streets of tehran without been deeply moved, so i would imagine and anticipate that the president will come out more strongly today. host: what advice would you give him? guest: follow the example of our founding fathers that declared that all of us are endowed with certain unalienable rights. senator daniel webster, when the greeks rose up against the turks in 1823, i would love to give you the full quote, but he said it is our duty to stand for people who are struggling for freedom. and ronald reagan, when he gave the evil empire speech, nathan -- said it spread through the gulag like wild fire. after the berlin wall came down, people behind the curtains said that you were our hope and are

beaten. that is what america is. it is interesting, of course, to see the prime minister of england, the chancellor of germany and the president of france have been far stronger in their comments. . host: how is he doing? guest: well, i think he has succeeded in getting his agenda

through. unfortunately, it is not a change in climate in washington. it has been done for a long time. it was done by republicans. you pick off two or three republicans and you get your legislation passed. that is an effective way, but it is not a changing climate. but most of all, i think he has mortgaged our children's futures. i think he has created generational that in laying this incredible deficit on the future generations. you cannot spend money like this without sooner or later to -- paying a heavy price for it. who five months ago about the automobile companies, largest insurance company, financial institutions, etc., and yet, there is no way out. and yet, despite rhetoric, we

just passed through the senate and house a bill that was supposed to be for afghanistan and iraq at a close to $3 billion or $4 billion goes to come from -- close to clunkers. what does that have to do with iraq and afghanistan? nothing, it has everything to do with special interests. i'm very worried about the economic impact of this spending on the future of america. it is my great concern and, frankly, our national security around the world, whether it be north korea, iran, relations with russia. there are many challenges. >> richard is annika -- host: richard is on the phone from newport. caller: i would like to ask a couple of things, really, but first, when are you going to

stand up as a conservative, get some cuts in the republican party of there and stand up to these stupid people for wasting your money up there? and second,ç when are you going to pass a bill that at the end of your first term you do not get a full retirement or whatever you have been getting up there while the rest of those people out here have to work 30, 40 years just to get half of what we were getting when we were paid? guest: richard, i have been standing up and i would be glad to provide you a record of that. i fought against the stimulus package and i fought against this budget that is simply out of control but i also will continue to provide alternatives to the american people in the path and direction i think we should go. for example, with healthcare, i think we should remove the employer provided tax benefits

to employees and give every family a $5,000 refundable tax credit, rather than have a government-funded health care system, which is the path we are headed on. i do not have the majority of votes, but i understand your frustration. sometimes i feel it. the american people's approval of the way we do business here is very low and i will continue to fight cancer of the pot -- the country as best i can. host: ken is on the line from north carolina. go ahead. caller: why is the government continuing to spend money on health care instead of fixing the problems with medicare and medicaid before spending this money? host: we will come back and follow up on your second point. guest: the problem is that medicaid and medicare costs are out of control. the original estimate we passed

medicare was not very smart -- and i forgot the amount. host: $500 million in 1965. guest: the costs are completely out of control and the key to it is competition. and better ways of providing health care as opposed to expansion of that out of control system that is now one fifth of our gross domestic product. host: ken, your follow-up? caller: the treatment of the unions have gone with gm and now with the taxing on health benefits possibly, i find it into a string -- interesting that the $1.5 billion as a liquid to cover 12 million people with health insurance, which is continually roughly

about the same number of illegal aliens we have in the country. what are your thoughts on that? guest: i think a part of the $47 million -- i think it is 47 million people that are illegally in this country. but relative to your question, last week there was a budget congressional office report -- and by the way, they are generally nonpartisan. it showed that the plan that we are considering in the senate on the health committee that i am under would only insurer one- third of the uninsured and would have a cost of $1 trillion just to insure that one-third of the people that would need insurance. if you do the math to ensure everyone, that is the -- that is $3 trillion. i'm sure the democrats are running that without any

consultation from us and have not come out with any proposal as far as whether employers would be required to offer health insurance for their employees and what these so- called government option is. so, here we are looking at a bill that insurers only one- third of the uninsured and costs $1 trillion to do that. host: you have been to iraq on how many occasions? guest: i have lost count, but i imagine it is eight or nine times. host: is an e-mail -- guest: well, the private contractors issues being addressed, whether it be people building things or the security

forces that are providedç, including to the iraqi government. i'm sure there are jobs that need to be created in iraq. i am pleased that the economic progress that they have made. they have just recently upped their oil output. they have just been through years of a terribly savage war ended is going to take a while to rebuild their economy. -- and it is going to take a while to rebuild their economy. and they do things that -- they make a lot of mistakes and it is going to take time. but there are also those into iran who want the same kind of freedom. there are still a lot of problems in iraq, corruption, assassinations going on, yesterday or the day before there was a huge car bombing that killed like 100 people.

