Andrea Mitchell Reports   View more episodes

Aired at 09:00 AM on Tuesday, Jan 18, 2011 (1/18/2011)      View all transcripts from this day

Transcript

00:00:00Kaine, top adviser to house speaker john boehner, david winston.
00:00:05And plus dick cheney as you haven't heard him before about his health, sarah palin, president obama.
00:00:15>> I think he'll be a one term president.
00:00:19>> And sarah palin redefining blood libel.
00:00:23I'm andrea mitchell live in washington.
00:00:25Breaking news right now out of haiti.
00:00:28Former dictator jean-claude "baby doc" duvalier is in police custody.
00:00:33He made an unexpected return to the island sunday decades after it being exassigned.
00:00:38He's accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the country's treasury.
00:00:44Kerry sanort toe prince.
00:00:58>> Reporter: They're not saying specifically, but there was a tremendous a activity throughout the morning.
00:01:04First a few police officers showed up and hen they were accompanied.
00:01:11They had riot gears on.
00:01:22As more arrived and as the just justice minister arrived an other officials began to make their way in, it looked like it was perhaps turning in to -- i don't want to call it an arrest, but it appeared that they had to go through certain protocol because of his arrival in this country.
00:01:49As you know, the president of this country had said previously that were duvalier ever to return, he would be arrested.
00:02:00Conflicted with that is what the prime minister has said which is that duvalier has the right to return to it this country as any owe hey shab.
00:02:09So after much of that confusion, duvalier came down the stairs, he waved to the cameras, he wasn't in handcuff, he wasn't with gun point or anything like that.
00:02:29But he came down and then this slipped out the back, meanwhile out front, more and more supporters of baby doc arrived in the streets here and started to chant and sing and they were holding up pictures, all which is a surprise when you consider the atrocities that he's associated with in this country.
00:02:50And then he was taken away.
00:02:53The car it that he was taken away in had bulletproof glass.
00:02:55I noticed one of the windows looked like it had been shot.
00:02:59That may have been before, but he drove away and made his way down to the french embassy.
00:03:06Not quite sure what is going to happen next.
00:03:10>> We're seeing amazing video that is coming in.
00:03:16And as you've been pointing out, there's a generation gap.
00:03:21The younger people don't remember the atrocity, they don't remember that this man and his wife are accused of stealing more than $500 million from the treasury.
00:03:30And so he's returning and as you point out, there are people there who don't know the history of what the duvaliers did to this country.
00:03:42>> Reporter: I think perhaps it's important to understand 51% of the population is under the age of 21.
00:03:51Of course they have no memory, they only have the stories that their parents have told them.
00:03:55And with the life expectancy here quite frankly a lot of the people who are young adults now IN THEIR MID-30s OR 40s DON'T Really have their parents to turn to for their stories, so they just go with what they believe.
00:04:07And a lot of what people tell me it they believe is anybody, anybody who thinks that they can help this country is welcome.
00:04:16There is just so much difficulty here not only because of the political situation, not only because of the aftermath of the earthquake, but because the economy here even before the earthquake was not much of an economy.
00:04:29>> Of course there is dispute over president preval's re-election and a lot of political uncertainty, as well.
00:04:37Kerry sander, be safe.
00:04:39Thanks so much for your reporting.
00:04:41>>> And on capitol hill at this moment, republicans have been waiting for this.
00:04:45One hour from now, they will be kicking off their effort to repeal health care reform p.
00:04:49Kelly o'donnell is our capitol hill correspondent.
00:04:53All this breaking news from haiti, but a lot of news happening on capitol hill.
00:04:57What are you expecting today?
00:04:59>> Reporter: What a study in contrast after the segment from haiti because here it is sort of be careful what you sooe say week, watch your tongue time, on capitol hill.
00:05:09Members of both parties are saying they will tone down their rhetoric, but the issue is still an intense disagreement over repeal efforts to roll back the health care reform law.
00:05:20Republicans promised they would do that when they ran the 2010 campaign season, they were able to take over power largely on that issue.
00:05:29So they will try to deliver by bringing this to debate and to a vote on the house side.
