>> up next, mitch weiss and kevin maurer talk about their book "operation commando wrath." 10 soldiers from the unit received silver stars for the conduct in battle, which is the most awarded to a unit since vietnam. this is just under an hour. [applause] >> thank you guys for coming. we appreciate you guys hoping here. what we thought we do today is talk a little bit about the book, not only the story but about the guys in the book but also about how we came about the book and how we actually put it all together and sort of anyway wrap up what it all means even now, even though the battle was a few years ago. it still resonates today,

through the events that are happening right now and the reasons why things happen in the book are still happening now. so with that said, before we get started, i am completely open for questions. if you have questions even in the middle, please ask them because of we can get a conversation going that would be good. let's start from the beginning. i was working at the "associated press" and covering fort bragg and i was told by the u.s. central operations command about this story at the time they were going to award 10 silver stars to the team members in the mission and the third-highest medal for valor and it's also rare to see 10 silver stars at the same event. of course that piqued my interest and i went out to fort bragg to meet with the guys and i was one of the first reporters to talk to them. as we get into the story you will realize the story, there's just something about the mission and just something about the

story and what happened that i could not shake and after i wrote the story, it it got widely played all over the country but it stayed with me. mitch and i have talked for a long time about doing a book together. i was grading -- getting ready to go to afghanistan for two weeks so we were looking to work together since i was going to go. this book just sort of landed in our laps. it's just a story that we felt compelled to tell because it was just so much bigger than all of us. i think one of the important things as an author or even as a journalist is telling a story and that is really important. when kevin came to me with the idea about turning the battle into a book i said, wow, let me do some research and let me read about the battle. i called up kevin and i looked

up what had been written because this was a major news event. this was covered not only by the "associated press" but by "the washington post" and the story went out all over the country. and why not? it was a heroic mission. you had 10 men who were caught in the battle and they receive 10 silver stars. the army said that this was a mission and the valley and you have to understand where the shock valley is. it's this remote province, this remote area in northeastern afghanistan and it's a place where when we started doing our research before we started doing the book, even the soviets did not venture. this was a really remote part where no one had gone really before and we looked at it and we said, you know why were they

sent on this mission because before you start a book you do your due diligence and you're always doing your background to find more out about it and what we read what had been written and we said wow this is a really good story. the key to telling in a story is getting the cooperation of the people who are involved so after we decided that this was would really be a good book because this is a story that the american public should know about, this is a heroic battle. going after the enemy in this remote valley. recalled some of the soldiers to ask them, what they consider writing a book, what they consider being part of a project to tell what happened? and at first they were reluctant and we didn't know why because there had have been so many stories written about it but

there was so much publicity that i think we thought at the time, they didn't want that much publicity. these guys are elite soldiers. they are doing their job. they didn't really want credit for what happened, and so we continue to call them and ask and finally we had a meeting that was set up with some of the soldiers, including sergeant scott forbes and louise varela's who is an integral part of the team. we talked about what we wanted to do and we wanted to write this military narrative about the battles so people could really see what happened, they heroic acts. they weren't sold on the idea at first because they didn't want any credit for it. but finally, after detonating

and i talked to the people who knew kevin because kevin had a terrific relationship with the special forces, they said look, we will let you write the story but there is only one thing, we wanted to tell the truth about what happened. and as a journalist and both of us as journalists, we thought tell the truth, of course we are going to tell the truth. but they said no, we really wanted to tell the truth about what happened during the mission. and that really intrigued us because we thought the story was about the battle but as we soon found out there was more than just the battle that went on. >> okay, so this is kind of how we wrote the book. we talked a lot about how we got the story.

let's talk about the battle. the shok valley is in the northeast part of afghanistan. it cannot be more remote. this valley is a cul-de-sac that goes nowhere and it's like the himalayas. getting up there is hard and flying helicopters is hard. the only way and was by foot or helicopter so trying to get their you initially had to plan the mission which was tough. what they were up to do was to go after a target. this guy was a hagar commander, terrorist group essentially that had association with al qaeda and had some sort of true as church the taliban but these guys are nasty characters. they are foreign fighters from

chechnya, gaza and aren't there to fight for afghanistan. these guys are mercenaries and what he was doing in the area was created -- recruiting people to fight for the hagan he was rumored to have surface-to-air missiles and what stockpiling guns and he was also credited with, he was owing to ambush the valet valley which i caught the attention of some of the commanders. they decided they had to go up to the shok valley because he was able to export a lot of the violence from the safe havens of the idea was to go get him and take care of the safe haven. what they ran into was not only were they fighting geography because it was such a hard place to get to, they were also fighting some of the restrictions placed in afghanistan. i am sure we have all seen the news. we have the night rates that are

