[laughter] and i'm asked who am i going to support in november. and i say, well, i'm not senator arlen specter anymore, i'm citizen arlen specter. and i'm not happy with president obama, frankly. in this policy in afghanistan is absurd. i spoke out on the senate floor against 30,000 additional troops. we have no fight with the taliban. there are no al-qaeda there. i was part of a delegation that visited president karzai, and he's not somebody you can do business with. you have the tax cut, obama extended it. i spoke out against it, should never have extended the tax cut for the rich, in my opinion. ..

>> good to see you again. has to summarize the lessons you learned from public-service and you write about your public experiences as secretary of state, the beginning of the iraq war. one of your "thirteen rules", this is number 13 i find you the most optimistic person. >> it is important that was

the summary of "thirteen rules" but that things will get better if the morning. i start by saying that is not necessarily the case but the attitude you should have. it is within your life to make things better to go through with perpetual optimism of course, multiplier is a military term we look to enhance the power of the force. communications, supply lines, for what makes the force more effective. this is working with human beings. if you could pay an attitude of perpetual optimism, that

in facts and entire organization and is a force multiplier. coming to the real question question, all over the country i see problems that are discussed in washington. unemployment rates, our economy starts to come back back, overseas debentures and crises around the world. and i see people who are hard at work, business leaders, mass audience and i see people are optimistic and they have almost reagan like confidence but they sense their leaders understand how much is out there and they wait for the

leaders to get the country moving. by oas try to be optimistic. these are not the worst of times. people forget in my lifetime 1968 through 1974? and then tried to make sure the white house did not get burned down. drug problems, racial problems and then the president resigned in disgrace they were against us and jerry ford was on the

scene within carter had difficulty in the economy and then sunshine in america. china becomes a world power by selling to us. unimagined where we are now compared to 30 years ago. they sell us stuff then day loan us to buy more stuff. this is our economic problem [laughter] we have to figure this out.

it is what makes us americans. >> host: important to view of confidence is the movie the hustler. [laughter] the ku are not old enough to remember it is about pool hold -- pool halls and paul newman is in the movie he is determined to be the champion. he goes to new york and will play it minnesota fats and the game starts and fast eddie is good but minnesota fats has at manager in the chair watching. as that evening goes on minnesota fatsix is getting beaten but he keeps

looking to his manager and he says stick with the kid. he is a loser. he says i got him. then he goes into the bathroom and comes out to and is reaching for his coat to consider taking it minnesota fats smiles andy he says let's play pool. he beats him. he never gave up. he worked against the weakness.

i love the scene. many times i was in trouble which was many times times, testify before congress or face a hostile crowd. [laughter] so help me i would put on my eight uniform go to the restroom and wash my hands and look in the mirror to say fast eddy, let's play some pool. [laughter] but don't watch the end of the movie because he is the star of the movie he has to be flat at the end. i do not want to see that. [laughter] >> you can turn it off early >> i gather a japanese

school. >> yes. it is in tokyo. three intelligent and smart kids i gave my speech to the students. when i was through unnoticed kids were lighting up with their questions. i don't like that. this is what the teachers have looked at and they are the honorable kids. anybody else? a young lady from the back of the auditorium raises her hand and says general, are you ever afraid? i said i am afraid everyday. by?

i said i am afraid of something almost every day and i fail at something everyday. what you have to learn is one part of normal existence you will never defeat it so have continent's in yourself and be optimistic if think it out of the problem you're having. learn what you did wrong and correct it and move on. the room is a deadly still. everybody has that thought kids are afraid most of the book is like this we get to

my hard time about secretary of state but it is a book of stories it doesn't have the index 44 as short chapters it could take three hours you can dial in anywhere. i gather new rich kid you not the obvious ball of fire. >> right. my parents came here in 1920's with my other

relative saddling in new york. and they all had children and their lots of cousins we were taught we have expectations for you. we did not come here to have children to stick something up their nose and not have an education. it was a killer argument. we beg to be beaten rather than be shamed. it was devastating. we were also taught mind your manners. mind your teachers. this family expected us to go somewhere.