00:05:33It getting tripped up if it goes over to the senate because the makeup is different there, democrats still in charge, but one thing we're seeing is a lot of intense outside input, the same kinds of groups that were vocal during the original health care reform issue are making their voices known again and we'll be watching closely to see how the language on capitol hill changed in light of all these new calls for civility.
00:05:57>> We'll test that right now with our next couple of guests.
00:06:00Thank you very much, kelly.
00:06:03With me now, tim kaine from the hill.
00:06:08Thank you very much.
00:06:11Let's talk about why are democrats thinking that they can make a second impression or remake a first impression as chuck schumer has said on health care?
00:06:21What's the point of the whole debate?
00:06:23Why not go in, get rid of it.
00:06:24You know that in the senate and with the white house veto threat it's never going to go anyplace anyway.
00:06:30>> I think it's important to have this debate.
00:06:38They're going into their home, doctors offices and businesses and taking something away from them.
00:06:42Millions of businesses are getting a tax credit.
00:06:45The repeal effort would take that away and raise business taxes.
00:06:48Millions of seniors are getting help with prescription drugs a and preventive care.
00:06:53Republicans would take that away.
00:06:55And tens of millions of youngsters are able to stay on family policies until they're age 26.
00:07:00The republicans would take that away.
00:07:03Probably most staggering is the recent estimate that nearly half of adults under age 65 have a condition that could be a pre-existing condition used against them by an insurance company.
00:07:17129 Million americans have protection under this bill from pre-existing conditions.
00:07:21The republicans want to take that away.
00:07:22And we just want to make plain what the consequences are and that's wdemocrats will do.
00:07:29>> And you've got another factor, sarah palin speaking out on fox with sean hannity and this was her explanation, defense, whatever you want to call it, about her use of the term blood libel last week.
00:07:43>> I don't know how the heck they would know whether I did or didn't know the term blood libel.
00:07:51Nobody's ever asked me.
00:07:52It obviously means being falsely accused of having blood on your hands and in this case that's exactly what was going on.
00:07:57>> Of course that's the way she terms it, her definite mission.
00:08:00There are a lot of groups that we heard saying that they take original meaning and too offense at it.
00:08:11What do you think of sarah palin's role right now?
00:08:19>> I think the explanation was into the persuasive.
00:08:28>> She pointed out the democrats have used the map in previous cycles, as well.
00:08:33>> But I'm talking about her.
00:08:36She said -- her team tried to say it was surveyor symbols and they got called down on that.
00:08:41I don't think she was persuasive last night.
00:08:46I guess I think that she's saying her own thing, but it's a parallel universe to actually the work that's being done here.
00:08:56There's important work on important policy issues, entertainment industry individuals will do their thing, but the real work here to find solutions kind of happens regardless of the rhetoric that some are trying to get attention for.
00:09:12>> You're referring to sarah palin as an entertainment industry official, you don't think she's a political figure and a potential presidential candidate for the other side?
00:09:21>> I think people are in this for a lot of reasons.
00:09:29It's a venerable american tradition.
00:09:32But that's not the same as the people who are actually governing and doing the job.
00:09:38And the people here in washington working on issues like health care and tackling one tough issue after the next, they're not leaving their post, they're doing their job.
00:09:50>> Ouch.
00:09:51Obviously a reference to the fact that she quit as governor after two years.
00:09:55Let me also ask you about your former job as governor and whether you would consider running in virginia because there's talk now that jim webb is not going to be running for senate.
00:10:07What is the latest that you know?
00:10:09>> Jim is somebody who makes a decision and when he's made it, he's announced.
00:10:15But I have no reason, none, in my dealings with the senator to believe anything else than that he is going to run again in 2012.
00:10:23>> Has he raised the kind of money that would indicate to you that he's gearing up for a campaign?
00:10:28>> I believe just for a variety of reasons.
00:10:29Again, he's not man a announcement that he's going to run.
00:10:33I worked really hard for jim webb when I was governor in virginia.
00:10:41His win was a real watershed moment.
00:10:43I'll work every bit as hard for him in 2012 as I did in 2006.
