judgment about trust. tonight, one of the leading republican candidates, if not the leading republican candidate, is failing the trust test. sure, all politicians shade the truth and spin the facts, but what we're about to show you, the first paid television ad for romney for president television campaign crosses the line. reprehensible in any campaign. but more so for this one because of the profound challenges facing the country. watch and listen. >> we need a rescue plan. it's going to take a new direction. if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose. lose. lose. >> reporter: one more time. just that last snip it from the president. >> if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose, lose, lose. >> reporter: powerful stuff, right? especially with high unemployment and sluggish economic growth. yes, powerful stuff if it were honest, fair, context chul. listen here to senator obama late in the 2008 campaign. >> senator mccain's campaign actually said and i quote "if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose". >> reporter: one more time. >> senator mccain's campaign actually said and i quote "if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose". >> reporter: candidate obama is quoting from a news story about the mccain campaign. but the windup, the context, is chopped off in the romney ad. >> more spending and borrowing. >> reporter: we'll explain that one a little bit later. now team romney says all is fair in life in politics. we disagree. i disagree. truth is, you deserve better. but, just for kicks, let's play by governor romney's rules. here is the governor's economic plan. [ technical difficulties ] >> reporter: and again using romney rules the governor's health care vision for the elderly. >> care of denial of care for seniors on medicare. >> reporter: and if romney rules apply, how about immigration? >> place a magnet to draw illegals. >> reporter: well, you get the picture. now to be fair, the romney campaign is hardly the first to run a misleading tv ad. and they are right when they say team obama's track record on this issue is far from perfect. but to say everyone does it, isn't good enough or at least shouldn't be good enough. our debate tonight will remind us of the challenges facing the next president from the anemic recovery to the challenges from china and iran. you deserve a real and spirited debate. not one tainted by bogus ads. this is airing in new hampshire. president obama was there today. he doesn't have a primary challenge, so consider this a 2012 general election test drive. >> the next time you hear one of these folks from the other side coming and talking about raising your taxes, you just remind them that ever since i've gotten office, i've lowered your taxes. haven't raised them. that's worth reminding. >> reporter: governor romney has a big lead among republicans in new hampshire. and this week he picked up a coveted endorsement. that of senator with us from manchester tonight. i want to talk about that advertisement. i want to begin with that advertisement. the romney campaign is grossly taking out of context something then senator obama said in 2008. would you pick up the phone to the campaign and say let's have a debate about unemployment, let's have a debate about health care. let's have a debate about challenges, let's not distort things. >> with all respect, john, i think that this campaign is going to be about the president's record. and the discussion about this campaign ad has been somewhat overblown. clearly the campaign has addressed it. the bottom line is we're going to be talking about the president's record. and it's been fewer jobs for this country and fewer opportunities for americans. and what mitt romney will do to get americans back to work and his experience as a successful businessman in doing that. >> reporter: but senator, the way the campaign has addressed it is saying we're glad the obama team is upset. we're glad that we're doing something that they've done in the past campaign. what they're doing is dishonest. if governor romney is to be trusted to be the next economic leader of the united states, the next commander in chief of the united states, why? the president is vulnerable. we all know he's vulnerable. we all know you can run a campaign on the issues. why do you have to take something he said four years ago and grossly put it out of context? >> well, john, they are having a campaign about the issues. today in new hampshire the president came and things are worse in this country. and he had promised that he would fix the economy. and unfortunately his years in office it's gotten worse for americans. and particularly less opportunities for the future in this country. and that's what mitt romney will do. and he's put forward a solid economic plan. i know that this presidential campaign will be about our economy and getting people back to work. and mitt romney has the experience to do that. >> in some ways these questions aren't fair of you. you don't make decisions for the romney campaign. but you did sign on as endorsing him this week. you're listed on his letterhead as a big national figure in the campaign. but senator, you just proved my point. if things are worse in new hampshire, if the president is vulnerable and romney has in your view such a great economic plan, why isn't that what's in the ad? you were once the state attorney general. that's when i first met you. i'm sure you put a lot of people behind bars. what if you had a news conference where you said we have to get this off the streets because he's running around thinking it's okay to prey on young children and somebody chopped off the last part and quoted it's okay to prey on young children. that would be grossly wrong, correct? >> well, john, i think that's a very different situation in the context of a criminal case. >> why is it a different situation? >> we're in the middle of a campaign. i will say this that clearly this discussion is being prompted here. we need to talk about the president's economic record. and that's what this ad focuses on. this is an economic record where we've lost nearly two million jobs since the president's been in office. and our debt has reached $15 trillion. that's why i signed up to support governor romney because i know that he'll get our fiscal house in order. and when you think about what just happened with