>> this is one hour long. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome margaret spellings, president of the george w. bush presidential center. [applause] >> good morning, everyone. thank you for joining us today as the announcer said i am margaret spellings the president of the bush presidential center in dallas, texas and i am so glad to see so many familiar faces with us for a special announcement. we would like to thank our supporting founders without whom we would not be here. the moody foundation, our friends are sitting on the front row -- is leading the way and their gift is making this possible they are joined by two other foundations and the representatives from those

organizations are with us today. thank you to my partner and best friend bruce lindsey of the clinton foundation and my friend who is the ceo of the library foundation and the chairman of the lbj foundation library board in austin. our national archive partners are led by the affiliated libraries are here with us. and smu, clinton school of public service at the university of arkansas, texas a&m and the university of texas at austin. i am thrilled to launch the

presidential leadership scholars program. a partnership between the centers of bush, clinton and bush senior and johnson foundation. president clinton and bush will join us to discuss why the program is important but first a few discussions. i have worked with many strong leaders. men and women born with characteristics that put them on the path to lead but more importantly developed so with

the resources of these four centers in mind i reached out to bruce lindsey to test the idea of a leadership program stewarded by presidents 42 and 43. we put our heads together and the presidential's leadership scholarship program was board. we have a program that will train highly motivated people

with a track record of leadership from across all sectors and background. business, public sector, non-profit, the military and academia. they will apply the lessons and principles and ideas they learn through the program to the challenges that confront us. the scholars program is unique in the resources it offers. they will learn from the presidents as people who have led through dynamic and complex situations. time change and issues are organic but fundalmmental to the core are the skills that guide them as they set a vision and strategy and motivate strong teams and navigate challenges and made difficult decisions.

our curriculum is developed with the best minds in the scholarship of leadership. the leaders from georgetown university and nay are here. it will combine communication, persuasion, decision making and coalition building with examples and case studies from the four precedenci precedencies. they will gain insight from the former presidents and those who served with them and develop practical skills they will apply during and after the program. they will learn from leaders in other sectors as well as faculty from the universities affiliated with each center. they will learn from the people at the centers to get the first hand look at the resources of the four museums and libraries with the stories they tell.

they will build upon their already proven track record of success to achieve significant and measurable good in their community and future work. they will also bond together and learn from each other as mentors, resources and partners to advance their own personal leadership projects and help each other with the challenges they face. and importantly this program is at no-cost to the participants tha thanks to supporters. it is now my pleasure to introduce stephanie streett the executive director of the clinton administration who will tell you about the leader we are looking for and the esteemed program leader that will guide the program. stephanie? [applause] >> thank you, margaret.

it has been truly an honor to be here today. and on behalf of the clinton foundation, i would like to thank our partners who have worked alongside us over this past year to turn our shared vision into a pioneering leadership development program. now to echo margaret's sentiments about having new best friends and as the program has taken shape over the year, our teams have met regularly. with the exception of having strong opinions on whether arkansas or texas has better bbq or football our working together has been truly wonderful. let me take the time to recognize our presidential leadership scholars advisory committee. it is comply of 12 members three aopponenties representing each center. josh bolton and alexis herman is

first. [applause] >> in addition, we have james ciccone, carlos, tom johnson, vilma martinez, stanley kristen ruellm, connie newman, linden oleson and laura tyson. and serves as members are bruce and margaret. join me in thanking our full committee. [applause] >> as you can see we have been lucky to put together a distinguished group of individuals who will advise on all aspects and help us ensure this program is a state of the art experience. we join together to lamp the program because we believe that working together in the spirit

of collaboration is truly the best way to chart the path forward. we want to work with and help develop individuals who believe in that same philosophy. and the work of our four centers is evidence that individuals of different backgrounds and perspective can unite to pursue a common goal. we heard from margaret's about the fortunes and objectives but let me set the stage and put the program into greater context. i will start with the curriculum that is being designed by dr. paul, the senior associate dean of executive education at the mcdennis school of business at georgetown university and his colleague at the school dr. michael oleery. they have developed, managed and taught in numerous top tier executive leadership programs for many years and are incorporating the best of what they learned into the design of this program.

our leadership scholars can look forward to a variety of experiences including lectures, group discussions, debates, and case analysis. during the session they will have opportunities to hear from world class academics, military and private and non-profit sectors and key advisors from the presidential administrations. scholars will also explore critical moments of presidential leadership and take a deep dive into the presidential library resources relevant to those moments. and there will be a number of collective learning activities designed to give our leaders in any secretary sector the practical skills they need to drive solution-oriented action. i want to tough on scholars proofly. we are being intentional seeking those with significant work or

professional experience who have demonstrated a record of leadership and a clear impact on their communities. and most importantly we are looking for leaders from every sector who have decided they want to strengthen their leadership skills to have an even bigger impact. and we look forward to the committed group of alumni scholars which will grow year after year and become a significant force for positive change. at the clinton foundation, we have seen how presidential leadership has translated into success at a global non-profit. as a result of president clinton's cooperation, a new model of leadership has emerged. ceo's who consider social good to be part of their bottom line. people that know business

oriented solutions help them reach their goals faster. and innovative partnerships that bring together organizations are different philosophys and backgrounds and objectives and asking them to working work together to solve the same issues is a potent force that takes leadership. it is that same spirit and approach that we bring to the table as we join with the fellow centers on today's launch to build a future where cooperation triumphs over difficulty. >> i don't think anybody can be fully prepared for the moment when you are getting a briefing on a national security issue and everybody turns to the president

and says what are we going to do, mr. president? >> our greatest responsibility is to embrace it community. >> on a dot of earth, and each of us has really only a moment leap isn't about you. it is making sure as a leader

you are doing what leadership might require. even though your own personality and nature might make you wish you are somewhere else but you are not. i cannot thing of a president who didn't embody that and that you see what this particular presidential foundation initiative is about. >> this program of the presidential leadership scholar program and the objective was to use the experience of the presidents so that people who really want to make a difference of the world could learn from them and form a community and contribute as a society. >> lbj respected public service above all and realized the need for great leaders in this country. he recognized the great leadership qualities in clinton

and the two bush presidency. young leaders are coming in to learn lessons from the president in order to shape a better america. >> this is a program targeted at people who demonstrate capability in leadership and a desire and passion for applying their skills to some public good. >> whether it is private business or work for their local government or state agencies or involved in a non-profit or in the military. we are not looking for people that share the same perspective on issues. >> there are unique aspects of the program. it is four presidents. we have access to the presidents themselv themselves, members of that administration, people who came into the contact with them and that is from which we can learn >> this is a wonderful vehicle

