so if mr. obama were to end the embargo and someone challenged him on the basis of the helms burton would be possible to say mr. clint said he never looked at this as with the words really say and then you have an interesting court case because i don't think there has ever been a challenge to a signing statement that has gone all the way to the supreme court. nobody wants to fight with this president, folks. fighting with him is a really losing proposition right now. but by himself he said i am going to keep the embargo until cuba becomes a democracy. >> enjoyed the talk by the way. you might touch on the cuban missile crisis, how influential you think that is as far as reluctance to open arms and its trading and that sort of thing. it seems it still hangs over. >> i think it did. i am not sure that it still does, but unquestionably, unquestionably to go through the archives of the kennedy library, the library in austin texas is to be astounded by how worried everyone was. i was a college undergradua

it hosted a forum on healthcare with mr. obama and this week launched a web, t.v. and print campaign to knock down some of the myths that the white house is combatting. this ad is one of thee, starting tomorrow on national television. >> you will still be able to choose your doctor an insurance man. tell congress not to get in the way of fixing what is broken with healthcare. healthaction now.org. many healthcare town halls remain raucous even when it turns to cost concerns that the president himself calls legitimate. >> you are putting us into more debt! >> the obama administration has started to restore trust in the healthcare system by -- >> boo! >> on end-of-life issues, the white house conceded that johnny isaacson of georgia did not, as the president implied yesterday play any role in drafting the language on end-of-life issues. isaacson disagreed with sarah palin's description of the panels as, quote, death panels. isaacson said that was, quote, nuts but isaacson still opposes the house bill and had no role in drafting its language. bret. bret: major, the aa

families and businesses, and this is why we are going to pass health insurance reform in 2009. >> mr. obamahere, of course. let's go to washington where our correspondent adam brooks is. how is in looking for president obama? >> well, it is something that america has been trying to do for a very long time, give its health insurance system a big overall. now, the obama administration is very confident earlier this summer that it could do it and do it quite quickly. they could come into the quite big piece of legislation, get it through congress a very far, and that would be an enormous achievement. however, there was an enormous amount of trouble, and things got slowdown, and this is perhaps a way we have not seen him before. >> is dead and example of how much he is on the defensive to -- is it an example of how much he is on the defensive that he is out here? >> he is really trying to get his message out to try to recapture the political initiative. in the last few days, we have seen some withering criticism leveled at the legislation, leveled at him. we have seen it them really whipping up

thanks for your time tonight, arianna. >> thank you, keith. >> what is the message to mr. obama from senators isakson and grassley today? >> the message is very clear. the message is welcome to reality, mr. president. stop pretending and stop fostering the delusion that somehow we can come all together. the republican senators, the democratic senators who are in the pay of the drug industry and the health care industry. the drug industry, the health insurance agency, and come together with a real bill that reforms the broken system. that's not going to happen. it's important for the president to realize and stop wasting time. remember, grassley is on the same committee with senator max bachus who is also a very, very compromised senator, who has said 350 of the people who are working at the moment against health care reform are former members of congress and chiefs of staff and other staffers and half a dozen of them are senator bachus's. so there is a whole industry here working against reform. the president needs to stop acting as though everybody's interests are aligned. >> t

a simpler way to ship. >>> so in montana today mr. obama was out there attacking television, insurance companies and rich people. did he do himself any good or not? we're back with keith boykin, jerry boyer, liz chadderdon and deroy murdoch. let me run this rich people's tax hike for a second. take a listen. >> i believe in our constitution, and it's a very important thing. i also get my news from the cable networks because i don't like the spin that comes from them other places. >> you've got to be careful about them cable networks, though. that's okay. go ahead. go on with your question. >> we keep getting the bull. that's all we get is bull. you can't tell us how you're going to pay for this. the only way you're going to get that money is to raise our taxes. you said you wouldn't. you are absolutely right that i can't cover another 46 million people for free. but let's assume it costs about $30 billion a year over ten years. we do have to come up with that money. when i was campaigning, i made a promise that i would not raise your taxes

