people at all times. the difficult matters they brought to çmoses xdand the mi among themselves. and moses bade his father-in-law farewell and went to his land. may we all show similar wisdom and open to advice and guidance] from any source. not just within our own group, faction and tribe, and it's only with that wisdom that we can hope to provide just and true leadership. . .

>> we are here together this morning because we are the cochairs of the house press breakfasts. members of congress from both parties have been meeting for prayer on a weekly basis for more than five decades in the house. we come together in the capital dining room every thursday morning at 8:00fá a.m., with no staff. we read a verse of scripture, pray for the sick and wounded, and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for our country. we also have a different guest speaker each week who shares

their testimony. one week is a democrat, the next week a republican. finally, we close in prayer and make sure to share that, to. one week, a democrat leaves the closing prayer, the next, a republican. we never know how many will be at our prayer breakfast to attend our weekly gathering. i am happy to let you know that it has increased considerably this year. our meeting lasts about an hour, and many of us refer to it as the best hour of the week. we hope you will consider our example and set aside time each week with your colleagues to deepen your relationships and open your mind to god. now, my co-chair, todd akin. >> the tradition of the prayer breakfast goes back to the days of president eisenhower. because of the tremendous importance that we place on a

personal relationship with god, a personal relationship with jesus christ, it is a christian prayer breakfast, and yet, we happily welcomed people of all different faiths to join us. along these lines, when we arrive on a thursday morning and hear personal testimony, we hear a tremendous diversity in kinds of stories. for example, we heard the story of a little boy grows up penniless, an orphan on the streets, wondering where the next meal will come from, and how he is lead on a journey to the u.s. congress. we hear another story of a pilot of a small airplane in the fall over the mountains of germany, with little instrumentation. in answer to prayer, a whole is

opened up in a fog, showing a landing strip away below. how he died his airplane -- how he died this his airplane through a hole in the fog, and the fog closes and around the aircraft. it is from these and other testimonies that congressmen developed a mutual respect and affection for each other. the statement wilberforce from england had to great aims in his life. the first was to get rid of slavery. the second one was to build stability, that is, a respectful and loving treatment of the different legislators in england. this prayer breakfast that we enjoy every week inspires that civility in an otherwise polarizing political environment. that is why it is the best hour of the wheat. god bless you.

-- that is why it is the best hour of the week. god bless you. [applause] [laughter] >> is that your alarm for your prayer? >> i never learned how to turn that alarm off. [laughter] let us pray. our dear father in heaven, as with our heads this morning, we are so grateful for this great nation and for the nations of the world, and especially for the opportunities we have to bring peace and contentment and tranquillity throughout this world. we are grateful for great

leaders. we pray that you will bless our president, our vice president, and the cabinet, and all the leaders throughout the government that they might be inspired to lead us to do the things that are righteous in thy site, that we may be able to be good followers. s. moses' father-in-law told him, let's share the responsibility and work together in the best interest of our country. let's in bipartisanship, the born again in this great nation. those sure represented here today and throughout this country, we are grateful for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf. we are grateful for those who are in harm's way, that they might be blessed and protected.

we pray that we might be a nation that will help to bring peace and tranquillity throughout the world. we are grateful for all the things provided for us. we are grateful for those who serve in government throughout the states in respect of state legislatures. we are grateful for the congress of the united states and we pray that the congress might be able to work together to serve thee and to serve our country and our fellow men and women and to bring peace and contentment to this great nation and throughout the world. we pray at this time that those who are suffering throughout the world, we ask that you bless them and help them and help us to do our share in working for others. we are grateful for leaders from other countries that are here. once again, we ask that you bless our president and vice

president and all the leaders of our country. in the name of jesus christ, a man. -- amen. >> to neread over next script, e is currently serving his second term as the prime minister of spain. he is not just the leader of one very important country. he is also the current chairman of the european union. if that is not enough, he made a claim to fame as a prime minister with the cabin were majority of his cabinet members are women. -- with a cabinet where the majority of his cabinet members are women. the prime minister has also made invaluable contributions to interfaced dialogue in his country. his personal quest has been to promote peaceful coexistence and tolerance among the religious

faiths in his own country and throughout the world. please join me in welcoming the prime minister of spain. [applause] [speaking foreign language]

>> mr. president, members of congress, ladies and gentlemen, thank you. thank you for inviting me to participate. on behalf of my country and on behalf of spain. thank you, and please allow me to speak to you in spanish, the language in which people first grade to the got in the gospels of this land. -- the language in which people first parade to the god and the gospels in this land -- first prayed. [applause]

[speaking spanish] >> no one knows the value of religious freedom better than all of you. your forbearance founded this country. the nation, the united states of america, the nation that hasn't never stops deriving shrink from that democracy, which abolished slavery, and outlaws discrimination. the nation pluralism, tolerance, and respect for all nations.

>> women and one of the oldest nations in the world, spain, our nation is also diverse. pollination is as diverse as america. -- our nation is as diverse as america. as defined by the latin american

[unintelligible] >> our two countries, with those who have come to us from abroad, cannot be understood without those who throughout history have come to our land and become what we are.

>> allow me to read a bible passage from deuteronomy, chapter 24. he should not withhold [unintelligible] who reside in your land. you should pay them their wages daily before sunset because they are poor and their livelihood depends on it. >> let us be concerned with

integrating those who have come to work and live in our country is an enormous. let us also be concerned with all of those who cannot well, amongst us and who are suffering from hunger and extreme poverty in so many places around the world. touch those living in haiti and whose misfortune brings us all together in solidarity. with our vulnerability and fraternity, we should never wane. >> furthermore, i would like to proclaim my deep commitment to those men and women in our society, in these difficult times, who are suffering the

scarcity of jobs. they should all know this is our paramount concern. no other task is more important to us than that of fostering job creation. >> today, we also advocate the right of all persons anywhere in the world to moral autonomy, to the quest for that which is good. today, it is my plea that we actuallhave freedom for all to e with their loved ones and to build and nurture their family environments.

>> the trick is common to us all. it is what makes us genuine, authentic human beings. freedom enables each of us to look destiny in the eye and seek our own truth. >> but tolerance is so much more than accepting the others. it is discovering and

acknowledging the others. ignorance of the other it is at the root of what brands humankind and endangers our future. harmony is founded on knowledge, and so is peace. even in the past, spain was a model of peaceful coexistence among judaism, christianity, and islam. today in a world where peaceful

dialogue and peaceful coexistence of cultures is allowed in civilization. ñr>s does spain, that the piece of religious faith can be hugely destructive. what better occasion than this prayer breakfast to bring

together the victims of terrorism. [speaking spanish] >> mr. president, members of congress, ladies and gentleman,

freedom is always the foundation of hope in the future, for liberty, and for honor, said don quixote. one can risk once like, yet captivity is the worst evil that can befall a man. liberty is one of the most precious gifts that has been bestowed upon man. that this give may continue blessing america, and all people on earth. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you for those

meaningful and inspirational words. we are delighted to have in america today and appreciate your friendship very much. every day when i find those special few moments to pause and meditate and pray for the things i am thankful for, the very first prayer is for the men and women who serve in harm's way in our armed forces around the world. [applause] i know they not only serve the united states, but they serve peace, freedom, and democracy of all nations around the world. it is my pleasure now to introduce the leader of the united states military, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral michael mullen. [applause]

>> the morning, mr. president, mrs. obama, vice president biden, other distinguished heads of state and visitors. ladies and gentlemen, i am deeply honored to be here and to have this opportunity. i have been asked this morning to offer a prayer for world leaders. when my wife ever informed me that one of the leaders i would be praying for was probably me, something i had not really considered, i actually started taking this very seriously. [laughter] i am also mindful that there is more than one higher power in the room today. no offense, mr. vice president. [laughter] before i ask you all to join me in prayer, i would like to tell a story about an army platoon leader in the korean war. he and his men fell into an ambush out on patrol and tell

themselves surrounded by enemy soldiers. they hunkered down in a small clearing, making the best of what little cover they could find, and tried desperately to hold on against what seemed to be terrible odds. every now and then, the platoon sergeant noticed that his young lieutenant would dash behind a big rock and sit for a minute or two and then-back out and start issuing new commands. move here, move their, ship your fire high, shift it low. the garage of orders seem to come almost as fast as the enemy bullets themselves. after an hour or so, suffering only a few casualties, the platoon had chased off their attackers and begun to safely make their way back to base. on the wall back, the sergeant approach the lieutenant and ask him exactly what were you doing behind that rock, sir? the officer grinned and his shoulders sagged. he said i needed time to think, to adjust, so i kept asking

myself three questions. what am i doing? what am i not doing? how can i make up the difference? i don't know if that story is really true or not. i am told it is. i really like it because it illustrates perfectly the deepest challenge of leadership during difficult times. that of self reflection and sober analysis. even in the heat of battle, perhaps especially in the heat of battle, we must find the time to think, to adjust, and to improve our situation. after more than four decades in uniform, in peace and in war, it has been my experience that people are guided best not by their instincts, but other reason. leaders are most effective not when they ruled passionately, but when they decide dispassionately. as a thomas aquinas said, a man has free choice only to the extent that he is rational. so in these dangerous,

difficult, and immensely challenging times, when our young troops fight two wars overseas, while their loved ones back home fight to keep their families together, when everything from the economy to the environment instills fear and uncertainty, let us exercise our own free choice. let us leave rationally and calmly. let us take the time to ask ourselves, what or doing, what are we not doing, and how can we make up the difference? we may not always like the answers. i know i seldom do. but we can always learn from having posed the questions. now, please tell your heads and join me in prayer. father in heaven, we gather today to ask your blessing over the lies and decisions of those who lead us around the world -- the lives and decisions. theirs is a mighty task and a noble calling. upon their shoulders rest the hopes and dreams of billions of people, not only of this

generation, but of future generations who know us not. may guide them in that pursuit, give them the faith to seek your guidance, the wisdom to make the right decisions, and the character to see those decisions through. help them choose love over hate, courage over fear, principal over in expediency. let them always seek concord and peace, and to remember that the best leader is a good and humble servant. encourage them, father, to seek your counsel as solomon himself did, saying to you that i am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. so give me a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. may god bless us all. give our leaders that same discerning heart. help us always to distinguish

between right and wrong and to serve others before ourselves. this we pray in thy name, amen. [applause] >> it is now my great honor to introduce our keynote speaker, secretary of state hillary rodham clinton. [applause] she has been -- she is an incredibly accomplished woman whose life has been shaped by her deep and abiding faith. baker was always central to her family. her mother taught sunday school and made sure that her daughter and son were there the moment the church doors opened. in high school, she was deeply influenced by her youth minister, who taught her about faith in action. on one memorable evening at age

