time. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] . . the bill provides veterans with comprehensive educational benefits. today a senate panel hears about the bonuses awarded government contractors. senators will hear from the white house budget office and the accountability office, as well as from officials from the defense department.

live coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. eastern. david is an executive with comcast. tonight, his take on the new f cc. that is at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. beginning on tuesday, the full senate debates the nomination of sonia sotomayor for supreme court justice. what to live on our website and on c-span2. tour home of the supreme court, coming this fall. >> i have no clue. >> may be some government grants? >> donations, advertising. >> public money, and i'm sure. >> my taxes? >> america's cable companies greeted c-span as a public service, a private business initiative, no government mandate or money -- that was

held c-span was created. >> congress has delayed action on health care until after the august recess. this morning, we talk about this on "washington journal." host: tell us about the progress that was made on monday and what the senate may or may not be doing. guest: the house energy and commerce committee was able to pass the house democrats' version of health reform bill. they have been having a bit of trouble all along the way with some of the more conservative democrats, but they were able to make some deals and the house should take it up when they return from recess. the senate finance committee is working on a bipartisan health care bill right now and they will be working on this all week. i do not expect to see a final

bill from them this week. aba proposal or something like that, but nothing complete. they have sent us a deadline of the 15th. probably after the recess. host: what about the fact that they were able to move forward before the recess? was that vital? guest: there was a deadline set by the president for the house to pass something before they left for the recess. it was significant in that they were able to get it out of committee with some of their members. it was important for them to pass something out with progress, and they were not able to meet it. host: what enable them to move forward >> they negotiated for a couple of weeks -- guest: negotiated -- forward.

guest: they negotiated for a couple of weeks. the full house does not vote before the recess. there was a conservative public plant in this bill, and now medicare will negotiate with the government rather than setting it based on medicare. that was something that was important to the blue dogs. they do not get paid as much for medicare as in some of the other areas. host: you can join the conversation by giving us a call, our guest is anna edney. for republicans, 202-737-0001. for democrats, 202-737-0002. for independents, 202-628-0205. you can also send us an e-mail, journal@c-span.org. our c-span address on twitter is twitter.com/c-spanwj.

the fact that the senate finance committee does not look to get a whole lot on this week, is that going to be a significant blow against progress for the democrats? or are they finding that they can continue to work on finding a bipartisan compromise? guest: it could be considered by some as failure, but those watching closely have realized for a while but they were going to do this in their spare time. so, people on the hill have been expecting that they would do this in their own way. host: how different is what they are working with? we do not know the details, but have different does it look to be from what is coming out of other committees? guest: it will be very different from what comes out of other committees. from what we expect to see in it, a sort of public auction for

insurance as a middle ground where it would be an insurance cooperative. those that participate with old and operate it. in a sense, these could be regional or national. it is hard for the lower level democrats to accept a full public option and hold the insurance companies accountable. we are expecting something a little more turned down. host: politico is reporting that senator john rockefeller has gone public with his case against cooperatives, which is viewed as a compromise between republicans and democrats. is that something that will stymie the discussion, the fact that he is coming up against

that? guest: he is not part of the six that are negotiating the bill. it could cause some issues in the markup of that committee. he is on that committee. there are a few others that support a public auction, like him, rather than the cooperative. it will still have to be merged with other senate committees that pass something, as well as the house. host: what is the game plan as they go back to their home districts guest: the ones that are not sure what we are reforming, or they have pretty good health care already,

members want to bring them on board. i think that the message going out to the constituents being sold over the recess is that we do not want to take care of the government with insurance or anything else. we just want to regulate it better and serve you better. they will be trying to bring those people into the fold. host: our first call this morning is a democratic call from youngstown, ohio. caller: how are you this morning? host: fine, thank you. caller: i am in favor of the public auction. once we find out what these insurance companies have been doing for quite some time now, we are in for a very rude awakening. part of the problem is that they are using a spread the risk model to get money, where they put insurers helping people on

one side, and on healthy people on the other side. along with the profits, anytime they want to make more profits they either throw more unhealthy people off or they increase the number of healthy people on the other end. i think that the insurers have had a free ride for a long time. it is time to end it. i am with nancy pelosi, i am glad that she has spoken up in a vocal kind of way against these insurers. just the fact that they are in the middle of the legislative mix is reason to go after them as well. host: there is a piece today in "the washington post" reviewing what is going on. it says "although nancy pelosi

won a significant victory last week, setting up a floor debate after labor day, conservative democrats were able to negotiate a weakening of the position, suggesting that the public auction is growing increasingly vulnerable even after consensus. does the -- consensus." does the public auction even have a shot? guest: i think that it does. maybe not the public option that they wanted to start with, but i think it is still a viable option. a few changes here and there can be made to make more moderate members comfortable. host: the next caller is judy, republican line. she is calling from washington state. let's see if we can get her on the line. let's hold off and go to ted, independent line, california.

caller: hello. i worked for a major health information company for a number of years. one of the big problems with government run health care is something called drg's, diagnostic related groups. we actually had software called a gamer. you ran this program to group drg's properly to get the maximum pay back from the insurance companies. one of the biggest problems that we have with that software, there was no common critical record. it was something we had to do over and over again. it worked group that had been

trying for 16 years -- a work group that had been trying for 16 years to work across all boundaries. that is all that i have to say. host: let's take a look at what congressman charlie rangel talked about on the sunday morning talk shows with regards to health care. guest: i am not worried at all. the president told the senate and house that we should have his numbers in terms of them falling. i am really surprised at jim being seven-about this problem that all americans recognize face this nation. there is not any adult american that does not have a horror story of what has happened to them under this troubled system. republicans, jim, they had nothing in terms of responding to this very serious issue. for him to say that we have a

singer -- that we have a single payer plan, it means he is not aware of the plan in the house, not working with the republicans in the senate. i cannot think of anything other than a fiscal crisis that warrants a more bipartisan attack on a fiscal problem. i am looking forward to having one bill in there. fortunately there are more positive republicans in the senate. host: that was congressman rangel from -- "fox news sunday." how hard are they going to hit the message home to their constituents? how much are they going to be playing by the set of rules? will they have a cheat sheet on main topics? guest: certainly they have been briefed on talking points to take home. one of the gentleman mentioned there, republicans and some of

the talking points the they have, like single payer, trying to convince people that the government's is creating a single payer option. the democrats keep saying they do not have a plan other than to maintain. there will be an event with democrats and republicans, holding certain things in town hall, things like that, with constituents. host: it was seen that a delay for the august recess was detrimental to the democrats, may be a benefit to the republicans. is it still that way? guest: i think that the

