wide-ranging better view. and growing likelihood israel could attack iran's nuclear sites anytime in the next few months. that chilling prospect is only the latest stunning statement by leon panetta. why is she speaking so freely? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." it's been a long time since economists have sounded so giddy about jobs, but they're cheering, showing nearly a quarter of a million jobs, 243,000 were added in january, far more than expect ed the dow jones industrials just closed, up more than 150 points to reach its highest level in almost four years. the nasdaq reached a peak it hasn't seen in more than 11 years, but that doesn't mean is the economic picture is suddenly all rosy. let's go live to dan lothian, he's looking at all of this. dan? >> reporter: that's right. the white house has cautious optimism. for the past few years we've been talking about high unemployment numbers, now 8.3%. behind these numb imperils are real people. they aren't popping champagne corks, but given the better than expected numbers, one economist says they should be celebrating. >> this report is a reason for the president to -- >> but 8.3% unemployment is far from a healthy economy. in hard-hit nevada on the eve of the next republican presidential contest, liza valdez knows that too well. >> it's been tough. i've been out of work since september 11th. >> reporter: she and her friends in the hospitality industry are in the same boat -- sinking, but on the horizon the encouraging unemployment numbers. the economy is growing stronger. the recovery is speeding up, and we've got to do everything in our power to keep it going. >> reporter: republicans on capitol hill were caught off-guard. poised to send out prewritten press releases about disappointing numbers, statements were delayed and revised according to two congressional republican sources. >> there's certainly some positive news here, but the point we're making is we could do a lot better. house speaker john boehner called on the senate to move on more than two dozen of their jobs bills. the president returned fired calling on lawmakers to renew the payr08 tax cut and unemployment insurance, quote, without drama. >> do not slow down the recovery that we are on. don't muck it up. >> but that's essentially what hopefuls have accused the president of doing, and they're used the bad economy and high unemployment as examples of his failed policies. >> i know the president didn't cause this downturn, this recession, but he didn't make it better, either. >> reporter: but some economists say it's hard to argue with the numbers. >> the issue of unemployment, at least the extent to which we talked about it up to now, will not be as much of a political issue come election time. i think there would be a much stronger argued to talk about how much the economy has recovered than it is to talk about how bad things are continuing. >> reporter: back in las vegas, valdez is more concerned about getting back to work than helping the president keep his job. >> you know, you just have to do your best. if it works, it works. you get lucky. >> reporter: part of his push to create jobs, the president today unveiled a plan to help post-9/11 veterans get back to work. this is something he talked about. under in initiative communities get grant money from the administration to essentially move these veterans to the front of the line for jobs in law enforcement and money for fire departments to hire and training these veterans, but this will require congressional approval. >> thanks very much for that, dan. the republican candidates for president are sparring over the economy just a day before nevada's republican caucuses. our national political correspondent jim acosta joins us now from las vegas with the latest. jim? >> reporter: wolf, newt gingrich came to this country music bar to poke what his calls mitt romney's boo-boo, the comment he said he wasn't very concerned about the very poor, but those comments come as some are questioning whether mitt romney's gas -- would make this gop front-runner not a bonanza, but a blunder in the fall. wrinkling up votes in a las vegas country musical bar with its own mechanical bull, he accused mitt romney of stepping in it once again. >> trying to recover from hi boo-boo, talk about every possible example of what we don't want. >> reporter: when the gop front-runner on wednesday said he wasn't concerned about the very poor, a comment he now admits he'd like to have back. >> when you do i don't know how many thousands of interview, now and again you may get it wrong and i misspoke. >> rick santorum said it's more man that gaffe. >> i want to belong to a party that focuses on 100% of americans and create opportunity for every single american. >> reporter: the comments may not hurt romney this weekend, but top conservatives are starting to worry that he's harnding democrats a highlight reel that will be definitely in the fall. >> he comes across as the prototypical rich republican. it's going to make it harder and harder and harder to go after obama. >> reporter: another potential problem is the latest drop in the unemployment rate. romney whose campaign catchphrase is obama isn't working now acknowledging that the economy is improving. >> i know the president didn't ka us this downturn, this recession, but he didn't make it better either. he made it worse. >> but gingrich is as harsh as ever on the president's record. he still refers to mr. obama as a food stamp president, though altered it slightly. >> we now know from governor romney he joins obama, obama's big food stamp, he's little food stamp, but they bond think food stamps are okay. >> reporter: while romney's misstep on the poor may not change the caucuses in nevada, it gives newt gingrich one more chance to put the horns to mitt romney and perhaps climb back in the saddle. >> good work. thanks, gym, very much. mitt romney's rivals are forced to play catch-up. let's bring in gloria borger. has newt gingrich found a single winning message yet? >> no, he hasn't. after his defeat in florida, there was a lot of talk within the gingrich compare what he would embark on was a conservative crusade, the heir to the legacy of ronald reagan. what we've seen is indeed he's continuing just to pound away