>> i think the meeting next week will continue this process but as we have said before, chuck, we know the votes are not there right now. we want -- >> [inaudible] >> i will point to any of the questions on health care that might -- yes, if we can't seek 50 plus one it will be tough to pass. to be more serious, i think there is a seriousness in the effort but i think that and i think 2005 and in 2006, even in 2007, there was not a majority yet to do this. we want to work with those both in favor and support of those previous efforts to see where we

can get comprehensive immigration reform passed. yes, ma'am. >> back on health care for a moment. the senate finance committee is trying to bring the cost of the bill down to a trillion dollars or less and i understand the white house supports that as well. are you willing to make the trade-offs needed specifically in order to bring the cost down, forget about the pay force but to bring the cost down you're going to turn back the benefit package, turn back the number of people who qualify for the number of the subsidies, that's how would you bring the costs down. is that a trade-off that you are willing to make? >> i think we continue to watch what is going on as the finance committee works through this process. i would mention that the president has put a think last count of $950 billion on the table, as you're shaking your head, it's actually 950 --

>> that's not relevant to my question. my question is and how you pay for it, the you need to pay for it. >> but you did talk about a force and if you are going to talk about trimming the cost down to petroleum and i'm willing to tell you 950 billion is put on the table i think 950 billion, the trillion is a relevant part of the conversation to have. the president believes it's a relevant part of the conversation. he talked about the fact this plan has to be deficit neutral. i think in many ways that is a good portion of the answer. if the president isn't going to sign a health care bill -- you're shaking your head, let me try to finish this. the president is not going to sign a health care bill that increases the size of the deficit. in fact the budget resolution will allow him to do that, right? right. so, $950 billion is indeed relevant because having a series and amount of money in order to

pay for that bill equalling the cost of the bill will be part of what has to happen in order to get that with the process. >> i probably didn't ask clearly. well as trying to ask is not how you are getting paid for it but you spoke to that extensively. but lansing is in order to -- >> persuasive, yes. [laughter] [inaudible] i was pressing might look, i put 950 billion on persuasive. >> [inaudible] my question is in order to get the price of the bill down to $1 trillion from an estimated with the last finance over 1.6 trillion, in order to bring the cost down there are consequences which are reducing the benefit package and subsidies and i want to know whether those are trade-offs the white house is willing to make the. >> yes -- whose phone is that?

[laughter] i'm kind of ag on a friday i would love to take someone's phone. [laughter] obviously this whole process is going to be about how do we get something that is paid for and gets through the legislative process? why think the president has discussed this throughout the campaign. and i don't know what the structure in all honesty with these finance committee's markup package of what all the details with that benefit looks like that the degree to which it goes out in terms of incidence of percentages of income above some percentage of poverty. but there is no doubt these are exactly the types of trade-offs and decisions that are going to have to be made throughout this process in order to get

something -- whether it is regardless of what that alternate number is, and again, the president has been forceful in saying that that number has to be paid for, and in looking for that -- looking for those resources we have to take the steps necessary as we talked about earlier to the end of the curve on the government's cost of health care in the future. if we are not taking those steps and we are not getting health care reform so all of those things are what i feel will be will take up congress's time and the president's time in the next few weeks. >> on tobacco, but extent can we expect him to fold his own experience into what he is going to say on his own experience of smoking? >> i anticipate he will have

remarks as we talked about last week. when the president discussed his pleasure in seeing a bill that has found its way through the legislative process for more than a decade to land on the president's desk for a signature. he understands the struggles of millions of americans with tobacco. >> when will the president sign the war supplemental? >> i don't know that we have received the legislation yet. i don't anticipate that it will take long after. >> of iran, republican leader john boehner said we should lead -- does the president think that is a good idea or are there other concrete steps the u.s. could take -- >> i didn't see those before i came out.

we could have somebody look into that. sanctions is something that we discussed. the president authored a bill i can give you the details on. as i recall it was blocked last year by a republican to put some strong burst sanctions on iran and we will give you some information on that. >> the sanctions now inappropriate response to how they are taking from investors? >> i think the president -- i don't want to get into the tit-for-tat on that. >> to follow quickly use of sanctions are something we discussed you mean generally. >> yes, thank you, yes. >> i have three topics but one question on each. >> don't tell me.

[laughter] >> does the white house believe the congressional budget office is an effective and reliable arbiter on the scoring of health care proposals and does it have -- >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> does it have any say about the house speaker and kristoff who are significantly years in the debate both from the last 48 hours criticizing cbo methodology and the scoring that has come up -- >> remember, i haven't seen the exact comments but remember i think even -- >> she said she's frustrated because the cbo in her words comes up with a worst-case scenario and has never understood why we have to please the cbo and stuff ourselves as legislators and i wonder -- >> maybe some of the frustration is the fact cbo is looking at older proposals or half measures. i think that the christoff legislation of originally scored was not a final product. i don't think that there were savings mechanisms about building the cost of health

care. but look, the president as i said clearly today, the president is going to look for health care reform that is paid for. >> by the congressional budget office? >> unless and until somebody comes up with something different. >> on north korea under the sanctions, and the member nations that wishes to enforce the the the tracking of a suspect vessel or its inspection or shepherding the vessel to the port must obtain a commission from its own government at the political and military level, that is the language within 1874. has the president asked for permission for the u.s. navy to board -- >> not that i'm aware of. >> okay, and is their anything about the cargo on the vessel that leads you to believe the request is likely to come? >> i don't want to get into that sort of specificity.

