they are trying to give us the crumbs. what is going to have to be done is the people in this country are going to have to stand up and take a stand and vote -- even the president -- out of office, whenever it is, who do not have our interests at heart -- whatever it is, who do not have our interests at heart. like the first caller said, they can come up with all the money for the banks, to fight two wars, they can come up with all this money ttake care of themselves, but when it comes to the people, the working class people of this country, it is always a problem. host: ms. @@@@@@@@

there's a big commitment to do it this year. the president has made this his top priority, other than does the economy. he views health care as part of the economy. there's a ton of skepticism, but i think the fact that the process has moved as far as it has should say something. this is going to be a tough six weeks when everything, every interest group, every pressure point is exerted. i think it is anybody's guess what this will all look like at the end of six weeks. viewers and readers are reacting to this, failed attempts to reform the health care system. it's not surprising there is natural skepticism that something will actually happen right now. gueshost: at the end of six wee,

if there is no bill, what happens with healthcare? > guest: i think it's pretty clear something will pass through the house. that's the conventional wisdom. there may not be a bill by august 7, but the president and democratic lawmakers have a safety net. that is the process of reconciliation, being able to move healthcare through the process with only 51 votes. if they don't have it passed by october 15, they can go that route. that would make it easier to pass the bill. but it's not a foregone conclusion that they will be able to do that. there are a lot of pitfalls of using that maneuver. there's even a good number of democrats not committed to some of the central pillars of what obama is pushing and other liberal democrats.

host: angela on the democrat line. from illinois. good morning. caller: i think what the president is doing is great. i'm going to make this short. about the health care. i live in illinois. there are only two hospitals here. i have breast cancer. i had it once in 1998. it occurred. so, there's a big foundation at a hospital. they told me i was not allowed because of a written agreement. the only person who came to my rescue was president obama. i even faxed a hospital the letter, which is when -- before he became president. they acted like that was

nothing, like he was just trying to get votes. i said, no. ghost: how did he come to your rescue? caller: 20 came to my -- when he responded to my letter. it says, thank you for your recent letter soliciting the help of senator obama on your pending medical issue. before our office can began inquiring, and it goes on and on. host: decompressive -- do you the president will get what he wants in health care? caller: i do. and i've called local senators, senator ferricks. he said to show me anything where they said i was barred and

he would help me. he has not done anything or even called me. host: one person on twitter says exchange one set of monopolies or another and it won't fix health care costs. there are too many fingers in the spy. single payer. now there is a jaunt on the republican line. caller: first i want to ask if she's familiar with the congressional budget office's understanding that it's going to cost 6$16,000 for every american for the health plan and that there's no medical liability so that trial lawyers cannot set the rate of doctors that should be getting paid and not them. last, the lady who called, i don't know how old she is, but in countries bear you have a

single payer, what happens to people who have cancer at age of 65 or 75? one last comment, in cuba, cuba is something that is always talked-about. what do they do with aids patients in cuba? don't they send them to an island by themselves and separate them? host: care to answer? guest: 62,000 figure was something that senator orrin hatch calculated out yesterday from the cbo analysis that was released late yesterday. the health committee bill in the senate would cost more than one trillion dollars. and that is a number that we will see repeated and thrown around a lot in the next few days, because republicans have been saying for a while now

that we don't know what the president is trying to do, that is trying to spend so much money and whether or not he will accomplish his goals. if this was a look at the bill, but there were missing parts in it, missing some parts of the health reform program, and where mandates, a public insurance plan that would change the final calculations and there was left out how much medicaid expansion would cost. that would add a couple hundred million dollars to the bottom line. there are other aspects that the candy staff says will increase the number of people who will be able to be in short. 60 million people is all that would be taken off the rolls. that is falling short of where the president said he wanted to be. i am familiar with the cbo

school. >host: maggie on the independent line from california. >> congressman danny davis introduced a bill called the community choice act, dealing with long-term care to remove the institutional bias so that people could receive care at home at one-third the cost. i'm wondering if you're a person could address the long- term care issues? we can do a far better job at less cost if we can get the 12 year-old bill through the health-care bill that is being discussed. we have baby boomers coming and were not even ready for them. host: aspirin, va., law or on

the democrats' line. caller: hello, this is lori. i had an opportunity to listen to the president's speech yesterday to the ama. he said that he was not going to advocate a single payer system, but like what we have in the federal government. when i get my insurance statement for my yearly checkup at my primary care physician and i see that the insurance company has negotiated that my primary care physician gets less for my yearly checkup than my mechanic does that i take my car to get serviced. i think there's something wrong with our health system. >> "washington journal" live every day at 7:00 eastern. now we're taking you to the white house where president

obama and if the south korean president are holding a joint news conference. lee myung bak also met with hillary clinton, secretary of state today. this is live on c-span. >> good morning, everybody. president lee, on behalf of the american people, it is my pleasure to welcome you to washington. [president obama's speaking in korean] >> thank you. >> the first lady michelle obama is delighted to host your wife. the south korea is one of our closest allies. a friendship forged through a history of self sacrifice and anchored in our shared democratic values. mr. president, i am pleased that the french between our countries has grown stronger under your

