host: when you read them, do they cast nuances? guest: sure and i respond to them. host: we have one more caller, reed. caller: good morning george, i am trying to get more understanding of the economic downturn problems and try to get to the accountability on wall street but get us accountability on the i.m.f. procedures and who is our world financial broker? and who are we really indebted to and who have we had to pay back, that i feel like the first bush tarp stuff is about. thank you. guest: the caller has a good point, it's a problem of transparency. and there are a lot of money and that from south carolina

are sloshing in the system, and we are not sure who is in charge of it. and it gives people a high anxiety that will provide a public outlet. host: we have joe. caller: hi, how do you factor public reform? guest: you are right, defensive medicine, doctors ordering tests to fend off the trial bar if something goes wrong and no one knows how much, let's say 20% to the health care bill in the country. now the president talking to the medical association the other day, and tip-toed up and said, i am for health reform, and with the boo's, but against capping awards under malpractice. that means he's not really for very much tort reform. and in the fact that's not

surprising because the trial bar and lawyers are huge contributors to the president's party. host: as we close here, give people a glimpse into a day of your life. guest: when i first started writing a column, i asked my friend, bill, do you have trouble coming up with things to write. and bill said, the world annoys me three times a week. and the world annoys me five times, or the columns i write. i think that the happiness of the columns reflect the public, and it's a great time to write. host: how do you stay up with it all?

guest: read incessantly, >> tomorrow on "washington journal," tonyl "ey and jon- christopher bua. kevin baker, contributing editor for "harpers magazine" discusses his cover story about barack obama. "washington journal," live at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> up next, president obama's remarks at the radio and

television correspondents dinner. then, former president bill clinton and steny hoyer at a business dinner. after that, another chance to see it the conversation with columnist george will. >> this week on "newsmakers," congressman pete stark discusses legislation working its way through congress. he talks about one proposal that would establish a public health insurance plan to compete with private plans. >> at the end of the day, if you choose to have competition and you choose to have a plan that is dependable and affordable, you cannot do it without having a public plan there. that creates the competition for the private plan. so yes, there will be a public plan in the bill.

will the people vote for? i don't know who wants to go home in next year's primary and say i voted against the plan that is going to provide 30,000 people in my district, most of whom are nonwhite, most of whom are poor, most of who are working, and most to do not have a way now to get insurance. i don't think that is a vote many people want to make. >> california congressman pete stark, tomorrow morning at 10:00 and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> people do not want to think of roosevelt's conservation as a policy as much as a passion. he put aside 240, almost to uttered 40 million acres of wild america -- almost 240 million acres. roosevelt is becoming the key figure to understand, because he was the only politician of his

day who had absorbed the are when and who understood biology and understood birds'migratory patterns and understood the mating patterns of deer and elk and antelope and actually did something. >> sunday on "q&a" the first of two hours with douglas brinkley on a wilderness warrior. sunday night at 8:00 on c-span, or download the c-span podcast. >> president obama was the featured speaker at last night's radio and tv correspondents association dinner. this year's event was held at the washington d.c. convention center. it lasts about 15 minutes. [applause] thank you very much. thank you so much. thanks to all of you. please, everybody, have a seat. before i get started, as the father of two girls, can i just

say how incredibly impressive those three young ladies were. [applause] that would be proud -- dad would be proud. to heather and all the others who have made this evening possible, thank you so much. it is wonderful to be here. i want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to tell jokes that are not funny enough for me to use when we did this five weeks ago. [laughter] -- [laughter] what ever. the jokes may not be as good, but neither is the guest list. [laughter] [applause] i am just joking. for me, there is no contest. why bother hanging out when celebrities -- with celebrities

when i can spend time with people that made me one. i know where my bread is buttered. plus, we have our own luminary's here. john is here from wyoming. i'm sorry, john skip this evening. for those of you who have not met him, he is the george clooney of junior senator from wyoming. [laughter] it is great to be here. there is some much talent from the four world of tv and radio. despite the flood of new media, your program is more relevant than ever before. that is the impression i get when i read the logs every day. -- blogs every day.

[laughter] journalists like chuck taught. i spotted him over there somewhere. at this dinner, chuck embodies the best of both worlds. he has the rapid-fire style of a television correspondent and the facial hair of a radio correspondent. [laughter] mika rezenski is here. we both have partners named joe who used to be in congress and did not know when to stop talking. [laughter] and happening now, wolf pulitzer is here. -- blitzer is here. the only man in america with his own situation room. people assume that-cooler, but

this is not the case. as far as we have tried, we have not been able to generate the band with necessary to turn larry summers into a hologram. [laughter] we can't do it. one person they know could not be here tonight is secretary hillary clinton. as most of you know, hillary broker elbow a few days ago on her way to the white house. we all wish for a speedy recovery. i do have to say, while it has been reported as an accident, there were some suspicious circumstances. just before the incident, secret service spotted richard holbrooke sprang to be 40 all over the driveway. -- spraying wd-40. on top of the cost of health care and energy, we have another fiscal problem.