14, her church youth group went to hear a speech by rev. dr. martin luther king. a transformative experience that inspires her today. as a successful attorney and the first lady of arkansas, her fate inspired her to be an advocate for disadvantaged children and families. she is a champion for healthcare reform and for rights -- human rights for women around the world. hillary clinton and her husband, president bill clinton, were always generous with their time at this prayer breakfast. as a senator from new york, her faith sustained her as she became a highly respected legislator who always did her homework. after long presidential campaign in which she shattered the glass ceiling for national women candidates for ever, she was asked by president obama to serve as secretary of state. she could have easily said no and state as the power how she

was in the senate. instead, she once again answered the call to serve. she did not flinch or hesitate. in the words of isaiah, she said, send me. from the sands of the middle east to the capitals of europe to the devastation in haiti, she has shown america's strength and commitment to the world. please join me in welcoming the secretary of state hillary clinton. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. i have to begin by saying i am knox bono. -- i am not bono.

it is a great pleasure to be with you and to be here with president and mrs. obama, to be with us president biden, with chairman mullen, with our post today, my former colleagues and friends. and to be with so many distinguished guests and visitors who have come from all over our country and indeed, from all over the world. i have attendedñr this prayer breakfast every year since 1993, and i have always found it to be a gathering that inspires and motivates me. today, our minds are still filled with the images of the tragedy of haiti, where faith is

being tested daily in food lines and makeshift hospitals, intent cities intentin tent cities, where there are so many banished dreams. when i think about the horrible catastrophe that has struck haiti, i am both saddened and also spurred. this is a moment that has already been embraced by people of faith from everywhere. i thank the prime minister zapatero for his country's response and commitment. in the days since the earthquake, we have seen in the world's faithful spring into action on behalf of those suffering. president obama has put our country on the leading edge of

making sure that we do all we can to help alleviate not only the immediate suffering, but to assist in the rebuilding and recovery. so many countries have answered the call, and so many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have brought their own people together. even higher technology, through facebook and telethons and text messages and twittered. there has been an overwhelming global response. but of course, there is so much more to be done. when i think about being here with all of you today, there are so many subjects to talk about. you have already heard both in prayer and in scripture reading, a number of messages.

let me be both personal and speak for my unique perspective now as secretary of state. i have been here as a first lady. i have been here as a senator, and now i am here as a secretary of state. i have heard heartfelt descriptions of personal faith journeys. i have heard impassioned pleas for feeding the hungry and helping the poor, caring for the sick. i have heard speeches about promoting understanding among people of different faiths. i have met hundreds of visitors from countries across the globe. i have seen the leaders of my own country come here amidst the crises of the times, and for at least a morning, put away political and ideological differences. i have watched and i have

listened to three presidents, each a man of faith, speak from their hearts, sharing their own feelings about being in a position that has almost in tolerably impossible burdens to bear, and appealing often, either explicitly or implicitly, for an end to the increasing smallness, irrelevancy, even meanness of our own political culture. my own heart has been touched and occasionally pierced by the words i have heard. often, my spirit has been lifted by the musicians and singers who have shared their be ups in praising the lord with us -- who have shared their gifts. during painful times, my faith

has been strengthened by the personal connections i have experienced with people who, by the calculus of politics, were on the opposite side of me on the basis of issues or partisanship. after my very first prayer breakfast, a bipartisan group of women asked me to join them for lunch and told me that they were forming a prayer group. these prayer partners prayed for me. they prayed for me during some very challenging times. that came to see me in the white house. they kept in touch with me, and some still do today. they gave me a handmade book with messages, ", and scriptures to sustain me. of all the thousands of gifts that i received in the white

house, i have a special affection for this one, because in addition to the tangible gifts of the book, it contains 12 intangible gives, 12 ships of the sermon, peace, compassion, fayed, fellowship, a vision, forgiveness, grace, wisdom, love, joy, and courage. i have had many occasions to pull out that booked and to look at it and to try, chairman mullins, to figure out how to close the gap of what i am feeling and doing with what i know i should be feeling and doing. as a person of faith, it is a constant struggle, particularly in the political arena, to close that gap that each of us basis.

in february of 1994, the speaker here was mother teresa. she gave, as everyone here remembers that occasion will certainly recall, a strong address against abortion. and then she asked to see me. i thought, oh dear. [laughter] after the breakfast, we went behind that curtain and we sat on folding chairs. i remember being struck by how small she was, and how powerful her hands were, despite her size, and that she was wearing sandals in february in washington. we began to talk, and she told

me that she knew that we had a shared conviction about adoption being vastly better as a choice for unplanned or unwanted babies. she asked me, or more properly, she directed me to work with her to create a home for such babies here in washington. i know that we often pictured, as we are growing up, god as a man with a white beard. but that day, i felt like i had been ordered, and that the message was coming not just through this diminutive lawman, but from some place far beyond -- from this diminutive woman. so i started to work. it took awhile, because we had to cut through all the red tape.

we had to get all the approvals. i thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. she proved herself to be the most relentless lobbyist i have ever encountered. she could not get a job in your white house, mr. president. [laughter] she never let up. she called me from india. she called me from vietnam. she wrote me letters, and it was always, when is the house going to open? how much more can be done, quickly? finally, the moment came, june 1995. the mother teresa's home for infant children open. she flew in from calcutta to attend the opening. like a happy child, she gripped my arm and led me around, looking at the bassinets and the pretty paint colors on the wall, and just beaming about what this meant for children and their futures.

a few years later, i attended her funeral in calcutta, where i saw presidents and prime ministers, royalty and street beggars pay her homage. after the service, her successor, the leader of the missionaries and charities, invited me to come to the mother house. i was deeply touched. when i arrived, i realized i was one of only a very few outsiders. i was directed into a white wash room where the casket had already arrived. we stood around with that nuns, with the candles on the walls flickering, and prayed for this extraordinary woman. then it the sister offered me to ask a prayer -- to offer a prayer.

i felt deeply humbled, just as i do today. in the traditional prayer breakfasts speaker, let me share a few matters that reflects how i came on my own faith journey and how i think about the responsibilities that president obama and his administration and our government faced today. as annie said, i grew up in the methodist church. both sides of my family came from mining towns, and they claim to have actually been converted by john and charles wesley. of course, methodists, we are methodical. it is particularly a good religion for me. part of it is a commitment to living out your faith. we believe that faith without works may not be debath, but it

is hard to discern from time to time. john wesley had a simple rule that i carry around with me as i travel. do all the good you can buy all the means you can buy all the way she can in all the places you can and all the time she can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. that is a tall order. one of the interpretive problems with this is, who defines good? what are we actually called to do, and how we stay humble enough, obedience enough, to ask ourselves, am i really doing what i am called to do? it was a good rule to be raised by and certainly a good rule for my mother and father to discipline a spy. i think it is a good rule to live by it with the appropriate dose of humility -- to discipline us by.

our world is an imperfect one, filled with imperfect people. we constantly struggle to meet our own spiritual goals. john wesley's teachings and the teachings of my church, particularly during my childhood and teenage years, gave me the impetus to believe that i did have a responsibility. it meant not sitting on the sidelines, but being in the arena. it meant constantly working to try to fulfill the lessons that i absorbed as a child. it is not easy. we are here today because we are all seekers, and we can all look around our own lives and allies of those we know and see everyone falling short. as we look around the world, there are so many problems and

challenges that people of faith are attempting to address, or should be. we can recite those places where human beings are mired in the past. their hatred, their differences, where governments refuse to speak to other governments, where the progress of entire nations is undermined because isolation and insularity seem less risky than cooperation and collaboration. all too often, it is religion that is the force that drives and sustains the vision, rather than being in the healing balm. these patterns persist, despite the overwhelming evidence that more goodwill co will come from engaging others, for remembering the cardinal rule of all major religions. last october, i visited bell --

i've visited belfast 11 years after the signing of the good friday agreement, a place where being a protestant or catholic determines where you live and often were you work, and whether you are a friend or an enemy, a threat or a target. over time as the body count grew, the bonds of common humanity became more powerful than the differences fueled by ancient wrongs. bullets have been traded for ballots. as we meet this morning, both communities are attempting to hammer out a final agreement on the yet unresolved issues between them. they are discovering a new with the scripture urges us, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. even in places where god's presence and promise seem fleeting and unfulfilled, or

completely absent, the power of one person's faith and the determination to act can help lead a nation out of darkness. some of you may have seen the film, pray the devil back to hell. it is the story of a liberian woman who was tired of the conflict and the killing and the fear that had gripped her country for years, so she went to her church and she prayed for an end to the civil war. she organized other women at her church, and at other churches, then at the mosque. soon, thousands of women became a mass movement, rising up and praying for a peace and working to bring it about. it finally ended the conflict. and yet, the devil must have left liberia and taken up residence in congo. when i was in the democratic

republic of congo this summer, the contrasts were so overwhelmingly tragic. a country the size of western europe, rich in minerals and natural resources, where 5.4 million people have been killed in the most deadly conflict since world war ii, where 1200 women and girls are raped every month, where the life expectancy is 46 and dropping, where poverty, starvation, and all of the ills that stock the human race are in abundance. when i travel to goma, i saw in a single day the best and worst of humanity. i met with women who had been savaged and brutalized, physically and emotionally, victims of gender and sexual based violence in a place where

law, custom, and even fake did little to protect them. i also saw courageous women who by faith went back into the bush to find those who, like them, had been violently attacked. i saw the doctors and nurses who were helping to heal the wounds, and i saw so many who were there because their faith led them to it. as we look at the world today and we reflect on the overwhelming response of outpouring of generosity to what happened in haiti, i am reminded of the story of elijah. after he goes to the mountain, we read that he faced a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks and pieces before the

lord, but the lord was not in the wind. after the wind, an earthquake, but the lord was not in the earthquake. after that, a fire, but the lord was not in the fire. after the fire, a sound of sheer silence, a still, small voice. was then that is elijah heard the voice of the lord. it is often when we are only quiet enough to listen that we do, as well. something we can do at any time, without a disaster or catastrophe provoking it. it should not take that, but the teachings of every religion calls us to care for the poor. they tell us to visit the orphans and widows, to be generous and charitable, to alleviate suffering. all religions have their version

of the golden rule, and direct us to love our neighbor and welcome the stranger and visit the prisoner. but how often, in the midst of our own lives, do we respond to that? all of these holy texts, all of this religious wisdom from these very different faiths, call on us to act out of love. in politics we sometimes talk about message discipline, making sure everyone uses the same set of talking points. whoever was in charge of message discipline, on these issues for every religion certainly knew what they were doing. regardless of our differences, we all got the same talking points and the same marching orders. the charge is a personal one, yet across the world, we see

organized religion standing in the way of faith, perverting love, undermining that message. sometimes it is easier to see that far away than here at home, but religion, cloaked in naked power of lust is used to justify her refit violence. attacks on homes, markets, schools, volleyball games, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples. from iraq to pakistan and afghanistan, to nigeria and the middle east. religion is used as a club to deny the human rights of girls and women from the gulf to africa to asia, and to discriminate, even advocating the executions of gays and lesbians. religion is used to enshrine in law intolerance of free expression and peaceful protest.

