>> you could say that the businesses were 5, 1, and one in this turn. if you take the view that in the antitrust case, the business of interest -- the interest of business was allied with the defendant in this case, you could take the view that businesses were six and one this term. it is fair to say that businesses have done pretty well. let me just make one more general observation about the cases before i talk about them in a little bit more detail. as most of you know, the supreme court rarely takes cases to engage in what is called -- what we're leaving this for live

coverage minnesota supreme court ruled a democrat al franken the winner in the senate race against republican incumbent norm coleman. >> just a few words about my legal challenge. i wanted to win. not just for my self, but my wonderful supporters. they have put so much into this effort. i thought it was important to stand up for thousands of minnesota's whose votes were not counted. it is the essence of democracy. i knew that we need to do everything we could to get it right. i am forever grateful that the people of minnesota have given me the opportunity to represent

them. the path that i take is not nearly as important today as the path that we must now all travel on together to strengthen our state and our nation. these are challenging times. i have never believed that my service is irreplaceable. we have reached the point where further litigation damages the unity of our state, which is also fundamental. in these tough times, we need to focus on the future. the future today is that we have a new united states senator. i congratulate all franken and his victory in this election. i know the amazing ideas and the historic ability to come together will help him greatly as it has made. speaking of which, i think we should take a moment to thank

senator amy klobuchar for the incredible work that she and her staff have done. they have done a great job over the past six months carrying the burden of two united states senators. she is an extraordinary public servant. i do not reach this point with any big regrets. i have always believed you do the best you can and you leave the results of to a higher authority. i am at peace with that. as for my future plans, that is a subject for another day. we live in a great country and a great state. by some path we do not know yet, one which we can all come together to lay out, we will arrive at a better future that we all seek. thank you and may god bless minnesota and continue to bless the united states of america. [applause] >> this obviously means that

we're ruling out any appeals? >> i have congratulated al franken. the election of november is over. we will work together to support our new united states senator. >> was it money? was it in english? -- was it anguish? >> it was a long progress. we had a chance to enfranchise people whose votes had not been counted. we went to the highest court in the state. i think the issues have been heard. this is the first chord that considered and rejected the argument. it has always been a balance. we have talked about that. at the same time, understanding the challenge that minnesota faces by having just one united

states senator. we have reached a point where it is now time to come together to put the past behind us and move forward. that is the point i am at. from the very beginning, i did not believe that we would have processed the appeal. that is history. i am not looking back. i am not questioning what is counted or not counted. the supreme court of minnesota decided. we are a nation of laws. the court has spoken. as a result, i think it is time to look forward and not look back. >> anything that you think this state can do different with regard to the election system? >> i that we have learned a lot about the nature of the absentee ballot process. it had never been disclosed. i anticipate -- i would certainly be part of discussion to make sure that we have a more uniform process in how ballots are counted.

so, i think we have learned -- you learn from your mistakes and challenges. i have had some good jobs in my 32 years of public service. it could not have been any closer. he says that he knows what his family have gone through. he can imagine what me and my family have gone through. it was a very positive discussion. i called him to congratulate him. i wish him the best. we -- -- -- he responded in kind. >> are you considering running for governor? >> i'm considering catching fish.

i have not yet made a decision about the future. let's address the future another day. i want to put closure on this election, the longest election in minnesota history, and to move forward. we will talk about the future when it comes. >> what would you say your state of mind is? >> @ peace. i have to tell you, my wife's faith -- she was there praying. there is a section, the anxious about nothing. -- be anxious about nothing. i am really at peace. the length of time we had has offered that opportunity. it may be tougher to lose on election night. you are tired, you have all that energy and the adrenaline. i have had a lot of time to

process this election, to think about the past and to look to the future. i really have a sense of peace with where things are out. it is time to move forward. >> did anything surprise you today? >> i thought we had a better case. the court has spoken. i think it is time to abide by the ruling and move forward. >> minnesota for eight months only had about a -- only had one u.s. senator. >> let's move forward. was i fervent in my belief it was the right thing to do to count those votes? absolutely. on the other hand, the balance is, minnesota has been without a center. i think it is important to move forward. that was always the calculation. how do you go forward, what is the course for minnesota --

we pushed that to the highest court. they have issued their judgment. the balance has always been there. i feel very comfortable and very confident about our appeal. at this point in time, the decision has been reached. let's move forward. i hope he will be a center in minnesota tradition. he is going to have to choose the things he will have to be involved in. the good news is that he has in

