the south dakota senator john thune. check out our guest page to see what makes him so interesting right now. thune could be a top contender for president in 2012. he won office back in 2004 by defeating a major political heavyweight player tom daschle who was then the democratic leader of the senate. right now thune is the number four senate republican. he's running for a second term in the senate without any democratic opposition. thune bills himself as a pro-business and anti-tax and anti-abortion leader. like the current president, he is a rabid basketball fan and get this, he ranked in the top five of huffington post list of sexiest u.s. senators. we are here with john thune, republican senator from south dakota. thanks very much for coming in. >> nice to be with you. >> are you seriously thinking about running for president in 2012? >> right now i'm seriously trying to help for the midterms. like a lot of people, i'm interested in public service. i want to do as much as i can to change the direction of this country

joining me south dakota senator thune. back. >> good evening sean. >> sean: webster says, don't pick the ones that say she should submit to me. that's in the bible. he said don't pick that. grayson runs this in the campaign ads. i that tell you that's up there with one of the worst ads i've seen. one of the most dishonest. your reaction? >> that's the first time i've seen it. it looks like a sign of desperation this is a losing campaign. i think you going to see more of this type of advertising over the next four weeks. these are people who are desperately trying to hang on to power. and that sort of selective thing and personal attack there's no place fortunate politics. >> sean: it seems like it is coming from the president himself. he's been in full attack mode this entire week. going after the republicans. blaming former president bush, republicans are obstructionists, rolling stone magazine. spinning his agenda or at lost the perceived success in his mind on it. there's no democrat in the country running on the bills

thune is 49 years old and is running unopposed for a second term in the senate. >> his medical team sayscause of his element, he has cancelled several appearances. mr. carter is under close observation. the 85-year-old former president took ill during an atlanta to cleveland flight yesterday. >> when abc 7 news continues, all aboard. planning to transport hundreds or thousands of supporters to a rally next month. >> doug is back to tell us how long flooding could be a problem for the area. with all the rain, trying to get to the game tonight will be as hard as trying to sign adam done. also the latest on clinton for this. also the latest on clinton for this. why did he go my dad is the supervisor of a train station and my mom's a teacher. my dad's an auto technician. my mom's a receptionist. i'm not sure i would have been able to afford college without the tuition freeze. while tuition in other states is rising out of reach... governor o'malley made the tough choice to freeze tuition. he made my dream of going to college into a reality. i'm the first in my family to go to college. my bro

so should john thune, mitch mcconnell and john cornyn be thrown out of office?se on those major issues you're so upset about, they voted the exact same way as these candidates that got thrown out by the republican party? >> well, i didn't campaign against lisa or bob bennett. this was a decision -- >> but you supported bob bennett's -- one of the people who challenged him? >> well, once bob was out, yeah, i was supportive of mike lee, because he's a great candidate. but these are appropriators, bob bennett, lisa murkowski. they believe their job is to take home the bacon. it's a big part of the culture here in washington. and frankly, i've been around long enough to know that people are tired. even in alaska, candy, in alaska the voters there threw out someone who was bringing home the bacon. joe miller, running against earmarks, because i think we're hearing all over american, it's -- i don't want money for my state if it's going to bankrupt my country. >> but we're talking really, 1, 2% of a budget here, when you're talking about the earmarks. that doesn't get

john thune is considering running.t, his state plays a role in choosing the next nominee. >> for the latest political news go to our website, cnnpolitics.com. >>> can president obama recapture the youth voters who so energized his candidacy two years ago? he'll give it the old college try today. he's holding a rally at the university of wisconsin. he's there and suzanne malveaux will be there, as well. 34 minutes past the hour. words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work

we went to capitol hill where republican senator john thune went on the record about the battle over extending bush tax cuts and more. nice to see you. vote don't ask don't tell went down? >> correct. there was a cloture vote it was a motion to get the bill on the floor. we were able to get the number of vote that was necessary to prerent that. what they are trying to do with the defense authorization bill is vote it up with unrelated things. one is the dream act. another issue is don't ask, don't tell. all of which i think are designed to spike turn out for democrats on election day. and don't have anything to do with the unlying bill which is the legislation that provides the funding we need for our men and uniform. >> greta: don't ask, don't tell, we are close to the midterm elections the extension of the bush tax kits we knew all these things were going to happen now. how did the democrats, how did they explain it is not political since it is being done before election? >> obviously, we need do a defense authorization bill. it is hard to say with a straight face this isn't politi