iran is now detaining and executing people under a new crime, waging war against god. that seems to be a rather dramatic identity crisis. in the obama administration, we are working to bridge religious divides. we are taking on violations of human rights perpetrated in the name of religion, and we invite members of congress and clergy and active citizens like all of you here to join us. of course, we are supporting the peace processes from northern ireland to the middle east. of course, we are following up on the president's historic speech in cairo with outreach efforts to muslims and promoting interfaith dialogue. of course, we are condemning repression in iran, but we are also standing up for girls and

women who, too often in the names of religion, are denied their basic human rights. we are standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings. we are also making it clear to countries at leaders and that these are priorities of the united states. every time i travel, i raised the plight of girls and women and make it clear that we expect to see changes. i recently called a president who i have known through the prayer breakfast and expressed the strongest concerned about a law being considered in the parliament of you ghana -- in the parliament of uganda. we are committed not only to reaching out and speaking up about the perversion of religion, and particularly, the

use of it to promote and justify terrorism. but also seeking to find common ground. we are working with muslim nations to come up with an appropriate way of demonstrating criticism of religious intolerance without stepping over into the area of freedom of religion or non religion an expression. so there is much to be done, and there is a lot of challenging opportunities for each of us as we leave this prayer breakfast , prayer58th prayer breakfast. in 1975, my husband and i, who had gotten married in october, which were both teaching at the university of arkansas law school. we got married on a saturday and went back to work on monday. around christmas time, we

decided that we should go somewhere and celebrate, take a honeymoon. my late father said that is a great idea, we will come, too. [laughter] indeed, bill and i and my entire family went to audibled code. we had a great -- went to acapulco. we had a great time, but it was not exactly a honeymoon. when we got back, bill was talking to one of his friends who was working in haiti. he said we should come and take some time because it is the most interesting comcountry. so we did. we were there over the new year's holiday. i remember visiting the cathedral in port-au-prince, in the midst of so much fear from the regime of the duvaliers and

so much poverty. there was this cathedral that had stood there and served as a beacon of hope and faith. after the earthquake, i was looking at some of our pictures from the disaster, and i saw the total destruction of the cathedral. it was just a heart rending moment. and yet, i also saw men and women helping one another, digging through the rubble, dancing and singing in the makeshift communities that were building up. i thought again that as the scripture reminds us, though the mountains be shaken and the hills be remove, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.

as the memory of the crisis dates, as the news cameras move on to the next very dramatic incident, let us pray that we can sustain the force and the feeling that we find in our hearts and in our fate in the aftermath of such tragedies. . .

>> let me acknowledge the director of my faith-based office. where's joshua he's out there somewhere. he's doing great work. i want to commend secretary. hillary clinton on her outstanding remarks and her outstanding leadership at the state department. she's doing everything. [applause] especially pleased to see my dear friend, prime minister is here and want him to replay america's greetings to the people of spain. john, you were right, i'm deeply blessed and i thank god every day for being married michelle obama. [applause]

i'm privileged to join you once again as my predecessors have for over half a century. like them, i come here to speak about the way my faith form who is i am. as a president and as a person. but i'm also here for the same reason that all of you are today. for we all share a recognition. one as old as time. that a willingness to believe and openness to grace. commitment toq prayer. can bring sub stan nance to our lives. there is of course, a need for prayer even in times of joy and in peace and prosperity. perhaps, especially in such times as prayer is needed to guard against pride and to guard against complacency.

but, rightly or wrongly, most of us are inclined to seek out the divine not in the moment when the lord makes his face shine upon us but when moments when god's grace can seem furthest away. last month, god's grace, god's mercy seemed far away from our neighbors in haiti. and yet, i believe that grace was not absent in the midst of tragedy. it was heard in prayers andi] hs that broke the silence of an earthquake's wake. in churches that stood no more. a roadside p pastor members holding bibles in they're laps.

people bringing food and water and aid to the injured. one such translator was american of haitian descent representing the extraordinary work our men and woman in uniform do all around the world. navy corporations man dave sl a slapard and a woman asked, where do you come from, what country? after my operation she said i will pray for that country. and in creole, a core man responded, the united states of america. god's grace and the compassion and decency of the american people is expressed through the men and women like he.

it's expressed through the efforts of our armed forces and through the efforts of our entire government. through similar efforts from spain and other countries around the world. it's also a - as secretary clinton said spread through multiple evangelicals and american, jewish world service and main line temples and protestants. african-american churches. by americans of every faith and no faith, united around a common purpose. a higher purpose. it's inspiring. this is what we do as americans in times of trouble. we unite recognizing crisis call

on all of us to react. there but for the grace of god, go i. recognizing that life's most sacred responsibility, one affirmed as i ri said by all of the world's great religions so sacrifice something of ourselves to a person in need. sadly, though, that spirit is too often absent when tackling the long-term. but no less profound issues facing our country and world. to often, that spirit is missing without a spectacular tragedy. the 9/11, katrina, earthquake or tsunami that can shake us out of complacency. we become numb to the day-to-day cry ceas crisis. slow moving children without

food and men without shelter and families without healthcare and we become absorbed with our abstract arguments and ideological disputes and contests for power and in this tower of babel we lose the sound of god's voice. for those of us here in washington, let's acknowledge democracy has always been messy. let's not be overly nostalgic. the visions are hardly new in this country. arguments about the proper role of dpovpt, relationship between liberty and equality and obligations toç fellow citizen have been with us since our founding. and i'm profoundly mindful a loyal opposition. the skepticism of power, all of that makes our democracy work.

and we've seen actually some improvement in some circumstances. we have not seen any canings on the floor of the senate any time recently. so we shouldn't over romanty size the past but there is a sense that something is different now. that something is broken. that those of us in washington are not serving the people as well as we should. at times, it seems like we're unable to listen to one another. to have at once a serious and civil debate. this erosion of stability this the public square so is distressed among our citizen's poises the well of public opinion.çok leavesç eachç side little to negotiateç with the other. makes politics an all or nothing

sport where one side is always right or always wrong when reality neither side has a monopoly on the truth. and then weç lose site of the children without food and the men without shelter and families without healthcare.ççççyçç empoweredççt( b]çfaith, consistently, prayerfully, we need to find our way back to civility. that begins with stepping out of our comfort zones in an effort to bridge divisions. we see that. we see it in many conservative pastors helping to lead the way to fix our broken immigration system. it's not what would be expected from them and yet they recognize in those immigrant families the face of god.

we see that in the evangelical leaders rallying their congregations to protect our planet and increasing ebbing nix among progressives that government can't solve all of our problems. talking about value like healthy marriage and fatherhood is integral to any antipoverty agenda. stretching out of our dogmas and prescribes role as long the political spectrum. that can help us regain a sense of stability. civility requires learning how to disagree without being disagreeable. understanding, as the president said, civility is not a sign of weakness. i am the first to confess, i'm not always right. michelle will testify to that.

but surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith. or for that matter my citizenship. [applause] challenging other's ideas can renew democracy but when we challenge each other's motives it becomes harder to see what we hold in common. we forget that we share, at some deep level the same dreams, even when we don't share the same plans on how to fulfill them. we may disagree about the best way to reform our healthcare system but surely we can agree that no one ought to go broke when they get sick in the richest nation on earth. we can take different approaches to ending in equality but sure

we can feel the need to lift our children from ignorance and our neighbors from poverty. we may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree it's unconscionable to target gays or lesbians for who they are here this the united states or hillary said more extremely in owedous laws in uganda. surely we can agree to find common ground when possible. parting ways but in doing so, let us be guided by our faith and by prayer. for while prayer can bucharest us up when we're down, keep us calm in a storm, while it can stiff energy our spines to surf amount an obstacle, and i assure you i'm praying a lot these

days. prayer can also do something else. it can touch our hearts with humility and fill was a spirit of brotherhood. it can remind us that each of us are children of an awesome and loving god. through faith but not through faith alone, we can unite people to serve the common good and that's why my office of faith-based neighborhood partnerships has been working so hard since i announced it here this year. we/ed red type and built partnerships on a range of uses from promoting fatherhood to spearheading corruption. we turned the faith-based initiative to find common ground among people of all belief. allowing them to make an impact that's of respectful beliefs and

focus on what matters most. the spirit of civility we're called take up when we leave here today. that's what i'm praying for. i know in difficult times like these, when people are frustrated, when politicians start calling each other names, it can seem like a return to civility is not possible. like the very idea is a relick of some by gone era. the word itself seems quaint. civility. bullet us remember those that came before us. those that believed in the brotherhood of man even when such faith was tested. remember dr. martin luther king. not long after an explosion ripped through his front porch, his wife and infant daughter inside he rose to that pulpit in montgomery and said love is the only force capable of

transforming an enemy to a friend. in the eyes of those that denied his humanity, he saw the face of god. remember abraham lincoln on the eve of the civil war. with states succ seceding he roo say we're not enemies but friends. though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. even in the eyes of confederate soldiers he saw the face of god. remember, william who's faith led him to england. he called less prejudice and conciliating good will and there by making way for the less

obstructed progress of truth. in the eyes of those that sought to silence a nation's conscious. he saw the face of god. yes, there are crimes of conscience that call us to action. yes, there are causes that move our hearts and offenses that steer our souls but progress doesn't come demonizing opponents and not born in righteous spite. it comes when we open our hearts and extend our hands and recognize our common humanity. progress comes when we look into the eyes of another and see the face of god. that we might do so, that we will do so all the time, not just some of the time. that's my fervent prayer for the nation and world. thank you. god bless you and god bless the

united states of america. [applause] [applause] >> thank you so much mr. president for your leadership and words of faith. we're now in for a magnificent treat. ralph friedman founded ministries and sermons sung on continents throughout the world and united states and has

dedicated his adult life. [applause] >> there we go. thank you. ladies and gentlemen mr. ralph friedman. [applause] ♪ ♪ [musical performance]

