i heard the recent survey shows that tolo tv, which is the most piper tv station in afghanistan, has got 60% of the audience's. so imagine a country where we have a round 75 tv stations. ..

>> the gentleman up there and sort of -- yeah. thank you. >> my name is mohamed -- [inaudible] for voice of america afghanistan service. i have one question but in three parts. how much the focus on investigative journalism in afghanistan, and the second part is what are the main challenges if the media conduct such journalism, and the third part and last is that is there any market for that in terms of the audiences test? thank you. >> who would like to -- go ahead. >> after, you know, in last 12-year experience now afghan media is focused on investigative reporting which if you hear recently, we created --

[inaudible] afghan media, you know -- [inaudible] and we start investigative reporting on corruption and human right which is each month we produce two investigative reporting, one on human right and one on corruption. and like we can say that, but some of those when we release the story, you know, it was really -- have a good impact, and our president, president karzai, took this and he, you know, ran a -- he give a speech for that biweekly radio, in each biweekly speech regarding that our investigative report.

like now we have some difficulty, but if we work together, we believe the future of investigative reporting will be better, and i hope it will have a good change. >> yeah, go ahead. >> thank you, david. well, there's huge appetite for investigative journalism among the audiences in afghanistan. but unfortunately, we have not had much success in terms of producing investigative journalism content where the prime reason behind our failure has been afghanistan, afghan journalists' problem with access to information. there's a huge -- [inaudible] in providing afghan media with information. we still don't have access to information in afghanistan. and the second problem has been the environment for safety of media workers is not that, still

not good. there's still a lot of intimidation going on, particularly when cases become personal. and then those who are covered will go after the media workers and start -- [inaudible] we have had examples of in this the past. and the thursday -- the third problem has been lack of sufficient education in the area of investigative journalism among afghan media workers which is a pity because in afghanistan which corruption makes a huge problem, there's a huge need for investigative journalism. >> you know, that segways to another subject. let me ask you about this, james, and it's sort of our business in a way and also the business of mr. anzar here which is state broadcasting, you know, government broadcasting.

mr. anzar's rta is moving to more of a public broadcasting model and changing the way they think about their work. i guess the question for you and i and maybe others in the room here, what's the appropriate role for the bbc and voa and other international broadcasters that also broadcast into afghanistan? is there a course correction we should make as things change in '14? when najiv talks about investive journalism, one of the things we've done at voa is appoint a corruption correspondent, and he's going service to service and working with that service to identify stories that he can do. in some cases it might be even dangerous for people in the service to do or for their families, if you see what i'm saying. so that's one role that perhaps voa and bbc can usefully provide to, you know, the courageous afghan journalists who are on the front lines. what are your thoughts about course corrections or other things we ought to be doing? >> i just say one thing about --

[inaudible] first of all, i want to pay tribute to the partnership with rta. we're working very closely with rta at bbc media action on a ram which is a major -- on a program which is a major program of public debate. very large audience, about 6.5 million people view that. we've just had a whole series of presidential debates which were produced with rta, by rta many in association with us -- in association with us but a sort of bbc editorial standard, complete balance across the political piece. 8 of the 11 presidential candidates took part in those, and i think they are commanding a great deal of credibility. i think rta is potentially the most important media outlet in afghanistan, and that's a very unfashionable thing to say, particularly in washington. >> yep. >> and the reason for that is

something i didn't think two or three years ago where i felt, actually, all the energy was in the commercial sector and the dynamism and the independence, of course, was in the commercial sector. but rta does reach across the whole country. it does reach into the rural areas. it does reach outside of the city. it does reach those populations who are not reached by the commercial media. and i think all media is important, but rta is absolutely key to the future of a country. particularly if it can become more independent. what, as we were talking about this morning, is needed in afghanistan is a national dialogue, is a national public debate. and i think one of the foundation stones for the national dialogue to come is something like, is rta. this is a difficult argument to make, actually. i mean, we support public service broadcasting around the world, and the number of success

stories, successful transition of state characters to independent, financially-independent public broadcasters is not a big one. the political price of surrendering control of your state broadcaster by any incumbent president is very, very high. and arguably growing as media and communication infrastructures become more complex and more independent. but the importance of that platform for independent public debate in fragmented, fragile states, i would argue, has never been more important. and i would like to kind of, with others of you, to reboot, to remanage the whole debate -- reimagine the whole debate. how can we start injecting a new level of energy and creativity into that discussion. perhaps that's for another time. >> very good. anyone else on that subject? we'll go back out to -- let's

see. gentleman standing in front of the person -- yeah, sir. over there. >> [inaudible] my question is, goes to -- [inaudible] about the increased violence against the journalists. i think that in a great teal will affect the freedom of press and freedom of expression. so has the media organizations partnered with the afghan ministry, security ministries or institutions to address this issue, and how do you see the level of violence against journalists in the future, and how do you see the future government to protect the rights and the -- and safeguard the journalists and their rights in

the future? >> najiv? thank you. >> thank you. it's good to see you in washington. it's a huge challenge. violence against media workers is becoming increaseingly bigger challenge, and it discourage a lot of media workers, and it has -- and because of the fact that a lot of the violence is raised by people who work in the government. most of them security workers. it's increased the gap between media and the government. and it has created a vicious cycle where the media fiercely criticizes the government unfairly in a lot of respects, and the government in return keeps adding pressure on the media. and this has created a vicious cycle where -- and has

undermined the constructive role of journalism. and the only people that takes advantage of this is the parliament because afghanistan's war for the most part is perception and war of propaganda. well, what we have done in afghanistan, we have created a working group between representative of media support organizations and security organizations, and is we are having meetings -- and we are having meetings on regular basis to create, working to create a working environment where we could peacefully and constructively resolve the problem. for example -- [inaudible] was to create guidelines on behaving, on how media those who

work for afghan with security organizations should behave media workers. and we have distributed this to to all security organizations, and we are also working with them to add this guideline in the curriculum, in the training curriculum of security organizations so that they know how to -- what the role and position of media workers is, what their right is and how we should behave with themment -- them. >> now in blue right there. >> hi. rachel reid from open society. thanks for the discussion so far, it's been great. following on conversation you've been having about intimidation and threats against journalists, there have been some really impressive reports recently on big anti-corruption cases, you know, so it is happening more than it was some years ago.

and one of the things that i know, dennis, you have been doing is working with ore independent -- other independent media to do things jointly partly for protection. is that sill happening, is -- still happening, is that a model you see being effective going forward? >> yeah. in the last year, in 2013, we touch some of the, you know, important and sensitive issue in afghanistan, and we create, you know, in line or together with other media outlet how we touch some of, like, those kind of seasonstive issue -- sensitive issue and how we depend on -- if the pressure came from government, how in order to not damage, for example, one

organization we create a line that we share the pressure from, you know, from the government. and it has worked. before that if there was -- when we give something that seemed like a strong case, we pass that case to international media, and international media was, you know, highlighted. and then afghan media was, you know, translated. and the credit goes to international media. but now we have around 17 independent media outlet -- [inaudible] and in that we choose the case, we share with our media outlet, and we cover that, and we pass -- when we release the case, i hi there is no pressure -- i think there is no pressure. some of the cases go to --