fortunately, the lawyers telerate -- tell me that hillary is ready to settle. [laughter] i have to admit, it was not easy coming up with fresh material for this dinner. a few nights ago, i was up tossing and turning trying to figure out exactly what to say. finally, when i could not get back to sleep, i rolled over and ask brian williams what he thought. [laughter] [applause] now the truth is, brian williams is actually a terrible houseguest. he put an empty milk carton back in the fridge, leaves his wet towels all over the roosevelt room, and were pretty sure he called the toilet and didn't tell anybody. -- clogged the toilet and didn't tell anybody. [laughter] i must say the whole thing was

worth it. inside the obama white house is my favorite new show. there is something really compelling aut the main character. a wonderful narrative'. in fact, the show has been such a hit that all of you guys now want to comment tape one in my house. abc is planning one called "dancing with the czars." [laughter] nick at nite has a new take on an old classic, leave it to a uighers. -- "leave it to uighers." i thought that was pretty good. these shows all be competing directly with governor schwarzenegger's new reality

series, i'm a celebrity, get me out of here. [laughter] that's how i feel tonight. it's nothing personal. but this dinner conflicts with my day and night. -- date night. i was posted well with michelle for thai food in bangkok. [laughter] but i have been doing a lot of traveling. i just returned from a trip abroad, as you know. in egypt, we toured the pyramids. by now, i'm sure all of you have seen the pictures of rahm on a camel. i was a little nervous about the whole situation. i said at the time, there is a wild animal known to buy tickets that, and who knows what a camel might do. [laughter]

-- bite, kick, and spit. who knows what a camel might do? [laughter] no matter where i went, there was one thing i heard over and over again from every world leader. no thanks, but have you considered -- [unintelligible] of course, most of my intentions have been focused year back home. as you know, we have been working around the clock to repair our financial institutions and our auto companies. you probably did not understand the concept of troubled industries working as you in the radio and television industry. [laughter] we don't joke about that, huh? [laughter]

that's not funny. one problem we are trying to solve is the high cost of health solve is the high cost of health care in americ i have gained the support of the american medical association. it proved true the old expression that it is easier to catch flies with honey. if honey does not work, feel free to use an open palm and a swift downward movement. [applause] the challenges we face are many, and i do not have all the answers. when i am not sure what is right, i often ask myself, wwld? what would a wise platinlatina ? i am proud of my nominee, sonia sotomayor, and to all those who

oppose her, to those -- i say this, i completely understand how you are feeling. [laughter] when you are upset, i am upset. another difficult challenge is how to help our automakers to arrive in the 21st century. we tried a number of different approaches. tonight, i am announcing a new one, a plan passed on to me by a close friend and adviser, oprah winfrey. if each of you will look under your seat, you get a car company. you get a car company. fox, you get aig. [laughter] enjoy. [laughter] i have said all along, i have no

ambition to run an auto company. gm will rise or fall on the quality of its products. like the taut, athletic design of the new buick enclave. it is more than transportation. it is a modern drivers retreat. come on, work with me here. i have got cars to move here, people. [laughter] [applause] in all seriousness, despite the jokes i have told, i am here tonight because i appreciate all of the work that you do and the role that you play. you report the news as it happens and you cover history as it is made with a hand-held camera or a microphone. you bring the truth to people

and allow people to bring truth to the world. we are seeing that now as history is unfolding in the sounds and images of broadcasts from around over the last week. we have seen professional and citizen journalists act as a voice for those who want to be heard. bearing witness to the universal aspirations of democracy and freedom, often at great risk and sometimes with great sacrifice. they do it because the rest of us need to hear the stories that they tell. we have seen the same courageous reporting and iraq and afghanistan, congo, every dangerous corner of the world. everywhere, there is a story that needs to be told. these are changing times. you understand that better than anyone. one thing that will never change is the need to report the news as it happens. wherever it happens.

this is what you do. this is what will help us meet the challenges of our time. we are grateful to you for that. thank you. god bless you. god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> president obama discusses his proposal for a new agency to oversee the sale and marketing of financial products to consumers. he is followed by senate republican leader mitch mcconnell with his party's address maureen gets help proposals that would increase medical costs. >> as we continue to recover from the historic economic crisis, it is clear to everyone that one of its major causes is a breakdown in oversight that

led to widespread abuses in the financial system. an epidemic of irresponsibility to cold from wall street to washington to main street. the consequences have been disastrous. millions of americans have seen their life savings erode. families have been devastated by job losses. businesses large and small have closed their doors. in response, this week my administration proposed a set of major reforms to the rules that govern our financial system. to attack the causes of this crisis and to prevent future crises from taking place, to ensure that our markets were fairly and freely for businesses and consumers alike. we are born to promote markets that work for those who play by the rules. we will stand up for a system in which they are dealing announced competition are the only way to win. we are born to level the playing field for consumers and we are born to have the kind of rules that encourage innovations that make our economy stronger, not those that allow insiders to exploit its witnesses for their own gain.