my just hung around with us the average but i got and the only way i got out of the city college my was good been rotc. then they will back into my eighth grades that brought me up to the 2.0. [laughter] good enough for government work. get him out of here. now i am considered were degraded has ever had they named the college after me. [laughter] my professors roll over and there ghraib. [laughter]

what i tell kids is it is not where you start at where you end up. your past is your past. never think you cannot make it right now the graduation rates higher not with they should be. if i had never gone home and told the two immigrant people my parents were short. if i said i think i will drop out of their answer would be we will drop you out. go get another kid. it would not have been. [laughter] there is a chapter called we are mammals.

now so of "national geographic" and and will planet. my a like watching lions and tigers the cub opens his eyes but only so far and then then you hit them upside the head that is the cub grows meet your own goals and daddy and cousins he does not do much. other than that. he is just around. [laughter] and then sent out to their

own but what happens? ameren the importance of their siblings or their cousins and of the role of the pride it pass on 1,000 generations and how can we imagine we don't have that requirement to pass on that experience if you don't have a good experience then you'll have the bad things in life. >> when we spoke last week doing the story for the first time of the jamaican sprinter. we recorded two jamaicans

talking to each other i could not understand them. but it you bureau bilingual? >> all relatives spoke with the head the jamaican, pigeon accent. my mother and father were not too bad but i had a couple of family members i could not understand at all. mike could slip into jamaica if i had to. no problem. i tell robert there are things you have to understand. how redoing? not bad man. good. how are you doing? not so good. you have to understand the reversal of their lexicon. the love my a -- upbringing

to have a special feeling for the family we are a part of it was very tight net. my neighborhood the south bronx was tenements when i walk home from school they all hang out the window meeting on the pillow and did not go to the bathroom they were always there watching. if any of the cousins did anything wrong, instant retaliation. talk about speed on the internet. [laughter] faster than the speed of the

aunt-net in the bronx. they would not let us failed. have two men aged children in america in the inner-city use and reservations where children are not being raised to not fail. a kid in denver lead to a private school and became valedictorian. he was the first in the family to have such an honor. i said how did that happen? he said i was never ever given the opportunity to fail. they would not let me. i was never allowed to fail. i had to feel that way about me. i was the first one to

finish high school now i have changed the history of my family. >> host: one chapter is called tellme what you know, you're right about rules for your intelligence staff. tell me what you know, . tell me what you don't know. tell me what you think. always distinguish from each other. it in huge capital letters someone who way identify with with the use of military force weighing the obligations carefully, tell me about the decision that was made to go to war in iraq.

>> and the first year of the president bush and penetration, iraq was an issue. of for the most part they were contained and then for them to do what ever they want to to build weapons of mass destruction. they had been in the first goal for and use them against their own people. it was not a figment of our administrate imagination playing with nuclear programs and we had a good idea they were with

biological weapons as well. then comes 9/11. president is faced with bringing of a country together brought to us from afghanistan. so we seem to get that under control the the president attention turns to iraq. slow the president asks so in august 2002 and has not

been put to into broader context. then we went into the private study and i said president if we have to use military force to we become the government of the country has national law. if you break it, you own it. we talk about it what do you think we ought to do? let's avoid the war and go to the u.n.. let's see if some who wants to play by the rules and

give us all information. then he went before the when for them to getting gauged and pass the resolutions. we got a resolution and early november putting him on notice and demanding he turned over all information and he failed the test. and made it clear if he passes the test you still have him in power but he knew of it was necessary to use military force by would be supportive because you try. then late january then the

president decided force would be necessary. that we need to prevent our case to the world. also from the time we have to make a presentation decays is worked on by the national security council. when resaw the case is not what we needed. it did not cross reference. we provide all animation and they take it from their.

i was not worried. and gone to the congress the previous fall congress overwhelmingly passed the joint resolution to say solve this diplomatically but if you cannot be will support you. performance before congress said if you have to do this this, we will support you. we went to caa and live there with the director and the combined wisdom of those committees that came together.

