ben nelson of nebraska says he'll oppose any bill that provides federal money for aborings.ouse speaker pelosi added restrictions on funding in the house version to get it passed. barbara boxer called it radical and says it's unfair to women. senate democrats will need ben nelson's vote ls and those of several other antiabortion democrats to get health care through. >>> what do you think of the government restricting insurance coverage of abortions? e-mail us, call us, or text us. basketball great says he's ill and wants everybody to know about it. >>> in texas thousands of people gathered at post to pay tribute to the victims of last week's shooting spree. as you know, 13 people were killed in that awful attack. 29 others were hurt. many of the walking wounded from the attack itself attended this service. today the president tried to bring some confident to some families as they grieved and prayed. and here's amazing grace. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ ♪ that saved a wretch like me >>> one by one president obama spoke the names and told the stories of the 13 people

senator nelson, senator lincoln and senator land route. where do those three stand as far as where they will vote? >> host: >> guest: senator nelson said he will vote today on this motion to start debate and put the health care on the floor. the others have not come out and oid as forcefully than they will vote in favor of it but it is looking increasingly likely toat the democratic caucus will be unified tonight. >> she was quoted as saying she is leaning towards starting debate. reparently no one knows yet. maybe some other things you are hearing about? >> democrats have worked very hard to make sure she is happy with this bill including a provision that was added in the most recent days. that would be a big help to louisiana in terms of federal funding for medicaid. it is fairly clear that senator landru is warming up to this bill. senator lincoln wanted 72 hours from the time the bill was released until the first procedural vote. that was something she asked for and led a group of senators and republicans writing a letter to the majori

>> nelson mandela. a life-long wish to meet him. >> larry: i know him. we'll get you to meet him.on this program. >> his grandson is equally impressi impressive. >> larry: many consider him maybe the greatest hero of the 20th century. >> he left a lasting impression that we will never forget. the entire world is riveting from the impression that nelson mandela left behind. >> larry: a lot of people consider you a hero. you ever think of yourself in that vein? >> not really. i'm honored that they think that. i just do what comes very natural to me, very instinctive to me. if it helps somebody, i'm glad. i don't think i'm a hero, though. >> larry: do you think we're in an age of heroes or not? >> i think we're in an age of heroes, but they don't get the spotlight. many times our greatest heroes go unnoticed. >> larry: sad. >> it is sad. >> larry: t.d. jaks. happy thanksgiving. >> and to you, sir. >> larry: now, an update from brooke anderson at the kodak theater. minutes away from the third annual cnn heroes, an all-star tribute. now a thanksgiving tradition. what's it like out ther

i also like to thank national press club staff members melinda cooke, pat nelson, and show him for organizing today's lunch. also thanks to the national press club library for its research. the video archive of today's lunch is provided by the national press club broadcast operations center. and our events are available for free download on itunes as well as on our website. nonmembers may purchase transcripts, audio, and video tapes by calling (202)262-7598 or e-mailing us at archives@press.org. for more information of the press club go to our website at www..press.org. thank you and we are adjourned. >> thanksgiving day on c-span. at timeclock eastern bill clinton is on hand to present statements tilburg with this year's liberty medal from the national constitution center. also stanley greenberg and alex castellanos, part of a panel assessing the obama presidency. and from the jfk library and museum, and nick burns and leslie on terrorism and the clear weapons. at five, hip-hop artist and actor ludicrous on youth mentoring. and later. thanksgiving day on c-span. >> on this vote, the are 60,

reversing his field. >> craig: nelson by the way, joe, is a fireman. >> joe: really?man. >> joe: kudos for that. bradley with a wrister deflected by bergeron. chipchura knocked down by beagle. beagle gets the gate. montreal to the man advantage right here. just a few moments ago a thompson creek window of opportunity for the great 8. >> craig: it would have been a three spot, 3-0 and lights out for montreal. bouncing puck at the blue line. not except in and the lights out by the spacek. here comes ovechkin. a lot of shimmying and shaking, and carey price stayed right with him. well done. alex didn't have much of a chance to shoot the puck because of the pressure from behind, and carey price read that very well, denying alex ovechkin. >> joe: price had 32 stops against washington in the first meeting back at verizon center. montreal prevalved 3-2 in that one. these power plays you're about to see are packaged by the ups store. second chance for montreal. >> craig: only st. louis and the blues have less power play goals than the canadiens. and if you can believe it, the

