why do it that way? >> you can ask me that question tomorrow based on what is asked today. it may or may not come that way. >> why not open it up to people? >> i think you get on your computer -- do you have an e- mail address? had the sense in any questions? >> i think it would be inappropriate. i'm talking about the public. what are you not a member of the public? >> you have is in a prominent position. you have not done that. >> it is the question of where you would be sitting. >> i am well out shelton range. -- out as shouting range. would you put in my question? i do not think so. this is a public forum for the public. based on the information that

your staff gave us. >> the questions are being selected by people that e-mail on facebook and twitter. i appreciate -- >> what about it? >> i think that is a safe bet. i promise we will interrupt and let you ask me a question tomorrow about whether you thought the questions at the town hall meeting -- >> we never had that in the white house. >> i will let you and your question. >> i am amazed about people that call for transparency.

>> it is a process. >> it is a question coming from somebody who is invited. >> that have this discussion at the conclusion of the meeting. how about that? >> it is a pattern. >> what is a pattern? >> controlling the press. >> is there any evidence going on that i'm controlling the press? >> the engagement are prepackaged. >> how so? >> the night before rebate tell them they are going to be called on. >> -- they tell them they are going to be called on. you do not have any answers. >> i do not know you ask this question.

>> you should have a. . >> i do not have e-mail my question. i can tell you right now what i want to say. [laughter] >> i do not doubt that at all. >> is he going to support a tax increase on the middle class? >> if you get on your computer, you can ask me that yourself. >> i am the more direct. >> adp, private employers, what are the estimates on the job loss figures? you know we are good a public numbers tomorrow. it is worse than expected. wall street concluded its first positive quarter. i know we hear all the time about unemployment.

it is just a stark contrast, wall street recovering and main street not. >> i think we've probably had this discussion more than virtually any other. i have long said that despite your questions that i do not equate what is going on necessarily each and every day in the economy to the ups and downs of the stock market. i never had. ve. >> it goes to this concern that some have that if you have a lot -- you have done a lot about what street. >> again, i can go back to any number of your questions about what was going on as it related to the recovery and what was going on in wall street. i was not the one making that connection. many of you were. i will be backed -- i will leave

that aside. this is not going to happen overnight. this is not something that we got into recently. this is a recession that i believe statistically date back to december of 2007. i think if you look at the job loss figures, specifically in the last six months, you see a real change in the number of figures -- a real jump in the size of those figures. >> we are not moving the way you guys probably thought it was going to. >> we have always said this. i said last week that i would -- either next month or this month we will see 10%. i think if you go back and look at economic forecasts around

november and december, you will find that a lot of people were surprised that what we learned, which was the level of growth, the numbers were the less. the ultimate revised figure for the last quarter in 2008 was - 5.5%. >> are you happy that we are going to have to shed another half a million jobs? >> i think that's the public -- that the public rightly is anxious until we see job creation and not jobless, positive economic growth and not negative.

i think that'll take some time. it is not simply because it is an indicator, but i think for the economy to turn around from the depths that it has been in, it is not going to happen over the course of one or two months. it will happen over the course of many months. >> your party has of this. republicans say there are no excuses now. everything is on the democrats. if you fail to get something it is because you cannot unity in your own party. is that fair? >> but none of the said that, but it is a little odd. >> michael steele said it. there are other saying it, too. >> what more we saying last week about bipartisanship? apparently is all on us.

-- it is all on us. >> you have the white house. the agenda is in your party's hands. >> i do not know that the seating of one senator change is the notion that democrats control both houses. i hope the implication by chairman steel is not that addressing america's problems is not the priority of all americans, not simply one party. that is a follow-up you cannot compare do this president is going to continue to pursue -- you can ask him. this president is going to continue to pursue to change our image throughout the world. we are going to continue to reach out to democrats and

republicans to make that didn't happen. >> i have heard from plenty -- you do not have a 60 votes. now your party has 60 seats. you do not have that excuse anymore. >> there is math. i think we do not get everybody from every party on every day. that includes the democratic party. we will continue to make progress. i think that all of lawless -- us, had a unique responsibility in times like this to work as much as we can together to address and solve these problems.