one of the most important proposals is a new oversight agency called the consumer financial protection agency. it is charged with just one job, looking out for the interests of ordinary americans in the financial system. this crisis may have started on wall street, but its impact have been felt by ordinary americans to rely on credit cards, home loans, and other bright angel instruments. it is true that this crisis was caused by americans who took on too much debt and took out loans they could not afford. but there are millions of americans to sign contracts that did not always understand, offered by lenders who did not always tell the truth. today folks running up for a mortgage comes due loans, or credit card face a bewildering array of incomprehensible options. companies compete by offering more complicated products with more hidden arms.

this new agency will have the responsibility to change that. they will have the power to set up new rules so that companies compete by offering innovative products that consumers actually want and actually understand. those ridiculous contracts, pages of fine print that we could figure out, will be a thing of the past. you will be held to compare products with descriptions in plain language, to see what is best for you. the most unfair practices will be banned. the rules will be enforced. some argue that these changes and many others we have called for go to far. i welcome debate about how we can make sure our regulations work for businesses and consumers. what i will not accept and vigorously oppose are those who do not argue in good faith. those who would defend the status quo at any cost. those who put their narrow interests ahead of the interests

of ordinary americans. we have already begun to see special interest mobilizing against change. that is not surprising. that is washington. these are interest that have benefited from a system that allowed ordinary americans to be exploited. these interests argue against reform even as millions of people are facing the consequences of this crisis in their own lives. these interested in business as usual, even though we know it was business as usual that allowed this crisis to take place. the american people did not send me to washington to give in to those interests. they sent me to washington to stand up for their interests. i am not spoiling for a fight, but i am ready for one. the most important thing we can do to put this era of irresponsibility in the past is to take responsibility now. that is why my illustrational except no less than real and lasting change to the way business is done -- why my administration will accept no less than real and lasting

change. we will do what it takes to prevent this kind of crisis from ever happening again. thank you. >> i am sent republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky. republicans and democrats agree that healthcare is in serious need of reform. americans are frustrated with a high cost of even basic treatments and procedures. millions are without coverage, and millions are worried about losing the care they have. that is why many of us are calling for reforms that would bring down the cost of care and ensure that those who need coverage can afford and obtaining. republicans have put forward common-sense solutions like reforming our medical liability laws to discourage junk lawsuits that make health care more expensive for everyone, strengthening wellness and prevention programs that encourage people to make healthy choices, such as quitting smoking and fighting obesity, and addressing the needs of small business without imposing new taxes that killed jobs.

unfortunately, some in washington insist on a different set of proposals that could make our current problems even worse, driving cost higher than the already are enforcing even those who are happy with their current coverage into a government-run system that could lead to the same denial, delay, and rationing of care that we have seen in other countries. but give them credit for trying to address the problem, but their proposals just are not the kind of reforms americans are looking for. this morning, i would like to focus on just one area where their proposals fall seriously short. cost. throughout this debate, the administration's central argument has been that america needs health care reform for the sake of the economy. yet according to independent estimates, every health care proposal democrats on capitol hill have offered would only hurt the economy. this week, the independent congressional budget office priced just a portion of these

proposals at well over one trillion dollars. the total cost would be much higher, burying us deeper and deeper in debt. yet democrats still want to rush the process. when it comes to health care reform, the democratic motto is clear, russia and spend, russia and spend -- rush and spend. if all this sounds familiar, it should. the economic stimulus bill from earlier this year was sold along the same lines. they said it was necessary to jumpstart the economy, even though it would plunge the country deeper into debt. they predicted that if passed it quickly, unemployment would not go higher than 8%. here we are just a few months later and the unemployment rate is approaching 10%. you might remember that the administration also promised it would keep an eye on every dollar spent. now we are learning about projects so ridiculous only the government could make them up.

a $578,000 grant that a town in your did not even request for a homeless problem it says it does not even have. $3.4 million to build a 13 foot long turtle tunnel at a lake in florida. that is more than $200,000 per foot for turtles. this one takes the cake in north carolina. more than $40,000 in stimulus bonds will go to pay the salary of someone whose job is to apply for more stimulus funds. faced with rising unemployment and reports of stimulus ways, the administration concedes it made a mistake on its predictions about the stimulus, but that has not kept it from pushing the government takeover of health care that america's doctors oppose. before the administration said that government spending would keep unemployment low. now they say new government health plan will keep costs low.

expecting a government run system to help the economy is like praying for rain in the middle of a flood. the thing you are asking for is the last thing you need. so far, that is pretty much been the message of every independent analysis that has looked at the democratic plans for health care. if the stimulus bill taught us anything, is that we should be wary any time someone in washington says the sky is going to fall unless congress approves trillions of dollars immediately. yet once again in the health- care debate, it is rush and it's been, rush and spend. americans want the right health care reform, and that means taking the time and care necessary to get it right. against republican advice, they rushed the stimulus. we should not rush to get on something as important and costly as health care.

>> of next, bill clinton and steny hoyer. then we will bring you a conversation with columnist george will. after that, president obama's remarks at the radio and television correspondents dinner. >> tomorrow on "washington journal," tony blankley on iran, health care, and u.s. politics. former virginia congressman tom davis will talk about the republican party and issues like health care, and kevin baker, contributing ever be the editor for harper's magazine discusses his recent cover story about barack obama. "washington