inspiring the next generation of le leaders committed to social justice and good. >> the same skill sets necessary to succeed in government, business, or ngo are the same. there is a big premium on motivated others, selling others, and getting bubuy-ins fm others. >> these are human beings are lots of positive attributes that deal with significant amounts of challenges and faced a lot of uncertainty but make decisions and motivate others when they are feeling down and crushed themselves. >> if you want to make a difference you will have to go through that >> the tough decisions are not the black and white ones. they are the ones that get into

shades of gray. >> each individual leader needs to find his or her niche and use what skills they have to affect the outcomes they are trying to achieve. so we hope to give them the tools of the program to be able to decide on the shades of gray. >> i think any time a president is dealing with a crisis they are dealing with an enormous amount of uncertainty. you have to be willing to live through the discomfortable of having everybody against you because you are doing something that is either difficult or hard for people to understand. >> >> we have something unique in a program that pairs four presidential centers together and really tells the story of very telling issues and it makes sense they come together and steward the next generation of young inclined americans.

who better to nurture young leaders than leaders themselves. >> our faith as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen but upon all citizens. we have the opportunity to forge a new world order. one of the guiding principles of my presidency was to who much is given much is required. i believe we have an obligation in america with life of service till the end. cephal >> what should our shared values be? everybody deserves a chance. everybody has a responsibility to fulfill. we all do better when we work together.

>> please welcome the cochair of the leadership committee and the president of the presidential leadership committee and former budget and staff director under george w. bush and current manager of rock creak global as advisors. >> good morning. it is an honor to be here and co-chair this important and timely program. today we do a good thing for our country and for our world. i must say that to you, president clinton and president bush, i thank you for your insight and foresight and your commitment to inspire a new generation of leaders and help them better understand what it

means to collaborate, communicate and define common ground even if they don't agree on the basic issues. i have always believed that leaders are not born. they are made and they are shaped by their environment, by the people that they meet, and by the events they encounter. i believe that the work that we will do through this initiative will help repel them even further on their higher path of giving back to their country and develop them into greater leaders for the future. i am delighted to have the opportunity to be working with josh bolton on this initiative and for all of the distinguished members of the advisory committee. i believe that i speak for you josh and for all of the committee members when i say that we recognize that this isn't about the art of the easy.

but it is about the art of the possible. i look forward to foster in the great fidelities i know the presidential scholarship holds for the future. thank you. >> thank you, alexis for the kind words. ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the 43 and 47th president of the united states. [applause]

>> i have a letter that arrived from walkers point. september 8th, 2014. i am delighted to send greeting to those gathered in washington, d.c. for those with a partnership between the presidential leader scholar programs. every former president is different. and that is as it should be. for example, not all of us sky di dive. that is not a judgmental comment. just a fact. er every so often there is an idea that is so compelling it

brings together former chief executives to push it forward. so will this program and offer people to study decisions and learn from key administrations and practitioners and leader academics. we face a lot of challenges in and out ouch government so the idea of developing more leaders from all walks of life to address them and help move the nation forward is vitally important in my view. thank you for being here. and ask the two distinguished members to keep it brief. signed george bush. [applause] >> i understand president bush is watching so i know from everybody in this room today we send greetings, respect and

saltations. that gentlemen, the letter i just read from 41 mentions the uniqueness of having these four presidential centers come together. in fact, i think this is the first collaboration every among presidential centers in an ongoing initiative. why did you decide to do this as a collaboration and why did you pick leadership as the theme? president bush? >> because. you said keep it short, right? hi, mom. [laughter] >> because we have a lot of to offer. bill and i have become friends in the post-presidency. i admire his ability to communicate and lead. i know he wants his library to be relevant heading into the future as do i.

i know 41 well. i have always admired president jo johnson's leadership and i know the centers are tremendous assets that need to be used properly. i felt, and i know bill feels -- well i will not put words in his mouth -- but i felt it is a fantastic use of our ability to bring people together. and i know in washington, as soon as we are talking about the next president or senator but we are not. we are talking about leadership in all aspects of life. one of the things i have learned, maybe through my painting, is i am trying to leave something behind and something to make the world a better place. we did that hopefully, people judge that, but hopefully when we were president, but there is still a lot of life to live. and i think a great contribution to our country will be to

educate the next generation of leaders. i will thrilled to be associated with this. it is a big deal. >> president clinton? >> i wanted to do it because a great test for any democracy at any time is how to have vigorous debate, serious disagreement, knock down drabbigout fights an somehow come to a resolution that enables the country to keep moving forward. i mean the founders said our job was to create a more perfect uni union. they never said it was to agree on everything. but if you read the constitution, it ought to be subtitled let's make a deal. because it was designed to avoid

dictatorship. therefore leadership styles are all different. but in the end we have to let our differences flourish and come to some sort of understanding about how to deal with challenges and go forward. these libraries and foundations represent two republicans, two democrats, three of us luckily still around. people of my age who were affected by president johnson's civil rights act and the whole set of things that happened in the '60s. and so i think we are in a great struggle in america and around the world to define the terms of our inner dependence. this is the most inner dependent age in history. we were laughing about going to

restaurants and spending our time taking selfies with people. >> at least they are still asking. [laughter] >> that is right! but it used to be people want to shake your hand but now they want to have a record of it. but we capt gcan't get away fro each other. the question is how will be define the terms of the relationship? it will take leadership in every sector. this isn't primarily a political deal. we believe there is skills and i think leaders are made also. ...

so that you can do that, and then you got always leave the door open for somebody to call

and disagree with you. i remember -- i want to say one thing nice about my friend here. [laughter] >> i'll say more than one thing but this particular one thing. he used to call me twice a year, in his second term, just to talk. we'd talk, depending on how much time he had, because he was busier than me. somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes for several years. it meant a lot to me. never talked about it in public. we talked about everything in the world. he has my opinion, half the time he disagreed with it, but i felt good about that. i thought that was a really healthy thing, and i'll never forget, first week i was in office i got all the young people who helped me in my campaign, and i said, if any of you ever come in this oval office and tell me what you

think i want to hear, my goose is cooked. and i might as well run the white house with a computer. you have to cultivate people who know things you don't, and have skills you don't, and, yes, that can be taught. and then if nothing else, we can help people get of their own way. everybody has a story and a dream, and they can bring it to bear if we can just help people get out of their own way sometimes. >> president bush, there was no presidential leadership scholars program when you were growing up. >> yes, there was. george h.w. bush. >> that's exactly where i was going. >> okay. you need to disguise your question about little better. [laughter] >> my next question -- [laughter]

