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Glenn Beck

Michelle Obama Makes Another Misstep; Is Times Trying to Destroy McCain?; Homeland Security Secretary Pushes Stronger Border Security Measures; Miss America Talks about Rein So Far

Aired February 25, 2008 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GLENN BECK, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, Michelle Obama says the nation has a hole in its soul, Really? I mean, that`s poetic and everything, but I thought we had the economy and the war to worry about. Does her husband believe this, as well?

Plus, "The New York Times" takes another hit for the McCain lobbyist article. This time it`s one of "The New York Times`" own criticizing the paper`s conduct.

And it`s been a rough, rough winter everywhere. Does that mean we need to look at global cooling? No, but it does mean more voices need to be heard in the debate that`s still raging on over climate change.

All this and more, tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BECK: Hello, America. We`ve got a great show for you tonight. Stick around. You can`t -- I can`t wait to get to "The Real Story" on climate change.

But first, have you had that feeling something is missing from your life? Now, I don`t believe it`s because you didn`t watch the Oscars, because nobody did. Anyway, I believe it could be the hole in your soul. That`s according to Michelle Obama.

Here`s "The Point" tonight. Michelle Obama needs to shut the pie- hole. And here`s how I got there.

I used to say that facts were the biggest liability to Barack Obama`s campaign, but now I believe it could be his wife. We watched Hillary Clinton`s campaign start to unravel here a few weeks back, and it became clear that a lot of the blame rested in Bill`s shoulders. With his pit- bull tactics, Bubba did more to hurt his wife`s campaign than help.

Barack Obama`s wife now could be having the same damaging effect. And here is the reason I say that. Here`s part of a speech Michelle Obama gave recently that you probably heard in Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, WIFE OF BARACK OBAMA: Hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback, and let me tell you something, for the first time in my adult lifetime I`m really proud of my country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: Wow. I told you last week, I`ve been proud of our country for my whole life.

I have to agree with an editorial in today`s "New York Times" which shocks me. But in the last 20 years, nothing has happened in America that makes Michelle Obama proud to be an American? That can`t be true. Whatever happened to patriotism based on that shining city on the hill? You know, being the best we can be, not what we`ve allowed ourselves to become through party politics.

Now, Barack last week quickly backpedaled and clarified his wife`s statement, saying that what she meant was this is the first time she`s been proud of the politics of America. I didn`t buy that one either. I mean, even during the Clinton years or the Nixon administration, I never stopped being proud of America or being an American, even our politics.

I have been disgusted by our politicians, but that goes without saying.

Now, in the same speech, Michelle Obama went on to say, quote, "Barack knows that at some level there`s a hole in our souls". Really? First, it`s Washington that`s broke and now it`s me? It`s our souls that are broken? And your husband is the only one that can fix things? How so, comrade Obama? I`d just like to know.

Am I the only that thinks that this goes beyond lofty speech language and crosses into creeping me out? Tonight, here`s what you need to know.

Not only is your soul holey, but according to Michelle Obama, if her husband, Barack, gets elected, he is going to -- and I`m quoting from her speech -- "demand that you shed your cynicism, that you push yourselves to be better. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved or uninformed."

Now he really sounds like the candidate I`ve been dying for.

Michelle Obama seems to me to be more interested in dogma than democracy. Thanks, but no thanks. It`s bad enough that I find Mr. Obama`s political views progressive in a dangerous sort of way. Now I find Mrs. Obama`s personal views just plain spooky.

Michelle, I`m not saying that you should shut your pie-hole because you`re suddenly becoming the weakest link in your husband`s campaign, but I`m not not saying that either.

David Frum, former speech writer for President Bush, fellow -- resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of "Comeback: Conservatism and -- That Can Win Again."

David, I can`t be the only person that Barack Obama and his wife are beginning to spook just a little bit.

DAVID FRUM, AUTHOR, "COMEBACK": That was very funny. I think that much of what Barack Obama says is simply gibberish. It`s language that doesn`t mean anything. But through this haze, I think many people like yourself are beginning to see that, well, there is some meaning in this cloud of words.

And Michelle Obama`s slip, I don`t think it was a slip. If you also read her husband`s autobiography, where he talks about his tremendous ambivalence towards the United States and his questions of identity: "Am I American? Am I Kenyan? Am I Indonesian?" And they are running the first post-American campaign for the presidency. That`s really one of the very important issues.

BECK: What does that mean to you, exactly? What do you mean by post- -- first post-American campaign?

FRUM: What I mean is we had the surge of patriotism after 9/11, where people, all kinds of people unexpectedly found themselves having intense identification with the United States, their country.

Now we`re having a hangover and a lot of people, especially on the left side of the spectrum feel, well, that was -- I was kind of used. I want to be a citizen of the United States anymore. I want to be a citizen of the world.

