right now mitt romney's on his way home from an overseas trip his campaign is calling a great success even though it generated embarrassing headlines at every stop. latest came today in poland when one of romney's top aides cursed at reporters asking questions. one of them was our jim acosta, who joins us from warsaw. jim, what happened today that the romney team sounds upbeat despite all that's been going on? >> reporter: well, joe, a senior romney advisor told reporters here in warsaw that mistakes do happen out on the campaign trail. but when asked what mistakes were made on this overseas trip, that advisor couldn't name any. instead the campaign says the world got to hear from a candidate who they say speaks from the heart. it's the image mitt romney has wanted voters to see for the last week. the gop contender walking tall on the world stage here visiting poland's tomb of the unknown soldier and later praising the soviet black country for escaping the iron curtain. >> i and my fellow americans are inspired by the path of freedom tread by the people of poland. >> reporter: but on ere leg of his trip, he and his campaign faced one controversy after another. from romney's comments questioning london's readiness to host the olympics to his remarks at a fundraiser in israel hinting cultural differences might explain palestinian poverty. >> governor romney, do you feel your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip. >> reporter: reporters try today ask romney about some of the perceived gaffes on his trip. the candidate ignored the questions. his press aide did not. >> show some respect, jim. >> we haven't had another chance to ask him questions. >> [ bleep ]. >> this is a holy site for the holy people. show some respect. >> reporter: after romney's speech in poland, senior advisor stew art stevens was asked. >> could this trip have gone more smoothly do you think in general? >> i think it was a great success. people get a good sense of what he is and this is a person speaking from the heart. and he is. >> reporter: during a week long trip to three countries, romney took only three questions from his traveling press corp. the gop contender did a series of sit-down interviews including ones with cnn's wolf blitzer and piers morgan. still the obama campaign slammed romney as not ready for primetime while the trip got a more sympathetic response from the white house. >> these are high stakes enterprises that pulling them off is a lot harder than it looks. that they can be very tense especially if they're not going well. >> reporter: signaling that it's turning the page the romney campaign unveiled a new smartphone app adesigned to announce the pick in a few weeks. >> i know what it's like to hire people and wonder whether you're going to make ends meet down the road. >> reporter: romney never openly criticized the president during this overseas trip, but all of that will change later this week when romney heads to the battleground state of colorado, joe. >> jim, i think the question at this stage is whether we've seen an apology from the aide who had that sort of misuse of words there, if you will. >> reporter: joe, there was no official apology from the campaign, but that aide did call a couple of reporters, he did apologize over the phone and the apology was accepted. joe, we are big boys and girls out here. we can take it. >> that's absolutely correct. jim acosta, stay right there. i want to bring in cnn senior correspondent dana bash covering the campaign and also gloria borger. dana, this is obviously about access. and over the years we all know there are issues and it all depends on which candidate is talking to the media. have you seen big changes in access to these candidates over the years? >> definitely seen gradual changes as i'm sure you have. look, i've had to use my former cheerleading voice many times to get a question to presidents and to candidates for president. but i've had to do that more and more as has jim over the years because, look, i mean it's just the world that we live in from their perspective that with twitter, the internet, with everything going viral immediately, it's hard for them to say anything without altering the message that they're trying to get out that day. having said that, it is frustrating having been a reporter on several presidential mpaignouthere, youe goinon the bus, reng off thbu're siing through every speech anyou nta a thto bes a th.lyof a ikth wre'r anhing, that's what happens when you really try to ask. and you have to be careful of your surroundings, but you got to do your job. >> gloria, and i have to ask you, in the big picture, how imkou tomy lost the narrative? >> well, i think he's steered himself a little bit off script more than his campaign would have wanted. but then to carry the metaphor a little bit, you have to sort of ask yourself, who's actually watching the play? are the independent voters right now focused on mitt romney's foreign trip and the gaffes he made? probably not. independent voters are not going to vote on the commander in chief question as much as president obama might like that, they're going to vote on the economy. so romney did get some good pictures even though he got some bad press with the palestinians and the brits. he did get a nice warm reception from netanyahu and nick valencia. did he make more gaffes over there than he did over here? >> i think the answer i think is probably no. >> yeah. he's had challenges from time to time. we all know that. jim, there's a new mitt romney ad out. what does it mean coming this time where we are in the campaign? >> my own experience was i got the chance to start my own business. i know what it's like to hire people and to wonder whether you're going to be able to make ends meet down the road. freedom and free enterprise are what create jobs. not government. from those experiences, i went off to have the chance of running the olympics in salt lake city in 2002. i came in and found that we had not only the scandal to deal with, but also a financial crisis to deal with. by the time the games were over we had about $100 million we put into for the future olympic sport. [ applause ] the real experience was in massachusetts i found a budget badly out of balance. we cut our spending. our legislature was 85% democrats. and every one of the four years i was governor we balanced the budget. i want to use those experiences to help americans have a better future. we believe in our future. we believe in ourselves. we believe the greatest days of america are ahead. >> believe in the america you built. believe we can build it again. >> i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> jim acosta, looks a lot like morning in america to me. >> reporter: it does. and in a conversation earlier maybe remember ronald reagan and the way he use today pretend he couldn't hear sam donaldson's questions. but to show you the contrast with how candidates can handle things on the campaign trail but to your point over the ad, this is going to be long forgotten perhaps as soon as next week. this campaign is going to be about the economy. both campaigns know about that. it's no surprise that the very first ad that goes out on the air as romney comes back to the states is about the economy, joe. >> about the economy, joe, but also a pivot in terms of how he's dealing with his own experience. his experience, the obama campaign has been able to in some ways successfully turn into a negative. he's trying to turn it back into a positive saying, look, i did all these things and this is why you should elect me. >> and also taking a knock at president obama by saying the america you built because -- >> subtle, but it's there. >> a little bit subtle but talked about his business experience, didn't mention bain capital by name, but did talk about business. >> dana, there's some other news obviously on capitol hill that is certainly important to the country as we move through the november elections. talk about that, will you? >> exactly. we're all talking about what's important and not important when it comes to the elections. and what is important to congress, democrats and republicans, is not having the fear and the threat of government shutdown. so there was a deal today among democrats and republicans to say that they're going to have a stopgap measure for six months. so that means they're not going to have to worry about -- it really sa political jumpball whether or not the government shuts down. they're going to kick that can down the road. you covered congress for a long time. this is not the first time it happened. it is their job to fund a government. they didn't do all their work -- >> kicking the can. that's also their job these days. >> it absolutely is. thanks so much, dana bash, gloria borger and in warsaw, jim acosta, thanks for your reporting there. mitt romney's top opponent in the primary, former senator rick santorum, hasn't been invited to speak at the republican convention. i'll ask him about that coming up next. and the stars of the new movie "the campaign" are in "the situation room." will ferrell and zach galifianakis will get their take on the movie's co-star wolf blitzer? it's in the teleprompter. >> with a thin majority in the house, this race could be hugely important. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] [ dramatic soundtrack plays ] whether it's showing competitors' rates or striving to be number one, we're always up for a little competition. zap! 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[ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ during the republican primaries rick santorum emerged as mitt romney's most tenacious and effective conservative rival even though he's not considered likely to be romney's running mate, he's keeping a close eye on the campaign's developments including the former governor's just-completed overseas trip. joining me now is former senator rick santorum. thanks for coming in. good to see you, again. >> thank you, joe. very fond memory of you on the campaign. the day we found out the cnn poll was coming out, you were in muskatine, iowa with me. >> so on monday mitt romney compared the per capita gdps of israel and the palestinian-controlled areas, what do you make of that comment? >> well, i would just say that, you know, the facts are the facts. the facts that the israelis have a dynamic marketplace, they've put together just like we did in this country based upon our values, based upon our culture, we put together laws that allow for freedom, that allow for people to be able to reap the fruits of their labor, for equality, and people would be able to go out and prosper. and as a result of those values reflected in the laws and created opportunities as a result. and i think the israelis have copied -- not copied, but used the example of the united states as a basis for their country. and i think what you've seen in the palestinian authority is not that. you see a society that is based on a very different set of values and structures and is not as successful. i think that's the point he was trying to make. >> you agree with his comment? as you know, some of the palestinians have been using strong language, some have gone as far as calling that comment racist. >> again, look at the laws of the country are a reflection of the values of the people. and if you look at the israeli economy, it is a free and open economy. it is one that allows for entrepreneurship. it's a very encouraging economy for growth. and i don't think -- and they have solid education system, again, reflected in their laws, their culture of the importance of education and the equality, very important, equality of all and the opportunity of equality of all is very, very important in that culture and leads to success as it has here in america. >> for the record it's important to say that mitt romney has said he was not criticizing palestinian culture. overall in the totality of it, do you think this trip was a success? he's had what have been described as some gaffes. >> you know, what i find is is that when conservatives and republicans make a misstep, they're blown out of proportions, when the other side does, they're ignored. i think if you look at the symbolism that was behind the romney effort, the symbolism in poland, here is a country