00:10:45>> And if jim webb does not run, would you consider that senate race?
00:10:50>> No, I've got a job I really like right now.
00:10:52Tough though it may be.
00:10:53And I'm doing what the president wants me to do.
00:10:55I think having been governor of extra have a, it's hard to top that.
00:10:59And so, no, my full expectation is that I'm going to be supporting a great virginia democrat and I believe that virginia democrat will be jim webb for the senate seat.
00:11:08>> Okay, we'll have to leave it there.
00:11:10Thank you very much, tim kaine.
00:11:12>>> John boehner of course is now leading the charge to repeal the health care law.
00:11:16With me now is one of his closest advisers, david winston.
00:11:20Thanks so much, good to see you.
00:11:22Let's talk about the strategy.
00:11:23What are you hoping to accomplish strategy of repeal since it is largely symbolic in the end because the president has the last word.
00:11:32>> I disagree, I don't think it is largely symbolic.
00:11:35What the republicans are trying to do here and given the fall campaign in terms of the debate over health care is say we want to start over, we want to figure out where we should go.
00:11:45This is the first step to reengaging the debate in terms of trying to move health care in a direction the republicans feel is a better direction in terms of the last election.
00:11:56So what you'll see is the vote tomorrow in terms of repeal, but then the next day hr-9 which is instructions to all the committees to begin to think about what should be replacing this existing health care bill.
00:12:07>> In fact there has been some criticism that the approach to repeal precedes replace.
00:12:14And you're talking about repeal, but you're not as republicans talking about exactly what you want in place.
00:12:21>> The next day we'll pursue that.
00:12:22And there are a variety of ideas out there.
00:12:25There's the ability of being able to purchase health care across state lines, there is liability reform, there is pugt the cost of the doc fix to bill at a level that doesn't cost them money.
00:12:40One of the big problems that exist with the health care bill is you're putting 32 million people into a system and you're not adding one doctor or nurse.
00:12:48This is not going to improve the quaulgt of health care.
00:12:50We need a more comprehensive approach in terms of how do we it actually improve the quality of health care as opposed to that this is just a process by which you turn health care over to more government control and we don't feel that's the appropriate approach.
00:13:08>> David, when we're talking about more civility and crossing bipartisan lines, here we've got the visit of president hu of china, arguably the most important foreign policy relationship that we have with any other country outside of the ongoing wars.
00:13:24President hu is coming, there's a state dinner tomorrow night, the appearance, the protocol, the red carpet.
00:13:31The speaker of the house has regretted he is not going to attend the president's invitation.
00:13:40This is what robert gibbs just said.
00:13:44>> I don't know what their response was in declining the invitation.
00:13:51We have invited, and this goes to previous state dinners, invited leaders from both party its and we hope that because of the importance of the relationship that they would attend.
00:14:06I don't know why he declined on this occasion.
00:14:07>> John boehner is in line for the presidency.
00:14:10I know he's said that he's going to be meeting with president hu on the hill will, but given the importance of this this, is not just some backward country.
00:14:19This is china.
00:14:21Why wouldn't john boehner want to be at the state dinner some.
00:14:28>> I think he would.
00:14:30Again, understand as you defined, he's now the number three in term of succession.
00:14:34There are lots of responsibilities and there's lots of things he has to do.
00:14:38I'm sure he'd like to be there, but not knowing the notice that was given to him in terms of how much time he he had to be able to rearrange, since he was already meeting with the prime minister, my sense is at least he felt that in this particular case he had other responsibilities that he had to manage.
00:15:00Again, he's someone who has a very complicated public schedule, as well.
00:15:04>> Is there anything more important than spending time with the leader of china with the president of the united states, with the cabinet, with business leaders?
00:15:13>> I'm not arguing that it's not an important point, but there are also really important things in terms of getting the congress running, dealing with unemployment, economic growth, trying to deal with the fact that we have a huge national deficit, tryinto get the congress ready to deal with health care particularly in light of what happened last week, how do you creates an atmosphere where could you have a good political debate.
00:15:37That's also very important and that's his role to help create that environment.