And the larger meaning that Obama is calling people to, that`s what it`s about. And when you look at the issues that galvanize him, you know, he`s not a traditional -- he`s not talking like a traditional liberal politician: "I`m going to give you this program. I`m going to give you that program." Hillary did that.

No, he said, "I`m going to involve you in fixing the problems of the whole planet." Where does the United States stop? Where does the next country begin? That`s all very blurry. We are going to be -- we are the world. That`s the meaning of this campaign.

BECK: David, I have to tell that I -- I -- driving in today, I was listening to the BBC America, which I don`t recommend to anybody, saying -- I was listening to the BBC America, and they were -- they did an hour-long special on Vladimir Putin. And they had people who had done pop songs about Vladimir Putin. And one of the songs, it was a No. 1 hit. It was "I want a man like Putin, who makes me feel safe and won`t hurt me."

And somebody else said exactly the same words that Halle Berry said last week. And that is, "I`ll do whatever Barack Obama tells me to do." This woman said, "I`ll do and will do whatever Vladimir Putin says we should do."

These guys are running a very positive campaign, but it is a very -- I mean, it is very Soviet in its -- in its end result, where you`ve got a guy who is just saying we`re going this way and follow me and they do. And they don`t really know where they`re going.

FRUM: Well, I would say Barack Obama is Vladimir Putin without either the clarity of purpose or the strength of character. I mean, if Vladimir Putin were made out of eclair.

BECK: You know what, David? I look at his policies and I have to tell you. I think the stuff that he -- he is suggesting the new, new deal. Which -- Mussolini was in love with. I mean, he`s got a lot of policies in there that will take America into a completely different direction.

FRUM: These policies are mostly very amorphous. And I think the energy in his campaign is very much -- and when you listen to him and what excites him and his advertising and his appeals, they are about transcending -- transcending the limits of what it means to be an American.

BECK: It`s scary.

FRUM: He is -- if some of us are 9/11 Americans, as a friend of mine recently put it, he`s an Abu Ghraib American. That`s what he sees as the essence of America and moving beyond that.

BECK: David, thank you very much.

Now, "The New York Times" we told you ran a story about John McCain smearing him, and he had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist, but there was nowhere -- nowhere in this story any kind of facts whatsoever.

Well, now somebody is hammering them, and that somebody is from the inside of the "New York Times."

Here to tell us about it is Howie Kurtz. He is the host of CNN`s "RELIABLE SOURCES" and the media reporter for "The Washington Post."

Howard, first of all, I mean, let`s -- let`s look at what is happening with "The New York Times." Did you think that story was fair on John McCain?

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": No.

BECK: Any facts in there that you found at all?

KURTZ: Well, there were some facts about his lobbying, but when it came to the central thing that this story was about, even though "The New York Times" tried to dress it up as being about, you know, the man, the reformer, and the hypocrisy, it was about sex. It was about this alleged possible relationship. They had no proof, other than a couple of disgruntled former aides to Senator McCain, who believed -- who suspected that he might be having this inappropriate relationship.

BECK: Do you remember, Howard, what the mainstream media said about Matt Drudge when he first broke the Monica Lewinsky story? And how far "The New York Times" has come. They were far worse than Matt Drudge was when he broke the Monica Lewinsky story. He was right, and he had facts.

This story there was nothing. Is this just because "The New York Times" is desperate for -- I don`t know -- readers or to destroy John McCain? What is this story?

KURTZ: Well, Drudge reported that "Newsweek" had spiked a story about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, which, of course, turned out to be entirely accurate.

I don`t think it`s a sign of desperation. I think it`s a sign of bad judgment. And, you know, don`t take my word for it. I mean, the overwhelming majority of people who commented on this story on the "Times" Web site thought it was garbage.

And the "Time`s" own ombudsman, as you alluded to, Clark Hoyt, wrote a stinging column on Sunday, in which he said this story should not have been published, because you can`t make these allegations without proof.

BECK: Let me change -- change one thing. Because I don`t think the media polices itself very well at all, at least the liberal side of it doesn`t. It boggles my mind, the hypocrisy here.

Clinton released -- apparently someone in Clinton`s low-level -- Clinton`s campaign released a picture of Barack Obama. I am not even going to show it on television, because I don`t even know what it`s supposed to mean. Is this supposed to make us think, "Oh, he might be a bad Muslim" or something?

But they released this picture. It`s everywhere. But yet, nobody is really hammering him. I want to ask you, if John McCain or somebody in the McCain -- or any conservative would have released this in six months, this picture of him dressed in African garb, do you believe that the media would be as gentle on that person as they are on Hillary Clinton? The cries of racism, CAIR would have been out. Everybody would have been out. Right or wrong?