conservative critics are attacking mr. obamaor leaving town. >> the beach is nice this time of year, but while president obama vacations, concerns mount about his health care plan. >> reporter: the president has no public schedule. so, unlike last week where he was front and center -- >> one of the options we want to provide them is a public option. there's been a lot of confusion about this, so let me just clarify. >> reporter: this week, he'll do his pushing behind the scenes from this secluded 28-acre estate, making calls to key members of congress. the blue heron farm rents for an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 a week. the white house says the obamas are paying their own way. still, in a time of near double-digit unemployment, there are some concerns this pricey getaway sends the wrong message. >> i do think some will make the case that when he is proposing an increase in government and his popularity is falling and the unemployment rate is high that this is a president who doesn't see the problems of average americans. >> i d

to help that, mr. obamats government counseling for when one is dying. >> i think for a lot of families to make sure that, you know, if, you know, heaven forbid, you contract a terminal illness, that you or somebody who's able to control this process in a dignified way that is true to your faith and true to how you think, you know that end-of-life process should proceed. >> many americans recoil at this. controlling this process in a dignified way or not is the thin edge of the word patrick chbu itanwres. "if government intends to bend s, and half of those cocos ste ars incurred in mo hsof life, and physician counselors will be sent to e th seriously ill to adsevithem of what costs will noselonger covered and what their options are, what dyou to be option a?" question for buchanan. is obama proposing to save money in the terminal care of sick patients in order to bail out tim geithner's cronies in the banking industry? >> well, that's putting it a little directly, john, but let me say this. there's no doubt

mr. obama and calderon made later progress yesterday on their divisions over the pails of u.s. drug fighting aid and a ban on mexican trucks north of the border. experts say the accomplishment will likely be a joint plan of attack for swine flu. >> i think everybody recognizes that h1n1 is going to be a challenge to all of us, and there are people who are going to be getting sick in the fall and die. >> while the summit began over dinner yesterday, it will conclude around noon today with a joint press conference. and as soon as president obama returns om mexico this week, he's going to hold a town hall meeting in new hampshire. this will be, of course, on healthcare reform. meanwhile, over the weekend, more tension at these town halls that are happening all over the country. the growing anger and confusi

for many years and i spoke at length with john mccain about his campaign and i watched mr. obama and his campaign. and at the end, i cannot say i was totally colorblind. at the end, i convinced myself based on the facts as i saw it, he was a better choice for this time in our nation's history. >> larry: you cried when he was elected, though? >> i cried when he was elected. i was in hong kong watching the election results in the night before in america and i was mourning in hong kong getting ready to give a speech. i was talking to my wife on the phone and texting with one of my daughters in new york. and i was fairly confident of the outcome of the election at that point. but it still was a shock when it was charlie gibson on his program who said i have one more exit poll to report. i'm getting ready to go speak to a group of chinese leaders and businessmen. he said, i can now confirm that barack obama -- and i thought he was going to say he won this state or that state -- is the next president of the united

mr. obama told nbc today he won't raise taxes on anyone, not even those makes $250,000 a year until the bush tax cuts expire in 2011. >> the last thing you want to do is raise taxes in the middle of a recession, because that would just suck up, take more demand out of the economy. >> and the recession is still here. the institute for supply mngment non-manufacturing survey shows the service sector, which accounts for 90% of the u.s. economy, continues to contract. employers cut 371,000 jobs in july. the bright spot, manufacturing and housing appear to be stabilizing and companies are shedding fewer jobs than they were in the spring. >> the economy is getting set to turn around. it certainly is going to be still another rough civil to nine months in the labor market, however. >> mr. obama and vice president biden announced $4.2 billion in new grants for car and truck battery research. >> this represents the largest investment in this kind of technology in american history. >> the vice president

mr. obama and felipe calderon laid little progress yesterday on their division over the pace of u.s. drug fighting aid and a ban on mexican trucks north of the border. experts say that summit's main accomplishment will likely be a jont plan of attack for the swine flu. at least 42 people are dead after a series of early-morning bombings in iraq. more than 138 people are wounded. bombs exploded this morning in three neighborhoods in baghdad, killing at least 17 people in a shiite community near mosul. two trucks exploded simultaneously, and less than 500 yards apart. at least 25 people there were killed. and staying overseas this morning, secretary of state hillary clinton is headed to coming open today. her mission is to target an epidemic of sexual assaults in that violence-torn nation. yesterday she wrapped up a trip to angola, where she pushed democratic reform and trade and also signed a new agreement with angolan health officials to help fight h.i.v. and aids.