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♪ [musical performance] [applause] today the house of representatives voted to raise the federal debt limit by 1 point 9 trillion dollars and

increase the debt ceiling to 14 point 3 trillion dollars. the largest amount of debt the u.s. has carried. the measure passed senate earlier would add pay as you go budget rules to match in budget cuts or increase taxes. now goes to the president for his signature. the house returns tomorrow for a pro forma session, watch live house coverage on c-span. starting tomorrow on c-span. watch live coverage of the first national tea party convention with the world net daily joseph ferrell at 9:00 eastern and saturday a panel with blogger kelly corneder live at 11:15 and precinct organizing forum with

the voices of america cofounders. plus, kimberly fletcher from homemakers of america at 12:00 eastern saturday. and senator palin with question and answer session live at 9:00 eastern. national tea party on c-span,c pan radio and c-span.org. here's more from the "washington journal". host: national tennessee. ryan under wood is getting set to cover the tea party conference happening there this weekend. thanks for being with us. guest: political editor. thanks for having me. host: members of congress. decided not to attend but before we talk about the details the larger question is what's the significant this week send in guest: well i think a lot of people have their eye on the tea

party in general, especially after the election of scott brown. from where i said, we really started see things kind of all eyes turned towards the tea party convention after that because there was a sense out there this was a real political force to be reckoned with but yet nobody knows what to make of it. is it a new party. exactly what is it? so some people are looking to this convention for some kind of answers to that question and obviously, looking towards ahead to the 2010 election. host: how will you as a veteran political observer determine the answer to that question? guest: it's really a thing that's going to just - i me nee to wait and see what happens. this event was organized by people that grew out of this protest grass roots movement and so, you know kind of behind the

scenes the logistics have been tough and there's a lot of national media scratching their heads on how to cover this thing. i'm talking with the reporters i work with and our basic game plan is just to go and see what happens. in some ways i really don't know what to expect. some of the workshops will be focused on grass roots training and things like that. but, you never know what kind of personalities emerge from that. clearly they got sarah palin to come and that will be a big drawing but still it's to be determined. really what this group is. again, is it going toward the formation of parties and forces to be reckoned with or is this really meant to be continued as a protest movement? host: c-span will be there for a number of sessions.

we didn't get the okay to cover all of it but we're covering a number. were you able to send reporters to every session you were interesting in? guest: not at all. we've had radio silence and i talked to the associated press and they've had kind of a similar situation. so frankly, we don't know what to expect. host: what about the charges that this is all a money making gambit for the organizations because of the attendance fee? guest: right. we've heard that kicked off some of the controversy surrounding key volunteers in the organization, tea party nation, quit and left the organization over that. so, but i think you know, what we're hearing. we've talked to sponsors and a ten des and we had a story talking to people that are coming, and you know i think

everybody is just looking at this as g a good way to network with 600 like-minded people. we haven't heard much from the people attending that there, you know is a big problem with the price tag. >> the question is whether or not they an emerge out of this with organization as reform party did a decade or moreing an and whether or not they'll have an impact on the upcoming election cycle. guest: yeah, i think that's right and again, clearly i think the scott brown election and even what you talked about with senator john mccain in arizona, just points to this kind of power that's brewing up with - i mean, the label is tea party, but i don't know everybody knows exactly what to make of it. one strain of thought that we've been hearing here a lot is that it's not a party of either the

gopw3 orç democrats, but realls this independent streak. serlçç w3timely in the early e heard a lot, last spring a lot of ron paul supporters that were unhappy with both parties, so, but again, when we talk to people, who are coming to the event. it's not as if they want to form a new party but rather look to, i guess will power in individual raises across the country. host: just from an impetuous point of view. scott brown's sworn in is today as business is getting underway. you think that will change the mood in the room? >> i don't know. you know in some ways i hear more about the impact that scott brown has had more from outside, people outside the convention

than the people who have been talked to inside. they point that's evidence in the strength of the movement but really we haven't heard a lot about scott brown and i think there is, in some ways i think people were coming to the convention are asking some of the same questions we are. just trying see where this goes and what kind of impact they have. but i know that scott brown election serve as a kind of model for what i think some in the party are in this movement, want to do and that's effect individual raises where they can.xd host: thanks so much for setting the stage as tea party attendants gather in your hometown and we'll see what unfolds. >> my pleasure. host: political editor of the national tennesseen.

>> it's really easy to complain about the issues of the people to the politicians. i tried to be entertaining, informative and relevant obviously but in a way that offers solutions. >> progressive talk radio host is our guest sunday night at 8:00 on c-span's q & a. >> friday on "washington journal". tony of the washington times and tim look at the president's budget. the proposed job spell and hearings on don't ask don't tell. after that neil irving stops by to speak. [laughter]

>> i get a margarita same as you guys. take this away. just a joke mom. >> criticism for democrats on the hill that the president has been even less involved on healthcare since the massachusetts election. is that a strategy? >> look. obviously as the president has said and in the state of the union, you heard the president say yesterday obviously the problem exists, continues, the problem that did exist, on high costs, small businesses struggling was the case before massachusetts and case after massachusetts. i still think that it's a process working it's way through capitol hill to figure the best way forward. >> hasn't the president been

less involved than even last career? >> i didn't believe the president was less involved last year since we wouldn't have gotten to where we were without the president involved. >> there's got to be some reason mr. brown said that. >> better question for him. >> any details on the meeting this afternoon? >> i know it was rescheduled for 2:45. meeting to go through the legislative agenda for 2010. first and foremost there will be discussion on jobs and economy. financial regulatory reform will also be a topic. they will talk about energy and healthcare. many of the topics that the president discussed the state of the union will be discussed in the meeting and then, as you all know, next week, next tuesday we'll begin the president's

bipartisan leadership meetings. also something they called the state of the union. >> the chinese are dismissing the president's comments on china about exchange rates and trade yesterday, and i'm wondering is administration concerned that running the risk of disrupting currency markets and antagonizing an important creditor that could usually hurt the u.s. economy. >> there's nothing - i know there's been a lot of stories about our relationship with china whether it as meeting with the dalai lama or currency or trade. none of these issues that have been discussed about in the last two weeks weren't discussed face-to-face between president

obama and president who when they met in beijing. i cannot remember a time in which the president came out of a meeting with president fho and the topics didn't come up. as i said, we envision this relationship as one where we can work together on issues of mutual concern. we have worked together on stabilizing the world economy and worked on issues of proliferation particularly around north korea. i think it's safe to assume that only through the important cooperation we received with the chinese that we were able to get some very strict sanctions through the united nations security council on a unanimous vote several months ago based on the actions of north korean late

last spring. there will be issues we'll disagree on and we'll disagree on them both in private and public. >> while the chinese have been culminating about the president's plan to meet with the dalai lama and then the pressure on the exchange rate, they're saying today they don't want to talk about further sanctions on iran. that would be counterproductive any concern they're going to retaliate on other unrelated issues? >> there's issues of mutual concern and issues of great concern to each individual countries. a nuclear iran is not in the interest of the american or chinese government. an arms raise in the middle east is not a good thing for us or for them. and a worldwide arms raise and destabilizing nature that could have throughout the world is not a good thing for the american government or for the chinese

government. i think that the chinese will continue to work with us on the important next steps we have to take relating to iran because it's not just in our interest or other's interest. it's quite cheerily in their interest as well. >> what's that? i'm sorry? >> he will be here later this month, yes. again, just let me say again, that we told the president of china in november in beijing. the president told him that and discussed each of the issues iranian sanctions, larger proliferation and currency. >> on to the earlier question about the meeting with the dalai

lama. will the message be from the president, can't we all get along in light of the fact we're hearing there's disagreements and discontent on issues? >> look. i think they'll discuss a strategy moving forward to implement many of the ideas that are of concern to democrats and the senate and house that are also on the policies agenda of the president of the united states. i also think there's great overlap of what those interests are and what the american people want to see their congress deal with. first and foremost a robust discussion on how to move forward with jobs and economy. >> president of late has gone into the line'ses dep taking questions. but he hasn't taken those from primetime forum. why not? >> the president has taken questions from members of

congress. he has taken questions that different events from a whole host of reporters we've done count less. >> one or two? >> right. several. we've done count less number of interviews. i think more in the first year than any president certainly in recent memory. he enjoys the format. we haven't done one in a while. none that i'm aware of. >> in the supplemental document. analytical perspectives of the president's budget. administration projections are pretty bleak. ten percent for the rest of the year. 9 point 2% next year. 8 point 2 in 2012. um... first of all, these are pretty bleak pictures. i wonder if you have a response to the numbers and second of all does it count factoring in a job spill or not? >> let me ask specifically the

second part of your question, jake, they are sad and sobering numbers felt each and every day by the american people. we'll get new jobs numbers tomorrow. there will be a job's revision i'm told tomorrow that's likely to show, an additional job loss at the first part of the recession that started in 2007 making hole of job loss that we've dealt with even deeper. we didn't, as i've said here count less times, we didn't get here overnight. we won't get out of that hole overnight. it'll take a concerted effort by the president and congress working together, both parties, to strengthen our foundation and to create jobs, moving forward

that's not predicated on risky lending or housing speculation or running up massive debt on credit cards. we have to create jobs in the new industries of clean energy, clean energy manufacturing so we don't finish second place to the chinese or the indians in creating those new jobs. >> also the numbers don't show the unemployment rate over the next decade going to even where they were in 2007 when the president announced he was running for this office at all. ever. that they stop at 5 point 2 but they never get down below 5%. why? this seems an incredible bleak outlook on the unemployment problems in the country. >> again, jake, we've lost, before revisions tomorrow, the

recession has cost us 7,000,000 jobs. i'll bring an update to graph i've brought out here that show the sheer depth of job loss over the many months of the recession. if you go back and look at there was an article around the christmas holidays that demonstrated there had been very little to no job growth in the past decade. so we've got to figure out how to create economic growth and ultimately create jobs in an economy that's not dependent upon the examples i used a minute ago. easy credit that allows housing speculation for people that can get but shouldn't get loans to buy houses. >> more bleak than other numbers you guy the ropes have put out. this is much more pessimistic. >> again, jake, understand, when we walked in the begin of

the administration, no one presumed that 741,000 would be the number of jobs lost in january of 2009 and certainly if you average what happened in the first quarter of 2009, an average of about 700 thousand jobs a month for each of the three months of the quarter, understanding this, i don't have figures in front of me but the economic growth for the first quarter was negative 6 point 4 percent. the previous quarter was - i believe and i'm doing this off the top of the my head. negative 5 point 5 percent. we hadn't had consecutive quarters of such economic retraction since the great depression. so, we've got a tremendous hole to fill in. and i think that's why the

president spent a majority of the state of the union speech asking that congress, each party work together with the other to move forward on creating and helping to create jobs on assuring that stronger and new foundation and i think that's most of what the american people want to see out of their government right now. >> to follow up. i've asked you guys a few times what the president referred to speak at the republican congress talking about straight cats and dogs getting to the healthcare preventing patients from choosing they're plan even though that's, you guys made any progress finding out what he was talking about? >> don't know if bill got that question yesterday. i did watch most of it. i notice the added when you watch on t.v. you can't always hear the question. quite well. what did you think?

