week helps wounded warriors get home for christmas. all right now on "fox news sunday." >> chris: hello again from fox news in washington. with just over three weeks until the iowa caucuses the republican candidates for president came out swinging last night at a debate in des moines. steve brown watched the action to see who scored and who missed. steve? >> reporter:hris, there were plenty of attempts to knock down newt gingrich the frontrunner a peg or two but the efforts came up short. >> we could start with his idea to have a lunar colony that would mine minerals from the moon. i'm not in favor of spending that kind of money to do that. eeoc said that he would like to eliminate in some cases the child labor laws so that kids could clean schools. i don't agree with that idea. we have differences of view point on some issues. >> the only reason you didn't become a career politician is you lost to teddy kennedy in 1994. >> now, wait a second. wait a second. that is -- that was -- >> if a clean shot was delivered on gingrich it may have been by ron paul over gingrich's consulting gig with freddie mac. >> while he was earning a lot of money from freddie mac i was fighting over a decade to try to ex-be plane to people where the housing bubble has come from. freddie mac was bailed out by the taxpayers so in a way newt i think you probably have some of the taxpayers' money. >> michele bachmann fired this over the previous endorsements of individual healthcare. >> newt is also with obama on the issue of the payroll extension. so if you want a difference michele bachmann is a proven conservative. not newt romney. >> clearly the talked about moment of the debate this was exchange between rick perry and romney about individual mandates. >> you raised that before rick and you are wrong. >> it was true then and it is true now. >> rick, i tell you what, 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet? >> i'm not in the betting business. >> oh, okay, okay. >> but i'll show you that -- >> that wager is not playing well, here in iowa. some observers suggesting it shows romney is out of touch. chris? >> chris: steve brown reporting from des moines. steve, thanks for that. now, to one of the presidential contenders who has got a lot riding on iowa, texas governor rick perry who joins us from des moines. governor, welcome back to "fox news sunday." >> good morning, chris. good to be with you, sir. >> chris: what did you think last night when mitt romney made or offered a $10,000 bet on something in his book? >> i was taken a little aback. driving out to the station this morning i'm pretty sure i didn't drive by a house that any one in iowa would even think about that a $10,000 bet was possible. so a little out of touch with the normal iowa citizen. but the issue individual mandates is still at the center here. and mitt can deny this as many times as he wants but in his first book hard cover of know apologies he clearly stated that individual mandates should be the model for this country. and then he took that out of the book in the paperback. that is the fact. and even a $10,000 bet is not going to cover that. >> chris: well, one of your big moments and as you say it came in this confrontation over the individual mandate you criticized him for the mandate in romney care and he came back at you and said you had an individual mandate in texas to make sixth grade girls get the hpv vaccine and he asked what is the difference. >> clearly we had an opt out in that executive order and the legislature said that they didn't like the way i had gone forward. i agreed with them and it is not in the state of texas. so, there is a clear difference here. he still is supporting individual mandate and that is the fact. >> chris: governor, you are spending millions of dollars right now on campaign commercials in iowa. you are about to launch a 14 day bus tour across the state where you are going to hit 44 cities. as they say in texas hold 'em, are you all in, in iowa? >> well, i'm all in in all of those states. not just iowa but obviously iowa is the first in the nation. we respect that. and retail politics and going out and sharing with the people of iowa our plan to get this country back working, how we are going to balance the budget, how we are going to overhaul washington, d.c., i'm going to talk to him about making congress a part-time body just like they have here in iowa and i can promise you the people of iowa think washington is spending too much money, they are spending too much time in town so make the legislature or i should say the congress like their legislature here part time. let them come home and have a real job, work within the citizens, with the citizens and have their opportunity to live within the laws that they pass. and america will be a whole lot better off and i can promise you they will be spending less money and getting into less mischief in washington, d.c. >> chris: your latest campaign commercial doesn't talk about congress, doesn't talk about the economy. it talks about faith and it is causing some controversy. let's take a look at it. >> i'm not ashamed to admit that i'm a christian but you don't need to be in the pew every sunday to know there is something wrong in this country when gays can serve open