[inaudible] some of the cases. like i will give you the one example. when there was a corruption in kabul municipality regarding the road, kabul mayor try for one week to try how to criticize media or how to response to that. after one week he become quiet, and which is, you know, a power -- [inaudible] >> yeah, yeah. najib? >> well, i just want to add a few words on this. i think the media consortium is a great beginning in the world of investigative journalism in afghanistan. the problem was that previously if -- or still -- if a single media outlet goes and covers a sensitive corruption case, then what happens is that media outlet or that particular journalist comes under the radar

of're the government or the war lord or anyone who have been responsible for the corruption case. what the media consortium does is at the same time six or seven media outlets broadcast the same story. so then in that case if it's a government, if the perpetrator's the government or warlord or whoever, they cannot do much with six media outlets, because what they do is if they come to, for example, basra, basra says it's 8 a.m. we got it from 8 a.m. so by this the pressure is distributed -- [inaudible conversations] >> yes. and this is a very good way of going about investigative journalists and, again, a very good start. >> that's great. peter, let me ask you this, because the audience we're trying to address with this conference is, of course, in afghanistan, but it's also here. what kinds of stories haven't

you seen, and what kinds of stories would you hike to see coffer -- like to see covered by the american media in afghanistan from here on? >> yeah. i think the american public brackets afghanistan with iraq, because the coverage seems very sum. i mean, and we're both in the news buzz, and everyone on this panel's in the news business. the news business is about bad news. we don't cover hurricanes that don't happen, we cover hurricanes that did happen. by its very nature, we're inclined to cover bad news because that is news. that said, i think it's not clear to the american people -- and just to give you one very obvious statistic. last year in afghanistan 3,000 afghan civilians were killed in the war. that same year 8,000 iraqi civilians were killed. now, the population is about the psalm as iraq, it ma may -- about the same as iraq, so you're two and a half times more likely to be killed in iraq today than afghanistan. i don't think that is clear to the american public.

i'm not saying 3,000 is a good number at all, but you're more likely to be murdered in this city still than you are to be killed in the war in afghanistan as a civilian. in new york, six times more likely to be killed in new orleans which is a reflection, of course, of the gun violence in this country. anyway, the basic point is that we're really -- the american public doesn't really get that. and, you know, there are some stories -- i don't want to, there are incredibly good journalists in afghanistan for the western press, matthew rosenberg and others, and occasionally there'll be a profile in the business section of the new york times, but that is very exceptional. and i'm not saying we need to promote all the good news, but there's a little story about sort of the telecom sector in afghanistan or the entrepreneurs who are making it. that would be, you know, it'd be food to see more of those -- it'd be good to see more of those stories. >> and what i wonder is going forward will it get attention at all? >> well, i think if the bsa is not signed, we'll see as much coverage about, in this country

about afghanistan as we see today about that individual stand. i mean, i think that's just a fact. you know, americans, we love to forget. the coverage of iraq more or less disappeared. it's come back because the situation so bad. but, you know, there will not be a great deal of anticipation -- attention if there aren't american soldiers in some long term. and by the way, why should there be? if the after begans don't want us there and we don't -- afghans don't want us there and we don't have people there, why would the american public really continue to care? i mean, i think that's a simple formulation. >> right. we've come to the end of our time, and we need to go to the next item which happens to be me talking. but briefly. briefly, i promise you. last thoughts from anyone, any sort of summing up you want to make very pithily? >> first of all, i think voa and

bbc, organization are going to have an increasingly important role to play in terms of of providing also the external independent coverage as well and i think may also provide a bit of cover for the continuation of investigative journalism in afghanistan. i think that's probably going to become more important in the future rather than less important. i'm extremely grateful, by the way, for voa for putting this on and inviting me to speak at this. the final thought for me is what i said before, i just don't think we're taking this soarsly enough. seriously enough. too much money and too much blood and treasure have gone into this for it to be wasted. this is an area of success. it is an area where a legacy has been bullet. it has been built. it can be secured, and we're not going about it in the right way, carefully enough, you are gently enough. i kind of thing not just here, but also in brussels and in london and elsewhere a lot more attention needs to be paid to

this. >> [inaudible] >> i had one point. currently, you know, afghan media is -- [inaudible] coming election, and some of the afghan media outlet came together to monitor coming election, and i believe we will control somehow the thought of, you know, in the coming election. >> okay. >> yeah. afghanistan have very recently had a very successful election, it was the 2004 election. there was 70% turnout. there hasn't been 70% turnout in an american election since 1900. so, you know, it is not um possible the election will go pretty well. i mean, is that -- can't be ruled out. [laughter] >> yeah. very good point. najib. >> thank you. well, ladies and gentlemen, afghanistan we have come a long way.

today we have around 75 tv stations. more than 200 radio stations and several hundreds of newspapers, web sites, stuff. and the makes afghanistan the bastion of freedom in a repressed region which is controlled by authoritarian regimes. and none of this will be possible without generous investment and support of the international community, particularly the united states. but it also signifies the fact that we cannot afford the -- to lose this. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. thanks to our panelists. now i'm just going to move over here. [applause] >> so thanks to everyone for attending today's discussions.

i hope you found them thought provoking and useful, i certainly did. and the world's media is with us, so perhaps others outside of this room will also. some of you may know that i spent 26 years as an american network television correspondent, many of them covering international news, and among many other adventures, i once rode a soviet tank from jalalabad to kabul as the russians began their or troop withdrawal. i'm proud of that work as a journalist, but i have to tell you that one of bad raps on commercial television news has only truth to it. you've probably heard the cynical view that if it bleeds it leads? well, it's the nature of the business, as was mentioned earlier. and it's human nature. research consistently shows people will switch channels during good news stories more readily than during stories of tragedy, bloodshed and drama. the networks know that, so do the wires, so do the newspapers. the news business thrives on

conflict, and conflict there has been in afghanistan. on a day in afghanistan if a roadside bomb killed four soldiers, depending on what else was going on, that might make the news in this country. but on that same day if five new schools or a ma term health -- maternal health clinic was open, you almost certainly would not hear about that over here. one network correspondent friend of mine used to come to kabul every few months when i was working at the embassy, and he would do stories about the american troops and what they were up to. frankly, in the biz we call those bang-bang stories. because they always had an explosion in them somewhere. and my friend told me that he knew that the international forces were only there, the purpose of the forces there was to open up space for aid workers, ngos, investors and most of all, afghans to rebuild their country, their shattered economy and the build some hope

for the big generation that's coming forward if afghanistan. he understood that that was what they were here for, but he said that story is not sexy. but as was noted in the previous panel between 2001 and '10, primary school enrollment rose from around one million to nearly seven million, a sevenfold increase in eight years. the proportion of girls went from virtually zero in school to now close to 40%. while i was serving at the embassy in kabul, i helped to arrange -- and i'm terribly proud of of this -- and fund the launch of the afghan version of "sesame street," okay? the children's television series that features reading and counting, and we produced our program, and it is still being produce inside close consultation with the afghan ministry of education. and there's some very clever people in that ministry who made

it a very strong program. the project helps to educate afghans from preschool stage and onward and, frankly, all the way up to adulthood in some cases. that program creates hope, and it represents real change that matters. but you haven't heard about that much on the american media because stories of american g.i.s and taliban suicide bombers are just more compelling television. they are. it's not that american audiences and readers have been told anything that's not true about afghanistan. there's been plenty of tragedy in afghanistan, there is plenty of corruption as we discussed, and there are plenty of opportunities that are squandered in the last few years. all legitimate news stories, and they have been one about. but in my view at least, the american public has not heard the other half of the story in a fully balanced way. now, don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that the pessimism about

