but only time the president of the united states. and i've got a responsibility in making certain that we are continually advancing our national security interest, and that we are not used as a tool to be exploited by other countries. i mean, you guys must have seen the report they've got some of the comments that i've made being mistranslated in iran suggesting that i'm telling riders to go out and ride some more. there are reports suggesting that the cia is behind all this. all of which are patently false, but it is you a sense of the narrative that the iranian government would love to plan to. some members of congress, they have their constitutional

duties, and i'm sure they will carry them out in a way that they think is appropriate. i president of the united states and i will carry out my duties as i think are appropriate. >> aren't you getting the leadership in iran the fodder to make those arguments? >> i think we can parse this as much as we want. i think if you look at the statements that i've made, they have been very consistent. i just made a statement on saturday in which we said we deplore the violence. and so i think that in the hothouse of washington there may be all kinds of stuff going back and forth in terms of republican critics versus the administration. that's not what is relevant to the iranian people. was relevant to them right now is are they going to have their voices heard and, frankly, a lot of them are paying attention to what's being said on capitol hill. and probably are spending a lot of time thinking about what's being said here.

they are trying to figure out how can they make sure justice is served in iran. >> i want to follow-up on iran. you have avoided twice spelling out consequences. you hinted that there would be from the international community if they continue to violate, you said violate these norms. you seem to have their are human rights violations taking place. >> i'm not hinting. i think when a young woman gets shot on a street when she gets out of her car, that's a problem. >> then why would you spell out the consequences -- >> because i don't think we know how this thing is going to put out. i know everybody here is only 24 hours news cycle. i am not. [inaudible] >> i answered. i answered which is we don't yet know how this is going to play out. >> thank you, mr. president. before i asked my question, is

the public plan nonnegotiable? >> that your question. [laughter] >> argue the ombudsman for the white house press corps? is that your question? [laughter] >> okay, i have a two-part question. [laughter] and while i appreciate yours talking about the logic of the health care plan, the public plan, it does seem logical to a lot of people that if the government is offering a cheaper health care plan, then lots of employers will want to have their employees covered by that cheaper plan, which will not have to be for-profit unlike private plans, and they may possibly benefit from some government subsidy, who knows. and in their employees will decide if this public plan which would violate what you are promising the american people that they will not have to change health care plan if they like the plan they have. >> your pitching, i'm catching.

i got the question. first of all, with the reverend of spock, is that a crack on my ears? [laughter] >> i would never meet one of your ears, sir. >> in answer to david's question which you co-authored, we are still early in this process, so we have not drawn lines in the sand, other than reform has to control costs. and that it has to provide relief to people who don't have health insurance or are underinsured. those are the broad parameters that we have discussed. there are a whole host of other issues were alternately i may have a strong opinion, and i will express those two members of congress as this is shaping up. it's too early to say that. right now i will say that our position is that a public plan makes sense. now, let me go to the broader

question you made about the public plan your as i said before, i think that there is a legitimate concern if the public plan was simply eating off the taxpayer trough that it would be hard for private insurers to compete. if, on the other hand, the public plan is structured in such a way that they have got to collect premiums and they have got to provide good services, then it was the insurance guppies are saying is true, that they are doing their best to serve their customers, that they are in the business of keeping people well and giving them security, when they get sec, they should be able to compete. now, if it turns out that the public plan, for example, is able to reduce administrative costs significantly, then you know what, i would like the

insurance companies to take note and say, hey, if the public plan can do that why can't we. that's good for everybody in the system. i don't think there should be any objection to that. now, by the way, i should point out that part of the reform that we have suggested is that if you want to be a private insurer as part of the exchange as part of this marketplace, this menu of options that people can choose from, we're going to have some different rules for all insurance companies. one of them being you can't preclude people from getting health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. you can't cherry pick and just take the healthiest people. so there are going to be some ground rules that are going to apply to all insurance companies because i think the american people understand that too often insurance companies have been spending more time thinking about how to take premiums and then avoid providing people with coverage than they have been thinking about how can we make

