FMR. GOV. MITT ROMNEY: Giving a better deal to the children of illegal aliens than we give to U.S. citizens from, from surrounding states is simply not fair and not right.

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FMR. GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Mitt Romney would rather keep people out of college so they can keep working on his lawn, since he had illegals there.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: The Democratic race in Iowa too close to call, which is why we witnessed this at Thursday’s debate.

(Videotape)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): What the American people are looking for right now is great answers to tough questions, and that is not what we’ve seen out of Senator Clinton.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY): Senator Obama’s health care plan does not cover everyone.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Insights and analysis from Ron Brownstein of the National Journal and author of “The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America”; E.J. Dionne, columnist, Washington Post; Gwen Ifill of PBS’ “Washington Week” and “The NewsHour”; Chuck Todd, NBC News political director; Byron York, White House correspondent of the National Review.

And we continue our celebration of 60 years of MEET THE PRESS. This morning, a remarkable look back at the men and women who shaped our history.

But first, what a week for politics. Welcome, all. We’ll try to put it all into context and perspective. Let’s go right to it. This is the latest poll from the Democrats in Iowa. Look at this: Hillary Clinton, 27; Barack Obama, 25; John Edwards, 21; Bill Richardson, 10.

Chuck Todd, what does it mean?

MR. CHUCK TODD: Well, we have a very tight race, obviously, in Iowa. And I think we’re seeing—you’re starting to see particularly the Clinton campaign get very nervous about what’s going on in Iowa. They’re now adding—they’re spending more money there, they’re adding more operatives, they’ve hired more staff. You’re starting to see the national folks parachute in. I think they’re, they’re very concerned.

Obama, the one place where everything has worked well for him has been in Iowa. They have a very good staff, a very experienced staff, and it’s probably the one place where maybe they trump the Clinton campaign when it comes to being ready for the, for the big, big show.

MR. RUSSERT: Ron Brownstein, why is there such a disparity between the national polls and Iowa?

MR. RON BROWNSTEIN: Well, because the candidates are better known there. Voters have more exposure to them. They’re getting more independent information than they are in the national polls and the states that are later in the calendar. And Iowa traditionally has been a place that has given an opportunity to candidates who aren’t necessarily at the top of the national polls.

You know, the question—to me, the disparity that’s fascinating is between the Democratic and Republican races in Iowa. You have the Democrats engaged in this all-out death match with enormous staffs, enormous investments of time, and enormous spending on advertising. On the Republican race, really, you’ve had Mitt Romney almost alone in buying television advertising, candidates not really spending nearly as much time as the Democrats. And now Mike Huckabee moving to take advantage of that vacuum and perhaps try to catapult himself into the race. It’s really extraordinary to see the difference in the investment of time and resources between the two parties as well.

MR. RUSSERT: Gwen Ifill, as a reporter what are you looking for over these next 46 days to try to make sense of this race?

MS. GWEN IFILL: Well, we’re looking for all the little bits, because right now everything is moving inch by inch. And it all counts, obviously, because of the ferocity of the campaign. You can see how much it counts. So if John McCain has decided he’s not going to compete anymore in, in Iowa, and that he’s going to take all of his resources to New Hampshire, that counts a lot. It counts a lot if, if Mike, Mike Huckabee is enough of a threat to Romney that the two of them actually start sparring with each other. Who thought at this stage that Mike Huckabee would become a target? It counts a lot because you can start to see real unhappiness, almost nastiness, real personal dislike among some of these top-tier candidates to the degree that they’re fighting over just edges. They’re fighting just for tens of votes.

MR. RUSSERT: Let’s take a look at that. This was a debate Thursday, and this is how Senator Obama responded early on. Let’s listen.

