fully supporting the relief efforts in the western portions of the stricken zone west of port-au-prince. your second question, frankly, i cannot speak for the usaid. thst their -- this is their mission to lead the search and recovery effort, so i am not going to put words into their area of responsibility just as they would not speak for general cane on how we are employing the military forces here. i would ask you to direct your questions to the usaid. .

stay, given the challenges that you face realistically? and equipment and other areas of south come -- of south comm? >> obviously that's a question that i'm sure you can get a better answer there in the pentagon, but we have the ability to sustain our forces. we are leveraging all the

capabilities of our joint military and supporting forces. and we will be able to sustain the effort here in haiti as long as it is needed. and we are reassured by our senior leaders that all available resources that are needed by general king and by the government of haiti will be made available and brought to bear as rapidly as possible. and so we are inspired by the speed with which the capabilities have been brought in here and the speed with which they have been able to adjust priorities to the changing situation on the ground. and so we are a very capable department of defense, obviously, and we're confident that the capabilities that are needed by the government of haiti will be provided and can

be provided and sustained for as long as it's needed. >> general, it's mike with cnn. [inaudible] understanding that you said the comfort arrives tomorrow and there are a number of field hospitals from other countries on the ground there. reports from various news organizations, including ours on the ground there, are showing a lot of haitians desperately still needing medical attention on the ground within sometimes minutes, hours, according to some of the reports. is there an effort to kind of loosen that logjam on medical supplies or additional doctors or medical facilities to get on the ground as opposed to flying people out as well, but

increasing the medical capabilities, surgeons, other doctors on the ground in a wider part of haiti and port-au-prince? >> yes. absolutely, it's a great question. that effort is ongoing. as in all areas of our efforts here, our medical capacity has grown each and every day that we're here. as has our understanding of where the response is needed most, and obviously we are adjusting the delivery of subsequent things to address emerging requirements that are not immediately being met. there's obviously a -- an interagency effort led by the world health organization that is moving rapidly to increase the distribution of essential

medical aid and we're confident that as we work together in understanding where the needs are most that we will be able to push them in that direction very, very quickly. >> there's also a good resource within the u.s. military of field hospitals. we understand there may be some talk about moving those out. is that in the works, moving any air force or navy field hospitals into the area? >> i spoke mostly about the international contributors in my remarks, but we also have military medical capability that has closed here in support of the effort. and we are constantly assessing the need to ensure that capability on the ground is

sufficient to meet the daily needs of the response effort to this tragedy. and if we need more capability -- and literally we have capability arriving every day. for instance, shortly after the comfort arrives here ashore -- or offshore -- we will also have the colombians providing a hospital ship to the effort in support of our efforts here. so we are obviously in an hourly and daily assessment of needs versus capability. and if we need it from the department of defense, we will request it, and i'm confident it will be delivered as quickly as possible. >> hi, general. this is courtney from nbc news.

there have been reports, you mentioned, -- some problems at the refugee camps are amassing together, some sexual assaults and what not. is there any talk with the u.s. military policing account area, keeping the locals safe? >> we are working with the u.n. security forces. we have several meetings a day with a general and his staff with the joint task force level. we met with him last night at about 21:00 to discuss the situation on the ground and our respective capabilities. in the incidents that occurred yesterday, two in particular in the vicinity of port-au-prince, his responsiveness to those incidents was not only timely

but also extremely effective, and he has demonstrated that capability time and again in responding to the international relief effort here. as i stated earlier, there's a concurrent effort to assist the haitian national police in restoring their capability. and that will be an effort led by, i'm sure, the i.n.l., and supported by the u.n. vifflian police -- civilian police effort here that was already in place and being reinforced. we believe the emerging incidents of instability are within the current capability and our commanders on the ground are adjusting their force posture to move them

where they are needed most to ensure that we don't get an unstable environment that affects our ability to accomplish the mission. >> but just to be clear, does that mean that the haitian police, who is policing the areas where all these civilians, all these homeless haitians are now living? who's in charge of securing those people? >> coherent security force on the ground today across the country is manusta. and so they are the ones dealing with the majority of the occasions of large gatherings of people. where incidents occur within local communities, in areas around port-au-prince and in the outlining -- >> in part of today's state department briefing, a haiti update. we're leaving you now taking you to a state department

briefing. first, you'll heart from kirk campbell about u.s. relations with japan. and then the spokesman will take questions from reporters from u.s. relief efforts on haiti. it is just getting under way here on c-span. mrs. capito: [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> on the state of our relationship as a cornerstone of our policy towards the asian pacific region. kirk, thank you very much. >> thank you very much. i'm sorry to keep you waiting. we were just going over some final details. and for those of us, those of you who traveled with us last week, we almost made it to asia. thank you for your forebearance and support. we were able from hawaii able to communicate in new guinea

and the secretary was very apologetic. almost all of our conversations were extraordinarily understanding. i think there was a an appreciation for the urgent and immediate challenges that the u.s. government is facing in haiti and the secretary promised that she would be rescheduling her trip to these countries in the upcoming months. however, when we were in hawaii we had an excellent meeting, probably one of the longest and most detailed meetings that i ever attended between the united states and japan, between the foreign minister and secretary clinton. they're really starting to cement their relationship. i can sense the chemistry and the trust developing between the two. that's deeply gratifying. in addition, the secretary gave a speech really outlining -- to interact with asia when it comes to its fledgling

international organizations. and so even though the trip was abriefiated, i think we got quite a bit of work done. as p.g.a. indicated, this is today we're marking the 50th anniversary of the u.s.-japan security alliance, the security partnership. it's no exaggeration to say that it has been the cornerstone and the foundation of everything that we've managed to accomplish over the course of the last few generations inin asia. and we hear this not just from japanese friends but throughout the region. over the course of the last couple of months, as the united states and japan worked together on a series of challenging matters, one of the things that's been most interesting and gratifying is how much we hear from other countries in the region, from south korea, from sing apour, from as you trail -- from singapore, from australia, about how the u.s.-japan

relationship matters to them, not just for us. they say it's the component of american and japanese approaches to global policy. so we tried to take the appropriate steps over the course of the last several days to underscore the importance of this relationship. when the secretary and the prime minister met in hawaii last week, the secretary issued a detailed personal declaration of her support for the alliance . today, we have also issued a formal two plus two statement which is a document that is formally released by both the u.s. tanned japanese governments, including secretary gates and secretary clinton on our side and the japan defense minister and administer of foreign affairs on the japanese side.

in addition, the prime minister and president obama both issued comments about the anniversary. president eisenhower referred to this relationship as not just the cornerstone but an indestructible component of the american approach to the asian pacific liege. one of the things we tried to underscore when the secretary was in hawaii, that we have seen over the kors of the last several months many -- course of the last several months many areas in which japan has stepped up in important ways. today, japan is the largest supporter of our ongoing efforts in afghanistan, with the $5 billion commitment to a host of humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. in copenhagen, it was japan and

the prime minister that provided the most generous support for efforts in the developing world to deal with the adaptations that climate change will bring to the disadvantaged. -- and we have seen japanese support to haiti, communicated directly to the secretary when we were in hawaii. i think overall we've seen indications of this new government -- and we believe it will be critical in the coming months to make sure that our two governments are working closely together. you but clearly our issues that require more work and more

consultation and from the u.s. government perspective, we're prepared to work with our japanese interlocketters. we've outlined what's our best way forward with the r.f.r. plan, and we expect those consultations with our senior japanese interlocketters will be continuing. i'll be leading a delegation to japan in about two weeks' time where we will continue those discussions going forward. i think the secretary and the prime minister wants to use next year as part of a process, a deep process of dialogue and discussion about the purposes and the criticality about the u.s.-japan alliance going forward. in many respects this is a day

of celebration and looking back but it's not sufficient. we need to make sure that our primary focus is to work together with japan to make sure that this alliance maintains its critical role in the years ahead. that's just a general statement. i'm happy to take questions on any other topic. but i want to make sure that we focus on today on this important 50-year milestone. yes. and if you mind -- identify for folks here. >> secretary campbell, however strong the bonds between the united states and japan have been over the last half century, why should one not look at the japanese government's decision to cease the indian ocean refueling operation and the continued disagreements over the -- and conclude that the bonds have

been strong they may be frage ever so slightly? -- fraying ever so slightly? >> first, we have communicated directly to the japanese government not only our appreciation for the refueling mission but we've also tried to be very clear that it's made an enormous difference in our ability to operate but not just our ability, other major nations have taken full advantage of this refueling capacity. and so i don't think it's -- i don't think it's an understatement to say it will be missed. it's played a huge and critical role, and we regret. at the same time, the party when it was out of power, campaigning, took a very strong view that this was something they needed to look at. as we've worked closely with our japanese interlocketters, the new government, they've

been very clear that they are determined to play a role in trying to bring peace and stability to south asia, to afghanistan and pakistan. that's within of the reasons they've stepped up so substantially. their assistans, and we're grateful for that. so at the same time this mission will be missed, refueling mission, it's also the case that japan has now stepped newspaper a very important major way in terms of providing assistance on the ground. the truth is in many respects this is the first transfer in power in about half a century. we had short-term new governments in the 1990's and it is completely natural and indeed expected you are going to go through periods in which both sides ask detailed questions and have a chance to look afresh at the commitments of previous administrations. that goes "encore booknotes"

the american scene and we should -- that goes on on the american scene and we should expect that to go on their scene. we're finding a -- an ability to discuss issues of mutual concern, whether they be regional, global, challenges on the korean peninsula or issues relating to climate change that there is i think very clearly a relationship that's developing with new players across the pacific. and i'm quite confident about the direction ahead. so i think it's important not to overblow what these challenges that we face and put them in a larger context and to recognize that our alliance is bigger than any one or two issues. and also appreciate that in the midst of very real challenges that we're facing it takes

place within a context of cooperation and coordination. and in many respects is unprecedented. yeah, hi. nice to see you again. >> we're coming back from melbourne today. >> i'm rested. yeah. >> if you look at it that way. since -- have you ever seen so many questions asked about the alliance and the 50 years it's existed and do these questions mean that the alliance will fundamentally change? will this be the biggest reshaping of the alliance? >> this is nothing in comparison to what we faced in 1995, 1996. let's keep in mind a few basic things. in the last several weeks we have seen an opinion polling in japan about the united states and the u.s.-japan alliance which are the best polls in history ever taken with support in japan of the united states in the 80 percentile. 85%, 86%.

and 70%. if you compare that with 1995 and 1996 after the tragic rape of the young school girl in okinawa win most of japan had deep and serious questions about the viability of the u.s.-japan alliance, i would argue with you that we are in a much stronger, very stable and ultimately strong position for the continuation of the u.s.-japan security relationship. sofe -- adventurism in asia, it's aimed at no specific or particular nation, it serves as the foundation to bring a degree of confidence to the

asia and pacific region. the challenges we face today -- there were times where we were in offices in the 1990's where people were worried that the entire fabric of the alliance was coming apart. this is a process that many have called for for years, that democratization of japanese, foreign policies, they need to explain more clearly to the japanese public about the choices and challenges that japan faces. not only in the region but working with the united states. and i think we're very confident we're going to get through this and at the end be stronger because of the process. yes, hi. >> mr. secretary. >> kurt is fine. >> can you bring us up to date -- if you take a question on another subject -- since your visit to burma, initially there

seems to be some conciliatory gestures but the government said they'll go ahead with an election plan they had been working on for a couple of years, could you assess what's going on since your visit? >> first of all, we have had some follow on direct interactions with burmese authorities. i think we are going to be looking at a subsequent set of discussions in the near future. i would say to date it's a mix batch. we have seen certain things that we watched carefully. we've seen higher level engainingment with sue chi. and we've seen other developmentings. we've looked at closely. but at the same time there are areas of real concern, continuing problems with ethnic

minorities, persecutions and other issues. even one involving an american citizen inside the country. and i think it would be fair to say that the secretary and our team is looking for greater clarity in the coming weeks. i think we went into this, both the review and the new set of priority policies with a very clear understanding of the challenges that we had to be patient and that we had to recognize the enormous challenges that have come with every attempt and strategy for dealing with the regime. but it's also the case that we're not unendingly patient. we will need to see some clear steps and due course. yes. >> how are you? >> good.

>> i want to ask you two unrelated questions. the first is about japan. what sort of indications that you have that we don't already know about that this issue is going to be worked out, because what we've seen until now is, you know, each side seemingly, at least publicly, what signs do you have that this will work out the way the u.s. wants it to? and secondly on china, i'd like to know whether that [inaudible] over the google case, and i'd also like to hear from you about what the u.s. is doing with china in terms of internet freedom and internet security? >> thank you. good questions. look, it is clearly -- and i'll take the first one first. we have had extraordinarily deep and detailed conversations between the united states and japan on this matter. there is a balance here. the united states is very primed to be very clear and

firm about why we think this position that's been worked out over decades, really, is the right approach. but at the same time we do not appear to be intransigent. we want to be clear that our doors are open for a dialogue on a whole host of matters and we're also trying to maintain within this general context of flexibility. japanese interlocketers are working through these matters at the highest levels. we have received assurances from senior level players inside the government, and we are working over the course of the next few months to ensure that we arrive at the best possible understanding and solution on the way forward. it is also incumbent on us that work within the context of this alliance to make very clear

that this is a much bigger set of challenges and opportunities than simply the f.r.f. plan. and so it's critical to put our ongoing discussions and occasionally disagreements within this broader context. so i'll just sort of leave you with that. it's extremely important that we strike a public pose and indeed a set of private interactions that are not intransigent president and by the way, i think that's also the case with the japanese government. and we also appreciate the challenges here have a direct relevance for the future strength of the u.s.-japan security relationship, but they also play a major role in domestic politics in japan. on the issue of google and china, if you allow me, i have a brief statement. and i think i'll probably leave

it at that. this will address the specific questions that you raised. more generally in terms of the cyber arena, the ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. cyberspace provides a platform for innovation and prosperity and the means to improve general welfare around the globe. president obama has identified cybersecurity as a national priority that underpins global security and economic prosperity and also contributes to free expression. in addition, the president specifically made internet freedom held the first-ever town hall meeting where he highlightedted principles of freedom of expression, including free and open internet use is an

international right available to all people if they're in the united states, china or any other nation. now, secretary clinton will be giving an address later this week on the importance of internet freedom in terms of the 21st century and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear. now, specifically, on the google-china issue, i think the u.s. has had multiple meetings with chinese officials on this matter and more in the coming days. it's important that we take this matter seriously. as secretary clinton said last week that whole -- the whole issue does raise serious concern. it's also clear that china has denied the allegations made by google, but we also think that the chinese are in the best position to explain this, and we are asking them for an