george stephanopoulos will talk with ben nelson and oklahoma physician tom colbert.lso martha blackburn and florida democrat beb bee schultz. the guest on "fox news sunday" includes lamar alexander and missouri republican kick bond. also arlen specter of pennsylvania and michigan's debbie stab now and dr. healey, a former director of the national institute of health. we note that senator alexander will be on guest on "washington journal" in about half on hour. bob schieffer with charles schumer and jon kyl. cnn's state of the union hosted by john king will include mitch mcconnell and democratic senators sharon brown of ohio, michael bennett from ohio, and new hampshire's jeanne shaheen. you can listen at noon eastern on c-span radio, 90.1 f.m. here in washington, d.c., nationwide on x.m. satellite radio channel 132, and on the web at c-span radio.org. you can also follow us on twitter. >> later today on "book tv"," three new books by and about sarah palin, including a book signing with the former vice-presidential candidate and alaskan governor. matthew continueinett

matter of fact, jameer nelson, one of the best all-time in st. joseph's history, has helped donate to that building and to the basketball facility. >> larry: i was talking to phil martelli about that. he is so proud of that building and what they've done to improve the looks and really make it a first-class place. phil told me i used to do a lot of a-10 games. he said, do you remember the old place? it is so much nicer. it's really a compliment to everybody who is involved with the athletic program up there. they have improved their facilities. >> dan: you think about jameer nelson, delonte west, two great players that went on to the nba. >> larry: i've got to say this. credit to them, not every professional player that played in colleges go back and give their school money. it's something that's really a shame. >> dan: jones. finds the open shooter. off the mark. it's kicked off of jones. and depaul saves it. shot clock is off. we're down to 20 seconds to play in our first half. and depaul, a chance to extend their lead. they lead it by ten. >>

nelson bell. afterwards beales senton account of the meeting describing the discussion that took place among the group of distinguished religious leaders. according to peel the group was unanimously behind nixon npo was part of a select committee chosen to meet with the vice president to convey that groups thoughts. appeal suggested september 8 as a possible meeting date in concluded by telling nixon he had been touched by the spirit of concern expressed by those in attendance. he noted billy graham was one of nixon's big supporters. pew hull something constructive and wise to come out of the meeting and claimed he had nothing to do with the organization that sponsored a washington meeting but since the meeting was planned that could hardly be true. graham wrote a letter to nixon after the meeting wanting an installment in the correspondence between the two over the course of this summer and fall. early in the summer graham reported to nixon both johnson and sam raeburn told graham at kennedy were

nelson bell. afterwards, peel sent nixon a handwritten account of the meeting describing their long discussion that took place among the group of distinguished religious leaders. according to peel, the group was unanimously behind nixon, and peel was part of a select committee chosen to meet with the vice president to convey the group's thoughts. he suggested september 8th as a possible meeting date concluding by telling nixon he had been touched by the spiritual concern expressed for him by those in attendance. he also noted that billy graham was one of nixon's biggest supporters. peel hoped something constructive and wise could come out of this meeting. he later claimed he had nothing to do with the organization that sponsored a washington meeting, but since that meeting was plan ned at that meeting, that could hardly be true. one installment in a regular correspondence between nixon and graham in the fall. earlier in the summer graham had reported that both johnson and rayburn had said if nixon