KURTZ: Well, first of all, the picture has only been up on the Internet for a few hours today. And second of all, I don`t have any proof that Hillary Clinton`s campaign actually released this. If they did, it was a spectacularly stupid thing to do, and I`m sure they will and should be criticized.

You say the media doesn`t police itself. I think this "New York Times"/McCain story is a classic example. A lot of journalists, including myself, looked at this with a critical eye and said this doesn`t pass the smell test.

BECK: There`s a difference between what -- how -- how Matt Drudge was crucified by the media and how now everybody is going, well, that doesn`t pass the smell test.

Howard, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Coming up, finally, some common sense coming out of Washington. Yes, it actually came out of my mouth. I can`t believe it. Government has raised fines on companies who hire illegal -- illegals.

I will speak to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about the latest on this one in just a second and conversation with Miss America, Kirsten Haglund. We`ll talk about everything from Children`s Miracle Network to pancakes. You don`t want to miss it. This show makes sense.

And only person could follow that act, and that is Barack Obama. We don`t have him, but we do have his environmental policy advisor, which will make blood shoot right directly out of your eyes. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Coming up March 4, a big day for a debate in our country. Not the primaries. It is global warming, a conference that is taking place right here in New York City. A gathering of experts who disagree with the party line on this topic. I mean, this may be the only place where you`re likely to hear about it, in tonight`s "Real Story." Coming up in just a minute.

Now, the most important thing I think we can do to start fixing the illegal immigration problem in this country is simply enforce the laws we have on the books. Doesn`t take a brainiac. We`ve been saying it for years. Everybody`s been saying it. Except usually the clowns in Washington.

Plenty of legislation already out there, with fines in place for businesses who hire cheap illegal immigrant labor. Some want to up the ante even further. Good for them. The Bush administration is listening to them. They just announced higher monetary penalties against businesses that knowingly hire illegals. It is the first increase in nearly a decade.

It no surprise that now business owners are upset. Boo-hoo, cry me a river. They feel the government has allowed illegal immigrants into our country to infiltrate the workplace -- like it`s hard to figure out who`s legal and who`s not -- and then they`re left holding the bag, paying the price for a problem the feds should have solved long ago. The bottom line is, illegal immigration threatens the national and economic security and then anything that helps stems the tide is good news for everybody.

Michael Chertoff is U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.

Mr. Chertoff, congratulations on this policy, sir. I see the fines are up 25 percent. That is just the start? Or is that where they...

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, that`s as high as we can raise money under the existing law. To be honest, we have proposed last year to really raise them significantly more. Congress did not do that. So we`re doing the best we can, given the existing legal framework.

BECK: OK. Reagan said $1 million. I think, personally -- I think you should put these businesses out. I mean, I`m a small businessman. I can figure out who`s legal and who`s not. If you don`t -- if you have sketchy documents, well, no, I don`t think so.

And the key is, legally. I mean, I`m sorry, knowingly hiring these people. What kind of businesses -- what kind of excuses are these businesses giving you saying, "Well, gee"...

CHERTOFF: You know, it is amazing, Glenn. First, let me say, one of the things we are doing is we`re bringing criminal cases. Of course, the value of that is you get jail time.

Last year we brought criminal charges against almost 100 people who were involved in the supervisory chain of employers, who knowingly hired illegals. So that`s the most powerful weapon that we have.

But I`ll give you an example of something we`re trying to do that business has really blocked us from doing. We`re trying to have a simple fix so businesses are told when they get a letter from Social Security, pointing out that there`s a discrepancy between the name and Social Security number of their employee, that they go and check on it, not merely throw it in the waste basket.

And yet, our simple regulations that we mandate that employers do this has been blocked by a court case in San Francisco for many months. We`re hoping to revisit this within the next couple of weeks, but it`s a good example of the kind of thing that some businesses are doing to try to prevent us from enforcing the law.

BECK: OK. I want to talk to you about the fence here for a second. But I just want -- I would like to ask you, I think, a rather easy question, and you may think it`s tough.

People in this country who want security borders, with an "S," north and south, who believe that open borders are not only dangerous for us because of terror, but also economic security and also crime. We`re called racists if we say that.

Do you believe, if I care -- if I want fences and security at the border because of economic security, because of terror security and because of crime, am I a racist, sir?

CHERTOFF: Glenn, look, I think every American has a right to insist, in fact an obligation to insist that we enforce the laws of this country. And I don`t think that the vast majority of people who want to see that are racist or prejudiced. I think they generally feel that, if we set a set of rules in place, we have an obligation to make sure that they`re observed.

BECK: Good.

OK. Let me talk to you about the virtual fence. This one kind of upset me a little bit because I am a fence guy. I want the fence that we`ve all been promised. You, I know, have been pushing for the virtual fence. It was just announced, I think it was this weekend it was announced. Is this in lieu of an actual fence?