highly regulated, who controls the battle space is highly regulated and it takes a long time to get a mission plan. one of the things in planning the mission was how they would get there, what the helicopters would do and when and where they would be able to go. essentially what they came back with was the idea they were going to fly in the valley, unload their soldiers and fly off. the team initially wanted to fly to the top of the valley, the top of the village and then the helicopters would fly off but because of rejections and because of what they pilots will do they ended up having to settle for this mission which was to land in the valley and unload their trips -- troops which anyone who knows any basic infrastructure to fight a pill is never a good idea. if you can take the high ground,

you want to. what the commanders had to pretty much reconcile with where they were going to place it. was a riskier to fly the helicopters to the top are riskier to put them on the ground and have the guys hopefully get up the hill before the bad guys they were there. that is where the book starts. they get up in the morning and they know that they have to do the mission. at spring in the mountains of afghanistan. the weather has -- once or twice and they'll have the sickening feeling that i don't know if this is a good idea and that feeling is one of the things that propelled this book and it propelled us because it's very rare that you get soldiers that have universal bad feelings like that. it takes candor to stand up and say hey not only do we have a bad feeling but we really don't want to do this mission and that sort of starts the book and also start some on this path that gets them into an ambush.

>> that is pretty critical what kevin just mentioned in the book. you don't usually get soldiers who speak out about the plan and it was captain kyle walton who basically knew, just like other members in the 386 knew that there was a flaw in the plan. you don't fight uphill and you tried to have the element of support -- surprise though he knew it was -- so he took his concern to his commander and his commander, it was real important because he was a really bad guy. he financed his men by this drug smuggling operation and what they later found out through the fbi and the cia, he was selling

this to finance the whole campaign. again going back to the remote valley captain caldwell and the team he tactically that this plan was flawed. even though the knew it was flawed, knew they were in critical danger bringing the helicopters into the valley and then they would have to climb to the top of the mountain to get to this compound where they knew he was surrounded by by some of the best mercenaries, trained mercenaries who had been fighting with the soviets and for the 10 years during the 19 80s. they wanted to carry out this mission and i think kevin you can describe a little bit about what happened once they landed. >> so, they take off from the base on the border in jalalabad and they in they fly into this

valley and there's some concern at this point with a plan. there's also concern about the weather and there is a certain window that they can gain in and out before the cloud cover come so they have to work quickly as well. if you can imagine landing in a helicopter and the plan was to land and get out but there was so much rubble and ice in the ground was so uneven and some of the helicopters could not land. there were guys jumping 10 feet out of the back of the helicopters and ranting -- landing in this rubble fields in a couple of them landed in a river that was right in the middle of the landing zone. so they get past that with no major injury which that alone, 10 feet is the size of the basketball course so imagine jumping out of that into a big rubble, big boulders. they look up in the valley is a lot of mountains that are a lot higher than they imagine. they were only looking at satellite images. i can only equate standing in

midtown manhattan and looking up and being surrounded by all sides by just sheer cliffs. they consolidate their guys and they start walking towards this village. would we say village i am sure you think, depending on where you are in the country, sometimes they are mud huts but this village was literally cut into the wall almost and it was stone houses. these are like castles on top of each other that went all the way up and around them and they were surrounded almost 360 with the stone houses. as they are walking up it takes them a little while to find a path. they get to the base of the hill in the path pretty much cuts back and forth like a zigzag up the hill.

i know a lot of you are veterans because i've met a few of these you. you know there's only one way out. do know there is a cul-de-sac of a valley and they know you were there because they hear the helicopters and they hear helicopters in this valley. it's not their buddies. it's their bad guys, right? really quiet as they are walking out. all of a sudden they see three guys running, seeing three guys running on the top of the valley and one of them has a gun. >> there were three teams, one team at the bottom of the mountain and one team halfway up and one team at the very top near the village. and one thing that we fail to mention is they went on this mission.

there were 100 afghan commandos and these were soldiers that the green beret had been training. this was their first real mission. these were not battle-hardened commandos. they were commandos -- coast of the team oda 3336, you had a few guys at the top, couple guys in the middle and you had a few of them at the very base of this mountain. three guys are running and he knew that they were bad guys. one of them had an rpg on his back and so we opened fired and what happened next surprised everybody on the team. a lot of the members on this team has seen a lot of combat. they were veterans. this was their second or third tour. they have been in iraq and afghanistan but when he fired his weapon at the three insurgents it was surprising.

