>> the president has spoken about his great desire to see both -- the moral imperative includes many things. as he talked about in the campaign, insuring that those that are fortunate enough to have insurance but see their co- payments and deductibles rise, that we have to do something for those families and small businesses that are fortunate enough to have health insurance as well as finding a way to bring more people into that system, to ensure that they have a basic plan for health care and that in and of itself will drive down costs, cubecause you will not have people going to the emergency room. >> there was a clash between senator clinton and senator obama over mandates. one saying that hillary would force everyone to buy insurance

even if you could not afford it and [unintelligible] since one of the things you have indicated to us we should consider relevant is what he said during the campaign, does the president still oppose using a government structure to garnish wages or some other way to obtain revenue from individual american citizens to pay for health insurance so they come under the umbrella of a new reform system? >> let me not get ahead where congress is. i think you could -- you have heard the president discuss the notion of covering millions more americans but in terms of what specific trigger mechanism might ultimately be in the legislation, i would wait to see how congress deals with it.

>> can i ask you, does he agree with what he said during the campaign? that is a guard -- bad way to garnish wages to force people to pay for health insurance. >> without knowing -- that is what he said in the campaign. i have not looked at this specific trigger mechanisms that are in the legislation. >> i am trying to figure out -- >> it is a larger frame for any larger enforcement of some employer or individual mandate. >> there is debate in foreign policy circles about general jones. can you describe the level of confidence the president has and how would you answer this simmering debate about his effectiveness? >> the president has great

confidence in general jones, that he is doing a terrific job as a national security adviser, that he is the leader of what the president continues to see as a strong team at the white house. i think universal accolade for the team throughout this administration, whether it is those in the intelligence community, those at the pentagon or here. the president believes he has a great team. >> the health care option that was outlined. what does he think of it? as of a possible solution? >> i have not talked to him specifically. >> [unintelligible] >> i was entertaining you and was not in that meeting.

i will follow-up with yoga, tater tots -- >> on iran, in the cairo speace -- speech, he made it a point not to call them directly by name. not to get directly involved in the iranian elections process. i am wondering how per spool file -- purposeful that was. >> let me not comment on the previous administration in that regard except to say our viewpoint is as i answered earlier this week. we are certainly watching what is going on in the region of the world, watching the results of this election.

you're not going to see or hear arrests advocate with specificity for a certain candidate. >> out of desire not to -- >> [unintelligible] >> there is an account in the "huffington post" where [unintelligible] i am wnodering -- wondering if the report is accurate. >> what is the basis for the report? >> what is the white house's position? if a freshman wants to reject [unintelligible] are they still in good standing with the white house?

>> we have dealt with members of both parties on some votes they have been with us and some boats that have not. the president in speaking with every member of congress would make a strong case for a supplemental bill that provides the necessary funding that our troops need in iraq and afghanistan. important money and that relates to our ongoing diplomatic efforts. in an important country like pakistan. there are a lot of important and strong things in that bill that, given the preparations that every health professional knows has to be undertaken between now and what is expected to be, another outbreak of h1n1 in the fall, there is important funding in there for medical treatment.

i think everybody believes it will be necessary next fall. if people take a look at whether it is money to ensure that our troops have what they need, the diplomatic efforts that we can match the rhetoric with follow- through as relates to pakistan and the important preparations that are needed to keep our country say from what the who says is a pandemic are tremendously important. that is the case the white house would make. thanks, guys. have a good weekend. >> sherrod brown met today with the president at the white

house. following that he spoke with reporters. this is 10 minutes. >> good afternoon. i had a good meeting with the president for 20 or 25 minutes, talking about jobs, talking about some specific ohio things. he recognizes that alito has more -- 5000 jobs in solar energy. probably the largest number of solar jobs of any city in the u.s. and what is happening in my state in manufacturing alternative energy. we talked about audio and -- auto and how we move forward in alternative energy. the president has an interest i have had. the to get to the middle class will continue to be manufacturing, not just preserving automotive jobs but

what we do with new industries, especially alternative energy, especially building for high- speed rail, not just the real technology that has been in europe, but building cars for light rail and high-speed rail, building train cars and trucks and all that. it was a good discussion. >> did you discuss ncr and the stimulus money? >> we talked about dayton. déjà has been hit hasncr -- dayton has been hit by ncr. he understands and the warehouse has been helpful. we treat it like a base closing. the federal government comes in and he has been helpful on this and help people who have lost

jobs and communities that have hot -- lost revenues. help with how to grow jobs in those communities, how to do economic development. >> senator baucus is expected to unveil details on health care reform. what is your feeling on that? >> we should not go there. -- when i look at what is happening to people's incomes, the middle class americans have seen no wage increase for several years. many of them are doing givebacks to what they were making in 2004 or 2005. everybody at the plain dealer did a 12% pay cut and that puts people back to what they were making in 2004 or 2005. i do not think you post taxes on middle class workers on their health care. >> [inaudible] >> i would have difficulty supporting health care plan that

does not keep the insurance companies honest. we talked about the progress that we have made already, that the insurance companies are willing to suggest -- except rules on how we do community rating on those issues. he thinks of as i do that if you do not have some public auction, it could look like medicare or something different. so kind of public auction to keep the company's honest. >> [unintelligible] >> we talked about trade and i told him to me -- we did not talk about columbia or china specifically. we talked about -- he asked how i got to where i did on trade and i told him, for blue-collar ohio and america, manufacturing is the ticket to the middle class. it is the opportunity they need and we have to keep our focus on manufacturing.