00:15:40>> And you don't think it's a personal slap at the president and the first lady?
00:15:44>> No.
00:15:45>> Okay.
00:15:46We'll leave it there.
00:15:47Thank you very much.
00:15:48David winston.
00:15:50>>> And up next, dick cheney on president obama, sarah palin and unusual heart bumping device.
00:16:02Plus why china may be america's most important foreign policy challenge.
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00:19:21>>> For the first time since undergoing major heart surgery, former vice president dick cheney is speaking out.
00:19:28Cheney opened up about everything about sarah palin, his relationship with president obama, and his health.
00:19:35>> Are you thinking about a heart transplant?
00:19:37>> I haven't made a decision yet.
00:19:40The technology has gotten better and better and we've got more experience of people living with nology.
00:19:48I'll have to make a decision at some point, but we haven't address that had yet.
00:19:52Biggest threats we fails -- >> Reporter: In the meantime cheney is now back in public and speaking out.
00:19:57>> You said that you thought that president obama was going to be a one term president.
00:20:02Do you still?
00:20:02>> I do.
00:20:04>> Because?
00:20:04>> Well, because I think he embarked upon a course of action when he became president that did not have as much support as he thought it did.
00:20:22>> Reporter: Cha any side stepped getting in to the political fray especially over his opinion of sarah palin.
00:20:30>> Interested in governor palin like a lot of people are.
00:20:36I've met her.
00:20:38I thought she's got an interesting political career established.
00:20:41She's clearly a factor, has a strong following, she also has a lot of critics.
00:20:49>> Do you think she's qualified to be president?
00:20:53>> I'm not going to say this one isn't or this one is.
00:20:56There will be ample time for that in the months ahead and I'll be happy to participate in that process when the time's right.
00:21:01>> I understand you want her reality show, though.
00:21:04>> I do.
00:21:09I think it's very good.
00:21:10I love alaska.
00:21:10>> Reporter: But these days the former vice president is spending most of his time writing his memoirs with daughter, liz.
00:21:19>> Word is I candid, blunt, and some scores will be settled.
00:21:29>> I have a sense I'll get the last word.
00:21:32>> Where you write about the president?
00:21:34>> Sure.
00:21:34We had some policy differences and I'll be forth right with my comments on those.
00:21:38>> In his memoir, he said about you ten years later, I've never regretted my decision to run with dick cheney.
00:21:46But he also writes that you offered and he considered dropping you from the ticket.
00:21:53And he says, quote, he's become a lightning rod for criticism, he was seen as dark and heartless, the darth vader of the administration.
00:22:03First of all, why did you offer to step aside?
00:22:07>> Well, I actually went in about three different times because I didn't think he took me seriously the first time.
00:22:16And the reason I did it was i thought he needed to have the ability to do whatever was necessary to make sure he won.
00:22:24So I went to him and said, look, president, I've taken a lot of incoming fire, it goes with the turf, but if you have any desire to make a change here, I'll be perfectly happy to step aside so you can put somebody else in this job.
00:22:39And after I went in about the third time and reiterated that, then he went away, thought about it for a couple of weeks and came back and said, no, you're my guy.
00:22:50>> You're my guy.
00:22:52Amazing stuff.
00:22:54Jamie, that was extraordinary.
00:22:55>> Thanks.
00:22:56>> First of all, sarah palin, that was hardly a huge endorsement.
00:23:00He's willing to talk about other things but about that, he's not going to become engaged.
00:23:05I got the sense that it this man who is so dedicated, whether you like him or not, to national security issues really doesn't think that she is up to the task on that agenda.
00:23:17>> In general he didn't want to talk about 2012, but he absolutely side stepped sarah palin.
00:23:24And I don't know what he really thinks, but in my experience, when alimentary to say, they don't hesitate to say it.
00:23:34So the fact that he's not saying anything at all leads one to believe -- >> certain the commander in chief issue, since that is so central to everything that he cared about, that was his explanation for a lot of very controversial decisions that he in fact feels vindicated about on the subject of the war on terror.
00:23:53>> Right.
00:23:54And when they were in office and McCAIN MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, There have been reports already that they did not I think that she was a good choice, that she did not have tellectual heft for it.