meanwhile another democrat from real america revealed just how committed mr. obama is to enacting real health care reform. iowa's congressman leonard boswell at his own townhall recounting a discussion he had with mr. obama in february. >> we talked about some of these things, you know, whether energy or health care or whatever. and the president, i'm not going to kick the can down the road. he said that. and i said that's something i'm kind of used to in southern iowa. i know about kicking the can down the road. he said, no, if it makes me a one-term president we're going to take it on because the country is in need of us taking this on. i respected that very much. >> returning to our program once again on this issue former vermont governor howard dean himself of course a physician and former chair of the democratic party now serves as an independent consultant providing guidance to clients particularly in the areas of health care and alternative energy resources. thanks for your time again tonight, governor. >> thanks for having me on. >> can you explain or refute

enacting health care reform will ultimately benefit mr. obamand presumably democrats in terms of popularity and electability in the midterms next year? >> everybody likes a winner and i think president clinton's political instincts are rarely wrong. i think he's right in this case. i thought that guy from montana did america a great favor. i've been doing book signings and speeches around the country over the last few months and particularly in the last few weeks and, you know, a lot of conservatives will come, but they don't behave like the people like the tea baggers an the right wing get out. they're real americans. they have questions. it's a legitimate question to ask how we're going to pay for that. he deserves a legitimate answer. that's what's going to kill the republican party. people want civil dialogue and the republicans apparently don't care about civil dialogue and they don't seem to care about any dialogue. and i xhepdz that guy from montana. he's like a lot of vermonters i know. they just want answers. they're not looking to emba

in his weekly address, mr. obama says he wants the nation to move forward despite the challenges from opponents. >> the history is clear -- every time we come close to passing health insurance reform, the special interests with the stake in the status quo use their influence and allies to scare and mislead the american people. >> but in the republicans weekly address, utah senator hatch rejected the charge, saying americans just want the facts. >> although i encourage the use of respectful debate, we should not be stifling these discussions. there's nothing unamerican about disagreements. in fact, our great nation was founded on speaking our minds. >> this weekend members of congress from coast to coast are meeting voters to explain 3 sometimes defend the reform legislation they're expected to undertake when they return to capitol hill next month. john cochran, abc news, washington. >>> tonight connecticut senator christopher dodd is out of the hospital after undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. a statement from h

mr. obama came into office six months ago, the administration is taking credit for bringing it back from the brink of disaster. >> we were in a position where we could have gone into a great depression. i think those fears have abated. >> reporter: one reason, they say, a $787 billion stimulus plan. >> this and other difficult but important steps that we've taken over the last six months have helped us put the brakes on the recession. >> reporter: but that stimulus plan which republicans thought was wasting taxpayer dollars is perhaps the biggest example of what hasn't happened so far. widescale bipartisanship. mr. obama vowed to change the way washington works. >> surely, there's got to be some is capacity for us to work together. >> reporter: but has had to fall back on his own party to get things done. >> he was not under the illusion that change was going to come to this town easily. >> reporter: the president has pulled back in iraq, fulfilling a campaign promise. troops are now fighting e

mr. obama sees the world under his leadership as an active and interactive player as part of the international community. apparently the international community believes that we are and obama sees himself on center stage of that grade world amphitheater. the effect of this transformation is that pulariti soaring. the percent of germans who ewed the dato is 64%, up 31from 2008 poll. ng to the pugh, global the , k.u.69%, up from 16% k.la year. the french three-quarters, 75% of frenchmen nosee america favorably versus 42% in 2008. so what is the big lever that has moved the seesaw of america's popularity so radically upward? acknowledgement of world citizenship? yes. but was it also this public apologetic admission by president obama? >> in america, there's a failure to appreciate europe's leading role in the world. instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where america's showed arrogance and been dismissive, even de

it shows mr. obama at his law office in chicago. where he talks about his work as a community organizer. he also talks about the importancef citizens becoming involved in the political process. >> although you would like to think that folks would register just because it was their civic duty, i think, you know, the media age like this, you really have to reach out to young people and show the registrations what hit, what was popular, trendy. politics does matter. it can make the difference in terms of benefits check and kit make the difference in terms of school funding. citizens can't just remove themselves from the process, they have to engage them selves and not just leave it to the professionals. >> gonzalez shot that footage about 17 years ago. he was making a film about african-american role models. president obama awarded the nation's highest civilian honor to 16 people at the white house today. mr. obama described the recipients of the presidential medal of freedom, agents of change. among those receiving the honor were acto

