out for the first time about some shocking revelations that cremated remains of american war dead were simply dumped in landfills. i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com it may have been the most awkward 53 seconds of the presidential campaign so far and certainly the most widely seen. texas governor rick perry's brain freeze during last night's republican presidential debate was the most viewed video on youtube in the united states earlier today. if you haven't seen it, you're about to as we look ahead to what happens to rick perry's campaign now. jim acosta is in auburn hills, michigan. the scene of perry's monumental stumble. how does he recover from this? >> wolf, after last night's debate and rick perry's meltdown in michigan, the candidate and his campaign seem to have a new strategy. get the voters to laugh with him and not at him. >> commerce, education and the what's the third one there? let's see -- >> it could be gone in 53 seconds for rick perry. the time it took the texas governor to butcher his own talking point on which three departments of the government he would cut was a slow motion brain wreck. >> you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government i would do away with, education, the -- commerce. and let's see. i can't. the third one, i can't. sorry. >> as soon as the debate was over, perry knew he was in trouble. he marched right into the post debate spin room to put out the flames. >> yeah, i stepped in it, man. yeah, it was embarrassing. of course it was. >> but strategists and operatives were already writing perry's obituary, comparing it to howard dean in 2004. ranking the debate performance among the worst in tv history. >> who am i? why am i here? >> right there with admiral james stockdale in 1992 and quail in 1988. >> this was chernobyl style meltdown. this wasn't a tiny little gaffe. this will live for ever in the reel of debate moments that changed politics. >> perry tried to laugh off the gaffe, asking on his website, which department do you want to forget the most? and he had a few one liners ready for the morning shows. >> we have got a debater in chief and you've got to ask how's that working out for america. >> the odd of him winning the nomination plumeted 30%. thousands of people watched the meltdown on youtube and twitter was dubbed the new fail. perry's flub gave cover to herman cain. still reeling from allegations of sexual harassment, cain had a gaffe of his own when he called former house speaker x nancy pelosi, princess nancy. and it was a new opening for other contenders vying to become the tea party alternative to mitt romney. >> we'll see that we are the alternative to as a consistent -- >> the perry campaign is still making light of what happened last night. later tonight, the texas governor is scheduled to appear on davd letterman to deliver the top ten list. you can bet the campaign war chest that list will be on a telepromter. >> all of the morning shows did a round robin interviews. he's clearly a lot better in these interviews than in a formal debate setting. do his aides explain why? >> you know, this all goes back to rick perry's days in texas, wolf. i can tell you from when i spent some time in austin before he jumped into this race, members of the texas press were saying keep in mind, he doesn't do many media availableties and he didn't even debate his democratic opponent in the last gubernatorial campaign. he tries to avoid these debates and in the last couple of weeks, he was floating the idea of not doing anymore debates. that probably would have been a good approach for him to take. that was clearly a disaster last night. >> thanks very much. rick perry's stumble may be stealing the headlines, but the hopefuls did talk extenz extens. on the issue of the european debt crisis, they agreed the united states needs to stay out. >> focus on the domestic economy or we will fail, so yes, focus on the domestic economy first. there's not a lot the united states can directly do because they have, really way beyond the point of return that we as the united states can save them. >> well, europe is able to take care of their own problems. we don't want to step in and try to bail out their banks and governments. >> you have to let it liquidate. >> let's bring in erin burnett, the most of erin burnett outfront which airs at 7:00 p.m. eastern. you were listening carefully to that debate last night. pretty much of a consensus, they don't want the u.s. involved in italy, greece, spain or portugal when it comes to spending u.s. tax pare dollars. >> that's right. and politically, wolf, there is no other answer, right? you have to have a consensus. it's a very antibailout environment out there. jim cramer was asking the question, obviously felt differently than the candidates. when you just look at it, europe just matters too much to the united states and that's a big part of the problem. we can't just not help europe. 20% of our exports go to europe and are federal reserve is already assisting europe to make sure their banks function. our banks have unlg huge exposure to europe. it would be nice if it didn't matter, but it does matter to the united states and we will help them and are helping them and hoping it doesn't get to a point where anything further is required. >> ezra klein wrote a strong piece today in which italy may be too big to fail, but in too much trouble to succeed. what's going to happen? this is the seventh largest economy in the world. >> it is. it's a huge economy and too big to bail out, but today, italy, there was a little bit of calm in italy. there was a little bit of pullback from the precipice. 42 days of paid vacation. more than eight weeks. the most this europe. italy's unemployment, just over 8%. when you look at a lot of metrics in the italian economy, it's a pretty solid economy, a robust economy and significant one. it's really about the confidence and that's what it comes down to and if you have confidence and it can function and you can deal with the reforps, you don't need a bout. >> erin's going to have a lot more on this later. thanks very much. other important news today involving penn state. the child sex abuse scandal rocking penn state, explodiningn the last 24 hours with the board firing joe paterno and the university's president. and that sparked a night of rioting. demonstrations by thousands of students. jason carroll has been at penn state for days, ever since this scandal unfolded. jason, set the scene for us. what's the very latest? >> well, wolf, things looking much different out here today. stark contrast to what we've seen out here last night. things very calm, but i have to say, even doing these reports out here, every once in a while, you'll get a student who walks by and gives you the finger or shouts an obscenity. also, today was the first time we've heard from the new interim coach here, tom bradley. he spoke with mixed emotions at a press conference. also said that he has no reservations about what he has to do and he talked about the challenges that lie ahead. >> we're obviously in a very unprecedented situation that we find ourselves in and you know, i just got to find a way to restore the confidence and to start a healing process with everybody and try to go about it. as i said earlier, it's with very mixed emotion and a heavy heart that this has occurred, that i'm going through this. >> you know, you talk -- he talks about that heavy heart and i think there are a lot of heavy hearts here, especially after witnessing what took place here last night. the thousands of students that flooded into the streets, at one point flipping a news van, breaking a window, throwing a rock at one of our trucks. spoke to some students out there last night in the heat of all as it was going down. >> they're going after the wrong guy and the justice system needs to take it for it. >> we're in support of our school, in support of joe-pa. we think it's ridiculous he got fired over this situation. >> i think some people are making the mistake of putting joe-pa in actual situation. >> tears, the second i heard it, tears were in my eyes. >> we're here to get joe-pa for our last home game. it's that simple. everyone here is for that right now and that's, we all believe it. if you guys want to hear something right now. we are -- >> penn state! >> we are! >> penn state! >> for his part, joe paterno called for calm and he called for everyone to respect the university, but last night, that simply did not happen. >> i take it that a lot of the students are upset that not enough attention has been put on jerry sandusky. he was charged with the sexual abuse of these boys. what's next in the legal part of this case? >> he's going to have another preliminary hearing on december 7th. he's out on $100,000 bail and a source close to the investigation has told me, as you know, he's charged with sexually assaulting eight boys, but a source close to the investigation tells me a tip line has received more than a dozen calls from people saying they, too, were sexually assaulted by sandusky, so this investigation, far from over. >> you're absolutely right. jason carroll on the scene at penn state. so, will the former head coach, joe paterno, face criminal charges and what about a flood of civil lawsuits against penn state? our senior legal analyst is stand i standing by. and a major league baseball catcher kidnapped. we're getting new information. ♪ ♪ ♪ when your chain of supply ♪ goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there ♪ ♪ track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that ♪ hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ [ multiple snds ng melodic tune ] ♪ [ malennounc ] at northrop grumman, makthworld a feplace. th's value performance. northr gruan. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money. at liberty mutual, we help you move on with your life. so get the insurance responsible drivers like you deserve. looks really good. call us at... or visit your local liberty mutual office, where an agent can help you find the policy that's right for you. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? jack cafferty's here with the "cafferty file.file." >> penn state its having its own catholic church moment. the school has been rocked by a child sex scandal that escalated because those this power either looked the other way or helped cover up what was going on in order to protect one of their own and their precious football program, which generated millions of dollars for the school every year. the legendary football coach, joe paterno, was told in 2002, that his former defensive coordinator jerry sandusky raped a young boy in a shower at the football complex. paterno told his boss, but not the police. according to grand jury testimony, sandusky allegedly fondled and had oral and anal sex with boys for at least 15 years. penn state officials could have stopped it years ago. they fired paterno and the school's president, graham spanier. paterno had wanted to coach the team's last home game of the season this saturday and then resign after the football season ended. you have to give credit to the penn state board. they said you're not resigning, you're not coaching, you're not retiring. you're fired. get out. as for the hundreds of penn state students who riots on campus last night, they ought to be kicked out of school. how dare they act like this because they like the football coach. those punks are intellectually equipped to attend an institution of higher learning. how would they feel if it was their little brother that had been raped? it's a testament to the outside role sports plays in the american society. granted, this is a sad way for the winningest coach in college football to end a storied career. joe paterno could have ended it by applying the same life lessons he preaches to himself. here's the question. how can penn state university restore its reputation? go to cnn.com/"cafferty file" and post a comment on my blog or go to our facebook page. let's go in depth of the legal issues of the scandal with jeffrey toobin. penn state's board of trustees, they fired joe paterno, graham spanier, the university president. but we're relatively early in the legal process, is that right? >> absolutely, wolf. we are much closer to the beginning than the end. as far as i'm aware, there hasn't been a single civil case filed by any of the victims against penn state. the university, against any of the officials. there is going to be a flood of litigation. lawyers will be circling everywhere and they should be because these kids who were abused, particularly who were abused after penn state had notice that they had apparently a child molester roaming the grounds, they really have a claim against the university and you can be sure they'll be lining up to file. >> civil lawsuits are one thing, but criminal charges are another. here's the question. do you think joe paterno and or graham spanier, either one of them potentially could face criminal charges? >> well, when the attorney general of pennsylvania announced the initial charges against sandusky, the alleged perpetrator and the two officialed accused of being part of the cover-up, she said that paterno would not be facing charges based on the evidence available to her at that point. but you can be sure the investigation is going on. just one example. you heard jack mention that one thing we know is that paterno had notice of the -- this horrible incident in the shower where a child was sexually assaulted. in 2002. that's the only reference in the grand jury report to notice. but is it really plausible that joe paterno, the head of this department, who was very close friends with the alleged perpetrator, is that the only time he got notice? you can be sure that the investigators are going to be pursuing it, so on the issue of whether paterno knew more and should have reported sooner, i expect the investigation will continue. >> who's responsibility is it to report an incident like this to the police as opposed to just reporting it to other school officials? >> that's really at the heart of one part of the investigation. the two officials, the former vice president and the former athletic director, those two are charged with violating the statute you're referring to. i've read it. frankly, it's a little confusing to me. it suggests that anyone who is sort of in a final decision making place of authority, that's the person who's obliged to report. but frankly, it seems to me that could be joe paterno as well. even though he was not charged, so i think again, that's going to take more investigation, more legal analysis by the prosecutors to decide how that statute applies, but we don't know all the facts and i'm sure the prosecutors don't know all the facts yet as jason carroll reported, they are getting more alleged victims reporting to them all the time. they're going to have to do investigations. there's a lot that everyone doesn't know. >> for those two university officials who were charged, out on $75,000 bail each. they were charged among other things with purgery, lying to the grand jury investigation, which is a serious charge, but not necessarily a direct charged in knowing or for example or participating in some sort of criminal behavior, trying to cover up. >> well, they are charged with two different kinds of crimes. purgery, which is a very simple crime to define. lying in the grand jury. and paterno, according to the attorney general, did not lie in the grand jury. as far as she understood, told the truth. the crime they are charged with is the failure to report crime and that's where paterno, if he has any criminal vulnerability, that's where he may be vulnerable on the issue of was his decision simply to report what he heard to the athletic director. did that fulfill his legal responsibility under the statute? so far, the attorney general says yes, my reading of the statute is a little more ambiguous. there are all sorts of rumors flying about. this investigation expanding. it is really going to be an ugly, ugly scenario that penn state's going to have to deal with. probably for several more years. >> federal government could get involved as well. >> federal department of education is one of the many investigations going on and of course, we have not yet heard how these poor kids are doing. >> certainly, absolutely right. thanks very much. michele bachmann hoped to make a splash with a major foreign policy speech, but look at this. unfortunately, protesters on the u.s.s. yorktown had a different plan. we'll explain. and kole powell endorsed president obama in 2008. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." ? 