00:24:14>> He made a lot of news by saying he went back three times with his offer to resign.
00:24:18>> Tha.
00:24:23Apparently he really wanted to make sure the president considered this.
00:24:26We heard in the president's book that dick cheney made the offer once and he took a couple of weeks to think about it.
00:24:33This is a little different slant on the story now that we know that he asked over and over and over again.
00:24:40And I think he said I'll get the last word on my book.
00:24:44President obama's book has come out, donald rumsfeld's book is coming out.
00:24:52But former vice president cheney's book is not expected out until the end of the summer, early september.
00:24:57He will have the last word.
00:24:58So on some of these different counts, you'll now get his take on it.
00:25:04>> Fascinating stuff.
00:25:05Everyone is commenting on how thin he look, but his color looks good, he seems to be functioning right well with this unusual heart pump.
00:25:13>> I think he actually looks very good if you look back at the presidential library ground breaking in texas, he was very, very thin.
00:25:24He lost 25, 30 pounds during surgery.
00:25:28So he's looking better and better, no question about it.
00:25:30>> Well, congratulations.
00:25:32>> Thanks.
00:25:33>>> And coming up next, another senate retirement putting democrats in a bind.
00:25:37We'll have the details.
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00:28:44>>> In a move that could signal looming trouble for democrats, kent cnrad has announced he will not run for re-election.
00:28:55It could be a prime opportunity for republicans to pick up a seat.
00:28:58We should note that as I say msnbc contributor was the first to break it.
00:29:08David kennedy's national politics reporter is joining us now.
00:29:11What's the impact of kent conrad?
00:29:14He's not just a number.
00:29:15He's also a chief deficit hawk from the budget committee.
00:29:19So this is a pretty big impact on how the senate will operate.
00:29:23>> Right, that's what he said in his comments.
00:29:25He went on a radio show in north dakota and said he wanted to focus on policy for the next two years and on reducing the deficit and he said traveling around the country, having to raise money, constantly fending off attacks would distract him from doing that.
00:29:42But of course there's always political implications and political considerations here.
00:29:47And he did say that having lost senator byron dorgan to retirement and senapomeroy, not wo there also weighed on his decision.
00:30:02>> And looking ahead, it looks that tlicans whd already announced a nge to kentconrad havean expand whom are you looking at from the mocratic side?
00:30:13>> The republicans have a very deep bench in north dakota.
00:30:22I was told the problem will be trying to fund raise for governor's race, a congressional race and a seat and find competitive candidates.
00:30:30Of course you have to to former attorney general heidi hidecamp, but she appears to want to run for governor.
00:30:40And then congressman earl pomeroy said he just moved to washington to become a health care lobbyist.
00:30:50>> Okay, thank you very much for all of that.
00:30:52Meanwhile, china's president hu arrives in washington this afternoon.
00:30:59There will be a private dinner with the president and all the fanfare of a state dinner the next night.
00:31:03At the same time the white house is trying to take a more assertive strategy with top cabinet members challenging china's stance on currency on trade, military and human rights affairs.
00:31:14William cohen, chairman of the cohen group, knows china well from a military standpoint, strategic standpoint.
00:31:21What is the most important challenge that we face right now from china?
00:31:24>> The most important thing that we need to do is set up a regime whereby we can have a measure of trust and openness.
00:31:32Right now the relationship is characterized by mistrust.
00:31:36Will there's a sense of apprehension about what the chinese military is doing.
00:31:44It's quite opaque and more transparency needs to be achieved.
00:31:50So this entire relationship is undergoing a reevaluation.
00:31:55Just last june, bob gates, secretary gates, his trip it china was canceled.
00:32:00The chinese canceled it because they didn't like the arm sales going taiwan.
00:32:05The fallout was seen both this china and united states as widening the gulf between our two countries.
00:32:12So this is an effort to put things back where we can talk to each other and then articulate what our respect of it interests are and see about if we can have some way of working together.
00:32:25>> Gates then did go to china the week before last and it was not a very successful trip and in fact there were very interesting signals because president hu didn't seem to know that his own military had tested stealth bomber.
