yeah you know what's great, though, just in the tease for the book that i haven't read the book yet, but there were aspects during 20 years where the two off would go for various lengths of time without speaking to one another. >> i worked with pare during some of those, during the bush years, right? >> oh yes. we did iraq together. that was one of those. >> when james was -- >> it's something worth not speaking over now. >> yes, for 20 years, with mary we were right there for all of the stuff that happened and a lot of the part of the clinton administration, after 2000 she was working for vice president cheney in 2001 and we would get involved in the recovery of katrina in new orleans for sometime now. so we had a lot of things that had happened in our lives and we had been married for 20 years an so it seemed like a good time to sort of recount what we seen and have done. >> it also compare then with now, you know we thought in '92, it was such a nasty campaign '93, 'know, such horrible environment, but, god, compare it to now, it's just insane. >> you know, honestly i said i would never write another book. it's like giving an epidural to the real love letter she's looking, she must have had her pep do you recall. i had to give james an epidural for our babies he couldn't take it. politics can work. we did it in new orleans, you know our mayor famously said go miss you, seven years ago, we were 15 feet under water, who could forget that from the bush white house, now we're the number one tourist destination, number one silicon south, entremendous (neural. so entrepreneurial. a lot of that is how this happen and how good citizens inform virtuous citizens who love a place to come together and do it. >> that's the reality. >> i forgot we're reality. >> if walk, it's unreal. there is no decision they make in washington that affects someone at the end of each day, really. in new orleans or any city, a mayor, their decisions affect people. a traffic light. >> every day. every hour. >> yes. >> you go to lousiana i was standing in line to go to harry poter, with mitch, everybody in line was like you didn't fix that street light. but it's more than that there's a lot more than that. but if you are accountable, the closer to the people you are, the more accountable the greater the reality is. hence the more words. >> what is the disconnect between washington, though a the rest of the country. i was at the association a month or two ago. whether you were talking to main street republicans or tea party republicans like nikki haley, nikki haley said hey, we can't afford to shut down the government. if you are after go, you got to make things work and it just it's not working. >> we discovered two things we live in a democratic city in a republican state. every republican in louisiana is a republican. every everyone in the city is a democrat. so we would challenge the committee in 2013. well, i had to work with the governor. we had a luncheon at the mansion, bring them over. the lt. gov. we had to go to him to get the stuff from the state. mary had to work with the city. >> that itself the hand that you are dealt. you don't, you just live in the environment that you are in. you just have to. you don't get to change the rules. >> so you think one of the problems of water going on in washington, obviously, republicans are dug in they want president obama unlike bill clinton wasn't a democrat in a republican state or at least in aen co servetive state and really never had to deal with people coming at him all the time. >> we have different views on this, imagine that. you have different views. i think the notion of the resistance to compromise is not a sickness it's a reality. it's quite the compromise of 1850. >> that did not stop the civil war. >> right. >> we are, we've never been this much in debt. we've never had a government that's been this intrusive. and you got to say no just say no. >> i feel like this is not like we are throwing temper tantrums in washington him we have a situation that chris christie had in new jersey or scott walker had in wisconsin. lots of states who did what were mixed in. >> has anybody like noticed that the debt has dropped faster in the last four years since the war? has anybody noticed we had to find -- we're not supposed to say that? >> we take it out to 1.4 trillion dollars a year, it's like me telling ma a, ma i got twice the grade in math. you got a 24 so 48. >> teen age -- it was this 40% on sale. >> that doesn't make it free. right. >> i think a lot of people wouldn't we worked together people used to always say, you know how do they go home at night with all these really polarizing issues going on. i think one of the most interesting things you had to endure a lot of us around you during the white house years, mary was always very welcoming to all of us. i think people sometimes wonder if it moderated either one of you. mary you said to me you have gone total tea party. so it seems to have had no moderating effect understanding each other's viewings right? >> i don't think i'd change, because it took us a long time we're not going to change anybody's mind. it's time wasted. >> isn't that true about most people? they have their views. >> no we're not, we have flexible minds are boring minds. the one thing i said before marriage and to this day the one thing i want out of life is to not be bored. he's never boring. he's never persuaded me. >> he's persuaded so many people mary. >> he's never changed your mind on an issue? >> i have changed my mind on the death penalty. i don't know if he did it or catholocism did. >> a lot of republicans, a lot of cone servetives change their mind on the death penalty. >> i don't know, my class at tulane, i forced them i assigned, i'll say half of you will write the keystone pipeline is a good thing. the rest of you write it's a bad thing. >> has mary changed your mind on anything? is is. >> but it certainly made you more understanding of other people that share their views? i remember willie geist saying he was raised in no. he went down to vander build and suddenly all of his friends he played basketball with were all george bush fans. it took him three days to go maybe he's not evil maybe we just think differently. he said that was really important for him. >> we went through a long period as do you in any relationship, why do you think the way you think? i understand why he's a liberal. i think i am more of a conservative than he is a liberal. but i understand the kind of liberal he is. it's the kind of liberal i admire. he's a civil rights liberal of the '60s of the