and the thoroughness of our process and in the integrity of our election officials. during the same time, minn. families have continued to face real challenges. even though frannie and i are thrilled and honored by the state of minnesota, i am also humbled, not just by the closeness of this election, but by the enormity of the responsibility that comes with this office. we have a lot of work to do in washington. that is why i signed up for the job in the first place. when we started this campaign, way back in the february of 2007, i said that americans have never backed away from tough challenges and minnesota people have always led the way.

working with our fantastic senior senator amy klobuchar, i'm going to fight hard to make quality healthcare accessible and affordable to all of minnesota's. . . when you win an election is close, you know that not one bit of effort went to waste. i can only imagine how hard

these past months have been. no matter whether you voted for me, for senator coleman, for senator berkeley, or whether you voted all, i want the people of minnesota to know that i am ready to work for all of you. i am committed to being a voice for all minnesotans in the u.s. senate. i know there is been a lot of talk about the fact that what i am sworn in, i will be the sixtieth member of the democratic caucus. that is not how i see it. the way i see it, i am not going to washington to be the sixtieth democratic senator, i'm going to washington to be the second senator from the state of minnesota, and that is how i am going to do this job. [applause] i promise to do my best, to work hard, to stand on principle what

i believe i must, and yes, to compromise when i believe that that is in the best interest of the people of minnesota. on behalf of frannie and my beautiful kids, let me say thank you to the people of minnesota. think you for your patience, for your thoughts and prayers, and for giving me the opportunity to work for you in washington. i can't wait to get started. [applause] we will take a few questions, thank you. >> when you expect to have -- how difficult is it going to be to come and some much later than everybody else? >> i can't tell you exactly what i will be seated. i think it will be early next week. coming in in midsession will be

more difficult than having to start january 6, i'm sure. i have been trying to keep abreast of what has been going on. i will do the best i can. >> norm coleman called and conceited, describe what that moment was like. >> it was a very gracious call, i must say. he said it was a very hard- fought campaign. i said it could not have been closer. i said to him that frannie and i can only imagine what this is like for him and his family. he just said, this is going to be the best job i'll ever have. i hope is the best job i ever have. yes, i think it will be.

>> when the weight of this was finally off your shoulders -- >> you are right, i do not know if it is really sunk in yet. i have to say, it was just a really nice moment between two people who really fought hard. he could not have been more gracious. that is really what i felt in the moment, this is nice. it is a nice way to end this. >> have you talked about the positions or assignments you will have in washington? how will they get you up to speed? >> i talked to the majority leader. he called after the decision was announced. i will be on the health education, labor and pension committee.

i am very happy about that. i will be on judiciary, i will be on indian affairs which asked for, and i will be on aging which dovetails nicely with health, education, labor, and pensions. what have i been doing? we have been doing a lot. i have been going back and forth to washington. i have a staff in place. if i can hit the ground -- if not running, trotting. i've been trying to keep abreast of what is going on in the senate. it is not the same as being there, though. i know that. we have also had to raise the money in this period. i have also been meeting a lot of people around the state. we have had a lot of folks over for dinner we think can help us with different kinds of things like health policy and

education policy. we have been using this time pretty productively. >> how many people left to do have the higher? >> you should send your -- have to hire? >> we are pretty staffed up in washington and pretty staffed up here in minnesota. we are pretty far along, actually. >> i know you do not want to make a big deal of being the sixtieth senator. we be able to put forth the president of the agenda at in terms of climate change in health reform? >> i see myself more as a second senator from minnesota. i was in a terrible coffee the

other day, and i met a guy who had just become a citizen. i said, you probably know more about our government and how it works that a lot of americans. what were some of the questions? he said, one of the questions was, how many senators are there? i said, what did you put. he said, i put 100. i said, there are 99. we laughed. he laughed a little harder than i did. i really see myself also as the 100 the senator. i am going to be jr. to 99 other senators. i am actually going to be entering with a great deal of humility and with a lot to learn. and also, to do the work that people -- to do the work of the people of minnesota. as far as the 60 is concerned,

60 is a magic number, but it isn't. we know that we have senators -- republicans are going to vote with democrats, and the democrats that are going to vote with a majority of republicans on others. it is not quite as a magic number as some people may say. i hope we do get president obama's agenda through. >> norm coleman stopped short of saying who got the most votes. >> shore. -- sure. i think what you had was 12 judges look at this through the canvassing processed through the recounts, after the election contest, through the decision in

the supreme court, all agreeing unanimously that i won the majority -- not the majority, more votes than anybody else in the election. i think that is conclusive. i think this is been as thorough and as transparent and painstaking as possible. it is 12 judges, republicans, democrats, independents. they agreed every step of the way except for some very small procedural things during the recount. >> [unintelligible] if it is a close election like he said, now that your the senator -- like you said, now that your the senator -- you

are the senator -- >> i won by 312 votes. i really have to earn the trust of the people that didn't vote for me. and of all the people of minnesota. and let them know not just by my saying so, but my actions, that i am going to be working for every minnesotan. >> are you hiring? >> what are your immediate travel plans? >> i think we are going up to their range to do some parades. i probably won't be in washington until early next week. >> will be the hardest part about this transition? >> i think the hardest part of this transition is going to be

the big difference between getting briefings and having been there for, say, the markup of the health bill. this really will be catching up. i think that is going to be the hardest part of the transition. i guess the hardest part of any transition is the stuff that you didn't know would be the hardest part. i guess that'll be the hardest part. does that make any sense? i hope it does. thank you everybody. thank you. [applause]

