good morning. welcome to "this week." a hundred days to go. and both candidates are on the defensive. >> there were a few things that were disconcerting. >> mitt romney offends allies overseas. >> a guy named mitt romney wants to know if we're ready. are we ready? while here at home, president obama struggles to clarify his comments about private business. >> you got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. >> the context is worse than the quote. >> will the skirmishes have a lasting impact on the race? distraction from the real issues? we'll ask our exclusive headliners.

robert gibbs for obama and kevin madden for romney. and our powerhouse roundtable with george will, donna brazile, dana loesch. david chalian and ruth marcus. plus -- >> i'm jon karl outside of dick cheney's home, we just had the first interview with the former vice president after his heart transplant. anb abc news is at the olympics. the very latest from london. . is very latest from london. good morning, everyone. george stephanopoulos has a well-deserved morning off. as you just heard, it's been a rough week for both candidates. so, let's get right to it with their senior advisers. robert gibbs with president obama and kevin madden with mitt romney. >> good morning. >> i have a critical question for two senior advisers,

who are the junior advisers? >> i tried to get that title before, nobody will give -- >> it doesn't bear any responsibility. >> i make my own coffee. >> i always wondered that. i want to start with, we're 100 days out. dead-even race. as of this morning. robert, what is going to break this race out, or is it going to stay this way until the end? >> i think it's going to be a very close race throughout. that's what we prepared for. that's why we're investing in a grass roots army to win this on election day. i think what's going break this race out ultimately is the choice between two candidates and two extremely different visions about how we build this economy and how we come out of the economic disaster that we were in and how we recover, and i think, whether or not you're going to have that choice of whether barack obama who wants to invest in education, cut taxes on small businesses and build our economy here, or somebody in governor romney

whose expertise quite frankly is outsourcing. >> kevin, i'm sure that you're going to disagree with some of that. but do this race is dead even now? do you think there's opportunities for the governor to break out of this? >> i do believe that robert's right. that this is a very close race. and it will continue to be a close race. what's going to make a big difference is how the american public judges the last 3 1/2 years and whether or not the economy has gotten better in these last 3 1/2 years. and i think that's where we do see the crystallization on between the two candidates. that's where i agree with robert. it's a choice, about how we go forward. this is a president who sort of abandoned an idea of offering the public a new idea of getting out of the economy stagnation. we have 8.2% unemployment. for over 41 months now. and this is a president who continues to call for new taxes.

this is a president who continues to call for new regulations on small businesses. the entrepreneurs who are trying to help grow and expand the economy. so, i do think that this is going to be an election that's seen through the lens of a better economic future. when you look at the last 3 1/2 years, the president's interview for rehiring, i don't think the american public will agree wanting to continue in that same direction. >> we'll talk about the economy in just a moment. but one thing people think that maybe this election, a gaffe, a point or two can make a difference. and kevin, you obviously, you have seen what happened when governor romney went to london, made the comments, took a lot of heat from the british press, is there a concern on you part, the first time on the world stage that people now are taking a step back and maybe he's not prepared after what he said

about the olympics over there? >> well, i think this is an election, again, that people are viewing around big things. i don't think that a youtube moment is really going to make or break this particular election. i think it's going to be about the direction of the country, how we rebuild the economy. how we continue to have a stronger, national security posture around the globe. i think that the headlines out of london on one day aren't going to be very important as the overall view of our economic prosperity here at home. so, i think, the fact that the governor has given a strong, robust speech about his national security policy before he left, i think he'll see some images coming out of israel, standing strong with our allies there. some strong statements there. much more important ujment on this particular trip. >> matthew, i would probably give that answer, too, if i hadn't flown to london and

embarrassed myself in front of our strongest ally in the world. i think it's clear that voters in this country wonder allowed -- allowed whether mitt romney is ready for the world. i don't think that the world is not yet ready for romney. to literally go overseas, standing in our strongest ally, and question whether or not they're ready, does make you wonder if he's ready to be commander in chief. >> that was the beginning of the trip. as kevin referenced, the end of the trip -- he's in israel today. >> let's hope the do-over goes better than the initial audition. like i said, let's be honest, matthew, if you can't handle smiling and talking about the olympics. >> they were very polite. >> they all believe that the athletes that the games work. >> let's move on. >> like you, i'm happy that david cameron had the last word.