afghanistan's future post-2014 is misplaced. there are many reasons for deep concern. it's a rough neighborhood, as we've discussed. system of the neighbors are seeking to keep afghanistan weak for their own purposes. and the country has always had its own deep internal divisions, its own divisions, tribal, regional and so fort. so forth. so, yes, there is going to be trouble ahead, of course. and no doubt about it. but the conventional wisdom seems to hold that afghanistan is set now to revert to bad old days. so i think that it's incumbent on people in the room here and those of us who have spoken at the panel and everyone else who's listening to try to prove the conventional wisdom wrong. personally, i believe in the younger generation of afghans, the young afghans that i met if kabul, kandahar and he item

rat -- herat, many of them highly motivated and impressive. of course, they're going to need to be. in any case, we americans may be war weary, with but our policymakers do know that afghanistan will continue to matter for geostrategic reasons both to the united states and to the west, and there's no getting around that. it's just a fact. speaking for the voice of america, i can tell you that we plan to keep a robust presence on the air in dari and pashtu, on radio and on television with our fine partner at rta and perhaps others. while the shape of our efforts may change a little bit, we and our sister organization are looking to maintain an important role for serving our audiences in afghanistan. i guess what i would like to close by saying is that whatever

happens in terms of the military, the political, aid budgets, investment and so forth, i hope that one message to afghans going forward comes from this conference, and it's simply this: you have friends here. thousands of us who put some time into helping out in the past, and we have a special place in our hearts for your country. thank you very much. [applause] >> c-span2, providing live coverage of the u.s. senate floor proceedings and key public policy events, and every weekend booktv now for 15 years, the only television network devoted

to nonfiction books and authors. c-span2, created by the cable tv industry and funded by your local cable or satellite provider. watch us in hd, like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. >> the annual american/israel public affairs committee or aipac conference with -- is going on here in washington. today speeches from new jersey senator bob menendez and benjamin netanyahu as well. reporters are reportedly lobbying members of congress in support of new sanctions on iran. president obama has vowed to veto that legislation saying it would disrupt ongoing talks over iran's nuclear program. this is set to get under way shortly here on c-span2. while we wait, remarks from secretary of state john curry who spoke at this -- kerry who spoke at this conference. secretary kerry is in crew -yard

line to show -- kerry is in ukraine to show support for the country's military. and as russian president vladimir putin said he wouldn't be deterred by economic sanctions imposed punitively by the west. ♪ ♪ [applause] ♪ ♪ >> norm, thank you. thank you very, very much. thank you all. 14,000 strong or more. [applause]

executive director howard core, incoming president bob cohen, incoming chairman, michael cassen, outgoing chairman lee rosenberg and ambassador ron -- and ambassador dan shapiro. i don't know where our ambassadors are. somebody ought to -- [applause] let me tell you, it's, it really is an enormous pleasure for me to be able to be hoar. of it's a product. and -- it's a privilege. and good to see so many friends, all 14,000 of you. a little frightening to see myself on about eight, nine, ten screens up here. [laughter] the last time i spoke to aipac, i joined your national summit in napa valley. i did it via satellite. and you were in the vineyards, i was overseas. different kind of vineyard. so today i think i'm getting the better with end of the teal,

because i'm here with you in person, and your wine selection is a lot more limited this time. [laughter] i have to tell you, i had the pleasure of seeking to aipac back in the 1990s. it was a great honor. every time i come here whether i get a chance to talk to a smaller group during the daytime sessions or otherwise, this is a remarkably inspiring gathering. people from every corner of the country coming together to demonstrate our deep support as americans for a strong u.s./israel relationship. [applause] and it is no exaggeration, it's not just words to say that every single one of you brings here such a special passion to a cause that you so fiercely believe in. and let me tell you something

une give my after almost 30 years in the united states senate, i can tell you that is precisely why aipac's work is in the best traditions of american democracy, and i thank you for practicing it. [applause] i want you to know that in my judgment these democratic values are stamped in the dna of both the united states and israel. but we also share something much deeper than that. like no other two countries on the planet, against the deepest odds both america and israel confidently, purposefully set out to be examples to the world. think about it. from its earliest days, israel has always said it's not enough just to be one of many in a community of nations. israel has strived since isaiah's time to serve as a

light unto the nations. [applause] and that, that responsibility to be a light unto the nations sounds, actually, unbelievably similar to something that we as americans know as part of who we are too. my grandfather ten times over -- too hard to count in other terms -- was a man by the name of john winthrop. and he came to what was then the new world. and he came in search of freedom; freedom to worship as he wished. he was a minister. he and his congregants were outcasts, persecuted, heading into a rough and unforgiving land with no guarantee even of survival. and on his way here, he delivered a now fatherly famous sermon at sea in which he called on his community to create a city upon a hill this their new

home -- in their new home, america. so whether you call it a city upon a hill or a light unto the nations, it actually means the same thing. being a model to the world. it means having a home that sets a standard, a standard of dignity and a standard of freedom so the foundation of the friendship between the american people and the people of israel was actually laid centuries before a single stone was set under the u.s. capitol or under the key necessary set -- knesset. and looking around room tonight, it is clear that a our friendship has never been stronger. [applause] i'll tell you why. because today as israel faces serious challenges to her future, it is america that will

stand firmly by her side. [applause] i will tell you that with the leadership of president obama -- and you can look it up, you can measure it, this is not exaggeration, it's a mart of fact -- matter of fact -- there has been a complete, unmatched commitment to israel's security. the record of this administration in providing aid and assistance, consultation, weapons, help, standing up in various international fora, fighting i am proud to tell you is unrivaled, and the bottom line pure and simple has been making sure that israel has the means to defend itself by itself and defending israel's right to be able to do so. [applause] that is what we've donement -- done. security. security is fundamentally what

president obama is committed to. and so, too, is he committed to using the full force of our diplomacy to resolve the two great questions that most matter when it comes to insuring the security of israel; preventing a nuclear iran and ending the israeli/palestinian conflict. [applause] now, let me, let me start with iran. because i know there are many questions. i know many people there's been a healthy debate about the approach. we welcome that. but let me sum up president obama's policy in ten simple, clear words. unequivocal. we will not permit iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. period. [applause]

now, i, i added an 11th word just for punctuation. [laughter] but i want you to understand there are no if, ands or buts. this is not a political policy, this is a real foreign policy. and we mean every word of what we say. you have the word of the president of the united states that iran will not get a nuclear weapon. now, as we said at the outset and i say it again today, our diplomacy is divided by a simple bottom line -- is guided by a simple bottom line: no deal is better than a bad deal. and we absolutely will not accept a bad deal. [applause] we are committed to a teal that gets the job -- to a deal that gets the job done. why? because we get it. we understand it.

