can be the best you you can be. so many times students want to be creative and participate in something creative but the parents are saying no, it's not math, it's not science, parents can pump the brakes and give the kids more room to be kids. >> that does it for this edition of "360." thanks so much for watching. thanks so much for watching. larry king starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> larry: tonight, vice president joe biden on the split in congress. are we headed for a stalemate? on the most urgent issues of our times. >> they didn't have a lot of faith in the republican party, don't have a lot of faith in the democratic party, so it's like, okay, we want you guys to work together. >> larry: what's his role in shaping iraq's future and should president obama prepare to run

against sarah palin? plus, dr. jill biden. all next on "larry king live." it's a great pleasure to welcome to "larry king live" as always, good friend, old friend, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. thanks for coming. >> it's great to be back with you, larry. >> larry: this is like the 100th time. >> i don't know, it's a long time, but i tell you what. i've told thank you before. my mother who lived with me passed away last january, i never once walked in her house late in the evening that you weren't on the air. and i miss her and i'm really going to miss you. >> let's get into things. early today president obama made u the focus on getting this treaty signed. what's holding -- i'm told there

are no democratic president ever had a nuclear treaty. >> well, that's true, and that's why this idea that somehow that some republicans are -- pundits are talking about you can't let obama have a win, this is not an obama win, this is a continuation of a bipartisan policy started with ronald reagan in this case, it's critically important to our national security interest and i think we're going to get it passed. i still think we're going to get it passed. we have to get eight republicans to vote with us beyond dick lugar. dick lugar is the single most informed guy probably in either political party on nuclear weapons and arms control and he is passionate about it. i met today, larry, with -- we have five former republican secretaries of state that think think is essential, former republican secretaries of defense, national security advisers, and -- >> larry: so why are they fighting? >> we haven't laid the treaty down yet. we've been working closely with

jon kyl, republican, their point man, on the details of the treaty. >> larry: didn't he announce he was against it? >> well, no, but he announced that he didn't think there was enough time to consider it in a lame duck session. but the president has made clear today that the congressional leadership and he made clear to the outside experts, these republican secretaries of state and defense, et cetera, that this is his highest priority. >> larry: if you're the point man, that means what? you round up the eight guys? >> beyond that, larry, i've spent the bulk of my adult life dealing with strategic doctrine, that is things relating to nuclear weapons from the time i was a young man at age 30, it's something that i -- altogethow-m informed about, people may not think i'm right but the vast majority of the informed community in terms of the national strategic doctrine -- as my brother would say, it's in my wheel house, and i still have great relationships in the

united states senate. so the president asked me to coordinate the effort, the state department, the defense department, the intelligence community, in making the best case possible to the united states senate. >> larry: so you're going to get it? >> i think we're going to get it. >> larry:lets go to other things. was the term shelacking correct? >> we lost the house bigger than we'd won it and we hung on to the senate, but as i was saying briefly coming in, if you take a look at where the unemployment rates were in the districts, you just tack on an "r" as opposed to a "d" in most of those districts. it's awful hard to win elections when there's 9.5%, unemployment, 9.6%, 9.7% unemployment, so it was a real loss. but there was a real message

sent. the message was they didn't have a lot of faith in the republican party, don't have a lot of faith in the democratic party, so they're saying, okay, we want you guys to work together. >> larry: but shouldn't, frankly, you have focused on jobs before the health bill? >> well, look. >> larry: in retrospect. >> in retrospect that can be argued and some argued that beforehand. the idea that we weren't focusing on jobs while we were focusing on health care is not accurate, but when you turn on the television every day for a year and it says health care, all the work we're doing on creating jobs and dealing with trade and all those issues, they just are -- i'm not complaining, i'm just stating a fact, that it just is not surfaced. and that's why you're going to see for the next two years that all we're about is american competitiveness, american -- made in america, and american jobs. and we need to cooperate. democrats and republicans. >> larry: should, frankly, the

