the attention that you have given us this evening and the opportunity to address you here on the floor of the house. we have covered a little bit of the subject matter that is important. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. does the gentleman have a motion. mr. king: mr. speaker, i move the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. the motion is agreed to. according to the house, stands >> the bill adds to the

president for his signature. live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span. you're watching public affairs programming on c-span, created by america's cable-tv companies offered as a public service. in a few moment, president obama outlined his plans for nasa. after that, senator joe lieberman on a preliminary report. and later, a news conference with leaders of the tea party express from this year's congressional election. >> c-span, public affairs content available on television, radio, an online. the also connect with us on twitter, facebook, and youtube. >> president obama talked about

the plan to cut back on planned missions to the moon, relying more on private companies to transport astronauts. he was at the kennedy space center and was introduced by senator bill nelson. this is 40 minutes. >> the man i am about to introduce is a patriot, a leader, and a visionary. he is also someone who knows the importance of america being a leader in science and technology through space exploration. he has been there, done that. he is a marine general, an aviator, a test pilot, flying more than 100 missions in vietnam.

i have known him the better part of a quarter of a century. on our space flight, i trusted him with my life and i would do so again. ladies and gentlemen, the administrator of nasa, charlie boulder. the key [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you for coming out today as difficult as it may have been to get here. this is a place that is quite close to my heart, a place like no other place on the planet. it has a story history, being the launch site for some of the ambitious and audacious endeavors.

i can assure you a storied future. i am here to introduce a man that is committed to the arrival of the vibrant future. as the space community knows very well, dreams don't become a reality through wishful thinking alone, much less through talk. even though a steady flow of federal funding may help, it doesn't make things happen. to come true, dean -- and dreams need to be tested in practicality, trial and error. and the need to be calibrated in painstaking detail so that all the pieces are certain to work together. in this case, they left us physically and emotionally, it even spiritually into the frontier.

the thing that has me excited is that the man -- it is critical to get the process right. and for the thousands of workers who every day are straining at the bit in giving their best to search the boundaries of what humanity can call home. i am talking about a president who has, even in these economic times, recognized the value of science and this nation goes the future. -- nation's future. in his short tenure, through the budgets and recovery act, invested in civilian research and development to unprecedented heights. a president that has declared that it is essential for students to get better science,

education, and engineering. he has put into place and obtained a generous funding for programs to get them there. a president who has brought hundreds of students to the white house lawn to look through telescopes in meat astronauts like buzz aldrin. the better believe from the looks on those kids' faces, they recognize the power of space to inspire. ladies and gentlemen, it is my greatest honor to introduce a man for whom i have the greatest personal respect and admiration, a man who has the right stuff to lead us into a new area of exploration and discovery. please join me in welcoming the president of the united states, president barack obama. [applause]

>> thank you, everybody, thank you. thank you so much. please, have a seat. thank you. i want to thank senator bill nelson and an asset administration -- administrator charlie bolden. i want to recognize dr. buzz aldrin who is in the house. [applause] for decades ago, buzz became a legend and in the decades since, he has been one of america's leading visionaries and authorities on space flight. few people, present company excluded can claim the expertise of buzz, though, and charlie

when it comes to space exploration. few people or as singularly unimpressed by air force one then that those three. [laughter] it is comfortable, but it can't even reach lower orbit. and that, obviously, it is in stark contrast to what we just saw on the launch pad. a couple of other acknowledgments i want to make. we have congressman woman -- congresswoman sheila jackson lee, a big supporter of the space program. [applause] my director of office -- my chief science adviser is here. [applause] and most of all, i want to

acknowledge your congresswoman, because every time i meet with her, including the flight down here, she reminds me of how important our nasa programs are, how important this facility is. she is fighting for every single one of you and for the jobs in her district, and you should know that you have a great champion. please give her a big round of applause. [applause] i also want to thank everybody for participating in today's conference. gathered here are scientists, engineers, public servants, and a few more astronauts as well. and i want to thank the men and women of nasa for their contributions, not only to america, but to the world. here at the kennedy space

center, we are surrounded by monuments and milestones of those contributions. it was from here that nasa launched missions mercury, gemini i, and apollo. it is from here that space shuttle discovery, piloted by charlie bolden carry the hubble telescope into orbit to allow us to look into the deepest recesses of our galaxy. i should point out that in my private office, i have a picture of jupiter from the hubble. thank you, charlie, for helping decorate my office. it was from here that men and women propelled by nerve and talent said about pushing the boundaries of humanity's reach. that is the story of nasa, the story that started a little more than half a century ago. in a remote and desolate region, because it was from there that

the soviet union launched sputnik, the first official satellite to orbit the earth. the world was stunned. americans were dumbfounded. the soviets had taken the lead in a race from which we were not yet fully prepared. but we caught up very quickly. president eisenhower signed legislation to create science and math education in grade schools and graduate schools. in 1961, president kennedy boldly declared before a joint session of congress that the united states would send a man to the moon and return him safely to the earth within the decade. as a nation, we set about meeting that goal, reaping rewards that have in the decade since touched every facet of our

lives. nasa was at the forefront, many gave their careers to the effort. some have given far more. in the years that have followed, the space race inspired a generation of scientists and innovators including, i am sure, many of you. it is included advancements that have improved our health and well-being, water purification, aerospace manufacturing into medical imagery. the meeting right before i came out on stage, somebody said, it is more than just tanks. i had to point out that i like tanks. i thought it was very cool. it helped america achieve new heights of prosperity here on earth while demonstrating the power of a free and open society, the heart and ingenuity of its people.

on a personal note, i have been part of that generation so inspired by the space program. 1961 was the year of my birth, and one of my earliest memories sitting on my grandfather's shoulders, waving a flag of astronauts that arrived. for me, the space program has always captured an essential part of what it means to be an american. reaching for new heights in stretching beyond what previously did not seem possible. it is an essential part of that quest. today, i would like to talk about the next chapter in the story. the challenges facing our space program are different, and the imperatives for this program are

different than in decades past. we are no longer racing against an adversary, repeating to achieve a singular goal like reaching the moon. what was once a global competition has long since become a global collaboration. while the measure of our achievements have changed a great deal over the past 50 years, what we do or fail to do in seeking new frontiers is no less consequential. let me start by being extremely clear. i am 100% committed to the mission of nasa and its future. [applause] because broadening our capabilities in space will continue to serve our society in ways that we can scarcely imagine.

exploration will inspire wonder and a new generation and sparking -- sparking passion and launching careers. if we fail to push forward in the pursuit of discovery, we are seeing our future and that a central element of the american character. i know there have been in number of questions raised about my plan for space exploration, especially in this part of florida were summoned rely on assets as a source of income and a source of pride in the community. this comes during a time of transition. the space shuttle has scheduled retirement, and understandably, the worries are concerned not only about their own futures, but the space program to which they have devoted their lives. but underlying these concerns is a deeper world, one that stems from the people in washington,

sometimes less by vision of -- [unintelligible] we have seen that in nasa's budget that has risen and fallen with political winds. we can also see it in other ways, those that's unclear, achievable objectives to provide the resources to meet those objectives and justify not only these plans, but the larger portion of space exploration in the twenty first century. with the strategy i am outlining today, it will change. we start by increasing nasa's budget by $6 billion over the next five years. [applause] i want people to understand the context of this. this is happening even as we have instituted a freeze on

discretionary spending. we look to make cuts elsewhere in the budget. nasa, from the start, was one of the areas where we didn't just maintain, but we increased funding by $6 billion. by doing that, we will ramp up robotic exploration in the solar system including the probe, new scouting missions to mars and other destinations, and an enhanced telescope allowing us to appear deeper in the universe than ever before. we will increase earth based observations to improve our understanding of climate in the world. science will earn tangible benefits in helping us protect our environment for future generations. and we will extend the life of the international space station likely buy more than five years. we will be using it for its intended purpose, conducting

advanced research that can help improve the daily lives of people here on earth as well as testing and improving upon our capabilities in space. this includes technologies like more efficient life support systems that will help reduce the cost -- and we will work with an array of private companies that make getting the space easier and more affordable. [applause] i recognize that some has said it is infeasible and unwise to work with the private sector in this way. i disagree. nasa has always relied on private industry to help design and build the vehicle that carries astronauts to space. from the mercury capital to the space shuttle discovery currently orbiting overhead.

by buying the services of transportation rather than the vehicles themselves, we can continue to ensure rigorous safety standards are met, but we will also accelerate the pace of innovation for companies beyond start-ups that compete to design and build ways to carry people and materials out of our atmosphere. in addition, as part of this effort, we will build on the good work done on the arion crew capsule. i have directed charlie to immediately build a rescue vehicle using this technology so we are not forced to rely on foreign providers if it becomes necessary to quickly bring people home from the international space station. this effort will be part of the technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in future deep space missions.

