nonetheless, this is seen as a victory by those who support legalizing gay marriage. this is super confusing. why are they happy the court did not take the case they wanted them to take? >> look, what they want is the court to come down and say on the national level we will have gay marriage everywhere. there will be a national ruling of that kind. this is the next best thing. they have said in the five districts or states covered it will go on the books in those states. because of the way the courts work, it expands it to 11 states. now in 30 states, plus the district of columbia, gay marriage will be legal. it is not a full victory, it is not 50 states, it is not every one, but still a big ground game victory. >> the biggest thing we learned is you have four liberal justices. justice kennedy is now clearly with the liberal justices. pro-gay-rights people thought that they had them, but now they're confident someday there will be a vote and a big case, and there will be much broadening of these rights. they can be happy about that. even though they did not get the cases they wanted. >> it is hard to imagine when there is another challenge given what they have done today -- even though they did not hear these cases given what they've , done today and allowed these laws to go forward and become the law of those states, it is hard to see them going back and overturning what they did today. leon panetta is in the news today with the release of his new book tomorrow. "the worthy fight." he is a longtime democratic stalwart, a california congressman, white house chief of staff or to bill clinton, and most recently director of the cia and secretary of defense for president obama. his book made headlines for a excerpt in which he criticized obama for failing to use the leverage he had to secure a status of forces agreement in iraq. today, panetta is quoted saying in the past two years, "obama has lost his way." and when he was asked about it -- the idea of hillary clinton as commander-in-chief, he seemed to take another thinly veiled shot at the president. >> the one thing about the clintons is that they want to get it done. it is not just about talking the game. it is about getting something done. and when it comes to being president of the united states it is one thing to talk a good game. it is another thing to deliver and to make things happen. and that is what you want in a president. >> mark i know one of your , favorite movies was "airplane." famous linebacker, leon is getting larger, and he certainly is in this case. how big of a problem is this? >> it is a problem. he gets larger tomorrow doing broadcast and cable t.v. this is a damning critique. the white house is trying not to disrespect him because he has iron plated goldplated democratic credentials. privately, he has been critical of the president. he is very close to the clintons. but to say isis could have been prevented if the president had used his leverage to get the status of forces agreement, that is what republicans have been saying. to say the president has lost his way is extremely damning. it will be interesting when he does the interviews. susan page got the first interview with him. which we showed up for "usa today." we will see tomorrow when he is on fox and nbc. if he does not back off, the white house better hope there is other news to block this because it is a damning critique. >> it seems his instinct is to go further than the book, diving in deeper rather than backing away. >> famous in the nixon administration for a guy that tells the hard truth. >> straight shooter. the political question. how much do you think -- he was not an original clinton person but became very much a clinton person. how much is he carrying political water for hillary clinton, giving her the things she would like to say but can't? >> let's face it, there are a lot of elite democrats, and he is one, who look at the clinton years with some nostalgia if they find some aspects of president obama's leadership wanting. he's going to be outspoken. i don't think he will back off from the white house. as i said better hope there is a , lot of news to mask what is a damning critique. from a guy the democrats respect. >> i think it is possible we will see this in republican ads. moving on from the rnc press releases bill clinton today back in arkansas. thus all is right with the political world. he is there to give hope to mark pryor and other democrats on the ballot. today's the last day of voter registration in arkansas. conway arkansas. bill clinton served up what i like to call a clinton classic. more in sadness than anger, he said republicans were trying to pull a fast one on the voters. >> they wanted to make this a protest vote. all three races they are saying you know what you have got to do, you've got to vote against the president. it is your last shot. that is a pretty good scam isn't it? give me a six-year job for a two-year protest. that is mark pryor's opponent message. >> first of all we have to say , we could watch that all day. the man is talking the owls down from the trees. awesome. at the end of campaigns, he gives strategic voting advice. and he is basically saying don't vote to punish president obama. and give a guy a six-year term because he will be gone in two years. and by the way, there might be a person named hillary clinton there that would like to work with mark pryor. >> there are so many things that are great about that. the singsong, the