south. >> that it was a good motivation on the activist government, all that other stuff, i can't hear you, why am i not listening? then. >> i'm more of a, i would describe myself as an economic liberal instead of a social traditionalist. i think it's very possible -- >> you'd do well in pennsylvania. >> probably. but i do think that it's what people need parents got to be better. a bigger role in what happens in this country and a lot of times what happens is it's never successful, the government will gobble to defacto parents, general electric does not want a child with a 31-year-old grandmother. they don't want to be responsible nor does anybody else. that wasn't a defacto to the government. everybody goes, ha ha you failed. this 31-year-old grandmother child didn't turn out successfully t. child with a 31-year-old grandmother has a stacked deck. >> do you subscribe to the theory based upon what you were saying i assume you would, one of the post-under rated aspect of this country is good parenting. good parenting is such a foundation that we miss so much of it in this country. . >> well, it is. but we also let's be fair the teen pregnancy rate right now is at a 20-year low, we're doing, you know crime has really become -- we got to act knowledge some progress but i agree completely and there are things that parenting can do that makes me i guess in a sense -- a tra devil i am 100% for day marriage marijuana legalization, i think we're not totally sure yet. >> he's a conservative on that. i'm like. >> i tend to be more traditionalist on some of these kind of things, not the gay stuff. >> going to your point, and this is why i love him, when he discovered things like that, that we have in common then we'd get into teach for america. he's on the teach for america board. so if you don't have an intact family, then have you teachers who care who go to the house who work on one thing at a time. we seen it in new orleans, he had the highest education reform rate in this country. it's teach for america. it's trying new things so it's all of these things there is no magic solution. there is no one size fits all. we will start over and do one kid at a time and make a parental unit a structure. >> it's hard work. >> it takes a village. >> still ahead, everyone loves a comeback story. >> texas governor rick perry joins us to talk about the growing speculation that he's going to run for president again. >> it's funny. >> in 2016 and why this time may be different. ring ring!... progresso! it's ok that your soup tastes like my homemade. it's our slow simmered vegetables and tender white meat chicken. apology accepted. i'm watching you soup people. make it progresso or make it yourself it's just ordinary fleece but the comfort it provides is immeasurable. the america red cross brings hope and help to people in need every 8 minutes every day. so this season give something that means something. . >> he is a good looking man. >> i'm sorry. is this not the greatest thing ever to happen to rick perry? i have to show you the other side. don't show the other side. put that down. >> seriously. they are going to wish in austin that they had never gone after rick perry and they have played right into his hands. mike barnacle what do you call it? >> world's greatest mug shot ever. you said it was gorilla marketing ever. >> oh absolutely. >> i'll be honest -- >> you don't have to pay ad time. it took care of it. >> i'd run for the streets of west chester in that thing. >> i had to pay for it rick pack paid for. oh my god. >> how is it going? >> it's good. it is really good. >> is it? >> life is good. >> what's going on with this thing? is it going to get dismissed? what do you think in. >> we got a great legal team him it's in their hands. the process is going to go forward. i don't know what else you say about it. from my perspective, it's over with. >> if i sat here and said it's the dammedest thing i ever saw, he's a republican talking about a republican. i've always been so nice to you. oh wait a second no i haven't. >> here lately you have been. >> here lately i have been okay. but democrats are saying it's the dammedest thing they've ever seen, too. do you you have an austin da's office that's out of control politically? >> that decision will get made i think when this is finalized. >> look at that he's showing the restraint of a presidential candidate right there. are you running for president? >> i'll make a decision next year. >> look at that he's talking just like one? >> do you want o? >> i think america needs competent leader. we'll sort out who that's going to be. >> are you a confident leader? >> well yeah. >> ask people in texas. right. >> can the people of texas not in travis county, though. >> what went -- a lot of people that i talk to because they say, who are you thinking about? i say the field is empty. it's just empty. jeb is talking about it. i don't know a that he can do it or not. we talked earlier about what people couldn't do it. i said you know you ought to look at rick perry i was tough on the guy the last time. what is the difference between rick perry 2012 and two years later? >> healthy for one thing, major back surgery six weeks before running for president i don't recommend that for you to be on the top of your game and the preparation side. like i talked about this when we did your book preparation to run for the highest office in this country and the most influential position in the world requires an extensive amount of preparation. whether it's domestic policy whether it's monetary policy whether it's foreign policy. >> right. >> and i did not prepare. you know i was a bit arrogant had been elected governor three times, what can be harder than that? >> nothing prepares you for that. >> substantially. preparation is the key it to and that itself the thing that i have been working on for the last 22 months spent time with henry kissinger yesterday a great example, george schultz at the hoover aei with the brookings institute folks, listening to both sides, absorbing that listening to them coming up with concept itself and how to deal with this myriad of issues you nation as the leader of the free world. before that as a candidate and you are going to be tested and you will be tested greatly, as you should be. >> and again, getting fogged down and beaten up we've always talked about i. every time we go out and give speeches to young people. we say, what's the best thing that can happen to you? we say, get the left hook you never see coming the next time you get knocked down you will see it coming. >> that's why i was asking