but i do not think the white house was truly ready for it. we talked about the compromise on tax cuts with the politics not being figure out. they are not ready to make this deal. i think there is a lot more that needs to be said. i do not see a lot of work in the future. >> what prevents and nancy pelosi from running for office again? normally when you lose an election, you fall on your sword and you go to harvard school and teach politics. >> she wants to grasp onto that last thread of power. it is bewildering. i would never have guessed she would have stayed. i would have thought she would have retired. there were advertisements running against nancy pelosi, even democrats running against their own speaker. she feels that she has a more progressive caucus now. she feels representative of -- >> the traditional left? >> a lot more left wing. a lot of the democrats who left were conservative democrats. a lot of those people were decimated. now we have a more left-wing caucus. >> she really feels like she can leave the loyal opposition for the

he's live at the white house. mike, look, as you can tell from my intro, i'm not buying it from the republicans. >> i gather. >> let's talk about why they might have delayed this treaty. is it to get bigger numbers so they can negotiate better next year or do they just not want to do it? >> there are billions of the table that the white house has said that they will devote towards modernizing the remaining nuclear stockpile. jon kyl wants to look at it longer. jon kyl, the influential member on these issues that the republicans are looking to for leadership here. today, not withstanding jon kyl and influence he has on conservatives in the senate who have 41 members at this moment, come january 5th, they'll have many more. so the margins will be narrowed. but the white house insists all is not lost. quite the opposite. a full measure of confidence, robert gibbs says that they have the votes, it will come up this year and it's going to pass this year. another influential voice, been around for a while on foreign pol

white house aide jim messina took the deal to the oval office.emanuel and obama believed there was an implicit threat attached. if they didn't agree to the deal, billy tauzin could do real damage. >> from the point of obama and the finance committee, it's a huge advantage to have this interest group on your side. >> phrma certainly had deep enough pockets to do some real damage, advertising-wise, if it wanted to. >> if you can stop $100 million from being spent to attack your plan, that looks very, you know, that's not such a bad deal. >> narrator: but taking the deal meant the president would back off his campaign promise to dramatically cut drug prices. >> we talked about it. it's always been my practice not to reveal conversations i've had with the president or people in the white house. >> narrator: tom daschle continued to visit the oval office in an unofficial capacity. >> the president saw it as an opportunity to seize the moment, you know, to get signatures on the line, to say, "this looks like an opportunity we haven't had before. so let

i need more time. >> right, it's a big embarrassment for the white house.he president is going to meet in portugal this weekend. they're going to talk about it. he thought he had a deal in hand and now it looks like no. >> bret: ok. up next, general motors' comeback and today's ipo. you can get all the details as we head to break, head to é;çwwómçnh@ox÷Ñú >> today, one of the toughest tales of the recession took another big step towards becoming a success story. general motors relaunched itself as a public company. cutting the government's stake in the company by nearly half. what's more, american taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in g.m. and that's a very good thing. >> bret: president obama celebrating the return of general motors to the u.s. stock market today. the stock rose from $33 a share to close at about $34.19 but the u.s. government did get a big chunk back from all of that and they hope to get more as you heard the president. what about this? we're back with the panel. julie, the president is obviou

you can also submit questions on twitter or facebook. >>> still ahead right here, former bush white house communications director nicolle wallace on her former boss's memoir and her own book. next, can house democrats avoid a leadership showdown? send me your thoughts, you can find me on twitter at andrea mitchell reports. nk ♪ ♪ i hate-- didn't quite catch that last bit. i said i really love my bank. right... is there a problem ? it's not really raging, man. uh, we were hoping for more raging ? well, you said write from the heart. yeah... don't do that. at ally, you'll love our online savings account. named the best of 2010 by money magazine. ally. do you love your bank ? [ malhis day starts thwith his arthritis pain.. that's breakfast with two pills. the morning is over, it's time for two more pills. the day marches on, back to more pills. and when he's finally home... but hang on; just two aleve can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is steven, who chose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

