and continuing enormous instability. >> schieffer: all right. bob orr? t i think maybe for the first time cyber security catches terrorism. maybe even passes terrorism as our top domestic security concern. i think we're about to for the first true cyber attack on a piece of critical infrastructure. we should watch for that, bob. >> schieffer: anthony mason. >> i think the economy struggles along, bob. i think we get a little improvement in the unemployment rate but not much. maybe 8.5%. jobs are still the biggest lingering problem in the economy. >> schieffer: david? >> if iran doesn't blink, israel will strike. >> schieffer: you're saying that israel will strike iran? >> it will go after its nuclear facilities, if iran doesn't blink. >> schieffer: what will the united states do if that happens, david? >> it has no choice but to support israel. and depending on what is evidence is at that time they might even want to take part in the raid. ot depends on what kind of intelligence they have about that decision that iran has to make about whether to really

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 important issue? and should be an issue out there on the table? his marriages? >> i think it's one that voters will take a look at because they want to know who the person is, what the measure of the man or t

with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: and good morning again. welcome to "face the nation," mr. speaker. did you get or do you seek christine o'donnell's support? >> no. you have great researchers. that's an amazing clip. ( laughing ) >> schieffer: the des moines register" this morning endorsed mitt romney. i have to get your reaction. >> well, i'm actually delighted because the "manchester union leader," which is a reliably conservative paper endorsed me. the "des moines register," which is a liberal newspaper did not endorse me. i think that indicates who the conservative in this race is. >> schieffer: all right. i want to talk to you a little bit about this whole business... you really turned up the heat on what you call "activist judges." he talk about this the last time you were on "face the nation." yesterday, you had a telephone conference call with reporters because you want to put this out front and center. in fact, your folks said to me, be sure and ask him about judges, so i know this is something you want to talk about. basically, what you said was that, sometimes in

>> if you had to. >> schieffer: you would? >> or you would instruct the justice department to send the u.s. marshal. let's take the case of judge beery. i think he should be asked to explain a position that radical. how could he say he's going to jail the superintendent over the word "benediction" and "invocation"? i would then encourage impeachment. but before you move to impeach him you'd like to know why he said it. clearly since the congress has.... >> schieffer: what if he didn't come. what if he said no thank you i'm not coming? >> that is what happens in impeachment cases. in an impeachment case, the house studies whether or not the house brings them in, the house subpoenas them. as a general rule they show up. you're raising the core question. are judges above the rest of the constitution? or are judges one of the three co-equal branches. >> schieffer: isn't the other side of that are the rest of us above the constitution and obeying the law? at some point you have to say this is a nation of laws and we all have to....

captioning sponsored by cbs from cbs news in 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, his campaign was actually imploding. so now, he's gone. were his problems becoming a distraction that took attention away from the other candidates? >> well, i don't know if they took attention

captioning sponsored by cbs and now, from washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning again and welcome to face the nation and our annual cbs news correspondent round table. 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 th

captioning sponsored by cbs and now, from washington, "face the nation" with bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning again and welcome to face the nation and our annual cbs news correspondent round table. 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 th

: thank you, bob schieffer.the next day i pay for it. i tried decongestants... i tossed & turned... i even vaporized! and then i fought back: with drug-free breathe right advanced. these nasal strips instantly opened my nose, like a breath of fresh air. i was breathing and sleeping better! [ female announcer ] exercise your right to breathe right... get two free strips at breatheright.com. hey, it's your right to breathe right! get two free strips at breatheright.com. v.o: the cinnabon taste you've always loved can i, can i (repeated) v.o: can now be enjoyed in your coffee ( can i, can i (repeated) ) v.o: only international delight v.o: put's the real flavours from v.o: your favourite treats inside >> sunday morning's moment of nature is sponsored by... >> osgood: we leave you this sunday morning where the antelope play. prong horn antelope near eagle lake in northern california. >> osgood: i'm charles osgood. please join us again next sunday morning. until then, i'll see you on the radio. i have copd. if you ha

