mr. clinton it's not so vast anymore. president bill clinton speaking on "meet the press" defending president obama and sounding off against right-wing attacks. all well and good except mr. clinton claims conservative ire is just as toxic as it was in the '90s, it's just not as strong. >> your wife famously talked about the vast right-wing conspiracy targeting you. as you look at this opposition on the right to president obama, is it still there? >> oh, you bet. sure it is. it's not as strong as it was because america has changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was. i mean, they're saying things about him, you know, like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did. but it's not really good for the republicans of the country, what's going on now. i mean, they may be hurting president obama, they can take his numbers down, they can run his opposition up, but fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for america. their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail. and that's not a prescription

mrs. clinton and most of the other key players in the administration. c-span: holong total would you have talked, then, to bill clinton and hillary clinton r this book? >> guest: well the interviews with the first lady, several of them went for many hours. i suppose probab 12 hours in total. c-span: and how about the eaker? >> guest: the speaker we talked to severalimes, but the most interesting interview came after the '94 election when he was speaker and not when he was operating as the minority whip. c-span: you got another book you're ready twrite? >> guest: not at the moment. c-span: are you going to write that autobiography someday? >> guest: i don't think there's any greademand for that. c-span: this is called "the stem" and it's co-authored by haynes johnson and our guest for te last hour, david broder. we thank you very much. >> guest: thank you. vid broder won the pulitzer prize for commear in 1973 and the national prfo

mr. clinton was asked whether he agreed with mr.arter's specific statement that, quote, an overwhelming portion of the animosity towards president obama is racially motivated. >> here's how i would say it. i think some of the extreme right who oppose him on health care also are racially prejudiced. and if you listen to some of the -- look at some of the signs and listen to some of the rhetoric, there's no question that, that's true. but i believe if you were not an african-american, all of the people against him on health care would still be against him because they were all against me, too. he believes that. i simply think that's where president carter's coming from. if you're a white southerner and you fought these battles a long time, you're super sensitive to any kind of manifestation of opposition based on race. but what's driving the opposition to president obama on health care is not race. some opponents have racial discrimination in their heart. that's not what driving it. what's driving it is they don't want health care. th

mrs. clinton, secretary of state clinton, would like to see restored. a i think as the secretary of state and the president believes, that it is time women are not a marginal issue any more. it is time they are mainstream issue, whether women in afghanistan, women and africa, or women who are traffic from russia into europe, this is a huge problem, a problem that should rise to the level of climate change in the world. and yet it hasn't. and there is something that is so atrocious about that. and i congratulate secretary of state clinton for trying to elevate women's issues into the mainstream of american diplomacy, where they have always been so marginalized, because women make up the largest part of the population of the world. and yet they are never taken, never given the kind of consideration they should be given in global diplomacy. >> doesn't speak volumes to see president barack obama chairing a meeting of the u.n. security council, flanked by his secretary of state who is a woman, and the ambassador of the u.n., a woman appeared to see that imag

mr. clinton is also due on the late show tonight and it will be his sixth appearance on that show. >> reporter: well, virginia is getting -- giving tax evaders a chance to make good on what they owe. the old dominion launched a program called get square on back taxes. they hope it will raise $41 million. >>> dc council chair vincent gray is trying to impose an ethics code on the council. it is a direct response to the investigation of councilman's marion barry's use of tax dollars. according to councilman gray it would impose -- >>> the fbi has issued alerts to mass transit systems and to stadiums across the country. the bulletins come as investigators look in to an alleged terror plot that may have involved setting off homemade bombs. karen brown reports that the feds insist the alert is just to raise awareness. >> reporter: mass transportation systems across the u.s. are on alert today. >> i try not to think about the possibility of what could happen. >> reporter: and it is not just trains and buses. the fbi and homeland security are also issuing security bulletins to stadiums, entertainment