the white house.dent obama being briefed this morning on north korea. director of national intel against james clapper and national security adviser tom do donne left updating the president obama. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up to keep your business moving. blackberry torch now just $99.99. only from at&t. rethink possible. blackberry torch now just $99.99. naturally colorful vegetables are often a good source of vitamins, fiber, or minerals. and who brings you more natural colors than campbell's condensed soups? campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? i'm going to tidy up your side of the office. i can't hear you because i'm also making you a smoothie. [ male announcer ] marriott hotels & resor

but we begin tonight at the white house. president obama takes his basketball very seriously, and today things got rough during a pickup game. a stray elbow sent the president to the doctor, where he received 12 stitches in his mouth. sharyl attkisson is at the white house tonight with a post-game report. sharyl, how is our m.v.p. doing? >> reporter: he's all right, maggie. mishaps happen to everyone, of course. but when it's the president, it's bound to get a lot of attention. dabbing his injured mouth, president obama was escorted into his car at fort mcnair army post in washington, d.c. he'd taken an elbow to the upper lip playing defense in a five on five basketball game with family and friends. late today, the white house revealed the owner of the elbow in question, ray deserega, who works for the congressional

this is "white house chronicle."e always glad to hear from the viewers and listeners and get in touch with us through our whchronc ich is pbs.o icle.com. we have about 420 stations, some public, some public access and quite a few of them are commercial. as we were saying -- >> another factor debt -- that does not immediately come to mind is immigration. our top graduate schools are stuffed with asian people, people coming from india, and korea and the like are they get top education and guess what? they go back and use all that technology in their home country. if we had a smart immigration policy to let people in and keep people out who should not be here, we might see more progress on the science side. >> sharon, in this constant drumbeat of more math and science, what do you think the political goal is? is it thought out to? if we have enough of these people will we invent a new internet or a new google or a nuclear power plants? >> no, i don't think there is a goal. we make it more difficult for foreign graduate

i have become very active since i left the white house in habitat for humanity. every year come rosa and i go and build houses for very poor people. the thing i learned most since i left the white house is about those kind of people who are suffering and do quite often are aliterate, -- who are illiterate, who are poverty- stricken and quite often forgotten or ignored on earth. i have learned that they are just as good as dying. they are just as intelligent and hard working, just as ambitious, their family values are as good as mine. i was asked at the turn of the century, -- the turn of the millennium, what is the greatest challenge that the world faces in the new millennium. i made two speeches on that subject read it was the same speech, one in asia and one in europe. the greatest challenge i think that the world faces is the growing chasm between rich people and poor people. it is not just chasm but it is spreading -- it is getting greater every year. that is a case in almost every country on earth and it is the issue between rich countries and poor countries

and they actually blame the white house. they told the white house they couldn't meet on this day because of all of the orientation meetings. i do not think the answer to the question this is not about disrespect. this is scheduling. >> you know washington better that this is carefully stage managed. a snafu, i don't think so. there are two thing, one may be waiting out the clock on this congress and two, maybe the republicans remember that nasty meeting they had in baltimore in january with the president where he just wiped the ground with them talking about health care. i think they may be worried -- >> you think that baltimore incident has everything to do? >> i do. >> let me -- >> they're not going to bring cameras into this meeting so i don't think that's the problem. i do think it had to do with the scheduling. and frankly, what's going on on both sides of the congress, house and senate, democrats and republicans, they're trying to get organized for the new year and this is a bad time to have the meeting. >> a meeting,

it's about abuse of power by the white house.nd this is not the first time the white house in our country's history has abused power. in this particular case, it involved a decision to go to war. there really is no more serious decision the president of the united states makes than to go to war. so to have abused the power of the white house and to manipulate the country to the extent which they did for a decision that's as solemn as going to war, that's the story that i want to tell. >> the deception about wmd i think we all now appreciate and understand. the question that i have is what did the white house gain by outing valerie plame? what was the -- sort of the political game, or was it just retributi retribution? was it venom? i don't see their political purpose there. >> i don't know, and unlike other hollywood filmmakers who might make up a scene, you know, and just make up a scene in the white house, i stuck to scenes that actually took place. you'd appreciate it as a lawyer that i actually used court transcripts. and the