republicans do. the tough part without having something concrete, without the democrats passing something or seeing a bill, president obama or when anyone else speaks, they do not have a plan to sell. they have ideas, but nothing on paper. people are not sure what health reform is going to mean, for insurance reform. host: democratic line, tennessee. rich, good morning. caller: good morning. how are you this morning? i was calling to say that i am a registered nurse. going back to the old days in health care, before it became a big business, i saw a progression over time from

having house bills that were -- hospitals that were run by the churches or universities, or by local communities. at that point in time, health care was more affordable. the health-care profession was considered self sacrifice. there were probably about two dozen drug companies. now they have all been consolidated. i remember the first for-profit hospital in the united states. there was a lot of skepticism. it started in louisville, k kentucky. it was around 1982. host: how have these things that

have changed over time, what does it mean for health care reform? caller: there are two big problems that i do not hear addressed in all of the hearings. probably because of a lot of the influence from pharmaceutical companies. the fact that health care has moved from something that was a charitable operation or a teaching circumstance to one that is for profit. i have seen costs increased tremendously over the years. host: fenty for your comments. guest: i am not familiar with the hospital situation. i know that chuck grassley is looking into this nonprofit versus for-profit bill. there is an investigation. i know that it is something they are looking at.

host: how strong is a lobbying effort going to be over the next month or more? they can hit congressman and senators in their home states, there can be a national campaign, what should we be looking for? guest: it will be ramping up, particularly because while there are no bills, there are more ideas on what could be in their. you have some of the democrats in leadership and the house getting behind the insurance company bill, things where they will want to fight back over the recess in ways that they have not before because most senate people have been on board. now that they are seeing that maybe they are going to get harder than they thought, i think that there will be some campaigns that are a bit more negative than we have seen so far. host: there was a key from "the new york times" this morning,

talking about how the $133 million in lobbying expenditures "in the second quarter of 2009 alone, more than any sector by far, hardly sounds like to change that mr. obama or his supporters had in mind." it goes on to talk about the fact that the president did not come to congress with a tailor the bill, leaving a lot of wiggle room for the bill -- congress where they tailor a bill, leaving a lot of wiggle room for the bill in the end. are we going to see more decisions? guest: there have been a lot already. they are supportive, but they are at the same time steering towards a certain bill. particularly the bipartisan finance bill. hospitals would like to see something more moderate along

those lines. they were supportive of a bipartisan effort where nothing was passed out so far. they continue growing. host: many of us remember that from 1993, when president clinton was trying to get health care through. are we going to see, do you think, or is there any indication that there will be a specific ad campaign that will be affected? the return of harry and louise? guest: they are back on the opposite time this time -- back on the opposite side this time. it could be effective. people could switch their opinions. working closely with groups like families usa, who would like to see legislation that includes a public auction. democrats are hoping for these big reforms. host: patricia is on the

republican line calling from dallas, texas. good morning. caller: hello. the public auction is never going to work because the government is too big. look at cash for clunkers, they ran out of money in one week. do you want the government running your health insurance when they cannot even run cash for clunkers? you have to go through red tape after red tape to get it done. that is what happened with the government run insurance. in fact, the insurance companies competed against each other. democrats always have to have something. i think that it is ridiculous. i am happy with my insurance, i would like to keep it.

none of these senators are congress that have read the bill -- none of them have read the bill. obama says that he has not read the bill. he has no clue what he is doing. i think that it is the wrong way to go. guest: that has been the argument from a lot of republicans. do you really want the government dealing with your health insurance? do you want them responsible for your coverage when there are so many programs bogged down in red tape? cash for clunkers, running out of money. democrats on the other side, they are saying that they would not be taking everyone's insurance. a fall back rather than a safety net. host: there is a piece today about health care legislation, separating the minutes from the

facts. what do you see as the key things being misinterpreted by the american public? a couple of things from the article, they talk about the end of life guidance, directives, things like that. guest: that has certainly been an issue. rationing of health care, things like that. people have been talking about when you are very old, or you have one year to live, is it cost-effective to allow for that? so much money is spent in the last year of life. so, when you talk about government health care, will the government make the decision to ration health care? something that has been a big issue? democrats have been fighting against it. host: anything else come to your

mind that you are seeing played with in the frederick m. guest: offhand, i think that rationing -- rhetoric? guest: offhand, i think that rationing is the big one. there is the congressional budget office, going over the numbers, saying that it would not crowd out the private insurance companies. many people believe that eventually this would lead to a single payer system run by the government. host: our guest is anna edney, a health care reporter for "congress daily." baltimore, good morning. caller: good morning, c-span. thank you for c-span. i would like to comment on the fact that no one is talking about where the money comes from in these insurance

companies. they are run by wall street and hedge funds. wall street in hedge funds are the ones making the decisions about what happens in our health care. whether it be rational or any other value that might come up. why did the american people understand that we have a choice between wall street and the government? this young lady needs to do her research on the history of health care in america. the previous caller hit the nail on the head when he said that wall street has taken over our health care, taking away from the people and giving it to the dollar profits. now we have a mess. and thank you, sis and. guest: as -- thank you, c-span. guest: it has not been in a huge issue for health reform so far, it has ballooned in the background. i think that it is something

that could crop up, especially when the finance bill comes out. host: ted, calling on the democratic line from clinton, maryland. caller: good morning? can you hear me? host: yes, weekend. -- we can. caller: un this lady keep repeating the fact that the government -- you and this lady keep repeating the fact that the government ran out of money for cash for clunkers, but that does not mean that it was not successful. the larger issue is that the american people are being used and misused by the press and public authority. we have a health care bill in this country of $10.50 trillion per year. 30% goes to the insurance companies. that is $770 billion.

that money could be used to help the president with health care. we have a government run health care program called medicare. it will not be helped one way or the other called -- by single payer plans. stop being fooled by republicans in the news media. these people have a vested interest in putting your money in their pockets. guest: he makes a good point about their already being a government health care program. medicare and so many people love their medicare and the coverage that they get through medicare. there was a story recently going around about a town hall that was held where a gentleman said keep your hands off my medicare, government, but government is the one running medicare. there has certainly been a success to that program. host: let's take a look at what white house adviser, larry

summers, said yesterday on "face the nation." >> you do not see another round of tax increases? >> let's understand the president, he put in place as part of the stimulus bill, as part of the economic recovery act, a measure that he campaigned on. tax cuts, reducing taxes by $800 for working families. that is where the focus is. we are going to keep working to strengthen the foundation. there is a lot that can happen, but the priority right now, it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things out no matter what. when a president has been completely clear -- what the

president has been completely clear on, he will not pursue in -- pursue any of his plans in ways that will hurt middle-class families. that is something that will not happen. host: how is the bottom line affecting the debate over health care? guest of these health care bills that are being negotiated are roughly around $1 trillion. there have been many options that have been looked at to try that have been looked at to try and fund a lot of it is coming from cuts. they will also need to raise revenue. the house is looking at actions so that they can avoid taxing the middle class. the senate finance committee was considering taxing employer-

