the presiding officer: the leader. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be terminated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i now ask that we -- i ask unanimous consent we proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 62. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of justice, james michael cole of the district of columbia to be deputy attorney general. mr. reid: mr. president, i have a cloture motion at the desk and i ask that it be reported. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion. we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of james michael cole of the district of columbia to be deputy attorney general, signed by 17 senators as

follows: reid of nevada, leahy, cole, feinstein, franken, coons, blumenthal, klobuchar, whitehouse, brown of ohio, udall of colorado, durbin, carper, sanders, rockefeller, shaheen, schumer. mr. reid: mr. president, i ask consent that the mandatory quorum under rule 22 be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate resume legislative session and then proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 61, there be three hours of debate equally divided in the usual form, that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the senate proceed to vote without

intervening action or debate on calendar number number 61, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further statements be in order to the nomination, these statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senator isakson be added as a con questioner -- as a conferee to the f.a.a. reauthorization bill. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid:. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the "help" committee be discharged from consideration and the senate now proceed to its consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 158 congratulating the students, parents, teachers and administrators of charter schools across the united states and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is

discharged. mr. reid: i ask further -- the presiding officer: and the senate will proceed to the motion. mr. reid: i ask further the resolution be agreed to, the amendment to the preamble which is at the desk be agreed to, the preamble as amended be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, there be no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed in the record at the appropriate place. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed en bloc to the following resolutions which were submitted earlier today. resolution 166, 167, 168, 169. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measures. mr. reid: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table en bloc, there be no intervening action or debate, any statements relating hra*euted to these -- related to

these matters be printed in the record at the appropriates place as if read. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent that the appointment at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: i believe there is a bill at the desk and is due for a first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 38, an act to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions and to provide for conscious protections and for other purposes. mr. reid: i ask, mr. president, for a second reading in order to place the bill on the calendar underred provisions of -- under the provisions of rule 14 but then object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the bill will be read the second time on the next legislative day. mr. reid:. mr. reid: i ask unanimous consent the senate -- when it

completes its business today it adjourn until 2:00 p.m. on monday, may 9, that following the prayer and the pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for use later in the day, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to a period of morning business for debate only until 4:30 p.m., with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes. following morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to consider executive calendar number 62, there be one hour of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual form, upon the use or yielding back of that time the senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reid: mr. president, my colleague who is a member of the house of representatives, dean heller, will on monday at 2:00 p.m. be sworn in as a senator representing the state of nevada.

it will take place in this chamber at 2:00, as i indicated. mr. president, the next roll call vote will be at 5:30 p.m. on monday. that vote will be a cloture vote on the 0 nomination of james cole to be deputy attorney general. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask it adjourn under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until

>> next, a panel discussion on global food safety including massachusetts congressman, jim mcgovern on rising prices and global hunger. it is hosted by the atlantic magazine. this portion is about 50 minutes. >> thank you very much to the white house assistant, chef sam cass. i forgot to mention his mother came to the last atlantic program on technology and education with a focus on gaming. she's a senior official at the science organization is very proud of you. she said, you should invite me son, and i said we have already. a very talented family. i want to welcome everyone to the second panel discussion of the day on global food security

access and affordability moderated by the managing editor, and prior to to joining in 2006, james was the deputy editor of the "new york times" op-ed page. he was a long distinguished career in journalism for writing for foreign policy magazine, the new republic, wilson quarterly, "new york times," new york times book review and other publications. he spent a chunk of his career too working in the foreign service field. he was a foreign service officer from 1989 to 1997. he served as a speech writer to president bill clinton and national security adviser andy berger. he was in tokyo and bombay and the china's desk department bureau of research. he received his bachelor of arts

degree, and i'll turn things over to him and the second panel. thank you. >> thank you very much, elizabeth. thank you to all of you here. we are very happy to have you join us for this panel, and i'm pleased to say we have a good panel to discuss this issue which is i think one of the most vital, but underserved subjects in the policy arena today. our subject is food security access and affordability. it's huge and sprawling, so we'll only be able to do slight justice to it, but nonetheless let me begin by introducing the panelists. to my immediate right is dr. don fischler, the commissioner for agriculture and world development. for the last four years of that period he was also in charge of the fisheries policy. just prior to that from 1989 on

ward he was minister of forestry and agriculture, and in that capacity, he played a crucial role in autre ya's negotiation with the european union. for the last several years, he's been a consultant own agriculture and development issues, but this year he is austria's candidate for the food and agriculture organization, an election to be held in june. we're happy to have him with us. to his right is a gentleman who needs to -- who needs no introduction and that's jose andre, the chief chef at the best and most innovative restaurants. i'm bucking for reservations or

discounts here. [laughter] they include cafe atlantico. he always is in las vegas and if you read the atlantaic next month, there's an article about one of his culinary experiments there. in addition to his long and distinguished culinary career, he also is the chairman of amother tis of dc central kitchen, and organization that provides culinary training and food for some of the disadvantaged residences of this city, and recently, he has started with several other chefs and an organization called world central kitchen operating in haiti to feed the poor, support local agriculture, and promote general nutrition. i'm hoping we'll hear some of what he's been doing there, and

last but not least, congressman jim mcgovern. congressman mcgovern is a democrat from massachusetts serving his 8th term, he is a minority whip and the second ranking member of the house rules committee and also a member of the house agriculture committee. he's long been a leader in impoverishment alevement efforts in congress and in his role of the house hunger caucus. we're pleased to have such a distinguished panel joins us here today. i'd like to start by, you know, talk -- getting your views on whether or not the current food crisis that we're facing, as many as you know, food prices are at record highs, 1 billion of the world's 7 billion people don't get enough to eat, whether the current food prices is a

blip on another bright horizon or really a taste of bad things to come or the systemic factors we face, the kinds of things we can alleviate or the things we're going just to live with. i'd like to start with you, dr. fischler. >> thank you very much, thank you for inviting me here today. coming to your question, maybe it is posed in what you mentioned, but when we look from a global perspective with the food prices and the -- rising food prices, we have what are the reasons behind it? there are reasons on the demand side, the growing population in the world, but at the moment

maybe more important, the fast increasing demand for animal protein in countries like china and other emerging countries, and at the same time, on the supply side, the problem that at the moment, the growth rates for productivity for example lower than the demand growth rates, and clearly this creates a tension, but this development is overlapped by several short time phenomena. for example, utility, and the price of utility has in my view two origins. one is that we see more often

misharvests in certain parts of the world. last year in russia, there was a big drought and the consequence was that for at the moment, again, russia is importing cereal, and then there's also this question of what is going on in the financial markets, and this has the power to gain with the oil price development, and when we look at the commodity price, people in the last year can see a clear correlation between the oil price and for example the wheat price. in addition to that, there are these so-called new forms of speculation. this has nothing to do with the real or very little to do with the real economy. these are financing instruments. there are speculation as it is called, has an enormous volume.

at the moment, the estimations are that the volume of this speculations is 15 times the real agriculture economy so it is clear that this is to some degree inferencing the price development, and it is -- it is a kind of driver in the upward phase when prices tend to go up, then they go up further than they would do without that, and in the meantime, it is recognized that this is a problem, and we will see a major discussion in the next g20 meeting when the leaders of the world will discuss possible disciplines for this type of markets. this has nothing to do with the future markets because future markets are important, and we need them because they are

stabilizing the prices and not destabilizing the prices. i think these are some of the main reasons for the development. >> right. that gives us something on more of a microlevel. can you talk about your experiences in haiti or, you know, what you think -- >> yeah. before going to haiti, just on the g20, just two years ago, they kind of -- the finance ministers kind of promised to put $22 billion to serve for countries that needed the development to make sure we start investing in agriculture. we start -- we cannot -- we start a true path to research and development to provide the countries in need making sure they will be producing foods to feed the population, but beyond that, to produce foods also to

being able to have economic growth through exports. today, the $2 billion promised over three years, they barely, barely, we put over 300-400 million, been way, way, way short of what's promised by the g20, and what we see continuously by the big institutions, that those big, big things you read in the newspaper which are kind of big, big news, but they fall short of really having a meaningful effect to resolve the issues we have. on this hand, we understand that if they are promising x, but then they don't do it. we keep falling short, and then president obama with good will, but with the republicans in congress, america's not much help. >> did he pay you to say that? >> no, i agree with him.

