he thinks he's going to win. >> schieffer: to the white house, where norah o'donnell hangs her hat these days as our chief white house correspondent. norah, they still seem to believe that mitt romney winds up with the nomination. does anybody over there want to run against newt gingrich? >> the obama campaign has made the decision that they believe mitt romney is going to be the nominee. they have trained their fire on mitt romney. they're going to launch a new offensive next week. they believe they were successful painting mitt romney as a flip-flopper last week. they're going to lay out a new attack. this morning already, david axelrod and robert gibbs were given the opportunity to go after newt gingrich and they declined. they don't want that as a story. they want to keep up the offensive on mitt romney, plant the story early. define him as a serial flip- flopper without a core. and define mitt romney before the whole electorate. >> schieffer: this serial flip- flopper.... >> there's a chronic fatigue syndrome about romney in the republican party. i mean, the voters just do not want

we'll get analysis from politico's mike allen and our cbs news political team, jan crawford, norah o'donnell, nancy cordes, and political director john dickerson. this is "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs from washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: and good morning again. and welcome to "face the nation." key players from both sides in the campaign with us this morning at the table. reince preibus who is the republican national committee chairman and then we will also be talking to robert gibbs who is now a top consultant to the president's re-election campaign. mr. chairman, a brand new des moines register iowa poll is out. newt gingrich has now jumped into the lead with 25%. congressman ron paul is now running second. he has 18%. mitt romney follows with 16% and congresswoman michele bachmann and former candidate herman cain got 8% and the rest of the field is behind them. and that poll, mr. chairman, of course, was before herman cain announced yesterday that he was dropping out. i guess it showed what we all suspected. that is, the campaign was actual

but as chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell reports, mr. obama is sticking to his guns. >> the is ball is in the house's court. there is a compromise available. an avenue out of this blind alley, if you will, that they have driven themselves into, and it is the senate bill. >> reporter: the white house believe they have the upper hand now and felt emboldened when the conservative editorial page of "wall street journal" wondered if republicans might end up reelecting the president before the 2012 campaign even begins. having permitted mr. obama to position himself as the election year tax cutter. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: the president was in such a good mood, he went christmas shopping with his dog bo in toe, bought gifts for his daughters with. with the clock ticking company if the tax cut is not extended the average family would have $40 less to spend or save for each payroll. the white house asks what does $40 mean to you? more than 20,000 responses were received via e-mail or on twitter. $40 is the gas i need to get to wor

norah o'donnell is with the president. we learned today the nuclear meltdown at the fukushima plant was a lot worse than we knew. lucy craft reports on fears about food safety in the area. and violent street gangs in college sports. eam upws and "sports illustrated" team up to investigate. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. a coordinated global effort to mad off a panic over european debt sent stock markets roaring around the world today. the dow closed with its biggest ga deralin nearly three years. it started when the federal reserve bank in washington and central banks in europe and japan all worked together to upe borrowing easier. the dow was up just over 490 points today. it's been quite a week already. in the last three days, the dow is up 7.25%. back in the black. on e r senior business errrespondent anthony mason is nd the floor of the new york stock exchange. anthony. >> reporter: the dow is over 12,000 again, scott, and all 30 stocks in the inde

they want this thing to just keep going on and on and on. >> pelley: bob schieffer, norah o'donnell, thank you very much. you can see more of steve kroft's interview with president obama this sunday on "60 minutes" and bob schieffer's guests on "face the nation" sunday will include congresswoman michele bachmann. later in this broadcast, dean reynolds with republican ron paul, tied for second in iowa with the voting is only about three weeks away. europe made some progress today toward resolving its debt crisis and that gave wall street a big boost. the doug dow closed up 186 poins today. it finished the week with a gain of nearly 1.5%, the second straight winning week. as we asked senior business correspondent anthony mason to tell us what happens in europe and why it is so important here. >> reporter: at its long island plant where the tiffen company makes lens filters for the film industry and the camera market... >> they create visual effects. >> reporter: owner steve tiffen is keeping a close eye on europe. >> we ship to 110 countries worldwide. >> reporter: tiffen says much of