as president obama said in jerusalem, no one can question why israel looks at the iranian program and sees an existential threat. we understand it. we understand it in our gut. and we also know something else. this is not some favor that we do for israel. this is something that is also in the interests of the united states of america. and it's in the interests of countries surrounding israel. [applause] a nuclear bomb for iran would also threaten the stability of the region, indeed, the entire world. it would produce an arms race among the surrounding countries. there is no way the world is safer anywhere in the world with a nuclear weapon in iran, and we are not going to let it happen, period, end of story. [applause]

now, to do that, to achieve this all-important goal -- important for america's security and for israel's security -- it is crucial that we seize what might be the last best chance to be able to have of diplomacy work and maybe the last chance for quite some time. because the reality is only strong diplomacy can fully and permanently achieve the goal. those who say strike and hit need to go look at exactly what happens after you've done that. whether that permanently eliminates the program or opens up all kinds of other possibilities including iran leaving the nuclear proliferation treaty. not even allowing iaea inspectors in, not living under any international regimen. that's a possibility. only strong diplomacy can guarantee that a nuclear weapons program actually goes away for

good instead of just going underground and becoming more dangerous. only the exhaustion ofty proposal su -- >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome aipac national board member lillian pinkett. [applause] >> good morning, aipac! what an incredible two days we've had so far, and we have so much more to look bard to today. to look forward to today. this policy conference, as you may have heard, is the largest in aipac's history, and it's -- [applause] yes, it is. and it's an incredible testament to the size and the scope of american support for the u.s./israel relationship. we've gattered in the thousands -- gathered in the thousands from all across the

country to demonstrate our unity, our passion and our commitment to israel's security. my husband, john, and i have been coming to policy conference for many years, but we've never been more impressed with the sheer outpouring of dedication towards this great cause than we are this year. and we all know there is much more work to do. each one of us will be called upon to continue our leadership, to increase our involvement and to insure that our community will only grow stronger in the year ahead. we need to make sure that next year we'll be back in d.c. for an even larger showing of support, for an even larger display of unity and for an even larger policy conference. so if you haven't done it

already, make sure to reserve seats for you and your family for policy conference 2015. you can register using either your aipac app on your i -- iphone or at a quick-stop kiosk. and, of course, if you register before 3 p.m. today, you can talk $250 off the price. i hope to see each and every one of you back here next march. [applause] throughout this conference we have joined together to celebrate 66 years of pickup between the united states -- of friendship between the united states and israel with leaders from the united states and israeli government, representations from countries around the world and officials from both state and local governments. as our congressional speakers

have noted, the snow may have shut down some of d.c., but it did not shut down aipac! [applause] despite the winter storm that forced the federal government to close, thousands of flights to be canceled and votes in the senate to be delayed, we still had remarkable representation from our elected officials. we are honored to have been joined at in this year's conference by hundreds of leaders from the executive branch, the senate, the house of representatives, leaders of america's diplomatic corps and candidates for office. as well as leaders from the knesset and ambassadors from countries throughout the world. please join me in thanking all of them that braved the cold and the snow to stand with us here at aipac. [applause]

now, i want to take a moment this morning to honor the legacies of two legendary statesmen who passed away this year. and all the work they did to insure the safety and the security of these two great nations. israeli prime minister ariel sharon embodied the indomitable spirit and passion of the jewish state. [applause] he was an extraordinary military strategist who knew the price of war and was willing to take courageous risks for peace. we remember ariel sharon as a heroic warrior and a leader whose life was dedicated to the peace and security of america's

democratic ally. this year we also bid farewell to senator frank lautenberg, a tireless advocate for the u.s./israel relationship. [applause] he also was someone who strongly advocated for the human rights of jews and persecuted peoples throughout the world. senator lautenberg's leadership will be sorely missed, and although he is no longer with us, his legacy of commitment to the jewish people will long endure. [applause] i'd like to take this opportunity now to recognize the men be women of -- men and women of the united states armed forces whose commitment to our country enables us to celebrate on occasions such as this. [applause] thank you!

thank you! thank you to those who serve, and thank you to those who continue to serve! [applause] as you can see, together we have of brought a palpable energy to this convention center and to the city x. today that energy will make its way from the convention center halls to the steps of capitol hill. i am excited to announce that later this afternoon we will hold lobbying meetings at the offices of all 100 senators and every single member of the house of representatives. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, thank you.

thank you for the work you do. thank you for being here in washington. and thank you for your unending commitment to a safe and secure jewish state. thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> well, i live in washington, d.c. metropolitan area, and i can't stand politics. i guess i personally view it as a necessary evil. sometimes it's really good to get out of your comfort zone and to go and meet people and to build new relationships. initially, robin and i had contributed to aipac. we quickly learned that it's incredibly important to be active in politics as a pro-israel advocate. and that involves not only supporting aipac as an organization, but supporting

candidates and legislators who believe in a strong u.s./israel relationship. i've, unfortunately, had a chronic back problem for 20-plus years, and the way that i've dealt with it is to keep myself in good physical condition, keeping my core strong, keeping active. in march of last year, i was rushed into emergency surgery. i had a rupture of a disc up in my lumbar spine. it rendered me, in essence, paralyzed. the doctors felt that i might never walk again again. ..

who live in this community. they are incredibly dedicated, incredibly talented, and their wonderful mentors. when you pick up the paper you see congress is turning over much more rapidly than it ever has before, and there are many, many, many new legislators coming to washington. it's our job and aipac's job to educate them on the importance of the u.s.-israel relationship and to push it up higher in there ohio of to-do list. -- and ohio out to do less. in order to have a strong relationship i think it's similar to making a body strong. you have to consistently work at it. you have to build a report on a personal level. you have to develop personal connection such that when it's

time to really put the pedal to the metal, that connection is there. that only comes with a lot of hard work. >> you are lying in bed not able to move your legs and really able to sit and think that what's important to you and what you like to accomplish. you know, there's my family, my friends, a handful of things i care about. one of them is the continued existence of the state of israel. and i thought that, you know, if my forebearers could build a country in the desert with no resources and all the odds against them, surely i could force myself to walk. and after doing that, i thought, well, maybe i should get much, much more involved in the work of aipac. in fact, i think i can make a difference. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please

welcome a pack active is hardly have failed. -- aipac activist. [applause] >> thank you. i can honestly say it is great to stand here with you today. [applause] >> i'm not a great fan of public speaking so here's the thing. you live in the d.c. area like i do, or thousands of miles away, being involved in pro-israel politics gives us the opportunity to talk with our country's leaders about the issues that matter to us. so i encourage each of you in the year ahead to increase your political involvement,

contribute to candidates who share your values and opinions. one thing that robin and i have learned this past year is that tomorrow is uncertain. whatever you plan to do, do it. don't wait for more time, better ability or greater resources. life has a way of getting more complicated. the issues facing our world certainly are not getting any easier, and the risks facing israel are increasing. when we were up on the hill together just a little while, take a minute, look around, take in the scene, enjoy it, and know that what we do matters. thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome chairman of the conference of presidents of major american jewish organizations, and robert sugarman. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, i am privileged to bring greetings from the conference of presidents of major american jewish organizations. i first want to express my deep admiration and respect for your president with whom i've worked, lee rosenberg and michael kassen, and for bob cohen, with whom i look forward to working. [applause] >> when i was elected last spring, i asked malcolm, the

conferences amazing executive vice chairman, with whom should i consult to better understand the issues that confront the conference? at the top of his list was howard kohr, and that was good advice. [applause] >> in an hour, howard took me to the issues in a clear and balanced way. i valued that, and i valued his wise counsel since. it is truly inspiring to be at this conference with such a diverse group of pro-israel americans, hailing from every state in the union, and all walks of life, including as a

point of personal privilege, over 100 members of our synagogue, congregation in manhattan led by our rabbis. [applause] i have to say that i wouldn't get -- we all come to washington, unified in the beliefs that israel and the united states embody its sense of values that defines both nations, and are a beacon to the free world. and we gather here with a collective goal of strengthening this great alliance which is one of the primary missions of the conference of presidents. last year, the conference celebrated its 50th anniversary as the umbrella organization of the american jewish community. [applause]

