introduction knock it out of the park and i would have said reverend jeffersyou have it wrong, we should not select people on their faith and i do not suggest that you distant yourself from your faith anymore than i would, but the concept that we select people based on the church or the synagogue they go to is a dangerous and enormous departure from the principles of our constitution. >> i said that i did not agree with the pastor jeffers' remarks. i don't agree with them. i can't apologize anymore than that. >> jim, what did you any? will the mormon issue hurt perry or romney. >> well, it hurts romney, because the truth is that as we have said all along, that is a problem for southern christian evangelical voters and rick perry has been pushing this issue. he has been using the third-party surrogates to promote the white southern christians and helping him to keep mitt romney in the mid-20s and the numbers are not going down. if i were mitt romney i would have turned to rick perry and said, mr. perry, do you believe i'm a christian? do you believe that my fai

pastor jeffers made the comment.ed gop rival a good moral person but not christian -- but a non-christian. he added that mormonism is considered a cult. that's not a fannatical comment. this is something considered by the southern baptist christians. >> perry's campaign says that the texas governor does not agree with the pastor's comments. today, mitt romney will address the same crowd that heard from pastor jeffers at that summit. the gathering of social conservatives is expected to give romney an opportunity to capture some of their support. many say they are hesitant to support romney because of his past positions on social issues. >>> president obama is again challenging congressional republicans to pass his jobs bill which calls for higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires. >> sol see this as a class warfare. i see this as a simple choice. we can either keep the tax as they are for millionaires and billionaires or we can ask them to pay the same rate as a plumber or bus driver. >> the bill is not expected

. >> gregg: perry, it was the pastor job ert jeffers equated mid romney any's faith with a cult. then as our reporter mentioned, bill bennett excoriated that remark as bigotted. do you their he first ripped rick perry? >> i don't think it helps rick perry. given the state of his campaign right now. the last thing he needs is another controversy. last thing he needs is continually answer questions with the remark made by this pastor and to continue answer those questions. he said he disagreed with those remarks when asked about it but i don't think he outright denounced them. i think the questions are still going to keep coming. >> gregg: i they had most people would category romney as a social moderate and he may stand the best chance of appealing to independents and beating president obama. polls seem to show that. today, mitt romney tried to appeal to this conservative crowd with the following. take a listen. >> he faced a recession, he made it worse. he announced a recovery summer. a year and a half later, we're still waiting. 25 million americans are out of work without on ho

robert jeffers, pastor of the first baptist church of college. >> you said in pretty strong language what you think of mormonism, you described it as a cult, if republicans vote for mitt romney, they're giving some credibility to a cult. do you stand by that comment? >> absolutely. that's not a fanatical comment. that's been the historical stance for christianity, it has officially labeled mormonism as a result. >> governor perry's campaign issued a response after that saying the governor does not believe mormonism is a cult and didn't pick the person that introduced him. joined by experienced hands. cnn contributor join us from washington, republican strategist, mary madelyn. pleasure to have you with us. how does something like this still happen? >> welcome. we love this show. thank you for coming to us? thrilled to be here and thrilled to have you on. >> we love it. how does it happen? what would be an important event is if rick perry or even tony perkins colluded or agreed with that sentiment they clearly do not. evangelicals like all americans, are showing in polls they have the

. >> i would say to pastor jeffers, you stepped on and obscured the words of perry, and santorum, and cain and bachmann and everyone else who has spoken here. you did rick perry no good, sir, in what you had to say. >> romney, as you also heard, criticized remarks without jaming the pastor nor his rival perry by name. it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the next couple of weeks and months and the perry campaign issuing a statement reads in part, the governor does not agree with every single issue or everyone he knows that supports his candidacy. he's getting it on track and keep in mind this thing may resonate with yvonne gel cal voters especially in states like iowa and south carolina, one out of every two g.o.p. voters identifies themselves as an evangelical or a christian conservative, jamie. >> jamie: he no question about the importance of those faiths. let me ask you about ron paul. i was watching his interview carefully. what kind of reception is he getting there today? he seems a little bit more soft spoken than normal? >> he he got a very good reception here, thi