in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate christmas and pray in school. as president, i will end obama's war on religion. >> chris: question, governor, how is president obama waging a war on religion? >> well, i will give you a couple examples. when you look at his attorney general and their justice department going all the way to the supreme court to change the way that churches are allowed to hire or fire their ministers or their staff. i mean if that is not a war on religion i don't know what is. when you look at the catholic charities that aren't allowed to have money because they have made a decision that they are not going to allow abortions in their facilities. so this administration is keeping money away from them on programs that help people who are sexually trafficked. so again if that is not a war on religion i don't know what is. clearly this administration's values are different than i would suggest certainly the people of iowa. >> chris: let me ask you, though, about the specific charge that you make in that commercial. you say that gays can serve openly while children can't pray in school. it was the supreme court back in 1962 that decided and it has been upheld since then that children couldn't pray in school. barack obama had nothing to do with that. and as for repeal of don't ask don't tell, are you saying that any one who supports don't ask don't tell is antireligious? >> well, let me back up and say that i would support a constitutional amendment that allows our children to pray in school any time that this they would like. right now, those activist judges like sotomayor and kagan that he put on the supreme court, they would continue to say that that is a decision that the supreme court should make. i happen to believe that that would be a local decision and that is not the supreme court's business to be telling americans when and how they should pray. on the issue of don't ask don't tell, it was working. and for the commander in chief to use our military as a political tool while we are in combat in two different locations -- at least two different locations around the world in iraq and afghanistan -- i think is just really irresponsible. i'm commander in chief of 20 million men and women. i served in the united states -- 20 plus thousand men and women. i served in the ai military. i don't think the president and congress and the united states for that matter should be forcing upon the men and women of the military. i think it was bad public policy and i would change it. >> chris: the only point i would make about prayer in school is that has continued under the ban on prayer in school under republican presidents as well as democrats including regan and both of the bushes. >> i understand that. i'm telling you what i believe, chris and i happen to believe that americans don't agree with that decision that was made in 1962 and that if we have a constitutional amendment election across this country allowing our children to pray in school i would suggest to you it would pass overwhelmingly and i will support that. i will go across this country as i'm supporting a balanced budget amendment to the united states constitution i will work on balanced or i should say an amendment to allow our children to pray in school. i think americans are greatly supportive of both of those issues. >> governor, even some republicans are saying that with this ad which is getting a lot of coverage in iowa and you are running a lot it is a blatant attempt to reach out to evangelicals who make up 60% of goers inlican caucus george the state. here is the problem with that. a recent poll of caucus goers 70% say economy is the top issue. 15% say social issues. is faith really the key concern in iowa right now? >> i would tell you that faith is a major part of who i am. i can't change that any more than i can change that i'm the son of two tenant farmers. i'm fixing to spend 14 days on a bus traveling across iowa talking about how to get this economy back. we laid out a plan that clearly gets america working again. the 20% flat tax that allows americans to see how this economy can get back on track, getting rid of that $15 trillion worth of debt and also overhauling washington, d.c. and we talk about overhauling washington, d.c. americans eyes and i know the citizens of iowa's eyes brighten up when we talk about making washington as inconsequential in their lives as we can and we do that and we get the economy back on track. as the governor of texas i created a million or i should say i helped create a million net new jobs with the legislature by getting government out of the way. i know how to do this and iowa wans will have a very good handle on it by the time they go to the caucus in january or i should say -- >> chris: i was going to say you spoke to the des moines register editorial board on friday and you had what some people are calling another oops moment. you criticized president obama about's appointments to the supreme court. here it is. >> inarguablably activist judgs whether it was -- not to -- not mayor. >> sonia sotomayor. >> sotomayor. >> and then you said that there are 8 judges on the court as you know there are nine. how do you respond to those who say you know, i like rick perry, i like