. >> schieffer: good evening, scott's on assignment. new information in the penn scate sex abuse scandal. he got the first detailed account of what an eyewitness deys he saw when he walked in on a naked penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky and a young boy in a football locker room. details he says that he reported to school athletic officials and coach joe paterno. the lurid testimony came from monystant coach mike mcqueary at rohearing in a packed pennsylvania courtroom. anr investigative correspondent armen keteyian has the story. >> reporter: in a clear, commanding voice, mcqueary said he entered a small football facility locker room on a friday night in march, 2002, to hear rhythmic slapping sounds coming eaom a nearby shower. glancing in a bathroom mirror near his locker he told a packed court he saw jerry standing behind a boy he believed to be ten to 12 years old. turning to get a better look, mcqueary testified seeing jerry molesting the boy, having some kind of intercourse with him. at that point mcqueary said he slammed h

. >> schieffer: thanks, armen. now to a scandal at another university, florida a&m. the medical examiner has ruled the death of the member of a marching band was a homicide-- a homicide by hazing. mark strassmann is on that story. >> reporter: robert champion, a healthy 26-year-old college band drum major, was dead within an hour after he was hazed last month on a band bus. the report revealed champion had extensive contusions of his chest, arms, shoulder and back and blunt force trauma from his hazing attack made his body hemorrhage and go into shock. he bled to death internally. ruling his death a homicide means his hazers could be charged with murder. >> you just kind of wonder what kind of people are these people that are doing this? >> reporter: pam and robert champion, sr., the drum mayor's parents, have been demanding full prosecution to send a clear message about hazing. >> the one that put his hand on him, did the beating, should be dealt with harshly. >> reporter: champion's death spotlight add systemic 40-year history of hazing within florida a&m's famed m

>> schieffer: well, you have to go all the way back to jimmy carter to find a president whose approval rating was this low at this point in his presidency. but this goes beyond that, scott. i mean, what really jumps out in this poll is that 75% of the people now believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction. and kind of worse, as far as i'm concerned: 66% say that they have no clear idea right now what the president wants to accomplish if he is reelected. so what that tells you, quite simply, is that this president's got a lot of work to do here. >> pelley: norah, i wonder, are there any bright spots in the poll for the president? >> reporter: well, despite some of these dismal job approval ratings, americans do seem to at least think that the president is working hard. about two-thirds-- 64%-- think the president is fighting for his policies, including a majority of republicans. but i think the key question is really whether people believe he's getting the results that are needed. and we've seen his approval ratings on the economy dip to new lows. 68% think the president h

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

>> pelley: bob schieffer and nancy cordes are covering the battle over the payroll tax. dean reynolds and wyatt andrews on our new poll that finds a three-way tie for the g.o.p. presidential nomination. gingrich, romney, and none of the above. cynthia bowers is covering a deadly blizzard in the plains and a high school football coach finds the team's toughest opponent is poverty. seth doane on what he did to defeat it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, in just 12 days 160 million work could see a tax increase in their paychecks and nearly two million others are struggling to get by without a paycheck could lose their unemployment. the house today said the clock ticking toward that new year's day punch in the pocketbook when it turned down a bill that has been passed by the senate. that bill would have extended the 2% cut in the social security payroll tax and kept job benefits flowing. what happens now? congressional correspondent nancy cordes is on capitol hill, nancy? >> reporter: scott, we are now of

now, he can't afford to buy the ads that his competitors are buying out there. >> mitchell: bob schieffer, as always, thanks a lot. >> reporter: you bet. >> mitchell: and newt gingrich will be bob's guest tomorrow on "face the nation. turning overseas, thousands of tunisians turned out to remember mohammed bouazizi, street vendor on who set himself on fire after refusing to pay bribes to police. though he died of his burns his protest triggered the arab spring. in egypt, the army today turned on civilian demonstrators who once saw the military as their allies. alan pizzey has the latest. >> reporter: any hope egypt's military would hand over power ahead of its own schedule were dashed in the second day of violence that has left at least nine dead and hundreds wounded. soldiers smashed a camp in tahrir square and reportedly fired live ammunition on demonstrators demanding that the military step down immediately. the violence kicked off yesterday when a small mob tried to break into the cabinet building. and it was the army, the institution that had been seen as a savior of the revolution t

want to move on to mr cain you were a guest on the sunday morning talk show face the nation of bob schieffer the other morning and the topic of discussion was this controversial ad that you put out that included your campaign manager mark block smoking a cigarette and so here mr schieffer decided to question you and what message you think that sends let's take a listen. don't know if since this signal that it's cool to slow no it does not mark block smokes bess all that it says we weren't trying to say it's cool to smoke you have a lot of people in this country to smoke but for them so you've said your piece you don't think it's cool to smoke that's not what you're trying to say in the ad do you think it's cool to smoke mrs bachmann i can tell you alone that a woman outside a rally told me that smoking can kill you so i'm going to go with no i believe that that's perhaps a scientific fact that a lot of you know science would back up that claim that smoking can be incredibly detrimental to your health and also can increase your chances of lung cancer stroke well i do i trust the good american