>> i'm neutral on the issue. i was actually surprised. any way. he did a good job. very good job. toyota, yesterday, ray stepped in it when he said people should stop driving them and then backtracked. caused quite a big hub-ub. has the president been involved with this issue and satisfied with the job ray is doing? >> yes. ablutely. and it's important understanding after making miss statement he did what's not done a lot in this town and said, he made amiss statement and corrected what he'd said and was clear that if - and if you go on certain web-sites and if you go on itnhtc.gov.

we'll see which cars are impacted by safety concerns and as has been said if your driving one of those cars you should go see your dealer. >> is the president involved in any way? >> he's certainly seen reports and been briefed on what's going the on simply based on the breath of what we're talking about. >> there's been a number of reports what's bad for toyota is good for gm and ford. >> what's bad for toyota is bad for anyone driving toyota and safety and security are the primary concerns of the department of transportation and president of the united states. >> what does this mean for gm and ford that are all in precarious moments in history. >> ford, i think last quarter reported a profit. gm is taking steps to turn

around from the bankruptcy they went through earlier. but- >> do you expect them to aggressively take advantage of the weakness on toyota. cut throat world out there. >> that's good question for the men and women that run those car companies. >> harry reed says he wants to bring it up on monday and is hoping for republican support if they structure this they can assure some republican support. will the president insist there be republican support? >> i think the president could not have been clearer in the state of the union, in the - in speaking to both democrats and republicans that we have to work together to get our economy moving again. i think that their ideas in helping small business and cutting their taxes, increasing our investment in

infrastructure. several ideas that republicans have supported in various points in the past and have pointed to as ways to help the economy recover and hopefully, over the medium to long-term, create jobs. our strong hope is that democrats and republicans can and will work together to move this important issue forward to get something to his desk quickly. >> he meets with them later today and he could say i want this structured in away with republican support or i won't sign it. >> chip, he told that to democrats and republicans over the past week that we should work together. chip, this isn't just a question for the democratic leadership or democratic president, we also have to have, as i think you heard the president outline, when he spoke with republicans last friday in baltimore, and i

think this is true going back to your question. i doubt that everybody is liked every word of every piece of legislation that the president has watched go through congress and signed and it's not likely he liked every word in every piece of legislation, but the key is, do we have and share enough in common? are these ideas good ideas to get the economy moving again to stop playing partisan political games and work on be half of the american people? given what the president outlines in cutting taxes for small businesses, increasing investment in infrastructure both things the republicans talked about, i have no doubt there will be plenty in each - warofthethreekingdoms package that can and should garner support from the democratic side as well as republican side. >> business leaders today giving the president advice on what should be on job creation.

did he take any? >> i have not gotten a read out. i think the lunch started at noon. you all should have gotten lists of who was there. and we'll - i'll try to get some from the president at the conclusion. >> back to healthcare and your answer on chair brown. he's not alone. a lot of people on capitol hill says, the perception on this bill publically, whatever is it leaned his shoulder in more. if that's not true, why is the perception there? >> i would just - say, chuck. we've gone on the over the question of the president's involvement in healthcare for six months. i think the president said pretty clear he's not doing this for sheer political gain. i doubt we could be continuing

to do this if it weren't a key priority of his. >> it seems that where the message is getting lost there apparently. uses the word, hope to get this done. there isn't this idea that he's there pulling anl b. j. or something like that. >> well, i think- >> lift by the ears. >> okay. there were things that went through my head- >> but that's what they're talking about. >> l b. j. added seniors into those that were assured they would always have the safety net of quality healthcare. we've not gotten - we've added since then different the efforts in the clinton administration and through kids and that effort

was expanded under president barack obama at the beginning of our administration. we've gotten further than seven presidents that worked on this issue intently, work- close. the president is very involved and engaged in this, and it's our strong hope to continue to get this done. >> one last question. at 5:00 today you have 59 democratic senators rather than 60. does that change your legislative agenda? >> well, i think it changes everybody's calculus as to taking responsibility for governing this country. i think the president acknowledged as much during the state of the union. it's - no longer can one party alone, assuming that what is

insisted upon is 60 votes in the united states senate, no longer can one party alone hold it's members and make progress on important issues for the american people. that's why the president has asked again the democrats and republicans work together to make that progress. yes, ma'am? >> it doesn't appear to include 30 billion dollar lending - the jobs package in the senate doesn't appear to include initially the 30 billion dollar initiative. how hard will the white house press on this. it's obviously the most controversial piece in the packet so far. >> i don't think lending money through community banks to small business is controversial. i think there are thousands and thousands of small business people around this country, some

of whom write the president and say, even as stock market grows, our access to capital to either continue our small business, meet a payroll or expand our small business is still hard to come by. the president outlined the specifics of this proposal this week in new hampshire and believes that in order to get our country moving again in creating jobs, the best way to do this is one, through cutting taxes for those that hire additional employees and providing additional access for capital through money that has been given back through bigger banks through tarp and loaned through community banks to businesses. >> it's a vital part of this package. >> lending is a vital part and is extremely vital part of any

business being successful. >> the use of tarp fund? >> i don't want to get into a legislative negotiation from here. i think what's important for any small business will tell you that access to capital is their life blood. we've spent quite a bit of time discussing the lending practices of banks and certainly as it relates to economic growth, the president is believes this has to be a key priority. >> on the debt commission you getting any republican cooperation on that and when will that commission be named? >> the president is working on specifics of the executive order. i believe if the economic team hasn't already, it was discussed this morning making phone calls to republican leaders about how this will be structured. it's our strong hope that republicans would agree to participate in a commission that

many of the members strongly advocate. granted, seven of the members strongly advocated and unadvocated for the creation of that commission when we tried to do this legislatively. but i had not noticed in the intervening weeks, anything less than pretty prociferous comments. i can't imagine that republicans at one minute would say this is such an important issue and then at the next minute say, we can't participate in a commission i said a minute ago was an extremely important issue. i think the american people are smart enough to understand that's washington game plague and not problem solving. >> maybe in the next week or

so? >> i think very shortly. sure. >> the president said to republicans last week. repeated it when speaking with democratic senators and repeated it when he spoke at the town halls in florida and new hampshire. there are some members of either the house or the senate republican members that voted against the economic recovery act and then attended some ribbon-cutting ceremonies. were there a lot of members. you know which? >> i don't have the stuff with me but i'll circulate it to everybody as soon as i get out of here. sure. >> one more thing, did you look as the republican comment statements, news releases made subsequent to the friday meeting with the house gop members. do you see more - well to use the president's formulation more of an and of cooperation from them or a first? >> based on?

>> on their statements and news releases and comments on just the wide scope? >> sure. i think as the president said on friday. there will always be differences between the two parties and that's an important part of our process. i think that - when when the rubber has to meet the road, when legislation comes before the senate hopefully next week that begins to cut taxes for small business and increase our investment in infrastructure as a way of moving our economy forward. i think we'll get a chance to see whether - not just the statements of any criticism but the statements of what this president should do are backed up by strong action. lot of people said after

massachusetts is the president had to act in a more bipartisan way. i think the president has been pretty cheer about wanting to ensure the two parties work together. we'll get a chance to see whether working together is something that people are serious about doing or whether it's something that someone told them to say. . . .no carrierringconnect 1200

report that google is working with the national security agency on plugging any cyber- security holes -- any other companies have gone to the nsa on that? >> i would -- let me specifically point you to nsa on -- what's that? >> that will do a lot of good. gee, thanks. [laughter] >> but i would say this, that as was noted by the president in discussing cyber-security, that we have -- we believe that information sharing and cooperation between the government and the private sector is important -- ensuring obviously that privacy and civil liberties are protected -- and have asked that if companies

are dealing with what they perceive to be cyber-security threats, that they go and work with the authorities on that. >> the dalai lama meeting that you said will be here at the white house, will that be in the oval? will that be in the residence? >> i do not know where the location of the meeting will be. >> will cameras be allowed in, or will the pool be brought in? >> i don't have any coverage information on that right now. major. >> sixteenth and 17th for that? >> i don't have a date either. >> you don't have a date? okay. and just to go back to what jake was talking about and this revision, are you talking about historical data that talks about the job losses during the course of this recession or something relative to the january numbers? >> the story i read -- the story i read -- there are typical revisions to data that comes out. >> sure. >> take, for instance, i think gdp data is released and then

revised at least twice. these are last year -- >> certain numbers were revised downward twice. >> right, right. last year there were -- there was a several-decade-long revision of jobs figures. the story, again, i read this morning -- >> so that's what you're talking about, not something relative to what we're going to read and see tomorrow? >> no, no, no, no. this dates back from governing months from -- again, the story said i think april 2008 through march 2009. >> earlier you said 2007. did you mean 2008? >> well, no, no, i said that this governs the total job loss over the period that begins in december 2007 at the beginning of the recession. >> so the additional job losses -- you expect the revision to show began 2007 not 2008. >> no, no, no, no. again, i should just send you the story i read. the revisions -- >> maybe the nsa can. [laughter]

>> the revisions -- they wrote it. >> they already did. >> the recession began officially, as per the board, in december of 2007. the revisions, in the story i read, cover april of 2008 through march of 2009. those months obviously are encompassed in what we broadly know as the time period during the recession. >> you don't have to yell at me now. that's great. [laughter] >> yes, sir. >> okay, following up -- >> i don't know if that counts as your time or hans -- >> it counts as his time. i assure you -- >> it's fine. [laughter] >> wow. now he's yelling at you, hans. [laughter] >> the president often talks, and you did a minute ago in talking to jake, about the boom and bust cycles. is one of the downsides, is one of the things the american public needs to appreciate, looking at these unemployment numbers that you projected out, is that it's a slower climb out when you have a scenario that the president wants to have, if he achieves it, of a non-boom- type recovery. is that something the american

people need to either prepare themselves for or be ready to expect, that this unemployment process is going to be a very slow heal. >> major, i think many people that are dealing with the unemployment process have been dealing with it for quite some time. long-term unemployment is at one of its highest points ever. >> and let me ask the question, when is the turn, and are you -- one of the things you're trying to say is the turn is going to be slow? >> well, what i'm saying is that this will take time, but most importantly, what the president has talked about, not just throughout the campaign and not just throughout his first year in office, is we have to create a new foundation for job creation for the future; that if what we do is go back to boom and bust economies where we're -- >> right, i understand -- >> hold on, let me -- >> what i'm asking is --

