it's not going to make him more likeable. then what is?favor of mitt romney and still had his numbers have topped around 25%, 26%. the very idea many of them are coming out now, now that they're afraid a candidate they may not like may take the nomination, they're coming out publicly. nikki haley has done it. the "des moines register" has done it. i'm not sure it's going to make a dime's worth of difference in a place like iowa where you have staunchly conservative republicans who don't trust mitt romney on the issues. >> what about newt gingrich? he was topping the polls. what happened? why can't either of these candidates break from the rest? >> i think they have a couple of issues. number one, you have this very ultra conservative republican base that if you stray away from their party line or their republican party, then you're just not going to earn their support. this is not a time for a common sense republican. this is a time for a very ultraright-wing republican and so the others can't survive in this environment. >> all right, one

this is where you start. >> charlie: he's not likeable because he's arrogant, he's not likeable because he's not a people person, he's not likeable because? >> he seems -- >> it's sort of a one second time delay before they speak. yodon't feel spontaneous to sort of prefige it there is that quality about romney that he's calculating the metrics and angs, never spontaneous or real. >> we talked to a wall streeter who had dinner with him. all the time that governor romney was having dinner with him he felt luke he was talking to a computer. he felt like he was processing. and it's part of the reason that human connection just hasn't left. the people around him enjoy him and like him. it's like remember people used to tell us what a great guy, from a hilarious guy al gore was behind the scenes. that's not when you run for president. >> they also telhim that i was certainly encouraged by this. romney had a bit of a dark side. he realizes the absurdity, to run for president it's such a humiliating physically taxing thing. he's able to laugh, he doesn't look like a funny guy. he has a warped

they seem to like him and to say that maybe, you know, he's -- he's a likeable guy, but maybe he is not the job. when you look at romney, he looks like the guy -- you know, i am not trying to be funny, the guy who turned your bank loan down. perry would be great in the silent movies and then talkies came out. and in addition to that, you have a gingrich, who is like your professor. so these people have the charisma to beat an obama because people vote emotion. that's what they vote -- >> that's right. that's exactly right. you know, so many of us think that voting is an intellectual act. and it is. but it's an emotional act. people want to feel good for the person for whom they are voting. when you look at republican party right now, traditionally, they have had two big strengths, limited government and strong on national security. all have you to do is take the very two simple narratives, put them together because they are interlinked and sell your mange. yet, none of these guys, there are some exceptions. but they seem to be a hot mess and not focused on those two strands. >> that's e

newt gingrich is to the a likeable guy. you know, people don't say he has a great personality. he doesn't. he's a smart guy but not a likeable guy. >> the thing i still don't know the answer, to and the facts today would sort of muddy the waters anymore, but with very news from "the new york times" that newt gingrich is taking the weekend off. he's not going to iowa until the 27th. if you have a debate performance like that and there is internal polling or rumors of poles that say the metrics are famg in iowa, don't you go there? >> gingrich just turned the phones on in new hampshire. he never thought he was going to be an president. i mean this is what newt does. i think by his own admission. >> do you think he's run for president? >> sure he is. he's done pretty well so far doing it his way. and all those people who start talking darkly about oh, i got these internal numbers. come share them. i'm sorry, i've seen that movie before. karl rove said they were going to gif us internal numbers sfwlchlt even the external numbers are showing degradation to his campaign in iowa. >> t

. >> rick, you are a likeable guy and we love you and you are delightful. but i don't buy that more epa regulations that make life tougher and cost more money for manufacturers is going to create more jobs. >> like i said, i did not make the numbers up. >> no, someone else made them up. >> that is where they are coming from. >> what kind of jobs. hold on, rick is about to tell us where they are coming from. >> they are not government jobs. they are coming from old and updated power plants that are replaced. >> let the company decide. why don't we let companies decide what is more efficient and benefit. >> because my kids have to breathe the air. >> hold on, victoria, i am afraid of what rick told me promises of solar energy. eventually they will create jobs and we'll have a beautiful clean environment. >> (talking all at once.) >> both they are right. the jobs he is describing are a attacks on doing business. it is not counting toward your productivity. have you tried to go for a jog in beijing? , you can't. (talking all at once.) >> what do you do? the fie