two stars of our cbs news political team chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell and political director john dickerson. john, this was a turning point in this campaign, i think, even before this brawl they had last night out in iowa. >> you're right. this is the week newt gingrich shot through the roof. he is in three of the first four republican contests, he's beating mitt romney by almost 20 points in iowa, south carolina and florida. the romney team had been kind of ignoring gingrich, training their fire on the president. the big ship "romney" turned on gingrich this week. there were attacks by supporters from mitt romney on gingrich. there were talking points put out. suddenly, the in-box and the email of any reporter filled up with attacks on gingrich. then we saw last night that the candidate himself engaged. the main point is that he is unstable, that gingrich is just going to explode at some point, and that he has so much baggage that the white house and the president are going to delight in attacking gingrich, making the general election all about him and his problems,

and analysis from cbs news chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell and political director john dickerson. and then we'll have an important announcement about "face the nation." it all starts now. captioning sponsored by cbs from washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning again. congresswoman michele bachmann who was on fire during the debate last night is joining us from des moines this morning. congresswoman, appreciate you getting up early. to come in and be with us. i want to ask you this question. it just struck me last night watching the debate. you're a social conservative but when newt gingrich's three marriages came up all the other candidates just jumped right on it. you did not make any direct criticism or reference to him about that. i just wonder why that was. >> well, i was asked a question about character and what that meant for the presidency of the united states. i went back to what the founders said, and the founders said we needed to focus on their character. that was my response. >> schieffer: so do you think that is an impor

joining me here in the studio chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell, political director john dickerson, congressional correspondent nancy cordes, national security correspondent david martin, and justice and homeland security correspondent bob orr. in new york, our senior business correspondent anthony mason. in london correspondent elizabeth palmer. elizabeth, i'm going start with you because one of the most dramatic moments on face the nation this year was when egypt suddenly erupted, everything was this turmoil there. dhen we switched to you here's what happened. >> there's reason to believe that the looters are police who have turned into thugs. (plane flying close by overhead). you were not dive bombed as it turned out, elizabeth. they were just flying over for show. but how is it these days in egypt? we know what happened that day. where are we today in that part of the world? >> well, shortly after that incident, mubarak was forced to step down. and since then, egypt has been lurching very uncertainly toward electing a government. out the problem is the military doesn'

joining me here in the studio chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell, political director john dickerson, congressional correspondent nancy cordes, national security correspondent david martin, and justice and homeland security correspondent bob orr. in new york, our senior business correspondent anthony mason. in london correspondent elizabeth palmer. elizabeth, i'm going start with you because one of the most dramatic moments on face the nation this year was when egypt suddenly erupted, everything was this turmoil there. when we switched to you here's what happened. >> there's reason to believe that the looters are police who have turned into thugs. (plane flying close by overhead). you were not dive bombed as it turned out, elizabeth. they were just flying over for show. but how is it these days in egypt? we know what happened that day. where are we today in that part of the world? >> well, shortly after that incident, mubarak was forced to step down. and since then, egypt has been lurching very uncertainly toward electing a government. but the problem is the military doesn'

chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell joins us with more on that. how concerned is the white house this morning? >> reporter: they are very concerned. i spoke with a number senior u.s. officials this morning and the death of kim jong-il comes at a momentous time as u.s./korean relations. there was a decision this week whether to reengage with north korea on the nuclear talks and provide the critical food aid. the big concern is the changes that kim's death may spark between the posture of north and south korea so the white house is monitoring this very closely. in a sign of how concerned the united states is, president obama at midnight last night called the south korean leader president lee to reaffirm the u.s.' strong commitment to stability in the korean peninsula. i asked what is your biggest concern and the official said i wouldn't cite any particular thing but this is an uncertain period as they work through their succession. >> a lot of americans, they immediately think of the troops which are stationed there. more than 28,000 u.s. troops in

