and gingrich has always wanted to do this. and you can see that even in the way he talks, the greatest siren for me is here we had this week newt gingrich who 15 years ago was the rebel, was the paul ryan, was the one who was too radical for bob dole when he was running in 1996 and he had to put some distance between it. now he goes out, runs again after a fair amount of time out of politics and finds himself not really understanding how much the landscape has changed. >> it looks as if the tea party and the republican faithful are still looking for their champion. newt gingrich kind of proved that he's not it. mitt romney isn't quite it yet. did any candidate jump in, denounce newt gingrich and take up that banner or are tea partyiers still waiting for sarah palin and michelle backman? >> michelle backman is the one candidate who saw that opening as perhaps her best opportunity. and she had planned to make an announcement in june and she this week told her supporters she may move up her announcement. gwen: and made a whole lo

>> i'm newt gingrich and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> newt gingrich former speaker of the house of representatives officially announced that he will seek the republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race 15 months from now. four days after the announcement on sunday, gingrich attacked wisconsin republican congressman and the chairman of the house budget committee paul ryan. gingrich criticized ryan's plan to reform medicare. under the current medicare system, the federal government uses tax dollars to pay for health care for the elderly. under the ryan plan, medicare pays for a portion of the premium for insurance that is sold by private insurance companies. ryan calls it quote unquote -- premium support. but gingrich calls it quote unquote -- radical. gingrich also likened the ryan plan to obamacare. >> i don't think right wing social engineering is any more desirable than left wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate. >> question -- why did gingr

gingrich's intolerance history. just to close it out -- republicans only for the first segment of "washington journal." we want to get your reaction. claudia in houston. good morning. caller: hi. he is immoral. he was in politics and he cheated on two wives and it was even terrible that he tried to get his teacher to marry him and when she had cancer he dumped her. i feel mitt romney is a moral also because he is an -- is in a religion that approves of multiple wives. if i were a man running for president, i would leave any organization that is immoral, whether it is a religion or politics. most politicians are a moral because they have a little bit of power. and these young girls tried to snatch them because they have power or they have money. i don't know. i think america is getting to be a moral. host: who do you like for president? caller: i would rather have trump because he was a moral when he was not in politics. -- immoral when he was not in politics. anybody in politics and a run for president, if they expe

>> no, how much damage has newt gingrich done to your effort to reform -- >> oh, newt gingrich, i'm sorry, i didn't hear you correctly. i'm not a pundit. i'm a policy maker and i'll let you and the voters figure this stuff out. point is this, we've got to get beyond this and we've got to get on to a serious conversation about what it takes to fix the fiscal problems in this country. and if we don't tackle these problems now while we have time, they're going to tackle us. and our whole point here is we need to preempt and avert a debt crisis, and the way we have proposed to do that is do on our terms and prevent people who are currently retired and people about to retire from having severe disruptions in their lives, and so -- >> but congressman -- >> the people of iowa and new hampshire can figure this stuff out. >> but wait a second, but that really is a dodge. you are the chairman of the committee, yes, you're serious about entitlement reform, yes. you're also a politician. you say you want to do it on your terms. law does not become law without building political consensus, and you don

plus, more on the gingrich fallout. did he upend the republicans' 2012 campaign strategy, and can his candidacy survive such an early blow? plus, rising tensions in the middle east as president obama delivers a big speech on u.s. policy in the region. we'll talk about the politics of it all with our are troundtable. congressman chris van hollen of maryland, republican strategist mike murphy, nbc's andrea mitchell, "the washington post's" eugene robinson, "the new york times'" andrew ross sorkin. in 1968, as whaling continued worldwide, the first recordings of humpback songs were released. public reaction led to international bans, and whale populations began to recover. at pacific life, the whale symbolizes what is possible when people stop and think about the future. help protect your future, with pacific life. the power to help you succeed. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to bec