explanation. we are not prepared to go into further specifics at this time, we will be -- but we will be having more discussions with chinese locketters in the coming days. i'll stick with that statement. thank you very much. >> can i ask you about north korea? in north korea, the foreign minister again suggested yesterday to start the peace treaty discussion first, and it was suggested by doing that we can build a trust between countries and a six-party talk. what is your response to that. >> i didn't completely understand the whole question. if you could just start again. >> actually, north korea foreign ministry again suggested yesterday to have peace treaty discussions between countries. and they also suggested that we can build trust by starting the

discussion between the countries. what's your response to that? >> first off, we think the appropriate next step is for north korea to return to the six-party talks. and to resume deliberations in this context. and within that context, it's possible to have bilateral interactions and other discussions. not just with the united states but with other countries. we think it's important that north korea make clear that they're prepared to abide by previous agreements in 2005 and 2007. and the u.s. position, which is very firm and in close coordination with our allies and friends in the six-party talks is that it would be inappropriate at this juncture to lift sanctions or to revisit aspects of u.n. security resolution 1874 given the current circumstances. so what we are looking for

really is a return to six-party talks. we think that's the best approach to deal with all of these issues. >> i understand it. is it impossible -- >> i am just going to stick with that statement for now. thank you. >> i am with reuters. >> yes. >> you mentioned traveling to japan in two weeks' time. can you tell us when you will be going and who you will be meeting with? >> the first day or two of february, and the hope is we'll be meeting with senior interlocketers, both within the government and the prime minister's office, in ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of defense. also it's important to meet with key members that are playing such an important role in thinking about these issues. also with the excellent u.s. team. also be going to south korea as well and looking forward to with my interlocketers in

foreign trade, the blues house, also within the legislaturele as well. and we'll also be meeting with some nonprofit groups. of course, our strong embassy team when i'm there as well. >> japan and south korea will be the only location? any other countries? >> i think for now that's where we're planning toe go. yes, sir. >> [inaudible] about the u.s. presence in japan. in japan, some 40 policy experts and ruling party politicians share the re-beleaf that japan will be unprotected without a u.s. presence in japan. since [inaudible] u.s. force will [inaudible] in case of our contingency.

[inaudible] moved out of japan. so how would you respond to that? and my second question is how do you build that relation between government policymaking [inaudible] ? >> on the second issue, i won't have any particular comment on domestic politics or elections in japan. of course, we're prepared to work closely in the spirit of collaboration with all elected officials in japan going forward. on the first point, i think the united states believes quite deeply that the ability for american basing, navy, air force and marine ground forces in japan provides not only the essential credibility but also capabilities, to be able to respond urgently and directly to challenges not only japan's security but regional security challenges in the immediate region.

so i think there's a very little question or debate upon strategic analysts or foreign policy specialists that boots on the ground, ships in the harbor, airplanes, jets in the sky component to our alliance with japan is essential. take a couple more questions. yes, ma'am. >> i have a question. in the comment made by the u.s. and japan minister. u.s. and japan will work to advance with cheap to play a responsible role in the international arena. i was wondering if you is expand this statement a little bit more. for example, how do you work with china and to advance the cooperative relationship? also, if i may, why does u.s.

and china -- u.s. and japan releasing china in the [inaudible] >> what's the last question? >> what do the u.s. and cheap really see -- and japan really see china? >> i think we try to state very clearly in this document that it is the mutual interest of the united states and japan to see china's rise to be a peaceful, constructive rise that supports the institutions and the capabilities and the progress of the asian-pacific region. i think tokyo and washington are very strong in our support for a china that plays those constructive roles. i think it is also the case that this new government, and tokyo has made clear that they want to move beyond some of the historical challenges that have

plagued sino-japan relations and have developed a deeper, stronger bond. it is important for the united states to underscore that we support that process. and we think that can contribute to a better atmosphere and strategic dynamics in the asian-pacific region. and we also think it's important increasingly for countries involved in engagement strategy with china to coordinate more closely together. i think the statement speaks for itself and it does underscore that one of the most important futures of global politics is china's rise in the asia-pacific region. can take a couple more questions. anyone else? ok. thank you all very much. i appreciate it. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

>> just to continue on, i've got several announcements before taking your questions. the government of canada is hosting a preparetory conference on january 25. it's a preparetory meeting for an eventual donors conference. there's not a date for the donor's conference but secretary clinton committed to her counterpart in canada over the weekend that she plans to attend this meeting. special envoy george mitchell arrived in beirut today. he'll meet today with the foreign minister and have dinner with prime minister hariri. he meets with the prime minister, the speaker and u.n. special representative of

lebanon michael williams. later tomorrow he travels to demascus for meetings with the president and the foreign minister. later tomorrow night he travels to israel where he will have meetings later in the week with israelis and palestinians including prime minister netanyahu and the president. his trip is part of our ongoing efforts to encourage both sides to return to negotiations as soon as possible to secure a lasting comprehensive peace in the region. over the weekend, we congratulate the ukrainian people on the conduct of their january 17 presidential elections which the osce showed significant progress over previous elections. this is another significant

demonstration of the development of democracy in the ukraine. the u.s. looks forward to free and fair runoff elections on february 7 and working with whomever the ukrainians choose as their next president. we also congratulate president-elect sebastian pin aro and we congratulate the chilean government. it shows chile's respect for democracy. and we look forward to continuing our strong bipartisan -- i'm sorry -- our strong bilateral partnership which continues under that government. i'm sure you have a number of questions on haiti. you know, the -- our broad priorities for today are to continue to bolster security for incountry transportation and the distribution of emergency supplies. and we can see with each

passing day that we are expanding the distribution network in and around port-au-prince. we continue to flow medical equipment and supplies into the country along with food and water and material for shelter and eventually settlement support of affected populations. we continue to look at very closely at the supplies of fuel and the continue in terms of sanitation and hygiene within the country. at the same time, the significant u.s. and international search and rescue teams continue to conduct, you know, activities throughout port-au-prince. we're very gratified that to date there have been 72 individuals that have been rescued, including 40 by the u.s. teams.

as a testament of the generosity -- ongoing generosity of the american people, in terms of the fundraising effort that we helped launch on behalf of the american red cross, that effort, where people text haiti to 90999, we now have more than two million contributors and have raised so far $23 million. >> i'm sorry. i didn't catch anything about mitchell travel. can you repeat that? >> he's in beirut today. >> right. >> he'll be in demascus tomorrow. >> and who did you say he was meeting in demascus? >> the president and foreign minister and continues on through israel where he'll meet later in the week with prime minister gnat netanyahu. -- prime netanyahu. >> his portfolio is the middle east peace process. [inaudible]

do you expect him to stick to that general issue with the syrians, or do you think he might approach other subjects like perhaps terrorism, perhaps iraq? >> well, i think it -- we obviously have as a goal comprehensive peace in the middle east and syria is -- will be vital to achieving that objective. at the same time whenever you have a high level u.s. official in demascus, it will be the opportunity to reflect on the current state of the u.s.-syrian relationship. it is primarily, you know, to continue our discussions on how we might make progress in the other tracks of the peace process in addition to the u.s.-palestinian track, but i believe there will be other subjects. >> can you give us the numbers on the number of dead and missing americans so far? >> missing americans is much more difficult. but in terms of the current

number, we still have roughly 27 confirmed u.s. may -- fatalities. there is 27. we have some that we have additional number that our -- are presumed dead. 27 confirmed. >> and how many are you looking -- we heard 24 yesterday unconfirmed. is that -- >> something along those lines. i'll see if i have the number here. i don't see it in my book. >> it includes the one official? >> we have the one u.s. government official fatality and 27 private. so a total of 28 so far. >> missing? >> missing. i mean, we still continue our efforts to try to determine the status of the roughly 45,000

american citizens. most of them are duo citizens of the united states and haiti. i think it's safe to say that we have worked through a number of these cases that were able to resolve. we have been able to evacuate 4,500 american citizens so far. so -- there are substantial number of people who have not contacted the embassy. we don't have any information on their status at the present time. >> and adoptions, how are you dealing in serving in that? there have been large outcries from americans who don't know where their child is. >> this has been one of our higher priorities since the earthquake occurred. we have task force within counsel affairs who is dealing

with adoptions. tragically, we now have a number of children who may well have lost their parents and other loved ones. you know, through the course of the past few days, we have been age to process and provide visas to 24 children who have moved back to the united states. overnight, there was an additional movement. 53 or 54. i've heard both numbers. now, in the plane that came back, it landed this morning i think in pittsburgh, there are a number of those children who will stay in the united states, and there are some children on the plane who will continue on to other countries. so in terms of, you know -- that gives you an idea. but we're working very closely with the haitian government. obviously as the earthquake hit, there were a number of

children that were in the process of being adopted. some of these cases were virtually completed. and that represents those whom -- for whom we have completed the process, received permission from the haitian government and been able to bring to the united states. there are a number of cases that are pretty close to complete and we're working with the haitian government, and once those children move to safety as rapidly as possible. and obviously we are working on a daily basis, on a continual basis with the orphanages and the haitian government, and this is something that is very important to try to move as many of these children as possible. >> will there be anything like a pedro plan like in the 1960's because many of these children are in medical need, will there be something like that? >> you've heard from the department of homeland security announcement in the last 24 hours, we're granting humanitarian paroles so

children -- there has been a movement of children to the united states who are in need of medical care. we are bending over backwards to try to protect and to -- as many children as possible in haiti and move those that we can to get medical attention on onto their adoptive parents. >> you said -- you said that they're expanding distribution in port-au-prince, but there are continuing reports from the ground that the distribution of aid simply isn't getting out. it may be getting on the ground but it's not getting to people in port-au-prince and other areas. what is holding it up? >> i actually don't think that your characterization is true. if -- the issue remains the limited infrastructure that is inhibiting us from bringing more and more food, water,

shelter into the country, but the assistance that is getting to the airport is flowing out to the people of haiti. the challenges that we are not yet at the level where we can sustain a population of three million people. but we -- every day we're making progress. obviously in the last 24 hours we've had the arrival of the marine amphibious group that provides you several capabilities. one, another platform from which we can have helicopter flights into port-au-prince. you know, with the marines come manpower and vehicles. humvees so that now we can extend our region to more sections of the city and the outlying areas. the helicopter lift is important to that because we know the population in haiti is moving. and so we want to stay up with that flow. we're looking and have been experimenting over the last couple of days at finding ways

to be able to airdrop more supplies particularly to the outlying areas to help feed and provide water to as many people as possible. so this is just an ongoing effort. as the secretary said when she was in haiti on saturday, our objective is to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today and we are making that progress. but obviously we're not at the point yet where we are at a sustainable level. we are also bringing in lots of various kinds of water collection and production and distribution capability so that not only we're not relying solely on bottled waters. we can provide substantial amounts of water to the population. >> and just to be precise, who makes the determination for where this aid goes? is that usaid or the u.n. overall? >> and the government of haiti

working collaboratively, as the secretary talked to the president on saturday, there was a joint commune kay that was released on sunday. it outlined and we have put together additional mechanisms so that there is coordination center in -- at the airport so that collectively we can identify early in the day. where do we think the highest priorities are, the greatest need, where they might exist? we've established -- we being the u.n., the united states, the government of haiti, four hubs around haiti and then from that a couple hundred of distribution points so that you're just trying to expand this network every day so that more and more people are receiving assistance. we're doing it not only in terms of direct deliveries,

we're doing it in terms of working through n.g.o.'s, and we are finding other ways, such as the airdrops, being done on a measured scale, because there's a risk that comes with airdrops. if the area is not secure. the coast guard, navy, continue to utilize port facilities. we are bringing in ships that will offload supplies without the benefit of a pier. so once we have that, that will significantly expand the flow of material into haiti. we also have established an operation in the dominican republic, in santo domingo, and bringing more supplies over land from the d.r. to haiti. >> you mentioned children and

getting injured children to the u.s. what about adults that are injured severely and who need transport fought u.s.? one, do they require visas? is there any consideration being given to waiving that requirement if it is such? there have been reports that severely injured adults have been refused or denied transfer to the u.s. for further medical help. is that the case as you understand it? >> first of all, we are trying as best we can to bring more and more medical capability directly to haiti. not only helping haiti repair the existing hospitals, there are a number of field hospitals that we've established, not only in the united states but the international community as well. so we are trying to increase the medical infrastructure in haiti so we can provide, you know, in some cases lifesaving and important medical systems

where these people are. on a case-by-case basis where people have urgent medical needs that cannot be met within country, we are looking at these on a case-by-case basis. i cannot give you numbers of how many times we've done that, but that is something we will continue to work as aggressively as we can. >> as you work on a case-by-case basis, does a haitian severely injured require a visa to -- >> obviously, we require some sort of permission from the united states to travel. whether it was a visa. whether it will be humanitarian parole. and working closely with d.h.s., we're identifying these cases and trying where we can to move them as quickly as possible. >> getting back to your point about the airdrops. the secretary said she wondered why from the very beginning why they weren't doing airdrops and the reason she was given was similar to the one you said

about security risks. what changes that makes it more acceptable a risk now? >> now that you -- you have 2,000 marineses. you have components of the 82nd airborne that might be for the most part offshore but available to us. as you increase your manpower and your mobility, you're able to go out and secure the drop zones so that as you're able to bring in this food, water, shelter, you got a mechanism in place on the ground where it can be securely delivered to people. so you've -- your networks said and your colleagues on the ground have shown those examples where food has been dropped and there's been a crush of people, understandably so, to be able to race to get to this material. we want to be sure that we're delivering material in a way that doesn't cause further injury. and so as we're able to increase our manpower, expand

the size of the network, then more and more this becomes a viable option. the other aspect, though, the value of airdrops in some of those outlying areas where we might not v all the roads clear, it a-- not all of the roads clear, it will provide you some assistance where some people might be gravitating towards. it is something we are looking at every day, what's the current situation on the ground, what's the current need in the different parts of the city and the outlying areas? >> are you saying it's being done in areas where it's been secured and advanced? >> i'd probably be best to defer -- you're having various briefings. it is right down to the port-au-prince. in terms of specifically how it's being done, i'll defer to my colleagues down in the port-au-prince. that's something we are looking

at and continue to develop those operations. >> what do the officials do -- did the children have all the paperwork they needed? >> these were cases that were almost complete and working with the governor and his staff and the task force not only here but on the ground in port-au-prince we were able to process additional paperwork last night to be able to make that, you know, the size of the group ending up at 53 or 54. >> what did they need to get, visas and passports? >> you had people whose ultimate destination, children whose ultimate destination was the united states. and you had others who came to the united states this morning but now are moving on to other countries. so the paperwork would vary depending on where they're an

adoptive child, whether they are an orphan or going on to another country. in every case we needed to decry them the appropriate documents so they are able to enter the united states. >> and they had all that before leaving haiti? >> they had all that before leaving haiti. thanks to our good work of the task force, in some cases some of these children were ready to go and many cases they weren't. but we worked out through the day yesterday so that we could put as many children on that flight last night as possible. >> i remember the secretary being frustrated a while back, that there wasn't a usaid administer in place. and the -- >> and you can watch this briefing and all the haiti briefings online at c-span.org. we're leaving the remainder of this as the u.s. is about to gavel in for legislative business. 10 bills to be considered, including one honoring catholic

schools. requested votes will be postponed until 6:30 this evening. tomorrow, the house, we expect a measure allowing charitable donations to haiti to be written off of 2009 taxes. and now live to the house floor here on c-span. . the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. and the prayer will be offered and the prayer will be offered by our father,no carrierringcon

is politics at its worse. and it's high time that the american people are given a seat at the negotiations table. the president promised the american people eight times that negotiations would be made public. in "politico," former new jersey governor wittman tie lights speaker pelosi's brushoff of the request saying the president stood for a number of things while on the campaign trail. i encourage the speaker to help the president to keep his promise of open discussions by letting c-span show the american people what's going on behind closed doors. we need change in washington. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and the global war on terrorism. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise?

>> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. smith: mr. speaker, americans see the media as biased, liberal and too powerful, according to a new rasmussen survey. just 2-10 american reporters have tried to report unbiased -- furthermore, a majority of voters believe that the average reporter is, quote, more liberal than they are, unclosed. and they say they have -- unquote. this is the fourth public opinion poll in the last few months that has found that americans don't trust the media. if the national media wants to restore the american confidence, they should report the facts and not tell people what to think. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise?

mr. poe: i ask permission to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. poe: mr. speaker, according to the 10th amendment, any power not specifically granted to the federal government is reserved to the people and to the states. those that demand government takeover of health care have yet to provide a constitutional example for such government oppression. further, it doesn't say anywhere in the constitution that federal government can force anybody to buy anything, including health insurance. it's not there. some have said, what about car insurance? the states, not the feds, regulate car insurance so people can pay for third-party injuries and driving is a privilege, not a right. government motors would pick the car they would want the citizens to buy and then tax them to pay for it. that's unconstitutional. so is forcing people to buy health insurance. thomas jefferson said, the federal government is our servant, not our master. it's time we put government in

its place and that's just the way it is. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois rise? mrs. biggert: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman will be recognized for one minute. mrs. biggert: mr. speaker, i rise today to pay tribute to army specialist kyle wright, a 22-year-old from romeo, illinois, who was killed in combat on january 13 while serving our country during his first term of duty in afghanistan. specialist wright followed his father's and grandfather's life by joining the army. he joined the army after graduating in 2006 from romeo high school where even as a young man he demonstrated his love for this country by serving in the marine corps

junior reserve officers training corps. he was passionate, honorable and loved by all who knew him. his family, his girlfriend and his fellow soldiers. his dedication to women's right in afghanistan was dedicated to his sister, mother and grandmother. and upholding the american ideals and freedoms he believed in knew no bounds. i'd like to extend my deepest condolence to the wright family and to all who knew this brave soldier. our nation lost a brave hero by specialist wright's passing. he will be missed. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered, or

on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken after 6:30 p.m. today. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3726 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 230, h.r. 3726, a bill to establish the castle nugent national historic site at st. croix, united states virgin islands, and for other purposes . the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from utah, mr. bishop, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and

include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, h.r. 3726, sponsored by my good friend and colleague from the virgin islands, donna christensen, establishes the castle nugent national historic site as a new unit of the national park system on the island of st. croix in the united states virgin islands. the lands to be included in this new historic site represent the largest undeveloped natural area remaining on the island. and there is very strong local support for protecting it as park land for future generations. the new park, mr. speaker, encompasses about 11,500 acres, 3/4 of which are submerged lands containing one of the largest and healthiest coral reef systems in the region. the national park service has studied this site and testified

that it meets the criteria for additional -- addition to the system. congresswoman christensen is to be commended for her commitment to preserving the unique history and the culture of the beautiful island of st. croix. so we urge our colleagues to support passage of h.r. 3726, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from utah rise? mr. bishop: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. we have concerns with h.r. 3726. as of today, the national park service has yet to complete the connolly authorized study of this proposal. in fact, the -- the congressionally authorized study of this proposal. in fact, this takes several years to complete and drain as much as half a million dollars

from the park service. what use are these feasibility studies if we choose to ignore them or in this case rush to pass legislation before the study can be finalized? typically, these stud ease contain information that can be useful in crafting better legislation. for example, it would be nice to know what process the national park service went through to consult with all private property owners who may be harmed or impacted by this designation? the national park service testified that the accounts to acquire the private property to establish this park could be as much as $50,000 in addition to nearly $1 million a year to operate the park. most of us are aware of the estimated $9 billion in maintenance backlog created currently with the national park service, and consequently becomes very difficult to justify why additional land acquisition is advisable at this particular time. how do we explain to taxpayers that while unemployment soars

their government is conspiring to buy beachfront property in the caribbean? is adding these 2,900 acres to the federal land inventory a priority of this particular congress? nearly every acre of the dry land that is to be acquired is privately owned. it's our understanding the majority of this land is owned by one family. according to testimony heard by the committee on natural resources, this family is supportive of the proposal and even initiated this process. we heard it is their desire that this land not be developed but be preserved in its current condition. it seems to me that they are in a perfect position to accomplish that goal as landowners. may i suggest that they also possess the power to determine the future of the property without any interference of congress. in addition to complicate the issue further, sources within the park service have told us that there is discord within the family itself over whether this designation is indeed in the best interest of this

family. apart from this family, we have not heard other property owners. it is fair for us in washington, d.c., or is it fair for us in washington, d.c. to place them into a restricted designation without their consent? and also not knowing whether the consent exists or not? it is not only these 2,900 acres of dry land that's affected by this legislation. in addition, this bill includes the park associated submerged lands up to three miles territorial limits of the vigvig. fishing is pro-- of the virgin islands. fishing is prohibited. i hope this is not the impact of struggling fishermen, but it's a possibility that deserves attention and has yet to be addressed but would have if the feasibility study was completed. these would be questions that could be answered. if this legislation does move

forward today, i hope the current landowners and their descendents are aware that the national park service will be zoning -- be now their zoning board. i'd like to know there is no willing seller provision in this legislation. and while a willing seller provisions are minimum at best protection, at least with this language congress is on record that landowners should not be hounded into selling their land to the national park service. i cannot in good conscious to support this legislation yet, but does not guarantee the right of private property owners. our constituents deserve better than that. . i urge my colleagues to demonstrate some physical responsibility and demand respect for property rights are not yet in this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved.

for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: i yield to the gentlelady from the virgin islands, donna christensen, such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from the virgin islands, dr. christensen, is recognized for as much time as she may consume. mrs. christensen: thank you, madam chair, for yielding. thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to speak on behalf of h.r. 3726, a bill that i introduced to establish the castle nugent national historic site on st. croix in my district in the u.s. virgin islands. the introduction of this bill continues as was started in 2006 to build upon that great precedent set by our forefathers when yellowstone in wyoming became the first national park. this will provide an excellent opportunity to preserve a very special and unique landscape for the people of st. croix and visitors to the island for generations to come. h.r. 3726 calls for the preservation of 2,900 lakers

which include a caribbean dry forest, pristine coastal barrier coral reef system, and pre-colombian and posteuropean settlement. the property has a long agricultural history dating back to the 1730's where the danish estate house now listed on the national register of historic places was constructed much the farm is one of the last working cattle ranches on st. croix and one of the ranches instrumental in the development and exportation of cattle through the caribbean and the world. this would ensure the continued rearing of the cattle with a provision that guarantees a continued relationship with the university of the virgin islands to support ongoing scientific research. in addition to guaranteeing the protection of one of the most ecologically sensitive areas on the island, h.r. 3726 was also -- would also preserve a rich part of our historic and cultural paths by preserving archaeological remains of the

indigenous inhabitants of st. croix. the families which owns the majority of this property has been incredibly patient. the pressure to sell their land to the developers has been overwhelming and yet they have continued to try to do what they feel and i agree is best for all concerned. there is no intent here to interfere with privately held property. the sole purpose of this bill is to protect and preserve the historic, cultural, and environmental assets. and the opportunity for the people of the virgin islands as well as their fellow americans because they can enjoy the area, and for future generations. even the person who purchased the 400 acres of this property a few years back is on record in support of preserving this area. long time neighbors of castle nugent support the bill. both the bush and obama administration have supported this designation every step of the way. the current administration has testified the study is completed

and that it fully supports the designation that we are seeking. this designation is supported by my constituents, including some of those who originally questioned the expansion of the park. and as far as i am aware, no one is challenging the conclusion of this study or the wisdom of preserving the area. there is no reason to oppose the legislation. the bill contains no intergovernmental mandate designed in the unfunded mandate format that would impose no cost to state, local, or tribal government, and would impose no private sector mandates as defined in the umra. this is a beautiful and important cultural and natural resource in danger of being lost to the nation's public forever. if we don't move forward, there is a real risk when the study is formally transmitted to congress supporting the designation, the land will have already been sold and condominium owners will be the only people who visit the area. at this time i would like to take the opportunity to thank

chairman rahall, subcommittee chairman grijalva for their support in ushering this bill through the resources committee. i would also like to thank the numerous community members who wrote in support of this bill, including our national park superintendent, mr. davis who traveled from the virgin islands to testify in favor of the bill, the gaspari family and thank them again for their patience and holding out for this day and the trust of public lands who has given them their support. on behalf of the people of virgin islands i thank you for your action in bringing this bill to the floor and the opportunity to speak. i just wanted to add a few other things. while it would be ideal to wait until spring when the study would be formally transmitted to congress, but certain examples where this committee and the congress have moved forward with designations before studies were completed or in some cases without studies at all.

as reflected, two examples, the legislation designating president reagan's boyhood home in illinois and the oklahoma city memorial were enacted without studies at all. both sponsored by members on the other side of the aisle. the president has asked for it to be acted on prior to the study being completed or without studies. in addition on november 17 i wanted to remind my colleagues that the national park service testified in the committee to the fact that castle nugent has met their criteria for suitability and national significance. we are confident dent and the national park service's testimony that the final will reflect what was testified to. but it is necessary for us to act, peedently and there is risk of losing the property if we don't move quickly. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from guam reserve the balance of her time. the gentlelady reserves her

time. ms. bordallo: yes, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from utah have any further speakers? mr. bishop: i reserve the balance of my time. i could inquire if there are other speakers the gentlelady has. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers. mr. bishop: if you're ready to close, then i will as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: thank you, mr. speaker. whether this cattle ranch becomes part of our national inventory or not may indeed be a good idea. one of the things i think we are saying right now is that the scope of these processes have to go through and the process does become important, poor process produces poor policy. what we are arguing is we should allow the process to go through the completion. there are questions that have to be asked and have yet to have a quantified answer to them. neighbors may be in support but we want those things quantified

which should be part of the process. there should be private property rights in this particular document for the protection of private property owners, that should be boilerplate language we add in all legislation. not just the rest that comes through. the question we should be asking, which is what the study should be asking as well, not necessary do we go forth in this particular one, should we look at this as the only way of preserving our moving forward on this cattle ranch in the future? is this indeed the best way? are there other concepts that could be used? and should this be the $15 million budget priority of this congress. those are the types of questions that should have been answered in the committee before this bill moved forward. that's what we asked in committee and we are asking again on the floor. this may indeed be the property use of turning this former cattle ranch into a national asset. but there are still questions that should have been asked in a proper process to make sure that

this is the right policy at this particular time. that's why we have objections to this particular bill. not necessarily the substance of it, the manner and mechanism which we are doing bass there are still too many unanswered questions. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from guam. miss -- ms. bordallo: i again urge the members to support the bill 3726, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 3726 as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman asks for the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise. ms. bordallo: i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3759, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3759, a bill to authorize the secretary of the interior to grant economy related contracts extensions of certain timber contracts between the secretary of the interior and timber purchasers, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from utah, mr. bishop, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the adjustment -- the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i ask unanimous

consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, the nation's recent economic downturn has dramatically affected the forest products industry, especially those companies reliant on wood from federal lands. currently the forest service had several options for helping timber companies amend the terms of timber contracts that are no longer economically viable. however, the bureau of land management does not have the same authorities. h.r. 3759 introduced by our distinguished colleague from oregon, representative defazio, would help rural economies in struggling timber companies by allowing the secretary of the interior to add three years to the expiration date of certain b.l.m. timber contracts.

this authority is similar to the forest service authority and would enable companies to wait for a better economic climate. mr. speaker, we commend representative defazio for his efforts to support rural communities by proposing this legislation. we support its passage of h.r. 3759 and urge its adoption by the house today. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah. the gentlewoman has reserved the balance of her time. the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. mr. bishop: this particular bill has been well explained by the distinguished lady from guam. and up front i would like to say that i basically have favored this bill introduced by the distinguished gentleman from oregon. and the concept is a good bill.

i do -- and i actually will be voting for it on the floor. however i do want to state there are two particular problems which once again with the process are very perplexing and concerning to me and i think it's something we ought to see. this bill we are about to discuss, this bill has been changed, i think, significantly since it left the committee on november 18. an amendment was added at 12:58, that's the date on it, today, the minute we knew about it an hour before that, but an amendment that changes this bill significantly was added today. that is not the process you go through. once again poor process will equate to poor public policy. the amendment that was added in here took out salvaged sales on b.l.m. land. that is not what was in the bill when it went through committee. i would suggest that i am not in favor of that change to a very good bill. we'll be told, i am assuming,

this change was made to conform what practices we do on b.l.m. with national forestlands. however what we are doing is changing law to conform to an agency regulation, which is indeed backwards. congress should be establishing what our requirements are and what our practices are not forcing congress to try and regulate ourselves and relate ourselves to what an agency of government through its own internal regulation says. so i am opposed to this amendment that was added at the very last two hours that should not be there and was not discussed in committee. . the concept this was made, i'd like it very much more had it been with the original language that represented the defazio proposal in making this a shall issue as opposed to making this or any bill before us today

making it a may, to making it at the whim of the secretary. now, with those two conclusions, i will say this is still a good bill. this is still a bill that i think should go forward. this is a bill that should have gone forward in the way it was out of committee in which it was a stronger and better bill and i will still vote for it on the floor. but i am perplexed by the changes that was made that weakens this bill and does not improve it and more importantly with the process we are going through to make these last-minute changes when it should have been done with full committee hearing, with full committee discussion and full committee markup. with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time and i would require of the minority if they have additional speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized. if there are further speakers. mr. bishop: mr. speaker, i'm sorry. as you can tell, i'm not listening.