you. >> let me tell you, texas governor's detail do not try to run through the governor's mansion. >> okay. >> because shannon o'neal the lady on our detail. >> she will knock you down. >> dead down. >> you will meet justice. >> you will meet justice. get down baby. >> okay. no, that's why i was saying. it is such a difficult process being a candidate and so one of the issues is is finding on the republican side somebody who seems leak he or she would emerge, there seem to be several on the democratic side but who would want to? that's why i said do you want to? would you want to do that? >> i have spent my life in public service. it wasn't i set out as a kid to do. being a pilot in the united states air force. then shifting over to the state house the agriculture governor for almost 14 years, public service is something i am passionate about and i believe with all my heart that if you put the right policies into place, tax policy regulatory policies, legal policy, have you public schools that arekable that the people of this country will respond in a very powerful and a positive way. you open up the energy on the street. xl pipeline canada mexico et cetera. this country will explode economically. you put some tax policies into place to really incentivize people to risk that capital. then you will see energy prices continue to go down the cost of power continue to go down and manufacturing will move back into this country at an unprecedented rate. >> energy prices are really one of the main drivers for people. let's get specific. mark halperin -- >> rick perry were in commander in chief, what would you be doing differently with isis? >> i would have dealt with this pesh mur ga substantially differently, giving them the weaponry they need and obviously keeping up an incessant airstrike. absolutely. i would have assets on the ground with those peshmurga mur. >> how many assets? >> i don't know how many. >> but for more than forces. >> yeah you would have our assets in place to be able to, can you not do the damage that needs to be done to isis just with a few airstrikes and particularly you got to have assets on the ground. so heavy weaponry to the peshmurga insistant incessant airstrikes on them i think at that point in time you will be able to -- >> you are talking about united states military personnel on the ground in. >> i'm talking about u.s. assets. >> assets are military personnel. >> i understand that. i don't know about into syria, but certainly into that northern region where we had -- >> to fight isis direct confrontation on the ground. >> listen, if you have them on the ground you have to realize, there is probably going to be some contact there. so the idea that we're going to stand back here and try to make both sides happy, the left and the right. >> so are we talking about 82nd airborne or special ops? >> i'm talking special ops. you won't put tens of thousands of troops in there. >> why not if they're a threat to the united states in. >> you don't have to we have special ops, delta force, navy seals, marine force recon, all of those are quite capable of taking care of the isis threat. but you have to be there working with the aviation assets and then peshmurga i think are one of those great forces. they very overlooked. we refused to give them the heavy weaponry they need to fight fight isil. >> special ops to guide. we think it's a movie. >> people keep talking about boots oak. what they should be talking about instead are eyes on the ground. people that understand it. bodies on the ground. human intelligent spotters. it's what the government is talking about, special ops assets can actually tell us how to fight smarter, fight safer. avoid civilian deaths. >> assets aren't u.s. forces either it's the human intelligence side. i think we have gotten away from that over the course of the years. if we would have spent some of the billions of dollars in afghanistan on human intelligence or for that matter buying what we needed rather than spending the billions of dollars on the ground in afghanistan, would we be in a better position today or worse position. i'll suggest that. >> you said if august quote, it's a real possibility that members of isis have crossed the texas border into this country t. real fear of people that deal with isis every day, both in washington and the middle east is so many members have legitimate passports to get into this country undetected. so why would they be crossing the texas border? >> well, i think you, most americans understand that that border is insecure that individuals who not necessarily just isis but countries that harbor terrorists we know that pakistan syria, individuals from those countries have been apprehended crossing the texas border coming into the united states. those are the ones we know about. how many have come in that we don't know about that don't have a passport don't want a passport. but have arms on tear minds, harm on their mind those are the individuals we worry about. those are exactly the reason i deployed the national guard to our border. because this administration refuses to do their constitutional duty and put the resources. for instance the faa still does not allow for the use of drones to fly up and down the united states border. >> why not? >> i can't answer that question. >> are we going to let amazon drop them but not at the border? >> the technology is so advanced today. we can tell exactly what activities individuals are involved with. we send fast response teams to make those apprehensions at that particular point in time. rather than the strategic fencing in the metropolitan areas. it works. we got hundreds of miles of nothing but raw brutal country out on that mexican-u.s. border and the u.s. and texas side. >> it can also save a lot of lives. >> indeed. >> of people so they don't end up. it's a humanitarian thing to do as well. >> coming up rachel ray joins us an issue close to her heart. it has nothing to do with food. >> nothing. not at all. day you tap the bumper of a station wagon. no big deal... . . who here wants a dog? oh. . >> we know how important helping animals this year. so in your honor. >> oh look at all the babies. >> we know how important it is to you to help animals everywhere, so in honor of your 45th birthday we're going to help find homes for all 45 pups. maltese, german shepherd. it's a smorgasbord of cuteness. >> rachel ray is known for making quick and healthy meals, she is making big strides outside the kitchen, raising awareness about pet adoption. rachel joins us now, have you ever been on the show before? >> never, i'm usua