his values but i worry does he know enough to be president of the united states? >> well, obviously i know there are nine supreme court justice is. i don't know how eight came out of my mouth. the fact is i can't tell you i don't have memorized all of the supreme court judges. here is what i do know that when i put an individual on the supreme court just like i did in texas, they will be strict constructionists. americans are not looking for robot that can spitcan spit out the name of every supreme court justice or someone perfect in every way. hell of a competitor are they are looking for someone who has values based with a deep rudder in the water. i'm consistent in my conservative values. i have been consistent and americans are looking for someone who is going make the right decisions, not someone who can either read a teleprompter perfectly or spit out by memory a list of names. that is not what is important to americans. what they are looking for is an individual who has clear values and a philosophy and fiscally conservative philosophy at that. >> chris: less than a minute left. this week congressional republicans are trying to figure out if there is some way to extend the payroll tax cut. you are on record opposeing that and on the record opposing unemployment benefits. how do you make the argument it -- answer the argument that you are a lot more interested in protecting the wealthy. >> we are interested in making a climate where people who have money can invest. it is not big businesses, it is small mom and pop businesses afraid because of overtaxation straight ofe straight of washington, d.c. that they can't risk their capital and create the jobs that in turn will create the wealth. that is what we need to be focused on. not temporary tax cuts that are going to temporarily stimulate. we already had some of that stimulation out of washington, d.c. trillions of dollars. we found out $7.7 trillion was secretly moved from the treasury to these wall street financiers, that is what americans are upset about, chris. >> chris: governor perry, we to leave it there. thank you so much for talking with us and we will see you at the fox debate in sioux city, iowa, thursday night. >> look forward to if. god speed. >> chris: same to you. check out the campaign page at "fox newfoxnewssunday.com/elecn 2012. we will have a twitter interactive area. the latest polls and all our political reporting in one spot. be sure to check it out. up next, there is no holiday cheer ton capitol hill. we will talk to the senate's top republican mitch mcconnell about whether there will be a hike in the payroll tax in our christmas stocking. >> chris: congress is rushing to finish its business and get home for christmas but first trying to work out a come prohe mize to extend the tax cuts. mitch mcconnell joins us from louisville. the house is expected to pass a bill that would extend the payroll tax cut but also link it to further action, trying to move up work on the keystone pipeline, oil pipeline. you are number two -- your number two, senator jon kyl said the package that comes from the house is it, i don't think there is any further negotiations. question is, that your position in the house bill, take it or leave it? >> ever. >> well, if i could say the reason we are having to deal with the emergency measures it the president's policies all put in place in the first two years of the administration when had a completely compliant congress have completely failed. they ran the debt up 35%. unemployment basically hasn't budged. it is now at 8.6%. that is the reason we are discussing these kind of temporary measures. so let's take a look at it. i believe that we should extend the payroll tax holiday another year. avoid a tax increase on working people for another year and i also agree with senator reid my counterpart that we ought not to do it again next year. we know that is an emergency package coupled with an extension of unemployment with some reforms. at the same time we would like to keyiate some jobs. we had the keystone pipeline in there. the biggest and most important ready to go project in america. wouldn't cost the government a penny. not one penny. three years of environmental studies already done. the secretary of state was ready to sign off on it. the president pulled it to the white house and delayed it for a year. this would create 20,000 jobs almost immediately, ready to go with no money. we also have a provision in there -- >> chris: if i may, sir. we just have a limited time. i want to ask you, though, if i may press my question do you agree with senator kyl there is no further negotiation. the house bill gets to the senate, take it or leave? >> we put together a package that is very balanced. we believe it will pass the house on a bipartisan basis and pass the senate on a bipartisan basis. one of the reasons it will is there is another provision in there stopping an epa regulation called boiler mack which a lot of people haven't heard of but senator widen and nelson in the senate also suspects stopping epa from doing that. that will save a lot of jobs. we have worked hard to put together a package that actually both sides can support. >> chris: well, senate democratic leader reid says there is no chance that the house