let's give everyone a break and move on to israel. as of this morning, a senior adviser to governor romney, he said that, in order to stop iran to develop the capability, the governor will respect that decision. but robert, that statement ying what he says what he do as president in that circumstance, where is the president's position? or is his position more subtle? >> the president's position which he has been clear about for more than 3 1/2 years and that is, obviously, any country and israel certainly does have the right to defend itself and its citizens. we haven't taken any option off the table in dealing with the nuclear program in iran. strongest sanctions ever levied on the country of iran. we have made progress in

delaying that nuclear program. and, obviously, our goal, the world's goal, is to prevent iran from having a nuclear program and i think we're making progress on that. >> of course, israel has the right to defend itself. >> kevin, you know, many have wondered if there's really a huge distinction between the two candidates' foreign policy. real distinction. i know by words, the governor has said that president obama hasn't said this or done this. but real substantive differences. is there a real difference? >> i think words matter and priorities matter. that's something that governor romney feels very strongly about this. this is his fourth trip to israel. that's the reason he's there now to send a strong message. the shared values that we have as far as national security and israeli policy or our policy towards israel is sort of an

american value and american principal. so, i think that's really important message to end. i think there are many folks on capitol hill who have worked with this administration that wish that the president had been stronger and moved quicker. so, i think that that's another problem that the president has had. but, overall, i think that the president -- that mitt romney has sent a strong message to the folks of israel that, not only is that he visiting there now but visit there as president. >> i have no doubt that's the most important issue. but let me be clear about several things, i walked in israel four years ago with barack obama when he went to israel. we went to a city in israel, that was being bombarded by rockets from kaza. on that trip, began the formulation of the policy that

is now in place, called the iron dome, which protects the citizens not just of that city but throughout israel, because this president has had the strongest commitment of any u.s. president to israel security. >> so, let's switch now to the economy and the president got into a little hot water over his comments about you didn't build it that he made. many people think that gaffe is a politician accidentally telling the truth. but, i also want to focus, robert, on the gdp number that came out on friday, 1.5%. many people think that's an extremely anemic number, do you think the president -- is this the president's economy, does he own the economy? should he be held accountable for whatever happens in this economy? >> well, he understand where the buck stops. we also understand what we inherited. and what we can't go back to,

which are the tried and tested ideas of four years ago. which got us into this mess. you heard the discussion about tax cuts. this week, the senate rightly voted to ensure that, at the end of the year, we extend tax cuts for middle-class families. but their economic theory is, we get this economy going by giving millionaires and billionaires more and more tax cuts. that's not what's going to get this economy -- >> but, robert, i have a question, though, is your campaign about vote for us because what we did for the economy or because he'll make the economy worse? >> this is a choice, matthew. the president is happy to talk about the steps that we have been taken in manufacturing and auto recovery. we're also happy to talk about mitt romney's record. let's be clear -- >> i want to talk about that. governor walker, the governor,

a supporter of yours from wisconsin, sort of has talked about mitt romney hasn't filled in much of his resume. let's talk a look. >> i think the mistake that they have made is that, a referendum on the president and certainly a part of it for any incumbent, do you like or dislike not only the president but his policies? there has to be something more than that. >> all right. >> is he telling the truth? i know you have 50-odd point economic plan. is the governor right that there's not enough about mitt romney in this plan, too much about barack obama. >> i think he's right. essentially, but governor romney has been very clear about what he would do on a whole range of issues that are important to help grow the economy. it's not a 50-odd point plan. it's a 59-point plan. 160 pages. i happen to know because i read it. >> as a political operative, do you think that's too much?

>> during the primary when we rolled it out, they were saying, we need to have very being bold plans. now, they're saying we need more details. the details are in there. everything from health care, manufacturing, to energy and to tax reform and entitlement reform, everything that we need to do to move the country forward as far as have pro-growth policies, helping people, incentivizing companies to grow, it's all in there. >> on both sides, robert, both sides of this, many people have real trouble with the discourse in this country and much of it has to do with what's gone in the campaign, 90% of the ads that barack obama has run have been negative. 90% of romney ads have been negative. there was a poll out recently that came out last week, that showed we're at a historic place