>> last topic. d'aspin and breakfast today reminded me of something the president said during the campaign he would help to or probably would have selected for his and the girls and mashaal's attendance in january were now in june of the update on the president's churchgoing habits or process in selecting a church? >> i know they are continuing to look for -- to look for a permanent place. mindful of many things. what it does when a president decides to block out of this building and walking to a different building and disrupt worshipers that are attending before their own personal reasons. i think that is certainly that is not an exhaustive list but certainly one of the things that the president has on his mind about that. >> anything else he has on his mind about that?

>> i think that there is the wanting to ensure that he finds a church that he, michelle, and the girls feel most comfortable. >> [inaudible] >> he does. >> since the president hasn't found a church home in washington yet, is a minister being brought to the white house on sundays to have surfaced with the family and also at camp david? >> as i just said to major, the president has been very much and in july is the chapel and chaplin at camp david. i don't know if any has been brought here. >> fast on something, the senate unanimously passed a symbolic resolution apologizing for slavery and racial segregation and sent the measure to the house. bill clinton didn't apologize for slavery, george w. bush said

he blood not -- does this president think that is something that should indeed have been? >> i haven't spoken with him specifically about the senate resolution, and i would want to get his view on that. >> okay. what is the president's fault on slavery especially since he invokes -- >> at opposed. [laughter] you just asked me with the president's view is on slavery, what did you think i would say? [laughter] this is a very serious topic, just want to note that was your question, so go ahead, i'm sorry. [laughter] it does drive me crazy when one doesn't get a chance to finish their entire statement before somebody else -- i'm sorry, i'm off track. [laughter] it is friday, i'm just trying to have a little fun.

>> dealing with this issue of slavery since he invoked the issue over a year ago in the philadelphia speech is it something this white house could tackle? bill clinton tackled it and table it in the second term when he dealt with the race initiative. >> i'm sorry? >> the possibility of an apology for slavery. >> i don't know if this is even something that the or legislatively i don't know if the legislation ultimately comes here one not for signature. i don't know the answer to that. look, i think the president has spoken on any number of occasions about the stain that slavery left on this country. throughout our history we have sought to better protect our

union and have had many bumps along the way and one of the most significant of those is that of slavery and that it is clearly something we continue to struggle with. the president obviously hopes that we can make progress on race relations and that we have a deeper and better understanding about crounse and believes. yes, sir. >> we have heard the administration officials say that it isn't about ross and we have heard them say they've never heard anything about this in iran before. does the white house think the president's help reached the muslim world in cairo or to iran specifically in the greeting is in flem sing events in iran right now? >> i wouldn't in any way seek

for the administration to take the credit for what we are seeing in iran. i don't know that -- as you have said all i am not sure that anybody even a week ago or so would have expected to see the courageous images that we are seeing now. i will say that i think that there are those in iran and of those throughout the middle east that have noticed a different way of operating by this country and that they have seen and i think we have seen -- we have seen improved, some of improved relations and i think we have also seen improvement at the end the way this country is thought of by many countries in the region of the world and i think that is tremendously important

not because we all have to feel better but because there are very important foreign policy and strategic interests that we have discussed a lot in that region of the world. i do think that -- negative keillor seeing in iran -- i think you are definitely witnessing something extraordinary. i did you are witnessing something many people might not have presumed or imagined. like i said even just a few weeks or a few days ago, and i think part of that is sort of what we discussed earlier and that is i think there are those in iran that see the united states of america not as it has been described to them.

not as those have wanted their people to believe. i think that is a positive development for this country and for the entire world. >> do you have any idea how the cairo speech was consumed in the air on? in other words, was it shown -- >> i can have those guys see if we have some of the social networking sites or in what media might have been shown. >> some of the ss -- just briefly back on health care and the struggles of trying to figure out how to pay for what it is that is ultimately agreed upon, obviously there has been some talk among the democrats of additional taxes and various things and also the discussion of taxing employer benefits, the

republicans are accusing democrats of preparing tax best to pay for the president's plan which is affordable. what is your reaction to that? >> well, if i am not mistaken i can think of the least one republican of the top of my head that talked about changing the tax benefits for the exclusion. i think if i sit a google for five minutes like it probably give you several dozen i think one of the major reform bills up there right now that's been written by senator byrd includes if not a complete ending of the exclusion sama cap of it so maybe they -- >> the united states was suggesting some of these are going to break the president's pledge of not taxing the middle class. >> i think the president was clear on that in an interview earlier this week relating to