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[ woman ] wow. that's amazing. here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. we call them heroes, casualties of war, but the u.s. military treated their remains like garbage. also, fannie mae and freddie mac need billions and billions of taxpayer dollars to stay afloat. here's the question. why are they setting aside millions of dollars for their executives' bonuses? those executives already make significant salaries. and some debates are like watching paint dry. but not this year for the republican party. stand by. you're in "the situation room." he crossed party lines to back up barack obama, so how does the former secretary of state, general colin powell, feel about the critics who say the president hasn't been tough enough? he talked about that and much more with cnn's piers morgan. >> the argument that people have with barack obama, you support him. is that he hasn't fought back against the modern weapon, which is multimedia, the internet, he hasn't beaten his chest and behaved like you would in the battle l field. >> i think that's a fair criticism of the president. he was somebody used to getting people to compromise and seeing if we could not quietly find a way in almost a lawyerly manner, but he still has that spark, that enthusiasm about the country an his job that got him elected in the first place. >> powell also speaks bluntly about polarization, the death of bin laden and much more. you can see the entire interview tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. let's get to our strategy session. joining us, the democratic strategist, paul begala, along with republican strategist, rich galen. guys, thanks very much for coming in. i'll play a little bit of the clip that i guess brain freeze is a lot of people are calling it, from last night. >> the second word, but i got -- >> and then we'll discuss. >> it's three agencies of government when i get there, that are gone. commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there? let's see -- commerce, education and the -- >> you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government i would do away with, education, the -- commerce. and let's see -- i can't. the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> obviously, i stepped in, but again, i go, i have my moment of humor with it and then a press on and understand that there are a lot more serious things facing this country than whether or not i can remember the department of energy at an inappropriate time. >> i got to give him a little credit. he went on all the morning talk shows, morning news shows. he's going to be on letterman tonight. he's not backing down. he's trying to fix this. >> yeah. i know. i'm trying to say something other than what i'm thinking, which is he's an idiot. i said that before. he's not equalled to be president. that stage -- >> he never lost an election in your home state of texas chblt. >> no, he hadn't. and he was the candidate for all the people who thought george w. bush was too cerebral for them. he's not real political talent, but not to match up with the other people on that stanl. >> the economy in the state of texas -- >> he doesn't run a state economy -- he embarrassed himself. laughing probably on the international space station right now. he just needs to go away. i'm so embarrassed. i am. >> when you were watching it last night, i know how i reacted. i sort of jumped out my couch and said, oh, my god. how did you react? >> i hit my cat. she was horrified, too. no, there's nothing you could do. what? make this stop. >> i think he was joking -- >> i'm not going to say he's dumb or anything. for a tactical standpoint, every one of these debates the like the men's basketball team, either he survives or he's out. this was another one cht this was the fifth debate. >> can he come back? >> at some point, you've got to show you can think under pressure. >> remember barack obama in one of the debates said he'd been to all 53 states. >> 57. >> but nobody really worried that senator obama was not smart. when he said to joe the plumber, we're going to spread the wealth around, that hurt a lot more because people thought he was too liberal. the narrative on perry is that he's too dumb. it hurts more than it would hurt romney or gingrich or santorum. all of the, most of the rest of them are really -- >> but again, this is strategy. this situation room. the strategy was he had -- if he had done well in this debate, you could have said, i showed you i could do a debate, i don't have to do anymore. i'll do two. i'm not going to do 18. >> if he would have done well, he could have picked up some points because herman cain's got his own issue. now that issue, maria bartiromo raised it. i want to play this little clip from the debate again last night. >> in resent days, we have learned that four women have accused you of inappropriate behavior. here, we're focusing on character and judgment. you've been a ceo. you know that shareholders are reluctant to hire a ceo where there are character issues. why should the american people hire a president if they feel they have character issues? >> the american people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations. >> all right. then there was wild applause for him. he had a very friendly crowd. how did he handle it? >> i think very well. he didn't overreact. didn't freak out. one minor -- i thought he said at least, for every woman who claims i did something inappropriate, there's thousands of others who claim i didn't. that's like willie sutton, but in the main, he didn't make any news on it. he certainly seemed calm and in xhnd. >> more news about calling nancy pelosi princess. >> he walked that back right away. >> the problem with herman cain, this is a huge problem, i'm not trying to down play it. he just doesn't know enough to be president of the united states and he's not going to learn it in the next 60 days. >> mitt romney had a chance to go after him, but passed by saying this. >> look, herman cain is the person to respond to these questions. he just did to people in this room and across the country can make their own assess m. >> yeah, i think he did another excellent debate performance. mitt romney. don't you think? >> no question. the separation just keeps growing and growing between the others including newt and mitt romney, who i think now is if it's he's going to be the nominee, the better in downtown washington is does he win it before or after florida. >> i'm sure he knows this. to my knowledge, had nothing to do with this story coming out, right? but if he comments on it, there would be some voters thinking he must have been pushing it. didn't touch it at all. handled it very graciously. outstanding job. >> from a tactical stamt, you don't want your candidate in a story with the words sexual harass m. >> he was smart about that. i call it the year of the debate on my blog. check it out. i know you did. >> i did. >> thanks very much. rick perry's forgetfulness has happened to all of us at one point or another. >> the -- what's the third one there? let's see -- >> so, here's something we should consider. what happens inside the brain that causes that to happen? we're going to explore the anatomy of a brain freeze. lisa sylvester has been speaking with neuroyolgss on this. also, the search for a missing major league baseball player kidnapped in venezuela. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. sadly, no. oh. but i did pick up your dry cleaning and had your shoes shined. well, i made you a reservation at the sushi place around the corner. well, in that case, i better get back to these invoices... which i'll do right after making your favorite pancakes. you know what? 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[ female announcer ] only from aveeno. lisa sylvester is monitoring some of the other top story, including what we're learning about the washington nationals catcher. what's going on? >> venezuelan police are searching for two men suspected of kidnapping washington nationals catcher, wilson ramos. he was abducted from his family's home last night. he was home in his country playing winter ball after his season with the nationals. his home run total this year was a team record for a catcher. and rescue teams are working through the night to save survivors buried in the rubble in an earthquake in turkey. more than 100 people were buried in debris after the earthquake. at least seven were killed. the tremor struck the same region where another earthquake killed more than 500 people less than three weeks ago. and violence in syria today claimed the live of at least 38 people, including six children. according to pro democracy advocates, 16 of these fatalities came in the city of palms. this video is said to have been taken on wednesday, but cnn can't confirm because syria has banned reporters from the country. amnesty international says 100 people have been killed since the government agreed to a peace plan. and james murdoch gristled as a lawmaker compared him to a mafia boss today cht it happened during a hearing on the phone hacking scandal. murdoch told a special committee that former executives at the tabloid misled them about the scandal. the controversy has threatened his standing in the company founded by his father. >> thanks for that. so, what happened to rick perry in last night's debate? we've all been there. here's the question. what causes the brain sometimes to freeze up like that? we'll ask the experts. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. you could certainly call it an oops moment. forgetting one of the three departments he would close if herp president of the united states. it happens to all of us, just not during a debate for the president of the united states. lisa sylvester has more. i know you've been speaking with neurologists among others. >> it was high pressure on rick perry to do well in the debate. it's live television. it's a gruelling campaign schedule and the candidates were all probably a little bit sleep deprived and that is the perfect combination that can lead to momentary memory lapse. political gaffes are nothing new. misstatements. >> i've now been in 57 states. i think one left to go. >> botched quotes. >> fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. >> and the brain freeze. >> we have -- >> last night, rick perry had a class sol cringe worthy moment. three agencies would be gone. commerce, education and -- >> the third agency of government i would do away with, education, the -- commerce. and let's see. i can't. the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> that's right. in a nationally televised debate, perry forgot a corner stone of his platform, eliminating the department of energy. >> yeah, i stepped in it, man. yeah, it was embarrassing. of course it was. >> blanking on something has happened to all of us. a maryland neuroologist, memory impairment can be affected by a number of issues, sleep, stress and alcohol. but when is a brain freeze indicative of a bigger problem? >> if someone says i just couldn't remember bob's name and i had seen him just three months ago, but if they're having difficulty remembering the neighbor's name, bob's name and it's frequent, then that often suggests some underlying problems. >> he says perry's case appears to be a classic example of cramming for an exam and then failing to process and recall at test time, but perry is going to be expected to perform on a world stage if elected. >> in the tv business, i've had these moments. sometimes, the viewers know about it, sometimes they don't. but anybody that goes out there and is holier than thou and says i can't believe that happened, flat out, they're lying. the biggest problem was that he could not name the agency. the biggest problem was he waited a whole minute and then said oops. not very presidential. way to remember the data using her palm as a crib sheet. well, memory loss is often societyuated with ageing. the doctor says you can think of it this way. you can go up a flight of stairs when you're 16 years old than when you're 65. in the same way the body slows down, so does your memory with ageing. >> makes a good point. good report. jack is coming up next with the "cafferty file" and in our next hour, some shocking revelations that cremated remains of american troops were dumped in landfills. of any car . from $10,990. the all-new nissan versa sedan. innovation upsized. innovation for all. ♪ ♪ small talk, big thoughts, gonna tell them all ♪ [ male announcer ] the most legroom per dollar of any car in america. from $10,990. the all-new nissan versa sedan. innovation upsized. innovation for all. ♪ you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you want a firm bed you can lie on one of those, if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. and now, welcome to the sleep number store's semi-annual sleep sale. not just ordinary beds on sale, but the bed that can change your life on sale. the sleep number bed. it calibrates precisely to your body and your comfort zone. now you can feel what happens as we raise your sleep number setting and allow the bed to contour to your individual shape. oh yeah. it's really shaping to my body. save $500 on our classic special edition bed set - while supplies last. and for 5 days only enjoy our veterans day weekend special. 36 month financing on selected beds but only through monday. you can adjust it however you want so you don't have to worry about buying the wrong mattress. once they get our bed, they're like, "why didn't i do this sooner?" hurry in to the 5 day veterans day weekend special only at the sleep number store. where queen mattresses start at just $699. jack's back with the "cafferty file." >> question this hour is how can penn state university restore its reputation. eve in texas, thank god the board fired the ones at the top. having been a professor for decades, i've seen universities conceal crimes committed against students and faculty. it's typically the ones a t the bottom who wind up being punished. i applaud the board because they're punishing the ones who could have saved these children. that will restore their reputation quicker than the cowardly institutions who have protected the perpetrator. that take, catholic leaders. dennis in florida. penn state doesn't have to restore its reputation. there are 30,000 people on the psu campus, probably hundreds of thousands alive that have been associated with the universities. the actions of small groups of people can cause a media sensation, but do not destroy the university. do you believe that a degree has less value than today or the accomplishments of those former students are diminished be i a few morally corrupt people? yes, i do. cameron in dayton, ohio. i have admired joe paterno my whole life. every person on the staff should be fired immediately. penn state's football team program should be suspended immediately. they should not play on saturday or be allowed to go to a bowl game or play at all next year. give the players a year of eligibility back and ban the coaches from division i jobs. programs have been shut down for far, far less agreenlgs crimes than raping and primming preteen boys. john writes, back in the olden days, schools were about learning. there was a place for sports, but academics came first. when schools give more scholarships to athletes than to scholars then you begin to realize where the priorities are. southern methodist lost its program due to giving kids gifts to play ball. penn state covered up the rape and molestation in house of nurm rouse boys. if the ncaa has any dignity, they ought to cancel the psu season, forfeit all games and be banned from playing in any football division for 15 years. that's the same amount of time it took them to do anything. and kirk writes, it won't take much. people's memories only last until the start of the next football season. if you want to read more, go to my blog or through our post on "the situation room"'s" faceboo page. >> powerful story. thank you. here's a question. how can a company justify taking billions and billions of u.s. taxpayer dollars to stay in business then go ahead and simply pay out millions of dollars to executives in charge who are already making very, very decent salaries? get the answer, you have to go ask the executives at fannie mae and freddie mac. we have new information. also, historians have eagerly awaited the release of transcripts of richard m. nixon's testimony before a grand jury in 1975. well today, it happened. we're going to tell you what they revealed. progresso. it fits! fantastic! 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[ male announcer ] designed with the 2nd gen intel® core™ i5 or i7 processors. performance you need, style you want. for a limited time purchase select dell pc's and receive our holiday photo solution. our gift to you. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. here's a look at this hour's hot shot. in china, a rescue adjusts his helmet in a rescue operation to save 23 workers trapped understood ground. in india, priests performed prayer rituals at the festival and in colorado, a soldier appears for u.s. troops returning from iraq and a welcome home ceremony. in argentina, two participants in the miss pole dance show off their moves. hot shots, pictures from around the world. for decades, historians have been itching to learn what nixon told a grand jury after resigning. today, they got their wish. athena jones looks at what was released. >> years after his fall from grace, richard nixon in his own words. >> got dressed, 4:35, we left the white house. >> new transcripts and audio recording released, provide -- of the nation's 37th president. as he reminisces about an impromptu, predawn meeting at the lincoln memorial. just five days after the ohio national guard killed demonstrators at kent state university. >> a few small groups had begun to congress grate at the memorial. i walk over to a group of them, walked up to them and shook hands. >> he tried to explain to the students why the u.s. had invaded cambodia, expanding the unpopular vietnam war. >> our goal was not to get into cambodia. >> then there's the secret grand jury testimony. in which a testy nixon is -- in his conversation about the watergate break-in. nixon said i have never heard this conversation that you have alluded to, this so-called 18 and a half minute gap. when asked how