category. >> barber or thune. barber, ole school. thune, neuer school. >> these -- all of these candidates are ideologically the same. >> let me throw something out about him, he's been under the radar, somebody who has been a two-term governor dealing with budget problems he's got that to offer. he worked in washington. >> you're talking about mitch daniels. >> work in washington and areas that might be healthy. >> he's the flavor of the moment. he's the thinking person's eastern division candidate. chris: you say it may be huckabee versus -- palin versus who? >> romney is strong, thune, once he's better known will have a very good argument to make and a great record and very popular in indiana. controversial things he did. >> a senator. that's the problem. >> a member. house. chris: we picked the country -- the country picked a democratic nominee based on foreign policy. opposition to the iraq war. is foreign policy going to be an opportunity for the republicans to jump in and be hawkish? or is that off the tabl

category. >> barber or thune. barber ole school. thune, neuer school. >> these -- all of these candidates are ideologically the same. >> let me throw something out about him he's been under the radar, somebody who has been a two-term governor dealing with budget problems he's got that to offer. he worked in washington. >> you're talking about mitch daniels. >> work in washington and areas that might be healthy. >> he's the flavor of the moment. he's the thinking person's eastern division candidate. chris: you say it may be huckabee versus -- palin versus who? >> romney is strong, thune once he's better known will have a very good argument to make and a great record and very popular in indiana. controversial things he did. >> a senator. that's the problem. >> a member. house. chris: we picked the country -- the country picked a democratic nominee based on foreign policy. opposition to the iraq war. is foreign policy going to be an opportunity for the republicans to jump in and be hawkish? or is that off the table?

>> bret: to see senator thune work a room -- >> well, knock on wood.e're hopeful. >> bret: us impressive. >> thank you. you're kind. >> bret: but if the room is a south dakota diner on opening day of hunting season, a whole different thing. before the hunt, and in between cups of coffee, the owner talks health insurance. thune says republicans like him on the front lines in the senate have been battling the obama agenda from the start to prevent stories like this. >> decision made at washington they think they're made in a vacuum. hard-working people trying to make ends meet. that's reality for a lot of americans. >> bret: for shthune getting out of washington is open prairies. his escape is hunting. >> it's as good as it gets. >> all right. spread out. >> let's do this. >> everywhere. >> 3-year-old. >> bret: 3-year-old. >> senator, that thing has seniority? >> yeah! [ laughter ] >> bret: when you are with your buddies do you talk politics? >> yeah. little bit. puts thing in the proper perspective. >> bret: this is his hometown. population 679. that's

south dakota's senator john thune back home for the first day of pheasant-hunting season.efore the hunt and in between cups of coffee, he listens to complains about health insurance. >> we want to change, but it is tough. >> bret: thune says republicans like him on the frontlines in the senate have been battling the obama agenda from the start. to try prevent stories like this. >> decisions get made in washington everybody thinks they are being made in a vacuum. these are hardworking people trying to make ends meet. that's reality for a lot of americans. >> bret: for thune, getting out of washington means open prairies. >> semi-automatic 12 gauge. >> bret: his escape, hunting with his buddies. >> pheasant-hunting with friends is about as good as it gets. >> bret: when you are with your buddies do you talk politics? >> a little bit. >> bret: in 2004 when he beat tom daschle he was dubbed a giant killer. a real political star not only in the state but in the republican party. at home he became so popular democrats didn't field a candidate to run against him this year. all of

south dakota's senator john thune back home for the first day of pheasant-hunting season.he hunt and in between cups of coffee, he listens to complains about health insurance. >> we want to change, but it is tough. >> bret: thune says republicans like him on the frontlines in the senate have been battling the obama agenda from the start. to try prevent stories like this. >> decisions get made in washington everybody thinks they are being made in a vacuum. these are hardworking people trying to make ends meet. that's reality for a lot of americans. >> bret: for thune, getting out of washington means open prairies. >> semi-automatic 12 gauge. >> bret: his escape, hunting with his buddies. >> pheasant-hunting with friends is about as good as it gets. >> bret: when you are with your buddies do you talk politics? >> a little bit. >> bret: in 2004 when he beat tom daschle he was dubbed a giant killer. a real political star not only in the state but in the republican party. at home he became so popular democrats didn't field a candidate to run against him this year. all of this s