where both candidates are viewed very negatively. 32% barack obama. 24% mitt romney. are we at a place where the mitt romney's strategy message is fire him? and the barack obama's many message is don't hire him? >> i don't think that's been true at all in our case. we spent the first month of the campaign for four weeks, running nothing about positive ads about what president obama has done. but let's be clear, romney had a strategy during the primaries, he used negative ads to destroy newt gingrich, to destroy rick santorum. >> are you saying that's an asset -- >> we're not going to let him play his role as prep school bully. we're certainly going to respond. the ad that you mentioned on what the president said, selectively edited. the president was talking about infrastructure. and roads and bridges. >> kevin s this how the politics

become or is there a way to do something different? >> i think the public is reacting negatively because the president in 2008 promised hope and change. what governor romney has done during this campaign is, focus like a laser on the anxieties that are really driving voters' sentiment which is the economy. and the inability of the president to get it back on track. when you look at governor romney's words on the campaign, they're all focused on the economy. what he would do on day one to help put the economy back on track. approve the keystone pipeline. we're focused like a laser on the economy. >> fast and furious fascinating 100 days ahead. i thank you you both. and up next -- our roundtable weighs in on this week's politics. >> if you have a business, you didn't build that, somebody else made that happen.

>> you know, it's hard to know how well it will turn out. there were a few things that were disconcerting. >> why does it seem like the candidates are their own worst enxhi? >> the chick-fil-a controversy. side show or serious stuff? >> we have managed to politicized another part of our lives. i got to know what positions my foods have taken on all issues. for example i love carl's jr. western burger, it must be anti-obama care because it's clearly trying to kill us. and later, jon karl, a first look at his interview with dick cheney. you won't want to miss it. [ male announcer ] how can power consumption in china, impact wool exports from new zealand, textile production in spain, and the use of medical technology in the u.s.?

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our powerhouse roundtable is coming up from the newseum in washington, d.c., after this from our abc stations. [ male announcer ] where did all the obama stimulus money go?

friends, donors, campaign supporters, special interest groups where did the obama stimulus money go? solyndra: 500 million taxpayer dollars. bankrupt. so where did the obama stimus money go? windmills from china. electric cars from finland 79% of the 2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through it went to overseas companies. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

♪ ♪ mitt really grabbed england by the crumpet when he was asked about the london games. >> you know it's hard to know how well it will turn out. there are a few things that were disconcert zblg that's the same classic romney charm that he used to woo his wife ann. roses are red, violets are blue, that are a few things that are disconcerting about your hair. during a speech this week, president obama said that thanks to him, people in the rest of the world have a new attitude toward america, that's true, people used to hate him, thanks to him, they just feel sorry for him. you know, there's a difference. very funny. foreign policy taking center stage in the presidential campaign this week. and we're joined now by our powerhouse roundtable. as always george will, donna brazile, yahoo!'s washington bureau chief, david chalian, conservative talk radio host dana loesch and ruth marcus.

thank you all for being here. >> george, we're at the crucial 100-day marker, as you take a look at the presidential elections, nine have been won by the person ahead. now we're dead even, what have we learned so far previous to the hundred days that can tell us what we might see in the next 100 days? >> the election's 100 days from now. the first voting begins in iowa on september 27th. five days later, on october 2nd, ohio begins to vote. with this new phenomenon that i think is deplorable and complicates the procedure. now, you want to know about the future, look at the immediate past. look at the last month, we had the supreme court affirming the constitutionality of obama care, didn't really help obama. we have had a terrible jobs report and it's still high.

we have had a terrible jobs report. which suggests that, as you indicated in your talk with mr. gibbs and mr. madden, maybe some blunders, some tiny thing will cause the needle to move. so far, nothing else has. >> donna, what is your sense of what we have seen far? >> first of all, i'm excited. finally, in 101 days, i can go back to watching soap operas and not all of those nasty ads. first of all, i'm glad that we have early voting, george, that means there won't be a lot of congestion on election day. but what we know it's dead locked. it's tight. and the polls are like those boats in the venice canals, useless in rough waters. because we're looking at a very small, tiny segment of the

electorate that will decide this election. less than 10%. >> david, you have taken a look at a lot of elections. you're sort of an expert in the political history. and what's happened thus far. is this a race that's not going move off dead center but for some surprise? >> talking to both campaigns, they think it's going remain close throughout. they think that it is a more limited universe. right now, this is a two-point to four-point race. maybe a slight edge to the president. neither campaign believes that the nbc/wall street journal poll that shows it's a six-point ra. from what we he seen up until now, a lot of this campaign has been the definition of mitt romney. largely due to a gamble that the president's campaign team