we have 50 members representing all religious extremes, and the whole spectrum of pro-israel organizations. the motto of the conference is strength through unity. and while some in the conference have different views, we express our disagreement respectfully, and we are unified in our commitments to preserve the state of israel as a safe and secure jewish and democratic state. [applause] one more thing. some have expressed the view that the younger generation does not relate to the so-called establishment organization, and does not support israel as did

their parents and grandparents. more experienced analysts maintain that their parents and grandparents were just as involved, or uninvolved, as they are when their parents and grandparents were their age. i personally am not concerned. the newest member of the conference of presidents is a deep high. [cheers and applause] -- a.e. pi. with an active alumni network. adl which i chaired before becoming chairman of the conference as a young leadership program in every one of our 28 regional offices which culminate in a trip to the city in april, anyone who doubts the

involvement, commitment and dedication of our young people should attend that conference. and, finally, one need only walk around this convention center and see the many, many, i'm told 2300, 2300 young people -- [applause] -- who are here supporting israel and aipac to feel comfortable and optimistic about their commitment and dedication. aipac is a valued member of the conference, and i look forward to working with bob and howard to achieve the goals we all share. thank you again for the privilege of being with you, and for all the work you do. [applause] ♪

♪ ladies and gentlemen, please welcome service employees international union local 87 president, olga. ♪ [applause] >> good morning, and aipac. >> good morning. >> come on on the right, good morning, aipac. >> all the weight in the back because i sat there yesterday. good morning, aipac. >> good morning. >> before i begin, can i please ask everyone to join me in giving a round of applause for

all the folks who made this convention possible? [applause] the incredible aipac staff and volunteers, carpenters, local 49, stagehands local 22. food service workers, local 23, and janitors and security. [applause] can i please have the house give them a big round of applause? [applause] >> thank you very much. all right, so now that i've gotten you up, we actually, when you saw the past on saturday night, clothes, shut the house down in such an incredible way when everybody could feel the

synergy that just went through this entire convention room. i said to my colleagues that we've been walking in the convention at any several other workshops, next year the challenge will be for the latinos that are attending the convention to bring the marriott she at aipac -- mariachi. [applause] >> this is been an incredible weekend, an incredible experience, and can only be described in my humble opinion and i hope for the politically correct in the room, which we all are by the way, do not get offended when i described that the convention of aipac can only be described in my words as a jewish super bowl. [laughter] >> it's been incredible. to see the inner generations from young to old. i saw -- i had the pleasure of

sitting with an uncle and enough an uncle and a neck and his uncle had brought them. there was a beautiful personal story. i met ari and shelley who are the parents of one of the aipac staff, and i had a wonderful experience of breaking bread with him on saturday. so now i'm moving on to the spanish lesson of the day. is everybody okay with that? because it going to be learning to things today, and then you would join me at the very end of my speech in repeating that. see if you guys got it all right. one -- [speaking spanish] you guys can do better than that. [speaking spanish] >> the translation of those two is my cause, and yes, we can.

[applause] which is not only for me the theme this weekend but also the responsibility we all carry as latinos, as a jewish community, and i'll come back to that in a minute. i and a union leader. i am a mother. i am one of nine children raised by a single mother. i am a chicana, and i am aipac, okay? [applause] >> i want -- thank you. i walked picket lines. never walk away from a good fight. i lead rallies, i negotiate fair wages and health care coverage for my members. [applause] the workers and families that i represent, and the allies we have created, they are all family. several years ago if anyone had

asked me what i'd thought about what was happening in the middle east, i only knew what i saw on tv. but as a latina, my immediate response was it's terrible what was happening to the palestinians. easy, as latinos we identify with the narrative of the underdogs and the disenfranchised. can't blame us because that's the experience that we go through, our community goes through on a daily basis, struggling to provide for our families. but when you raised by a single mother, a mexican single mother, you acquire i any house old of nine kids certain life skills that will stay with you for ever. forever. for example, never ever leave your plate unintended. [laughter] learn to share when your mother is watching. take care of each other. and, finally, there are always

two sides to this story. the media in the united states, however, has not learned the last point that there are always two sides to a story when it comes to israel. [applause] thank you. i have to introduce the need to my mother so they can understand that part. -- introduce the media here in 2012 i received a call from someone who i thought was selling a timeshare, and i'm really proud of aipac because they have -- even latinos don't understand it, okay? i'm really proud that aipac has really gone out of the way to get somebody to even we don't understand each other. but i thought initially he was selling a timeshare, and you have to put this in perspective because at that time israel was under attack.

israel was under attack. so a timeshare seemed, besides being nuts, was not where wanted to go vacation, okay? he invited me to travel with aipac on the american israel education foundation. my thanks to all of you. i thank all of you for your support and your commitment to making sure that it continues to exist. thank you. [applause] when i arrived in israel, it changed my life, and i was humbled. extremely, extremely humbled. i saw a young man celebrating his bar mitzvah. i heard the calls of the mosque for prayer time, and i heard the church bells. this was not the israel i had seen on tv. and i'm sorry that, you know, when you're wrong about something, it really, it sheikhs

you because you think you're right, yo have a certain perspective and it becomes tunnel vision. but when you are proven wrong, not only do you have to be able to take that come you also have an obligation to correct it. and israel is something i was completely wrong about. [applause] yes, we can. [speaking spanish] spin build a bridge between our communities, the latino community and the jewish community. [applause] the topic of immigration is an issue that's very close to the latino community. families have been separated. mothers, fathers have been stopped at the workplace and taken in chains. this can only be described as the experience and the history of the jewish community. how families have been torn

apart, not knowing where your loved one is. and when you're asked, nobody knows. nobody can give you an answer. that is something that our community is going through right now. but in israel, i saw something that the world needs to be able to see, and though i now tell anyone in my circle, israel is teaching us to a lesson about immigration. and in the absorption center i saw how israel was teaching immigrants in a humane and dignified way how to become absorbed in how to be able to be part of the community. they were being treated humanely. [applause] for latinos here, for families that have been affected because of immigration, this is an issue -- we have no -- i could not come back and described it as

eloquently, an issue, immigrants are human. [applause] all our community wants is for immigrants to be able to be treated like humans and not criminalized for wanting a life for the families. i think of something we all share in this room. i invite all of you to join the latino community in fighting for our issue the same way that our community, through myself, or other latinos attending this convention, will stand with israel in its defense of its sovereignty and its freedom. [applause] while in israel, i went to -- i met with families, women, children, husbands and grandparents that all live under the constant threat of rocket

attack. i grew up in a neighborhood where gunshots is what you heard. and it made me, besides making a very strong and very savvy, i could never fathom the thought of my son being, having to experience and witness rockets flying over his head. i can only say that for my son to be an american, is to let them have the luxury of living in the united states that i can explain to him that even though we have this luxury to be here and live as americans, that we also have an obligation to have that commitment, that sense of commitment to israel as well. and that's something that intent on passing down to my son. [applause] shortly after coming back home, i came back with a new sense of

responsibility and commitment to clarifying the misinformation about israel. it starts at home. this is clarifying and misinformation starts at home. so the students i met yesterday, the ones they're speaking up on campus, we need to stand with them. we need to be their backup. we need to be a better help to counter, argued the attack on israel. [applause] this march, i'm saying it starts at home because this march will be 14 years that i've been married with my husband, geraldo. [applause] thank you. out of all the arguments we've gotten into, where the furniture should go, he got the wrong color again. it was the wrong superhero or the lego set. israel is the only thing i have ever admitted to being wrong about in my 14 years.

