ryan's a smart enough politician to know that he made a big mistake talking about takers and makers in 2012. >> no question about it. >> and he's not going to repeat it. cuccinnelli can repeat it. paul ryan's not going to. >> gentlemen, let's talk about chuck hagel. i was surprised at how republicans threw another republican under the bus today, especially the exchange between mccain and chuck hagel. howard, what did you think of that? >> well, i think there's a lot of republican resentment about hagel. and i will say this. i think the administration, if they want to protect chuck hagel, they'd better come out and do it right away. i think he had a pretty rough time. unfairly so in many respects. he's talking about a new world that we know exists. you can beat up on chuck hagel all you want. i think the basic propositions that hagel is putting forth are probably pretty unassailable. but hagel himself was on the defensive a lot today. and if the administration really wants him, they'd better back him and they'd better back him really fast and furious. >> richard, i thought he showed a great deal of composure. really took the high road when he was being attacked. >> look, there's a lot of