chip reid is at the white house tonight. chip, this is something new for a president who for the first two years had his party in control of both houses of congress. >> reporter: well, katie, it's a whole new political world for the president, and today, he began the readjustment by taking responsibility for his party's failures. >> it feels bad. >> reporter: a contrite president obama didn't hide how it felt after what he called a long and humbling election night. >> i'm not recommending for every future president that they take a shellacking like i did last night. ( laughter ) i don't know, i'm sure there are easier ways to learn these lessons. >> reporter: he said the message from voters was clear. >> we want you to work harder to arrive at consensus. we want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy. >> reporter: he said he looks forward to finding common ground with republicans. >> i think there are going to be a whole bunch of areas where we can agree on. >> reporter: for example, he's willing to consider compromi

how is the white house reacting to that?reporter: in many ways it puts a fine point on the results of the election being a total rejection of president obama. some would say theremy be an opportunity here in the sense that if voters are looking to congress to get things done to set policy, then that also puts the honous on republicans to get something done. perhaps that's theç silver ling they'll be looking for in a poll that has a lot of clout. >> savannah guthrie, thank you so much. david gregory, always home and "meet the press" on sunday. >> we're waiting for the top of the program for more on that. bobby jindal will join us to talk about the republican party and some of his complaints about the administration in the gulf oil spill as well as our political round table. >> possibly another republican candidate that is becoming a bigger field. >> right. >> what's at stake with the new arms treaty? deputy national security adviser dennis mcdoneoug from the white house. you can find me on twitter at mitchell reports. only o

is mike pence looking to change the house of representatives for the white house? that's next. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] here's hoping you find something special in your driveway this holiday. ♪ [ santa ] ho ho ho! [ male announcer ] get an exceptional offer on the mercedes-benz you've always wanted at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends soon. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t and blackberry have teamed up to keep your business moving. blackberry torch now just $99.99. only from at&t. rethink possible. just don't feel like they used to. are you one of them? remember when you had more energy for 18 holes with your buddies? [ glass shatters ] more passion for the one you love? more fun with your family and friends? it could be a treatable condition called low testosterone, or low t. c'mon, stop living in the shadows. you've got a life to live. [ male announcer ] so don't blame it on aging. talk to your doctor and go to isitlowt.com to find out more. >> bret: as a member of the house republican leadership indiana congressman mike pence was very vis

you left the white house 30 years ago.re you publishing this diary now after all these years because you're perhaps trying to change the shorthand verdict that your presidency was unsuccessful? >> no, that's not the reason at all. i was aamaze the 5,000 pages and i was really surprised, most of all by how many of the issues i had to face back in those days that are still on the desk for president obama to address. both in domestic and foreign affairs, energy and health care and dealing with the budget on the one hand and foreign affairs, obviously afghanistan still. >> that's right. >> middle east peace process, dealing with china. i could do g down a long list, nuclear arms control. i thought it would be good to give the american public insights in the successes and failures, good and bad sides of a very action-packed and i think very successful administration. >> you write about the press in this book. what jumped out at me you did not want to go and be part of thee entertainment the at white house correspondence dinner,

obama white house. a white house trying to recover from its midterm elections she lacking. we knew the top political adviser david axelrod was leaving to set up the president's re-election campaign. our senior white house correspondent ed henry is hearing that change and others are moving at an accelerated pace. >> cnn has learned all this may be moving very quickly. in fact, david axelrod as you noted has been saying publicly he'll probably leave in about six months or so, is now likely to leave right after the president's state of the union, late january, early february. the reason he's it tired, he's been doing this here at the white house nearly two years, on the campaign for two years before that. he wants to go to chicago as you said, set up the campaign. first wants to take time off before he jumps into 2012. the second piece of information we're picking up is that david plouffe the president's former campaign manager will be coming in as a senior adviser in early january at the beginning of 2012