she's a reality star, singer, and the daughter of ozzy and harriet nelson.ya, grammy-winning, multiple platinum recording artist. of the mya arts and tech foundation. it's going to be that kind of night. this is fun for me because -- you know, we've gotten to know each other over the past nine or ten weeks. and nowating the three of you by grilling you on "larry king live." >> can i just say something right now? >> of course. >> being on the show right now, you never really know what's going to happen. that's why i think it's such a popular reality show. because you look at the three finalists. you've got mya, who's the most amazing dancer. and sometimes i wonder who's the professional. because she's so good. you've got kelly osbourne -- >> yeah. >> -- who's like the ultimate send litt cinderella story now. then you've got the last man standing here. it could go any way right now, any way. >> okay, all right. excuse me, donny, just a note to the producer, we were saving donny kissing up to the other contestants for segment four. we just move that up. let me

graham's father-in-law doctor nelson bell, afterwards they set a handwritten account to nixon. according, the group was a man who's behind nixon and appeal was part of a selected committee chosen to meet with the vice president to convey the groups thoughts. teele suggested september 8 as a possible meeting day. he concluded by telling nixon that he had been touched by the spiritual concern that was expressed for him by those in attendance but he also know that billy graham was one of nixon's biggest supporters. peal hope that something instructive and wise could come out of this meeting. he later claimed they had nothing to do with the organization, that's part of a washington meeting but since that meeting was planned to take, that could hardly be true. graham also wrote a letter to nixon after the meeting. girly or in the summer graham had reported to nixon that both johnson and sand raburn if kennedy were the nominee the religion would be a key campaign. instead, name someone protestant that the process could rally behind. earlier this spring he sent nixon a clipping from t

i like the answer of jeffrey nelson, former college president, now executive vice president of i s i. books of the right kind by men and women of imagination and perception are indispensable in the flourishing of quarter, freedom, justice and the authentic progress of civilization. let the reading begin. let me introduce our panel for this morning. harry crocker is a former journalist and political speech writer who spent several years as a book editor handling mostly political books at gregory publishing in washington d.c.. the author of several best-selling historical works including his latest book, "the politically incorrect guide to the civil war," which has been praised by the washington times among others as -- for its great scholarship, great storytelling and great fun. a graduate of vanderbilt university, dr. benjamin wiker is a senior discoverer at the seattle institute in washington and at the st. paul center for biblical theology. the author of seven will receive the book, the most recent and provocative is "10 books that screwed up the world: and 5 others that didn't help

blanche, lincoln, and bill nelson have taken over half a million dollars. 1 million. host: you think has more to do with the political contributions then a more conservative ideological idf? dea? guest: none of them seem to have trouble with medicare. this is a single payer system. if you are seeing ben nelson fight for things like ending -- making sure that anti-tax exemption is not ended in this bill -- i wonder how much of that is because people in his state are demanding that and how much is related to his concerns to coming through for his donors? they all claim they're doing this out of a sense of brunn's -- responsibility. their arguments do not really wash. host: tom on the democrats' line. now you're on. go ahead. caller: good morning. i describe myself as an e-jerk liberal -- as a knee-jerk liberal. i still find myself unable to read a lot of the republican blogs and so forth. i read huffington and talking points. host: tom, are you still there? i think we lost him unfortunately. we will move on to the independent line. caller: happy thanksgiving.

-- ben nelson, on the right, columbia snow. -- olympia snowe.ey had major roles and the passage of the votes to continue discussion on the legislation. host: are you able to attract -- >> "washington journal" returns tomorrow morning. we are leaving this recorded segment and taken to the state department with a briefing with the middle east envoy george mitchell. >> the afternoon, ladies and gentleman. prime minister netanyahu has just announced his government's moratorium on new settlement building. i think it is important to look at this issue in the broader context, particularly how this affects the situation on the ground and how it can contribute to constructive negotiating process that will alternately lead to an end to the conflict and to a two-state solution. it falls short of the full supplement freeze but it is a more than any israeli government has done before and can help move toward agreement between the parties. as president obama has said many times, we believe that a two- state solution to the

there will be changes to the bill that will make a difference for joe lieberman or bill nelson. it will be different at the beginning of the process. guest: there are details to be hammered out of the public option is there. at the same time, obama is largely getting what he wants. he suggested some of the main provisions in this bill months ago. guest: my only disagreement is that people on the capitol hill is people do not know what obama wants. he has put very little leadership on this. senator conyers has been a member of the black caucus and the says there is no leadership from the white house on the stimulus, afghanistan, health care. guest: they are talking about obamas in decision. host: we start with that and continue on other topics. you can ask our guests questions -- host: my initial question is when we get it is due 2010, there will be elections and it will get tougher for these people to make boats as we go on. even if we go anywhere, what has it to do with the elections? guest: it has everything to do with the elections. the rnc are trying to muster their guns and

