roger simon is chief political columnist for politico. you never haggle, just report.you've seen so many of these mini crises before. this time you do get the sense that boehner although squeezed from all sides really wants an agreement because they see the political hazards of shutting down the government. >> they see two i think real political hazards. there will be no surprise we live in a media driven, celebrity driven culture. the last time the government shut down late '95, early '96, it was a battle between bill clinton and bob dole. who is going to win that celebrity fight? bill clinton's celebrity ratings were 48% when the government shut down. they were 52% after it came back. this time it's going to be a fight between barack obama, who has been a national celebrity for several years, even before he was president -- >> even with declining poll numbers? >> even with declining poll numbers. you compare that to the congressional approval rating and he's a superstar. and he's going to be up against john boehner wsh, mitch mcconnell, well known to us, well known t

political columnist roger simon it says that this is the new domino theory. >> obama was trying to make the case that it was not just humanitarian, it is also strategically important. the argument he made is the one you cited, and it is not at all convincing. egypt has 80 million people. it would not have destabilized it. he was reaching a, trying to find something so he could say "i sent people into battle on behalf of our national interest." it was purely a humanitarian intervention, but it was so late and half-hearted -- look, the rebels are fleeing east. they have lost all the territory they took, and now they're back in benghazi. now what happens? there would have been a difference if we had done it earlier. i'm afraid that we are in a time when there are no simple answers here. all these things are ambiguous, and the president was right about one. -- we did it the other way in iraq and it did not work out the particularly will either. >> the guy who coined the phrase "domino theory" was by eisenhower, who understood that we are all-in or all-out. he did not get involved in vietnam

given his devotion to the voters, roger simon, our friend, suggested the other night we would ask everyone volunteer to days of door knocking in the battleground state. the assignments will be distributed on the way out after the service. another thing that set david apart was his unerring ability to stay focused on what was important. he loved the tough and gripping campaign, but he also believed when the campaign ended politicians had the responsibility to do what they could to solve the country's problems. he hated frivolous politicians and public officials. he believed journalism was an enjoyable part of the space society. he believed good journalism made the machinery of government work better. he believed the holding politicians accountable and he always focused his energy on the big issues and the toughest problems. at the post, he led our coverage for more than four decades and in an era of bigfoot journalism, he always walked lightly. he taught by example and made certain all other reporters have this case and the encouragement to flourish and expand their own horizons. ask anyone