that part of the tape was lost, he said, if you're interested in my view, it is very simple. and throughout the testimony, nixon denied ordering the irs to go after democrats in the months before the 1972 election. >> i'm not a lawyer, but i think lawyers and those who want to be lawyers, will recognize in the president's statements, a very intelligence lawyer. who is not offering anything beyond what he knows or thinks he knows the prosecution. there's very little information that is offered. >> nixon appeared before the grand jury in june, 1975. ten months after he resigned in a dramatic television address from the oval office. >> i have never been a quitter. >> now in making the decision to release the former president's grand jury testimony, the federal judge in the case said that doing so would enhance the historical record, foster further discussion and improve the public's understanding of a significant historical event, and so historians and legal scholars are going to be going over this. >> thank you. happening now, anger at penn state over the firing of coach joe paterno. head are rolling and the school officials who knew early on. this hour, why is a witness to alleged rape being allowed to stay on? also, mortgage giants, fannie mae and freddie mac, are costing u.s. taxpayers billions of dollars, but top executives are on track right now to get big, fat bonuses. and now, some lawmakers are saying no way. and the republican presidential candidates are turning this into the year of the debate. rick perry's oops moment just a latest in a series of moments. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we begin though with a story many of you almost all of you i'm sure will find simply outrageous. i know i did. it's the latest example of executives way out of touch with the country and who apparently think they deserve big, fat bonuses even though their companies are floundering. this time, the chiefs of fannie mae and freddie mac. our brian todd has been looking into the bonuses and the backlash. simply outrage what's going on, but update our viewers. >> there is bipartisan outrage over these bonuses. members of congress trying to stop them. but a lot of the bonus money has been paid out and that's causing more frustration. >> you may not know michael williamses, but you probably want to be paid like him. same for ed haldaner man. the ceos of fannie mae and freddie mac. according to records, they each made about $9 million in salary last year and each is getting paid about $2 million in bonuses. ea earlier this year, the federal government approved nearly $13 million in bonuses for williams, haldanerman and eight other executives from the two firms despite the fact that millions of americans are struggling and the fact that fannie and freddie have been hemorrhaging cash. >> it's just completely excessive and uncalled for. >> republican senator john thune is spearheading an effort by 60 republican senators to cancel the bonuses. they've sent a letter to the government body that oversees fannie and freddie, the federal housing finance agency, asking it to revise the compensation policy for those execs. the fhaa approved those bonuses. >> why would you be rewarding this kind of behavior at a time wen when we've got all these economic issues. >> contacted by cnn, officials at fannie and freddie wouldn't comment. their overseer says it's reduced bay in recent years, that those firms have to pay that kind of money to attract the kind of talent needed to manage $5 trillion in mortgages. they tell cnn the reason they got those bonuses is because they took the right steps to turn things around after the meltdown. a meltdown which triggered a massive bailout. how big was the bailout compared to that of the auto? >> about 70,000 so far and i think the estimated tally from what i understand from the congressional budget office is somewhere in the neighborhood of about 250 billion, so from that standpoint, it's large relative to these other bailouts. >> cliff rossy, who once worked at both fannie and freddie, says the current execs at the firms were put in place since the bailout to clean up the mess from before. he says they have started to do that, but also says they have not done enough to modify the bad mortgages, so he's kind of on the fence about whether they deserve those bonuses. >> can the president of the united states intervene and do something about this? >> well, senator thune wants the white house to step in. the white house says these are independent agencies, that it doesn't have a role in assigning pay r for their executives. i think senator thune really wants to pave the way for somebody to step in in the future. >> before the bonus, these top executives are making how much a year? >> 900,000 each. >> but that's not enough. >> well, again, the argument is -- >> i know the argument. you told us the argument. but they say $900,000. they can't live on $900,000. they wouldn't be attracted to these jobs if it were just $900,000. >> that they're not going to get people who are attracted to these jobs. >> i suspect there are a lot of talented, qualified people who would be more than happy to come to work for a federal agency for $900,000 a year when the president of the united states makes $400,000 a year. lawmakers make $200,000 a year. timothy geithner makes about $200,000, but these guys can't live on $900,000 a year. that's what they're telling you? >> they're not really saying it in those words, but that they deserve those bonuses. >> the treasury department can attract timothy geithner, but fannie and freddie can't attract people for $900,000 a year. herman cain keeps racking in huge amounts while controversy swirls around his campaign. the republican reporting he's raised more than $9 million since october 1st, almost $2.5 million in the ten days since the allegations of sexual harassment surfaced. he was asked about the allegations during last night's debate in michigan. >> here, we're focusing on character and judgment. you've been a ceo. you know that reluctant to hire a ceo where there are character issues. why should the american people hire a president if they feel there are character issue sns. >> the american people deserve better than someone being tried in the court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations. >> let's bring in our chief political analyst, gloria borger. herman cain's response to the sexual harassment allegations. within the republican party ranks, or at least that conservative base, tea party activists, they're with him right now. >> you heard the boos when pary area bartiromo asked the question. look, cain supporters remain herman cain supporters. when he talks about the democrat machine, when he blames the media for the story, he gets contributions. he's raised two an a quarter million dollars. that's measure the last three months of his campaign. that's not all republican. there are republicans who are upset with this. every time he's got to answer a question about sexual harassment, it's a gift to barack obama with women voters. >> speaking of women voters, nancy pelosi, the minority leader, the former speaker of the house. he called her princess nancy. to which he sort of apologized. i'll play the clip. >> yes -- >> i apologize for calling her princess pelosi, if you couldn't understand the audio. if that's the biggest story you all have, okay. that was his so-called apology. >> it's not good for him with women voters. the first rule of politics, when you're in a hole, stop digging. it's probably not a good idea when being accused of sexual harassment to dem grate one of the most accomplished women. no matter whether you agree or disagree, for his supporters, they don't like nancy pelosi. that's fine, but this was not the moment for him to do that. >> here's what you wrote in your column today. if he, referring to herman cain, if he wants to get this behind him, how about getting the facts out. give the restaurant association's board permission to release the results of their investigation in 1999. >> he says they did an internal investigation and cain says he was cleared and there's no -- that the charges are absolutely baseless. well, he can go to the association and say, release your internal investigation and it would clear everything up. if he were to become the presidential nominee, wolf, he would end up having to do that any way. so why not ask them to do it. get it out of the way and get on with his campaign. >> he says their investigation vindicated him although the national rest raugs association in their statement, they didn't say that. >> they did not say it. we do not know who did the investigation. at one point, he said there was an internal general counsel. we've heard different stories, so why not just release it. redakt