based health-care benefits which many would consider a middle- class tax. they're looking at insurance companies now. some also argue that could be passed down to the middle class. it is tricky to keep the president's promise. host: on the republican line, we have trawls. caller: good morning. we are trillions in debt and they will spend all this for illegals, people who do not want the insurance, for people who are self-insured? where do they get the audacity that they can put our children and grandchildren into debt? for ted talks about cash for clunkers been successful, where does he get the audacity to ask the government to take money

from someone to make it possible so that he can buy a car? we are talking about trillions -- ted better stop reading the founding fathers and you ought to also. this is ridiculous. it is ridiculous that we are going this far in debt make a very few people -- if you put the figures together, one out of 100 will be injured because of this. that does not make any sense. y sense. guest: that has certainly been a part of the debate. spending $1 trillion, that is something that lawmakers who are coming up with this are hoping to offset with cuts or revenue raises, not adding to the federal deficit. it is something that the president' said, health reform s

needed because we are spending so much unnecessary money on health care and insurance. so, it has been a tough sell for him lately. it was something that he tied together with health reform, that it was needed for the economy. host: j.r. from crystal river, the morning. caller: this young lady, i would like you to talk about the drug program. there are a lot of people that are calling, they are ignorant. they do not read the paper. i do not have a lot of details, but they just shoot their mouth off. i am over 65. i paid between $2.50 and $6 for the drugs i am taking. when i get my prescription, on

the top of the prescription, the bag that it comes in, it tells you exactly how much the drug is. it could be from $150 to $200. i am paying up to $6? these people outside, if they are listening to this program, tell me who is paying the difference. guest: that has been in issue as well -- that has been an issue as well, private insurers arguing that they have to pay a higher rate for certain services and things like that, where they have to make up the difference. as far as a part b plan, i have not heard much of a complaint about the same thing, where they

make up the difference for medicare paying a lower rate. so, i am not exactly positive if someone is making up the difference or how that exactly works. host: next, the democratic line, new jersey. caller: good morning. i think that the gentleman from florida was right. for the last three decades, this nation has been responding to misinformation and ignorance, as well as the fear on what they heard when the celluloid cowboy rode into the white house, telling us is most terrible nightmare -- i am from the government and i am here to help. he was government.

the government is not the problem. the problem is that people came into high positions of vernment and did everything that they could to destroy the working people. unless you are a trust fund baby, you are so deeply and adversely affected by our current health care program. ronald reagan, some of these democrats, cutting taxes, creating more taxes, sending jobs overseas. they are destroying unions and representation for the working people. they are so busy trying to make ends meet, working from paycheck to paycheck, they do not have time to find out the facts. guest: i think that there are a lot of middle class out there who may be paying a lot more.

many of these states do not quite realize it, because the employer is picking up the insurance. that is what the argument that democrats are going to be making over the recess, that the government wants to lower your costs. they want to make this kind of argument that there are a lot of, i guess the way that health care plans are taxed right now, the wealthier are getting a better benefit. they will make that argument, that the government is trying to lower your costs. that it might not be evident right now, but they are trying. host: how much can things change by the end of the august recess? what will be a sign that the debate has shifted? guest: lawmakers will be hearing

from their constituents. that might be one thing that the white house was worried about, going to recess without an actual bill. there could be certain things that their constituents are saying that they would want to change in these bills, try to finesse a little bit. i think that when they return, it will be interesting to see something come out of finance based on what they heard from home. guest: can things relate -- host: can things with the change in the senate finance committee? guest: i think they are well on their way. they have details that need deal worked out. it will not be a co-op any

longer. this would be the guest: thank you. >> president obama and the vice president for joining eric shinseki, senator jim webb, and other officials to mark the start of the first new g.i. bill since 911. it provides education benefits. they will be at george mason university. we will have live coverage early after the top of the are. the president will meet with the finest, amir of kuwait. secretary of state clinton will leave today on a seven-nation tour of africa. she kicks off the 11-day trip, her longest overseas journey to

do. kenya, angola are also on the agenda -- the second is a major supplier of oil and gas. the senate is in session. we will hear from the white house budget office, government accountability of this, officials from the defense when security and energy at 3:00 p.m. eastern. >> david cohen is an executive with comcast. tonight, his take on the new fcc in the future of broadband. that is at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> starting on tuesday, the full senate debates the nomination of sonia sotomayor. watch it live on c-span2 and c- span.org. coming this fall, toward the home of the nation's highest court, the supreme court. indeed i have no clue.

the date may be some government granted? >> i would say some the nation's. >> public money? >> my taxes? >> america's cable companies created c-span as a private service with no government mandate or money. >> while we wait for president obama's comments on the new g.i. bill schedule right after the top of the hour, a look at headlines and your phone calls from today's show. for now, we have open phones. let's take a look at some of the major papers and headlines. "stimulus cash lists state localities." we have a story about how the stimulus funds are helping states to reverse spending declines. it has pushed state expenditures up by 4.8% in the quarter.

it says that federal cash is now the no. 1 revenue source for state and localovernments, surpassing sales and property taxes. the stimulus spending dollars are at work heading to home communities. in afghanistan, there is a battle to win the confidence of the locals. the taliban strongholds test the marines security plan. there is other news in the newspapers relating to afghanistan and other military- related stories. 18 years after the downing in iraq, the remains are found. this is the story of a man shot down in january of 1991. his remains have been recovered. that was in part because the rockies -- the rockies -- the rockies helped to lead the u.s. to his remains. we will take your calls this

hour on the open telephone lines. we have tonya calling from west virginia. caller: good morning. a lot of people received the vote for white women did. no group of people have profited from affirmative action. if they ever destroy affirmative action, white women will be at the greatest loss for it. there are black police officers suing white police officers in philadelphia for discrimination for going on the internet and making racist comments. two towns are stopping blacks and spanish people.

the district attorney was on it. one share of was given the money for his secretaries. it was hundreds of thousands of dollars. for those who do not remember ruby ridge, it is unconstitutional to go into a man's house and arrest him. i agree with dan rather. too few corporations are run the media. the media has lost its way between entertainment and journalism. it really is a shame that nobody research's anything anymore. they get off on these 1 words and distort everything you say. host: leonard is on the republican line from california. good morning. caller: i could not hear you.