mrs. clinton said the nuclear issue could not be ignored. it was the main reason why american had agreed to participate in the talks. firefighters have found six bodies inside a burning car in tijuana, mexico. 10 people were also killed in separate shootings in another mexican town, besieged by drug violence. tijuana has recently seen a wave of violence between warring gangs. afghans are preparing for a long wait before any clear declaration on the presidential election. the votes will have to be recounted on the orders of the electoral complaints commission, which has invalidated around 10% of the results on the grounds of suspected fraud. david lloyd has been in the afghan countryside to find out how the continuing uncertainty is being received there. >> planting democracy in the unrelenting soil of one of the poorest countries in the world has proved to be a hard task. the procedural quagmire that the election is now stuck in could lead to weeks more of waiting, and the whole process is leaving voters looking for other solutions. no matte

mr. clinton, you've got a busy few days ahead. thank you so much. >>> we'll have more from former president clinton in our next hour. this is "the early show" on cbs. >> announcer: this portion 1307b soared by priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. this is humiliating. stand still so we can get an accurate reading. okay...um...eighteen pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. cool. you know this scale is off by a good 7, 8 pounds. maybe five. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. these are craisins, sweetened dried cranberries -- they're sweet. that's why bees like 'em. and this is the 100-calorie pack craisins. perfect for when you're on the go. they're really loud. stains surrender to the power of all. our powerful stainlifters fight stains and leave clothes white

mr. clinton says yeltsin's late-night drinking during a visit to washington in 1995 nearly created an internationalncident. quote, the russian president was staying at the blair house, the government guest quarters late at night, clinton told author taylor branch secret services found yeltsin clad only in his underwear standing alone on pennsylvania avenue and trying to hail a cab. he wanted a pizza, he told them, his words slurring. the justice department is getting involved in the burgeoning scandal over the community group acorn following the airing of embarrassing undercover videos. eric shawn has the latest blow to the embattled organization. >> now the justice department's inspector general is investigating acorn's efforts to get and use grant money from the department. that, the latest probe of the trumpet organization in the wake of the undercover videos that have prompted calls from capitol hill to the white house for investigations of acorn. even one of its former lawyers, president obama, agrees. >> that video was certainly inappropriate. it is not the biggest issue >> acorn's c.e.o. ber

mr. clinton, it is good to see you again. gingrich, welcome senator lott and a lot family -- and the lott family. >> i really miss having trent in the senate. of course, i would miss him a lot more if he had stayed a democrat. when this son of a shipyard worker and a schoolteacher first came to washington, he came as an aide to the damage that it be democratic congressman who would -- who he would ultimately succeed. i have rarely met anyone in congress who is easier to work with and trent lott. he was always pragmatic and very pleasant. he has always known when he has to be easy going and when he has to be rigid. he has always been true to what he believes. senator daschle tell me a long time ago something i came to learn on my own. senator lott is a pleasure to work with. moving the senate forward is no easy task. because trent lott always tried to keep us focused, we were always able to move legislation. his content -- his constituents appreciated him, and certainly his colleagues did. one does not get elected to be a whip

mrs. clinton joked about being president for the day. >> so much i resume now my function as president of the council. i kind of like being a president. this may go on a little longer than anticipated. [ applause ] >> kind of one of her goals. the security council voted 15-0 in favor of the resolution. >>> there is a lot of need out there especially in the district. dc has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. it served over 11% last month. some local organizations are trying to turn the trend around and do something good for the environment at the same time. >> reporter: since the great depression goodwill of greater washington has been training unemployed workers and getting them jobs. the mission during this great recession is the same with a new class that is pure 21st century. a training program for green caller construction jobs. >> inside this classroom is success. we basically call it 10-week boot camp. >> reporter: a partnership between goodwill and green builder's council of dc funded by up to $900,000 in federal stimulus money. the first class just graduated fro

mr. clinton's ten czars. tomorrow mr. obama talks health care to a joint session of congress., what does he got to do? >> well, he's got to get specific. he's got to show some passion as well and he's got to convince the progressive base to get behind him and we heard from folks today, pelosi and reid, they were in the oval office sessions with the president today talking about the public option. it looks like that might not be completely, you know, thrown overboard but it's certainly walking a plank at this point. >> mia, we have about 30 seconds. in or out, what does the president have to do? >> there's 4 million people on medicare that they're not going to lose their benefits. 85 pest of americans are covered by health insurance and they don't get half of it. >> did i hear you that the stat was quo will be observed? mia, thank you very much. robert, thank you. coming up at the top of the hour, campbell brown. campbell, help us out. >>> all right, lou, well tonight, we are also looking ahead to president obama's big speech to see if he -- to see if we can get past some of th

