president obama marked the 50th anniversary of lyndon johnson's war on poverty this week declaring that there's more work to be done. and using the occasion to push a domestic agenda that includes an extension of long-term jobless benefits, a minimum wage increase and a new government initiative to create economic promise zones. but some prominent conservatives are coming out with antipoverty plans of their own. and pushing back on the president's government approach. >> the current government programs that are designed to address poverty, they help alleviate some of the pain of poverty, but they do not help people emerge from it. they do not help people rise above it. we have got to deal with that. and with opportunity and equality. not just income inequality. >> joining the panel this week "the wall street journal" political diary editor jason riley and washington columnist kim straussl. let's first talk about the democratic agenda and their focus on income inequality. they're people driving this right now as part of their election year campaign theme. why now? >> i think a couple reasons. the obamacare rollout has been such a disaster. it's what everyone's talking about driving the president's approval rating down. but this is sort of an evergreen for the left. income inequality, class warfare issues. they think it works for them. this is an effort to get back to something they're comfortable discussing in an election year. >> here's one of the down sides i would assume anyway, they've been in charge for five years. >> yeah. >> real median family income, household income, is down since the recovery began. >> uh-huh. >> doesn't this bring attention to those -- >> yes, it does bring attention to an issue they haven't done a particularly good job of covering, but i also think there are some land mines, frankly, in here for republicans wading -- playing on a democrat's turf on this issue. traditionally republicans have focused on growth and economic opportunity. this would have them talking, we heard rubio talking about his own plan, antipoverty plan, paul ryan, another congressman has been out there talking about antipoverty. i think republicans and conservatives should be wary of playing this game on the left's terms. to the extent that it gets them off message, off that message of economic growth and spreading opportunity for people. i think it could do some harm to their prospect. >> what about the critique of 50 years of war on poverty. $20 trillion we have spent, poverty rate now is roughly the same as it was, a little bit better 15%. >> that's right. >> not much better. >> obviously the definition of poverty has come up a bit, but, yeah, basically the $21 trillion investment hasn't really moved the needle on poverty rate. and i think the problem for republicans right now is they understand that the answer here is growth economics. the answer here is creating more jobs as opposed to government handouts. but when it gets into the details, they seem to have trouble right now advocating a real free market agenda. we heard marco rubio give a sort of speech about free market principles, but then he concluded by suggesting a bunch of tweaks to existing federal programs. so i think along with allotting the free market, they have to say how are we going to get more of it. >> kim, let me see if you agree with our two skeptics here. >> i do no. >> about whether or not the republicans ought to be trading on this turf. do you think they're doing the right thing? >> they absolutely have to tread on this turf. yeah, they want to talk about obamacare and they will talk about obamacare, but president obama is forcing this debate. he wants this year to be about his inequality agenda. we know what happens when republicans do not have an answer for that. look at mitt romney in 2012. so it is good news that you have a newer and younger generation of republicans coming out. and i disagree, i think these arin know vative ideas. what you're seeing is republicans saying, yes, we need a safety net for some of these programs. but some of the ideas are great. returning to the state's control over how you administer a lot of these programs allowing for a lot more innovation, getting rid of some terrible things in the pass code like the earned income tax credit. these are not tweaks. these are important changes. and they're overdue coming from the republican party. >> when, and i would say economic -- excuse me, education reform as a tool of economic upward mobility is crucial. so take on kim's argument. >> sure. i'm all for that. and i'm all for republicans and conservatives discussing that. the problem with debating income inequality with the left is their definition of equality, paul. they're talking about outcomes. and they're talking about quotas and numerical outcomes and p proportionate number of womens and blacks rising to certain levels. that is not about equality. when republicans talk about equality, they talk about equal opportunity. >> and what's wrong with that? isn't that the way to counter the argument. >> absolutely. >> by focusing on equal opportunity? and upward mobility. >> yeah. >> the opportunity to move up to stay up. >> how do you get that? it's not by turning the earned income tax credit into another type of federal benefit. it's not by taking restraints off welfare reform and continuing to dole the money out. lower taxes and less regulations. republicans feel like that's an old message for them so they need something new. the job of politicians is to describe it in a new way because they know