but there also out from under saddam hussein, who bloodily repress them. host: you are seeking a fifth term next year? guest: yes. host: next is bonnie from middletown, new jersey. caller: good morning, senator mccain. earlier we had talked about the deficit spending, there is a difference between deficit spending and what you would do with private insurance. during reagan's time, we became -- we went from being the biggest lender nation to the biggest debtor nation. now we are trying to invest in our people. my main issue is your view on health care. 90% of bank of this -- of bankruptcy is are due to catastrophic illnesses and with the unemployment rate creeping

towards 10%, that is only going to become more so. you are offering a $5,000 tax credit for health care. my insurance costs $20,000. collectively, between my employer and myself. how is $5,000 going to help? and the cost of the private health care is due to the private insurance -- interests. the insurance companies are driving of the costs with the public plan and, certainly, with the single payer plan that would be eliminated. i do not understand your reluctance to a public plan if you are so concerned about competition. isn't that what helps the economy and regulates our market? we would adopt -- offering an option that would cause competition. host: we have an argument from susan goldman along the same lines. whereas the competition been for

40 years? guest: that was part of my campaign was to reform health care. and everybody knows it is broken endeavour one knows it is not affordable. -- and everyone knows it is not affordable. the shot that she took of ronald reagan, if you look it up, you will see that when he took office in 1981, unemployment was in double digits, interest rates for a 21% and inflation was double digits as well because of the excesses of the previous years. we went through some tough times and then went to the longest time of economic growth in the history of our country. i'm very proud of the record that ronald reagan had, not to mention winning the cold war without firing a shot. we want to give every met -- every family refundable tax credit so they can go across state lines, which they cannot now, and shop around for the

health insurance that they need and want to take care of their family. according to the statistics that i have, a $5,000 refundable tax credit would get them and affordable and adequate health insurance policy. you are in that bracket to which is very generous health insurance plan. it is a long story, but during world war ii when we have price wage controls and employers provided free and open -- free health benefits, they were tax- free. you take away the tax credits -- if you put in a taxation for health insurance if employers provide it, and at the same time give every american a $5,000 refundable tax credit, if you do the math, it almost every american family would be able to goç out with greater competitin and receive health insurance

that is suitable to them. if you want the government to run health care, if you want the government to run automobile corporations, if you want the government to run institutions that are generally more efficient and better run by the private sector with competition, and when bigfoot government comes in and compete with private business of america, they obviously have significant advantages. and according to the cbo report, this plan before us, which would crowd out -- which means pushing private health insurance companies out of business and inevitably lead to a government run health care -- i do not think that is what we want. they have it in other countries where they have to ration health care and there are great delays in receiving even elementary health care needs, such as operations. that is not what i want for america. if you think that america should

have a public, government run health care system, i respect your view. i disagree with it. host: lynn wants to follow up on bonnie's point. guest: i do not think that they do, to start with, and second cannot it is interesting that when someone welty -- and a second, it is interesting that when someone wealthy need health care, they come to america to get it. the problem is not the quality of the care. the problem is the cost of care and the inflation associated with care, which has to be brought under control. but wellness and fitness, prevention, rewarding people for good, healthy behavior -- there is a whole range of options that we can exercise to bring health care costs under control. including what may go and other

health-care providers -- mayo and other of care providers have, which is overall procedure included. we can do this without going to a government run system. again, those countries that have gone to a government run systems, they ration health care and there are delays in receiving some operations. in some cases, if you're too old, you just do not get them, told. that is not the system i want. -- you just cannot get them, i am told. that is of the system i want. caller: good morning, senator mccain. thank you for your service. your one of the most honorable man i have witnessed on tv. guest: thank you, sir. caller: i have a question with north korea. it is a problem.

how big of a problem? and i wish your eye at the helm -- you were at the helm. guest: well, thank you, bill. as we speak, there is a destroyer named after my father and grandfather that is tracking a north korean vessel. there is published information that it may be carrying weapons or technology that our nuclear in nature. -- that our nuclear in nature. it is common knowledge that the north koreans and iranians were working together on nuclear -- the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. so, north korea does pose a threat in their proliferation of nuclear weapons. the israelis had to attack and destroy a facility in syria that

was being built with the assistance of the north koreans. it is a very serious situation in north korea. now, the u.n. resolution is inadequate as the kind of description i can give you because they say, we cannot afford one of these ships, but follow it into port and expect the people that are in the port to have the inspection. well, this sport is headed for me and more. me and more is not going to -- for myanmar. myanmar is not going to inspect this ship. we should, and the interest of national security if we know, and we have intelligence capabilityç, that a north koren ship is carrying technology or weapons systems that could endanger the national security of the u.s., then we should aboard those ships. host: this morning in the "new

york times" they say the news from afghanistan is grim and they're talking about the failing forces within the country and say that the taliban must be confronted head on to turn around the war. afghans must begin to trust their own government more than they either fear or trust the extremists. guest: the situation in afghanistan is very rough and that is why we have -- and i agree with the president. he instituted a policy where we send to significantly more troops. there's a question as to whether there will be even 10,000 more cent this year. we just change the command structure and the commanders. there will be increases and -- increasing casualties, unfortunately. as we move south, i am happy to say that the dire precautions about pakistan have not come true. the pakistani military starting

to act in a more effective fashion. the people in some parts of pakistan -- and i know afghanistan as well -- have rejected the taliban and even fought against them. it is good to be a long, hard, tough slog. things are difficult down there. we have an election coming up in afghanistan this summer and we want to make sure that it is a free and fair election. but no one should think that this is going to be easy. it is going to be extremely difficult. but we cannot allow afghanistan to return to a base where radical islamic elements are able to launch attacks on the u.s. and our allies. host: next call from hillsborough, calif.. good morning on the independent line. caller: i am honored to talk to you. and you are the main reason why men independent.