write-offs a lot of it aside. i was assured they could stand behind it. i have a presentation abetted by the cia. my colleagues did government that is what i presented. and the british and spanish foreign ministers such as the french and others were not an agreement. and in a few weeks we discovered we cannot find anything.

over time it started to merge with sourcing congress acted on, some of that was not reliable. i was taken aback. life that it would explore sources only to find out it was the single source and he was from the germans. case started to fall apart completely. we had that capability and if left three we have everything imaginable but every day we thought was there turned out to not to

be the case. this cia stock by it. they said we support the judgments last year. the problem i had is notwithstanding is my presentation most prominent that we've put together. i am glad the human rights violations now complete through the transition but now on opportunity of a better life for the people alleys her good the permission was not wrong but i am offended when people say you knew that this was a lie. no.

we had good judgment of the director of the intelligence agencies. but that is what i have to work with. i will never get rid of my have to keep moving forward. >> you apologized. >> i said i regreted it and i regret the permission was wrong. i did not apologize. miss sadam hussain gives us weapons of mass destruction he would be in compliance. but in reality he did not. >> he chose not then get out of jail free card.

he did not think that we would attack that president bush to provide a better life that is the story. >> did you feel that they were sending to few troops? >> you did not know what would happen when baghdad fell. first it brought the iraqi army down. i had no question. i was concerned not enough force was going in with anticipation.

are you sure you have enough troops to do with this? you don't know what will have been after you achieve the objective. the duties for satisfy these are the military authorities. as soon as baghdad fell you could see within a week that sadam hussain had kept suppressed end the bombing started.

but then saving way they were not dead. then we were sending troops home. and then to be from the last number of troops. thain asked how many will it take? he said a couple hundred thousand. he was immediate leave criticized by the leadership the next day. and the judgment was immediately dismissed but what you don't expect have

been. >> , pounding mess with then to help to maintain order once the regime was decapitated, you were surprised when paul bremer was disbanding the iraqi army? >> there was a serious discussion how do we keep order? the iraqi army was one of the few functioning army. and that it should be disbanded.

we have reseat three separate briefings from the pentagon but they are counting on getting rid of the bad leaders within the caa was the right way to go. and then to say this is what they would do. and jerry brown merger gave the necessary and instructions to disband the army. he issued the order. i did not know that would have been. senior members did not know it. the caa did not know it then

it is disbanding with hundreds of thousands of people who are armed and trained set free. then if you week they line up to get their pension. we had to pay them. like a kid is the bad decision. gary would tell you it is the right decision. but i think it was wrong and not what we told the president what we would do. >> u.s. is out of iraq. what is the legacy? what is it like? >> starting with the military in has a remarkable

capacity to learn from experience. the most introspective organization of american society. they look in the mirror to see the reality. this as a armed forces will recover and how the they don't go back and forth they well learn a lesson. and then to read the necessary magazines i have been added the army 19 years. i retired but not resigned. they could call me back. [laughter] right after the cubs doubts. [laughter]

and what we're looking at is what is counter insurgency? but to the infantrymen for young sergeant or lt. i think what the military looks that is what is appropriate to the 21st century world but the good news here is no good military competitor to the united states of america. the population to challenge

of china and india but there is no intent with the chinese build up their forces. they have to many jobs selling to less. they will not blow that. i do watch them but i am not of the few because they have gotten nowhere in the past but have by not and there are other people who want to have their turn. we have no peer competitor like the soviet union. russia is not. >> mitt romney said there geopolitical rivals. >> i disagree with my friend. do they say things that are troublesome? mr. putin does that all the

time. [laughter] >> a russians? [laughter] >> not mr. romney. >> i said to 10. [laughter] see what happens? >> in a moment we will take questions. >> nephew got your calls returned and in the discussion of policy what about syria and iran it? >> i met with him and he lies constantly and cannot trust him on anything. but he is in solid control of the country even with all

the trouble he is facing. his father killed 80,000 people. they are brutal who will not give up easy. it is not entirely clear of what we are supporting on the other side. i would say be very careful. intervention is appropriate. but it is the best way but it is very hard. he really is the bad guy.