by tuesday, gingrich called paul ryan to apologize. but he was blaming, of course, the media. >> look, i made two mistakes. first of all, if you listen to the question david gregory asked me, i should have said i'm not going to answer it. it's a hypothetical baloney question that had no hope of happening. the second was some of the words i used. but i was trying to say something that's really important. we are at the beginning of a process of solving the entitlement problems in the united states. these are enormous challenges. i believe deeply that the american people have to be an integral part of it. i think what paul ryan has done is he's started that process. >> that was gingrich on fox where their team of political pundits has been declaring his campaign dead all day. two things to keep in mind, mentioning paul ryan by name and calling the medicare question hypothetical baloney. he was a victim of gotcha journalism. first, though, sarah palin who clearly thinks it was. >> there's got to be the preparation on all the candidate's pa

[laughter] >> jon: here is my impression of newt gingrich in a minute. [laughter] nonalcoholic tequila. [laughter] bomb sniffing turtles. [laughter] kosher bacon. [laughter] edible diapers. [laughter] two ideas a minute but a lot of them. the larger point is all is forgiven. you get a second chance to make a first impression. he chose just the place to do it "meet the press." a chance to show off. david gregory set him up with an easy one. what do you think of paul ryan's medicare. >> should the republicans change medicare? yonch think right wing social engineering is any more desirable than left wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for the society to operate. >> jon: wow appealing to the moderate wing of the republican party, a wing closed for renovations. [laughter] i'm sure they respect the gravitas. >> he detonated his campaign on sunday. >> does he want to be nominated by the republican party. one wonders. >> he was never a likable guy. >> this is a capital offense. >> how can i

>> i'm newt gingrich and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> newt gingrich former speaker of the house of representatives officially announced that he will seek the republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race 15 months from now. four days after the announcement on sunday, gingrich attacked wisconsin republican congressman and the chairman of the house budget committee paul ryan. gingrich criticized ryan's plan to reform medicare. under the current medicare system, the federal government uses tax dollars to pay for health care for the elderly. under the ryan plan, medicare pays for a portion of the premium for insurance that is sold by private insurance companies. ryan calls it quote unquote -- premium support. but gingrich calls it quote unquote -- radical. gingrich also likened the ryan plan to obamacare. >> i don't think right wing social engineering is any more desirable than left wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate. >> question -- why did gingr

newt gingrich joins us live in the studio here. mr. gingrich, let's just start with the overnight news. mitch dan yells, the one that a lot of republicans, establishment republicans and especially a lot of people who had supported george bush last time out were really putting pressure on him to run for the republican nomination. he said last night he's simply not going to do it. what do you make of that and what is the impact of that? >> i think mitch has been own reasons for not running. but he is one of the great reform governors in this country. his educational reforms are remarkable. he's done a great job of bringing jobs to indiana. his privatization program on highways is really a benchmark for the country. he has a great future, and i think he'll play a major role in designing a platform and a major role in helping other people learn that you actually can govern and you can actually be creative. i think the scott walkers, the john kay sick, even chris christie learned something from him. >> schieffer: why do you think he decided

by tuesday, gingrich called paul ryan to apologize. but he was blaming, of course, the media. >> look, i made two mistakes. first of all, if you listen to the question david gregory asked me, i should have said i'm not going to answer it. the second was some of the words i used. but i was trying to say something that's really important. we are at the beginning of a process of solving the entitlement problems in the united states. these are enormous challenges. i believe deeply that the american people have to be an integral part of it. i think what paul ryan has done is started that process. >> that was gingrich on fox where their team of political pundits has been declaring his campaign dead all day. two things to keep in mind, mentioning paul ryan by name and calling the health care question baloney. you can design if it was a gotcha game. first, though, sarah palin who clearly thinks it was. >> there's got to be the preparation on all the candidate's part for the gotchas. that's what the lame stream media is known for is the trip up