that's been abandon, this is a country that is pro-american, pro-free market, pro-the things we stand for in this country and this president has systemically turned his back on them. if you look at israel, again, culture, economy, national security all in line with the united states. this administration has turned its back on them. great britain, same thing. sending back the bus. again, distancing ourselves from our oldest ally in the last hundred years and best ally in the last hundred years. and i think it's ajuktive position. >> was it a success? do you think it was a success for mitt romney? >> i think the long-term take from this is one that we can go out and make the differentiation between what a world under mitt romney and a republican administration would be versus the tattered relationships that we have with some of our best and longest and strongest allies. >> do you think he needs to release his tax returns like you used to? i know back in january you did say you thought he did need to release his tax returns. >> he did release his tax returns. he released the one year. >> but just one year. >> and i went out -- well, i think probably his one-year tax return is bigger than my ten years. >> but do you think there are some years he didn't pay taxes at all? >> oh, i don't know. i think to me it's a distraction. governor romney can make that case from the standpoint of the politics of it. i'm not going to weigh-in on that. i think if you look at the pressure that governor romney is getting on his tax returns and you look at the lack of pressure president obama's had on a whole series of things personal to him that he's still refused to include his transcripts and a whole list of other things, it's again a double standard. and i think if president obama wants to set record for transparency, he should be a lot more transparent as a result. >> you have not been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for mitt romney. why do you think you haven't been vetted? >> oh, i think i've probably been pretty well vetted. >> you think you have? >> i think they know more about me than just anybody. and, you know, look, when you're in the ring and slugging away, they know everything about us. and, you know, we have a pretty good idea of what they're about too. i don't think that's part of it. look, governor romney has a right to pick who he feels comfortable with, someone he has confidence in, someone he has a good, strong relationship with and that he can build upon. that's a personal decision. and i trust governor romney will make a very good one. >> what is your relationship with him now? and do you think you ought to get a speaking role at the rnc convention? >> you know, we've been in communication with the romney campaign. they have been nothing but receptive in things we've asked what we can do and things they've asked us to do. i have no doubt that we'll have some role at the convention. and as you know they haven't announced any speakers other than chris kristie as the keynote. i will do my best to be helpful in the cause. >> you do expect to speak at the convention? >> i will have some role at the convention. it's up to governor romney what is best. i think we can communicate a message that will hopefully bring folks along to support governor romney and hopefully with a lot of enthusiasm. >> thanks so much for that. former senator rick santorum. really good to see you. >> my pleasure, joe. good to be here. it's the talk of the olympics. viewers frustrated they have to wait to see the big events. not anymore. we have the most up-to-date results way before you see it on tv tonight. and a beer-related delay to a boyfriend's dream wedding proposal. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] you've been years in the making. and there are many years ahead. join the millions of members who've chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning you can feel. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with a patented safety alert seat. when there's danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all-new cadillac xts has arrived, and it's bringing the future forward. consider the journey of today's athletes. their training depends on technology. and when it takes a battery, there are athletes everywhere who trust duracell. they rely on copper to go for the gold. duracell. trusted everywhere. and soon...even more reason to trust duracell. duralock power preserve. it locks in power for up to 10 years in storage. guaranteed. duralock. coming soon to every duracell battery. a massive power outage crippling india for a second day in a row. mary snow is monitoring that and other stories in "the situation room" right now. mary, what's the latest? >> hi, joe. power is slowly being restored after today's outage that affected more than half a billion people. both leapt the capital of new dell delhi in the dark. here in the u.s. george zimmerman's wife pleaded not guilty to charges of perjury. prosecutors say she lied about how much money the couple had at a hearing to decide how much her husband's bond would be. shellie zimmerman told the court they didn't have money to pay for his defense. but prosecutors say the couple had $135,000 in different accounts. check this out. a proposal at a baseball game is that your girlfriend doesn't see the message. that happened to greg. you see him? erica left her seat in the middle of that message in the fifth inning. she went to go get drinks. she brought two back, just like a great -- the cubs scored nine runs in the bottom of the inning. that was enough to keep her by greg's side. he opted to make the proposal in person. she didn't miss the message this time? happy ending. gets the girl in the end. >> oh, that's awesome. thanks so much for that, mary. cnn is getting rare access in syria. coming up in our next hour, ivan watson takes us inside a makeshift rebel prison. but first, the stars of the new movie "the campaign" are here. i'm talking with will ferrell and zach galifianakis next. ♪ there is no relief for the brakes. we'll put them to the test today. all right, let's move out! 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