and on either side we need to have a clear idea who we are supporting or who would take over power. to put pressure on them, they start to hurt but they do not give up the nuclear program easily. they keep insisting that they don't want to let them but i see what they develop which is rockets. you cannot trust them. this solution may emerge a that is all you want to, how do that to in the most tenuous regime?

then you face the most serious consequences. >> we attack and bombed the facilities? >> diplomacy the most serious consequence is a wonderful term. it does not tell you what we will do. [laughter] so he knows and what did smaller her radical from the academic community is my have been around nuclear weapons as a soldier and advisor and chairmen close at 50 years. are was taught how to deploy nuclear weapons at 25 and as a corps commander guarding

the native defense area if they came through me it was done and split nato and half. my war plan had to stop them waiting for reinforcements. slowed then to think we have to call for nuclear weapons. we were studying the problem in the field by staff said we have to call for the release of the nuclear weapons. let me see the target list. it was all west germany because the russians were coming through. where are the germans? we evacuated them. was so sir real.

the weapons were there. and then to stop the escalation of. and they are not that usable. and then to put in the strategic defense and then 28,000 of all kinds. and i was saying backstage when the cold war was just about ending, we were talking candidate, talking about the security systems

of law level of security and said how come you have this layer? he said we lost 40 million people with a great patriotic war of world war we will never take that chance again. they cannot be used. made an existence show consequences are almost unimaginable. look under the country under enormous pressure i find that difficult to internalize they may want to

go to heaven but to more important is to survive. >> but they believed it is the logic of deterrence? >> i would not dismiss it to say they're not crazy. they want to survive for ago but to ensure is to use those weapons. deterrence and containment plays a role but i don't want to see them given nuclear weapon or to go enrichment nation but all of diplomatic pressure that we can lourdes both careful not

to get in trouble talk a to reach other to the iran beater i said what is your biggest problem? he said unemployment. we have to find 600,000 jobs every year. we need to understand this economic growth and development, then did not get successful by invading are attacking. but india needs to keep growing. they want to elect their own

the bears. one who set himself on fire got in an argument with local authorities. he said himself on fire and started the air and spring movement. >> there are two microphone stands we have time for some questions. rio alternate. >> i am very proud you are here tonight. since you have double sides over the last couple of decades day think our military force which is

incompatible are we asking them to do all lot? but to do nation-building? >> their principal resend of existence is to defend us and apply states power. that has to be the principal mission. the way the constitution is written in to raise and support armies. but fundamentally they are there to fight to. look at japan and germany after world war ii. they run not run by diplomats and. they had constitutional governments. the military can do just

about anything. a skilled group of men and women. they exist to fight the nation's battles. [inaudible] could you please consider running. [cheers and applause] >> i hit my cell by a date long ago. [laughter] as robert said, it was a and a nervously difficult time. and felt this obligation put

upon me. people said we don't what you near politics. but not a single morning i woke up and keep it i think it was the right thing to do. i am not a politician. there was never a morning i wanted to get up to good do that. i am so glad we have obama, of romney, a bush, john kerry and the rest of them to have that feeling. i don't have. my wife was not in favor. [laughter] we have been married 50 years and we have been a team.

so of course, she shared my view. she'd not marry me when i was dead chairmen but a young captain headed off to be a non leaving her behind with a baby to be born. we are very close. >> the best part of being disappointed is you get over it. [laughter] >> everything is in the book. you have to get it. >> think about it. [laughter] some of us thurgood at

engineering some of us are good at to rtc's should educators' allow more choice the younger graduates during the first two years to select those carriers and stay away from those that they cannot do well? >> this is a fascinating question. public-school education, a lifelong data engineering. i know about. [laughter] >> but now you have to theorize. >> one thing that i found i only eight tripped over this the last few years. in high-school i was exposed to stuff that bored me to death at the time but now i

remember with vivid this. i'm sure it had in influence. art appreciation. music. i can still hear bolero coming out to. canterbury tales by chaucer. but not just how do i pass the test? it is the shame if in the course of the education we don't expose them to a lot of things and give them a greater choice. most of them are not sure at that age. expose them. give them a menu. just like rotc of that did not come into my life, i would not be here. i phelan love with it.