>> the best point i heard recently is the one you made to senator thune. has the white house reached out to you on taxes to forge a compromise. he said gee, they haven't reached out. you said that angered you as a citizen and most americans feel the same way. he is the one who referred to his opponents as enemies. he said he was going to engage in hand-to-hand combat. that is not the way i think he should govern. i think if he passes on re-election and tries to fulfill the promise and the mandate of 2008, we'll be better off as a country. and as a people. >> greta: what makes the tax issue, though, so profoundly different than any other issue is the fact we knew it was going to expire. tax rates of 2001. had an expiration date of this january. secondly, the democrats controlled the agenda when the tax issue brought to the floor to be discussed. is there anything else the president could have done and why do you hold him accountable for the fact the parties don't talk? >> i hold both parties accountable. mitch mcconnell made a mistake saying his priority wa

thune went on the record about earmarks. nice to see you again. >> nice to see you, greta. >> greta: i want to get it straight on your view of earmarks and whether we should have them or not have them. >> the american people spoke on that and made it clear they want action on earmarks. we had a number of votes in the last congress. republicans put forward amendments on the senate floor to reform the process by which we spend their money. they were defeated. we had a resolution to put the republicans on record. asking the democrats to follow our lead. >> greta: earmarks are fraction of what we spend? >> people across the country equate earmarks with corruption. there has been abuses of the earmarks over the years. >> this is way to make a clear statement that we've heard what they said in the election and we intend to change. >> public thinking about the earmarks is it's billions of dollars spent on why frogs like to leap or something like that. a lot of money sent for the shock trauma you wants. to upgrade it to take care of

senator thune, what do you make of this? >>guest: high drama in alaska.s you know the last several months quite a thing to watch. but we are glad we will have another republican senator hopefully here soon to give us 47 in the united states senate putting us in a position to exercise more leverage over what happens than prior to the election. >>neil: are you sure she will be in your fold? she won as an independent and she could be bitter the way the republican party treated her? i don't know how this goes. and she might not be such a predictable republican. >>guest: she is indicated clearly that she is going to caucus with the republicans. she is a republican. and she attended our policy luncheon today so my expectation is that she will be a part of our republican caucus and as i said that gives us 47 republicans which we believe is going to give us a lot more influence over what happens in the united states senate. >>neil: without beating the dead horse i raise the point because former alaska governor sarah palin who backed joe miller said she wondered i

up a little bit, people like john thune perhaps.he big elephant in the room as we mentioneded, sarah palin, people like john thune and other republicans who need to get some of that energy are going to stay out of this race until they see what's happening with palin because she sucks up so much oxygen. >> all right, thank you very much. >>> and two of the potential presidential hopefuls, they seem to be fans of each other. mitt romney is sending out a shout out, if you will, to sarah palin on the eve of her second book debut. he wrote, quote, thanks for the kind words in your new book about the role of faith in public life. hope it's a best sell person the book he's referring to, america by heart, comes out tomorrow. and that is also the day "dancing with the stars" winner gets announced. big week for the palin women. nora o'donnell joins me live. it's interesting, with her daughter on this reality show and the whole family on the other reality show, you do have critics saying this cements her as a reality tv star. >> and i don't th