(Videotape)

SEN. OBAMA: Senator Clinton, I think, is a capable politician, and I think that she has run a terrific campaign. But what the American people are looking for right now is straight answers to tough questions, and that is not what we’ve seen out of Senator Clinton on a host of issues. On the issue of driver’s licenses or illegal immigrants. We saw in the last debate that it took not just that debate but two more weeks before we could get a clear answer in terms of where her position was.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: E.J. Dionne, she’s a capable politician, phrasing with very fain praise, I would say. Also straight answers to tough questions. Obama’s trying to frame the election that he is the candidate of candor as opposed to Senator Clinton.

MR. DIONNE: You know what strikes me is, I think the Clinton and Obama campaigns actually agree on how voters are seeing this choice, and I think they agree that there are a lot of voters out there who may have a preference now and could easily change it. I think the way people are looking at Obama is as somebody who could break with the past. We wouldn’t relive the ‘90s, as he likes to say, meaning we wouldn’t relive all the divisiveness of the Clinton years nor the Bush years. But they’re worried about whether he can—he’s experienced enough to be president. With Clinton, yes, you have a very capable politician, which was a mixed blessing from Obama, but you also have somebody who could take over the government tomorrow morning. She loves to use “ready from day one” as one of her standard lines. And I think there are a lot of Democrats who are confused about whether they want the big change with Obama or the tough experience candidate with Clinton. And then you’ve got John Edwards there who speaks to a kind of heart of the Democratic Party, particularly sort of the labor wing of the Democratic Party. He’s kind of fought his way back in with the attacks on Mrs. Clinton. We’ll see if that can sustain itself.

MR. RUSSERT: It is interesting that Senator Obama chose the driver’s licenses for immigrants as the way of saying Senator Clinton had a hard time with that question. Here’s what happened to Senator Obama at the CNN debate. Let’s watch.

(Videotape)

SEN. OBAMA: I am not proposing that that’s what we do. What I’m saying is that we can’t be...(audience laughs). No, no, no. Look, I have already said I, I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver’s licenses at the state level can make that happen.

MR. WOLF BLITZER: Senator Obama, yes or no?

SEN. OBAMA: Yes. But...

MR. BLITZER: OK.

(Audience laughs)

SEN. OBAMA: ...I, I am going to be fighting for comprehensive immigration reform. And we shouldn’t pose the question that somehow we can’t achieve that. I believe that the American people desperately want it. That’s what I’m going to be fighting for as president.

MR. BLITZER: Senator Clinton:

CLINTON: No.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Now, no as opposed to Obama’s difficulty in answering that question. Compare that to Senator Clinton’s answer two weeks ago. Let’s go back to that debate.

(Videotape)

SEN. CLINTON: What Governor Spitzer is trying to do is fill the vacuum left by the failure of this administration to bring about comprehensive immigration reform. We know in New York we have several million at any one time who are in New York illegally. They are undocumented workers. They are driving on our roads. The possibility of them having an accident that harms themselves or others is just a matter of the odds. It’s probability. So what Governor Spitzer is trying to do is to fill the vacuum.

I just want to add I did not say that it should be done, but I certainly recognize why Governor Spitzer is trying to do it.

SEN. CHRIS DODD: Now wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

SEN. CLINTON: And we have failed. We have failed.

SEN. DODD: No, no, no, you said, you said yes.

SEN. CLINTON: No.

SEN. DODD: You thought it made sense to do it.

SEN. CLINTON: No, I didn’t, Chris. But the point is what are we going to do with all these illegal immigrants who are driving on the roads?

SEN. DODD: Well, that’s a, that’s a legitimate issue.

RUSSERT: Do you support his plan?

SEN. CLINTON: You know, Tim, this is where everybody plays gotcha. It makes a lot of sense. What is the governor supposed to do? He is dealing with a serious problem. We have failed, and George Bush has failed. Do I think this is the best thing for any governor to do? No. But do I understand the sense of, of real desperation, trying to get a handle on this? Remember, in New York, we want to know who’s in New York. We want people to come out of the shadows. He’s making an honest effort to do it. We should have passed immigration reform.

(End videotape)

CONTINUED

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