mr. clinton says he failed during his tenure. >>> sarah palin bringing her case against the walt journal.governor states her belief that health care reform will lead to government rationing and concludes that rationing means in her words, death panels. but maybe rather talk health care with the one-time v.p. candidate in person, one-on-one. you can. sarah palin is auctioning off a private dinner, starting price, $25,000. the proceeds benefit a charity for wounded veterans. by the way, a background check smand torey. >>> and one of michael jackson's iconic sequin gloves tossed to an australian fan in 1996 sold at auction for $48,400. that is twice the estimated selling price. the winning bid came from a buyer for the hard rock hotel and casino in las vegas. anderson? >> all right. erica, thanks. >>> next, life on a basement a close look at our close quarters where we work and where we sleep. it's our shot of the day. and at the top of the hour, the fight for afrg and the fight for the peace in this a major mess. the latest from the front lines. we'll be right back. >>> i thought i'd give y

mr. clinton's sixth time on the show. >>> 9news now at 6:00 is 15 minutes away.and more problems for the folks and it deals with their insurance company. plus, some dc lawmakers are debating whether to sue the fenty administration. we have a lot going on at 6:00. >> topper is here with video. >> of snow, actually. >> really? >> we are exiting summer, going into fall. this is west of denver and south of 70. it opens november 20, most of them open in the mid to late november and they had a few inches. snow level down to 6500 feet. not down to the denver area, but 7,000 feet, you have snow. it is pretty, isn't it? >> all right. our next three days is the opposite. we are going to feel like summer. 84 tomorrow. maybe a thunderstorm. 86 on thursday. shower or a storm. then we will cool out and actually have a nice day on friday, although temperatures fall back into the mid 70s. for tonight, mostly cloudy, comfortable. a few showers, not much. lows uth,in tsoutheasterly and the sun goes down at 7:00 p.m. that's going to change the next couple of days. 77 downtown. 75 i

mr. clinton moments away. bill: thanks for being with us. o'reilly segment.president obama falling quickly. obama faces incredible charges. joining us from new haven connecticut. brit hume. are you surprised now the president is below 50% 59. are you surprised that they are falling so fast and continue to fall? >>. no i'm really not surprised, bill, for this reason. the president is try trying to enact a set of left of center policies in a right of center country. and the country will overlook that and forgive that if the results that the president is getting from whatever his policies are are seen as good. the issue the public most cares about is the economy. the policies the president has put in place perhaps they have not had time to take effect. they have not amill rated the situation. the unemployment rate continues to rise. this is what they said in poll after poll and continue to say top priority. he appears at the public to be working on another set of priorities. this kind of political difficulty is not surprising. bill: but in the economy, you don't

mrs. clinton drafted a bill which he introduced in his speech to the congress.f resistance in the bill, the president at the state of the union held up the pen and drew a line in the sand and the legislative process fell apart after that. president obama is not saying take these provisions or i will veto the bill. he's saying work with me. you know, you say you want health reform, you don't like this refrorm, bring me your ideas. he's trying to keep this a bipartisan bill. >> david gregory, calling you out if you're a republican and you say something about death panels is one thing, but what do you do when a republican stands up and says we're in a recession, this economy cannot sustain that. it has three new top brackets for individuals. i as a republican am opposed to that taxation. there are plenty of substantive arguments against every argument in this bill. whhe

mr. clinton, they don't have the guts to impeach you. >> and if you could kick one politician out of officeo would it be? >> the guy who's now the governor of alaska, because i miss sarah palin. >> he's so smart. by the way, i'm told that sarah palin's the chief reason that barack obama took south florida. anyway, time for tonight's big number. former house majority leader mr. delay made his debut on "dancing with the stars" last night with a routine set to the music of "wild thing," as in, well, wild thing as you make everything groovy. ♪ ♪ wild thing, you make my heart sing ♪ ♪ you make everything groovy ♪ wild thing ♪ wild thing, i think i love you ♪ ♪ but i want to know for sure >> i have no idea what to say anymore. well, this is a dancing competition, so what score did delay earn from the show's judges? 16 out of 30. tom delay nets a 16-point gain out of 30, a solid rookie performance by the hammer man. tonight's big number. >>> now, we're going live to president obama right now. let's go. >> i want to take this opportunity to thank president clinton for his service. in his eight year