that's the right answer. >> kim. >> look, you know, a lot of people want republicans to go out and just say get rid of all of these programs. by the way, that was the approach a lot of them had prior, for instance, to the 1990s welfare reform. it was the decision to finally go out and work with the other side, push them, pressure them, to actually have to reform the program. not say get rid of it, but reform it that finally allowed for some major progress in that area. and i think that that's what you're seeing republicans doing is talking not get rid of these programs but figure out a way to make them operate much better. >> all right. very good debate. we'll have more on this in future shows. when we come back, former defense secretary robert gates offering a rare glimpse inside the obama white house. what his memoir tells us about the president, his administration and its foreign policy. [ male announcer ] a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, this can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain and improve daily physical function so moving is easier. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain. and it's not a narcotic. you and your doctor should balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, like celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, like celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions, or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. don't take celebrex if you have bleeding in the stomach or intestine, or had an asthma attack, hives, other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor your medical history. and ask your doctor about celebrex. for a body in motion. too small. too soft. too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. well, a memoir by robert gates is making big news ahead of its release next week with the former defense secretary claiming in the book that president obama and then-secretary of state hillary clinton admitted to each other that their opposition to the 2007 iraq troop surge had been political, that the president did not believe in his own afghanistan war strategy and was focused instead on getting out. gates also writes that vice president joe biden "has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." we're back with kim strassel, mary anastasia o grady and matt joining the panel. mary, what are we learning from the excerpts in the book so far and the memoir that we didn't know? >> well, i think we knew or we suspected that the president had a very looked at war in a very political way. and made his decisions driven by politics. but i think what comes across more clearly is just how much the war was micromanaged out of the white house and how much the white house resented the idea that the general were -- you know, wanted to do the surge and sort of were the ones who put together the idea of the surge and that they had to accept it. that's not the path that they wanted to go down. >> and gates also writes obama made all the right decisions on afghanistan even if he didn't believe in those decisions. how do you mesh those two statements? >> it's a conflicted memoir and also critical of george bush for not focusing enough on afghanistan, not focusing on iraq. but he pointed out in the section about bush that during in his time with george bush defense secretary -- >> last two years. >> yes, that's right. not once domestic political considerations weigh in on issues of war and peace. that's actually the big difference with president obama. >> but did obama's lack of confidence in his own strategy in afghanistan, has that ended up undermining the success -- relative success, of the troop surge and where we are now as we begin to leave? >> for sure. that's what he's saying. and, you know, he makes the point that he's always treated nicely by everyone. >> gates was? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> but he says he couldn't get anything done. and i think, you know, as you read through his complaints, what you see is really just a lack of leadership on the part of the command er in chief. >> he supported the troops, but he didn't support his own strategy. not the surge in 2009 but against the advice of robert gates and david petraeus, the military commander at the time, he put a deadline on all withdrawal. meaning he undermined his own war effort and undermined the troops he was sending into afghanist afghanistan. >> kim, what about this issue that he talks about where hillary clinton and president obama both acknowledged in a meeting that their opposition to the iraq surge in 2007 had been political? i think we more or less knew that too, although to see it phrased like that and acknowledged is nonetheless telling confirmation of detail. but what about the impact of that potentially on hillary clinton going into 2016. any fallout? >> yeah, no. i think it's a real problem for her credibility. especially given, you know, some of her behavior during the primary election when she was running against barack obama. she wanted to fashion herself as more hawkish than him. but now we know that a lot of the positions that she were taking was actually driven as much by politics as they were driving his position. so this does put her in a more awkward position should she decide to run, coupled with her not very exciting tenureship as secretary of state. >> matt, what does this tell you about her? >> about her? >> yeah. >> i think we knew in her time in administration she was very calculating and always looking ahead to a potential run. and that