president have been doing a better job in the area of -- you know, what's reality and what's perception? did he do a poor job in perception? >> look. i don't think he -- he didn't misunderstand at all the dilemma we faced but he knew, for example -- again, it's our responsibility. this is not -- the buck stops with us. it actually stops with the president. he's the guy that makes the final decision, god love him, but we found the situation where the banks were collapsing so we had to make sure the financial markets were stabilized. one of the most unpopular things you could do, it would have been easier to pass a resolution saying protect rattlesnakes. i understand that. we believe we had to deal with long-term debt and the biggest driver of long-term debt is health care costs, it's about

the long-term in terms of federal spending on health care, but again, we could have done a lot of things better in retrospect. >> larry: including perception, right? >> including perception. but we've learned from where we are, and we're determined to take advantage of those lessons and not, you know, have the perception clearly focused. >> larry: what's behind the postponement of the slurpee summit? >> the truth of the matter is i've met with mitch mcconnell, john boehner, these guys want to meet, and so it's now the 30th. it was never nailed down finally for -- for this thursday, and i think it's much ado being made about not much at all. we're going to be meeting on the 30th, the president and i, and

the leadership. the republican leadership is going to be the house and senate republican leadership. i assume that will include the number two and number three in the house and senate, but mainly it's john boehner and it is mitch mcconnell. and, look, i know both these guys. i work with them, i get on well with them, i think there ought to be places where we can agree and the most important thing we can agree on is how to grow the economy. >> larry: and we'll be right back with the vice president of the united states. his wife is going to join us later. we'll particularly improve this set. don't go away. ugh, my sinuses... the congestion... it's your fault. naturally, blame the mucus. [ mucus ] what you need is new advil congestion relief. it reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] new advil congestion relief. so i can breathe. fifteen percent or more on car insurance?

does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist? patient: and that's why yellow makes me sad. i tnk. sarge: that's interesting. you know what makes me sad? you do! maybe we should chug on over to mambie pambie land sawhere maybe can find some yoself-confidence for you.? ya jackwagon! tissue? crybaby. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. okay, now here's our holiday gift list. aww, not the mall. well, i'll do the shopping... if you do the shipping. shipping's a hassle. i'll go to the mall. hey. hi. you know, holiday shipping's easy with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. yea, i know. oh, you're good. good luck! priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.90 only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice

to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> larry: we're back with the vice president of the united states, nancy pelosi's coming back, this time as minority leader. she was a lightning rod, you've got to admit that. >> oh, yeah. when you spend $65 million to make someone a lightning rod, it works. i go back far enough, you remember when tip o'neal was made the lightning rod. remember that off-year race with reagan. >> larry: sure do. >> she also is the most effective person in generating results in the house. the house members decided that she was the one that -- >> larry: people either like her

or don't like her. she's not a halfway. >> i think that's the case with almost all great leaders. people either liked ronald reagan or didn't like him, they liked george bush or didn't. >> larry: do you think nancy pelosi is a great leader? >> i think she is. she's a very effective and competent person. she gets things done, and it's easy to, you know, in this environment, to, you know, to characterize someone. again, if you notice, the thing i love about her, never complain and never explain. my dad's notion. this is one tough, smart lady. let's get to business, let's move on now, let's see what we can get done. >> larry: are you going to extend the bush tax cuts? for all the rich folk? >> no. let me tell you what our position is. we want to permanently extend the tax cuts for middle class people. for the top 98% of the wage earners in america, or the 98% of the wage earners in america.

we don't think we can afford to extend permanently the tax cuts for the top 2%. that would blow another $700 billion hole in the budget. and so our position is permanent for the middle class and not permanent for the top. we're going to be sitting down on the 30th with the republicans. the republican leadership, say, guys, here's our position. what's yours? and see if we can work something out. we're not looking for confrontation. we know if we don't extend the tax cuts for the middle class, not only is it unfair, but it will have an incredible drag on the economy. >> larry: you don't want to lose your left, do you? >> no, we don't want to lose our left we want to do what's right for the country. what's fair for the country is giving the middle class, who's been battered, from 2001 to 2008, they lost 5% of their worth. 5% of their income.

