joining me now, andrea mitchell, and most of msnbc's "andrea mitchell reports", steve clemmons, washington editor at large for the atlantic. and eugene robinson, columnist for the washington post and an msnbc political analyst. thank you all for joining me tonight. andrea, this is scored by any measure as a victory for president obama's strategy in libya. he went out on a limb here at the start and took the position that they were going to have to move in libya. we have now a lot of republican videotape with a lot of embarrassing statements that do not square with where this situation is today. how do you grade the president's handling of this from start to today? >> well, i think that he has to be given good marks for this. he was criticized at first for not being in enough for so-called leading from behind, for letting british and french take the lead. but i think he properly assessed with this w a spread so thinly into two fighting wars already that to join the third and to take a leading role, and we did take an important role in the initial airstrikes, but then we began focusing more

good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. while the president's republican challengers have a family feud over taxes, president obama is out west trying to raise campaign cash in california today. he sounds as though he is having a hard time pumping up his own spirits. msnbc contributor and managing editor, chris alyssa joins us now with the daily fix. listen to the president with the democratic faithful trying to pump up the crowd. listen to the way he sounded last night at a fund-raiser in las vegas. >> there is so much left to do that understandably, a lot of people feel a little disenchanted. a lot of people feel discouraged. that old hope poster is fading. it is getting dog-eared along the edges there. but i just want to remind all of you that we never said this was going to be easy. >> i am not sure that's the bumper sticker or the campaign theme you want. tell me what's going on here, chris? >> first of all, andrea, he has done this rif before. he usually does it with a bigger crowd and people yelling we still love you

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. >>> i'm andrea mitchell. coming up on "andrea mitchell reports" new jersey governor chris christie takes a pass. he'll explain his reported decision at the top of the hour. we'll bring it to you live. >>> plus analysis with nbc's chuck todd, mike halperin and politico's jim vandehei. >>> as president obama heads to the lone star state, we'll talk texas politics. we'll see you in 15 minutes right here on "andrea mitchell reports." >> we're 15 minutes away from apple's much anticipated announcement about the iphone. the tech giant expected to unveil a new more powerful version of its wildly popular smart phone. cnet.com editor in large joining me now. rumors flying about what exactly what this announcement will entail. what do we know at this point? >> we know apple is going to announce a new phone at this point. we don't know which one, if it will be one phone or two phones. could see an iphone 4-s. we could see the iphone 5. the slimmer bigger phone that a lot of the geeks are really hoping for. >> since appl

>>> good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. he's riding high in the polls, but can he remain and can herman cain deliver? the former godfather pizza ceo is showing signs that he may not be able to stand up to front-runner scrutiny. msnbc contributor chris solisa joins us with the fix. tonight's big debate in nevada, herman cain having to explain less than a year ago was quoted on the sales tax saying he was against the sales tax. so now -- he said it was the worst idea, the proposed national sales tax, it's like a v.a.t. like in europe. how does he explain why a 9-9-9 is not a sales tax when he's proposing one? >> i'm interested to hear that tonight, andrea. i think you rightly anticipate he will be asked about it. this is the boom/bust cycle we have seen happen for a lot of conservative campai conservative candidates, michele bachmann, rick perry and now herman cain. you rise on a sense that you are the conservative candidate, you represent the value system. but people don't know that much about you. when they find more out ab

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i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. if you thought it was tough last night, wait until you hear what the republican contenders today say about each other. chuck todd, host of the daily rundown and political director and chris cillizza are both with us. chuck, first to you. i mean, this smackdown was really, rick perry, against mitt romney, herman cain was almost an after thought. they did go after him on the 9-9-9. but all mitt romney. and did he go too far in fighting back? >> it's interesting. we thu this debate wag coming. it was the moment when rick perry realized, look, it's now or never. and the moment when the rest of the field realized when it came to mitt romney, it was now or never. so that's when it all came together last night and you saw i think the results of this. and one, the perry strategy was, go personal with romney. see if you can draw him out and boy did they draw him out. i think there are times when the romney folks that romney may have gone too far. i was impressed with how romney would always al

