got a checkup and we caught a tumor in time. or you see somebody and say, you know, you helped me save my house, and i can't tell you what that means. it's pretty hard to get greater satisfaction than that. >> people often ask me what was the most important story i covered on the past two decades. we've lived through incredible moments of course from the florida recount to the horrors of september 11th to the historic election of barack obama. but one event stands out as the single most disastrous policy in american history. it was something so epicably stupid it makes everything pale in comparison, and we covered it aggressively, politically and d doggedly and that's coming up next. >> chris, i want to congratulate you on 20 years of "hardball" and being helpful to me in the