democratic senator evan bye, republican senator john thune and white house press secretary robert gibbs are among those attending. >>> time again for weather and traffic on the 1s. >> and a nice mark for a walk. >> indeed. lookslike another beautiful day around the way. we have more clouds around, though. a chance for much-needed rain coming in after sunset tonight. and maybe a little bit of thunder, too, after sunset. but otherwise don't have any chance of any severe weher that does not appear. and we'll have some clouds coming through from time to time throughout the day today. right now off to a mild start in the low 60s in arlington, montgomery, prince george's and fairfax counties. upper 60s in washington and right near the bay and the tide water region and the atlantic beaches. the mountains a bit cooler in the low 50s in many locations. afternoon highs climbing in the low to m 80s with a southerly breeze that will increse a bit with the clouds coming through. should be a cloudy finish to the afternoon. and then cloudy tonight. there is about a 40% chance for a pasng shower, mae s

congressman mike doyle and john thune moved out.ven though they didn't have any c street scandals of their own. congressman jerry moran didn't move out right away, but when he was asked about living at "c" street, he did all he could to downplay his residency there. he told the topeka capital journal in april, "i have a small bedroom and a bath i share with other people." when asked about his residence at the "c" street out, heath shuler of north carolina said, "i've been here all the time and there's talk about what the fellowship is, but i honestly have no idea what they're talking about. i honestly don't know what it is." okay, maybe i live there and go to prayer meetings there, but i have no idea what goes on there. who cashes my rent checks? i have no idea. i never even noticed who i make them out to. don't care. never asked. but the "c" street house was just the most visible part of the family. and even as c street hollows out in washington. even as the building apparently, reportedly might be sold, the group behind it, the fa

. >>> coming up, south dakota senator john thune has the nerve to say that washington is killing jobs. no, sir, you are the one who are killing jobs. no you are the one. by shipping them overseas to boost the bottom line of the corporation. senator bob casey of pennsylvania sounds off next. ♪ every time it's so right ♪ well, it feels so good [ female announcer ] when you have a softer bath tissue, you can enjoy going more... while still using less. introducing new charmin ultra soft. new charmin ultra soft has an ultra-cushiony design that's soft and more absorbent. so you can use four times less versus the leading value brand. [ both ] ♪ soft to the touch... [ female announcer ] using less never felt so good. new charmin ultra soft. enjoy the go. it'll cost a fortune to insure you. nationwide insurance, we need a freeze-frame here. let's give parents a break, right ? let the discounts they've earned be passed down to their teens. save mom and dad up to 25% versus the competition. we'll call it the nationwide family plan. here you go, and there you go. unfreeze ! keys ! savings ! ♪ na

politicians and have been good governors in the case of haley barbour and senators want to run, john thune former governors like pawpawlenty, and mitt romney, and either someone who is governing successfully, like mitch daniels or paul ryan who will be the center of things, probably chairman of the house budget committee, he'll articulate the republicans and set forth the republican budget and articulating the republican national vision against president obama and, then sarah palin, who is impressive. but, i could -- it will shock you. i could be wrong, one of those three will not be one of those people. >> chris: a totally genuine caveat. all right. nina. >> when you flashed up those pictures, what kept going through my mind was the problems each one of them has, and there are so many problems each of these candidates has, as well as potential, that i'm -- i say it's a geologic time and all of the stuff has to play out. >> chris: i know, but... the question i have is, bill answered it, he's basically saying, they -- the credentials and establishment and seniority in the party will not cou

"the presidential hopes of jump soon -- john thune."n new hampshire over the weekend, mitt romney speaking to the republican party convention , "mitt romney claims that obama is at war with business." here is part of the speech that you could watch in its entirety tonight. >> about one year ago i began to get some hope that he had understood the mistakes he made in his first year. he had a jobs summit, as i recall, saying the government does not create jobs, only the private sector can create that. the conditions, not sure who put that in the teleprompter but it was right on. [laughter] which was exactly true. i looked to see that what he had done and to see if what he had none had actually encourage businesses to grow or if it had caused them uncertainty and they had pulled back. think about them one at a time. raising taxes does not encourage small business to grow. taking the tax dividend from 15% to 39% does not encourage people to invest in growth. the takeover of health care by the government was a huge mistake can cause everyone