host: you are with us. what is your comment? caller: in reference to the last caller, i am kind of in step with her about the stuff that you do not hear from the media. my comment concerns, i watch a lot of the c-span house sessions. there are so many investigations going on. most of them are republicans, but you never hear about what happened to them. the former governor of illinois, charlie rangel, his tax problems. he was all over tv on sunday. i just found out he got his thing corrected or what ever. you do not ever hear anything about it on the news media. you do not hear about what

happened about the tax impropriety. some people go to jail for said activities. a lot of stuff gets covered up. in reference to what she was saying, the news media has deserted us. more people should watch c-span. instead of complaining, they should get in front of the tv and watch the house live sessions. then they could get an education as to what is going on in this country and how the democrats are power driving. you have some very intelligent republicans in the congress. they are not the party of no. they are the party of know. that is all i have to say. host: this story is about hurricane katrina. it is a three-part series.

the "washington times" team spent time in new orleans recording some of the least understood consequences of hurricane katrina, a silent epidemic of mental illness. it talks about how the mental illness tempest is still raging in people's minds. would you consider this to be a side effect of the storm? we go to mary from tulsa, oklahoma. good morning. welcome. caller: i have been listening to these republicans criticizing the democrats' plan. yet i have heard nothing of their plan. they keep saying they have a plan. i would like to know what the plan is. i would also like to know why they ir plan was not brought forward during the years when we had a republican president. that is all that i wanted to

ask. host: we have a call on the independent line from asheville, north carolina. caller: americans are informed. i am proud of them. i want to speak on what a person from texas said. a comment was made to me in the military from a black man. he explained the ladder of success to me. actually, white women are on the bottom of the link. white women had never climbed above the black woman. he explained to me that white women were on the bottom. then comes the black man and everything above it. every other race and gender above it. host: we have sue on the republicans line from california. caller: i want america to know

that on the health care plan on approximately page 15, the title is open " preserving private health care. of the congress is not reading it. the president is saying you can keep your own health care plan. between 70% and 80% of people want to keep their plan. he is lying to you. congress is lying to you. that particular section says that within one year of the bill becoming law, private health care companies will no longer be able to sell new policies. as an american citizen, you will not be allowed to go forward and by a private health-care policy. it is a bald faced lie. now we have cornyn saying that it is 1000 pages, how can we read this? i paid them to read this. i.t. let them to go there and read this. if the bill is too long, shorten

it and pass it the way you are supposed to pass things. host: a comment on twitter. let's go to the democrats' line where terry is calling from fort wayne, indiana. caller: the senator was talking about government-sponsored health care. that is what he is on. he is on government sponsored health care. i am battling cancer right now. my insurance company and my doctor says it depends on what the insurance company says what he can do. i have somebody between me and my doctor. do i want somebody between me and my doctor that is there to only make money? do i want somebody there that will want my vote? with the cash for clunkers, finally did something for the little guy.

i am waiting for it. i will buy a brand-new car as soon as i get the money. i still say that this senator has government sponsored health care. host: look at some world news in a book a wall street journal" today. -- let's look at some world news in "the wall street journal" today. it also says the combating roadside bombs has emerged as one of the major challenges facing the u.s. and its allies. such attacks have spiked this year. south korea surges towards recovery. the recovery from the economic

downturn is one of the fastest in asia. it has accelerated over the last two months. there is a recovery happening in south carolina. new jersey forces hunt for militants. the government forces were hunting for members of a radical sect after heavy fighting left at least 700 people dead. let's go to kevin on the independent line. he is calling from utica, new york. good morning, kevin. caller: i just wanted to say that i was once a democrat and once a republican. now i am an independent. those in washington do not understand us. they do not care to understand as. the taxpayer is the only one paying. if cap and trade goes up, they automatically taxed the middle class. they say to talk to your

congressman. several little old ladies went to california to talk to dianne feinstein. she had them arrested. people in the country need to understand that this is not about republicans or democrats. if you live in this country and you have had your shots and you speak our language and have a green card and do things the american way, we are happy to have you and call you family. if you do not do things right, we do not want you here. we need to understand that is about the constitution. it is about the american people. we pay them to do our business. they don't want is to read something that they make up that no one in the country can understand. they cannot understand it. host: the next call is from

south carolina. caller: i have a comment about all this democrat and republican staff. this goes all the way back to clinton and before. they started with what they called an fmla act. it allowed the american factories to fire disabled workers. once we became disabled after 35 years of service to these companies, we were thrown out to medicare. nine times out of 10 on medicare, you could not buy a medigap policy because you are ill. they disqualified you because of breathing problems, cancers.

all of that comes before aids. this is a problem. it goes very far back. ted kennedy, the clintons, let's keep on going. host: chris is on the democrat'' line from connecticut. caller: we have a dumbed down population in the united states. it has been downed down by the media. it is intentional. we have a country that is pushing towards socialism. sonia sotomayor, her 12-year tenure on the board of directors of the puerto rican defense fund, she pushed for abortion. abortion, same-sex marriage, and homosexuality is a population reduction program. the leaders to run the world consider us to the cattle. they want to reduce the population. 30% of the abortions are four

african-americans. they make a small portion of the population. they spend 16 times more on marketing dollars in minority neighborhoods than they do in white, affluent neighborhoods. the reality is that these are population reduction programs and a push towards global socialism. obama is a trader towards his race. he does not care about african- americans. he cares about socialism and global fascism. it is a push towards the elimination of basic freedoms that the constitution and the bill of rights provides. there is a population that is intentionally dumbed down in an attempt to take over the entire world. it started off in frankfurt, germany. that's cool pushed communism and marxism. they believed that if you could feminize the society, you could take it over. that is what obama pushes for.

that is what these senators and congressmen could prosecute if they wanted to. but to millions of dollars from the banks and voted to deregulate them. host: let's go to a call from augusta, georgia. caller: i would like to talk about unemployment. in the last 60 days, my town has been inundated with illegal immigrants. they have taken probably 95% of the work. i know at least 20 small businesses that have closed up. the government has to do something. i had government health insurance 60 days ago. now i have lost most of my work. i have had to cancel our insurance. it is pitiful. i have lived here all of my i have lived here all of my life.

