shocked american politics. what she dthinked of campaignin today. this is "piers morgan tonight." we again with our big story, mitt romney's speech, he took the stage in manchester, new hampshire. mitt romney versus barack obama. tonight, mitt romney went on the attack against his opponent in november. >> four years ago, barack obama dazzled us in front of greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. after we came down to earth, after the celebration and the parades what do we have to show for 3 1/2 years of president obama? is it easier to make ends meet? >> no. >> is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? >> no. >> have you saved what you needed for retirement? >> no. >> are you making more at your job? >> no. >> do you have a better chance to get a better job? >> no. >> are you paying less at the pump? >> no. >> you know, if the answer were yes to those questions, then president obama would be running for re-election based on his record. and rightly so. but because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions and distracts and distortions. that kind of campaign may have worked at another place, and in a different time. but not here. and not now. it's still about the economy. and we're not stupid. >> people are hurting in america. and we know that something is wrong, terribly wrong, with the direction of the country. we know that this election is about the kind of america we will live in and the kind of america we're going to leave to future generations. now, when it comes to the character of america, president obama and i have very different visions. government is at the center of his vision. it dispenses the benefits, borrows what it can't take, consumes a greater and greater share of the economy. you know, with obama care fully installed, government would have control of almost half of the economy. and we would have effectively seized to be an enterprise society. this president is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats. commissions and czars. he's asking us to accept that washington knows best, and can provide all. we already see where that path leads. it erodes freedom. it deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. and it hurts the very people it's supposed to help. those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty around. other nations have chosen that path. it leads to chronic high unemployment. crushing debt and stagnant wages. i have a very different vision for america and for our future. it's an america driven by freedom where free people pursuing happiness in their own unique ways create free enterprises that employ more and more americans. because there are so many enterprises succeeding, the competition for hard working, educated, skilled employees is intense. so wages and salaries rise. i see an america with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living. i see children even more successful than their parents. some successful even beyond their wildest dreams. and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it. >> this america is fundamentally fair. we will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice. we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends' businesses. we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing. we will stop the unfairness of government works are getting better pay and benefits than the very taxpayers they serve. and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next. in the america i see, character and choices matter. and education, hard work, and living within our means are valued and rewarded. and poverty will be defeated. not with a government check, but with respect and achievement that's taught by parents, learned in school, and practiced in the workplace. >> this is the america that was won for us by the nation's founders and earned for us by the greatest generation. it's the america that has produced the most innovative, most productive, and most powerful economy in the world. as i look around at the millions of americans without work, the graduates who can't get a job, the soldiers who return home to an unemployment line, it breaks my heart. this does not have to be. it's the result of failed leadership and a faulty vision. we will restore the promise of america only if we restore the principles of freedom and opportunity that made this nation the greatest nation on earth. today the hill before us is a little steep. but we've always been a nation of big steppers. many americans have given up on this president, but they haven't ever thought of giving up. not on themselves, not on each other, and certainly not on america. in the days ahead, join me in the next step towards the destination of november 6th, when across america we can give a sigh of relief and know that the promise of america has been kept. the dreamers can dream a little bigger. the help wanted signs can be dusted off. and we can start again. and this time we'll get it right. >> i thought that was a pretty good speech by mitt romney, sounding very presidential and you know i think the overriding theme, game on. >> yeah, it was absolutely an excellent speech from his perspective, because it looked like sort of unofficial acceptance speech of the republican presidential nomination. we all know it's over, ron paul's not going to get the republican nomination, newt gingrich is not going to get it. mitt romney has the republican nomination, all about sewn up right now. he had to deliver an important speech and the lean he delivered, the words his wife ann romney ended with, a better america begins tonight, the general elections campaign absolutely it's on right now, mitt romney versus barack obama, and let the games begin. >> seemed a personal speech, and he certainly suggested he's going to be a lot more personal now, maybe more include inwith the american