do you draw inspiration from mrs. obama or anyone else? >> i do draw insfragsepration from mrs. do the victory garden. during the second world war there was a victory garden at victory house. we put our garden in the same place. we are having some issue with water and shade, so we haven't done so well with the tomatoes. we had cucumbers harvested last week. so i did get inspiration from mrs. obama. >> i recently heard his office is trying to sith set up a farmer's market in front of the white house on pennsylvania avenue. any chance we'll see something like that in annapolis? >> there is a farmer's market in annapolis. i think every county in the state of maryland has a farmer's market. >> next question. any back-to-school advice for this fellow working mom? how are you handling it? >> it's hectic because i have four kids and they are all going to different schools this year. >> and your oldest is going off to college? >> that's correct. she's close by, so if we want to stalk her, we can get there in 30 minutes. >> any advice on how -- i think people like to see that you may be t

mr. obama waded into the conflict, painfully aware his healthcare push divides now more than it unites. >> that's what america is about. we have a vigorous debate. >> as the president took the stage in portsmouth, new hampshire, new polls suggested the country is turning against him. a rasmussen survey shows 53% oppose the health plan while 42% support t a gallop survey shows 36% want lawmaker0s oppose healthcare reform and 35% want lawmakers to support it and 29% say they don't care. in the first town hall since summer sessions become flashpoints, the president played defense. >> this is not about putting the government in charge of your health insurance. we're not talking about cutting medicare benefits. i'm not promoting a single payer plan. i won't sign a bill that adds to the deficit or the national debt. >> mr. obama also denied the house bill awaiting noor action would give the government any voice in end-of-life decisions. >> somehow it has gotten spun into this idea of death panels i a

mr. obama's favorite team.es say the president will reach out to members of congress on the issue of health care and hoping to squeeze in a daily game of golf. >> senior citizens will get no cost of living increase in the social security checks next year for the first time in decades. increases are set to the inflation rate and this year inflation has been negative. the monthly checks may go down in 2010 because medicare prescription drug premiums are automatically deducted and they are set to go up >> in medical news new guidelines for treating pregnant women with depression. in the past many doctors were hesitant to prescribe antidepressants. more from andrea canning. >> reporter: heather armstrong's first pregnancy should have been the happiest time of her life. when she came off her antidepressants, it was a nightmare. >> i had panic attacks. when i finally had my daughter, i had feelings of wanting to commit suicide. >> reporter: during her second pregnancy, she and her doctor decided she would stay on >>

until americans have more jobs, mr. obama may not win enough public support to help him this fall, when congress again takes up health care. >> the economy will not improve soon enough to help the president with health care in september and october because unemployment will continue rising through the new year. >> reporter: the president knows he also has another problem. many americans who have both jobs and health care are not convinced that sweeping reforms are needed. >> so, david, this month the president and surrogates will argue that yes, most of you still have jobs and health care coverage. you need help too. because the costs of health care are rising three times faster than wages. >> john cochran tonight, john, thank you. as he pointed out. selling a health care plan will of course be far easier with improving economy as a backdrop. there are encouraging signs, wall street closed the books in a very strong month. dow soaring 86% best july in 20 years. be turn to bianna golodryga, what's behind this rally? >> good ev

his parents clearly fans ever the president but no word on whether mr. obama has seen the video. as of now more than 100,000 people have. >>> the news keeps coming tonight. brian bolter with the news enat 11:00. >>> right off the top tonight we have disturbing new details about the death of a virginia man killed in his own home by pit bulls. police found the man's mauled body on the house on plaza street in leesburg. tonight autopsy results show the dogs bit him repeatedly including a fatal bite to the neck. roby chavez live in the newsroom following this with more on the investigation now. >> reporter: the grandfather told police an hour before the attack all was quiet in the home and everyone was getting along. when he returned he couldn't reach his grandson by phone and the dogs were acting strangely. authorities say inside the home was rebloody mess. atthe home of the deadly dog attack, friends and neighbors leave notes and flowers flowers- year-old carter delaney. today police say the young man was killed by his brother's two pit bulls inside their home. >> they located nume

