accusation that the united states that the obama administration is being hypocrite kal about syria. you're going to want to hear what she has to say. and alarming news about what the drought across much of the midwest may do to the price of milk. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." my interview with john boehner coming up this hour. you're going to want to hear what the speaker of the house has to say on a whole range of issues, the presidential campaign, how he really feels about mitt romney, what he says about the president of the united states, where he agrees with the president and many issues where he strongly, strongly disagrees. what kind of relationship do they have? that interview coming up. but i want to get right to cnn's jim acosta. he's covering mitt romney today delivering some major messages of his own in this race for the white house. jim acosta is joining us from boston right now. what's going on on this day as far as the republican presidential candidate, jim, is concerned? >> reporter: wolf, the back and forth in this campaign right now is all about four words the president said nearly a week ago, the words you didn't build that. the comment has the romney campaign building a new line of attack that is resonating with republicans. republicans hope it's a sign mitt romney is back in business. >> when the president said that, if you got a business, you didn't build it, come here and talk to brian. and you'll learn that in fact he did build this business. >> i take umbrage at the suggestion that people don't start and build businesses. >> now, i'm know some people that think what the president said was just a gaffe. it wasn't a gaffe. it was instead his ideology. >> reporter: on a day he was expected to stay behind closed doors, he was at a truck repair company near his boston headquarters to keep hammering a comment made by the president last friday. >> if you got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. >> reporter: a new romney web video features a small business owner taking issue with the president's remarks. >> my father didn't build this company. >> reporter: and it's catching on with republicans. take this twit pick of a restaurant sign that reads "mr. obama, i did create this business." taking the words out of context about the need for spending for private businesses. so obama's team put out its own web video showing romney echoing the president's message. >> we value school teachers, firefighters, people who build roads. >> reporter: but for months democrats and the obama campaign have done their own selective editing making a meal out of romney's own gaffes. >> i like being able to fire people that provide services to me. >> reporter: republicans say they're focused on the president's record. noting in a new web video mr. obama hasn't met with his own jobs council in six months. >> no. there's no reason except the president's got a lot on his plate. >> reporter: the fierce battle has had little effect on the latest cnn poll of polls which shows the race nearly deadlocked. but another poll from usa today and gallup could be more worrisome for romney. it shows a majority of americans want to see more of the gop contender's tax returns. something mrs. romney told abc is not happening. >> you just want to give more material for more attack. that's just the answer. and we've given all people need to know and understand about our financial situation and about how we live our life. >> reporter: meanwhile, romney may be getting a lifeline from all people -- former house speaker nans si pelosi said earlier today that too much time in this campaign has been spent on the tax return issue. meanwhile, over in the senate john mccain tells cnn's piers morgan, his team found nothing in the tax returns that would have disqualified romney in his own vice presidential search four years ago. wolf. >> so i take it this notion that we had earlier in the week that a vice presidential running mate could be selected before he heads off to london for the olympic games and then going to israel to meet with the israeli prime minister, it looks like all the vice presidential discussion is now going to have to be delayed until he comes back until after the olympic games are over in mid-august before the republican convention at the end of august in tampa? >> reporter: it looks that way right now, wolf. earlier in the week it looked like the romney campaign may be searching for some kind of way to change the conversation off of all of that talk on bain capital and the tax returns. but then came this gift from president obama himself, those words, you didn't build that, that gave the romney campaign a chance to switch gears and go on the attack against the president using really his own words instead of having to come up with a hurried vice presidential announcement. and, wolf, there are some tea leaves to read here. kelly aot said to be high on mitt romney's vice presidential search list, she is going to be appearing with mitt romney up in new hampshire tomorrow. the romney campaign announced that yesterday. wolf, i think it stands to reason that the campaign would not have announced this event, would not have said slooes going to be at this event up in new hampshire if they were going to somehow come out tomorrow and announce she's the vice presidential running mate. so i think that's an indication that perhaps this window before he goes to the olympics is closing and that the vice presidential announcement will come off the olympics are over, wolf. >> they haven't released his exact schedule yet. when he's going to be in london, israel, when he's heading back to the united states. he's going to poland as well. do we know any details about that? >> reporter: wolf, i can tell you right now that, yes, all three of those countries are on the schedule. but right now the romney campaign has kept the specific details of this trip very close to the vest. i think they're still working out some of those details. and i think for security reasons, wolf, they haven' completely released all of that to the public as of this point. we hope to have more details perhaps this weekend on specific details of the trip, wolf. >> jim acosta covering mitt romney for us and doing an excellent job. thank you. three new polls agree the presidential race is a dead heat. but a closer look reveals some real weak spots for the obama campaign. our chief political analyst, gloria borger, is here. i looked at that "new york times" cbs poll and it clearly showed that there are weak spots for the