>> president clinton, there is anything -- [laughter] -- is there anything you wish somebody taught you about leadership before you became a lead center. >> actually i thought you were going to promote my book. >> you answer that question. >> well first of all, let me go back to the question you answered. i don't think you can teach humility. i don't think you can teach being secure. i don't think you can teach courage. i think you can give people tools if that it that's in their system, and that's what we intend to do. that's why this program is aimed at people who have exhibited leadership characteristics you can't teach, and give. the tools so that -- and confidence. i believe this is a confidence boost. go through this program, see other people their age or on the

same area of work, and say, i think i can do more. i've studied, william j. clinton or george w. bush or lbj -- first they'll discover we're just normal people who got caught up in -- through amibition and grieve circumstance, ended up being -- and drive and circumstance, and ended up being president. and here are the tools necessary to do it. so absolutely you can teach leadership skills. i don't think you can teach leadership qualities, and so this program is going to -- i assume the committee is going to screen for people who have shown leadership qualities by the age of 35 or 50 or however old the people are going to be. anyway, i learned a lot from my dad. i'm very fortunate to have watched a great man, and matter of fact this book i'm writing, i'm marketing now --

[laughter] -- which i think will be out november 11th -- [laughter] >> it's a love story. this is going to irritate people in washington, i suspect, or some. because it's a love story. but it's a story about finding -- seeing somebody you admire and learning from them, and maybe this program will be able to do the same thing. and i learned a lot of lessons from being able to watch him throughout life. i suspect that people are going to be able to say when they finished this program, i learned a lot about leadership when i studied the presidencies of the four people that are associated with the program. >> mr. president, you clearly absorbed a lot of less beyond from 41. i'm assuming those will be laid out in your book, available november 11th. [laughter]

>> $16.80. [laughter] >> no. also higher. >> i learned a lot from him. i'm not making any money off it. [laughter] >> let's point out that one of the challenges in the program. last week i went to kennebunkport as the designated black sheep of the bush -- to see president bush on the 70th 70th anniversary of his being the youngest american pilot shot out of the sky in world war ii. now, somebody taught him how to fly the plane, but he was 20 and didn't want to be up there. and we had a flyover with an exact replica of the little bomber he flew, and it was a small bomber compared to the

larger ones that were developed later, and the even smaller fighter planes that escorted them that were most famously flown by the tuskegee airmen, the only unit who never lost a bomber. now, ben gentleman main o. davis was the commander of the tuskegee airmen. he was a great leader. why? because he had simple things that he drilled into people and he said, you know, our fighters cost $50,000. the bombers cost $250,000. do not leave the formation to prove you can shoot down a german fighter plane. protect the bomber. that's our job. and that was a simple leadership strategy. that resulted in their being the only unit in world war ii never to lose a bomber, and i was talking to pressure -- president bush about it and he said heed been thinking bit all day, too, and remembered everything that

happened 70 years ago on that day, when his life nearly ended. now, he was too young to have been through much leadership development except learning how to fly the plane, but i also think he got better as he went along. i think you got better as you went along. i know i got better is a went along, and i'll say again, i think giving people access to inside skills and training and also literally helping them to keep their heads on straight, is very, very important. because anything that is really hard will become harder, and then you'll feel a lot of pressure, and you watch -- we were talking about this golf tournament yesterday, when you get in any kind of high-level competition you have to work really hard to keep your mind, heart and spirit in the same place, not get in your way and never lose your focus, and i think there are ways to do that

are quite effective, and i hope we can be helpful to a lot of people. >> margaret and stephanie did a nice job of describing the program, telling us the kinds of people they're looking for in this presidential leadership scholars program. let me ask each of you to tell us a little more about precisely the kind of people whom you would like to have participate in it? what would be a successful kind of person who could benefit from this program? president bush? >> well, for sure we want people from all walks of life. and different political persuasions. we want people who have shown the capacity to succeed. people who work hard and who work with others in a good way. and people who launched a career

in whatever field, and we just want to be a little extra fuel, and -- remember the fellows, the white house fellows, bill and i both had the honor of meeting with our white house fellows. extraordinary group of people that spent time in the white house, people that were highly motivated people, and it's not exactly like the white house fellows but similar to the white house fell lows. a rigorous application process. one of the challenges, by the way -- we hope people are supportive of this program help us -- is to get people aware of the program and apply for the program. i guess that's -- got any other thoughts on that one? >> i'll give you one example. i'd like to -- like for us to have some people who are involved in nongovernmental organizations, like our

foundation work, that operate at a smaller level but do really great work. but need to figure out how to ramp it up and do so with the help of modest donors. so, it's become sustainable in their community or in their state or wherever. i think they could benefit from a program like this. i would like to have some people who are entrepreneurs in the program, who are working in areas with enormous potential but significant uncertainty for america's economic future. and i'd like to have to -- to go back to one thing george said -- i'd like to get some people from dramatically different backgrounds together, with the charge to come up with something

they can do together. for example, when the tea party first got organized, a lot of the early people who were interested in it were not involved with anybody big, anybody rich. they just thought the government had let them down and that, therefore -- they thought both the public and private sectors had gotten too big, and if everything worked they way they thought their home town or their neighborhood or their upbringing worked, things would be all right. i'd like for some people like that to be paired with community activists and african-american and hispanic and immigrant, asia neighborhoods, with projects that figure out what they can do together to have both the right culture and the right support system, and i think we could do a lot of things like that really would help develop leadership and a skill that we are beginning to see see atrophy in america, which is listening to people who disagree with us.