i do not think one party can simply say, ok, it is all yours. that certainly does not seem to be the message in prior weeks about making sure they are part of the solution. the outreach from the president will continue in order to restore our economic growth and get the country back on path. what do you not see 60 votes as a rubber-stamp in the senate? >> there are many senators as will confirm that for you. >> as the president changed his mind about sending more troops to afghanistan? >> changes mind? >-- changed his mind? >> he is talked about upping the military presence. he said forces that come out of iraq could be used in afghanistan.

it sounds that your emphasis will be an economic development rather than military victory. >> there are several hundred years of evidence that military alone is not likely to solve all your problems in that country or that region of the world. understand that the troop increases are in the process phasing in. not all that has been done. the president was concerned about the security situation in afghanistan, as were commanders on the ground. additional troops have been approved in order to stabilize the situation as we head into those elections. the important point that he was making on the trip is in order

to stabilize that country, to get back on track, you can solve some the long-term problems, you are going to have to have more than just military. you are going to have to have more the military power. you are going to have to be on the -- have to ask the afghans to improve their security situation. we need to train in the afghan police and military. that is important. if we do not get good governments. -- if we do not get good governance and increase in development in a change in the economy, i think the president would agree that no amount of troops are going to leave that country in a situation that is sustainable. >> can i follow up on that? >> hold on.

i think that is the point as it relates to iraq. it is very clear that an increase, or a decrease in the amount of violence -- and in some ways an increase in troops -- while it is extremely important, is not going to get as all the way until there is political reconciliation, until you see a government that is able to economically create jobs and things like that. there needs to be promotable sustainability. i think this is something that is an either or. it is not military or economic. it has to be both. >> president obama in his

remarks yesterday was commenting on iraq. he said that by 2011 all of u.s. troops will be out of iraq. did he mean all, like 0? in legislation, he is gone there before and said that we need to leave some amount of troops there to protect civilians to fight terrorism. >> there are two different things we are talking about. the plan that the president has is in about 14 months, you'll see the removal of all combat brigades from iraq. there would be a residual force that is left. when he said all our trip to be out of iraq, that is in accordance with the deadline established by the previous

administration and signed by the regiment of iraq. >> does it mean that there will be troops there? >> i think there is an agreement that has been signed between two countries that denote the end of military involvement at the conclusion of 2011. >> concerning the trips next week, he has spoken -- [unintelligible] >> they spoke yesterday about the importance of the upcoming summit. they are trying to make progress on issues that will be on their agenda. >> we have the briefing. is that on the record? >> i think it is. dennis, mi and maike will walkie through -- and mike will walk you through each aspect.

they spend a few minutes discussing the issues that they are going to discuss in the upcoming summit. this includes the reduction of nuclear weapons. >> iran, afghanistan? >> only in relation to the notion that will be discussed. >> for a few weeks, the internal report from the cia on the interrogation tactics has been delayed. there are concerns that it will be dumped late this week for the holiday weekend so it will be missed or lost. what is the status of that report? why is it being delayed?

>> i think -- here is what i know of the report. part of this is based on freedom of information, litigation involving several parties. it is my understanding that the agency review of the document and what can be released is continuing. i do not anticipate it will be released just yet. >> this week? >> it is my understanding that it is doubtful that it will be this week. >> this review process -- is part of it to increase the amount of information that is available? the first report was almost the

early taken away. is that part of the delay, to make is as transparent as possible? >> in some ways, it is a combination. part of this report is an outcropping of the freedom of information act litigation of that resulted in the release of the memos. obviously, some of the information that is out now can -- you can go back now over the report. that is a decent part of what is going on. >> the iranian police have conducted an investigation and concluded it would stage. do have a reaction to that? >> i think that is the ongoing

campaign of misinformation. the notion that these death of an innocent woman would be staged -- even with them, it is shocking that that would be what happened. >> mousavi earlier today gathered statements in which he called for protests to continue and he said that he considered the government to be a legitimate and the demands the release of political prisoners. does the president have a reaction yet to that statement? has the president called for the release for the people that have been detained? >> let me check and see.

