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Mitt Romney, the $10,000 man? Mitt Romney is still dealing with the fallout from his $10,000 bet at the Republican debate Saturday night.

Mitt Romney, the $10,000 man? Mitt Romney is still dealing with the fallout from his $10,000 bet at the Republican debate Saturday night. Nothing could make him seem more rich and out of touch than offering to bet Rick Perry a huge sum of money that - for most Americans - is equal to three months of pay. So now Mitt's turning on the 'human' touch, trying to look like an every-man - wealthy but frugal. But the damage may be done: For a guy who couldn't seal the deal after five years of running, Romney looks like

 

And our new NBC News/Marist polls confirm Newt's the candidate to beat. Check out how high Gingrich is riding in Iowa, South Carolina and Florida and how he's closing the gap in New Hampshire. (Interestingly, that poll also shows President Obama beating both Romney and Gingrich in a general election matchup in South Carolina.)

 

And speaking of the president, he's making his case for a second term. In an interview on "60 Minutes", the president said he's like the captain of a ship navigating through a storm -- not everyone's going to like the ride and would blame the captain. He gave a spirited defense of his presidency and his record, and said the work that needs to be done to turn the country around is going to take more than one term.