we're less racist, sexist, and homo foe pick but we don't want to be around anybody that disagrees with us and it's hard to make good decisions in complex environments. [cell phone ringing] [laughter] >> only two people have this number and both related to me. i hope i'm not being told i'm about to become a premature grandfather. >> that's right. that would make national news. the presidential scholarship program. >> i don't think so. >> president bush, i've been admonished in asking these questions not to encourage you guys to commit news. >> thank you. >> here we are in the knew seem -- new seem, so that requires leadership on your part. >> it does and i'm going to try

to exercise it. if either of you has any political announcements, endorsements or predictions you would like to make, now would be a really fun time. [laughter] >> like the time -- remember the woman in canada, asked us about -- career iraq include said what about another clinton-bush matchup, and my anxious was the first one didn't turn out too good. [laughter] >> okay. i'm going to exercise leadership and not let us get any farther off. i'm interested in the answers that both of you gave to the last question in talking about what kind of scholars you wanted. neither of you talked about politicians. or elected officials, because i gather that's not the core purpose of this scholarship program. it's not to train a bunch of new political leaders. >> no. but i think that politics is

important, and i know he does, too. one of the thing is would like to do if we got into that -- i thought about it the other day were i went to see "all the way." the broadway play about johnson passing the civil rights act. bryan cranston won the tony award for it. i liked him way bert as lbj than a drug dealer. he's a great actor. i like the movie "lincoln" because it showed abraham lincoln as a politician, making those dreaded deals, giving guys jobs and stuff to vote for the amendment to end slavery. i wouldn't mind having a leadership program which forces people to talk about the compromises that leaders have to make, and which ones are more

principled than which ones aren't, and is it only determined by the end or don't you have to have some limits on the means, too? i hope we do have some of that in there, because that's really important. if you lose the ability to keep the door open to people dish remember one day, trent lott jumped all over me in a sunday morning talk show, said i was acting like a spoiled brat. i never will forget this mitchell second term. i called him on the phone. he said, my god, are you call had gone chew me out? i said, but not for what you think. he said, what do you mean? i said, you worked hard last week, didn't you? and you agreed because somebody suggest to do the sunday morning talk shows and you woke up existed with a headache, you were mad you had to good, they baited wow are you when you got there and you took the bate. he said, that's exactly what happened. how did you know that? [laughter]

>> i'm telling you this because it made us better friends. i didn't hear what the said. i cared whether we could go to work the next week. those things i would like to help teach people. how did mandela develop the strength to put the people who kept him in prison, 27 years, the leaders of the parties, in his government. hi didn't just invite them to the inauguration, he had them in his government. we have to do some pretty radical things like that over the next ten or 15 years if wore going to create real decisionmaking processes that work. so i'm not against having people in politics in this, but i'm against giving it a particular political cast. >> i agree with that. i'm also concerned about the fact that people look at the political process and public service and say, i don't want to serve. who wants to get involved with that. who wants their reputation beer some.

-- besmerched. hopefully that's program will inspire good people to serve and say it's worth the cost. it's worth the cost. i hope the military participates. important to have people who wear the uniform go through a program like this. so i'm not adverse to politicians. people saying politics is noble, i want to serve as a result of the program, would be a wonderful dividend. >> let's talk for a minute about the curriculum of the presidential leadership scholars program. margaret and stephanie described it. it's got four key themes to the curriculum. first is communications and vision, second is decisionmaking, the third is influence and persuasion, and the fourth is coalition-building. in your mind, president clinton,

is any one of those four more important than the others? >> well, the bible says where there's no vision the people perish, but i think the truth is, if thesis are things going to be better off when you quit than you started, whatever you're doing, you have to do everything. you have to have a vision, is articulated, turned into a strategy, then execute the strategy, to pass a bill if you're trying to pass a bill, or if you're not in the political context, just to go do it, and you have to be able to assemble a team. people that know things you don't and have skills you don't. to do that. and to build support for it. and i think all those things are exceedingly important, and then you have to stay at it, and one of the things that i hardly ever see george that it don't think of this, and we never talk about

it, but i watched all those debates he had with vice president gore. not a single one of them did either one of them get asked, what are you going to do when they blow up the world trade center? so, if you take a leadership position, you very often -- particularly in an uncertain world, if you don't do or get caught trying to do what you said you were going to do when you ran you file like you have let yourself and your supporters down. or if you are you take a job as chairman of a okay, same thing. or start a small business. on the other hand, you can't ignore the incoming fire. that's what really damaged our friend in south africa. he said, mandela created a modern political state. i'll create a modern economy, and here comes aids. so you have to deal with that and then you have to try to think of things that aren't in

the headlines that will prepare for a future. you have too do all that. i don't think you can disaggregate these things. that's one of the things i hope will come out of this program. >> i agree completely with that. i thought stephanie and margaret had a valid point in that issues change, circumstances change, economies change, but there are certain principles that don't, management principles and leadership skills that won't change, and the idea, of course, is to not only have a class but to have a series of classes, big alumni association, encouraging people to sign up and also reinforcing the lessons learned about what it takes to lead. and, again in washington, people think they're talking about budget chairman or something like that. if you're a small business owner, these lessons apply to you as well, the four areas of discussion. you may have to communicate with fewer people, but nevertheless you still have to communicate the vision in order for a

company to succeed. you have to know where it's going, leadership is knowing where you, the leader ex-want to take somebody, and have the skills necessary to do so. i don't think you can desegregate them. >> let me ask you about the two presidencies involved in this initiative that aren't represented on the stage. and president clinton, i'm going to begin by asking you about 41. even though you haven't written a book that will be out on november 11th. about 41. >> i think i can put one together and be ready by the middle of -- be ready for the christmas season. [laughter] >> you have worked a lot with 41 in your post presidency and you're known to be very close with him. what leadership attributes of 41 do you think have impressed you

most and are the ones you want to inculcate through the leadership program? >> when you're dealing with president bush 41, there are a couple of things that are never in doubt, and i think this is really important. his good will is never in doubt. and this was true before he was 90. we've been working together for a long time. been out of office a long time. he did things when most people were at an age where they'd stopped doing things. jimmy carter did the same thing. have to respect that. he is 90. just went to china to celebrate the 35th anniversary of opening the door to china. so, anyway, when you deal with president bush, you realize

immediately that he is a person of good will. accomplish that whatever it is he is doing, he is doing because he thinks it's right and he wants to help somebody. i don't think that can possibly be underestimated as an attribute. if you don't have that, then everything else you're trying to do is a lot harder. when i was president we had to -- i had a republican congress, six of the eight years, the people that actually knew me, that i had a relationship with, that we had done something together on, runs who supported the irish peace process ex-for example -- it was -- we had a beg leg up. i think it's very important, when people see that. the other thing he had that believe every leader needs, i think he's got, too, by the waywe can all do the right thing

when we're presented with a problem we know everything about and we understand the main players. but the best leaders have enough imagination and empathy they can feel the situation somebody's in that they'd never been in, and bush 41 was great about that. otherwise, you know, he wouldn't have been out there plunking for northwesterns with disabilities act. he had pretty clean air up in ken any bunk port but wanted the clean air standards who when he was a congressman, he was one of the few run southerners, or republicans to vote for the open housing flaw 1968. why was that? he could always live wherever the heck he wanted. he could put himself in the