CHERTOFF: No, it`s not. And there`s a lot of misunderstanding about this. Some of it`s deliberate. Some of it`s misinterpretation.

Let me be very clear. We want both. Not everything works in every area. So we want the right type of technology or the right type of fence, depending on what the lay of the land is.

We have over 300 miles of fence that we have now built across the southwest border. That`s pedestrian and vehicle fence. There are some parts of the southwest border where a fence doesn`t make sense. And in that area we need what we call a virtual fence. It`s a combination of radar and cameras that allow us to see people crossing so we can intercept them. And that`s what we accepted in 28 miles of Arizona and just about a week ago.

BECK: I talked to a sheriff down at the border, and he went to this big conference where they were talking about all the things they were doing. And one of the sheriffs stood up and asked the congressman. He said, "We need more money." But because of the Marita (ph) business where we`re giving money to Mexico, this congressman actually said to the sheriff, "You`re going to have to talk to Mexico and see if you can get some of that money."

CHERTOFF: I think that was maybe a congressman trying to be a little too clever. The Marita (ph) Initiative, it really complements what we`re doing at the border.

Here`s the bottom line. You have a president in Mexico who`s really, maybe for the first time, taking very aggressive steps against the organized criminal gangs who are moving drugs and human beings into the United States. Because you`ve got to attack this on both sides of the border.

He is arresting people. He is having them extradited to the U.S. to serve their jail sentences here. That is a good thing.

And part of the consequence is some of these drug gangs are striking back by literally killing Mexican officials. We owe them the support that they need to get the job done on their side of the border.

BECK: All right, Secretary Chertoff. Out of time, but as always, thank you very much for being part of the program.

Coming up next, 2008 Miss America, Kirstin Haglund, stops by. A little one-on-one time. You know, it`s the way I roll. Really, just hanging out. That`s up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: You know, you see these beauty contests, and it`s -- I don`t know. It`s negative, usually. What`s going on? One pageant -- one pageant actually has its reputation intact, and it`s Miss America pageant. And Miss America is with us now.

Kirstin Haglund, she is talented and involved in the community. And you are a champion for the Children`s Miracle Network, which is one of my causes, as well.

KIRSTIN HAGLUND, MISS AMERICA 2008: Yes.

BECK: Amazing, amazing work. How did you get involved?

HAGLUND: Well, this will be the second year that the Children`s Miracle Network is the national platform for the Miss America organization. So not only was I crowned Miss America, but I was also named national goodwill ambassador for the charity.

BECK: Do you have to wear the crown? Do you, like, wear it to bed? Do you...

HAGLUND: Yes, I sleep in it and everything. I brush my teeth in it.

BECK: Let me ask you this. When you first got it, did you wear it around -- did you wear it for a while and just like, "This is cool"?

HAGLUND: Well, I had to wear it all. I mean, after Miss America you have press conferences. You have a VIP party that you have to go to. And then meet these people and say thank you to these people. And so there`s a lot of events right after the pageant that yes, you have to end up wearing your crown.

BECK: No, I mean, like at home in you pajamas?

HAGLUND: No.

BECK: Never?

HAGLUND: I take it off.

BECK: Really?

HAGLUND: Yes.

BECK: You never were, like, "I`ve got to learn how to wear it," and walk around in it?

HAGLUND: Well, it has this elastic on the top and then you just pin it in. So it`s actually pretty easy to wear, if you. You want to see it?

BECK: That doesn`t look comfortable. Yes. Can you get a shot of it? That doesn`t look at all.

HAGLUND: Yes.

BECK: I`d put a cupcake in there. You never know when you`re getting hungry.

So OK -- so you also were -- tell me this is wrong -- spokeswoman for IHOP`s National Pancake Day?

HAGLUND: Yes. I was.

BECK: Really?

HAGLUND: Yes. IHOP is also partnered with Children`s Miracle Network.

BECK: OK.

HAGLUND: Well, for National Pancake Day, which was Tuesday, February 12. I helped -- I did a satellite media tour and spread the message around the country that you can go to your local IHOP, get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in return for a donation that will go to Children`s Miracle Network.

BECK: Danny, can you put a split screen between the two of us, please? Can you split the screen? Let me just give -- let me just give a message here to the International House of Pancakes. Do you have that? Can you do that yet, Danny?

OK. IHOP, which one looks like the guy who should say, "Come on, let`s go have a bunch of pancakes?" Come on. I`m just saying. You`re looking for a pancake spokesman, right here. Right here.

How is the -- how is the pressure on being a Miss America? Being -- you know, you`re supposed to be in shape. You`re supposed to be thin. All the pressures with the girls and everything. And I know one of your big things is eating disorders.

