democrats will declare victory, but i don't think we'll get the universal coverage, which is the goal. i think that's a ways away. as i say, it might happ state by state so five years from now, maybe everybody in america will be covered. >> last question, will you run for office, the way you feel about it now, and when? >> yeah, if i thought that we were going to do something in colorado on a state level, i'd like to be there and work for it because i definitely want to see us cover everybody. >> t.r. reid, the name of the book is "the healing of america," thank you for joining us. >> i'm delighted to be here. .

tournai programs are also available as c-span podcasts -- "q&a" programs are also available as cnn's pat -- c-span podcasts. up next from gdansk, poland, and anniversary commemorating the 70th anniversary of the start of world war ii. after that, another chance to see "q&a" with t.r. reid. president obama of will be in cincinnati tomorrow. he will speak at an afl-cio picnic there. i live coverage of his remarks begins a 1:00 p.m. c-span -- 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span.

>> 70 years ago, on september 1, 1939, a german battle at a small military outpost in poland. on tuesday, world leaders gathered in gdansk, paul and to remember the people lost their lives. this contains speeches by and lech kaczynski, vladimir putin, and others. this last one hour and 25 minutes.

[inaudible] i want to welcome everyone to this commemoration of the starting of world war ii. we include the people of gdansk who have gathered here.

i would ask everyone to stand and listen to the anthem of the republic of poland. ♪

>> take your seats, please. a lot like to invite mr. lech kaczynski to open the ceremony -- i would like to invite the president of the republic of poland, mr. lech kaczynski, to open the ceremonies. >> prime minister, madam chancellors, presidents,

speakers, ladies and gentlemen, today comes the seventh anniversary of the outbreak of world war ii. -- the 17th anniversary -- the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of world war ii. this was the town that was first to be bombed or 1000 people were killed. it is another symbol, a symbol of the total character of this war. over two generations have passed but this war continues to remove -- to demand reflection.

and now the question arises, what caused it? it is certain that it was a totalitarian rule, nationalism, and this is just a short -- just as shorure that the order that settled in europe, the oversight order, was the first, although short-lived attempt to construct peace on our continent and in the world. the treaty of versailles and at open the route to independence -- had opened the route to independence to poland,

hungary, finland, czechoslovakia, and in yugoslavia and, and within yugoslavia, slovenia, croatia -- this treaty accounted for the sovereignty of nations and the protection of minorities. it turned out to be ephemeral for several reasons, but not least for the reason and took -- that totalitarian systems emerged. and the brink to occurrence was the emergence the third reich. it led by an aggressive ideology and, an ideology of

revenge, and nazism questioned the whole heritage of european civilization. during the years 1933-1938, this system was a party to attempted treaties fostered by afrance and great britain. already in the 1930's, poland proposed a pre-emptive strike, and this proposal was not taken up. therefore: i nonaggression treaty with german just as it had a similar treatment wit -- a

similar treaty with the soviet union. and these treaties cannot be in any way compared to that between them concluded 60 years later. the nazi policies led to the annexation of munich. munich is a pact that we should reflect upon. as winston churchill rightly said, the powers chose between disgrace and dishonor -- they chose disgrace but they will have war, as churchill said. the and secretary -- that >> --

the territorial integrity of texas of audio was guaranteed by the treaty. it was wrong then, it is wrong today. it is not only an issue of totalitarianism, it is also something that is characteristic for countries with imperialistic policies. we have witnessed that last year. the joining of hitler and the partition of a checklist of akia was our send -- up to cause somebody of -- and the partitioning of czechoslovakia was our sin.

munich calls for conclusions that are a viable today. imperialism should not be allowed to -- bowed to. not even the imperial attitude can be tolerated. of course, the outcomes of the tolerating imperialism are not always as rabin as those that followed minute -- as rapid as those that followed munich but it teaches us to think otherwise in the future. the 23rd of august, 1939 the pact proceed directly the outbreak of world war ii. it was not simply a non-

aggression pact, but also a pact that stipulated the division of europe into areas of influence. i want to read and edit -- reiterate what i said this morning. poland did receive the proposal of joining that pact, and there was a proposal for poland to join a march to the east, but poland renounced that proposal and did not join, steadfastly adhering to its treaties.

the war that broke out lead to defeat. there was no possible -- no other possible outcome. this was followed by a tragic occupation, exceptionally tragic not only in poland. 5.8 million citizens of poland's, of those polish and jewish and nationalities, were killed during the war. there were the victims of this war, just as 50 million people all over the world. the holocaust was the crime that was committed during that war, but before, the outbreak of war between germany and soviet union, other crimes were committed. that account also calls for

reflection, not so much because facts which are mostly non today, but the causes should be discussed. why several dozens of thousands of officers of polish army and others were sentenced to death? this was a token of revenge for 1920, for the fact that poland withstood the aggression of 1920. it could be claimed that is communism that is to blame. no, this time it was chauvinism. at that stage, the communist system had this characteristic trade, and that pact was not

concluded in good faith. either party wanted to outfox the other. stalin thought that the germans would bleed out, fighting them british and french, and then fall easy prey to the soviet union, while hitler counted on a quick defeat in the west while staying safe in the east for the time being. but both sides made a mistake, and the war that ensued caused many, many russians, ukrainians, but russians, georgians, and others to fall.