and, you know, i don't want to take away from them now. look. a family of four making 50,000 bucks, larry, a man and many would, they get a $2100 tax break. their taxes go up $2100. $2100 for a family of four means the difference between if they can pay automobile insurance to drive their automobiles to work if they have a job. a family of four making 100 grand, that's $4100, whether they can keep two kids in school, particularly if one's a private institution. so this matters to people who make less than $250,000. >> larry: we're going to touch some bases. you're here, right? >> fire away. >> larry: i'm leaving soon. >> i'm going with you. >> larry: we both go off a sinking ship. all right. what do you make of the charlie rangel matter? is he a friend? >> he is a friend.

i give you my word, i don't know the details, but when the ethics committee -- a bipartisan committee rules he violated x number of rules of the house, then, you know, it's hard to argue against. i think the rules apply and they apply. but i don't know the detail. i really don't. >> larry: they don't put him out though, do they? >> i hope not, i don't think so. but i don't know enough about the specifics of each of the rulings. >> larry: all right. the sarah palin has apparently now confirmed that she's thinking about running for president. how does that make joe biden think? >> well, you -- i -- look. i think sarah palin's turned out to be, and she is, a real force in the republican party. and i think sarah palin is -- were i a republican senator, i would -- or a republican political leader, i would look and say, wait, she's got a good chance of getting the

nomination. but, look, it's hard enough for us to figure out our side of the aisle, let alone go over and handicap whether she can lose or win -- >> larry: what do you think of her? >> i like her. >> larry: you do? >> i personally like her. she's an appealing person. when we campaigned and debated there was not a harsh word. we have a fundamentally different outlook on the world. and i think that would be a really -- a really interesting race. >> larry: would that be a race you'd like to take on? >> well, you know, my mom used to have an expression, be careful what you wish for, joey, you may get it. so i never underestimate anyone. and -- but i think in that race it would be a clear, clear choice for the country to make, and i believe president obama would be in very good shape. >> larry: the white house shot down the rumors that you and hillary clinton were going to do a switch. >> i tried but it didn't work.

>> larry: you wanted state, didn't you? >> no, no, no the president and i, there was never any serious talk, ever that anyone ever heard, about me not being on the ticket with him or her not staying at state. >> larry: woodward started it, though. >> even bob backed off a little bit on that as he -- what he said, as i read -- and i read his book, what he basically said was, when she was being considered for secretary of state, it was suggested by one of her pollsters she should take it because maybe there would be the opportunity to be vice president. hillary's made it clear right from the first time it came out, joe, i don't want to be vice president. the president's made it clear, joe, i expect you to be on the ticket, i want you on the ticket, so it was kind of sort of a washington parlor game. it happens. >> larry: more with the vice president of the united states right after this.

collectively, the generation of soldiers, sailors and airmen and marines who have served and sacrificed for us are the heart and soul, the very spine of this

nation. >> larry: we're back with joe biden, the vice president, the former guantanamo detain ee is tried in civilian court, acquitted of all but one charge, the other side says he should have been found guilty of all of them, one says if it's a result of terror, you can't introduce it in court. where do you stand? >> if it's a result of torture or -- >> larry: torture. i'm sorry. >> the fact of the matter is what's going to happen to him, he's going to go to jail for a minimum of 20 years to life. had he been tried in a tribunal, which some critics say he should have been tried in a military tribunal, the same evidence would have been inadmissible. if we held him as some have suggested on the right, just held him indefinitely as basically a detainee, a prisoner of war, the idea that guantanamo is going to be around in 50 years and him still in jail, i

think our bets are -- this prove when you go to so-called article three courts, all this stuff with you have to worry about terrorists attacking the court. you can't try in federal courts, he's getting a longer sentence, he'll be in jail longer than if any other method were tried. same thing george bush did with the shoe bomber, same thing he did with the 24th hijacker. >> larry: so you're saying with others you would go civilian court? >> there's no reason not to go with civilian court based on this case at least. >> larry: week one of the administration, an executive order requiring the gitmo detention facility close within a year. still there. >> still there. >> larry: why? >> what we found out when we got in there is there's an awful lot of very tough cases that present real, real difficult situations. and so our intention is still to

