for the new jersey governor to jump into the presidential race. and he says he won't. why are so ma still hoping. >> being soft on immigration, we'll take a closer look at his record as a border state governor and his controversial stand on in-state tuition for illegals. all that and anti-american cleric anwar al-awlaki was killed in yemen. does the u.s. have al-qaeda on the ropes? >> we need you, your country needs you. [applaus [applause] >> welcome to the journal, editorial report. i am paul gigot.

he says he won't run, but the clamor continues. and chris christie, what does he have that the g.o.p. field is missing. journal us editorial board member, jason riley, henninger and james freeman, james, this clamor about the appeal of christie or the lack of appeal of everybody else. >> it's mainly christie, rick perry has doesn't the job in the debates. looking at guys on the stage, the debates on the stage, they're not as good as the governor of new jersey has done, a powerful case for limited government. >> paul: christie has been in that battle and people have seen him and people have seen him taking on the issues.

>> they'll emulated them. the republicans around the country talking about reforming government and limiting benefits programs in a direct way, a way, for example, he can talk about reforming teacher's unions and their pension systems without coming off at anti-education and that's been very hard for republicans to do until christie. >> jason, is this about, though, the rest of the field not quite measuring up? >> republicans don't trust mitt romney and he they don't think perry is electable, i think that's why you see a clamor for chris christie, i think one of the things that may be giving christie pause, perry, what happened to perry. here is a veteran politician, governor, one of the largest states, 11 years and sort of flopped in the debate. perry has been governor for two years and wow, look what happened to perry. >> you have to go to school on a lot of issues, foreign policy and other things. and dan, you argued as a group you don't think that chris

christie is ready for this kind of vetting and candidacy, why? >> taking him at his word, he's the one who also says he isn't ready. the thing you have to understand about chris christie and one of the sources of his appeal. christie is a former prosecutor, a former federal prosecutor. what prosecutor does and we went through this, recall, with rudy guiliani. prosecutors assemble their facts, they absorb them and then they're terrific at making a presentation and an argument based on the facts and i think what james is describing is why christie had such an appeal. he knows new jersey, pensions, union, finances. when he we've talked to him it isn't a guy who makes interesting and funny arguments, he knows his stuff, but medicare, social security, entitlement reform, foreign policy, tax policy, i don't think he would feel comfortable in having his back masseured the way he has new jersey and would run the risk in a debate of that coming

through. >> paul: james? >> you look at his background and he he was not a core politician and before he became governor of the state in 2009, his day job was putting away politicians, who were corrupt in new jersey not on their policies, so, i think if you-- >> what about the vulnerability that dan points out and jason suggests, which is you've got to be a quick study on the national issues, otherwise they're going to say, you really said your he' going to raise the retirement age on medicare and step on a land mine for that and all of a sudden, you're he not ready for prime time. >> i think he is showing he has a broader view. one of the things that got people excited in the reagan library speech, talking free trade and about new jersey, how america has to lead the world economically if we want to be a model to the the world. i think you've seen him go in great depth on a lot of the issues. >> i liked that speech myself, you've talked about earned

american exceptionalism and he he took that speech out of just policy wonkism and brought it to a higher level about the better angels of america's political character. >> sure, you know what another theme of that speech was? his ability to lead new jersey with a divided government. he was highlighting his ability to compromise and that is part of leadership. that was another running theme of that debate. he's a republican,s' working with the state legislature run by the other party and he he was able to get things done because he he was willing to compromise. >> was that a primary message that he was-- the voters want to hear? >> but he compromised on his turf if he got what 50, 70% of what they wanted-- >> it's not that he can defend positions, it's the positions that he holds that we don't know a lot about that could come up if he were to get into the race. on energy policy and gun control and even abortions

he's pro-life, but on the campaign trail when he was running for governor, he opposed a law which would have forced minors to get permission from parents before abortion. >> he's funding for planned parenthood. he's governed to the extent he can in new jersey and gotten the legislature amazingly to go along on reform. i think that conservative voters are going to be comfortable with him and some of the things you mentioned north going to scare away independents which i think is lot of the republicans around the country are excited to have him at the top of the ballot. >> if he gets in, he'll be respond to go what the woman said at the outset. your country needs you. voters understand this is a historic election and chris christie to be taking some risk to get in and if he gets in, i say more credit to him for taking that risk and understanding, it is a bigger than average election. >> paul: sometimes a moment comes before you think you're prepared for it. all right, still ahead. rick perry's rival's attack

accusing the governor of being soft on illegal immigration. we'll take a look at perry in ♪ [ cellphone rings ] cut! [ monica ] i have a small part in a big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 weeks. so, i used my citi simplicity card to pick up a few things. and i don't have to worry about a late fee. which is good... no! bigger! bigger! [ monica ] ...because i don't think we're going anywhere for a while. [ male announcer ] write your story with the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. get started at citisimplicity.com. whether it can be done safely and responsibly.