HAGLUND: Yes. That`s my personal platform. And that`s what so many people don`t see, is they just see the night of the pageant. They don`t see that it`s a yearlong job. You know, I`m not only a spokeswoman for the Children`s Miracle Network, but for my platform, I represent the organization, and it`s my job to be a role model.

So that is the cause that I`ve taken on. And every time that I speak to an audience, whether it`s an interview like this or a newspaper or a radio or young women themselves, I`m able to talk to them about the value of self esteem and self worth.

BECK: Do you think it`s -- do you think these beauty pageants, per se, everything, the stuff that was going on -- I think it was with Miss Teen or whatever. I mean, it`s just getting so nasty. And it doesn`t -- I mean, Miss America, if I`m not mistaken, is the only that hasn`t been really tainted.

HAGLUND: We`re haven`t had a scandal like that, and you know, that`s what the media looks for. They look for a scandal. They look for the negative. We`re here to show the positive. Right?

BECK: Right.

HAGLUND: But I think it`s just -- you know, everyone in life makes poor choices at times. But, you know, I try to realize that I`m a role model. And that`s why I chose to do this and compete in this program.

BECK: Good. We will see you at the Children`s Miracle Network.

HAGLUND: Yes, in March.

BECK: You got it.

Back in a minute with "The Real Story," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: Well, it seems like the Democratic presidential candidates think the only way to make America better is to make the federal government bigger. Yes. This one case where bigger isn`t exactly better. We`ll examine the truth behind the phony populism in just a bit.

But first, welcome to the "Real Story."

I often on this program talk about global warming alarmists and scare- mongering. But what does that really mean? Well, let me just show you a few headlines from Google News that have popped up in just the last few weeks.

And I promise you I am not making any of these up. I`m not that creative.

Here`s the first one.

"Fish stocks could collapse because of global warming." Well, you shouldn`t buy any of that stock of fish then.

"Foreign Ownership Means More global Warming." "Global Warming Could Displace Millions in the Middle East." "Labor Unions and Global Warming."

"Global Warming Twice as Lethal as Previously Assumed." Which I guess means that nobody dies still.

"Climate Expert: `Save Civilization Now.`"

The next one -- "Why Global Warming Will Make Your Blue Jeans More Expensive." Wait a minute. Suddenly I`m interested.

"King Penguins Declining Due to Global Warming." "Global Warming Increases Man/Tiger Conflict."

I mean, is this a story just written specifically for Siegfried and Roy? I mean, how about we don`t fight tigers at any temperature level? I`m just saying.

And finally, the headline that always gets snuck in, once you are cowering in the corner too afraid of the tigers and the price of blue jeans, "California Proposes a Global Warming Fee" -- AKA tax on businesses.

Now, I would love to say, you know, that it`s time to bring some reason and logic back into this debate, but the "Real Story" is the debate isn`t even allowed to happen anymore. Scientists who have dissenting opinions have either had their credibility attacked or their reputations smears. Fortunately for us that isn`t stopping these guys.

Next week, right here in New York City, the first-of-its-kind global warming conference is scheduled. It -- I mean, it has a suspiciously important-sounding generic title, The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change. But this one is different. This one is for the other side.

Joseph Bast, who is the organizer of the event, says that he has got hundreds of experts on science, politics and the economics of global warming coming to this, including the president of the Czech Republic, who I absolutely love, who is giving the keynote speech. He`s attending, and it will be "hard for journalists and policymakers to ignore the event."

Really? Quite honestly, they have been doing a pretty good job of ignoring the other side so far.

I live in New York. I`m a global warming skeptic. And yet, I haven`t heard about this until today.

America, I promise you this -- the mainstream media can ignore this conference all they want, but this program will cover this conference like it`s the second coming of Jesus Christ. I promise.

Joseph Bast is the president of The Heartland Institute.

How frustrating is it, Joseph, that you can`t -- I mean, you are actually buying full-page ads in "The New York Times" and other papers to let people know that this is happening, right?

JOSEPH BAST, PRESIDENT OF THE HEARTLAND INST.: That`s right. And it is a little frustrating. I mean, we have hundreds and hundreds of scientists who dissent from the so-called consensus on global warming, but the media acts as if every single one is on the payroll of an oil company and therefore is just a front for a special interest group.

BECK: Well, I mean, let`s be honest here. First of all, GE owns NBC. They did a whole week of global warming specials and everything else.

I mean, the other side is financed by people who make money as well. They always accuse you at The Heartland Institute of being financed by big oil. What is it, 4 percent one year you took from Exxon? What is it?

BAST: Exactly right. In no year have we gotten more than 5 percent of our budget from Exxon. They haven`t even contributed to us in 2007 or 2008. This conference is entirely funded by individuals and foundations. So there`s no corporate funding at all.