we have about before them -- we have to file before them -- bow before them as they are heroic. but paula did not regain full sovereignty after. the iron curtain fell over europe and on the other side of that curtain, not on the side that we were on, on the other side a period of reflection emerged. this was a fruitful reflection which led to the devising and assigning of the north atlantic treaty, a treaty that over the 60 years of its existence has become the exporter of stability, freedom, and also a democracy mostly.

it turned out to be a very successful experiment. it must be remembered, however, that treaties require us to observe the stipulations. poland is an inherent and so is germany -- and here it -- poland is an inherent -- ad herent, and so as germany and others. this did not -- they did not live only by a defense a pact. they also founded what is today known as the european union. this may be an interesting

experiment in the history of mankind that has so been -- so far been tremendously successful. within this community, the balance of power has been superseded by cooperation. what were the prerequisites of that success? first and foremost, a commonality of values, such as freedom, democracy, and pluralism. the next requisite -- the next prerequisite was the rescinding of into real dreams. -- of imperial dreams. without this, the united europe

would also be unthinkable. and here come up with 27 member states, in future possibly more member states, we have a new quality. this inequality should also be accessible to others -- this new quality should also be accessible to others come up with the one condition, that they accept this system, by use, a system of values which does not allow the going back to what once was, where equality is the main principle. this requires broad, multilateral cooperation, and

also requires democracy not only in the relations between the states and citizens, but also between states. if this happens, then we could savy that following the amount - the unimaginable crimes of 1939- 1945, this unimaginable tragedy taught us a lesson, and that we have learned and drawn certain joint conclusions. of falling we're going to -- hopefully we're going to progress, living by the truth, living by values, living by a trick that may be difficult or painful -- a truth that may be difficult or painful, but a truth that needs to be accepted and confessed by the winners and

the defeated. those who have been defeated or not the only ones who are to confess. also the winners should do so. according to christians, confession does not humiliate. it makes us free, provided it is universal. we poles have the right and the entitlement to access truth, to access the truth about tragic occurrences in our history, and we can never pronounced that right. and i deeply believe that the whole of europe is going down that path, the path leading to pluralism, freedom, democracy,

and truth, even if that truth seems to be hard to take. because, as i said, we are able to confess to our own senins. we need to be able to do so, and not to compare the order to kill 30,000, and the death of people do to an epidemic -- due to a epidemic. this is the pathway that we need to follow, not only by us but by the whole of europe. thank you. >> now i was like to ask the president of the european union to take the floor. -- now i would like to ask the president of the european union to take the floor.

>> mr. president, mr. prime minister, madam chancellor, prime ministers, ministers, members of parliament, your excellencies, ladies and gentleman, the citizens of gdansk, on the first of september, 1939, the nightmare of europe and the world started with the attack on poland. here in of westerplatte, i handful soldiers reacted heroically and stood in defense of the freedom and honor of europe. it was here for the first time that first nazism met armed resistance.

it was here that people fought against the nazi regime, from the first to the last days of the war. today as the president of the european parliament, i want to say very strongly, we shall never forget and we shall never let others forget. historic remembrance cannot be put away into a dusty museum because it is important to remember it the victims of the war, in cemeteries all over the world. it will be the community of remembrance for us. the warnings for the future generations. this remembrance is the foundation upon which we build the future. the second world war came to an end in may 1945. the nazi regime collapsed, but

it was not the end of the huge persecution of european nations. on half of that -- only half of the continent was able to breathe freely. [unintelligible] a great upheaval in prague and the polish coastline and 1957, it could not really be destroyed until we could take a deep breath again. [unintelligible] in 2008, the european parliament commemorated the 23rd of august, the european day of

remembrance of the victims of stalinism and nazism. mass depredation, murder, -- the portion, murder, [unintelligible] war crimes and crimes against humanity, the words that the members of the european parliament wrote one year ago. this is not a coincidence that the first was created 60 years ago. [unintelligible] proposing the establishment of the community, it was said that this will not only be unthinkable, but something that

is not said. for many years, says that first community, we were star -- destroying balls that remained after the second world war and we must never allow them to be directed to dave -- again. we have to do this by using energy commodities and not allow the manipulation of historic facts. i like to remember some words from germany [unintelligible] and does not amend any fang. with respect to those who died for our freedom, behalf of the success, strengthening our european solidarity. that can be created only by concrete action, by a common basis upon which we can be developed ourselves economically.