close it, but we could not meet that within a year. >> larry: spoke too soon? >> well, the answer, i speak for myself. i spoke too soon. because quite frankly we didn't have all the detail data on every single prisoner, the status of that prisoner, what that prisoner's circumstance was, whether we could move them into an article three court, whether they should be released, et cetera, or whether they should be tried in a military court. that's the process that's being whittled down until we get down to the point where we're able to deal with having to either transfer, move, try, release, everyone that's in that prison system. >> larry: are you saying it's going longer it's going to be around. but the rest of the world understands we're making a good faith effort to deal with it and that it's helped us a great deal in our war against terror. the longer using the argument that was being used three years

ago that, you know, americans don't mean what they say about civil liberties. we're getting overwhelming cooperation now from not only -- and i'm deeply involved in this -- not only from our year -- european friends but from muslim states and states where there is -- where al qaeda is trying to burrow in and reside. >> larry: wouldn't it have been politically smart, frankly, or come on the older hands of joe biden, politically smart to announce tonight that in the future the trials like khalid mohammed will go to a military court, that would be a plus politically? >> it would be for people who didn't focus on it. but the example i gave you, the trial we just had. we are going to put this guy in jail longer than he ever would be had he gone to a military court.

and what we want to show to the world is we are not afraid of putting our criminal justice system for the whole world to see. there is no reason that we are a nation of laws and we can accomplish our end of taking these very bad guys off the street for a long, long time, if not forever. >> larry: joe biden is our guest. he's been the point man on iraq. what is your assessment of how that country is doing? >> oh, it's doing very, very well. here's the deal. it took them a long time to form a government because it was a close election. they have now formed a government that reflects -- the only demand i made, and i have been on the phone or i have been there six times since we have been elected. i know every one of the iraqi leaders by their first names. i know their children. i know them. we have been deeply involved. we have a great ambassador and a general in general austin. we have been deeply involved in helping them facilitate the

government that reflects the outcome of the election. they always say in a new democracy the most important election is the second one. a lot of them have a first one but they don't have a second one. what's happened now is that there is a real power sharing arrangement underneath, within the context of their constitution. we have kept our commitment. we said we'd end this war responsibly. we got all the troops out of the cities last summer. we brought home 100,000 troops we promised this summer and we are going to be out of there by the end of 2011 and we are going to leave behind a stable government because the iraqis stepped up to the ball. politics broke out in iraq. >> larry: we'll ask about afghanistan right after this. ♪

[ ted ] for years, i was just a brewer. until one of the guys brought in some fresh bread that he'd made from our pale ale. and from that first bite, i knew my business would never be the same. [ male announcer ] when businesses see an opportunity to grow,

the hartford is there. protecting their property and helping them plan their employees' retirement. ♪ beer or bread? [ male announcer ] see how the hartford helps businesses at achievewhatsahead.com.

operation iraqi freedom is over, but american engagement with iraq will continue with the mission that begins today --

operation new dawn. as the name suggests, this ceremony not only marks the change of a command, but the start of a different chapter in relationship with iraq. >> larry: we're with vice president joe biden. this is his -- get this -- 49th appearance on "larry king live" and we have been on the air 25 1/2 years. that's two a year. okay. the joe biden i know. >> i want to be honest with you. >> larry: afghanistan. a lot of americans say, "leave." >> i don't blame them for wanting to say that. here are the facts in afghanistan. we inherited a war that had been neglected for eight years. first thing the president asked me to do before we got sworn in after we got elected is he said joe, go there and determine what we need to do. i came back and said, you ask

ten of our commanders, ten civilians why they think we are there and you get ten answers. there is no clear rationale why we are there. we sat down and i recommended and he added the notion of why we are there. we are there to make sure al qaeda is ultimately defeated. what everybody now calls al qaeda central in the mountains in ak stan and afghanistan that they cannot use afghanistan as a platform. number two we give the freely elected government the opportunity to protect itself against the taliban and any other interests it can't reconcile with and train up their forces. we said, we are going to add additional resources to get that done. we are going to begin to transition our military out of iraq -- excuse me, afghanistan, this coming summer. and now all of nato, the president is about to head off to meet with nato. >> larry: in lisbon.