sure that insurance is there, health care is there when families need it. but i'm confident, you know, i take those advocates of the free market to heart when they say that the free market is innovative and is going to compete on service and is going to compete on their ability to deliver good care to families. and if that's the case then this just becomes one more option. if it's not the case, then i think that that's something the american people should know. >> i'm sorry, but what about keeping our promise to the american people that they won't have to change plans even if employers. >> when i say if you had your plan and you like it and your doctor has a plan, or you have a doctor and you like her doctor then you don't have to change plans. what i'm saying is the government is not going to make you change plans under health

reform. now, are there going to be employers right now, assuming we don't do anything, let's say that we take the advise of some folks who are out there and say this is not the time to do health care. we can't afford. it's too complicated. let's take our time. so let's assume that nothing happens. i can guarantee you that there is a possibility for a whole lot of americans out there that they are not going to end up having the same health care they have because what's going to happen is as a costs keep going up, employers are going to start making decisions. we got to raise premiums on our employees. in some cases we can't provide health insurance at all. and sold there is going to be a whole set of changes at the. that's exactly what health reform is so important. margaret. where's margaret? >> they do, mr. president. as a former smoker i understand the frustration, but with the new law that you signed

yesterday regulating the tobacco industry i would like to ask you a few questions. how many cigarettes a day? >> a few questions? >> how many cigarettes a day did you smoke alone or in the presence of other people and you believe the new law would help you to quit, if so, why? >> first of all, the new law that was put in place is not about me. it's about the next generation of kids coming up your so i think it's fair, margaret, did you say you just think it's neat to ask me about my smoking as opposed to being relevant to my new law that's fine. i understand. interesting, if they interesting human interesting story. as i've said before as a warmer smoker i have possibly struggled with a. have i fallen off the bag and sometimes, yes. am i a daily smoker, a constant smoker? no. i don't do it in front of my kids. i don't do it in front of my

family. and, you know, i would say that i am 95% cured, but there are times where i mess up. and i have said this before. i get this question about once every month or so. and i don't know what to tell you other than the fact that, you know, like folks who go to aa, you know. once you've gone down this path, then it's something you continually struggle with which is precisely why the legislation we signed was so important because what we don't want his kids going down that path in the first place. okay. >> mr. president, your message today. [inaudible] two months ago, you said that

you called on latin american countries to help you with deeds, not words toward some of the less democratic countries. have you noted any particular problem from that? and can you give an example. >> first of all, i'm very much looking forward to seeing the president. i think she is one of the finest leaders in latin america. very capable person. if you look at how chile has handled the recession, they have handled it very well in part because the surplus is that they got wind copper prices were very high, they set aside. and so they had the resources to deal with a downturn. is a good lesson for the united states. when we had surpluses, they got dissipated. we think that there is enormous

possibilities of making process in latin america generally. one of the things that i'll be talking about with the president is a coordination and cooperation between the united states and chile on clean energy. will have an announcement when we do our press conference after my bilateral meeting on some important clean energy partnerships. we're making important progress when it comes to exchanges on cancer research. and we continue to have a robust trade regime with chile. and by the way, chile has actually entered into some very interesting partnerships, not just with the federal government but also with state governments like california. so i think the relationship that we have with chile, which by the way does not fall in line with

the u.s. foreign policy on every single issue. but it's a respectful policy. chile is an important partner. i think that's the model that we want. partnership, the united states doesn't dictate how chile should view its own interests, but, in fact, we have achieved great cooperation. and i will be looking at president bachelet at getting us to further advice in terms of how we can take the kind of relationship we have with chile and expand that to our relationships throughout latin america. >> not only about chile, but latin american countries, giving you a hand against less democratic countries. >> the point is that i think chile is leading by example. so i am using chile as an example. whether the same is true in brazil, for example. their president came in and he has a great different political

organization that most americans. he came up through the trade union movement. he was perceived as a strong leftist. it turns out that he was a very practical person who, although maintains relationships across the political spectrum in latin america. has instituted all sorts of smart market reforms that have made pursell prosper. and so if you take president bachelet, or some else, and the united states has a good working relationship with them, and i think that points the way for other countries that may be where the democratic tradition is not as deeply embedded as we would like it to be. and weaken a common cause and showing those countries that in fact democracy respect for property rights, respect for

markets, basic economies, rule of law, that all those things can in fact lead to greater prosperity. that's not just the u.s. agenda, but that is a smart way to increase the prosperity of your own people. hans? >> finca, mr. president. if i could just turn to the economy more generally. when you are talking about the economic policy, you are talking about keeping unemployment below 8%. yet last week you acknowledge that unemployment is likely to reach double digits at 10%. do you think you we need a second stimulus package? >> not yet because i think it's important to see how the economy evolves and how effective the first in this is. i think it's fair to say, keep in mind the stennis package was the first thing we did. and we did it a couple of weeks after inauguration.