bill with the keystone pipeline in it will pass the senate. he says it will not pass the senate and here is what president obama said. >> any effort to try to tie keystone to the payroll tax cut i will reject. >> chris: question, if the millionaires tax that the democrats want is a nonstarter from your point of view and if the keystone pipeline is a nonstart fresh their point of view where is the compromise here and what are the chances that a deal will be worked out before more than 150 million americans get a payroll tax hike? >> yeah, that isn't going to happen and obviously we will reach an agreement. the president is posturing here. he would have to stand up to the afl-cio. i'm on the same side as the team territories and the afl-cio, they want the keystone pipeline and want it now. the president has been talking about creating jobs. this is ready to go immediately. all it requires is his signoff. i'm sure that senator reid hadn't checked with his own conference. a significant number will support this package. it has bipartisan support. >> chris: you are saying that the payroll tax cut will be extended? >> well, of course. i mean it has bipartisan support. but, we also need to have something in there that prevents the loss of jobs and something that will create the jobs and that is why we inserted boiler mack supported on a bipartisan basis and the keystone pipeline, supported on a bipartisan basis. one would save jobs. one would create jobs right now. so why not have some balance rather than have the whole package designed to help those who are unemployed or preventing a tax cut on working americans, let's have something that actually produces and saves jobs so we put together a bipartisan package that i think is going to enjoy pretty strong support among a lot of democrats in the senate. >> well, you talk about support, bipartisan support. aside from the merits of the argument, the president and democrats seem to feel that they are winning this political argument and the president made the point this week. let's watch. >> i know many republicans have sworn an oath never to raise taxes as long as they he live. how could it be the only time there is a catch is when it comes to raising taxes on middle class families. >> why are so many republicans including -- why are so many republicans including more than half of your senate republicans why are they voting against extending the payroll tax cut? >> well, on the president's comments it is hard not to laugh because four out of five of the rich people they are targeting are business owners who create jobs but we are not here to defend high income people. in the bipartisan package that we were just discussing we make sure that millionaires don't get unemployment and food stamps. we freeze the pay for members of congress and for all federal workers, continue to freeze the pay that has been frozen. this is a very balanced package. it doesn't do anything for millionaires. fact it goes after them on the benefits side. >> chris: but senator, if i may, 26, more than half of your republicans didn't vote against the democratic plan with the millionaire section, they voted against your plan, the republican plan that don't have a millionaires is section. they were against extending the payroll tax cut. >> there will be another package put together that i think many of them will find much more attractive because of the additional pay forwards and job creating elements i have been describing to you that we have put in the package that will come over to the house i believe on a bipartisan basis. >> chris: let me switch subjects on you. this week the nomination of richard bodray was blocked. what is your problem with an agency that would protect consumers from mortgage lenders and debt collectors and student lenders? >> here is the problem. this new agency answers to no one. absolutely no one. another unelected czar. ehave a bunch of those in the white house. we don't need any more of them and the only way we can in incentivize the administration to change this agency which answers literally to no one, it is one individual who could bring down the banking system in this country if he chose to, unlimited power. no one has that kind of power. we are saying to the president join with us and reform this agency, make it accountable to someone the people elected, the congress, for its funding and for its oversight and then send up somebody and we will be happy to confirm them. there is nothing wrong with the appointee personally. this is about an unaccountable, unelected czar and we are not going to appoint him or confirm him or anybody else to this agency that shouldn't exist in its current form. >> chris: what do you think of attorney general holder and the way his justice department has handled operation fast and furious? >> well, they clearly aren't being forthcoming. we believe the attorney general misled congress, more specifically, we believe the head of the criminal division misled congress. i don't know what they have got to hide. congress has been asking for information. they ought to turn it over. it is really quite unusual to be stonewalled like this by such high members of the administration. >> chris: i just want to pick up on that because that is a fairly explosive