we'll be right back with senator john thune.t for 10 years. and i'm worried if i lose my job, i won't be able to afford insurance. when i graduated from college, i lost my health insurance. the minute i got sick, i lost my insurance. not anymore. not anymore. not anymore. america's healthcare reforms change lives for the better. to find out how it can help you, visit us at americasfairhealthcare.org it's not just fair, it's the law. it means getting everything you need to invest for yourself, not by yourself. it means choosing from stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and every etf sold. plus 5-star service and research designed to increase your intelligence, not insult it. so you can wave good riddance to some high-priced joker churning out cookie cutter portfolios. price is one thing. value is another. don't confuse the two. e-trade. investing unleashed. >>> tea party americans, this grassroots movement is all about an independent mindset. it's not hard core right wing wackos like the liberal media wants you to believe. these are peop

out of the senate, senator i thune, former speaker gingrich, former senator santorum -- i think the field is good for republicans, and there could be folks elected now who could all the sudden be in play in discoverer. we have a very interesting field of governors getting elected. howard curd any of them to get elected governor and then run for president. -- i would not encourage any of them to get elected governor and then run for president. we have some women governors that actually could end up on a short list for vice president, certainly. i did not know. i do not want to get any trouble, and i'm throwing out their names. it is a very fluid situation on the republican side. i think that the party is up point at time were they are open to new faces, new ideas, new energy, and that is good for us. that will be helpful. >>. can hit it on your side has got a lot of attention, christine o'donnell. >> i think that she is a clear reflection of people's desire for change, people in the republican primary shaking things up. i hope that dish wins. i know that the polls numbers showed that that

i sat down with senator john thune of south dakota yesterday. he's looking strongly at it. he's already figured out, he told me he thinks lit cost $30 million to $35 million just to do the early states. he said he'll decide in january. he says he thinks there's going to be a crush of republicans announcing right after november. they think suddenly this nomination is worth having. also tim pawlenty is going to be announcing today as soon as he leaves office in january, he'll be going on a speaking tour for his book and paid speeches he signed up with leading authorities. >> we'll talk with tim pawlenty later in the show. mike, thanks so much. >>> politicos were all out last night celebrating baby love. >> we all love "baby love." look at patrick. nora had a party for her book which is called "baby love." great turnout. there's austan goolsbee. it's a great book. healthy, easy recipes for babies and new parents. the party was a blast. there's the book. get it. we love nora. it's a cool thing. her husband is a chef and they came together so they can spread the book on nutritio

john thune, the senator. >> impressive guy. >> very impressive guy. do you know who came running up, joe. mabel you were on the set. it was scott brown, rolling through doing his 26-mile run or something. >> that was the best. he came over and introduced himself. >> he made the mistake of turning by our set. >> look at willie. >> willie, i want to talk to you about that. the point was to walk. >> ezra klein didn't look like he exercised a whole lot. but very thin and healthy. that's good. halprin and barnicle, not the greatest figures. >> you brought the republicans and the democrats together. >> we brought them altogether. everybody talks about the republican party and how they're not leaders. we named five people that have a pretty good future. paul ryan, eric cantor, kevin mccarthy. that's the first time i really talked to him. he was a very impressive guy. scott brown, whether sarah palin likes it or not, he's got a big future in the republican party. >> kingston was there. >> jack kingston. those are some -- >> i think those are the future leader

. -- senator thune. >> the question is for the entire panel and has to do with something secretary gates stated in his may 8, 2010 speech at the eisenhower library and said the fact we're a nation at war calls for maintaining the current military structure and the goal of this initiative is to cut our overhead costs and transfer those savings to floor structure and modern situation been the program budget, end quote. on august 9, 2010 secretary gates stated the task before us is to significantly reduce the department's excess overhead costs and supply the savings to structure, end quote. over the summer there have been rumors the b-1 bomber complete which has been in constant presence for afghanistan throughout the war might be ordered to retire and the savings found under this initiative. general petraeus in front of this committee spoke highly of the b-1's performance in afghanistan and i'm per -- perplexed rumors of the b-1 fleet in light of secretary gates' emphasis in sustaining and modernizing our floor structure. my question is what cutting forestructure to find savings under this