it was a relentless wall of fire and they were shot. it was just coming from everywhere. remember they are nearly surrounded by the compound, by these buildings that were carved into the rocks and all of a sudden every force opens fire. they knew right away that they were in an ambush. there were about to soldiers right above up on a ledge, probably the size of the stage and when they drew fire they tried to seek cover. he had to get up and help his fellow soldiers and when he got up there, he saw one soldier had been wounded and that was dylan and neal sosa something that really not only surprised him but really stun him and that was his friend who is was an afghan

interpreter. they have become very close friends and he was his afghan interpreter. he saw them there on the ground and he knew at that moment he was dead. as luis got up on that ledge he went over to help another soldier who was wounded that was there and there was another soldier who was a combat cameraman who had just joined and was a new member of the team. he had been involved in the mission and was going to take pictures and help document the mission. mike was dragging -- and louise went over to help. he returned fire and if he did he was hit a bullet as well. it just started off this whole chain where it was, the fire was relentless, there was no cover and truly at that moment there

was no way out. >> alright, well i mean, we could probably tell you about the rest of the book but then you wouldn't buy it. with that said we are going to leave it at that and let you guys hopefully by the book but let's step back for one second from this mission. the afghan commanders were key part of this mission and that was one of the reasons why they were cast to go on this mission. at the time this was the third mission. they were brand-new unit. they were essentially created to carry out these high-value issues tick capture the high-value targets. they were mentored by american special forces. actually this team was the first team to go and mentor them are going at this point i have seen them in action a couple of times. as all ana units they are a little uneven but overall they have a good track record, good

reputation but this was one of their first missions and i talked to a few of those guys, couple of commandos that were american soldiers. what you need to take away anything from this are hopefully you take away from this is that this partnership between the commandos, the afghans and the americans is the bedrock of what they are trying to achieve in afghanistan and it is everything in the strategy that you hear about right now, especially right now is based on. it's about this rapport and this mentorship in this idea that you can build the commandos to take over the mission and then you guys can come home. so it's important to remember that when you read the book and we are hoping you not only take that away from the book but also those take away the relationship they had with their

interpreters. these interpreters were some of the coolest guys you could ever meet. they usually get picked up by the other teams. they are usually young afghan guys who think they are special forces guys. they swear like sailors and they dress like si guys. we had two that were on this mission because they usually protect themselves. writ it was rizzo and big raise the. they were interesting guys but i just think one of the things that i don't think the media puts out a lot and i don't think we think about the relationships, the fact that american forces are fighting alongside afghan forces. we don't see that a lot but it's an important part. ultimately it's the goal. so they are important.

this speaks to what is going on now. what you will see is that in this book, and i think is this trust factor. as they went they were fighting together and an important linkage that we drawn the book is that we learned from the team that a lot of guys fight because they fight for the guys to the left in the in the end the right of them and that was most important thing in the shok valley and the most important thing now with guys going out on missions and it's important that you realize that not only are they fighting for the americans but they are fighting for the afghans as well. >> you no we didn't want to give away too much of the book because we don't want, we want a little bit of a suspense factor and i think i want to go back to

tell you what our process was is -- in writing the book. what we wanted to do was create a book which really cared about the characters. we just wanted the -- we did not want them to be clichés. we wanted you to really care about them so what we did was, we focused on a few of the guys to tell this really important story and as kevin said, a lot of it was just guys fighting for the guys to the left into and to the right of them but what was important was -- so we decided we would divide this book really into five parts. the first part was called the mission and during that contribution, and mentioned earlier about mike carter. this was a guy who is a combat

cameraman. this was the guy who goes not to document what took place. he could be a guide who was just on base, videoing, training in the field with soldiers on a mission. but we wanted to introduce you to him. this one, to give you some of his background, this was a guy, this was his mission in afghanistan. he was supposed to go home but because the other combat cameraman was there he was selected to go on the mission and when he gets there, he had all this camera equipment. think of every movie you have ever seen, apocalypse now, where there were thousands of cameras dangling and when he arrived there he had all of this equipment. they would say you're not going to need this where you are going