pastor rival jeffer ss started political storm.e said voters should not vote for roomy because romney is a mormon, which he believes is a religious cult. >>> prince harry is in the united states, but this is no vacation. we'll explain, next. stay with us. looks great, hun.. woman: ...and we're not real proud of this. man: no...we're not. woman: we...um... teen: have you guys seen captain stewie and lil' miss neptune? dad: did you look all over the place? under your desk? all around? teen: uh, they're fish, they live in a bowl. dad: what're gonna do? anncr: there's an easier way to save. anncr: there's an easier way to save. teen: whatever. anncr: get online. go to 15% or more on car insurance.r:u [ male announcer ] there's just something ♪ dabout werther's caramel that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ magic [ male announcer ] werther's original caramel chocolate. what comfort tastes like. when they taste the food that you cooked, it does something to your heart. i think what people lik

a pastor named robert jeffers, never heard of him -- introduced rick perry at a meeting of social conservatives in washington last week. he then gave a quickie interview in which he said mitt romney was not a christian and more mondayism is a -- mormonisms a cult. media types jumped on perry to comment and he rightly dismissed the issue. of course, the media are continuing to fan the flames of this nonissue. why? because this side show helps the obama campaign. so long as republicans are bickering about theology, the president doesn't have to answer for his own abysmal economic record or his disdain for the moral concerns of many voters. as for the media's other favorite obsession, the protesters, presidential candidate herman cain offered the correct response. >> we know that the unions and certain union-related organizations have been behind these protests that are going on on wall street and other parts around the country. it's coordinated to create a distraction so people won't focus on the failed policies this administration. >> laura: by the way, there are actually ads on craigslist offer

joining us is robert jeffers. pastor, thanks very much for being with us. why do you believe the mormon church is a cult? >> well, again, when i talk about a cult, anderson, i'm talking about a theological cult as opposed to a sociological cult. you know, thee logically, a cult is a religion that has a human founder versus a divine founder. joseph smith is the founder of mormonnism versus jesus christ. and secondly, cults tend to look at other religious text outside the bible for their guidance. mormonism certainly accepts the bibl. it accepts the newer revelation, the book of mormon that came from a angel to joseph smith. it's a theological cult. i know that's a loaded term. and it's not -- it has never been considered, anderson, as a part of historic christiancy. >> the church of jesus christ does consider themselves christians and on the website they say they accept jesus christ as their savior, redeemer and they say each of these titles points the truth that jesus christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our heavenly father. >> and we

robert jeffers, pastor of a baptist church in dallas says, quote... here to talk about this and romney's chances of getting the nomination, justin safee, spokesman for former governor jeb bush and endorsed mitt romney earlier this week. justin, let's start with you. a lot of people believe that mitt romney's religion was going to become an issue in this campaign. has it as of this weekend? >> i think you have one person who made one comment. certainly there are some voters who are going to pay attention to that. in my view with the unemployment rate at 9% and the federal government running a $1.3 trillion deficit two years in a pro roe and a trillion-dollar deficit as far as the high eyes can see. i think the voters are more focused on which candidate is going to do the best job of restoring america's promise and getting the american economy growing again. that will be the top issue. certainly, some people will have an issue with religion. but i don't think that's going to be the overwhelming majority of people are not going to be concerned with that.

joining us is robert jeffers. pastor, thanks very much for being with us. why do you believe the mormon church is a cult? >> well, again, when i talk about a cult, anderson, i'm talking about a theological cult as opposed to a sociological cult. you know, thee logically, a cult is a religion that has a human founder versus a divine founder. joseph smith is the founder of mormonnism versus jesus christ. and secondly, cults tend to look at other religious text outside the bible for their guidance. mormonism certainly accepts the bibl. it accepts the newer revelation, the book of mormon that came from a angel to joseph smith. it's a theological cult. i know that's a loaded term. and it's not -- it has never been considered, anderson, as a part of historic christiancy. >> the church of jesus christ does consider themselves christians and on the website they say they accept jesus christ as their savior, redeemer and they say each of these titles points the truth that jesus christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our heavenly father. >> and we