ms. bordallo: i'd ask if you have additional speakers. mr. bishop: i have no additional speakers. i'm ready to close if you are. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. bishop: let me just apologize for making a misstatement. i am told there is a statute that since has been done by the national forest service so the statutes are consistent. they're consistently wrong but they are still consistent here. it is still the wrong thing to do and the salvage sales should have been approved on both b.l.m. and national forest land. i resent the process that was went through. although what i said was technically wrong earlier. i intend to vote yes because i think the defazio bill is a good bill. it needs to go forward. it's the right thing to do but we could have done a whole lot better if we really put our minds to it. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i again urge members to support this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house

suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3759 as amended. those in favor will say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from guam rise? ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 725 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 725, a bill to protect indian arts and crafts through the improvement of applicable criminal proceedings, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from guam, ms. bordallo, and the gentleman from utah, mr. bishop, each will control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, on behalf of the natural resources committee chairman, mr. nick rahall, and myself, i'd like to commend the gentleman from arizona, representative ed pastor, for sponsoring the pending measure and for working with the committee to bring it before the full house. the sale of misrepresented and counterfit indian jewelry, pottery, baskets, rugs and other items cheats the consumer, degrades the entire native market and robs talented, hardworking native art sans of their lives -- artisans of their living. it has been a growing problem that mr. pastor's legislation will effectively address.

h.r. 725 would amend the indian arts and crafts act of 1990 to authorize any federal law enforcement officer to conduct an investigation of an offense involving the sell of any goods that's represented as an indian-produced good. the legislation also requires that the findings of an investigation of an alleged offense be submitted to a federal, state prosecuting authority or to the indian arts and crafts board. again, i primary

bureau to investigate this new indian arts and crafts act. as written, this bill, h.r. 725, authorizes any federal law

enforcement officer to authorize the act. this would include law enforcement officers who may or may not have expertise in dealing with tribes or with artists or counterfeit arts or crafts. i hope this will be limited only to the agency or agencies that have the funding, manpower, time and expertise to enforce this important but somewhat complex area of law. it would be nice if congress would actually take that responsibility to ourselves. indeed, the very goal of stopping this illegally counterfeited indian art should not be turned over to law enforcement agencies who are strained with other duties, other kinds of investigation of crime, acts of terrorism, fraud or any other kind of scheme that takes place. finally, in addition to the fact that this has not been specified where it should be, i do want to note that there is a largely identical bill sponsored by the senator from arizona that is in the house.

if we had taken up that bill today, it could probably be signed into law this particular week. i have no idea why we did not take up the senate bill rather than pushing this bill forward. and for whatever reason it is. if indeed it's simply a senator's bill, that may be good enough for me. but if there are other concepts that may be there, there are still questions as to why we are not passing senate bill 151 rather than this one. however, by passing h.r. 725 today, we are simply delaying the enactment of this particular bill. so once in issued if the owners can prove that the water facility meets certain criteria specified in the legislation. mr. speaker, we support the passage of h.r. 3538, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from utah. mr. bishop: thank you, mr.

speaker. i yield myself myself. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. bishop: thank you. this bill was introduced by mr. of small existing water systems in two idaho wilderness areas. and although these water diversions continue to operate, their owners currently lack the authority to maintain or repair these facilities. failure to maintain or repair these facilities would harm not only the farms and ranches that need to be assured of having access to water that they own, but to be viable -- but to be viable but also will be important for the forest service to maintain environmental needs and watersheds on these particular forest service lands. this bill, h.r. 3538, would allow the owners of the existing water systems to do this necessary maintenance. with that i will reserve the balance of my time. .

ms. bordallo: i have no additional requests for time. mr. bishop: i'm ready to close if that's ok with the gentlelady from guam. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah is recognized to close. mr. bishop: let me assume the remaining time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from guam will close. mr. bishop: this legislation has been very narrowly tailored to apply to only a small number of sites that are within the wilderness areas and meet a very specific criteria. so to qualify for this bill, they would have to be a water diversion facility that was in existence before the wildernessaire was designated. it has to be continuously used since the wilderness area was designated. the owners have to have a valid water right under idaho law that predated the wilderness

designations, and the sites only can be covered in this bill if there is no other alternate -- alternative than to continue the use of these facilities within the wilderness designation. and so that it is beneficial not only to the forest service but to these private property owners individually for the water rights that they have and recognize they are valid. let me say that this bill illustrates one of the problems that we here in congress simply have. wilderness designation is the most inflexible and restrictive of any of the land use weapons that are at our disposal and our arsenal. too often we find after the fact of that designation that there are simple activities that are denied because of that designation that should not have been there in the first place. we ought to be wise enough to devise a conservation practice for our lands without creating unintended consequences to neighboring families that were poorly thought out when the designation was originally made. there is no reason we cannot be

both good stewards and good neighbors. this shows one of the problems we have when we rush into designation of land without doing a thorough understanding of what the consequences of that designation will indeed be. i understand also that there was another change made in this particular bill. and although i stand as i did on the other to support it, i want to make public that we do not approve of the change made in that bill. just as in the defazio bill, the word shall would have made it a better bill and it should have remained. that was the concept that the committee voted. so in this bill was the word shall changed to more permissive language after the committee voted on the bill. that shall should have been here which should have been the better language for this particular piece of legislation. even though i support it with the change, that change was done in a poor process. that change should have been done before the committee actually left this -- allowed this bill to leave their

jurisdiction, and in all sincerity the mandate would be the appropriate policy we as congress should have insisted upon. i am not happy with that particular change, but i still support the bill because overwhelmingly it does a great deal of good in areas where otherwise there will be great deal of harm done by our -- done by the unexpected consequences of some rash action many years before. so with that i support this bill as well and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from guam. ms. bordallo: mr. speaker, i want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from utah, mr. bishop, for managing the bill this afternoon with me. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 3538 as amended. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the

gentlelady -- ms. bordallo: i'd like to request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady requests the yeas and nays. the yeas and nays are thus requested and all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1007. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1007, resolution commending the university of alabama for winning the bowl championship series national championship game. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms.

hirono, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on h.res. 1007 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlewoman from hawaii is recognized. ms. hirono: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, i rise today to congratulate the university of alabama football team for their victory in the 2010 bowl championship series national championship game. on january 7, football fans all across the country were treated to an exceptional game as the university of alabama crimson tide defeated the university of texas longhorns to win the national title. defeating the longhorns team by

a score of 37-21, the championship game marked an ncaa record of 57 bowl appearances for the crimson tide. this is crimson tide's first title since 1992. its 8th since the advent of the polls in the 1930's, and seventh number one associated press title. this year's team earned a 14-0 season record and won the associated press title unanimously. the team's win brought a fourth executive title back to the southeastern conference. the crimson tide has run all season on the strength of their defense and winning games. they did so again in the championship game. the outstanding players and coaches produced a great season winning numerous awards and gaining exceptional praise from all over the athletic world, including the national football foundation and the football writers association.

both rewarded the team with honorary rewards. congratulations to mark ingram who received the heisman trophy, becoming the first university of alabama player and the third sophomore in history to win the award. ingram won the award by only 28 points, the closest finish in the heisman award 75-year long history. a deans list student at the university of alabama, ingram excels both on and off the field. he ran 116 yards in the championship game and scored two touchdowns on 22 carries. leading his team to victory and was named the offensive most valuable player of the game. congratulations are also due to defensive end marcel darius, also a sophomore at the university, who was named defensive most valuable player of the game. he made the game's key defensive play in the second quarter with an interception return for a 28 -yard touchdown run.

i want to extend my congratulations to the head coach and. in the short span of three years saban took a program that has struggled to championship caliber. a two-time national coach of the year, sabeian -- saban had resounding success. over the years he has earned a reputation as outstanding leader, and motivator. his commitment to rebuilding the total college football program at the university of alabama paired with his conviction to make his players the best they can be has led his team to be leaders on and off the field. his team has repeatedly exhibited grit, determination, and resilience. often overcoming adversity to achieve victory. the extraordinary achievement of this year's team is a tribute to the skill and dedication of all the players as well as coaches, students, alumni, families, and

fans that have helped to make the university of alabama a pre mere football program, winning the national championship, finishing the season with a 14-0 overall record, and leading the southeastern conference to another championship has brought national acclaim to university of alabama. and great pride to those that care for the school. i know the parents of the university will revel in this great triumph as they look forward to the 2010 season. mr. speaker, once again i congratulate the university of alabama football team for their tremendous success and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky rise? mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of house resolution 1007. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today spending the university of alabama for winning the bowl championship series national championship game in pasadena, especially

very quick reasons. one of my brothers is a graduate of the university of alabama both the undergrad and law school. and really good friends of mine had a son, barrett jones, the right guard, i think he played both sides, but an outstanding young man. his mother was a high school classmate of mine. his father and family are good friends of ours. i wish them luck. another thing is there's been two coaches in the s.e.c. to win -- s.e.c. championships from two different schools. one, nick saban, and won at l.s.u. and alabama. and bear bryant who won at alabama and university of kentucky. university of alabama is located in tuscaloosa, founded in 1831. the university of alabama is the largest and oldest of the state's major research universities with student enrollment of approximately 29,000. the university has 12 academic divisions and houses the only publicly supported law school in alabama.

it is wildly recognized as a premiere university. the university has consistently ranked among the top 50 public universities by "u.s. news and world report," and has the most students of any institution named to "usa today." all usa college academic teams. the university of alabama is widely known as one of the nation's flagship or public universities and one special person to be affiliated and attend law school person who wrote "to kill a mockingbird." a special lady to the citizens of alabama and country. the program has excelled throughout the history of the institution. the alabama crimson tide football program was started in 1892 and the university's most nationally known athletic program. the program has won 22 s.e.c. titles, 13 national championships, and this year one heisman trophy. the crimson tide has also produced 18 hall of famers and 96 all americans. on january 7, the alabama won

the 2009 b.c.s. championship game against the university of texas. sophomore running back and heisman trophy winner mark ingram was named the team's offensive m.v.p. and sophomore defensive end marcel darius was named the defensive m.v.p. i congratulate the alabama, the team, and the head coach, nick saban, on winning this b.c.s. championship. i want to congratulate mark ingram and the team for winning the 2009 heisman trophy. after alabama won the 1978 national championship but a very famous and legendary college game against penn state in the sugar bowl on december 31 in 1978, just the previous spring the kentucky had won the national championship in basketball. so immediately the next weekend or so they played each other in basketball. i'll never forget the university of kentucky plans unfolding a banner saying congratulations from one champion to another. it showed a lot of class for my

fellow kentuckians to do that to another school and the shirt in the s.e.c. and the pride we have in each other. after last night and we expect this weekend the university of kentucky's basketball team will be ranked number one, hopefully after this spring the university of alabama fans, my friend from birmingham here today, will be able to congratulate our team, university of kentucky, on winning the national championship following alabama this year. that is our hope. and i endorse this resolution. i urge my colleagues to support it. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i notice my friend, mr. bachus, who introduced this resolution are waiting a chance to make their remarks. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman will further reserve. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to mr. bachus from alabama. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from alabama, mr. bachus, is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. bachus: thank you, mr.

speaker. i want to thank the gentlelady from hawaii and the gentleman from kentucky and the education and labor committee for expediting this resolution. for your kind words in support of the university of alabama and its fine football team. upon winning the national championship. mr. speaker, i thank you and the congress for giving the alabama delegation the opportunity to congratulation the university of alabama and its football team for winning the national championship. . all members of the alabama delegation have joined me with and congressman davis, along i and he are co-sponsors of this resolution. this is a celebration of the culmination of a very successful season on and off the field of play. and as i say, it culminated in

the game between the university of alabama and the university of texas, two teams that exemplify college football and college athletics at its best. in the previous year, alabama was undefeated, but then lost to florida in the s.e.c. championship game and utah in the sugar bowl. disappointing losses like that may tear some teams apart. instead, it made theivsity's co players even more committed and determined to put in the hard work and dedication needed to make it all the way to the top. the hard work started in spring practice and continued through the long fall schedule. one important lesson is never allow your defeats to hold you back. last week we honored mark

ingram who also has overcome challenges to win the heisman trophy. alabama did this. they put the last two defeats of the former season behind them and dedicated them to the year ahead. to make it to the national championship game, you must have the discipline to win in the regular season. week in and week out, alabama always came prepared to play to the very end. whether it was in the season opener against the talented virginia tech team or against the demanding competition in the s.e.c. which many believe is presently the toughest football conference in the nation. although i'm sure some of my colleagues would debate that. there were games won by comfortable margins and there were close calls against the university of tennessee and

auburn university. there was the return matchup with florida, the defending s.e.c. championship and the defending national champion and its outstanding quarterback tim tebow in the s.e.c. title game. each game and each victory was a building block towards the b.c.s. championship game on january 7 where the team achieved its ultimate goal. the matchup in pasadena was fitting because the university of alabama and the university of texas both have proud football histories with legendary coaches and coaches like paul -- with coaches like paul "bear" bryant and darrell loyal. the fans on both sides were aphid and dedicated who -- avid and dedicated who came out to support their teams with enthusiasm. but in doing so they were very respectful and hospitable towards each other. that is the way college

athletics should be. that's the way that things should be on the floor of this house. and we should all be committed to that. and i think that we are. the game itself had inspiring personal stories. the quarterback for texas, colt mccoy, is a fine young man. when he was injured, his team took from his example and never gave up fighting until the end. alabama's quarterback, greg, played with two broken ribs. mark ingram, the m.v.p. of the game, and the first heisman trophy winner in school history, is a student athlete of outstanding character and spirit. but it was a team effort. in the end alabama came out on top and finished the season with a perfect 14-0 record and its first national championship season since 1992 under coach

gene stalling. there was another undefeated team and that was boise state university. and i congratulate the coach of boise state when someone said they should be invited to the white house together with the university of alabama, he graciously said there's only one national championship. that's the university of alabama, and they should be invited. so i congratulate boise state university on their successful undefeated year. as to all citizens of alabama. the passionate fans in alabama can be very proud of the way that their student athletes have represented the most -- both the university and the state. i commend president dr. robert wit and his administration and coach nick saban and his fine staff for setting high standards both on and off the field.