mr. clinton carried no message or apology from president obama to kim jong-il.hey said the former president will brief the obama national security team shortly on what happened during his time in pyongyang. >> ifill: margaret's been following the story, and joins when did these negotiations to free these two journalists begin? >> warner: i'm told, gwen, from the time the two women were seized in march, the u.s., the special enjoy idea was certainly in the air. we all talked about it. and the u.s., through certain channels, like the swedish ambassador, north korea, and also the fact north korea has a permanent representative at the u.n.. that's called the new york channel. the u.s. actually floated some names such as al gore, such as big richardson, and former president clinton. but in the meantime, there was no answer. the two women were sentenced to hard labor. then they were heartened to hear at least they hadn't been sent to the camp, but less than two weeks ago, the two women in talks with their families said the north koreans have told us if you send bill c

mr. obama's 5-day forecast team. aides say the president will reach out to members of congress throughout the week on the issue of health care reform. and he's hoping to squeeze in a daily game of golf. >>> let's talk baseball. jason burke had all of two wins. mark burley had a perfect game but this is baseball. anything can happen and it did. 5-4 in chicago, brian roberts had three hits and nolan ryan with the two-run home run. orioles go to minnesota before coming back thursday to play cleveland. then the yankees come to town. another new york team is coming in tonight. mark sanchez and his new york jets. the headline though is rex ryan. he will be up against his old squad tonight. asked if it affects him, he says maybe it does. when the whistle blows, look out. ravens, jets tonight on espn at 8:00. >>> coming up next on "good morning maryland" -- >> a crash on a busy freeway caused an unlikely vehicle. we'll tell you what happened. >>> and getting your diploma on-line sounds easy but could end up hurting your wall

mr. obama told the audience what they've seen on tv doesn't tell the whole story and constructive meetings have been taking place across the country. most who attended seemed to support the president's plan. but not everyone, one man even turned the president's own joke about bull in washington on him. >> and we keep getting the bull. that's all we get, is bull. you can't tell us how you're going it pay for this. >> you are absolutely right. that i can't cover another 46 million people for free. >> the president went on tell the man he will not raise taxes on families making $250,000 or less, and admitted the wealthy will have to pay more. some protestors did come out, they were kept about half a mile away. he often had to shout to be heard above the crowd. but the senator tells the "washington post" he has not been discouraged. in fact, he says the opposite has happened. he's more determined now than ever to get health care bill passed. carton has answered number rouse questions on the cost to

mr. obama has implied he'd prefer not to prosecute cia agents for their interrogation activities and he says he is leaving the investigation up to the attorney general. >>> and now that the president is back in washington after his vacation he'll be jumping back into health care reform. congress continues work on several proposals when it returns next week. in a "washington post" editorial bob dole says mr. obama should make his own reform proposal instead of being the cheerleader in chief for various house bills. >>> in japan a power shift is taking place. voters have backed candidates from the opposition democratic party in parliamentary elections. the party's leader yukio hatoyama is almost certain to be their prime minister and faces series problems including their stalled economy and record high unemployment. >>> here at home georgia investigators say they need help in their investigation of a mass murder. seven people were found dead in a mobile home saturday morninmoing d ighthied fromm

mr. obama is staking a lot on winning the health care battle. and lately he is not having an easy time. cbs's john dickerson has more. >> reporter: with members of congress hearing firsthand from their constituents, president obama says he thinks the khans for health care reform will improve, but he may be the only one. >> when people are out of washington, that is the most precarious time for this legislation. and so the president's going to have to stay connected. he can't afford to lose one day. >> reporter: former senator tom daschle would know. he tried to get president clinton's health care bill through congress in the early 90s. so did pollster stan greenburg. >> we're at a tipping point. we're at a moment where we have finally reached a point where there's some progress in the congress but the public's right at the edge. >> reporter: that's because there are five bills, thousands of pages of different policies. the public is, understandably, confused, but the president may have no one t

mr. obama should feel right at home on the vineyard.fter all, he's from hawaii-- another island that knows a little something about tourists. randall pinkston, cbs news, martha's vineyard. >> mitchell: and coming up next this friday evening, steve hartman hails a very special cab driver in tonight's "assignment america." (cacophony of sounds) (announcer) excedrin pm. relieves pain fast. plus a sleep aid to help you fall fast asleep. excedrin. what ache? new carefree ultra protection liners, with wings! absorb ten times more, like a pad but feel thin and comfy, like a liner. new carefree® ultra protection™ for me to keep my bones strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva works with your body to help stop and reverse bone loss. studies show, after one year on boniva, nine out of ten women stopped and reversed their bone loss. i know i did. (announcer) don't take boniva if you have