00:32:41How is that possible that he'd not know they had this new technology?
00:32:46>> It's interesting about four years ago, wroi a novel in which I had an incident take place in the northwestern part of china dealing with the nuclear explosiin which the chinese president didn't have any knowledge of what was going on and I wrote it because of the growing perception that the chinese military was getting more power.
00:33:12>> Does president hu have the power or does the military, do they have the real power?
00:33:18>> Power has been dispersed somewhat.
00:33:23President h will u doesn't have the same power.
00:33:30He's sitting at a time when there's growing economic power and much less political power that's concentrated in his office.
00:33:35So I think that's one of the reasons how he could have been surprised that his military was conducting a test that was basically designed to embarrass secretary gates.
00:33:45The timing of was.
00:33:46>> And do we have to worry that china holds so much of our debt?
00:33:49>> I think we have to worry about the size of our debt, indeed that china holds so much of it and that'syou're seeing an effort to got our house in it order to maintain a strategic balance throughout the world and our currency and the viability of that currency is important for them.
00:34:08>> Thank you very much, william cohen from the cohen group.
00:34:12And coming up next, the white house shuffle who is this in, who is out.
00:34:16We'll have more.
00:34:18Plus the latest on gabrielle giffords.
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00:37:28>>> topping the headlines, there is a growing likelihood of significant spring flooding along the red river.
00:37:34Officials say there is a 20% chance the river will hit a record high crest.
00:37:47>>> Doctors say that congress woman gabrielle giffords may be days or weeks away from leaving the hospital and she continues to recover from the gunshot wound to the head.
00:37:52Medical staff are still watching to see whether giffords' speech will return.
00:37:56>>> More chaos on the streets of tunisia.
00:38:03Trouble is already brewing within the new coalition government there.
00:38:07The president and prime minister resigned from the ruling party today while maintaitheir positions in the coalition.
00:38:14The government was forred only yesterday after the dictator fled amid protests over high unemployment, government corruption and oppression.
00:38:22>>> Apple's fourth quarter earnings reports comes out this afternoon a after steve jobs announced he's taking another medical leave.
00:38:33>>> Bill clinton is in chicago today helping rally support for his former aide, rahm emanuel, in the bid for chicago mayor.
00:38:47His departure has created just one of many new staff openings.
00:38:55The president has a new white house team signaling a new approach to congress.
00:39:00Michael shearer is with us.
00:39:02Let's talk about your cover stoestory and the whole change of the white house staff, what that really means.
00:39:10Bill daley and the people he will bring in with him and the openings that still exist.
00:39:14The new press secretary appointment that we're all waiting for, all signaling a change in strategy.
00:39:18>> It's definitely a change.
00:39:21It's a changbrought outside who is as close to the inside as possible.
00:39:28Bill daley not part of the true believer campaign, but he's mentored both ram quu manual and david axelrod, so he's not unknown either.
00:39:39>> He's from chicago, but at the same time, has a former commerce secretary connections to business, connections to banking community which of course led to some criticism on the left.
00:39:51But he's known as a political figure.
00:39:54He knows how on for reelect people.
00:39:57>> The white house said there were three I think things that daley was bringing.
00:40:02First he would deal with the issue of the reputation for being too in-bred and insular.
00:40:07The same four or five people always in the room, same people that were there with the campaign, so he's a new face.
00:40:13Second, he does have an ability on talk directly with the business community.
00:40:16The white house has made that a real priority of the second two years to reach out to the business community, you see the op-ed in the "wall street journal" today doing that.
00:40:24And the third thing is he's someone who can go on tv and be a surrogate for the president.
00:40:29One thing that the white house was constantly frustrated with is they didn't have enough surrogates to go on, do the tv sunday shows that weren't the president, so the president was out there too much.
00:40:39And that led to a lot of criticism that he wasn't- >> I've never understood why they don't use the very - >> I've never understood why they don't use the very - >> I've never understood why they don't use the very excellent cabinet team.
00:40:55The other thing is bruce reed who comes from the whole centrist and deficit cutting background as the executive director of the deficit commission.
