calm down. >> i am calm. >> leo, i don't care for your demeanor. >> demeanor? >> now you're just being difficult. >> uncle leo died. number one story on msnbc.com. len lesser who played uncle leo dead at the age of time for one quick e-mail, rob. >> fl on the ice during super bowl week in dallas. broke my ankle and my sleep schedule has changed. i'm now hooked on "way too early." >> "way too early" the train keeps rolling. "morning joe" starts right now. >> when we say we're cutting spending, when we say everything's on the table, when we say we mean entitlement programs, we should be specific. and let me tell you, what is the

truth? what's the truth that nobody's talking about? here's the truth that nobody's talking about. you're going to have to raise the retirement age for social security. oh, i just said it and i'm still standing here. i did not vaporize into the carpetinging. if you want to pass an income tax increase, that's fine, you can. i'll veto it. if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. i want to tell you something. i'm not moving any cot into the office. if you close down the government, i'm going to go upstairs, order a pizza and watch the mets. and when you decide to re-open the government, give me a call and i'll come back. but don't think i'm sleeping on some cot. take a look at me. you think i'm sleeping on a cot? not happening. >> oh, my god, he just keeps

getting better. >> yeah. >> it just keeps getting better. come on now, mika. >> he's good. or is the field just so bad. >> he's very good. >> good morning. >> mike barnicle, let me ask you. >> hold on one second. welcome to "morning joe," it's thursday, february 17th. with us on set, msnbc contributor mike barnicle, almost good to have you here. former governor of pennsylvania and msnbc news political analyst, ed rendell. love having you here. >> chris licht, who writes the introductions? >> we don't do teleprompter but accept for like three seconds. >> yeah. >> for all intent and purposes, me. >> you screwed up. you burr rid the lead. the governor is the sports writer now. the sports writer.

from the "fphiladelphia daily news." >> my apologies, governor. >> the pending lockout. >> i don't want you to get too deep into it. >> one way to solve it, put them all in a room and lock them in there. >> there you go. who else is here. >> barnicle. >> did you introduce willie? >> willie's part of the furniture, sweet thing. >> part of the furniture? >> yes. >> that's a high compliment. >> did you hear about willie's demo "way too early" is catching up with "american idol" with the kids. the demo that you introduced -- >> the e-mailer said because she broke her ankle after slipping on ice at the super bowl and has been unable to sleep since then and discovered the show. >> great. >> somebody falls down at a sporting event, breaks their ankle and cannot sleep. >> do you watch "glee"? >> i don't.

>> i'm apparently sue from "glee." my kids say that. when i'm going out running, they're like, mom, you look like sue from "glee." >> jayne lynch. >> that's sue from "glee"? >> i like her. >> you're not that character. >> why am i sue from "glee." >> sue is chris christie-ish. >> wow. >> is he really that great or is everybody else so bad? >> i like him but i expected that speech. >> no politician has ever come out and say you shut down the government i'm going opening up a beer and watching the mets play. i'll come back when you open it again. >> he's that great because he's still real. i don't know what happens to the governor of new jersey when he becomes governor of new jersey but he's maintained his street sense. when governor rendell was governor of pennsylvania, chris christie has a lot of what governor rendell had. you tell the truth, people react to the truth. they react positively to the truth. >> we disagree on some political things but i always said, man,

if i were running the white house the first two years, i'd have governor rendell. like chris christie, he's real. people like him. people trust him. there's some politicians that have that and chris christie is one of them, isn't he? whether you agree with him or not. >> no question about that. he'll have to perform, do a good job as governor. schtick will take him so far. >> exactly. he attacked proposals for high speed rail and broadband. listen to this. >> he said america was about doing the big things. i'm not saying he copied me. i think it's important to note it, because of what he says the big things are. he says the big things are high speed rail. the big things are high speed internet access for 80% of

america by some date. a million electric cars on the road by some date. ladies and gentlemen, that is the candy of american politics. those are not the big things. because let me guarantee you something, if we don't fix the real big things there won't be electric cars on the road, there will be no high speed internet access or if it is you're not going to be able to afford to get on it. >> okay. but he did offer some praise to a governor on the other side of the aisle. you'll like this. new york's andrew cuomo. >> you have me in new jersey elected in 2009 as a conservative republican in one of the bluest states in america. and across the river you have the son of a liberal icon who is saying the exact same things that i'm saying. i defy you to look at the first six weeks of the cuomo

administration in albany and discern much of a difference between what governor andrew cuomo is saying and what governor chris christie is saying on these big issues. >> governor, and it's working for both of them. they are -- they are making very tough decisions, decisions that a lot of people would make, i would guess probably decisions you would make if you came in 2011 in new york state. >> sure. >> or in new jersey. so it is db we're at a fascinating time. this is say bipartisan push in the northeast of america. and in california as well. >> no question. every governor in every state legislature will have to come to grips with the problem and have to make cuts. and it's especially difficult because since the recession took hold, virtually every state has been making cuts. we cut in my last two years as governor, 3.abillion out of a $27 billion budget. yeah, it's a difficult time.

but i would suggest, joe, that what chris christie and andrew cuomo are doing requires courage and they're showing courage, both of them. but then the question is, after you make the cuts, how do you do the things that are necessary to, one, protect people? if government doesn't protect people, it shouldn't be around. secondly, how do you do the things to generate growth? that's where i think governor christie was wrong in belittling the president's agenda. the president talked about big things. educating our kids so they can compete globally, that's a big thing. i don't care what governor christie says, repairing our infrastructure, you talk about it all the time, i have mika trained to talk about it -- >> yes. >> it's a big thing. the country needs it, it will generate jobs and economic growth. what i'm saying is other than taking courage, the cuts are the easy part. >> no, no, no, if they were the easy part, every politician would do it and we would not find ourselves in this position.

the cuts are the tough part. >> agreed. >> guaranteed i would much guarantee say i'm going to get you electric cars and high speed internet and daffodils growing in your backyard. >> look at wisconsin. >> instead of saying i'm going to cut services. >> easy is the wrong word. >> it's math. >> it's math. doing the things that generate growth, finding a way within the cuts to protect people, that's the tough part. that's where chris christie, andrew cuomo, anybody else out there will make their bones. >> we had, we talked to kirsten gillibrand yesterday. she was talking about what andrew cuomo is doing and what it may mean for upstate new york, an area where i lived, an area that's been ravaged over the past 25 years. >> completely. >> unfortunately by a business climate that drove business out thereof. listen to kirsten gillibrand talk and see what andrew cuomo adoing and you start thinking to

yourself, new york state is going to go from last to middle of the pack and eventually they could even be at the top of the pack again. willie, she's talking about a new silicon valley here. she's talking about tax incentives for these high-tech companies coming in. talking about lowering the tax structure so new york is not the 50th state in tax competitiveness, making the workplace environment more effective. i sat there listening to her, going, you know, you sound like we sounded in 1994 when we came in. for new york state, for new jersey, this would be great. of course, i don't see connecticut doing it and rhode island but maybe they're not far behind. >> what i liked about what governor christie said yesterday, to your point, is when he complimented governor cuomo in new york, he was essentially saying this rises above politics, this is too serious right now. this isn't about democrats and republicans, this is about math. we have to do something right now. you talk about protecting people, governor rendell, how do

you strike that balance, we're going into bankruptcy but i don't want to kick poor people off medicaid? >> that's the toughest challenge of all. let me suggest that governor christie didn't just say that to be bipartisan. governor christie said, remember, governor cuomo did exactly what i did. that's a little different than saying republicans and democrats have to do it. we all have to do it and joe's right, it's the excesses of the past, the pension liabilities, et cetera. in pennsylvania, governor corbitt will deal with issues because of a pension bill past back in 2000. they're paying for past abuses. there are ways to strike the balance. there are revenue enhancing measures you can take even in this time. >> yes. >> there are some. you've got to take them. >> mike, i have to say, we talked about this the past couple of days. there are things to do and there

are other programs you can stay away from on the federal level. i want to say this again. it is offensive to me as a small government conservative that you have not only republicans but also the white house saying, we're going to balance the budget. we're going to do it by going after those poor people with the home heating oil assistance that we provide. are you serious? first of all, if that would get us closer to a balanced budget we could at least have the discussion. they're doing that because they're cowards. they're afraid to talk about medicare, medicaid, social security and pentagon spending. that said, headline, they kill the pretty big defense program yesterday on the house floor. i think that's a good first step. seriously, going after the poorest of the poor when it's not going to even balance the budget seems a little short sighted. and they're all bragging about it. >> we'll be in fine fiscal shape once they trim the corporation for public broadcasting. >> seriously.

>> everybody knows that. >> big bird is really killing us. give me a break. >> if i see arthur the aardvark or big bird at another press conference, it's so stupid. it's just so stupid. and to see a senator standing next to arthur the aardvark and trying to have a serious conversation, why -- >> it's like talking to willie. >> it's 1980. >> come on. >> willie is getting old. let him go. >> willie aardvark? >> did you do this? please tell me you didn't do this. please tell me you never did this. >> well, well -- >> you did not. >> oh, my goodness. >> that's ed markey. we like ed. >> no, no, no. >> is that arthur? >> they all acted like arthur the aardvark wasn't there. >> this is ridiculous. >> why do they do that? >> why do they do that? >> why is an aardvark wearing glasses? >> that's a good question.

>> that's why you were governor. >> that's one show i couldn't get my arms around as a mom. >> you've been there in the house, you've been a mayor, a governor. one of the things that is so annoying to me is a taxpayer is to hear politicians constantly talking about infrastructure. all of this money is expend and i still travel with roads where the bridges crumble, i ride on trains where the rail beds are practically useless. i land at airports that look like warsaw in 1952. infrastructure means jobs. >> no question. >> what happens to the money? why isn't there a better bang for our buck on infrastructure? >> because the money that we're getting for infrastructure, both state, local and federal dollars, is inadequate. there's a transportation reform commission that the congress formed four years ago. we're spending $82 billion a year on our roads and highways. the commission came back and said we have to spend $220 billion a year, not 84, we have to almost triple it.

we're not spending enough to even stay -- >> also, mike, it's inefficient how we do this, where you have the stronger members being able to get off-ramps to nowhere, instead of having a centralized infrastructure bank. >> you know how the chinese look at it. what are the top ten priorities we have? okay. boom, guess what, we're going to fund them in a way that will help the country best. we don't have centralized infrastructure bank here. >> there's a reason for that. the appropriators don't want to lose the power to determine where the money goes. >> no offense but high speed rail like from mobile to little rock, please, let's have one -- a real one from boston to new york to washington. >> look at you. i have friends in mobile. >> they're getting one in china. we need to talk about wisconsin coming up. that governor -- >> he's parochial elitist. >> nice of you to show up last night. all this talk about chris

christie and another speech full of schtick -- >> why are you editorializing? do i editorialize? >> you blow wet kisses all over the air. calm down. calm down. he was asked about running for president and he had a good one. take a look. >> what did he say? >> i threaten to commit suicide, i did. what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people i'm not running? apparently i actually have to commit suicide. to convince people i'm not running. >> yeah. you know what, it's not schtick. >> yes, it is. >> if he's actually doing something. barack obama's campaign was schtick. >> come on. you need to speak -- >> hope, change, hope, change, okay, i can pin something on that one. no, chris christie has actually done things and is making cuts. >> i don't agree with everything but i like him a lot.

i think he has lived up to what he has spoken about but i'm just saying, like ed -- >> small wet blanket. >> small wet blanket. >> i think he should drop the suicide joke. there's another way to say that. >> can we talk about starbucks' need for teen drinks again, low caffeine? coming up, paul ryan, pat buchanan and arne duncan. bill karins now with a check of the forecast. bill? >> joe's upset on a beautiful morning. let's talk about this. it's gorgeous out there. spring fever from boston southward today and tomorrow. it's already 20 degrees warmer in most areas right now than it was this time yesterday. so enjoy it. today you'll have a high temperature of 67 degrees in d.c. even new york city central park should get up there 57. pittsburgh at 64. just great weather continues into your friday.