newt gingrich has a complicated problem. he needs to inhabit that space, which he naturally does, at the same time, he needs to dial back, as he said. whenever you asked him a tough question today, he smiled and tried to stay calm and not be a flame-thrower, and i think that's what he'll try to do the rest of the way. >> e.j., you've covered him for many years. is he too much a symbol of the past or does he deserve a second act? >> he is a symbol of the past, but newt has always wanted to run for president, so i'm glad he's doing it. he seems to be trying to cast himself as a good-natured flame-thrower and he was very good at kind of fending off those questions, but he can never resist going a few steps over the top. right during your interview, you asked him if this comment on food stamps is racially tinged, and he doubles down and says do we want the u.s. to become like detroit, aka, motown? so, newt's always unplugged. but you've got the most unsettled republican field i think since 1940, when wendell wilkey snuck in. usu

you are the one at a newt gingrich rally. excuse me, i'm being told in my deaf ear that newt gingrich has appeared on the getra -- greta van susteren show. >> are you saying you chose the wrong words or it's not what you thought? >> you listen to the question david gregory asked me i should have said i'm not going to answer it. >> stephen: yes, no one has any reason to be upset about newt's ideas because we're not supposed to know what they are. besides newt granted himself full immunity from himself. >> let me say on the record any ad which quotes what i said on sunday is say falsehood. >> stephen: right. any accurate quote of what newt said are falsehoods about what newt said because -- >> i have said publicly those words were inaccurate. >> stephen: so -- [laughter] -- the more accurate you are about his inaccuracies, the more false you'll become -- i need some help. [laughter] luckily i have the most sophisticated candidate tracking technology. please welcome the pander tron 8,000. [cheers and applause] hi pander tron. >>

first, mark, what is there to say about newt gingrich for this week? >> well, jim, if you are a republican interested in elected other republicans to office, the downside of a newt gingrich national campaign has always been greater than the upside of one. because of newt's proclivity, his inclination, his irresistable tendency to always speak in sort of bombastic sewer latif, exaggerated words and exclamation points. and that's it. i mean he wantses to draw the starkest extremes he can between his position ands those on the other side. and that's what he did. he went on to a show, "meet the press requesting can. this wasn't an on the run, 250 watt interview radio station from fargo you know, just getting you between planes. you go on "meet the press"ment you sit down beforehand, you go rehearse your answers, you anticipate what they're going to ask. you know-- and he went on there and basically just savaged what every republican in the house had voted for except four, the paul ryan plan. and then it was classic newt. he said any ad quoting what i said

gingrich. but the question is, given his private life, two divorces, infidelity, will voters forgive and forget? and later, a well known actor to replace charlie sheen on "two and a half men." that's coming up. ♪ ♪ membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. our superb school system on a chart. but how do you chart... happiness? we can show our diverse culture on a graph. but how do you graph... experiences? we can diagram the business reasons for your company to be here. but what kind of diagram do you use... for imagination? fairfax county, virginia, is the ideal business location. and the ideal life location. >>> "raw politics" tonight. congressman ron paul announced he's seeking the republican presidential nomination. mike huckabee will announce tomorrow whether he intends to run. meanwhile, two days after newt gingrich announced his candidacy, he says the theme of his campaign will be that the right policies lead to the right f

. >>> coming up, the former house speaker newt gingrich already sounds like candidate gingrich. but the question is, given his private life, two divorces, infidelity, will voters forgive and forget? and later, a well known actor to replace charlie sheen on "two and a half men." that's coming up. [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. ♪ i like your messy hair ♪ i like the clothes you wear ♪ i like the way you sing ♪ and when you dance with me ♪ you always make me smile [ male announcer ] we believe you're at your best when you can relax and be yourself. and at thousands of newly refreshed holiday inn express hotels, you always can. holiday inn express. stay you. and now stay ahead of