bob schieffer's great. >> i love schieffer. i miss him. all right, much more on the death of kim jong-il. the impact the u.s. and the region. >>> and also ahead, senator chuck schumer will be here onset. but first, bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill? >> good morning, everyone. after the coldest weekend of the year in new england, we're going to get a warm-up as we head through the week. let's start with the temperatures, still cold, you need to bundle yourself up and the kids and turn the heater on high in the car. this is exiting warmer temperatures in d.c. and pittsburgh. much warmer than we had over the weekend. and the temperatures today, not bad, a decent recovery. still a little chilly in new england, maybe a snow flurry or two around buffalo. pittsburgh, slight chance of a shower late today. big storm out in new mexico it's going to spread late today. that's the travel trouble spot. thankfully, though, not a lot of big cities, most of the heavy snow is going to avoid areas like kansas city and denver. strong winter storm

good morning, bob schieffer. what's ahead for us on face the nation today?t gingrich leading, what happens next in the whackyiest republican presidential primary yet? >> cowan: bob, we'll be watching. thanks. by the way bob is wearing his country music hat next week right here on sunday morning. ♪ country music >> cowan: he meets brad paisley next sunday. because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! try hanes socks with the smooth comfort toe seam. a better fit your whole family will love. i joined the navy when i was nineteen. i was a commissioned officer at twenty-three. i was an avionics... tactical telecommunications... squad leader. i think the hardest transition as you get further into the military is... you know it's going to end one day. chase hired me to be a personal banker. i'm a business analyst... manager. i'm very proud to work for chase. when you hire a veteran, you get... great leadership... decisiveness... focus. chase knows, when you hire a veteran, you're hiring america's best. chase is proud to help 100,000 vetera

>> pelley: bob schieffer and nancy cordes are covering the battle over the payroll tax. dean reynolds and wyatt andrews on our new poll that finds a three-way tie for the g.o.p. presidential nomination. gingrich, romney, and none of the above. cynthia bowers is covering a deadly blizzard in the plains and a high school football coach finds the team's toughest opponent is poverty. seth doane on what he did to defeat it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, in just 12 days 160 million work could see a tax increase in their paychecks and nearly two million others are struggling to get by without a paycheck could lose their

we really do. >> bob schieffer, at our holiday party earlier this week, bob schieffer gets up on stage in this red sparkle shirt. >> bob schieffer? really? >> gives an amazing performance. >> he sings country western. he has cd out. >> he sang "friends in low places." and he was fantastic! >> he has a lot of friends in that industry. it's great. you can literally walk into his office and he'll be on the phone with tobey keith or somebody like that. >> he had backup singers and backup dancers. it was really a show! he is a professional at this, apparently. >> he is having so much fun. you can see he loves doing that. >> you know what is a big hit at our family christmas parties? is all of the nephews and nieces will be around and love it when i go up to a light bulb like this one around you and i can grab the light in my hand like this and transfer it to that hand and this hand. i can put it in my ear. the light is going to go in my ear and pull it out of the other ear! >> no way! >> isn't that cool? >> how are you doing that? >> here, catch. >> i didn't know you were a ma circumstanc m

scott's on assignment i'm bob schieffer. new information in the penn state sex abuse scandal. we got the first detailed account of what an eyewitness says he saw when he walked in on a naked penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky and a young boy in a football

schieffer's wanted that for 20 years. >>> chelgsy clinton made her debut this week on "rock center."ke a brief look at how that went. >> chelsea! we're so glad to have you. >> so glad to be here. >> we're going to ask ms. chelsea if she will do the first demonstration for us. >> oh, dear. >> you really don't cook, chelsea, do you? >> not a lot. i'm working on it. >> she recently had been to joeling me and challenging me -- cajoling me and challenging me to do more with my life, that being chelsea clinton had happened to me, and that i had a responsibility to do something with that asset and opportunity. >> chelsea talking about her late grandmother, dorothy rodham. earlier she had profiled this woman in arkansas who works with underprivileged kids. so, marisa, you have a license to review television. how did she do? >> amateurish. i mean, look, the cognitive dissidence on that edition was interesting. here you had ted koppel, career that spans, what, half a century. towering figure in broadcast journalism in iraq. and here the next secondment was this very earnest chelsea clinton tal