BECK: OK.

You invited Al Gore to come. He`s not coming.

BAST: That`s right. He turned us down.

BECK: Yes.

BAST: Al Gore doesn`t believe in debating.

BECK: Yes.

Is it -- you would think that if it was so easy to debate, if it was so clear, you wouldn`t have to demean people. You wouldn`t have to smear their reputations. All you would have to do is lay out the facts.

Why is it, or has there ever been an actual civil debate on both sides where you could listen to both sides and say, OK, I happen to believe this one?

BAST: There used to be those debates actually back in the early 1990s, when The Heartland Institute began writing about this issue. I would be invited to conferences and there would actually be pro and con debates.

I think the other side, the alarmist side, lost those debates so often that they have just given up. The word is out now. Any time a skeptic is on the program, the alarmists decide not to attend.

BECK: Is it true -- no, go ahead.

Since yesterday -- yesterday in Denver, there was a debate. Our guy had to debate an empty chair. So that`s pretty common.

BECK: Is it true that you guys have hired lawyers to assist parents who have the Al Gore side jammed down their throat at schools?

BAST: We have a new project under way, that`s right. Al Gore`s "An Inconvenient Truth" is being shown in high schools all across the country. A lot of parents are very upset about this, and they should be.

BECK: Yes.

BAST: Because it`s a propaganda film. It`s not a scientific document at all.

So, yes, we have an attorney who is willing to represent parents who can`t get satisfaction from their teachers, principals or school boards. And we expect to...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: OK. Joseph, we will talk to you again this week, because, honestly, like Jesus has come back, we`re going to cover your conference.

Thank you so much.

Now, late last week, General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz wrote a big blog entry confirming his belief that global warming is "a total crock of" -- fill in the blank. Since then, he has been absolutely wrecked by bloggers and attacked by global warming activists stating to what amounts to -- for stating what amounts to his own personal opinion.

To me, the statement that it`s full of crap wasn`t nearly as important as what he said next. He said, "But we are going for the with these programs because it makes good sense to do so -- common sense. It would lead to nothing but good things -- energy independence, lower emissions, and better air. Isn`t that what we all want?"

Yes, you would think so, Bob. But the "Real Story" is corporations changing behavior because it makes good business sense is the last thing these people actually want. That would take big government out of it, and no government means that there is no international treaties, no sweeping new environmental laws. And most importantly, no massive carbon taxes to help fund a global government through the U.N., or whatever you want to call it.

No matter what you think about global warming, the reality is things are going to look a whole lot different in about two years from now, and I don`t mean the Arctic. I mean in Washington. The world is going to be a different place.

All three major presidential candidates -- and yes, that includes John McCain -- support federal government involving in global warming caps through their cap and trade program. That`s where the government sets a limit on how much carbon you can put into the air, and then companies can buy credits to make up the difference. Credits that will eventually be paid for by you in the form of higher prices for everything you buy.

I hope not blue jeans.

But the capping trade is just a start of what Barack Obama is proposing. He calls global warming "one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation," and his energy plan includes the idea of a 100 percent auction, meaning that every single ounce of pollution will need to be paid for by someone.

Yet, Obama also claims that he can do it without bankrupting companies or triggering massive inflation or throwing our economy into a recession. How?

Let`s go to Dan Esty. He`s Obama`s environmental adviser, the co- director of the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University and author of "Green to Gold."

Dan, the last time you were on, I loved you. I thought you were a guy who got it, that this free market system was the solution here.

Why are you saying yes to the -- or not even saying yes -- helping him come up with a way to raise more money and funnel it through the government?

DANIEL ESTY, YALE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR BUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT: Glenn, I think what you have to understand is that the debate over whether the science is clear enough is over. And the question really now is about policy responses. And there is an important debate to be had about how we`re going to effectively reduce emissions...

BECK: Weren`t you on the...

ESTY: ... and do so in a cost-effective manner as well.

BECK: Wait, wait, wait. Weren`t you on last time saying that the free market system is the best way to do it...

ESTY: Absolutely.

BECK: ... and if you unleash capitalism, that`s the way -- that`s the way you will solve all of these problems?

ESTY: So here`s what we have learned. We`ve learned that the key to solving the problem is innovation and technology development. And how do we get innovation going? This is where we`ve really learned some lessons in the last decade or two.

What we need is a price signal in the marketplace. That`s what Lutz was talking about. And that`s what I think Obama is talking about when he calls for a cap and trade system, but then the auctioning off of the allowances.

BECK: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

ESTY: This creates a market signal...

BECK: Dan...

ESTY: ... and it will draw people in to helping solve the problem.

BECK: Dan, a cap and trade situation, you -- come on, man. You work at Yale.