do what you'd do well. don't stop. it is doing what does he do well. and was talking to students to say i did not come to be a general but to be a soldier. we have to get the kids i just want to make $1 million or that guy who invents a facebook. and then to not stop seeking an. -- it. >> with iraq, was working

with the nato and had a different environment. but in their resolve many that shocked me so completely. but just before the outbreak of the iraq war there were caravans leading what could be weapons into syria. >> i saw those reports. we looked into it

thoroughly. some said they were there were they were buried war sent to syria. i saw no evidence. there were no weapons. >> do you feel the u.s. military was significant and geopolitical rivals? summon a constituents feel the same low of military spending should be maintained to the detriment of spending to benefit nation-building here at home? [applause] a couple of answers. i am not sure of the right levels. at the end of the cold war i

reckon that it -- recommended to mr. cheney we cut 25%. we did. cold war was over. i don't know of that level of don't think we can now but the pentagon should be like any other department, analyzed to see what we don't really need. . .

that was absolutely needed and was told to us by our commanders in domestic spending should be what was needed to take care of our people, take care of our infrastructure and education and all the other things we need. but everything should be on the table. i think it was a mistake not to accept a proposal that came from since symbols. that would've been a start if everybody had to come to the table and give up some thing, but that did not pass legal muster an hour trying to talk figure it out. one thing we've got to do somehow. however we do it, we cannot keep spending $3 trillion a year and only taking two trying dollars a year. we can't run a 711 i die.

the answer is easy we borrow the money and our grandkids will pay for it. we have to figure out how to bring our government spending down, which means all of us have to give up something. i could think of several things they could take from me tomorrow and i wouldn't complain about it. there are ways to cut spending and reform our tax code, which is terrible. you cannot quiet find the right combination of political support politicians who move in this direction. and it won't just happen because of an election. super people are those here and around the country. you better start examining the issues that what all these folks

stand for and not on what they say they'll do, but the people will do and the strength of their party. we are in charge of this right now. not the super packs and rich guys writing checks to people. so they will back away from the far left and the far right and start taking a hard look where we are. [applause] >> stand up for the commentators for a minute. are you saying the cuts that take effect in the sequestration if nothing else happened that's doable? or would you be sounding the alarms? >> i think the sequestration is not going to happen, even though it's on the books. in my judgment it's not going to happen because the consequences of a tuesday they are not only for domestic spending, but for defense spending. it would definitely take the

defense spending. are already kicking in over $405 billion now in the sequestration is double that. they're not able to take that, nor do i think congress would allow it to take place and find exceptions. since congress put this into law, just as capable as taken out of the lab. >> we have time for just two more questions. one year and one day or with this microphone. >> i was wondering if you could comment on the leadership in the bush office, specifically vis-à-vis president bush coming in, been seen as a relatively young and inexperienced individual that taxing with really strong veterans, but also to have strong personality fetter clash and treated in leadership debacle.

so what team leadership advice can you give to leading a team while it has such strong personality? >> strong personalities don't necessarily create a conflict and wish 41, you always on transporting her to bush 41 to share the personalities of the second bush for the first time. me, mr. cheney and others and we got along well. this time around we got along well on so many issues. if you look at what we did to expand nato, but it took support the expansion of the european union, what we did with hava investment, what we did to increase the amount of assistance to get the rest rest of the world, a lot of things were done very, very well and total harmony with total feelings about the issue appeared on the issue of iraq

with different points of view as to the trips i would need it, different points of view about how we should resolve some of the issues. and i finally reached a point where we said to the president in early 2004 that we were working as well as we showed as a team and that seems like there's somebody who's more out of frequent with the others than anyone else at me. and so i only wanted to say one term and therefore right after the election i want to step down in the president agreed. he understood the problem. so an idea we were not functioning that the team. everybody has to have a common purpose, common view of what we try to achieve. mutual respect with each other and trust with each other. and i think we could've done a better job than not. and as they say, i was probably the one who is most in sync with the others.

