Sunday Snapshot

Mitt Romney was on "Face the Nation":

Asked about a Newsweek poll that says 28% won't vote for a Mormon: "I think the reason that some 28, 29 percent are not comfortable voting for a Mormon is they think they're voting for Harry Reid. That's not the case. I think as people say, would you vote for Mitt Romney, and they get to know me and my wife and my family, they realize that our values are as American as any values you'll find in the country, and they're comfortable with us. Of course there will be some who don't come on board. But by and large, people will make their decision not based on where you go to church but instead based upon your values, your vision for the country and your ability to actually help the country at a time of great need."

Asked if he'll ever make a JFK-type speech on religion: "I certainly get a chance almost every day to add one or two things to that speech. I probably could never do something that would compare to what John F. Kennedy did. His was a masterpiece in American political history. But maybe there's a time when I talk mostly about religion, although I don't know. At this stage I'm getting good support across the country. People want to know a bit about my faith. They learned a bit about it. And they say, OK, well, that's fine. Now, what do you think about the jihad? What do you think about being competitive with China? How can you fix our schools? What are you going to do about health care? And those issues overtake any differences with regards to religion they might see. But maybe down the road there will be a speech. Just haven't made a final decision on that."

Asked if he takes literally the teachings of his church: "I do. I'm not going to try and distance myself in any way, shape or form from my faith. It was the faith of my fathers, of my sons, a long tradition in my family. I'm, as I say, true blue through and through. And so I accept the teachings of our church, and I do my best to live by those teachings."

On McCain's criticism of him: "I respect Senator McCain, but we have a different view on that regard. And obviously, my position did change with regards to life. But on other issues, my positions have been very consistent with my principles and my views. ... I'd note that as I look at the other candidates who are running for president, over time they look at specific areas and say, gosh, I was wrong on this. That needs to be adjusted. Senator McCain among them. He's changed his views relating to immigration in certain ways. He's changed his views on Roe v. Wade. He's changed his views -- he voted against the Bush tax cuts. Now he's in favor of them."

Asked when McCain changed his views on Roe vs. Wade: "He actually said that he was in favor of it not being overturned. And now he says he thinks it should be overturned. He was on one side of ethanol and now the other. That's fine. He's a fine person. And over time he said, gosh, there's, you know, an adjustment. But his principles have remained the same. And I just happen to disagree with them. I think we're in different places on something like immigration."

Asked how he's the "real Republican" when he's voted Dem: "Yes, I voted in the Democratic primary, as a lot of Republicans in Massachusetts do, because when there's no contest of significance on the Republican side, when you register as an independent, you can vote in the Democratic primary and vote against Bill Clinton. I used to vote against Ted Kennedy, all right? So that's something that you get to do. But look, I was a Republican through and through. My dad ran for president. I was in the Republican club when I was in college. I'm a Republican. Always have been."

More: "I'm not the only real Republican. John McCain is a real Republican, so is Rudy Giuliani. There are a lot of real Republicans. I'm not the only one, but I'm one. And I believe in the principles of my party, and believe that the only way that we're going to take the White House is not by acting like Hillary Clinton, but by holding true to the principles of our party, which is a coalition of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives. And, you know, being a Republican in Massachusetts, the most liberal state in America, that takes some backbone. And that's what I've done."

Asked who's the GOPer acting like HRC: "I'm going to let other people figure that out. But that's the wrong way to go. We don't want to turn left as a party. We want to adhere to our principles. I think amnesty in immigration is the wrong way to go. I think fighting against the line-item veto and taking that all the way to the Supreme Court, as Mayor Giuliani did, that was the wrong way to go. So we'll talk about our differences. I think McCain-Feingold, the campaign finance bill, was the wrong way to go. But these are differences on issues. It doesn't mean someone is not a real Republican. I didn't say anyone was not a real Republican" (CBS, 10/21).