some names, but release the facts. >> what's the latest on this joint news conference that least two of these women accusing him of sexual harassment. karen kraushaar, who wanted to organize it, who works at the treasury department, has not been able to reach two of the women as we reported earlier today, that she does not want to do it alone with sharon bialek, the woman who's already come out. the question remains, if there isn't going to be a big press conference, will we hear more from kraushaar? will she release the documents? >> what's the answer? >> we don't know. she has not decided yet, i'm told. still trying to figure it out. >> thank you. on to politics now and the rick perry moment. been watching debates for decades. probably never seen anything as dramatic as what happened last night. jack cafferty is here. he was watching as well together with the whole world. it was a pretty amazing moment. >> you didn't see anything like this at the lincoln douglas debate? >> i read about it. >> not since sarah palin sat down with katie couric has an officer disgraced himself like the way perry did last night. >> and i will tell you, it's three agencies of government when i get there, that are gone. commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there? let's see. >> five. >> five, okay. commerce, education and the -- >> epa? >> epa. >> seriously? is e prkpa the one you were tal about? >> no, sir. we were talking about the agencies of government. epa needs to be rebuilt, no doubt about that. >> but you can't name the third one? >> the third agency of government, i would do away with education, the -- commerce. and let's see. i can't. the third one, i can't. sorry. oops. >> oops. right after the debate on cnbc, perry rushed over to the spin room where he tried to make light of what he had done. quote, i'm glad i had my boots on tonight. i really stepped in it, end quote. note to mr. perry. it's time to go away now. this isn't the first time you came off in the debates and this awe shucks grade school stuff might play in texas, but i for one,sy, don't want you anywhere near the nuclear launch codes and the middle east on possibly the brink of another war. there is trouble all around and you claim claim to being able to run the country with what amounts to half a loaf. that saying is half a loaf is better than none. in rick perry's case, that's not true. please just go away. here's the question. is it time for rick perry to withdraw from the presidential race? here's the answer. you bet. post a comment on my blog or go to our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. it really did remind me of the sarah palin train wreck with katie couric. just painful to watch. >> didn't hurt her career as far as making money though. >> hurt her political career. she's not running for anything. she's no longer the governor of alaska. >> but she's made about $20 million if not more. she's done okay. >> stupidity sells. i won't argue with you about that. >> all right, jack. he's going to be on letterman reading the top ten list. >> there's something to look forward to. >> rick perry may have been at a loss for words, but his wife isn't. hear what she's saying about her husband's debate embarrassment. also, a witness to the alleged child sex abuse at penn state still is on the coaching staff while joe paterno, the coach, was fired. we're going to ask why. ♪ sen♪ co-signed her credit card - "buy books, not beer!" ♪ ♪ut the second at she shut the door ♪ ♪ girl started blowing up their credit score ♪ ♪ she bought a pizza party for the whole dorm floor ♪ ♪ hundred pounds of makeup at the makeup store ♪ ♪ and a ticket down to spring break in mexico ♪ ♪ but her folks didn't know 'cause her folks didn't go ♪ ♪ to free-credit-score-dot-com hard times for daddy and mom. ♪ v.o.: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com joe paterno's replacement says the penn state university football team will be ready to play this saturday without the coach who's been at the helm for four decades. protests and rioting broke out on campus last night when paterno was fired by the university's board of trustees along with the school's president, graham spanier. both have been criticized for their response to the child rape charges against the former assistant coach, jerry sandusky. paterno spoke with supporters outside his home. >> get a good night's sleep. all right? study. all right? we still got things to do and pray a little bit for those victims. >> today, penn state's new interim head coach called paterno a great man, promised to help the team and the university heal. >> first off, i grieve for the victims, the families. deeply saddened with that. it's with great emotion that i say that and you know, the football part, we will get working on that right away. right now, i think you should know where our team is toward this whole issue and towards those children, their families and our thoughts and our prayers with with them. >> a preliminary hearing has been set for december 7th for sandusky accused of sexual offenses with eight young boys. and the two failing to report the abuse will appear in court on november 17th. this saturday, mike mcqueary will be part of the coaching staff, although some wonder if he should be. mcqueary is a witness to this alleged rape. what's the latest on this part of the story? >> mike mcqueary is the only one involved in this current investigation here at penn state who was said to have witnessed an alleged rape and there's increasing scrutiny over mike mcqueary because there are questions being raised about why he didn't act, why he didn't do more after what he allegedly saw and he's keeping his job. his name is mike mcqueary, an assistant football coach at penn state and it's what he saw in 2002, say authorities, that led in part to child sex abuse charges against jerry sandusky. mcqueary grew up around penn state, becoming a quarterback for the team. at 28, when he was an assistant, he witnessed sandusky having sex with a boy believed to be 10 years old in a locker room shower at penn state. mcqueary was described as being distraught and leaving immediately, turning to his father, then going to joe paterno. paterno told grand jurors sandusky was doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy. with paterno and the penn state president ousted, questions are now focused on mcqueary, who's keeping his job. tom bradley is penn state's new interim coach. >> mike mcqueary will be coaching on saturday. >> on campus, there are open calls for mcqueary to also go. many question why he didn't call police. >> i feel like any normal human being when they see something like that happening, they would react a lot more with better intent. >> i figure if you're going to fire joe paterno, you should fire him. >> mcqueary's father, john, told us he has been advised not to talk because he has part of the investigation. as for his son, he is quoted "the new york times" saying he thinks it is eating up his son to not be able to tell his side of the story and adds, he'll make it, he's a tough kid. and pennsylvania's attorney general stresses that grand jurors found mcqueary to be a credible witness. we should also point out we have reached out to him several times and have not gotten a response from him, but like many involved in this investigation, they have been saying they have been advised not to talk publicly because the investigation is obviously going on. >> you've been on campus all day. what are the students saying? >> you know, in the aftermath of last night's anger, i was talking to some students today who say that they felt embarrassed by what they saw when things gone unruly, that the focus cannot be on football and they also were questioning why mike mcqueary was keeping his job, but in their words, one told me it was like getting kicked in the gut and that there is such a sense of betrayal and really a lot of sadness on this campus. >> mary snow on the campus of penn state university. thank you. greece taking dramatic new steps to try to recover from a dire european financial crisis threatening markets all around the world. we have new details. and prince william gets his military orders. you're going to find out where he's about to be deployed. lots of news happening right here in "the situation room." 