made spending more money than they were bringing in. never an easy decision to do. to go heavy on mitt romney and muddle one major credential that he's brought into this race, his business record. the romney campaign has allowed that to happen to some degree. i think what you're going to see going forward in the next hundred days, largely due to the calendar, at the convention, they're start filling in a different story of mitt romney, that american people don't have right now to discuss at the kitchen table. >> dana, do you think the public -- the public has had two years of this -- do you think, just have election day tomorrow and let's get this thing done or something that they haven't heard already? >> i think romney in terms of going out and closing that daylight between the political party and grassroots, maybe we'll see that during the

convention, that's the water shed moment for things like that to occur. independents decide every single election. think about it. i disagree with what's been said. granted they are tied right now and some of the campaigns believe that this could be close going into november, but i think back to 2008, which was a historic election, and this president was elected, this was a mandate that president obama received. to be tied with the republican candidate, is a huge red flag. just not looking at the national polls, but going state by state. independents are leaning towards mitt romney. the latest "new york times" polls, 70% of registered voters think he's doing better on the economy. that is huge. >> and ruth, do you agree with dana that, although this race seems tie, there are some fundamentals that's indicative of something that may happen? some environmental factors that are really at play. >> i think there are red flags on both sides.

you could look at the red flag at what happened to the 2008 mandate. this lousy economy, the astonishing thing is that romney isn't further ahead of the president. and instead we're stuck in this dead-even race. what do we know, mitt romney is not the most candidate, barack obama is suffering from a lousy economy. that doesn't seem to be getting better any time soon. and this is an election, that unlike 2008 is not going to be about hope and change it's going to be about fear and loathing. i know this won't make a difference for the campaign, but i want to bemoan the phenomenon of campaigning by gaffe. >> george brought this up. in a race that's dead even. we focused on the gaffes. the campaigns have hoped that other side's gaffe has made a difference. i want to turn to the gaffe in london.

do you think that's telling about him on the world stage, or that's a moment that's going to pass? >> again, this is an opportunity for mitt romney to introduce himself not only to foreign leaders and foreign countries but to the american people. he turned around the olympics in 2002. and he took what should have been one of his greatest experiences to talk about his olympic games, and made it into his greatest weakness on foreign policy. mr. cameron and the mayor of london criticized mitt romney. this was not a good debut on the foreign stage. >> i think -- we need to start redefine gaffe. it's not a gaffe when you go and repeat towards the british prime minister or the london mayor what's been in british headlines for the past several weeks.

piers morgan even said, he told the truth. >> you think it makes any difference? >> i don't think so. london doesn't see eye to eye on with romney of politics. this was a gotcha moment. i can't believe that a big deal was made of this. if they're angry at romney for repeating what the headlines are, they should be angry at their own british press. >> here's the impact it had -- it set up more pressure on the romney trip. to make sure it's completely flawless. there doesn't become a whole story about a completely failed attempt for a potential president going overseas. that's not a story that has legs, think it was a distraction. >> unless there are electoral votes -- >> i want to get to the end of the trip. romney is in israel today. he's going to give this big speech today. ruth, you just spent a couple of

weeks in israel. now you're an expert on israel. what does that tell you about how they feel or what's going on in the debate in this country related to that? >> well, i think that the one thing that i took understanding about israel, it has a little bit of a sally field relationship with this president, which is, does he like us, does he really like us? and they're very nervous about that. that cuts both ways for mitt romney. they're interested in him. they're looking forward to hearing from him all those sort of words of support. but they're nervous about this relationship already with the president who they think they might have him to kick them around for another four years. they don't want to make that relationship worse. it's very delicate from the israeli point of view and you see romney saying all of the

right things. but what are the real differences between what he do and what the president would do? to reassure israel in the last few days. >> george? >> two stops after london matter most. it's right to say that he's not courting those nations, he's courting those children of those nations who now live in the united states. in israel, he's courting not the jewish vote in the country, maybe it will make a small difference in florida, and that make a big difference, but the vast majority of american jews are going to vote democratic. as far as i can tell and always will. the great support for israel right now, the energy is in the evangelical community, which is a part of the republican base, so the trip to israel is a way of firing up this enormously important romney republican base. >> david, i want to turn to the economy which is, i think, mitt romney is going to come back as quickly as he and talk about the economy -- >> he'll have a jobs report on friday. >> but we just had a gdp figure,