everything is politics with this crowd, unfortunately. and the one thing about the gates book is we still have three more years of this president with a lot of foreign policy fires out there. and there's no indication that president obama has actually learned or grown as a commander in chief. if you look at the gates account of just the first two years and see what's happening right now in the world. >> and it's not only a problem with the president, it's a problem with congress also. and i think what you have here really is a wartime secretary defense giving basically an outpouring of grief about the way that washington treats the military. these aren't little green army men that they're sort of just moving around. and he feels like they're playing video games or something. and these are real people and it kept him up at night. >> all right. thank you very much. when we come back, he's been billed as the gop's best hope in 2016, but now political scandal is putting new jersey governor chris christie's reputation as a straight shooter to the test. could bridge gait bring an end to his presidential ambitions? >> i'm sick over this. i have worked for the last 12 years in public life developing a reputation for honesty and directness and blunt talk. farmer: hello, i'm an idaho potato farmer. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what? i'm bethand i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. infrom chase. so you can. and i come out here today to apologize to the people of new jersey. i am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team. i am responsible for what happened. i am sad to report to the people of new jersey that we fell short. we fell short of the expectations that we've created over the last four years for the type of excellence in government that they should expect from this office. >> an apology from garden state governor and potential 2016 republican presidential candidate chris christie this week after it was revealed that top aides intentionally caused traffic gridlock on the new jersey side of the george washington bridge last september as political payback for a democratic mayor who failed to endorse the governor for re-election. christie, who denied any knowledge of the scheme, fired deputy chief of staff bridget kelly thursday after e-mails exposed her role in it. we're back with kim strassel, jason riley and james freeman. did that performance save the governor's potential run in 2016? >> you know, this was about as textbook as it gets on how to handle a political crisis. you know, he gathered information quickly, he went out there, he apologized profusely. heads rolled, he fired people, and then he shut the door on this. and this is what you need to do. now, the only thing that could really hurt christie going forward is if there is some information that he did know, especially given how vehement he was at that press conference that he had no knowledge of what was going on. but in terms of sort of handling the immediate crisis, he did. and i don't necessarily think absent further information that this could hurt his run in 2016. >> do you agree, jason? >> ronald reagan used to say personnel is policy. and i think what christie has done is given his critics a big instrument here to bludgeon him with. >> despite the performance? >> despite the performance. the question is his judgment of character, his surrounding himself with people capable of pulling stunts like that. he'll have to answer that. that said, that was a press conference that should have got him up, he took responsibility for what happened. i think, as kim said, he couldn't have done much better than he did in that press conference. and i think what he has going for him is that there's enough time between now and 2016, barring any further information coming out showing that he was not telling the truth. there's enough time for, i think, voters to forgive him and for him to make up for this. >> what about the question of whether he took this issue seriously enough from the start? you know, he dismissed it for weeks. >> right. >> said there was nothing to it. the question of why he didn't dig into it at a deeper level earlier and instead just took the word of his aides. is that an ongoing problem. >> being out there with orange cones himself stopping traffic. i think that actually probably speaks toward credibility here because one of the points he made in the press conference this week was, look, i never would have joked about stopping the traffic if i knew that my people were actually involved. in that way i think why he seemed credible, i mean we'll learn in the coming days whether he was telling the truth, but it was very -- it was not at all clintonian. in other words these were unhedged, unqualified denials. they weren't sort of carefully crafted lawyerly statements. and then of course he spent a lot of time answering questions. i think he did man-up. probably talked a little too much about his feelings. >> i like that. >> but, you know, really. >> like a governor said he was -- >> are you going to apologize to us -- obviously the victims are the people in the traffic jams, but i also think we do need to keep this in perspective. and the irs has really lowered the bar on behavior by government officials here, but as we look at scandals -- >> a little accountability for that scandal still hasn't who has taken responsibility for it so far? just some acting irs commissioner who retired under pressure and lois learner who resigned with an eight-month pension. >> and you have urging and