. >>> coming up, the former house speaker newt gingrich already sounds like candidate gingrich. but the question is, given his private life, two divorces, infidelity, will voters forgive and forget? and later, a well known actor to replace charlie sheen on "two and a half men." we'll tell you who it is and what charlie has to say about it. no shock, right? yes, charlie sheen has a response. that's coming up. ♪ [ male announcer ] in 2011, at&t is at work, building up our wireless network all across america. we're adding new cell sites... increasing network capacity, and investing billions of dollars to improve your wireless network experience. from a single phone call to the most advanced data download, we're covering more people in more places than ever before in an effort to give you the best network possible. at&t. rethink possible. ♪ well, you know i love it too ♪ ♪ you love money ♪ well, you know i love it too ♪ ♪ i work so hard at my job ♪ and then i bring it home to you ♪ ♪ i love money in my pocket >>> "raw politics" tonight. congressman ron paul annou

so speaker gingrich nose the deal. a lot of people are asking whether he's trying to play politics. '90s style when we're in 2011 and when things move so fast with twitter and facebook and like that, you have to be really quick on your toes. >> we've invited him several times to come here in "the situation room." we hope he'll eventually accept our invitation. quickly, mitch daniels is he the hope right now a lot of the establishment republicans have as far as a nominee is concerned? >> a lot of establishment republicans are reaching out to him. tim pawlenty is going to announce his candidacy on monday. but mitch daniels is one of those fiscal conservatives whose kind of a wonk. been in washington, gets the budget issues. been a successful governor. so lots of republicans are saying he understands the spending issues better than anyone else. and he might be able to be a good person to go toe to toe with barack obama. so you have to say. >>> haley barbour is pushing. he was once considered a possible candidate, the gove

this has been a rough campaign kickoff week for gingrich. and it only wednesday. diane? >> and this is the kickoff week. thank you, jake tapper. >>> and, still ahead on "world news," potential employers add another obstacle for the unemployed, and it's legal. but tonight, how you can fight back. >>> healthy cholesterol. lessons from the man who ate 25,000 big macs. >>> and, a debate about whether heaven exists. the world's most famous scientist versus a boy who says he has proof heaven exists. host: could switching to geico really save you 15% or more on car insurance? host: would foghorn leghorn make a really bad book narrator? foghorn (stammering): it was the best of times, it was the wor - i say worst of times. and by worst i'm talkin' as bad, i say, as bad as my aunt ginny's corn puddin'. that stuff'll sink you like a stne. engineer: ok that was a little... foghorn: you gettin' all this in there son? i just added that last part it's called "adlibbin..."anyway...it was, isay it was... vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. 8% every 10 years

where does that go, to a groupon discount on gingrich bummer stickers? actually, that's a pretty high-tech way to roll out your first campaign ad. i hope the youtube announcement itself measures up. >> i'm newt gingrich, and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states because i believe we can return america to hope and opportunity, to full employment, to real security, to an american energy program, to a balanced budget. >> jon: back up 3 ( laughter ) so who thought it was a good idea to do your statement of the art campaign computer launch in a sears photo studio booth? ( laughter ) with a casio accompaniment. that's not music to launch a hip presidential campaign. that's the music for a mother-daughter walk on the beach in a massengil ad. still, gingrich announcing on twitter and youtube instead of on television and a newspaper it's as though newt has abandoned old media while it was sick or possibly dying to take up with newer, younger, more ( bleep ) media. ( laughter ) ( applause ) i-- i'm a little baffled as to why he's doing it.