financial regulation and i think the president believes as he sat in the interview that he has put forward a course of action that he thinks is best able at this point to put this game in the game. the bulk of that is changing the way that we pay for health care. it is injecting -- it is taking subsidies out of for medicare middlemen and it's going back to the charitable deduction rates of the reagan era was a i think the president feels confident about what he has put on the table. i do believe something has happened in iran where there is a questioning of the kind of antagonistic postures toward the international community that have taken place in the past and there are people who want to see greater openness, greater debate

and want to see greater democracy. >> the u.s. reached out to any other country as far as helping and attracting and is the u.s. looking at options beyond the u.n. resolution for possibly one day? >> i don't want to get into operational specificity. as ambassador rice said just one week ago, we sought from the united nations and international community's strict sanctions on the movement, the possible movement this type of material and we are committed to implementing what is in those resolutions right now and changing hopefully the course of some behavior. >> what kind of outreach was

there in the house in shaping the rahm resolution? >> i assume some people were in conversation but i don't know what degree. i assume, yes. >> the president talked about this morning sounded similar to what was discussed in the summer of 07. you said the votes are on there for it now. how do you get the -- some continuation of hishere dialogue and see if you can come off with alternate -- obviously if you put up wall was out there we are gwen to have to look through that and other ideas. and i think the president looks forward to keeping in mind there will be people at the white house next week that don't agree with where the president and others or and they are going to

be final invitations having gone now. there will be members from both sides of the on next week to discuss it. >> there's a wall street regional reports that president obama wants to include civil unions to be counted in the census. can you talk about that? is that something the president wants? >> i did obviously as we have discussed, the president and the administration are committed to a fair and accurate account of all americans. and as the peace said we are in the midst of determining the best way to in sure they and lesbian couples are accounted. >> to follow up on the call we had the other day when the president signed the memorandum, he talked about the need for specific number of votes to fulfill the president's campaign promise that repealing the don't ask don't tell defense of marriage act and he kept saying 60 votes in the senate but is the white house talking republicans that might favor the

repeal of this? i know there are a few. >> i think that, i mean, the administration, well, obviously the for math purposes, we are going to have to have a coalition of people that believe on each of those interests that the policy isn't serving the nation well. and the president is committed to making progress on both of those issues. >> back on the question of this apology for slifer, the senate resolution also includes a disclaimer of sorts that says this should never be used to argue for reparations to read the congressional black caucus are not happy about that and they may not win their support when it goes back to the house. does the president think reparations should be ruled out? >> the president has not and does not favor reparations. yes, sir? >> thank you [inaudible]

>> i don't know the answer to that whether the nsc has discussed that with them. >> [inaudible] i know that it's probably too rarely but can you talk in general about how the president gets ready for such with preparations involved -- [inaudible] >> i think the process in many ways for this upcoming important trip to moscow started not long after and in some cases working on specific initiatives before the june 20 in late march. obviously we have a robust agenda with which we hope to discuss particularly surrounding making and restarting arms

control talks and hopefully by the end of the year coming to an agreement about specific numbers to eliminate, to begin to take steps to eliminate even further nuclear weapons each side has toward the president's goal. ultimately of the nuclear-free world. >> they are suggesting it is still a different type of visit going to moscow than europe or even going [inaudible] ase eight any different in terms of preparations? >> no, i think everybody understands the importance of the issues that are guinn to be discussed. i think in many way is the preparation is in that much different. we certainly hope that we can make some substantive progress

on issues we know are of importance to both sides. the first row has asked me questions. >> [inaudible] >> i don't know they have spoken since the june 20. i know that obviously general jones has spoken with his counterparts. mike has had many discussions but i don't believe the two presidents have spoken since. >> in the past week has the president spoken to any outside the government experts on iran and if so, who? >> i can check. i don't -- >> is he talking to anybody on the subject? >> outside the government, i don't know the answer to that but i can certainly check. >> early in the week the president thought the supreme leader was aware people of iran

were concerned about the election. is that still the case given the supreme leader said in the speech that mahmoud ahmadinejad had won and that the iranians have spoken? >> f-ing the international community and united states continues to have concern about the way in which the election was conducted, and i think that the concern is pretty well held by the hundreds of thousands of people that come to seek. yes? >> was the president disappointed to hear the leader say that his opinion is closer to those of mahmoud ahmadinejad's opinions dan of the reformist who backed musavi? >> i don't want to get into a

back-and-forth. i think the president continues to be concerned about ensuring that those that seek the justice i was speaking about have the opportunity to do that. i don't want to get into a comparison -- >> -- different powers and iran? >> ready we are witnessing that there are different belief structures and different centers in iran. >> you discussed in yesterday's briefing the white house's confidence with the flood detainee's the [inaudible] on that same subject has the white house or president had any discussions about taking

[inaudible] >> i think i believe we have had discussions with the government and have had discussions of different levels with the saudi government about the program and about detainee is that are some that have been transferred and psalm that are still held at guantanamo bay. obviously, i think the president believes and has said repeatedly he is and when to make the decision on anything related to guantanamo that would threaten the security of the country. but i don't want to get into any death about those discussions. >> [inaudible] >> discussing guantanamo definitely