72 in d.c., new york city has a shot at 60 and boston at 50. you'll be melting a lot of your snow over the next two days. much of the country has seen record highs over the last couple days. the spring fever continues from the midwest all the way through the deep south. today in chicago, after some clouds this morning, 59 for you. kansas city and st. louis near 07 and dallas at 74. if you're talking wet weather, still the west coast from san francisco to seattle is the trouble spot. you're watching "morning joe" brewed by starbucks. ♪ one for the money, and a-two for the show ♪ i like it. i do too. ♪ even if i'm poor ♪ i ain't chasing nothing ♪ you're gonna have to catch me ♪ ♪ and if you want to dance ♪ you're gonna have to pay a fee ♪

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trillion in savings over ten years, what's your take? is that a good start, senator? >> no, it's not. i expect, according to projections, 12 to $14 trillion in new debt added during that time. so $1 trillion reduction is insignificant and does not get us off the right course. >> wow! he feels a trillion dollars in savings over ten years is insignificant. how do you feel about the republican plan to save the identical amount of money over the exact same amount of time? >> $100 billion reduced this year as part of the baseline means that over ten years, you'd have a trillion dollar savings. this is the way you get the budget balanced. >> seriously, you going to go to the ford dealership and buy a ford? it's a piece of [ bleep ]. what you need to do is buy one of my fords. >> welcome back to "morning joe." >> he's been going to that voice a lot.

>> same as the trump voice. >> the same trump voice, the sleazy new yorker voice. >> that's not the trump voice, is it. >> do trump for us. >> no, no, no. >> come on, willie. for mommy. please. just for me. >> say this. say this. we'll pay for it. we're at a benefit for americares, a great organization your family has been involved with, my family has been involved with. trump walks in, what is it this? americare. what's that? it's a great organization. he cuts me off, i tell you what, he turns to my wife and he goes, susan, because you have to put up with him, i'm going to contribute $25,000. i said would you like to hear more about it? he's like, i gotta go. >> i called him mr. president last night. he said, willie, i just might do it. >> that's good. your trump voice is better than

joes. st. pete times, derailed. >> i know, i know. >> florida governor rick scott has rejected nearly $2.5 billion in federal money to build a high-speed rail line. harsh criticism from leading republicans and democrats for squashing a project that was years in the making. "new york times." it's time for you. >> i'm just sitting there and trying to digest that. if i'm andrew cuomo, say i'm going to cut but try to get that money in my state. i tell you what, that's turning your back on the future. "the new york times," the house voted yesterday to cancel an alternate fighter jet engine that bush and obama administrations have been trying to kill for the past five years. of the 87 new republicans, 47 broke ranks with speaker john boehner and voted to end the program. and this could cause john boehner jobs in the district.

anybody that's been involved in the process knows 47 people breaking against a speaker on a proj thaekt would help him in his home district? that's a significant vote of conscience. >> "usa today," the u.s. military is using planes, droughns and balloons with cameras to improve its defense against ieds in afghanistan. the number of u.s. troops wounded or killed by homemade bombs is down by 37% since august. later in the show, we'll talk to the director of the new hbo documentary "the battle for marjah." >> this is amazing. >> "the new york post," new jersey education chief is joining new york in a plan to scrap the last in, first out layoff rule for teachers. >> all righty. >> great, great news. >> the current law requires the budget-related layoffs be based solely on seniority whether than if you can teach a child or not. san francisco's world series

championship is generating banner sales for the giants well before opening day with fans accepting a 7% price increase. >> willie, you look, there are a couple new teams that are exciting, texas rangers, and the san francisco giants, they're both in the series. but san francisco has an amazing ballpark. >> yes. >> they have these young players who are just dynamic. that's a new, exciting team to watch t. was fun to watch them in the world series last year. they have tim lincicome, the city loves him, great town, great ballpark. >> they'll put people back in the seats in baltimore this year, too. that's a good team. >> talk about pittsburgh. >> is buck still coaching? >> yes, buck showalter. >> he turned the orioles around. >> let's go to politico. >> they're all chasing one hulking goliath, the boston red sox. >> the executive editor for politico with a look at the

playbook. >> i understand your buddy mike allen sat down with paul ryan who says that he will do what the president didn't do in his budget and go after entitlement reform. let's listen. >> if you get your handle on this problem, start reforming entitlements in a smart, methodical way, it will be european austerity for everybody. >> are we talking about minor tinkering or more? >> i think it's important you to entitlement reform, we're looking at all the entitlement programs. we're not taking any entitlement program off the table. the big drivers of our debt, the vast majority of our unfunded liability are medicare and medicaid. >> so jim, he's doing what we've asked and a lot of other people have asked, approach his tough choices. are his fellow republicans going to follow him is the question? >> in the past they haven't when he's detailed his plan for restructuring medicare had which is a significant restructuring

of medicare, moving it to the pr private sector. if you look at the momentum right now in the republican party in the mainstream, especially the establishment part of the party, whether it's mitch daniels, christie, paul ryan, there's dech knfinitely momentum in doing something with entitlements. there is say good chance they will touch this and we'll see if it's as radio active as and thinks. >> let's be positive. thank paul ryan, chairman of the budget committee for having the courage -- >> to put it on the table. >> thank you, paul. and my children thank you and my grandchildren thank you and i don't even have grandchildren. >> i think we should also, joe, talk about the tea party guys that voted to cut defense spentdzing. >> exactly. >> those people deserve the red badge of courage. >> that is not easy to do for

republicans, as you know, but i'll tell you, willie, these people are show something courage. paul ryan. again, the 47 people that republicans freshmen, that voted to kill a proj nekt john boehner's home district that is courage. >> the key there was democrats and republicans doing it together. >> exactly. >> that's the way we're going to solve this crisis, which is why the president's got to get engaged and got to talk to the paul ryans in there and say, okay, this is real, here's how we're going to do it. if we do it together, it won't be radioactive. >> i agree. >> willie, what's next? >> absolutely. thanks so much. we'll talk to you later. coming up, michael vick -- did you hear about this? >> i hope it's positive. >> he flakes out on oprah, cancelling his appearance on the show. >> you don't do that. >> and the mystery over the fake and hilarious rahm emanuel twitter comment. we'll tell you what the real

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♪ 33 past the hour. pretty shot of capitol hill. wow. it will be verbal vomit day, i can tell. >> what? >> it started that way. it's only going to get worse.

>> send in your music request to joe and mika music. >> did you know, mika, that david bowie produced that. >> and u2 did the "spider-man" stuff. >> in a related story. >> "spider-man." >> can i do the news now? >> let's get serious. unrest in the middle east is threatening to become even more deadly this morning. for the first time army tanks and military trucks are on the streets of bahrain aftermedil o people were killed. the security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd. protests are spreading across yemen where 2,000 police officers reportedly faced off with demonstrators in the capital yesterday, firing into the air and blocking thousands of stungts from joining the demonstrations. a similar scene unfolding in libya. where some are call forg a day of rage today. opponents of leader moammar

gadhafi. thousands of government workers went on strike yesterday including employees at cairo's airport. meanwhile, krbz says correspondent lara logan is now recovering at her home after suffering what her network described as a sustained and brutal sexual assault last week. logan received a call from president obama who expressed concern for her condition. >> mike barnicle, i want to talk about lara logan for a second here. because there are and we all know it, there are posers in this business that want to get in front of the camera in a foreign locale, so they'll look like, you know, they're real news people. and everything i've ever heard about her is just the opposite. >> she's the real deal. >> which is she goes on the front lines, cbs news has been

concerned for her safety repeatedly, saying get out of there. we all read the story about when she blot blown up in the early stages of, i think it was iraq or maybe afghanistan. >> afghanistan. >> afghanistan. she basically -- it was a scene from "rocky," patch me up and let me go back in there, except it was real life. extraordinary courage. she's shown extraordinary courage from the beginning. you know what, this past decade has been more frustrating for news agencies to get the real news about these wars to the american people. she's one of the real stars that has done it the right way. >> she is the real deal. that type of job is a particularly dangerous occupation, especially in that part of the world. as well as in afghanistan. the thing that strikes me is, watching the news clips, as you presented the news, is that we go so fast. the news goes so fast today, the

acceleration of events, cable tv, the way we do things. if you would stop and pause to think about what's happening in that region of the world, it is astounding, country after country, libya, algeria, syria, bahrain, saudi arabia perhaps. >> you notice in the streets you see young men and women protesting. these are people in countries that have been kept down for a long time by brutal regimes who in the state media. we've been asking why don't you see more burning american flags? it's because they get it now. they understand that anti-semitism and anti-americanism was used to distract from the fact that they're poor and hungry and they've got brutal oppressors. we have to say, this is such an c neosive region and, of course, correspondent who was also hurt in bahrain. >> one of abc's correspondents,

miguel marquez, was beaten while covering the protests in bahrain yesterday. not seriously hurt but this, of course, another example of the danger that our foreign journalists put themselves in to try and get the story to everybody. that's a quick look at the news. >> our thoughts and prayers are certainly with them, their families and everybody that is across the world covering these events for us to show us what's actually going on. >> it's funny, there's no place any of those reporters would rather be. remember we had on the the same we, richard engel is the say way. these people are a different breed. >> you talk to em, they'd all rather be out there on the front lines covering the story. >> right. >> and covering the heros who fight these wars for america. >> that's right. all right. let's do a little sports here.

eagles quarterback michael vick has already done unspeakable things, yesterday perhaps doing the unthinkable. he canceled on oprah winfrey. >> why? >> on monday -- >> who would do that. >> there was a big announcement that vick would appear on the oprah winfrey show. february 24th was the date. yesterday, vick backed out of the interview. >> why did he do that? >> after careful consideration i need to postpone the oprah winfrey show. i admire and respect oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future. >> why? >> personal and professional reasons. according to "usa today," owners of dogs rescued from vick's residents have been flooding oprah shows with requests to have their voices heard. they wanted to be on with michael vick to confront him. no rescheduled date has been announced. >> maybe i'd skip that, too, right? >> leave him alone. >> you don't skip oprah. >> don't cancel on oprah.