. >> john thune? >> another maybe. it's too early to tell right now. i would answer those questions yes if you knew there was a very aggressive push on staff, if there's a very aggressive push on organization, an aggressive push on building the network of donors you need. i just haven't seen public news about many of those. >> except for governor tim pawlenty. >> he'll be a formidable candidate. >> the pullman piece, "the republican organization is terrified that sarah palin's cultish personality could saddle with an unelectable candidate. ". >> i think there will be a number of candidates running in the tea party and whether they coalesce under governor palin or senator demint is not clear but the challenge for the candidate that may be seen as more establishment, is do they have w the opportunity to be seen as mainstream candidates -- mitch daniels, for example -- while appealing to the excited conservative base right now.ul i think you could take senator thune and governor daniels, and they're conservative, but do they have that factor that says, no

i'll outline those next. ñ÷ 12 i continues with a look at john thune.e top of the hour. ♪ ♪ >> glenn: i often wonder how i will be remembered. in history. i think -- unfortunately i think i know the answer to that. but if i had my choice, i would like to be remembered for a few things. question with boldness. hold to the truth. speak without fear. if you can only learn one thing from the show, i hope it's that. find out for yourself. there are so many people laying a smoke screen down, that you don't know what is going on. you must do your own homework. do you remember your teacher said show your work, show your work! why? because you could see the work, then she knew you knew it. why was that important? i don't know for me because i never had to use math a day in my life. a lot of people use math all the time. you had to know. show your work. do your own homework. this week we focus on george soros. has anyone challenged a single fact with one of their own? i'm playing him in his own words. they call me all kind of names. i think the most popular, i gu

>> bret: thursday, our 12 in 2012 series continues focussing on south dakota senator john thune.ite house is being called out for creative writing that was too creative. we tell you where more money is going thañ÷ >> bret: fresh pickings from the political grapevine. number of federal workers earning $150,000 a year increased ten-fold in the past five years. president obama wants an across the board federal wage increase. jason chaffitz opposes the idea and he told "usa today" -- the paper's analysis of office of personnel management, shows since 2000 federal workers pay increased at 3% above inflation, vs.% 8 of a point for private workers. those making at least $150,000 now make up 4% of the federal workforce, compared to less than a half percent five years ago. some republican lawmakers want investigation after learning the white house rewrote a report on the gulf oil drilling ban to imply that a group of scientists and engineers supported the move. which they did not. americans for prosperity says it's, "reprehensible" that president obama's administration would modify langua

barbour, daniels, gingrich, huckabee, gypped jind, palin, tim pawlenty, pence, romney, thune. i am sure there will be others. there is no clear front runner. in 2008, mccain came in second. republicans genetically like to give the next guy, the guy in second a chance. in 2000, bush had the brand. we liked his dad. 2006, bob dole came in second. he deserved a shot. '88 was george bush, reagan's vice president. there is no front runner. romney. and huckabee strong at the end. palin, v.p. i have don't think there is an epresumptive front runner to be in the -- >> wait. by the analysis you gave, that the republicans typically nominate the guy who came in second last time, why not romney? is it the massachusetts healthcare plan that disqualifies him or not? >> we are in a different place. republican lost the genetic predisposition. every one of the candidates will have strength and challenges. they'll aum come out of the block in the same way. there's not one group here and one here. they each face three challenges. what is narrative? why could it be you and not obama? what vision

senator john thune is back. why is he back a second night in a row? you have to wait to find out.ident obama has news tonight. we talk about the royal wedding next spring. ambassador bolton is here. action-packed. >> sean: i hear you'll be here tomorrow night. >> greta: i am. >> sean: see you then. greta is coming up "on the record" in a few minutes. let not your heart be troubled, our great, great, great american panel. ♪ ♪ hey, guys, i know i've been bad at this in the past, so i've come up with some mnemonic devices to help me learn your nas. hello, a "penny" saved a "penny" earned. oh, that's 'cause fedex ground helps you save money. that'sht, penny. do you know ours? heavens to betsy. dwayne the bathtub. magic wanda. ah! what's mine? uh, you're a dan fool. oh. it's just a device, dan. you c take it personally. yeah, i suppose. [ male announcer ] we uerstand. you need a partner whhelps you save. fedex ground. we get double miles on everyurchase. so we earned a holiday trip to the big apple twice as fast! dinner! [ garth ] we get double miles every time we use our card. and sin