>> in lisbon. we will agree to transition and in 2014 it is theirs to take care of themselves in terms of security. >> larry: americans may say, but how many die before 2014? >> well, unfortunately if one dies it's one too many. i had a son who spent a year in iraq and every single day i got up and every single day i haven't -- having been to iraq 17, 18 times it was on my mind. i would walk in, i swear to god, and jill would be making toast or making coffee, saying a prayer. every minute if you have a son, daughter, husband, wife there, every minute it's on your mind. this is what we inherited and we had to finish it. we are making significant progress against al qaeda. it has been diminished in that so-called al qaeda central and at the same time we are moving

into a new position where we are not going to need american forces in those 34 provinces protecting the afghani people. they will begin to do that themselves. our nato allies believe we can begin to transition those 34 provinces beginning in january. >> larry: do you have faith in president karzai? >> look, i have known president karzai for a long, long time. i think he's in a very difficult position. you know, we could argue that there could be a stronger leader. but you deal with the hand you're dealt as the old saying goes. and we are all on the same page now for the first time. the american military, the american civilians, the administration. the congress, the nato, our allies, the afghanis. here's the deal. you've got to step up your capability. we'll help train your folks. we cannot want peace and security more than you want it in your villages and homes. we are going to help train you.

in the meantime, we -- a lot of our critics say you shouldn't set a deadline to get out. the reason we needed to do that is the same reason we did in afghanistan. we had to say listen, you've got to step up, man. daddy's going to start to take the training wheels off in october -- i mean in next july. so you better practice riding. >> the wife will be joining us shortly. one other thing i want to cover before she does join us. that's don't ask, don't tell. >> yep. >> larry: you were against it, as i understand. >> i am. >> larry: certainly the president is against it. >> yeah. >> larry: most of the administration is against it. apparently they polled troops and they are against it. you poll america and they are against it. why is it a policy? >> look, this is complicated for people to understand. >> larry: simplify it. >> as easy as i can say it is congress passed a policy it has not repealed yet. >> larry: the president could sign it away, can't he? >> he cannot.

but the president can theoretically tell the justice department to breach what is the understanding that all justice departments have. justice departments are obliged to defend laws constitutionally passed by the united states congress and signed by former presidents. >> larry: so he has to defend it for now. >> we are pushing as hard as we can. we had a meeting today with the leadership and the congress saying we very much would like to see you pass legislation now saying end don't ask, don't tell. >> larry: dick cheney -- not dick cheney. i'm sorry. colin powell was here the other night. >> yeah. >> larry: he said he supports john mccain in this matter. let's wait until we do the whole investigation by the military. let's wait until we hear from everybody. don't rush it. do you agree with that? >> we are going to see that shortly.

there will be a report in december coming from the defense department on their recommendation. so as my grandpoppy used to say with the grace of god there will be confluence of the two. >> larry: we'll be right back with the better half. [ male announcer ] don't let aches and pains in the morning slow you down. introducing bayer am. its dual-action formula delivers extra strength pain relief, plus it fights fatigue. so get up and get going with new bayer am, the morning pain reliever.

lord of the carry-on. sovereign of the security line. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro.

>> larry: we're back. he's been on 49 times over the years. this is her first appearance. dr. jill biden taught three classes today at her school. she is, of course -- what are you, missus first lady? >> second lady or captain of the vice team. >> larry: has he changed? >> oh, no. he hasn't changed. >> larry: now he's vice president. has he changed? >> no, i don't think. not at all. >> larry: you say that you love her more than she loves you. >> everybody knows that.

