itself as a national leader. >> he wants republicans to cut spending no matter who it hurts and conservatives love that. >> why are so many republicans going gaga over chris christie? >> chris christie is riding a wave. >> speak it bluntly and directly, he repeatedly said he does not want to run. >> what do i have to do short of suicide to convince people i'm not running. >> is he so great or is the rest of the field that lousy? >> his draconian cuts will end up costing more jobs and have fewer people working. >> and while he was wowing conservatives, democrats and republicans in washington were facing reality. >> outrageous that anybody thinks we're going to solve this crisis by cutting heating assistance to the poor. >> it is not common sense at all to cut this kind of money this quickly. >> speaker boehner said. >> if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. >> so be it. >> i was glad to see yesterday republican leaders say how come you didn't talk about entitlements. i think that's progress. >> there are all sorts of sacred cows up for grabs. >> are you looking at cuts in medicare and medicaid. >> you have to raise the time and age for social security. i said it and i'm still standing here. i did not vaporize into the carpeting. >> a response to kristy's challenge to the tea party. >> you go to the governor's residence, open a beer, open a pizza, watch the mets. take a look at me. you think i'm sleeping on a cot? good evening. chris christie spoke at the american enterprise institute today after he tied for third place in the straw poll at cpac. second if you don't count the completely unelectable libertarian ron paul. for someone who denied he is interested in running for president, he sounded a lot like someone who was ready. politico graded his speech an a. the republican governor is not shy about self praise, especially when it comes to his combative approach to new jersey's democratic dominated legislature. he mocked his obama-backed predecessor john core sooin who said he would sleep on a cot in his office until the new jersey cries i was averted. >> i said you want to pass income tax increase, that's fine. i am going to veto it. and if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. but i want to tell you something. i am not moving any cot into the office to sleep in here. take a look at me. you think i'm sleeping on a cot? we submitted a budget that cut real spending 9% year over year. every department of state government was cut. and we balanced the budget without any new or increased taxes. >> then he attacked president obama for pushing investments in his state of the union speech. >> the big things are high speed rail. the big things are high speed internet access. a million electric cars on the road by some date. ladies and gentlemen, that is the candy of american politics. those are not the big things, because let me guarantee you something. if we don't fix the real big things, there will be no electric cars on the road. >> he then addressed the future of federal entitlements. >> here is the truth nobody is talking about. you have to raise the retirement age for social security. oh! i just said it, and i'm still standing here! i did not vaporize into the carpeting, and i said it. we have to reform medicare because it costs too much, and it is going to bankrupt us, and we have to fix medicaid because it is not only bankrupting the federal government, it is bankrupting every state government. >> his tea party friendly approach to new jersey's fiscal crisis has many right wingers calling him republicans best chance in 2012. the loudest right winger of them all is his biggest cheerleader. >> i don't care if he wants to run. his country needs him. >> joining me now to consider the immediate ee or i can lives of chris christie, dana milbank. thanks for being with us. >> good evening. >> during the q and a part of the session today, he was asked whether he would run for president in 2012. let's listen to that answer. >> apparently i actually have to commit suicide to convince people im's not right. there are lots of people that will run because the opportunity presents itself. and i'm not stupid. i see the opportunity. i see it. that's not the reason to run. >> dana, you were there. what was the feeling in the room. will chris christie seize his moment and run? >> i don't think he could have been any more unequivocal about it. he said what do i have to do, threaten to commit suicide, now he says he has to go further and commit suicide. i think it was add mirable the way he ruled it out. what people in this situation do, they give nondenial, noncommittal, change their minds. he will find it hard to walk back from that. he said look, i am not ready to run for president. there are a lot of people that are going to run for president that are not ready to run for president. at least he has enough self awareness to know that. >> that means republicans have to take ann coulter's advice and try to draft him into running. if we see some real weakness in the field in iowa and new hampshire, they could be begging for a savior. >> and how could we not see weakness in the field. there is an ideal candidate in the republican party, but it is a piece of all of them. sort of the looks of john thune, the brains of mitch daniels, the smile of mitt romney, you know, without the healthcare record, haley barbour's rolodex, michelle bachmann's tea party connections. it doesn't all exist in one package. now, i'm not sure it necessarily exists in chris christie as a package, but here you have a blue state guy who has an appeal to the tea party. it is very interesting the entire speech he gave today, i heard nothing about gays and guns. he had kind words for andrew cuomo, kind words for obama. so he is a tea party guy, but not that same sort of angry rebel, and i think that's why people see him as attractive. >> one thing, he is not harsh about president obama. let's listen to his take on the president's state of the union speech. >> what i was looking for that night was for my president to stand up and challenge me and say to me and everybody else in the country now's the time to fix the problems, and i'm going to lead you there. and it was a disappointment that he didn't. >> disappointment is not what you're supposed to have with president obama when you're on the republican side, you should have something much more negative than that. does this have something to do with the fact that he knows that obama won new jersey 57-42, so the governor of new jersey cannot turn too harshly against president obama at this stage, even