this is getting out of control. this people -- these people need to do something. thank you. >> we will go live now to george mason university. that is eric shinseki, joined by vice president joe biden, and senator jim webb, and president obama -- marking the new g.i. bill, the first since 9/11. it provides education benefits to veterans. that is live coverage here on c- span. >> through this most comprehensive veterans' education benefits package -- the most since the g.i. bill of world war ii. the courageous men and women in uniform have shouldered significant responsibilities for our country. this new g.i. bill clearly demonstrates the nation's

respect and appreciation for your service and sacrifice. it is also our commitment to them that they are our best hope for future leadership in this country. the maximum benefit allows every eligible service member and a veteran the opportunity to receive a fully-funded undergraduate education at any state college or university anywhere in the united states or its territories. it includes a monthly housing allowance and annual book allowance, editorial assistance , and educational tuition and fees. eligible service members can also elect to transfer their benefits to their spouse or children. what a tribute to the importance of families to military service. in addition to public institutions, more than 1,100

private institutions have agreed to participate in the "yellow ribbon program." it permits them to attend private colleges and universities whose costs exceed the highest rate at public institutions. the va will match whatever is contributed by those up to 50% of the total costs. we are grateful that so many schools have joined this effort and we thank them for the support of our veterans. since the bill was signed in june 2008, va employees led by undersecretary and keith, the assistant secretary baker, worked under incredibly demanding time pressures to meet this meet3rd dublin. i'm proud of them for pulling together what many word was not possible -- for meeting this

august 3 deadline. they have proved that we can take those difficult tasks and deliver. their dedication has been outstanding and their hard work will continue. it will continue over the decade to pay dividends for veterans to return to school. for those of you who will take advantage of this opportunity, make it count. make it count for all of us, for our country. redeem that dream that occurred after the original g.i. bill of 1944 and do for us in this 21st century with the generation of great americans did in the 20th century. god bless our men and women in uniform, god bless our veterans, and god bless our wonderful country. thank you very much. [applause] .

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>> you heard from senator webb and a veterans' secretary eric shinseki detailing some of the new laws in the gi bill. it is the new gi bill providing veterans' education benefits. you also heard from former senator john warner and the vice-president is expected to be at this event in george mason university in northern virginia. if president obama is coming up shortly. later today, the president will meet one-on-one with the amir of kuwait and vice president joe biden will join that as well. vice president hilary --

secretary of state to hillary clinton will visit seven states in africa. the longest to date as the secretary of state. she will kick that trip off in kenya. also on the agenda at -- on the agenda is ankle, a major supplier of crude and natural gas. the house will not be back until september 8 and the senate should finish work this week on fiscal year spending for agriculture. on tuesday, the senate is expected to begin debate on the nomination of the sonia sotomayor to be a supreme court justice. a vote is likely before the end of the week before the senate gavels out for august, returning in september. we are here, waiting for president obama at george mason university.

>> this is george mason

university and president obama will be speaking shortly on the post 9/11 gi bill. upi rights of more than 21,000 veterans applied to transfer their unused benefit to the gi bill. the bill itself gives military personnel in 36 months of educational benefits under certain circumstances. we mentioned the senate a short while ago -- they're finishing up work on agriculture and could work on a bill passed by the house on friday, an extension of the cash for clunkers program. the ap rights that that program is running on fumes and the obama administration has served notice on the senate to pour in $2 billion to keep the program on track. railhead said on sunday that the existing -- ray lahood said what

is in the program now would be exhausted by the end of the weekend.

>> president obama should be out shortly speaking at george mason university talking about the new gi bill set to begin shortly. the u.s. house is in recess until september and off for the august recess. the senate finishes work this weekend. the house has finished their committee work, " the congressional quarterly" announcing they will pass the bill in september. in the senate, it has passed the house committee and is in the

finance committee. members of the committee continue to work and "congressional quarterly" says it is harder to achieve that bipartisan group of six senators. max baucus has been meeting for weeks trying to produce a framework for the bill that has reached little agreement. they have set a september 15 deadline for any proposal to risk -- to present to the full finance committee. that's according to a senate source close to negotiations.

>> we are waiting for comments from president obama on the new gi bill. this is george mason university. secretary of state to larry clinton leaves for longest overseas trip to date, going on a seven nation tour of africa. today, she will hold a joint press conference with the foreign minister of jordan. that is coming up this morning at 11:45. we will carry that live on c- span.

>> while we are waiting for the president to arrive at george mason university to talk about the gi bill, we will tell you about some of the other live coverage coming up today. at 11 -- at 11:45, later from secretary of state clinton who is meeting with the president of jordan. press secretary robert gibbs will hold a briefing today at 1:00 and we will have that life. then back to capitol hill for a senate subcommittee hearing on the bonuses awarded to government contractors. senators will hear from the white house budget office and the government accountability office and officials from

defense, and security, and energy. that hearing gets underway at 2:00 eastern, live on c-span.

>> president obama was set to begin speaking a couple of minutes ago and we're still waiting for his arrival but george mason university. the house has gaveled out for its august recess and the senate starts their day-to-day by resuming work on agriculture spending for fiscal year 2010. tomorrow, the senate is expected

to debate sonia sotomayor on becoming a supreme court justice. they could also take up the cash for clunkers bill, the money for trading in automobiles. senate coverage is live this afternoon at two o'clock p.m. on c-span2.

>> they are getting ready, but it may be a few minutes before president obama arrives. he is being joined today by senator webb and we will show you some of those comments while we wait for the president. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you.

it is a great day for our country and a great day for everyone who has served. i would start by saying it's a rare thing in public service when you can get something good and the chicken feel good about for the good of the country -- that you can feel good about for the good of the country and that you are going to be able to watch for the next 10, 20, 30 years and in terms of the benefit will bring to society. i would like to start by saying what a great thing is that our president is going to come and speak to us later on. we are deeply appreciative of george mason university for having hosted this event, which is symbolic in many ways for the celebrations those of us who have served and worked on this

issue will be feeling throughout the country. we have a number of people attending here who have given great service to our country. i would like to mention the chairman of the veterans committee. [applause] through the long, long years of service, to those who served -- the senator from alaska has come with us today. [applause] congressman conyers is with us. [applause] and my longtime friend, congressman jim rand. [applause] we have many, many other representatives from the veterans' organizations that were so instrumental in getting

this legislation done. those are representing the veterans' organizations, if you stand, we would like to see recognized. [applause] >> those are some of the comments earlier today by senator jim webb from virginia. we will take you live now to george mason university with coverage on c-span. [applause] >> the morning veterans and distinguished guests. for the next two weeks, i am staff sergeant miller from the u.s. marine corps. i am looking for to join you on august 31 at george mason university. [applause] like you, i have received countless hours of the finest

military training in the world. we're trained to be warriors, medics, logistics and communications specialists. we have stood shoulder to shoulder next to our brothers and sisters on the battlefield and we support each other every step of the way. now we have come to take on a new set of challenges. thanks to the new post 9/11 gi bill, we have come to gain new skills and learn new subjects and we are here to pursue educational goals that will prepare us for success in our professional careers. through education, innovation, and opportunity, we will build a greater, more prosperous nation. no doubt, the classrooms at the spine learning institutions will be different from the drill field. but we will continue to support each other as we did in our military unit. look around this room. we have each other. we of the veterans affairs office on campus, we have professors, counselors, and new mentors to help guide us every step of the way.