charge. you are saying that you believe the attorney general knowingly misled congress? >> i don't know whether he knowingly did or not. we believe he was not particularly truthful with congress. we believe the head of the criminal division clearly has misled congress. why would they want to do that? what is the point? what are they hiding? they ought to be completely transparent about this particular operation. it has become controversial. i can understand it is embarrassing for them but i think misleading congress is not a great way to go. >> the obvious question is do you think that eric holder and lanny brewer the assistant attorney general that you were talking about to you think that they should either resign or if they fail to, be fired by the president? >> i'm not calling for anybody's resignation today but i'm calling for them to be more forth come and be more accountable and tell us what happened. that is what we have been asking them to do and so far we haven't gotten straight answers. >> chris: senator mcconnell thank you so much for coming in today, sir,, and we will stay on top of all of these stories. >> thank you. >> chris: up next, gop candidates trailing newt gingrich try to rough him up at last night's debate. we will ask our sunday panel how it went. >> chris: if you will cheat on your wife, if you will cheat on your spouse, then why wouldn't you cheat on your business partner or why wouldn't you cheat on anybody for that matter? >> i said up front openly i made mistakes at times and had to go to god for forgiveness and seek reconciliation. >> chris: one example of how newt gingrich came under fire repeatedly at last night's debate. time for the sunday group. paul gigot, mara liasson from national public radio. former state department official liz cheney and fox news political analyst juan williams. last night's debate i think it is fair to say that all of the candidates went after the new frontrunner newt gingrich. tee spite the speaker's promises to be relentlessly positive he went back at them pretty quickly. your read on the debate? >> i thought he did well. there is always a question with newt gingrich does the bad newt come out, the condescending newt, the guy who looks in the mirror and sees charles degall. he avoided that. i thought he deflected some of the attacks and had a good answer for most of them. i thought his answer in particular on the one about his marriage was very effective asking for forgiveness and i think that he will find that the voters i think honor that and that is not going to become an issue in the future. so, i think he held up pretty well so far. >> chris: do youing think, mara, that they scuffed him up and some of the other issues, the k street connection, the mandate, some of that stuff? >> i don't think so. i think that all week we have heard about newt's problems. there are tons of them, he has a lot of baggage and the republican voters so far sm to be absorbing that and discounting it. i think that one of the charges against him that he is a career politician, he had a pretty good comeback for romney saying you tried to be a career politician and you would have been one if you hadn't lost to ted kennedy in 1994. if people are counting on -- if romney, for instance, is counting on gingrich to implode he has a lot of good reasons to think he will because that is newt's history, but he doesn't done it yet. >> chris: he seemed conflicted about the degree to which he wanted to go hard at gingrich and the degree to which he wanted to be positive and therefore may not have been totally effective at either and there is the thing everybody is talking about which is when turned to rick perry and said do you want to bet $10,000 on it? i i think it is clear we are in a situation where newt gingrich is challenging mitt romney in a way that many of the candidates have and you are seeing some of it turn negative. we are getting close to actual voting and caucusing and that explains a lot of it. i actually thought that one of the best moments was rick perry's moment on the issue of the palestinians when rick perry said look, remember here the problem is barack obama's policies. and while i do think ultimately and i -- some people disagree with this but i he do think that the debates have been good for the country and good for republicans, they have given people a chance to hear what the republican candidates think and to answer questions it is important for our candidates also to remember that ultimately the opponent we are going after is barack obama. >> chris: juan, your thoughts about the dynamics of last night? >> i thought that it is clear that romney wants to make newt gingrich out to be sort of an inconsistent unreliable conservative which is exactly the charge against mitt romney but now mitt romney wants to extend that to newt gingrich and he brings up things like right wing social engineering. sitting with nancy pelosi on the global warming issue. and i think all of these things are part of a very heavy train of baggage that newt gingrich brings with him. the one thing i would say is we have seen ups and downs, bachmann, trump, cain, perry and now newt but i don't know that newt is going to last given all that baggage. that is the question i think everybody has. is