position of someone who had a different life, with different life possibilities and different life changes. i think that's one of most important characteristics a leader can have, and he is always been great at that. >> thank you. you're right. >> president bush, same question to you about lyndon johnson, what stands out in your mind as leadership qualities you want taught is in program. >> i met lyndon johnson twice. once when i was visiting my grandfather who 'twas a colleague of his in the senate, and once later on when he had retired back to texas. he was a big guy. i was struck by how imposing his physical being was, and i would suspect amongst the four, his strongest quality was his persuasiveness. [laughter] >> particularly to get the civil

rights bill passed. it's one of the greatest legislative feats in our nation's history. and lyndon johnson powered it through, and i don't think we can teach size. [laughter] >> but i will think we can -- people will be able to be inspired by his lesson, and -- yeah. >> president clinton, let me ask you, you two to talk about each other for a minute. >> beautiful man. beautiful. [laughter] >> what in president bush's leadership style stand out are out for you that you want taught in this scholars program? >> when he decided what he thought was right, he went for it. and sometimes i didn't agree

with what he thought was right. but i recognized that he was doing what he thought was right north, what he thought the politics of the moment required or what the constituent sunday even within his own party required. you can argue like "no child left behind," but one thing it reflected was a concern for the achievement levels of all american students, and ted kennedy supported him on it, is a remember they worked that out. that was kind of interesting couple. [laughter] >> when -- i remember when he said, i don't do nuance, and he got bashed for it, and i like

nuance and n cloudy situations, but the truth its sometimes clarity is required. and when he said it, he said it in a circumstance where he thought clarity was more important than being -- adding a three paragraph codicile to whatever your decision was. so, i actually learned a lot watching him over the years. and i tell young people all the time, who agree with my politics, that when you look at the top of any organization, every now and then, for example, all the world leaders i knew dish never talked to you about this -- all the world leaders i came in touch with i had an occasional lazy person, an occasional not real smart person, and an occasional crook. most of them were smart, hard-working and honest, and whether i agreed with them or not, they did what they thought

was right. and so i think watching how they do it is very helpful. president bush in different ways from me but -- i look like i'm nice and he used to makeup of himself. you always want to be stunned estimated by your adversaries. he consistently benefited by being underestimated, and so did i, for totally different reasons. i watched the way he throughout through things and trying to approach them with clarity and decisiveness with great admiration you. read that book, you'll understand why. not the one coming out on whenever blah blah, his other book. i was one of the noun right wingers who brought it. >> president bush, same question. >> thank you for that very much. there's a lot to admire about bill clinton.

i think first of all an awesome communicator. always admired that. he can really lay out a case and get people all across the political spectrum to listen. and i think it harkens back to what you said about my dad, and that is you, too have great empathy for people. and if you have empathy for people like you do, then people are going to want to listen to you, and they want to start listening you actually can convince them. and you, too, made tough decisions, and listened carefully, and decided, whether things were -- hopefully teach people but through the case studies, at some point in time a leader has to decide, and you did that. and you set -- told people where you want to lead, and the way people could understand, and it's -- and then made decisions,

and stuck by them. and so -- yeah. is that enough? [laughter] >> a lot shorter than your answer, i know. >> nuanced. >> but i think equally powerful. >> thank you, josh. [laughter] >> former chief of staff, appreciate you saying that. [laughter] >> president bush, i'm going to pass the last question to you. >> okay. >> and i'm going to ask you, what advice do you have for president clinton on the leadership qualities necessary to be a good grand dad. >> be prepared to fall completely in love again. you're not going to believe it. you're just not going to believe the joy and the fun, and i'm

looking forward to talking to you after that child is born, and we all hope the very best for chelsea and that the child's health be strong like i'm confident it will be. anyway, going to be an awesome period for you, and -- get ready to be the lowest person in the pecking order in your family. [laughter] [applause] >> gentlemen, this has been a great conversation, which i think has. a my demonstrated you all are coming together in support of a great program, which will, i think, be terrific for the country, both for the substance of what it's going to teach new

leaders but also for what it will say. please join me in thanking these two extraordinary individuals. [applause] >> thank you both. that was fantastic. what a terrific conversation. thank you for being with us today. presidents clinton and president bush, after your commitment to the program. thank you, josh, awesome job. these folks know a lot about leadership and have a lot to say. don't run off. i want to thank you for being here and in a moment i'm going to invite you be part of the social part of this. also i'm going to recognize secretary clinton, i think, has dropped in. mrs. clinton? secretary clinton? thank you for being here. [applause]

>> each and every one of you was invited today because we believe that you either are or know a terrific presidential leadership scholar prospect, so i ask you to help spread the word, this program will only be successful with a great group of leaders. the program is aimed at working professionals who will come together largely over weekends, for about a six-month period, beginning the early bart of next year. you can find out a whole lot more about the format on hour web site. to nominate a school or apply yourself. we have great hope for this program, and what it will mean to our country. now i invite you to join us on the seventh floor terrace outside for a little social time. thank you all. [applause] [inaudible conversations]

>> texas senator ted cruz said today that americans who fight with the terrorist group isis should be strippedded of their u.s. citizenship. that's next on c-span2. then a conversation on muslim american culture. and later we'll hear from health and human services secretary sylvia burwell. senator ted cruz is introducing legislation that

would strip the citizenship from americans who join or provide material assistance to terrorist organizations, including the islamic state known as isis. the texas republican spoke on the senate floor about the measure. >> mr. president, i rise today to address an issue of grave importance to the national security of the united states. that is the threat from the radical sunni terrorist organization known as the islamic state in iraq, and syria. or simply as the islamic state. and now it claims to control territory in a grotesque parity of a nation state. isis in a study in oppression and brutality. that is conducting ethnic cleansing against religious minorities in the region, that

is targeting and persecuting christians, and that is attempting to subject the local population to the strictest forms of sharia law, and isis has gruesomely murdered u.s. civilians and, indeed, journalists, on the public stage. it should come as no prize to the people of the united states are deeply concerned about this development. we are concerned about the inability of our government to anticipate to this gathering threat. we are concerned about the brutal acts of oppression against the weak and the helpless. we are concerned about isis' seizure of financial and military assets that has fueled their murderous rampage. and above all, we are concerned about the threat that isis