that's what it wanted and said i was going to leave and it felt like it was a good idea, too. >> for the record, i appreciated your point of view. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> one last question from the audience. >> my question is for moderate americans, what's wrong with america? i presently happen to believe we are still the land of prosperity and opportunity. in your opinion, what is right with america? >> so much. we've got a wonderful democratic system that is noisy, looks like it's driven with conflict. it's always been that way. we designed it that way. right now it's getting harder to resolve conflicts. but our democratic system has stood the test of time and we say slavery. if a civil wars, all kinds of

challenges. and with ultimately come out the other end in pretty good shape. if the other guys who fell apart. i mean, did you miss they beat us to death to death in a collapse. china relies this is a working. we have to be trading partners. and so we have this resiliency in our makeup as a nation and of the people it takes us through difficult times. amazing difficult times. i'm you look through some of the founding fathers and what they went through, these guys really shoo each other. never mind. last night the two documents that i love to read our jeffersons first and second inaugural address is pure and jefferson streets knocker lachesis a beautiful soaring a jazz talking about america and what it means, we're going to do for the people.

beautiful, but four years later when he wrote a second macro address, he was mostly not an annoyed and he was mostly annoyed at the press. [laughter] right? there's a long section in the inaugural address when he was going on and on oppressing me out to be in jail. why don't this is what these people up? and serious. i'm paraphrasing a little, but not much. they are violating the law is what they say about me and others, but then he pauses. this is a difficult job or so men matter. but given the choice between allowing people to speak freely or throwing them in jail, i choose the former. and the reason he said he could choose the former was because if everybody speaks long enough to truthful when. the truth will always overcome

them with a list by that principle. secondly, even when there's difficulty, and so the strongest economy in the world and the others will continue to be. and so resilient and the strong economy, strong military and political buzz creation of processes and policies are more important now. and above all, we have the glue that holds us together. and when i really think about this and see the waves of immigrants that comes in this country and the speeches i tell two stories, click stories and all and honest about what it for americans to understand how we affect the rest of the world even though people are complaining about us, people wind up with all of our embassies in tomorrow morning the loss of the same thing.

i want to go to america. the first thing we have to do this with the japanese businessman. a very rich, on many conglomerates and the interviewer says to him, hi, bob is easy to say, which is your favorite? he says new york. the guy says to coming to your? on your? went to paris? is new york city's york city's yamoussoukro medlock on this great people, to name and asked for directions. [laughter] try that in paris. his remarkable. were a nation of nations. were renewed, refreshed and every generation was with immigrants coming here and they come here. immigrants go to europe to get jobs. immigrants come here to get jobs come in but also to become americans. try that in half the countries in europe and see if you can become one of theirs.

and then the final story, which my nose so well. when i new york, i love to lack of fifth or park avenue in shops and everything admire all the people, but i would have to stop of the number cross streets with is a push cart and i always have to have one special master in the red onion relish and i've got to have one. through the nevada secretary of state would come out of my sleep, star park avenue in a 55 bodyguards around me, three police cars that go alongside park avenue to make sure nobody watches may go down park avenue. unable to stop in order my hot dog. and the guy would look at the cars and police cars.

[laughter] but now i've got no bodyguards and a police cars. it kind of goes something like this. hotdog from a mustard, red onion, relish. fixes a period starts to hand it to me. say i know you. i see you on television. your general powell. user hotdog. hand over the money. general powell. you have to pay me. america has already paid me. i'll never forget where i came from, but now i'm here in the children are here and we're americans. and i take it and continue on a street and it just washes over

me. my god, this is the same country that greeted my parents here that weigh 90 years ago. to never sell your shirt. we're still the leader and those that want to be free. thank you. thank the synagogue. [applause] >> what he read in this summer? booktv wants to know. >> i'm just finishing third mantell spring up the body. i just read the first of a trilogy she is going to do on thomas cromwell. i know a lot. she does a masterful job of telling a story that is t