yes, sir. >> first, on ben bernanke, he spoke on capitol hill today. many are concerned about fed policy role in the bank of america merger. -- about the fed's role in the bank of america merger. >> the president has confidence in the role that the fed will play going forward to ensure what has happened will never happen again. >> can you give us a flavor as to forwaht president -- as to wt

president obama will be speaking of? >> we saw her in germany not to many weeks ago. i think they will continue conversations as we get to the g-8. it will be on continuing to get the economy back on track. they will talk about clean energy and climate change. obviously, north korea and iran would be discussed as they were in germany. i assume that issues like guantanamo bay and others will be on the docket. >> yesterday, at the health care reform, president obama expressed frustration on how the budget office scores health

care. is he planning mass it -- is he planning not necessarily to listen to what the cbo says? >> obviously, they are the budgetary scorekeeper. obviously, we will abide by that. i think there is some frustration in the notion that -- the cbo has a defined mission. some agreements in the savings that are being padilla here are not -- are being put together here are not "scorable."

i think the president mentioned that. but we will abide by the cbo. >> deal have reaction all -- do you have reaction at all about the remarks about the president? do they see him as relevant at all? or are they more concerned about the relationship with the supreme leader? >> the president has said for more than a week and half that there are people in iran want to make this not about a debate among iranians in iran, but about the u.s. and the west. you can name ahmadinejad as among the list of people who want to make this about the united states. obviously, the person who has the authority to make decisions

over national security and foreign policy, the primary national interest that we hold, the nuclear weapons program, the support and sponsorship of terror -- >> with immigration reform, in terms of getting everybody to talk about what you agree on or where you disagree, what you would do said this point in terms of reaching some agreement? >> i hesitate to predict -- i am not sure what number i could give. >> [unintelligible] >> i think the president looks

at today's meeting as a continuation of a process and that he hopes will result in is becoming a more formal legislative debate later in the year. if you look at the group that is coming today, you have those who have been for and against comprehensive immigration before in the past. the president looks forward to today's meeting as a way toward progress in moving down the war -- down the road. >> does the president agree with senator schuman, all american

workers need to have id cards? >> i do not have anything on that aspect of the legislation or his ideas. at this point, i do not think there is a bill that is moving through congress. >> what about the president's thoughts? >> i will have to talk to him about that. >> you said a couple of days ago that americans are concerned and upset with the president about the deficit and have very to be. -- and have a right to be. >> [unintelligible] [laughter] >> [unintelligible] >> slam dunk. [laughter]

>> is the present concerned that the -- is the president concerned? polls indicate that the president does not have a plan. >> the president hopes to cut the deficit in half over the next four years. as you have heard us talk about this before, we did not get here overnight. and it is good to take us awhile to get back on a path toward fiscal responsibility. one of the things that he has talked about is ensuring that we are making progress on health care reform as a way to bring the deficit down. changing the curve on our health spit -- our health care spending, medicaid, i think the

president has outlined projects that he believes are not necessary spending. he issued a statement of administration policy today. upon the advice of the secretariat and senior advisers, -- of the secretary and senior advisor, the plans would be sent back. the president and the american people are rightly concerned about the enormous jump in spending we have seen over the past few years. i think they understand it will take time to get back on that path. but the president does have a plan. part of that is to get the

economy going. >> there is concern that he is losing a lot of ground with liberal supporters. >> and what way? >> with compromises and self- worth -- and so forth. >> i think the president would agree with many who have said he is not going to get everybody to be with him all the time, liberal or conservative, republican or democrat. the president believes, first and foremost, we have to make progress on the issues that face this country. i think his record in the senate' is bringing groups together to do that. >> [unintelligible] >> he does have a plan of its own. as we discussed a few times a

year, those plans have to get through the legislative plans down the street. hopefully, it will come back here. there is healthy debate and finding common ground. >> [unintelligible] >> i think the finance committee is making progress. there are other committees on capitol hill that are getting comprehensive health-care reform to the floor and botin both thee and house. >> there is a lot of inaccurate information out there. >> i think you still see some that oppose taking strong action. one, they say this will hurt

jobs, not produce jobs. as you saw in the president's statement today and as you have seen in the investments we have made in cleaning -- -- in clean energy to the recovery act, creating a marketplace for clean energy will create jobs. we are going to have to figure in this country -- those jobs are going to be created. there were a number of windmill's producing energy in a clean way in germany. the question is, are we going to produce those jobs that create those blades and build those turbines or are we going to import them from somewhere else? secondly, i think many opponents have used inaccurate

information or make up numbers on how much a piece of legislation like this would cost the amped -- the average american family 11 years from now. the cbo reported the equivalent of 60 cents per day in 2020. >> on the immigration bill, do you feel that you have to -- [unintelligible] how important is this year for emigration? >> even numbered as opposed are numbered? it is a debate that will take some time. the more yotime you have, the

better. >> that could work against it, too. it could make it harder for you to get the votes you need. >> unless we can find some common ground, unless we can figure out a way, and i think the president has found a way to start this process, we can find a way to strengthen our borders, ensure that there are not incentives for employers to hire undocumented workers, as well as bringing them out of the shadows. if we can make some progress on all three of those bowls, instead of splitting it up -- if we can make some progress on all three of those goals, instead of

splitting it up into three coalitions. >> [unintelligible] >> my sense is that, without speaking with him directly about this, the president believes that the protest to be one that is comprehensive. the notion that we can deal with this larger problem by dealing with one aspect, you're not when to make it. >> [unintelligible] >> rate, again, i am not sick -- right, again, i am not suggesting that the time is not right.