mr. clinton more? to north korea to secure the release of two american journalists detained in the communist country. then this evening he kicks off his annual global initiative summit to tackle humanitarian issues. this morning he spoke on the "today" show weighing in on everything from the war in afghanistan to iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad. >> for reasons that no one can clearly understand, ahmadinejad is lashing out at the world apparently in retaliation to all the vicious -- excuse me. the vitriol criticism he received because of the way he acted in the election. >> should president obama be using the former president more? peter, let's start off you. how would this administration use the former president more, in what capacity? >> well, they have used president clinton, as you talked about in the situation with the hostages in north korea. i suspect that the president, president obama, is speaking to the former president on a fairly regular basis to go over, especially in the health care

mrs. clinton put it, one that increasingly is a client of iran. so mishal argues, despi a new presidency, there is no change in attitude in washington. they refuse to accept the results of the palestinian election because hamas won, he says, that failed. in order to oppose a siege on the gaza strip, he says, that field. then they went do war against the palestinians, he says, and that failed. spe all this he continues, hamas has advanced and grown so within the logic of realpolitik, it is washington that must consider its position if it wants to achieve an outcome that is not another failure. these are high end issues inevitably they would be confronted in the bear pit but i wanted mishal's take on what that could serve two purposes, one to give the obama administration room to reciprocate if only symbolically and two, at the same time despite the guns of some of the guns around of the critics around the world. this is the issue of the hamas charter and its implacable rejection of the right of the state of israel to exist. this is one that mishal

mr. clinton, they don't have the guts to impeach you. >> if you could take one politician out of office, > the guy he was now the governor of alaska, mrs. sarah palin. >> sarah palin is the chief reason barack obama took south florida. >>> former house majority leader, mr. delay made his debut on dancing with the stars to the music of "wild thing" as in you make everything groovy. ♪ wild thing you make my heart sing ♪ ♪ you make everything groovy ♪ wild thing wild thing, i think i love you ♪ ♪ but i want to know for sure >> i have no idea what to say anymore. this is a dancing competition. so what score did delay earn from the show's judges? 16 out of 30. tom delay nets a 16-point gain of 30. solid rookie performance by the hammerman. tonight's "big number." >>> inside look at the marriage and political partnership of barack and michelle obama. we're going to talk to the author of the new book "barack and michelle." you're watching "hardball." activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digesti

mr. clinton said he failed in his tenure in the white house. >>> sarah palin on the other hand bringing here president's plan to tomorrow's "wall street journal" in an op-ed she penned for the paper. the former governor states her belief that health care reform will lead to government rationing and concludes that rationing means, in her words, death panels. but maybe you'd rather talk health care with her in person. one on one. you can. sarah palin is auctioning off a private dinner, starting price $25,000. the proceeds benefit a charity for wounded veterans. by the way a background check is mandatory. >>> one of michael jackson's iconic sequinned gloves, tossed to an australian fan in 1996, sold at auction for $48,400. that is twice the estimated selling price. the winning bid came from a buyer for the hard rock hotel and casino in las vegas, anderson. >> all right. erica, thanks. >>> next, life on a base. a look at our close quarters. where we work and sleep. it's our "shot of the day." >>> and at the. to hour, the fight for afghanistan and the fight for the peace. it's a major mess. the

mr. clinton? guest: never been to hot springs.er: where i'm going with this is, my friend worked at the race track where his mother spent most of his time. he didn't sell $2 tickets. he told $100 tickets. he also worked in louisiana going back and forth track to track. guest: this is your friend or clinton. caller: he had a big log cabin. roger clinton would come up there and do a lot of partying with mike. a whole lot of partying. he told me some of the tails roger clinton told him about his brother from jones and all the rest of them. they are all true, mr. taylor. they wasn't false. they were all true. guest: i don't know when your friend heard from roger about clinton because i wasn't there. i only know what clinton told me himself. caller: i'd like to ask but welfare reform and the clinton years. i'm wandering how he personally felt he talks about welfare reform. it was the beginning from his experience as a governor. he wanted to try to fix. at the same time, he had tremendous hesitation to the things particularly to the leg