00:41:05That signals also a turn in direction.
00:41:07>> You look at the first two years, it was working with democrats in congress.
00:41:13The second two years will be negotiating with republicans.
00:41:15And bruce reed is someone who has done that, they call it triangulation.
00:41:23He's done the work before, he has a reputation among republicans and be able to be that person.
00:41:26>> And why the hold up on the replacement for robert gibbs?
00:41:30>> The way they explained it to me is that gibbs told the president shortly before christmas, that they wanted to bring daley into place first.
00:41:42Plouffe is leading the process.
00:41:45I was surprised, too they didn't have that lined up.
00:41:46It wasn't hard to see that gibbs would be rotating out, but they expect to have a new name by the end of the month.
00:41:54>> To be continued.
00:41:56We'll have have to see whether it will be male, female -- >> an insider, someone from the past.
00:42:03Could be a lot of things.
00:42:04>> Thank you very much.
00:42:06>>> And up next, meet the man who sparked the campaign to break down the partisan divide at the state of the union.
00:42:12And why stop there.
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00:45:23>>> The president's call for more civility will be tested when the vote gets taken this afternoon on the health care bill.
00:45:38You've changed the seating at the state of the union?
00:45:41>> You have to have something to tell your mom you're actually doing with your career.
00:45:44>> What are we going to do if we don't have this wave?
00:45:47It looks like a football stadium half the time.
00:45:50>> It's very clear that politics are part substance and part symbols and the substance is ultimately what matter, but the symbols matter, too.
00:45:59And every year americans watch this spectacle of both parties coming together, sitting like kids, boys on one side, girls on the other, as if that's actually representative of how the business should be done.
00:46:15We said very simpend the part say seating.
00:46:20Show the country a simple idea that you're of different parties and you have substantial disagreements, but ultimately you're united serving the country.
00:46:28>> What do you say to those who say this is just symbolic, there's still shrugging it out at committee hearing, you still have president releases coming out and hammering the president and vice versa from the democrats to the republicans.
00:46:39So nothing's really changing.
00:46:42>> We say this.
00:46:44This is not a panacea.
00:46:46In fact, no symbolism is a panacea.
00:46:48But forcing people to actually sit together instead of by their parties sends a very strong message to the country that they actually are willing to transcend their partisan differences.
00:46:59And by the way it's a silly tradition.
00:47:01And you can see that because first senator mark udall said he would do it.
00:47:09And then the wave started.
00:47:10And senator schumer and senator COBURN AND senator McCain and folks in the house and senate, steny hoyer and so on, they're doing it not because it's going to fix everything, but it's a silly tradition, it's time for it end even for one night.
00:47:32.
00:47:34>> After the state of the union, what is the long term goal?
00:47:37Are you trying to create a third party, are you trying to talk mike bloomberg into running?
00:47:42>> Third wave is about five years old and we're a moderate group traditionally associated with the centrist democratic wing.
00:47:54Bill daley was our board member right before he left.
00:47:57Our view is we seek to advance moderate policy and political agenda.
00:48:03This idea about changing the partisan seating is just one of the small ideas we have.
00:48:13But our objective here is very simple.
00:48:17Can we actually show on the one night, the super bowl of american politics, when everyone american who is interested and tunes in, can we show that our politicians care more about service to the country than they did about sitting with members their party.
00:48:35>> It's a first step.
00:48:36Thank you very much.
00:48:37We'll see you maybe after the fact and review the tapes.
00:48:40>>> And what political story will be making headlines here in the nex.
00:48:48>> That's next.
00:48:49And be sure to follow the show online.
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00:51:57>>> So which political story will be making headlines in the next 24 hours?
00:52:01Msnbc contribute somewhere managing editor of com chris cillizza joining us.
00:52:07Congratulations on breaking the kent conrad story.
00:52:10Another announcement.
00:52:12Joe lieberman will announce tomorrow what his plans are for re-election.
00:52:16Do you think he's going to be leaving the senate?
00:52:19>> First of all, thank you.
00:52:20Second of all, joe lieberman, gosh, I don't know the answer.