people, a lot more about his vision for america, and basically saying, i think, look, america's got big problems right now. barack obama's failed you. i am the promise land. is that how you read it? >> yes. and he also has to sort of reintroduce himself as much as all of us, you and me, and all of the political news junkies out there, were obsessed over these past several months with what's going on, a lot of americans weren't paying that much attention. right now, he wants to reintroduce himself and as much as he says and advisers say he's not going to do this etch a sketch pivot if you will, to the center, he's going to have no choice. he's going to have no not only appeal to the right of the republican party, but he's going to have to go out and win independent, moderate republican, moderate democratic votes out there. so you're going to see a little pivot. it happens every time, whenever a race like this goes forward and i'm sure it's going to happen this time. the democrats, i will say this, it's interesting, they're going to try to paint him as an extreme conservative, if you will. they're going to make that case that he isn't going to be able to come across as a moderate. he'll try to present a moderate image, now that he has the republican nomination all but sewn up. >> again, very little talk of social issue, that is almost nonexistent, maybe the reason for that what you've been saying, he had go more right wing than he would have liked to take on rick santorum, also my guest, get his react later. tonight's speech nothing to do with that no social issue stuff. much more about america, jobs, people suffering, and his record as a businessman and a man whose family worked their way from nothing to run hugely successful businesses, that their track record is right one to lead america incorporated back into the good time $. >> that's precisely why this was an effective speech member didn't deal with tan gengle issues. he dealt the economy and jobs and a lot of americans nervous. they've lost their job or they have a job but they're not sure they're going to have a job in six months. he was telling them, you know what? i've been successful. i know how to deal with the economy. i know how to deal with job creation, give me a chance because this president, he says, is not doing a very effective job. so that's why this was a much more effective speech than presumably would have had to give if he was only concerned about winning the republican nomination. now that he's achieved that goal, he can do exactly what he did tonight, speak about the economy and more mainstream issues, if you will. >> playing to his strengths. right now, wolf, who would you say is the most likely candidate to be his running mate? there have been all sorts of people suggested, very, very different types of personals. if you were mitt romney who would you be looking to go for now. >> i think ron portman, he's not well known outside ohio, the republican senator from ohio. a lot of romney's top people, people close to him have suggested a guy who served as budget director in the bush administration, the special trade representative, former congressman, he's well-liked out there, he's not necessarily all that dynamic but he's extremely intelligent, there you see him, he introduced romney when romney was out there campaigning in ohio. ohio's a key battleground state. no republican in modern times has won the presidency without carrying ohio. i think he's got a good chance. if you want to go to florida, i don't think marco rubio, the republican senator from florida, by romney's definition, is necessarily ready to be number two, vice president of the united states, and obviously had to be ready to be president, god forbid in an emergency. i think, and others disagree, i think the former governor of florida, jeb bush, who is very popular in florida, florida key battleground state, someone who speaks spanish, can appeal to the latino vote out there, i think he would have a shot. but we'll see if the romney folks decide that he's going to be vetted fairly. i would say those two guys have a very good chance of being at top of the list. >> i think jeb bush is a good choice. i think one thing's for sure, they won't be taking any risks after what happened with sarah palin. wolf, thanks for now. when we come back, the obama campaign fires back at candidate romney in the form of ben labot, the campaign security for president obama, he'll be here after the break. c'mon dad! i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i got heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilosec isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast. yeehaw! are connecting here. linkedin connects with the big board. ♪ [ male announcer ] remember when you were a kid? you liked getting dirty and building things. there were no limits -- you could move mountains. the john deere 1 series subcompact tractor -- the way grownups move mountains. and with auto-connect implements, it's the easiest tractor to use yet. what will you create? learn more about the affordable 1 series at johndeere.com/1series. we paid more in student loans than we paid on our mortgage when we finally did buy a condo for the first eight year of our marriage. we were paying more in student loans than what we were paying for our mortgage. >> the number of college graduates that can't find work or that can only find work well beneath their skill level. i fully support the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans. >> president obama versus mitt romney on student loans. now more on our big story, the obama campaign reacts to rop's speech tonight. joining me is the campaign spokesman, ben labolt. mr. labolt, what's your reaction to the speech? that because the president has failed, he will run a campaign and you are effectively running the press for