the white house suggested a new date and the new meeting will now be on november 30th. >> the white house suggested it. >> that comes from mcconnell's office. >> i was about to go off on republicans here. i believe when the president of the united states invites you, you go. >> absolutely, and he has before. >> you know what mitch mcconnell deserves right now? >> an apology? >> no, come on man! >> mcconnell is saying, though, that -- mcconnell is saying that the president's people suggested they reschedule -- >> quote, the white house suggested a new date and the new meeting will now be on november 30th. >> all right. >> that's not what politico is reporting. >> here it is. i like mike, go with joe. >> get him off the set. >> do you know how much i get paid for this kind of stuff? here it is right here for free. >> in pink. >> maybe that's what's wrong with america. maybe that's why our economy is tanking, you get paid -- >> you saw the career process unfold in the most organic -- you saw a movement start. you saw a captain of industry jump aboard and you saw the magic unfold. >> can i ju

now over to the white house and chip reid. chip, what legally can the administration actually do about these leaks? >> reporter: well, today, katie, attorney general eric holder threatened to come down hard on wikileaks with the full legal weight of the federal government. >> there's a predicate for us to believe that crimes have been committed here and we are in the process of investigating those crimes. >> reporter: at the white house, press secretary robert gibbs went even further, finding wikileaks guilty before charges have even been filed. >> wikileaks and people that disseminate information to people like this are criminals. >> reporter: wikileaks founder julian assange has not revealed who gaye him the documents, but officials believe it was army private bradley manning. he's in a military prison in virginia charged with leaking other classified information that investigators believe he downloaded while serving as a u.s. intelligence officer in iraq. on capitol hill, some republicans are calling on the justice departme

we were having a very fancy white house lunch. and i was having the peanut butter and honey and whole wheat toast. he has to pay for his meals. i have to pay for mine. you be very careful about what you order. he said i wanted to write a book. he said be truth, admit what we did wrong, and be frank. i tried to do that. i've never written a book. this is my first. maybe the last. it was a great experience. the more you write and the more you own it, the more you get drawn from the big arc of the story down to chapters and episodes and pages and paragraphs and phrases. so at the end of the process, you have really honed this thing done, you've lost the arc. the big arc. the week before i was supposed to announce -- to launch the book, the last week of february of this year, i got a messenger at my door. it wasn't a fedex package. it was a messenger. i had to sign for it. inside is the first copy of the book that i'd ever seen with a note from my publisher, simon and schuster. before you go on "the today show" reread your book. i did

for me that's because of this essential fault line in this white house. >> another bill clinton lesson is that he started campaigning the day after the disastrous midterm elections that were actually worse for him. he lost the house and the senate in his second year. he started campaigning for re-election that day. is the obama white house in campaign re-elect mode now? >> not right now, but it's most clearly focused on that. you're going to see people drift away very quickly to re-establish things in chicago. i will say this about what i saw at the start of this year coming straight after the massachusetts defeat. everyone said at the time this presidency's over, the agenda's over. they recovered themselves. they revived themselves by getting back to a campaign mode. so people have said before, they said after new hampshire, they said after texas and ohio, this guy was finished. when he we gains that campaign identi identity, when he revives himself that way, he can connect with people. now, this is a bigger challenge than massachusetts, of course, but campaign spirit is what got heal

i mean, basically they need to work with the white house. is the white house aware? new chief of staff -- is that team geared up to try to fix the problems with with the hill? >> well, i think the most interesting thing of the meeting between democratic leaders and the president yesterday at the white house is the president apparently turned to harry reid and said, look, we can't have a strategy on tax cuts or anything else until you tell me what your conference will actually do. and so reid went back and conviened this 3 1/2-hour meetig and i have to tell you right now i don't think they have a game plan. >> thanks so much, glenn. thanks for being with us. >>> coming up next, the showdown over s.t.a.r.t. we'll talk with ambassador richard burt who negotiated the original s.t.a.r.t. treat country in 1991. >>> and prince charles opening up in an nbc interview with brian williams. don't forget the hour-long "dateline" special tonight on nbc. >> what do you see as the job description of prince of wales? >> well, the trouble is there isn't a job description so you have t