brian will be ready for flight right here in this room. -- and o'brien will be ready for flight right here in this room-- -- orion will be ready for flight right here in this room. [applause] vehicles will send in orbit the cruise and proposal systems in large quantities of supplies to reach deep space. i am developing this new vehicle -- on developing this new vehicle, but we will want to look at new designs, new materials, new technologies that will transform not just where we can go, but what we can do when we get there. and we will finalize a rocket designed no later than 2015 and begin to build it. [applause]

i want everybody to understand it is two years earlier than previously planned. that is conservative given the previous program was behind schedule and over budget. at the same time, after decades of neglect, we will increase investment right away in other groundbreaking technologies that will allow astronauts to reach space sooner and more often. they will travel faster for less cost, live and work in space for longer periods of time more safely. it means tackling major scientific and technological challenges. how do we shield astronauts from radiation? how do we harness resources on distant worlds? how do we provide spacecraft with energy needed for these far-reaching journeys? these are questions that we can and will answer, and these are the questions whose answers no

doubt will reap untold benefits here on earth. the point is, what we're looking for is not just to continue on the same path, we want to leap into the future. we want to major breakthroughs, and transformative agenda for nasa. [applause] now, yes, pursuing this new strategy will require that we revise the old strategy. in part, this is because the old strategy, including the constellation program was not fulfilling its promise in many ways. that is the assessment of a panel of respected non-partisan experts charged with looking at these issues closely. despite this, some have harsh words over the decisions we have made including individuals that i have enormous respect and admiration for.

what i hope is that everybody will take a look at what we are planning. consider the details and to see the merits as i have prescribed them. the bottom line is, nobody is more committed to space flight and human exploration of space that i am. but we have got to do it in a smart way. [applause] and we can't just keep doing the same old things that we have been doing and thinking that it somehow is going to get us to where we want to go. some have said, for instance, that this plan gives up our leadership by failing to produce plans within nasa to reach lower orbit instead of relying on companies and other -- we will reach space faster and more often, in ways that will help us improve the technological capacity and lower the cost which is essential to long-term

sustainability of space flight. in fact, we will be sending many more astronauts in space over the next decade. [applause] there are also those that criticize it as one that will hinder exploration and. but it is precisely by investing in groundbreaking research and innovative companies that we will have the potential to rapidly transform our capabilities, even as we build on the important work already completed with projects like orion. and unlike the previous program, we are setting a course with specific and achievable milestones. early in the next decade, they will test and approve the systems required for explorations beyond lower orbit. by 2025, we expect new

spacecraft designed to allow the first ever mission beyond the mood into deep space. [applause] we will start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history. [applause] by the mid 2030's, i believe we can send humans to orbit, mars, and bring them safely to earth. i expect to be around to see it. but i want to repeat this. critical to displace exploration will be the development of a breakthrough propulsion systems

and other advanced technologies. i am challenging nasa to break through these barriers. we will give you the resources to break through these barriers. i know you will with ingenuity and intensity, because that is what you have always done. [applause] i understand that some believe we should attempt to return to the services of the moon first. -- at the surfaces of the moon first. i must say bluntly, we have been there before. there is a lot more of space to explore, and a lot more to learn. i believe it is more important to ramp up our capabilities to reach and operate at a series of increasingly demanding targets while advancing our technological capabilities with each step forward. that is what the strategy does,

in that is why we want leadership in space even stronger in this century that was in the last. [applause] >> finally, i want to say a few words about jobs. suzanne pointed out to me the last time i was here that i made very clear promise that i would hope in the transition to into a new program, to make sure that people who were already going through a tough time in this region were helped. and despite some reports to the contrary, my plan will add more than 2500 jobs in the next two years compared the plan under the previous administration. i want to make that point. [applause]

i am going to modernize the kennedy space center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. there is potential for even more jobs at companies that compete to be part of a new space transportation industry. some of those leaders are here today. this holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide. many will be created right here in florida because this is an area to lead in this competition. it is true, there are floridians that will see their work on the shuttle as the program winds down. it is based on a decision that was made six years ago. not six months ago. that doesn't make it any less painful for families that have been affected as this decision becomes reality. so i am proposing in part because of strong lobbying by bill, by suzanne as well as

charlie, i am proposing a $40 million initiative led by a high-level team from the white house to develop a plan for regional economic growth and job creation. i expect the plan to reach my desk by august 15. [applause] it is an effort that will help prepare the already skilled work force for new opportunities in the space industry and beyond. this is the next chapter that we can write to gather here at nasa. we will partner with industry, we will invest in cutting edge research into technologies, we will set far reaching milestones and provide the resources to reach those milestones. step by step, we will push the boundaries not only of where we can go, but what we can do.

50 years after the creation of an asset, our goal is no longer just a destination to reach. our goal is the capacity for people to work, learn, operate, and live safely for extended periods of time. it will be sustainable and even indefinite, and in fulfilling this task, we will not only extend humanity's reach, we will strengthen america's leadership. i will close by saying that i know that some americans have asked questions on tax day, why spend money on nasa at all? why spend money solving problems in space will lead don't have money to solve problems on the ground? our country is still reeling from the worst economic turmoil we have noted generations, massive structural deficits that have to be closed, but you and i

know that this is a choice. we have to close our deficits, and the space program has fueled jobs and entire industries. for pennies on the dollar, it has improved our lives, strengthened the economy, and inspired generations of americans. i have no doubt that nasa can continue to fulfil this role. [applause] the i want to say clearly to those of you who work for nasa and to the entire community, they have been so supportive of the state's program. that is exactly why it is essential that we pursue a new course and we revitalize an

asset in its mission. not just with dollars, but with clear and in a larger purpose. a little more than 40 years ago, and asset -- astronauts descended the latter of the lunar module they touched the dusty -- the dusty surface of the earth's only moon. this was the culmination of a daring and perilous endeavor, an endeavor that pushed the boundaries of our knowledge, technical prowess, the very capacity of human beings to solve problems. it wasn't just the greatest achievement in nasa history, it was one of the greatest achievements in human history. was it the beginning of something, or the end of something new? i choose to believe that it was only beginning. may god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] ♪

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>> we heard from former lockheed martin ceo who led an independent review of nasa's human space flight program. he is followed by the white house science adviser. this is about 20 minutes. >> we are very fortunate at this point in time to have a leader at nasa such as the general, and it is a pivotal time whose impact is going to be so important. i like to a knowledge several members of the committee that are here today, charlie mentioned several of them did. i would like to thank them for all they had done to contribute to this effort. i have been asked to offer the perspective of our group that conducted the study of future planning for the human space flight program, and to share with you a few of the factors that have to be considered in

putting together a space program that will be sustainable. i should mention in our committee, we have 10 members including astronauts, scientists, engineers, former presidential appointees, air force general officers, so on. we were given 90 days to conduct our study, the title of which was "seeking a human spaceflight program worthy of a great nation." i should probably emphasize the role that we were asked to take. we were specifically not asked to make a recommendation as to a particular human space flight program, rather, we would offer options. the reason for that was to permit us to be very independent and dispassionate in trying to provide the pros and cons of various alternatives, not to be burdened with having to defend any particular

recommendation. furthermore, the answer to what is inappropriate space program depends so heavily on what the nation can afford to pay for. in that, of course, is the role of the congress and president, not something that we can address. in all candor, i spent most of my adult life working in the space program. candidly, i am an advocate. i have many friends that are on all sides of the current debate about the space program, and this is a topic which reasonable people can do disagree. let me quickly summarize the issues that need to be taken into consideration in putting together a program such as the one the president described today. it has many independent moving parts. first of all, there is a space shuttle program. a long time ago, the space

shuttle program was to be terminated at the end of the fiscal year. we would depend upon russia until we had inappropriate launch vehicle to launch our astronauts and a lower orbit. that interim appears to be five- seven years. we could, of course, restart the shuttle program, but the problem with doing that is that it consumes funds that are badly needed for the exploration program. furthermore, it confines us to lower orbit for a prolonged bit of time. it does have the benefit to reduce the turbulence in the employment of a very talented group of people. once again, one is faced with trying to maintain continuity of employment and on the other, having a program for the future.

the previous plan called for that program five years from now after only five years of operation. it would seem that the marginal benefit our costs. we will continue to operate the program another five years, furthermore, the committee visits with other leaders convinced us that to stop operating the iss five years from now -- and let me turn to the constellation program. at that time the constellation program was initiated, it very reasonably was a program that

could certainly be defended, but for a large variety of reasons, the actual funding that has been available has been about 1/3 less than the original plan. that is exacerbated by several other factors, one that there was no money to take the iss from beyond the first five years, so to continue it, you have to take more money to make the plan work, and there is no provision made. now 900,000 plus, it needs to be responsibly disposed of when its life does come to an end. various technical problems as we all know, because i'm led by a tough development program required funds to solve those problems. the bottom line is that a review

of our committee, the consolation program as it existed was not executable. the same reason it was a mismatch between the resources that were available to the plan in the effort. there is also a further issue. in addition to what was being asked of the citizens, it was to add another $60 million to the budget over the next two decades to what was already in the plan for the constellation. in the late 2020, we would land on the moon. in talking to many people, particularly young people, the reaction intended to be, that was my grandfather's space program. i say that with all apologies to buzz aldrin and neil. the next thing that should be mentioned is the area's one, the

launch vehicle. of course, it suffered from the problems of the constellations, four years into its life, we conducted the study last summer, a schedule that slipped between three and five years so that it was too late to support the international space station, really too early to support the exploration program in return to the moon. meanwhile, is consuming money that is much needed for heavy launch vehicles and other purposes. the heavy lift launch vehicle is very clear that the station needs a hit or miss launch vehicle, and soon. that was the conclusion of the steady 20 years ago as well. it is a capability in terms of the areas 5, it barely started. much of the money had to be diverted away from it. according to the orion capital,

the once again will be needed in the space program, more or less in the direction it takes. it less costly version of it will provide for us a very good rescue vehicle that could be used if, indeed, we shot the shuttle down as it tends to do. finally, there is the issue of the approved a lower orbit. nasa is essentially trapped in a lower orbit by the cost of hauling cargo, and by using commercial firms to provide the capability, there should be substantial savings possible. they can move on the more exciting things like exploring outer space as opposed to hauling cargo and people between here in 300 miles from here.