mrs. clinton campaigning, doing her best to distance herself from her husband and her husband's name and shes without a last name, and he has a -- appearance on the platform and did not permit her any words and what do you make of that. >> well, she's distancing is a great new verb, and boy, she's doing it. and, she's coming out, 100%, you know, the death sentences, something she's all for, to give an illusion oftoughness and i'm really not a liberal. i think it will not work. i think in new york, she would have to have much more support in the city. and she doesn't have that. and we'll see how the campaign runs. but, she'll also have to do what giuliani does and what we have seen john mccain do and that is, get in the rough and tumble of the press. and have press conferences every day. and, comment on things as they happen rather than live a somewhat cloistered life, protected and making statements or making speeches. >> for more on the career of william safire we're joined on the telephone by the editor of the "wall street journal" editorial page, paul giggo, for 30 years people loved read

mrs. clinton was really spearheading the effort. what do you think mrs. obama's role should be here somehow could she be an asset? >> well, people like her. every poll shows that. and i think president's wives can kind of soften the debate, take the hard edge off of it. is she going to make a big difference, shall she going to be the one that tips the balance toward health care? i think the answer to that is no. but i think the other part of it is she's very likeable, people like to see her, and like chicken soup, i think it can't hurt. >> exactly right. what about the president's media blitz? he gets criticized for going on tv and going on the radio too much, but the latest poll thumbs show when he gave the speech to the joint session, it did stop the slide a little bit p disapproval on his efforts on this. now it's at 48% in favor of the way he's handling this. do you think this is a good thing? >> well, he goes back to what bill plante just said. the administration is convinced he really is the best salesman that they have and they want to put him out

mr. clinton said president ahmadinejad is lashing out against the world with his rhetoric because of angered election there. earlier this morning, ahmadinejad warned that his military will cut off the hand of anyone who tries to attack his country. this after israel said that all options are on the table to stop iran's nuclear program. >>> in the murder of yale grad student annie le, police say that their investigation is far from over. nbc's jeff rossen reports now on this. >> reporter: even with ray clark held in prison and charged with murder, investigators are back at yale. police sources now tell nbc news this case isn't over yet. they believe other people may be involved. detectives are now reinterviewing people in the yale animal lab where ray clark and annie le both worked. did policeuestion you? >> yeah. >> reporter: what did they say to you? >> they just asked what did you do that day? do you know, like the question you asked, do you know annie or do you know ray? i never seen him like laughing or talking or smiling. it's like a very serious person. >> reporter: there are reports

mrs. clinton is in new york to attend the 64th session of the u.n.embly. 100 world leaders including president obama and china's president are scheduled to meet at the u.n. this week. all right, steve. let's take a quick look at the weather picture. is this the first look at fall? steve: yes, as you can see widely scattered showers from the great lakes down through the ohio and tennessee valley a little on the chilly side. out in the northern plains down through the southern plains rainy as well. dry throughout the new england states where, believe me, the leaves are falling. i'm going up to boston this weekend and get an eye full. caribou maine, 40. 50 in new york. sifts and 60's and 70's northern plains. today it is going to be chilly out in the rockies. temperatures in the 40's and the 50's. it's going to be nice. 70's and 80's throughout the east. as you can see 90's down south. if you are in phoenix, it's going to be 106 today out at the airport. and that's a look at your fox travelcast. i do believe date of birth that perino is going to be -- i

. >> is it true or isn't it true good afternooner clinton? >> mr. brown. mr.>> let me tell you something, jerry, i don't care what you say about me but you should be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife. you're not worth being on the same platform of my wife. >> don't to escape it. >> he comes with his $1,500 suit and makes an accusation about my wife. i'm saying that i never funnel any money to my wife's law firm. never. >> what's with the grudge? that was 17 freaking years ago. are these guys irish? >>> for tonight's "big number." elephant in the room and the white house can't get away from it. how many questions on race did press secretary robert gibbs field during today's briefing? according to follow-ups including the questions, themselves, 18 times he had to respond to questions. president carter has thrown open the flood gates. 18 race-related questions at today's white house briefing. that is tonight's "big number." >>> up next, a former speechwriter for president jb w george w. bush reveals what bush said about palin and what a disaster she woul

