This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," January 20, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
BRET BAIER, ANCHOR: Every week viewers vote on "Your Choice" online in this our Friday Lightning Round. And this w eek, NFL playoff predictions actually won with 39 percent. We're going to reveal those in a little bit.
But next was the latest on the Internet antipiracy bill. By the way, the high-tech industry after an avalanche of criticism, both the Senate and the House back to drawing board on the SOPA or P IPA bill. An estimated 7,000 Internet sites blacked out over the content on Wednesday in protest. There is this big battle. What about this, that they're going back to the drawing board? Charles?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: It's a real issue. Old media. And it isn't only Hollywood. It's magazines. Columnists get ripped off all the time. You have to have some legislation. The bill that was in here was extremely sort of inexact. It had much too wide a range. So I think it's correct that it has to be redone. But It shows you the shift in power in the media. It's all Internet, all of the new media. It's a route if you're old media.
BAIER: Rare bipartisan on this, A.B., Republican candidates and the White House singing from the same sheet of music.
A.B. STODDARD, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, THE HILL: A bipartisan retreat in the Congress. It is complete today, went all the way up to the top with Speaker Boehner saying he did agree it was time to pull the bill until they can come up with some kind of consensus. I don't know how they are going to come up with that soon. But it is obviously a rational plan to try to combat piracy on the Internet. I thought it was interesting last night when Santorum seemed to be the only one on stage to say this is America. The idea that anything goes on the Internet, like where is this coming from? But he was alone.
BAIER: Steve, Chris Dodd is now the entertainment industry representative basically. He said "Avatar" was stolen 21 million times and "Rio" four days after the premier was in 22 different languages. They are still making that case.
STEVE HAYES, SENIOR WRITER, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Yeah, a serious issue. But I agree it was written far too broadly. It was interesting to listen to Chris Dodd suggest that Hollywood might not support President Obama if he backed off of his support from this. The most interesting internal thing to have seen during this debate was when Marco Rubio, who had been a co-sponsor, withdrew his support, you saw in a period of several hours one after another after another senator withdraw his support as well.
BAIER: We were overruled here. We wanted to talk about a couple of other things, but politics has come back. We wanted to go back to the debate, didn't think we talked about Rick Santorum enough. This is one element from the debate last night in which he was attacking Newt Gingrich.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANTORUM: I knew what the problems were going on in the House of Representatives when Newt Gingrich was leading there. It was an idea a minute. No discipline. No ability to be able to pull things together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: OK, and previous debates, it's been a different scenario when Rick Santorum has talked about Newt Gingrich. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: If you had to choose a running mate, one person on the stage with you, who would you choose and why?
SANTORUM: I would say that Newt Gingrich would be the guy I would pick, someone who would follow through with what I'm saying.
(APPLAUSE)
SANTORUM: I was the author, when I was in the House of Representatives, under the tutelage of Newt Gingrich at the time, of the Welfare Reform Act. Take, for example, welfare reform. I was in the United States Senate and actually at the direction of Newt Gingrich.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BAIER: So Steve, a bit different in the different debates.
STEVE HAYES, SENIOR WRITER, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Yeah, it certainly was. I thought -- I agree with Charles that Santorum had a good debate and that was a good exchange. The question was he came on so strong and was hitting sort of everybody at every turn. And having talked to some South Carolina voters afterwards, the question they raised was it too much? Was it too hot?
BAIER: Charles?
KRAUTHAMMER: If you look at the dates on the clips, today he is tough on Newt and before he was easy. The rule in politics, if the other guy is down you praise him. If he is up, you kick him in the shins. If he's at your level, stab him in the back.
STODDARD: I think that Rick Santorum is gonna be friends with Newt Gingrich again if Gingrich's campaign collapses for the third time. That is also the reason Rick Santorum stays in the race because it very well could happen.
KRAUTHAMMER: And use him as a running mate.
BAIER: And Ron Paul is a factor in South Carolina --
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: -- the third and fourth. Where that falls could be interesting part of this race, right?
STODDARD: Yes.
HAYES: He's a factor in South Carolina and as A.B. suggested well, well beyond. He is staying in through the convention.
KRAUTHAMMER: He'll be a factor in Tampa.
BAIER: OK. The NFL picks. There is no suspense here. We all picked the 49ers and the Patriots. It was a consensus on the panel. All four --
STODDARD: We have to cue my hostage face. Remember last year someone gave me a flashcard. I have some talking points. Niners and Patriots -- S.F. defense is too good and Giants are pretenders. Patriots' offense is too good and Baltimore is terrible on the road. Patriots win Super Bowl. Those are my talking points.
(CROSSTALK)
KRAUTHAMMER: It will rain in San Francisco.
(LAUGHTER)
BAIER: Good stuff, A.B.
OK. That is it for the panel. She is not making the lines this weekend. But stay tuned to see the dangers of reporting on the safety of others.
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