poses, not only to our close allies in the region, but also to our citizens and even here in our home lean. there's been a lot of talk in recent days about developing a strategy to combat isis. i'd like to propose a couple of common-sense steps that we should take immediately to combat this scourge. first, the time has come, it is beyond time, for us to secure our borders. by presenting the state of texas, which has a border nearly 2,000 miles long. i know first hand just how unsecure the border is right now. this week of all weeks, with the anniversary of the september 11th attacks upon us, we can have no illusion that

terrorists won't try to make good on their specific threats to attack america, and as long as our border isn't secure we're making it far too easy for the terrorists to carry through on the promises. rumored isis activities in the southern border should unite us all in the resolve to make border security a top priority, rather than an afterthought or rather than something to be held hostage for political negotiations here in the congress. second, we should take common-sense steps to make fighting for or supporting isis an affirmative renunsation of american -- renunsation of american citizenship. we know today there are over 100 americans who reach joined isis

and taken up arms alongside the jihadists and we know they're trying to return to their countries of origin to carry out terrorist attacks there. we know this because on may 24th, an isis member returned to belgium, where he attacked innocent visitors at a jewish museum. slaughtering four people. and it was reported today that he had been plotting an even larger attack on paris, on bastille day in addition, on august 11th of this year, an accused isis sympathizer, donald ray morgan, was arrested at jfk airport trying to re-enter the united states. so we know that this threat is real. mr. president, that is why i have today filed legislation, the ex-patriot terrorist act of

2014, which would amend the existing statute governing renunsation of united states citizenship to designate fighting for a hostile foreign government or foreign terrorist organization as an affirmative renunsation of citizenship. by fighting for isis, u.s. citizens have expressed their desire to become citizens of the islamic state. and that cannot and will not peacefully coexist with remaining american citizens. the desire to become a citizen of a terrorist organization that has expressed a desire to wage war on northwestern -- on northwestern people, has demonstrate a brutal capacity to do so murdering americans on the

global stage and promising to bring the jihad home to america. we should not be facilitating their efforts by allowing tigers fighting alongside isis to come back to america with american passports and walk freely in our cities to carry out unspeakable acts of terror. it is my hope that the legislation i'm introducing today will earn support on both sides of the aisle. that we will see this body come together and say there are many partisan issues that divide us when it comes to protecting united states citizens from acts of terror, we are all as one. that is my fervent hope. the third thing we should do is we should do everything possible to make isis understand that there are serious ramifications

for threatening to attack the united states, for murdering american citizens. while damaging isis's financial assets is certainly part of this action, because of the very nature of isis, the response must be principally military. all americans are weary of the long and costly wars of the last decade. we're tired of sending our sons and daughters potentially to die in distant lands. no one wands to see an extended engagement in iraq. flu flu but at the same time, i don't believe the american people are one bit reluctant to defend our national security, to defend the lives of fellow americans. and the american people can see the grim threat represented by isis. and the need for decisive action.

we should concentrate on a coordinated and overwhelming air campaign that has the clear military objective on destroying the capability of isis to carry out terror attacks on the united states. we must remain focused on this clear military objective if we hope to be successful. we cannot engage in photo op foreign policy or press release foreign policy and dropping a bomb here, shooting a missile there, and not having a strategy that is dictated by clear and direct military objectives in furtherance of u.s. national security interests. we should be perfectly clear as well that any action we take against isis is in no way

contingent on resolving the civil war in syria. that conflict is a humanitarian tragedy, pitting a brutal dictator against radical islamic terrorists. and the sad reality is that there are no good options for the united states in this fight. we may have had less radical options three years ago, but those are not currently available today. the obama administration had proposed arming rebel forces that contained terrorist factions associated with isis. previously, we were told that the rebels fighting along eye -- alongside isis were our friends and asaud and -- assad and iran where now our enemies. now in the face of isis we're hearing that assad may be our friend, iran may be our friend,

and isis is now our enemy. this makes no sense. indeed it's a dangerous cycle. reminiscent of george whorl's 1984. -- orwell wrote, quote, at this moment, for example, in 1984, owessanna was at were with a eurasian ya and alliance with east asia. actually only three years since oceana had been at war with east asia and alliance with asia. but officially the change of partners had never happened. oceana was at war with eurasian. there are, oceana had always been at war with eurasia. this administration seems to have no sense of past or future.

all of those familiar with the terrible human carnage inflicted by the civil towbar syria pray for its end. but the goal of our action in isis should not be to end it by supporting assad. the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend. and sometimes the goal is the destruction of the enemy who poses an imminent threat to our national security, not the enabler of yet another enemy of america. it should also be clear that any action we take against isis should in no way be contingent on political reconciliation between sunnies and shiites in baghdad. this administration has often become distracted by the hope to achieve this reconciliation but the sad truth is the sunnies and shiites have been illinois gauged in a sectarian civil war

since 632a.d. it is the height of hubris, the height of ignorance, to suggest that the american president can come and resolve a 1500 year old religious civil war. and have both sides throw down their arms and embrace each other as brothers. that should not be our objective, although we of course always hope for reconciliation and peace. we should not be so naive as to make defending our national security -- contingent on resolve millenia old religious sectarian wars. doing so, seeking to promote a utopia, seeking to transform iraq into switzerland, is nothing less than a fool'ser ran.

-- fool's errand. likewise it should be perfectly clear any action we take to stop isis from attacking murdering americans is no no way contingent on consensus of the so-called international community. america is blessed to have many good friends and allies in the region, who understand the threat of isis and eager to comt isis, but in order that this action be done right, it must be led by the united states, unfettered by other nations' rules rule engagement that might impede us. achieving some preordained number 0 of countries in a coalition is not a strategy. for, as has often been remarked in the most effective efforts, the mission determines the coalition. not the other way around.

