for what purpose does the gentleman from florida rise? mr. stearns: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. stearns: good morning, madam speaker. my colleagues, it is vital that the elected officials in the united states express their solidarity with those who peacefully advocated for freedom in iran. it is clear that the votes in the iranian elections were manipulated. an analysis by the london-based chatham house found a turnout in two provinces exceeded 100% along with other fraudulent activities. how could they count 40 million votes in four hours, many of them paper votes? let's see a list of registered voters and voter turnout by province. and how these elections compare with earlier iranian elections. these are crucial questions and considerations in determining the validity of these elections. i agree with the president that the disputed elections are a matter for the iranians to resolve themselves.

however as a leader of the free world, the president should have stepped up earlier in support of the pro-democracy demonstrators and in condemning the attacks on them. and he should ask where is the proof? where is the proof in the iranian elections. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? >> i rise to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> i rise to recognize the outstanding contributions of the outgoing presidents and mayors from the eighth district of illinois. in may following retirements, many of our local leaders left office, including bill jentee, scott gifford, keith hunt, dick hyde, cindy irwin, kathryn bartlett, rita mullins, tim perry, sal and john.

their longstanding service embodies what leadership is about. our mayors often serve as the voice of our local communities and is the closest contact for people on government issues. i thank them for their dealings with my office on federal issues. i've enjoyed working with each and every one of them and wish them the best of success. they assisted our office in betting serving our communities and all illinois families. i ask unanimous consent to enter into the recordhis list of past presidents and mayors. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. bean: and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia rise? mr. moran: to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. moran: thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, for weeks this

body has been subjected to uninformed, false demagoguery with regard to president obama's effort to close the prison at guantanamo bay. i want to share some actual facts with regard to the people at guantanamo bay. 772 were sent between the years 2001 and 2003. they are clearly not the worse of the worst. according to the department of defense's status review tribunal, only 8% of the detainees were characterized as fighters. 92% were not fighters. of all the foreign nationals at guantanamo bay, only 5% were captured by united states forces, 2% by coalition forces, but 93% were turned in by primarily pakistani forces in return for ransom, oftentimes as much as $5,000. and from d.o.d. records, a significant majority of the detainees were not even accused of committing a single hostile

act. madam speaker, it's time to put aside the rhetoric and start informing our constituents. we are a better nation than the demagoguery we have been subjected to over guantanamo bay. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york rise? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. towns: thank you, madam speaker. i would like to talk about the financial emergency facing the postal service. we must act now to correct this problem. the postal service lost nearly $2 billion in the second quarter. and expects to lose more than $6.5 billion in 2009. despite cutting billions in costs, it faces an unprecedented decline in mail volume due to the recession and the diversion of mail to electronic communications.

uniquely, the postal service is supposed to pay $5 billion annually into the retirement benefits trust fund which is overfunded compared to similar companies. and law requires the postal service to shell out billions of dollars to pre-fund retirement benefits regardless of economic or financial conditions. the postal service expects a cash shortfall of $1.5 billion at the end of the fiscal year. and might not be able to meet its financial obligations. this situation is a threat to postal employees and customers. we must act now to address the financial emergency at the postal service and continue to work on it -- the long-term challenges as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california rise? ms. watson: to address the

house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. watson: madam speaker, we need to urgently need to fix health care, for our american businesses and families and for our future. president barack obama and his congress want to reduce your cost, offer you the choice of doctors and plans and guarantee affordable quality health care for all, cost less and cover more. your choice. you have it, you like it, then you keep it. security and peace of mind, quality patient centered care. we need a uniquely american solution that builds on the best of what works, to foster competition among private plans and provide patients with quality choices. we must ensure that every child in america is covered. we must invest in prevention and wellness. we must ensure that doctors and nurses get the information they

need. never again will your coverage be denied and never again have we to make a life or a job decision based on coverage. never let your family suffer financial can tath row fee or bankruptcy. thank you -- can tath row fee or bankruptcy. thank you -- catastrophe or bankruptcy. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. boehner: to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman from ohio is recognized for one minute. mr. boehner: madam speaker and my colleagues, three years ago the democratic leadership promised in their document "a new direction," made these promises. and i quote. every person in america has a right to have his or her voice heard. no member of congress should be silenced on the house floor. secondly, and i quote, respectfully -- respectful of both the wishes of the founders and the expectations of the american people, we offer the

following principles to restore democracy in the people's house . guaranteeing that the voices of all people are heard. and thirdly, one of those principles was this, and i quote, bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows for an open, full and fair debate consisting of full amendment process that grants the minority its right to offer alternatives including a substitute. madam speaker, today and over the last few months, the majority is breaking its promise. why? because democrats here in congress just can't spend taxpayer money fast enough. it is bad for taxpayers who are already paying too much and it's even worse for future generations who will inherit the democrats' mountain of unsustainable debt. americans want democrats to stop the spending and start keeping their promises. like helping to create more jobs in america.

where are the jobs that the administration and democrats in congress promised? after we passed the stimulus bill, where are the jobs? we haven't seen them yet. the american people deserve better, and republicans will continue to demand it. madam speaker, this in my hand is the most dangerous credit card in the history of the world. it's also the most expensive. it's a voting card for members of congress. this voting card this year has been used to rack up trillions of dollars worth of additional debt. additional debt that our kids and our grandkids will be burdened under and will be imprisoned by. listen, we have important work to do here on the floor such as the defense authorization bill that we're about to take up. republicans have been working with democrats on this bill to get it done in a bipartisan way. i think we also have a responsibility to protect taxpayers from washington's out-of-control spending.