that campaign, full of diversions, distractions, and distortions. >> there he goes again. the fact governor romney knows this election will be like any other. it will be a choice between two candidates. two visions for the country. he's had a monologue over the the past year. tearing down the president on the campaign. ultimately, this will be a choice between a president that brought us back from the brink of another depression, who bet on american workers to revive our auto -- the auto companies. to revive our manufacturing sector. we've created 400,000 manufacturing jobs in this economy when we've been slipping for years. and a governor -- >> but tell me this. what happens, what happens if a large number of americans do exactly what mitt romney said tonight? they ask themselves, is it easier to make ends meet? is it easier to sell my home or buy a new one? have i saved enough for retirement? am i making more at my job? do i have a better chance to get a job? do i pay less at the pump? what happens if a large number of americans, come november, conclude that actually most of the answers to that are no? >> well, the fact is a better title for governor romney's speech tonight than a better merng should have been back to the future, because he's proposing the same economic policies that brought us into the economic crisis in the first place. more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, letting wall street write its own rules again. you know, we've tried those same policies before. we passed those tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. they were supposed to unleash growth. they were supposed to unleash job creation. and they didn't. he praised the recovery during that period but it was much more tepid than the job creation we're experiencing now. the number of exports that our economy is producing right now. the number of small businesses that are opening right now. and governor romney made a series of promises in massachusetts he didn't keep. similar promises to those that he's making today. he says he'd make the government smaller. it expanded under his watch in massachusetts. he said he'd keep taxes low. they went up 750 million a year in massachusetts. he said he'd create job. massachusetts slipped to 47th out of 50th in job creation under governor romney. >> let's look at the interesting, strategic move today which was the president's appearance on jimmy fallon's show where he slow jammed the news. let's watch a bit of this. >> do you know mitt romney? >> i've met him. but we're not friends. >> we didn't actually see the slow jam bit there. we did see him denying being friends with mitt romney. would you say that's an accurate assessment? the president and mitt romney are not friends? >> well, i think they've met one or two times, they met along the campaign trail during the primaries last time around. i'm sure they'll be seeing more of each other face to face. i don't think there's any doubt on the policy front we're facing stark differences here. return to the same policies that caused the economic crisis and the president's vision, which is building an economic that lasts, where hard work and responsibility are rewarded, and everybody plays by the same set of rules and does their fair share. >> the president obama on "jimmy fallon" thought the secret service have been knuckle heads. if a large number of the secret service are knuckleheads, is it time for the chief knucklehead who runs the secret service to step down? >> well, i think anybody who's been following the news in the past week, about a very small group of individuals in colombia would draw that same conclusion about those individuals. but the president has expressed his full confidence in director sullivan to get to the bottom of this. many of us have had the pleasure of working with secret service agents in the white house who have put their lives on the line for the president of the united states. and he has confidence that director sullivan will ensure the agency can get back on track. >> the big battle between president obama and mitt romney may turn out to be one not just about the economy, but about charisma. do you back your man to out-charisma governor romney? >> well, i don't think that ultimately that will be the final test. but what's incredible is that after these three years in office, the president has remained the normal guy he was when he got there in the first place. he talked today about the fact he and the first lady just paid off their student loans not too long ago. but what's more out of touch about mitt romney than his statements joking about being unemployed, saying he feared getting a pink slip are his policies and the fact they stack the deck against the middle class. they stack the deck against seniors. and they're under the false assumption if we shower giveaways among millionaires and billions and the folks at the top, that that will restore economic security for the middle class. that's a flawed premise we. that's back to the future policies. >> to be the most brutal race in the history of planet earth. can you reassure me it's a genteel romp in the park or is it going to get nasty? >> i'm not sure, you may have oversold it a little bit there at the top. but, look, i think there are -- i do think that there are stark differences here. this will be a critically important election about the direction of our country. either we can pursue race to the the bottom economics, the false assumption we can cut away prosperity, base the economy on outsourcing and loopholes and risky financial deals. or we can invest in the middle class and build an economy that lasts. where we're outinnovating and outeducating rest of the world. that's what the president is fighting for every day. >> ben labolt, thank you for your time. >> thanks for having me, piers. coming up, rick santorum. will he endorse mitt romney? can he stay relevant in the republican party? my exclusive live interview with rick and his wife karen who are entering the studio as i speak. first time they've ever come into my lair, from what i can remember. welcome to you both. this could be great. after the break. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. when it comes to home insurance, surprises can be a little scary. and a little costly. that's why the best agents present their clients with a lot of options. because when it comes to what's covered and what's not, nobody likes surprises. 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[ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ made me decision to get in this race at the kitchen table. we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race for us is over for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting. >> rick santorum on april 10th announcing the end of his race for the white house. rick and karen santorum joining me now exclusively. welcome to your both. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> there's a mixture here of disappointment that it's had to end. yet i can see on karen's beaming smile, thank god i've got my husband back. it must be a bit of that, isn't there? >> absolutely. it's great to have him back. it's nice to be shifting gears and get family life back and get more perspective with the way things should be. but it was a great time. we had so much fun. >> it was an amazing campaign. i remember in december all the -- every time i interviewed you it was almost like. >> what are you getting out? why are you doing this? when are you getting out? >> you're a crazy man, you're at 2%. then iowa happened and boom. it all changed. for you an exciting run even though it came to an end on april 10th. >> well, for us it wasn't suddenly. we've been out there working in the vineyards for over a year and really hitting the ground in three states primary, iowa, new hampshire, south carolina. when it was all said and done we had done 385 town hall meetings in the state of iowa. when people say boom you arrived on the scene, let me have you walk a few miles in my moccasins. i mean were were out there working hard. >> you went to how many places in iowa? >> 385 town hall meetings. all 9 counties. >> that was incredible. >> it was great. it was great. >> this guy, he's putting the yards in. >> you can't deny it. >> and her, too. we had the family out there for the iowa straw poll. they came out for about three weeks. did a little -- that's where our summer vacation was last year. we spent it at steve and jan's farm in oskaloosa, iowa. just had a wonderful time, with the great people there in the state of iowa. we always have a very, very soft place in our heart for them going forward. >> how bitter sweet was it? in my green room here, watching mitt romney making what was effectively the nominee acceptance speech, for all intents and purposes? >> i thought it was a good speech. he set the right tone. the tone was this race is about barack obama and his failures. this is he's got an optimistic vision for the country. i'm very glad to see that. i think he painted a strong picture. it's one that's a clear contrast to what this president's brought this country. >> i can't believe what i'm hearing here. rick, i mean, for the last few minutes that i've interviewed you, mitt romney has been the biggest danger to the american civilization imaginable. what's to you? >> i think that's overstating the case a little bit. i've been clear who the greatest danger is. >> how hard is it to segue from a vicious opponent trying to win a race against lip to somebody sounding supportive? >> well, my feeling is the objective is to get this country back on the right track on a variety of different fronts. that's what the race was about. it's always been about that. we felt we were the best person to do that. we went out and talked about a lot of issues that weren't getting air time. and i think to the benefit. hearing governor romney in some of the speeches, i was in st. louis at the nra, i listened to his speech on freedom, and i heard a lot of familiar refrains which i was pleased to hear. imitation is the greatest form of flattery, so when i hear a line coming from another candidate that makes me feel we had an impact out there. >> everyone watching tonight once they knew you were appearing wondering, come on if you like him so much suddenly, are you going to endorse him? >> well, you know, we're going to be meeting with governor romney. our staffs have been trying to put something together. i'm going to meet with some of his people tomorrow to talk about some things. then karen and i will have an opportunity to meet with the governor hopefully in the next week or two. as you can imagine, the last couple of weeks we've been trying to decompress a little bit, spend time with our family. really haven't had a whole lot -- haven't been out talking to a lot of folks. we've been just trying to get my bills paid. get my taxes filed. >> when you see the governor -- i'm assuming it all works like this. having scrapped away with him, you now sit in a darkened room get rid of advisers and say, right, i need some cash to pay off my debts. i'd like a nice cabinet post. isn't this how this works? >> no. >> we're not doing that. >>, that's not what this is about. >> this business winning the election, making sure we have the have the right person in the presidency in the house and the senate. >> you believe mitt romney's the right guy? >> i believe he's the better be 2k obviously i believed i was the better choice. but i'm not in the race anymore. >> is he there for the right guy? >> yeah, absolutely. he's -- he's the person that is going to go up against barack obama. it's pretty clear. we need to win this race. we need to beat