we will reach out and support each other. speaking of support, it is my great honor to introduce to you the president of the united states of america, barack obama and vice president, joe biden. [applause] >> hello. thank you. thank you. have a seat. please, have a seat. good morning, everybody. it is wonderful to see all of you. it is wonderful to have one of the best partners anybody could have in elected office, our vice president, joe biden. i'm thrilled to have him here. [applause] i want to thank the staff

sergeant miller for the gracious introduction and i want to think the president for his hospitality. there are couple of people here who deserve all the credit because they got a very tough bill done. part of the reason they were able to get it done was because of their extraordinary personal credibility. one is new to the senate and one had been there while. together, they formed an incredibly formidable team and their class act. give a big round of applause to virginias own john warner and jim webb. [applause]

>> i know that we have a number of members of congress here and now want to thank them all for their outstanding work. i would like to point out senator mark warner could not be here, but we appreciate him. we have the secretary of veterans affairs, a hero in his own right, general eric shinseki and i would like everybody to please acknowledge him. [applause] of the original bill sponsors who could not be here today, we of senator chuck hill, senator frank lautenberg, harry mitchell, bobby scott, representative peter king, all of them work hard along with a delegation, so we're very grateful to all of them. i want to join all of today's

speakers in thanking those of you worked so hard to make this occasion possible. about all, i want to pay tribute to the veterans who are now advancing their dreams by pursuing an education. obviously, i am honored to be here and renew our commitment to ensure the men and women who wear the uniform of the united states of america get the opportunities they have earned. i was a proud co-sponsor of the post-9/11 gi bill as a senator and i am committed to working with secretary shinseki to see it is successfully implemented as president. we do this not just to meet our moral obligation to those who sacrificed greatly on our behalf and on behalf of the country. we do it because these men and women must now be prepared to lead our nation in the peaceful

pursuit of economic leadership in the 21st century. this generation of servicemen and women has already earned a place of honor in american history. each of them signed up to serve, many after they knew there would be sent into harm's way. over the last eight years, they have endured torture after a tour of duty in dangerous and disparate places. they have experienced grueling, that in the streets of fallujah and they have adapted to complex insurgencies, protected local populations, and trained for and security forces. by any measure, they are the authors of one of the most extraordinary chapters of military service in the history of our nation. i don't make that statement lightly. we know that anyone who puts on the uniform joins an unbroken

line of selfless patriots that stretches back to lexington and concord. the freedom and prosperity we enjoy it would not exist without the service of generations of americans willing to bear the heaviest and most dangerous burdens. but we also know this -- the contributions are servicemen and women can make to this nation do not and when they take off the uniform. wearily debt to all the surf. when we repay that debt to those brave americans among us, we are investing in our future. not just their future, but the future of our own country. this was a lesson america was sometimes too slow to learn. after the civil war and world war one, we saw far too many veterans who were denied the chance to live their dreams. men who are unable to find in peace the hope they had fought for in war.

franklin roosevelt knew this. in 1943, before the beaches of normandy were stormed and the treacherous terrain of the eulogy of was taken, he told the nation that the veterans of world war two would be treated differently. he said they must not be demobilized -- to replace i bet -- a place on a bread line or on a corner selling apples. instead, roosevelt said the american people will insist on filling this american obligation to men and women in the armed forces who are winning this war for us. that is precisely what the american people did. the gi bill was approved just weeks after d-day and carried with it a simple promise to all had served -- you pick the school, we will help pick up the bill. what followed was not simply an

opportunity for veterans, it was a transformation for our country. by 1947, half of all americans enrolled in college were veterans. all anole, this would lead to three presidents, three supreme court justices, 14 nobel prize winners, two dozen pulitzer prize winners. but more importantly, it produced hundreds of thousands of scientists, engineers, doctors, nurses, the backbone of the largest middle-class in history. all told, nearly 8 million americans were educated under the m regional gi bill, including my grandfather. no no. can sum up this cheap -- can sum up this sea change in our society. a fighter pilot from detroit said i did not know anyone who went to college. i did not -- i would not have gone to college where it not for the gi bill. a navy man from north carolina

said what happened in my rural community happened all over the country. going to college was no longer a novelty. indeed, one of the men who went to college on the gi bill, was my grandfather. i would not be standing here today if that opportunity had not let him west in search of opportunity. we owe the same opportunity to this generation of servicemen and women as was afforded the previous generation. that's the promise of the post 9/11 gi bill. it's driven by the same simple logic that drove the first gi bill. you pick the school, we will help pick up the bill. looking out at the audience today, i am so proud to see some of the veterans who will be able to pursue their education with this new support from the american people. this is even more important than it was in 1944. the first gi bill helped build a

post-war economy that has been transformed by revolutions in communications and technology. that is why the post-9/11 gi bill must give today's veterans the skills and training at they need to fill the jobs of tomorrow. education is a currency that can purchase success in the 21st century and this is the opportunity our troops have earned. i am also proud that all who have borne the burden of service these last several years will have access to this opportunity. we are including reservists and national guard members because they have carried out unprecedented deployment in afghanistan and iraq. we are including the military families who have sacrificed so much by allowing the transfer of unused benefits to family members. and we are including those who pay the ultimate price by making this benefit available to the children of those who lost the

lives in service to their country. this is not simply a debt we are paying to them are -- to the remarkable woman and that -- remarkable men and women who have served. if is an investment in our own country. the first gi bill paid for itself many times over by increased revenue by those to receive the skills and education to create a better life. the veterans who are here today, like the post 9/11 veterans around the country, can lead the way to a lasting economic recovery and be the glue to hold society together and can become the backbone of a growing american middle-class. even as we help our veterans learn the skills they need, all of us can learn from the men and women who serve our country. we have lived through an age when many people in institutions acted irresponsibly.

when service often took back seat to short-term profits. one hard tercet -- hard to leases were put aside for someone else for some other time. a time when easy distractions became the norm and the trivial has been taken to seriously. the men and women who served since 9/11 telling different story. while some money were reaching for the quick buck, they were heading out on patrol. while our discourse produce more heat than light, especially here in washington, they put their lives on the line for america. they have borne the responsibility of war. now with this policy, we are making it clear that the united states of america must reward responsibility and not irresponsibility. once this policy, we are letting those who have borne the heaviest burden lead us into the 21st century. today, we honor the service of an extraordinary generation and look to america that they will

help build tomorrow. the post-9/11 g i bill, we can give americans a chance to live their dreams and unleash their talents and tap their creativity and be guided by their sense of responsibility to their fellow citizens. and to this country we all love so much. may god bless our troops and veterans, may god bless the nine states of america. thank you very much. [applause]