president. >> and it all goes down to the question of the economy. wolf, as we've been saying all along, this is going to be an election about the economy. and what the "new york times" poll shows is that people's perceptions on the direction of the economy are beginning to harden. and they're hardening in the wrong direction as far as the obama campaign is concerned. take a look at this. when you say is the economy getting better? if you look at where it was in april, 33% and now it's down to 24%. and that really -- i was talking to some pollsters today, democratic pollsters, they consider that to be a really significant drop. also, the question is asked do you approve or disapprove of the way the president is handling the economy? now the approval rate you see is 39%, but back in april it was 44%. so the perceptions are hardening. and this is really not good news for the president. >> this number is significant. do you approve the president's handling of the economy, it's such a significant factor, the economy, the economy, the economy. >> right. and you see that 55% disapprove. now, the question is, do they believe that mitt romney would do a better job than president obama? that has to be decided. but what you see the obama campaign really trying to do right now is disqualify mitt romney essentially as a candidate. and they figure if they can do that, then the people will say, okay, you know what, we may not be thrilled, but we really don't want to take that risk. so we're going to re-hire president obama. >> they're trying to do to romney what the republicans did to michael due caucus in 1988. >> if you look at the polling, wolf, to me what's interesting in the polling so far it hasn't moved the numbers. the thing we should look at and this race is a statistical dead heat, but what we have to look at is the races in the key battleground states. because that's where this election is going to be either won or lost. and right now most of the battleground states and you see are really still a dead heat. you look at ohio, the president is up nine points. some people believe it's not as high as nine points. but that's where this election is going to be fought. and this is where it's going to be won or lost. >> if the president wins in ohio, it would be a huge, huge win. no republican has won the white house without winning ohio. >> right. >> i think it would be because the president helped save the auto industry. and so many jobs in ohio, obviously michigan, but in ohio and other states in the midwest are dependent on the supply route for the auto industry. that would be a huge thing. >> right. that's such a key battleground state for both parties right now. and the question is whether suburban women might go for mitt romney in that state. so it's really up for grabs. so not only do you have a national poll dead heat, but you have battleground states dead heat. and some republicans are saying, you know what, if the perception is that the economy is not doing so well, why isn't mitt romney further ahead? >> as important as the national polls, the battleground state polls are much more important. gloria, thanks so much. >> exactly. >> jack cafferty's joining us right now with the cafferty file. jack. >> tough to believe still three months to go before the election. it's already turned into a knife fight. the air waves flooded with negative ads. they come at us from both sides now often, loud, obnoxious, borish and lack anything resembling dignity. most are irrelevant. coming from president obama and the democrats, they take aim at things like mitt romney's old tax returns, time at bain capital more than a decade ago. as for romney and the republicans, their attack ads focus on obama care, the disappearance of hope and change and the economy and jobs, which at least resonates for a lot of people. one obama ad features romney singing "america the beautiful" offkey while a romney ad has the president singing "i'm so in love with you." it's childish. they don't address the real problems. $16 trillion national debt, 8.2% unemployment, rapidly approaching fiscal cliff. instead they fill the air waves, tv screens, computers with noise. when asked about negative ads, president obama told cbs news he's done "a whole slew of positive ads talking about education, the tax code, how to rebuild america and promote energy development, but they're not getting news coverage." probably true. but without the negative ads, maybe the media would pay more attention to the positive stuff. just a thought. we recently reported in the cafferty file that negative ads have skyrocketedince the 2008 race partially due to the growing involvement and huge amounts of money available to special interest groups like the super pacs. unfortunately for all of us, there is no end in sight. not for three more months. anyway, here's the question. little different. i'd rather blank than watch another campaign ad. go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, post a comment on my blog. or go to our post on the "the situation room" facebook page. wolf. >> interesting to hear the fill in the blank as they say, jack. good work. thank you. >> all right. coming up next, my exclusive interview with the speaker of the house of representatives john boehner. i was up on capitol hill talking to him today. he says he doesn't talk that much with mitt romney. we'll tell you why. and in our brand new third hour in the 6:00 p.m. eastern hour of "the situation room," the u.s. ambassador to the united nations susan rice she has some very harsh words in response to russia's charge that the u.s. is big hypocrite kal of syria. and the latest on the investigation into a terrorist bombing of a bus carrying israeli tourists. [ female announcer ] want to spend less and retire with more? at e-trade, our free online tools and retirement specialists can help you build a personalized plan and execute it with a wide range of low cost investments. get a great plan and low cost investments at e-trade. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. now to my exclusive interview with the speaker of the house of representatives john boehner. there are major headlines including the republicans plans for the looming battle over tax cuts. the speaker also agrees with president obama when it comes to syria rather than the more interventionist approach of senator john mccain and other republicans. and you may be surprised with what he has to say about mitt romney. we sat down up on capitol hill in his office just a little while ago. mr. speaker, thanks so much for joining us up here on capitol hill. >> good to be with you. >> let's talk presidential politics first. a little bit about mitt romney, a little bit about president obama. we'll start with mitt romney. you raised some eyebrows last month when you said the american people probably aren'toing to fall in love with mitt romney, mitt romney has some friends, relatives and fellow mormons. you went onto say some people that are going to vote for him, but that's not what this election is about. this election is going to be a referendum on the president's failed economic policies. it didn't sound to me at least like a ringing endorsement of the republican candidate. >> well, listen, i'm enthusiastic about mitt romney, and i think the american people will be enthusiastic come election day about mitt romney. the point i was trying to make is that this election is a referendum on the incumbent. and on in this case it's a referendum on the president's failed economic policies. his policies have not only not helped, they've actually made things worse. and as a result the american people i think vote with our wallets. and i think mitt romney's going to win this election. >> so it will be a vote -- a win for mitt romney, not so much because they love mitt romney but because they don't like the president, is that what you're saying? >> any incumbent president running for re-election, the election's going to be a referendum on the job that they've done. and i think this election's going to be similar to what we've seen in the past. >> do you spend a lot of time talking to mitt romney? >> i talk to him once in a while. but i don't spend a lot of time talking to him, no. >> has he consulted with you about who his vice presidential running mate should be? >> he has not. >> i'm surprised. you're the speaker of the house of representatives, you'd think he'd call you and say what do you think about x or y. >> well, listen, the presidential candidate is entirely capable of picking their own running mate. you've got to keep this on a very closed circle. and i don't expect to be consulted. i don't need to be consulted. >> do you have a favorite? >> i have a lot of confidence in governor romney able to pick his candidate. >> you think he should release his income tax returns for more than just two years? >> i think that's nothing but a sideshow. listen, i file a financial disclosure form as do all federal candidates including governor romney, and this is nothing more than a way to try to distract people from the president's failed economic policies. >> a bunch of republicans are urging him to do so as you know. >> again, i think it's a sideshow. he released his returns from 2010. he's going to release his returns from 2011. i think that's more than enough. >> all right. we got you on that. let's talk about president obama. yesterday you said this. >> i think the president's attack on the private sector in america is exactly what's wrong with this administration. doesn't give a darn about middle class americans out there looking for work. what he's trying to do is distract the american people in order to win his own re-election. >> mr. speaker, the president of the united states doesn't give a darn about middle class americans? >> if he did, why wouldn't he meet with his own jobs council? why wouldn't he spend some time over the last nine months talking to the leaders here in congress about what we can do together to help get our economy going again? the president checked out last labor day. and he's been on the campaign trail nonstop ever since. it's all about him. when the american people elect us because it's about them. >> you used to have a good relationship with the president. >> i have a good -- >> you were very close to a deal that would have solved a lot of these problems. >> yeah. listen, i have a very good relationship with the president. doesn't mean we agree on everything. and when you look at some of the nonsense that's going on in the campaign here over the last couple weeks, you begin to scratch your head. somebody's got to speak english. i'm not afraid to do it. >> on the middle class, you and he agree on one thing that 98% of american households, they should continue paying the current rate, the bush tax cuts, that is a foregone conclusion. where you disagree is on the top 2% making more than $250,000 a year. so here's the question, why not get the middle class folks making under $250,000 off the table? pass that, extend that. he says he's willing to sign that into law right away. most americans would then no longer have to worry about a tax increase. and then later you can fight over the top 2%. >> well, earnest young came out earlier this week made clear that the plan will cost our economy about 700,000 jobs. we all know that almost half that income from that top 2% are small business people who run their businesses as pass through entities. they pay their business taxes as part of their personal tax. this is the wrong thing to . >> why not just get where you agree, agree and then fight over the 2% later? >> well, you probably will recall that in 2009, 2010 when democrats had the white house, big majorities in the house, big majorities in the senate, they couldn't pass that president's plan. couldn't do it. why? because the votes aren't there. the votes are there, democrats and republicans in a bipartisan way to extend all of the current tax rates. in this economy as fragile as it is, raising taxes on americans especially american small business people is a monumental mistake. >> i understand that. but i'm just saying the argument they make is you're holding 98% of the american people -- american households, hostage in order to make sure that the richest americans don't get a tax increase. >> that's what they say. >> that's what i said. >> what i'm trying to do is to protect all americans and keep our focus on what the american people want us focud on. and that's the economy and jobs. if we're serious about getting the economy going and creating jobs, we need to extend all the current tax rates. >> so there's no way you're going to separate the 98% a vote tomorrow, next week, next month. >> it would be the wrong thing for the country to do. >> and so you're looking ahead to the lame duck assuming nothing happens between now -- do you think anything's going to happen between now and the election? >> the house will extend all of the current tax rates. we'll do this in a couple weeks. we'll send it to the senate and hope they act. there's no reason to hold our economy hostage because no one k