leadership. -- the friendship between our countries has grown. north korea has abandoned its own commitments and violated international law. its nuclear and ballistic missile programs pose a great threat to peace and security of asia and to the world. in the face of these threats and provocations, the people of the republic of korea have shown a steadiness and resolve that has earned the respect of the united states and of the world. today president lee and i reiterated our shared commitment to the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. we have reaffirmed the endurance of our alliance and america's commitment to the defense of the republic of korea. we discussed the measures that we are taking with our partners in the region, including russia, china, and japan, to make it clear to north korea that it will not find security or respect through threats and

illegal weapons. that united's international front has been on full display since their ballistic missile tests in april and was further galvanized by their a ballistic missile test. the united nations council of adopted a resolution that called for strong steps to block north korea's's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. now we must pursue a sustained and robust effort to implement this resolution together with our international partners. in addition to the korean peninsula, we are committed to a global effort to pursue the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, an effort that i will be discussing later this summer in moscow and at the g8. i want to be clear, there is another patch available to north korea. a path that leads to peace and economic opportunity for the people of north korea, including

full integration into the community of nations. that destination can only be reached through peaceful negotiation, to achieve the full and verifiable denuclearization of the korean peninsula. that is the opportunity that exists for north korea. president lee and i join with the international community in urging the north koreans to take it. president lee and i discussed our efforts to confront the global economic crisis. earlier this year in london we agreed on bold and sustained action to jump-start growth and to prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again. today we are reaffirming this effort as well as our commitment to resist [unintelligible] and to continue our close collaboration in the run-up to the g-20. in addition to taking immediate action to put our economy is on the path to recovery, both of us want to build a foundation for new prospects. we believe the u.s. and the republic of korea can partner together on behalf of clean

energy and sustainable growth so we're working together to build the jobs and industries of the future. finally, it is important to note we are releasing a joint statement laying out a shared vision for our alliance in the 21st century. our friendship is understandably focused on security issues often, particularly in northeast asia, but we are also committed to a sustained if strategic partnership with the republic of korea on the full range of global challenges we are facing? , from economic development to our support for democracy and human rights, from nonproliferation to counter- terrorism and peacekeeping. the challenges of our young century can only be met through partnerships. the u.s. is honored to partner with the korean people. we will be resolute in the defense of our security. we will collaborate on behalf of innovation and opportunity. we will strengthen and deepen the friendship among our

peoples. that is our commitment as friends and allies. i look forward to working with president lee on behalf of a more peaceful and prosperous future in asia and around the world. thank you so much. >> thank you. [speaking in korean] to mr. obama and the people of the u.s. have extended their warmest welcome. i want to thank them sincerely. president obama and i spent time in april in london during the g- 20. today is our second meeting. during my talks with president obama we had a very substantive talks. we talked about the security situation surrounding the korean peninsula and the future of our caribbean-u.s. alliance and our joint vision for the future. -- ckorean-u.s alliance.

for the last 60 years since the korean war our relationship has been one of a strong security alliance and partnership. the future is not only about standing our mutual partnership but also working together side by side to tackle issues of global concern. on that regard, i am extremely pleased to note that today is a meaningful and very significant day for an alliance between our countries to upgrade to a new plateau our relationship and partnership. i take this opportunity to sincerely thank the great people of america for their selfless sacrifice in defending our country and its people. on behalf of the korean people, thank you. as reiterated by president obama, we have agreed that under

no circumstance are we going to allow north korea to have nuclear weapons. we also agreed to robustly implement the u.n. security council resolution and all parties will faithfully take part in implementing this resolution. also, we agreed that, based on the current cooperation between the u.s. and korea, the five countries taking part in the sixth party talks, will discuss new measures and policies that will effectively persuade north korea to irrevocably disable their weapons programs. president obama reaffirmed this firm commitment towards ensuring the security of south korea through deterrence, which includes the nuclear umbrella. this has given the south korean people a greater sense of security.

president obama and i also talked about the initiation of working level talks to make progress on the issues surrounding fta and make joint efforts to chart our way forward on the agreement. i took time to invite president obama to visit south korea. i conveyed to him our warmest gratitude on behalf of the korean people to the people of america. once again, i'm very pleased to note that he and i engaged in very constructive discussions. i am very pleased with the results. once again, i thank president obama and if the people of the united states. thank you. >> we have time for public questions. scott wolf. >> thank you, mr. president.

north korea says it should be recognized as a nuclear power. it says that as a precondition for relations with the u.s. and other nations. given its bulletin and response to the recent sanctions and the nature of its nuclear program, is your administration coming to the realization that recognise in north korea as a country that will have nuclear weapons for a long time is one way to go? if so, what influence does that have on your policy options? and to president lee, do you believe your country is currently under threat of attack from the north given its recent rhetoric? >> we have continually insisted that north korea denuclearize. the republic of korea agrees with this position. other allies like japan agree with this position.