to what degree is there a white house green light? >> the white house has been very careful.ran on the idea of changing the way that politics worked. part of that was changing the influence of special interest money in the political system and for him to be seen as dialing that back when he has already been criticized on that front for opt onning out of the public financing system in the 2008 campaign and has attacked so aggressively the u.s. chamber of commerce and some of the republican-alley republican-allied interest groups. i think we'll see subtle signals it's okay to give again. perhaps we'll see donors in support of his 2008 campaign giving to one or more of these types of groups. >> the devil's advocate question, partial donor on disclosure, isn't that as bad as the rove group? >> the white house said if this is going to occur, they're not going to fight it, but would really like to see disclosure. i think if you talk to advocates for clean elections and for reducing money in politics, that's the last pillar of the modern campaign finance regime. there is going to be

to chill by white house correspondent. he had been trying to get on the vice president's plane in early two thousand and four. there was no. it's my belief. a lot of journalists did not ask hard questions of this administration's policies particularly in the run up to the war because they were afraid of. what happened to me and has happened to others an example of media ownership matters to democracy for reporting. on the reasons why they are being asked to go and risk life and limb and health and family and everything else. then we're doing our job and if that displeases the secretary of defense if it just pleases the vice president so be it. we. think it's the biggest scandal of the bush administration is the story of reporters who protected their access to top officials first and put their responsibility to the public laughs. the story really begins with him bastard joseph wilson wilson was the acting ambassador to iraq before the first gulf war when saddam hussein took more than one hundred americans hostages joe wilso

when the president invites a bipartisan group from congress to come to the white house, why would republicans say, we're too busy, let's reschedule it later after thanksgiving? >> i don't know what happened on the house side with speaker-elect boehner. you may want to check with him on that. i'm looking forward to working with the president on things like control of earmarks which, as we know subwith one of the gateway problems of the big spending problems in this country. we need to go towards a balanced budget. that's what the republicans voted for yesterday, cutting the size of government, getting spending down to 2008 levels. those are all important things. when the president wanted to work on clean coal technology, i'm for that. nuclear energy, i'm for that. increased trade, i'm for working with him on all those things. >> what about s.t.a.r.t.? i know you voted against it. you were one of the opponents. now senator kyle has thrown a road block up. let me read you something from the former wyoming republican senator, alan simpson. he wrote the modest reductions in russian and u.s. nuclea

bush white house is phenomenal. you know, a few sentences, this is what happened, this is what's going on. because i have 18 months, i'm able to do a total universe portrait. in a sense, it's barack obama, you don't know and have not seen. >> host: well, let's look at one the clips. then we'll go to calls. this is just from september 2008, the war within. one of your several on president bush and the iraq war. talking about the president relationships with the generals. let's listen in. >> the problem is george bush never really solved the dilemma of how -- what is the interaction between the civilian and in the military? he never had the generals so they were close to him so he knew what was going on. so this is all taking place at a distance, or over secure video links to baghdad. and there's not that moment of i kind of call it a come to jesus moment or meeting when he got everyone together and said, look, this is a mess. >> host: compare, contrast, president obama and the generals? >> guest: one the themes here

the white house says, wait a minute.hy aren't they more grateful for the fact that we saved the economy and, by the way, there's a lot of ceos doing pretty well. the dow has bounced back significantly. where's the thanks? >> i talk to ceos all the time about this. they're almost universal in the believe the president is completely 100% tone deaf, he lumped them all together and i talk to democratic ceos who say we have no connection to the white house and they're shocked, surprised. i talked to president obama about this a couple months ago and said how come there is this feeling out there? he sort of laughed it off. he was surprised. i thought he would take it seriously and now maybe he's waking up to hear it. there are a lot who can help him out, alan mulally of ford and federal express ceo and people who did the right thing and holding them up as poster children for american business that's done the right thing. >> this is a very troubling notion, the idea president obama would be speaking to you? >> you speak to me.