president obama attended the memorial and sat next to former president clinton. mr. obama called mr. cronkite a voice of certainty in a world growing more and more uncertain. >> i thought he was an astonishing man. i liked his inquiring mind and his caring heart. yes, he was a great journalist. and he lived a fascinating life, which made him long to know and to understand and to share his knowledge and understanding. >> it was a packed house at the lincoln center honoring the late anchorman. he anchored the cbs evening news from 1962 to 19 1. >>> coming up tonight, some guys accused of stealing a four-foot aluminum statue commemorating cal ripken. >> federal agent are getting ready to auction off tens of millions of property that used to belong to bernie madoff. >> british commandos launch a raid to rescue a "new york times" journalist. >> the nation of turkey is dealing with deadly flooding after the heaviest rain they had in 80 years. >> how about our rain? >> not bad here this evening. isolated showers around, jim. in my forecast, we have an extra day of rain adde

mrs. clinton would be the democratic nominee but quotes the president as saying, quote, wait till her fat is signature at this desk. except latimer said he didn't say keister. a top aide would not comment on that and a top aide said that does not sound like something president bush would say. >> let's began with democratic vat gist paul begala and republican strategist alex castellan castellanos. not the first time that a former aide wrote some stuff saying stuff that was side private on the inside. what do you say this. >> >> i hope president obama is spared this. i hope no one is taking notes on this now. you need that sanctity of that office, too, to make some important decisions and even to doubt yourself at times and now and then to let off a little steam, sense of humor. look, people do this for a couple of reasons. right now the bush administration is not the most popular thing. to sell a book, what do you do, you slam it? to get on the news, what do you do? you slam it, so this is all about the kind of regaining some popular currency with some things that no one else can validate

mr. obama's decision puts security at risk, hillary clinton says think again. >> make no mistake.t years. then this is a stronger and smarter approach than the previous program. >> reporter: secretary clinton was asked whether russia might harden its line on iran as a result of mr. obama's decision on missile defense. but she sidestepped that question. jill dougherty, cnn, the state department. >>> cops in one small town singled out a car without a town license plate, and they arrested the people inside. >> we'll arrest them on the charges of lack of small-town hospitality. >> reporter: and those tourists found guilty are in for quite a treat. ♪ the offer letter. if you're going to college, or back to college, that's your bullseye. it is for devry university students. in fact, for more than 30 years, 90% of all graduates in the active job market... had careers in their fields within 6 months. 90%. and all those offer letters up there? that's just from last year. devry university. discover education working at devry.edu. sfwhen you own a business,g saving sounds good. so hear this:

mrs. clinton. >> no. >> i think she's doing very important work, but, oh, my gosh, the schedule and the problemswe're not saying it, we're not telling anybody yet but we want you to come to chloe's wedding and she said, who are yis she marrying? i was with chris the month before and that is when he met her. >> about a month ago. >> obviously, you wish everybody all the best in the world, but that's a tough way to start, i think. >> to sprint into it. >> yeah. they only met a month ago. and i guess started this relationship, aelationship and that's all i can say is that i wish her all the best in the world. we couldn't make the wedding because i had to get back here to work and cass had school. >> who's pregnant? >> cory's pregnant. >> chloe got married. it must be so weird to have every single thing in your life all out there. i mean, yesterday tmz is like here's people walking in the wedding and pictures and this and that. i wonder if it gets to be, jon and kate, the ratings on their show is the lowest they have ever been. keep in mind, kate has been everywhere. she was on larry king, yet, the

. >> is it true or isn't it true governor clinton. >> mr. brown. mr.rown. >> let me tell you something, jerry, i don't care what you say about me but you should be ashamed jumping on my wife. >> don't to escape it. >> he comes with his $1,500 suit and makes an accusation about my wife. i never funnel any money to my wife's law firm. what is with the gruj? that is 17 freaking years ago. are these guys irish? the elephant in the room, how many questions on race did press secretary gibbs field today? 18 times he had to respond to questions. president carter has thrown open the flood gates. 18 race-related questions at today's white house briefing. that is tonight's "big number." >>> a former speechwriter for george w. bush reveals what bush said about palin and what a disaster she would be for the republican party. more revelations when we come back. you are watching "hardball" only on msnbc. ding-ding-ding! ding! ding! fun fact -- progressive is the number-one truck insurer. yeah, great service at the right price. and nowadays, my business depends on it.