[laughter] >> hey, certain things pulling in the world too. here it is bipartisan. on top of that, the issue we face over and over is really a lack of deliver what's promised, and we have to have our institutions, especially big ones like the g20, being the world's richest countries, they are having meaningful idea of how those countries, but start putting really the money where the mouth is, and unfortunately we see more often than not sometimes and lack of the delivering the goods to start having true, true meaningful change in countries that need it the most, so the prices -- that money was supposed to make sure we were going to stabilize

prices by having more production, hopefully prices or widely stabilize. the poor will be able to afford what they are not able to afford right now, and so we have cases like haiti where everything is good will, everything is unbelievably good will through one program delivering amazing help, through starting agriculture, we keep seeing that more often than not to help the countries with starving producers and dump huge quantities of foods that come from overseas. ..

with different people dare, it different people in congress and never will ever change. we need to start making a change, a true meaningful work. >> you represent both the money and the mouth. [laughter] >> first of all, let me just say that this is not -- the food crisis is not a fast thing. it is a long-term challenge that we all need to get serious about it, but that frankly is that demonstrated at the international level.

there are things out of control and were trying to consume less or eat less. i can't control the weather. nobody here can control the weather. who knows what's in store in the future and how will it impact crops? but going with what was sages said i really believe this issue of hunger and food security is a political position i think all of us have the answers. we all know it needs to be done. we mention more kind of local, sustainable development to strengthen market avoid dumping food and local communities and how we can help without globally is the challenge. but we know the answers. the question is whether or not any of us went to end hunger and want to promote more acute security and will put their

money where our mouth is and that includes their nations. i've been to i don't know how many congresses where people have pledged about hunger in big basin by that. it seems like it's forever. this is an issue that to me is not on the humanitarian, also a national security issue. i mean, what we all watched, we were riveted by the events that happened in egypt. a lot of those people were protesting because the food security issues. it wasn't just about freedom and a new government. it was about food. so the implications of not addressing this issue more holistically and more forcefully or very, very significant and international communities. this really is a political challenge as to whether or not the wealth of the nations are going to put their money where their mouth is and whether or not we will lead a global effort to address this issue of hunger and food insecurity more effect

do vague and i think there's a very hopeful signs the obama administration. i beg to be the future initiative. that's a good start, but i must eliminated funding for it in congress when they were debating the continuing resolution for this year. we saved it, most of it, but the fact i was even on the chopping block gives me cause for concern .

>> everybody came out and started saying these are low prices for arguments in this dumping -- this is the reason why we have 900 billion people hungry in the world. in 2008, the same organization chemo for to the very sophisticated studies. these high prices, these rocketing prices are the reason why we have now 400 billion people hungry. so what is true no? i think this is only the kind of signal that we should be a bit careful with our conclusions and

that these things are rather more complex than many of us are thinking. so my conclusion is the following. i would say if we look back, not only a few years, but longer, in the last four decades, the international prices will always decline. in the last four decades, we have already decreased and for the first time now, the national institutions say they can expect in the next 10 years a slight increase of the prices and in the longer term a real change in the price development. and i will tell you, if we put

feeds steady in slight increase in prices that this would be especially for the developing countries at the end. and it doesn't, lott was developing countries because to be honest, if we dispense and further 10% of our household income for food from 11%, this will not make a huge difference. but the bad thing is coming in -- this unforeseeable development, this product to the problem because we create then a situation that has weak economies and are not able to do this development. this has been enormously harming

amount of money in the recent years it's gone down. >> everything has gone down. not only commodity prices, also the market in the research went down and the most important, about 20 years ago this year of the developed spending was about 20% in the share of the total development operation was about 20% and now it's less than 5%. >> well, you might have figured as a politician we have a ways to go, but secretary of agriculture for the same continent, from west bank, we

are farmers. you know it to farm, but europe has the united states. we have our government. and the truth is that i can subsidize the out of every farm. why not? i'm going to go with the rest of the world. europe, the united states. every single name. why? because we can. we are rich. we are talking about people in need. i don't believe we have more consequences of not doing policy that has a true significant impact in the third world while at the same time we will look for the people we represent.

so who is the governing voice to implement those ideas where we will achieve a perfect balance between subsidy we may be getting to farmers and hopefully they will be as low and decreasing and at the same time we don't break every single little firmer and that is out there in that regard against america and the nation because again, it's about morals. when you go to bed, were going to be asking this stuff. and giving a speech or a made man of action. fortunately when i am sending here is they have to be seen

when held to comment meaningful actions and policy go hand-in-hand ms results on the field. we are moving forward. congress member mcgovern mentioned food security is national security. we can cover those billions of dollars will be china because china is loaded in china, they will come to the rescue center or later of those countries. make no mistake, already the world is being kind of like monopoly handing out game cards.

qatar is invested in kenya to make sure they have fruits and vegetables. and many other countries and moving strategically. we tried to control the oil supply of the worlds. we will control them in the future. and paper, i love it because kobe helping the poor farmers next to them at the same time, putting our money where mouth is. 10, 20, 50, 100 years from now will not be anymore to control those areas of produced and this is not true national security

unfortunately because we don't have a body that's the center of the universe in the same way the i am left -- imf was created. people, america and the world need an entity that is separated from everything else, that will somehow bring together policy, demanding to pay for social, research and development, all the issues that are wrong for institutions. i don't believe the united nations. sooner or later one day the governments of the world will relax not in the scope of the right to implement change and

all its implications, obviously the economic, defending will be the center for these kind of entities in the office developer what happened. >> i want to return to that point, but before that, you want to ask congressman mcgovern for a little more argument. when you are testifying on behalf of the budget request, what kind of family slated people? are people making the connection $6 billion for biofuel subsidies? does that come up in discussions on the hill? >> first of all, libya agreed with jose andres that i don't think the united states could subsidize the out of everything. that would be a mistake.

>> i like to be radical. >> in terms of what happened, the administration stepped up to the place and lobbied very hard to protect monies that were on the chopping block and maybe the moral case and also the national security case about what the implications would have been. i mean, russia came up and talked about the number of children that have died. i mean, they put in the darkest possible terms. i think at the end of the day, i don't know whether people were persuaded or ashamed, but they say will put that up until the next years budget battle. to be sure, we'll have another battle. we'll have retrieved. i don't know if we can declare the jury. i always tell people one of the challenges in lobbying for

somebody's monies is that there is no political consequence. country unprovoked against them. you don't lose an election for cutting money for poor people around the world and i think one of the issues i've been trying to stress over and over again because washington national security is kind of the buzz phrase everybody uses. this is a national security issue. people who are hungry live in countries that have become unstable. people don't have access to water and food move to other areas, sometimes worse breakout. people who are hungry and have no future are more likely to be recruited into terrorism. this is very much a national security issue and i think what some of us are trying to do is raise that as one of the major forces. i wish with all been persuaded

by the moral argument, but it's just not enough. i think people need to be told that other connections of national security in the issue of food security. >> are you seeing any traction on the hill for ideas for reforming u.s. foreign aid, for example, with we don't have to ship american grain? i mean, you talked about how people agree on what needs to be done, just no political will to do it. >> the one thing i've learned is one glove doesn't fit all. there are some quite frankly we should be buying food in those countries. some countries quite frankly you can't buy the food because it doesn't exist they are. there are some who thought up the food to destroy the market to the point it would have an adverse effect. we need to be sensitive to do what works and there's nothing that should preclude us from doing what works. whatever works, we should do.

it's the one glove fits all type of policy. there's a growing sentiment to look at the subsidies that we provide for american agriculture and i think there is a growing understanding that they distort markets and have a negative impact. the challenge again is in the american political system it's hard to go from point a to point b. dramatically and so we're trying to figure out ways to slowly get to the endgame, but it may not happen all at once. there's more of an awareness, more of a willingness to look at one of these things and i wouldn't be surprised in a bipartisan way to whether they approach the farm bill, the mother of legislation, whether some of these issues will be addressed. >> i don't know if he'll take joses suggestion for your

campaign. >> is an organization of u.n. in the land family dealing with agriculture, but this organization will not be able to manage the challenges we are facing and they think it's really a good find that food security should become a global security issue with a 21st century and therefore i think just to decide within the cheap money if whatever billion of the poor countries, this has to be organized differently. the guaranteed money is also flowing and for example here in

the u.s., there are things like event saying that if one were to use about 10% of the defense expenditures budget, then one could sort of the whole hunger problem. this is one point i biked to make about the subsidy of the culture. i think one has to make a bit of difference how countries are subsidizing. the times were the subsidized commodities and we in europe changed and we pay the farmers only for example 90% goes to

know in that direction and we don't >> i did read that -- >> gummy bears? i was never a subsidies for sugar. [laughter] and it is over. this is finished. i mean, from very little rest the community to pressure the agriculture of the community goes to ask for subsidies.