that super committee, i think that was a chronic failure of leadership there from the president. >> well, let's talk about that. i'm not going to badger you about this ad because you didn't write it and you're not spending the money to air it. but i know your state pretty well having grown up next door and i think the people of new hampshire and the people of the country deserve better than what they're getting in this ad. let's talk about the president's trip. it's a state that's a purple state. it could go either way come november even though it's small, it will be a key battleground. one of the points the president wanted to make was he was talking about the jobs bill, the economic debate in the country. listen to the president here challenge the republicans essentially saying if we're going to deal with the deficit, deal with the debt, he thinks you have to raise some taxes on wealthy americans. listen to the president. >> are they really willing to break their own to never raise taxes and raise taxes on the middle class just to play politics? i sure hope not. you know, this isn't about who wins or loses in washington. this is about delivering a win for the american people. >> the president's point there, senator, is if nothing is done, if the stalemate continues, next year the bush tax cuts will expire. and so taxes for everybody including the middle class would go up if nothing is done. is that what's going to happen? we're going to have to have a campaign and start in 2013? >> well, i actually -- >> another conversation about the deficit of taxes. >> well, i actually think, again, a failure of leadership from the president on this issue. lest bring this in perspective of where we are. his party had a super majority in the house and the senate. and the president didn't do anything to address the debt. he ignored his own fiscal commission and then in the united states senate his budget got zero votes. it went down 97 to 0. not one party member of his own would vote for it. we need presidential leadership. he will be held accountable for that. mitt romney will provide that type of leadership in getting our fiscal house in order. putting together a responsible budget for our country. if the president had done that alone, we wouldn't even be where we are right now on this super committee. those are the basic steps that a president in a time like this putting aside the political campaigning and being a statesman about it and that's what our country needs right now. >> republican of new hampshire also member of the armed service committee keep an eye on her as this debate continues about the spending cuts. senator, we'll visit on that issue another day. >> thanks, john. >> republican debate here in washington, d.c., the voters of new hampshire will be watching. egypt's military leader tries to appease the protesters in cairo's tahrir square. are his promises believable? next, economy is issue one. but there's new proof on this debate night that the commander in chief test, well, it matters too. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties. i'll have more awkward conversations than i'm equipped for because i'm raising two girls on my own. i'll worry about the economy more than a few times before they're grown. but it's for them, so i've found a way. who matters most to you says the most about you. massmutual is owned by our policyholders so they matter most to us. massmutual. we'll help you get there. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer... with 15,000 fewer miles on it. there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? if you need evidence these debates matter, look no further than the latest national poll of the gop presidential race. atop the field, the back to the future candidate. former house speaker newt gringrich given up as a lost cause and broke just a few months ago. new poll out to be the has gringrich at 26% followed by former massachusetts governor mitt romney at 22% and here's something that ought to give team romney shudders. they asked this question. if the race came down to two candidates, gringrich and romney, well, the former speaker and that match-up has a ten-point lead. which tells you two things, gring rich is for real and at least at the moment. all they really want is a one-on-one shot at governor romney. so will tonight's debate shake up this race tonight again? david here with me at the debate hall. to that point. to the conservative to the group first, this has been a bouncing ball, the anybody but romney or alternative to romney in the field, when you talk to activists around the country, do they view gringrich as that candidate now or is this still going to bounce around? >> i think it's still going to bounce around. we've come quite a long way from the newt gringrich of the late '90s. to now here he's the number two guy. frankly, i don't think a lot of us saw this coming. he's a formidable debater to be sure. but he has a little bit of baggage with some of the cap and trade stuff. his relationships with nancy pelosi. so on and so forth. i think it's still going to bounce around. i just don't see everyone koelessing behind newt gringrich just yet. >> as the guy who worked in the clinton white house when newt gringrich was nemesis number one on most issues, but also a guy after a whole lot of fighting did some work with the president to balance the budget, did work with president clinton on welfare, when you see him back from the dead, what goes through your mind? do you take him as a serious challenge or another temporary holding place for the anybody but romney vote? >> the honest answer is i don't really know. it seems implausible at one level. be less worried about the baggage than about this guy's endless capacity for self-destruction. we don't know what he'll say tomorrow, but we're pretty sure it's going to be crazy. every newt story ends with newt and a can of gasoline and a bic lighter. the other day he said child labor laws are stupid. he said that the congressional budget office was a reactionary socialist institution. that's self-defeating to say the least. as a democrat i think it would be great. if i were a romney supporter, i would think it was great. >> but if you're a romney supporter, i think it would be great. but a polling firm asked the question if it's romney-gringrich, how do you view it? we'll see what happens to iowa and