. >>> and rumors are circulating arnold schwarzenegger and his estrangeed wife maria schieffer might be on the road to reconciliation. the recent paparazzi photo shows him wearing his wedding ring. the couple is said to have spent time together with their children over the holidays. she filed for divorce in july after learning he had fathered a child with the family's housekeeper in 19 everyone in. >>> and -- 19 everyone in. >>> 3,000 homeless women and children will start the new year with the new home. david stevenson is live in san francisco with a unusual place here offering upativelyerary homes for the family. jason in. >> reporter: got you, that is right. we got an exclusive tour inside the closed-down convent as they prepare to reopen it for homeless mothers. it's been vacant for five years. it's about to become a home again for women. homeless mothers and children. >> this is phenomenal, rare that you get an opportunity like this. >> reporter: catholic charities cyo is rushing to refurbish the building, adding beds and cribs for 36 women and children. the agency this month re

good morning, bob. >> schieffer: good morning, charles.n "face the nation." >> osgood: thank you, bob. we'll be watching. next week here on sunday morning... ♪ i'm dreaming of a white christmas ♪ >> osgood: from darlene love. a polar bear cub is born with no sense of sight. help ensure they're born with a sense of home. to donate, look for limited edition coke cans and caps, and join coca-cola and world wildlife fund in helping to create a safe refuge for the polar bear. hey babe... oh, hi honey! so i went to the doctor today, then picked up a few extra things for the baby. oh boy... i used our slate card with blueprint. we can design our own plan to avoid interest by paying off diapers and things each month. and for the bigger stuff, we can pay downalance faster to save money on interest. bigger? bigger. chase slate with blueprint helps you save money on life's little surprises. trip...lets... start your path to saving today, call 855-get-slate. [ man ] we've been in the business over the course of four centuries. [ woman ] it was a famil

little bit easier, we turn now to chief washington correspondent and anchor of "face the nation" bob schieffer. bob? >> scott, if you ever needed any proof that the congress is totally dysfunctional and unable to do anything, you saw it today. forget who's at fault, they all are for let it go this far, both sides are so determined to undermine the other they can't even figure out how to do something they both want-- extend the payroll tax cut. if this gridlock continues, it will be a fitting end to a year in which congress accomplished absolutely nothing. nothing unless you want to give them credit for not allowing the government to shut down. i give them no credit for that, because i think it's the least we should expect of the people we send to washington. yet that was what they spent most of their time arguing about. what made this latest episode more odious than usual is that by sending the legislation to a conversation committee, house republicans kill the senate legislation but did not have to go on record as saying they have voted to give people a tax increase. but make no mistake, this

bob schieffer was going to do the second. point to do domestic. just for the record, as of right now the financial crisis, national security issue. and i told the debate commission they could tell the candidates that i explained that at the beginning. didn't have to in retrospect. i wasted some time by explaining that this really was important enough to talk about. but anyhow, it went off exactly on time. it was harry. there was no question about it. i compare it in the book. the debate themselves and the whole experience, my point of view, like walking down the blade of a very sharp knife. anything can go wrong and you can be cut. and i think that everybody who is involved feels the same way. >> you know, you wrote about debates in which things went horribly wrong 27 minute, no sound. jimmy carter questioning carter. gerald ford. they just another stage is set nothing which is kind of remarkable. was there any time in your debate where you were sort of panic in site? use that, my god. >> the contents or the logistics'. something sort of got out o

bob schieffer speaks with michele bachmann and steve king. reairs begin at noon on c-span radio with "meet the press." at 3:00, "state of the union." you can listen to them all on c- span radio at 90.1 in the washington area, satellite radio, or online at cspanradio.org. >> i prided myself of not being afraid to tell people what i thought. the worst thing you could do was let a senior leader head down the wrong road. people's lives to be affected. we have an obligation and duty to be good stewards of the resources of the public interests us with. you sometimes have to be courageous in a meeting where everybody else's head is going up and down and you have a different perspective. >> the highest-ranking female african-american in the history of the united states army. that is tonight at 8:00 eastern and pacific. >> is an unfortunate reality that we will continue to feel the effects of the flawed operation for years to come. the guns lost during the operation will continue to show up at crime scenes on both sides of the border. >> it is time to