NO PRIZE FOR SECOND PLACE

Joe Biden was on "This Week":

On what he hears from crowds in IA: "It's either, 'I with you,' or, 'You're my second choice.' Second isn't good enough."

More: "A lot of serious people think I'm capable of being president. And if they thought I was going to win, they'd be for me."

On McCain's criticism of his Iraq plan: "John is a good friend, as you know, a personal friend. And my response to John is, 'John, you don't like my plan. What's yours?' Not a single other person, including John McCain -- not one has offered a political solution. Not one."

More: "I love these guys on the Republican side. They know virtually -- except for John McCain -- virtually nothing about foreign policy."

Asked about Giuliani: "Virtually nothing about foreign policy. Virtually nothing. He's been the mayor of a city, a great city. How does that qualify him to be -- what has he demonstrated he knows about even national security? His claim to fame was he settled the city, in terms of its violence. He did that with a Clinton-Biden crime bill. He got another 3,000 cops. They wipe out the crime bill, what do you hear from Giuliani? Not a word.What do you hear from Giuliani about the fact that we have a situation where the 9/11 Commission has recommended $41 billion worth of changes in our national security, the president has blown it off? What's Giuliani -- do you hear him talking about that at all? Do you hear him talking about cargo containers, about his ports, about anything? Come on."

On the Iranian Guard resolution: "I think it's a gigantic mistake."

More: "I'm not going to speak about any of the motives or the judgment of any of those who voted for it. But let me tell you, do you think -- rhetorical question -- do you think this president abided by the spirit of the Iraqi Liberation Act? What did he use it for? He used it to justify taking down Saddam. Do you think he abided by the spirit of the legislation authorizing use of force in Iraq? He did not. He just leap-frogged over the conditions in it to go to war. ... The president's going to stand there and say, if he does, 'Ladies and gentlemen, as the United States Congress voted, they said these guys are terrorists. I moved against them to save American lives. They're terrorists.' That's what he'll do."

Asked if Pres. Bush takes action against Iran, the sens who voted for that resolution share responsibility: "Absolutely, positively in my view. Absolutely, unequivocally, positively."

On running for POTUS: "I think the single most important thing Americans are looking for, just my fingertip feel as a politician, is authenticity and insight. ... They're looking for somebody who's genuinely authentic, who's going to tell you what he means or she means, and has the confidence to be able to communicate to you they have the depth and breadth of knowledge to lead this country through what is going to be a fairly difficult decade. They want to trust -- they want to trust not only your character, but your judgment. And that's why I think I'm in the game. I'm not bad at this. I have a track record" (ABC, 10/21).

CAMAPAIGNS DON'T EQUAL GOVERNING

John McCain was on "Fox News Sunday":

Asked if he had to CFR all over again if he would do so: "Absolutely. You've seen the corruption in Washington. We have former members of Congress in federal prison. The approval rate for Congress is down around 11 percent because the law was not fully implemented, and the '74 law on these so-called 527s are a disgrace and they have to be eliminated because they're clearly in violation of the law. But again, if anybody thinks that special interests didn't write legislation in Washington, they didn't work there."

On the situation in the Middle East: "Iran right now developing weapons, a country that's dedicated to the extinction of Israel, in my view, is a far greater threat. But the instability in the region, of course, is going to be a serious challenge, and when we failed in Iraq, my friend, the ripple effect was all over the Middle East and reached as far as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Have no doubt about it."

Asked if people should look at how his campaign was managed and wonder if that is how he'll manage the country as POTUS: "I don't think so. But they're free to make any judgment that they want. I've been in many, many campaigns and we've done well. Sometimes we've made mistakes and sometimes we haven't. But overall, I'm proud of my record of service. I'm proud of my fiscal conservatism. And I'm proud of my record of service to the country. And I would hope they would judge that overall. And I'm proud to stand on that record as really the only one right now conservative that can beat Senator Clinton when she's the nominee."