>> i had the flu when i was on oprah. >> the funny thing about michael vick, people complain, legitimately so, what did he with the dogs. he has kids. how is he with his kids? he's fine with his kids. >> we all get lip service to redemption. if we care about redemption, look at what michael vick has done, quietly without the cameras, he goes out once a week to a philadelphia school where there's a great culture of dogfighting and he tells the kids, usually young african-american kids why it's a terrible idea, how it destroyed his life and how wrong and immoral it is. if you believe in redemption, leave him alone. and listen -- >> exactly. >> i have two rescue dogs. i passed the strongest puppy mill legislation in the country. still, he did wrong and he paid for it. he went to hard time in leavenworth. not to one of the prison camps where you play tennis. >> lost $100 million in

contracts. >> luckily he'll get that back now. >> let us hope so. >> one other sports note. >> yes. >> vanderbilt came back from 14 down to beat georgia in athens. >> really getting frustrating. >> there's a couple things that were said now. >> mika doesn't believe in redemption. >> that were stupid. i do. >> she's like jayne lynch's character on "glee." >> i'm sue on "glee." >> what's next? >> guys are going too far. coming up next, senator scott brown opens up about a painful moment in his childhood. we'll also have an exclusive -- >> why do you do that? >> not sure but it's very revealing. >> we'll be back, mika. >> "time" magazine. >> we unveil the "time" magazine cover. so you have five brothers.

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♪ you tell us that you were

actually sexually abused. more than once. >> yep. he said if you tell anybody, i'll kill you. you know? i will make sure that no one believes you. >> so you never reported it? >> no. my mom will read about it for the first time, my wife has read about it. >> didn't know? >> i haven't told anybody. >> this is interesting. scott brown in an interview for "60 minutes" obviously there. we should have leslie on. >> scott willing on tuesday morning. >> in that interview he reveals he was abused by a camp counselor. and talks a lot about his childhood. pretty in-depth profile. what do you make of that? >> i don't know. we'll ask him on tuesday. >> yeah? >> i think it was just wanted to write about it in the book. i guess this is something that he's been carrying around with him for, you know, decades. and -- >> it might help others t. might

help others. you had a -- in your book you certainly had a terrible situation happen to you when you were younger. and you revealed that as well. and so i think for you it was important part of a healing process and maybe it's the same for him. >> uh-huh or takes the veil off the shame of something. i don't know. we'll have to ask him about it. yeah. i'm going to wait until we talk to him. let's do the must-read op-eds. we start with the "washington post." mitch daniel's case for a less strident conservative by george will. daniels reminds his lizzeners that the president admonished him and others that we have no enemies, only opponents. as we ask americans to join us in such a boldly different course, it would help if they liked us. just a bit. big changes, daniels knows, will require a broad majority, perhaps one assembled after 2012

by someone with his blend of accomplishments, aversion to pandering and low-key charisma of competence. >> we talked about it for some time, governor. the republicans need to be conservative ideologue quicalli that's my position, and moderate temporarily. >> there's no question. americans, in the end, you can't be mean. in the end you can't be mean. the test for chris christie, it's a very interesting study in politics, the test for chris christie is, he's got to make sure he does all this and people don't think he's mean. in other words, i had to cut programs. after building up funding for libraries to the highest ever in pennsylvania, hi to strip about half of that funding away. i was empathetic with the library people. i said, look, hopefully we'll be

in a position down the road, because we made these cuts to build it back up again. you can't be mean. that's where a lot of the conservative message has failed to take hold for a long period of time. >> a lot of tough decisions obviously as we talked about at the top of the show being made by governors like you. look what's happening in wisconsin. >> right. >> where there are more protests planned today. definitely the walls closing in on the new governor there. republican scott walker. what he's trying to do is pass a bill that targets public workers and their uniyonz. the bill would essentially strip collective bargaining rights for those employees and force them to pay half the costs of their pensions and high other health care contributions. that's a tough call. >> hold on a second. wait. this governor is actually asking public employees, union members to do the same thing that workers outside of government have to do? how shocking. >> look what's happening there. and they'll be back. >> that's good for him. >> you know what, yeah.

protests in madison, wisconsin. gee, i wonder if that will help him around the rest of the state or not. mike, this is simple. this is simple. >> yeah, i don't know how he's gone about it, though. there's a big difference between demonizing public employees and sitting down and saying you have to give me back something here. >> we don't have money. it's nothing personal or ideological, we don't have the money. >> that's the key, joe, to winning over the public. you can demonize teachers' unions but they're own daughter is a teacher, that's a different story. you can say teachers tront blame for this, they didn't negotiate the contracts. teachers actually want ma meritocracy as well. don't demonize the teachers. that's the problem with a lot of this message. and the meanness takes hold after a while and it takes hold and it poisons the whole atmosphere. >> boy, i can think of a couple of republicans, they have you have that reaganism up on the

board for them, we don't have enemies, we have opponents, michele bachmann and sarah palin. >> okay. i don't think we have time for another op-ed. >> you're still stick on the michael vick thing, aren't you? >> you are idiots. stuck on the stupid comment barnicle made. >> willie, what's next? >> you might want to go to willie. >> you know who else is a good d dad? willie. >> why are you upset about a stupid comment he made today? doesn't he make stupid comments every day? why today? >> you're right, ed, i need to be more patient. >> compassionate conservatism. >> i need to restrain myself, hold back and let the conversation breathe a little bit. >> what are you and the vicks doing this weekend, having a picnic?

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>> let's talk about charlie sheen. he called in to dan patrick's radio show, apparently. he had advice, for any actors who plan on showing up to their sitcoms without having slept. here's what he said. >> were you drunk on the set during the set? >> never been drunk, never been high on the set once. would show up not having slept much. i would ask to move my mark a little bit so i could be next to a piece of furniture or a table. so i wouldn't fall over. >> he's calling in to dan patrick every day, spilling the beans. >> how great is dan patrick? >> goes. >> he's a nice boy. >> love him. >> i met him years ago. >> a nice boy. >> he's a man, a grown man now. >> she knows everybody. >> let's get to rahm emanuel. there's a fake twitter account

at mare emanuel. >> now i understand, all the "f" bombs i see. >> somebody has been tweeting as rahm emanuel but not rahm emanuel. here's an example. i just visited my hundredth mother, blanking stop. here's another one. i ate a blanked up chicken salad sandwich today and i've been dealing with my own personal mayoral runoff ever since. rahm emanuel has been watching this. some people think it's him. it's not him. he has his own handle at rahm emanuel. he was on a radio show yesterday talking about the fake rahm. >> you have a lot of followers on twitter including myself. the guy that's out there that's the fake emanuel has 21,000 twitters. >> i will offer $2,500 or $5,000 personal contribution to the

charity of that individual's choice if they would make public who they are. >> do you ever read that and laugh? >> are you kidding? it always brings a smile -- >> it is so funny. >> a lost people say i just read your tweet. i go, what? >> that is hysterical. >> at mayor emanuel. he's offering five grand to the guy. >> that's a smart play. >> we'll be right back with patrick buchanan. is pat on twitter? i don't think he is. we have to get him on twitter. >> pat. >> we need to follow pat. - ( snoring ) - ( classical score playing ) - ( clinks ) - ( whispers ) we're breaking out. let's go. hmm? i'll get the dodo. - ( all yelling ) - scandalous. - ( alarm blaring ) - warden, two boys going for a stroll. - release the hounds. - ( dogs panting ) ( dramatic music playing )

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we bought $100 worth of pennies and started to stack them until we got this, the $3.7 trillion budget. each one of these stacks of five pennies represents $2 billion. >> that doesn't help us in any way. let me do a quick impression for you at an employee at abc world news. went to columbia university, now i'm stacking pennies to make a [ bleep ] pie chart, are you kidding me! >> man. yes, that was -- that was innovative standup. okay. top of the hour, welcome back to "morning joe." mike barnicle and ed rendell

still with us and joining us from washington, msnbc political analyst pat buchanan joining the conversation. good to have you, pat. >> good morning. >> we have a lot to get to this morning. >> good morning. >> we really do. >> i want to get to the news really quickly. >> that would be great. >> then have pat respond to some of the things that are happening on capitol hill. it looks like republicans are starting to show some courage in the form of the freshmen and paul ryan. >> speaker john boehner is expressing, quote, real doubts that congress will agree on a budge net year. in an interview last night, he said senate dams are unlikely to negotiate on a budget resolution this spring. >> when he sends that proposal to the house, dead on arrival. >> it's dead, gone, over. >> dead, gone, over. >> today, the house will continue to make its way through hundreds of amendments to the republicans' bill to cut more than $60 billion from the fiscal

year budget. yesterday, the chamber narrowly approved an amendment that would eliminate funding for a second engine for the f-35 joint strike fighter built by general electric, one of our parent companies. >> let's go to pat buchanan on this. pat, governor rendell had said earlier this is a really courageous move. especially for the 47 freshmen, republicans, who not only voted against a defense project which isn't easy for a republican to do but voted against a defense project, killed a defense project that would have helped the speaker of the house in his own district. courage maybe breaking out, pat? >> may well be, joe. this does tell us something. when you kill this engine, of course, you're killing a lot of jobs also. and the republicans, however, i think they voted to restore cuts and lyle services and they're cutting nasa and they're not cutting here. and what it shows you, what we're beginning to see, because i think there's a lid here, when

you take from one and give to another in reverse, i think you're seeing what are the priorities of the country of the united states in terms of spending. they're not jfk's priorities but they're the priorities of the new tea party. >> but you also look at the fact that paul ryan yesterday came out and he said we're going to have to address entitlement programs. >> you know -- >> there are a hundred republicans agreeing with him right now. it looks like we may have a real conversation on entitlements. >> i think paul ryan is showing the courage of the convictions, maybe of barack obama who quite frankly, joe, i thought abdicated totally in that press conference where he lateraled the ball to the republicans, you guys go first. look, everybody knows we're in a fiscal and financial crisis as you folks were talking in the last hour. the governors know it, cuomo, christie, jerry brown, they all know it. and we're not getting any leadership out of the executive branch and i think a lot of people are looking to those republicans and looking to folks

like paul ryan. i think they're going to come through. >> pat, i just want to challenge that. >> all right. >> because i feel like you and joe definitely joe, last time around in a debate similar to this would say, you know what, obama should put it right on the republicans and say, come on, what you got? you want to cut spending, you want to work on the deficit, show us what you've got. strategically, isn't this a politically smart move on the president's part? aren't we going to get there. >> tactically it's a smart move. i will say this, chuck todd had the best question at that press conference. he said mr. president didn't we all get together to move forward with the budget deficit committee which we all praised, republicans and democrats? and the president said i look at that as a framework for a conversation. now, what kind of leadership is that? everybody knows what we have to do now. why doesn't the president lead? i agree with you, mika. maybe tactically clever, let the

republicans take responsibility. is that what we elected the president of the united states to do? or is he acting like he did in the state senate, when the big votes come ub, they're very tough, vote present. >> something ed rendell never did. let me ask you about that strategically. did you ever punt and say i'm going to set the republicans up in the legislature for failure? on a very big issue. >> the people around me, i have great people around me, often that was their advice to me, punt, let them do it first and you boot strap in. but i thought, i got elected to do something. and if i know something is right, i want to try to do it from the get-go. don't put too much on the table because if you put too much on the table and you have no position to retreat back to or you have no gains. i said, look, it's up to -- i'm the one person who has the overall responsibility for this budget. >> right. there's only one governor. >> and one president. >> i do believe the president

should have engaged earlier. i agree nobody should go out there on their way and take the brunt of this because i don't think we can do it that way. eventually if we're going to do the right cuts, republicans and democrats will have to stand shoulder to shoulder. enough of them to get it done as they did with the defense appropriation. >> i think they will. >> mika, i think if you're the executive, you have the chance to frame the debate on your terms. and you have the chance to show that leadership. i think there's a time politically. was it a good move? probably yes. in terms of what's good for the country i would have liked to have seen the president lead. it's his deficit commission. they came up with bold recommendations. let's go. i would have tried to engage early, tried to get the republicans to sign on early. but lead. i think that's what leaders do is lead. >> i don't disagree. i mean, i felt this there was an opportunity on tax cuts for the very, very rich, that he completely just let go right by and it was frustrating to watch.