huckabee and newt gingrich, it goes on and on, tim pawlenty, mitch daniels, haley bar bower, john thune she tops the list? >> you can't dismiss her. a lot of positives for her, big crowds, lots of enthusiasm, great following. the negatives for her. she could win a republican primary. she absolutely could win a republican primary. we have seen her play in republican primaries during this 2010 election. a general election is a different story. one of the big issues for her, number one, they are looking squarely at her negatives, particularly her negatives among independents. she is jun siupside down with t public at large and among independents. that's something in a general election a candidate has to do, win over independents and mod rots. could she win the general election? it's an uphill battle. why? because people look at that number on her negatives, especially with independents. >> dominico, thank for filling in the gaps. let's bring in norah o'donnell. she has a new book coming out. will that do anything to change sarah palin's negatives? >> it will, i think, further boost her pop

barbour, daniels, gingrich, huckabee, jen , palin, pawlenty, pence, rom they, santorum, thune, jindal bill o'reilly, i left him out. excuse me i got a cold. we had four bunched together nobody getting more than 19%. because the republican genetic predisposition to picking a front runner each contest is not there this time. that's why i'm harden -- heartened. as to governor palin. i did raise a question as to whether or not doing the show on tlc was the best use of her time whether it made her look presidential or gave her a chance to campaign for as many as she could. guess what, i'm a commentator. i'm sorry if she took offense. i hope every candidate has a tougher skin. i've said nice things about her and i've raised a question. a confident candidate doesn't get thrown off by that. a confident candidate says people are entitled to their opinion. >> sean: you do recognize she is going to be a force if she runs, right? >> absolutely. i've been saying for a year and a half when these smart commentators, columnists for "the new york times" say she shouldn't run i say that's not up to u i

for brand new face in republican party the ones that intrigue me the most is mitch daniels and john thunei'm keeping my eye on those two and see what the other more experienced candidates. >> laura: joe trippi is mumbling something about joe miller over here? >> both of those will be a problem. both of them could be problems for democrats in 2012. >> laura: interesting. great to see you both. fascinating. the more the merrier get into the race. i love it. are congressional democrats streaming at the white house. i mentioned it. we will talk to a congressman who met with president obama on who met with president obama on the issues justñ÷ >> laura: in the book back of the book segment tonight when president obama was elected he promised a comprehensive immigration reform bill also known to some people as amnesty during the first year of his administration. he failed to get it done so far and the latino community is not happy. this week many of their leaders had a meeting at the white house. so now the president wants the lame duck congress to pass the so-called dream act which would prov

>> bret: thursday, our 12 in 2012 series continues focussing on south dakota senator john thune.he white house is being called out for creative writing that was too creative. we tell you where more money is going than ever before. [ female announcer ] with rheumatoid arthritis, there's the life you live... and the life you want to live. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis,@ lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. ask your doctor if you live or have lived in an area where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or

for brand new face in republican party the ones that intrigue me the most is mitch daniels and john thunem keeping my eye on those two and see what the other more experienced candidates. >> laura: joe trippi is mumbling something about joe miller over here? >> both of those will be a problem. both of them could be problems for democrats in 2012. >> laura: interesting. great to see you both. fascinating. the more the merrier get into the race. i love it. are congressional democrats streaming at the white house. i mentioned it. we will talk to a congressman who met with president obama on the issues just moments away. i like to volunteer... hit the courts... and explore new places. i'm breathing better with spiriva. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled maintenance treatment for both forms of copd... which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. i take it every day... it keeps my airways open to help me breathe better all day long. spiriva does not replace fast acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens, yo

--ji ou say j9i -0 john thune, you can think of him that way. haley barber, the smartest political might in the universe. people say it he isfat -- is a fat lobbyists. he is from mississippi. have you ever look to see where mississippi sit in the statistics for help, education, and income. not an ideal place to be in a presidential campaign. haley barber. he will do for the united states what he did for mississippi. i am not saying mississippi is his fault. just think of the reality of running for president and what the ads will be. who does that leave us? it leaves us the toys that someone told me -- choice someone told me he is interested in. one is mitch daniels. he worked at and a 4 senator -- for senator lugar. his is short, slight and bald. i can identify with some of that. he is not your typical politician. may be 2012 will be the year for someone short, slight and bald. he is very white. maybe he is the counterweight to barack obama. it is not clear that he is completely committed. he is a family person. his wife may not want him to run.