and we congratulate the alumni, the fans and students of the university of alabama. for their support. but most of all, it was the players, the athletes, each and every one of them. through their hard work, these players have earned the right to be called champions. we in alabama salute them, we're proud of them and we appreciate the opportunity to honor them with this resolution. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: i'd like to ask whether the gentleman from kentucky has any further speakers? >> i have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the -- mr. guthrie: i have no further speakers. i'd like to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. guthrie: i'd like to say that boise state had an outstanding team this year. and the university of texas, what a quality program and quality athletes, a quality coach. and there was a special relationship with colt mccoy,

the quarterback, and jordan shipley, the wide receiver. colt mccoy went out in the second possession with an injury. if this is correct, their fathers played together at abilene christian. these kids have known each other their entire life. and probably were set -- sitting on the stage that they dreamed of their entire life and in the second series colt mccoy was injured. if you watch the game, there was nobody that played as better on the field that night as jordan shipley. and i imagine he increased his game to make up for his friend. that shows the class of texas. those are two athletes that i mention. all of the athletes are great young men. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i once again would like to congratulate the university of alabama for their tremendous win, and i particularly like to

thank my friend, mr. bachus, for his comments of how good sportsmanship should be played on all fields, including this field. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question then is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1007. those in favor will say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1004. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1004, resolution congratulating the northwestern university feinberg school of medicine for its 150 years of commitment to

advancing science and improving health. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on h.res. 1004 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. hirono: i rise today in support of h.res. 1004, which congratulates the northwestern university feinberg school of medicine for its 150 years of commitment to advancing science and health through educating students and supporting significant research in the medical field. the feinberg school of medicine

started their first classes in 1859 and is now one of 11 colleges at northwestern university. feinberg school of medicine enrolls over 4,130 students, 1,600 full time, 200 part time and 284 research students and has established itself as one of the most premiere medical schools in the northwest. much has changed over its 150-year history, but the core principles have remained constant. the school still strives to empower students to make a difference and use their education to positively impact the world around them. as one example, feinberg's community outpatient clinic located on the west side of chicago provides medical care to low-income patients while offering feinberg students a practical environment in which to learn from one another and attending physicians. through the clinic's interactive learning style and

commitment to public service, the community health clinic gives students a taste of clinical medicine and prepares students to be successful by giving them practical, firsthand experience in the field of medicine. the feinberg school of medicine is also part of the mcgraw medical center of northwestern university. nearly all of its attending staff members have faculty appointments at the school. and many medical students and residents receive some of their education at the center and the community health clinic. because of these connections, medical students and residents have an opportunity to apply the knowledge applied in the classroom to real patient's situations and medical settings. through its research initiatives, state-of-the-art medical facilities, consistent outreach to the local community and innovative curriculum, the medical school attracts bright and intelligent individuals to its faculty and student body. feinberg school of medicine produced a number of leaders

and innovators in the medical fields, including mary harris thompson, northwestern's first female medical graduate, and by some accounts, the first female surgeon in the u.s. john a.d. cooper, who is among the most prominent medical educators of the 20th century. debbie thomas, the first african-american figure skater to win a medal at the winter olympics in 1988. she completed feinberg school of medicine in 1997 and has since become a leading orthopedic surgeon. these are only a few of the school's notable alumni changing the medical profession as we know it. i want to express my support for northwestern university's feinberg school of medicine and thank congressman davis for bringing this bill forward. i urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i

yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i had a brother that graduated from northwestern university. along with my sister-in-law -- that's where they met -- but the undergrads. they certainly loved and enjoyed their time in evanston. and i rise today in support of house resolution 1004, congratulating northwestern university's feinberg school of medicine for its 150 years of commitment to advancing science and improving health. the feinberg school of medicine was founded in 1859 as the medical department of lindh university. the department became chicago medical university in 1864. the medical school, affiliated with northwestern university was renamed the feinberg school of medicine in 1992. it provided excellence since its founding in the 19th

century. it reformed the medical education system. northwestern school of medicine led reform by having an extended school program, a greater curriculum and rigorous graduation rimplets. the school premiered the honors program in medical education that combined m.d., ph.d. program. today, the feinberg school of medicine remains at the forefront of medical education. it is the top 20 school and accepts over 6.5% of applicants. it is part of the mcgraw medical center of northwestern university, one of the nation's leading academic centers focusing on research, clinical services. today with an increasing need for health care and changing research and technology, the demand for high quality innovative medical schools is high. feinberg provides this challenge, challenging education based on ongoing research and the latest developments. i'm happy to congratulate the

feinberg school of medicine on the 150th year of its founding and ask my colleagues to support this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, if the gentleman from kentucky has further speakers, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i do have a speaker, and i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady from illinois, mrs. biggert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from illinois is recognized. mrs. biggert: i thank the gentleman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise today also in strong support of house resolution 1004, a resolution recognizing the 150th anniversary of the northwestern university feinberg school of medicine, and i thank the gentleman from illinois, congressman danny davis, for introducing this resolution. i am an alumni of northwestern university school of law and i'm pleased to see that the school of medicine is continuing the

northwestern tradition of excellence. as was mentioned, according to u.s. news and world report, feinberg is now ranked in the top 20 medical schools in the country and when attending law school in the downtown campus was the school of medicine, the school of law and then the business school which moved out. but the complex has grown, certainly in the medical school, since 1859 as the medical department and then the feinberg school of medicine becoming a part of northwestern university in 1870. people now that would see the complex in chicago, it is huge and continues to grow and to provide the excellence for education for so many students and a couple of the other notable alumni that went to the school there was charles mayo,

one of the founders of the mayo clinic which is certainly well known. it's nice to have that distinguished type of graduate from the school and chad cooper, the first president of the association of american medical colleges. so the 150-year history of northwestern university's feinberg school of medicine is such that we have to commend the administration, the doctors, the faculty and all that are involved in making the school of medicine one of the best in the country. and i'm proud to have gone to the school and i'm proud to support this resolution. and i would yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time which is controlled by the gentleman from tennessee.

the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: does the gentleman from tennessee have any further speakers? guthgith i have no further speakers and i -- mr. guthrie: i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: once again i congratulate the school and urge my colleagues to support this resolution. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and azpwree to house resolution 1004. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to -- the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further

proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 776 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will now report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 776, resolution congratulating the dartmouth outing club of hanover, new mexico, for 100 years of service to the united states and its wilderness. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend their -- extend and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i rise

today in support of h.res. 776 celebrating the dartmouth outing club for 100 years of service to the united states and its wilderness. dartmouth has a rich history. in its argument in 1818 to the supreme court in the dartmouth college case, daniel webster said, quote, it is, sir, as i have said, a small college and yet there are those who love it, end quote. dartmouth is no longer small yet many continue to admire the important contributions of dartmouth's faculty, students and organizations, including those of the dartmouth outdoor club of hanover. founded in 1809, the club set out to peak students' interests in the vast outdoor sports that new hampshire's winter has to offer. however, by the end of the school year, it had grown to encompass year-round ac tiferts. this resolution proudly celebrates the club's century of

contributions. these contributions include the establishment of many programs and projects which have provided opportunities for students to learn about, appreciate and experience their natural environment year round. the club teaches wilderness skills and sports and safety know how. the environmental studies division of the club also offers lessons in environmental sustainability and conservation. with over 1,500 student members, the dartmouth outdoor club of hanover is the largest collegiate outing club in the nation. the club organizes strips in the outdoors and is also tasked with maintaining over 70 miles of national scenic trails. the club has been a pioneer for environmental sustainability. in the spring of 1977 the club testified before congress regarding the alaska lands act which led to the establishment of the dartmouth organic farm. in addition, dartmouth outdoor

club built a greenhouse and had a big green bus to run on vegetable oil and solar energy. this resolution encourages us all to join in the celebration of the dartmouth outing club's 100 years of exemplary service to our nation's wilderness and the dartmouth community. mr. speaker, once again i express my support of h.res. 776 and urge my colleagues to support this measure. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, rise? mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of house resolution 776 and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to congratulate the dartmouth outing club on 100 years of service to the united states and its wilderness. the dartmouth outer club wag formed in 1909 to stimulate interest in out of doors sports. club membership increased steadily and by 1922 2/3 of

dartmouth's student body were members of the club. today the club has over 1,500 student members. due to its large membership, the club is organized as an umbrella organization under which smaller clubs that specialize in an aspect of outdoor recreation are housed. these include outward bound, bait and bullet and a canoe club. every year the outing club organizes freshmen trips during orientation to encourage bonding and membership in the club. the dartmouth outing club, or d.o.c., has consistently focused on promoting outdoor activities. d.o.c. provides students with the opportunity to participate in outdoor projects, trips and classes. d.o.c. cares for over 100 miles of hiking trace, organizes projects such as the building of the class of 1966 lodge. and organizes winter sport trips such as ski and know board trips -- and snowboard trips. it is important to recognize the

contributions to the students, alumni in new hampshire wimmeder nls. it encourages students to be -- wilderness. it encourages students to be active and participate in outdoor activities. it has provided a service connecting the students of dartmouth with the new hampshire wilderness to benefit both. i congratulate the students and alumni association with the dartmouth outing club on the occasion of their 100th anniversary. i've visited dartmouth's campus and the wilderness surrounding it and think it is worthy of support and i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: does the gentleman from kentucky have any further speakers? mr. guthrie: i have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: once again i congratulate the dartmouth outing club at a time when environmental and outdoor issues in protecting our wilderness are

such major concerns to so many of us, especially the young people. i thank them for their 100 years of leadership in these areas and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 776 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii rise? ms. hirono: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1008 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1008. resolution honoring the contributions of catholic schools. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, each will control 20 minutes. the chair ro now recognizes the

gentlewoman from hawaii -- the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which mens -- members can revise and extend and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.res. 1008 which recognizes the contributions of our nation's catholic schools. the nation's first catholic school was established in 1606 in st. augustine, florida. since then catholic schools have become a critical part of america's education system. today the u.s. boasts more than ,000 catholic elementary and secondary schools that educate more than two million students from diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. america's catholic schools are an important educational alternative for many families. their private status provides

them with the ability to have curriculum with morals and ethics. although not all of its students identify as catholic, each one receives a quality education experience filled with academic rigor, character development and spiritual lessons. catholic schools are known for their commitment to the academic and moral development of their students. their students consistently demonstrate high levels of achievement. in 2000 catholic high schools graduated 99% of their students, with the majority of these students continuing their academic careers at trade schools and other two- and four-year institutions. in the 2008-2009 school year, catholic schools maintained a 14 to 1 teacher-student ratio, giving the students the benefit of a small classroom environment. the week of january 31, 2010, to february 6, 2010, is dedicated by the catholic association and the united states conference of catholic bishops as catholic

schools week. catholic schools week honors these important education institutions and celebrates their many achievements. mr. speaker, i support this resolution and ask that my colleagues join me in reaffirming congress' commitment to education excellence and diversity. with the passage of the national catholic schools week resolution. i also want to thank representative lipinski for bringing this forward. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. guthrie: thank you. i rise today in support of 1008 honoring the contributions of catholic schools. january 31 through february 6 has been designated catholic schools week. 2010 marks the 36th annual catholic schools week jointly sponsored by the national catholics association and united states conference of bishops. supporting catholic schools week and the work of catholic schools

demonstrates support for the vital role catholic schools play in providing a quality education to the 2.2 million students enrolled across the nation. the u.s. conference of catholic bishops states catholic schools have a graduation rate of 99% and about 97% of catholic high school graduates go on to post-secondary training at four-year colleges, community colonels or technical schools. in addition to that, they place an emphasis on the importance of moral and social character development. they emphasize the importance of developing character as well as academic knowledge. catholic school educators help students become good citizens as well as academic leaders. the theme of the catholic schools week for 2010 is dividends for life. this theme highlights the good work done by the nation's catholic schools and reminds parents that the dividends of

catholic school education, students prepared in faith, knowledge, morals and discipline, last a lifetime. the investment in a catholic school education yield as lifetime of knowledge, moral and social guidance in community. i recognize and appreciate the work of catholic schools, their administrators, teachers, parents and volunteers and provide a quality academic moral and social education. catholic schools are an invaluable resource to students, parents and to communities. i have the great privilege of representing the second district of kentucky and throughout the second district there are settlements from migration into kentucky that have traditional catholic backgrounds and wonderful school systems, wonderful people that are teaching in the school systems, attending the school systems, ministering the schools and the local citizens who fund raise and do things for the schools, the principle areas that they're located around and throughout the district, bartstown, kentucky, which is a beautiful area, and both of those high schools are very successful both in students and athletics and serving their community and a

section of louisville, although the schools are not in my district, louisville has a great tradition of great catholic education and on behalf of the people of the second district, which had such a great tradition, i urge my colleagues to support this resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i'm pleased to recognize the gentleman from illinois, the sponsor of this legislation, my friend, mr. lipinski, for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady illinois is recognized. -- the gentleman from illinois is recognized. mr. lipinski: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.res. 1008, honoring catholic schools week and recognizing the outstanding contributions that catholic schools have made to america. as a proud graduate of state nation college prep and a strong supporter of catholic education, i am honored to

sponsor this resolution again this year. and i'd like to thank the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith, for joining me in working on this resolution as well as on many other important issues. since 1974, catholic schools week has celebrated how catholic schools have positively impacted our country and is recognized through outstanding contributions, as well as teaching responsibility towards one's family and community. the national catholic education association, the united states conference of catholic bishops have provided exemplary leadership in conacceptualizing and organizing catholic schools week. catholic schools, dividends for life, faith, knowledge,

discipline and morals. this theme perfectly embodies the call for catholic schools, always emphasizing a well-rounded educational experience. nearly 95% of catholic schools have a service program. and the average student completes approximately 80 hours of public service. my desire to serve was fostered by the dedicated teachers that i had in 12 years of catholic school. today, almost 2.2 million elementary and secondary students are enrolled in nearly 7,500 catholic schools. by maintaining excellent student-teacher ratio and through dedicated efforts, catholic school students on average surpass other students in math, science and reading in the three grade levels tested by the naap test. the graduation rate for catholic high schools is 99%.

and 97% of catholic high school graduates go on to college or technical school. in a country where poor education reports have sadly become an annual tradition, these statistics are truly remarkable and should be greatly commended. catholic schools are known for embracing students from all walks of life and are highly effective at providing excellent educational opportunities. for minorities students and disadvantaged youth. almost 15% of students in catholic schools are not catholic. and over the past 30 years, the percentage of minority students enrolled in catholic schools has more than doubled. despite exceptional results, the success of catholic schools does not depend on select tift. accepting nine out of every 10 students worldwide. in addition to producing

well-educated students, catholic schools save american taxpayers billions of dollars every year by lessening the number of students in an already overburden public schools. in fact, it's estimated a taxpayer will save over $1 billion from students attending catholic schools in the chicago area alone, and $20 billion nationwide. the importance of the savings is undeniable to american taxpayers. unfortunately the current economic climate, combined with decades long -- has been hard on catholic schools. like me, my wife judy graduated from st. patrick's grade school and bishop mccord high school in pennsylvania. sadly last year st. patrick's closed. this was a great loss not only for those staints but for the community.