>> they are no longer subsidies. but i think the fundamental problem if we would like to see a world free from hunger, how we deal with the 500 million, if we don't find solutions for them, we will never find the problem because the reality is about 70% of the hundred people in the world are living in rural areas and more than two thirds are farmers. so the hungry and the people in the world are farmers and we can't change this to get access to the marketplace and the other

clip form, for example to cover the years in many african countries this is one of the major problems within the fao, having the knowledge to do these things without being able to transfer it. >> i guess we are agreeing that i was not the secretary of agriculture of europe, but they always manage to be under the weather. the securities are known by all but they've been putting huge taxation on the development. my experience over that year and

a half if they don't know precisely what's wrong with the system. we rarely invest into solutions. we need to move into the face of development and i think we spend way too much time in me to take a lot of time to change the development side, cut the taxes spent, allow time in the dominican republic and haiti is a rural area. 99% of the people out of the goodness led to conversations. there daughters for six hours a day to cook a meal.

people told me i'm not going to be throwing one more seat to the come to life all the labor they have to have their harvest. people that tell you so much and they pay you in such a beautiful way but at the end lost our last, g20 energy 20. we are going to follow that story. with real issues and what's missing on the next person will start addressing those because

sometimes because sometimes because sometimes the less amount of money. they do a heck of a good job. he's in the food department and programs the same seem to be getting more. we need to move from to really development. being used for energy, which is also one of the big problems in many people would say no of why prices are raised. those are issues are going to have to be the institution. i think sco should do what they do well, which is make it shorter. the agriculture industry to have nothing holiday. i will always call for an

organization that will deal with the most true issue we have in these hours, which is understanding nothing but ford is the most important advantage in this planet. we need to take it once and for all seriously that it will >> i messed if you identify yourself clearly and make sure there is a question at the end of your sentence. >> charlie tip grant from from the international agriculture council. i think you gave a great set of subsidies and i couldn't agree with you more penetrating subsidies have done a lot of damage over the years. i have a slight issue with one of the things he said.

we need to be trying to stabilize prices for people in 80 and other poor countries. the whole point of subsidies have been to stabilize farmers in the country. i think it a global scale, we would be very full-featured to stabilize. i think dr. fisher made the point when you have increases, if they are gradual because it sends a signal to the markets that we need to increase production and that really a think as we shouldn't lose sight. i realize very slight increases, but i think we need to be very careful because high prices send very important signal and also developing countries to use form. which brings me to my second point. i think all of your top a lot and there is a point in the record of government there making a billion dollars and it's not been delivered and we need to make sure that does happen and congratulations to

you, representative mcgovern for doing your part and congress. they have not been using much of their budget towards agriculture is. we need to get out of the mindset of the rich countries helping poor countries whose security is a national issue of serving their population. i would add to that, you know, $22 billion is literally their needs at 83 to $90 billion in order to get moving and some of these countries. governments alone are not going to do it. those are my comments. thank you. >> i agree with your comment. unfortunately we only see macroeconomics, so we need to understand life is more than microeconomics. if you are with some people to

tell that man, those things are fresh. they're trying not to be pro manual. i agree with you, but the world is a very big swimming pool and sometimes we need to take care of what's going on in the rural village for people in haiti and people that cannot afford. >> i just want to say one of the things you point out is the whole issue needs to be discussed holistically. it's not just governments, not just a private site. and part of the frustration has been over the years getting everybody to be together in what we need to do. the future initiative is to get a lot of credit. i just came back from a duster

and people who literally can't afford the food they put on the table for their kids. right here in this country, we don't have a community in america and rising food prices means they can't afford to. and yet some of them are eligible for snape, that means you go to the supermarket and prices go up and up and up. a gradual increase in food prices should the market is getting stronger. the fact of the matter is in a lot of places around the world, the higher price means no access and that's one of the planes that josé was trying to make and that's a real problem and that organizations can provide as many mails to people who are in need right this sec and can't wait for transition for their communities to develop, who have an emergency situation right now. >> high, in yonkers from washington d.c. my questions about prices.

we've been running farmers markets since 1997. we have a lot in farmers markets in three states. one of the question we always get better markets and farmers markets are higher? why do the farmers charge what they charge? our farmers are not hesitant in any way. they charge what they need to charge in order to be viable business. it seems to me that i just never -- it's a very frustrating area in the national security issue.

i'm starting to see a little growth in terms of farmers apparently most americans. so i look at it from the producer point of view. >> is there a question? >> the question is how do we deal with the issue of price versus value and productivity, the capacity to use food. >> locally here in the united states, you know, were all trying to support local agriculture. i'll give you an example in massachusetts. one of the things that has helped the local farmers is the fact that no snap in wake can be used to purchase items at the farmers market. we are doing this thing where i

am from where we are empowering health care doctors and nurse practitioners to ready for the prescription that can be used in farmers markets. basically the more you buy, the more you control the price. i want more local farmers to be able to be successful in the united states, but i think to the extent we can make it more affordable for people through some of the ones you just mentioned, the more you'll be able to address the kind of economic farmers. i'll tell you, one of my challenges as we go to the supermarket to try to find local. only get the answer for the person who works the supermarket. there's a tendency to want to support local farmers. the information is not available. that's another challenge.

but farmers are probably not going to be the farmers that are receiving all these big subsidies right now and the ones that were allowing on. >> some of the most amazing market but also for all the way. it's family owned, operated company. they only control about 25%. security. we are able to make those

producers. the lower segment in america cannot afford this issue. but now the national security, we saw what happened with the industry people. we saw a few banks pretty much put us on the edge of an economic meltdown and i have no clue what happened. [laughter] revolution. >> just a minute. i'm american now. it's very important on national security we don't have to be regulated. government should be dictating everything. to me also they control the

sources be part of the world. i will never allow them to grow so big because now you're happy feeding your children. but sooner or later we will see having the food production in the hands of the very few is not a business for america and is not going to be good business for the world. that is an issue we need to be talking. >> thank you. we'll have to wrap things up. i'd like to thank our panel for joining us today in thank you for being such a good audience. [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations]

debbie wasserman schultz as its chairwoman. the congresswoman replaces former chairman, tim kane who resigned from the party post to pursue the democratic nomination for u.s. senate in virginia. this is an hour and 15 minutes. >> before i begin,

alex or eric

[applause] [applause] 's snake many of their names are not known, but their deeds will never be forgotten. we pray for the safe return of our servicemen and women in afghanistan and iraq and all across the world who risked their lives to defend our own. we also think about our countrymen and women in our nation's heartland who are putting their lives and their communities back together and the aftermath of floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters.

my beloved hometown of new orleans and the gulf coast, i know what they are going through. and i know that all americans open our hearts and will open our hands to help them get back on their feet. we never forget our fellow citizens who are looking for work, but cannot find it. we know that millions of americans who are working part-time but need to work full-time, but he knows that americans are working harder and smarter than ever before and they need and deserve a raise in their pay. we know that before president rock obama started on his job, the economy was bleeding 700,000 jobs a month and now that we are gaining jobs although it is

still not enough. we know that when this president took office, the nation was on the brink of a depression and now we are on the threshold of a recovery. [applause] we know that none of us, especially the president or the vice president will be satisfied until every willing worker enjoys the opportunity for a steady job with rising wages, secure benefits and the chance to advance. the commitments to jobs is what makes us democrats. it is what sees us through the ups and downs of our nation's politics and the lasting challenges of our nation's history. over the past week, we have seen what it means to have a president who does his job in every way. [applause]

to see him laughing and smiling at the white house correspondents' dinner on saturday night -- you blinked at me, alice. michelle was there. you would never know, you would never would have known that he knows the history would be made on sunday night. president obama displays -- that recalls all of his great predecessors from both major parties. remember this, while his harshest critics were consumed with questioning his natural-born citizenship, president obama was quietly executing his role as commander in chief. this president displays the quiet strength and a sense of perspective that our times demand. i am proud to have served as interim chair of the democratic national committee under this

president. [applause] not bad for a former intern at the dnc. [laughter] he trained me well. and i'm proud to support president obama in 2012! [applause] but today i am proud to support and cast my ballot for our next chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] who will lead our party to victory in 2012, reelect the president, elect more democrats to the united states house of representatives, to the united states senate and municipal courthouses. we are going to win in 2012.

[applause] one month ago you honored me by asking me to serve as interim chairwoman. my friends, you are looking at one temporary worker who is happily ready to return to her job. [laughter] it means democratic national chairwoman was a part-time job, but you know me. and i know you. and for me, as for each and every one of you, being a democratic is a lifetime commitment. [applause] i am here because together with my family, my community and yes my catholic church, the democratic hardy, raised me and trained me, nurtured me and helped me worked my way to a life beyond my greatest dreams. i'm here because when i was

four, five, eight years of age, a democratic president and congress enacted civil rights and declared war on poverty. i am part of a party that did a kid like me -- a headstart and a healthy start in life. i am a product of america's public schools. [applause] and a proud graduate of lsu. when i say the democrats must fight for working people i remember my father, korean veteran who worked construction until a crane hit his back and he had to take a job as a janitor. my mother who trained as a teacher but worked most of her life as a domestic and the people i grew up with who sacrificed every day to give their kids a better tomorrow. when i say that politics can and must make a difference in peoples lives, i remember that i

worked in my first campaign when i was only nine years old. a candidate who promised a playground for the kids in my community. .. >> to make sure that every american can and will have the right to vote and have that vote counted. [applause]