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ask your doctor today... ... about taking care with vesicare. rick perry's oops moment got me thinking about how significant the republican presidential debates have been this year. over the course of some ten debates so far, there have been many memorable moments. some the candidates would like to forget. take a look and listen to some of the highlights and low points. >> the statement was would by comfortable with the muslim in my administration not that i wouldn't appoint one. you have peaceful muslims and then you have militant muslims. those that are trying to kill us u so when i was i wouldn't be comfortable, i was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us. >> governor perry, a question about texas. your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. have you -- >> he doesn't have it and he needs intensive care for six months, who pays? >> that's what freedom is all about. this whole idea that you have to take care of everybody. >> but congressman, are you saying ta society should just let him die? >> to hear these two go at it is almost incredible. you've got romney who called it a fraud in his book -- >> the question is, was it about life or millions and potentially billions for a drug company. >> you've got to respond to that. >> yes, sir, the company was merck and it was a $5,000 count bugs. if you're saying that i can be bought for 5,000, i'm offended. >> i'm offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn't have a choice. that's what i'm o fenned for. >> was it before he was before the social programs from the standpoint of he was for standing up for roe versus wade, before he was against roe versus wade. >> in 2010, before i was deployed to iraq, i had to lie about what i was because i was a gay soldier. do you intend to circumvent the progress that has been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military? >> i would say any type of sexual activity has no place in the military. >> are you saying that the state sales tax will also go away? >> no, that's an apple. we're replacing a bunch of oranges. whether you throw out the existing code and you put in our plan, you still going to pay that. that's apples and oranges. >> and i'm going to be getting a bush el basket that has apples and oranges in it because i got to pay taxes. >> i'm speaking. i'm speaking. would you please wait? are you just going to keep talking or let me finish what i had to say. >> and i will tell you, it's three agencies of government when i get there, that are gone. commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there? let's see. >> five. >> oh, five, okay. so, commerce, education and the -- >> epa. >> epa, there you go. >> let's -- >> seriously? is epa one you were talking about? >> we don't have to see it again. obviously, a little bit painful to watch. let's bring in david gergen and candy crowley, the anchor of "state of the union." you've been watching debates for a long time. on my blog today, i'm call it the year of the debate, but what do you think about what happened last night? >> it's one of those things you never want to have happen to you. rick perry had one more opening. with herman cain possibly fading, there was an opening for perry to resuscitate his campaign. he makes the gaffe that just totally reenforces it and it brought back so many memories of past debates and past years and gaffes that really crossed. i was there in 1976 on the campaign for ford when he went up against carter and an october debate just before the election and mitch frank of "the new york times" asked him about soviet domination of eastern europe and president ford just totally denied there was soviet domination of eastern europe. frankel was stunned. asked him again. he was trying to tell the polls and others don't worry, we're still there for you, but it came out as he didn't understand. all the momentum we had, he might have won that election. all that momentum stopped instantly, took days and days to get going again. >> i remember that, but candy, what did you think when you were watching that debate and you saw that oops moment? >> yeah, i thought it was actually pretty painful and i tried to morning to sort of think what if mitt romney had done that. what if he said in my three point plan, what's the third point, it would not have been nearly so devastating. for exactly the same reason as david said. there's always a wrap against the candidate. sometimes we call it a story line, whatever you want to call it and with mitt romney, it's does he flip-flop too much. with cain, is he really ready for prime time and for rick perry as david says, it's about is he up to this job? is he quote, smart enough? even though everyone, certainly everyone who has been on tv, can understand what that sort of brain lock can do to you. it is especially harmful for perry especially at this time. the timing's bad. the thach of the mistake is bad and the kind of full on press that he's seen since then has been bad. >> because you know, david, it was the energy department that he forgot. he mentioned commerce. he mentioned education and energy's been such a big issue for him. especially as a governor of texas and the oil and the energy industry in texas. you would have thought that one would have jumped into his mind first. >> you would think it would be number one because it has been the center piece of his campaign. he's gave that energy speech. he talks about it continuously. you have to feel sorry for him. i think we all winced for him as well as just sort of wincing, but still, this is the big time and this is when you're judged. you're judged as a quarterback on how well you can throw a football and politics, you're judged by how well you can debate. believe me, the republicans know they've got to put up a very strong debate against barack obama because he's very good at this. >> you've got to give him credit. he went on all the morning shows, he's going on letterman tonight, reading the top ten list, so you've got to give him some credit for doing that. i don't know if it will help him, but he's trying. >> that's the problem. he does seem to be making the right moves and that is, he came out right after the debate into the spin room as i understand it. boy, did i step in it. that was a really bad moment. now, he's trying to have some fun with it and to move on, but it's been played so often as you know since last night. it's going to be very hard for him to erase that. is it fatal? we've got you know, until january to find out. but it is certainly a roadblock and a huge stumble for him. >> we'll continue this conversation. thank you. dumped in landfills like medical waste. urgent new action the pentagon is taking following truly shocking revelations about how some remains of america's fallen were handled. and former president bill clinton has new advice for president obama on how he can get re-elected. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." to the pentagon now where leon panetta is teping up the effort to get answers to the revelations that some remains of u.s. service members killed in combat were disposed in landfills. barbara starr has the latest. >> this is the virginia landfill where the air force dumped some incinerated remains of america's fallen. until 2008, the dover air force base mortuary had contractors cremate and incinerate bone fragments, tissue and other dna material brought back from iraq an afghanistan where troops were killed. no bodies were involved. the ashes were then taken to the landfill and disposed of as if they were medical waste. the air force changed the policy and is now burying remains at sea, but leon panetta has ordered an independent review. >> none of us will be satisfied until we have proven to the families of our fallen heroes that we have taken every step possible to protect the honor and dignity that their loved ones richly deserved. >> some families are distraught. >> it's devastating. it is saddening and it is shocking for families to hear what happened. >> there are dwroeing questions about what the air force did once it learned of another problem. whistleblower reports of missing body parts at dover. panetta has ordered the air force to investigate itself, this time, to determine if the whistle broeers suffered preprize sales. >> what i am concerned about is their investigation as to what the air force did in response cht specifically, the fact that the ig of the air force, they failed to admit wrong doing in their report. >> there clearly were unacceptable mistakes made. whether they constitute wrong doing is another matter entirely. >> but when asked if it was wrong to put remains of the war dead in a landfill, the chairman of the joint chief said -- >> i don't know what right looks like. >> now, secretary panetta initially supported the air force in its investigation of these allegations of wrong doing at dover, but after learning of the potential of reprisals against the whistle broe blower, he said ininvestigation, but he believes the air force can investigate itself. >> thanks very much. you'll keep us updated on this. bill clinton is sitting down with "time" magazine and is giving president obama some additional advice on getting re-elected. let's bring in