you may recall the commercial airlines were created when the u.s. government awarded contrast. we have the same kind of opportunity here for nasa to award contracts for people to carry fuel and more work. and nasa can focus on the more exciting things. i would never suggest that we confuse airline operations with space operations, but on the other hand, the question does arise. do we have less faith in the u.s. aerospace industry to carry our astronauts to orbit than we do in the russian industry to carry our astronauts to orbit? [applause] this is a decision that entails risk. there is no question about it. what with the strong active

oversight, our industry is up to the job. finally, the question arises and the president really addressed to this, why conduct space exploration at all? there are benefits to economy, education, to science, but the real benefit is that it gives us a way to chart the way for humankind to expand its presence out into the solar system. it does seem that we have a need for a second -- we have this set demanding goals, and that goal was landing humans on mars. we are not ready to do that, in part due to the neglect of technology. no doubt we will be able to land humans on mars, in the not too distant future, and on the other

hand, we have a lot of exciting opportunities in the meantime. it was a concept for space exploration where one takes steps every few years for something ever more exciting, including things like circumnavigating mars, orbiting mars, landing on an object. that probably will include at some point, returning to the moon. landing on the moons of mars. as a highly simplified version of our report. for those of you that like to read those kind of things, you'll recognize the president's program as being close to the options that we had proposed. it would seem that adequately

funded, timely decisions are made, the president's program does one get away to have a human spaceflight program worthy of a great nation. and as others have said, transportation and exploration. thank you very much. >> your words are very illuminating to me. i will ask dr. john to come forward and give you some thoughts. john. >> i want to start by thanking charlie for that very gracious introduction and, in even more, i want to thank him for his extraordinary service to this nation, a career that senator nelson summarized briefly that included being a marine aviator, a test pilot, and now,

after another kind of service, the extraordinarily farsighted administrator of nasa. i also want to thank norm augustine in his panel for the extraordinary service that they did. i also know the high value that their painstaking findings held for me, for the nasa administrator, for the president as we grapple with the challenge formulating a plan that would, in fact, be worthy of a great nation. i also want to recognize the astronauts that have been good enough to come here today. the current astronauts in the former astronaut's. buzz aldrin and has already been mentioned, one of the first to human beings, twice a shuttle pilot and shuttle commander. i have counted at least another eight who were here today,

john, ed, bob, mr. melvin, and the thomas, mike, and i don't know if i've missed any. i do need to say that the courage that it takes to allow yourself to be strapped on a 5 million pounds of thrust and rocketed into space, never mind the courage it takes for them to step outside the capsule out there. it is something i can only imagine, barely. i think we of these heroes an enormous step. -- we owe these heroes and enormous debt. [applause] we will break out into the four parallel panels.

if i had to encapsulate, in just a few words, it is a faster pace in space. war missions and more destinations, sooner, at lower cost. the plan offers a more productive and more affordable and more visionary approach. then the plan that replaces. by expanding commercial capability, for carrying cargo and astronauts and allowing an asset to devote more resources to advanced technologies for exploring the space, the president's plan will greatly increase the number of missions to the international space station between now and 2020 by u.s. astronauts, expanding the u.s. use of the station for

science and as a platform for advanced technology development. people increase the total number of missions, human and robotic at launch from this space center between now and 2020. it will shorten the duration of dependence on russian rockets for carrying u.s. astronauts following retirement of the shuttle. it will accelerate the development of the advanced technologies needed to take our astronauts beyond lower orbit with greater safety, shorter trip times, greater capabilities in the destination, and at lower cost than current technology. it will expand their roster of deep space destinations the u.s. astronauts will be able to visit after 2020, so that roster includes not only the moon but the moons of mars, and ultimately, the martian surface. as people come to understand the

flesh and bones, it is inspiration andal.. -- it is inspirational and worthy of a great nation. with that, i would like to invite folks to depart for the various breakout sessions. i and stand the logistics of that have already been made -- made known to people. if i am correctly informed, you know how to get to the panels. there are four of them. the panel on expanding use of the international space station , a panel on advanced technologies into moving deeper into space. a panel of the destinations and flexible path forward, and a panel on the economic opportunities associated with the new plan.

i am hoping that you all know where you're going. if you don't, you'll have to rely on somebody besides me to tell you. thank you very much. >> texas senator kay bailey hutchison is the ranking member of the committee overseeing the nasa program, and she spoke about the administration of's shift of nasa priorities. >> later today, president obama will travel to the kennedy space center in florida. he will visit with employees and officials, and deliver a speech on his vision. to learn the details on what the president may be announcing, so far, nothing has been suggested that alleviates the concerns that i expressed on the floor earlier this week. concerned. i have serious questions about the administration's proposed vision. for example, the president is proposing to rely on a

commercial space launch industry that is still in its infancy. once the space shuttle is retired, a commercial vehicle would be the only american human space flight capability for the foreseeable future. further, we are about to complete the international space station and begin the period of scientific research that we have been waiting for. for the past ten years, we have waited for the space station to be up and going and operable. at the same time that it is now becoming operable, we are beginning to phase out the space shuttle program, and that is the only means that we have to deliver crew and cargo to the space station. we are nowhere close to having an alternative to the shuttle, whether government operated or commercial operation. congress and the president agree that we should extend the life of the space station to at least

2020. that only makes sense because we have invested $100 billion in this space station. our partners are international. we have contractual commitments to our partners who have also made huge investments in the space station, and yet now we are looking at stopping our shuttle at the end of this year so that our alternatives are going to be very limited. we must be certain that the space station can be supplied and maintained with the spare parts and equipment it needs to operate for the next ten years. it may well be that equipment needed to ensure the sustainability of the space station can only be delivered by the space shuttle. i introduced legislation last month to require nasa to have a review o

and i identify anything that might be needed to be delivered to equipment for its research mission. of course, nasa could do that review right now without legislation, and i urge general bolden, the nasa administrator to undertake such a review, particularly in light of the space shuttle not being extended under the present oppose the proposal. -- president's proposal. it is possible to deliver the necessary materials to the station. that is an option that i believe we need to preserve. it is part of the legislation that i introduced that would -- it would put astronauts and space with a vehicle we know is reliable. that is the key.

the budget is already providing -- it would be a contingency. we have it paid for in the budget. . . extend these out, it will give us so many more national options that would be in america's best interests. without a nasa-managed alternative for human access to space, we will be dependent on the russian soyuz rockets to take american, european, japanese and canadian crew members to the space station. today, it is a cost of of $56 million per passenger. now, that price could go up. if we end the space shuttles this year, we don't know what the next contract might have, especially when it is realized that we will have no capability and are shutting down our own

capabilities at the time that we would be asking for help from the russians. of even more concern is the possibility that without a shuttle or other alternative, that any failure of the soyuz for any period of time could lead the space station to be abandoned and become an orbiting example of space debris. what if something happened to the russian program, and what if the commercial industry that is very fledgling doesn't come up with an alternative or worse yet, what if they go out of business? well, these are the concerns that the president is not addressing in its budget for nasa, and i hope that he will become more willing to look at the long-term consequences of what he is proposing to do if we are going to retain our

leadership position, in case, in economics, and in security. these and other concerns have been expressed by a number of other individuals, editorial boards and organizations over the past days. i would like to insert into the record letters and editorials expressing serious reservations about the president's plan and its adverse impact to our nation's future leadership in space. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the letters from which i am going to read and the editorials be made a part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. hutchison: i'm going to highlight a number of the key quotes from these documents. let me start with a letter by three of our nation's renowned astronauts, true american heroes neil armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon from america, commander of apollo xi, james lovell, commander of apollo xiii and james cernan,

commander of apollo xvii. in a letter, they state that although some of the president's proposals have merit, the decisions to con sell the constellation program is devastating. they say -- "america's only path to low earth orbit and the international space station will now be subject to an agreement with russia to purchase space on their soyuz at a price of over over $50 million per seat with significant increases expected in the near future. until we have the capacity to provide transportation for ourselves, the availability of a commercial transport to orbit as envisioned in the president's proposal cannot be predicted with any certainty but is likely to take substantially longer and be more expensive than we would hope. it appears that we will have wasted our current