so they stripped them down to just the bare essentials. he had a video camera and we wanted you to know him. we wanted you to know louise morales came from this military family from his grandfather who served in korea to his father, to know what motivated him to join. we wanted change to know what kind of soldier he was. we wanted you to know john wayne waldman, this texas kid who joined the green berets because he wanted to make an honest living, an honest days pay. you couldn't invent -- he was born on the fourth of july. john wayne waldman in the special forces, handsome guys who just wanted to serve his country. we introduce you to scott ford and how he is the team leader and how he came in and shaped

this unit during the mission in afghanistan. he was the cornerstone i think of this unit. captain kyle walton who was called on to fire, who during the heat of battle try tried to keep his mental life. the calculus of the battle in his head, if we are overrun by hundreds of fighters do we fight to the death? these were the decisions he had to make but the more we can get to the battle we had to introduce you to them so you would care about the characters. so that when there are battles, you are rooting for them and you have an interest in them. so the first part of the book was the mission and talk about some of the form in the tactical planning, how they raised some of those concerns with commanders that basically said

you have to go and you have to accept it. the contact was the battle. imagine climbing a mountain and looking straight up and you are digging with your hands into the soil and into the rock and you are carrying over 60 pounds of equipment on your back plus you have body armor. you are climbing and you are climbing and you know something is wrong because it is really too quiet and you know there's people in that compound and you have a sneaking suspicion that they are waiting. and so, we introduce you to that combat and what happened when we fired that firschein and how the valley erupted in a wall of fire and how the men when they were hit, they were just so angry that they were hit. it's not that i'm hit, now i am

a burden but i'm going to keep fighting for my fellow soldiers. they had that kind of tension that would develop in that first chapter. and then of course, the third part of the book talks about how are they going to get off of this mountain? they are climbing up and that's difficult enough with all of this equipment and now they are going to have to find a way down when there is a target of hundreds of enemy fire. how are we going to get down when we have soldiers who have life-threatening injuries who are barely being kept alive? and so that part of the book deals with the escape and it also deals with the battle. the plans to drop bombs. there is an expression called danger close and that is when you have to get permission to drop a bomb as the bombs are

landing so close to your position you can be killed. at any moment, with any mistake. they are dropping all these bombs and when they land, the soldiers are soaked close to the bombs that they are feeling it, the breeze, feeling the shockwaves. so we take you through that whole process until they escape and get down off the mountain and then of course there is the aftermath was shot shows you what happens the soldiers afterwards and apple log of what the soldiers are going through now. so what they said originally to us, tell the truth about the battle and the one thing we wanted to do, we wanted to stage true and i think at the end of the day we succeeded. >> with that, does anybody have

any questions to start? who wants to start off? the question was a lot of things going on then are still going on now and what i was speaking to is some of the restrictions in some of the ways that these guys are operating right now. for example, in 2010, i will go back to that a little bit to refresh my memory, but i remember one morning i was with his this team and we waited until just gone, for the sun to just pop up over the mound before we went on the mission because technically it was don and not night. ..

>> when a mission objective can be achieved or are achieved but then in the middle of a change. unfortunately the mission changes yearly or every couple years. right now people are working hard with the afghan security force to take care of them sells.

i said this in an interview a couple days ago, what needs to happen whenever districts takeover need the afghan plan to stick to the goal. that is fine but don't change it. that is the only time a we really editorialize in the book. we hit you over the head with it. we aim it at policy-makers you need to remember when you tell the military to do something they will die trying so be careful what you tell them to do.

be very sure it is what you want. they will work hard but make sure. >> [inaudible] >> are they making soldiers do more? >> yes. look at the counter insurgency strategy that is of be a non term it is hard to handle. the special forces soldiers parsimonious smarter

soldiers on the battlefield. that is why they are in the villages. they really are a bedrock of the strategy. i have seen them do that. we have a great program. doing all kinds of great stuff. is a great success. go down the road and little bit, it is a disaster. that alabama's there. the does not work over there. it is a different tribe. there is the dilemma. the blanket strategy is to difficult. is it a horrible? i don't know.

it may work. it may not work. [laughter] >> [inaudible] >> most of the interviews we did would telephone or in person but not to a group of duty. we can attend to that to over 20 hours on the telephone with him talking over and over a good reporter, a good journalist

journalist, you start to build a french ship. epoxy they will not tell you what they're really thought. on the battlefield. after a while soldiers begin to open up. clearly soldiers thought to there would not make it out. in this case taking double it to and then nearly severed his leg what he did was unthinkable but then he tied it to his thought city could continue fighting.