the klobuchar by his side. i want to thank her for her efforts. i would say this. -- not want to be very careful about offering advice. a lot of what i thought was important -- i think al franken will see the same thing. the customer service aspect, the citizen service aspect. there might be issues to discuss, but helping that mother getting her kid in the middle of a war zone is a pretty big deal. helping a veteran with some work

or challenges with the irs. my hope would be that he understands, as i have understood in my public career, the customer service part is really fundamental. we're in the business of taking care of people's problems in meeting their needs. >> and do you think that all franken received the highest number of legally counted votes? >> i believe that the supreme court of minnesota has spoken and we have a united states and interpreted it is time to move forward. >> did you feel the need to hold back the tide of the 60 vote margin for democrats? >> i have not talked to anybody at the national level. i never felt that responsibility. in the end, he will have to make judgments that he will

make. other senators will make judgments that they make. 60 is a magic number. not everybody votes in lockstep. i never felt any pressure about that. i felt a commitment to getting it right. i felt a strong sense that it was fundamentally important that every vote be counted. i thought it was important to pursue that as far as we could. we have. the state court has issued its opinion. i never really worried about 60 votes or 59 votes. >> what does that mean for the senate? >> we will have to say. we will have to see. again, we will have to see -- it is not just about him. it is other senators. senator specter was a

republican. now he is a democrat. he never always voted with our side. i think a lot of people are putting a lot into this 60 number. when it comes to the big issues, there are a lot of democrats who do not always vote with the democratic party line and there are some republicans who do not vote with the republican party line. >> a freedom of information act request has been filed to get those ballots. do you support that action? >> i presume that others are going to be talking about this election. for some, maybe in the future. for me, i will be focused right now on saying that we have a senator. i congratulated that center. i am not looking forward to more discussion about this election. for the media, this election has

been a godsend. the fourth estate is worried about its economic future. this has been a full employment act for the media. if there is some more jews to be gotten out of what happened and who got all the votes, let that play itself out. whenever i can do to be a unifying force, that is what i'm going to do. >> what about your legacy and things that you are proud of? >> i start with the stuff that does not get the most publicity. the people work that we did. there is nothing more gratifying, as i was sitting in restaurants and a couple of weeks ago with families celebrating and women showing me the picture of her little babies, saying that if it was not for you, i would not have my baby. on the policy issues, the work

that we did in the united nations oversight, the work that we did with our farmers and producers on energy -- i have been a voice of energy independence and renewable energy for a long time. i am going to continue to be involved in those discussions. i have been blessed to represent the people in the greatest state in the nation. a lot of great ideas. i am proud of my 32 years of public service. i am here to offer my congratulations to al franken. we will get through july 4. sometime next week, i presume i will be talking a little bit about the future. you have the last question.

i did talk to the governor and let him know that i was coming out here to make his life a little easier. i wanted to say that he was going to do. this is a time to look forward. it is the time to seize the opportunity going forward. let's all work together for a bright future. god bless. >> and again, earlier today, the minnesota supreme court ruled in favor of al franken in the senate race in that state. that was incumbent challenger norm coleman congratulating franken for running that race. al franken will become the

democrats' 60 of folth vote. we will bring that to you when it happens. we expect that at about 5:15 eastern time. a portion of this morning's washington journal. host: robert white is president of center for international policy. he served in a number of capacities and central america, including in el salvador and also honduras. i want to ask about the situation in honduras, but crew that took place. was expected and how did it come about? guest: i don't think it was expected but there was a standoff. and there was the supreme court and congress on one side and president zelaya on the other. and how that would have played out, we don't know. but then the military

intervened and manhandled president zelaya and threw him out of the country. and i applaud president obama and secretary of state clinton for taking a strong stand against this coup. host: let me share with the president -- secretary of state said yesterday. >> as we move forward, all parties have the responsibility to address the underlying problems that led to yesterday's events in a way that enhances democracy and the rule of law in honduras. to that end, we will continue working with me oas and other partners to construct a process of dialogue and engagement that will promote the restoration of democratic order, address the serious problems of political polarization in honduras, restore confidence in their institutions of government and ensure that honduras' most successfully towards its scheduled presidential elections in november of this year. host: yet, mr. white, she did

not call it a coup. why? guest: because the minute the secretary of state uses the word coup, all assistance to honduras is cut off by law. i think the secretary of state handled this very well because she does not want to see 912 zelaya restored to power only to continue his quest -- to change the constitution. that is what has aroused the opposition of the other parties, and indeed, in his own party. host: us some background on our guest. he served in that -- in the foreign service, and maceda to. why and el salvador, stationed the columbia and latin american director for the peace corps.