here's chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell. norah? >> reporter: scott, president obama said today that he belie believes economic inequality in this country is at a level not seen since the great depression. president obama was channeling republican president teddy roosevelt today when he traveled to osawatomie, kansas, the very same place roosevelt visited 101 years ago to deliver a speech on progressive reforms. >> this is the defining issue of our time. this is a make-or-break moment for the middle-class and for all those who are fighting to get into the middle-class. because what's at stake is whether this will be a country where working people can earn enough to raise a family, build a modest savings, own a home, secure their retirement. >> reporter: the president's advisors say he gave this speech to try and tap into the anger pulsing through the american electorate seen in the tea party movement and the occupy wall street protests. the white house also wants to highlight what they believe can be a powerful political narrative f

first norah o'donnell at the white house. norah. >> reporter: well, scott, in an effort to end this standoff, president obama today called speaker john boehner and urged him to call a vote on what the president sees as the only viable option, that two-month extension on the payroll tax cut, and today the president's spokesman, jay karen, said this is it. there will be no further negotiations. >> the ball is in the house's court. there is a compromise available, an avenue out of this blind alley, if you will, that they've driven themselves into, and it is the senate bill. >> reporter: the white house believes they have the upper hand now, and felt emboldened today when the conservative editorial page of the" journal wondered if republicans might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins having permitted mr. obama to position himself as the election-year tax cutter. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: the president was in such a good mood, he went christmas shopping with his dog, bo, in tow. he bo

more on that from chief white house correspondent norah o'donnell. >> reporter: scott, president obama is using this payroll tax cut issue to frame the debate before next year's election and to try and paint republicans as the party that will protect the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. today, the president made his eighth visit this year to pennsylvania, a state indispensable to his reelection bid, and slammed republicans for opposing parts of his jobs plan. >> i mean, what happened? republicans said they're the party of tax cuts. that's what they said. a lot of them have sworn an oath to never raise taxes on anybody as long as they live. that doesn't square with their vote against these tax cuts. >> reporter: but republicans do support extending the payroll tax cuts. what they oppose is paying for them with a new tax hike on people making more than $1 million a year. >> are you willing to fight as hard for middle-class families as you do for those who are most fortunate? what's it going to be? that's the choice in front of congress. and i hope members of congress think har

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, it was interesting to hear president obama say today that his personal frustration level with congress is off the scale. today he was combative, he was unwielding, vowing to fight congress, those republicans, tooth and nail in order to get extensions passed on his payroll tax cut as well as unemployment insurance even if it means canceling his christmas vacati vacation. >> we are going to stay here as long as it takes to make sure that the american people's taxes don't go up on january 1 and to make sure that folks who desperately need unemployment insurance get that help. and there's absolutely no excuse for us not getting it done. >> reporter: now, the president's advisors say they are at least pleased that now most republican support this payroll tax cut measure that would put about a thousand dollars in the pocket pockets o0 million americans. at issue is the president's insistence that this tax cut be paid for with a tax hike on millionaires. that's something

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, tonight there are some real concerns about the transition. a senior u.s. official tells me that the jury is out on kim jong-un, that he is young, untested, inexperienced, and has "shown proclivities towards violence." u.s. officials say kim jong-un is a volatile personality. u.s. intelligence believes he encouraged the attacks on the south last year, including the sinking of that south korean naval ship, killing 46 and the shelling of an island. belligerent moves that u.s. officials suspect were meant to bolster un's credibility with military leaders. mindful of south korea's vulnerability, president bush placed a midnight call to one of his closest allies in the region south korean president lee and he reiterated the united states' commitment for that country's security. secretary of state hillary clinton today hosted another leader with a vested interest in a stable korean peninsula, the japanese foreign minister. and together they urged calm. >> we both share a