>> if you had a male politician in what he runs in, if it was shorts, if it was, you know, willie nelson running suit that we all stand still in, regardless, it wouldn't be a sexist issue. they would be wearing sex-appropriate clothes which i think she is. >> is it possible it's about the flag she's so ticked off though? when she first posed with this picture, it was insulting to the flag, that she was disrespectful to the flag. >> she can't say she didn't knots it because her elbow is on it. >> she hasn't mentioned the flag, only talking this is sexist and what have you. >> on another note wasn't obama seen in a picture, kind of topless. >> he didn't pose for that, some paparazzi took that when he was on vacation. >> in a way it's even more insulting to him. she actually posed for this. >> right. >> take the responsibility for it. >> what is that machine in her hand? >> her blackberry. >> ask levi. check out "ugly betty" friday nights. when we come back an army cook who chose her baby over her call to duty. don't go away. >>> alexis hutchinson is a cook in the united states army. she's

controversy over the last several months since this has been debated and a handful of senators, ben nelson from nebraska and joe lieberman from connecticut and a few others have issues with this and there needs to be changes before that bill is going to be able to go forward. >> are any compromise on -- compromises on those issues emerging? >> yeah, i think that there's a few ways that this could go. you know, on one end is taking out the public plan entirely and that doesn't seem likely because liberal senators would have an issue with that and you might have the same problem on the left that they have in the center right now and a more likely idea is finding a way to scale back what's already in the bill and right now we have an opt out provision where states can choose to not be part of the public plan if they want to. and we might go to a trigger proposal, which some senators have been pushing for to allow states to have the public plan if the a set of economic indicas triggered it. and that's one way. and the other idea is an opt in public plan instead of opt out, allowing states to c

senator nelson? >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. franz, i am sorry that you had to go through what you went through just get back your money, not even to speak of all of the trauma and time and so forth that you had to go through. >> thank you, senator. >> but you are an example of what is happening with this explosion of technology. people now instead of using a crowbar to steal now use technological improvements, and they're doing the same thing. and they're doing it with a lot of deception, as the chairman's hearing has pointed out, and this committee has been handling a lot of other things called phishing, and pharming, and spoofing, which is another one we just had in florida, a case. that is when you look on your cell phone and you see the number that is calling. well, if you alter that number to make it appear like you are local, what happened to this lady, a single woman, suddenly, she is getting a call from her own residence. of course, somebody was doing this to play a prank. the lady was absolutely petrified. she thinks s

. >> a third senator, senator ben nelson of nebraska had concerns about going forward with the debate past week. what generally were the concerns of these democrats, and why is the vote more difficult for them than others? >> i think we have seen a variety of concerns, some specific to each senator among these three members of the democratic caucus. they are definitely all more conservative than a lot of their colleagues. they come from louisiana, arkansas and nebraska, definitely more purple or red states. senator nelson of nebraska, he mentioneded a lot of the abortion language was something he had a problem with. he said if it is the same language that is in the bill now, when it comes to further procedural votes on the floor, he is not going to be able to support that. there have been concerns over the public plan, the government-run insurance option that would be competing with private sure remembers. senator lincoln has mentioned that. and all of them have mentioned the deficit as an issue. there is a range of concerns, but it looks like they are going to be able to move forward