china and russia agree with this position. the u.n. security council reflects this view. we will pursue the globdenuclearization on the korean peninsula vigorously. we have not come to a conclusion that north korea will or should be a nuclear power. given their past behavior, given the belligerent manner in which they are constantly threatening their neighbors, i don't think there's any question that that would be a destabilizing situation that would be a profound threat to not only the united states security but the world security. north korea also has a track record of proliferation that makes it unacceptable for them

to be accepted as a nuclear power. they have not shown in the past and restraint in terms of exporting weapons to not only state actors but also non state actors. what we have said is there's a path for north korea to take. one in which they are joining the world community, becoming integrated into the world economy, able to feed their own people, able to provide prosperity for their people. i know that the republic of korea welcomes that kind of neighbor. obviously, there's a strong historic bond between the korean people's that should be affirmed, but in order to take that path, north korea has to make a decision and understand that prestige and security and

prosperity are not going to come through the path of threatening neighbours and engaging in violations of international law. >> right now north korea, there was a question about whether we fear an imminent attack by north korea. six years ago north korea invaded south korea. they began a war. after that there were numerous announced threats levelled against south korea ever since. however, south korea, we have always been very firm in our response. this is based on the firm cooperation and partnership an alliance between korea and the u.s.. when the north koreans look at that alliance we have between our two countries they will think twice about taking any

measures they will regret. again, this firm alliance we have between the u.s. and korea will prevent anything from happening. of course, north korea may have wished to do something, but they will not be able to do so. >> a question going to president lee, north korea recently said that they will not return to the six party talks. they have denounced the u.n. security council resolution and said they will not give up the nuclear weapons program. can you, sir, about how you plan to proceed forward? did you talk about this with president obama? there's a continuing threat emanating from north korea and

journalists are still being detained. what is your thought about that complex? did you talk with president obama about this? were there concerned about that industrial complex? >> has reacted aggressively to the new u.n. security council resolution, which was expected. of course, the north koreans may react by firing another round of missiles or taking action. we can't expect that from them as well. tom barber, north koreans must understand that they will not be able to gain compensation by creating a keifecrisis. this is a firm u.s.-korea

cooperation an alliance that will not allow that. a recent security council resolution is not simply about words. if it is about taking up follow- up action and vigorously implementing the u.n. security council resolution. we will make sure we fully implement the u.n. security council resolution. like i said, the north koreans must understand that their past behavior will not stand. not only the u.s.-korea partnership, but japan, china, and the rest of the international community will take part in this effort. now the north koreans will come to understand that this is different, that they will not be able to repeat the past or their past tactics and strategies. i urge the north koreans to fully give up their nuclear weapons programs and to become a responsible member of the international community. with regard to the industrial complex, the north korean authorities are demanding unacceptable demands. we will not accept such demands

being laid out by the north koreans. to the south korean government is very much for maintaining the industrial complex because it is a channel dialogue between the two koreas. there are 40,000 north korean workers currently working at that industrial complex. if it were to close, these 40,000 in north korean workers would lose their jobs. therefore, i'm asking the north koreans not to make any unacceptable demands, because we cannot really know what will happen if they continue on this path. also, the north koreans have been detaining a south korean worker. they have not given us any explanation. there are also two american journalists being currently held by the north koreans. i'm urging the north koreans to release not only the two american journalists but also the south korean worker without any conditions to release them

as soon as possible. the international community is asking the north koreans to take that path. once again, and urging on the strongest terms that they release the two american journalists as well as the korean worker being held. >> thank you, mr. president. i was hoping you would consent to letting us as a couple of questions. first, there's a new policy on intercepting north korean ships at sea. if you could say anything about that. and are you concerned that could provoke north korea to higher levels? >> this is not simply a way u.s. policy. this is an international policy. this is part of what the security council resolution calls for, is the integration of arms shipments. how that will be implemented, how we approach cooperation

between various countries to enforce this is something that the united states, south korea, china, russia, all relevant factors, japan, all relevant actors will be discussing in the months ahead. i want to emphasize something that president lee said. there has been a pattern in the past where north korea behaves in a belligerent fashion and if it waits long enough, it gets rewarded with foodstuffs and fuel and concessionary loans and a whole range of benefits. i think that is the pattern that they have come to expect. the message we are sending -- when i say "we -- i'm talking about the international community, we're going to break that pattern.

we are more than willing to engage in negotiations to get north korea on a path of peaceful coexistence with its neighbors. we want to encourage their prosperity. but belligerents, provocative behavior, that threatens nabors will be met with significant and serious enforcement of sanctions that are in place. i think it may not have been fully acknowledged, the degree to which we have seen much tougher sanctions voted out unanimously in fairly rapid order over the last several weeks. i expect that is the signal to the degree to which we are serious about enforcement. >> that is president obama at the white house with the south korean president m