mr. obama's best play here. leslie marshal, if i knew medicare was deep in the hole and i was going to cut costs to medicare and knew elderly people were leaving off the reservation on this would you have gone where president obama went? that's the part that mystifies me, his presentation today. >> yes, i would. i think david was saying he's dis disingenuous. he's certainly being genuine, he's answering the questions posed, answering the questions america is putting out through programs like this, radio programs like mine and answering questions seniors want. i don't know any seniors turning away medicare, and i can understand why seniors are concerned about cuts mentioned. what plan are we talking about? the house plan? senate plan? there is not one plan. >> we will come back and look at this. i will show you interesting stock market stuff that suggests the stock market does not think the government insurance plan will ever go through. >>> later, big muscle cars made detroit famous. the new bailed-out general m

meantime, mr. obama is using his weekly address to the nation it talk about health care and talk back to his critics. he says he's glad the nation is paying attention to this debate but he says his opponents aren't playing fair. >> we've had a vigorous debate about health insurance reform and rightly so. this is an issue of vital concern to every american and i'm glad that so many are engaged, but also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by willful misrepresentations and outright distortions spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping things exactly as they are. >> cnn's eelaine quijano is tracking the health care debate in washington tonight. elaine, is the president's health care plan in trouble? what she doing to get become on message? i imagine what he did right there is one thing? >> exactly. whether health care reform passes is very much an open question right now but president obama is doing what he can as you saw there to push back against critics. in his weekly addre

we are honored this morning to welcome president and mrs. obama, vice president and mrs.d first ladies of the united states, members of congress, the representative of the british prime minister, the secretary of state for northern ireland, massachusetts governor duval patrick, mayor of boston, and all distinguished guests. as we begin, be assured that all of you are always welcome in this blessed and holy place. may each of us share in the gifts of strength and peace that senator kennedy found as he came here to pray, especially at the altar of our mother of per petal health -- per petal health. >> my dear friends, a few miles from here the city on the hill stands. in the sea toward nantucket, it's a bit more forlorn at the loss of one of its most ardent lovers. in welcoming you to the mass, the resurrection, to commemorate of life of senator kennedy, i'm sure i speak for everyone in expressing our sincerest sympathies to all the kennedy family, but especially to the senator's wife to his sons teddy and patrick and his daughter kara and to his sister jean. we share your

. >> reporter: mr. obama trying to turn the tide of except kichl sichl that is has arisen across the country. >> you are talking down to the american people. >> reporter: arguing their doesn't tell the whole story. you know tv loves a ruckus, but what you haven't seen because it's not as exciting is all the constructive meetings going on around the country. >> reporter: reflecting a growing public concern. >> we should not be stifling these discussions there. is nothing unamerican about disagreements. in fact, our grate i great nation was founded on speaking our minds. >> i'm going to call on that gentleman right there. >> reporter: while the theatrics of the president's town halls haven't be the focal point, he has tried to narrow his message on reform. in in that mp, he heighted pre-existing conditions. >> insurance companies will be prohibited from denying coverage because of a person's medical history, period. >> reporter: in montana last night, folks who were dropped by their insurance company after they

but this time mr. obama made it personal and showed some emotion. >> first of all, when you make a comment like that, i just lost my grandmother last year. i know what it's like to watch somebody you love who is aging deteriorate. and have to struggle with that. so, the notion that somehow i ran for public office or members of congress are in this so they can go around pulling the plug on grandma, i mean when you start making arguments like that, that's simply dishonest. >> reporter: mr. obama acknowledged there is no perfect option, no silver bullet when it comes to healthcare reform. geraldo? >> geraldo: thanks. granted the round-the-clock cable news coverage can create an echo chamber to make dissatisfaction seem angryier and more widespread than they are, there is a possibility, i believe, that the current debate could become the biggest political development since reagan democrats and jerry fallwell silent majority. coming up in the second half hour, two of the best in the business, an coulter on your l

mr. obama came into office six months ago, the administration is taking credit for bringing it back from the brink of disaster. >> we were in a position where we could have gone into a great depression. i think those fears have abated. >> reporter: one reason, they say, a $787 billion stimulus plan. >> this and other difficult but important steps that we've taken over the last six months have helped us but the brake on the recession. >> reporter: that stimulus plan which republicans thought was wasting taxpayer dollars is perhaps the biggest example of what hasn't happened so far. wide-scale bipartisanship. mr. obama vowed to change the way it works. >> some capacity for us to work together. >> reporter: but has had to fall back on his own party to get things done. >> not under the illusion change would come to this town easily. >> reporter: the president pulled back in iraq, fulfilling a campaign promise. the troops are now fighting extremists in afghanistan. he's announced the closing of the

