. >> joining me now, two-time pulitzer prize winning columnist, nick kristof. you for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> what we saw is a brilliantly effective appearance for the president in his reelection campaign, which is, people should remember, underway. not that he was intending it to be that, but he has clearly isolated the republican party now as the party that is more interested in protecting the tax code and reducing it, especially at the top end, than in deficit reduction. the issue they like to claim is their big concern, we've really seen it isn't. it's really protecting the tax code for the rich. >> i think that, indeed, you're right, an awful lot of what is motivating republicans is the notion of starving the beast. this is the chance to just make sure there's no more revenue coming into government, but i also think that there are a certain number of republicans who really are concerned about debt and that, as a result, they may be willing to drive the whole nation over the cliff in terms of preventing the debt ceiling of being raised and the great

. >> this comes from nick kristof. it a mistake it to fail to get republicans to raise the debt ceiling at the same time tax cuts were extended? >> nicholas is a great columnist, but i have to tell you the assumption of the question is that i was going to be able to get them to commit to raising the debt ceiling. >> it went on for another three minimum natures saying that was the lame duck session and only so much he could get, the republicans were empowered because they won the election. what did you think of the answer? >> well, you know, the president may well be right on that, but it's not clear to me that we really tested -- that he really tested the republicans at that time, and that this was really something that he tried hard to get at the time. i have the sense that it was something that the white house really didn't foresea that the republicans were going to try to use this budget ceiling as leverage and i know in retrospect i think probably a loot of people would acknowledge that it was a mistake to not at l

would you take that advice, nick kristof as the friendly advice or as sort of a rivalry?ce.f. i happen to think it was pretty good advice. i'm not sure we should spend half of global arms spending right here. it really did reflect a real tension between the u.s. and chinese militaries. chinese feel they're being encircled by american military and resentful of reconnaissance missions close to the chinese shore. from our point of view, we find them building a bluewater navy. they're about to unveil an aircraft carrier, they're investing in space technology, doing strange things in cyber-warfare, just giving us a lot of concern across a whole range of dimensions. >> that's one of the issues. what is this relationship going forward? friend, foe or don't know? listen to our friend asking the same question of admiral mullen during this visit. >> if you had to identify one area, what would that be in this relationship? >> actually, the major concern is we haven't had one. >> you haven't had a relationship or a concern? >> no. we haven't had a relationship. it's been cut off. >>

and this question was heavily retweeted and voted up by our user base, from nick kristof, "was it a mistaket republicans to commit to raise the debt ceiling, at the same time tax cuts were extended?" >> nicholas is a great columnist. but the assumption is i would be able to get them to commit to raise the debt ceiling. in december, we were in what was called the lame duck session. the republicans knew they would be coming in as the majority. we only had a few short weeks to deal with a lot of complicated issues, including repealing don't ask, don't tell, dealing with a s.t.a.r.t. treaty to reduce nuclear weapons, and come to terms with a budget. and what we were with able to do was negotiate a package where we agreed to do something that we didn't like, but that the republicans badly wanted, which is to extend the bush tax cuts on the wealthy for another two years. in exchange, we were able to get this payroll tax cut that put $1,000 in the pockets of every earn, which would help economic growth and jobs. we were also able to get unemployment insurance extended for the millions of americans