. >> look, i think you have to look a little bit at thune.n and of himself, but he's -- senator thune. i think he's interesting. i know chris christie has said he's not running, but he's so interesting, and, you know, you've had him on. he's just a great get. he's the only politician i've ever seen in my life who actually can take on an audience and actually come out looking better. and, you know, i think you've got to watch marco rubio only because the republicans are so excited about him, and, oh, this is our barack obama, and i don't think in two years they're going to do the same thing that the democrats did with rubio having two years of experience, but i think he's -- both of those guys are up and comers, and i think they will play a part in the presidential race, if not run. so i think they're interesting to watch. >> uh-huh. >> i think that newt gingrich will announce in january in iowa that he's going to run. and i think he'll be the first one to make the announcement. but beyond that i have no idea. i think it is totally wide open.

. >> look, i think you have to look a little bit at thune.k he's - he's just interesting in and of himself, but he's -- senator thune. i think he's interesting. i know chris christie has said he's not running, but he's so interesting, and, you know, you've had him on. he's just a great get. he's the only politician i've ever seen in my life who actually can take on an audience and actually come out looking better. and, you know, i think you've got to watch marco rubio only because the republicans are so excited about him, and, oh, this is our barack obama, and i don't think in two years they're going to do the same thing that the democrats did with rubio having two years of experience, but i think he's -- both of those guys are up and comers, and i think they will play a part in the presidential race, if not run. so i think they're interesting to watch. >> uh-huh. >> i think that newt gingrich will announce in january in iowa that he's going to run. and i think he'll be the first one to make the announcement. but beyond that i have no idea. i

thune: mr.compliment the senator from nebraska for his leadership on this issue. he has done a great job of advocating on behalf of small businesses, farmers, ranchers. people all across this country are going to be impacted by this onerous provision in the health care bill. my fear is this is something we will be doing and a pattern we will be repeating quite frequently in the years ahead as more and more americans find out what was actually in the democrats' health care bill, but this particular provision really is egregious because it requires various entities to send their suppliers 1099 forms if they engage in business-to-business transactions that total more than $600 in a single year. let me just say, mr. president, that i believe that everyone ought to pay their fair share of taxes, but i'm concerned that the burdens of compliance falls not on the tax delinquents but sneddon the countless businesses, churches, local governments and nonprofits who pay their taxes on time and in full or ma

. >> thank you, senator thune. senator web? >> i would like to congratulate both of you for being selected for these responsibilities. i have no doubt that both of these commands will be in excellent hands. general keller's interesting review yesterday as we discussed, my father send a good bit of his air force career in vandenberg and it brought back a lot of memories of really amazing work that his generational cohort did in terms of pioneering these programs that have matured into the discussion we are having today and a lot of people don't realize the jeopardy this country was in in the 1950s after the soviet union had gotten ahead of us with the sputnik program. the discussions we are having and the issues we're facing a are a direct impact from the quality of work that generation put into this. having grown a good part of my life on those two bases i wish you the best. general -- general ham, have had a discussion here about the dot study on the don't ask don't tell issue and i asked the chairman of the subcommittee how m

chairman, and thank you for your service. >> think you, senator thune. senator web. >> i would like to congratulate both of you for having been selected to undertake these responsibilities. i have no doubt from the quality of service to have already given our country that both of these commands would be in excellent hands. general kehler, it was interesting to visit with you yesterday. my father spent most of his air force career in sac. it brought back a lot of memories of the really amazing work that his generational courts did in terms of pioneering that have matured into the discussion we're having today. a lot of people do not realize the jeopardy this country was in in the late 1950's when russia had gotten ahead of us. the discussions we are having and the issues we face down are a direct product of the quality of the work that generation put into this. having grown up a good part of my life on those two bases, i wish you the best. general ham, we have had discussions here about the d.o.t. study -- d.o.d. study on don't ask, don't tell. i apprecia

