achievement done. they did the exact same thing after the mid-term. a shocking defeat, and then they circled the wagons and focused on the agenda, and said we will have votes in our pocket for a short period of time. let s test everything we can test and push everything we can and that s what they did. and in the send republicans were not able to stop all the things they wanted to stop, especially after they got the tax cut compromise. the republicans put so much in the tax cut compromise, and when that was removed, and that s why the president put it first, so many other things could pass. and the republicans said once that is resolved, we are open to compromise. and that was resolved, and he was remarkable in imposing things for two years, and now there is a new alliance of more mud r
there s some room for compromise on this particular issue between the incoming house speaker and president obama. a.b., were you saying earlier you think it will be be all about budget for the obama administration over the next few years. do you think president obama has successfully gotten the message about jobs? well, what s interesting is president obama continues to tell the american people in 2009 and 2010 that he s going to focus only on jobs, but and it s not that he isn t in his work that he s doing through the administration. i think it s hard to legislate jobs. you know that he reached across the aisle and worked with republicans to pass a tax cut compromise, that he believes will spur growth and spur hiring and help the economy, but i don t know that he has an agenda for jobs. right. per se, and i think that what he wants to do is tackle the second most issue important to voters next to the economy and jobs, and that is our out-of-control deficit and debt, and that
in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer in washington. i m joined here by the best political team on television. joining us, john king, gloria borger, joe johns, alex castellanos. but i want to go to capitol hill first. dana bash is standing by. dana, the senate, the house, they re getting ready to get out of town, but already some new developments unfolding right now. what s going on? reporter: you can smell the jet fumes, they can smell it because they re really ready to get out of here, but it really was a dramatic day, wolf, the president is coming out to tout the accomplishments that he saw and a frenzy of activity during the late morning, early afternoon. and that is, the president getting approval of his s.t.a.r.t. treaty, that has been his top foreign policy priority, 71 senators voting yes. and also the senate voting unanimously, unanimously on the 9/11 first responders bill that democrats, especially those from new york, had been pushing very, very hard.
of congress. the tax bill compromise, whether you like it or no the unemployment extension. the repel of don t ask, don t tell. the food safety bill. and on the verge of s.t.a.r.t. and told tonight by senator schumer there will be a vote for the 9/11 responders tomorrow in the senate. what do you make of all of this? well, i think it shows us, ed what a smart strategy it was for the republicans to become the party of no because they decided, you know, the minute president obama was inaugurated that if they could tie him up if they could tie him in knots and prevent him from moving forward and helping the country move forward they can would do well politically and that happened. now that we have seen a little bit of progress, you and i did not like the tax cut compromise but we will leave that aside for the moment, you re seeing this people have more optimism and people think that the president s doing a good job because he is getting the tools, he is getting the votes to take action
i m patti ann browne. president obama wrapped up the news conference a short time ago and touched on nuclear arms treaty with russia, tax cut compromise and other measures passed this session and promised more work between parties in the coming year. he also signed repeal of don t ask, don t tell to allow gay men and women to serve openly in the military. the worst may be over for rain-ravaged california. the threat of mudslides will continue for week. evacuation orders for 200 homes remain in effect. you can read more at foxnews.com. glenn beck returns in a moment but first, bret baier previews special report. bret: hey, coming up. why didn t the director of national intelligence know about the arrest of 12 suspected terrorists in london after the story was all over the media? what will happen to gitmo? join me at the top of the hour for special report.