barack obama. >> unless i'm mishearing things, you've just endorsed mitt romney. >> if that's what you want to call it, call it whatever you want. >> am i wrong? >> look -- >> karen you know your husband. has he just endorsed mitt romney? >> not at this point, no. we're working through it. we're talking about it. >> i may be naive to the american political system but when somebody says, yes, i think he's the right guy for the job, it sounds to me like an endorsement. >> it's very clear he's going to be the republican nominee. i'm going to be for the republican nominee. we're going to do what we can to beat barack obama. >> how much of a problem has it been for him that you've pushed him, whether he wanted to or not to go much more right wing, perhaps, a bit on social issues than he may have wished no no-to-and he has to rein back in. now he's competing with barack obama. >> i don't think the issues that we brought to the case -- to the race were right wing. i mean we talked about the importance of family and the family unit and fathers being involved in raising their children and the integrity of that family unit being vitally important for our economy. that was really that -- if you want to talk about something new that we brought to the argument. we talked about the importance of two-parent families in a strong and vibrant economy where of the poverty rate is five time higher among single-parent families. and we have unfortunately government programs that create a dependency on government. and many cases, undermine the american family. when i was -- >> does part of you regret -- maybe both of you actually on this -- the debate became very loudly about abortion, gay marriage, issues like that, contraception? that was all anybody was talking about. and you became that go-to guy for the i hate this, i hate that, i hate this. you became nanny santorum. do you regret that became the way you were perceived? did it harm your chances of wink the nomination? >> it was funny. i'd give a talk -- you know i did town hall meetings, 385 in iowa but i did them all over the country for a long time. i'd ask -- i'd open up for questions. as you know, we didn't sort through the crowd. we were lucky anybody showed up. we'd get every question. and the reporters would come back and i'd give a speech on freedom and opportunity and manufacturing jobs and balanced budget amendments and the integrity and importance of the american people. somebody would ask about a variety of these issues and one thing you suggested. and reporter would say here's santorum talking about these issues again. i talked about all the issues. maybe that made me different than everybody. because i didn't have a structured forum. i went out there and dealt with people, as they came, and listened to the voices of the american public and what they were concerned about, and i felt an obligation to answer straight-up. that sometimes gets you in trouble. a lot of folks in political life pivot when they get those questions. and i'm not -- i was a center in basketball. that was the pivot position, but i wasn't very good at it. i went straight to the basket every time. >> your husband isn't a natural pivoter. i always gave him great credit, even when i didn't agree with some of the thing his was saying -- and i'm a fellow catholic, even when when i didn't i respected the fact clearly were for a position of conviction and belief. which i didn't always feel about some of the other candidates. are you proud of the way he fought his campaign? >> i'm so proud of him. he did an amazing job. it was amazing what we did. and what i love is that rick answers the questions. if you notice people in interviews, frequently they won't answer the question. and, you know, rick talked about a lot of issues. he's brilliant with national security, jobs and the economy and health care and things that matter to people. what amazed me is, i would sit in town hall meetings and i was at a lot of rallies, and they would report and they would pigeon hole him into thinking he talked about the social issues and i thought, gosh, were they at the same event? it was not the only thing he talked. >> hold that thought. when we come back, i want to talk about your highs and lows of the campaign. i have a few lows to toss on the fire. >> everybody you do. >> but great highs as well. let's explore them after the break. >> announcer: this is the day. the day that we say to the world of identity thieves "enough." we're lifelock, and we believe you have the right to live free from the fear of identity theft. our pledge to you? 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[ kate ] most women may not be properly absorbing the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. ♪ [ male announcer ] with 50 horsepower, dual overhead cams and fierce acceleration, the gator xuv 825i will shatter your expectations. ♪ and so no one gets left behind, check out our affordable xuv 550s at johndeere.com/gator. ♪ very late in my political career, high had the opportunity to read the speech, and i almost threw up. i do have concerns about women in front line combat. president obama once said he wants everybody in america to go to college. what a snob. >> back with rick and karen santorum. >> my greatest hits. >> let's not say hits, shall we? of all those, which is the one you most regret, looking back? gaffes always happen. >> the snob one. because i misread his comment. where i thought he said everybody should go to college. and it was what i had read was someone's interpretation of what -- and i used that as a fact. and it was factually incorrect. that's the one i feel bad about. the other ones, i could have framed them a little better but i meant what i said. >> karen, what was the moment you were most angry with him at one of his gaffes? >> it was the snob comment. i wish he hadn't said