[applause] >> i first got to know debbie. i'm proud of that. the democratic party is a party of work, nos waste. we're the party of opportunity, not privilege, we're the party of progress, not gridlock. i was proud to take the torch from tim kaine who is running for the united states senate in the home state of virginia. [applause] [applause] [cheers and applause] >> governor tim kaine is running against a rival that was rejected by the voters years ago, and they will reject him again. tim kaine is a great senator in

the great state of virginia. we all know his great accomplishments. he has been a tireless fighter for the middle class. for me the window into tim's heart and his soul is that he took a year off from law school to serve as a missionary in honduras. then years later, he served as a fair housing advocate in richmond, virginia. he's a man of faith, conscious, and a man for all seasons and service to his fellow men and women. but today we pass this great torch, we pass this torch with joy and gladness to debbie. debbie is a democratic through and through. she's a champion of children, a strong supporter of senior citizens, and a warrior. yes, we need a warrior. a warrior for women's health. i can quote scripture and say

that in the bible if he perished she would perish, she is a descendant from that tree. i'm proud of you. make no mistake. when the republicans decided to declare a war on women's health, they must have forget they were messing with debbie schultz. debbie has battled cancer herself. she carries about our mothers, granddaughters, and sisters, and she will lead us in the fight for women's health, not because it is easy or expedient, but because it is decent and right. it's no secret that debbie and i come from different places. but our hearts are in the same place. you know, i grew up in the household with nine kids and had two working parents. i'm glad our national chairwoman is the working men of three

young children. she has a nice husband too. where's he? [laughter] [applause] >> i saw him with his tux on. he looked good. what is that 22 years of romance and love, you still get flowers every week. i love that sugar. i wanted to hear a box of chocolate. i said, love, do you have a twin? when it comes to working families. debbie gets it. she understands. what ordinary people are fighting each and every day. those who ask how can the small task, i say get with it. she knows how to multitask. this is the 13th century. if you don't know how american families live now, you have no business trying to lead us into the future. now i'm going to let you in on a

little secret. debbie grew up in new york. he might get he's a fan of paul simon. it's no secret i'm from new orleans, you might think i land towards louis armstrong. there's one thing from florida that speaks to my soul, and debbie's too, as tom petty puts it, and i'll quote because i cannot sing -- [laughter] >> well, i won't back down. no, i don't back down. i can stand me up at the gate of hell, but i won't back down. [applause] >> here's what you should know about debbie's leadership. and one thing i am as sure as the sunrise, she will stand her ground. she won't back down. when those republicans want to cut medicare and medicaid to pay

for tax cuts for millionaires, debbie will stand her ground. she won't back down. when those republicans try to take the next election by taking a vote away from people of color, women, young people, singers, debbie will stand her ground, she won't back down. and when those republicans refuse to extent unemployment insurance, when they are less concerned about helping americans earn their paychecks than preventing them from caring union cards, and when their answer to losing 200,000 jobs is so be it, debbie will stand her job. she won't back down. [applause] >> neither will the democrats. not this year. not next year. not ever. the history of our party of our country as a great story of challenges answered, victoryies

won, and torches that pass on. i am proud to pass the torch to a woman that gives voice to america that is forever being born, forever open in opportunities, and forever staking out a better future. ladies and gentlemen, sisters and brothers, our voice, our pride, our next national chairwoman who won't back down, the fighter from south florida, debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] [cheers and applause] by the way, the remarks, i made

them up. that's what happens when you like to write at night. it is almost time for us to elect the new chair. before we do that, we must adopt the rules to provide the process. members should have copies of the rules. members should have copies of the rules of procedures for the elections of the dnc chairperson. they were e-mailed to you. everyone has copies. thank you. [laughter] >> they were distributed back in april. i made sure they are the same rules since chairman ron brown in 1989, and have been used to elect new dnc chairs in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2009, and they have served our party well. it will be used to elect the first female chairwoman. i had to say that. all right. i would now like to recognize

jim roosevelt. i now welcome jim who will highlight the rules of procedure. then we will can a vote. >> thank you, madam chair. and in one the other careers, that's called toss, i think; right? it's great to be with so many good democrats here in person and on the phone all over the country. on behalf of the co-work, alexis herman who is on the phone and on behalf of all of the members and rules i am here today to recommend the adoption of the rules of procedure by the full democratic national committee. these are the rules that were e-mailed to all of you. even though today's election

from dnc chair is uncontested, we still have to conduct the election in accordance with the procedures. last year we discussed the rules after talking about them on the telephone. we then voted by a mail ballot. the proposed rules were sent out on april 24 by secretary germond. there are copies. the rules recommended for adoption today by the full democratic national committee are as chairwoman donna brazile mentioned, to allow for the

unique circumstances for today's meeting. in order to encourage participation by as many members as possible. participation includes the dnc members here in the room and those who are participating by telephone. the recommended rules and procedures contain the following key provision. candidates for dnc chair had to file a nominated statement with the dnc secretary on 8 p.m., that included the signatures of 20dnc members. i had the privilege of being one of those. i know there are more than 20. each candidate for chair is entitled to ten minutes for dominating speeches divided no more than four members. dnc must be innocent person, which means in the room or via

telephone or proxy has constitute a quorum. it shall provide 40% of the membership that must be present by person or telephone. no member may hold more than one proxy, and must be submitted to the secretary of the dnc. no proxies or transfer proxies will be accepted by the dnc secretary while the vote is being conducted. the dnc chair shall be elected by the majority vote by members present or proxy, on behalf of the rules, alexis and i proudly move the rules and procedure be adopted by the full democratic national committee.

>> is that a motion to adopt the rules. i love y'all. is that a second? seeing all of those in favor, signify by saying aye. [aye] >> the rules has been proposed and accepted and adopted. jim and ray leks is, now in accordance with the rules and procedures that the committee has just adopted, it's in order for us to move to the election of the our chair. secretary germond has informed me that nominating petitions were filed for one candidate, congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. pursuant to the roles, she's entitled ten minutes by up to four dnc members. the chair now recognized the

president of the association of state democratic chairs and dnc vice chair, new hampshire party chair for the purpose of nominates debbie wasserman schultz. >> thank you, madam chair, officers, future leader, members 18 years ago, a new hampshire legislature went to the conference of sophomore state legislatures who showed great promise for being leaders in the future. and when i picked my friend up at the airport, she couldn't stop talking about this 26-year-old legislature from florida. this woman is amazing, she's so bright, powerful, articulate, strong, you would just love her. now 18 years later, not only do i just love her, there are tens of thousands of folks in the

debbie wasserman schultz club across the country. i would like to nominate debbie wasserman schultz to be chair of the committee. [applause] >> while debbie may work in washington, she is not of washington. she is vice chair, debbie was in constant motion, traveling from every corner of the country. debbie understands the elections are not one. debbie knows they are one in the harvest festivals, and town hall meetings and community celebrations and by going door to door. debbie's commitment to the grassroots and local and state parties is second to none. she gets it.

as a state chair, and as a leader of the state chair, i appreciate that within the past month, debbie has taken the time to reach out to every single one of my colleagues. debbie stands with the state parties and today the state parties stand with debbie. let me reflect on the history and the party's history. a little bit more than a generation ago, the remarks will be more than a dream. here i am, the first openly gay chair, nominating a woman to serve as chair, as we embark on re-electing our first african-american president, barack obama. [applause] >> which all goes to show and prove we are the party of opportunity. we are the party of equality.

we are the party of diversity. we are the party that stands up for all americans. as a gay american, i'm proud of her effort for lbgt over the years. and tim kaine, sending him to the senate. and in an effort, the capitals blue from shining sea to shining sea, debbie wasserman schultz will be an effective and outstanding chair. please join me in selecting her as our national chair. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, ray. >> the chair now recognized florida state representative and dnc member george cusack for the purpose of seconding this nomination.

>> thank you, madam chair. i'm joyce cusack have known debbie for many years. it wasn't long before i developed tremendous respect for the work ethics and character of this woman. debbie's work is her bond. her work is her bond. and in this day and age, that's rare. but it shouldn't surprise you that debbie is a person of incredible integrity. it is a core value for her and it lets everyone that she interacts with know that she is in politics for all the right reasons. as a mother of three young children, her foremost concern is building a better future for her kids and the kids of america. she looks at every issue through that lens and the core values

and principals are centered around standing up for children and working families. let me give you an example. and debbie's office in the state legislature, which i visited often, there was a pitcher of her twins. holding hands and walking on the floor. and when she spoke about protecting the environment, and the world resources, i knew that she did so with that in mind protecting our environment and she did that as she raised her family. debbie is passionate about meeting channels. she's not only passionate, she's passionate for the right reasons. as a nurse, i know the fight to reform health care was important. debbie brought to that debate not only her own experiences with the health care system, but

an inquisitive and analytical mind. she was determined to weigh out all sides of the debate and make and explain and interact with those folk involved so that she could do what was best for the twenties that she represents. her support for affordable care act and her efforts to help president obama pass that law is one the reasons that this was finally achieved after many decades of being -- i trying to do so. well, debbie get it is. she understands the impact of public policy on american lives. she will go the last mile to do what's right for the people of florida and the people of these united states. she will stand up for the party values and defer as a democrat.

she as female leader, i say that with pride, she reflects the diversity that represents our party. she too will work hard to make sure there's inclusions. she's a person of great relationship qualities and she will continue to make sure that our faces of all folks are represented in washington and in all state legislatures. i am certain that is what her keen focus and appreciation for all that makes us democrats and diversity that makes us who we are as a party, she will work to bring varying ideas and approaching to issues as she conducts the business of our party. she's always succeeded by reaching out to americans. of all backgrounds. and by working to lift up families. as a member of congress from florida, she represents a richly diverse area of country that strives on a vast differences.