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>> if you say that he we should not educate children, come into our state for no other reason than they've been brought there, by no-fault of their own, i don't think you have a heart. >> that kind of magnet draws people into the education to get the $100,000 break. >> i would not allow taxpayer funded benefits for illegal aliens for for their children. >> no free education, no free stu subsidies, no citizenship. >> paul: he's looked at for his stand and tuition for those here illegally. and perry signed a law in 2001

made texas the first state in the country to offer for illegal immigrants. lived here three years, graduate from a texas high school and aagree to apply for permanent residentsy. jason who do you think has the better argument, perry or his critics. >> there are a couple of criticisms of perry going on. one if he's sufficiently pro border enforcement, and michele bachmann wants to build a wall all along, and i don't think there's a lot of daylight between perry and critics on the issue. romney did the same thing to huckabee four years ago when huckabee was governor of arkansas, he also supported in-state tuition and romney criticized him for it. i don't think -- i think it's overblown, however, those are kids brought here as children, as young children, we've already educated them k

through 12. we have to according to the supreme court ruling in clare v doe. in states like texas and arkansas and a dozen states decided we have a huge illegal population in our state. many are children. what are we to do. texas decided we're better off in the state economically by providing a higher education to these children letting them have the same access that residents do. >> jason mentioned 12 other states, i mean, mitt romney and michele bachmann are striking me as farewell federalists, since when do either of them have anything to do with what the legislature of texas decides to do about its own immigrant population? 13 states have voted to give in-state tuition for children of the immigrants, include floda, texas and new mexico, front line states and arizona voted not to do it. i mean, this is an issue of federalism, either you want to have your-- only four legislators in texas voted against it. >> so, you're suggesting that

reflects the political culture in texas. >> absolutely, if texas wants to do this, that's their business farizona doesn't, that's their business and i don't see what mitt romney or michele bachmann have to do, it's criticizing the people of texas if they want to, you know, afford the tuition to the kids. >> especially, they're praising arizona on states rights grounds for doing its own thing, to address illegal immigration. >> fair weather federalists? >> i think it's great that rick perry is pushing back, i think it's a shame that republicans turned away from the ronald reagan vision and open and welcoming toward immigrants, but in this case, i don't like governor perry and people supporting him basically arguing this is a winner for texas because the kids are going to work there and pay a lot of the taxes and it comes from this belief, much like people used to have with housing, that funding, subsidizing education is always a good investment and it's not. if they're actually

subsidizing 100 k per student that money would be better invested at market rates and would for the taxpayer, save a lot more money than you're going to collect in taxes from these kids. >> the rational is not so much future tax payments as past tax payments. this is like why in-state residents get a fishing or hunting license. it's because throughout their lifetimes their parents have paid into had a system that out of state residents have not. that's why they're entitled to a lower rate. >> what you're saying. >> oklahoma residents don't pay texas sales taxes. >> right. but illegals pay. >> an oklahoma resident wants to go to college in texas, he pays out of state tuition. >> what's the argument that romney campaign is making, ro many any himself and i've heard as communications director, for instance, make that argument on cuts, the network this week, that these in-state tuition benefits are a magnet for illegal

immigration to come to the united states? >> now who sponsored one of the bills in florida in 2003 and 2004? mitt romney's probable running mate, snort marco rubio, all right? rubio was for in-state tuition for the students in 2003, 2004. rubio since moved way to the right and currently espousing a fairly hard line anti-immigration position. he's the one supposed to attract hispanic candidates. if he is mitt romney's mung mate he'll be in the same position-- >> magnet point. 1.2, 1.3 million college students in texas, about 1% are taking advantage of the in-state tuition rate. >> most of nem have long been here, long been here. >> if ins an opportunity to cut the education subsidies, a great book by natalie schaeffer riley and what it really shows you how we're

getting for our investment, in the college education, and sparks the debate about that, that would do well. >> paul: thank you, james. when we come back, anti-american cleric anwar awlaki is killed in yemen. does the u.s. have al-eded [ male announcer ] when men don't choose what's right for their face, they can end up with shaving irritation. ♪ get gillette irritation defense shave gel