currently president for the center of international policy. there are an estimated 500 u.s. troops in honduras. can you envision more heading down there? guest: i would hope not. i think that what honduras least needs now is any sign of militarization. the army has no real function. they have no external enemies and they have a long history of coups against the constitutional order. host: guatemala, el salvador, nicaragua span they will halt trade or commerce to honduras. what does it mean? guest: at it is more of a gesture, but and and for a gesture. it shows the democratic governments of central america are sought leave behind nine well zelaya and are -- sloppily

-- solidly behind manuel zelaya. host: can you give us a brief history? guest: central america has been a source -- a problem for the united states because we neglected for decades and then we intervened militarily as we did in the 1980's. we sponsored the war in el salvador, in nicaragua. these were useless exercise is because now both of the parties that we intervened against are in power -- the revolutionary party in el salvador and daniel ortega in nicaragua. i think that the history of u.s. intervention in central america

has been a sorry one, and we recently at least been on the side of democracy. i wish that we would put less emphasis on military assistance and more emphasis on helping them with public administration and economic and social development. host: this came just a day after -- it took place yesterday with the president of colombia in the oval office. our relations with the president's colombia, uribe? guest: the bush administration overlooked a lot of offenses that the uribe government has committed against human rights. now, uribe did something very

important in colombia. he restored order. and that was crucial. governments have to have order, countries have to have ordered. but now he has violated human rights and a most egregious way, and we hope that the ngo community in the united states is very hopeful that president obama and secretary of state clinton will not give president uribe bay free ride but will point out that 95 labor union leaders have been killed in colombia over the past year. that he licensed but presidential secret service to tap phones of human rights workers. there has been simply -- and i notice " the new york times" this money goes after president chavez as a day aspire were of

zelaya's attempt to extend his term but the fact is, of course, uribe has also distorted the constitutional process in colombia and extended the term bear. -- there. it limits the influence when it comes to discouraging president zelaya. host: why such a visible overall -- all will office meeting between the president of colombia and president obama? guest: columbia is a huge country, and it important country. and it is a rock of stability in latin-american. -- in latin america. but it will not be if the human rights terms of the colombian people are not addressed.

and the army and many of its elements have been allied with paramilitary forces, and this has got to stop. i hope that the obama administration will not emulate the bush administration and give uribe a blank check but will ask him tough questions on human rights. host: our guest is well versed on the politics and political geography of central america, having served in a number of capacities in colombia and paraguay, else out a door and honduras. our phone lines are open -- ellis salvador and honduras. here is what the president had to say about the situation in honduras. >> let me first of all speak about the coup in honduras because this was the topic of conversation between myself and

president uribe. all of us have great concerns about what has taken place there. president zelaya was democratically elected. he had not yet completed his term. we believe that a the coup -- we believe that the coup not legal and zelaya remains the president of honduras. the present host: using the word -- host: president using the presidentcoup -- the president using the word coup. guest: will probably overlooked the president's casual use of the word, but it was a coup. i think the secretary of state was careful not getting zelaya a blank check because she wants him before he is returned with our support and the organization

of american states, she wants him -- and i think properly so -- to give up any ambitions of a plebiscites that would extend his term. host: john is on the phone from bridgeport, conn. caller: his center should be called the center for international bull crap because this is the biggest bull crap i have ever heard. the president can mention coup anytime he wants -- he won -- i know it is funny. if hillary or obama wants to cut off aid that would send a direct message. number two, he is talking to the guy from colombia, because nothing is going to change. he talked about has block, a loss -- has a lot, hamas, and

ahmadinejad and this is right below what's -- hezbollah. what about foreign country raping? you don't tell like it is. guest: i am not sure what his point is. he obviously does not like what the united states foreign policy is. but i am not clear on his particular spirit host: a comet saying -- host: this is a comment -- explain costa rica's unique government. guest: coaster rica should be a model for the rest of central america and foreign policy in the region -- coaster rate cut should be a model. that is why i pointed to militarization of central america. the emphasis of narcotics interdiction, that those two policies have cost central america great wit.

we have one or real statesmen in central america, and that is the president of costa rica. i think in the rest of central america, we have a new president of el salvador that shows great promise. but in guatemala, the 40% of the territory is under in the control of narcotics dealers, the government does not run in that area of what's ramallah. honduras has been foundering because of a lack of skilled administration, because of a lack of commitment. and nicaragua, daniel ortega has taken away the civil liberties of a great many people for opposing him. so, the picture there is not a pretty one. and i would hope that