>> can i reclaim some of my time? the boom and bust economies, what you're going to end upñr with is -- again, going back to what i talked about as what happened in the last decade -- you had times of job growth, you had times of job loss, but over the course of the decade you were basically flat. if we're going to continue to make progress economically, we have to put ourselves on a far different path. >> right, but as the numbers indicate, when it was flat, the unemployment rate was lower when the president decided to run for this office than he's projecting it will be at the end of the actuarial tables of his newest budget. and many americans would agree it may have been flat, but at least it was a lot lower. and what i'm getting at is, in this process of averting a boom and bust economy, do you have a slower term? >> major, what we've gone through is an economic downturn that we haven't seen since the great depression of the late

1920s and 1930s. look, the american -- >> i'm not criticizing, i'm just asking you -- >> no, no, no, i'm saying the american people understand. many of them have been out of work for a long, long time. they understand that far before any board declared the beginning of a recession that they were working longer, they were working harder, they were increasing their productivity, yet at the same time their wages either were on that flat line or going down. they understood that their costs got more expensive. the cost of energy got more expensive. the cost of health care got more expensive. the cost of colluguu more expensive. so, look, there's no -- that was even before the official recession began and certainly before a series of excessive risk-taking by a few nearly dragged the economy back to açó

period of a great depression. >> right. and all i'm asking is, do the american people need to appreciate, as they look at the economic future, as charted by this administration, that it's going to be slower for unemployment to come down -- >> major, i think i started to say, i think the american people understand that because they've been dealing with this far longer than the -- than this administration occupying this white house. >> on trade, the president has talked about it more aggressively lately. gary locke is giving a speech right now at the national press club. in that speech i didn't find any specific reference to a time for approving the pending south korean, colombian, or panama trade agreements. for those nations who are now perhaps enthusiastic the president is talking about trade, what can you tell them about when the president and this white house is going to push those agreements and get them through congress? when i talked to the president about south korea in beijing he said, "i want that done in 2010," either -- >> well, there you go. what are you asking me for? >> well, but nothing has happened. you can't find any -- >> well, it's only february, major. >> i know. but he said it was going to happen either early or late, which i interpreted meaning early in 2010 or after the midterm elections.

>> well -- >> so for those three deals -- >> let me say, it would not be good for my job security to go out right now and contradict the three answers you've just given me on behalf of your question that the president gave you in november. >> even better for bill's. [laughter] >> i would simply say that -- look, the president was very clear and specific in the state of the union -- >> i'm not saying it's not happening. i'm trying to understand the explanation of him saying he'd prefer to have it happen and nothing being done. >> well, major, you just noted that a speech has been given where the secretary -- where the secretary of commerce -- no, hold on -- where the secretary of commerce is laying out the president's vision for doubling

exports in five years, okay? so though an individual fta may not be mentioned in that speech, the president obviously envisions the increase of those exports through a whole host of things, including the free trade agreements that he outlined quite specifically in the state of the union. he did not outline and i don't have to outline a specific timeline for that, understanding that the president has laid out a very aggressive goal on increasing exports, partly through the trade agreements that you mentioned. >> one last -- one question on security -- one question, it's important. senator bond wrote a letter to the president today about a conversation that we had here in the briefing room yesterday and bill gave a couple of answers -- many answers, really -- on there was no political nature to the white house explanation of the dealing with abdulmutallab. what bond says in his letter is that the senators on the intelligence committee were briefed specifically earlier this week that the disclosure of abdulmutallab's cooperation

should not be revealed because it was -- he says in this letter -- "doing so would threaten ongoing efforts to stop operations the intelligence community thought were possibly happening against the united states. " he writes in this letter, "distortion of the congressional notification process suggests that other considerations are taking precedence over keeping timely and sensitive information away from our enemies" -- i know a charge you would fundamentally reject, but i want to get your response to that. >> well, first and foremost, i don't want to speak for senator bond, who, if the timeline you outlined -- a monday briefing for a tuesday hearing -- why he would in his tuesday hearing use the statement that the subject refused to cooperate after he was mirandized. so i don't want to speak for the senator who didn't certainly use any of that information to correct what he said in public in a hearing that happens a day after. i would say this, having read the letter. during a hearing on tuesday, information was released that clearly showed that mr. abdulmutallab was indeed talking again to interrogators.

for those of you that participated in the background briefing, you know that was not something that was timed purposefully. >> were they not supposed to reveal it? >> it was not timed purposefully. soon after that -- soon after that, media reported -- we felt it important to contextualize,

because many of you were e- mailing us, what this testimony meant. i would say, again, having read the letter, no briefing is done here or anywhere in this administration where classified information is used in a place where it shouldn't be. and i would suggest that somebody that alleges that when they know it doesn't happen owe people an apology. any briefing that's done here in order to ensure that the information that's in the public is correct is done in conjunction with many agencies and done so so that information that is classified and shouldn't be released isn't released. and in this case obviously it was not. >> so bond owes you an apology? bond owes the president an apology? >> no, i don't think bond is alleging that the president was in the briefing. >> on the -- on the -- two questions. >> hold on, hold on -- just hold on, just -- this is an important question, lester. >> oh, sure, okay. >> the notion that somehow the white house, in conjunction with agencies involved in this interrogation, gave out classified information -- yes, i think an apology on that is owed

because it's not true. and i think anybody that was involved in knowing in the senate intelligence committee what was briefed and what was reported would know that that wasn't violated. again, major, i don't want to speak for senator bond in why, if he was briefed on monday, why on tuesday, why does he say that abdulmutallab -- the result of his refusal to cooperate after he was mirandized? why does senator bond continue to knowingly not have information curb what he's saying, or is this a bunch of politics? >> so he owes an apology to whom? >> i think he owes an apology to the professionals in the law enforcement community and those that work in this building, not for democrats and republicans,

but who work each and every day to keep the american people safe and would never, ever, ever knowingly release -- or unknowingly release -- classified information that could endanger an operation or an interrogation. again, i think that the reason that charge is made is only to play politics. i actually don't believe that that -- that he thinks that's a serious allegation. i think that is -- i think if you look at the letter, it's clearly -- this is about politics. michael. >> what message does the president plan to deliver tonight at the two dnc fundraisers? >> i think he'll continue to talk about some of what he's talking to the leaders today, some of what he's talking to -- he's talked to democrats and republicans about: the need to continue to push forward on an agenda to get our economy moving again, to make our country safer.

he will also take some questions at one of these events from folks from organizing for america. >> is he going to suggest a best way forward on his agenda or just talk about the need for it? >> well, the best way forward is to get it through the house and the senate. jeff. >> robert, do you know if the president has submitted a statement on behalf of his aunt, who's in a deportation hearing for the second time today in a boston courtroom? >> the president learned of this information, as you probably know, on the campaign trail i think in early november of 2008 when it came out. we said then and we would continue to say that everybody in this country should and must follow the law. we have not been involved at all in that hearing, and we'll let the law play out as it should. and i would refer you to ice for any other comments on what happens with the hearing. >> on that question, though, he did not submit a statement to -- >> no, no. he has not -- this information

came to light, again, i believe -- i don't have the exact date -- early november of 2008 -- he has not spoken with her. >> did he help at all with the -- with her legal representation or did anyone in his family help with -- >> he did not. >> mrs. obama or -- >> he has -- he has not, the family has not. this is an issue -- this is a legal issue and the president strongly believes that the law must be followed by everyone. >> two real quick ones, robert. are we going to hear from the president tomorrow about jobs?

>> yes. i think i was supposed to announce that we are -- around noon tomorrow will travel to a small business in maryland to talk about some of the issues that we've talked about relating to small business -- tax cuts, increased lending, getting our economy moving again -- and he'll make remarks there. >> robert, a question on jobs -- >> i'm sorry, can i -- >> i'll get there, don't worry. i'm going to go twice as long as bill. [laughter] >> i want to come back to the abdulmutallab issue. you spoke of the inadvertent release of the fact that the suspect was now cooperating. is the president upset that that happened? >> i don't want to characterize information that -- >> has he had any words with the people who were responsible for it having been disclosed? >> not that i'm aware of, but i can check. ann. >> the dalai lama is not a leader of a foreign power. what is the nature of his invitation here? is he invited in as a personal guest? >> i can check with nsc. i don't -- the president meets with folks in the white house all the time that aren't foreign leaders. >> -- whether it's an oval office visit or whether he stops -- >> yes, and i honestly -- i

don't have any information on where the meeting will take place. mara. >> i have a question about ofa. one of the striking features of all of the off-year elections we've had so far is the absence of the -- what you might call the obama voters or emergent voters, all those people that he brought into the electorate in 2008 and that ofa was going to try to keep energized and active. i'm wondering what his message is going to be to them tonight. >> look, i think he will talk about what we have at stake, what we -- the important progress that we have made in the first year and the steps that we must continue to take on a whole host of issues that he campaigned on for more than two years. in terms of specifics for ofa i'd point you over to the dnc. lester, let's take a crack. >> thank you so much. in his commendable concern for the unemployed, the president would be gratified if katie couric would share 14. 5 of her widely reported $15 million salary to rescue those hundreds of cbs employees laid off, so she would still have an income similar to the president's, wouldn't he? >> chip -- >> oooh! [laughter]

>> chip is -- no. look, lester, lester, i'm -- lester, i'm happy to answer questions on policies that the government -- >> this is unemployment. this is unemployment. >> lester, i don't think it's appropriate for me to get into the compensation of a network any more than it is for me to get into your compensation. >> in this time of such financial problems, though, why does the president believe that all taxpayers should have to pay $420 million a year, or more than $8 million a week, to subsidize public broadcasting, whether or not they watch or listen? >> public broadcasting provides a great service to people who,

in times of economic downturn, don't listen to the radio or can't buy cable tv in order -- >> they all listen to the radio. >> i know you think that. yes, go ahead. >> just a clarification on the abdulmutallab issue. did the president know in advance abdulmutallab would be mirandized? >> i'm sorry? >> did the president know in advance that abdulmutallab would be mirandized? >> i'll go back and look at the timeline. those decisions were made, as you know, by the attorney general, by the fbi, and done so in conjunction and in accordance with agencies throughout the government. >> i understand he was notified before they indicted him, but before the mirandizing on christmas day was -- >> the answer that i have is -- i don't have the timeline with me. april. >> robert, on an issue that's been since -- >> don't worry, we're far afield on issues today.