A cap and trade system is basically what I do to my son. He`s 3. I say, "You can wear this today or you can wear this today."

ESTY: Oh no, Glenn.

BECK: "You choose between."

You have created -- the government has created the little box in which capitalism has to work.

ESTY: No, Glenn. What you`ve got to realize is that there is a real value into putting a price on causing harm. And then what you do is unleash the forces of the private sector to figure out how to solve the problem.

BECK: And where is the money going?

ESTY: Well, everyone who causes the harm is going to have to pay something, and the people that solve the problem are going to profit. And that means people who can provide alternative energy or energy efficiency...

BECK: What about...

ESTY: ... or -- and remember, there is a big side bet here, and that is, some people are betting on carbon capture and sequestration. Figure out how to capture these emissions cost-effectively, and the fossil fuel world continues.

BECK: So what about Virgin Airways? This weekend -- they make it out of like coconut milk or something. They make jet fuel...

ESTY: Biofuel.

BECK: OK, biofuel. Yet, environmentalists said not enough.

You cannot -- they -- I mean, they were all upset that biofuel was actually happening, and they said it`s not enough, it never will be enough. You have got to shut down. Bill Clinton himself has said, in so many words, you have got to stop the economy from growing. That`s what this is about.

ESTY: No. The new environmentalism is way beyond that, Glenn. That`s really unfair.

The new environmentalism says, we can do better. We can have the lifestyle that we`ve had, but we`re going to have to change the way we produce things. And we`re going to change the way we are incentivizing people.

So the biofuel future is one that is very tricky. We probably do not want to rely on corn-based ethanol, which is where Washington seems to be betting.

BECK: You and I agree. But Dan...

ESTY: But we could perhaps find ways to produce biofuels that are environmentally safe and economically sensible.

BECK: You just -- I`ve got to wrap it up, but you just said the key word. That`s where government is betting. Let the free market system do it.

ESTY: I agree.

BECK: Government always screws it up.

ESTY: So let`s just put a price on the harm causing and then let people battle it out as to who can produce the results that we all need.

BECK: OK. Dan, I`ve got to go. I love you. I mean it.

ESTY: Thank you.

BECK: I will save you one of these days.

ESTY: See you.

BECK: That`s the "Real Story" tonight.

If you would like to read more about the other side of global warming, pick up a copy of "An Inconvenient Book," now in its 13th week on the top five of ""The New York Times" Bestseller List. You can buy it online right now at glennbeck.com, or wherever fine books are sold.

Coming up, why big government is the last thing we want or need from our elected officials.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: All right. If you were to lock yourself in a room, you spend a full day listening only to speeches from John Edwards or Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama or Michelle Obama, you might come out and walk right over to city hall and just say, "Could I have food stamps, please?"

Honestly, listening to these people make you feel like you can`t even put your pants on without the help of the government. Why is that?

Why are people who have overcome so much, people who have lived the American dream, pulled themselves up, changed their life, why are they sending the message that the dream ends with them? Why can Barack Obama work hard and accomplish what he has, but you can`t? Populism may be popular, but the truth is that convincing people that they need you to succeed is dangerous and a hypocritical lie.

Michael Graham is a former GOP consultant, radio talk show host in Boston, WTKK.

Michael, I can`t take it anymore. I hear these people. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, when she says, oh my goodness, you know, first -- I have hope for the first time, are you kidding me?

MICHAEL GRAHAM, TALK RADIO HOST, WTKK: Well, the reason you can`t take it, Glenn, is because you are just one of those stupid people who needs to be led by these fine elitists.

BECK: Dan, I`m in the pocket of big oil too.

GRAHAM: I know. Your (INAUDIBLE) masters won`t let you take anymore.

BECK: Yes.

GRAHAM: But I love -- it`s this bizarre form of populism, the populism of -- populism used to be of William Jennings Bryan. You know, the wisdom is with the people and on the farms and in the streets, and the people will rise up. Now it`s, gee, these people are stupid. They need some people to take care of them.

And we happen to be those smart, Harvard-educated people who will tell you what to do and live your life for you. Just hand over your wallet, hand over your children. We all have it under control. Nothing...

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: You know, but there is a difference between -- first of all, that doesn`t make any sense.

GRAHAM: I agree.

BECK: I mean blood shoots out of my eye every time I hear these people that they -- they hate government, they hate everything that we have done. The government can do no right. Let`s make it bigger. I mean, don`t even start with that insanity.

But I`m talking specifically, Michael, about -- for instance, Michael Moore, he says, listen, friends, you have to face the truth, you`re never going to be rich. The system is rigged in the favor of a few and your name is not among them, not now, not ever."

You have got people like Barack and Michelle Obama saying exactly the same thing, that you`ll never make it without the government helping you out. These people made it without the government.