1.5% that was mediocre at best. from what you have seen over the past, is that a plus for barack obama or a minus for barack obama? >> i don't know how it could be a plus. the gdp number is a minus for the president. to me, the single most interesting poll number that came out this week was the question -- they asked americans, look forward 12 months, do you think the economy is going to get better, worse or stay the same? 27% of the country thinks that the economy is going to get better. that is the lowest all year long and actually dropped 8 points from last month. that's the weight of three months of bad jobs numbers. this gdp number is going to add to that. if there's not a significant uptick, i think it's going to confound. economy is clearly bad. if we're down to 27% of people

are actually optimist that think the economy will get better -- >> are democrats worry about that, is that concerned? >> look, no question, politically it matters. a weak economy hurts the incumbent. on the other hand, we're not sitting around on our hands looking for things to get worse. before, you know, we try to help people. yes, the economy is tough. for presidt obama. but i do believe that he has a lot of credibility to go out and talk about the steps that he's taken, the steps that he would like to take and those they will continue to oppose. because they have decided there's one mission -- to defeat barack obama. back in 1980 when we had a democratic president in hard times, ronald reagan had some credibility. he was talking to blue-collar voters. because he came from a union household. he was a president of union.

he talked about his father getting laid off during christmas. he has the narrative. governor romney talks about firing people. >> now the question is, is it going to get better? right now, we're in what we can call a growth recession. it sounds like an oxymoron, it isn't. we're in the fourth year of recovery, but we're receding at the same time to not create enough jobs, and look at what the variables that have to be feared by the obama campaign. first, is europe, which means spain, by the way, in the last 15 months, a majority of european country have been changed. then there's the emerging markets of brazil, india and china have slowed down. we have the fiscal cliff coming up with our own policy at the end of the year. dodd/frank is two years old.

it's about half-written. food prices are going up in part because we're putting 40% of corn crops in our gas tank because of ethanol. and the election itself is a great source of uncertainty. >> ruth, some people have gotten the sense that this economy has been ahead for so long and people are now having to resettle at a different point and that basically what's going to happen, americans shrug their shoulders and say, listen, not much a president can do about this, i'm going to pick a president that i feel more in sync with, which seems to be an advantage with the president. but will the economy and those factors talked about still determine it? >> i think so. since everybody's throwing out numbers, my favorite one for the week is 53% of those in the nbc/"wall street journal" disapprove of president obama's handling of the economy. people understand that there's a limited amount what the president can do. the most powerful argument from the republican side this week was, you tried, he's tried. it's not working.

let's give somebody else a chance. that's hard to rebut. for all of the fun that we have had this week with romney's gaffe, i think the worst week went to president obama because of this 1.5% growth number. >> you want to talk numbers, 41 straight months of unemployment over 8%. in terms of gaffes, it's not good for the president to get out in front of people during an election cycle, say, if you have a small business, you didn't build that. we can get into 97 tax cuts and everything else. >> as a small person business, what he was saying -- >> i know. >> if you rely on roads and bridges.

>> government and business we have to have a partnership nap was the concept. >> it was taken out of context. >> it wasn't taken out of context. >> it was taken out of context. >> it falls into this pre-existing narrative that the president doesn't get business in general and small business in particular. and that's why -- >> it was in context. >> i have a question for my friend, donna, the president is -- we're told that the president is the brightest president since madison. best educated president since john quincy adams. why does he spend so much time explaining what he meant? >> when you're explaining you're losing. >> well, look, i don't believe that the president was wrong for saying something that has been

said over and over again, but, george, i mean, we cannot change republican narrative. what we can do is talk about what the president's doing to help small businesses to compete. what the president is doing to help small businesses to grow and hire people. that's what we can talk about. we're not anti-small businesses. we're trying to help small bidses to compete. >> i'm going to change-up slightly on this. and go to a broader topic, which is on discourse in this country. people wanted to talk about how can we change the way we talk to each other? politicians, leaders. if you take a look at the data in this, it's overwhelmingly negative in what's gone on, david, negative ads are a lot like weedkillers. if you have too little, the weeds grow back. if you have too much, you kill your lawn. in the circumstance where the president is, 90% of the ads is he's running, is he's worried about killing the white house lawn?