. >> but let me ask about the likeability thing again. any of you have examples of where behind the scenes likeability either got somebody a nomination or prevented them from getting a nomination because people didn't like him personally? >> i would argue on the contrary. i mean, i'll give you two quick examples. tom dewey was not a beloved figure. even among his supporters. we're hearing some of that today, parallels being drawn with mitt romney, for example, but he managed to win the nomination not once but twice. general ford was universally liked. and yet it wasn't enough to hold on to the presidency in 1976. >> but i've got one that speaks directly to your point and it's from our books, here you get this free, not to pay $2.99. mitt romney last time out four years ago was not well liked and disliked by the other candidates and was considered aloof and attacked him for ads and they kind of didn't like him, the other candidates. and when mitt romney lost in iowa to mike huckabee, he didn't call huckabee and stalk in his mind and put it

. >> you can't count out the ability, when it's really romney facing this interesting, likeable, but not necessarily leaderly person. chris: let's get to the question that's been pending, starting with you, major. let's take three weeks from now. let's talk about new year's. which is just three days before they vote in the caucuses in iowa. will newt still have the firepower he's got right now? >> he'll have more of it. romney will go negative. iowa yans diss like negative politics. gingrich will thanisciplined. he needs to be disciplined for eight weeks, and he appears to be internalizing that self-discipline. he will be stronger in south carolina and in new hampshire. newt gingrich is a factor, and romney, i think, doesn't need to attack newt, but differentiate himself from newt in kind and in mission and in vision. if he does that, he has a chance to get back in the race. chris: right now newt holds his strengths for three weeks? >> i think he does, i think he absolutely hold his strength. newt is smart. >> i think that's great analysis. i think intervening events can always get i

the voters are going to be scrutinizing the republican candidate and as a personality very high likeability he's likable he's telling janet he has a lovely family what's going to happen when they put him up against this man with this background and just he comes across as not a likable human being on a personal level i think that could really hurt them yeah. what does this say about the republican party that their line up has come down to basically you know crazy smart guy and and mitt who can't get off the ground well i mean their race their candidates look like the cast of a new sitcom but why i mean why are the serious candidates staying out is it because they think the economy's going to go in the tank they don't want to be herbert hoover i think that's part of it and i also think that they really felt that knew that mitt had it locked up i think the consensus was it's minutes this is mitt's year this is mitt's time mitt can get it done i don't think anybody inside the republican party realized what a deep undercurrent of hatred there is within the republican party for mitt romney now h

there's nothing likeable of her and she owns it. but you know what? pat saves the day.m formed this bond. it's a must see. >> i love the scene where she's trying to check in to the hotel with a dog. she's like, what are you talking about. >> take your daughter to this one. >> thank you for the good advice. >> no problem. >>> it's time now for a quick look at a list of number ones. the healthiest states in america. they are based on number of factors, including how much people eat, drink, and smoke. the state getting the best health report card, vermont for a second straight year, new hampshire, connecticut, hawaii, and massachusetts make up the top five. conversely, mississippi was judged most unhealthy, alabama, arkansas, oklahoma and mississippi is at the bottom. the rich evidence zip code in america? palm beach, florida. thanks to the smashing success of the film "twilight," kristen stewart ranks first because $56 for every dollar that she is paid. anne hathaway is second and stewa stewart's twilight co-star robert patti son. adele was named artist of the year and al

. >> but let me ask about the likeability thing again. any of you have examples of where behind the scenes likeability either got somebody a nomination or prevented them from getting a nomination because people didn't like him personally? >> i would argue on the contrary. i mean, i'll give you two quick examples. tom dewey was not a beloved figure. even among his supporters. we're hearing some of that today, parallels being drawn with mitt romney, for example, but he managed to win the nomination not once but twice. gerald ford was universally liked. and yet it wasn't enough to hold on to the presidency in 1976. >> but i've got one that speaks directly to your point and it's from our books, here you get this free, not to pay $2.99. mitt romney last time out four years ago was not well liked and disliked by the other candidates and was considered aloof and attacked him for ads and they kind of didn't like him, the other candidates. and when mitt romney lost in iowa to mike huckabee, he didn't call huckabee and stalk in his mind and put it