at that point nobody understood what the depths of this recession were going to look like if you recall, it was only significantly later that we suddenly get a report that the economy tanked. and so it's not surprising then that we missed the mark in terms of our estimates of where unemployment would go. i think it's pretty clear now that an employer will end up going over 10%. if you just look at the pattern. because of the fact that even after employers and businesses start investing again and start hiring again. typically it takes a while for that employment number to catch up with economic recovery. and we are still not at actual recovery yet. and so i anticipate that this is going to be a difficult year, a

difficult period. >> was a high watermark in for unemployment? >> i'm not suggesting that i have a crystal ball since you just threw back at us our last prognosis. let's not engage in another one. but what i am saying is, here are somethings i know know for certain. in the absence, i think the recession would be much worse. it would have declined without the recovery act, we know for a fact that states, for example, would have laid off a lot more teachers, a lot more police officers and a lot more firefighters. every single one of those individuals whose jobs were saved as a consequence, they are still making their mortgage payments. they are still shopping. so we know that the recovery act had an impact. now, what we also know is this was the worst recession since the great depression.

and people are going to a very tough time right now. and i don't expect them to be satisfied. the one thing, you know, as i sometimes glance at the various news outlet representatives here, i know that there's sometimes reporting of the administration is worried about this or the pull levers are going down there, look, the american people have a right to feel like this is a tough time right now. what's incredible to me is how resilient the american people have been, and how they are still more optimistic than the facts alone would justify. because this is a tough, tough period. and i don't feel satisfied with the progress that we have made. we have got to get our recovery money out faster. we have got to make sure that the programs that we put in place are working the way they

are supposed to. i think, for example, our mortgage program has actually helped to modify mortgages for a lot of people, but it hasn't been keeping pace with all the foreclosures that are taking place. i get letters every day from people who say, you know, i appreciate that you put out this mortgage program but the bank is still not letting me modify my mortgage and i'm about to lose my home. and then i've got to call my staff and team and find out, you know, why is it not working for these folks and can we adjust to, can we take tweedie, can we make it more aggressive. this is a very difficult process. and what i've got to do is make sure that we are focused both on the short term, how can we provide families immediate relief, and jumpstart the economy as quickly as possible. and i got to keep my eye on the long term. and the long term is making sure that my reform our health care system, bypassing serious energy legislation that made us a clean energy economy, by revamping our education system, by finally

getting the financial regulatory reforms in place that are necessary for the 21st century, by doing all those things we have got a foundation for long term economic growth. and we don't end up having to juice up the economy artificially through the kinds of bubble strategies that help to get us in a situation that we're in today. i've got time for two more questions. april? >> how are you doing? back on the economy. mr. president, people are criticizing this recovery plan. they were quoted in the washington post that say the african-american employment rate will go to 20% by the end of this year. and then you had your chairman of economic advisor say that target intervention may come next year if nothing changes. why not target intervention now to stop the bloodletting on the black unemployed rate? >> first of all, we know that

when african unplumbed rate and the latino un-american traits are statistically higher than the national average. and so is the economy as a whole is going poorly, then you know that the african-american community is going to be doing poorly and they are going to be hit even harder. and the best thing that i can do for the african-american committee or the latino community or the asian community, whatever community, is to be the economy as a whole moving. if i don't -- hold on for one second. let me answer the question. if i don't do that, then i'm not going to be helping anybody so that's priority number one. it is true that in certain intercommunity cities the unemployment rate was already sky high even before this recession. the ladders available for people to enter into the job market are