as the white house has done, you know that, savannah, the president, white house issued the statement condemning the act and ordering, or at least telling, north korea to halt its aggression and these provocative acts. savannah. >> the latest in provocative actions from the north. we'll get the latest from pentagon spokesman in a few minutes. thank you. president obama is hitting the road today. his first domestic trip since the midterms and taking the vice president with him. john harwood is cnbc's chief white house correspondent. john, i know the white house views this as a twofer. when they go to kokomo, indiana, they can view this. >> the president is making the point stimulus and chrysler paid off big time despite the charges he attracted by those steps that he expanded government and spending and deficits. of course the president has gotten in the last 24 hours an uncomfortable reminders of the depth of the economic pain. velma hart, the woman who became the face for disappointed americans when she told the president she was exhausted at our cnbc town hall meeting in september h

also keeping the white house honest, someone in the white house edited a government report making it look like scientific experts backed this summer's ban on deep water drilling but they didn't. was it intentional manipulation or is a new interior department investigation alleges just a mistake? james carville and congressman steve scalise joins us. and elizabeth smart's nine months in hell, kidnapped when she was only 14 years old. she wrapped up testimony today. john wall much are "america's most wanted" talked to her about her testimony today and joins us in tonight's crime and punishment. we begin tonight as always, keeping them honest with a story that may stun you. amazon.com, the biggest online retailer in the world, is selling a guide for pedophiles. right now on their website, they are selling an e-book for kindle in essence profiting from ped feel pedophila. all they have to do is read the title. it's called "the pedophile's guide to love and pleasure" by phillip grieves and he admits he has feelings for children though he insists he's never acted on them. that's him. it we

and the white house. we're getting reaction in a moment from the president, what's happening there, and also in beijing, china, how will the chinese react? will they condemn this or will they go along with it? all of that still to come on "america's newsroom". martha: this story for you now, the death toll rising from the stampede at a cam bodian festival. this is an awful, unbelieve able story, at least 37le people with dead, hundreds more were injured. a heartbreaking scene, as people try to escape over a narrow bridge, many were either crushed under others or tum bled into the water. it's not clear what sparked all of this, how all of this began. the festival organizers say they had closed another bridge earlier in the day and that forced tens of thousands of people to use this single narrow span, and you can see the awful results of what that led to. >>> violent storms in illinois spawn ago tornado, 80 miles west of chicago. it was in the town of caladonia, homes, businesses and a silo, torn apart. fo

that happened at the white house today. president obama awarded it to army staff sergeant salvatore giunta. on october 25, 2007, they are ambushed by taliban fighters in afghanistan. he braved enemy fire to help a fellow soldier who had been shot. then he chased down militants to pull another wounded comrade to safety and give him first-aid. he is the first living veteran of the afghanistan war to receive the medal of honor. >> sadly our nation has been unable to present this decoration to the recipients themselves because each gave his life, his last full measure of devotion, for our country. indeed as president, i've presented the medal of honor three time. and each time to the families of a fallen hero. >> this is an incredible time but it is also kind of a bittersweet time. times like this, because of this day, i lost two dear friends of mine. specialists hugo mendoza and joshua brennan. and although this is so positive, i would give this back in a second to have my friends with me right now. >> giunta added that the tr

what about at the white house?now it's nighttime there and they don't typically decorate but maybe especially not tonight. what's going on there? >> judy, at the republican... if the republicans are calm, that's the word here at the white house as well. the president has come off the road after a whirlwind visit to mid western swing states to gin-up first-time voters, the people who supported him in 2008 to help prevent an electoral catastrophe for democrats. and sort of retired here to the white house in the last 24- 48 hours to do a few radio calls and that sort of thing. but not to, as one white house official told us a little while ago, but not to hunker down in the war room and watch every return as it comes in. rather the belief here that they are exhibiting is that they have done everything they could in a difficult situation, difficulty born of the economy and not so much what barack obama did or did not do, though he admits he didn't advertise as well the accomplishments of his administration as he might h