but i'm just -- there seems to be two layers, leadership and political strategy and there's also getting it done. which ultimately is leadership, is it not? >> it is ultimately leadership. but i think the problem is, you've got to get out there, the problem with stimulus is, that he didn't frame the bill. >> right. >> same thing with health care. >> he didn't frame the bill. >> he's making, governor, the same mistake that we saw him make for the first two years. in you talk about the stimulus package, mike, we talked about it all the time. he let nancy pelosi and the democrats frame it. it was a hodgepodge of a bill, health care, he let everybody else frame it. it was a hodgepodge of a deal. no wholistic approach to either one of those things. now he's doing the same thing on the deficit, i'm not going to show leadership, i'm not going to have courage, i'm going to stay back and hide my hand like i did with the stimulus bill and health care. it's like he hasn't learned from the mistakes he made. >> i think with health care, you're right.

he handed health care offer to the house and senate leadership and lost control of it and took 18, 19 months, something that should have taken eight more nine months. >> stimulus too, mike. >> after a while, in that city at this time, your view and pat's view on this, human nature at some point has to play a part in this. for two years, no matter what the president of the united states said, proposed or did, no. we don't like it, we don't like what he does or says. the republicans. so at this stage of the game with the budget, he says, all right, fine, i'm not going to throw in some specifics on the budget announcement. come back to me. >> what about the lame duck when he engaged? >> exactly. >> whether we think it was right or not in in the lame duck he engaged and he looked like a leader. i think his numbers went up because he looked like a leader. >> he looked like one then, he doesn't look like one now. >> the bush tax cuts for the well to do, we'll take everything over the cliff.

okay, you won that. i give that to you. i want this, i want that the, i want that, i want the other. he won the hand. >> right. >> he walked away, everybody said, look, he stepped in there and succeeded where pelosi and reed fail fword years. okay, the republicans got something, he got something. he was a leader. he's not being a leader now. >> on top of that, he gets s.t.a.r.t. as sort of a side item, he got don't ask don't tell done away with as a side item. he was rewarded for leadership. pat, it looks like he's going back to that same tried and unfortunately failed notion if he just doesn't tell anybody what he believes in, either on the stimulus or health care, that somehow he's going to be able to escape political fire. that's what hurt him in the first place. >> right. mika was right. tactically this might be clever. the problem with it is, the country is very aware of how grave the crisis is. the guys who are getting plaudits these days, christie and cuomo, the guys who are

making tough decisions. there's blood on the floor, they're battling. everybody is saying, look, we don't like it but they're trying to do the right thing. but nobody is saying the president of the united states is leading today. that's not a good position to be in. >> i would agree with you. i can't believe i'm going to quote donny deutsch. >> oh, my gosh. >> it's not that bad, mika. >> there is a need for a seam in all these issues. we all need to give. something like that. donny said that the other day. i realize all these -- i was disappointed with tax cuts. you're disappointed now. and there is a way, i think, chris christie has tapped into, i can't believe i'm saying that today, and some of these other governors. >> cuomo. jerry brown. >> we all need to give. i think people are ready to hear that right now. they want that the. >> jerry brown's numbers might go down in california. >> they don't want their pensions cut. >> jerry brown's numbers will go down as having the courage to do

what has to be done. >> he got done what he wanted to get done. >> who? d? >> the president got more done in his first -- >> really? he comes in -- >> oh, lord. >> he has a 79-vote majority in the house, he owns the senate, he has 59 people in the senate -- >> as you described it -- >> let me finish. >> he rammed it through in the first year. >> instead of crafting his own bill, instead of showing leadership, he let events shape his presidency indead of his presidency shaping events. yes, at the end of the day he had legislative victory i that are no overall themes to it. guess what, democrats got slaughtered in the house. >> i agree, no overall theme. >> i think mika's right. if you look at the polls, the american people want each side to give. after the democrats were criticizing the president for the post-election deal, i said, it's all about the rolling stones. you can't always get what you want. that's how government works. that's the central theme. if i'm the president of the united states, i say to the

american people, look, here's what i believe in. right now i can't get everything i believe in. i have to make this ship sail. i have to make government do things for the american people and here's what we have to do. i'm willing to look at this, this and this if the other side is willing to come over and look at defense cuts, et cetera. put it on the table. be the leader. >> pat, i do think if this president continues to languish, in the mushy middle and is just too afraid to step forward and tackle the number one economic issue of our time, it's going to cost him. >> it's not only going to cost him, joe, let me tell you, everybody knows we have to take entitlements on. if he's unwilling to do that, i'll tell you, and this economy goes down like a greece or ireland or something like that, barack obama will be herbert hoover. >> okay. >> he will have that legacy. everybody knows we're in a crisis now. and if he sits there fiddling

while rome burns, this will be on his shoulder. >> i'm not sure he's languishing. read your politico piece. >> i know i didn't talk about entitlements but i want to commend by republican friends for talking about entitlements. i think that's positive. this is the beginning of something good. really? >> i'm talking too much. chris says i need to go to break. that's just funny. >> he didn't say you were talking too much. >> am i talk too much, chris? >> of course not. it's just time to go. coming up, what does obama's budget mean for the nation's school system? we ask education secretary arne duncan, next. how did the new press secretary stand up against his predecessor? first, let's go to bill karins with a check on the forecast. bill? mika, every winter, especially after the winter we've seen we're entitled to a nice warmup. usually it's a january thaw. this time we had to wait to

february. the bottom two-thirds of country were all above 60 degrees yesterday. as we go throughout the day today, the spring fever continues. this team it sneaks up into new england. already it's 47 outside as you go through your morning commute in new york city. easily the warmest morning we've had this winter. it will be 57, boston 49. d.c. at 67 today. and the rest of the country's warm, too. kansas city and st. louis near 70. chicago near 60 and the whole southern half of the country, easily into the 70s. maybe even a few 80s. enjoy it while it lasts. next week we have a snow surprise for you on monday. you're watching "morning joe," brewed by starbucks.

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i happen to cruise by your $300 million website and you know what i find? a whole lot of me. including clips from my show on

your site's dedicated stephen colbert page. until the huffington post pays me for repurposing my content i am happy to announce my brand new website, the co re-post. >> welcome back to "morning joe." i love arianna. she was there last night at our americares event. everyone was congratulating her and she kept saying it's good for women. it is great for women. >> you know -- >> it is. >> you can't name a lot of women that have started a company by

themselves and have built it up in the media world. this is still unfortunately, mika, as your books describe, a man centric media world that played by your own rules and won the way she did. sold her startup for 315 million. >> it's incredible. we'll have her on the show soon, right? aren't we, chris? >> joining us from the white house, secretary of education, arne duncan. and also at the white house, msnbc political correspondent and host of the daily rundown, chuck todd. >> let's start with the idea of first in, last out. it looks like governors are starting to move on that old plan. and we may see some real reforms in that area. will we see it in washington as well. >> these are obviously very tough budget times. we're hoping to -- we can do everything we can to keep cuts

away from classrooms. where they have to make tough cuts we want to make sure the students and kplunts who need the best talent who historically haven't had that have access to that. whether it's great young teachers or veteran teachers, we need to keep that talent working with the children in the communities who need that help. >> mike barnicle. >> let's talk about the gross national product and measure it in terms of the imagination and the skill sets that are lost among kids who live in poorer school districts. all these cuts that you're talking about, how can you prevent the cuts from really having the devastating impact on kids whose lives are devastated by their environment? >> what we're trying to challenge districts to do is to be very thoughtful in how you cut. these are tough times today. they will be tough times for a couple year to come. how do we keep cuts away from the classrooms? we find ways to be more productive and efficient and use

technology in creative ways. in tough budget times we have to educate our way to a better economy. our children have one chance to get a good education. we can't back off. >> willie geist, mr. secretary. you know as well as i do, you go out and speak to teachers an we do as well, in a lot of ways they feel like over the last couple years they've been demonized. how do you separate your criticism teachers' unions from a general critique of the national treasure that is our teachers. >> i think teachers and teachers unions are a huge part of where we have to go as a country. great teachers are the unsung heroes of our nation. they do extraordinarily hard work, difficult work, complex work often in challenging circumstances. often without all the resources they need. and we can't do enough to support and celebrate the extraordinary effort that our teachers are making every single day, great teachers are literally transforming the lives of students who need those opportunities. >> we want to ask you about the

commencement challenge, bring obama to your high school. you got about 1,000 applications from public high schools across the country. what was the winning school? and what did it take? >> we went to kalamazoo central last year. the president just had an extraordinary time, an amazing school. amazing principal and faculty. students were fantastic. the vast majority were graduating and going on to college. as soon as we got back in the plane, he said let's do it again next year. the deadline for the commencement challenge is coming up. we urge high schools from around the country to apply at whitehouse.gov/commencement. >> this is the chance of a lifetime. >> nice, nice. >> let me ask you briefly about education reform. we've been talking about it for a couple of years. we've been hearing that the president spoupports a plan. it's an opportunity for

bipartisan legislation to pass in washington, d.c. are we going to finally get it in a significant meaningful way this year? >> i absolutely hope so. so much is broken with the current no child left behind law that we need to fix. hopefully you know by now, i'm the least partisan, ideological guy you've ever going to meet. >> we wonder what the delay is. we know that. i'm serious. we give you the highest marks and always have. i just wonder, when is the president going to move forward aggressively on education reform? >> we're moving aguessively this year. you saw how passionate he was on this issue in the state of the union, we're actually literally meeting today, the president and the leadership of the house and the senate democrats and republican. we want to move forward. ideally we will have a bill on his desk before the august recess so we could go into the new school year with a law that's much more fair, much more flexible and much more focused. >> arne, quickly, tell everyone, i think the president and you

don't get enough credit. race for the top was an education reform. >> it was. no doubt about it. >> great stuff. >> it was great stuff. tell everyone the overriding criteria for race for the top. it's what the country wants to hear and what republicans and democrat can agree on. >> you were one of the best education governors in the country. we were so lucky for your service. we have to raise standards around the country. too many states dummied down, lowered standards because it was good for politicians. it was terrible for children, terrible for education, terrible ultimately for our country's economy. thanks in part to race to the top, 41 states raised standards, college and career-ready standards. 44 states are working on better asesmentes together. we have 36 states that moved barriers to innovative schools. every state removed bar years to linking child and teacher communication. governors, state school officers, teachers stepping up

and saying we have to educate our way to a belter economy and have to work smarter. i couldn't be more proud of the progress. as all of you know, a lot of hard work to us. >> what was so brilliant about race to the top, they had a limited amount of money but they had states competing in it. >> even the states that didn't get the grant raised their standards. >> they improved, raised their stand ars. mr. secretary, thank you so much. >> thank you, secretary duncan. >> we always love talking to you. good luck. >> thanks. have a get morning now. >> chuck todd, you are also calling for jay carney's dismissal. what's the basis for your harsh attacks on jay? >> terrible. >> one again, joe, trying to offset his own personal feelings and views on others. trying to rally folks. >> he's still sore about the "f" bomb. >> shocker. >> that he would do something like that. >> i thought jay handled well.