>> president obama at george mason university in northern virginia. on capitol hill, the senate finishing up the week before the recess. a senate panel today will hear about bonuses awarded to government contractors. we will hear from the budget office and the accountability office as well as officials from defense, led security, and energy. that is at 3:00 eastern on c- span. >> and david cohen is an executive at the largest cable provider, comcast. tonight, his take on the future of broadband in america. that is quality the communicator's" on c-span2. >> starting tuesday, the senate debates the domination of the sonia sotomayor. watch a live on c-span2 and c- span.org.

this fall, tore the home to america is highest court, the supreme court. >> in just over 10 minutes, we'll take you live to the state department where secretary of state hilary clinton will be holding a news conference with the foreign minister of jordan. this is the head of the secretary ' to africa. live coverage begins at 1145. until then, part of the sporting's washington journal.

in the case a judge set my door, she says quite correctly issue -- in the case of judge sonia sotomayor, she has said she is a product of affirmative action. she was a very good bet, and she succeeded brilliantly. she is generalize from that to endorsing a system of racially preferential affirmative action. raw preferences today based solely on race or given to people who are not in a position to compete in places they are accepted. as evidenced by the academic performance of many affirmative- action [unintelligible] in the case of professor gates, he was arrested by the white police officer, under improper

circumstances. he attributed it to racism, but there was no good reason to attributed to racism. he had wild claims about america being a racist and classicist country and there have not been final changes in america. he said the only black people actually live in a post-race for a world are in the white house. i think it is irresponsible for a man of his stature to speak that way. host: you say essentially these individuals have a scrap alighted from their personal experiences to look at a wider trend. [unintelligible] guest: the similarity they have in common is race. i think it is an exaggerated view of the extent to which racism persists in america and the extent to which the traditional affirmative action remedies will help the situation of minority americans.

in her case, her advocacy of affirmative action and racial preferences. in his complaint about america being pervasively racist. host: let's look at the peace from the "national journal." they no doubt considered sonia sotomayor's ethnicity. she was an ideal candidate [unintelligible] 4 extraordinarily promising students of all races. you say that she was an ideal candidate because his high achieving and [unintelligible] guest: by her count, she says she was an affirmative-action babies. she says she got into princeton despite scores that were perhaps lower than they

expected. she had gone to a pretty good high school and was valedictorian. she was clearly a striver, cheever, a hard worker, a person capable of seizing on opportunities. there was every reason if you are a princeton admissions officer back then to think she may have trouble at first competing with kids from fancy prep schools where they got a better education, but she is a good bet to catch up and be surpassed them and in fact she did. host: looking at professor gates, you write that he essentially emulated the cow was politicians who have encouraged black people to blame white people for problems that they don't have much power to fix. guest: i am speaking their his generalizations about america being racist and his dismissal of the election of the first bath -- first black president as insignificant and not telling

you anything about race in america. i think those are outrageous comments. in addition, if you look at his arrest, he claims that the police officer stereotyped him as a black man and arrested them. under the circumstances, i think he stereotyped the police officer. none of us can read the police officers mind as to whether race was part of his calculation in arresting him, but an awful lot of white people have been arrested under similar circumstances and treated all lot worse. therefore, the quick assumption that it is because of race is unwarranted. host: you and the column by saying that race played a role in the arrest while ignoring the fact many white people who have been arrested for mouthing off to cops treat you happen to be one of them. guest: in 1971, i was 22 and young reporter at the "baltimore

sun." i came on a scene of a mini race riot going on. but i walk while reading and i did not know what was going on. then i heard an angry park to get back. it was a police officer yelling at me. before i realized it, that he had a problem because he was in the middle of this riot, i responded in a wise off way. i'm not rude and outrageous, but sort of a smart ass. but he and his partner grant me and next thing i know i was in a cell. that was an unconstitutional arrest. it did not hurt me. professor gates also suffered an unconstitutional arrest. the reason i read mentioned it is this happens a lot to people. if you want to have a conversation about police arresting people for being rude to them, let's have that conversation, but don't make it

about race. host: do you think that for an african-american man, there is a history of incidents with the figure of authority, whether police or other authority figures, there has been a tendency for black men to feel like they're being racially profiled? do you see professor gates may have a different opinion because of his race and experience? guest: i think that is a fair statement and there has been a long and lamentable history of racism towards blacks and it has probably it persisted in law enforcement and other areas for the variety of complicated reasons. but professor gates, as far as i know, has not had a long case of being personally victimized by race. therefore, when he is speaking with great authority to black people all over america as well as by people, he should be careful what he says. i think exaggerated claims of

racism are a big problem in this country. they divert attention from the real answers. there are problems that will not be solved by doing that. host: like what? >> -- guest: poor education, for work habits, common things that played for, black america. most of them are detailed and a book and they will not be solved by attacking white racism or complaining about the rest of professor gates. they will be solved more by self-help and perhaps by well adjusted government programs. but the problems i think at that afflict black america today are certainly a legacy of longtime white discrimination, but i do not think there closely related to persisting discrimination.

host: let's go to the phone lines. recall democratic line from san diego, california. caller: good morning. host: please go ahead. caller: i am here watching it at 5:00 in the morning. it is not true. racism is alive and quite well. i am so happy and i pray judge sonia sotomayor makes it. there's something so honest about her. she is clean and will be so true. she would be more helpful to the system because that is a good woman, a good human being. i am a victim of racism. i'm 64 years old. my husband worked for a company for 36 and half years. when they saw him getting sick, they terminated him. but he had insurance and we

continue. he won a lawsuit for what -- for wrongful termination. he died 18 days after the trial. when the judge took my attorney often told me himself that this company is so big and san diego is so conservative that my husband would never won the lawsuit. he did and they would not have taken it if they had not -- if he had not passed away. when it came to me, after he passed away, the verdict came down on a eighth of june and he died on the 26 and june. it was racism, sir. host: sorry for ross and thank you for recall. guest: i am sorry for your loss as well. if i heard you correctly, he was not terminated on account of his race. if i heard you correctly,

although some people warned he would not win a lawsuit on account of his race, he did when the lawsuit. -- he did win the lawsuit. i'm not sure i see the racism. host: we have a comment -- if you were in congress, which you vote no based on your perception of affirmative-action? >> -guest: i'm not sure how i wd vote. she is an admirable person in canada and she is clearly qualified and capable. she has great experience for a supreme court justice. in many ways i think she is an outstanding appointment. there are some matters on which i have ideological disagreements with her. i also have my doubts about the candor of her testimony. the question is how much difference to give to the

president on a choice teammate i would not have made, as senator lindsay gramm has said. it is clear that president obama gave no difference at all to great qualities in the nominees he voted against, john roberts and samuel alito. he said he did not like their ideology and that's not the right standard. i'm not sure how much difference i would give in this case. host: we have a call on the republicans line from oxnard, california. caller: i have a few comments. i was trying to get in before this hour because i was watching the show. host: let's keep to the topic at hand. caller: my comment about the confirmation of sonia sotomayor is, if i were lindsay gramm, and