[applause] it's not a bad record, but here at him publicly admitting that i was wrong about israel. i've been in very heated arguments with colleagues of mine that are in labor, that are out in my community, who disagree about my position on israel. at the same time these are the same colleagues have never been to the middle east, that have never been to israel, that have never had a real conversation about the issues, but that still did not stop them from repeating something that besides being wrong was also something that they knew nothing about. where i come from, and for somebody in the back of my beat me, where i come from we call that bs. israel is about creating allies, ma and aipac is about sustaining relationships, extending those branches, growing, making

everyone common ally. you helped me appreciate the common core values that we all, americans, israelis, latinos share. respect for our freedoms. in order -- [applause] in order to affirm that, we must be committed to wanting to be able to stand with each other, and so today, here i am to say thank you, thank you for extending your hand to my community, and your friendship to me and my family. you have changed my opinion, and i stand here today because israel is my family. [applause] [speaking spanish] thank you very much for allowing me to being in your presence,

and i hope that we see out on the picket lines. i stand with israel. i stand with aipac. i will stand proudly here, in any voting on any picket line. i aipac, and i thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> thank you to aipac. thank you all so much. thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome former cnn anchor frank sesno. [applause] >> good morning again, everybody. that's a tough act to follow. i'll do my best. you spent most of the past two days talk about the world, about foreign policy, about the middle east. now we will bring it in a little bit and talk, bring back on and talk about politics. domestic politics and what's ahead. so ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome you to inside politics. ♪ ♪

♪ >> have a seat, and welcome, welcome. a leading washington political consultant, over 30 years of experience of polling and survey research for high profile political campaigns. you may know, you should no donna brazile, vice chair of voter registration effort to switch at the democratic national committee. next guest, ralph reed, first executive director of the christian coalition later founded safe and freedom coalition. [applause] and last but never least, my good friend from cnn and politic, paula. [applause] >> folks, let's jump in and we e don't have a lot of time but with a lot of politics. general political -- 20,000 feet. 2014 as you can midterm

elections. 2016 looms. let's start in this year. you've had budget shutdowns. we go have budget battles they n the budget today. where do we stand? start us off politically this year. >> let's start off with a 30,000-foot view. spent 20,000 feet. >> i'm going even further your tip o'neill used to say all politics is local. we have come about 180° from that. we're almost to the point where all politics is now national. the kind of partisan decisions -- division forcing in washington are not being here but if anything are filtering down farther so the governors races that used to be less, or more removed from the washington artisan lien are now becoming more and more partisan. so the partisan infection is going farther and farther down into the parties audie politics to the point where all politics is mesh.

for 2014 it ought to be a great year for my site and browse side. you got a six-year of a presidential term which historically is bad for the party in the white house. 2006 is really bad for republicans. you've got president obama who just yesterday hit a record high disapproval rating in the gallup poll, 56%. he is a 40% approval. you've got seats that are up, the luck of the draw. there's only one republican seat up in a blue state which is susan collins in maine which she is likely to hold. but there are six democrats seats up in red states, and two democrat seats in purple states. the luck of the draw makes it. i you've got the demographics that favor republicans much more in midterm elections because non-hispanic whites will constitute probably 75-76% of the electorate as opposed to the 72% the constitute -- >> you are feeling the wind at your back, do you agree? >> happy mardi gras to all of you louisianians.

and let me just say on a personal note that eight and half years after hurricane katrina, once again i know i speak on behalf of so many natives of the gulf coast, that we thank the state of israel for sending the first relief effort to new orleans in the aftermath of katrina. thank you so much. [applause] now, let's get on, the republicans community, thank god there is sunshine today. they bring a cloud to any, any beautiful gathering. of course, it's doom and gloom for them. that is all they know. but for democrats let me just say this, while we don't have home court advantage in every senate race, what we have is more players on the field that will help us get out a strong message of growth, of making sure that we have the health

care we need, and giving everybody a raise. so the democrats what we don't have home court advantage, what we have is more people in this dating to the republicans have run everybody out of the stadium. we are going to do very well this fall because i do believe that we have great candidates. we have a strong message, and that we are unified. >> donna, donna, you can't dispute struggle trends or -- >> nobody is flashing for the republicans to take control of the senate, and i do believe that while it is, look, i know what it's like to work on a campaign during the six-year itch. i was there in 1998 and bill clinton defied the odds. these campaigns are going to be very competitive, tough, but at the end of the day i still believe the democrats will retain control of the senate. unfortunately, from a mathematical point of you what you did not make him in college, let me just say, it's tough to take back the house given the gerrymandered nature of the

district. democrats have over 1 million more votes and republicans in 2012 and yet we only captured 47% of the seats. we have an opportunity to take back some of the gubernatorial seats. while two-thirds of the american people did not bother to vote in 2010 which is why the tea party took over, i think 2014 will be a year where you see a resurgence of democratic voters going back to the polls to vote. >> ralph, your take on this? since you mentioned the tea party, we have primaries in texas today and tea party candidates is not looking very good. >> right. first of all let me say to those of you are here for the policy conference, thank you for all that you and aipac do every day. i've been working -- [applause] i can't tell you how encouraging it is to see you here. i've been working with aipac for 33 years. and as a christian -- [applause] -- defends the right of vigil to not only exist but it's

legitimate national security interests, i want you to know that our community stands shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with you every single day. [applause] and yesterday when you couldn't get a flight from atlantic the d.c., i got rebooked with a train in your because there is no place i would rather be than with you this morning. [applause] now, to the politics in the six-year itch election, donna mention the fact that clinton dodged that bullet. and the reason why was because clinton had already had his six-year itch election. it was in 1994 when republicans gained 53 house seats, eight senate seats, have to more switches. it was the biggest landslide in a midterm election in the 20th century. paul, you may recall that.

spent one of your better days i think. >> is fairly memorable, so when it's already happened it doesn't happen again as a six-year its election. now, what's interesting about obama is he had it on the house side in 2010, but he didn't really have it like he should have had it on the senate side. there's little bit of luck of the draw if you look at the race in play, there's no way to predict these. senate races are impossible to predict. al franken beats norm coleman. nobody would've guessed that a couple years out. saxby chambliss defeating max cleland. nobody guessed that would happen. soon -- whenever he thought would win. you can't predict the. but what you can say is the map looks very good for republicans. because in addition to the open seat races of montana, south dakota and west virginia which look very good, you have five of

the top senate races in the country in states where obama's approval rating ranks among the 10th lowest in the nation. particularly places like arkansas and louisiana and north carolina. >> ralph, let me interrupt you because i want to -- >> yeah, one last thing. job approval more than anything tries midterm performance. what was bill clinton's job approval on election day 1998? most people don't remember this. 66%. even in the middle of impeachment. when bush lost the house and the senate in 2006, where was his job approval? 37. today in the real clear politics average, obama's is 43. his disapproval is 53. and some of the key states, it's even lower and that's the driver. >> are you weeping? >> no. i'm trying to keep from laughing, but thank you. thank you all for having me.