current $10 billion-plus investment in the constellation and equally important we will have lost the many years required to re-create the equivalent of what we have now discarded. for the united states, the leading space ferrying nation for nearly half a century to be without carriage to low earth orbit and with no human space exploration capability to go beyond earth orbit for an indeterminant time in the future destines our nation to become one of the second or even third-rate in stature. while the president's plan envisages humans traveling away from earth and perhaps toward mars at some time in the future, the lack of developed rockets and spacecraft will assure that ability will not be available for many years. without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the u.s.a. is far too likely to be on a downhill slide

to mediocrity. america must decide if it wishes to be a leader in space. if it does, we should institute a program which gives us the very best chance of achieving that goal." that is all from the letter signed by neil armstrong, james level and eugene sermon. in another letter to president obama, 27 space experts, including naugh astronaut and os make the points, america is nearing the ending of a shuttle program and to cancel the constellation program. this is wrong for our country for many reasons. we are very concerned about america ceding its hard-earned global leadership in space technology to other nations. we are stunned that in a time of economic crisis this move will force as many as 30,000

irreplaceable engineers an managers out of the space industry. we see our human exploration program, one of the most inspirational tools to promote science, technology, engineering, and math to our young people being reduced to mediocrity. nasa's human space program has inspired all in wonder in all ages by pursuing the american tradition of exploring the unknown. we strongly urge you to drop this misguided proposal that forces nasa out of human space operation for the foreseeable future. from those of us who have accepted the risk and dedicated a portion of our lives to the exploration of outer space, this is a terrible decision. america's greatness lies in her people. she will always have men and women willing to ride rockets into the heavens. america's challenge is to match

their bravery and acceptance of risk with specific plans and goals worthy of their commitment. nasa must continue at the frontiers of human space exploration in order to develop the technology and set the standards of excellence that will enable commercial space ventures to eventually succeed. canceling nasa's human space operations after 50 years of unparalleled achievement makes that objective impossible. one of the greatest fears of any generation is not leaving things better for the young people of the next. in the area of human space flight we are about to realize that fear. your nasa budget proposal raises more questions about our future in space than it answers. that all from the letter that was signed by 27 people who have dedicated their lives to america's space exploration. in an open letter by astronaut

lee archibald who was a pilot on atlantis in 2007 and discovery in 2009, he says, "as the space program marchs closer to its apparent end, nasa's future is in jeopardy more now than perhaps at any time in our history. the shuttle retirement would yield sole access to the international space station to russia for the projected seven-year gap, the u.s. human space flight tbap. others argue that commercial alternatives exist to ferry our astronauts to and from the space station. not quite yet. our commercial industry is, indeed, getting closer to attaining the ability to send unmanned spacecraft to the space station as we supply ships. ultimately these companies may produce spacecraft safe enough

for human travel to low-earth orbit. i would not base the future on the space station for access much sooner if at all than 2017 if orion is capable of flying to the space station. this option cannot be considered a viable gap filler at this point not until orion or a commercial alternative is indeed ready and capable of transporting our astronauts to and from the space station should we consider retiring the space shuttle. the future of nasa and our manned exploration of space must include flying the shuttle through the gap whatever it may be. finally this week in an editorial from "the washington times" entitled "losing it in space," the editorial from the "times" says, pity por nasa.

-- poor nasa. rather than reaching for the stars it has settled its sights on studying shrimp schools beneath the antarctic ice cap and sticky accelerators on toyotas. such is the scope of hope and change in president obama's universe. the editorial goes on to say, in his 2011 budget the president zeroed out nasa constellation project, the project of launch and landing vehicles that were to replace the aging space shuttle fleet to carry americans into space. this is not a cost-cutting move. the agency is budgeted to receive $19 billion next year. and mr. obama wants to throw an additional $6 billion at it over the next five years. the hitch is he wants to shift its mission toward climate research and airplane design. anxious to stay relevant, nasa agreed to research the cause of

toyota's sudden acceleration problem. nasa administrator charles bolden said thursday that federal money is budgeted for fostering the growth of the space industry including the development of space taxis. but if the results of the president's stimulus are any indication, command economic policy is an inefficient generator of jobs. it goes on to say, as nasa's wings are clipped, our competitors soar. the u.s. space agency even had to sign a $340 million deal with russia on april 6th, to transports astronauts to the international space station through 2014. by then china intends to conduct an ambitious schedule of flights with its spacecraft. it doesn't take much imagination to envision the day when nasa must pay its asian competitor

large sums for american astronauts to ride into orbit as passengers. thanks to mr. obama, the united states will be dependent on russia and china for space travel. the editorial goes on, the space program is a great symbol of the american achievement. the day this nation cedes this conquest to others is the day that we admit that we forfeited our competitive exceptionalism. the study of the antarctic shrimp ecosystem and automobile amoplies should be left to others. a less costly nasa should be relieved of extraneous responsibilities and allowed to retain its core mission, one that no other agency can accomplish, the exploration of space. on behalf of all americans, floridians should make certain the president gets the message loud and clear when he hosts a conference about the agency's future on thursday, today, in

the sunshine state. let nasa be nasa. that is the editorial from "the washington times" earlier this week. let me remind my colleagues that the augustine committee, which the obama administration asked to review the nation's human space flight activities use a subtitle for its report which proposed a set of options for a space program worthy of a great nation. the items i have submitted for the record reflect the thoughts and feelings of many of those who gave us a space program that was worthy of greatness. i believe their words represent a challenge that congress and the president must meet. mr. president, in a few hours, president obama will share the details of his new vision for the future space program. i still remain hopeful the

president will come away from this visit today with a deeper understanding of what is at stake in our nation's history of space exploration. i read offer to, of -- i renew my offer to come up with a plan to bridge the gap necessary -- to bridge the gap set forth by the bipartisan legislation i have introduced and has also been introduced on the house side. all that is needed to align these principles with the president's goal an existing budget realities is a willingness to send -- to take the same risk that have been hallmarks to our nation's commitment to space exploration. some people would say we have got to cut the budget somewhere. why not here? madam president, the answer is this does not cut the budget. the president's proposal does not cover the budget.

it increases the budget. it just turned the money over to private companies that are as yet unproven to try to do something that we have already made a $10 billion in the samantha in and cut it off -- $10 billion in vests -- $10 billion investment in and cut it off, and we will lose all the engineering, the science, the research that has got into this. areas. we will not be able to recreate it. but, yet, we haven't cut the budget a penny. what we have done is squander the capability for america to continue to be the leader of the world in innovation, in creativity and, most certainly, in taking the risk to explore the heavens which have produced so many results in our country. it has produced results from

national defense capabilities. we are putting -- we are using satellites to put bombs into windows from miles out so that we will not have collateral damage and hurt innocent people. we learned that by exploring the heavens. we now have velcro, we have m.r.i.'s, we have health benefits that we could never have gotten without the research that we did to go into space. now we have a $100 billion investment in a space station that will specialize within n.i.h. and other agencies in doing research that cannot be done on the ground because of the microgravity conditions. and, yet, we are stopping the capability at the end of this year for americans to go into space under our own auspices.

madam president, this is not sound policy for our country. and i'm urging the president to listen to people like neil armstrong and gene sernon and jim level, and former administrators that have knowledge behind mine or his about what we can do for the future. we need to rethink the position that is being announced today and remember that america's greatness is dependent on our creativity and our entrepreneurial spirit. and stopping midtrack and turning everything over to private companies that are in their fledgling stage is not the answer. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president? the pres

a news conference with leaders of the group tea party expressed on this year's congressional elections. after that, supreme court justices stephen briar and clarence thomas talk about the court's budget request for the next year, and later, president obama outlines his plan for nasa and the future of space flight. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] tomorrow morning, a look at the congressional agenda own with sharon brown of ohio. robert sloan is the author of an article but says wall street is the key to democracy.

also, more about the future of nasa. "washington journal" is live on c-span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> all this month, see the winners of the studentcam documentary competition. middle school and high-school students submitted videos on one of the country's greatest strengths or a challenge the country is facing. what's this every day at 6:50 eastern just before "washington journal." at 8:30, meet the students who made them, and for a preview of all of the winners visit studentcam.org. >> part of an investigation into last year's fort hood shooting. joe lieberman and susan collins leave the committee. this is a little less than half an hour. -- leave the committee.

this is a little less than half an hour -- joe lieberman and susan collins lead the committee. this is a little less than half an hour. >> we want to provide you with an update on the murder of 13 americans by major hassan at fort hood and also to discuss are frustrated efforts to obtain information to answer critical questions about why our government was unable to prevent these murders senator collins and i send our first formal request of information essential to the inquiry. since then, we have sent four

additional requests letters and numerous e-mails and engaged in repeated conversations to obtain the information and access to the witnesses we believe we need to fulfill our homeland security committee's responsibilities. i regret to say our efforts to obtain this information necessary to conduct of thorough investigation of this homeland terrorist act have been met with much foot-dragging, a very limited assistance, and changing reasons why the administration cannot provide us with the information we have requested. in short, the response of the executive branch to this

thoroughly legitimate congressional request for information has been in a -- inadequate and unreasonable. senator, and and i have now informed the administration by letter if it fails to provide us with critical information we need toon inquiry by next monday, april 19, we will serve the departments of defense and justice with subpoenas to obtain that information. we do not like they reach the decision, and we do so only as a last way to obtain the information our committee needs to fulfill our responsibility to gather information that will enable us to better protect america's homeland security. we think we have been patient and respectful in our dealings with the administration.