mr. clinton, but i think that he is going to be the biggest asset that we have going through the next threeears with this presidency. when you talk about the bush presidency, no one talks about iraq. i iraq is not shooting missiles up in the air. the reason is that we went to war with them and we stifle that. i think bush and cheney do not get enough credit for that. guest: at the time, prior to 9/11, i thought that the clinton administration had saddam hussein pretty well contained he was unable to move north or south. we watched him very closely any time he ever tried to file -- fire and missile. we took at -- we took out several more. we have been reducing his air defense system. i do not know that he posed much of a threat to anyone in a the region. 9/11 changed the equation, but it was not saddam hussein that gave us 9/11. host: on the report that general mccree stichrystal is to submite president, who could have leaked that report? guest: that is a washington game that has been played along time. my suspicion is it was someone in the military who wanted to make sure that this went to

mrs. clinton is on the second row and her image is shown larger than the president who is speaking.ur photographer some time or video photographers actually -- they need to stop their trick photography. host: with all due respect, that is absolutely no trick photography. in fact, this is what is called a pool feed that is fed to both c-span -- not only c-span to all the other networks. a there is nothing deceiving in that picture. caller: thank you. host: david sanger, in his piece in the " the new york times." iran and the second nuclear facility. "inspectors have been in and out of the country for several years, always assured by iran that it had come clean about its facilities after hiding them for nearly 18 years. the newly discovered facility could be difficult for iran to explain. it is too small to be used efficiently -- efficiently to reduce fuel for power plants and appears to have been designed in such a way that its operations could be hidden." helen from brooklyn. good morning. caller: there is nothing like c- span. the criticism that comes from most people about c-span,

mr. clinton, we had marion barry, and we also had mr.bush, and all of them talked about race being a problem and being able to get lawyers to actually address racial issues into the court. so until we address our federal laws and our states respect to the supremacy clause, we will have problems. we should not put up barriers and keep victims of crime out of the federal or political expediency. >> appreciate your thoughts. mary, republican line. go ahead. caller: yes, i would like to address that taxpayers have to pay for an illegal immigration -- illegal immigrant committing a crime. that is wrong. and people on death row, if they are sentenced to death row, they should go ahead and do what they need to do. host: democrats. what is on your mindset this sunday morning. -- what is on your mind this sunday morning? caller: i have a few points. a woman called in and said that white people should be thanked by the president because they put him in office. john mccain had over 70% of the white vote. you have other candidates like ron paul and

mr. obama was aiming at. >> holman: but secretary of state hillary clinton said today's disclosures will weigh heavily in meetings iran holds next week with the permanent members of the u.n. security council and germany. >> this is now a clear challenge to the international community as this facility sharpens our sense of urgency. >> holman: medvedev in response, russian president medvedev said today iran's new plant violated u.n. security decisions. but he made no mention of new sanctions. and china said all such issues can be resolved through negotiation. >> lehrer: judy woodruff takes the story from there. >> woodruff: for more on all of this we turn to david albright, a former un nuclear weapons inspector. he's now president of the institute for science and international security. david albright, good to have you with us again. >> good to be here. >> woodruff: president obama had a news conference a few mines ago. he said and i'm quoting iran's actions raise grave doubts in terms of their presentation of their nuclear program was for peaceful purposes. so what exactly is known about this facility? >> well, no

as we all know the tag team approach didn't work out all that well for the clintons. mrs. obama is keeping her involvement limited, but she is dramatically stepping it up today. let's go to our white house correspondent dan lothian. he's got the details. >> reporter: robert gibbs here at the white house saying there's no real new strategy here, but a senior administration official telling me that the first lady does plan to really step up her involvement in the push for health care reform. and we saw the beginning of that today. she was at an event sponsored by the white house council on women and girls. and the first lady was pointing out how women often bear the burden for making a lot of the health care decisions in the household, for their children, often for their spouses. but they are the ones who are often left out of what's covered for some of the critical tests that are needed. she was really trying to frame it as an issue of equality for the need of reform. >> for two years on the campaign trail, this was what i heard from women. that they were being crushed, cru

