David Gergen

The world is looking for a different type of leadership. The world applauds -- much of the world applauds President Obama.

Listen, I think that President Obama is bringing a very different approach to international affairs than President Bush did.

I believe that the central purpose of what we're going to be focused on as an international community is whether the Iranians are willing to go freeze their nuclear weapons development.

I think the real test is going to come over to Iran with the U.N. and whether it's going to have sanctions and that is what Netanyahu is pointing toward today.

Yes. And I just -- you know, I'm told, in North Carolina, people actually want to move on. They would like -- they would like to just sort of forget John Edwards.

I have to believe that, you know, with a wife who's been diagnosed with terminal cancer, there must be some part of him that's also felt, the more I tell of this, the more pain it causes.

Well, we have had a lot of tawdry cases in politics. And this is yet another one.

There is something pathological about this, about the way the story has been told and then retold and retold.

I think that's where he keeps it in perspective of why this is even a story.

I do not think racism is driving the opposition to health care.

I think we have to look at the bigger picture. And one fact that keeps being forgotten here is that 53 percent of Americans voted for Barack Obama, the black candidate.

It's certainly not. And the White House would very much like to change the subject.

I agree to you on that John.

I don't think we ought to let Rush Limbaugh's comments drive a conversation like this, about whether the country is racist or not. I think we have to look at the bigger picture.

I personally believe there are racists at the fringes, at the extremes here. But I think it's wrong-headed and I think it's unfair and I think it's indeed a libel upon many of the opponents, most of the opponents of health care reform to…

I think it's different in kind from what we've seen over a lot of -- domestic fights. We're shouting past each other in a way now that I think makes governance extremely difficult.

He's a racist in chief?

I think all of us thought polarization had reached its limits under George W. Bush. I worry a lot we're going even beyond what we saw with George W. Bush.

Healthy dissent is a good thing. It's healthy for the country.

I think that, Anderson, we are -- we're going off the rails here in some of these demonstrations. I think we went off the rails against George W. Bush. And now they're clearly going off the rails against Barack Obama.

He's a racist-in-chief? Racist-in-chief? Is that what you called him? The racist-in-chief -- that's unbelievable.

He's going to have a choice and he's going to have to make a very tough one. And, this time, he cannot split the difference.

You know, he would have been better off, I think, getting -- cutting a deal three months ago and then going and taking it to the country.

He's got to get a negotiation, if he can, before Wednesday night.

The president's problem is that 60 members of the House have signed a letter saying they will not vote for a bill, in effect, that does not have a robust public option.