much of this information has been available on the internet. the of three of this committee but not the key witnesses the house of -- they have a brief this committee but not the key witnesses. we believe we must have access to the fbi and department of defense documents and witnesses related to information those agencies had about major hassan before the shootings last november, as well as his official personnel and performance evaluations. the and ministration claims this information could compromise -- the administration claims disinformation could compromise the future of major hassan.

we strenuously -- disagree. senator collins and i have no intention of the uprising the case. we have pledged to work with the administration to avoid doing just the theory of we have record of conducting many investigations and doing so in an independent manner in accordance with our constitutional authority, and we have always maintain the confidentiality of classified information that comes before us. the argument of providing access to front-line agents will compromise the prosecution of major hassan is without merit and contrary to executive branch president. there are many examples of testimony from fbi agents, even when they might face trial

witnesses in on going cases. one recent example is from the inquiry on september 11. staff interviewed several agents involved in investigating and arresting him, even though the joint inquiry the government knew the some of those agents will likely testify a fifth trial the inquiry got the information it needed regarding flawed counter- terrorism efforts and then proceeded to his conviction, and that this is what the what should happen here. the painful fact is 13 americans died in the fort hood massacre. we owe it to them and survivors to determine whether our

government could have prevented their deaths and if so, why it did not so we can make sure it does the next time. shortly after the november 5 murders, the president obama said he not only about from the congressional investigation but that congress should investigate after if -- to investigate. we concluded that even within the administration did not hear the president's words were they have been overturned. -- or they have been overturned. unless there is a change, we're going to extend those next week. the letters are available on the committee's web site.

>> shortly after the november 5 terrorist attack at for a hood, the president said he not only -- of fort hood, the president said he not only welcomed the investigation -- he said congress should investigate. we have been stymied by this administration in our attempt to gain access to the documents in order to better understand what the government's new about major hassan. congress must fully understand

the example of home-based terrorism in order to find ways to help prevent it from occurring in the future, and in order to perform our vital oversight function, we must have the cooperation of administration officials. i would know senator lieberman is an chairman and i am the ranking member of the chief committee from gaining access to the information we need to effectively carry out our constitutional role. that is why we are very concerned about the

administration [pause] approach -- administration's approach of spoon feeding selected facts rather than giving information to the data and individuals we need. they have been given access to essential documents through the three groups who have been conducting the administration costs investigation of this incident. the influence the investigation but was conducted by the former chief of naval operations and a former secretary of the army. both of them are private individuals, yet they have been given access to documents and

individuals are committee has been denied access to. it includes giving access to the personnel file. they were given access to documents and witnesses that our investigation has not have access to is simply unacceptable. i also want to emphasize the chairman and i have spent over backwards to accommodate -- have

happened over backwards to accommodate the concerns -- have spent over backwards to accommodate the concerns. we have pointed out that our committee rules prohibit the disclosure of confidential information during the course of the investigation. we have pointed out that the debate clause of the constitution protects the materials we developed or are given access to from being discovered by major hassan [pause] attorney. -- major hassan's attorney. we have taken a step after step to accommodate any legitimate concerns expressed by this administration. unfortunately, what we are dealing with are not legitimate concerns, but rather what seems

to be an inexplicable determination to stalemate our investigation. i want to emphasize again that we do not take the step of issuing subpoenas slightly. when i was chairman of the committee, we were forced to issue five subpoenas of bush administration officials, and i take offense the very seriously and -- i took that step very seriously as well, but we have come to a point where we are not going to be able to carry out our independent by purchasing an investigation without access to these documents -- bipartisan investigation without access to these documents. we have no choice but to issue the subpoenas unless the

situation changes over the weekend. >> we will be open for questions now. >> >> our staff has given notice to the legislative liaisons, and we still hope this will work out, but there has been nothing specific forthcoming. >> our latest letter to the department of the judge -- department of justice and the department of defense makes very clear we are proceeding with the issuance of a subpoena unless we got compliance. >> the pentagon has released some of the fixes it is going to do to address some of the information sharing and the aspects brought out so far.

did that give you a chance to see what they put out? >> this was a story that was out today. first, i think senator collins and i should say the timing of this is oddly coincidental with our announcement today, which we gave notice of of respect. secondly, it is hard to know what they have put out. our staff inquired about it in a couple hours since we have known this, and we are told it is simply a memo suggesting a response as to the report to someone in the secretary of defense costs office -- secretary of defense costs office, and nothing has happened -- secretary of

defense's office, and nothing has happened. this was a devastating event. a member of the american military turned on a fellow soldiers and killed 13 of them on an american military base. as we look through the information that became available, the media have access to a lot of people we are trying to get access to now, and we have learned elsewhere there is a tough and reasonable question about whether either the department of justice or department of defense or both really knew enough to have taken action to prevent a song from being in a position to carry out these martha -- to prevent hassan from being in a position to carry out this murder.

we have a record of bipartisanship. i give you an example of why it is important to be independent. there is a bit of a dispute about accountability in one critical regard. the defense department seems to suggest the joint terrorism task force, which apparently found evidence he was communicating with the radical cleric did not inform the department of defense of of fat. but as a material question. give we have other information that there were defense personnel that knew about if all the time. that is just one reason there is need for an independent congressional investigation.

>> i would add to savy the pointing of fat in investigation does not -- pointing out that it does not obviate the need for an independent congressional investigation. we wrote the terrorism prevention act in 2004 that set up many of the techniques being questioned today. it did not work of the anticipated. it is too restrictive on sharing information.

there is no substitute for an independent congressional review of what happened. >> here is a question i want answered. why didn't the fbi when it saw a member of the american military was communicating with a radical islamic cleric open of the investigation. that is a vague question we want answered. -- that is a big question we want answered. >> they said, we are going to let the investigators to there's first.

>> i respect those that may reach other conclusions. this is an urgent matter. i worry that terrorist groups and extremist groups may be attempting to compromise other citizens and members of the military. i want to answer every question as quickly as we can so we can make recommendations to the executive branch or legislate in a way that will prevent this kind of massacre from happening again, and i cannot say enough, it is not an adequate excuse for the lack of cooperation from the administration to say they fear we are going to prosecute criminal prosecution.

they will say over and over again we will not do that. to try to figure out what happened with the information the fbi obtained about female communications -- about female communications does not go to the trial of this man. -- about email communications does not go to the trial of this man. the prosecution is up to the prosecutors -- not us. rx we are not seeking to interview the individuals -- >> we are not seeking to interview the individuals we are looking at the events leading up to the crime.

the idea that some not is going to compromise the ability to -- that somehow is going to compromise the ability to be about to prosecute the case is not valid. >> we have seen reports he has been targeted as a target in killing. is it possible that they're concerned about his communications with major hassan and others, that that could somehow interfere with their intelligence operations? >> it is not possible, because if it were possible, they would have made that argument to us. >> do you think the demonstration is flying down the

fort hood shooting was a radical islamist-backed of terrorism -- fact of terrorism. >> i think what is involved is two things. if you ask why i do not think they are clear operating, i would give you a couple of guesses, but my answer is i do not know. my one guesses this is an example of a recurring -- my one guess is this is an example of a recurring conflicts that as occurred with both parties. the second is the people involved in the case of such catastrophic consequences where there were some failures on the people of -- the part of government. i do not know if the five you mention has any relevance to --

the fact you mention has in and relevance. i was startled -- has any relevance. i was startled that the report never used the term "radical islam as extremism." it is known to anyone following your media outlets that this was not just random killing. he was motivated ideologically and shouted out such words as he committed these murders, so we are going to consider theat, but i doubt that is exactly why they are opposing our investigation. >> what are they telling you? >> they think it will compromise criminal prosecution, and we're

interested in what happened before the murder and what signals were missed by people in our government that could have prevented the murder. if the agent of the fbi is called to testify before a hearing, that may compromise their sense of independence in the future. this has happened before, as i mentioned. maybe it is not such a bad idea that they have the sense if they make a mistake they will be held accountable.

>> the argument really does not hold up. after all, there have been internal reviews by people who have authority over the fbi agents. we cannot demote an fbi agent. we cannot take any direct action. plus, there have been outside reviews. there has been a review by the white house, the counterterrorism adviser, said the radio that those would not have an effect on the agents but hours -- so the idea of those would have an effect on the agents of hours would not does not hold water. >> when did the committee itself

offer is it? -- authorize it? >> to enforce the subpoenas, we go to the full committee. of what is required on monday if we do not get compliance is for senator collins and i to sign the subpoena. if the department of justice or the fans do not comply, to enforce the subpoenas, we have to come back and get a vote from the committee and the full senate. thank you. >> thank you.