going into shock and the tourniquet was not working. and he thought he would die. he was getting cold. thematic was treating the other soldiers. he could not get to him. just from here to there it was too dangerous to get to him. and realizing this could be it. and more importantly a tough guy a, wildcat to, the father and grandfather and

he thinks he will die, he starts to think about his grandfather. to the days today that helped to keep him alive. a lot of will keep fighting and fighting that is what you get from hours and hours. because i want to know what they felt. a toll was taken. not only those who have the same thoughts of their

mentality -- mortality. and he said god come 81 to need to lose, give me a sign. then they said you will wake up. but it goes back to the hours of intimacy. >> what is the mission in afghanistan? >> that is a tough question. right now? what i am told now when i anders stand now is assist the afghan government into

being of legitimate government to build up the forces. >> honestly? it does to a normal soldier i don't think he gets up to think i will get after it. but what is important is he thinks about his unit, his job. to make sure it not know they get a back to base safely but the whole unit. honestly that is what the soldiers should think about. they think how do i get my guys back? i don't think they are

spending time with the strategic. that is the policy makers that have to be very conscious and deliberate. >> with an average day for the special forces soldier? >> i wrote a book on this. a team on a village for the average day you may open a clinic where people come from the village. minor injuries or sickness or illness. if you are the engineer he may be on the base review are the team leader you are planning because talk about

restrictions to leave the base, last count takes 45 power point* slides so he can say that works. the 45? that is a little excessive. it is. it is a burden. but that takes up a lot of time. the what they do best on a daily basis, they are training. there with the commandos, marksmanship, a civil order police, tried to do vehicle interdiction.

that is what makes them great. abm big village meeting. is selling day. -- it is a long day. by where the rubber meets the road with that report. >> >> [inaudible] >> has ever been a legitimate government in

afghanistan? >> is there one now? no. what they try to bridge is the local government. to the one and kabul. it depends on who you ask. of villager told me the only evidence i ever see the of the government is said teacher he just lets the kid play in the dirt. but it speaks to the fact does kabul reach into every village? no. but what you have to remember about afghanistan, it is not like iraq. no highways. rhodes. but barely.

a had arranged -- green beret despaired with a k and cellphones. a country has been decades of war bond into oblivion. very little of restructure. in that frame of mind with local government and the security forces. roads and sewers and power and blah, blah, blah. there is not a long history for legitimate central government.

>> does the epilogue go into the mission? there was an army historian who was asked by one of his commanders and asked to rate -- to write a report about the mission. starting to look at army documents and what he realized early on this could have been a disaster. but they were filled with soldiers not shot down. of miracle this unit was not

wiped out that was trapped on the mountain. it was a passion for the historian to tell what happened to show what was made to plan the mission it reached a point* where he talked to dozens of men and the commander said i will read a report i want you to know it will be less than flattering and the command said bright it up. warts and all. coinciding with his retirement he handed the

report days before he was set to retire. we talk to him at length. the army wants a copy and refused. they basically said there were flaws in the report. but the one thing that stuck meo stand 20 years the mistakes that were made would not be repeated. >> does anybody know how many tribes are and afghanistan? >> you have to realize you

may be from another tribe but it spirals and it is hard. i don't understand afghanistan. i have been there a couple times. it is a tough country to wrap your head around. they do a pretty good job but you have a lot of baggage. >> [inaudible] >> yes. he is still around. i think he is still at large. hopefully he has a copy of the book. [laughter] >> to whinney special training to be embedded? i cannot comment.

[laughter] seven training, of course, and that they put out for reporters my first was iraq as a branch reporter only on the job two months. one rotated back i took her spot and to tell a quick story. i am in kuwait and late for the party. i am catching up this guy hands me a gas mask. you look about a large. when you hear sirens put on the mask and head to the bunker. i am ready for the scud to hit to.

a chemical attack. am sitting in the bunker. i know it does not fit. that is my on-the-job training. [laughter] >> [inaudible] >> lack of education herds the government? >> zero lot of things. a lack of education is a huge issue. mitch did some great work if you want to speak to that. >> it is a microcosm in afghanistan. one of those was training his unit for intelligence.

he started talking and said let's draw a circle, and a square and did not realize. [laughter] so basically he had to teach them how to draw a circle, a square, trying go, go to the next up. talk about education very few knew how to drive they did not know. to illustrate some of the problems the lack of education has as a unit.

when they are under pressure in the field. they don't have basic live skills -- live skills that we take for granted. >> they give for coming. we appreciate you listening to us speak. we will be appear for a little bit if you want to ask questions. [applause] >> rand paul kennedy in your best selling book the n word comment you write aboute speeech? by