he spoke in complete sentences. i say that as somebody who has to use quotes sometimes. that's helpful to us. he speaks a little bit faster than robert. people that put together tv packages know that means -- probably means more of what carney says might get on the air as opposed to gibbs who didn't get all of his thoughts sometimes on the air because he spoke really slowly. you southerners, joe, you speak in a lower gear. >> we do. >> i thought jay did fine. he was very careful at points. >> thank you for insulting an entire region but go ahead. >> hopefully the insult was only to you. >> you said guys from the south. >> it was intended for you. >> one of the things i thought was smart, he was careful when he would talk about anything having to do with foreign policy. he was careful, looked at notes. he seemed very well prepared. >> our good friend bill burton, we got the news yesterday that

bill's moving on. do you think this was just -- was this something that had to happen after he got passed over for jay? >> you know, look, i'm not going to -- i think this is not fair to him to get into the personal speculation on all these things. i think it's pretty obvious, you know, sometimes you do move on if there's a lot of change in the office you work for, three of his bosses have changed in the last three weeks from the press secretary to david axelrod to bill daley for rahm emanuel. to me, that wouldn't be much of a surprise. >> we love bill. i was actually pulling for him. i like jay a lot, even though he set me up. >> you fell for it. >> you look at jay standing behind the podium and that's -- gosh, that is a tough job. you've got so much responsibility there. >> brutal. brutal. >> something that guy says can

impact events in egypt or across the world. a great responsibility. willie, this is why either you nor i will ever be standing behind that press secretary. >> i'll be yours someday, just watch. >> it would be much safer if i were something other than a press secretary because i speak so slowly people would have a hard time keeping up. hey, pat, talk about, though, how difficult that job can be at times. the great responsibility that's been passed on from roberts to -- from roberts to jay. >> let me tell you a story about myself, joe. nixon asked me to be press secretary up in new hampshire and i went downstairs and sat down with robert novak and pat ferguson of the "baltimore sun" who proceeded to cut me up and call nixon names because he snuck off. i went upstairs and said i don't have the temperament for this

job. it's a tough job to sit up there, joe, there's been outstanding ones. i always thought jodi powell did a terrific job for jimmy carter. the guy for clinton. >> mccurry. >> he was amazing. >> he was outstanding. he handled himself very well. he was cool, he was tough. that's what you need. you have to have a tough hyde there. haggerty was good. it's an enormously important podi podium. he and powell and some of those guys were very good. >> chuck, could you explain once again for people watching that aren't inside the white house every day you like are, explain the relationship between the press secretary and the press. it seems very, very contentious at times. sometimes it seems like you're going to come to blows, not you personally but -- yet afterwards

after the cameras are turned off you have to get along with each other and they have information that you need and you've got power that they need to harness. >> you know, you said a lot of it right there. of what the relationship is. first of all, we're physically in small quarters. i think anytime you're physically in small quarters that can also impact a relationship in many ways. you travel around the world together. that impacts a relationship. i always say once we cross an ocean, you become team america. it's a very interesting. that's when you see, you get more examples of when the press secretary starts fighting for the press corps, when the chinese are trying to keep us from getting information. or awn of the autocratic phony monarchs makes it that the press can't get in to do his job. that's when you see the press secretary be an advocate for the press.

when we're here, it's more adversarial. >> pitchers and catchers are reporting. who's your team? >> at this point i'd rather have bernie madoff and fred wilpon running the dodgers. they probably would have more money to spend. i love don mattingly, the new manager is great. i don't know. it's a mess. barnicle needs to figure out how to get a fix for me. >> that's killing a great organization. >> it is. it's really sad. >> new ownership by the end of this season. >> you think so? >> yes. >> bring back the o'malleys. >> catch chuck and savannah on "the daily rundown" here at 9:00 on msnbc. senator paul ryan and a look at the new cover of "time" magazine. keep it right here on "morning joe." [ male announcer ] nature valley

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for the first time, senior obama administration officials are outlining a potential detention plan for al qaeda top leadership. leon panetta caused a bit of a stir telling congress if osama bin laden or his deputy are captured they will be held by the military and probably sent to guantanamo bay. >> let's say your folks were successful in capturing bin laden, zawahiri, any other hvt tomorrow. what you going to do with them? >> especially with the two target you just described, we would probably move them quickly into military jurisdiction at bagram for questioning, and then eventually move them probably to guantanamo. >> i thought they shut that down? >> however -- >> hold on a second. they shut that down. they shut it down. is the president -- is it still within a year?

>> sometimes really -- >> he said first year. >> sometimes morally wrong things are hard to undo. however, a spokesman for the cia -- >> wait a second. i guess he couldn't have seen that coming, could he. >> right. >> we all said around the set that would never happen. it was a good campaign promise. >> you like yourself, don't you? >> hope, change. >> god. >> george bush is evil, barack obama says dick cheney is evil. >> they're tearing up the constitution. oh, wait, we're going to do the same exact thing, gitmo. never mind. i like being president. >> it's not like this president came up with these con kecks. a spokesman for the cia his remarks were not conclusive. and what happened to bin laden would be based on his capture. administration officials said the chance of detaining either man is negligible since they

would likely kill themselves to avoid capture. >> that's because we can't find them. >> most important part. >> we came close once. oh, right. >> we had him but we decided not to -- i'm sorry, mika, was this going to be a george bush? >> no. >> you're looking at foreign policy through theize of political parties. >> i'm not allowed to go there. >> you can go there. george bush screwed up. i can say that. you say barack obama got it wrong, dead wrong. >> he was wrong about what he would like to do and the reality of trying to do it, yes. ♪ one for the money, and a-two for the show ♪ i like it. i do too. ♪ even if i'm poor ♪ i ain't chasing nothing ♪ you're gonna have to catch me ♪ ♪ and if you want to dance ♪ you're gonna have to pay a fee ♪

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newscorp has come out with a new ipad app called the daily. you buy the app and you get all the convenience of using your ipad to read the news online. but without the internet's annoying habit of being completely free. and it is being praised by everybody in the media that is

owned by rupert murdoch. >> new times demand new journalism. >> the daily is expected to change the way people get news. >> the first its kind application that will bring them news in a whole new way. >> i think this is the end of the laptop. >> you're confident of that? >> yes. >> okay. >> it's portable. >> yes, the daily is portable unlike a laptop. evidently murdoch has the upper body strength of a cricket. >> with us now, "time" managing editor rick stengel. he has a new cover, going to unveil it with us today. tell us about it. >> it's the generation changing the world. it's about young people in the middle east and egypt, what we're seeing going on in bahrain, in iran, all across the arab world. 60% of the population in the arab world is under the age of 30 and we did a fantastic lead story by fareed zakaria. he talks about what he thinks is going on there. >> what is going on?

they are all young people, of course, the demographics of the middle east, it tilts to the youth. what's going on? >> what's going on, this was in a stellar pole, a gallup pole. they all want democracy but they don't know exactly what democracy it. fareed talks about this going back to revolutions. they don't always know what they want. in a second story, he says what they want is accountability. they want to be able to toss the bums out, have elections and be able to say you're not doing the job for us. that's how they see democracy. >> very interesting, too. we comment about how you don't see american flags burning. people love to come on and write op-eds saying you americans, you think everything is about you but it's not. this is not about america to which i say, that's great news! because it's always been about america. they've always been burning our flags. egypt's press was anti-american.

it was anti-smetic. gadhafi the same. anti-semitic. it's been anti-american. it has always been about hating america and hating israel. it looks like this generation is calling their leaders' bluff saying you know what -- >> we saw saw, i think some people are disappointed in this, tiananmen square, they had a statue of liberty there. people often looked as the jeffersonian -- >> barack obama goes over there and he gives a speech in cairo. i will tell you that -- whether people like to admit it or not, an american president's speech in cairo moved. it moved those people. it took a while. it moved people to action in tehran. what the american president says still matters. even if we in america don't

believe it. >> i completely agree. george bush's freedom agenda is part of this, too. >> exactly. >> maybe the obama speech, the result was they didn't burn the american president in effigy or burn american flags. i think think, particularly in the arab world, we're never going to be great heros to them. >> right. >> so i think that's -- but they see what technology is -- >> a window to the world. >> yes. remember what used to happen in revolutions? fareed talks about this in the story. the first thing they did was capture the radio station and television station. why? because communication was one to mao. now it's many to many. you don't need to capture the radio station. >> back in the 1980s i heard stories of people going over, helping resistance against soviet empire. they would be doing the old mimeograph things. >> exactly. >> they would send those out. they don't have to do that anymore. >> that's like thomas payne.

>> brand new pictures coming in from bahrain where demonstrators are planning another day of rage. we just saw tanks rolling in. you see that again, the army is getting ready to control any protests they may confront. >> does fareed believe 2011 -- robin wrights talked about this. tip of the hat to robin wright who a few years ago talked about democracy in the middle east. she was mocked by people in the mainstream media. she was two years ahead of her time. i think she was right. if faree dext look at 2011 as the follow-up to 1979? 1979 islamists take control of iran and that revolution spreads. is this now a less islamic revolution, a more secular revolution, more economically based? >> he does think so. like warren buffett once said, when someone says this time is different, he takes out his wallet because he wants to bet

against it. this time is t is different. sometimes revolutions curdle in iran and other places. he sees this as being the engine of democracy. >> does he think iran's next? >> i don't think it's next right now. bahrain seems to be next and other places like that. we thought the monarchies were immuned. i think we're seeing changes there in all the places we haven't. i mean, saudi arabia, is like a huge question mark. they're a very repressive society, monarchies, it's hard to have any kind of -- very hard to have any kind of revolt there. >> before we go to break, who is the republican that joe klein says republicans should -- that obama should worry about? >> you ready for this? mitch daniels. joe went to see pat, he went to cpac. he saw mitch speak. he talked about how hard it would be to do budget cutting if

you do not cut entitlements. it was something nobody else said. the new cover of "time," "the generation changing the world." still ahead, representative paul ryan. plus, they're on a mission to teach college student wrtz nation's debt matters. nnouncer ] achievement: embraces mondays. ♪ achievement: loves working capital. ♪ achievement: puts receivables to work. ♪ achievement: expects a lot of itself. cfo: cash flow options, helping business achievers better manage their cash flow. pnc. for the achiever in us all. for adults, stelara® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis

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welcome back to "morning joe." 52 past the hour. with us here now from concerned youth of america, director of operations, caroline mathews, and executive director, you kyo groskin. did i get that right. >> when we started the organization in 2007, it was before the bailouts, people were a little bit wary about our message, but since then, people have come to realize assist serious issue. and i think it's easy enough to explain this is the issue that will define our generation. >> caroline, how do you get through to kids, how do you get through to young people your age to try to talk about -- they must think that -- well, what do you say? just walk up and say, do you care about the debt? >> in 2007 when we first started, students were really surprised and shocked, kind of

like the doomsday patrol. we were both born in '89, the year the berlin wall fall -- >> that was the year i graduated from college. >> as we admit our age. but with the bailouts and the recession, people are more weary of where they're going to work after graduation and not our long-term fiscal outlook. >> but are you really breaking through? because it is very simple, you're getting ripped off. you're getting totally ripped off. there are people in washington right now and republicans for ten years before that that stole from your generation. which means, i mean, as i always say when i give speeches to explain it, when i'm at colleges, you know, the '50, 15 people working for every one year on social security, now one people very every three people on social security. by the time the baby boomers retire, you will be paying for ed's social security. your taxes are going to skyrocket.

the american dream will be killed if your generation doesn't rise up right now and stop it. >> we try to make it personal. we tell them that washington's been drinking at the bar and they're pushing the tab our way. and that's something that i think everyone in our generation -- that connects. you're connecting. >> that does connect. but everyone in our generation swo is working hard in school and we don't want all the hard work we've put in to be pushed aside to pay off the mistakes of future generations. >> governor, this is a compelling message, of course, coming from a great institution in your state. >> right. >> but shouldn't more young americans be focused on the fact that this is generational theft? >> sure. >> they're getting screwed. >> the interesting thing about it is, i always tried, when i was head of the dnc, to get young people involved. i said, look, the decisions we're make will have a minimal effect on my life, but they're going to dominate your life and the life of your children. so get involved now. >> how do you sell that?

how do you sell that to your generation? >> besides giving them the numbers, we try to approach it in a more fun, creative, youthful way. we've done these things called eliminate the lemonade sales. so we're raising money for treasury and garner interest. but i have faith in my generation. i think we're aware of what the situation is, and there's definitely a lot of cynicism, because a lot of us are afraid we're not addressi ining the is now, we're not coming up with situations now. you can procrastinate for a test until you can't. so when are we going to stop procrastinating. >> pat buchanan, do you want to get in here? >> sure. carolyn, when you talk to the young people and say, we have to deal with this budget or make cuts or raise taxes, where do they come down? do they think we ought to cut the entitlements, cut national defense, bring the troops home, cut foreign aid, what? >> so the question is, where do we cut? do we cut the spending for the wars, social security, medicare, what's the answer? >> we have to be honest, any politician who goes to the

public and says, all right, we have a problem and we're going to get rid of all the earmarks, we're going to cut foreign aid, they're not telling the truth. it's not going to do anything. and the american public has to be honest with themselves. we like to blame washington, but look at poll after poll, americans aren't willing to see tax increases, they're not willing to see cuts to major entitlements and that's where the money is. >> yoni and i always look for the standouts in washington who are really going to take on it shall. we saw last year with the fiscal commission that there are standouts. people in washington -- >> like who? >> i think i would say durbin, conrad, cohen, a lot of them are really working at it. >> the politicians who voted to support the recommendations are the people you should focus on. one question i have. i think one message you've got to give is, i think the president's absolutely right -- he's not right about not tackling the big things that will cause the deficits to go down, but he's also right we can't stop investing. and the things he talked about, education, innovation, and

infrastructure, building things, a crucially important. that's a message you can't leave out. >> and we agree. our broader message is to make sure that the next generation does not receive a poorer standard of living than the generation that receded them. >> yoni gruskin and caroline matthews, thank you so much. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. premier of the packed bag. you know when to hold 'em... and how to fold 'em. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above and still pay the mid-size price. here we are... [ male announcer ] and there you go, business pro. there you go. go national. go like a pro.

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when we say we're cutting spending and we say everything's

on the table, when we say we mean entitlement programs, we should be specific. and let me tell you, what is the truth? what's the truth that nobody's talking about? here's the truth that nobody's talking about. you're going to have to raise the retirement age for social security. oh, i just said it and i'm still standing here! i did not vaporize into the carpeting. what i said was, listen, you want to pass an income tax increase, that's fine, you can, i'm going to veto it. and if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. but i want to tell you something. i'm not moving any cot into this office to sleep here. you close down the government, i'm getting in those black suvs with the troopers and going to the governor's residence, go upstairs, order a pizza, open a beer, and watch the mets. and when you decide to reopen the government, give me a call and i'll come back.

but don't think i'm sleeping on some cot. take a look at me. do you think i'm sleeping on a cot? not happening. >> good morning. it's 8:00 on the east coast, as you take a live look at new york city. back with us on set, sports writer for the "philadelphia daily news." >> yeah! >> and former governor of pennsylvania and nbc news political analyst, ed rendell. also, nbc news contributor, mike barnicle. >> so mika asked the question, mike barnicle, is he really that great or is everybody else -- >> i like him, but i expected that speech. >> no politician has ever came out and said, if you shut down the government, i'm going home and opening up a beer and watching the mets play. >> he's that great because he's still real. i don't know what happens to the governor of new jersey when he becomes governor of new jersey, but he's maintained his street sense. when governor rendell was governor of pennsylvania, he had -- well, chris christie has a lot of what governor rendell had. when you tell the truth, people react to the truth.

>> and we can talk about governor rendell, we disagree on some political things, but i always said, man, if i were running the white house the first two years, i would have governor rendell. because like chris christie, he's real. people like him, people trust him. there's some politicians that have that and chris christie's one of them. whether you agree with him or not. >> you're right about that, but he's going to have to perform. the shtick will take it so for a. >> exactly, that's what i'm saying. and the governor attacked obama's proposals for high-speed rail and broadband. >> america was about doing the big things. now, i'm not saying he copied me. see some writing about that. but i think it's important to note it, because of what he says the big things are. he says the big things are high-speed rail. the big things are high-speed

internet access for, i don't know, it was 80% of america or something by some date. electric cars on the road by some date. ladies and gentlemen, that is the candy of american politics. those are not the big things. because let me guarantee you something, if was don't fix the real big things, there are going to be no electric cars on the road. there's going to be in high-speed internet access, or if there is, you're not going to be able to afford to get on it. >> but he did offer some praise to a governor on the other side of the aisle. you'll like this, new york's andrew cuomo. >> you had me elected in 2009 as a conservative republican in one of the bluest states in america. and across the river, you have the son of a liberal icon who is saying the exact same things that i'm saying. i defy you to look at the first six weeks of the cuomo

administration in albany and discern much of a difference between what governor andrew cuomo's saying and what governor chris christie is saying on these big issues. >> governor, and it's working for both of them. they are making very tough decisions, decisions that a lot of people would make. i would guess probably decisions that you would make if you came in twlec2011 in new york state new jersey. >> sure. >> we're in a fascinating time. this is a bipartisan push in the northeast of america and in california as well. >> no question. every governor in every state legislature is going to have to come to grips with the problem and going to have to make cuts. and it's especially difficult, because since the recession took hold, virtually every state's been making cuts. we cut in my last two years as governor $3.5 billion out of a $27 billion budget. so, yeah, it's a difficult time,

but i would suggest, joe, that what chris christie and andrew cuomo are doing requires courage and they're showing courage, both of them. but then the question is, after you make the cuts, how do you do the things that are necessary to, one, protect people? because in the last analysis, if government doesn't protect people, it shouldn't be around. secondly, how do you do the things that generate growth? and that's where, i think, governor christie was wrong in belittling the president's agenda. the president talked about big things. educating our kids so they can compete globally. that's a big thing. i don't care what governor christie says, repairing our infrastructure, you talk about it all the time and i've got mika trying to talk about, it's a big thing. because it's a big thing that the country needs that will generate jobs, generate economic growth. so what i'm saying is, other than taking courage, the cuts are the easy part. >> well, no, no, no. if they were the easy part, every politician would do it and we would not find ourselves in this position. the cuts are the tough part.

>> agreed. >> i would guarantee, i would much rather say, i'm going to get you electric cars and high-speed internet and daffodils growing in your backyard than saying, i'm going to cut all of your -- >> look at wisconsin. >> "easy" is probably the wrong word. but cuts from -- >> it's math. >> it's math. doing the things that generate growth. finding a way to protect people, that's the tough part. and that's where chris christie or andrew cuomo or anybody else out there is going to make their bones. >> and i'll tell you, mika, we talked to kirsten gillibrand yesterday, was nice enough to drop by and she was talking about what andrew cuomo's doing and what it may mean for upstate new york. an area where i lived, an area that's been ravaged over the past 25 years, unfortunately -- >> completely. >> by a business climate that drove business out of there. you listen to kirsten gillibrand talk and see what andrew cuomo's doing, and then you start thinking to yourself, new york

state's going to go from last to middle of the pack and eventually they could even be at the top of the pack again. willie, she's talking about a new silicon valley here. she's talking about tax incentives for these high-tech companies in. talking about lowering the tax structure so new york's not the 50th state in tax competitiveness, making the workplace environment more effective. i sat there listening to her, going, you know, you sound like we sounded in 1994 when we came in. i mean, for new york state, for new jersey, this would be great. of course, i don't see connecticut doing it and rhode island, but maybe they're not for a behind. >> and what i liked about what governor christie said yesterday to your point is when he complemented governor cuomo in new york, he was essentially saying, this rises above politics. this is too serious right now. this isn't about democrats and republicans, this is about math. we have to do something right now. and you talk about protecting people, governor rendell, how do you strike that balance between,

we're going into bankruptcy, but i also don't want to kick poor people off medicaid? >> it's the toughest challenge of all. let me suggest that governor christie didn't just say that, be bipartisan. governor christie said, remember, governor cuomo did exactly what i did. that's a little different. that's a little different than saying republicans and democrats have to do it. we all have to do it. and joe's right. it's the excesses of the past. the pension liabilities, et cetera. in pennsylvania, governor corbett, my successor, is going to deal with over $500 billion of increased pension liabilities from last year, because of a pension bill that was passed by the legislature back in the year 2000. they're paying for the past abuses. but, willie, how you strike that balance, there are ways to strike the balance. there are some revenue enhancing measures that you can take even in this time. and you've got to take him. >> mike, i've got to say, and we've talked about this the past couple of days, there are things

to do and there are other programs that you can just stay away from on the federal level. i want to say this again. it is offensive to me as a small government conservative that you have not only republicans, but also the white house saying, we're going to balance the budget, we're going to do it by going after those poor people or the home heating oil assistance. are you serious? first of all, first of all, if that would get us closer to a balanced budget, then we could at least have the discussion. but they're doing that because they're cowards. they're afraid to talk about medicare, medicaid, social security, and pentagon spending. now, that said, headline, they killed a pretty big defense program yesterday on the house floor. i think that's a good first step. but, seriously, going after the poorest of the poor when it's not going to even balance the budget seems a little short-sightened. and they don't brag about it. >> we'll be in fine fiscal shape once they trim the corporation for public broadcasting budget. >> seriously.