all this has served her well. her many runs for office. and it will continue to serve her well as our democratic national committee chair. of course, i will be remised if i didn't mention the importance in florida in this next election. [applause] >> you know, florida has always been important in election cycles. but i know that debbie will take her experience in the battlefield state of florida and share that, and share what she has learned with folks from all regions. and states and territories, because we know that elections are not won in one state or one region. we know our former colleague, friend, congresswoman debbie

wasserman schultz, relying on the strategic skills, work ethics, and democratic values, i'm confident that debbie will do what is right for our country and our party. for all of the reasons, i fully support congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz as our next democratic national committee chairperson. thank you. and god bless you. [applause] [applause] >> the chair now recognizes the college democrats of america, president and dnc remember, alexandra. >> it is an honor to speak to all of the dnc member present in the audience. i'm delighted to second the nomination of congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz as our next dnc share. not only is congressman

wasserman schultz and nomination an important step for the party, she's a shining example as what can help when a student gets the start in college democrats. and what can happen when the young person is compelled to get involved in his or her community and making their voices heard. young activist have always had a special place in our heart for the congresswoman. she got her start at the vice president of the university of florida college democrats. a fellow college democrat noted through her work with the congresswoman as the honorary chair, her strength, energy, and enthusiasm was infect issue. her strength because our strength and her leadership our inspiration. what makes the congresswoman a choice is that she has never

forgetten where she has come from and been a key advocate, she's a next generation of leaders who go through sleepless nights, spend is countless hours organizing the campuses, and face the pressures of being the youngest person in the room, her nomination is our victory. congresswoman wasserman schultz election chaired today will be a lesson to us all that if she could succeed in youth organizing, we can do it too. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, alejandra for the great remarks. now for the final speech, they will recognize dnc member at large, steven petel.

>> madam chairwoman, thank you so much, you spoke most eloquently today. >> thank you. >> i would like to go to class to learn how to do that with you right afterwards. good morning, i'm steven petel, from the great state of florida. today i have the honor and privilege of batting clean up. you have heard from three of our very distinguished colleagues about why debbie will make a fantastic dnc chair and i want to support everything that they have said. in my many years of playing baseball in my youth, i always dreamed of batting clean up. the problem was i could not really hit. well, president obama really got a hit when he asked congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to serve as chair of the

democratic national committee. [applause] >> in fact, i think he knocked it right out of the park. i can say that because i know this woman. i've seen her passion, work, i've gotten her phone calls and texts at all hours of the day and night. we both tend to have a problem sleeping late at night and early in the morning. she e-mails she and i think she's shocked to get my response. this is a person who never stops thinking, dreaming, and never stops working to move our country forward. all of us in south florida are more than willing to share the congresswoman with you. because we cannot imagine, not one of us, not all of us, a more outstanding or qualified person to help reelect president obama and move america forward.

to give our country the most opportunity, innovation, and growth, i think we can agree that debbie wasserman schultz will help president obama get us there. let me tell you how i know. one even a few years ago, we were out with debbie and her husband steve at a sporting event. i'm only her fourth favorite steven. i asked her how she felt about known wherever she went in the district. we were out walking up to our streets. everyone was coming up to her. everyone had a question or something to say. i said how do you stand it? whenever you go, you have no privacy. she didn't hesitate for a second. she said she loved it. that was what her job was. that was why she ran, that's why

she served. she wanted to help every single person that asked her for help. that's the same kind of attitude that's going to make her outstanding at this job. she genuinely cares. because she cares, she will apply herself 1,000% to the goal strengthening our party and leading us to victory. now some of you may wonder how does she do it all. well, if there is a super woman, her name is debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] >> she is smart, she is bold, she is strong, energetic, and she knows how to win, and, yes, she can leap tall buildings in a single bound. [laughter] >> she always worries when i introduce her. she has the 1,000% support of

every member of her family, mother, father, husband, brother, children, all of whom are here today. but i think is really inspiring about debbie, is she's a clear illustration of the american dream that we cherish that if we apply ourselves, out prepare, organize, and over deliver, everything is possible. no matter where you come from or where your parents or grandparents come from, no matter your religious beliefs, or sexual performance, regardless of the come -- color of your skin or gerund -- gender, can you reach for the dreams. debbie will work hard to make sure the party and president protects the dreams for all americans. debbie is ready, she is eager, she is dedicated to fight for our rights and for our future and she will not quit.

we have a lot of elections for mayors, state legislatures, members of congress, senators, and yes, very importantly president obama. at times we will tire. but you can count on my friend, my close friend, your friend and our friend, debbie wasserman schultz to have our backs, to have the president's back, to encourage us, to push us, to lead us, and when needed to reenvision gait gait -- reinvige us. we are democrats. what keeps us working together day after day is the passion to make our communities, states, and countries end the world better for each living person.

our work together makes a tremendous difference. in my faith tradition, every jewish child is taught their obligation for a hebrew phrase meaning the need for each of us to work personally to heal the world. i take this teaching very seriously. and i promise you that i know debbie takes this personally. and it is committed to this principal as well. it's that internal burning need that drives debbie to help us to secure for ourselves and our children and grandchildren every opportunity we can dream of. well, this is my only chance to bat clean up. and now it is time for me to do my job and get this election going. president obama got it so right when he asked congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz to accept the enormous

responsibility to chair the dnc and help lead us to victory in 2012. and now officially placing her name in nomination is our dnc chair and oh does that sound good. i ask you to join me in making our vote unanimous for our friend debbie wasserman schultz. [cheers and applause] >> all right. thank you so much, steven. this concludeses the nominating second and speeches for congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. we are ready to move to a vote. [cheering] >> did you say who that? no, i'm sorry. wrong crowd. at this time, the chair would entertain a motion to suspend the rules and elect congresswoman debbie watterman

shipment as the chair of the democratic national committee by acclamation. is there a second? all of those in favor please signify by saying aye. [aye] >> all of those opposeed. -- >> -- all of those opposed, say nay. help me give a new welcome to our new chair debbie wasserman schultz. all right. thank you. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause]

[cheers and applause] >> as i said earlier, we have a lot of work to do between now and november 2012 to make sure we support our president and all that he's doing to fight for americans all across our great nation. before i pass this gavel to congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz, i have a special guest on the telephone who would like to echo our sentiments today. i understand that president obama would like to also congratulate congresswoman debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] >> now this is exciting to join all of you on the thrilling day

as you elect a new leader for our great party. let me start by thanking my dear friend, donna, for her outstanding service as interim. >> thank you. >> we could not have been in better hands during the transition. i know she's going to continue to champion the grassroots. it's wonderful to be able to congratulate debbie wasserman schultz as she takes the gavel and leads us towards the future of prosperity, you know, i'm reminded of something that michelle has said. if you need something important done, give it to a busy woman. [applause] >> so thank you all for affirming my selection of debbie as our new chair. i am absolutely positive she's the right person for the moment. not only because she has great

strategic sense, not only because she has unbelievable energy, she also embodies the core values that we cherish as democrats and americans. she believes that our government has a responsibility to promote economic opportunity for everybody, regardless of background. she believes that we've got to make sure our kids are getting the best education they can get to compete in the 21st century economy. she believe that is we don't turn our backs on our neighbors when we fall on hard times. debbie has been not just a great friend to me, but she's really been a true friend to those who are trying to make it out here, during some tough times. you know, she's worked to protect social security and protect medicare, and make sure our first responders and military has the support and resources that they need during her personal struggle with breast cancer, she barely missed a beat and kept working for constituents who introduced

legislation to educate young woman about the risks of cancer and the benefits of early screening. you know, debbie stays focused, she accomplishes her goals, she knows how to handle adversity with grace and strength. she knows what it means to be a true citizen of our great nation. and so i am absolutely positive that she is going to be doing a great, great job. i'm going to be counting on her and all of you in the next few years. look, we've accomplished a lot together. everybody knows we have a lot more to do. debbie feels the same way. our economy is getting better. but there's still too many americans out of work, we've invested in clean energy, we have a lot more to do to bring gas prices down and small businesses starting to come back. they are still struggling. we have to bring down the

deficit. we have got to get immigration reform, education reform done. this is a challenging time. there's nobody i'd rather have out there talking to voters and organizing our party and carrying the banner of democrats than all of you that are in the room and in particular debbie wasserman schultz. thanks for supporting debbie. thanks to all of you for the hard work that you've been doing over the last couple of years. i know we're going to have a tough 18 more months. i'm confident that we're doing to get the thing done. god bless you guys. appreciate you. [applause] >> madam chair, it is with great honor that i past the torch and

gravel to you and i present to you our chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. [applause] [applause] >> no, i believe -- excuse me, this is what happens. hello, you know, debbies with this is what happens when you turn 51. you are not there yet. but oh i see. ladies and gentlemens, please turn your attention we have a short video that we would like you all to see. then i present debbie wasserman schultz. thank you. >> my parents raised me to be that in america i could grow up

and be anything that i wanted to be. even congresswoman of the democratic national committee. >> give it up for debbie wasserman schultz. >> i ran for congress because i really believed that one person can make a difference. >> i represented south florida for almost 18 years in the state house and state senate and now in the united states house of representatives. you know, i'm the youngest chair in quite a while. you know, the first woman to be nominated by a sitting president. it sends a really strong message to woman that we matter. >> democrats have a dramatically different vision for our country than republicans do. democrats have been pushing hard under president barack obama to create jobs, turn the economy around, and make sure that we

can have the best education system in america. that we can make sure that we have quality affordable health care. we can save seniors money and you don't have to choose or make the choices that you were talking about between eating and being well. >> we bless the day that you got into office. >> i want work hard to re-elect barack obama, and hold on to the majority in the u.s. senate. we have brought them the change that was promised. we're going to bring even more. >> we are moving in the right direction. >> i'm going to have to chance to go all over the country and talk about democratics priorities as it relates to women and working families. but i'm a mom with three young kids.

why i get up and do every single day, trying to make sure that i can work hard to give my children the best life possible. so now as dnc chair, i'll be able to help transform america into the country that i want for my children. everybody should have a chance to achieve the american dream. >> thank you so much. >> any time you get a call from the president of the united states asking you to step up, it's an exciting offer. i'm happy that my coach put me in. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you.

