then, more on the field taking shape. libertarian ron paul is running. former governor mike huckabee makes his plans known. indiana governor mitch daniels is still on the fence. and mitt romney takes on gop critics over his support for universal health care as governor of massachusetts. my massachusetts health care plan was considered, at least by me, to be an asset politically. i hear some laughter in the room. that s not the case now. so, who will emerge as the most viable candidate to challenge president obama? and how vulnerable will the president be over the economy? our political roundtable weighs in. columnist for the washington post, e.j. dionne, columnist for the wall street journal peggy noonan, senior analyst for time magazine, mark halperin, white house correspondent for the new york times, helene cooper, and chief political writer for the new york times magazine, matt bai.
the ethics committee rules. all right. we re going to leave it there. senators, thank you both very much for being here. coming up, tough choices on taxes, spending and entitlement reform. will washington bridge the partisan divide and find room for compromise? plus, high unemployment and soaring gas prices and americans pessimistic about the future. our political roundtable examines what it means for 2012, including a potential donald trump candidacy. joining us, the new york times columnist david brooks, columnist for the washington post, eugene robinson, republican strategist alex castellanos, and former communications director for president obama, anita dunn. [ woman ] nine iron, it s almost tee time. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze. but with zyrtec® liquid gels, i get fast, 24-hour allergy relief. so i feel better by the time we tee off. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®.
ethics committee to decide. i used to serve on the ethics committee. i think it would be appropriate for them to make a final report. that s certainly provided for in the ethics committee rules. all right. we re going to leave it there. senators, thank you both very much for being here. coming up, tough choices on taxes, spending and entitlement reform. will washington bridge the partisan divide and find room for compromise? plus, high unemployment and soaring gas prices and americans pessimistic about the future. our political roundtable examines what it means for 2012, including a potential donald trump candidacy. joining us, the new york times columnist david brooks, columnist for the washington post, eugene robinson, republican strategist alex castellanos, and former communications director for president obama, anita dunn. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. it s the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffe
lobbyists or don t have clout. or is there the basis of real compromise that s still under the radar? the debt ceiling load and the prospect of higher taxes are topics i will raise with two of the top budget negotiators in the so-called gang of six, charged with coming up with a compromise proposal. the chairman of the senate budget committee, democrat from north dakota, kent conrad, and member of the senate finance committee, republican senator tom coburn of oklahoma. then, our political roundtable examines america s slumping confidence and the opening it creates for obama s loudest critic. i think that obama will go down as the worst president in the history of the united states. so, what to make of donald trump and the rest of the potential 2012 republican field? did the president s declining poll numbers, particularly about the economy, indicate a tough re-election fight ahead? joining us, columnist for the new york times, david brooks, columnist for the washington post,
comment. was it appropriate for him to resign? like i said, i don t have the i don t know the basis under which he resigned and i m not privy to that, so that s a decision he made. and what he stated was best for his family. senator conrad, do you think it s appropriate for the ethics committee to now make public its findings? you know, that s for the ethics committee to decide. i used to serve on the ethics committee. i think it would be appropriate for them to make a final report. that s certainly provided for in the ethics committee rules. all right. we re going to leave it there. senators, thank you both very much for being here. coming up, tough choices on taxes, spending and entitlement reform. will washington bridge the partisan divide and find room for compromise? plus, high unemployment and soaring gas prices and americans pessimistic about the future. our political roundtable examines what it means for 2012, including a potential donald