these trade agreements have done coupled with what we do with the imf and enforcing poor countries to cut back on education, it has made the poor country's poor. they have done well because they practice trade according to the national interest. >> why is he interested? >> he knows i have been interested in trade issues and we talked about it during the campaign. he wants to work with me on trade and manufacturing. >> i wonder if he give you indication he might be pushing forward. >> no indication nor did i ask. >> what is your attitude about pay or play? a system that provide some means of taxation on the individual or the individual's employer to get them into the system. is this something this country needs to adopt?

>> we did not discuss that. this is my opinion. we have got to find some way that employers are playing this. either the insured -- we cannot have a health care system where all the burden is on the employee's or areas of free ride concept working. it cannot work that way. it needs to be some employer involvement, whether the employers insure their employees or the pay something into the plan. we have got to figure out more details about that. how much it is and how it works. there needs to be a basic plan that every american -- that is available to every american. we will subsidize low-income individuals, but we also will need implode -- employers to play a role. >> it was debated whether the government should garnish wages to get people into that system. that was a topic that came over

the ohio primary. is some sort of government role in taking some amount of wealth from americans of the can get into the system something you're comfortable with? >> i will be comfortable with some sort of sliding scale of workers at some income level with that government assisting. there does need -- everybody -- we will see agreement on both parties that everybody has to get health insurance somewhere or another. the government will assist them and employers will play a role and people will have to pay some amount of money to get into the health system, if they have any kind of decent income. >> if they're not willing the government will take it. >> there will be something. you cannot -- for this to work you need under healthier

workers, you need them in this health care system. what it will mean is those people who have health insurance now, the first rule for everybody and the president said it, anyone who is happy with their plan can stay in it. what you will see is people that stay in the health insurance plan they are in now, i would not be surprised if they see their premiums flat nor godown in the plan they are in because they will see cost savings because everyone is in the plan and there is not going to be the cost shifting there has been in the health-care plan between business, government, and employees. >> there is some element of government coercion in that? >> i do not use that word. >> what would it be then? >> i do not use that word. i do not think it is coercion. it is a tax system. if you believe that everyone who pays taxes is being coerced by the government, you can use that word. >> some are not in the system as

a voluntary choice. >> it will pay a fine like they do in massachusetts. these details are not worked out. we need to get as close to universal participation as we can on this. >> do you via the public plan as non-negotiable? could you see yourself supporting a bill that had everything else you wanted? >> if everything else i wanted war in the plan perhaps the public option -- if everything else was right, perhaps the public option would be non- negotiable. i cannot imagine voting for a plan that does not have some kind of public auction. >> [unintelligible] >> i do not know. i am interested in the com -- conrad plan. it is based on the puget sound plan. it took puget sound 40 years to get that plan workable to a

small number of people. the jury is out on that and i need to be convinced. i am open-minded. the public plan is more predictable. it will be more reliable. it will be there and it will go everywhere. it will go places where private plans do not. i am not convinced that the conrad plan will do that. if i were convinced it would, i would look to support something like that but the public auction has those features. >> are you satisfied with the way the president is selling this and going at town in that fashion? >> it is assertiveness about the public auction was perfect guest today. -- yesterday. >> thanks.

>> here is our present policy. we are anxious and eager to stop the bombing just as we're eager to stop the war. >> television conversation from the final months of lyndon johnson's presidency and troubles for his pick for supreme court chief justice. listen saturday morning at 10:00 eastern on c-span radio, online, and on xm 132. >> every weekend, the latest nonfiction books and authors. saturday, how do run for congress with $7,000 and your

sixth grade students managing the campaign? she is interviewed by eleanor holmes norton. joel rosenberg takes you inside the resolution. -- revolution. what is next for the economy? taxes and the end of prosperity. finally, foreclosure nation. on the housing crunch and where it is headed. every week and is filled with books and authors on book tv. look for our schedule online. >> the government funding of college is a late 1950's and 1960's thing that has grown rapidly since then. >> hillsdale college has never

accepted government funding. >> title for is 400 pages long. we have a lawyer here in town who tries to keep the government from giving us money. i want -- went to ask me title for and he said it was no use, i would not be able to read it. >> sunday night at 8 on "q&a" or listen on c-span radio, on xm satellite radio, or download the podcast. >> joining us, nancy ognanovich. how did they work out a key differences on the war spending bill? >> the chairman of the appropriations committee said that this conference report was not going to pass in the house if it went forward with the senate -- senate amendment that would ban the release of

