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Republican primary today. is this a hollow argument? this is completely a different time. we all get that. the president closing the door on the new talks where revenues were on the table. can he make a case to americans that he can deliver on fixing the grand debt problem? >> i think he can especially when you look at the ryan plan and romney's plan, both of which effectively add to the debt. i don't know that it's as s.e. suggested this is the mommy party or the daddy party because this is a party platform, the democratic platform that gives middle class americans a chance at the same time i...

Few weeks? >> the optimism vanished not long after it all began. i think when they saw where these sides were going -- and they gave proposals back and forth. they talked at a staff level, at a member level. there were only a few public hearings which were really more about how big is the problem than trying to get anything accomplish. so there has been a sense for a long time that this was a very heavy lift and despite people saying failure is not an option, it turned out it was an ops and it is not a surprise and really the issues today is how to put the best public face on it and to prepare...

Set more rabid to sell books. >> stop that. that's not true! that is not true! i was far more rabid to sell my book than he was! >> that was a mess. >> if you could follow my guide in the future and just keep calm and carry on. i think drive by shooting was -- i think that was rhetorically inflammatory. that's all i'm going to say. >> okay. >> and i think we can move on now and talk about important matters. >> i thought it was fascinating article. >> because, again, i think and mike barnicle hears it all the time that there is the belief that a lot that he wrote about in that book is actually ...

That the white house supported vilsack's decision. in fact, vilsack put out an additional statement further explaining why it is that he felt it was necessary to ask for her resignation. >> so, savannah, let me stop you for a second, though. solely at vilsack's discretion, but the woman herself said that the white house was calling, pushing to make this happen before a tv show came on. >> she -- >> it sounded like it was solely at vilsack's discretion and sounds like spin. that sounds like the white house was panicking, freaking out, calling him up screaming at the top of their lungs. >> it de...

Wasn't some coordination. and you don't have to divine much thought. the president made it clear that he wants this released. i think at a staff level, at the very least, it would be very surprising if there was not coordination. one thing they are coordinating on, though, i'm told, is the release of the memo if the president decides that, which we believe they will, that they will coordinate the release of the memo. but it's hard, again, to imagine that there wasn't some coordination here whether they said there was or not. >> especially against the backdrop of the very unusual drama happenin...