if he is going to run against him? >> it certainly has something to do with that, but he was also very critical of the republicans. he said look, i was disappointed by obama that he didn't say something specific on entitlements, and he said the so-called republicans we elected to run the house punted as well, and he said somebody needs to get up there and show some leadership. that's why we elect leaders, he said hence the name leader. so he gave it to both sides. i think some of it is his blue state territory, but in general, he is a more amiable character than those you associate with the tea party. didn't take him long to make jokes about his weight. i think he has some self confidence that others don't, and also the sense that he's not running, so he can afford to be more of a truth teller. >> and nothing lasts forever with chris christie, including his endorsements. listen to what he said about what he might do in the next election. >> put up or shutup time. i'll be really clear, you know. if people who i campaigned for don't stand up and do the right thing, next time they'll see me in their district is with my arm around their primary opponent. >> that's the stuff they love about chris christie, tough talk about you have to do what you promised you were going to do or i'll be there campaigning against you. >> it absolutely is. i saw no ee kwif indication whatsoever during the hour i listened to him today. you know, that's what chris christie is about. that's his appeal. i suspect when people begin to see what cuts he did in new jersey amount to over time, things may balance out. >> now, he has the new jersey problem. the new jersey problem personified by snooki and the situation, not to mention the sopranos. here is what he said the other day. remember, snooki is from new york, and the situation is from staten island, new york. that's not new jersey. take them back, we don't want them. this is not an unserious point. right now, the other 49 states when they hear new jersey, they're thinking snooki. a candidate from new jersey is going to have to overcome a certain kind of imagery, isn't he? >> well, they did have woodrow wilson. admittedly, that was before the new jersey turnpike and the chemical industry. yes, i am afraid they do have some things to overcome for new jersey. but look, a conservative republican who can make it in new jersey and can talk the way chris christie does i think is going to have some novelty appeal if nothing else. >> see if the history channel can get ratings with woodrow wilson like the "jersey shore." thanks for joining us. a big get alert for tomorrow night. we will have more on the chris christie for president story with an important first time guest who is sure to make news here on the last word. on capitol hill, some congressmen are deciding to sleep in their offices. they say it's all to save money for their personal expenses. but does it mean they're actually cheating on their taxes? i'll talk with tea party congressman about that and his budget cut priorities. and later, legal trouble for john edwards. a grand jury is said to be in final weeks of preparing an indictment against the presidential candidate for spending campaign cash to hide his affair. if convicted, it could result in a serious jail term. we will talk to an edwards campaign insider. it's where ethel percy andrus found a retired teacher living because she could afford nothing else. ethel couldn't ignore the clear need for health and financial security. and it inspired her to found aarp. for over 50 years, we've continued that work, to help all americans pursue their best life. discover more of what we do, for every generation at aarp.org. - boy: go down! down. down. - boy #2: whoa. straight, go straight. no, to the right! kids: to the right! to the right! go to the right! boy: go to the right! - boy #1: whoa! - boy #2: whoa! boy #3: what is that? well, that's a... i don't know. whoa. can we call him blinky? - announcer: expert teaching. - kids: whoa! deeper learning. together, we are the human network. cisco. republican budget cutting now targeting sesame street. mr. rogers, arthur the aardvark and every other character on pbs. republicans want to eliminate funding for pbs in the spending bill. democrats brought arthur to capitol hill to protest. democrats are trying to put $460 million back into the budget by taking it away from money for oil and gas wells. congressman ed markey of massachusetts warned his colleagues that voting against pbs would be, quote, at their own political peril. >> this is an ideological attack on public broadcasting system. again, it happened in 1995 as soon as they took over the house the last time. it happened after president bush was elected. this is just part of a recurring pattern. >> it is hard for ed markey to say arthur the aardvark. what else are republicans willing to cut? tea party congressman jay's i have chase its up next. and right wing journalists hit a new low with despicable attacks on reporter lara logan after her assault in egypt. i'm katie and this is george. i'm allergic to cats. [ male announcer ] we asked zyrtec® users what they love about their allergy relief, and what it lets them do. i love that because of zyrtec®, we can all stay together as a family. [ male announcer ] we bet you'll love zyrtec®, too -- or it's free. he really has a very special relationship with his cat. the social security issue is not a deficit issue, it is long term debt issue. the president wants to protect retirees, wants to make it stronger and solvent for the future because it is an important element of security for seniors. >> on jay carney's first day at the podium, obama administration spent a third straight day defending the 2012 budget, in particular, lack of entitlement reform. although the budget doesn't address the issue, the administration agrees it is a problem. >> this budget would achieve the dramatic reductions in the deficit over the next decade that are necessary to stop the national debt from growing. this is only a first step, a down payment on a long term reform necessary to address the long running deficits. >> republicans continue to criticize the president's budget for being too timid and not cutting medicare, medicaid, and social security. with the tea party pressuring republicans to make big cuts in those programs, as one democratic aide put it, they painted themselves into a corner. the obama budget, though fully detailed as all presidential budgets are, is only a negotiating tool which leaves republicans now asking themselves do they really want to go first on proposing