the president believes that one aspect of this bill does not constitute comprehensive. we have to do that in order to make progress. >> on the energy bill, what is the white house's view on provisions that have come up about punishing countries who do not have similar controls on their carbon emissions. how important are the details of this bill right now? >> i have seen very little. it has been something, but not any detailed way. i have not focused on that. in terms of their larger

picture, getting something on to the floor and through the house would constitute a big step toward progress and would create momentum for it to get done. we are at a time and place where the president said today that those that can deny the plan is getting warmer, we are past, in many ways, that debate. we have an opportunity to create millions of clean energy jobs. we have an opportunity to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. all of that, together, would represent a big step forward. i think the president believes that that would be an important

facet of getting something to his desk that he can sign. >> the details are less important. >> obviously, the fundamental details are important. moving the bill ford is tremendously important. -- moving the bill forward is tremendously important. these are the first few steps. i imagine some of those details will debated -- will be debated further as this goes to the other side of the hill and ultimately, when both bodies iron out whatever differences exist. >> the president was not able to give much detail on what he has in mind on limiting health care or who would make the decision,

how it will be enforced. is he clear in his mind about what he wants? >> as you heard in full last night, there are highly skilled professional people in our health-care system, doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, specialists, that are making those decisions now. those are the people that will make those decisions moving forward. i think the president used examples on how we can increase the quality by paying for health outcomes rather than protest and procedure. -- rather than per test and procedure.

there is a heavy amount of waste in the system. the president said this to the ama. these are individuals that have spent a lot of time in school, racked up a lot of debt, because they want to practice medicine, not because they want to be administrators or bean counters or paper pushers. they want to be healers. they're going to make those decisions. >> so he believes that end of life health care should be limited even more? way too much is being spent on terminally ill patients. >> i think the president mentioned one aspect of what people can do.

one is to clearly signal to loved ones your end of let decisions if you cannot have them in a living will. >> for the meeting tomorrow with the chancellor, she said that she wants to talk about the exit strategy with the president. a couple of weeks ago, when the finance ministers met, they said was too early to be talking about that. >> for what? >> for pumping money into the global economy. does the president think it is time to talk about an exit strategy? >> the president stressed in his news conference with the notion that he is thus far unsatisfied, as many americans are, of where

this economy continues to be. we're making progress. i think the president is still focus on insuring the quick implementation of the recovery legislation and the continued monitoring of different aspects of our recovery, whether it is housing, financial stabilization, capital markets. i think the president believes there is work left to be done. >> will the president be taking business people with him? have some been invited? >> i will have to check on that. there is something that celebrates the cooperation of

u.s. and russian businesses. but i do not know how that is all worked out. >> [unintelligible] [laughter] [unintelligible] >> i believe is the second day. i think it will be the seventh. there is a civil society event. and there is a business event in which we will talk about cooperation between the two countries. >> [unintelligible] arms control is supposed to be a --

the choice of venue, does that mean -- >> discussing the economy is an aspect of virtually everything the president does. it is something that is discussed in russia. on the trip, the purpose and the primary goals we have been doing is to make progress and further progress on agreements that we hope to be finished by the end of the year. that would be progress on further eliminating the number of nuclear weapons on each side. >> [unintelligible] >> yes, i think so. >> has the president had any direct conversations with his friend warren buffett.

>> and not that i am aware of. >> has he convey those views? >> i don't believe they have talked recently. it appeared to me that the analysis might have been based on legislation where more of the permits were sold at an auction rather than given. >> red, that is a question. >> now that i know of -- right, that is my question. >> not that i know of. >> you keep saying that you expect to begin a formal debate. do you think the president will

actually sign on immigration? >> we hope so. i forgot my crystal ball. i cannot predict what ending the game will end in. -- i can predict what inning the game will end in. >> [unintelligible] the top republican on the immigration subcommittee was left out. can a meeting -- can anything be done in a meeting with 30 people? >> [unintelligible] [laughter] there are 535 members of

congress. 30 of them constitutes, in a very quick manner, less than 5% of congress. [unintelligible] [laughter] i think if you look at the people, there is a pretty diverse cross-section. there are members from both sides of the aisle. this is not the first meeting where immigration has been the big topic. i doubt it will be the last. the number of people that are important to the debate are in this meeting. i do not think that if you have the meeting of 30 people that you cannot or will not get something done.

>> [unintelligible] >> i do not know the answer to why he is not on there. >> use 7 digit the subject with the chancellor was guantanamo -- you said that the subject with the chancellor was guantanamo. [unintelligible] [unintelligible] >> i do not have it all in front of me. i think the european union put out a statement on this within the last 10 days. obviously, italy came here and said they are going to take three chinese. i think spain said that i think portugal has said that. i think there has been a lot of progress on this issue.

some of it may not quite be getting out there to everybody. >> on health care, the president made it a point -- while he maintains it is still not his choice, would you say that he has an appreciation for the possibility that it is increasing? do you think it is totally up in there? >> the president said last night that it is the wrong way for us to go.

he believes it is not the best way to do it. the president has outlined $950 billion in savings that he believes is a better way to go about it. part of the question was explaining what had been proposed in the campaign and what congress was talking about. but i think he is very clear about what he thinks is the best way to do it. >> [unintelligible] on any level, should we be looking for increased -- on the health-care debate? can you talk about -- >> there are a series of issues that the first lady