-- students but for the community. demonstrating how catholic schools are to the greater community. i was born and raised and live in chicago archdiocese which still has one of the most successful school system in the country. more than 96,000 students attend 258 schools. in my district alone, there are seven catholic high schools and approximately 50 grammar schools, including one of the best in my home parish of st. john la crosse in western springs. my experience has taught me the important spiritual, moral and threctual foundation that catholic schools provide to students. it has granted me the knowledge, discipline, desire to serve and a love of learning that have enabled me to achieve my doctorate achieve and become teacher before i was elected to congress. we pay special tribute to teachers and administers who

sacrifice so much. in many cases, working for less than they would earn elsewhere. many of my memories are of teachers who taught me the values of faith and service. when i come down to this house floor, i can't help but remember my -- the coach of my student congress team, sister diane wheatonbock. i can't remember the impact she had on me and that's something i'll always remember. throughout the united states, millions of others have similar memories of sisters, preachers and lay teachers who gave their hearts and souls to the lives of their students. mr. speaker, american catholic schools deserve our praise, our support and our gratitude. i'd like to thank everyone who co-sponsored this resolution and to share our congratulations and support for catholic schools. i urge my colleagues to pass

this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii's time is reserved. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield five minutes to the gentleman from one of our great national treshies, mr. cao from louisiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized. mr. cao: thank you very much. mr. speaker, i rise in support of house resolution 1008, to honor the contributions of catholic schools in providing excellent academic opportunities for our youth. catholic schools throughout the united states provide an exceptional education for our children. they produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, values, families and communities by providing an intellectually stimulating environment which in spiritual, character and moral development. physics confirm the success of catholic primary and secondary

schools. catholic high school graduation rate is 99% with 80% of graduates attending four-year colleges and 17% attending two-year colleges or technical schools. the national conference of catholic bishops stated that education is one of the most important ways by which the church fulfills its commitment to the dignity of the person and building of community. they continue by saying, education of the individual christian is important not only to his solitary destiny but also the destinies of the many communities in which he lives. having spent six years studying to become a priest and having serve as a professor in a jesuit institution, i have a deep appreciation for the importance of education guided by principles embodied by the catholic church. education has always been

important for me as a student, professor and now as a member of congress representing a district still recovering from hurricane katrina. my mission in congress is to ensure children in the second district of louisiana get the education they need. it is unacceptable that almost half the students displaced by hurricane katrina were unable to complete their education. mr. speaker, i thank the representative from illinois for bringing this important resolution honoring the contory butions of kaat -- honoring the contributions of catholic schools throughout the united states. i strongly support this resolution honoring the contributions of catholic schools and catholic schools week and would urge my colleagues to do the same. and in the words of my jesuit brothers, thank you, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady -- the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: does the gentleman

from kentucky have any further speakers? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: i, too, yield back my time. and to attest to the diversity of a catholic education, i too have a degree from a catholic school. i yield back the remainder of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass house resolution 1008 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the resolution is agreed to and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from hawaii now rise? ms. hirono: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 1015. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 1015, resolution congratulating the penn state women's volleyball team on winning the

2009 ncaa division i national championship. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. guthrie, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on h.res. 1015 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. hirono: i rise today to congratulate the penn state women's volleyball team on winning the 2009 ncaa division i women's volleyball championship tournament. on december 19, 2009, the penn state women's volleyball team made history by becoming the first team by winning three consecutive national titles and four overall ncaa national championships. the penn state nitly lions

ranked top seed and defeated the texas longhorns in dramatic fashion. after trailing 0-2 in the championship match, penn state put together an amazing come from behind effort, eventually winning 3-2. the penn state women's volleyball team host the nation's longest winning streak with a 102 matches. with the 30-0 record, a top ranked season and a national championship, penn state has much to be proud of. senior megan hodge led the lions with 20 points with blair brown and darcy dorton contributed 13 points in the championship match. brown made 14 saves, hodge made 13 and senior alisha glass had more.

hodge was the 2009 espn "the magazine" academic all-american of the year, quite a feat because of an elite division i program. congratulations are also in order for coach russ rose. after this year, he posted 1,001 wins. his career at penn state, heading one of the most successful programs in the country, russ rose collects wins at a staggering pace. never having posted less than 22 wins in a season, he understands how to bring the best out of his athletes and coaching staff. volleyball demands extreme focus and composure. the penn state women's volleyball team earned the highest athletic honor, a national championship. i know the fans, alumni, students will look forward to this championship and look forward to next year's season.

mr. speaker, i again congratulate the penn state women's volleyball team and thank congressman thompson for bringing this resolution forward. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to submit my remarks for the record and yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania for as much time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is now recognized for whatever time he may consume. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my colleague for yielding. today i rise in support of h.res. 1015, a resolution congratulating the penn state women's volleyball team on winning the 2009 ncaa division i national championship. exactly one month ago today the pennsylvania state university women's volleyball team staged a stunning come-from-behind victory and took home their third consecutive caa national

championship -- consecutive ncaa championship. they have a 102-match winning streak that began in september, 2007. it is the longest division i women's winning streak and the second longest in ncaa history. the volleyball team has won 65 consecutive big ten matches. the women were led by seniors megan hodge and alisha glass who owned a career record of 142 wins and only five losses. theirs is the best four-year winning percentage of any graduating class at penn state. hodge finished her career ranking second on penn state's career kills list with 1,042. she is just the second lady lion in the program's history to reach the 2002 career milestone. glass finished fourth on the list with 5,799. hodge, glass and junior blair brown and arielle wilson were

named the american volleyball coach's association first team all americans. hodge was also named coach's association national player of the year for 2009. freshman darcy dorton was named the big ten freshman of the year and the coshe's association mideast freshman of the year. russ rose reached his 1,000th career victory against hawaii in the national semifinals and he heads into the 2010 season with 1,001 wins. all at the helm of the penn state women'sy ball program. all the members of the pennsylvania congressional delegation and penn state alum signed aer to president obama asking that he and the first lady host this remarkable at the white house. these young women have shown a tremendous dedication to both the sport and their acic endeavors. and are true -- academic endeve and are true ambassadors for all

college athletes. mr. speaker, today i ask support for the resolution in honor team with the spirit and the drive to lead and to win. the penn state women's lion volleyball team. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky's is reserved. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: does the gentleman from kentucky have any further speakers? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky. mr. guthrie: i have no further speakers and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i'd like end my remarks bying mr.son, the introducer of this resolution. i heard him mention the university of hawaii which, as you know, is also a powerhouse volleyball women's team. so it just goes to show how far we've come with title 9 and that title was named for my friend and predecessor. and with that i yield back the

balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. ms. hirono: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. . the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceed ogs -- proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentlelady from hawaii now rise? ms. hirono: i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 991. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the resolution. the clerk: house resolution 991, resolution commending the university of virginia men's

soccer team for winning the 2009 division incaa national championship. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono, and the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i request five legislative days during which members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on h.res. 991 into the record. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered. ms. hirono: mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: so ordered, without objection. ms. hirono: i rise today in support of h.res. 991 which commends the university of virginia's men's soccer time for winning the 2009 division i

ncaa national championship. the u.v.a. men's soccer team ranked second in the nation, collected its sixth ncaa championship and its first since 1994. the cavaliers defeated the top-ranked university of akron team in a penalty kick shootout after a scoreless regulation and double overtime play. this game was extremely competitive and highlighted the athletic producess of all the players on the field. after 110 minutes of grueling play, the game was ultimately decided with an extremely intense shootout. the u.v.a. soccer team was able to accomplish its goals, edging out akron, 3-2, in the shootout. their effort and talent deserves to be recognized. the u.v.a. cavaliers posted a 19-3-3 regular season record and finished the second with an amazing 16-game unbeaten winning streak. the victory gave the u.v.a. its 19th school championship.

the team applies the -- applied the lessons learned and displayed their outstanding athletic skills and cohesive team strategy, allowing fewer goals to be scored against them than any other team in the nation. entering the title game, their last goal allowed was on october 17 in a 3-1 victory over virginia tech. five cavaliers were named to the all tournament team. diego restrepo, brian oenbi, mike advocate and tony. villanueva was also named most outstanding offensive player while restrepo was named most outstanding defensive player of the game. the others were named the first team all americans and tchani was drafted by the new york red bulls. even with all the individual accolades and awards, the 2009

national championship contained a total team effort and each member of the team should be commended for athletic excellence. special congratulations are due to coach george delivach. he wrapped up his 14th season as head coach and led his talented defensive team to a historic championship. he earned his 2 u.n.th career victory during the regular season and led u.v.a. to its fourth a.c.c. tournament title during his tenure. additionally, soccer america named the coach men's coach of the year. mr. speaker, once again i congratulate the university of virginia's men's soccer team for winning the 2009 division i ncaa championship team -- title. i want to thank congressman perriello for bringing this bill forward. i wish the program much success in the 2010 season and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. thompson, is recognized. mr. thompson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of house resolution 991, commending the university of virginia's men's soccer team for winning the 2009 division i ncaa national championship. the university of virginia located in charlottesville, virginia, was founded in 1819 by thomas jefferson. u.v.a. has been synonymous with excellence throughout its history. it was the first educational institution to offer many academic programs that are common today. 85% of today's freshmen students were in the top 10% of the high school classes and the university is known as a public ivy league. u.v.a. was also ranked the number-one best value for public universities by "usa today" and the princeton review -- and ranked the number two national university by u.s. news and world report. the level of excellence

exemplified by u.v.a. and its students also extends to its athletics. the virginia cavaliers have won 20 national championships and numerous regional titles. the men's soccer and lacrosse teams are two of the most successful athletic teams at u.v.a. the men's soccer team won the most recent national championship for the university. the u.v.a. men's soccer team captured its sixth national championship on december 13, 2009. during the championship game, the cavaliers battled against the previously undefeated akron zips. in two overtime pirds and a shootout. it was the second time in national championship for the team was decided in a shootout. i congratulate the university of virginia, the team, the players and head coach george, and the students, faculty and alumni and i urge my colleagues to support house resolution 991 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time is reserved.

the gentlewoman from hawaii. ms. hirono: does the gentleman from pennsylvania have any further speakers? mr. thompson: i do not and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: once again, mr. speaker, i urge everybody to support this resolution and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 991. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended -- ms. hirono: mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii. ms. hirono: i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house now in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m. this

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>> waiting to hear from house speaker nancy pelosi, the house back for their first day of legislative work of the week. when they return at 6:30, they'll consider 10 bills. tomorrow, they'll consider a bill to allow help for haiti to

be written off in 2009 taxes. you can follow a briefing from the state department online, the briefings are all online at c-span.org. while we wait for speaker pelosi, we'll take a look at earthquake damage about 20 miles outside of port-au-prince. >> [speaking foreign language]

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>> we have treated more than 00 people already and we are taking only the severe cases, in order to take really good

care of these people and to give them the ability to survive. [baby crying]

♪ >> this little baby came here with a serious infection of his leg and it was -- it could be a very, very easy decision to have this amputated, and then we decided, we consulted with orthopedics, to give him serious antibiotics and try to save his leg. >> we're going to leave this recorded segment and take you live to capitol hill for speaker pelosi's news conference. >> resolving the differences between the house and senate bill. we have revenue and investment issues that we sent to the c.b.o. already and now we're dealing with some of the policy issues. we're right on course. we will have a health care

reform bill and it will be soon. with that, i yield to mr. hoyer. >> i talked to many of you earlier today, many of you were there. we are continuing to work as we have worked over the last month to resolve the differents between the senate and house bills on something that we told the american people we would do in the last election and indeed we were tiing to do in elections before that and that is provide affordable, accessible health care for all americans. we are going to continue to work on that until we get it done. >> mr. cly bufferin? >> we're working. >> we're working and we're very happy our members will be back tonight so we can consult with them about some resolutions that we need to come up with, resolution of differences we have to come up with. but i really salute the president for his leadership in moderating the discussion,

moderating the policy and taking us to the place we are now, which son the brink of being able to pass this legislation and regardless of what happens in massachusetts, we believe that that will happen. >> you said there aren't the votes for the senate bill in the house. do you still think that's the case and more broadly have you heard from the white house that that's what they want you to do? >> no, i have not heard that. we are on the path that we are on, which is -- to reconcile our differences as mr. hoyer says. >> our position is, we have as is always the case, the senate passed a bill we passed a bill and what we're working on is to reconcile the differences between those two bills and place a reconciled in effect, a conference report, it won't be technically a conference report thorninge floor of the house and senate. that's our intent and that's what we're working toward. >> in meetings now or over the last two days, have you

discussed the implication of a republican victory for the massachusetts senate? >> regardless of what happens in massachusetts, we have to resolve the differences between our two bills. we still have to communicate with our members about the direction they want us to go in certain particular issues, issues like the commission and the report on what we've heard back now on the excise tax. you know what those are. we have policy issues to deal with we put off for this week because we needed to focus on the c.b.o., what the congressional budget office needed for last week. our eye son the ball of passing legislation. in order to do that, we have to resolve some differences, establish some priorities, make some decisions and that's what we're doing. whatever happens in massachusetts, we have to do that and whatever happens in massachusetts, we will have quality, affordable health care for all americans and it will

be soon. we thank the president for his leadership. thank you all. >> that was exciting, wasn't it? [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] >> quick comments from democratic leadership on the house and senate negotiation. tomorrow in the house we expect a measure allowing charitable donations to haiti to be re-- haiti relief to be written off 2009 taxes. more house coverage this evening at 6:30. you heard about election day in massachusetts where votes will decide who fills the u.s. senate seat recently held by the late senator ted kennedy. we'll have coverage of the results tonight. victory and concession speeches, and your phone calls that will be on c-span2.