. >> mr. obama, mexican president felipe calderon and canadian prime minister steven harper have a full plate on their agenda here. besides h1n1, the three plan to talk about the growing drug cartel violence along the u.s.-mexico worried about. >> we have responsibilities to reduce the trafficking of guns into the south that help strengthen these cartels and the flows of money and money laundering. >> it's mr. obama's second trip to mexico as president, one the white house says likely won't produce any new policy but is part of the ongoing dialogue between the u.s., mexico and canada. also on the table here, hotly contested tariffs mexico is imposing on u.s. products after the u.s. blocked mexican big rigs from flowing north of the border. >> there are retaliatory tariffs in place, as you know. this is an area that we're quite focused on, that we're working with congress to address safety concerns that they have about the u.s.-mexican trucking program. >> back on the topic of h1n1, the white house s

the strategists say mr. obama needs to choose one plan and stick with it. jeff. >> glor: kimberly, any hint at this point on which plan he will choose to go with? >> reporter: well, if you speak to the white house strategists, they say they are sticking with the public option, but behind the scenes, congress right now during the recess is debating merits of that option back and forth and trying to come up with a compromise. what the white house is ping is they'll come up with that compromise before they come back in session, and then the president doesn't have to break the tie. >> glor: all right, kimberly dozier from the white house this evening. kimberly thank you. overseas tonight, dozens of wildfires are raging in greece in villages and olive groves north athens. soldiers and firefighters are trying to protect homes as people flee from those flames. two children's hospitals were evacuated. still ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, a history-making haven not far from the presidential retreats. but up next, a new wave of foreclosures. the cause-- blame r

this time mr. obamaking to persuade the politically savvy constituents that the economic picture is not so bleak and his healthcare reform plans won't bake the bank. business week recently named portsmouth the best place in the state to open a new business. among the city's newest entrepreneurs, whitney swatfield and her partner, samantha fin gan. friday ne open add boutique stationery shop in the downtown. >> we were eals to get a good deal on our rent because of the economy. >> despite the economic climate, they're optimistic >> there is only one mace to go from here, up, as far as i'm concerned. >> the chamber of commerce president says the city is fortunate in several ways. like the rest of the state, there is no sales tax and the coastal area draws a strong base of tourists. still, small business owners have come to the chamber with concerns, health insurance at the top of the list. >> with fewer than ten employees, it is hard for them to to get anything nigh affordable. they have a difficult time o

on both questions it seems mr. obama has hit a rough patch. his job approval rating has dropped 5 points since the start of summer. our new poll taken in the middle of the much-talked-about town hall meetings also finds the country deeply divided over how far the government should go to reform the health care system. nbc's chief white house llo, chuck.e numbers.ns us to >> reporter: good evening, lester. look, it's been a heated three weeks on health care, no doubt about that. and while there is a large majority that agrees there needs to be a major overhaul of the health care system it is about the only point of agreement in this poll. the scenes are familiar now. passionate support. >> health care for >> reporter: passionate opposition -- >> who's going to pay! >> reporter: for the president the debate hasn't been particularly helpful. for the third straight month mr. obama's overall job approval rating has dropped. now just 51%. with 40% disapproving. on health care the president's job rating while unchanged still only has 41% approving, 47

bestowing upon mr. obama, if you will, the mantle of that& kind of liberal leadership as senator hatch has talked about and the courage to stick to your convictions not to be uncompromising and unyielding but to understand the difference between compromise and protective strategy and compromising the fundamental principle. i think his endorsement made america look seriously at this young man and those who were sitting on the fence to become much more committed to him and those who were already encouraged by mr. obama's rise to go even further. >> schieffer: there's no question that senator obama appreciated that. and understood what it meant. did he ever say to you or did those around him ever say to you why they thought in the end that senator kennedy decided to endorse obama? this was a major thing. he was taking on a big part of the democratic party when he did. >> it was. with caroline kennedy's endorsement the day before to the "new york times" in the op-ed and senator kennedy the next day but i think th