Just what were GOP Senators expecting from Susan Rice?

>>> live look in washington, d.c. as the sun comes up this morning and here visiting professor at nyu, former democratic congressman harold ford jr . good to have you.

>> good morning.

>> at the table.

>> glad to be with you.

>> a couple here. let's start with "the new york times," makeup turned breakup. this is more on susan rice attempting to negotiate or make amends with some republicans on capitol hill . maureen writes in part this, when rice asked to come to the hill to meet with some of her republican critic, it seemed day tent was nigh but somehow the hour and a half powwow caused an escalation with mccain, graham and ayotte saying they had more reservations than before. bob senator bob corker of tennessee scheduled to meet with rice suggested if she would be better suited to run the democratic national committee than state. if rice can't soothe the egos of some cranky gop pols, how would she negotiate with china?

>> maureen is really down on susan rice . this is the second anti-rice column she's done.

>> i know susan rice should be a terrific secretary of state and hope she has at a minimum has a chance to go before the senate to have an opportunity to share with the country her views, vision and more importantly why she would make a great success success --

>> was she just the messenger in all this?

>> i take the president at his word. the buck stops with the president and he shared with the senate -- i thought he shared it in somewhat an elegant way if you want to pick a fight, pick a fight with me.

>> hung out to dry on that but given talking points that --

>> it was curious to listen to mccain yesterday after the meeting who seemed to be more bothered after the meeting than he was before the meeting.

>> all three of them said they were more troubled --

>> i can't tell if it was the facts around benghazi or actually the ambassador herself that rankled feathers more.

>> what do you mean by that.

>> if and the she -- if answers she provided them, were they more concerned about the policies laid out by the administration or enumerated by the administration or more concerned about susan rice herself.

>> right. her personality, her nature?

>> ter temperament, whatever. unclear to me.

>> surprising to me sometimes from a woman, i think.

>> i'm in agreement with you. it was unclear to me what was the most bothersome.

>> and interesting because the rest of the reporting from the rest of the senators in the room, people -- the reporting -- the little we heard, well, none of the other senators felt this way although most of the others were like, it was not a contentious meeting. it was all fine and these guys came out -- it sounded very scripted and were all saying the talking points were very similar as they kind of decided what they would say after the meeting before the meeting took place?

>> i'm not getting it. i know there are some personal histories, some issues between senator mccain and susan rice .

>> there is.

>> and i think she doesn't hold back when she's at the negotiating table. i'm sure she doesn't hold back just like the guys. and i wonder a little bit. i have to tell you, it seems to me like some people really can't seem to sort of accept certain personality traits from a woman as well as they do from a man unless someone has something more legitimate to put on the table as to what the problem is here.

>> maybe they were expecting a full mea culpa and maybe they thought you know what, i take responsibility.

>> the girlie thing. it was wrong. it was me, not you. we don't do that anymore. we're just like you. guys.

>> what's number two?

>> want another one?

>> yeah.

>> okay.

>> i like when we get two. we only say we're wrong when we're wrong. we don't say we're wrong to make everybody feel better at the table. all right. oh this, is a good one. president obama 's moment. since his re-election mr. obama has fueled a campaign-style effort to pressure republicans to give ground on taxes. that's fine, but it won't be enough. at some point he has to prepare the american people and his own supporters most of all for the hard decisions required to put the country on a sound financial footing. that means spending cuts. it means entitlement reform and a balanced solution that will please neither house speaker john a. boehner nor senator majority leader harry reid . in a position to make it happen.

>> i think that's right. when the time comes, if we get to the time where a grand bargain of, you know, big deal that would take care of the nation's fiscal challenges for the next 10 or 20 or 30 year, the president will have to be the one who lays it all out and he's argued for a balanced approach, has offered, you know, $3 in spending cuts to every $1 in tax increases. what he campaigned on. he's in a good position to make that case. not -- the moment is not right exactly right now but i think when we get there he's going to be the one that will have to frame the whole thing up.

>> we saw the polls yesterday and harold, that if this doesn't work out, people are going to blame and it seems republicans will take some of the blame. i think people are beginning to look for movement from both sides but would be upset if it didn't happen with a republican party .

>> it has to work out in some form or another. hopefully it's a long-term solution or patchwork solution so it's a question, who gives more on what side? i think democrats and the president certainly feels like they've been validated and emboldened by the elections a couple of weeks ago and will get more than they give. but both sides will have to give a little bit to avoid going over the cliff. i think the longer we wait and longer meaning up to the middle of next month, it's more likely that the democrats may have to give on entitlements. if the president wins on revenue increases which i hope and believe that he will, i think it's only fair and i listened to dick durbin yesterday who said we're going to have to accept more changes. that articulates well, as well, where we have to end up. hopefully the president who goes on the tour next week to pennsylvania and some other states will begin to prepare democrats for the inevitable which means we have to give a little more.

>> still ahead. former treasure remember secretary and former director of the white house economic council larry summers joins us in