David Gregory asks the question: Is Medicare the new third rail of American politics? Both parties have opposing views on how to tackle the program, and Medicare policy will remain an important issue throughout the 2012 campaign season.

The decision may not have been particularly surprising but the timing caught some people off guard.  Late last night Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) released a statement saying he will not be running for president in 2012 - a move that could be the beginning of another busy week in Decision 2012 news.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) told me this morning that he was "disappointed" after Daniels called him last night to break the news.  Ryan also shut the door on any suggestions of him running for president - though he did not rule being No.2 on a ticket.  

What I wanted to focus on with Ryan is his reaction to the fallout from what Newt Gingrich said on this program last week, calling Ryan's Medicare plan "right wing social engineering."

Here's what the House Budget Chair told me today:

REP. PAUL RYAN: His quote was deeply inaccurate.  It is a gross mischaracterization of the House Republican budget plan.  Newt's acknowledged that.  He's retracted it.  And let's be clear what we're proposing here.  This is as sensible and gradual as it gets.

Also this morning, I asked Ryan about the debt limit and if a deal can be reached before the U.S defaults on its debt. You can view the entire interview on our website.

Also, on our website you'll find a very lively roundatble discussion where Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Republican strategist Mike Murphy spar over budget battles in Washington.

Also this afternoon visit our site for my Take Two web extra with The New York Times Andrew Ross Sorkin, whose book "Too Big to Fail" is now an HBO movie.

We'll be back next week.  If it's Sunday, it's Meet The Press.

After releasing a video Monday that clarified the comments he made on Sunday's Meet The Press, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News yesterday to further discuss and clarify his statements on Sunday's Meet The Press.

Gingrich told host Greta van Susteren, "Imagine you see a 20 second clip from 18 years ago when you were fighting Hillarycare, and when virtually everybody in the conservative movement was united in trying to stop Hillarycare. Now, nobody at that time was talking about the tenth amendment, nobody at that time was talking about these kinds of Constitutional issues, but to jump from that and say, ‘Gosh, if Newt said this in 1993, he must be for Obama,’ skipping, by the way, two and a half years or active, consistent opposition to Obamacare. I think the kind of amnesia that Washington gets in to is, frankly, silly."

Watch's Mr. Gingrich's entire interview on Fox here and the clip of his statements from Sunday's Meet The Press below. 

Of the many topics we covered with Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, one of them was health care and, more specifically, the individual mandate that is part of President Obama's health care reform.

Yesterday, Gingrich released a video on his campaign website clarifying his statements. In it, he said, "I am completely opposed to the Obamacare mandate on individuals." 

@BetsyMTP Trivia - Monday Trivia: 54 yrs ago what future Nixon supporter - better known for much bigger reasons - made a historic MTP appearance? 

TRIVIA ANSWER - Jackie Robinson - he appeared on Meet The Press on April 14, 1957. He spoke at length during his interview about his new role with the NAACP and his work on the issue of civil rights. 

Follow our show's executive producer Betsy Fischer on Twitter @BetsyMTP