memories about the white house. stories about our lives and our families and of course, many of my happiest and most enduring memories are of the national book festival. i remember something from each of the eight festivals i attended during time at the white house. remember talking with my favorite authors. hosting vladimir putin at the second festival with the national basketball association players who were our partners. the beautiful gala dinners, wonderful authors at the white house on saturday morning. and so many more happy memories. but i especially recall that first national book festival. september 8th, 2001. it was a magnificent day, sunny with a beautiful blue sky. just the kind of weather we hope for. friends came from around the country to stay with george and me at the white house. 40 came from boston all away who had worked with me on the texas book festival. i remember how patiently the festivalgoers waited in line to meet their favorite authors. that festival was everything we hope for and more. th

spending and we cut taxes and we make sure we get rid of obamacare. [ applause ] >> reporter: if the white house is signalling a willingness to compromise, nancy pelosi appears left so. the liberal soon to be former house speaker is ignoring e-mails, conversations and two group letters for moderate democrats, urging her to step down as leader in wake of the democrat 2010 defeat. keith shuler, fiscally moderate so-called blue dogs said he would challenge pelosi for minority leader. she's widely believed to have the vote locked up in advance of the leadership election. pelosi wants to keep the same leadership team in the minority. but when you lose gavel you are also supposed to lose seat at leadership table so she has to create a new one. for south carolina democrat jim clyburn she began acuring to him as the assistant leader. he had been the top vote-counter, whip in the senate majority. that job technically now goes to steny hoyer because of seniority. so pelosi's reference as the assistant leader leaves some question about the struggle for power between those two. technically, clyburn will ans

and message control in this white house, like the clinton white house, the george w. bush white house, is phenomenal. dadt out a few sentences, this is what happened, this is what's going on. because i've 18 months, i'm able to do a total universe portrait. so in a sense barack obama, you know and have never seen. >> host: let's look at one of those clips they will go to calls. this is just of september 2008, a war from within. talking about the presence relationship with his generals. let's listen in. >> the problem is george bush never really solved the dilemma of how, what is the interaction between the civilian and and the military end. he never had the generals so they were close to him so he knew what was going on. so this is all taking place at a distance, or over a secure video links to baghdad come and there's not that moment, i've got to call it a come to jesus moment, or meeting where he got everyone together and said look, this is a mess. >> guest: one of the danger is the relationship between the civilian leadership and the uniformed military, and the oba

were here, he would probably say they're a little crabby at the white house.g my song. we'll be right back. you're watching "the daily rundown" on msnbc. don't forget mrs. collier. i won't. ♪ [ female announcer ] clear some snow. ♪ or spread a little warmth. maxwell house gives you a rich full flavored cup of coffee so you can be good to the last drop. my professor at berkeley asked me if i wanted to change the world. i said "sure." "well, let's grow some algae." and that's what started it. exxonmobil and synthetic genomics have built a new facility to identify the most productive strains of algae. algae are amazing little critters. they secrete oil, which we could turn into biofuels. they also absorb co2. we're hoping to supplement the fuels that we use in our vehicles, and to do this at a large enough scale to someday help meet the world's energy demands. >>> on this date in 2004, one of the worst brawls in american sport history, fight breaks out near the end of the pistons/pacers game. nine players were suspended without pay for a total of 146 games. 5 wer

chuck todd, our chief white house correspondent. in our washington newsroom tonight. chuck, thanks as always. >>> one more note. one man in the news, david axelrod will be among david gregory's guests sunday morning on "meet the press." >>> we go to the west coast in san diego where there are 4,500 people tonight very happy to be on dry land. that carnival cruise liner that became a dead in the water nightmare voyage is now safely tied up at the dock and the passengers are talking. you can say that again. hey, miguel, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. after a fire in the generator room, the "splendor" was afloat without power for three days. 3,3 persons, 1,1 huh crew members with no access to hot food or hot water, and even without restrooms for some time. now they're all back on shore and they're relieved to share their stories. pulled by tug boats, escorted by coast guard cutters, it made san diego harbor at sunrise after three days adrift in the pacific. passengers raised their arms in victory as family and spectators welcomed them home. on land, they shared