ca lis tas gingrich, the wife of newt gingrich, is known for her great taste in jewelry. no wonder. the couple had a revolving credit line of $250,000 to $500,000 at tiffany's. a bit over the top for a guy who is running for president, says political reporter jake sherman who broke the story. >> a quarter million dollars in jewelry, that's what a lot of people pay for their house, $300,000, $400,000. so people don't exactly understand how someone could go into debt. i mean we're talking about debt of a quarter million to a half a million dollars on jewelry. >> this is a stunning string of diamonds worn by calista gingrich, a similar version on the website costs $45,000. these cluster diamond earrings she's wearing here, a similar pair is $5200 the matching necklace, $9500. just two strands of pearls cost $975 on the tiffany's website. calista has several layered around her neck. imagine having a credit card with a $500,000 limit to shop exclusively at one store. tiffany & company. although the former house speaker describes himself as actually kind of frugal. >> i owe no debt. none,

gingrich for his political redemption. another page one story in "the times" zeroed in on mcconnell's wife. the indiana governor hasn't decided if he's going to run for president. the "los angeles times" reported this week that arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver about their deteriorating marriage and got in a statement saying the movie star turned governor and his wife had separated. given their star power, the coverage quickly exploded. >> it was the news that broke overnight and it had a say it ain't so aspect to it. the "l.a. times" reports maria shriver, member of the kennedy family, longtime nbc family member, and her husband, former california governor arnold schwarzenegger, have split. >> put out a statement saying they weren't going to give any interviews, family and friends were not going to give interviews. >> couple had been married for 25 years before they announced on monday they were separating. everyone is now asking -- what happened here? >> schwarzenegger's spoke in public about his marriage last nigh

>> i'm newt gingrich and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> newt gingrich former speaker of the house of representatives officially announced that he will seek the republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race 15 months from now. four days after the announcement on sunday, gingrich attacked wisconsin republican congressman and the chairman of the house budget committee paul ryan. gingrich criticized ryan's plan to reform medicare. under the current medicare system, the federal government uses tax dollars to pay for health care for the elderly. under the ryan plan, medicare pays for a portion of the premium for insurance that is sold by private insurance companies. ryan calls it quote unquote -- premium support. but gingrich calls it quote unquote -- radical. gingrich also likened the ryan plan to obamacare. >> i don't think right wing social engineering is any more desirable than left wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate. >> question -- why did gigir

gingrich referred to it as right wing social engineering. conservatives, rush limbaugh and nikki haley all pounced and at an interview gingrich softened his criticism. >> i think he has the beginning of what could be an extraordinary plan. it's so big and central to people's lives that we need to do it right. >> gingrich sounded every bit the maverick, willing to balance the budget when he was speaker. >> who gets the credit? you or president clinton? >> let's be fair. if he hadn't signed it, it wouldn't have bounced. if i hadn't passed it, he couldn't have signed it. >> he told reporter to be prepared for an unorthodoxed campaign that would change positions. >> how do we hold you accountable? >> long before you get to the election we'll lock down. but the evolution of it may be more opened than anything you've seen in the campaign. >> so far, it seems undecided iowa voters are willing to listen. >> things don't change, we're going to be in a world of hurt. we need someone like him to be the president. >> reporter: terry said that any of the

no chance for gaffes. >> i'm newt gingrich. and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> reporter: but on "meet the press," his first big interview, gingrich sided with liberals, slamming fellow republican paul ryan's plan to cut medicare costs. >> i don't think right-wing social engineering is any more desirable than left-wing social engineering. i don't think imposing radical change from the right or the left is a very good way for a free society to operate. >> reporter: ryan shot back. >> with allies like that who needs the left? >> reporter: and now fellow conservatives are taking numbers to attack gingrich. >> he cuts paul ryan off at the knees. it supports the obama administration. >> reporter: headlining an editorial, "gingrich to house gop: drop dead," the "wall street journal" wrote today, "mr. gingrich chose to throw his former allies in the gop house not so much under the bus as off the grand canyon rim." the former speaker was even confronted by one critic in iowa. >> what you just did to p