lilt in the voice. he is totally on fire. he is in arkansas. he is doing a lot of campaigning from now until election day. he will be in almost every competitive senate race in the country. this means more to him. it is probably the place he can move the numbers the most. he will be in arkansas today and tomorrow. he will be back in arkansas at least one more time before election day. i think it matters in that race. and mark pryor is in trouble. bill clinton can help them. i love the way that clinton, although it seems convoluted is , going straight into the teeth of the republican argument which is, this is a referendum on barack obama. he is saying it is not. you have to focus on this guy. >> the congressman is saying the clinton years were great. we are against barack obama. republicans know bill clinton is not going to swing the race, but he is worth more points on the ground in that state than any other human being alive is worth in any state in the union. and he has got not just mark pryor but close friends of his he would love to help. he got pretty good today. as the day goes on, he gets better. that was his morning event. he has events tonight and tomorrow. >> it was a great poll that came out for nbc news, and annenberg study, that said bill clinton is the only endorser in either party who actually matters. it is true particularly among undecided voters. he is over 50% approval. no one else like that. >> moving on. the jets got squashed by the san diego chargers. the owner, woody is throwing a , party down the block for actual prime time players, republicans who may end up running for president. attending tonight, mitt romney who will be here in a moment plus chris christie, marco rubio, rand paul, and john kasich, all in one very nice living room. along with -- >> a large living room. >> why is it all these guys are in new york to do this? isn't that overkill? >> at least one of them has said to us that when woody johnson calls, you come. woody is a power in the republican party. the donor clout matters a lot. anybody who wants to be the next republican nominee for president of the united states needs to court the money. woody has a lot of those people in his pocket. >> jeb bush is not there. who i have a piece about on bloomberg politics right now. jeb bush was not there. the fact of the matter is all those guys there have some foothold in the new york financial community. the favorite is jeb bush. if he gets in the race, almost everybody in that room will be for jeb. >> if he doesn't, they want to pick up the pieces and get a chunk of the money. moving on, please. cue the organ. >> ♪ >> i believe that is the baseball organ. that is awesome. it is baseball time. for beltway baseball fans, it is the best and worst of times. last night the orioles completed a three-game sweep of the tigers. josh really happy about that. they will now move on to play the cinderella royals of kansas city. out west the nationals are on , the brink of being eliminated in similarly decisive fashion by my san francisco giants. mark, is there any chance al hunt will not be crying in his beer later tonight? >> i do not like the odds of the nationals winning three in a row. i will say the american league series is awesome. royals versus orioles. two exciting, interesting teams. i think the orioles are the favorite in that. >> the giants are going to win because potheads beat fatheads anytime. there is speculation mitt romney might want to run for president again. to get to the bottom of it we , called in a person with firsthand knowledge. mitt romney is here after the break. ♪ >> our guest has run a lot of things. the state of massachusetts, the winter olympics. and he ran for president twice -- and maybe counting. mitt romney, thanks for being with us. thanks for joining us today. we want to ask you about news today. the supreme court decided not to take the cases on same-sex marriage. the polls suggest the country is moving toward greater tolerance and a desire for legalized same-sex marriage. the courts seem to be moving in that direction for the most part. do you think things are headed that way? >> i think that is the mood of the country and where the courts have been moving. i would have liked to see the supreme court take it on and deal with it. they decided to push it off which i think just delays the decision for further down the road. i would have rather seen a decision this year. >> we talked about leon panetta earlier in the show. he has gone public with his criticism of the president for not obtaining a status of forces agreement that would have left troops in iraq. this is a position you have articulated in the past. what do you think voters should make of leon panetta's criticism? should this matter in the midterm elections? >> well, i think perhaps more -- for many years, you have seen american people concerned about their own security. they look at isis and it makes them nervous. they recognize the threat of radical, violent jihadism was not swept off the earth by the obama administration. instead, it is alive and in some respects more dangerous than it was some time ago. and so what he is saying is consistent with what a lot of people on the left and right have been saying which is we should have had a status of forces agreement in iraq. the president should have taken action earlier in syria to isolate and find moderate voices and arm them so we would not have the kind of threat we are now facing. it is just