keep an eye, dark horse for 2012, senator john thune of south dakota. >> let me, before we wrap thisant to show you a clip of an interview we had with the president a couple of months ago, because it leads into a discussion of historians. let's watch this and be right back. >> you quietly on two occasions snuck in a bunch of historians, a little bit of an off-the- record meeting over -- i believe it's over in the dining room -- >> yes, that's right. >> -- over in the state dining room. what's your relationship with history? obviously -- i know one says there were nine of them. >> right. >> and tell us about the way you feel about the history. >> well, you know, when you occupy this office, you are constantly reminded that you are just one of the series of people who dedicated their lives to protecting the country and making our democracy function. it's a very humbling experience. and so, i spend a lot of time reading history, just to remind myself of the standards i have to live up to -- also, mistakes that have been made in the past by occupants of this office. then, having the chan

if you are a governor, haley barbour, senator like mike thune, i don't think it's going to hurt themuch to get out there. i think the democratic primaries and 11 people on stage, 20 debates, things happen. look at mike huckabee. came from nowhere. he was a compelling debater. also found in niche in the terms of consistencies. good for for "the weekly standa" it will be an exciting, i think, republican primary race. which they haven't all been. like i said, they tend to appoint the next person. how strong do you think ultimately president obama is or could be? all republicans are spooked by the memory of '95, '96, clinton came back so effectively. on the other hand, there's times when presidents haven't come back effectively. and they have lost. >> what do you think where president obama starts from? if he'd have been running this year, he'd have lost. he's got a lot of ground to make up. and he's not as depth, nimble, he doesn't come as president clinton was. he doesn't come from a state and a political culture that is fairly conservative as clinton did in arkansas. you know, clinton

>> the obvious suspects like mitt romney, but i think you need to look at thune. he is interesting.k he is interesting. i know chris christi -- >> i don't think in two years they are going to do the same thing that the democrats did it with rubio having to years of experience, but i did see both of those guys are up and comers and i think that will play a part in the presidential race. it will be interesting to watch. >> i think that newt gingrich will announce in january in iowa that he's going to run. i think he will be the first one to make the announcement, but beyond that, i have no idea. i think it is totally wide open. i don't think any republican has emerged yet. >> you have a hunch as to whether sarah palin will run? >> my hunch has always been that she would not, but now i am beginning to second-guess myself and think she might actually do it. >> i have been with offer a long time but i to second-guess. i thought for a long time she was not doing this instead of things you would do if you were going to run for office. i think a lot of that is out the window. i think of is

. >> look, i think you have to look a little bit at thune.k he's -- he's just interesting in and of himself, but he's -- senator thune. i think he's interesting. i know chris christie has said he's not running, but he's so interesting, and, you know, you've had him on. he's just a great get. he's the only politician i've ever seen in my life who actually can take on an audience and actually come out looking better. and, you know, i think you've got to watch marco rubio only because the republicans are so excited about him, and, oh, this is our barack obama, and i don't think in two years they're going to do the same thing that the democrats did with rubio having two years of experience, but i think he's -- both of those guys are up and comers, and i think they will play a part in the presidential race, if not run. so i think they're interesting to watch. >> uh-huh. >> i think that newt gingrich will announce in january in iowa that he's going to run. and i think he'll be the first one to make the announcement. but beyond that i have no idea.