even worse. and so we are interested in looking at proven programs that help people on a pathway to jobs. there is a reason why right before father's day, i went to a program here locally in washington called europe, which has a proven track record of taking young mostly minority people, some of whom graduated from high school, some who may be just got their ged. and train them on computers and provided other technical skills, but also train them on how to carry themselves in an office, how to write an e-mail. some of the social skills that will allow them to be more employable. a have a terrific placement rate after this when your program. if there are ways that we can potentially duplicate some of those programs, then we're going to do so. the part of of what we want to

do is to find tools that will give people more opportunity, but the most important thing i can do is lift the economy overall. and that's what my strategy is focused on. last question. >> thank you. putting a human face on this, over the weekend we saw a shocking video. have you seen this video and what is your reaction? >> it's heartbreaking. it's heartbreaking. and i think that anybody who sees it knows that there is something fundamentally unjust about that. >> we also have people on the ground who have been saying that the streets are quieter now and that is because they feel they are paralyzed by fear. people have gone missing. year of violence that perhaps this is a movement that has gone underground and perhaps dying. do you have any concern over that? >> yes. i have concern about how

peaceful demonstrators and people who want their votes counted maybe stifled from expressing those concerns. i think as i've said before there are certain international norms of freedom of speech, freedom of expression. [inaudible] >> hold on a second, helen. that's a different question. and i think it's important for us to make sure that we let the iranian people know that we are watching what's happening, that they are not alone in this process. ultimately though what's owing to the most important is what happens in iran, and we've all been struck by the courage of

people. and i mentioned this i think in a statement i made a couple of days ago. some of you who have been covering my campaigns know if this is one of my favorite expressions was doctor king's expression that it bends towards justice. we have to believe that ultimately justice will prevail. all right. thank you. >> [inaudible conversations] >> president obama spending about 50 or more minutes answering a dozen or so questions from reporters in the brady press briefing room. we would like to get your reaction.

make sure you turn down your television or radio when you call in. and if you have called a program in the last 30 days, give others a chance to call in this afternoon. president obama dealing largely with the issues of iran, health care and also the economy on iran. president at the top of the news conference said that the u.s. and the entire world was appalled and outraged by iran's efforts to crush dissent. that report from the associate press on the president's comments. he also talked about health care a great deal telling the news conference that unless the government asked that the country will spend $1 out of every five on health care within the next 10 years. let's go to our phone calls. first up from toledo, ohio, derek on our democrats line. go ahead. >> hello? well, first of all i just want to say, you know, big props to president obama. he is right on the money.

i feel like the rest of the country needs to get behind him and give him a chance your other president, you know, they have had their chance, you know what i'm saying, get things in my. obviously they didn't get them in line. right now president obama is trying his best and we need to rally behind and wait for this success to happen. >> virginia, good afternoon. >> caller: good afternoon. i'm a little disappointed that president obama. >> why is that. >> caller: he has failed to specify how he is going to deal with the continual pressures of iranian -- iran and the constant threat of us and israel. >> thanks for the call, kyle. we will take your calls for the next couple of minutes. montana. back on the democrats line. >> caller: how's it going? i think he did a great job. i think he handled the press very, very well.

i think his stance on iran is great right now. i think we should stanback and just see what happens over there. i mean, they are already blaming the u.s. for what's going on over there. so i think if we just an back, see what happens and, you know, make adjustments from there i think it would be great. >> this conference was supposed to take place in the rose garden. hot temperatures in the washington area moved indoors. president obama today was asked about this and he will also meet with president bachelet of chile in just a bit. let's go to fort lauderdale, florida. mrs. cynthia on our other line. >> caller: i just want to say it is refreshing to hear a president of the united states express awareness of international tensions and international situations and have some understanding that as of the superpower of the united states needs to listen to other people. and i think that is one of the

things that we have been waiting for for a long time, a president who listens to what other people have to say, even people who disagree with him. >> on capitol hill today the house and senate are back at 2:15 p.m. to continue work or they're hoping to bring to the floor legislative spending for fiscal year 2010. life coverage here on c-span2 at 2:15 p.m. this is new york city. bruise on the republican line. >> caller: how are you doing? >> very well. >> caller: i watched obama. i do like him as a person. as a president we have to back him but i feel he is way off the mark. there was no comment about north korea, what we are going do there. . .