>> i think because there's a recognition that whoever wins the presidency is going to win it by a more narrow margin. then the last time. the margins for the majority parties in both chambers, are probably going to be more narrow. i don't hear from anyone from either side thinking that this election is going to transform us, or move us to a better place. with better discourse. it seems to me we're going to further into this rut after this election. >> so, do you think that this is something that we just have to deal with it, george? >> i don't think it's that bad. look at our politics in the 1790s. jeffersonian said if adams wins we're going to have a monarchy. adams people said if jefferson wins they're going to confiscate the bible. we had fist pumps and gunfire on the floor of the congress in the 1850s. i mean, this is mild stuff. >> the difference is, and

george, you left out the canings. >> but, here's the difference, the nastiness is about -- it's either misleading or it's about peripheral issues. we a have a very serious set of issues facing the country. there's neither detail nor serious engagement on the part of both campaigns. we have interludes between gaffes that each side seizes on something that the other side saying. this is what i would like to do going forward. specifically. not in broad generalities. engaging on that. >> the superficial is more sexier. people like to talk about -- >> it's easier. >> roosevelt. great wealth.

the economic royalists. this kind of rhetoric isn't specific. it's colorful. it tells you what they think about sections of society. >> i'm going to turn to another topic that some people say is serious and people say it's silly which is the controversy over chick-fil-a and what the ceo had to stay about gay marriage. let's take a look. >> i think we're inviting god's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. and i pray god's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we would have the audacity to define what marriage would all about. this came with a picture of sarah palin going to chick-fil-a.

supporting chick-fil-a. is this a real issue or something that's just know, something that people want to talk about. >> this is an establishment that closes on sunday. obviously the ceo is a christian, people are shocked that he's for traditional marriage, but the thing that bothers me, though, if an individual wants to boycott a business because of that owner's belief, that's fine. when you have mayor saying they're going to ban these establishments, it's a first amendment issue. >> on the content of your political thought, second, the head of chick-fil-a, holding a view on marriage that the president held when he was elected in 2008. >> politics. we sort ourselves idea logically, by neighbors, and

churches, why don't we sort ourselves by fast food restaurants, and, you know, i totally agree with george and dana. it's idiotic and repulsive for politicians to talk about this. if you don't want to go, don't go. >> the gay rights movement is not driving it. the gay rights movement is far too sensitive. >> he backed off his remarks. he realized pretty quickly that he had gone too far that he could keep chick-fil-a out of church. >> i support. i'm christian. i believe in traditional marriage. i eat oreos. i support the rainbow oreos. >> are you ordering from amazon? i order from amazon. i use apple. >> i would like to finish this up with a quick lightning round.

go ahead, donna. >> i have never been to chick-fil-a. >> it has good hot dogs. >> i love popeye's. i love that chicken from popeye's. >> let's do a lightning round, george. the next 100 days. a moment that may break this race loose. >> the jobs numbers for september that will come out in october and be the last before people vote. >> donna. >> the presidential debate, the first one. american people will finally get chance a chance to size them up against the incumbent. >> october 3rd is that debate right now. >> and it's in denver. i'm with donna. the first debate is the critical event between now and election day. i think it will have the greatest impact. the commission released their format. it's the domestic policy debate.

>> dana? >> i can't wait to see that debate. i'm thinking the rnc and romney's speech. is he going to close that daylight between the republican party and grassroots? >> convention. not very relevant debate, yes. the first debate. >> the interesting thing about the debates they're all within the first week of october. i picked the unknowns. 2004, osama bin laden video. in 2000, the dwi that president bush in the last five days that got relaid. i think the first weekend in october could tell us a lot about that. thank you all for being here. we'll be right back with former vice president dick cheney. after you leave office, critique or criticize your successor, i'm not bond by that. >> our first look at jon karl's exclusive interview.

plus, the latest on mitt romney's search for a running mate. >> mitt's search for a candidru mate continues. one of mitt's problem, he never hired an american before. so, this is new. but first, abc news is at the olympics. and here's bill weir with the latest from london. the first round of the duel in the pool crowned a new aquatic alpha male as michael phelps finished fourth in the 400 individual medley after owning this event. this is the first time that he's been absent from a medal stand in 12 years. but the gold stays american, thanks to the effort by ryan lochte, the laid-back fun-loving floridian. he's gunning for seven golds in these games. phelps still has six more chances to medal. now, china has never been much of a force in the pool, after two surprising golds yesterday, another shooting goal this morning, they lead the medal

count so far with seven. the usa has five as well. including lochte's one gold. and a bit of a scandal brewing here in london after a startling number of empty seats at some key venues, london is promising an investigation after there were 500 vacant seats reserved for olympic officials and sponsors at lochte's exciting gold-medal race there. we'll have much more from london as the games continue. and "this week" will continue in 60 seconds with that exclusive interview with former vice president dick cheney. stay tuned. 60 seconds with that exclusive interview with former vice president dick cheney. stay tuned.