it is heartening to hear the voices from my colleagues on both side of the aisle, raising the alarm of the threat posed by isis. president obama has signaled his intention of addressing the issue later this week. it is well past time for him to do so. as his recent statements from his admission on august 28th august 28th that, quote, we don't have a strategy yet. to his suggestion on september 3rd that our best bet is to try to, quote, shrink isis' sphere of influence until they are a manageable problem. those comments are not encouraging. the objective here is not to make isis manageable. the objective here is to protect the national security interests of the united states and to

destroy terrorists who have declared jihad on our nation. neither are the two things we already know, that the president will propose in his, quote, new game plan, namely that he will not be requesting authorization from congress for military action against isis, and that his model is the counterterrorism policies pursued by his administration the last five years. neither of these are encouraging. i ask the president to reconsider both of these points. while isis is obviously part of the scourge of radical islamic terrorism that has bedeviled the west for decades, it is equally obviously representing a new and

particularly virulent strain. the president is reportedly considering an action that could last as long as three years, and may require a range of actions. if this instance deals the case, then its incumbent on him to come to congress and lay out his strategy so we and the american people are clear on it. i would note, mr. president, that you have been particularly vocal and clear, defending the constitutional authority of congress to declare war, and i would note as well it is beneficial for the effort for the president to come to congress because in doing so, it will force the president to do what has been lacking for so long, which is lay out a specific and clear military

objective. what are we trying to accomplish that is tethers directly throw u.s. national security interests of america? the constitution is clear. it is congress and congress only that has the constitutional authority to declare war. now, any president has commander in chief has constitutional authority to respond to an imminent crisis to respond to a clear and present danger. but in this instance, the president is not suggesting that. he is suggesting engaged military action and it is, therefore, inconsistent with the constitution for him to attempt to pursue that action without recognizing the constitutional authority of this body. it is my hope he will do so and my hope we will have a substantive and meaningful debate about the military objective we should be united in achieving, which is namely

destroying isis and preventing them from committing acts of terror, murdering innocent americans. given the need to consider such action against the new actor like isis, it also must be admitted that the obama administration's counterterrorism policy has not been a success. they have labeled the 2009 attack on fort hood, my home state of texas, as an act of, quote, work-place violence. even though the terrorist attacker, has san, recently asked to become a citizen of the islamic state. they also missed connecting the dots that would have uncovered the radicalization of the tsarnaev brothers that resulted on the attack on the boston marathon, and i should be noted

that tsarnaev, the elder brother, worshiped at the same cambridge, massachusetts mosque, where the head of propaganda worshiped. this jihad can reach back and directly take the lives american citizens at home. the administration has failed to respond effectively to the attack on our facilities in benghazi on september 11, 2012 in which four americans were murdered. including the first ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979. an event that inaugurated liberal's spiral into terrorist anarchy that continues unchecked to this day. and they completely missed the gathering threat of isis to the point the president himself was under the misapprehension that the group was the terrorist equivalent of the junior varsity, just a few months ago.

we cannot afford to return to these destructive policies, given the acute threat posed by isis. it is my hope that this body will stand together as one, in bypass unity, to secure the borders, and to change our laws to pass the legislation i'm introducing today to make clear that any american who takes up arms with isis has, in doing so, con -- constructively renounced their american citizenson so congress can protect americans here at home. this requires clear, decisive, unified action, and it is my hope that all of us will tom coat, supporting such action, and that the president will submit to the authority of congress, seeking authorization to protect america against isis and to engage in a concentrated

directed military campaign to take them out. >> south dakota tim johnson is retiring this week as part of our 2014 campaign coverage we'll bring you a live debate for this open senate seat. democrat, rick wyland, and former senator larry pressler and gordon how you will bar tis pate. ...

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>> up next day conversation on the muslim community in the united states and muslim culture. this event is hosted in detroit from the islamic society of north america. >> thank you so much for coming out tonight we have a wonderful panel of speakers we hope this will be an informal discussion but which we can be opened with each other not only to explore culture but where we as americans are headed in the future. each panelist has been given a questionnaire and ahead of time with a brief response prepared after they are dead

we will do follow-up questions. if you had your cell phones please turn them off. if you have twitter we're using eight #so if you have comments or questions please post those and we will address those throughout the conversation. we will start in the evening over here to my left and activist scholar who intersects race and religion of popular culture and assistant professor of the apology at purdue university, she received her ph.d. from cultural anthropology and as a graduate from the school of foreign service at georgetown. she published numerous scholarly writings and artistic director endeavors and as a published poet

living is long outloud. you can also find her on the cover of the magazine this month for the focus is on the in depth look of discussions about race and the american muslim community. and apologetically muslim. please welcome. [applause] >> i first want to say thank you for the great introduction and also for the invitation to participate in this conversation tonight. should i read the question? with. >> what i wanted to know is what is the basic premise of culture?

not just the basic premise but jumping into present-day what we currently see with the next wave of american muslims it seems they are testing boundaries to express themselves that would be quite controversial. what is going on? >> i can answer the question to address the misconception that dominates the way muslims talk about culture the misconception is the idea we are in dire need of the muslim american culture because we already have that. we are already doing muslim american culture it is so way human beings make the world makes sense.

how retouching anti-stand here and feel and also culture is made by living so the minute the people live in this place we call america as a muslim that is where we begin to have american muslim culture. at the same time however we also want to think about the notion into ways. first with a capital c on culture than the things that we share over race, gender, class and then the second level because the plural form is necessary because of diversity so

cultural forms may look different for different communities so take an example. last year the chaplain in northwestern university read the koran on -- the chiron to the mixed gender audience and this was a new ground breakings sort of thing that gets in other communities and on the there has never been a moment where the woman was denied the opportunity to read the quaran in front of men and women as we celebrate the leadership in this community we don't identify as a new saying but it's a shift was one american muslim culture representative of an extension and at the same

time we don't lose sight of the fact it is a persistent problem with culture with a capital city -- sea. so we have challenges or things that are more heroin like domestic violence so that is the challenge within the muslim culture with a capital c but in the question i you gave you talked about some examples of the new wave that is testing boundaries so you may have for example, decides to tie her scarf and

a turban and style that maybe she is testing her boundary but she is not doing something that is new despite "the new york times" may want us to think so. varian is laughing because i posted on facebook how many times can reach right the same article? so this language to identify the shift of the community to understand the muslim culture what that is and has always been an existence as long as we live in this place but also to pay attention and to the fact there is something much more powerful of the narrative as

this woman has a stylistic traits but then the narrative i woke up one day and put myself in a turban. [laughter] more importantly the question i am interested to pose what kind of boundaries are being tested? are they just reinventing white supremacy is hip-hop the backdrop for their center of the universe? it now claims to be long because like everybody else we have black friday as a prop. i think in terms of then our

community and across our differences there is a lot of anxiety. how we are seen or featured in the media. anybody is tired of seeing the of. clad woman but at the same time we cannot just flip as one over simplified narrative for another. vs three rightabout domestic violence but now we have this woman who does all these things bashir is one-dimensional and when it comes to the questions of culture she fundamentally does not believe that black