mitt romney came out on top, who's the most likeable? mitt romney on top. two good traits heading into the iowa caulk uks, brooke. >> thank you, mark preston. >>> coming up next, it's a country with nuclear weapons, a had history of starving its own people and now a leader no one knows anything about. wolf blitzer, he was actually in north korea this time last year. he's going to talk to me about how north korea's new regime is putting the world on alert. >>> plus a music monday that will certainly put you in the holiday spirit. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] tom's discovering that living healthy can be fun. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. >>> whetheryou're ready or not, i just went to the mall for the first time this past weekend, christmas is sunday and with the hustle and bustle of the season we thought it would be fun to focus on making the holiday so memorable. witho

the pipeline, they go in and get 89 votes in the senate and then all of a sudden boehner who is a likeable guy who has no control over his caucus says i can't do this. but we'll wait and see. >> we'll take a pause, gentlemen. thank you very much. we're counting down. just a couple months, we'll hear from the house leadership. john boehner going to be coming as you can see there, we keep showing you, a lot of staffers behind them, but going to be making a statement. right now our anticipation that s. that we'll have procedural votes and this could extend into the we chlt hours of the morning. we're also counting down the gop side to the presidential election and, wow, a big shift in the polls today. we'll grive you the very latest on newt gingrich and a big endorsement for mitt romney. and a shocking video from iran which allegedly shows an american spy captured. james rubin out front with information about exactly what happened and what he knows about what the cia is doing in iran. and the out front five, at&t, dropping that doomed bid for t moebl. what does it mean for your dropped calls.

and i think that's what makes it scary, that it could be the likeable person next door or the personnd of crime, this kind of anger, violence. >> rhodes is convicted of first-degree attempted murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery. he then kays his plea in the other crimes to guilty and is sentenced to three consecutive life terms. in prison rhodes still hides a dark secret. the murder he committed in colorado in 1982. but a year after he gives a clue to detective zitzelberger the crime is finally solved. >> he did tell me about an incident when i was interviewing him that happened back in the early '80s. it was a girl that he had beaten her up badly and raped her. said he hadn't killed her. but he did mention colorado springs. and eventually, that information was passed out there. >> a colorado detective focusing on cold cases ties rhodes to the crime. three years after killing cynthia mcluhan rhodes confesses to the murder and is given another life sentence. he allegedly tries to exact revenge from behind prison walls. >> within a few years of the arrest i had gotten information fr

just being likeable. >> bill: tough sitting in the makeup chair three hours. i know how tough that can be. i have to do it. >> a lot of people do less. the point is in the whole complexity they are when it comes to television this past year fascinating. >> bill: okay. all right. i'm not going to argue with the fact that they have become world-famous for no reason. in the special we only have 30 seconds left. >> i just have to pick you. >> bill: if you pick me, my career is over. >> you know what, there is a thought. >> bill: you want to get rid of me put me on your list. >> no. i love you. you know that. >> bill: you always keep the most fascinating people secret. do you want to give us a hint. >> we have never had anyone like this person before. >> bill: never had anyone like this person before. >> in the category inhich we put him. >> bill: glenn beck? >> wrong. >> bill: beck is really counting on it too, man. is he really counting on it? >> well, that's the drama of the show. we always appreciate you coming in and taking all the nonsense from me. you know?

romney has a lot of baggage, including the fact that republicans increasingly don't find him very likeablewould work out very well for him. i think in the end -- let me put it this way. i wouldn't bet $10,000 on romney being the nominee. >> mark, you are a moderate, and -- and to support bob's statements that i happen to agree w.look at this poll of conservatives and moderates. with conservatives, gingrich is ahead 57-29. moderates, it's almost the reverse, gingrich loses,28-53. willard. >> they don't, and -- and -- and that's the problem because it's a very conservative primary, and -- and despite his orchestrations to -- to suggest that he's a more conservative candidate, got these tapes and he's got his history that he's got to live with, so -- so that's a big reason why gingrich is doing so well because despite even some of his history he is the guy that started the revolution in -- that brought the republicans back to power. he is the guy that helped balance the budget and he's the guy that passed welfare reform. people know the history of both of these guys, and they see the history