00:52:26This has become a national story because in 2006 lieberman was a cause celeb for liberals, they beat him in the primary.
00:52:35He came back, ran as independent and won re-election.
00:52:38I don't think he can win re-election as a democrat.
00:52:42Now, I think, and he said this on your show, I think this best option is to run as independent.
00:52:47The people I talked to say he's genuinely undecided.
00:52:52We expect an announcement tomorrow on whether he runs or not.
00:52:56I don't know.
00:52:57I haven't done enough reporting around it.
00:52:59But as a connecticut nate inand political junkie, fascinated to hear what he has to say.
00:53:10>> The point is that, we don't know whether he's announcing that he's leave organize that he's going to run as independent, republican, democrat.
00:53:18Whom is he going to caucus with.
00:53:20>> You know, you make a good point.
00:53:22You make a really good point.
00:53:24When an incumbent senator says they're going to make an announcement about their political future, it's either they're running or not running.
00:53:34It's a more varied decision, he could run as independent, republican, democrat, or choose not to run.
00:53:39You know, you've got four options as opposed to two.
00:53:44>> According to the wires, dick lugar, another veteran, is going to run in 2012.
00:53:50Announcements are coming fast and furious.
00:53:54Lieberman, the news conference scheduled within five minutes ago.
00:53:57We have not done the reporting.
00:53:58I expect we will be online, learning whether you've broken it or I or somebody else.
00:54:04>> We'll be trying.
00:54:05>> China tomorrow.
00:54:07President hu arriving in a couple of hours at andrews air force base.
00:54:10The vice president of the united states greeting him.
00:54:13This is not a small deal.
00:54:14A greeting from the vice president a private dinner in the old family dining room tonight.
00:54:20State visit and dinner tomorrow, news conference with the president, which we will be carrying live.
00:54:27Also meetings jointly with the president and the business community.
00:54:30This is the most important relationship that we have.
00:54:33>> Absolutely.
00:54:34You know what?
00:54:36You hit on it.
00:54:37Official state visit.
00:54:39When president hu came in 2006, bush had lunch with him.
00:54:44The vice president did not greet him at his plane, he did not have a news conference, there was no state dinner.
00:54:51This is a formal, big welcoming of president hu.
00:54:54Two interesting, competing factors china's influence on the global economy, important to the united states and their record on human rights, a problem, how much does president obama address it?
00:55:05Does he talk openly about it?
00:55:07We guess he would talk prooftly about it.
00:55:11Two competing factors, economy and human rights record, impossible for the united states and president obama to ignore.
00:55:18>> And the importance they play toward north korea and iran.
00:55:21A lot of issues on the agenda tomorrow.
00:55:23Thank you, chris.
00:55:24That does it for us for this edition of "andrea mitchell " tomorrow on the show, we'll have special, live coverage of president obama's join news conference with china's president hu.
00:55:35Richard lui in for tamron hall.
00:55:37What's next on "news nation"?
00:55:39>> Have a very good afternoon.
00:55:41House republicans begin their attempt to repeal president obama's health care reform law.
00:55:45We're watching that as debate begins on the house floor.
00:55:49Any minute right now, a live report from capitol hill.
00:55:51>>> We continue to follow the breaking news out of haiti.
00:55:55A wild scene there as police lead former dictator jean-claude duvalier out of his hotel.
00:56:01Will they charge the man known as baby doc with crimes committed under his regime?
00:56:06"News nation" is moments away.
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00:59:12>>> Developing now on "news nation," live pictures of the capitol building you see here where the house of representatives is expected to begin debate on the gop symbolic effort to repeal president obama's health care law.
00:59:24That debate and tomorrow's scheduled vote was post poped last week, as you remember, after the shooting rampage in tucson.
00:59:33I'm richard louis.
00:59:35The house resumes regular business for the first time since the tragic events in tucson.
00:59:39We may learn quickly whether they have changed the political tone in washington or not.
00:59:44Let's go to the man on the hill, nbc's luke russert joins us live.
00:59:48Clang or no change?
00:59:49What's the indication?
00:59:51>> Reporter: The indication so

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