. >> look, i think you have to look a little bit at thune. i think he's -- he's just interesting in and of himself, but he's -- senator thune. i think he's interesting. i know chris christie has said he's not running, but he's so interesting, and, you know, you've had him on. he's just a great get. he's the only politician i've ever seen in my life who actually can take on an audience and actually come out looking better. and, you know, i think you've got to watch marco rubio only because the republicans are so excited about him, and, oh, this is our barack obama, and i don't think in two years they're going to do the same thing that the democrats did with rubio having two years of experience, but i think he's -- both of those guys are up and comers, and i think they will play a part in the presidential race, if not run. so i think they're interesting to watch. >> uh-huh. >> i think that newt gingrich will announce in january in iowa that he's going to run. and i think he'll be the first one to make the announcement. but beyond that i have no

. >> the governor's race will help thune. >> i will let you comment on west virginia. what do you think will happen there? >> that is the 10th seed. if there is a national wave, given that it is a totally anti- obama state, i think if there is a wave, they will lose. >> he could easily lose that race. given the demographics of west virginia, i do not think it is a long shot. it is a 50%-50% chance. >> washington state? >> polls have basically shown the same thing. you can walk away thinking that it is probably true. it is a close race. >> i think patty murray is close enough. it is a terrific illustration of what is at work this year. she is campaigning on all the things that she has brought to that state. and that, in this year, is a negative. she seems the consummate insider for having gotten money from washington. >> it is hard for these old timers to run. i am on the proportions and i can dole out port. all of this is now -- i am on the appropriations and i can dole out pork. all of this is now that. >> one of the great untold stories of the cycle is the democrats

john thune of south dakota. tim pawlenty of minnesota gets out of office january 3rd. newt gingrich almost certainly running. there will be a couple. but the person who can merge the fiscal and conservative lane. >> but the money is on mitt romney? >> people say he is the person to beat because he was the top front-runner last year. i can tell you the obama white house has been most focused on him. the democratic national committee starting to hit all of them. they love it when the dnc hit them because it means they're paying attention. >> remember rudy giuliani was the shoe-in two years before that. >> rudy versus hillary. >> mike, thanks. great stuff. >> coming up if accident, a look at the remarkable comeback of ford motors with cnbc's "king of cars." the great phil lebeau will be with us. [ male announcer ] in the event of a collision, the smartest thing you could do is cut the fuel supply, unlock the doors, and turn on the hazards. or get a car that does it for you. ♪ but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got c

he has been in congress and the senate longer, but when you say john thune you do not think of a particular policy or legislation. he could do that in the next year. he is interesting to watch. haley barbour is the strongest political mind in the universe, let alone the planet, but for president, running out of mississippi, let us leave the lobbyists side of it. haley always talks about he is a fat lobbyist. let us leave the weight issue out of it. he is from mississippi. have you looked to see where mississippi sits on the statistics in terms of health, education, and income? not exactly the ideal place to be in a presidential campaign. he will do to the united states what he does to mississippi. i am not saying haley is responsible for the state ranks on income or education. certainly not. it are preceded haley. but think of the realities of luck -- of running for president, what people would say. what does that leave us? it leaves us the choice, a republican member of congress told me the other day, of people he is particularly interested in. one is mitch daniels from indiana, who is kin

you could take thune or daniels and they are conservative but do they have the excitement and factor that says i'm not part of the establishment. that is an open question. host: our sunday roundtable looking at politics. the next congress prepares to attack office in january. we will get to your phone calls in a moment and you can join us online with the twitter page or send us an e-mail. the "washington post" what are the issues that will come up i will read what is written. g.o.p. senators are planning an internal vote on a moratorium proposed by jim demint to ban republicans from passing earmar earmarks steering money to pet projects in their home states. they are hraol -- lampooned and are seen as political liabilitiless. part of the proc because it has driven them. i think we will have the debate and it will be fast and furious. >> this is from john. i hate earmarks except the one in my community. let's wash that new fire truck my congressman got for me. guest: i think he is making the argument that they are a check on presidential power. i don't think that argument will take hi