Asked if he'll take matching funds: "We haven't made that decision yet, and it's not a decision we need to make immediately. We can continue to consider all options."

Asked if he'll take out a loan: "No."

More: "I don't rule out any option, but I certainly think that borrowing money is not something that I would prefer to do, but I won't rule out any option" (10/21).

THE FUEL-EFFICIENT CAMPAIGN

Mike Huckabee was also on "Fox News Sunday":

Asked if he has to win IA: "I think I've got to do very well. I think we have a real shot to win Iowa. If you look at some of the numbers, many of the candidates have plateaued. They've hit their peak and started sliding backwards. One thing about our campaign ... since the very beginning, we've never had a retreat. We've never had higher numbers and then lower numbers. Every month we get better. Every month those numbers keep going up. That's the direction we want to be in, and I'm very confident that as we move toward the caucuses in January, it's going to look really good for us."

Asked if he'll be broke if he doesn't win IA: "Well, you know, when people look at the money situation, I've got more cash on hand than several of the people who are supposedly supposed to be ahead of me. And if you take a look at how much money some have pumped into their own campaign from their personal resources or borrowed money, what I would point out is nobody is getting more miles per gallon than we are."

Asked who's the real conservative in the race: "We've clearly got some real conservatives in the race. I'm not the only one. And let me say Senator McCain, no matter what anyone may say, is a genuine conservative and I have great respect for the senator, and he knows that. ... So you know, I'm not going to go out there and say I'm the only conservative in the race, but I am a conservative who has authenticity. I've got consistency. I'm a hard-working conservative. I'll tell you another thing -- more executive experience than anybody running on either side, Democrat or Republican. And one other thing that I believe is important -- I'm a conservative that hasn't had but one position on a lot of key issues, whether it's sanctity of life, the Second Amendment, the Bush tax cuts, whether it's -- gosh, the position of traditional marriage. Nobody's going to find some YouTube moments of me saying something radically different than what I'm saying today" (10/21).

THE REAL THING

Stephen Colbert was on "Meet the Press":

NBC's Russert, on Colbert's WH announcement: "You've thought this through."

Colbert: "That's a generous estimation. Thank you."

More Colbert, on his campaign: "I'm far realer than Sam Brownback, let me put it that way."

Asked about the pronunciation of his last name: "Are you saying that I don't have the right to drop the T in my name? Are you saying that? Last time I checked, this was America. Or does that mean not a thing to you anymore?"

Asked why he changed how he says his last name: "I changed my name because I knew that there were people out there who needed T's."

Asked if he's comfortable in his own skin: "Oh, I'm extremely comfortable in my own skin. I'm comfortable in other people's skin."

Asked why he's only running in SC: "Because I believe that it's the greatest state of the union. ... I believe I can make a difference there. I think it is time to focus on South Carolina. Florida tried to jump South Carolina's primary date for both the Republicans and the Democrats. I want to put the focus back on South Carolina. I want it to be a permanent thing. I don't want Iowa and New Hampshire to be the only people in the United States who get to control who is a bellwether state. And if Iowa and New Hampshire don't like that, they can take some of that Iowa corn and stick it right up their Dixville Notch."

Asked if he would consider Larry Craig as a running mate: "I would."

Colbert: "I don't want to be president. I want to run for president. There's a difference."

More: "I'd like to lose twice. I'd like to lose as both a Republican and a Democrat."

Asked what kind of statement that would make: "I think that statement would make that I was able to get on the ballot in South Carolina. And if I can do it, so can you" (NBC, 10/21).

ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP

The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed WH '08:

PBS' Woodruff, on HRC: "Whatever happens ... she's already had a big effect on this race. The other candidates all—you go to their Web sites, they all have pages about where they stand on women's issues. They tout who the prominent women are who are supporting their campaign."

The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed WH '08.

The "Late Edition" roundtable discussed Bush's relevance and WH '08 [EMILY GOODIN].