>> this weekend on c-span2's book tv, john mueller believes the chance of a nuclear terror attack in the u.s. is far smaller than most people think. he presents his case in "atomic obsession" and anne lutz fernandez looks at the car in modern society and how it's increased asthma rates and other things. >> did you know one of the top free 23450us answer for your iphone or itouch is c-span radio? now you can get quick and easy access to three streaming audio channel, c-span radio, cr c-span, and c-span2. there are tabs with links to our podcasts, including "q&a" and afterwords. it's all free and available from the ap store. >> the authors of a new book on the 2008 presidential campaign from this morning's washington journal this runs about 45 minutes. "

continues. host: we are joined by the authors of "game change," and john heilemann and mark halperin. it you have a list things that you thought would make use in this book what on that list has not made news, or what are you surprised at? guest: a lot of things. when john and i set out to write the book, we hope it would be interesting book to read an interesting story. but we were also going for breaking news because we thought there were things that were uncovered during the campaign. i will give you one. john will have others. sarah palin was picked by john mccain and people were shocked when it happened to that time, the campaign said that she had been on consideration for a long time and receive as much of a background check, so-called vetting, as any of the other people john mccain considered.

there is skepticism about that at the time did not of the political journalism parade moved on and there were other things to cover. -- there was skepticism about that at the time it. but the political journals a great move on and there were other things to cover. the truth is that she was brought into the game a very late after their main focus, joe lieberman, fell apart as an option. they needed a game changing pick and joe lieberman was again changing the of one sort and sarah palin was another. in book, we quote the vetting a report by washington lawyer who was told on a friday afternoon to get ready and in the space of less than two days look into sarah palin's background, not by making a phone call or interviewing anybody, but simply by doing on-line searches, because they needed to keep it secret. looking at the process by which john mccain picked a virtual

stranger as his running mate was something that we thought that a lot of attention. guest: there is a ton of stuff out in the book that we thought would have gotten a lot of attention. i will give you three examples. one of them is a macro story. in the wake of the campaign, one of the pieces of conventional wisdom that was compounded by the obama operation, the question of race was something that they did not really think about. it was not factored into the decision to run, it was a non- issue. that was one of the things they said over and over again after his election. throughout the book, we talk about how much they woere in fact and obsessed with race as a political factor. it produced advertisement after advertisement, fake ads that

they thought the mccain campaign would run against them that would be racially frame and how they would respond to that. it was topic a -- host: let me show your view is that what about what you talk about that. "while cash from the mccain campaign was coming up with negative ads on the fly, scribbling scripps, in fact, on the backs of napkins, the obama campaign was determining which ones were most dangerous and to develop responses." guest: the produced dozens upon dozens of spots, and also to look at those ads to be prepared to respond than and other spots that would deal with the problem. the question of what would obama's alleged connections to muslimism -- the obama campaign was constantly trying to

respond. we have a great anecdote worked at one point the obama campaign was trying to produce an ad that would take care of all the questions about his race, his alleged muslimism, and alleged lack of patriotism all in one ad the script of this ridiculous --ad -- this ridiculous advertisement -- he read the script and said, "this is too much." on the financial crisis, incredible reporting, i believe, about what happened in the white house meeting george bush held with john mccain and barack obama, hardly been mentioned in the coverage of it is very interesting but it showed how unprepared john mccain was, how well prepared obama was. as you listen to obama take over the meeting, it seems that if you close your eyes, you would believe that this is the

president of the united states, not george bush or john mccain. we have a very interesting story about david geffen and maureen dowd and a devastating column that maureen dowd wrote in the early part of the nomination, how that came to be, how this hollywood mogul and this "new york times" columnist bill is one of the first blows to -- dealt one of the first blows to hillary clinton's inevitability. host: she was trying to write that column before she got him to agree to do it. guest:@@ it was two iconic, prominent people. "the new york times" columnist and david geffin, who worked

with other big supports of the clintons. david stayed in the lincoln bedroom. he like many prominent liberals had turned against the clintons, he was unhappy with president clinton's choice of pardons at the end of his second term, not granting a pardon david had lobbied for, so geffen turned on the clintons and felt they were, if not actually corrupt, they were kind of morally bankrupt he love odd because ma, saw him speak at the democratic convention in 2004, reached out to him, started a relationship with him. when maureen dowd heard david geffen speak and get a question about the clintons and hillary's chances, david geffen was tough on hillary clinton and maureen was struck not just

by how tough david geffen was in his talking about the clintons' morality, but the audience reaction, here they are in new york, the state hillary clinton represents, and the audience seemed enthusiastic system of over a long period of time, maureen is lobbying david geffen to take what he said at that event, amplify it to her in an interview. by coincidence, she's in california on the night before geffen is hosting a major fundraiser for barack obama, she convinces him to do the interview. host: what year is this? guest: 2007. barack obama has gotten into the race and has created a lot of excitement, and in communities that are vitally important if you are trying to become the democratic nominee for president, hollywood, new york, liberal circles, hillary was trying to not let obama rise up as a major competitor to her.

for david given to agree to host this fund-raiser was a big blow to the clintons but they were desperate to try to overshadow that. it showed that a hollywood support and the democratic party would not be monolithic. again, maureen convinces david geffen had to do the interview her column goes on the web, and rock obama and -- and obama an then hillary were at this -- and obama was at this fund-raiser. it did not cause any problems for obama. as we report in the book, it was worse for the clinton than they thought. it was the first time that a lot to the issues of bill clinton's personal life, whether the clintons were old politics, whether they were too loose with the truth, was laid out. the one-two punch of it being laid out by david geffen, a pillar of a hollywood

establishment, via the maureen dowd column, was devastating. host: i am sure that many people are eager to ask your questions and make comments. sylvia, democrats like, you are first. caller: i saw you all on another show and you are talking about that bill and hillary were upset during the iowa caucuses that the obama campaign had cheated. from what i read and what i heard, the reason they were so upset was because the obama campaign bussed in lots of young people from illinois with the help of a corn -- of acorn, and they showed up at the caucuses early and they locked out the hillary voters. host: john heilemann? guest: a caller is exactly right about what the clintons believe. that, to the letter, what we

report in the book -- hillary had been concerned about the caucuses for awhile, that they were to lose, and that he was the state senator from illinois and that this could happen to it the night of the iowa caucuses, when hillary had come in third, she and former president clinton are in a hotel suite and they are as angry as their aides have ever seen about what has happened. she finished far off third and they are incredibly upset. former president clinton starts going on about the fact that all of these people, to order 39,000 people had shown up. -- 239,000 people had shown up. it was incomprehensible to him that many people had shown up to the caucuses, and he seized on the notion that the shooting had occurred and that the buses had come in from -- that cheating had occurred and that losses had come in from illinois to five

days later, he suggested that hillary raise this question in a debate, at the outcome of the caucuses should be invalidated because obama had done this thing. president clinton was suggesting to staff that they hired lawyers and challenge the results of the iowa caucuses. we cannot know with any certainty that the charges true, but we spoke to many of the clinton white staff, people long experienced in iowa politics and are very loyal to the clintons and none of them believe that the charges are true but as upset as the clintons were, at what they were looking for some excuse for her performance in there. these are people who would have every reason to believe it was true, and the people who know the iowa caucuses best believe that it is a false charge. host: 80 on the independents' line. amy, could mo -- amy, good morning. i will remind you to turn the television down but i will move

on and put you on hold, amy, and move on to palin on the republican line. caller -- ellen on the republican line. caller: i say that i have not read the book, but these folks being so close the connected to the campaign and everybody was involved and all the candidates, i want to know why it is that the most important pieces of all of these people, clinton, obama, mccain -- how everything was shielded, and the most important aspects never came out, and the democrats were protected down to every minuscule little whatever -- the important things to not cam out to it when it came to mccain and sarah palin, how they attacked her come up for clothes and her eating habits, but yet when it comes to not even reporting on any of the policies or believfs or agenda stuff that

obama was going to go for, which he is doing now, not having his pieces, or any of his background, everybody saying he is so smart and intelligent and sarah palin is so on qualified when she had been elected, starting the school system, whatever, a municipal mayor to governor, and she is so stupid and irresponsible -- she had held all these offices. host: i think we got your point. mark halperin? guest: we knew that one of the challenges about writing a book about politics these days is that a lot of the discourse through the media and directly has become a very partisan. we tried to write a book that is not partisan. i am confident we did. there is stuff that was not ever reported not just twhat the calleri] suggested by democrats, but about republicans. we are heartened that the book has received praise from people on the left and right.

sean hannity said some very nice things about the book, as did ed schultz. we reported everything that we could find that we thought was germane to telling this story about both parties, candidates in both parties, without fear or favor and with an eye towards history and eliminating what happened, not covering things up. there has been a concern -- why wasn't this stuff reported in real time? people are not going to be forthcoming the way they were with us in the heat of the campaign. there are too busy and there is too much at stake. we went to people right after the nomination fights and the general election when their memories were fresh but they were willing to cooperate, they understood the project and its importance, we hope, for history. second, it is hard to piece this stuff together if you don't have the time, as we did come over a long period of time, long interviews, able to sit down and sift through the stuff and pieced together to the realities of daily journalism, particularly these days with the

internet and cable -- there is no way to do that. you have to do it as more of the historical work. host: have you heard from your sources and gotten a reaction from your sources, without specifically saying they are? guest: we have. we talked to a lot of people for the book did most of these people are people who have had very long relationships with politics. we have been covering politics for 20 years each. the relationship we have with those sources of the basis on which the book was built. if we had not had such a strong relationships with the sources, we cannot have done what we did. we have been heartened by their response, which has been uniformly positive. people ought said many notes of congratulation about the book. -- people have sent many notes of congratulation about the book. we have heard from an awful lot of people and they feel that we have gotten the story right and got it in a way that they think is fair, accurate, and good for

history in the sense that we captured things about the campaign and how these people live to the campaign and how it changed them and how their strengths and weaknesses affected the way in which they waged a campaign that are important for people who are going to be looking back at his campaign for many years to come to understand what actually happened. host: we go back to host: we'll go back to georgia and amy on the independent line. good morning. caller: hi. sorry about that. i am an independent. i used to be a democrat and when this past election hit with -- when barack obama came around, i ended up dropping the party completely. what i was looking for at the time was a -- a candidate that would really represent the country well. and i know -- i know for a fact that the fact that the media

was there, bolstering obama up like the way they did bush, which they actually did do, seemed to mean that whoever the media chooses to be the next president is going to be the next president. it's very undeprnt -- unfortunate because i did listen to barack obama a few times, some of his speech he is said about changing things in washington but yet he was a supporter of mayor richard daley, which as far as i'm concerned, being from illinois, was one of the biggest crooks in politics. if he couldn't beat the chicago politics what makes him think he'd change anything in washington? guest: the role of the media in presidential elections is obviously huge and i think one of the things that's most interesting in reporting on this campaign is the fact that the -- all the campaigns feel

the media was biased against them. they look at the power of the media and say the media play this is outsized role. the speaker pro tempore: even president obama's campaign felt that way? >> i think mark and i would agree that poth because ma got very capable coverage in the course of the campaign, it's not disputable but they felt as though on questions of things like reverend wright they felt they were subjected to as touch a -- tough a media hit as anybody else, and they felt that some of what they were confronted with wasn't germane, things like the rezko relationship, they felt the media was focused on nonstories rather than what the candidate wanted to focus on. it's a perennial complaint and as far as i can see, the media is kind of an equal opportunity

in the kind of rigorousness they put the candidates through. it doesn't surprise me that in a partisan environment people feel the media chooses sides. it's a topic that's not going to go away for that reason, because as the media gets more partisan, the complaints will escalate. host: let's go to daryl in new jersey. caller: good morning. i've seen you guys on other shows. one of the things that's fascinating to me is that the country seems to be in this state of cognitive dissonance. barack obama is the incompetent, unprepared, unqualified to be president, john mccain is the long-time politician with a lot of experience and based on what you guys said this morning, to me, the exact opposite -- the reverse is true. i mean, barack obama seems to

be, i mean, hope and change and all that, but he seems to be a very savvy politician, brilliant strategic thinker and very well prepared, understands the issues, yet all the buzz right now is about sarah palin who mostly speaks -- her vocabulary is mostly mono1il8 abic, i haven't -- is mostly monosill big, i haven't heard her say anything of substance from the time she started running until now. aren't you amazed the country is fascinated by sarah palin, when she's mostly vacuous and vapid. >> i'm a big man of monosyllabic, so i decent see the problem. that caller sees the world in a

very particular way and there are millions of americans who see it his way, but there are millions of americans who feel that barack obama was a fraud as a candidate, is a horrible president and sarah palin is our salvation. part of what we tried to do in writing "game change" was to rise above what has become the dominant feature of our political discourse, which is again in a lot of political books and cable television and the web, is to say, i have a point of view about the world, hate the democrats or republicans and everything i say or write is going to be geared toward reare inforcing that point and trying to spread it. we said we want to write a real story of what happened in this incredibly exciting campaign with bigger-than-life characters and not make it a partisan book. as i said before, we've had positive feedback we're heartened by from people on the left and right who say, i may disagree with obama's policies

but i was glad to get insight into what he's really like, same with sarah palin. that's why we wrote it. we didn't wite it as a potential benefit, but i hope that it is -- our clint's discourse has become too partisan. we hope that people will think about politics in a different way, more about the drama and about -- and trying to drain it from the pure partisanship that dominates a lot of your calls and a lot of our discourse. host: on mccain's stratji approach to his campaign you write this -- r was listening, that was the campaign. the rest was noise. guest: it is a very early part of the book, talking about how mccain in the early planning stages of the campaign -- you

had an operation where all the people around him looked back at his 2000 campaign, where he ran as many gay, outsider campaign, and -- he ran this renegade, outsider campaign, and they lost. they said, "we should build on the bush model, raise a ton of money, have a huge operation across the country, the formidable and scare everybody else away." a problem with that is that mccain is psychologically well- suited to that kind of campaign, and as the organization built itself that way, his attitude was, why do i need all this? he did not want to make fund- raising calls and get into the race as soon as they wanted him to get into the race. we have seen from the book with a say, "we are the front runner and we have to act like the front runner and cannot act like the kind person you are

naturally," which is a maverick, to use his favorite term. at the kind of thing they aspired to build for him and the kind of thing that mccain was comfortable doing it turned out to be the immolation of his campaign bu. for the first six months, the campaign was broke, he was lagging in the polls, he was miserable, he was firing his top staff, and the meltdown, which nearly killed him politically if not personally, is about that mismatch. he is strongest in the book once he gets rid of all these people. you see him emerge when everybody in politics but he was dead -- everybody in politics thought he was dead, and mccann was actually past year. he was running, metaphorically speaking, -- mccai noten -- çmccain was actually happier.