specific cuts to social security and medicare when only 13% of americans support cuts to social security, and only 21% support cuts to medicare. joining me now, utah congressman jason chaffetz. thanks for joining me. >> thank you. >> the government has to choose the spending cuts and the toughest choices you can make. in the "the wall street journal," you mention one spending item you're willing to cut. subsidy for mow hair farmers. would you be willing to eliminate the entire agricultural subsidy program since that is a purely socialistic program? >> mohair is a small part of that, something going on for decades, isn't acceptable. i don't know what we do with ethanol. as a sweeping generality, yeah, we have to make tough choices. >> no, let's get specific. there is an agriculture subsidy program. are you willing to zero it out to absolutely nothing? >> i would like to see it move that direction. >> not willing to vote for it. willing to talk about moving that direction. which agriculture subsidy do you want to preserve? >> i am not suggesting we preserve any. i want to see the bill. >> jason, here is the bill. one sentence. eliminate agriculture subsidy program. yes or no. i vote yes, easy for me. i want to eliminate the whole thing. you, yes or no. >> as a sweeping generality, yes. >> thanks for joining me on that. we have a liberal and conservative agreement on that one. now, the pentagon wants to eliminate funding for joint strike fighter alternate engine. pentagon opposes it, says it is wasteful, they don't need it. you voted to preserve that particular piece of wasteful spending. why do you want to hold onto that piece of wasteful spending? >> well, it did pass. i did vote no. there are conflicts in terms of analysis as to whether or not it is going to save money. ultimately we have the gao look at this, say over the course of time this would actually save money for the taxpayers. the competition for parts and what not for the engine over the course of decades would actually save us money, and also make sure we have the supply we need. so i voted no. it passed, but that's the way i voted. >> you recently flip flopped on the patriot act, voted to reauthorize elements of the patriot act that you voted against last year. one of your constituent doug bail is reacted to that in salt lake tribune saying as a con stitch went i am disappointed. it is like when the vote didn't matter, he can have his maverick vote. when it matters, he cow tows to what the party wants. what do you say to that? >> that's not true. i voted for temporary authorization on three provisions. we did not vote on extending the patriot act, entire patriot act. what we voted on is a temporary extension of three provisions so we could have time to do a markup, have hearings, make adjustments. i think that's fair. >> you voted against those provisions last year. you voted for them this year. so you were against them before you were for them. >> the democrats that had the gavel before had plenty of time to bring this up. when i talked to republican leadership, they said we only have literally less than ten legislative days before they expire. we think it is responsible to go ahead and have a very temporary extension of those so we can go back and make any necessary adjustments, and i think that was a fair and balanced way to do it and i voted in favor of that. the senate has it down to 90 days and we have to make adjustments. if there aren't adjustments and we don't have the hearings, then i will vote no. that's a reasonable way to do it. >> i got you on that. how high do you want to raise social security retirement age, to what age? >> we're working on an overall plan. it is more complex. i wish i could put the answer on a bumper sticker, but it won't fit. >> it is a number, congressman. >> no, it is not, because it will be adjusted over the course of time. >> yes. how long a period of time? there's two elements to raising the retirement age. what's the maximum age it goes up to, and over what period of time do you do it. do it over 30 years, over 10 years. how much time do you think you should take to raise retirement age to the level you want to raise it to? >> i would adjust it based on longevity, based on how long are people living. i think that's a fair way to do it. there will be multiple other factors. i would love to come back on the show when i am ready to present the whole thing. >> and how much would you like to reduce cost of living increases in social security? >> i am not willing to peg a number. i need time to present that, but i will present it. >> but you want to reduce benefits in social security. >> i would not. no. you're making a sweeping -- >> how much do you want to reduce the increase in benefits in social security for inflation? how much do you want to reduce that inflation measure? >> i think there's a reasonable way to do that, and i will present that in due time. >> so you are going to reduce the inflation measure? >> no, you're putting words in my mouth. i'm saying i will introduce it in a reasonable time frame, and layout all the factors, because there are multiple factors. >> you want to raise retirement age and reduce benefits. >> you're trying to put a bumper sticker to it. >> stop it, i am not putting words in your mouth. you're saying yes to the things i'm asking you about. on medicare, how much do you want to raise copays in medicare, how much more do you want beneficiaries pay for medicare? >> i am not doing that. i didn't say that. >> you absolutely will not raise copays in medicare? >> i didn't say that either. >> there we are. stay on that fence. now, you're living in your office. you've been living in your office for two years now in the house of representatives? >> no, i live in alpine, utah. that's where my home is. >> that's your answer on your tax return, right? because have you filed on your 2009 tax return, have you filed the equivalent income you have in effect received by illegally living for free in a federal building? >> i reject the whole premise of what you're saying there. i live in alpine, utah. that's my home. i work here in washington. >> where are you sleeping tonight? >> i work in washington, d.c. they asked me to come to the floor at 2:00 in the morning, i am not sure i will be sleeping. >> congressman -- >> that is the reality. >> congressman, you have seized. you have illegally seized from the federal taxpayer a personal income benefit that saves you the rent money that you would pay in washington like all of your fellow congressmen who are responsible, who pay rent in washington. how much money do you