so fire away, my friend. [laughter] >> on an issue from way back in the clinton administration, the black farmers, president obama put in for a settlement of $1. 2 billion. we understand today that the white house has been informed that a settlement is very close for the black farmers, and the justice department is working it out. does this end the whole dispute after all these years if this is approved? >> april, let me get information on where the settlement is before i talk on it. >> but wait a minute, i want to ask one thing, though. the president did propose this for the 2010 budget. how important is this for this president to rectify this situation? >> well, look, obviously -- clearly, april, it's something that's important to him. it's been an issue that, as you mentioned, has been worked on by the federal government now in several different administrations and dating back

many years. obviously ensuring that justice is done is important in this situation. bill. >> robert, following the loss of three american soldiers in pakistan, can you tell us how many american troops are on the ground in pakistan and what their mission is? >> well, obviously there were those that were -- had been invited by the pakistanis that, along with schoolchildren, were cowardly killed by terrorists in pakistan. >> do you know the extent or the number of troops? and i guess if you add the increased drone flights and the american troops on the ground, is there a third war? are we at war in pakistan? if not, what do you call it? >> we provide assistance to the pakistanis as they increase their efforts in regionsçó of their country along the

afghanistan border that harbor those that seek to do ill to pakistanis, afghans, and americans. sam. >> going back to chuck's question, you said you were talking about a change in calculus because of the seating of scott brown. can you expand on that? and particularly, can you address two nominees -- craig becker to the national labor relations board, and dawn johnson to olc -- who now seem to lack the 60 votes needed to cut off cloture? how do you see this playing out? >> i don't have specific information on each of those two nominees. i would simply point you to what the president said in the state of the union about the change in number requiring that democrats and republicans work together. ominees thatans work together. have passed out of committee that deserve -- that deserve support. i think the senate, if they

haven't already, are going to vote on the head of the gsa, which has been held up since june, since she cleared the committee in june. the head of the gsa -- i mean, a completely non-controversial appointment held up for months because of the type of partisan political games that the american people continue to be tired of. >> well, do you want to see actual filibusters from the republican party, force them to actually talk through these filibusters that they're launching? >> what i'd like to see is that whether you agree or disagree with the nominee, that they receive an up or down vote so that they can begin to do the work of the american people on important jobs that can and should be done and filled quickly. >> regarding reports out of romania today, that elements of an american defense shield might be placed there, what is your reaction to that?

and also, there might be the inevitable negative reaction by russia and other countries in that region regarding the presence of an american defense shield in romania. >> the president outlined in september a new approach on missile defense that provided greater coverage to threats for europe and for this country. we're pleased that romania has agreed to participate in that defense shield that, again, will provide greater security for those that could be threatened there or here. what the president outlined was something that would -- that would work better, work faster, and provide greater levels of protection, and that's what we've seen in romania's agreement today, and we're quite thankful. thanks, guys. >> could you correct your statement about public broadcasting?

i'm sure you didn't mean to say it's for people who don't listen to the radio. [laughter] >> no, no, no, i think i might be taking -- i said for people that might not listen to the radio -- >> public broadcasting is on the radio. >> well, right. i think -- right, okay. >> it's paid for by the government. >> let me say, if you listen to npr on the radio, like my mother does, like i do, you could listen to that, you could watch public television -- >> well, lester needs a job. >> thanks, guys. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> the proposed jobs bill and hearings on do not ask to do not tell. after that, neal irwin stops by to discuss the latest

unemployment number and a jobs proposal announced by senate democrats. later, and the knesset's future. our guest this frank morring. we take your calls and e-mails like every morning starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c- span. >> a year ago this month, president obama signed the economic stimulus funding into law making $787 million available. since then, they have committed $332 billion to stay for stimulus projects. that is up $3 billion from last week. $176 billion have been paid out for the projects. a more but the economic stimulus, go online to c- span.org/stimulus. will find offense like president obama's town hall meeting in new hampshire where he analysis plan to help local banks provide

more small-business loans. plus links to the government and watchdog groups practice stimulus ending. this is set c-span.orgstimulu/s. >> topics include a new missile defense agreement between the united states and romania. a criminal case in haiti were 10 americans are facing child abduction charges. and reintegrate the taliban members into afghan society. i don't know, should we give the front row a chance to catch up, or this is the opportunity for the back row to take charge? [laughter] good afternoon, and welcome to the department of state. just a few announcements before taking your questions.

this afternoon, secretary clinton will host a bilateral with his excellency kanat saudabayev, secretary of state and minister of foreign affairs of the republic of kazakhstan and chairman-in-office of the osce. and of course, with the advice and consent of the united states senate, our friend and colleague, ian kelly, will have a chance to interact significantly with minister saudabayev in the coming months. welcome. >> thank you. short notice. >> there are more coming, though. [laughter] >> did we sneak in here? i don't think so. maybe we fooled them and showed up, more or less, on time. the united states today announces it is making a

contribution of $40 million to the united nations relief and works agency for palestinian refugees in the near east. of this contribution, $30 million will support the unrwa's core services in jordan, syria, lebanon, and the west bank and gaza. an additional $10 million will support un -- the unrwa's emergency appeal for the west bank and gaza, including emergency food assistance and job creation programs. in 2009, the united states provided over $267 million to the un relief and works agency. and finally, before taking your questions, we certainly wish a safe journey to tai shan as he departs the united states for china. he is a dual citizen, u.s. born of chinese parents. he'll always have a close link to the united states and to school children across our country. but he is a tangible and furry

manifestation of cooperation between the united states and china. >> wow. so that's what you've got going for you? you're got a panda? [laughter] you can't get them on iran, you can't get them on anything else and you have to give back the panda. >> i knew that was going to get grumpy's attention. [laughter] >> can you talk about this deal with romania that's been done -- >> sure. >> -- on missile defense? >> sure. >> and are there other agreements in the works with other countries? >> well, yes, and yes. this is, i think, a first step in terms of the revised architecture that the united states -- the president announced last september. and romania has agreed to host a standard missile-3 interceptor

as part of the administration's new missile defense plan -- we call it the phased adaptive approach -- to protect u.s. forward-deployed troops and our nato allies against current and emerging ballistic missile threats from iran. the decision by romania to host the sm-3 is a reflection of our strategy to make sure that as this architecture develops and grows it will protect all of europe. the choice of romania extends the missile defense into southern europe, and we expect this -- in this phase, this will be online by 2015. we will have -- we are in further discussions with other countries as the architecture evolves. for example, poland agreed last october, in principle, to host

the northern land-based sm-3 missile site. and i think that development is still under consideration and discussion with poland. >> are you getting any reactions from the russians on this latest development? and then what about iran? is this a message to iran? >> well, it is precisely what we have always said, which is we're going to protect our interests and those of our allies. we see this emerging threat coming. as we said, our revised approach is, in fact, tailored to address the emerging threat coming to the region from iran. and regarding russia, as we have made clear over and over again, this is not a capability that is directed at russia. david. >> is this system going to be

based on american vessels in the black sea? is that how it works? >> well, the paa, the phased adaptive approach, includes land based and sea based. that's the value of shifting to the upgraded standard missile because it can be based on both ships and land. so this particular announcement today involves a land-based component, but there will be sea-based components as well. yes. >> on north korea, u.s. decided to keep north korea off the state sponsors of terrorism list because it does not meet the criteria to be designated again. but recent u.s. terrorist reports and other anti-terrorism reports insisting that north korea has been continuously support terrorist group in middle east like hezbollah and hamas by selling arms. so if that's true, does that mean that north korea satisfied the criteria to be designated as a sponsor of terrorism? >> well, without accepting the premise behind your question,

let me say that the president has submitted a report to congress examining if north korea meets the statutory criteria for designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, as required in the defense authorization act of fy2010. and after careful review, the report states that the dprk does not meet the statutory criteria to again be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. but obviously, this is something that we will continue to carefully evaluate going forward. >> didn't that come out last night? >> yeah. >> haiti question? >> sure. >> last -- yesterday afternoon, the secretary said that the u.s. government was in talks with the haitian government about what she called the disposition of the case involving the detained americans. can you give us any more information about what sorts of contacts are underway and what sorts of alternate dispositions might be envisioned in this case? >> i mean, i wouldn't read too

much into that. through our ambassador, we have been in touch with haitian judicial officials just to help understand how they were going to act in this particular case. as far as i know, the judge continues to question these suspects. we have continued to provide consular services to the american citizens. i believe that they have hired local representation. so -- but i would put this in the context of asking for clarifications about what their procedure would be, what the timeline and capacity to be able to pursue this case. i wouldn't read too much into it in terms of, first and foremost, this will be a

judgment based by the haitian government on haitian law. if haiti decides to consult with the united states in terms of other legal avenues, obviously, there are legal procedures for us to do that. >> is it standard practice for the government to have this kind of communication with another government involving a criminal case? >> i think it -- i would put it in the category of given the unusual circumstance that we find ourselves in, haiti trying to function as a government under such circumstances and amid great tragedy, i would put it in the category of just asking them and clarifying exactly how they were going to proceed in this particular case. >> just so we're clear about this, p. j. , when cheryl -- when counselor mills was asked about this on tuesday, she said something to

the effect that -- and the words are in the transcript if i don't have them here -- but that the united states had discussed getting consular access to the detainees but, "we haven't had any broader conversations about their prosecution or their case or something like that. " and the secretary's comment about the disposition of the case, in legal terms, i believe that phrase means the final settlement of a matter. so did something change between tuesday and wednesday or was "disposition of the case" perhaps not the -- quite the right thing to say? >> i wouldn't lend the same interpretation -- the secretary is a fine lawyer.

by the same token, i wouldn't lend the same interpretation to her remarks. in other words, obviously, we consult with the government of haiti on a wide range of issues every day. we have been closely monitoring this case. we have been interacting with haitian officials during the course of this case. but -- and if the haitian government wants to pursue other legal avenues regarding this case, of course, we will be happy to have that kind of follow-up discussion. but right now, the matter rests within the haitian judicial system. we respect that and we will continue to have discussions with the haitian government as this case proceeds. but there -- i just would caution -- you might infer that some things out of either the secretary's comments or counselor mills's comments. i wouldn't read too much into it. >> so just so we're clear, you are not seeking to interfere in any way, shape, or form in how the haitian government may choose to investigate, prosecute, pursue, or drop this matter?