pastor robert jeffers saying there is a mainstream view that mormonism is a cult.ollowing of christ ought to embrace a christian over a non-christian. mitt mommy not directly commenting on that but saying rhetoric like that don't help anybody trying to seek a job. >> in my remarks in introducing governor perry i never used the words cult or mitt romney. that came later when a reporter asked me about my feelings about mormonism. i said it's a theological cult and i stand by those comment. megyn: scotting with you gave an interview to foxnews.com in which you said you believe that the perry campaign orange skating this. why do you believe that? the perry camp said no we con deputy the remark or at least said we don't agree it's a cult. and they say it was a value voters summit organizers who chose this pastor to introduce perry, not the perry camp. >> it's not a question so much of intentionality or orchestration, but an important campaign strategy for the perry campaign to get that information about mitt romney's mormonism to some key voter especially in iowa where

pastor robert jeffers made these comments about roberts' religion. >> rick per se a christian. he's an evangelical christian, a follower of jesus christ. mitt romney is a good moral person, but he's not a christian. mormonism is not christianity anda it's always been considered a cult, so it's the difference between a christian and non-christian. >> gop candidates have a chance to weigh in on the pastor's comments and condemned them, but they dodged the question. take a look. >> i'm not running for theologian in chief. i'm a lifelong christian and what that means is one of my guiding principles and the decisions i make is i start with do the right thing. i'm not getting into that controversy. >> this is so inconsequential as far as this campaign is concerned. >> i have no idea why people are wasting and spending so much political bandwidth on this issue. >> patrick, good morning. mitt romney didn't speak directly to this on saturday, but he did make comments against poisonous language and politics. is the mormon faith, patrick, going become a bigger issue for his campaign and d

pastor bob jeffers calmed mormonism a culture -- called mormonnism a cult and repeated that today. the perry campaign did not agree with that view, nor did they ask to be introduced by the pastor. they say that was coordinated by event organizers. >>> today is 10 years since the start of the war in afghanistan. we're taking take look at how fight has changed over the years from a soldier's perspective. >>> combating stress could be as simple as holding your loved one's hand coming up on the news edge. [ speaking french ] [ speaking french ] movie buffs! this film is tres bien, but the interest rate on your checking account is le pew. interest on your checking? earn more with new high yield free checking at capital one bank. your interest rate will be five times the national average. five times the interest! and free atms at any bank. show's over folks. make your way to capital one bank. what's in your wallet? were you crying? yeah. >>> president obama said in a statement today al-qaeda is as close as ever to defeat thanks to the men and women of our armed forces. we'll hear how the

voters summit had a streak of an time warmest mormonism to here's just a quick clip of the reverend jeffers speaking to reporters. southern baptist convention which is the largest protestant denomination the world has officially labeled mormonism is a cult i think mitt romney's a good moral man but i think those of us who are born again probably reserve christ should always prefer a competent christian to a competent to a competent non-christian like mitt romney so that's why i'm enthusiastic about rick perry but what do you say to the good values which is there catchphrase for fundamental christian christianity and voters and when i see those two juxtaposed i think these guys have never read the constitution well they have their own reading of the constitution bryan fischer who was. the american family association official who appeared on the stage after mitt romney actually has said that the constitution applies to only christians really yes he has. well you know i mean he lives in his own universe but there's other people who want to buy into that there's a it's you know it's a real kind

it was launched before southern baptist minister robert jeffers' controversial comments about mormon.ormon is not historical christianity. it is a theological cult. i stand by those comments. >> the official policy of the mormon church is to refrain from choosing sides on politics or political candidates. jeffers' comments have been denounced by many, including the two gop candidate who are mormon. >> i don't believe that that kind of divisiveness based upon rehim religion. i think it's clear from the polls that there are people who would not vote for a mormon just like there are some who won't vote for other groups. kirk jowars, director of the hinckley institute for politics and a long-time romney support he is thinks that religion will take a back seat. >> you may have a preference to vote for someone of a particular rehim onbut at the end of the day, you are choosing the president, not the pastor. and the one who can solve the problems who are most pressing to you. >> some in the church say it could be just a matter of time before mormonism is no longer an issue in politics. anoth