[applause] [applause] >>key -- debbie, i want to thank you in advance for the effort that you will put in for our party over the next four years as we embark to re-elect our presidents and democrats from the bottom up. it is with great pleasure once again i present our new national chairmanwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. thank you very much. >> i'm sorry. >> thank you so much. thank you all so much for your unwaiverring support. ray, joyce, alejandra, steve, i

captured who i am, the most progressive, diverse, and forward-thinking political organization in the country. donna brazile, thank you for always being there for democrat. you have so many jobs, including interim democratic chair. i remember when i saw her on tv for the first time, for al gore and how proud i was to see a woman running his campaign. proud i was of her. so as we transfer the gavel, there's no doubt that women will be smiling down on us today. please join me in thanking donna brazile for the unwaiverring service to our party, country,

and getting on the ballot, year after year after year. thank you so much. >> thank you. i must also recognize the leadership and service of the next senator from the commonwealth of the state of virginia, tim kaine. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> tim served us as chairman for the past two years with dignity and discipline. he's leaving us a party that's strong as ever. i want to recognize and thank the florida democratic delegation for their strong and unwaiverring support of me for your friendship and i want to thank my colleague in the house democratic caucus as well. i also thank and acknowledge my family, my congressional staff, and the staff, the fabulous staff at the democratic national committee. my family, my parents, larry and

ann wasserman, god, i can never get through this without -- my children, and my husband, that make major sacrifices so i can do a job i love so much. i'm fortunate to have such a wonderful and close family. [applause] [applause] >> my congressional staffs works on my behalf. i appreciate all that they do. to dedicated staff that peeps our party running and winning, you've been there for me. you've made my transition to the dnc easy, and pulled off yet another successful dnc meeting. thank you.

thank you. i look forward to working with you. i want to ask you to keep patrick's family in her hearts. for years he has toiled in the wilderness for democrats. i'm looking forward to work, him side by side to help re-elect president barack obama, president of the united states. of course, i am so honored to have been nominated by the president, and thrilled that he called in. it was a nice surprise. i'm humbled beyond words, to has been asked by obama to lead our party is really an indescribable feeling. you've heard a lot about me today. there's one piece of the story that hadn't been mentioned. my first decision to run for office and most of the florida delegation went through that

race with me. i was 25 years old when i first ran for the florida house of representatives. now i believe thatches ready to serve. the good old boys in the democratic plan had big plans. they told me i was too young and i needed to wait my return. well, that just strengthened by resolve. i was determined to prove them wrong. i spent every single day, rain or shine, knocking on the doors of my would-be constituent. before the race was over, i had knocked on 25,000 doors. remember, this is florida in the summer. my husband was concerned about how much weight i was losing, he sent me out the door with a chocolate milkshake, just to be

sure that i would come back. i was fierce, my opponents well funded. i had to demonstrate who i was. i knew even though i didn't have a lot of money, no one was going to out work me. [cheers and applause] >> now i won the primary with 53% of the vote. thank you. i went on to win the general election with 64% of the vote, and at the age of 26, i became the youngest women ever elected to the florida legislatures. thank you. and that race taught me two things. first, there is no substitute for good old fashioned hard work. and second, don't take no for an answer. i will work every single day like i did in that first race to re-elect the president, win back the house, hold the senate, and

elect up and down the ballot. on my watch, we will not be out worked. thank you. [applause] >> ours is the oldest party, but it is isn't measured in wins and losses. our success suspect just an electoral score card. our success always will be measured by how we improve the quality of life for americans and ensure that everyone has a shot at the american dream. that's what i want from my children. that's what you want for your children. and that's what every person in our great nation wants for themselves and their families. now it would be a great thing if our nation was free of prejudices and inequality. if everyone had equal opportunity and no barriers to success. of course, no such ideal land exists. it has taken hard work and perseverance to get to this

point. no longer are women prohibited from voting. no longer do americans have to sit on the back of the bus. and now no longer are gay and lesbian americans from serving in the countries armed forces. [applause] >> but all of these things took a lot of hard work. we have further to do. that is the great thing about america. the founding fathers intended that we the people would determine how america was governors. it is our job to do anything that we can to shape a for perfect union. to me, that's what being a democrat is all about. just down the road sits a memorial to one of our countries greatest presidents. franklin roosevelt.

engraved in that em mother -- memorial are words that inspire us still. the test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough to those that have too little. try telling that to some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. they proposed deficits and plan to eliminate medicare as we know it and protect tax subsidies for oil companies. they propose cut to the education and attack the teachers as being over paid. it's hard to understand how they could be so out of stop with americans priorities. as democrats, we know that governor can't solve all of our problems. we know that we are all in this together. simply put, a country of the people, by the people, and for the people cannot by definition make progress without the success of its people. thank you. thank you. [applause]

[applause] >> we know a little ago yes, we can, as democrats. republicans seem to be stuck as no, we can't. we know we can work together to care for those who can't care for themselves, we are reduce historic barrier that is have prevented many from achieving their dreams or reaching the potential. can can care for the seniors, we can ensure the quality of our health doesn't depend on the size of our bank accounts and we can be globally competitive if we could educate, out innovate, and out build the rest of the world. as democrats, we don't believe in giving people a free ride. we also don't believe that people who are facing tough times should simply be left behind. the other party has a different approach. one that has failed america over and over again. one that says if all of the benefits of our government are

showered at the top, the wealthiest will prosper, and somehow their good fortune to trickle down on the rest of us. but we know better. we know better. the other side is powerful and well funded. we know that too. they are working to reverse the progress that democrats have made. that's why this election is so important to the future of our country and our party and that's why i'm so excited to be leading our party at this committee time in our nation's history. by securing a second term for president barack obama not only do we have been an opportunity to cement the historic progress we've made, we have a chance to continue delivering to the american people. many have asked -- thank you. [applause] [applause] >> many have asked what our priorities are as a party. they can be boiled down to the following. first, we will support the president's agenda and protect the progress that we've made.

we must shout president obama's agenda from the rooftop, we must make sure that president obama and the democrats are seizing the change that will make america stronger. we've come so far. if left to the own devices, republicans would repeal health care, wall street, and student loan. they would put insurance companies back in charge of the health care and allow financial institutions to police themselves and crash our economy again. they would turn back the clock on all of the progress and our children and parents and neighbor would suffer. every time they attempt to roll back the important gains, we must stop them, we must call them out. we will not allow republicans to undo or distort them. thank you. [applause] [applause]

>> we must invest. [applause] >> thank you. >> this is going to be the toughest campaign in the history of america. republicans are going to throw everything that they have at us. fortunately, our everything is get. and the dnc and the dnc isn't going to do it alone. we have an incredible campaign team in chicago, we have organizing who are willing to knock on doors until they drop, supporters who are willing to turn their pockets inside out for the president and the candidates up and down. we're going to bring all of the resources to bear and all of the people to support our president, to support the historic national effort. we're going to support the 50 state strategy and fire up and engage the grassroots with the best staff behind any president's re-election effort in our nation's history. thank you. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. [applause] [applause] >> next.