>> there are a number of options that are available to the haitian government as this case moves forward. but as to the precise matter of its evaluation of the facts in this case, this will rely on the judge to make that determination. >> on the -- afghanistan, the u.s. gave support to president karzai's idea of trying to reintegrate some of the taliban. he's gone to saudi arabia, he talked with king abdullah, he's going to try and get king abdullah to get on the case. and he seems also to be intent on making some political headway among the pashtun in the south as a result of this. now, some people are saying that he wants to not only integrate the people, having them go back to the village, but also bring them in politically, some of the people who renounce a. q. who may be taliban, may be wahhabi, could also play a role

in a government. what would -- what's exactly the u.s. position? what is the nature of the support? is it like a cautious watching? or how far would we go with this reintegrating the taliban or former taliban into the afghan structure? >> well, i think we support reintegration as an effective tool within our counterinsurgency strategy and that of afghanistan. we do not think that many of the foot soldiers that are currently involved on the battlefield are necessarily ideologically driven. and to the extent, through a combination of initiatives, that we can convince them to play a more constructive role in afghanistan, and equip the afghan government to provide peaceful alternatives for these individuals, and should they

choose to move in a different direction, help with protection from retribution from the taliban, we think this is a wise strategy. it is an afghan-led strategy, and, obviously, president karzai is requesting assistance of the united states and others as he pursues this effort. so we are completely supportive of -- as we indicated last week, during the conference in london. >> can i ask you about the start treaty? >> mm-hmm. >> yesterday, the russian side announced that the work on the treaty is almost done and it's prepared for signing, presumably in prague, in spring. do you have any confirmation or reaction on the u.s. side about that? >> i think we are optimistic that with the start negotiations having reconvened this week in geneva, that it can be -- the remaining issues can be resolved and negotiations completed rather quickly.

with that said, i wouldn't put a particular timeline on it. i think when it's done and when -- we can both reflect that this is a treaty that is in russia's interests and the united states interests, then we'll try to figure out how to -- >> no time, no place? >> [laughter] i mean, i think it will be an opportunity to celebrate and to recognize the important achievement as advancing our mutual interest in arms control and nonproliferation. but let's get across the finish line, and then we can figure out where we go from there. >> go ahead. >> go ahead. >> can i follow up on that? >> sure. >> is it going too far to say that an agreement of principles has been reached? >> i think the negotiations --

negotiators are still at work. >> on climate? >> yeah. >> the administration has had a little time to take stock of copenhagen. there are many people who areñr saying that it's not the appropriate forum to reach international agreement. you had much -- >> what is not the appropriate forum? >> the unfccc, and perhaps that there are other forums that are better -- that are better for reaching an agreement for the large emitters like mef. what are your thoughts on that and -- yeah, what are your thoughts on that? >> well, i'm hoping to get todd stern to pay a visit here in the briefing room in the coming days to be able to talk a little further about copenhagen. obviously, we've passed the deadline of january 31. a large number of countries, including the united states, have committed to the copenhagen accord. we obviously supported and worked very hard with the secretary, with the president in copenhagen in late december

to reach this agreement. clearly, there's still work to be done. there's work to be done domestically in terms of our own legislation that enshrines the 17 percent pledge that the united states has made. and there's work to be done coming out of copenhagen to make sure that there is an accounting process and oversight as countries continue to pursue their respective pledges. so i think we are supportive of this process, as we did last week. we committed to this process. we're moving forward and -- but there's going to be -- it's one of the more urgent matters that we face globally. and i'm sure that this will be a cornerstone of that effort, but certainly, to the extent that we can continue to pursue reductions in greenhouse gases through a variety of means, we will do so.

>> and that is the appropriate place to have those discussions? >> i've heard of no discussions inside the united states on a different venue. >> thank you. >> yeah. >> on western sahara, western sahara informal talks will be held next week in the suburbs of new york. what is the reaction of the state department regarding these talks? >> i'll take the question. we have a position; i just don't have it in my book. >> the icc prosecutor ocampo is in town. i wanted to check if he was consulting with the department on the possible investigation and a move by him on -- based on the goldstone report that the icc would take on the issue of the gaza war and the allegations of war crimes. would the united states support the icc, and if it stakes --

takes into its hand? >> all right. the last part again? >> would the united states support a move by the icc to take things -- to take the case and prosecute it? >> which case? >> of the icc, of the gaza war and allegations of war crimes? >> we have made our position clear that we think the human rights council is the appropriate forum to resolve issues regarding the goldstone report. and we do not support -- you're referring -- that particular -- the goldstone report to the icc. as to his particular schedule and who he's consulting with, i'll see if he's visiting here at the state department. >> can i go back to north korea? as i asked earlier, there have been reports that -- insisting that u.s. -- north korea has been continuously supporting middle east terrorist south asia, and there were actual cases that some ships intercepted with north korean arms which bound to iran.

so u.s. decided not -- still keep nuclear away from this state sponsors of terrorism list. so does that mean that u.s. reached to the decision that those allegations or speculations are untrue, or is not able to confirm? >> all i can do is repeat what i just said. we looked at this question hard in the last couple of years. we took north korea off of the state sponsor of terrorism list. we were asked to reevaluate. we looked hard at this issue, but it did not meet the statutory requirements to relist north korea. that said, we obviously have considerable concern about activities involving north korea, its proliferation of dangerous technologies within the region and around the world. and we continue to work aggressively to restrict those activities under un security

council resolution 1874. but as we said, we will continue to look at the evidence surrounding north korea's activities. and if it eventually meets the criteria under the law, then we'll consider a different judgment. but we've evaluated what we think they're doing and we don't think it meets the statute. >> can i ask you one more on six-party talks? >> sure. >> tension between u.s. and china has been rising because of u.s. government decision to sell arms to taiwan. and there are concerns that this tension can impact negative influence to the current six- party talk progress. and what is your comment on (inaudible)? >> i don't think the evidence supports that. in our relationship with china, we have many areas of mutual interest. north korea is significant among them.

and china is, in fact, the chair of the six-party process and will continue to play a significant leadership role in this. and in fact, we see eye to eye with china with respect to our concerns about north korea. and even as we cooperate fully on the six-party process, we will obviously have tensions in other aspects of our relationship and we'll work through them. >> are you satisfied with china's current effort to persuade north korea, and make (inaudible) -- >> yes. i think we have significant unanimity within the six-party process about what north korea should do. and our officials have consulted closely, and our officials have had conversations with north korea. so have chinese officials, so have others, and our message is the same. >> is iran and the further sanctions on iran one of those

areas of tensions? >> i wouldn't call it an area of tension as much as an area of discussion. i think we have a similar view about the potential impact of an arms race in the middle east. we have a difference of opinion as to the steps to take at the present time to put pressure on iran. and we will continue our consultation with china within the p-5+1 process. >> p.j., though, last week in paris, the secretary said -- made it clear that you -- that she didn't think that you did have a similar position on the impact of an arms race in the middle east, and she said that the chinese should, you know, wake up and realize the long- term consequences of it. >> and there are long-term consequences. >> do you think the chinese really see -- have similar views than you -- that you -- than you?

>> i think that the secretary is right. as she communicated to foreign minister yang last week, china has a great stake in what happens with respect to iran. china is tied to the global economy; it's tied to global energy markets. and an arms race in the middle east has the potential to disrupt oil markets and have a decided impact on china just as the major economies like the united states. so we think we have the same stake in the outcome. and we are talking with china about the appropriate steps to take now and we are continuing to discuss potential sanctions and we'll continue these discussions of -- in the coming weeks. >> were you dismayed by foreign

minister yang's comments yesterday that -- his emphasis on negotiations, we understand that we need to press on with negotiations, we need to try to find a solution as quickly as possible through negotiations -- didn't sound like there's much enthusiasm there for the discussion about sanctions. >> well, i mean, china has supported the current dual-track approach that we take. they've signed on to every communiqué that has been issued in recent months describing the fact that we would prefer a negotiated settlement, but we are prepared as well to take steps to put pressure on iran to help them recognize that they will pay a cost for their continued pursuit of their nuclear program and while ignoring the valid concerns of the international community. so we do recognize that at the present time we may not have the same balance in terms of the next step, but we'll continue

to talk to them about it. >> to iraq? >> p.j., now that the administration has effectively zeroed out a manned lunar program, has any thought been given here about what effect that will have on the collaborative efforts that we have in terms of relations with russia and europe and maybe envisioned with china on the space effort? is that going to affect it in any way? >> other than shelving our planned consulate on the moon, i don't know that there's any impact here. [laughter] >> would we be willing to piggy- back on a shenzhou 8 or 9 if we want to get to the moon at anytime soon? >> i wouldn't put an international frame on this. >> can we go to iraq? >> go ahead. >> yeah. are you concerned that the iraqi government, prime minister maliki, is going to try and get around this reinstatement of the 500 sunni candidates?

are the iraqis following their own constitutional procedures on this? >> well, certainly, the iraqi court has made an important ruling and we think it's a very useful step in moving ahead towards the march 7 election and it will open the way for an open and diverse field of candidates. this is an iraqi decision. it's an iraqi process. we have supported making sure that this is a transparent, inclusive election that the iraqi people can see as legitimate and credible. our efforts now are to help the iraqi government with out-of- country voting, working to make sure there are international

observers present, and assisting with voter education initiatives. so as to what the government might do, we think they should make sure that this is -- continues to be an open and diverse process. >> do you have any concerns that right now it's not being so open and diverse, that they are trying to block this and that the consequences would go against your aims, which is to have a balanced -- >> i think -- again, these -- they're decisions for iraq to make. but we've made our position clear that we support the widest possible field of candidates coming from each of the communities within iraq so that the end result is an election that produces a government that can govern effectively and can attract the support of the iraqi people. we would discourage any steps that we think will hamper the emergence of an effective, popular, and legitimate iraqi government. >> did vice president hashimi

express his concerns about what was going on among the -- his shiite colleagues and did he ask for any support? >> i mean, we will continue to support iraq as it moves ahead towards march 7th and if there's particular support that we can provide to iraq, we will do so. obviously, we have -- one of the reasons why we've kept a significant number of international -- u.s. and international forces in iraq to make sure that we have the security we think the iraqi people need when they go to vote on march 7th. >> p.j., the indians have offered to renew security talks with pakistan. do you have any view on this? i presume that you think it's a good idea. >> i think we -- i'm -- we are supportive of dialogue among india, pakistan, and afghanistan as a key component of moving ahead and achieving a stable region. so to the extent that -- i'm