we're joined now by jonathan karl who has a preview of an abc news exclusive. >> i just got back from jackson hole, wyoming, where i sat down with former vice president dick cheney. for his first interview since he underwent heart transplant surgery in march.

take a look right here. that's cheney before surgery. and during our interview. in our interview cheney opened up about the surgery and life after politics. but his comments about selecting a vice president and john mccain giving the nod to sarah palin four years ago were particularly enlightening. take a look. how important is it for him to do this in a way that's different in the way john mccain handled his vice president? >> pretty important. i don't think that one was well handled. i sort of think of it as there are two lists. there's the big list that's got a lot of folks on it. when i did it for ford in '76, but then again for george w. bush in 2000, i had a couple of calls from politicians, said,

you know, it really helped me in my race back home because i was on the list. somebody could leak the fact that they were on the list. but that was the big list. it was easy to get on the big list. the tough one is the small list. the one is really under consideration. the test to get on that small list, is this person capable of being the president of the united states? and that's a very, very short list. >> what about the other considerations? can you reach out to a specific demographic, a woman or a hispanic? >> those are important issues. they should never be allowed to override that first proposition and i think that's one of the problems that mccain had. i liked governor palin, i have met her, i know her. she's an attractive candidate. but based on her background, she was only governor for two years, i don't think she passed that test of being ready to take over. and i think that was a mistake. >> for more from my interview with former vice president cheney tune in to "good morning

america," "world news" and "nightline" tomorrow. >> john, fascinating interview. probably take some heat for the sarah palin comments. rather frank throughout for you. >> cheney is back. he feels much better. he said that he hasn't felt this good for years. and he certainly isn't holding back. we'll hear about what he said obama tomorrow. >> down to the wire now for romney's selection, needed selection for a vice presidential running mate, where do we stand? have we learned anything new? >> well, it's hard to say exactly where we are, here's my theory, likely where you're going to see the pick from, rob portman of ohio, tim pawlenty of minnesota, but take a look at my third person on that list, paul ryan, i believe that most people looking at this list have been underestimating the chance of him being picked. the attitude up in boston and i'm told within romney's inner circle, they'll get attacked for

that anyway and that paul ryan is the person who can best fight against those attacks. romney really likes ryan. i think there's a good chance that he's the pick. >> they have kept their cards extremely close to the vest. what do think the timing is? what are the timing? >> i can tell you this, matthew, some of people on the list, some of the people under consideration have been told to be ready as soon as romney comes back from this international trip, doesn't mean that the pick would come immediately when he came back, but they're on stand-by mode. >> so, we'll see this before the convention. do you they have staff in place, so that whenever that pick is made, they'll hit the ground running? >> they certainly have staff in place and they're ready to go. i can tell you that those who think they have a chance of being, you know, picked are ready to go as well. you know, look, we could have somewhat of a surprise. marco rubio is still out there.

and kelly is still out there. whoever it is, they're ready. >> more of the cheney interview tomorrow with jon. thank you so much. we'll be back in a moment. but first -- three moments from this week's history. what year was it? >> the joint resolution is passed. >> congress authorized the use of force in iraq. >> the idea that you have to be hit in order to deal with a threat is not common sense. >> trent lott's remarks set off a firestorm. >> he apologized on four different occasions. >> then led to his resignation as senate majority leader. and -- >> more than 15 million phoned in to choose 20-year-old kelly clarkson. >> "american idol's" first season took the nation by storm. ♪ a moment like this >> was it 2001, 2002 or 2003?

we'll be right back with the answer.

now, we honor our fellow americans who serve and sacrifice. this week, the pentagon released the names of 11 service members killed in afghanistan. and what year was it? when did congress authorize the use of force in iraq and when was kelly clarkson crowned the first american idol? ten years ago. 2002. that's all for us today.

thanks for sharing part of your sunday with us. check out "world news" with david muir tonight. george stephanopoulos will see you back here next week. ♪

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