newt really serious? are republican ares really thinking of nominating newt gingrich? i have seen polls that indicate now he has a strong lead in iowa. he is much closer in new hampshire than anybody would have guessed and outrageous lead in south carolina and even close to president obama in ohio, pennsylvania, key swing states. >> chris: let me get to this issue that liz mentioned, paul, about the palestinian state because one of the issues with gingrich is can he stick to his script and this week in an interview with the jewish channel he questioned the whole idea of a palestinian state which goes back at least three presidents. let's watch. >> there was no palestine that existed as a state. it is part of the empire and i think that we had an invented palestinian people who were historically part of the arab community. >> chris: elliott abrams who is a long time conservative foreign policy advisor to a number of american presidents says using gingrich's reasoning, jordan, syria and iraq are all invented people and have no right to statehood. >> i think elliott abrams wins the argument. it was a provocative way to put it and reflects one of gingrich's weaknesses is he tends to overintellectualize things and tries to put a historical gloss on everything so goes back to the ottoman empire and forgets the fact we are in a delicate diplomacy with israel and the palestinians and to project them and suggest -- provoke them and suggest they don't have right to any kind of a state. he put it last night in the continued attacks onial on the terror and that is a much better way to construct the argument. >> chris: , liz, do you agree with that. >> with what paul said. the challenge here is you don't want the attention focused on a sound bite from the candidates. you want it focused on the fact that president obama has the worst relationship with the state of israel than any president has had in a long time. iran by some accounts six to eight months from obtaining a nuclear weapon and when we should be working closely with them on a whole range of issues including iran that is what we need to be focused on, not on our own talking points in some sense. >> chris: mara, i want you to pick up on what juan said. the conventional wisdom is gingrich would be a barbecuing general election opponent than newt gingrich would. but those are also the folks saying in 1980 we can't wait to run against ronald reagan. how many problems does newt gingrich have when it is not just the republican base but in dehe pendents and moderates? >> i think the democrats have good reasons for preferring newt gingrich to run against over mitt romney. doesn't mean he will be a pushover. he is an expert debater. he is a good debater. he says he will trail barack obama around the country and challenge him everywhere. i don't think they take him lightly. i think they prefer him over mitt romney and i think they have good reason to. >> chris: juan, fox news released a new poll today that rated the candidates on various characteristics. interesting. gingrich scored better among republican voters on strong leader and true conservative. romney did better on honest, presidential and caring. how do you read that? >> i think that people think that mitt romney is a problem solver and going back to his history with the the olympics, the businessman. they think he has had success and he can deal with problems. but mitt romney -- i'm sorry, newt gingrich on the other hand i think comes across as strong. what is equated here the definition of leader especially in republican circles these days is a little bit like a talk show host, somebody who is really powerful and goes out there and willing to punch at president obama and tell him off and let him know how much we don't like him. i think they don't see that passion in mitt romy. >> chris: we have about 30 seconds, paul. could that be a problem. used to talk about bush derangement syndrome. that the republicans have so much obama derangement that they are not necessarily looking at the person that might be most electable. >> i don't think either romney or gingrich have a clear easy path to beat president obama. i mean mitt romney is not offering right now a great vision that contrasts with what president obama is offering and look they will try to make him into gordon gecko before this is over as a rich guy who is out of touch with the public. i'm not so sure who is more electable at this point. i think we are best left to fight this out and see who lasts through the primaries. >> chris: we have to take a break here. when we come back, president obama's poll numbers hit new lows as he tries to rally his base with a populous message. i have copd. if you have it, you know how hard it can be to breathe and what that fes like copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms... ...by keepinmy airways open... ...a full 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintence treatment that does both. and it's eroid-free. spiriva doesot replace fast-acting inlers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and call your doctor right away if your breathing suddenly worsens,... ...your throat or tongue swells, you get hives, vision changes or eye pain,... ...or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps meeathing with copd is no small thing. ask your doctor about spiriva. reversing the structural problems in our economy that have been building up for two decades. that is going to take time. it is going to take more than a year, more than two years, going to take more than one te. probably takes more than one president. >> chris: president obama explaining why the economic recovery is taking so long and asking voters for patience. we are back now with the panel. back in 2009 mr. obama said if he couldn't get the economy fixed in three years he would be a one-term president. now, he says fixing the economy will take more than one term, perhaps more than one president. is he going to be able to get the voters to buy that, paul? >> he is trying hard. his speech this week was an attempt to change the subject. candidate run on the economy because people think it is lousy. he can't run on healthcare and the stimulus because people don't like those and don't think they are going to work. he is going to run to blame other people. he will run against the rich and bankers and republicans. blame other people. it is as if he is making the case i really wasn't there for two years and didn't get everything i wanted in the first two years. you know, this is building up. we have had gridlock. no, for two years he got everything he wanted virtually. he has to change the subject now. he may get away with it if republicans don't come back and make a case that in fact obama's policies are substantially responsible for where we are. >> chris: at this point the voters seem to understand that. mara, cbs news has a new poll out and the numbers are brutal for the president. mr. obama's approval numbers not so bad. 44% approve of the job he is doing. 46% disapprove. look at this. 75% of americans now think the country is headed in the wrong direction and when asked does obama deserve to be reelected 41% say yes and 54% say no. that is a deep hole he is in. >> that is a really deep hole and he has to hope that a fair number of those 54% arer is persuadable and can he change their minds by making a clear choice between himself and his opponent. reelection campaigns are always referendums on the incumbent. this will be the same. if you can make a clear choice you have a better chance of winning the referendum. he has to disqualify his opponented a the republican philosophy which he started to do this week in his speech. i don't see any other path for him. the economy is terrie. when you look at other presidents, certainly jimmy carter and george h.w. bush, incumbents who lost the numbers looked pretty similar. >> we you look at consumer confidence and loot of the other indicators they are similar. he has to make history again in a different way by defying the odds to get reelected. >> chris: you made references to the speech. the president went to kansas this week to make a populous speech echo roosevelt saying he is looking out for the middle class while p ares are looking out for the rich. >> they want to go back to the same policies that stacked the deck against middle classed americans for way too many years and their philosophy is simple. we are better off when everybody is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules. >> chris: liz, would that work and get him reelected? >> it is ludicrous. you have a situation where you have a president of the united states. normally they would say here is my record and what i have accomplished, judge me on my record. he has three signature things that he has done that made the economy worse, more regulation, obama care, stimulus plan. failed to do anything at all about entitlement reform which is what we really need to do and i also want to point out that he has gotten a pass in many ways on national security and foreign policy. he is performing abysmally with respect to afghanistan and iraq. about to snatch the seat by what was a victory in iraq by pulling everybody out and not -- >> chris: what about his comment in the press conference because there was all the talk about him being an appeaser and in the white house press conference he said ask osama bin laden if i'm an appeaser? >> right, but iraq anding a are two places where this president is absolutely failing. in afghanistan pulling ought so fast he is putting the mission at risk. we have the two cars which we have sacrificed tremendous lives and treasure and the president's performance means we may lose these wars and the only reason that is not getting covered is the economy. >> chris: this is the third big theme the president has tried out. first it was win the future and in the state of the union speech let's invest in education and infrastructure and then this summer going to be the adult in the room during the debate over the debt ceiling and now he is the champion of the middle class and none of it, none of it seems to have taken voters' minds what unfortunately for him bill clinton this week called a lousy economy. >> everybody is talking about the economy. there is no way to ignore reality. that is the reality. we have a lousy economy and hopefully it is improving slightly. the unemployment rate has gone down slightly but that is the big issue. i will say with regards to the numbers we were looking at from cbs