'This Week' Transcript: David Axelrod

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2011— -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: This week, Barack Obama on the ropes, his jobs bill dead for now, his poll numbers plummeting. Our headliner today, the president's campaign strategist, David Axelrod, on the uphill road to re-election and the Republican candidates who stand in the way.

And then, another week, another Republican frontrunner. Faster than you can say...

CAIN: 9-9-9...

(UNKNOWN): 9-9-9...

CAIN: 9-9-9 plan...

BACHMANN: When you take the 9-9-9 plan and you turn it upside-down, I think the devil's in the details.

AMANPOUR: Does Herman Cain have staying power? And does his vaunted tax plan add up? George Will and the roundtable take on all the week's politics and the anti-Wall Street protests, now happening on a global scale.

And later, did Iran sought to kill a Saudi diplomat on American soil?

MUELLER: The impact would have been very real, and many lives would have been lost.

AMANPOUR: We'll take you inside the scheme and gauge the fallout with House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers and David Sanger of the New York Times.

And finally, Washington today dedicates a monument to a man and a movement.

LEWIS: He was speaking directly to me, saying, "John Lewis, you, too, can do something," and I was deeply moved and inspired by this man.

AMANPOUR: A walk through history with civil rights icon John Lewis.

ANNOUNCER: Live from the Newseum in Washington, "This Week" with Christiane Amanpour starts right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Good morning, and welcome to the program. We have lots to get to today, but first, some news since your morning papers.

Hundreds of protesters are camped out in London today, as the Occupy Wall Street protests continue to spread around the world. The most dramatic scenes this weekend come from Rome, where protests erupted in violence and riot police fought to contain the mayhem.

And in the South Pole, efforts are underway to save a sick American woman stranded there. Renee Douceur, who manages a research station, believes that she suffered a stroke in August. The treacherous weather has hampered efforts to rescue her, but today, two planes are on their way from Antarctica to fly her to safety in New Zealand.

And here in Washington, thousands are expected to converge on the mall for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Memorial. President Obama is slated to speak, and we'll have much more on this historic moment later in the program.

In politics this week, the Republican candidates faced off in another much-hyped debate and the spotlight shown on the pizza mogul with the plan. Here's ABC's senior political correspondent Jon Karl with "This Week in Politics."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL (voice-over): The week belonged to Herman Cain.

(UNKNOWN): The American people are going to raise some Cain in 2012.

KARL: You don't need the polls to see Cain's rise. Just look at Tuesday's debate in New Hampshire.

BACHMANN: The 9-9-9 plan...

SANTORUM: In his 9-9-9 plan...

PERRY: And I don't need 9-9-9...

KARL: His 9-9-9 economic plan mentioned 24 times.

CAIN: That's right.

KARL: So catchy, it's already been copied by Spirit Airlines in a new ad campaign. But is the Cain campaign for real? We stopped by his headquarters in Iowa. No volunteers, no phones ringing. This, not how you win in Iowa.

Cain's rise in the polls has been Perry's fall. Look at this national poll, Perry tanking 22 points in a matter of weeks, Cain climbing 22 points, and Mitt Romney, he just doesn't budge.