everybody knows big bird is really just killing us. >> by the way, if i see arthur the aardvark or big bird at another freaking press conference, it's so stupid! it's a name and to see a senator standing next to arthur the aardvark and trying to have a serious conversation, i mean, why do you -- it's like 1980! >> willie, aardvark? come on, joe, would you do this? please tell me you didn't do this. please tell me you never did this? you did not. you didn't? >> well, that's ed markey. we like ed, so we'll give him a free pass. >> no, no, no. >> is that arthur? >> and by the way, they all acted like arthur the aardvark wasn't there. it's just ridiculous. >> why do they do that? why do they do that? >> and why is an aardvark wearing glasses? >> that's a good question,

governor. and that's why you were governor. >> one show i couldn't get my arms around as a mom. >> you've been there in the house, you've been a mayor, you've been a governor. one of the things so annoying to me as a taxpayer is constantly hearing politicians talking about infrastructure. all of this money is expended and i still travel roads where the bridges crumble, i ride on trains where the tracks are useless, i land at airports that look like warsaw 1952. infrastructure means jobs. what happens to the money? why isn't there a better bang for our buck on infrastructure? >> because the money that we're getting for infrastructure, both state, local, and federal dollars, is inadequate. there's a transportational foreign commission that the congress formed four years ago. we're spending $82 billion a year on our roads and highways. the commission came back and said we have to spend $220 billion a year. not $84. we have to almost triple it. we're not spending enough to

even stay -- >> and also, mike, it's inefficient, how we do this. where you have the stronger members being able to get off-ramps to nowhere. instead of having a centralized infrastructure bank, you know how the chinese look at it? they say, okay, what are the top ten priorities that we have? okay, boom! well, guess what, we're going to fund them in a way that will help the country best. we don't have a centralized infrastructure bank here. >> and there's a reason for that. the appropriators don't want to lose power to determine where the money goes. >> i mean, you're absolutely right. no offense, but a high-speed rail like from mobile to little rock, please, let's have a real one from boston to new york to washington. >> i've got lots of friends in mobile. >> so all this talk about chris christie, yet another speech full of shtick, which i like very much, but i have to agree with you -- >> why are you editorializing,

this is the news. do i editorialize? >> yes! i love him too, but calm down. so he was asked again about running for president and he had a good one. take a look. >> what'd he say? >> i threatened to commit suicide -- i did! i said, what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people that i'm not running? apparently, i actually have to commit suicide to convince people i'm not running. >> yeah. >> you know, it's not shtick -- >> yes, it is. >> no, barack obama's campaign was shtick for two years -- >> oh, come on, you need to speak -- >> christie has made tough speeches -- hope, change, hope, change -- i can pin something on that one. >> i like it, yes, i don't grow with everything, but i like him a lot and i think he has lived up to what he has spoken about, but i'm just saying, like ed -- >> small, wet blanket.

>> small wet blanket. >> a suicide joke. >> there's another way to say that. right after the break, we'll talk to the chairman of the house budget committee, congressman paul ryan. and also this hour, we'll get a preview of the new hbo documentary, "the battle for marjah." a harrowing story of the u.s. marines involved in one of the riskiest operations of the afghan war. that's coming up. but first, let's go to bill karins with a check on the forecast. >> today a lot of people are smiling across the country, spring fever all the way from dallas to kansas city to st. louis and now it's shifted finally up into new england. much of the country will be near record high temperatures today. really incredible warmth. as far as the west goes, that's where some of the stormy conditions continue. so how does 57 sound in central park today? philadelphia, center city at 61. d.c., 67. pittsburgh, 64. so easily some of the warmest temperatures we've seen this winter. if you're waking up to us from sacramento to san francisco, on and off rain continues this morning with snow at the high elevations of the central sere mountains.

so your thursday forecast, we are very warm in the middle of the country, watch out for some of that dense fog around iowa and also right there in areas north of chicago. i'll tell you what, beautiful weather. it's amazing how much snow and how cold it was and now we've got areas like st. louis with the sun up and temperatures soaring into the 70s. you're watching "morning joe," brewed by starbucks. discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at restaurants. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. that's why there's lubriderm® daily moisture. it contains the same nutrients naturally found in healthy skin. skin absorbs it better and it lasts for 24 hours. later gator. lubriderm. your moisture matched.

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solution now. but these are big -- this is a big issue. this is a hard nut to crack and we're at the beginning of a process in terms of this stage of the process. there's not a start date or an end date that i'm going to announce from here. the conversations are happening and they will continue to happen. >> all right. welcome back to "morning joe." pat buchanan still with us from washington. and joining us now from capitol hill -- >> oh, this is big. >> yeah. republican congressman from wisconsin and chairman of the house budget committee, representative paul ryan. >> did you say chairman?! he's so important! >> didn't you hear jay carney, this is a long process. you have to be patient. >> look. i don't even know what to say. let me just quote "the washington post." the president punted. he ducked from his responsibilities. your budget reflects your priorities for the country for now and the next ten years. his priorities, apparently, from his budget is $1.6 trillion in new tax increases, $13 trillion

in more debt, and not even addressing the drivers of our debt. the problem is, mika, is deficit and debt reduction translates into job creation and prosperity. because if you let those things get out of control, it's going to tank our economy and compromise the very entitlements that are the big drivers of our debt that people are counting on. so where the president has fallen on leadership, we intend to fill that gap. >> you say "we," paul -- >> well, yeah, you. >> as far as leader go, we have noted and we have noted every day, as you may be aware, who's telling the truth on this issue and who's not. you've come out and talked very forcefully the past few days, again, about what needs to be done to fix this. mccarthy has done the same thing, the majority whip. freshman yesterday took a courageous vote. what -- where's the rest of the leadership? when are they going to say, we've got to address social security now? we've got to address medicare

now. we've got to address medicaid now. we've got to look at pentagon cuts now. >> i put a statement out with jeb hensarling, john boehner, majority leader, basically saying that we will, in our budget, and as you know, joe, our budget comes in the spring, we will address the drivers of our debt which are the entitlement programs. we need to do entitlement reform if we're going to prevent this country from going bankrupt. if we're going to save the very entitlements that people are counting on and get this economy back on track. if we keep going down this path of deficit and debt ruin, that compromises jobs today and these entitlement programs tomorrow. it's just irresponsible to go out there and pretend there's nothing wrong. i heard your last segment, your math is a little off. you can't balance the budget by just getting rid of corporation for public broadcasting. that's what people say around here -- >> is that not unbelievable? and also, paul, they talk about,

we're cutting heating assistance for poor people, because we know it's poor people that are driving the deficit. it's like, are you even serious?! it's depressing, mike barnicle. the republican leadership in the house is going there on the drivers. >> congressman, one of the loudest howls in the land, we heard all of it last fall when the bowles/simpson deficit committee released their report. and everybody was screaming about it. the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, complaining that the retirement age would be raised to 68 in 2065. how much of that deficit commission report do you adhere to, do you applaud, and are you willing to go forward with? >> so, first of all, the president put any of their major recommendations in. it was his deficit commission stacked with his people -- people from his part. i plan on putting lots of the recommendations in here. i can't tell you all what's going to be in there. we haven't written our budget yet. but i think it was a very serious effort. alice rivlin and i added some

ideas to the table that were not finally included, but i think we've got to include some of their ideas. i wrote all the budget enforcement mechanisms in the report. those i really am a big fan of. the president's discretionary spending is above the recommendations. we're not going to walk away from all their serious recommendations. we want to look at them and take on them, and add to the pile of reforms that are necessary to address these drivers of our debt. you've got to deal with this deficit and debt now while we can do it on our own terms instead of having the credit market do it in painful, austere ways. you've got to get this situation under control, and that's what we intend on doing. >> congressman, it's willie geist. can you explain to people who don't live in washington why, if we know that these are the problems, medicare, medicaid, and we've known this for years, why no one does anything about it? if we've identified the problem for so long, because from the outside, it looks like politicians are worried about their jobs.

they're worried more about their job than the country. is that the bottom line? they know the problem and they won't do anything about it? >> yes, willie. i live in jamesville, wisconsin, i don't live here in washington, and i've been running on these reforms for years. i went to a district that ran dukakis, clinton, gore, and obama. i come from a 50/50 area. >> can you say that again? because, of course, people that don't know you well, you've just -- i mean, i've known you since i think you were 12. >> the guy in the superman underwear thinks that he's anthony weiner. we've got to set people straight. >> he does, unfortunately. but for people who don't know you, they're trying to paint you as this right-wing nut from this right-wing district. explain, again, who wins presidential races in your district? >> look, obama won my district. you know, we beat john kerry because nobody could relate to him, but every other top of the ticket went democrat except for reagan in '84, i think.

so, look, i come from the middle of america, politically speaking. my district according to cook is the 218th seat of 435 from a right/left spectrum. and people want to be talked to like adults. they don't want to be talked to like children. and the problem up here is politicians are worried they're going to get all these negative ads run against them. because if you put any entitlement reforms, any risk out there, your opponents will use it as a political weapon against you. the talk up here, the reason president obama -- and i don't know why he didn't put any reforms in his budget, but the problem is he's playing rope-a-dope. maybe, i don't know, i don't care, we have a problem we've got to fix. and if there's no leadership coming from the white house to address these situations, it's got to come from somewhere. and we are determined to fix this problem before it gets out of our control. >> pat buchanan? >> let's talk about the immediate problem, congressman. you've got a $1.65 trillion deficit this year ending october 1. you fellas and the tea party

folks are going to cut $60 billion out of it if you can. that's about 4% of the deficit. how much of that 4% are you going to be able to get through the house and then through the senate and then get the president to approve? >> that's the magic question, pat. i don't know the answer to that. we have the cr and then we have the debt ceiling. so we think we have some opportunities because we have to have must-pass legislation that's got to be negotiated with the president and the democrats in the senate, we see this as opportunities to cut spending and get a down payment on the deficit. as you know, we're talking about a narrow slice of the federal pie budgetary wise when we're talking about discretionary spending. the budget deals with all of it, like the entitlements. that's what we do in the spring. right now we want a down payment on spending cuts and deficit reduction. i don't know what we're going to get at the end of the day, and the president's trying to keep these really high elevated spending levels. over the last two years, he increased domestic spending by 24%, 80% when he gave the stimulus.

we can't keep giving government agencies double and triple-digit increases. we want to take some of this back. we think the american people agree with this and we're hoping our friends on the other side of the aisle will ultimately agree with us as we negotiate these packages. >> paul, i'm going to ask you about going night-night in your office. >> everybody asks -- why is this like the story these days? >> ferris, governor scott walker and the protests that are happening in light of the cuts that he's trying to make and what he's asking of state workers there, what do you make of the stand he's taking and have you been in contact with him at all? >> yeah, scott and i are very close friends. we e-mail each other quite a bit. i haven't talked -- we e-mail quite a bit. he's basically saying that state workers, which have extremely generous benefit packages relative to their private sector counterparts, they contribute next to nothing to their pensions, very, very little in their health care packages. he's asking that they contribute about 12% for their health care

premiums, which is about half of the private sector average, and about 5.6% to their pensions. it's not asking a lot, it's still about half of what private sector pensions do and health care packages do. so he's basically saying, i want you public workers to pay have of what our private sector counterparts and he's getting riots -- it's like cairo has moved to madison these days. all this demonstration, it's fine, people should be able to express their way, but we've got to get this deficit and debt under control in madison. politicians have made all these promises to people that we just now know that we cannot keep. and if we want to fix this problem before it gets really painful, let's do it now so we can get jobs and prosperity in this economy. >> i think a few more people are going to know who congressman paul ryan is this morning. but let me ask you about sleeping in your office. working 24/7 -- you slept in your office?