>> up next on c-span, honduran president zelaya who was removed from office in the military coup speaks. and the review of the recently concluded supreme court term. on wednesday's "washington journal." it look at the minnesota the senate race. randel johnson from the u.s. chamber of commerce, and the chief economist for the national association of realtors. on thursday, martha raddatz from abc news and edward montgomery.

on saturday, ken silverstien and richard miniter. and on monday, henry waxman. >> this holiday weekendb holidayook this holiday weekend on "-- this holiday weekend on "book tv." it is part of our three day holiday weekend starting friday morning on c-span the 2's "book tv." >> the president of honduras addressed the united nations general assembly. the speech happened shortly after passage of a resolution condemning me coup.

it is about 50 minutes. >> on behalf of the general assembly, i have the honor to welcome to the united nations, his excellency, constitutional president of the republic of honduras, and invite him to address the general assembly. >> president of the general assembly, ambassadors,

representatives of countries to the united nations, a distinguished special guests, chancellor of honduras, ministers that have accompanied us today. ministers from all other countries. distinguished minister of venezuela. of ecuador. distinguished friends. madam vice-president of the general assembly, margaret kelly, director of the general assembly.

the resolution that the united nations has just adopted unanimously with a vote of all countries that are members of this assembly expresses the indignation of the people of honduras and of people worldwide who continue to struggle for the only principles that can prevail in accordance with united nations charter. internationals human rights agreements at the same time the fundamental values, namely the right to life, freedom, to justice, to individual dignity and collected dignity, as was the right of citizen

participation. where challenges and conditions become increasingly complex. we have more instruments to be able to respond to the problems that we face, thus finding solutions to which we are all committed. this resolution is historic. it is significant. it will empower every last citizen of this world to be able to continue these great conquest of humankind. there are some that stand in the way of these conquests that believes that the use of force and violence should continue,

and that they should prevail over the peace and coexistence upheld by the added nations. we have no doubt whatsoever that always opting for the common good, always pursuing our common desires. in order to be able to achieve the objectives of a better world that we're all committed to struggling for. in our own defense, a defense of future generations, the united nations like almost all american organizations started with the organization of america's states. the organization of the people of the caribbean. many of whom are great friends

of honduras. the organizations of the countries of all of southern america who have also expressed their voice unanimously condemning me barbarity -- condemning the barbarity that a small group of usurpers and flexible on the country. -- a small group of usurpers inflects -- inflecticts on the country. guatemala, el salvador, costa rica, dominican republic -- at a significant meeting held with

observer countries, they, too adopted this resolution condemning, rejecting, and calling for respect for the democratic decisions taken in honduras. day, to have come to the floor as has the organization of central american and caribbean countries. as has central america. this includes mexico, central america, the caribbean, and columbia. they, too have used the same terms their institutions have expressed their views. europe, led by the european

union and through the prime minister and foreign minister of spain and his majesty, date, to have outlined the same positions with regard to any movement of aggression attacking the democratic will of the people. today, following this decision which joins decisions taken by the people of the americas, we have not only ratified what we had agreed upon earlier, but we're also sending a signal for future generations and for humanity. all countries without exception

have expressed themselves loud and clear with regard to the act of atrocity that occurred on sunday the twenty eighth of june. from the united states, with resolutions, round and resolve language, all dignitaries have all spoken to your humble servant who have paid me the honor of speaking to me to express their outrage by the acts perpetrated by the usurpers. we have received calls from the president. from the president of chile, paraguay, uruguay, brazil, of

columbia. he was in washington the day after these events. the president of mexico chaired the meeting that took place in nicaragua. along with all countries that are members of the group, this meeting that was convened as an extraordinary meeting with a view to expressing its views in regard to the average is events that took place on the twenty eighth of june. all central american presidents. the president of guatemala, the

president of coast rica who extended his hospitality to me, a day when i was nearly thrown out of an airplane at the airport of san jose at 630 in the morning, the day that the coup d'etat occurred in honduras. the host of the meeting of the central america indicate -- integration system in panama also attended all of these events. the president of ecuador travel for the single aim to stand for the democracies of the world. fighting for democracy isn't in the interest of one single

country. it is when you couple the democracy of one country, you are upholding the democracy of all. the president of venezuela paid very close attention to events at a very early stage when the events began to take shape. there were early signs that there was something afoot, and that this plot was taking set shape -- that this plot was taking shape. the president of bolivia spoke on behalf of the peoples of the world, indicating his protest and the terrible discovered to

-- the terrible discomfort. we have all been affected at one time or another. but often, the threats are nothing more than that, simply threats. when these threats are issued behind rivals or bayonets, then here in the twenty first century, it means we have not progressed enough. in order to resolve problems that can be resolved peacefully using legal terms, and where the necessary instruments exist at the international and national levels. in all of our countries, we have laws and constitutions to be able to enter into dialogue and

resolve any disputes which may concern an activity or event which has taken place in our countries. to all the president's, and i will not name them all because they are english names, and i have a hard time pronouncing them. i would like to single out president castro who traveled from havana and was here with us to voice his repudiation of these gross acts perpetrated by

a military group, doing nothing more than establishing a lease that stand in the way of change and the transformation, as has always been a way of the world. there has always been a conservative group that wish to maintain the status quo and maintain things the way they are. and they wish to keep the establishment. it is always difficult to bring about change. nothing comes free of charge. it has never been easy for the people of the world to find space for themselves, to gain rights and to develop instruments to uphold these rights. the guaranteed democracy worldwide. i wish to acknowledge it.