we take that seriously, and we'll never yield in our efforts to protect taxpayers and future generations. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. boehner: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. boehner: i move that the house now do adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio rise? mr. boehner: madam speaker, i demand the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will please rise. a sufficient number having the demonstrators

themselves see the united states calling for regime change, a loaded term in that part of the world following the iraq war in becomes more complicated. it answers the united states into something that would complicate the demonstrators' cause. host: guest: let's go to the phones. -- host: but the to the phones. caller: i would like to talk about the history ofiran. we overthrew the government in 1973 by the cia and we install shah was a mass-murder. look at what we have done to those people? what you talk about what is going on ingaza, send all your

news people there and to what is happening to those people in gaza. we spent $500 million to destabilize the iranian elections and what you see now with all the cellphone and twitter -- that is where our money when. when will america stop being one big hit agree? i'm sick of these elected officials and so-called expert to get on tv and have no, have no idea of the history of this country and what we have done tuesday iranian people. host: historical perspective can be a big part of this. guest: yes, the caller raises a good point. obama raised couthe question abt that coup. the ayatollah khamenei led a revolution that overthrew the government. that is when hostages were

taken in the u.s. embassy. it began 30 years of very antagonistic relations between the u.s. and iran. part of what the caller is frustrated with -- use the word hypocrisy, which i think it's an interesting term, one that i think the obama administration is aware of. if you look at cuba, for example, it is something that is a hypocritical u.s. policy in a part of the world that drives a lot of countries down their crazy. his talk about the embargo in cuba and its limits. he talked in cairo about the 1953 coup. other that will clear the air and allow people to start over -- maybe not because there's a lo of history. he mentioned gaza. i was a correspondent there. these are stories that emerge and then slip back out of sight quite a bit.

i think he expresses a lot of frustration. much frustration that is felt in the arab world about u.s. policy. host: in addition to being a juror salaam your chief, and has also served in latin america and elsewhere joins us. our next call is from miami. caller: good morning, i am a cuban-american. i do not know what your opinion is about that. in to both we have no freedom. i have never been able to visit my homeland. anyway, why should we apologize all the time? 9/11, i don't think we need to apologize -- we have done wrong in the world, but we have done good. i am not jewish, but we cannot abandon the jewish people either because they are our friends.

that last phone call written a thought that would be over when obama was elected. i did not like it against bush, i do not like it against the present government, but anyway, syria -- i am not educated like you, sir, but they have been around a long time and created a lot of mischief. i don't know if that is the smartest thing that we should do. guest: those are all good points, again. there is a balance that i think this administration is trying to strike between trying to clear the air and not been seen a going around the world and apologizing. he has been criticized particularly by conservative republicans in congress for doing that. in terms of syria, i think what -- in terms of the whole middle east, and you mentioned israel,

what the administration is trying to do is to bring more balance to the relationship between t united states and israel and the united states and its arab neighbors so that it can regain our role s and honest broker. during the bush administration we were seen as so pro-israel that the united states could not stand as and interlocutor among those nations for reasons partly because we did not have any diplomatic presence in damascus. i'm not sure help the russian ship will develop with the syrian ambassador, but the administration believes it is better to talk and be present with and not to be. i think that is the logic. host: we're joined on the democrats' line from newark, new

jersey. caller: thank you to your balanced response to the questions coming your way. as a person who watches c-span consistently, it is a pleasure to hear you cannot avoid questions posed to you. my question to you as a reporter for "the washington post" regarding john mccain and lindsey gramm attacking the president's response to the situation iniran, do you s a writer for net to be out of hand on their part and only politically motivated? do you think -- what are we supposed to do in response, technically, to what is happening andiran? should we sit back, observe, and be the third party like the rest of the world was to our own the elections? be thankful that there was a process seat that the people are responding to change?

guest: it is a good question. on being out of hand i do not think so. i think the debate taking place captures the two wings of foreign policy thought. republic hawks believe and voke ronald reagan and the cold war has been unambiguous in their criticism of authoritarian government. the they are calling for obama to say clearly, we do not want this government in iran to be in power anymore. the obama administration believes that is counter- productive. pragmatism calls for dealing with the government in front of you and as you correctly noted at the end, what exactly would that accomplish? john mccain said clearly over the weekend he is not calling for u.s. troops to be in iran or anything like that. it is unclear exactly what the republicans are looking for and

why what the president has said so far is weak, and then stopping short of a call for a regime change which would be complicated and a part of the world. i think it is just a big, not out of hand. the president said yesterday he believes john mccain is passionate, but he does not agree with them. host: is he doing with foreign policy compared to his domestic agenda? guest: i think the american public has a lot of confidence in what he is doing. he is getting high marks in the polls. higher than in some of his domestic policy, particularly his managing of the federal budget. health care now is on capitol hill. i believe there are five different committees writing this legislation now people are concerned about this complicated subject. he addressed that yesterday also. at this time many of us are

hunting for an ideology. the bush administration had a very clear sense of the way that it saw the world -- freedom as represented by democracy which they defined in different ways was their goal. it became a mother became sort of the purity to it that at times and bumped up against reality. for example, in egypt and authoritarian government challenged by a democratic movement -- the bush administration supported the authoritarian government. hypocrisy came up there. the obama administration is avoiding debt. it is a very pragmatic, not a very emotionally-satisfying response at times. you want to stand up and shout, and the republicans demand that. this administration sits back

and says it might be easier to do that in the short term, but in the long term we need to be pragmatic. this government is very important and we have to deal with it. host: john on the independent line is joining us from rockport, new york. caller: hello. my comment is this, there seems to be a trend ofiran developing nuclear weapons, on the other hand, israel has 200-300 of their own nuclear devices. secondly, there seems to be a great deal of credibility put into the tweets and twitter which was rolled out only two months before all this happen. also myspace -- myspace is owned by rupert murdoch who also owns