>> in a few moments, a news conference with the leaders of the group t party express. in a little more than an hour, supreme court justices breyer and thomas testify on capitol hill about the budget proposed for the next year. after that, president obama's plans for nasa and the future of human spaceflight. after that, we will be air the discussion -- reair the discussion of the fort hood shooting. in "washington journal," we will talk with sharon brown of ohio. robert sloan is an author of an article that says wall street is a key to democracy. also, more about the future of nasa with the head of the space

policy institute at george washington university. live every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. >> this weekend, the first of three british election debates. for the first time, prime minister gordon brown, david cameron, and nick clegg will face off in the states. watch them in their entirety for three consecutive weekends sunday at 9:00 eastern pacific on c-span. >> now leaders of the group to party express on this year's congressional election. this is about an hour 15 minutes. >> more than 10,000 people joined us to celebrate america.

get home i would like to welcome you back -- i would like to welcome you back to the united states of america. joining us is one of the co- founders of the national tea party movement. >> good morning. >> we have been variously over the last couple years, -- very busy over the last couple years, playing the framework over this ideology, and much of our focus has been in nevada, where one of the big three happens to have a big group on the state as well. senator harry reid. we kicked off the store in nevada -- of turin in nevada. -- and we kicked off the tour in

nevada. there were as many as 35,000 people at that town. we did more in terms of economic stimulus in one day than harry reid host of his attire existence on this earth -- has done his entire existence on this earth. even though the lady was a harry reid support her, she was giddy with joy. one of our tricks is we are rove this -- ar e rogues. we are ethnically diverse. there are 35 people on our staff. here religiously diverse. we are even politically diverse. beyond the constitution, the narrower the issue, the more of a fight you're going to get, and

that is what we are fighting to protect -- the decision that allows us to be the first, the projects are right to be diverse and to argue our -- to be the verse and the projects are right to be diverse and argue our point. america is a grand experience. the only one of its kind in human history were the entire nation is created on a premise that only legitimate reason for a government to exist as for the advancement and protection of individual human life. -- human rights. not the rights of somebody who will not get off their sofa to take care of themselves and of the rights of the major corporation that cannot figure out if you give money to someone who cannot pay if a vacuum, you're going to lose -- pay it back, you are going to lose.

we need to return the united states government for the constitution. [applause] >> thank you. we kicked off this touraine -- in nevada. we launched -- it was january that we were in reno. we launched our defeat harry reid campaign, so at this point i want to have ryan play the commercial area -- play that commercial. >> time and again, harry reid has shown disdain for the people he is supposed to be serving. the dishonored our troops overseas and called the mission of failure.

he showed contempt for his constituents when they confronted him in congress. now he has the nerve to compare components of government-run health care to those who supported slavery. senator reid and -- it is we the people who have been slaves to your arrogance, your billion dollar bailout, and out of control deficit spending. you have filled the people of nevada and the people of america -- you have failed the people of nevada and the people of america. we are going to vote you out of office. [applause] >> the commercial is a great commercial we did back in

january, and we were a year old on february 27, when we hold our first tee for the last year, but today is the first anniversary of -- are first key party last year, but today is the first anniversary. if this movement is continuing to grow. after they passed health care legislation, my phone has not stopped ringing because people are upset, and that is good because we want this movement to grow. we are our great hope for the media. we bring great awareness to this movement and are bringing people out to get engaged. the bottom line is while it springs awareness, if we truly want change, we have to get involved, and this is where we

start. we are happy about this. we have a lot to work -- a lot of work to do, and i think we are committed to that. >> this is then add we used. >> we, the voters, are about to have a showdown with harry reid, and you are invited to help us send him home for an early retirement. join us for the rally.

bring your best tea party signed, along share or blanket, and your determination to take our country back from the failed politicians fear regan complete details are available on-line -- from the failed politicians. complete details are available on-line. >> since we started this juror, we have been in the news -- started this, we have been in the news cycle, and that is our goal. when we come into town and pick a high-profile race of a particularly egregious violation of the public trust, that makes

news. when we by these ads, for every one of these ads will run, over and over again in the news, it gives quite of bowes, which multiplies the effect. --- quite a buzz, which multiplies the effect. we cannot simply pass legislation and reach into every buddy's profit. nuclear fuel by region we are fueled by donation. -- we are fueled by donations. i am from boston. this is the first time i was on boston common in many years. we are very good at marketing and very effective, and we get

hurt. -- heard. we cut through the stranglehold new york and washington have and actually talk to people. we cut through the hollywood values we all know we live by. we cut through that and go directly to the people. >> while we have these targets such as harry reid and others, we also have some heroes of the patriot movement, and i think mark is going to talk about one of those now. >> for those of you who think we are our republican tool, i will show you the knife wounds i have from the republican party. we have contributed to the demise of john doolittle. .

>> indeed do not call me ma'am, boxer. she said that to a guy that had been shot at his whole life. we contributed to his campaign as well.

we are supporting the candidacy of chuck. [applause] he is a solid conservative. when you disagree politically with him, he is open to discussion. discussing it in the context of the show me how it is good for the country and we can proceed with the conversation. these are logical candidates for a lot of these races. in his case, he has been through the legislature. he has been politically active on these conservative issues. he has been out there working. we feel that with his experience and his adherents to the idea of america that he would be an excellent replacement for barbara boxer. applaud that. [applause]

>> another tea party hero we are supporting is michelle bachman from minnesota. michele joined us at our tea party of a dent in minnesota. i do not know how long ago it was. we were very proud to endorse her. there are very few people on the hill, very few congressmen and women that stands strong as leaders and listened to the people and their message resonates with the people. michelle bachman is one of those people. we appreciate her leadership. she is the one that got on "and eddy" last november and called for the american -- "hannity"

last november and call for the american people to say that they do not want this health care bill. she has been a strong leader. we appreciate her leadership and hope that she continues to speak for the people and listen to the people. that is exactly what she does. we are proud of her for that and that is why we endorse her. >> she is a very effective congresswoman. >> aside from supporting people for office, there are a couple of people that we would like to see taken early retirement and discover their families and spend time with them. one of them was in michigan. we had planned stops in michigan on the upper peninsula. originally, we were going to drive to the district and

celebrate and congratulate him for standing firm on principle. we are still a little bit naive. do not live in this town. after he made us realize that we were wrong, we beefed up our schedules in michigan. we committed a quarter million dollars to an advertising campaign. >> last friday we were in michigan. someplace i had never been or even heard of. he announced his retirement. he had a press conference and announced his retirement. [applause] not only had we announced that we were going to do these rallies, but we invited him to come and participate in these rallies to interact with his

constituents. we had an advertising campaign on the tv and the radio to get him to retire. we are going to play that video. >> parts to pack, you have betrayed our -- bart stupak, you have betrayed our constitution. join the tea party express as we send bart packing to an early retirement. join us as we fight to defeat bart stupak. [applause] >> darned it did not work. -- if it did not work. we do not take credit. the tea party people and good americans all over michigan and around the country have been working very hard to defeat bart

stupak and make him realize that he had a family that he wanted to spend time with. this is the final clip. as a 30-year talk-show host, i can be pretty cynical. for me to see the people of michigan to react to the news -- they were electrified. when it really works and it really happens we go, whoa, how did that happen? i am in trouble. they know who i am now. i was on a radio show in detroit. they were talking that are township has turned into a major controversy. so many people showed up at the local authorities were overwhelmed. it is impossible to know

exactly. this is truly grass roots. all that we do is run to the front of keith parade and say follow us. we were dancing and partying and singing. they were inspired. and by the time we got to massachusetts -- who knew that there were over 10,000 conservatives in massachusetts. for every one that showed up, there are probably 20 more working for a living. >> with scott brown's victory in massachusetts and the announcement of bart stupak's retirement, those are two victories for the people not only for their constituents, but the people across this country. most of these people have never been politically active in their lives.

they have never donated for campaigns. they are getting a dent -- they're getting involved and affecting races. scott brown is a perfect example. when we announced our endorsement of him, we ended up doing a $350,000 advertising campaign to support him. we brought up all of the tv spots in massachusetts. when there were no more spots to buy, we took it national on fox news. >> the big government politicians in washington have failed us. bank failures, skyrocketing unemployment, higher taxes, it is time to bring some sanity back to washington. we at the tea party express and/or scott brown. his fight to cut wasteful spending and stop the government run health care fiasco has earned our support.