jeffers made the colts comment on friday while introducing kerry at the summit in washington dc.h mitt romney and jon huntsman are mormon. >> a bad economy is not only having an impact on the living but also on the dead. corners off of across the country say they are seeing an increase in the number of people who are not claiming their deceased relatives in order to skip out on footing the bill. when that happens, it is the county that is usually responsible, depending on the state. >> the economy has just been so bad that people just haven't been able to stay and prepare for these things. >> a director of the oklahoma county social services because unclaimed bodies caused her to county about $12,000 last year. >>> a professor of medicine says new recommendations for prostate cancer testing are creating confusion. the preventative services task force says he routinely is a testing did not save lives intended to lead to unnecessary treatments. dr. james brooks says new recommendations are based on an over interpretation of a few studies. he says people who don't get tested could e

pastor jeffers from dallas, texas. good morning to you. >> good to be with you. >> mitt romney called this poison. how do you react to that? >> actually i think if you will clarify he was talking about another speaker at that conference. i think ryan fisher who used much more incendiary language n my remarks in introducing governor perry i never used word mormonism or cult or mitt romney. that came afterwards when a reporter asked me personally about my feelings about mormonism. and i said mormon system not historical christianity. it is a theological cult and i stand by those comments. and by the way --. bill: you don't take them, you don't take back the comments? i just want to be clear. >> i don't take them back at all. in fact, "usa today", this morning, cited a poll of 1,000 protestants pastors who agreed with my position. three out of four agreed with the position, that mormon system not christianity. mormons are not christians. this is no new news. that has been a mainstream view. bill: let me drill down a littl

pastor robert jeffers sparked controversy when he called mormonism a cult during a campaign event fory. here is romney's response. take a look. >> i just don't that that kind of divisiveness based on religion has a place in this country. i believe in the spirit the founders when they suggested in crafting this country we would be a nation that tolerated other people, different faiths. that we would be a place of religious diversity and, respect, they, embodied in the constitution itself. and i would call upon governor perry to repudiate the sentiment and the remarks made by that pastor. martha: we are joined now by senator orrin hatch of utah who is also a mormon. he is ranking member on the senate finance committee and, senator hatch, thank you for being here with us this morning. always good to see you, sir. >> nice to be with you. martha: curious what your reaction to the whole back and forth between pastor jeffers from the perry campaign and what mitt romney had to say about it? >> well, to be honneth with you the name of the church is not mormon. it is the church of jesus christ

. >> reporter: perry and his wife have had enough in questions about supporter robert jeffers, an evangelical minister who calls mormonism a cult. this led to a comment by his wife, anita perry. >> reporter: this morning, perry defended his wife's defense of him. >> my wife said two things yesterday. she said he's the most conservative canned daught in the race and he's a christian. i can't argue with either one of those facts. >> reporter: now, response to perry's energy policy was not surprisingly, negative. from the obama campaign, quote, it isn't the way to win the future, it's straight out of the past. and mitt romney's campaign has this to say. governor perry has no substantive plan to revive the economy or allow the economy to flourish. >> former new mexico governor, gary johnson joins the panel later in the program, as our center seat series continues tonight. the first oral history of george h.w. bash's presidency, later. but first, some of the evidence linking iran to the platt plot to kill the nationwide insurance, talk to me. should i bundle all my policies with nationwide insuran

rick perry was introduced by an evangelical pastor robert jeffers, one of the organizers of the big summerg perry today, he dropped this bombshell. >> rick perry is an evangelical christian, a good, moral perso., mormonism has always been considered a cult by the mainstream of christianity. so it's the difference between a christian and nonchristian. the spokesman responded by saying perry does not believe mormonism is a cult. i had this debate and discussions, views based on the history. i went to salt lake city. they're not a cult, whether i agree with their denomination or not. how will this play in the campaign through the primaries whether you're dealing with some very conservative christian voters? >> well, mitt romney had to deal with this four years ago. i was with hit at a lot of events in iowa, especially four years ago, and he got questions all the time about his faith. he always had to answer them. mitt romney has not been on the campaign trail yet and is just starting to pick it up. hi hasn't had to deal with it most of this year. as we see him campaign more, it's very likely