which are not good numbers for the white house nonetheless when it comes to national security the american people think this president has done a terrific job. look at what the polls say. if you look at afghanistan and iraq we have been there ten years. you say a quick pullout. the american people say time to come home and time to rebuild america and i would also say they like this -- >> sacrificsacrifice all the gd put at risk all of the gains. >> i don't agree with you and i don't think the american people agree with you. the american people like president obama. they like him and his family and they think he is a good leader. it is the economy, the harsh reality of the economy that pulls him down. when it comes to this speech that was a very important speech and starting to echo the language that people are saying you know what, wait a second, it is harder for the middle class. harder for a kid just out of school to get a job these days. it is harder to move up into the middle class and again that is the reality. why shouldn't the president be saying, oh, you know, those republicans they will do anything to protect the rich. they certainly won't let the payroll tax go if it means a surcharge on people who make more than a million. >> chris: let me ask you about that, paul, just from a messaging stand point, not from a policy standpoint do republicans have a problem when they have fought tooth and nail to extend every tax cut. >> yes, they do. they really muffed this. they got on their back foot. they probably should have just whisked the payroll tax cut through and voted for are it and not allowed obama to change the subject like this. i think on the speech there is a warning for republicans because obama is making a moral argument for the superiority of government economic policy and government redistribution and equality of outcomes. if republicans don't meet that with the politics of growth and opportunity and a comparable moral vision they will lose. >> chris: we to leave it there. thank you, panel. see you next week. don't forget to check out panel plus where our group picks up with the discussion on our website foxnewssunday.com. we will post the video before noon eastern time. up next, ourp@?ñm ñoy÷hó >> chris: when members of our military are up and down wounded they pay families for one trip to adviceit them. that isn't nearly enough. our power player of the week decided to do something about it. >> we want our wounded warriors to know that they are still loved. that they are still wanted and still needed in the world. >> fletcher gail is cofounder of luke's winds a nonprofit that brings wounded soldiers together with their families. it started four years ago when they met luke who had lost an arm and leg at walter reed hospital. >> when his mom who showed up his moral changed, it was pretty obvious to us having the family is incredibly important. >> luke's wings will raise more than $200,000 from corporate sponsors. they will pay more than 130 family members to visit soldiers in hospital rehab centers. like todd landon who greeted his daughter in houston. two days later he was going in for thinks 13th surgery for wounds suffered in iraq. >> it's like a dream, to here for his operation. i'm here by his side. >> i didn't intend to take anything from luke's but they step up. >> i think it's very helpful in that situation. >> chris: you say very helpful but the difference between life and death? >> yeah. >> you get emotional about it? >> i do. we get to know the families for years. >> chris: now he has a new project called no soldier spends christmas alone. there are 32,000 wounded warriors though he can't help all of them but he hopes to raise $100,000 before christmas to bring 150 families together this year. >> we want to make sure every wounded warrior is by a christmas tree by w their kids. >> today the day we're in the office they were spending planning on spending christmas in washington. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> chris: he has a long family connection to the military. >> benjamin, my ancestor from connecticut fought in the american revolution. he go pretty far back. then my great uncle was general in world war ii. >> chris: as in general dwight eisenhower. now gaf le is doing his part. families can apply on his website and within 4 48 hours to be on flight to see their loved ones. he works in commercial real estate but he volunteers another 40 hours a week on his charity. >> everybody is a volunteer. i get a dollar year. in million years i may cash in on that but right now i'm not writing myself a check. >> chris: he says the satisfaction is payment enough. >> i want to say yes to every flight request we get. we serve eight military hospitals right now. we want to keep saying yes. >> chris: if you are interested in signing up for a family visit or you would like to contribute, find out more about luke's wings at our website at fox news sunday.com. these program notes, be sure to watch thursday night at 9:00 p.m. for the final debate with all the major candidates before the iowa caucuses. that is 9:00 p.m. thursday. next week our exclusive guests will be republican candidate guest mitt romney. that is it for today. have a great week. we'll see you next fox news sunday.