another indictment of the president's failed foreign policy. leon panetta is saying it is not just a failed foreign policy. it is adrift and he does not know where to go. the president has seen his policy has been ineffective and does not know where to head. >> will this be an issue? >> of course. does foreign policy matter? does the fact there are people in the world who want to attack america and american people and our interests around the world does that matter? of course it does. >> does leon panetta making the charge make it more serious? >> when you have someone clearly identified as a leader in democrat circles say what republicans have been saying frankly say what hillary clinton said the other day about the president's foreign policy as well, saying him basically he does not have one, obviously people are saying what i think is now well understood by the american people, which is the president wasn't right about isis being the j.v. team. he was not right about iraq and the status of forces agreement. he was not right in syria and with regard to russia. and those mistakes have cost us dearly. >> you are super sick of answering questions about 2016. we are super sick of your normal answers, as they are the same as they should be since you have not changed your position. we have got a theory. in 2012, as we wrote in her book "double down," you basically looked at the field. you did not want to run. you thought it was important for the republicans to nominate someone who could win. you thought you would be stronger and felt an obligation to run. our theory is that might be true again this time. we are going to show you some tape from last month from one of the best political analysts in america who talked about the prospect of jeb bush running and how that might that affect any calculation you would have. take a look. >> i think jeb will end up running. myself, i think he is probably , looking at it carefully. >> why would his entrance into the race matter to your supporters? >> i think he would draw on a very similar base we would draw on. i think -- i'm sure he is considering it seriously right now. >> this woman, ann romney, political strategist, thinks jeb bush will run. >> knows you pretty well. >> you are not inclined to run. but if you see no jeb bush, no chris christie, no one who can raise the money and compete against the democratic nominee that you will think about it? well -- >> well i think jeb is , an excellent person to be a terrific president. i think that about people running on the republican side. my guess is you'll see 15 or so people on the stage at the first debate. i don't know who they will be at this stage. among those people, we will find someone who catches fire, who ignites the interest of the republican base, and you will see someone who can go on to become president. and that is why i said, look, i am not running. i am not planning on running. i have nothing new on that story. >> you left the door open a little bit. you said circumstances could change. >> i said i am focused on making sure we nominate the right person who cares about the issues i care about. and so i will work to encourage us as a party and a group of candidates running, i want to help them recognize how important foreign-policy is, how important it is to deal with the economy here at home, to create jobs, and deal with the looming issue of poverty. that has become a greater issue over the last six years which is not being addressed. >> you mentioned hillary clinton a few minutes ago. one thing you know a lot about is grandparenthood. the clintons just became grandparents. do you have any advice? >> yeah, just love it. it is the best part of life. you don't have to change diapers. you don't have to discipline. you get to be with grandkids and watch every action with the greatest amount of joy and enthusiasm. i love being a grandparent. it is a lot easier than being a dad. but the rewards are enormous. it is really fun. >> do you have a british itunes account? >> a british itunes account? i have itunes. i don't know if it is british. >> if you had it, you could be watching "downton abbey." it is there, not here. you are a big fan of the show right? >> i do watch the show. >> how do you feel about the show pre and post-matthew? just as good or not as good? >> i think the show was most enjoyable in the first season. when matthew went off to war, it was a bit of a departure from where we had been the first couple of seasons. for those that don't already know, his passing was unfortunate for the show. but i still love it. i have got to tell you it is enjoyable. i like the downstairs part more than the upstairs part, even though i think mary is a absolutely delightful character and i love watching her. >> why do you like downstairs more? >> i think the characters are more full and enjoyable to watch. and -- are we really talking about "downton abbey"? >> we are. >> the dog is named isis. do you think the dog will have an image problem? >> i did not know the dog's name was isis. but, you know, i love watching the dog, too. at the beginning of the show. >> we know you like movies, books. i was looking at a list of some of your favorites. "twilight," "hunger games," "divergent." >> i like them all. >> that is my point. i'm curious about how you have the taste of a 13-year-old girl. [applause] -- [laughter] >> i read a lot of things. there is nothing wrong with 13-year-old girls and their tastes. i want to be able to