[applause] >> scott brown was a big victory. bart stupak was a big victory. we were going to get to our target races. the key is that the people across the country will be getting involved in these other campaigns as well. that is part about it -- part of taking back our country. >> as a native bostonian, most of my adult life, when i was living there, i was not represented. barney frank was my congressman. [laughter] please. when we get to boston, the media had been going nuts because scott brown was not at our event. you have been snubbed.

are you angry? he was doing at hearings on the nuclear program at iran. he'd gone on me -- at it dawned on me that massachusetts, they elected a representative that actually represents them, that he could not believe he would not drop the nation's business to shake hands and appear on stage next to sarah palin. they interpret that as an act -- everything from a snub to sarah palin and the snub for us. we have a guy that is willing to work for his paycheck in washington and they are trying to make him pay for it. >> we have a strategist. he is our political director. they are going to unveil the tea party expressed election target

for 2010. [applause] >> thank you. the tea party expresse is a political movement, not a political party. you hear the political debate all of the time. we focus on economic issues. we do not have a platform on social issues or foreign policy. we found that across the country, we focus on five issues that americans are concerned with, we have a big section of americans who want to take this country back. the five issues -- on the bus people keep asking what they are. i just point to the boss. it has been on the bus.

when you see us on tea party express iv, it will be the same. to reduce the size of intrusive government. stop raising our taxes. stop out-of-control spending. no government run health care. it is pretty simple. [applause] when we started, in politics you always have to be trouble on -- be careful what you promised to do. you get nervous when you say we have to go out and defeat nancy pelosi in san francisco. we would love to beat her in san francisco, but we cannot. you could beat her with the socialist or somebody on the left. you cannot beat her with the conservative. we tried to keep our focus on the doable. have a lot of candidates who

cannot win it -- who cannot win. we started with three u.s. senators who were our targets. chris dodd, connecticut. a member of congress that was probably most responsible for the housing crossing -- housing crisis. arlen specter of pennsylvania, who, at the time, was a sorry excuse for a republican. and harry reid in nevada, who had been consistently elected as a conservative, but was leading america far to the left. since we announced that last year, dodd has quit. [applause] arlen specter has changed parties and become a democrat to try to salvage his political career. and thanks to the people of nevada, and we have been at any

town of over 200. harry reid is now trailing by 10 and 15 points by -- to all of his republican opponents. as he has pointed out, we expanded our tiger -- the target list after the vote on obamacare to include stupak he quit. we said we to take back america in november, 2010. we may take back america before the way we are doing -- the way we are going. we have to expand our targets because they are dropping like flies. we have to get a few more on the list. it is a combination of rewarding our friends and punishing our enemies. one thing that is so important to do, as somebody who got his

political career started by working for an old actor in california in 1966. when he became president in 1980, it was not just republicans who are allowed us to get the tax cuts and the success getting -- fighting communism. it was the blue dog democrats. you cannot just be a republican organization. we have to be an influential force in both political parties. as part of that, we have to recognize those people who have been leaders in both political parties. we have to go after those people that are vulnerable. there are states that are clearly conservative on the economic issues we have on the bus, and yet they continued to not go with the wishes of the voters. we have expanded our target list

from three to eight. we have added lance in arkansas. arkansas is a very conservative state, she put it off a disgraceful display of selling her vote for more spending, which we're trying to stop. there are a number of good republican candidates at the primary. we still have harry reid to make sure that we finish him off. we are looking forward to going to pennsylvania to show that arlen specter can not save his life by changing parties. one of the senators that has been most obnoxious in condemning the tea party movement and saying that we are bunch of crackpots and knots is barbara boxer of california.

she has moved right up. [applause] we are glad to do that. chuck is in the states -- state assembly in california. he has been out and at almost every rally we have had in california supporting the tea party movement. we support him. the other races in the senate that we are involved in is the great state of florida where we have a tremendous cuban- american rubio. we have a message now. >> it has gotten a slow start, but it is picking up. >> i am here in the middle of our bus tour across florida. i wanted to thank the tea party

expressed for your endorsement. 2010 has a chance to be a great year for the movement. those who believe in limited government. we have an opportunity to let people to washington who will go up there and stand up to the reid, pelosi, obama agenda and offer an alternative. i wish you luck on your own bus tour that is ending up in washington d.c. i look forward to joining you soon in washington d.c. where we will make sure that our children and herrick what we inherited from our parents, the greatest country in the world. thank you. [applause] >> in florida, this is the case or we have a republican governor who is running against rubio,

who ran as a conservative and then abandoned the cause. he tried to get cute and try to be all things to all people. and when you do that, you lose your base and you use -- you lose your electability. there are two very competitive republican primaries in states that are going to be the battles in the primaries. that is in kentucky. we have two good congressman running in the great state of kansas. we have endorsed a consistent supporter on economic issues. in kentucky, we have the son of ron paul that we are endorsing

in the state of kentucky. [applause] then the person who probably is most responsible for getting arlen specter to change parties was the candidate that ran against him last year, pat is running again. we are proud to endorse him. [applause] one of the things that republicans are frustrated with is that too many people in the republican party have a standoff attitude towards the tea party movement. for some reason, they do not want to get close to the tea party movement. it is the most irritating thing. you read the republican platform and it is very good in terms of our issues. some of our leaders cannot stick to it. one real leader for

conservatives, i do not think he is in any political trouble, that is jim demint in south florida. [applause] i am going to skip archenteron it in nevada. we have that candidate here -- skip our candid that -- candidate in nevada. we have him here. we have five members of congress who have voted with us on every single important vote on obamacare and others. their districts are very conservative. that is hill, a longtime incumbent. john spratt has been there forever in south carolina. in your neck of the woods in virginia tom.

in west virginia 1, alan. we have added those to the bart stupak list that we will get rid of before november. you all know him as the most obnoxious member -- we have two of the most obnoxious members, not three or four or five. one person that has been particularly hostile to the tea party movement and that is alan from florida up. [applause] since most of us are probably legally qualified to vote in nevada, we have been there so much, we have a fabulous candidate, a doctor in nevada.

we are really proud to endorse dr. joe. [applause] our final target list is another virginia race, gerry connolly. he will be good to improve the ethics of the 11th congressional district in virginia. as i said earlier, we have to remember to reward our friends. we have endorsed a number of incumbents. republicans who have stood with the tea party movement from the very beginning. tom mcclintock, in california four, tom price in georgia sex. he has been a champion in fighting -- george up 6 --

georgia six. he has been a champion in fighting obamacare. we were honored to have a great congressmen in joe wilson in south carolina. [applause] another tireless worker for the tea party movement is marcia at tennessee southern. as i said earlier, we have to be effective and influential in both political parties. sometimes that makes us make some difficult decisions. we have to reward some democrats who have been willing to stand up on tough issues. we are going to endorse walt, a democrat in idaho. [applause] we went from three to 15 or 20.

hopefully, that will give us a couple of months before they all quit on us. thank you very much. and that is our target list. [applause] now like to drink of our coordinator for the tea party express who has taken a keen interest in the state of nevada. she probably knows -- he probably knows more about nevada than most nevadans. >> as he mentioned on the tea party express we have crisscrossed across the state of nevada holding rallies in reno, henderson, las vegas, laughlin, searchlight.

we have spent a lot of time in the state. we have made it a point to work with local tea party groups and talk to the people there and get their impressions about how they see the lay of the land. we also want to help emerging contenders to defeat harry reid. through this period of time and going to these communities and working with the individuals who wish to replace senator reid, there was one candidate who stood out above the rest. she is a four-time state assemblywoman and she has always stood up to the establishment of both parties. she does not care you do not like her for her views. she stands up for her views because she knows there are bright. she is an advocate for liberty

and the constitution. as we realized as we realized, should we stay out of this primary or let the candidates of nevada sort this out and then get behind the eventual winner? we realize that because of an attitude like that, we allowed ourselves to have a congress where members of the republican and democrat party proposed out of control deficit spending, higher taxes, higher regulation. we had more people like the woman that i am going to bring up here now, whenever have had this problem. please give a warm round of applause for the woman we are endorsing for united states senator in nevada and we will give her the resources necessary to beat harry reid, sharon engel. [applause]

>> thank you. thank you. thank you so much. good morning american patriots. you have brought a tsunami of conservatism across this country. i just wanted to say thank-you, thank you, thank-you to the tea party express' fourth being the leader of a group. we are an unorganized band. we know what we want. that is a concern -- a conservative values, those things that our founding fathers fought for and we have children fighting for today. it is incumbent upon us to fight for them right here in washington d.c. thank you very much for being here. i want to say thank-you to sarah

palin for acknowledging us yesterday. she said that we were a tsunami and we are. i am running for the people's seat in nevada in the u.s. senate. i am running opposing, let's make a deal, harry reid, who has embarrassed us with the court custard -- cornhuskers' kickback, the louisiana purchase, and the free ride. he has showed us how it -- how totally unconcerned washington d.c. is with impropriety, even not making it look like they want to make a deal. he is just too big to fail. have you heard that before? too big to fail. i will tell you something. he has been driving us over a

cliff for years. i do not really trust him behind the wheel of that bus he is driving around. he has been throwing that under the bus. he has been waterboarding to our economy for over a year. he has given us the bailouts, the stimulus, obamacare, cash for clunkers. harry reid, you failed america. not only has he failed america, but he failed nevada. we have the highest unemployment rate in the whole united states. over 13%. we have a 27% decrease in our tourism. that is our major industry. we have ap -17.5% on the housing index. harry reid has failed nevada as well.

i say that it is time to say, harry reid, you are fired. [applause] it is not just about voting against someone. everyone says that we are just the naysayers. we have solutions and we have positive choices to make, too. the tea party signs are great. the good guys do make the best lines. in search like they say, you cannot fix stupid, but you can vote it out. they said anybody but harry. it really is not anybody but that can fill the seat. we need somebody positive, somebody that we can believe in, somebody that does not run right and vote left. we need somebody that understands what the constitution says.