. >>> hi, i'm andrea mitchell, coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports," what does $17 million buy rick perry? how about r-e-s-p-e-c-t? "the washington post's" chris slcillizza will be talking abou campaign dollars. and eric cantor calls out president obama for stalling the jobs bill. and is the republican party waiting for palin? those stories and a lot more coming up next, 15 minutes from now on "andrea mitchell reports"? >> we'll be watching. >>> meantime, there's been a lot of biting comments on the presidential campaign trail. and in san francisco, the mayoral race could literally go to the dogs. canines actually outnumber children in that city. and dog owners are getting together and they're forming a pac, a political action committee, that is. it's called dogpac. bruce wolf is president of dogpac. and with a good day to you. bruce, what are you trying to do with this dogpac. what's the goal? >> we're trying to make a difference. we're trying to make this a game changer in a race that is kind of flat. but we have some notable candidates that we think will help carry out the n

[laughter] chris: bob woodward does it, it's fine with me and andrea mitchell as well. my goal is to bring jack kennedy back to life in this book. i think we really need his spirit now. thanks to andrea mitchell as well, thanks to katty kay and thank you to my friend john heilemann, that's the show. thanks for watching. heilemann, that's the show. thanks for watching. see you all back here next week.

[laughter] chris: bob woodward does it, it's fine with me and andrea mitchell as well. my goal is to bring jack kennedy back to life in this book. i think we really need his spirit now. thanks to andrea mitchell as well, thanks to katty kay and thank you to my friend john heilemann, that's the show. thanks for watching. heilemann, that's the show. thanks for watching. see you all back here next week. to what's next, to what's possible. confident that taking action now, is the way to create a better tomorrow. that's why we're announcing, that with the planned merger with t-mobile, at&t will begin bringing five thousand jobs to america from overseas. we will invest eight billion dollars more... and deploy the next generation of wireless broadband to nearly everyone in america. this investment will create as many as ninety-six thousand american jobs. here at at&t, we believe in the future. we're not hesitating. we're investing in america now. why? well, we know it's good business. because america has always been...

i am andrea mitchell live in washington. rick perry is in steel town talking about the one issue he has not been able to touch for weeks. today the texas governor unveiled his solution for the jobs crisis. it sounds a lot like drill baby drill. chris joins us with the daily fix. how did that speech work for him today? >> you know, i think what he and his team are trying to do is find a public venue where he is more comfortable. he has been in this race and it has been defined by these four debates that we have had that he has participated in. it's not a good format for him. so i think what they are trying to do is as you said in the opening, push the restart button. give him a place to talk about energy. this is territory where he is somewhat comfortable and give speeches. he is doing more media appearances. i just think they are trying to get that negative perception that this is a falling stock away from him. >> and of course he used a tell prompter. so it all looked good, it played to his virtue. he did the morning shows

this is "andrea mitchell reports," only on msnbc. male an] and common tissue can make it burn even more. puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. >>> the largest protests yet are expected in new york city today, as unions, liberal organizations, and community groups are joining demonstrators. a march to city hall is scheduled for this afternoon. in boston, hundreds of city nurses are expected to join protesters today. demonstrators have built a tent city near the federal reserve bank there. and in los angeles, demonstrators have been going out in front of city hall for at least four days. organizers are also hoping for a big response to calls for a nationwide walkout by college students about 45 minu

and nbc's andrea mitchell. our roundtable coming up after this break. [ male announcer ] you've climbed a few mountains during your time. and having a partner like northern trust -- one of the nation's largest wealth managers -- makes all the difference. our goals-based investment strategies are tailored to your needs and overseen by experts who seek to maximize opportunities while minimizing risk. after all, you don't climb a mountain just to sit at the top. you lookround for other mountains to climb. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust. the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ >>> we're back with our roundtable discussion. joining me, nbc news chief fore