identify with my granddaughters. they are also fun. i also like science fiction, orson scott card. and then i read lee child and the jack reacher series. i do some of that was some of my time. mostly i read more serious stuff like the kinds of things you read. if you get sleepy at the end of the day, you want something like that to knock you out. >> now, you are on the road a lot although you're not running for anything. why is it so many people want to take selfies with you? >> it is a strange thing in america today. if you are famous or have been on t.v., people want to take a selfie and put it on facebook and say, look here's me with a famous person. i wish i could say all those people voted for me, and i could have won by a wide margin. i'm convinced most are just looking for someone they have seen before. by the way they don't all know , who i am. they come up and say i know you somehow, who are you? and i always say i'm tom brady. of the new england patriots. one person believed it but the others laughed. >> used to have a mustang convertible, right? >> right. >> you traded the convertible in for a minivan? >> a maxivan. >> why did you do that? >> this is from our home in massachusetts to get to the new hampshire summer home. the summer place. when the grandkids come in for the summertime getting them from logan airport to new hampshire is a two-hour drive. no one could fit their entire family in the mustang. now they can fit in this big econoline. it's -- the dealer said we have never in the history of this dealership ever had someone turned in a mustang for a ford van. >> what is the weirdest thing that happened to you as a presidential candidate? single weirdest experience. >> you know, i shook so many hands at a couple of events that i began to get a kink in my back. and so i asked the guy that garbled with me, garrett jackson, a brilliant guy, if he could find someone to give me a back massage at the hotel. we are at the marriott san francisco airport hotel. he got a massage therapist from the ritz-carlton to come over in our room. he sat there to make sure we had two people there at all times. and she gave me a massage. she was hispanic american. and after i left to go get changed and showered and so forth, she turned to him and said, is he a dancer? >> [laughter] >> garrett said yes. >> that was the best compliment i have ever had. the legs, strong legs. they are bird legs, but she thought they were strong. >> governor romney we are not done with you yet. that story was something. we will be right back. we will do something more fun. >> sounds good. >> a dancer, how? >> a dancer. ♪ >> this may not end well. >> i love it. >> that is a scene from the netflix movie that came out earlier this year. it got a lot of praise because it showed a side people had not seen. warm, funny, ironic, and human. i wonder how may people voted for president obama and saw that movie and said, if i had seen it before, i would have voted for him? >> that has happened. i have got to tell you. but guys like you already knew me and would not have changed their vote. but there are some folks that say that those 30-second ads did not capture my whole human life. that would not be a big surprise. >> any big hollywood left-wingers? >> no, but i did have one very famous hollywood left-winger say to me in my business you have to be a liberal democrat to get a job, "but no one knows how i really vote. there are more of us than people would guess." >> we want to show this photo that shows all but one of your grandchildren. you are known as a great-grandfather. we want to test your memory. i want you to run the wall point to them all. start with the cute boy on the left. all 21 names. we will give you 30 seconds. >> that's neat, and that's miles, and that's johnny, and that's eleanor, and that's sole kieran. who can i see back here? let's see. we have thomas back here. this little one crying is david. and that's allie. >> let's just say you proved your point. give you credit for that. >> you could ask for a lifeline at any time. >> i know all my grandkids. >> governor, thank you very much. >> thanks, guys. >> we will be back in just a minute. ♪ >> we are only on the air half an hour a day, but we are live 24/7 on bloombergpolitics.com. there is a ton of good stuff on the site right now. i will talk about two things. one, bill leach has written a great article about beltway baseball. the nationals look like they are about to lose tonight. it is a great sociocultural piece. sasha has written a piece about persuasion with political science and sociology wrapped into one. >> all right, we have other stuff you can look at. they wrap up the clinton about -- bill clinton's day in arkansas. then they have a smart take on the supreme court decision, or non-decision, and what that could mean for the midterm election. scott walker, longtime opponent, said it is done. nothing is going to change. we will be back in 23 and 1/2 hours. right now, blu >> hello. i am pimm fox. this is what i am “taking stock” of on this first monday in october. the supreme court cleared the way for lower court rulings to take effect. and that lets gay couples wed in five states that had bans in place. now that brings the total number , to 30, plus the district of columbia. also in court, former treasury secretary hank paulson testifying in washington on hank greenberg's lawsuit that alleges the government's 2008 bailout cheated shareholders for $625 billion in damages.