photographs dealing with prisoner abuse. they needed democratic support to make up for the loss of republicans in the house. in the end, it was agreed that the senate amendment that blocked the photos would not be in the final conference report. to get there, president obama had to get involved and he said he is still going to do everything he can to block the release of those photographs but it is likely that will happen by an executive order and lawmakers will be looking for it next week. >> with the president getting involved, he got into the conversation the other night. >> last night, that is right. talking with senate democrats who are concerned about whether this bill could survive on the senate floor. if it did not have that language in there when it came back from the house. >> do you think his compromise heard or helped the process? >> i think is going to help. in the house, speaker pelosi

will have democratic support, the votes she needs to pass it there and in the senate, the primary sponsor of the amendment, senators lieberman and graham, seen as they may [unintelligible] senator lieberman is looking for obama to sign the executive order. what that would do is it would classify the photographs, that they could not be released. >> the $5 billion for the international monetary fund, did that make the final cut of the compromise? >> yes. that is still in there and that is why house republicans are not as likely to vote for the bill as before. when this bill first passed in the house, in may, it had overwhelming republican support. after conferees were willing to

take this imf amendment from the senate, that is when house republican leader boehner and others said they would not vote for this supplemental. >> when it passed the house it was at $84 billion and now it is at $106 billion? >> that is what congressman lewis says. it is $106 billion and that is more money than obama requested. is far above the house level. it is more than the senate had and where did it go? among other things, they have double the funding for pandemic flew preparations and directed more money to defense. there are other things along the way. they had added out of the blue almost, a $1 billion program cash for clunkers to encourage people to give up gas-guzzlers' and buy more fuel efficient vehicles. that provision also was creating problems in the senate.

when you add up the tweaking, you get to a higher number. $106 billion. >> does speaker policy have the votes to make this appealing to the antiwar democrats? >> from what congressman obey says, that without that amendment on the abuse, they will have the votes. >> we have been talking to a reporter from bna news. thank you for talking to us. >> next, the 15-year-old political editor of the childrens press line talking about interviews he has done and his future aspirations. this is from today's " washington journal". we want to introduce you to a 15-year-old high school student who also serves as political editor of children's press line geared miles miller is in washington to win an award for as work and one of his reasons

for is focused on fellow bronx, the metaphor sonia sotomayor. >> no honeymoon period -- republicans crying foul over comments made over the federal appeals court judge tapped by the president to be the successor to david souter. vat do university back in 2005 she made comments about the federal court of appeals, and that is what this parking lot of controversy. >> they are looking for people with court of appeals experience because the court of appeals is where policy is made, and i know this is on tape and i should never say that, because we do not make the law, i know. >> those seemingly joking, republicans have taken it and run with it. >> equal justice under law or under attack? america deserves better. >> back in the old neighborhood, supporters are saying, republicans just need to stop the bickering. >> i feel like they say because she is a woman and also because she is a latino. >> hector says it hurts them to

see them fighting. he wants the republicans and sotomayor to get along. >> maybe you can change your words. she exactly nice woman. >> the democrats are firing back with ads of their own, showing sotomayor's accomplishments. veteran political consultant says that the republicans are going to find themselves in a phone booth of sorts because no one will be supporting them. people at the bronx house tell us the same thing -- they want sonia sotomayor to be left alone so she can make great changes in the bronx and rate changes around the country. soundview, miles miller, childrens press line and the daily news. host: miles miller is political editor, 15 years old and already has much experience covering politics. good morning. how did you develop an interest in politics? guest: i started up and debate, probably the best way for anyone to own their skills and public speaking and from there i went

on to finding childrens press line and four -- from there i was able to tap the political base and started getting politicians to start talking directly to the youngest constituents. host: did your youth give you a special access? our politicians surprise when a 15-year-old comes up with such insightful questions? guest: you only see this part of me -- if i stood up a lot of people say i look 20. but i hope my youth would give more leeway. i asked the mayor of new york a question and i was able to ask a question from a young point of view because i actually was in a classroom, a public-school classroom and i actually know what goes on in those classrooms and gives me more of an advantage over some of the older reporters. host: share one of the highlights. you attended the conventions. guest: my favorite part of the conventions was actually getting to on the floor. the way i got there, i did not think anyone needs to know, but i got to the floor of the

conventions and i got to interview a number of people. my favorite interview was congressman lewis and he told a wonderful story about him and martin luther king been in washington, d.c., and he is the oldest surviving member of the march on washington, and that was one of my favorite experiences. ", how did you get to the floor? host: how did it to the floor? guest: woods is moseying on in there -- we were waiting for joseph biden to speak, no way for him to come out and we walked inside and we saw a council member from new york that was familiar with our work, he said, inside and talk to us, and from there he took down to the floor and we saw michelle obama speak. host: do your friends share the same interest in politics and journalism? guest: not all of my friends and i did not expect my friends to share the same interest. if not for the case there would just be a bunch of myles', but my friends understand issues

going on in the country, that task force is not the only thing that is going to drive school success -- test scores, and regulations are things kids don't understand. when you bring stuff down to a level where kids can understand, that is where you make the best change. . in face i would like to talk to mahmoud ahmadinejad. i think iran is an interesting state. i saw an interview and i think the election that is coming up today, it is happening today, i think that is one of the most interesting elections. the fact that two people could be running for office but that does not decide. someone other than the voting public decides and gets the final say is -- i would