life matters and it is still part of her story. what i like us to think about but with two points i will close the question of representation they often end articulate what this one scholar calls simplify complex representation. they don't shift the status quo. there would be of muslim but though was calling the fbi. the it is in the context we

want these representations that are better bet but we basically have to crush the up dash stream of react better or look more peaceful that the people who like us will like us and from that measure we learn from the black experience african-americans have learned respectability politics it does not matter you are a professor at harvard did your profile they will still shoot you and leave you is the street and played you for your own death and call your community animals. so it is not about replacing one overly simplified the ocean with another but creating cultural production

that offers something excellent in his quality but also demanding and a transformative. there is an american muslim woman grammy nominated artist that is from baltimore maryland. >> it is called we are not wailes but many people read it as a critique of hip-hop or black culture that it is all about money and playing with no money or substance. there she is an amazing

singer the song is excellent but she also makes a point so i want to share one of those points. his she says we don't know that true blue blood played monday they take it to their grave money. cotton money then she asks what about that tax money? oh real money? africa's rich soil but the? british india company old monied goldman the cold money. what is genius is she says there is a discourse in this country that looks at those other zero press store marginalize our subjugated to become responsible for their own situation.

you don't know how to use save your money. what about that money through the enslavement of human beings? what about that it's still benefits from today from those who colonized the subjugated people. so responding to the of critique that she gave through black urban culture but connected that to people throughout the world began to that is a genius representative but also of american muslim genius. think about culture what is

and what we have and can create i think this says in a simple of dynamic incisive intelligent and robust cultural production that is possible for our community. thank you. [applause] >> we did just get as tweet the muslim culture should be closer to the lands of islam otherwise why are we here? unity means nothing without it. we can address that but i want to introduce dr. jackson the chair of islamic thought and culture and director for the center for thought and culture at university of southern california also a scholar of the american learning institute and published several books named with the

bulls 500 influential in and out world. it is tied into what the doctor addressed at the time of the profit culture was a respected part of life can culture me a part of the muslim american identity? the american muslim culture as it pertains to people who have been here for generations that a lot of this stuff that we go through has already been done before. of what about the muslim culture as it pertains to immigrant muslims? what is the place? >> speaking speaking language

[speaking native language] >> this is a complex question and trying to read between the lines and one of the best ways to do that is to pick upon the doctor said that we are muslims and before we are muslims we're human beings. there is a more natural than cultural production.

they are naturally producers we may draw from instructions but the profit said is the of collection to where the profit says the most stressful not the best but the most truthful names are to. one is constantly toiling the occupied as those of production and the other is anxious and cultural production in some ways is really about taking that edge of the of the cosmic anxious is that we feel as human beings this is why the german philosopher once said it is that cosmic year where

do we come from? why are we here where we going? that is the mother of all culture and all human being on terms of the whole enterprise i don't think that is our problem because we are just as human as anybody else but i think we have a number of hangups if i might be permitted to use that word. on the one hand to as an american muslim community in a transition every phase we are stock between a certain sort of allegiance to related say back coal culture of islam and the nafta be an immigrant to have that attachment many

are equally attached because we don't know of that alternative what is likely to be accepted or recognized as islamic culture. then we have the other side of the equation to identify a cultural production that is too comfortable in the american space. and if i might be permitted to be frank there is no point to have any discussion with the muslims that seeks to do away with the or ignore the reality of our history. we are where we a are today at this moment in history as opposed colonial moment post slavery and it produces

their own dynamics and that is insuring we are the object of some mothers will we're not sure where tear draw the boundary of the weekend partaken of how much must we keep a hold of how much can lead down in the lancet, the way over? that is part of the challenge that we face. the other challenges we face how much more? >> seven spec that is generous. >> get past to do with bill whole appendage of the is long. i will shock some people because i about to make the 180 but i hope they will still be my friend after word.

i think there is a certain amount of dissidents or anxious this of this comfort about the whole enterprise particular the cultural production of what i consider to me that narrow understanding with the use of the appointment that they have invented the energies to take us beyond the a drudgery of everyday life. this is leisure and entertainment. we think of art as culture and music as culture and comedy as culture. the way we dress is culture but this is a very narrow

sense. and when it comes to coulter in that narrow sense use the the twitter because talk about music what is islam stance on musec? how do we reconcile this whole business of musical expression with the parameters of islam for something we are responsible for? and charge the everyday realities of life? that is another challenge that we have and we need much more open discussions because the worst place they can find themselves is a never, never land.

i listened to music that i am not sure that i should. i played music but no. speaking speak the native we need to face these issues in this film if i am writing literature can i use the expletive? all these issues now we have to confront but the problem is for us in america when we talk about the islamic culture, i take most things in terms it will be us single culture that will aid verge.

>> but it will live mitt some forms of social pressure and not others house some of us will have proclivities' going into this direction and others go in another direction amble sides called the islamic culture and we end up with the underground guerrilla wars. one of the things we need to do is recognize islam is pluralistic with the expressions of sharia. icc no need to seek to be monolithic cultures and one of the major challenges if

you look at this room to my knowledge of any other community of the world. we have to redevelop us headaches of pluralism of. but to recognize many people's ways i had to not want to tear you down because there is only one possibility with the islamic culture. adweek agree to this end principal to be a that soul force of everyday's life. we see of brother. we hear it with the micro

aggressions. to know that we are not appreciated. these are the kinds of things and by a soldier in the way it is explicit you could apologize if you would accept my apology but my progression but otherwise it is the position of weakness. and we have ways to overcome this kind of thing. she has a vast cultural watch.

i want to shift very quickly one of the dangers that i see is the sister of of america of muslim culture and many see this as an excuse and we have if many of the of conflicts from within a we forget we are a small part of a much larger slice of reality. but successive that regard changes the way we see ourselves but it challenges the way others see us and if you are a minority in any context racial or gender the

way the majority sees you affects the way you see yourself. the culture and in that narrow sense the way society calibrates the sensibilities of its people to produce meaningful and ways to sense the world. what we have now is a culture where the american people finding very easy to believe the most monstrous things about us. that is not irrationality but sensibilities have been calibrated. if they have been created

for one thing to understand is that we as muslims in america to have an impact of that culture because if we don't, then i will stop because i can feel you but this is important to me. that we thank all of our problems are solved with politics. but the culture of the society in which we live does not change them to apply those rights in the way it sees it not the way we see fit. so i want to read you something. something that haunts me.