>> larry: do you think so? >> um, probably. >> oh, god. >> larry: you taught three classes -- >> i did. >> larry: you teach -- >> i teach writing. i teach english at northern virginia community college. >> larry: why do you continue to work? >> well, it's what i do. you know, i have been an english teacher for 30 years and it's what i love. when we were elected i said to joe, i'm going to continue to teach. >> i strongly encouraged it. look, i think it's really important that someone in jill's position as second lady or the wife of an elected official if they want to has their own separate sphere. she's deply involved in matters relating to the white house. besides, she loves it. >> larry: he's always been supportive of my career and whatever i do. >> larry: were you teaching when you met? >> yeah, i was. >> larry: at the college level? >> no. i taught high school for 13

years actually. >> larry: why do you like teaching so much? >> i think especially at the community college, i think i do make a difference in their lives. you know, they are working, going to school, raising families. >> larry: 18, 19, 20? >> no. all ages. actually, i think 26 is the average age of a community college student. i think i make a difference. i can make a difference. >> larry: i see you a lot with michelle obama for public service announcements. how do you two really get along? >> we really like one another. i think from the very beginning when we got together i think, you know, fate brought us together. she had her projects that she was interested in and i had mine, but the one thing we came together was military families. so that's what we are working on together. we have a lot of fun together. >> larry: we just heard your husband talk about iraq and afghanistan. you talk to military families,

right? >> we do. >> larry: wives, husbands, children. >> children, yeah. >> larry: we know we always hear about the military families who say, we support them. do you hear from people who say, we don't support? >> never. not from americans, no. >> larry: don't say we wish you would bring them back? >> of course we wish we would bring them back. >> we always hear, can you get my son or daughter home quicker. >> yeah. >> larry: what do you say to that? >> well, i think i saw the earlier segment and i think that's what joe and barack are trying to do. they brought our troops out of iraq like they said they were going to. now they are going to start to bring them out of afghanistan. >> it's interesting watching jill's reaction when she came to iraq into the war zone with me on the fourth of july. it was interesting to watch her -- well, it was fascinating. >> i met with women soldiers who, you know, had kids going

off to college and i met with mothers who had to actually -- if their husbands were deployed and they had to leave their children with another family. you know, they are incredible men and women and they never complain about their circumstances and, really, i just feel such pride in our force. >> larry: your son was there, your step-son. >> we don't say "step," lar. >> larry: you don't? >> son. >> larry: back after this. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds!

yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

>> larry: we are back with the bidens. what a couple they are. you had to go through the loss of a wife. >> i did. no man deserves one great love let alone two. i got lucky. >> larry: is this your first marriage? >> no. this is my second. >> larry: so you have had two loves -- >> well, yes, maybe. >> larry: that's a great line. >> i love you. >> larry: back to the military. that was funny. the outgoing chairman of the house arms services committee ike skelton says he worries that there is a chasm between american civilians and the military families and their thoughts. a lot of civilians say, let's get out of there. the military families, let's stay in there. that seems a contradiction. you would think the military families would be more interested in them coming home.

>> i know ike well. he and i talked at length about here you have 1% of the population fighting these wars and does the other 99% understand what they are going through. that was one of the chasms that ike was speaking about. anyway, you were asked the question. i apologize. >> but i think that they are so proud of what they are doing. i mean, that's their job. that's what they are committed to do. and they have pride in their work, in what they are doing. >> larry: do they understand it? >> i think they do understand it. how could they not understand it with all the news coverage? >> larry: you came into an administration headed by a man very opposed to war -- well, who isn't? but voted against iraq. is that perception -- maybe both of you -- changed in the past two years?

>> look, he was against the war in iraq because he thought it could have been avoided and it should have been avoided. in the very beginning he was not against. he felt we had to react in afghanistan where al qaeda came in and actually killed us. the thing that was interesting about the confluence of his commitment to make america safe and what jill does running around the country is there is a great phrase, only 1% of the americans are fighting the war but 99% owe them their support. it's really interesting. both jill and barack are from the vietnam -- not from the vietnam era. >> larry: you are. >> i am. what jill and barack wanted to make sure and michelle -- and i agree -- that coming home from these wars that they never are treated like the guys in my generation that came home. instead of being spat upon, they would be embraced.

that's why i think -- in fact i know -- why jill and michelle spend so much time going around the country reminding people. >> larry: do you meet with people who have lost people? >> oh, yes, all the time. >> how do you deal with that? >> it is really hard. joe and i have spent a lot of time with wounded warriors. actually, next monday we're having dinner for wounded warriors at the residence. we did it last thanksgiving. we have been to many, many hospitals, burn centers. it's tough. it's really tough. >> larry: there is no formula, is there? >> no. there is no formula. but the one thing that -- one of the reasons i wanted joe to join this administration is that barack wanted to get out of iraq and i so badly wanted to get out of iraq, especially since i had a son going to iraq. >> larry: more than you?