the managing editor, rick stengle. let me read to our viewers this what the president, the former president said to you about what's going on in washington right now. he said this. he said the republicans can't be completely allergic to taxes. the democrats can't be completely allergic to changes in health care delivery. i assume president clinton's referring to changes in medicare, social security, the entitlements as we call them. is that right? >> yes. i think he's speaking to the idea, wolf, that medicare, medicaid, social security, the so-called third rail of american politics and it's one of the things that democrats have always stood by and been resolute in not changing, but he's also saying if we're going to get the economy back, it can't just be cutting deficits. there has to be revenue associated with it and both sides have to come tokt on a grand bargain. >> the president, like the former president, like the current president, wants to see an inkrecrease this taxes, especially on the wealthest americans. he made that point to you as well, right? >> yes, he famously raised taxes in his first year, which ultimately helped him balance the budget at a time when u.s. growth was increasing and jobs were increasing and he thinks that revenues have to be gotten now and you would get that through taxes, through taxing the wealthy. the 1%. >> and remember, when bill clinton raised taxes after he took office in 1993, 1994, wasn't just on the wealthiest. he raised taxes on the middle class at the same time even though he promised he wouldn't do it and knew it would be politically unpopular. >> yes, and again, even though the u.s. was experiencing 4, 5 and 6% growth during clinton's time, taxes were a greater percentage of gdp than they are now by a significant margin. >> here's an exchange you had with bill clinton in "time" magazine. you blanlsed the budget and cut the size of the government cht how come your nor a hero of the tea party to which the former president replied. i think i should have been their favorite politic. i raised taxes and cut spendinging. i did it with a mix of policies that also left us money to invest in our future and our quality of life. what he didn't say to you is at the time when he balanced the budget and saw surpluses, he did it in part because of enormous pressure from the republican majority in congress. >> yes, i mean, remember, it was bill clinton who famously said the era of big government is over. he was under great pressure from gingrich and the congress to reduce the size of government and remember, that was still the era. he was coming after the era. the reagan era, of saying that government is not the answer. government is the problem. >> you got a cover story, 45,000 american troops coming hope from iraq in the coming few weeks. what's the biggest problem they will face? >> one of the biggest problems, we're calling them the other 1%. they represent a small section of america now and so many americans don't have a son or a daughter or mother or father in the military anymore that basically, it's about connecting america with its military again and integrating them back into society. >> the managing editor of "time" magazine. good work as usual, rick, thank you. >> thanks, wolf. jack cafferty is asking is it time for rick perry to withdraw from the presidential race? it's deception, technology, calling myself a magician evokes a certain image. we immediately know what that is. it's a guy who does a magic trick. a cyber revolution is, it requires a little bit of explanation. look, every day we're using more and more energy. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ a picture of the washington monument here in washington. let's check in with jack. he's got "the cafferty file." jack? >> there's a lead-in. question is, is it time for rick perry to withdraw from the presidential race? if perry can't function during a debate, however will he function as president in a crisis? time to sent this good old boy out to a texas pasture. a. taccen writes, i'm voting for rick perry, it's the only way to get him out of texas and i want you folks to suffer like we have for the last ten years. steve writes, wow, seemed like he was channeling his inner george bush, texas governors for president, been there, hated that. john in florida, absolutely not. this is too much fun. can you imagine perry as president? as president, i have ordered a nuclear strike on the capital of -- can't remember. was it israel? oops. morning "headline news," usa nukes wrong country. jack, constewart, colbert and other comedians need this guy. he's like the guy who stays at party until the very en, doesn't know when to leave, can remember where he put his coat. show him the door. i think perry can bring back what america was, a wilderness dotted with train wrecks and groups of survives are sitting around playing their banjos. jack, rick perry is not one of the stars at night that shine big and bright deep in the heart of texas. and dee writes, either withdraw or write the talking points on his hand for the next debate. want to read more on this, go to cnn.com/cafferty file or through "the situation room's" facebook page. he is good entertainment. hope he sticks around. >> i'll read more responses. >> hysterical. >> good work. thank you. the brain freeze, by the way, going viral. you'll want to see jeanne moos' take on the perry gaffe. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the personal attention tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you and your money deserve. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, that means taking a close look at you tdd# 1-800-345-2550 as well as your portfolio. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 we ask the right questions, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 then we actually listen to the answers tdd# 1-800-345-2550 before giving you practical ideas you can act on. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck online, on the phone, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 or come in and pull up a chair. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. go to cnn.com/situation room web page. you can read my blog, i write about all of the debates, calling it the year of debate. this republican presidential season. there have been fascinating moments we've also posted some of those moments for you, but check out my blog cnn.com/situationroom. it's certainly the freeze that's going viral right now. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: what do britney spears and rick perry have in common? >> oops. >> oops. i did it again. >> oops. >> oops. >> reporter: oops was everywhere from headlines to impersonations. >> oops. >> reporter: even rick perry couldn't resist repeating himself as he came out of his replayed clip. >> oops. >> reporter: when rick perry forgot the third department he wants to cut -- >> the -- what's the third one there? let's see. >> reporter: the forgotten department of energy gaffe took on an energy of its own. >> ah the -- the -- >> rick perry had an amazing meltdown. forgetting his point. >> oh my gosh. >> reporter: one defender describes it as a temporary loss of cabin pressure, we all have it. here come the jokes. >> he could be president if he only has two things to remember. >> reporter: funny or die, put up a parody quiz asking the governor to name three things. >> three legal moves in rock, paper, scissors. >> you got rock, paper and -- there's a hawk. >> reporter: the governor's gaffe was gleefully timed. >> oops. >> reporter: rick perry's 53-second brain freeze dwarfed previous whoppers. it made arizona governor january brewer seem like a scholar when she blanked for a mere 13 seconds. >> we have um -- did what was right for arizona. >> reporter: at least when president bush did it, he was answering what's been your biggest mistake? >> you know i just -- i'm sure something will pop into my head. >> reporter: what pops out is even worse. >> such as in south africa and iraq, everywhere like such as. >> reporter: like such as that is some conciliation to governor perry. after the doozy of a gaffe perry come up with a recovery plan, multi-step recovery plan. >> i stepped in it that's for sure. obviously i stepped in it. i stepped in it last night. some of it stuck on my feet. >> reporter: remember how sarah palin made sure she wouldn't forget three priorities? >> start reading in the spending. >> reporter: cartoonist drew imagined advice, handed down from palin to rick perry, write it on your hand, stupid. >> name three rice crispy mascots. >> snap, crackle, sizzle. >> reporter: new york. >> jeanne moos. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." the news continues next on cnn. >> good evening, everyone. tonight inside the abuses