. >> almost the likeable newt gingrich, i have to tell you, mark and j-mart because there's the guy,rner man, the guy talking like one of us in the back room, being smart and not talking about his own ego which is refreshing for all of us to do, but i thought that was a pretty honest assessment, don't you, mark and j-mart. doesn't he look like a smart tout right there? >> honest and that side is more appealing than a lot of what he's been showing lately. look, the reality is if romney finishes first or second, assuming paul is first if romney isn't, the conservatives in the race, the other candidates are going to say, you know, "x" percent of voters in iowa didn't vote for mitt romney and that shows this race goes on. if he's first or second and wins resoundingly in new hampshire it's going to be very hard, i think, to head him off in south carolina and florida, even though right now, according to the last round of polls, gingrich was strong there. >> final question, suppose the way it goes the way mark is lining it up. suppose romney pulls the win up in iowa. it will be cold and he'

just so likeable, so appealing to people, such a great role model so that part of it makes sense, but is pretty unique. >> is that what makes him so appealing? he says all of the right things. he deserves all of the credit to his teammate and not in the world of greedy athletes that are self-serving and kind of a team guy and i i guess would you say that leads the way, carries the day for him? >> that is a huge part of it. it was really hard to write a memoir with a guy who won't talk about himself. his parents raised him on proverbs 72. we never talked about most of the awards he won. he won so many and said why am i going to put these in a book? so, anyway, same thing with hospital visits. like he does so many good things and he said i didn't do that so we could write about it. >> a charitable guy. th nathan, thanks for taking the time. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. [ male announcer ] whether over a cup of maxwell house, or a can of paint, you turned millions of votes, and hundreds of volunteer hours, into a real difference for over 100,000 people. what's next? tell us on

our poll finds romney is far more likeable with gingrich tied with michele bachmann. strongest leader. that may explain why gingrich is sticking to his pledge to stay positive and that extends to this ad from a pro gingrich pack. a risky bet when romney hit gingrich on his ties to freddie mac. >> they say wow, this really isn't the guy that would represent our views. >> thank you very much. >> gingrich was signing books in virginia. he did defend his record but on a conference call with supporters. >> that's an area where people said things that are wildly inaccurate. >> the other candidate grading on gingrich? ron paul. a fund-raising machine that raked in $4 million over the weekend. his views may be controversial but listen to what the paul gets bashing among all things, past you'rized milk. >> i would like to restore your right to drink raw milk any time you want to. >> the crowd laps it up. for perry, that is hard to follow. >> wall street bailout is the single biggest act of theft in american history. and newt and mitt, they both were for it. >> better than the

you can see, who is the more likeable of the two? romney by far.thy by a two to one margin, romney over gingrich. but who would be the strongest leader? republicans say gingrich comes out on top on that one, natalie. >> interesting how the campaign handled their campaign peaking too early, perhaps. supposedly the top three out of iowa go on and others fade away. but, paul, auz say, fickle as they go, we still could see some changes, couldn't we, until january 3rd, in the numbers? >> isn't that crazy? two weeks from now, you think people have made up their minds in iowa and the other states? not really. take a look at this from our poll. we asked the republicans nationwide, are you basically set with the candidate you're supporting? 35%, yes, 56%, more than half of those we requested said, you know what? i may change my mind. so stay tuned. who knows what will happen in january. things will change, no doubt about it. >> absolutely. down to the wire perhaps and it will certainly make it interesting for us and for all of you watching it every day. pau

>> reporter: you're too likeable. >> only robert de niro could come up with that. >> you talking to mes of fans are grateful. he sold over 125 million albums, and at 71, neil diamond continues to be among the highest grossing live acts. the kennedy center honors are the crowning glory to a year that also included his induction into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. >> these kennedy honors are a huge, huge thing for me, but it will not spoil me, it will not make me -- my head get too swelled. i know that i still have to work. i'm doing a tour coming this summer. and it's going to make me work twice as hard to make a show that's worthy of this honor. >> mo rocca, cbs news, new york. >> i would -- i mean i can say this right now, normally i would say i would not get too excited to go see somebody who's 70 years old. i would go see his concert. >> in a heartbeat. in fact i'm holding you to that. >> you forget how many great songs he's got. there's a library. >> that whole piece we kept singing along. i love every single one of them. neil diamond, i love you. chris and i will see you this sum