>> that is about the word nigger itself has triggered lots of violence to some it is a violent word itself.the what i want to do is give aistoo history of the word covered with blood literally and figuratively. to show how all this work has brought havoc to american and culture. that is not all that ituse does. this book were the it is complicated history of insults, terrorism, intimida tion. in has been put to to other uses, and racists,n, made an ironic term, a term of in

your may.he d the word nigger is complicated.licate violent aspects but othersut otr as well. >> host: how did big mommall. used the word? >> will yen -- lillian, a wonderful lady who probably did not get more than a sixth grade education born in south carolina lived her entire life there. a seamstress, the domestic and a strong-willed levy who raised a slew of kids. sent most of them through ife.ege. i knew her a good portion ofle a

my life. words. she referred to black people sometimes ask colored people but sometimes she would use the infamous and word. -- and word her example and wisdom has been with me all my life. >> host: it is it illegal to use the n word?that bk. >> guest: generally speaking no. i take that back. diffuse the n word in the employment setting, a supervisor, you refer to worker as a nigger or black people us l niggers you could

have a hostile workplace to make yourself subject to a or ne liability under state law or the civil-rights law of under 1964. can with certain circumstances you can do things that make liai yourself, subject yourself to legal liability.e a if you commit violence and in the condition of a violent act refer to people using the the n word you could be subject to the haight law legislation thereby not only be prosecuted for whenever violent act you have committed but you may have an enhanced penaltngy byso, undr running afoul of state hate

laws. so yes.gerall in certain circumstances bute generally speaking because of the strong shielding power comedienne's or writers can use the n wordn be a to not fear the law but heybe public opinion. t >> host: is that the mere words purses fighting words one argument? >> guest: is the lot of homicide different levels. the divide is betweengis y manslaughter and second you degree murder.hat

if you kill someone thatso make the argument you are inmp the grip of passion you comeor home to find your girlfriend of or your wife in the arms of another and kill that person.iveou a it is a violent act but the law will give you a little bit of a break becauseuse. you're in doug grip ofgnize passion. couldn' pt a full excuse theill e recognize you cannot control yourself.we some called them the inverness the n word maybe they strike and kill one-person can you or your lawyer make to a jury you were in the grip of t passion because this person called

use this particular word. in washington d.c. youction cannot make the argument. the law says the matter what the word the matter whats anybody calls you, that isnce. no excuse.we'll l the other jurisdictions say you can make the argument. >> host: you write with professor, there is notg necessarily wrong with theecesri white person saying the n word i word just as a black persono to say it. >> guest: yes. what matters is the context. the ames effect the alternative. to condemn the white without regard to context is to make a fetish of the word. >> guest: yes. the best example mark twain

novel "huckleberry finn."er appa nigger appears over 200 times. a i think "huckleberry finn" is a wonderfull novel the impulse ishe ye anti-racist, anti-slavery. h over the years many have wanted the book banned or t the race the wordpro i am not for that. it is a white author but using the term nigger for purposes that are anti-racist purpose when a bruce was a great social satirist and number in which not to insult black people but rather to turn the table who of those that were t anti-black and use the word

nigger to laugh at them. using the word nigger as the end mirror on racism to combat racism. some use nigger in novels and shor wt stories to be racist not really but as an artist to the legitimate for obviously black people have used the term niggers in ways in my view are completely unobjectionable. dick gregory titled his first autobiographyog nigger. then richard pryor that

nigger is crazy and bicentennial nigger. using the term and racist.ig >> host: when you decided to write the book 2002, what ats the reaction from colleagues, publishers, harv ard law? >> guest: i got a veryst: strong reaction. much positive but a lot ofction, negative reaction.o i s continue to get positive titlnegative reactions. some people took offense at the title. exploiting this term by putting it right there in the title, right there on the cover of a

book that would appear in your book stores all across america. and what i said to people was -- and i still say -- and i say this unapologetically -- if you write a book you want people to read your book. there are thousands of books in any book store. there are hundreds of thousands of books in any big library, and you got a lot of competition. the first thing you want to do, if you're an author, is to at least have somebody pick up the book. and so when i was thinking of a title issue thousand what i can title this book that would get somebody to take a peek, read the first paragraph. and i thought, well, nigger. nigger is a strange career of a trouble self-word. and i thought that would -- just