>> i wanted to get out of iraq, but i didn't initially want to be vice president. when asked initially, i said -- he said he needed an answer right away. i said, if you need an answer now barack, the answer is no. he said, well, go home and talk to your family about it and get back to me. that really surprised me. at home jill said, you've got to do this. this is not a woman who was pushing me to run for president before, wanted me to be vice president. it was her firm conviction about iraq. >> larry: i only have a short time left, but i want to ask about the reaction your boy had after iraq to before iraq. then i will ask about community college. we'll be right back.

♪ [ female announcer ] picking tights isn't always easy.

♪ picking a free detergent is. switch to tide free & gentle in the white and blue bottle. no other free detergent is milder on skin and unlike the leading free detergent, it removes more residue from dirt, food, and stains. so nothing spoils this tights enthusiast's enthusiasm. ♪ tide free & gentle. style is an option. clean is not. tide free for coldwater also available. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] some people just know how to build things well. give you and your loved ones an expertly engineered mercedes-benz... ho ho ho! ...at the winter event going on now. but hurry -- the offer ends soon.

>> larry: did iraq change your son? >> i don't think so. do you, joe? >> i don't think it changed him, i think he came away with an overwhelming impression about the men and women he served with. no joke. i mean, he said, dad, you'd be

amazed at these guys and these women. you'd be amazed. i was not amazed i was there so many times. but on the way back i said, jill, i feel guilty. ways here four times during the year beau was here in iraq and i always felt guilty i got to see him. i said i wish you had. and tell him your reaction. >> i said if i had been, if i had gone when beau was there, i couldn't have left him there. you know, i don't think any mother who goes to a war zone could ever leave a child in a war zone. >> larry: couple other things, you said america's community colleges are its best kept secret. in what way? >> well, i think community colleges offer so much and especially in this economy, you know, people come to them for job training, they're a fraction of the cost of four-year colleges and --

>> larry: you never hear about them much. >> yeah, well i hope that's changed. >> larry: you're changing -- >> i hope that's changed. because this administration so supports community colleges and education and that's one of the joys of working in this administration. and -- >> she's even spoken at the u.n. about, have everybody try to set up harvards of the world in these developing countries. >> third world. >> you've got to set up these community colleges quickly, biggest bang for the buck, they're more affordable, people get something substantial for careers out of them and it's a good buy. >> larry: take a break and when we come back in our remaining moments, i want to talk about holiday travel and the tsa. don't go away. i have asthma. and when my symptoms came back

i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function, starting within 15 minutes. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop symbicort

without loss of control, and prescribe a long-term asthma control medicine. be sure to see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. symbicort is a good choice to help control my asthma all day and night. [ inhales ] [ exhales ] ask your doctor if symbicort is a good choice for you. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> larry: okay, thanksgiving's right around the corner. what do you make -- a lot of discussion now in america, everybody's got an opinion, the patdown policy. of course there's going to be millions at the airports. >> maybe because i spend so much time in the morning dealing with the threat assessment that's out there and the fact that it's real, i understand people's frustration, but i -- unless there's a new technology that comes along pretty quickly, i think it's -- i think it's a necessary policy. i think it will have the effect

of saving lives, intercepting explosives or -- or before -- >> larry: but in a democracy it is an invasion, isn't -- it is an invasion. >> if you think about it, we're fighting -- terrorism is -- it's a threat. and i think americans should -- i mean, they should realize it and put up with it, i think. >> larry: anyone in the administration against doing it? >> no. we're all in the administration saying, continue to look to see what the best technology, the least intrusive that gives the greatest security. >> larry: how are you spending thanksgiving? >> we go to nantucket and we've done it for over 30 years. >> it's been 35 years, back after we first got -- five years after the accident i met jill, i had an administrative assistant, a wonderful guy who was 20 years older and her mom and dad wanted me and the boys to come to dinner, my mom and dad and my