>> we will support our candidate s and constituent institutions. our success in extending the map, including winning tough races at the local, state, and federal levels is in no small part of the 50 states. i've heard all of you around the country. a strategy that was pioneered by chairman dean, adopted and the expanded by the obama cain -- obama campaign in 2008. the candidate that make up the party has been vital to our success. as chair, support for the strategy and committees will be among my highest priorityies. thank you. thank you. [applause] [applause]

>> thank you. make no mistake about it, we will explore every nook and cranny in seek for president and democratic candidates. finally, we will hold republicans accountable. we will. all across america. all across america. democrats are working hard to create jobs and boost economic recovery, invest in our children's education, and further the causes of justice and equality. the republican allies are working to stall or reverse the progress. that's why we must oppose the republicans fighting for the privileged view. this is nothing new. in 1946, eleanor roosevelt told the state democratic party an event a lot like this one. he said never forget that the republican party is the party

that looks backward. we have some too far to turn back the progress that in thes have made. let's remember it was democrats who ended the great depression, democrats who established social security, democrats who created medicare, protected the rights of workers to organize, democrats who cleaned our air and our water, democrats who have defended our right to organize and mobilize, protest, and picket for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. thank you. and it was democrats who finally made health care a right, not a privilege. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> so much of that progress was thanks to your advocacy.

and for al of those advances, we can say, yes, we did. yes, we did. when we let our core principals guide us, when we work hard, democrats are an unstoppable force, aren't we? it is our job, fellow democrats to remind the friends and neighbors that it is democrats that stand up for them. we must remind them that democrat protect the interest and democrats that care for the health and welfare of the people. today i'm asking you to make a pledge. pledge that you will let no charge go unanswered. pledge that you will let no man or woman bare false witness against a democrat. and pledge that you will let no voter cast the ballot, simply because they don't know what democrats have done for them, or

republicans have done to them. i want you. i want you to tell others why you are a democrat, and why your friends and neighbors should vote with you. in other words, democrats, we have made so progress. we can make even more by showing america that it is democrat who will increase the prosperity for everyone. there's so much at stake, and we can't afford to let the republican party backwards. we work so hard and deliver on long term promises like health care. we work too hard to give it right back. there is so much left for us to do. this is no time to be complacent. it's no time to sit on the sidelines.

are you with me democrats? are you ready to make history once again? let's go. let's do it. we must win. the stakes are simply too high. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. [applause] [cheers and applause] [applause] [cheers and applause] >> since you all have made a pledge, here is my pledge to you. as chair, i will continue to strengthen our operations, just as i did in the first race for elected office, i will make sure that no one outworks the democratic party. i'm going to do the job in the best way that i know how with all of the energy that i have. i want to see our candidates elected and our ideas implemented because i've got three beautiful young children who are the future of america.

steve and i want them to grow up in the country where all things remain possible. where the american spirit continues to drive and they are in reach for everywhere. there's no problem that we face here around the world that will not yield to human effort or hard work or perseverance. :

[applause] ♪ stake in the treasury officials preview next week's u.s.-china and a dialogue to be held. the >> for east asian and kurt campbell and senior coordinator and exit of secretary for china and the strategic economic dialogue at the department of treasury, david loevinger here to talk about -- talk to you about next week's strategic economic dialogue. i'm going to turn it over to each of our guest speakers to make a brief statement and then open up. we have about 20 minutes for questions without further ado, mr. loevinger. >> thank you. it's a pleasure to be here.

next week marks the third round of our strategic and economic dialogue with china. it was established in 2009 by president obama and hu jintao, and it has led by the senior representatives for the strategic and economic dialogue and citric clinton and secretary geithner on the u.s. side, and the chinese side. the objective of the strategic and economic dialogue is to bring together across both governments the right people at the right level to talk about, engage and make progress on issues of concern to both countries. the growing importance of our bilateral economic relationship is reflected by the senior level representation that we are going to see at our meetings next week

in the economic track, and that's what i'm going to focus my remarks on. we are going to have 16 u.s. government agency heads representing the u.s. delegation including chairman bernanke, commerce secretary lot, labor secretary so lease and fcc chairman shapiro. there will be about 20 chinese agencies on the economic side represented each of the agency had little including finance minister, central bank governor joe, the minister of science and technology wang and minister chan. since this administration established two years ago, we have seen the beginning of a very promising shift in economic policy in china that has the potential to benefit china, the

united states and the world. let's go back 18 months. 18 months ago, a's exchange rate was frozen. today it's moving. and since last june, the exchange rate has depreciated by about 5% against the u.s. dollar and at an annual rate of about 10% when you take into account china's's higher inflation rate. 18 months ago china was proposing to propose optimistic innovation in ways that threatened to cut off u.s. companies and u.s. products from china's large and rapidly growing government procurement markets. now we are making progress and moving discriminatory practices. 18 months ago there was essentially no offshore or in the market. today in hong kong, chinese and

foreign companies can increasingly issue the denominated financial products and access the services of all the world's leading financial institutions without having to navigate onerous bureaucratic hurdles. 18 months ago china's economic strategy was still under its previous five-year plan and was are too dependent on export-led growth. today, china's new five-year plan is committed to transforming its economy into one where future economic growth will be based much more on domestic demand and consumption. today china has committed along with the u.s. to reduce future external trade imbalances. these changes, which we have

achieved through other parts of our bilateral relationship offer the prospect of substantial gains for u.s. companies and u.s. workers. but many challenges remain. a week we will discuss these challenges candidly but constructively with our chinese counterparts. next week we are going to press china to let its exchange rate adjust to the faster pace to correct its still substantial under evaluation. we are going to press for china to implement the important agreement a week between president hu jintao and president obama on protecting intellectual property rights in china and delinking the government procurement from innovation policies. we are going to encourage china

to move more quickly in lifting the ceiling on interest rates on bank deposits in order to put more money into the chinese consumer's pockets. we are going to press them to make it easier for the foreigners to make portfolio investments in china and for the chinese to make investments abroad. we are going to encourage them to provide more opportunities for foreign financial-services firms so that they can play a greater role in helping generate the kind of financial products that chinese households need to meet their financial goals and insure against life risks and help chinese companies particularly small and medium-sized enterprises grow their business. to broaden the discussions on half having leveled the playing field, secretary clinton and

geithner will be hosting besio round table on the second day. this will include the ceo both from the united states and from china. these are our policy priorities. obviously china will raise its policy priorities and we understand very clearly that to sustain china's future growth, china will not be able to draw to the extent -- the same extent it has in the past on the factors which drove its very impressive growth for the last 30 years. these are things like a rapidly growing labour force. china's succession to the wto, and at that relatively low level technology. so we understand that china wants continued access to our market, greater access to u.s. high-technology exports and recognition that the market

economy and new investment opportunities for chinese enterprises here in the united states. on the last point i should say very clearly that the u.s. welcomes foreign investment in quoting from china, but it's important the chinese understand, and we will explain this that our ability to make progress on the issues that matter to china depends on how much progress we see on the issues that matter most to us. finally, while we think that our strategy across the u.s. government is helping us seize the opportunity to meet the challenges of a rubber tree growing china, the most important discussions and the most important decisions regarding our ability to deal with these opportunities and challenges will not be taking

place at the sed. that's because the discussions involve policies that reside here at home. if we are going to meet the challenges come if we are going to seize the opportunity to kind of present the united states has to invest more in r&d and invest more in education and public infrastructure. we need to create stronger incentives for companies to invest the united states with american companies and foreign companies. we need to more effectively promote u.s. exports and we need to restore fiscal responsibility. thank you. >> thank you very much, david. good afternoon everyone. it's good to see with this department. i recognize you have questions islamic a few brief opening comments and we will be very

pleased to take your questions and do the best we can. david described the dialogue and i think it is well known to you in many respects it is our most important and then you come our mechanism if you will, for managing this very complex relationship between the united states and china falling on the successful visit president hu jintao to washington earlier this year our intent is to make sure that we follow through on many of the areas that the two leaders and their senior team is committed to work together on. secretary clinton leads the strategic component of our dialogue, and her counterpart is the state council dai bingguo. we tried to add a few innovations to this year's discussion. in addition to extraordinarily deep chinese participation on a range of issues from a host of

ministries and government agencies in china, we are also trying to find time for the principles and their teams to sit down together to talk in an intimate fashion on some of the most important and critical issues confronting the relationship that the current time. i think our intent is to have a candid and honest set of discussions on a range of issues starting with a regional problem. we want to compare notes on where we stand with respect to north korea and we will be very clear on what our expectations are for moving forward. we want to talk about or joint approaches to iran given the recent developments and we will also look further to feel there were current interests and freeze efforts to discuss issues and sudan and elsewhere. we will also have discussions

about crosscutting issues. one of a goals of these dialogues is to bring together people from a variety of agencies and break down the various inside both our governments to more effectively tackle issues like energy security, development, food assistance and the like. another innovation at this year's strategic and economic dialogue is we will have military representatives have a senior level from the chinese side joined by senior military representatives both from the pentagon and u.s. forces in hawaii. i think our goal is to have discussions that bring together critical diplomats and military officials. i think our goal here is to create a greater understanding around the issues that have the potential for the miscalculation and inadvertence and our

relationship, and i think we all recognize that these security issues are increasingly important in the management of our relationship going forward. i do want to underscore its our intention to raise issues of concern directly, honestly and openly with our chinese interlocutors including issues of concern associated with human rights. i think with that, that is our overall presentation. we start on sunday night a small dinner at the white house with the secretaries having meetings both together and in respective agencies, part of the chinese delegation will be having meetings in the white house we will have strong participation at every level of the government and i feel we all recognize how important it is that these discussions proceed smoothly and that there is a candid and clear set of interactions between the two sides to avoid problems of

misunderstanding and miscalculation. with that let me ask deeded to come back up to the podium. i know many of you but if we have reporters on the treasury side, so if you could identify yourselves and then just she will direct the question towards us. >> two questions and one for mr. campbell. regarding economic issues, since the middle of last year, the u.s. side started to emphasize in order to combat inflation you must speak to [inaudible] at this time china [inaudible] now we see it's effective for them to use both. finally, the budget decided to

agree on the u.s. assessment and to see any change in the tone or changing the policy? its more acceleration. also, secretary geithner told us he's now getting more attention to the next stage of financial reform in china on top of the main issues. does this imply that if you find that there is an air force had passport like manly focusing on the currency issue but now on the second level that you're going to talk more abroad. and one question for mr. campbell. you touched on the human rights