gingrich said it was just a revolving fund. does the average american care about that, or is that kind of a media obsession? >> i don't know whether the average american cares about it. >> do you care about it? >> here's why i think it's an interesting and important question. this debt existed seven years after newt gingrich left public life, five years after he had married his current wife. and it raises questions to -- if you can afford $500,000 to tiffany's, well, good luck to you. but the fact that you're making purchases that you can't strictly afford seven years after you've left politics does raise the question about what exactly is your financial situation? and that rings all kinds of alarm bells if you know the kinds of operations that gingrich has been running. >> i want to slip in a question about the news this morning. i'll start with you, david, about mitch daniels, the idaho governor who is reluctant to run, not going to get into the race. he really was the candidate of the elite columnists, thinking he should hav

with trump and huckabee gone and gingrich flailing, who's going to yell out loud for the mad as hell crowd? can bachmann resist the call of the wild? with us today, hdnet's dan rather, rachel madoow, kelly o'donnell and michael gers inn. president obama has put out a new plan for the middle east and now he's headed to europe. what's at the center here is the push to put the economy back on track. that's why there's a focus on the debt compromise and that's what the election will hang on. i want to do something different this week. usually we bottom-line things with our regulars, but let's start there this week. we asked the meter, which includes kelly, what is the better position for parties to prepare for 2012, hold firm for your party's priorities like medicare or tax rates, or compromise to get a deal? it's unanimous. all 12 say compromise is the smarter presidential politics for both parties. kelly, explain that, because so far you've seen the republicans holding hard. no taxes. dismantle medicare. democrats holding back, not ready to make a deal, you're saying they're smart, bot

newt gingrich is running for president -- what's next for 2012? we tackle it all tonight on "washington week." >> osama bin laden will never again threaten the united states of america. gwen: but nearly two weeks later, the fallout from the death of public enemy number one continues, especially in afghanistan and pakistan. >> pakistan is not the birthplace of al qaeda, we did not invite osama bin laden to pakistan or even to afghanistan. gwen: as the u.s. braces for retaliation we learn more about what bin laden planned and what happens next in south is asia and the middle east. on the domestic campaign trail, more candidates join the republican fray. >> i'm newt gingrich and i'm announcing my candidacy for president of the united states because i believe we can return america to hope and opportunity. >> there is an old saying, three's a charm. gwen: and others edge toward the ring. how long can the democratic president capitalize on the g.o.p.'s uncertainty? covering the week, nancy youssef of mcclatchy newspapers, david sanger of "the new york t

newt gingrich's private life has been messy, on his third marriage, two divorces. he's also had affairs. he admits one of those affairs was going on right around the time he, as speaker of the house, was helping impeach then president bill clinton for lying about cheating on his wife with monica lewinsky. at the time gingrich and others accused clinton of trying to hide the truth. >> the most systematic deliberate obstruction of justice coverup in effort to avoid the truth we have ever seen in american history. >> reporter: now the former speaker wants clinton's old job and gingrich is seemingly an open book. he's confessed his cheating, endured a series of excruciating interviews about his private life and spent long hours talking to conservatives, especially in places like iowa about how and why he's a different man. he's talked about it on the christian broadcasting network. >> there's no question that at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately i felt about this country, that i worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appro

(laughter) but out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia emerged gingrich. (laughter) (cheers and applause) once again, ready to lead those who won't be intimidated by the political elite and are ready to take on the challenges america. nation! (cheers and applause) >> stephen: john lit go! -- lithgow! (cheers and applause) usa! usa! usa! usa! (cheers and applause) >> stephen: i know who i am voting for in 2012. wow, i am sure that won back all of newt's supporters that haven't just watched the dexter marathon. you're welcome, newt. go get em, buddy. folk, swimsuit season is right around the corner and there's one place i always turn for my fitness tips, the house of representatives. (laughter) just check out this month's issue of the very not gay men's health magazine. that's illinois republican aaron schoch showing off his six-pack abs. and if you look closely you can also see his pathway to prosperity. (laughter) (cheers and applause) >> stephen: now congressman schoch is partnering with men's health to promote a fitness initiative called the fit for life