new hampshire if we get to a two-man race, but today newt gringrich has a ten-point lead over governor romney. >> the romney campaign has to take this very seriously because this is the first time there's been a challenger a non-romney or anti-romney who is a more credible figure within the eyes of the republican party. i think it is worth also noting, john, that if you look at the national polls against obama, romney does much better against obama than does gringrich. and that is a very strong argument that romney has to take to the polls. and even in these recent polls people are saying there's a lot of internals on a cnn poll that are interesting. gringrich is seen as a stronger leader. i had a chance to talk with newt for a while last week. yeah, he realizes in these debates than he will emerge as a very strong, you know, contender. >> and as we wait for the debate tonight, some people say, oh, another debate. but we've learned a lot about these candidates in the course of these debates. one thing we've learned in every debate, michele bachmann has turned fire on the person perceived to be the front runner. i would guess if she continues her so far very predictable strategy, gringrich will be under fire tonight. people want to have the i agree with newt. i agree with newt. now that he's leading in the national polls, does he have a kick me sign? >> i think a little bit. i fully expect some candidates to come after him tonight and bachmann just in keeping in that trend. he usually makes mincemeat of his opponents. he's got fantastic rhetorical skills. he's the best debater in this primary. he's better than romney. so they do so at great cost. and i think it would have to be very well-prepared for any and all type comebacks. otherwise they could sing handedly destroy their perception if for the lack of a more nuance term, owned, on national television debate. >> how do you feel as a democrat in these debates? what have you learned about the candidates when you're a words guy, you're a fight guy. when you watch these people and you're thinking, all right, who's got it? who can react well and make their case verbally. and in the sparring that is a bedate, who do you look at? >> in each debate mitt romney has gotten better. he started out pretty good. on helping a pact that supports president obama. most debates in 2008 joe biden won a lot of them, hillary clinton won a bunch of them. mitt romney's pretty much won every debate a lot because other people made mistakes like rick perry but he's becoming increasingly confident and comfortable. he doesn't know national security the way newt gringrich or rick santorum or michele bachmann on the house intelligence committee. it will be interesting if he has the same sense of mastery tonight. if he does, i'll be very impressed. >> all right. we see congresswoman bachmann just arrived on camera. there's her staff coming behind her. we're steps from the white house, david. as we get six weeks from tonight, iowa cast their first votes. seven weeks from tonight, new hampshire then follows up. iowa usually knocks some candidates out of the race. they don't necessarily pick the nominee. but then new hampshire in the sense of the debates have mattered a lot, do they matter more as you get closer to the voting or less? >> i think they matter an awful lot until about two or three weeks out because organizational on the ground in iowa traditionally has meant a lot. that's where the romney financial advantage over gringrich may come out to play. toipt go back to paul's point. i think this is the central point. newt in the '90s was seen as a bomb-thrower. really bright but erratic. just like a richard nixon. can there be a new newt? can he convince people he's more mature now, more settled down? then he becomes a different kind of candidate, don't you think? >> absolutely. your britney spears microphone has slipped off. we can fix that during a quick break. you were agreeing. but we see that sometimes. you're a guy bill clinton was given up for dead many times. john mccain in the last campaign. write newt off. everybody stay quite put. tonight's truth is a sad one and an important history lesson. that a bit later. and, next, one of tonight's debaters could be president when iran gets a nuclear warhead or china flexes military might. how are they different from the current commander in chief? that's next. everyone have their new blackberry from at&t? it's 4g, so you can do more faster. so, kathryn, post more youtube videos of your baby acting adorable. baby. on it. matt, ignore me and keep updating your fantasy team. huh? jeff, play a game. turbo-boosting now, sir. dennis, check in everywhere you go on foursquare. that's mayor dennis... of the water cooler. you're the best. liz, rock out to pandora. oh, no i'm an only child. and nick, you shouldn't even be here, you can do everything from the golf course. good? good. 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[ male announcer ] no matter what the future holds, we're making tomorrows people can count on. what can we make with you? transamerica. transform tomorrow. where they grow america's favorite wpotatoes. idaho, everyone knows idaho potatoes taste great. but did you know they're good for you too? they're high in vitamins and potassium. and idaho potatoes are now certified to carry the heart checkmark from the american heart association for foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. so they're good for my family, and for yours. heart smart idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. tonight's number is for everyone who's maybe lost count of just how many republican debates we've had in the 2012 presidential cycle. the number is 11. they started back in may and each debate shook up the race in one way or another. case and point, texas governor rick perry, this will be his eighth debate of the 12. they haven't helped him. on the other hand they've been very good for newt gringrich. he was in the middle of the pack in the poll we did before the first debate. our latest poll has the speaker on top. about 90 minutes away from the debate tonight. often when the questions are about security, they end up being hypothetical and ominous. what if iran gets a nuclear weapon? what if the choice in syria is asad or islamist? in this campaign, not so hypothetical. what you hear matters. one of the interesting th