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>> one of the nation's most wanted terrorists, american born cleric anwar al-awlaki was killed in a drone strike in yemen. the u.s. is picking up the drone campaign in yemen, somalia and sanctuaries for al-qaeda offshoots and challenges the legality of that american campaign. for more i'm joined by bret

stevens and matt, so, matt, it looks like he was killed by some type of air strike, probably a drone. how important is this to u.s. security? >> it's a huge thing and really caps an incredible year in counterterrorism, a triple crown with bin laden was killed in may and this summer, the got a guy rahman, the number two of al-qaeda, one called and told me he was like the general manager of al-qaeda and-- >> the operator. >> right. >> and awlaki is it the next generation of al-qaeda. very charismatic, fluent in english, knew how to use the web and magazine to recruit the terrorist like the guy that tried to set off the bomb on the plane coming to detroit. >> the underwear bomber, umar farouk abdulmutallab. >> he was included in every major attack including 9-11,

he he was imam in the mosque where some of the 9/11 plotters worshipped and real speculation he knew of the plot or some ways supported the plot. the times square bomber, the underwear bomber, abdul mu mutttalab and he needed his business to continue threats against america. >> paul: what was perhaps because of his english skills, could appeal through internet videos or other appeals to disenchanted american muslim youth and radicalize them. >> and british youth as well and that's why, his influence is going to remain with us, unfortunately, for a very long time. one of the things he he did was produce these cd's and videos and described as inspirational for muslim youth

who are susceptible to the call of jihad. >> the irony, here, we weren't targeting him specifically until about a year or two ago, before that, i mean, and then in 2002 when he was still in the united states, some people had said, this was a moderate muslim cleric. >> absolutely, he was portrayed that way and quoted in some news articles and there was speculation he was working for the u.s. government, u.s. intelligence at some point. but it became clear over the last years, at once, he was the key figure, but also, yemen, becoming a second kind of pakistan, a sanctuary for terrorists who had been pushed out of iraq and saudi arabia, all congregating in yemen and around him. the north of the country is kind of a no go zone for the yemeni government and that government is collapsing now in any case, getting him out is important for yemen, pat a difficult point right now, the president who is barely hanging on. and just came back and he was just almost killed. so, i think it's very

important to remember that we need to worry about yemen as well, and then getting him out of the the way, and actually, a big step forward. >> paul: on that point, the u.s. is expanding the drone war in that part of the world and there have been news reports that we're building a base, a new base for drone attacks there, how significant is that, is that on a campaign? >> well, the most effective means that we've found so far to go after terrorist kingpins from the front-- from the hinterlands of pakistan to yemen, to somalia, to places in east africa, we've gotten very good at this game and it's not a surprise that it's not only a human rights campaigners who have been active against drones, it's sympathizers with the taliban, with al-qaeda, who have been putting maximum pressure on the pakistani government, for instance, to end the drone strikes because they are so deadly, so effective and every month you find a new taliban or al-qaeda

leader, who has been killed. and the effect is, we are decimating their front line leadership, it means that the new leaders, who are coming to the fore aren't in their 40's and 50's, they're in their 20's and 30's. >> paul: what about the legality of this? is there any doubt in your mind, the u.s. has the authority to pursue this? >> under the authority granted by congress in 9/11, has a right to go after anyone who is responsible for 9/11 or associated with people who are responsible for it, people, groups, or nations. i mean, clearly, he he was part of an al-qaeda in the area. >> there's no doubt here. there is a debate, however, over how far now it's into year 10, how far we can go. can we go after groups in somalia and other groups in yemen and debates in the administration. i think for now, the pentagon believes that it has all the authority he needs to target whoever they want. >> and i think they're going to win that argument, inside the administration at least for now. we have he to take one more

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>> time now for hits and misses of the week, james. first to you. >> this is a miss to energy secretary steven chu. after the solyndra disaster, a solar company that got more than half million dollars in loans and pleading the fifth and not talking about it. what is the thought if mr. chu, who ran the program, didn't quite-- at least have the decency to be be embarrassed and apologetic, instead he was shovelling out more money on the same kind of loan program, outrageous. >> paul: bret. >> first time a hit to al-qaeda, yes, the world's most evil terrorist organization rebukes ahmadnejad and president of iran for calling the 9/11 incident at his u.n. speech the other day, mysterious. and yet, al-qaeda has no

patience for 9/11 truthers, they work very hard on killing 3000 americans and they want to take full credit for it. i think if al-qaeda has been this definitive we should take their word for it. >> paul: all right, matt. >> there's joy in baseball america, perhaps everywhere except boston over the return of the curse of the bambino, the boston red sox capped the worst slide in baseball history, and the playoffs up by nine games. crawford dropped the ball in the outfield and bambino was babe ruth and traded in 1920 and the red sox didn't win a world series until '04. and now the boston sox fans know how the old fans felt for generations. >> paul: is that good? >> i don't think baseball should be in this position. >> paul: that's it for this week's edition of the journal, editorial report. thay panel and especially to all of you for watching, i am paul gigot. see you next week. >>