sorry, john thune is #four and senator barrasso is no. 5 and then senator cornyn. there was a vote yesterday to keep him in that role. then five position, senator barrasso, a lot of different. lisa murkowski had stepped down from that when she launched her write-in bid, she was asked to step down. let us look at the democrats will be leaving their caucus in the senate. a senator in no way, president pro tem -- inouye. senator dick durbin, assistant majority leader. chuck schumer, vice chair of the conference and share of the democratic policy committee. senator patty murray, secretary of conference and did the stabbing now, by chair -- debbie stabenow, vice chair. speaking of the alaska senate race, we mentioned senator murkowski. "anchorage daily news" reports she is leading the vote count but joe miller once a can three counts. -- demand a recount. senator murkowski is expected to announce her victory later on today. let's go to our democrats' line in hollywood, florida. do you think leadership elections matter? caller: i think nancy pelosi has been a very effect

senator thune? >> thank you, mr. chairman.general kehler and general ham thank you very much for your great service to your country and your willingness to take

john thune who wants to run for president who better get with the reform program if he wants to do itna. needs to go to dickmorris.com right now in the morning before the vote and get the phone number and call them. if there's nobody there, leave a message with your view because it's really important that we pass this. this will send a huge message. i think, by the way, if this passes, the republicans in the senate, the house republicans have to do it and then i think the democrats will follow suit. >> it's hard to imagine any of those names that you brought up not following behind him. we'll see what happens today. only one democrat has come out in support so far, and the president of the united states salutes the effort. this could be the beginning of what is it's going to be like for the next two years. the president agreeing with republicans, could this be a trend? >> well, obama campaigned on the basis of opposing earmarks and then in his stimulus package, he included, you know, $800 billion worth of it and all of his budgets, assigned budgets with huge earmarks in it and this re

. >> the governor's race will help thune. >> i will let you comment on west virginia.hat do you think will happen there? >> that is the 10th seed. if there is a national wave, given that it is a totally anti- obama state, i think if there is aave, they will lose. >> he could easily lose that race. given the demographics of west virginia, i do not think it is a long shot. it is a 50%-50% chance. >> washiton state? >> polls have basically shown the same thing. you can walk away tnking that it is probably true. it is a close race. >> i think patty murray is close enough. it is a terrific illustration of what is at work this year. she is campaigning on all the things that she has brought to that state. and that, in this year, is a negative. she seems the consummate insider for having gotten money from washington. >> it is hard for these old timers to run. i am on the proportions and i can dole out port. all ofhis is now -- i am on the appropriations and i can dole out pork. all of this is now that. >> one of the great untold stories of the cycle is the democrats did what y

preaching in the emotional style of foot field while embracing the calvinist the knowledge of john thune efforts the brilliant hastert and theologian of massachusetts. the news of the opening of the war clinics in ten and concord massachusetts in april, 1775 kunkel a free to leave his congregation and vermont to serve the patriot cause. in the army, a free spent most of his days praying with sick and dying soldiers who were facing the threat of morrill disease more often than any fire. he occasionally served on reconnaissance and century duty, too. he was one of more than 100 chaplains in the continental army where faith play a vital role. after the battle of bunker hill, a free flight with general george washington through new york and new jersey during the bleak fall of 1776. washington had evacuated new york city just barely escapes and capture by the british that august. following defeat at white plains and port washington in new york, washington's army retreated into new jersey and pennsylvania. it was the darkest time in the war and many began to wonder whether washington had what

south dakota senator john thune and new jersey governor chris christie. and former florida governor jeb bush. analysts say one of these candidates may be best equipped to take on president obama. >> pawlenty, barbour, mitch daniels, those are three that i'm going to be watching very, very carefully. >> and there's the grass roots bracket, tea party favorites who could attract evangelical support especially in the key states of iowa and south carolina. former arkansas governor mike huckabee ran before and could again, along with perennial hopeful former house speaker newt gingrich. but they may all be eclipsed by sarah palin who admits she is considering a run. >> if there's nobody else to do it, then of course i would believe that we should do this. >> reporter: the key question when it comes to picking the nominee, will the tea party movement have veto power over the gop establishment or want to choose one of their own? >> i think the tea party will be involved in choosing our nominee. but i don't think it will be anything like monolithic. >> and will ba