ROBERT GATES: I think the book is clear that when the president responded to Hillary's comments that he was vaguely agreeing that opposition to the surge broadly had been political. And I absolutely believe that, having lived through that in the spring of 2007 up on the Hill. There are two things that made me remember what Hillary had said. The

Chris Hayes talks to Rep. Tim Huelskamp about light bulbs, the Vatican embassy, budgets and deficits. Hayes grilled Huelskamp to answer for the deficit dropping at the fastest rate since the 1950s. Hueleskamp noted that is because spending increased at a fast rate prior to deficit cuts.

GEORGE WILL: They do not have to come to the table and participate, they can go on strike. Obamacare always has counted on the mass irrationality of young people. Now, normally that's a good bet. But in this case it's not so for two reasons, the analogy to Massachusetts is all wrong for two reasons. First, the youth today as opposed to when Romney

PRESIDENT OBAMA: So Congress is going to be busy, and I’m looking forward to working with Democrats and Republicans, House members and Senate members, to try to continue to advance the economic recovery and to provide additional ladders of opportunity for everybody. But one of the things that I’ll be emphasizing in this meeting is the fact tha

JAY CARNEY: We got off to a very shaky start. And that was on us and it's on us to make up for the deficit that we created for ourselves. But, you know, nobody contests anymore whether or not there is a huge appetite for this product. Nobody contests anymore whether or not Americans are enrolling and signing up for health care through the exchanges

TUCKER CARLSON: It looks inevitable. I mean, the numbers you just put up were bad, but I think they're even worse. Reuters has a nightly tracking poll of Americans trying to figure out who is signing up exactly. What they found out is the average person signing up is older, but also much sicker than the average person. That is a flat out disaster,

HUGH HEWITT: Some of these men and women, in the thirteen years we have been at war, have been deployed six, seven, eight times, have missed dozens of Christmases and birthdays and birth of their child. And the Congress steps up, the House GOP steps up and says the only group that we are going to force to pay for their own readiness is going to be

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD): Clearly, there is going to be concern on any new program of this size. However, we see increasingly many fold increases in applications, many fold increases in people who are signing up. We see young people having increased their numbers. So the answer is, I think that this program is starting to get momentum, and I think c

Sparks fly in this compelling debate between Emily Miller (Sr. Editor, Washington Times / Author) and Kennedy over the controversial issue of the legalization of marijuana in the United States. Co-hosts Kmele Foster and Matt Welch also join in to question Miller.

Elise Foley from the Huffington Post and RCP executive editor Tom Bevan appear on BBC Radio 5 to discuss what happened this week in American politics. 

On Crossfire, US Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) says Harry Reid "cannot be trusted" after breaking his promise not to use the nuclear option in the Senate. 

Bret Baier hosts Steve Hayes, Mara Liasson and Charles Krauthammer in a discussion about hundreds of transcripts and documents from Benghazi uncovered Tuesday by "Special Report". 

CHRIS CHRISTIE: If Christie runs for president, it will be a political brawl. And that is what some Republicans want. Bring the fight to the other side. So that's why a traffic controversy has erupted all across the country.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE: The last week has certainly tested this Administration. Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve. I know our citizens deserve better. Much better. I am the governor and I am ultimately responsible for all that happens on my watch - both good and bad. Without a doubt we

Rachel Maddow reports on another act of political retribution with a more direct connection to the Christie administration than the traffic closures in Ft. Lee. The new mayor of Jersey City claims that offers of help from the governor's office were abruptly cancelled after his decision not to endorse Chris Christie.

BRIT HUME: It is a fact of political life that a politicians' staff is more likely to be spiteful and unforgiving toward the boss's rivals and opponents than the boss himself or herself. Seasoned politicians in particular know that today's opponent could be tomorrow's ally and it's wise not to take things personally. Which helps explain why it's pl

Former New Jersey newsman Steve Kornacki and New Jersey Assemblyman Gordon Johnson provide fascinating background on N.J. politics and break down the latest developments from the ongoing Chris Christie scandal with Chris Hayes.