. >>> we bring in chief washington correspondent and host of "face the nation," bob schieffer. good morning to you, bob. >> good morning. >> the establishment doesn't like gingrich but he is still carrying the front running baton. did he carry it well last night? >> he certainly at the very least, held his own. i think this nikk, i haley is south carolina is big. it's the tea party that doesn't like mitt romney and i think that is where his problems is. the problems with mitt romney is why we have these anybody but romney candidates come up. she is coming out for him in south carolina where gingrich has a substantial lead in the polls, in some ways, i don't know how much endorsements counted but that may be as important as what happened in iowa last night. >> is this a showing she is loved by the tea party in many ways is this showing mitt romney could be gaining ground as people look at the other options out there and each reason has risen -- >> it might and might not. i'm not convinced how important endorsements are but they certainly don't hurt. this whole thing in who in am

her met came face-to-face with our own bob schieffer. >> miss piggy has owner hher ow like "face the "face the nation" sunday morning on cbs. >>> time for w >>> arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords has made remarkable coverage after the gunshot to her head in january. her husband, astronaut navy captain mark kelly joins us. this book is going back and recounting the things that happened on january 8th. what happened in tucson. what was it like for to relieve it because you weren't there that day and it made it difficult for you. >> it was tough day for not only the people in tucson but people around the country. initially, we thought she had died. it was a really difficult day. and we talk about that a lot in the book, you know, what that day was like when she found out she had died and then later we found out well, that actually wasn't the truth. >> she has become such a source of inspiration and hope for so many people across the country, people who may not have known who she was because she didn't live in tucson and weren't familiar with her as a lawmaker. what is that like to

. >>> we want to remind folks at home that newt gingrich will be bob schieffer's guest tomorrow morning on "face the nation" on cbs. >>> one year ago today, muhammad buse a fruit seller in tunisia protested his treatment by police and set himself on fire. public outrage over his death triggered a revolution that ultimately toppled the tunisian government and eventually spread across the arab world and now several regimes appear to be struggling to hang on to power what is next for the so-called arab spring? what does the year ahead look like? joining us with more on that is jamie ruben, the former secretary of state under president clinton. great to have you with us. >> good morning. >> what do you think it is? outside perhaps of social media or maybe it is social media that made this become so big this year? >> i think the real issue is that the middle east was the exception to the rule of democracy around the world. asia went through its changes, latin america and africa went through its democratic moments. the middle east was the last place on this earth that had no real democratic v

. >>> for more, bring in chief washington correspondent and host of "face the nation" bob schieffer. the establishment doesn't like gingrich for some reasons but still carrying the front running baton, did he carry it well last night? >> he certainly at the very least held his own. i think this nikki haley endorsement in south carolina is very significant because that is, it's the tea party that doesn't like mitt romney and that's where his big problem is and the problems with mitt romney is why we have these anybody but romney candidates coming up. she's coming up in south carolina where gingrich has the substantial lead in the polls. i think, in some ways, i don't know how much endorsements count, but that might be as important as what happened in iowa last night. >> is this perhaps a showing especially give on the fact that she is loved by the tea party in many ways and mitt romney is gaining some ground and each one that has risen, they find reasons. >> it might and might not, i have never been convinced how important endorsements are, but they certainly don't hurt. but, i mean t

he loaned them to bob schieffer last week. you can find those pictures online.ht here on cbs. >> no offense, bob, but you're no neil diamond. >>> up next, did you know some thrillers are based on government secrets? we've got that story when we come back. based on government secrets? we have that for you when we come back. and now you need to hide. oh, i love the mercury glass pieces on the mantel, we could put some evergreen pieces... you know a simple touch like adding. oh, i think we should quickly decorate the hallway, wouldn't that be fun? maybe just put some...oh thank you so much, i'm going to bring you a snack later. wait, i still need to talk to you about led candles. happy holiday's. hey! hi! please come in. you know ornaments, they make a great centerpiece. my name is lacey calvert and i'm a yoga instructor. if i have any soreness, i'm not going to be able to do my job. but once i take advil, i'm able to finish out strong. it really works! [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] make the switch. take action. take advil. >>> whether it's writing novels about pol