that. just any moment he wasn't thoughtful or considerate. rick's a great guy, that's really friendly. anytime he didn't show that part of himself, it was frustrating. >> what did you do when you say him or spoke to him on the phone? >> you don't want to know. >> would the voices get raised? i mean, you seem such a nice, quiet person. >> yes. >> i can imagine there's a steely side when rick commits a gaffe. >> you know how when you're married you're always there for each other and you give each other advice. it was during debates we had moments. i think especially the one before michigan, that was a real challenge, that debate. and i left early that night, i think. >> what did you say to him after that debate? that was not a good performance. >> it was a preparation issue. and it was just a real letdown. >> i had -- as i did in most my debates, because you're a one man band out there, so i didn't take any time off before debates. i'd campaign the full day before the debates. karen on that one said, rick, people are now going to pay attention to what you're saying as opposed to the past nobody really paid attention. now you're in the game. you won three states and now you've got to take a little bit more time. i sort of kept the routine. i wasn't as sharp as i should have been. she had every right to say, hey, you know? >> there were moments of the campaign you had much more serious issues involving your daughter bella. most recently again. it's obviously an ongoing battle you have. within moments when that flared up with her, did both of you think maybe it's not worth it, this. that actually running for president is fine, but we have a sick daughter that needs us. it must have been a conflict for you. >> we're there for her constantly, as with all of our children. and we did have moments like that. however, bella really was a great source of the reason why we got into the race in the first place. she was the reason that when we learned about -- when obama care went through, i think that was really what put the fire in our belly to get in. because it was people, children like bela, who were going to be on the first kids to be affected by something like that. and so, of course, there were times when the burden seemed so big and sometimes it felt like maybe it wasn't the right time. i did resist it for a very long time, but in the end, i did feel it was god's will. it was the health care, obama care that put me in the rate. >> how is she now? >> she's doing great. thank you so much, piers. happy, smiley girl. >> she's been an amazing component of this campaign. we wanted -- obviously she's one of our children so we had her out there in the sense we had a family picture and she was in it. we didn't talk about bella much until she got sick and i had to come off the campaign trail. it was prior to the florida primary. i lost two primaries in a row. i was hope, i was fortunate to be home that day when we had to take her to the hospital. we were going to be off the trail for a couple days. we had to make the decision, should we announce why i'm going to be pulling off my schedule a couple days at a time when people are saying shouldn't you get out of the race and if you did pull off, they say he's pulling out. we felt like we had to say why we didn't continue the campaign schedule. and then we sort of had to tell people about bella in much more detail. so we put a video together later that week. it was by far the most viewed thing on the website. she became very much part of the campaign. >> a voice to the voiceless. she was everywhere. it was amazing. at all the rallies an events we had, the one question we got from literally thousands of people was, how's bella. >> it's great she's doing well. >> thank you. >> let's take another break. when we come back, my twitter has exploded because, senator, they all believe you have endorsed mitt romney tonight. you now have two minutes to work out whether you wish to make that official or whether you want to carry on denying the obvious. 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[ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far. back with plea now, talking about wouldn't of my favorite topics. rick and karen santorum. we left a a cliff-hanger. everyone assumes you've endorsed mitt romney tonight. senator, just spit it out. >> all i said was the obvious. which is mitt romney's going to be the nominee and i'm going to support the nominee whoever the nominee is. period. >> that's mitt romney. >> well, that's what it looks like yeah. >> he won all five states tonight. >> he has. >> pennsylvania. you're so on the assumption that he's the nominee -- >> i will support the nominee of our party. >> you've just endorsed mitt romney. >> that's nothing new. >> there's nobody else is it? it's not going to be ron paul. >> okay. could be. who knows? he's working the delegates really hard. i can tell you that. >> do i end this debate, if mitt romney is the nominee, you will endorse him? >> if he's the nominee, i'm going to do everything i can to make sure he defeats barack obama, absolutely. that's how i got into this race. >> you will endorse him? >> if -- i'm going to support the republican nominee. >> you can't be a politician about this. >> i'm not being a politician. i'm being an honest strike talker. if he's the nominee of the party, i'll do everything i can do help him win. >> you endorse him. >> absolutely. >> let's play your clip from former vice president cheney about advice for choosing a vp. >> and i think the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president. that's why you pick them. and lots of times in the past that has not been the foremost criteria. >> i mean, he's being honest. look at what happened. >> absolutely. that's what i said when i was asked that question during the campaign. i said the first and foremost is the