GRAHAM: And every single day they are surrounded by people. First of all, you talk about rich, I mean, you have got people who are clinging to the underside of trucks to try to get into our country for the chance to be poor in our country...

BECK: I know.

GRAHAM: ... because we are so wealthy. And that wealth is created not by the government. Every single day the government throws more burdens on my neighbors. And my neighbors are so smart, they find some way to create new wealth, to create new jobs.

BECK: Right.

GRAHAM: They keep knocking down these barriers, and I wonder, who are these borderline suicidal people they`re talking to that think they`re hopeless?

BECK: But you know what? Here, Michelle Obama has said that she -- she has implied that, you know, she just can`t believe that here they are 40, they went to Harvard and Princeton, if I`m not mistaken, and they`ve just paid off their student loans. Boo-hoo.

GRAHAM: Yes, no kidding.

BECK: Oh, I went to Harvard and Princeton and it`s still costing me money.

GRAHAM: I love the catch in her voice, too -- we`re in our 40s, and we`re just paying off our student loans -- to Harvard and Princeton. Oh, that`s terrible.

Meanwhile, there is a guy in Wilson County, Tennessee, eating Vienna Sausage for dinner paying off his loans to a school on over-the-road trucking going, why are you whining? Look at the opportunity you`ve had. Look at the opportunity I have. I`m making my lifework.

Every single day Americans do it.

BECK: Michael, somebody called me up -- he was an African-American -- today. I`m trying to remember what state he was from. And he said, "Are you proud, Glenn? Are you telling me you are proud of the way this country has treated minorities?"

And I said, "The way we`ve treated minorities? No. At the progress we are making? Absolutely."

From where we were with Martin Luther King, to the place where Barack Obama is probably going to be the next president of the United States, amen to that. Damn right I`m proud of our country.

GRAHAM: And you know, there are two ways to look at that. One is that we just had the two wealthiest quarters for household income ever.

We as a nation are getting wealthier and wealthier through people`s hard work. No government programs. We get to keep more of our money.

Secondly, the biggest explosion in the black middle class -- and I don`t want to cause Michelle Obama to faint like the fans of her husband -- was during the Reagan administration, when Reagan`s economic policies that lowered government and created individual incentives, caused black homeownership and individual wealth to explode.

BECK: Michael, thank you very much. We`ll talk to you again soon.

GRAHAM: My pleasure.

BECK: Now, coming up, I really had a rough weekend. I mean, I`ve had more than one difficult parent-child talk in my life, but this weekend was especially tough. And if you have teenagers, I think you may be able to relate.

A personal note next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECK: On a personal note, I had an incredible weekend this weekend. I played with the kids in the snow, and at the same time I had a depressing weekend.

Ever since my kids were small we have always talked about history together. Yes, it is a sign their father is a loser and apparently trying to make them into losers as well, but some how or another they all came out a lot cooler than their dad.

One of my daughters, however, always showed a high level of interest in history, particularly American history. In fact, she`s talked to me recently about teaching.

Well, it was a few weeks ago that we were in a conversation about her teacher that made me see that she was starting to question her direction maybe just a little bit. She said, "Dad, my teachers will not engage me on certain things. I push because I want to know the truth. And they will just stop. They will stop all engagement completely and move on."

I told her, I explained to her what it`s like to be an outcast in society, somebody with the minority opinion. She said, "Dad, I don`t want to be that way. I want them to convince me that they are right. If that is the truth, they should convince me that that`s the truth, but none of them will."

I can`t believe I`m the only parent in America going through this.

The conversation that I had with -- this weekend with my daughter was devastating. I said to her as she was looking at different colleges, I said, "What kind of history would you want to teach?" She said, "Well, I want to look into the history of ancient Greece and Rome."

I said, "Well, hey, there is a real moneymaker for you." Then I said, "How about American history?"

She told me, "I`ll teach any history but American history," because of all of the stuff in the text books. All the stuff she has been taught and spoon-fed, she can`t even look at American history anymore.

I am not exaggerating when I say that literally brought me to tears. I looked at her and I told her, "Honey, do not let them win. It`s not the truth." Our kids are being taught lies, that America is this evil place built by hypocrites.

After I stopped and tried to talk myself off a ledge, I realized, here I am. I`m a guy -- I read American history. I read all kinds of history. I talk to my kids about it.

It`s my job to be up on not only history, but perspective and the news of the day. I don`t even have a choice. I`m engaged in it every day, and even my kids are influenced by this nonsense and propaganda.

Our children get hit with so many doses of "America is evil" from so many different sources, it is easy for you as a parent to feel surrounded. What we have to remember is that those people don`t surround us. We surround them. And the truth is worth fighting for.

Please, get our latest update on liberal fascism at glennbeck.com.

From New York, goodnight, America.

END