he was running, metaphorically speaking, in a beat-up car. the mismatch between him and a bomb in terms of organization, financed, muscular strength -- and no bomb in terms of organization, finance, was to list a --, him and obama in terms of organization, finance, strength -- this is why in some sense the personal, the stuff about the high human drama of the campaign, it actually matters enormously, because it tells you enormously about john mccain's political fortunes. you cannotç understand that without understanding is psychology and how he looked at the heart and, of politics. -- art and combat of politics. guest: greta, can i say one thing? we are honored and pleased by the amount of attention the book has received. this is literally the first time we've had a chance to discuss

this topic, an extraordinarily important part of the 2008 campaign. for people who have seen some of the book and say, i know everything about the book already, it would love to " the thing about the use of airplane tickets, because it defines a huge part of the mentality of the republican nominee i think some people have the impression that they have learned everything that is in the book. we think there is more in the book that people would be interested in. host: nancy on the republican line. caller: when president obama ran, he was more to the center of the democratic party. that is what i voted for. i voted for obama because i thought he was more to the center of the democratic party, not to the left. he has since become more of left then center. that has made me very disheartened. i have turned from democrat to republican and i will start

voting republican and i am going to vote more for the people who are my values and my type of ideas about this country and how it should be run. i think our country is out of whack. we are spending too much, the deficit is too high, there is too many people unemployed. i think obama is not concentrating on what the real problems are in this country. he is concentrating on his ideas. guest: will was the name of that color -- what was the name of that caller? host: nancy. guest: i would call her nancy, a.k.a. david axelrod's worst nightmare. this the type of voters thought they have to worry about.

he has done the thing that is the most dangerous for any politician, lost control of a large segment of the population with his public image, how he is being perceived t. during the campaign, he was very successful at what george bush did, being all things to all people. healthcare is a great example. what has moved through congress -- there are policy differences that are not insignificant, but the best of it, the scope of it, it is very similar to what he ran on. people should not be surprised that on a range of issues, he is more liberal. at the same time, one of the gifts barack obama has had since he entered public life is to speak as a unifying figure, to give people the sense that he works across the aisle and solves problems in a bipartisan way. that, as it has turned out, partly by choice and partly by

circumstances, with the economic crisis in particular, has led to governing in a moreç partisan y that i thought he would do and i think that he intended the result is to alienate colors and voters and citizens like that. part of the challenge he faces now is to finish this health care bill, defined as a very liberal think, rightly or not, and move on to an agenda that addresses jobs and deficit reduction. the state of the union and the budget are opportunities, the white house hopes, to win over callers like that. host: the state of the union will be wednesday, january 27. steve on the independent-mi line. caller: 1 said the post, he took a called earlier -- you took a call earlier challenging your bias and saying you should be

fired. we should actually look at the bias -- to get to the point, we have become so divisive in this country. i think hillary clinton has just shown herself to be a gracious loser, obviously, and the campaign, but also, what a hard- working woman. you look at her, and she's just nose to the grindstone, "i am the secretary of state and i will do the best job i can possibly do for our country, regardless of party." i think during the campaign, obama was such a wonderful speaker, is such a wonderful that he was able to carry the election without a lot of substance. i am a supporter of his, but at the same time, you've got to govern, not just be elected. host: the background on hillary clinton during the campaign.

guest: we in the book talk about how the hillary and obama relationship is a love story, which is counterintuitive for people. one of the things that mark and i were surprised to learn is how much of a fan hillary clinton was to barack obama before the campaign did she hosted a fund-raiser for his senate campaign, and she talked very admiring look about him, saying that there is a superstar in chicago, the kind of candidate that she and her husband always wanted to support in the the grand part, very intelligent african- american who had a future and the party. when he came to washington, he seeks her out, six her counsel, already sort of a superstar because of the speech at the convention, and that sort of a bond. she sees him as a potential mentee and he sees her as a

potential mentor obviously, a huge amount of conflict and bitterness and then unfolded when they ended at head-to-head in the democratic nomination fight. but in the end, after all for bitterness over how the race turned out and all of her anger, which is documented in the book in a lot of a vivid detail, the extraordinary series of events that lead her to eventually accept the job of secretary of state -- we have at the end of the book, and that is rather incredible coming together -- there is a rather incredible coming together with the late-night phone call and everybody in her life is trying to get her to take the top. her husband thinks it would be great for, rahm emanuel, joe biden, all lobbies for to take the job. she finally called him to decide that they will not -- that she will not take the top, and had this incredible late-night phone

call where she tells him why she does not want the job and he accept ththat those are all good reasons -- she is burdened with debt, she is tired and wants to go home -- he understands all that, but he says, "i need you to take this job. with the economic crisis will be a huge part of my first term might need someone who understands foreign policy whose hand i do not have to hold, and i need you and the country needs you." after everything with this at the arc of their relationship, it is an extraordinary moment. the moment she admits her husband might be a problem, something she never did in the campaign -- anything bill clinton did something considered politically detrimental, and she defends him. she never takes any other side, totally loyal to her husband. now she is not saying not disloyal, but admitting to barack obama that there is a political vulnerability with her

husband . barack obama does not express that he needs anyone did, he is the maximally self-sufficient politician. he turns to her and in its in some ways that he needs her. it is the first bond, the relationship of trust where they can work together. he tells her to sleep on it and not to say no. she decides to take the job i think the caller is right her first year as secretary of state has demonstrated all the things that is best she's been an incredibly valuable advisor to him, she's worked hard representing america around the world and from all indications, from the reporting of a lot of people, their relationship is as solid as that of any president and cabinet secretary. i think it speaks well for her patriotism, her devotion to the

country and her ability to put past pain and past bitterness aside for a higher calling. host: warren, pennsylvania, frankie on the line for democrats. caller: good morning. i guess i have a simple question i'd like to ask the two gentlemen. what kind of impact do you think this will have on people running again and people who want to work for them when it seems like if you write a book like this, i don't understand why these people talk to you and say some of the things they say about the candidates and i think it would be hard to get anybody to work for you again and it would be so hard for the candidates, they have to be so careful what they should say and do in private and just the question is, i guess, what kind of an impact do you think the book will have? thank you. host: before you answer that, howard kearns wrote in his column yesterday that, perhaps obama's character is unusually

consistent, but the portrait may also reflect the fact that aides on a winning campaign had little dirt to dish and even less incentive, since many of them are now running the country. i just want to add that to her comments. guest: as john said earlier, as we were doing the many interviews for the book, we were dealing not with strangers, but people we had a positive, strong working relationship with over decades. in that process we explained to them in great detail what we were doing. we explained the kind of book it was. we explained the terms on which we were speaking. history is important. one of the things we learned much -- at times to our panic, was as time passes, people's memory's get worse. campaigns don't write a lot down, not a lot of memos. there's an oral history that if we hadn't stepped in and done the interview whence we did them, a lot would have been

lost. people have said we relied on people with axes to grind. i have to tell you, john may feel differently, i can't remember more than five interviews at most in which the people we were interviewing clearly were trying to spin the story, clearly trying to reflect a point of view. they were in almost every instance very purely cooperating with us and telling the story because they knew we were writing what would be considered a serious look at an important moment in u.s. history that yielded a lot of stories we were able to, over time, taking our time, merge together. there's not a single quote-unquote controversial story line in the book on which we based -- which we based on people ex-complusive -- exclusively with people who could have had an ax to grind. we also went to supporters and said, this is what we have been told by others, what do you

think? and there was almost no incident where those required judgment on our part they almost always lined up. guest: he says, perhaps the -- there's an unusual consistency between the public image and the private reality, i think that's true. one of the thing it demonstrates, in some cases there's a wide divergence between public image and private reality, the story of john and elizabeth edwards is one of the biggest, the gap between what they wanted the public to see and how they were in private is a cass. . barack obama, hi chasm was very -- his chasm was very small, the smallest of any of the campaigns. for all these other campaigns,

there were enormous amounts of time and effort devoted by the staff to kind of bridge that gap and massage those differences. the obama campaign was able to focus, on a larger extent, on getting done what they needed to get done that said we show, as i talked before about the race example, we show plenty of examples where the obama public image wasn't what was going on behind the scenes, and we laid that bare. but i think it's important, i think it's an important reason why he was successful because the gap was narrower. guest: another thing that's been said about the book is we don't have are much about barack obama or we don't show anything about barack obama that's less flattering. i urge people to read the book, there are a number of moments in the campaign where the campaign behind the scenes was in crisis, where there was questions about whether their strategy was working. in one prominent instance uric see barack obama say, you know what, we're staying the course. we chose this strategy we chose

the tactics to back it up,s the right thing, we're all reafirming that. there's another instance where he decides he's not getting enough advice from a bodder circle of people, one of the thing -- from a broader circle of people we feel reported this group of three men, the campaign manager, the chief strategist and the spokesman who have almost a stranglehold on the advice that gets to barack obama, very influential with him. this was a constant thing in the campaign, people, even michelle obama would say, there needs to be a broader circumstancele of advisors. around the time it shows that obama will probably beat hillary clinton but limp into the general convention he changes thing he has a late-night conference call with

people not run by those three, but run by anita dunn. i think people who have said there isn't much about barack obama or our stuff about barack obama is written by the winners so it's not a full as some of the others. host: can you talk about when he starts to bring anita dunn into the fold while he's considering a run and the strategy she takes up, that exchange there, that the strategy she comes up with for email addresses? >> this is in the early 2006, late 2005 period, barack obama, like all politicians in washington had a p.a.c., called hope fund. obama invited -- interviewed and eventually hired anita dunn to run that p.a.c. he was an unusual candidate in this respect. even before he was elected to national office, when he was still a candidate for the senate in 2004, he was able to

raise money for other democratic senators. it was clear that he was going to win by a landslide, he was out doing fundraising events for people like tom daschle, who were sitting senators. immediately on arriving in washington, he was an unprecedented fundraising draw. he could go around the united states and turn out huge crowds. mark and i, at the time we were following this, we knew obama was traveling around and raising money, but i don't think, until we reported the book, that we had a clear sense -- we talked to people like claire mccaskill, he would come to new york for her and they had to get an overflow room, not only did they need the room for the ,000 or 3,000 paying a lot of money but the separate froorm 10,000 to 15,000 people because everyone wanted to see this guy. his fundraising ability was at

the core of as we talk about why the democratic establishment was behind him, they could see his appeal. that's part of how he demonstrated he could be a serious candidate. anita dunn, along with david pluff, who was initiating a similar strategy for daniel patrick in massachusetts they started to think about how this could be capitalized on to build a grassroots army. when people came to obama events, they asked for email addresses. that was the beginning of building a database for hope fund that eventually built into this online army that obama exploited in the 2008 campaign and became the core of their massive fundraising machine. they used this internet in a novel way in 2008 to build this fundraising machine that's unprecedented in the history of american politics. anita dunn and the decisions made at hope fund around that for the -- were the seeds of that development that made

obama credible and gave him a huge advantage going forward against hillary clinton and john mccain. on the republican line. caller: i get a kick out of the left attacking their opponents. they call them a dime if they see a thread. -- call them dumb if they see a threat and with that sarah palin -- left comedians like joy behar and bill maher attacker all the time did she had more experience than barack obama. iit is how they try to be little their opponents. they say that europe is this or that. europe is made up of different countries with their own culture. switzerland is not part of the eu -- host: okay, we will leave it

there. let me pick up one thing she said about sarah palin and the coverage. sarah palin, from your reporting, was consumed with how she was being pursued in -- how she was being perceived in alaska during the election. guest: she was never very much involved in national politics. very few in the national political or media life had dealings with sarah palin. she was new. we talked to these national operatives in the mccain campaign and other people around sarah palin who to this day are the only people we know who have had exposure to her behind-the- scenes to see what she is like when she is not on tv or giving a speech. they met with sarah palin, two of mccain's advisers, mark salter and steve schmidt.

they did not know her bridge was a stranger to them. one of things they discussed with her late in the meeting was the importance of her understanding that even though she would remain the sitting governor of alaska, she needed to understand her focus needed to be on the the national campaign. she was basically an appendage of the campaign and would not get back to alaska until there -- unless there was some sort of natural disaster, and she did not to be focused on her home state needs but on the national ticket. on the point of view of the kaine staff, she did not of a -- up to that from the point -- from the point of view of the mccain is that, she did not live up to that. there were concerned that there was an absence of mccain-palin and yard signs in alaska.

it is spent the time complaining to a -- the campaign they spent -- they spent atime complaining that there was not enough of an effort in alaska. she w@@@ can she was not being allowed to talk to local reporters, like a lot of governor, she would give out her phone number to reporters and talk to them. she saw reaction in alaska that was bad for them. the said said she understood that before she was put on the ticket. that was one of many causes of tension between the palins and the national campaign saff. host: cape coral, florida, david on the independent line. caller: i'm -- on my election card, i'm identified as no

party affiliation because independence is classified as a party. here's the way i vote over the years. when a politician reaches their 12th year that's a maximum served for me and i won't vote for them. the other thing i will not vote for politicians who move to new districts just so run -- just to run. one example is clinton in new york. if i lived in new york, i wouldn't vote for him -- vote for him because she moved. in and con mi mack iii, he moved back to his district to run, they thought they were voting for his father, they were disappointed when they realized they voted for his son. i was disappointed that george w. bush didn't produce his ddq-13. host: what's your question or

comment? caller: this is a question i've recently started asking my friends about voter fraud. here's my question, which of the three largest cities in the u.s. has a reputation whether it's deserved or not for having corrupt elections? host: i'm not sure our answers -- our authors can answer that. guest: never be wrong picking cities in louisiana and new jersey. host: let the get to some criticism of the book from howard kurtz's column yesterday. deep background means that you can describe's someone's think roring construct ver bayer tim dialogue when you're writing about events involving that person. as an author who has used the technique, i don't believe it allows you to put it on the record. others agree with me. he's talking about what harry

reid said in private about barack obama. guest: in our author's note that we conducted our interview on deep background and say in a shorlthand way what that meant. basically, what howie writes in the piece. the author's note is not complete in the sense that it does not have a thorough description of