ralph points out that the summer trajectory. i grew up in sugar land, texas. is somebody from sugar land your? in my high school there were only two students, the twins. that was it. if i did know jack about any of these issues, until i got to college and it its and aipac enr my difference from college, -- [inaudible] has sponsored a lecture in greg's honor, he was and aipac -- a made me aware of the realization. that was 30 years ago, 32. i've been an activist since as well. i think this is critical that a pakistan. this is the only time all year that we will have a vigorous agreement. that is on issues that affect aipac. is where we disagree. >> on everything else. >> the map is against my democrats, and history is against by democrats. but we have an ace in the hole.

we have the most powerful advantage we could have come and that is we're running against republicans. oh, hell, if we were unopposed we would be solved. but we are not. all of life is like that hold any young man. they asked him how is your wife? he said, compared to what? "washington post" poll today for example, which by the way has a president at 46, not 40. so that certainly better for democrats for our president to "washington post" poll today, 68% of americans thinks the republican party is out of touch. what's wrong with the other 32? it's going to be tough for democrats, no doubt. but in each of these key places as donna pointed out we have good incumbents. in states where the president is unpopular like the last in arkansas and louisiana and north carolina we have really good candidates. ..

owner since the republicans get the senate. >> i am watching spiro andrew, she is a friend, champion, louisiana, of course, a huge turnout at the age of 17. what can i do at 54 but stay home? there are four seasons in louisiana, shrimp -- merrill lynch. i also believe that alice london grimes in kentucky is one to

watch. michele knots in georgia is one to watch. k hagan is going to win and i predict 25 women in the united states senate in 2015. all the way from the white house in 2016. >> to accommodate the schedule and all that is going on under this stage i am told we have to wrap our conversation of. leave everybody wanting more but we cannot leave without 2016. >> hillary clinton inevitable? >> of god answers prayers. let hillary run. >> it was inevitable on the republican side. >> no one is inevitable. everyone is bunch of. depends if chris christie can recover from bridgegate. >> dwight yoakam. >> no question it depends on what comes out but the candidates the republicans will nominate will be a fusion candidate. we need to think george w. bush in 2000 rather than john mccain

in 2008 or mitt romney in 2012. it will be someone who can appeal to the business coalition, the tea party conservatives, to the social conservatives and to the libertarians and the internationals, someone acceptable to all factions. >> who are you going to -- >> ready for hillary but if she doesn't run, i am ready to put a woman in the white house. >> who are you anticipating the republican side? >> they are looking behind. i believe this is going to be a race rick santorum will try to win. >> we are just keeping up politics, the best we can do. thanks to the panel and all of you. thank you. ♪

♪ >> one of the most important aspects of politics is the hundreds of lobbying meetings we had with members of congress. before you head to your lobbying office check your personal schedule on the aipac apps including time and location. if your meeting is on capitol hill buses will drop you off at dark hills circle and p queue up on t circle. if you are heading to a meeting with a house member their offices are located on the south side of the hill in the rayburn and canon buildings. if you have a meeting with your senators, their offices are on the north side of capitol hill in the russell, dprk, rayburn house office building, wikipedia 2. a pc line at one entrance and exit to another and leave enough time to go through security. before you start your meeting you should review the talking points and lobbying materials.

follow the lead of your group leader who will guide the way. remember to have fun, stay on debt and thank you elected official for their time and support. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome former aipac president l lonnie kalplan. ♪ >> this morning we are honored to welcome one of the true leaders of the united states senate. for 13 years in the house and 7 in the senate and as current chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, senator

robert menendez. [applause] >> senator robert menendez has been one of the most outspoken figures on behalf of freedom are around the world and in the quest to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. [applause] >> from being the lead sponsor of legislation to delivering powerful floor speeches, the senator's focus, dedication and leadership on this issue are second to none. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming a true champion of the united states/israel relationship, my friend and senator, senator

robert menendez. [applause] ♪ >> [speaking spanish] >> thank you very much. i would like to continue the next few minutes in spanish. let me thank my dear friend lonny kaplan for his gracious introduction. i am honored to speak to so many with whom i have stood shoulder to shoulder for so long.

[garbled audio] >> we are having technical issues with our coverage of the aipac conference in washington. we are working to fix the problem and hope to return to live coverage in just a moment. this is c-span2. [silence]

>> once again we are having technical issues with our coverage of the aipac conference this morning in washington d.c.. we are working to fix the problem and hope to return to live coverage in a moment. while we wait to get that result, remarks from secretary of state john kerry. he spoke yesterday. actually we will bring you remarks from arizona senator john mccain who spoke yesterday at the aipac conference and he talked about the situation in ukraine. ♪ >> thank you very much for that warm welcome, thank you for those kind words, thank you for not mentioning that i lost running for president of the

united states. i thank you. after i lost i slept like a baby. the two hours, wake up and cry, sleet two hours -- [laughter] >> i am very happy to be with you. i mentioned -- [applause] >> sympathies for the families of the state of arizona. barry goldwater from arizona, the president of the united states, lord's udall ran for president of the united states, bruce babbitt from arizona ran. i from arizona iran. arizona may be the only state of america where mothers don't shelled tell their children someday they can grow up and be president. i ask the sympathy -- 9 noticed the conference was introduced by my dear and beloved friend joe lieberman, the finest man i have ever known in my life.

[applause] joe and i travel together extensively for many, many years, literally every corner of the world. just prior to joe's leaving the senate there was a big wonderful dinner at the israeli embassy for joe and all the important people in washington where there and speaker after speaker after speaker extolling virtues and record and wonder and beauty of joe lieberman and paul is true and i was the last speaker and i said i am not going to tell you about joe lieberman. you already heard but i have an announcement to make. i have spent all these years with joe lieberman eating salmon, riding the elevator, not being able to ride in a call are on saturday. i had to go through all this all these years and got none of the benefits so i am announcing my

conversion. [applause] >> joe said a that was great. only i had to have a brisk. so i changed my mind. i thank all of you for being here trying to do the lord's work in the city of satan. it is no shutdown of the government but it can shut down aipac. [applause] >> in case you missed only 12% of americans approved of congress. we're down to pay staff and blood relatives. my mother is 102 years old.

isn't that wonderful? she called me the other day. we are down to paid staff. i really do come to you this morning with a heavy heart. a heavy heart and great sadness because of the events taking place in ukraine. what happens in ukraine is directly related to what happens in the middle east and obviously we know what happens in the middle east is vital to the existence of the state of israel. i am not going to go through the history of the ukraine with you but the fact is crimea is a sovereign part of the sovereign nation of ukraine and the people of ukraine by hundreds of thousands went to acquire in subfreezing weather saying they did not want to be part of vladimir putin's russia. that was what it was all about and now that the olympics are

over immediately afterwards we see the occupation -- >> arizona senator john mccain yesterday speaking at the annual aipac conference. you can see his remarks in the c-span video library. we go back now live to aipac and comments from new jersey senator bob menendez. >> i have stood with you and have stood against so many in my own party. ladies and gentlemen, i have worked on iran. [applause] [cheers and applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen. i have worked on iran's nuclear

issues for 21 years starting when i was a member of the house when i found out the united states was sending voluntary contributions to the international atomic energy administration is voluntary contributions above all members should do is we're going to create operational capacity at the nuclear facility, not a national interest of the united states, not in the national interest of the state of israel. for a decade i was told my concerns had no legitimate basis, that iran would never be able to bring the plant on line and iran's nuclear activities were not the most major concern. history has shown us those simply wrong then and i believe they are wrong today. if past is prologue i am skeptical of iran keeping its promises. let me give you my assessment of