think hard about words, think hard about examples, get the readers attention. that's what i was trying to do with the title. >> host: of former state legislature -- legislator spending news and a new cycle was sharon engle from nevada. it is called right and go. -- right angle will they learn about your senate campaign? >> guest: you are too kind to call me senator. i am private citizen now. they get my perspective on the campaign but also

conservatism on the constitution not so much a memoir. >> host: what is one of the issues you talk about? >> energy, economy, a layman's handbook with it keynesian economic period why that school of thought works better for a free economy. also education and the social issues those impact us this the way as we hear more about that with the presidential campaign. >> host: take energy what is the conservative approach to energy problems the. >> guest: any policy -- policy should be

driven by the free-market. when a government is in any enterprise you have winners and losers some feel entitled because they get government funding. i discuss that. what we classified as green energy is subsidized if the and pediments went away so would the industry. we need to concentrate on what works well. what are good sources? the industry has been sold supporting for a long time. also '02 nuclear and why that works 871 about yucca mountain? should that be used for waste storage? >> we should look at the

opportunities made available to those in nevada. it is a secure site if we have something that is all a title and should not deal been to explore, that is a good place. if we have scientist better their developing how we can use the waste products, i discuss that. and to answer the questions one the opportunities with the nuclear industry? >> in your buck, what is a social issue? >> >> abortions and marriage are on the four french.

for the pro-life we're so angry with obama's the first act is to send money outside of our country for abortion. i did not think there was pro-life before but now i am. not just moral or religion but also just plain common sense. >> what is it like to run against the majority leader? >> guest: and i opening experience. i feel what harry reid did to give the play book for this cycle, he pulled out

the stops, every trick in the book and began a message we're not own a hearing from the progress of media but also our side which is astounding. i'm always eager to talk to conservatives where we can vote principled. and not embrace anything or anyone that says this is electable. we the people elect. if we go to comment they are delectable. >> host: there was a time you were in the news everyday. >> guest: by design. we were vulnerable the day after the primary. we spent all the money to win the of primary. we went into the general

election with no money. here reed came out the day after with his media blitz. he began to pour tens of many our way. the pressure from the press was to get me in sound bites out of context. i was not allowed to explain thoroughly. we weren't never able to do rapid response. they got ahead of us because they did not have the money to fight the fight. a word of caution have enough to be ready to go from battery never go we don't just go against the

opposition but the press that is aligned with the candidate. >> how long did it take you to write right angle? >> guest: it was finished before my campaign. my manager said we don't want to that in print. the more that is out there the more they can use against you. just run the campaign. you can publish afterwards. we pulled out after and made it applicable for today. it came down june 2010. >> host: in retrospect would you put it out before the campaign? >> guest: yes. that is what people want to know.

the wanted to know who was. if people had taken a chance to read it, they would no i was an american and just like them. a conservative and those things coming from the left-wing media was a ploy to drive down by positive numbers and the me as of fringe extreme lack the. you understand i come from very middle-class family. my dad had a small business. my degree is in art. i am an educator. but from that background the government intruded into my family to say you cannot home school unless you are

more than 50 miles from a school. i knew as an educator i had solutions and when the government told me you cannot provide the solutions for your family i had to be more than a voter. >> host: do think you'll run for office again? >> guest: possibly. nothing has been ruled out. even this cycle. because the week donate the money to, to make sure senators are elected to change the majority to a minority this time. senator reid is no longer the leader only by changing four seats. also to make sure we have a fair and secure vote. i will work with the

election integrity. it goes to the problems with the law that opens the door for mischief. like 953 dead people voting in south carolina. that is not an element or a factor in the 2012 election. we will 1 million people to go to the polls to volunteer to keep your eyes on the process. we want to be there when they count the votes and it is up to we the people to be constantly vigilant in a willing to give up possibly a whole day at the polls not only volunteering on the election boards could be observers of the process. >> host: right angle was published by arthur house. where is that?