joining me, nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea herself. former chairman and ceo of general electric, jack welch. former democratic congressman harold ford. and columnist for "the new york times" david brooks. welcome to all you. jack, great to have you here for the first time. >> thank you. >> let's talk about foreign policy, andrea mitchell. the president in his weekly radio address tried to frame the events of this week in a way that really went to his leadership moment for him. this is what he said. >> this week, we had two powerful reminders of how we've renewed american leadership in the world. i was proud to announce that, as promised, the rest of our troops in iraq will come home by the end of this year. and in libya, the death of moammar gadhafi showed that our role in protecting the libyan people and helping them break free from a tie rant was the right thing to do. >> is this a big moment for him? and does it last? >> it's a big moment. whether it lasts is another question. i don't think he's vulnerable on libya. because

and nbc's andrea mitchell. our roundtable coming up after this break. [ male announcer ] you've climbed a few mountains during your time. and having a partner like northern trust -- one of the nation's largest wealth managers -- makes all the difference. our goals-based investment strategies are tailored to your needs and overseen by experts who seek to maximize opportunities while minimizing risk. after all, you don't climb a mountain just to sit at the top. you lookround for other mountains to climb. ♪ expertise matters. find it at northern trust. >>> we're back with our roundtable discussion. joining me, nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea herself. former chairman and ceo of general electric, jack welch. former democratic congressman harold ford. and columnist for t"the new yor times" david brooks. welcome to all you. jack, great to have you here for the first time. let's talk about foreign policy, andrea mitchell. the president in his weekly radio add

and nbc's andrea mitchell. our roundtable coming up after this break. [ fema le announcer ] new crest complete deep clean. you feel it working, so you know it's working. and that means you're ready for whatever the day brings. unlike ordinary toothpaste, you feel a deeper clean. you're also protected. with new crest complete, you know you're covered. >>> we're back with our roundtable discussion. joining me, nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of "andrea mitchell reports," andrea herself. former chairman and ceo of general electric, jack welch. former democratic congressman harold ford. and columnist for t"the new yor times" david brooks. welcome to all you. jack, great to have you here for the first time. let's talk about foreign policy, andrea mitchell. the president in his weekly radio address tried to frame the events of this week in a way that really went to his leadership moment for him. this is what he said. >> this week, we had two powerful reminders of how we've renewed american leade

. >>> good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. chris christie could be days from deciding whether to jump into the republican race. some wall street dropper pushing him toward running house, will his views on immigration and gay right goes over with social conservatives who seem to be dominating the republican primary season so far? msnbc contributor and managing editor of post politics.com, chris cillizza, joins us for the daily fix. hey, chris. the signals from chris christie, signals to jamie gangel, it could be be this week and by wednesday? >> first of all, being pretty tight-lippeded, i think jamie has it right, my reporting base is the same thing. the practical realities of this, andrea, everything is moving up, florida moved up their primary at the end of last week, south carolina announced their primary would be january 21st that means the filing dead lines, the time you have to get into these races says i'm running, also moves up there are practical considerations. i had think chris christie who wants to make a final, fi

up next "andrea mitchell supports." savannah in for andrea today. >>> coming up next on "andrea mitchell reports," is the president's student debt plan too good to be true? we'll talk with policy adviser melody barns about who will benefit the most and when. >>> plus, how democrats plan to win back the house with congressman steve israel chairman of the democratic congressional campaign committee. and can john edwards escape a criminal trial? "andrea mitchell reports" next only on msnbc. s the best day ♪ ♪ it was the best day ♪ ♪ 'cause of you ♪ we make a great pair. huh? progressive and the great outdoors! we make a great pair. right, totally. that's what i was thinking. all kinds of vehicles, all kinds of savings. multi-policy discounts from progressive. call or click today. [ male announcer ] tom's discovering that living healthy can be fun. see? he's taking his vitamins. new one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasti

good day, i'm andrea mitchell live in washington. we'll get to afghanistan in a moment >>> first republicans are on the offensive today using the latest economic report to push back against the president's jobs plan. majority leader eric cantor says that white house proposal is more of the same. >> if nothing else, president obama's solution to job creation has been consistent. he believes the best policy is to increase taxes on small business men and women instead of actually fixing the problems. this president and his team continue to kick the can down the road. >> msnbc contributor and managing editor is here with us or our daily fix. chris, we saw in fact an extraordinary amount of fighting in the last couple of days. last night on the senate floor, eric cantor and john boehner today. what about these numbers? the unemployment rate stuck at 9.1, and 103,000 new jobs created but a good portion of them, 45,000 i think from the verizon. >> we knew last month the august report it was zero but we knew the verizon workers were going ba

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andrea mitchell with the story out of washington tonight for us. andrea, thanks. >>> a man accused of trying to blow up a passenger plane headed to the u.s. on christmas day two years ago now, he went on trial today in detroit, in federal court there. prosecutors told the jury that the so-called underwear bomber, who's representing himself in this case, by the way, went to an airplane bathroom late in the flight, performed a religious purification ritual, washing and perfuming himself before returning to his seat trying to set off the bomb that was sewn into his underwear. you'll recall this was the attempted attack that led to the full body scans and intrusive patdowns at american airports. >>> remember that big jobs bill president obama proposed? it went down in defeat in the senate tonight. they were unable to get the 60 votes needed to keep it moving. they will now try to break up the $447 billion measure into smaller parts and pass those individually. >>> those occupation protests continued today in several u.s. cities, including a group of co

andrea mitchell is up next. >> up next on "andrea mitchell reports" the president's jobs plan did not get enough support in congress but what do americans think about it? we'll look at a new poll. >>> new sanctions announced today as more details emerge in the alleged iranian plot. >>> and david chone and michael o'when with us. >>> and anita hill on the anniversary of the explosives clarence thomas hearings. "andrea mitchell reports" is up next on msnbc. [ female announcer ] it's a pad like no other. always infinity. while most pads contain fluff, always infinity is made with a revolutionary material, infinicel, that forms to your body and absorbs up to 60% more than kotex regular ultra thin. always infinity. that's not how successful investing is done. at e-trade it's harnessing some of the most powerful yet easy to use trading tools on the planet to help diversify, identify opportunities, take action. it's using professional grade research and your brain to seek maximum returns to reach your goals. it's investing with intelligence and cold hard conviction. you made the money. you s

that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." tomorrow on the show, "the washington post's" dan balz and al hunt continue their debate in new hampshire. tamron has a look at what's next on "news nation." >> great to see you. >> you got the orange memo. >> i guess we did. richard engle has arrived in egypt 24 hours after an outbreak of violence between christians and muslims and why leaders are criticizing the government for not protecting them. plus the wall street protest is spreading further across the country, even across the pond. new reaction coming in from congresswoman michele bachmann who is going after the protesters. herman cain doubling down on his criticism. zachary from the daily beast will join me live. "news nation" is minutes away. uh, it is, yeah, it's a chevy volt. so what are you doing at a gas station? well it still takes gas to go farther. but you're not getting gas. true. not this time. uh, don't have to gas up very often. so you have to go to the bathroom? no. yes you do. thought these were electric? yes, i

>> andrea mitchell in our d.c. bureau tonight. andrea, thanks. >>> now we turn to politics. the campaign for president and a rare moment of candor today from the spouse of a candidate for the gop nomination. she spoke honestly and emotionally about the toll it takes to run on her and her husband, the governor of texas, rick perry. she also talked about president obama. our report tonight from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> hello there. how are you? anita. >> reporter: a public display of the private side of anita perry today, exposing both her deep christian faith. >> amen. >> reporter: and deep frustration over attacks on her husband's campaign. >> we have been brutalized by our opponents in our own party. so much of that is i think they look at him because of his faith. >> reporter: at a prayer breakfast in south carolina where 60% of republican voters say they are christian, today mrs. perry wiped tears recalling her grandfather who had been a deakin and then used biblical references to declare god revealed to her that her husband of 29 years should run for president. >> he fe