issue and [inaudible] how are you going to press china on human rights works especially given that in light of the sevier human rights subornation by the chinese government when we filled arab springs. >> first on your two questions. we absolutely see a change in tone in our discussions with our chinese interlocutors. they are talking more and more about how a stronger arm and be can help them contain inflationary pressure in china, including the rise of commodity prices and of the importance. on the financial sector reform, i would say again this is our third sed fun and the first s&ed

and the focus was how the u.s. and china both inactions and collective actions could stabilize the global economy and stabilize the global financial system. in the last s&ed, we talked about, again through individual and collective actions how we could strengthen the recovery. the focus this year is how do we sustain the recovery going forward. i think both china and the u.s. feel more confident the strength and the durability of the recovery. and we see an important aspect of what we talked about when we were rebalancing growth is that financial sector reform in china can play a very important role. i just gave one example of how

roughly 75% of chinese household savings, very large savings are still in bank deposits that large earlier in - read of return after inflation. if china can over time he is the restrictions on the interest rates the banks can offer depositors that's going to put more money in the chinese consumer's pockets and help promote china's efforts to promote consumption lead the economy. >> is it your fifth question or -- i can't remember. [laughter] lost count halfway through. >> on the important issue you raised to think that it's our position that we want to approach this critical matter. we are from a principled and

consistent approach. you will see that in the president's meeting and the secretary's statements and all her meetings we raise human-rights issues not just generally that specific cases. we ask the chinese until auditors for explanations about disappearances', about russ and legal procedures which we feel are either lacking or inappropriate. and it's our position the we will continue to do so as part of a broad strategic approach to the relationship. and secretary clinton i think not just the secretary but other members of the delegation i think will be raising these matters with counterparts in the chinese system. it's important that on these matters of really not just national but international import the chinese your concerns

not just from the secretary state or the white house, but all members of the american political the establishment because these truly are matters that in the potential to affect our relationship. >> europe has been talking about filing a case in terms of experts in china. what concern and evidence to you have? is there a case for warning the officials here of that? and secondly, is it necessary for china to liberalize its markets to speed up the exchange rate appreciation to prevent the cost being too high? >> on the first question i'm glad you raised about. that is another very important part of our dialogue with china in the economic tracked. there is a whole array of

international organizations and conventions that govern international trade and finance. many of these were established in the 70's and 80's when china was. now china is the second-largest economy, one of the largest exporters, one of the largest markets for the u.s. and other countries. and so, it is vitally important in the 9/11 the we continue our work to bring china into this fall a ray of conventions and organizations and reform and modernize these conventions and organizations to reflect the global economy as 2011 and not 1948. and the reason i'm asking the question that way is one of the

issues when we get started discussing with china is the international arrangement on official export credits, this was again the associated many decades ago and no one cared whether china was in or out, china was too small to flare. now china is the world's largest provider of official export credits, and i think china increasingly understands that when the global rules are being written on things like official export credit it's important, increasingly important that china is at the table. on the link between financial sector reform and exchange rate reform, obviously there is a lot of important links. china continues to intervene in foreign-exchange markets to

constrain the appreciation of its currency and then as it buys foreign currency it's injecting into the market and to help manage inflationary pressure, it then has to soak up the r&b that it issues and some of the ways it does that like the reserve requirements it imposes costs on the banking system and bank depositors. so the issues of exchange-rate reform and financial sector reform are obviously linked. if china were to let the exchange rate appreciate and be more flexible, that would reduce pressures on the banking system to help free up more liberal market oriented financial sector as the madrid was wondering if you have more about the inclusion of the military side

and when was that decision made, at what level and were there any concerns from the issuance of last year outside of the policies in hanoi. >> it's an excellent question. thank you. i think it has been long hour intent to develop a dialogue with china on the emerging and frankly traditional security issues that involved not just traditional players in the foreign ministry but also other players in the government including the military and others, and it's our belief that the most effective way to deal with some of these the emerging problems and challenges is to ensure that we have crosscutting representation in some of these

dialogues. earlier this year as you know secretary gates had a good visit in beijing and i think established our mill to will partnership relationship. the senior chinese official visiting washington in the coming weeks. i think our desire in this dialogue is given its importance to ensure key players in our military establishment hawaii, the commander of the forces, key players in the pentagon, and also senior players from the chinese general staff have the opportunity to interact with civilian counterparts on critical issues and that six ackley what we sell to do. i think it's an important innovation and it provides a venue for improving trust and overall relationship.

>> [inaudible] on the wide range of issues what is the most important you want to address and also yesterday secretary barry locke said some me that two years ago one fell short of the promise. do you share the same concern on the strategic side? thank you. >> i would find it hard to give you an absolute hierarchy on the issues that are of manifest importance between the united states and china. there are many e and i try to articulate those of the house and frankly this if we saw some important statements on the part of the chinese until auditors interlocutors and when hu jintao visited on issues relating to north korea i think we seek to follow up on some of those

discussions. i think we recognize that cooperation and developing habits of cooperation in finding common ground, common cause is a challenging, time-consuming endeavor. we are committed to it and we are looking forward to this next round of the strategic and economic dialogue to work constructively and consistently on a broad range of issues has described earlier. >> do you want to do the gary locke sing? >> okay. i mean, i can say the s&ed is a yearlong process. we try the progress where we can when senior officials come and meet but throughout the year we sit down at the staff level and

carefully look of the commitment that each side has made and we take our commitment very seriously. i think china very seriously. and a recent example was china's commitment to allow foreign banks to underwrite commercial bonds in the market that was a promise they had made it the first s&ed. we continued to press them on it and a few weeks ago the issued an announcement and invited the foreign banks to underwrite the corporate bonds. so everything may not have been a week after the s&ed, but it's something that both sides paid very close attention to. >> [inaudible] estimate is reported that china considers its strategy about

diversifying its foreign reserves so the u.s. and china talk about and the second one is what is your view on china's role in the u.s. anti-terrorism and on the future of the u.s.-china relationship in terms of its. >> so first on the reserve management, we are going to be talking about monetary policy, exchange rate policy, we are going to be talking about fiscal policy, we will be talking about reserve management policy. that's what we do in class s&ed. that's why we bring people like ben bernanke and governor joe and all the senior officials on both sides together. we have a lot of questions for the chinese side, the chinese have a question for us. so of course we are going to talk about all of the important

policies. >> let me say it's our intention to discuss recent developments in the middle east and the chinese interlocutors and yesterday you will have seen official chinese needs organs and the foreign ministry put out a statement that supported recent american actions in pakistan relation to osama bin laden and i think you very much appreciated the support from chinese interlocutors and there is a mission that there are various and which china and the united states faced challenges associated with terrorism and the like in the international environment and we seek opportunity to discuss them and find suitable and appropriate arena for cooperation going forward. >> at the state to visit as you

said you are going to follow some of the commitments that were made, and so far three and a half months in some of the business community seems to be voicing concern they haven't seen enough public dialogue in chinese from the central government with regards to the indigenous innovation pledged to deal with government procurement and they are also very concerned that they have not seen any increase in the software sales to the government entities which is another pledge to audit the process and so i'm wondering what are the sort of things that you would hope to hear from the chinese at this meeting on those issues, and also if you're interested in what we should look for in terms of if there isn't a way to give the bilateral investment treaty secretary geithner said the their views of the top of their agenda. well what we look for if there's some decision to move that to the next level? >> okay, thanks. one of our priorities is to make

sure the important commitments that president hu jintao made when he came to washington in january are fourth sold and the follow on the previous question commitments are important but action is even more important. so at the s&ed we have been talking a lot with our chinese counterparts and will continue to talk about how we can turn these very important agreements into tangible results on the ground, on innovation, delinking, procurement policy and also to ensure not only that the chinese government agencies have the fiscal resources to buy legal software but they stopped using the illegal software. you're second question? without a doubt, another important area that is going to

get a lot of discussion because of the interest of both sides is what we can do to promote open investment policies. foreign direct investment has been fundamentally important to the growth of china. it's hard to imagine the chinese economic miracle that we have seen could have occurred in the direct foreign investment, and foreign investment has been fundamentally important to the growth of the united states. we want to keep it going. the chinese companies are increasingly interested in investing in the u.s.. so, yes, without a doubt we are going to be talking about ways we can promote cross border investment. >> i think we have time for maybe one more question. >> i was wondering are you going to be bringing up the chinese censorship of the defense in the middle east, and also, you said you were going to bring up the issue of sudan in light of the

recent violence there. what message are you going to bring to them on sudan? >> first of all i think as you know, secretary clinton on a number of occasions has been very articulate about a whole host of issues associated with internet freedom. she's underscore but in public and in her private conversations with a host of individuals in china and elsewhere and i think she will look to reaffirm those messages as well. i think one of the reasons we want a dialogue with china is to be able to have a discussion to share perceptions about the development in the middle east. this will be the first time we have met a consequential high level since of developments that swept to the middle east and i think you will be important to hear what chinese interlocutors and friends have to say about what transpired and what