i am from his district in south carolina, i would be like him. in my opinion, i watched a lot of the questions and the senate hearings. i do have some problems with some of the statements she made, but as far as being qualified and the fact where she came from -- host: we just lost that call. caller: thank you for taking my call. please let me finish my stuff is your asking about two subjects. as far as judge sonia sotomayor, think it was a good thing. i am so glad that obama appointed somebody that represents the interests of her people, including all american

people, unlike clarence thomas. i think of the reason bush put clarence thomas up there was because black people are only 12% of the population. as you look at it, we should only have one person on the supreme court, but he is going to put a person of their the don't represent us, which was a shrewd move. obama should put another black person up there. but at least the appointed someone who represents their views and that's a good thing. on the thing about the gate saying. on the dates thing, i want to ask the gentleman why do you think they dropped the charges against him if there was no wrongdoing? guest: i think there was wrongdoing. i think it was improper arrest and i think that has a lot to do with why they dropped the charges. i think there realized in court to make the charges thrown out

by a judge who would say it's unconstitutional arrest. you should not be arrested, and i think the first amendment protection, from mouthing off against a police officer. my complaint with what professor gates did is attributing the rest to racism when and fact lots of people of all races have been improperly arrested under similar circumstances. host: what can we as a country learn about race from the conversation? it's not just the comments they have made rather experiences, they could be in a bubble. it has expanded soar -- it has expanded so greatly and it's part of the american dialogue. guest: we learned that this hits a very raw liver -- a very raw nerve in america. especially among black americans and to some extent among other americans.

the danger of over learning the lesson is assuming because racism was once pervasive that it is still pervasive, assuming that because the condition of black america, poverty and so forth, is still pretty bad compared to white americans, that the reason for that is persistence of racism. we need to learn that there are racial problems that don't really have racial solutions. host: there was a story in "usa today" where professor gates says in sharing a beer at the white house with the officer and president obama, he says the national debate sparked by his arrest says issues of class and race run profoundly deeply in the u.s.. guest: they do and you can see by the firestorm of his remarks -- host: the president's remarks?

guest: yes. i don't think many black people were angry with what the president said, but many white people were. if you read the transcript, it's not unlike what i said. he said he did not know if race was the cause, and said it was a stupid arrest. but when the president speaks, it echoes. but his choice of words, stupid, and the inevitable quotation of the words and attribution, many people said the presence said it was racist. but he did not say that. presidents need to be careful how they choose our words. host: we of a call on the democrats' line from michigan. caller: i think the press should be careful about how they choose their words. not only that, they should do some investigation before they start mouthing off about something they know absolutely nothing about.

i have heard nothing about this man being in his home when he is arrested, he committed no crime, the officer lied about the 911 call and lied about the dispatch call. he falsified the police report and nothing has been said about any of that. the only thing we hear is the president should choose his words. the president was a young black man. i you know he was not [unintelligible] how he -- he had eight this reaction to a friend of his and we hear nothing about that in the mainstream media. guest: i think we have heard a lot about it in the mainstream media. the caller does not like what i am saying about it. how do i know obama was not racially profile? i don't know that.

we know a lot about president obama and he has been under the microscope for a long time. his life has been dissected from top to bottom and he has written two books about his life. as far as i know, there was not a in example of serious discrimination of mr. obama during his entire life. obviously, there are whackos who attacked him in racist ways, but i don't think the obama story supports the callers generalizations, and i think it is not fair to attack the police officer in the case for all of the things, filing a false report and so forth. i heard there was something inaccurate about whether the first caller mentioned race when she reported there was a break in going on. i'm not sure who wrote the report. i'm not sure whether they conflated the fact that one of them turned out to be black with

the original caller. i don't think there has been any proof of any significant misstatement by the sergeant, but i do think it was an illegal arrest in the fact it was at the professor's home does make it worse than an illegal arrest ben isaacs that -- that i experienced. host: a call on the republicans line. caller: it seems like we have a lot of people calling and talking about how racism is alive and well. anytime someone points out an incident to reinforce that, it always seems that any their turns out to be a hoax or an erroneous statement made by someone or is just a stretch in order to meet it. in my own personal experience, i have experienced it at least twice, three times i'm pretty sure.

i know of many others in my situation that have experienced it as well but it gets lost over because they're white. because we were discriminated against, it is no big deal. guest: i think the word always was used. i would not say always, but i do think it is common. i have written a book about the duke lacrosse rape fraud. in that case, a bunch of duke lacrosse players, all white, were accused of raping a black stripper. the charges were false and the evidence was false became apparently -- became apparent quickly. no person in the country maintains there are guilty. but a great number people, many academics, many professors, many professors of at for american cities rushed to judgment

against the players and formed a mob which was indifferent to evidence. the charge was this was a racist rape, they were white and she was black. a lot of people were just dying to believe that because it said the narrative about race and racism being rammed but in america today. i think it exists and persists, but i don't believe it is rampant. host: professor gates talked to reporters over the weekend because he was at an event for a new book he has. he said what happened to him is small potatoes and is concerned about people who don't have harvard lawyers to represent them. do you think there is this, under the surface, not talk about, experience of people who are not white in america. professor gates has a lot of resources like education,

finance, and connections. but he is talking about the black men out there who are not in his fortune of circumstance. guest: i think he's talking in particular about their treatment by the criminal-justice system. there is denigrate deal of mistreatment in the criminal justice system and no doubt persists in some places. i think the evidence as to how persistent it is very simplistic place and time to time and could be argued ala. i have written a lot about the crack sentencing laws and how they put in prison and many people who don't -- who don't belong in prison for a long time and disproportionate numbers are black, particularly because of the patterns of you uses crack. but let's be careful -- patterns of who uses crack. but let's be careful. the rates of violent crimes --

crimes of blacks are higher than those for whites. this drug laws, although they are widely considered racist now, were supported by many members of the congressional black caucus won or past because it was thought crack was growing in the inner cities and we have to hit it with long prison terms. that turned out to not be a good idea. i don't think was erases idea, but it has had bad racial effects. host: a call on the independent line from louisiana. caller: i feel like the comments from a judge sonia sotomayor taken out of context. i understand president obama's comments and i don't think anything was wrong with it. some time ago, was picked up on a speeding charge.

it was a minor incident. i went to court and the judge for the book at a. it wound up costing me that over $800. they took me in chains to jail, threw me in with a gang of rapists and murderers and thugs all sorts and i had to think to myself, what the heck did i do to deserve this for a speeding ticket? i was thinking maybe a $100 fine or whenever. when i got up there, the jailor wanted to know if i have a rebel flag tattooed to my forehead. i am a victim of racism and i am a white man. i agree with the last caller.