person has the capability of keeping the promises that i made to the american public and be a good president. >> who is the most likely of all the names? i'm assuming you wouldn't want to be in the running or would not rule it out? >> look, i'm not interested in any position. i'm interested in winning the election. and providing for my family now. >> if you were mitt romney who would you be looking at in a favorable way? >> i'm not going to comment on that. that's really his decision. >> karen if mitt romney rang up and said he wanted rick to be his vp, what would you say? >> oh, i'd have to talk to rick about it. we'd need time to think it over and pray about it. you know, consider it. i'd be very surprised. but he's a great guy. >> on a technical point in relation to mitt romney needing a certain number of delegates, will you be releasing your delegates? >> i think the way that the law comports is that once you're not a candidate, your el gates are effectively released. so i think states have been going through the process right now. we have been sort of trying to understand how that works. but this is my first go round in this. and that is, once you're no longer a candidate, state laws become operative. a lot of states, they effectively release your delegates and other states you hold them irrespective of whether you're in the race or not. >> what's next for rick santorum? what would you like to do? >> well, we'll be announcing some things here in the next week or two what our plans are going forward. >> you can tease them. we're amongst friends. >> we'll be active and engaged in the political process, we're going to be active and engaged on the issues that we brought up during this campaign, some of the things that we talked about tonight. this is -- this was a -- like i said in the speech when i got out of the race, we tried to listen very hard to the people across this country and i think we picked up some tones that need to be resonated. >> i'm going to give karen the last word, quickly, we've got 20 seconds. what was the best moment of the campaign? >> iowa. winning iowa was great. we walked up on the stage and i said to the children, soak it in, enjoy this moment. every time we got on the stage we said that. it was great. >> i'll agree with you, it was a wonderful moment. we'll always have iowa. >> thank you, piers. >> thank you so much for coming in. great to see you. >> thank you. coming up, the exclusive interview with the dalai lama. it's a candid, surprise, very entertaining conversation with a man who is iconic but you've never seen him quite like this. do you ever feel temptation when you see a woman? >> oh, yeah, sometimes, this is very nice. but then i'm thinking, it's a real job. too much of a problem. dirty things like that. >> really? >> really. even my dream. some sort of dreaming some woman like that. immediately i -- i never dreamt in my dream i'm dalai lama. i always remember, i'm a monk. buddhist monk. >> as i said, a candid dalai lama as you probably never heard him before. that's tomorrow night. coming up next, only in america.iv ? as a police chief, i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. if you want to make a difference, you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i am committed to making a difference, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. agents, when it comes to insurance, people feel lost. that's a dead end. don't know which way to turn. this way. turn around. 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[ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ yoyou u wawalklk i intna coconvnvenentitiononalal ms ststorore,e, i it't's s rert ababouout t yoyou.u. ththeyey s sayay, , "w"weleu wawantnteded a a f firirm m bebn lilie e onon o onene o of " wewe p prorovividede t thet inindidivividudualalizizatat yoyourur b bodody y neneede. ohoh, , wowow!w! ththatat f feeeelsls r reae. itit's's a aboboutut s supuppope yoyou u fifindnd i it t momost. toto c celelebebraratete 2 25 5f bebetttterer s sleleepep-f-forof yoyou u - - slsleeeep p nr inintrtrododucuceses t ther ededititioion n bebed d st inincrcrededibiblele s savf $1$1,0,00000 f foror a a l li. ononlyly a at t ththe e slsleeer ststorore,e, w wheherere n for tonight's only in america, the attack ad of all time. the bruising of the presidential race won't be just the most expensive ever, but one of the nastiest. as ugly as the commercials are, they pale in comparison to the most shock political commercial ever made, known simply as the daisy girl. it was for president johnson, and it ran just once in 1964. it shows a young girl, harmlessly picking daisies. here's what happened. >> six, eight, nine. nine. >> eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. zero. >> fantastically tasteless. the message was unmistakable. vote for barry goldwater and your child and you will die in a nuclear explosion. the name of the child is in the ad is monique louise and she's all grown up now and we've tracked her down. she's joined me exclusively. welcome! >> thank you for having me. >> you survived the nuclear explosion. had you got any idea -- you were 2 years old. did you have any idea what was happening in that commercial? >> no, i didn't. >> when did you finally realize how you'd been used? >> probably a good ten years ago or so. growing up, i knew of the commercial. we didn't talk about it a lot in our family. it was a little touchy subject with some people. >> but it was spectacularly tasteless. and inappropriate. i mean, if it happened today, i think which ever candidate tried to make an ad like that, let alone actually air it, they would be drummed out of office, wouldn't they? >> oh, i agree. >> do you feel the whole nature of attack commercials in politics is wrong? it's fundamentally un-american? >> i do. >> well, it's been a real pleasure talking to you.