we are joined also by a democratic pollster who has worked for tony blair, nelson mandela, clinton, ale have a republican pollster. his firm represents just about every republican elected official. i was told 19 senators, seven governors, 40 house members. we are also joined by mark mckinnon. he is a media consultant whose clients have included john mccain, george w. bush, and richards. our last guest is going toe to toe with assorted analysts of political stripes on cnn. he can tell us what that anderson cooper is really like. we want to talk about the first year of this tumultuous presidency with a special focus on the questions that we are here to discuss today which is taking the poison out of partisanship. let me start with the broadest question. you might look and say that he has maintained an approval rating of 50% or above in a very difficult economic time. he has inherited a full-scale economic disaster. he's the first president to get a universal care bill to the floor. he has held democrats together in congress to a greater extent than clinton. he has improved america's imag

nelson: mr. president, i rise to support the majority leader in his motion for cloture to cut off debate to allow us to vote on the motion to proceed which will allow us then to get the bill to the floor in order so that we can debate and start amending this bill. and, mr. president, i want to use the next several minutes to lay out a comprehensive reason of why this senator supports moving to take up this legislation. i look forward to the mandatory process that will be vigorously attempted to be amended. particularly by the amendment that -- that i had offered a number -- i had offered a number of amendments in the senate finance committee. most of those amendments were, in fact, adopted. there was one in particular that was not adopted on a vote of 13-3. it would save the american taxpayers $109 billion by having the price of drugs that are sold to medicare recipients under medicare part-d that also are eligible for medicaid, but get their drugs under medicare. it would cause those drugs to be

>> if you had a male politician in what he runs in, if it was shorts, if it was, you know, willie nelson running suit that we all stand still in, regardless, it wouldn't be a sexist issue. they would be wearing sex-appropriate clothes which i think she is. >> is it possible it's about the flag she's so ticked off though? when she first posed with this picture, it was insulting to the flag, that she was disrespectful to the flag. >> she can't say she didn't knots it because her elbow is on it. >> she hasn't mentioned the flag, only talking this is sexist and what have you. >> on another note wasn't obama seen in a picture, kind of topless. >> he didn't pose for that, some paparazzi took that when he was on vacation. >> in a way it's even more insulting to him. she actually posed for this. >> right. >> take the responsibility for it. >> what is that machine in her hand? >> her blackberry. >> ask levi. check out "ugly betty" friday nigh nights. when we come back an army cook who chose her baby over her call to duty. don't go away. >>> alexis hutchinson is a cook in the united states army. s

ben nelson took over $3 million from the insurance lobby. wonder if publicizing the names and the amount of money that these people get -- mr. baucus, a $3.5 million, mr. mcconnell, about $3.5 million. why are to the news media putting their names on the front page of the paper with how much they're getting from all of these people? it looks like a pro quo for their votes. maybe that is pause for treason. host: other people are probably listening to this call. what tools do used to get the numbers you just cited? caller: you use the newspapers. i do not have a computer. i call my public library and they'd look up on the computers for me. there are some places that you hear what they're getting. it is out there, but it is not out there for most people to see it. you have to dig for it. it just looks so terrible that our government is bought and paid for. the people of this country are hurting. it is like jobs and the banks. everybody is getting the screw except the people at the top and the politicians that are paid for by the lobbyists. host

i would also like to thank the national press club staff members malinda cook, pat nelson, and joanne boost. also think you to the national press club library for its research. the video archive is provided by the broadcast operations center, and our events are available for free download of itunes as well as our website. non-members may purchase transcripts, audiotapes, and video tapes by calling 202 662 5798. for more affirmation, go to our website at www.press.org. i think you all, and we are adjourned. -- i thank you all, and we are adjourned. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> friday, for the first time in british history, parliament opens its chambers to non-mps as the parliament debates in the house of commons. also, jason blair on why he fabricated and plagiarized news stories. saturday, a look back at the cuban missile crisis with former kennedy advisers ted sorensen and karaokes and. more on how the political process has been affected by the internet. and the founder of facebook on ho