mr. obama took a serious note and joined former president bill clinton to kick off the fifth annual clinton global initiative. on weapons he was off to the united nations for the speech in front of the general assembly where he addressed global leaders and tackled issues like climate change. on thursday, the president then headed the security council as chairman, delivering a stirring speech to that group about nuclear proliferation. and then off to pittsburgh for the g-20 summit to focus on world economic issues. some see it as a week long obama-thon, the media in step with the president's every move. is it too much? well, every president has been covered this way, patricia. some think it's been obsessive and excessive, maybe, with this president? >> well, each of these events individually were important. you can't not cover the g-20, you can't not cover-- >> can't not go on david letterman. >> and letterman had the highest ratings in four years, to the point of him being overexposed. the five sunday shows, everybody is not watching five sunday shows, the media is sensitive because they're

mr. cooper as a key opponent of health reform under president clinton. they are threatening him with a democratic primary challenge. president obama beat john mccain by 13 points, which means mr. cooper can't cite the inherent conservative of his constituents. they are in trouble because they are on the wrong side of public win in their districts, but face ing their own party. chuck schumer told us about jay rockefeller's plan to force a vote. we know that has been delayed, but it is still expected to happen on tuesday. if you take all this together, it looks like the prognosis for real health perform is not as bad as it was a week ago. our friend bill seems fragile. 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration. plus support for heart health. ( crowd roars ) that's a great call. one a day men's. [ female announcer ] think again. experts at good housekeeping gave pantene nature fusion their seal. for damage protection results leading salon brands can't beat. the amazing fusion of the shampoo's cassia complex with pantene pro-v science... makes

brought on the campaign trail and in these flyers criticizing senator hillary clinton's call for mandated health insurance. mrinted to the experience of massachusetts and called the fines a stiff penalty. >> now they're worse off than they were. they don't have health insurance and they're paying a fine. >> reporter: now president obama has embraced the idea of mandatory insurance and the threat of fines. why? to bring down the cost of universal health care requires having not just older and sicker people in the insurance pool but spreading the risk. this according to families usa which supports a health care overhaul. >> the costs for people depend on who's in the insurance pool. if the insurance pool is only made up of older, sicker people, then the premiums are going to skyrocket. >> reporter: the congressional bills offer subsidies to low income people to help them pay for health insurance. but getting coverage is still going to take a huge chunk out of the average family's paycheck. based on analysis of congressional budget office projections, a family of four making $42,000 a year and receiving subsidie

clinton. thank you very much, mr. ambassador, for being with us.lly laid out a tough bargaining position with iran, but didn't quite answer the question as to what are the options if negotiations don't work? >> hi, andrea. i think that what was interesting about the way she positioned the administration on this was to make it clear that iran has to make a choice but not to clear the pitch. not to create a situation in which they've got into a kind of shouting match before the actual negotiations get under way. so although it was a tough position, it was not designed to react to ahmadinejad's most recent statements today about the holocaust. she avoided that. she didn't want to get into a kind of name-calling. because, i think, that the administration feels that there's a lot going on in tehran. there's a crack in the regime. there are a lot of different positions there and ahmadinejad is not necessarily getting a lot of support within the regime itself at this point or within the parliament and so i don't think she wanted to give him the opportunit

mr. panetta served as chief of staff for president clinton. prior to that, he was director of the office of management and budget, a position that builds on his years of work in the house budget committee. he represented california's 16th district, now the 17th district, from 1977 through 1970 break. -- for 1983. he served as a legislative assistant, special assistant to the help and education welfare, the united states of civil- rights, and the executive assistant to mayor john lindsay of new york. he spent five years in private law practice. he served as an army intelligence officer from 1964 through 1966 and received the army commendation medal. he was not here when i talked about the football game so we won't tell him. he also a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a law degree from santa clara university. he was born in monterey, where his italian immigrant parents operated a restaurant for it later, they purchased a farm in carmel valley, where he continues to call home. the panettas have three grown sons. ladies and gentleme