the way forward from the joint plan of action agreed to buy the members of the key 5 plus 1 in iran and what we should expect befo we move from an interim to a final comprehensive agreement that verifiably and we would hope permanently dismantles iran's nuclear weapon program. as i have said repeatedly i supported diplomatic progress program to get us to ed deal. this diplomatic process must be reinforced by continuous international commitment to sanctions regime against iran. it is clear that the only intense, punishing, economic pressure influences iranian leaders so we must keep the pressure on. we must not let them obstruct and we can't let them obvious gate and delay their way to dismantling the sanctions we have built to bring them to the table to get to the point of

making sure they never have the ability to create one nuclear bomb. [applause] >> i certainly will continue to do all i can to make sure we do not dismantle the sanctions regime until and unless iran dismantled their ability to create even one bomb. what i believe troubles many of you is the international community seems to want any deal more than it wants the good deal. [applause] >> let's understand that we need to ensure that iran cannot delay sanctions when they retain the ability to resume their weapons program at any time. the longer we let them in the late this with your their research and development brings new, more powerful centrifuges

and the closer they get to break out capability and is that capability that must be dismantled period. then we would have a good deal. we cannot let the international sanctions regime unravel before we have that better deal will, that verifiably dismantles iran's ability to produce highly enriched uranium, a deal that fully addresses the weatherization aspect of iran's nuclear problem. the problem is that the mere possibility that sanctions might be lifted has already been brought business delegations to pteron. let me be clear. i support the administration's diplomatic efforts, always supported a policy of diplomacy and sanctions but at the same time i am convinced that we should only relieve pressure on iran in exchange for verifiable concessions that will dismantle

iran's illicit nuclear program. [applause] >> and that we do that in a way that sends alarm bells from vienna to tel aviv to washington should iran started program any time in the next 20 or 30 years and i am here unequivocally to state my intention as chairman of the senate foreign relations committee to make absolutely certain that any deal we may reach with iran is verifiable, is effective and preventive from ever developing even one nuclear weapon. but based on the parameters described in the joint plan of action and all i heard is grieving and recent iranian actions, i am very concerned. this is not a nothing ventured

nothing gained enterprise. we have placed our proven effective international sanctions on line without a clear lead defining the parameters of what we expected a final agreement and that is why the letters we have joined in a bipartisan basis and many of you will be going to the capital using -- credibly important because it outlines the essence of what the final agreement that would be acceptable is. to those who believe negotiations did not result in a deal or if iran breaks the deal we could always impose new sanctions. if negotiations fail or if iran breaks the deal we may not have time to pass new sanctions. new sanctions -- i not something that can be turned on and off as suggested. even if congress were to take up and pass new sanctions at the

moment of iran's first breach of the joint plan of action or if they do not reach an agreement that is acceptable there will be a lag time of six months to bring those sanctions in line and at least a year for the impact to be felt. according to scientists testified before the committee, that iran will build a nuclear bomb especially since the interim agreement does not require them to dismantle anything. it basically freezes their capability as it stands today if so let everyone understand if there is no deal i don't believe we will have sufficient time to effectively impose new sanctions before iran could produce a nuclear weapon, leaving the west with only two options, a nuclear-armed iran or a military action. i believe we can prevent those

from being the only two options by the legislation we have posed in a a bipartisan effort to create sanctions so that the iranians will put that in front of their equations. [applause] >> in my view, in my view iran at strategy is to use these negotiations to mothball its nuclear infrastructure program just long enough to undo the international sanctions regime. iran is insisting on keeping core elements of its program, enrichment, the iraq heavy water reactor, the underground portal facility, the military complex, and they may be subject to safeguards so that they can satisfy the international community and the short run if they are allowed to retain their core infrastructure they could

revive their program some time in the future. bottom line, if they get their way they dismantle virtually nothing and the sanctions on the one reason the iranians are at the table at all. the fact is iran is simply looking to lock the door on its nuclear weapons program and should they walk away later from the deal as they have in the past they can simply unlock the door and continue their nuclear weapons program from where they are today. if that sounds familiar, it should. it sounds a lot like north korea. let's not forget that despite diplomatic entreaties to the iranians where hands were extended and secret talks were pursued iran has grown its support and advocacy for terror. iranian terror against u.s. citizens and interests, lanky, robust and grounded in the review the united states is the

great scene. funding and support of hezbollah that has carried out attacks against american interests continue. 241 american service men died in the 1983 marine corps barracks bombing in lebanon. 19 in saudi arabia. and legal actions, and the saudi ambassador and in 2011, all to iran. techron is actively sponsoring of the war in syria, spending money, weapons and fighters every day. simultaneously is sponsoring attacks against sunnis in iraq and promoting regional sectarian violence that could result in a broader regional conflict. they are smiling at our negotiators across the table, they are plotting in the back room.

with all this in mind i believe in the wisdom of prospect of sanctions that i proposed. i believe in lessons of history that tell us iran cannot be trusted to live up to its word without external pressure. i believe that an insurance policy that guards against iranian obfuscation and deception is the best way forward. the fact is iran's nuclear aspirations did not materialize overnight. make no mistake. iran developed being nuclear capability, fundamental to its existence. it sees the development of nuclear weapons as part of a regional hegemonic strategy to make a run the center of power throughout the region. that is why our allies and partners in the region, not just israel but saudis and others are so skeptical and so concerned. i welcome diplomatic efforts and share the hope the

administration can achieve a final comprehensive agreement that eliminates this threat to global peace and security, i am deeply skeptical based on these 21 years of experience. at a minimum we need to send a message to iran that our patience is not unlimited and a message to the international community that sanctions regime has not weakened and this is not an opportunity to be engage with tehran. it is time to take iranian rhetoric to the test. if we are to take the president's word that he said that iran does not seek nuclear-weapons if that is true then the iranian government should not have any problems with the obvious follow-up to that claim. starting with the but verifiable dismantling of its illicit nuclear infrastructure, that is all the sanctions legislation seeks. i don't believe we should settle

for anything less and. do any of you believe we should settle for anything less? so let me close by saying that the end of the day we cannot know what the future will hold. we do not know what will bloom from the shifting sands of the middle east but what we do know, what we must understand, is that the united states must be the one to step up to help to protect the israeli people and counter the threat that would be policed by an nuclear iran. i have said many times before and will repeat again the holocaust was the most sinister reminder the jewish population in exile was in constant jeopardy. it was a definitive argument that anti-semitism could appear anywhere and it for galvanized international support for the state of israel. but while the show may have a central role in israel's

identity, it is not the reason behind its founding and it is not the main reason for its existence. the modern establishment of the state of israel has long and deep roots going back to the times of abraham. there is no denying the jewish people image of a met right to live in peace and security in a homeland to which they have a connection for thousands of years and that has not changed through the centuries. [applause] >> too often the past is truly prologue. next week on march 15th is the start of a holiday marking the deliverance of the jewish people

from the ancient empire of persia, now iraq. as the story goes a plot had been hatched to destroy all jews in the persian empire but mordecai and his adopted daughter esther foiled the plot and the deliverance became a day of celebration. the parallel is all too obvious when it comes to the situation today in the middle east and the protection of the israeli people from the threat posed by a nuclear iran. let us pray that if that time should come, together we will be mike mordecai and astor and we shall oil in iran's nuclear threat and delivery of the jewish people again as well as to protect the world's from a nuclear threat. that is our prayer and that is what we are going to work to achieve. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome aipac chairman of the board michael kaplan and members of the aipac national board of directors. ♪ ♪ ♪