men on my staff in jail 30, 40 years, longer than nelson mandela. he was innocent. he was on death row three times. we can't be silent about that. another young man was in jail from florida 38 years. years longer than mandela. was freed by d.n.a. so we still have the right to fight the right without being manipulated into different than the president's position. of course we'll have different positions. we are free to have positions that enhance the environment that even he operates in. to put this another way, representative lee, when our college sweetheart, valedictorian, brilliant sister, she graduated and got a job as a flight attendant for eastern airlines. it was a big deal. it made front page of our school paper, the local paper. she was a flight attendant, eastern airlines. another brother got a job who used to be with us, a ball player, as a driver for trailways bus. like that was moving on up the road. and then another brother got a job as an airline pilot. united airline. he could fly a plane. and there was great excitement. because we finally had a pilot

men on my staff in jail 30, 40 years, longer than nelson mandela. he was innocent.he was on death row three times. we can't be silent about that. another young man was in jail from florida 38 years. years longer than mandela. was freed by d.n.a. so we still have the right to fight the right without being manipulated into different than the president's position. of course we'll have different positions. we are free to have positions that enhance the environment that even he operates in. to put this another way, representative lee, when our college sweetheart, valedictorian, brilliant sister, she graduated and got a job as a flight attendant for eastern airlines. it was a big deal. it made front page of our school paper, the local paper. she was a flight attendant, eastern airlines. another brother got a job who used to be with us, a ball player, as a driver for trailways bus. like that was moving on up the road. and then another brother got a job as an airline pilot. united airline. he could fly a plane. and there was great excitement. because we finally had a pilot.

covering politics, a democratic pollster whose clients included bill clinton, al gore, tony blair and nelsont's a pretty good list. on his side, bill mcinturff, a republican pollster who i've known just about as long as i have been covering politics. his firm represents just about every elected official. 19 senators, 17 governors, 40 house members, and one of the lead pollsters for john mccain in 2008. the rakish and on into his left, mark mckinnon, who is in addition to being an expert in all things music, is a median -- is a media consultant whose clients included john mccain, george w. bush, and ann richards. i'm sure there is no one else who could say that. finally, [unintelligible] who has been a consultant on seven campaigns and is found going toe to toe with analysts of all political stripes on cnn. he can tell us what anderson cooper is really like. we want to do two things here this afternoon. we want to talk about the first year of this event will entomologist obama presidency with a special focus on the questions we're here to discuss today which is taking the poison out of partis

nelson sprinkler factfully illinois who desperately tried to keep wal-mart happy and found all sorts of interesting ways to deep price low, the yellow sprinklers many have in our backyards and said see, we can make a sprinkler that looks just like yours in china for $3 you must month your factory now from peoria to china or we're just going to move to getting our stuff from chynna. so they end up dictating your terms. i think they have been the driving factor. many people reference this made in the u.s.a. era for wal-mart really has stuck in the minds of lots of people, and it's interesting that it was so powerful, because even the people from wal-mart will tell you it was more marketing than reality. and they have certainly helped accelerate. host: what does wal-mart do as far as making sure workers are treated fairly. >> what does with a mart do for the company that move their factorys to china, it simply agrees to -- with labor and virnltal standards in overseas countries. they have a huge, complicated inspections programs and inspect the factories that supply them and insist that

when asked if he thought the debate would end, ben nelson said when there are 60 votes." how crucial is the public option and where do we have to go on that? guest: it depends on the senators that you talk to. some of the more conservative democrats are simply opposed to the public option. i interviewed a freshman right after the vote. he essentially said that the public option is something that he is going to look at, but it is not crucial. you have some of the senators on the left of the spectrum, bernie sanders from vermont, cheryl braun, suggesting they might actually vote against the bill if it does not have a public option. host: "usa today close " profiled senators seen as key in that debate -- usa today" profiled senators seen as key in the debate. they talked about senator lincoln, senator mary landrieu. guest: those are certainly some of the more prominent that are very skeptical, if not outright opposed. blanche lincoln said that she would vote to bring it up for a bit -- for debate, but that she was opposed to a public option. mary landrieu is somewhat similar