at mitt romney personally, saying things like someone as rich as romney shouldn't make comments about not caring about the poor, so call him obama-light is a strategy if he would stick to it. but calling him a rich guy is just not going to get you a lot of votes. that's the question with newt gingrich. does he have the discipline to stick to one strategy. let's talk about the nevada caucuses. this time tomorrow we will be reporting on the results as they start coming in. everyone expects mitt romney will win. the polls show he's way ahead, in part because of the a large mormon population in that state. >> in 2008, he won the nevada caucuses, one quarter of the republican caucus-goers in nevada are mormon. clearly he's got that on his side, but he's also making use of his campaign lists and organization from 2008, and he's spending money in this state. the last thing he wants to be is embarrassed in the state of nevada. take a look at this flyer, for example. he says newt gingrich spells trouble, and in the headlines of this, as you request see, it calls him erratic, unethical and reckless. on the air the romney campaign has spent $500,000. romney 'super pac over $720,000, all of it negative. by comparison, newt gingrich has spent in the state zero dollars. the big question is whether his super pac sugar daddy mr. addle zone will ante up more. >> that's what they're aiming for. they new unemployment numbers, a quarter of a million jobs created in january alone, the unemployment mum better going down to 8.3%. it does put some pressure on the republicans. >> it sure does. the high unemployment number has always been his achilles' heel. they're not willing to dance over at the white house, because they understand there's some complications that could occur. for example, wolf, if all of those discouraged workers start now looking for jobs, what you could see is the unemployment number go up again if they decide to start trying to get back in the workforce. republicans as you saw, have to moderate their message, give barack obama some credit and say, you know what this these jobs didn't come back fast enough and we would be better stewards of the economy than he has been, but it becomes more nuanced. >> like everything else. gloria, thanks very much. by the way, i'll speak with newt gingrich about the jobs numbers, his bitter rivalry with mitt romney, his plan for a moon colony, a whole lot more. my one on one better view is coming up this hour, right here in "the situation room." a stunning turnaround by the susan g. komen foundation. the kander fighting group has reversed a controversileality decision to cut funding and apologized to the american people for decisions it says cast doubt on its mission of saving women's live. it took considerable heat from democratic lawmakers and other social networks for initially deciding to halt funding for planned parenthood's breast cancer screening. critics had accused komen of giving into pressure from antiabortion activists who targeted planned parenthood. we'll get reaction from newt gingrich to this reversal as well. a shocking revelation that israel may bomb iran within a matter of a few months, but why is the defense secretary leon panetta speaking publicly about so many sensitive matters? and can president obama take any credit for the latest signs that the economy is now rebounding? i'll ask newt gingrich about that and a whole lot more. and another scandal emerges from the pardons issued by the former mississippi gonchor haley barbour, you won't believe what happened after he let a multiple dui offender off the hook. [ kyle ] my bad. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have...[ roger with voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪ the allstate value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. we heard a truly chilling forecast this week that war could break out in the middle east almost at any time. it comes from someone who should know, the defense secretary leon panetta. it's only the latest stunning statement he's made. barbara? >> a top aide to panetta says, look, he's just a man who is blunt and direct and helps the president deliver messages when needed, but that blunt talk is causing a lot of raised eyebrows. when defense secretary leon panetta let it be known he was worried israel might soon bomb iran's nuclear facilities, he set off his own mini-explosion. >> a little surprised he was as gressive in his talks. we have a lot of discussions in classified settings. i was taken aback a bit. >> some staff members tell cnn they have been startled business hi continuing public revelations. these are sensitive matters usually reserved for discussion deep inside the pentagon and the cia on cbs' "60 minutes" for the first time panetta tells why he believes that pakistan had to have known where bin laden was hiding. >> we had seen some military helicopters actually going over this compound. >> reporter: a close ide denied this was big news. the ide says panetta just wants to be open with information, but the secretary has had a lot to say. >> we've had a week of many statements by the secretary most of which appear to have not been calculated and not helpful. >> reporter: when panetta told reporters for the first time combat in afghanistan would be wrapping up, quote hopefully by the mid to latter first part of 2013 was fresh meat. >> why in the world do you go to the people you're fighting with and telling people the day you're peg out troops. his naivete is putting in jeopardy the mission of the united states of america and our commitments to freedom. >> reporter: some aides say that the revelation got ahead of 9 president making the announcement himself. >> frankly, my understanding is that was ahead of when it was supposed to come out. >> reporter: all of this forced the white house to defend the defense secretary. >> he's an artful man, he wasn't -- again, simply discussing the consultations he was about to have with his fellow defense minister, and talking about what could bhe the case. >> so i circled back to one of panetta's top senior aides and says, what gives? why is the secretary making all these revelations in public and the aide said, no comment. it's just an indicator, wolf, of how sensitive things are around the pentagon right now. >> certainly are. good point. barbara, thank you. a check on the other days of the day up next. how much credit goes to the president of the united states? you might be surprised by newt gingrich's answer. my interview this hour. and dead dolphins are washing on shore by the dozens. cnn goes to the scene. that's coming up as well. it's powerful relief that works at the site of pain and lasts up to 12 hours. salonpas. can you enjoy vegetables with sauce and still reach your weight loss goals? you can with green giant frozen vegetables. over twenty delicious varieties have sixty calories or less per serving and are now weight watchers-endorsed. try green giant frozen vegetables with sauce. i want to fix up old houses. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. thanks, mom. i just want to get my car back. [ female announcer ] discover what's next in your life. get this free travel bag when you join at aarp.org/jointoday. when we were determined tobag see it through. here's an update on the progress. we're paying for all spill related clean-up costs. bp findings supports independent scientists studying the gulf's environment. thousands of environmental samples have been tested and all beaches and waters are open. and the tourists are back. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ kyle with voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have...[ roger with voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no...we're not. ♪ the allstate value plan. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. more ruthless fighting in cairo. lisa sylvester is monitoring that as well as other stop stories. what's going on? the government says over five people dead and 1400 injured between violent clashes. protesters reportedly have been throwing mott to have cocktails. the demonstration started after 79 people died in a soccer stadium riot on wednesday. hundreds are dies from freezing cold weather in europe. the eastern countries are being hit the hardest. officials say about 100 have died in the ukraine alone where temperatures gone down to 27 degrees below zero. it's spreading east to portugal, and even causing snow to fall in the sahara. the red cross is providing for those in need. the secret to michelle obama's toned arms. it may be out. she appeared on ellen degeneres' show, and look at her go. she was challenged to a pushup context, and she didn't disappoint. she beat ellen by doing 25 pushups. ellen says she lost on purpose, but i think michelle obama, it looks like she won fair and square. look at the two of them go. that's pretty impressive. >> can you do 25 pushups? >> no, i do the girlie pushups, you know, knees down on the ground. i can do 25 of those. >> that's not that hard. the first lady, she knows how to do the pushups. >> i wouldn't have been able to hang. i just wouldn't have been able to keep up. i know my limitations. >> she's inspiring all of us, just by those 30 seconds. after mitt romney won florida, newt gingrich didn't call him to congratulate 4i78. why not? you'll find out directly from the former speaker himself when i ask him. the outspoken presidential candidate is next. and how a pardon might have led to a deadly crash. the latest backlash against the governor's pardons. i'm wolf blitzer. here are some of the stories we're working on for our next hour. america's leading breast cancer awareness group completely flips on giving money to planned parenthood. why the about-face? we have details. hackers steal messages between the united states and england. how does this happen to two world powers? the answer is coming up. imagine being spied on at your place of worship? it's happening here in the united states. we'll have details. stand by, you're in "the situation room." our top story, a very surprising jump in employment, the very latest sign that the economy is beginning to turn around. what kind of impact might they have on the presidential race? joining us from las vegas, the former speaker of the house, newt gingrich. mr. speaker, good job numbers that came in today, 243,000 jobs created last month, the unemployment rate has gone down to 8.3%. does president obama deserve credit for this positive trent? >> well, he's going to take credit for it. we've been in a -- the longest deepest recession since the great depression. we already have a report out from the congressional budget office warning that it's likely to gob up this fall and likely to see more unemployment. they're now projecting no end to this before 2014. i think, you know, vetoes the keystone pipeline, proposing the kind of taxes he has i don't think help, but i'm sure the president will take credit. and the truth is, if it gets better and better between now and the election, he will get credit. on the other hand if there is a lull before it starts getting hurt, his reelection will be in trouble. you would be blaming him, at least in part for that if that were to happen. >> right. and i think he will get some limited credit. it depends on how much the economy recovers and what the rest of the year looks like. but you don't think as of now he deserves any credit? >> wolf, it's irrelevant. if it makes you happy, give him some credit. the fact is his policies in general have driven up the national debt madively, they have weakened the united states economically, they have increased the price of gas so that it's double what it was when he came in, even at 8.3%, the economy is dramatically weaker than under ronald reagan at this xakt same point, and he won't be able to go to the public and say look house successful i've been. the most he'll be able to say is i'm less destructive than i was a year ago. >> mitt romney said he misspoke, because he wasn't concerned about poor people because there's a safety net, if do you accept that from him? >> i think what he said in the underlying par is very releague. i think we want to replace the safety net with trampoline. jack and i used to work on policies to help people get out of poverty. i'm not comfortable saying they have a safety net. in fact my campaign is based on paychecks not food stamps, so i want people to have a chance to leave welfare, leave unemployment, leave poverty behind and live a better life. i thought that -- while i'm sure he didn't mean the exact comment