>> guest: it is available on my website. there you can order the book. you can also get that borders, amazon, but if all proceeds to shop proceeds of the donation -- purchasing the book comes to my organization. i wanted all proceeds to be used in the asset-backed. i don't get a percentage. i own my book. i pay them to do what i need to have done. now the proceeds are four hour cause. >> host: talking with sharron angle republican candidate for national senator against harry reid

author of the book right angle one warm -- woman's journey to reclaim the constitution. >> when the queen was at buckingham palace making her way through a crowd of 9,000 people, she was asking standard questions have you come far? eleven been looked at her and said what do you do? [laughter] several days later at the friends birthday party but queen exchange the conversation the first time than anybody ever asked her that question. but my job been right teeing elizabeth the queen adelaide to explain what she does but what she is really like. to bring her as close as

possible to the human being, wife, mother, a friend coming and highly respected leader. today i will talk about what it was right -- like to write to robert and also many surprising discoveries i made about the queen because she is the best known woman in the world. people feel as if they know her. the real woman is different from the one been in delve it. this is my six biography. no one like the queen. she lives in her period own remarkable world. mother had state have come and gone chisel longest serving leader in the world spanning the 20th and 21st centuries. the 40th monarch and 1,000 year history of the british

monarchy reigning over england, wales, scotland and northern ireland with 15 rounds and 14 overseas territories. she is the second monarch to celebrate diamond it to believe 60 years on the throne. the only other was heard great great grandmother queen victoria her celebration 115 years ago 1897 when she was 78. if elizabeth is on the ground 2015 she will suppress it victoria's reign of 64 years. between the two of them, elisabeth on the

throne 124 of the last 170 years and symbolized britain far longer than the men. elizabeth is always surrounded by people but to making her queen makes her a solitary figure. it is crucial to keep bet delicate balance. and she is too distant should this is her bond with the subjects but too much like everyone else, shampoos is mystique. this not have a driver's license or carry a passport. her cousin told me she drives like a bat out of all on the roads of the at the state. she cannot appears a witness in court everyone around her including friends and family

about and currency when they greet her and say goodbye. although trained by strict new news to prevented her from being spoiled to also trained in severance when princess elizabeth came to visit the family castle and playfully threw her on to was so far. his father took him by the arm and punched him in the stomach and said don't you ever do that to royalty. the princess did not mind with that was the structure and which she was brought up. how does an american penetrate the royal bobble when the queen has a policy of not granting interviews?

was not too different from the way i turn to those who know her best. i am a longtime anglo vyyo and visited britain frequently over three decades and have made a lot of friends. some help to me with my book on princess diana. where research the queen's life the web back to sources who agreed to help me again and introduce me to people who know the royal family. also serving as advocates. my book on diana was fair to the royal family and charles. the senior staff and briefed the queen and they gave me the green light. i have access to her inner

circle advisers. she has disciplined herself to keep the motions under wraps, those close to her shared the fascinating opinions what we're read her most about prince charles and diana marriage was falling apart. what happened to she became mentally incapacitated and politically sensitive opinions like one hot-button issue discussing with an ambassador. for serenity and courage monty roberts the horse whisperer one of her most i'd like the friends told me when the queen gave him good price she shows the

incredible ability to read intention and my course. being able to watch the clean and bit -- brands fell luck at windsor castle while present a honors to buckingham palace, one of the only garden parties i received with the queen's ground at the or chamberlain was commanded. everybody got that. four or chamberlain later told me to absorbent was

going on in and take in everything that you can. for those sturdy stance a technique then explained to one of the foreign secretary by lifting that evening gown above rankle when someone plants their feet apart keep them parallel, make sure way to is evenly distributed. that is all there is to it. [laughter] but to help me and stan how she carries out her role. and with every situation not just a figurehead every day except christmas and easter

spent several hours reading those boxes they can only be opened by four keys. she reads then in the morning and at night. one friend told me when she was desk down all morning. must do? the queen replied if imus 19 never catch up again. so winston churchill said elisabeth was a young 25 year-old queen her father was impressed by the attentiveness. it is hard to imagine the amount of information the

queen has accumulated using it to exercise her right to encourage and warned the she meets with government officials who come to her four continents nobody else there'd gives a feeling they can say what they like. and consider the trajectory. and then surveying in the army of good great-grandmother those born three years after her youngest child she actually glimpsed for the first time

the future 12th prime minister when he appeared at age eight in a school production of toad hall. probably her most fascinating relationship was margaret thatcher. and i had great insight into how the relationship worked and what contradicted the common view. the queen does not have executive power but does have a unique influence. as head of state represents officially at home and abroad and connects with people and remain in touch with concerns. but then still doing engagements per year. traveling around united

kingdom, charles serving as a private secretary to thatcher told me the queen knows every inch of this country in a way nobody else does. she's been so much time meeting people she has an understanding with other people's lives are like and then normal condition. and those members of the military for exemplary service. and six years has conferred with an 400,000 honors and awards and has given them in person over 600 times. she said people need a path of the box sometimes. traveling with the queen is valuable especially the overseas royalty were broke