>> yes, i did. >> yes. is it on a cot or a couch or just two chairs put together? >> i'm not as tall as willie, but i'm kind of tall, so i can't fit on my couch, so i have a cot. i've been doing this for years. look, to me, it just made sense. i work to about midnight, get up at 6:00, go to the gym, shower there. what's the point? i just figured a cot made more sense to me. all i do here in washington is work. when i'm not voting, i'm at home with my family and talking to constituents. >> there is a controversy over attac attacks, issue -- >> it's such a made-up issue. my first year, i got a place in northern virginia and my family was back in the district. and i realized, i started work at 7:00, stopped working at 11:00 at night and would drive home to sleep in virginia for three or four hours. so i was like, i might as well just stay here. and i know it sounds, like, crazy, but i actually got even more work done, because i'd wake

up at 5:30, and the computer was there, i would start working. i mean, paul, i swear -- >> that's exactly what i do. >> i was 50% more effective being -- you live your work. and since your family's at home, that allows you when you get home to be with them. >> exactly. that's exactly what i do. >> you raise the question of who paul ryan is, he's the man whose uncle prescribed lipitor for me 12 years ago. >> he's telling me i should take it now too. >> got to work on your cholesterol. we're having another bipartisan fun run, so i hope you show up for that. >> sounds good. >> congressman, thank you so much. >> nice job. new job numbers with erin burnett next. ♪ [ male announcer ] from jet engines that have fewer emissions, to new ways to charge electric cars, to renewable sources of clean energy, ecomagination from ge is advanced technology

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welcome back to "morning joe." a beautiful look at new york city, because every look at new york city is beautiful in my mind. looking at the upper west side, going up the hudson, george washington bridge, it's just beautiful up there. you know, mike barnicle, every once in a while, when you have an economy that's down, there is something, a driver, an economic driver that comes in and kick-starts the economy. back in the '89, '90, '91 we were suffering, microsoft, intel came in and, boom! >> you said you were going to get this. >> boom, it kick-started the economy. you know what it's going to be

in 2011? historians will remember, economists will remember, 100 years from now, they'll be teaching that something happened that got people moving, that got commerce moving again. jerry weintraub's new documeary. this is the one that's going to do it. "his way: a portrait of a hollywood legend jerry weintraub." >> i love him! >> i know, i know. >> can you do the toss to erin and his voice? >> i can in a second. but i love hbo and i love hbo's -- their line for it is, "there's no business like his business." jerry weintraub. >> it's coming off his book, the memoir. >> let's get a check of business before the bell with cnbc's erin burnett -- >> international superstar! i told her, you're going to be an international superstar! i know, kid, i know, i was there with elvis when they created wall street. what's up today? >> wow. joe, you know, i'm speechless.

>> yeah. >> we do need some sort of a catalyst, because, you know, we really need some job growth. and today we got our jobless claims for the week and they were not great. they were up more than expected, 25,000 more people filed for unemployment claims than had been expected and we're back above that 400,000 level. last week we had briefly dipped below it, but we are back above it. and by the way, the fed yesterday with its most recent forecast for the economy says that in the year 2013, joe, we are going to be down to a whopping 7% unemployment rate. >> oh, my gosh. >> okay. >> which is, you know, that's pretty grim. so speaking of jobs, steve jobs will get through this one quickly. obviously, there have been reports that he is more ill than thought. that'd hurt the stock briefly overnight, but obviously, confirmed by chuck and savannah, he's going to be at the president's meeting with tech ceos along with mark zuckerberg and others today. >> oh, great. >> yep, yep. >> and by the way, erin, do you have an iphone? >> yes. >> well, barnicle and i got the verizon iphone, as did mika.

seriously, it's amazing. no dropped calls. >> really? >> yeah. you really need to look into it. it's a game changer if you're an iphone user. >> yeah, i do, because i'm embarrassed of having to say, yeah, i use at&t when i have to call somebody back for the fourth time to book a guest. >> up next, "the battle for marjah." as much as i can about a company before i invest in it. that's why i like fidelity. they give me tools and research i can't get anywhere else. their stock screener lets me search for stocks with more than 140 criteria. i can see what their experts are thinking and even call them to bounce an idea

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[ gunshots ]

>> shoot his [ bleep ]! >> oh, [ bleep ]! >> come here! come here! come here! get down. where you hit at? >> my leg! i'm hit! >> what the [ bleep ]! [ gunfire ] >> i got you, bud, i got you. >> that was from hbo's "battle for marjah" that airs tonight at 9:00. and here with us now, the film's producer, ben anderson. his documentary takes a deep look into when troops charged into marjah, that's in afghanistan, last february in the biggest u.s. military operation in the country since the start of the war. ben, welcome to the show. incredible footage. >> incredible footage. and you know, mike, as you look at this footage, i'm reminded of

"band of brothers," which was a hollywood production, you know, filmed safely in england. this is real-time, real war stunning images. it's just stunning. >> this is a great documentary. people just don't know enough about the tremendoavails of sern afghanistan. and even a documentary as great as this, ben, it doesn't really give justice to the noise and clamor of war. >> it never can. the opening scene when we get ambushed in the ditch and they have to watch as the taliban surround them, because they can't fire until fired upon, and that video lasted for four minutes, but it lasted for hours. >> so they have to watch and wait to be killed. >> and watch 40 fires set up perfect positions all around them. >> and what would happen if they shot at them as they were setting up positions to kill them? >> if the marines shot at them?

>> yeah. >> there would probably be some sort of inquiry and somebody would get in trouble. >> talk about how you did this, how you got thi incredible access, and how you were able to pull this off? >> i've been out with the marines before. and being out with the marines is unlike being out with anybody else. t they kind of say, if you can keep up with us, you can fill whatever you want. there's one scene where a guy delights in killing taliban. and i filmed that. i said so the captain, is this a problem? he said, no, this is what we do. someone from the marines called me and said, the big one is happening, do you want to come? and i couldn't say no. >> what was the objective in the battle of marjah? >> on paper, it's very simple. clear marjah of the taliban, hold on to marjah, build infrastructure, governments, and then transfer to afghan security forces. the military part went very well. it was tougher than expected. it took longer than expected,

but then transferring to the afghan government, that's the problem. and that's what i think can never be achieved in afghanistan. >> isn't that sort of the story of the war right there in that one battle? >> the local people, in the south especially, they've seen the afghan government and the agents of the government, the police -- the police are hated and feared by the local population we population, for good reason, and these are the people we're fighting on behalf of. so if the military part goes well and we introduce the government, the people say, sorry, we're happy with the taliban. >> so the objective is to secure marjah. they get the objective accomplished. this is in february. you've been back to afghanistan multiple times since then. what's it like today in marjah? >> i've been back to marjah about six, seven months ago. it's at least as dangerous as it's ever been there. and you know, fighting dies down over the winter. and now that they know we're leaving in 2014, i think you're going to see a brig spring offensive by the taliban,

because they want it to look like they kicked us out. so i don't think it's going to die down anytime soon. >> unbelievable. there's a saying that the taliban have when talking about americans and the firepower that we have. what is it? >> you have the weapons, we have the time. >> and pat buchanan, therein lies the problem. they have the time. >> can we use the other quote, or is that off the record? >> it's kind of off the record. >> all right. there's another quote that basically -- >> no, it's off -- >> no, the quote -- >> well, one reporter said to one military man, it's a tough situation. the military man, pat said, we ain't leaving. and the reporter said back to the military man, neither are they. they've got time, they waited out the russians, they waited out the british, they waited out alexander the great, and they're going to wait out us.

it's not going to end well, is it, pat? >> that's what i want to ask ben. you just said the marines did the job very well in marjah, they took it over, pacified it to a agree, but now it's reverted because the afghan police and the afghan government can't handle it. and we're going to start home in the middle of this year, slowly. are we going to lose this war? >> we're certainly not going to win it. i think the best we can hope for at the minute is a compromise, a peace deal with the taliban, where the taliban are given seats in government. something we vowed would never happen in afghanistan again. but any sort of decisive victory, liberating women in afghanistan, sending girls to school across afghanistan, that's not even being talked about anymore. >> you know, ben, woven into the fabric of this war, there's a culture of corruption in afghanistan. and i had a friend of mine who's done two tours in afghanistan come back and say, what we're doing, unfortunately, the united states, is creating a culture of

entitlement in afghanistan. where two years ago, a marine corps unit could go to marjah and say, we need ten guys to build an irrigation canal, $2 a day. you go back today and ask the same request, and they say, we need $10 a day? >> is that happening? >> oh, absolutely. and also we, the coalition sources are so desperate to put an afghan face on so many projects, that often we're getting taken to the cleaners. there was a guy that was getting paid $1.2 million to build a road that was less than a kilometer long. >> what can you tell us ability the psyche of the warriors almost a decade on, when they can win militarily, but the next step doesn't quite happen, and they're being recalled to go back in and do jobs they've already done. how are they holding back? >> when i went back to marjah toward the end of the marines' tour, they looked exhausted. incredibly, they kept on going. i'm not exaggerating, they didn't have a day off, even if the previous three or four days

had been gunfights all day long, but yeah, they look exhausted. and you regularly meet guys who have done five or six tours in iraq or afghanistan. >> ben anderson, thank you so much for what you've done. "battle for marjah" debuts tonight on hbo at 9:00. do not miss it. ben, great work. thank you so much for coming in and sharing it with us. up next, the best of late night. ow to do business. ♪ in here, inventory can be taught to learn... so products get routed to where they're needed most. ♪ in here, machines have a voice... so they can tell headquarters when they need refilling. ♪ in here, money works smarter... so financial institutions can turn dreams into realities.

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as soon as this broke out, and not to toot my own horn, a lot of us head eed instantly fo cairo and you headed for vacation. >> i was actually disney world at the time. >> okay. >> and i saw it on the tv, and i thought, that looks like something. >> yeah, i'm not even going back to new york. you thought new york might be unsafe at that point, so you stayed at disney world. >> i'll tell you what was safe. the peter pan ride. and that's what i went on. but you don't know, that can turn at any point. you've got people there hopped up on turkey legislation. >> i can tell you all i want to look at yemen, to watch out for bahrain and libya, but we're going to really pay attention -- >> but you do do that. i know the messages you leave me on my phone sometimes, john, look out for bahrain. >> you know what i did that i would suggest to you knowing something about you? >> yes. >> i got these. >> i have trouble seeing. >> no, without them, i am a guy

who failed to complete my studies at brookedale community college in new jersey, but with them, i went to the ivy league. >> here now is our media type buzzing media type egg roundup. take a look. >> insert your own egg pun here. >> egg-slent night. >> egg-slent arrival. >> an egg-stroadinary entrance. >> she finally came out of her shell. >> shell shocked. >> i hear lady gaga's performance went over easy with the crowd. >> egg-spress yourself. >> wow. willie? >> i have a no-pun rule, so you know how i feel about that. >> this is a no-pun zone.

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welcome back to "morning joe." it's time to talk about what we learned today. mika, what did you learn? >> i learned we had a great event yesterday presenting americares to a very dignified audience. a great organization and we had a great turnout. the donald, very kind man, i've