begging the fbi and justice to go after this thing. it's kind of appalling, but, oh, they're right on the bridge story. the u.s. attorney's already investigating it. if only they'd shown this kind of enthusiasm for the irs targeting. >> kim, are there any lessons here we can take away about governor christie's management style? is there really possibly a culture of payback, a thin-skinned attitude on his staff? you cross us, we're going to go after you? and is that a message you want to take to a campaign in 2016? >> look, new jersey is a rough place to play politics. one of the things we haven't mentioned here is does it really surprise anybody that this happened in new jersey? and, yes, there probably are members of his staff that come out of that new jersey political environment and do have that approach. i think what voters, however, are going to look at is his argument that he is a straight shooter and he handles problems when they come up. and that's what he tried to do this week. and that's the message he'll take when he goes out. >> all right. we have to take one more break. when we come back, it's the misses of the week. [ bottle ] okay, listen up! i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. [ all gasp ] oj, veggies you're cool. mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! 'cause i'm re-workin' the menu, keeping her healthy and you on your toes. [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. i see you, cupcake! uh-oh! [ bottle ] the number one doctor recommended brand. ensure®. nutrition in charge™. i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alkseltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® i was having trouble getting out of bed in the morning because my back hurt so bad. the sleep number bed conforms to you. i wake up in the morning with no back pain. i can adjust it if i need to...if my back's a little more sore. and by the time i get up in the morning, i feel great! if you have back pain, toss and turn at night or wake up tired with no energy, the sleep number bed could be your solution. the sleep number bed's secret is it's air chambers which provide ideal support and put you in control of the firmness. and the bed is perfect for couples because each side adjusts independently to their unique sleep number. here's what clinical research has found: 93% of participants experienced back-pain relief 90% reported reduced aches and pains 87% fell asleep faster and enjoyed more deep sleep. for study summaries, call this number now. we'll include a free brochure about the sleep number bed including prices, and models plus a free $50 savings card. and how about this? steel springs can cause uncomfortable pressure points. but the sleep number bed contours to your body. imagine how good you'll feel when your muscles relax and you fall into a deep sleep! i'm not just a back surgeon, i'm also a back patient. i sleep on the sleep number bed myself and i highly recommend it to all of my patients. need another reason to call? the sleep number bed costs about the same as an innerspring but lasts twice as long. so if you want to sleep better or find relief for your bad back, call now. call the number on your screen for your free information kit with, brochure and price list. call right now and you'll also receive a $50 savings card just for inquiring about the sleep number bed. ask about our risk-free 100-night in-home trial. call now for your free information kit and a free $50 savings card. call now! time now for our hits and misses of the week. jason. >> this is a miss to the white house for their nominee to head the justice department's civil rights division. it's a gentleman former naacp lawyer who represented a notorious cop killer, who the left loves. helped him get off of death row. and i think, paul, if there's anything more disturbing than what obama's doing to our health care system, it's these people he's stacking in the justice department who seem to care nothing about tearing this country apart along racial lines. >> all right, mary. >> hi, paul. this is a hit for the french. >> here-here. >> the regulator for broadcast television has ruled that miley cyrus's video and britney spears latest video should be banned from french television until after 10:00 p.m. in the evening. so that's a thumbs up for the french. >> the discerning taste of the french comes through again. matt. >> raised eyebrows and some snickers this week when jay carney came back with a beard. three cheers for president obama's spokesman. >> matt lauer too? >> matt too. started in brooklyn with the hip sters but shows any kind of counterculture movement eventually goes mainstream. and lastly, it proves the age old rule that if you wait long enough, fashions will come back somewhere bearded hayes is smiling. >> looking a lot like rutherford b. hayes. if you have your own hit or miss send it to us and follow us on twitter. that's it for this week's show. thanks to my panel, especially to all of you for watching. hope to see you right here next week. 300,000 people in charleston, west virginia experiencing their third day now without any usable twater with officials in nine different counties ordering people don't use it for any purpose under any circumstances. imagine that. trying to get by without water. >> my goodness, that's tough. >> welcome everybody to america's news headquarters. last you're with us. >> thanks for joining us. so the toxic chemical spill is not only forcing businesses and restaurants to close, but it may also be making people sick. boy, doug live in