-- why i am an independent. i respect you so much, being a freemason. i cannot tell you the stuff i hear, about as top-secret as the stuff you talk about. if you would have stuck to your guns with the taxes and immigration, you would have won. from the heart, you would have won. i respect obama and i respect a lot of what he is doing, but with a bunch of liberals, it is hard. you are the main reason i am an independent. we saw you fighting for the family in florida down there.

guest: thank you for those kind words. it is pretty clear that some of your frustrations are felt by many americans. the we are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people who are registering as independent voters. thank you, alfredo. host: do you tweet? guest: oh yeah, all the time. by the way, facebook and ritter had an impact in this iranian situation. -- end to torturand twitter hadn this iranian situation. it is interesting to read the twitters from the streets of tehran, particularly at its height a couple of days ago.

host: you saw what happened in the 1970's. what you think ultimately will go on? guest: i think ultimately, democracy will prevail. i think the people of iran have indicated their dissatisfaction with the status quo and the radical clerics' tight control of the country. this is a very old country and an old culture and a very sophisticated one. people are not going to stand for that forever. i think you can draw a parallel between when the prague spring was repressed and the polish workers were repressedç. and by the way, reagan stood up for them right away as a liberal democrats as well as conservative spiris. the way that iran is being a government is discredited, totally discredited in the eyes

of the world. over time, you will see is to begin change in iran. now, how long it would take and under what circumstances are impossible to predict. but those young people who sacrificed their lives and their physical well-being in the streets of tehran, their legacy will be fulfilled. it is just a matter of when. host: we have a political tweet from david ryan, who himself is a candidate for congress. he wonders if you will run for president in 2012. guest: no, i have had my chance twice and it is so tomblin to have had the nomination of my party, but it is -- is so humbling to have the had the nomination of my party, but we need to have a new generation of leaders out there. i am confident that we are going to redound. i remember when the -- to rebound.

i remember when the pundits said this about the party. host: next up is tim from georgia. tim, please go ahead. caller: first, i have a lot of admiration for senator mccain. i supported you greatly during the campaign. but i do have to bring us back to health care. i have to agree with the lady that said for $5,000 we can get health care for a family. i know from here in georgia, a family of four, a $5,000 credit on our income taxes would be very difficult to actually put adequate, quality health care on a family of four. having done that myself where i spent over $12,000 a year for a family of four to insure them adequately. that is our biggest problem.

my wife is in the health-care industry. she is a doctor. i see the problem as more the insurance issue of not being able to pull smaller companies -- we have a small business and we cannot afford to put adequate health care -- to provide adequate health care for our employees of three. host: what is your business? caller: we have a dental office. my wife is a dentist. what i would like to see is instead of a single provider, is actually, maybe some guidelines for the insurance industry where we are able to take small businesses and go across state lines and pull those individuals, or those smaller businesses, into a larger pool to bring our health care costs down. guest: we're in agreement. to start with, the $5,000

refundable tax credit is for every family in america and there are 47 million americans who are uninsured. if you have a kind of competition that you are talking about -- i understand there are 1300 different health insurance companies in america and they would all compete across state lines, which they cannot do now. and it would bring the cost of health care down and the inflation associated with it. i would imagine, if you are still on the line, you are fairly satisfied -- about 70% of the american people are satisfied with the health insurance that they have. they're just worried about affording it. i'm convinced that if you keep the cost of health care down, providing competition, you can give every american family the opportunity to have at least some minimum health care. again, i would be glad to send you the statistics. $5,000 refundable tax credit for a family will be enough to give americans a minimum health- insurance policy, which they can

then expand if they want to with their own money. but the fact is that we have got to give every american family, in my view, at least a $5,000 refundable tax credit so that at least they can go out and shop around for a minimum that would handle off catastrophic and others. it is all part of a larger effort to address the problem of the cost of health care. again, if you are not satisfied with your health insurance, and i would imagine that youç are, then i think you ought to go to a place that has health insurance that best suits you and your family. that is part of this proposal. prevention, wellness, fitness, treatment on an outbreak -- outcome based treatment, it is all part of the proposal. but to city government-run health care system with you and your wife -- but to say that

government-run healthcare system with you and your wife obligated to pay for employees, otherwise you will pay a fine of some kind, that is not my vision of health care in america. host: john sent in this tweet. guest: very proud, of course. my dad and granddad both served their country in war and in peace and i'm grateful to have the heritage, including my young son, fourth generation of the exact same name graduating from the naval academy a couple of weeks ago. by the way, the president of the united states at that ceremony gave a very good speech. host: 1 bob dole lost the election in 1986, he turned to george mcgovern and said, when does it stop hurting and george mcgovern said, i will let you know. guest: i stopped hurting about a