i worked closely with senator ben nelson from nebraska on a bill that would allow small businesses toombine their purchasing power across state lines even nationwide and collaboratively buy health insurance at discounted rates. i worked closely with the late senator ted kennedy on a bill to reform the drug approval process at the food and drug administration. i also worked closely with then-senator clinton on a bill to save lives and decrease costs by promoting greater use of electronic medical records. time after time i've advocated that we set partisan differences aside and work on the 80% of the issue that will really make a difference for most people. unfortunately, rather than working with republicans to develop a commonsense solution, the majority drafted a flawed bill that spends too much, does too little to cut health care costs and puts seniors' benefits on the chopping block. the white house and democratic leader should have responded to these concerns with alternative ideas that actually address the health care issues that most americans care about: their cost. unfortunatel

we did not have bono, we didn't have nelson mandela, we didn't have jimmy carter. over ten years the global health agenda has become a major agenda for countries around the world than we see our lives are intertwined in real insubstantial ways. what made the case for global health? you know as physicians we think it was held. we think it was humanitarian gestures but really what moved the case was the linkage to security, the linkage that helped diplomacy, the linkage to development, the linkage to competitive ambitions in business. the linkage to science, so i think this is a way that the global health agenda has moved and i see this thing happening with the climate change agenda. you know the value of this lancet piece has to do i would say with the word coe benefit that with by introducing a cookstove we may have a more effective way to burn fuel or to heat food but we are also having a co-benefits of health. when i take my bicycle to work in the morning i am having the benefit for my own health but also having a benefit for the environment. of these things are

a handful of senators, ben nelson from nebraska, joe lieberman from connecticut, and others all had issues with this. there will need to be changes before the bill can go forward. >> any compromises on issues emerging? >> i think there are a few ways this could go. one hand is taking up the public plan entirely. this does not seem likely because liberal senators would have an issue with this and you may run into this same problem that centers have right now. another way is to find out how to scale back what's in there already. we have an opt out provision or states can choose not to participate if they want to. it might be that we had toward a trigger proposal which is something one of the -- which is something columbia snow has been pushing for that will allow the states to have a public plan if they were triggered ed if premiums the dog go fast enough. that is one way it could be done. the other way is an opt in plan and instead of an opt out plan to allow states to choose if they want to and used to exempt themselves. >> you mentioned senator snowe from maine. are there any others you m

senator ben nelson said the debate would and with 60 votes it." guest: more moderate and conservative-leaning democrats -- a few of them are flat out opposed to a public option. i interviewed a freshman at democrat and he said that the public option is something he will look at but is not crucial, not make or break. he will look the other measures as well. it is not clear how far democrats will push this in the senate. you have the sender's -- you have senators on the more the end of the spectrum, such as bernie sanders of vermont or sherrod brown of ohio, who might vote against the bill if it does not include a public option. host: "usa today" profiles eight senators who are seen as key players in the debate, and it mentions to lieberman of connecticut, who will spurn any government-run option. the article talks about senator lincoln, senator land through -- senator landrieu. is it make or break for them as well? guest: they are also skeptical if not outright opposed to the public option. senator blanche lincoln center was pretty much opposed to

politics, a democratic pollster whose clients have included bill clinton, al gore, tony blair, and nelson mandela -- pretty good list. on his side, bill mcinturff, and republican pollster, who i have known for just about as long as i have been covering politics. this list includes it seems just about every republican official, but i'm told 19 senators, seven governors, 40 house ministers, and -- for the house matters -- 40 house members, and we know he worked for john mccain, and mark mckinnon, a media consultant whose clients include john mccain and george w. bush. and finally, alex cost a lot, who has been a consultant to seven republican presidential campaigns -- alex catalano. he has gone to toe with politicians of all stripes on cnn and can tell us what anderson cooper is really like. we want to talk about the first year of this very eventful and even to malta was obama presidency -- even tumultuous obama presidency. taking the poison out a partner -- partisanship and the extent to which he has and has not been able to reverse the trends toward greater ideological and partisan corpor