i do not know if that is something we have done or not. you have heard the president speak on the number of occasions that he strongly believes in the right for people to gather and protest without fear of harm or violence. there are still a lot of questions that surround the most recent election. i think i will leave it at that. >> honduras -- one of the triggers of the coup was to allow for reelection. does the white house believe that the president shares a part of blame in the ousting? >> let me get a little guidance on that.

i do not know except to say that we are working in order to prevent what happened from happening. i do not want to stray too far from the notion that aos there is an inter-american charter that establishes rights and responsibilities as it relates to democratic governments that is something that has been violated. the united states has reacted to that. i need some more guidance on that. >> did you ask president t zelaya to not proceed? >> just to clarify -- he said he

is wanting to send some representatives to washington to talk with the u.s. government. is the white house planning to talk with him? >> not that i'm aware of. >> he said that zelaya is going to be put in jail. do have any comment on that? >> i would simply reiterate that the oas has laid down some fairly strong conditions and time lines that we are supportive of and think should be met in order to restore the democratic rule of law. >> with regard to the house debate, it is going to be controlled more by congress, but as the white house have a good sense now of the pace at which

things will proceed? the pace at which negotiations will proceed? the president during the campaign has emphasized his desire to have the policy-making play out in the public eye. so far, there have been town halls or meetings at the white house with cameras, but the actual policies are remaining behind closed doors. what can you do to make sure that he is able to have this play out in public as he promised? >> and do not want to interject too heavily on the committee process, but i have been asked about it on any number of occasions, reactions to different subjects. i think with the president has

talked about, particularly the step taken by wal-mart did, as i have talked about it allotot --unlike previous attempts to reform our health care that are comprehensive, those players are still at the table. those players are actively participating in working in finding a solution. the president thinks that is how we are going to get comprehensive reform to an issue that we have been debating for 40 years. >> do you think it is public enough? >> for me? yes. i've been asked about that how i do not know how many times. >> one of the partial taxation of benefits? someone said it was yet to be determined.

everybody says we will talk about it will we get there. i know that is something you are trying to avoid. how will you make sure that this is done publicly? >> since i have been asked about about 10 times in the last two weeks, if it is being done in secret, somebody is doing an awfully poor job of keeping it that way. >> you are not answering my question. >> may i ask a follow-up? >> i did submit a question to the website today about public auoptions. the justice department did not appeal a ruling in a discrimination case in a employee that was planning a gender change. why not? >> that i do not know.

let me find out. >> another healthcare 1. how does the president feel about some of the liberal movements on public options? >> i do not know that the president has much to say about what the groups are doing except to reemphasize the principles that he has of the importance of providing that public option to give those that are not able to buy insurance through their workplace or that are having trouble in a normal health insurance market go through a health insurance exchange that provide greater choice and transparency and more competition in a way we believe will be effective and cost effective. obviously, the president is a

big believer in an option with index option. >> is it helpful when you have a senator that is trying to support this? you have these receptors same we are going to withhold your money. we are going to pressure you. >> i do not have any general reaction to that. >> thank you. medicaid is a big part of the health-care problem. i think it is costing $300 billion a year. that is a big reason the state need help. last year, the state of rhode island became the first and only state to get a waiver on medicare -- >> medicated? >> medicaid. the will allow washington to put a cap -- they all will allow

washington to put a cap on medicaid funding. it allows states to have weight -- allowing states to have wafers? is that something on the table? >> let me talk to be health team. i do not know the degree to which that is something that they are involved. medicaid represents a growing fiscal component for states, especially in harder economic times. that obviously is something that has to be looked at and addressed. i think that also strengthens the argument for changing the way health care is done and insuring that it is done in a way that is affordable, not just for families and small

businesses, but for state governments as well. >> thank you. >> is it too late to e-mail questions now? but i will see what i can do. -- >> i will see what i can do. >> president obama said today that he