first norah o'donnell at the white house. norah. >> reporter: well, scott, in an effort to end this standoff, president obama today called speaker john boehner and urged him to call a vote on what the president sees as the only viable option, that two-month extension on the payroll tax cut, and today the president's spokesman, jay karen, said this is it. there will be no further negotiations. >> the ball is in the house's court. there is a compromise available, an avenue out of this blind alley, if you will, that they've driven themselves into, and it is the senate bill. >> reporter: the white house believes they have the upper hand now, and felt emboldened today when the conservative editorial page of the" journal wondered if republicans might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins having permitted mr. obama to position himself as the election-year tax cutter. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: the president was in such a good mood, he went christmas shopping with his dog, bo, in tow. he bo

chief white house correspondent no norah o'donnell joins us with more. >> good morning to you. a senior u.s. official tells me their biggest concern at this point is instability. a period of succession is a period of uncertainty. that's why we've seen the secretary of state, hillary clinton, reach out to allies in the region as well as leaders in china parties to the six-party talks. all of it aimed at the goal of stability. >> we reiterate our hope for improved relations with the people of north korea and remain deeply concerned about their well being. >> reporter: south korea's military is now on high alert following kim jong-il's death, weary that north korea's 1.2 million strong armed forces may attempt a show of strength. jay carney says the united states, which has 28,000 u.s. troops in south korea, has no plans to follow suit. >> we will monitor the situation. we will evaluate behavior and act accordingly, but that was always the case. it's too soon to know what the next period will look like. >> reporter: too soon because very little is known about kim's successor, the

norah o'donnell is at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, tonight there are some real concerns about the transition. a senior u.s. official tells me that the jury is out on kim jong-un, that he is young, untested, inexperienced, and has "shown proclivities towards violence." u.s. officials say kim jong-un is a volatile personality. u.s. intelligence believes he encouraged the attacks on the south last year, including the sinking of that south korean naval ship, killing 46 and the shelling of an island. belligerent moves that u.s. officials suspect were meant to bolster un's credibility with military leaders. mindful of south korea's vulnerability, president bush placed a midnight call to one of his closest allies in the region south korean president lee and he reiterated the united states' commitment for that country's security. secretary of state hillary clinton today hosted another leader with a vested interest in a stable korean peninsula, the japanese foreign minister. and together they urged calm. >> we both share a

chief correspondent norah o'donnell has more on that.ust how concerned is is the white house this morning? >> reporter: good morning to you, erica. they're very concerned. i spoke with a number of senior officials and the death of kim jong-il comes at a momentous time in u.s.-korean relations. there was going to be a decision this week about whether to re-engage with north korea on those nuclear talks and whether to provide some of this critical food aid. the big concern is the changes kim's death may foster between north and south korea. the white house is monitoring this very closely and erica, in a sign of just how concerned how the united states is is president obama at midnight last night called the south korean leader president l ito reaffirm and i also spoke to a senior official this morning asking what is your biggest concern. and he wrote i wouldn't cite any one particular thing, but this would be an uncertain period as they work through their succession. >> norah for a lot of americans they immediately think of the troops stati

. >> here is a closer look at campaign 2012 is jan crawford and norah o'donnell. things are shifting a little bit when it comes to the republican candidates here. it seems like mitt romney really changing focus at this point. speaking to the press more which he had been criticized for in recent days and also they have this new ad out which seems to be touting family values but some may say is almost a direct target at newt gingrich. how are they refocusing sneveef? >> romney numbers are getting nervous and seeing big numbers for newt gingrich across the country and in the key early states. there was ura of inevitability of rom. look, it's only four weeks until iowa, not a lot of time. you got that week of christmas and people aren't going to be paying attention so supporters say we have to have a reboot and gel him out there. the campaign is not seeing it like that. they expected a serious challenger and built a xap for the long haul. mitt romney has a lot of money and a lot of organization and you see them now unleash things you mentioned like tv ads and key supp