the president, and john podesta, former clinton white house chief of staff and ken duberstein, formerd reagan, president and ceo of duberstein group. i'll start with our guest host. is the damage that has been inflicted on romney and some of the other republican hopefuls, is it going to be long lasting or by the time we get a nominee or the republicans get a nominee, it will be -- they will be able to salvage something from that? >> i think it will be a low water mark as far as the republicans coming together, but they're about to start coming together. everybody asks is this inevitable, is romney's nomination today inevitable? the answer is i think he's an inexorable march even if he doesn't wrap it up today. but there's no romney mania. nobody is just excited and enthused but there is growing excitement and enthusiasm for beating barack obama, and so while the republicans already even today is not terribly unified, george w. bush's words, barack obama is the great unifier. he's going to bring people together and energize people. the energy and enthusiasm i think comes once this nomi

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