i feel a little bit lonely today. i usually bring smith and wesson all along. i am going to give washington d.c. and lesson in the constitution, especially the second amendment. i did not come alone, i brought god and also my husband of 40 years. [applause] i subscribe to the kiss principle. keep it simple, sharon. the solutions to the economy are as simple as pay it back, cut back, and take it back. let's pay back on that deficit. we have $500 billion in stimulus funds that we need to pay back. we have $500 billion that is

coming back in on a tarp. where is that money? i hope that it is not in a slush fund. we have $100 billion that we have got in on appropriate budget funds. that is $1 it 0.1 trillion dollars. we could give the people -- $1.10 trillion. we are not going to resign ourselves to be france. we are not going to accept socialism. [applause] we are here to say that we are not going to be the socialist united states of america. we know what freedom looks like and we are fighting for liberty. we understand what that means. we also know that in order to get this thing back on its

wheels, we are going to need to do more than just paperback that deficit. we are going to have to speed up the cuts. we can cut back on the spending by 5% per year for the next five years on those things on our priority list. the first priority should be the things that are within that enumerated box of the federal government and the constitution. after that, we should start cutting. when need to keep our contract with our senior citizens. we said that we are going to pay into our social security and medicare. that is going to be our retirement insurance. after that, everything goes. let's cut 5% per year for the next five years. we are going to start with things like the department of education that gave us one size fits all that fits no one and no

child left behind. we can also start with a few unconstitutional pieces. our president can have friends, but i do not have to pay for them. we have some cuts that we can make. we need to take back america and there are ways to do that. let's make sure that we do not fund obamacare. [applause] that is our first take back. as my first act of legislation, i will put in a repeal obamacare law. somehow i got -- this got stalled out on harry reid's desk. they are part of the problem.

if you know the truth, it will set you free. they are supposed to reveal the truth. next, we need to abolish the its 67,000 pages of reward your friends and punish your enemies in the irs code. today is tax day. let's talk about what is wrong. i am part of that a little bit over 50% that paid my taxes today. i am not ashamed of paying my taxes, but you had better spend them right. i need a little bit of accountability. when they are using my tax dollars to buy things that i do not want and they give me 1000 pages that will break my legs, they say, you do not like that, here is another 1000.

they are extorting the american taxpayer. it is about time to stop. we need to take back our country and those constitutional principles that we were founded upon. we have the right contract with america. newt, it is the constitution. that is the right contract with america. [applause] we have the right message. that is lower taxes, less government regulation, more individual freedom, and stop the spending. [applause] we have the right angle to defeat harry reid. [applause] i want to tell you, you may not

be able to vote for harry reid, but he votes for you. if you -- if you cannot vote for harry reid, but you want to call in nevada and get rid of harry reid, send money. he said that he needs $25 million to defeat me. i need a million conservatives to send $25. thank you very much for being here. i appreciate your help and support. [applause] >> now nevada can experience the joy that my home state of

massachusetts and joy is in having a representative like scott brown. we will have taken two states back into america. we in the citizen activist movement, i call it the human rights movement, as the french underground in the second world war had shortwave radio, we have a few tricks, too. we have talk radio. please support your local talk station. guys like me are being fired for political reasons. the other thing that we have is one that we're trying to figure out ourselves is the internet. social networking sites. we have one of the most effective people working in the bloggers fear -- blogosphere.

ladies and gentlemen, darla. [applause] >> thank you. i just wanted to say that we are very honored to be a part of the tea party express' tours ii and iii. i want to apologize for my voice. after yelling and screaming for my country, my voice is a bit strange. grassfire.com started in 2001 as an activist organization that primarily work from the internet and e-mail-based system. that would send an e-mail to you when you registered. it would give you updates on

what was happening in d.c. that might affect you and your country and ways that you could respond without having to go to your local representative of's office or showing up at a rally in d.c. they have that done affect of things with petitions. the head and hand delivered over the last nine years to washington. that is something that we have been doing affectively. in 2008, steve elliott decided it was time to take it to a whole new level. grass fire steve said that it was time to launch a new web site. a social networking site that would take the people that were connected to grassfire and provide a forum to be connected to one another. we realize that the fight we are in is that the only way we can

succeed is connecting one to another at a local level. we cannot separate debt. we have to be able to connect locally. the only way to take our country back is to begin at that local level in our towns, cities, our states, and our federal government. it has to be a plan that we work together and we come together and we recognize that regardless how i may feel on certain social issues, which gives us a voice for this movement is the fact that we all agree on those principles that are outlined on the side of our vus. fiscal writ -- our bus. fiscal responsibility is our number one issue. when it starts to affect your pocketbook, then you get people fighting.

when resistancenet was launched, it was close to the inauguration. they were worried about barack obama and the people he associated himself with. he said that you want to -- if you want to know who i am, look at us who i associate with. we said that this was concerning. we had 20,000 people joined resistnet in a week's time. people needed to come together. the social network has provided that. we have had over 75,000 patriots join us. many people are running for office. many people are helping him campaign. they organize tea party is or they are members of the tea party movement in their communities. that is a fabulous thing to show

that people are being mobilized on behalf of their communities and their country. thank you. [applause] one of the things i wanted to share with you about grass fire is now that grass fire and resist work together. we work somewhat independent and we worked together on certain issues. one of the things we have done over the last nine months is fighting the obamacare bill. we have engaged the public and said, helpless to fight this. one way was through petitions. during the span of this health- care takeover, the patriots and stood up and we delivered to d.c. all of the senate and all of the house over 1 million petitions from you saying that we oppose this health-care

takeover. i thought that was a tremendous response. [applause] as of today, a grass fire and resistnet have hand delivered 600 letters of outrage from the citizens of the united states saying that we are absolutely outraged that you would do this and you blatantly disregarded our voice and we want you to know how disgusted we are with that decision. i think that is tremendous also. [applause] we've launched an initiative last year on 9/11 when about 65 of us gathered for a march on washington. i said 65, it was actually more like 1.7 million. you know how the media sometimes

likes to portray things or downsize us. when it comes to our movement, they always want to downsize us. all of us that were there at all of the pictures, we know how many people were there. we launched an initiative called slip this house 2010. this initiative works perfectly with our relationship with the tea party express. they have the vehicle or the vehicles to take the message out. they also have the pact to endorse candidates and to support those candidates. we cannot do that. we can partner with people who provide that. it is a perfect marriage, although loosely married.

there is such a thing. what i would like to tell you very quickly is what the basic flip principle is. the first letter is f. we need to fix the size of our government. it is entirely too intrusive and it continues to grow and to disregard the american public and using our money against us and our wishes. [applause] the second letter is l. we believe that we need to limit taxes. we need to abolish the income tax. in addition, you know the new, friendlier irs that happens sometime in the late 1990's, we do not find them too friendly. they need to go, too.

that is always popular. i is impose term limits. one of the heroes on our list is senator jim demint. he introduced legislation this last year to impose term limits. it is a matter of getting enough people to support that. that is why we have to make some major changes in our congress and senate. fourthly is the letter p which is to oppose nationalization. we are a free market, capitalist nation. we believe that we can educate the public, on how our government operates or should operate, then our involvement as responsible, civic-minded

individuals, we can educate the public and get the word out and help them to understand the process and our responsibility is more of them looking at a sign or a commercial and making my decision based on purely that information, we can get people to engage in to the google search or the bing or whenever it is today, we can make people take a step forward and learn about the people, think about how easy it is to learn about a candidate. in the days of reagan, people did not have the opportunity to find that information. we want to encourage the american public to truly of that your candidates. there is somebody that has done in office before, these things are a matter of public record. we have also launched a pause -- a petition called cap, cut, and

grow. we need to cap are spending. we need to cut many of our programs. we can do those two things, we truly believe that the american public and the united states can grow again and become a very strong nation once again. we encourage you, you get an opportunity, and go to grassfire .com. is important to show the unity of the movement. you can find the flip this house 2010 petition as well. that is why we have decided to work with the tea party expres'' and the other organizations that we signed the west. our goal is that we can work together in the areas that we all agree. together, we can make a

difference in this fight that we are in. we can stand for what is right and overcome what is wrong and we can winny this fight in 2010 in november. -- we can win this fight in 2010 in november. thank you for listening today. we encourage you to please do your physical risk -- fiscal responsibility this year. thank you and god bless you. [applause] >> thank you. this next gentlemen are want to bring our remember back in january when i flew out to reno, nev. to meet with the rest of the two-party express' team, at the end of the press conference, this man came up to me and said i really love what you guys are doing. i live here in nevada.

i would love to defeat harry reid. i want to go on your bus tour. who would not want to be on those buses for three weeks? i do not think he knew what he was getting himself into. he has been a great addition to our team. he is justin of the western representation pact. >> after three long weeks, three very long weeks, i am happy to report that the american spirit is alive and well in this great country of ours. [applause] what seemed like months ago i left my pregnant wife and two young daughters to crisscross across this country because i

believed so firmly that we need to take our country back. it is a great danger that we are facing and we must step up and meet those challenges. i am so proud and inspired by all of the great patriots i have met along the way and have been on these buses with me. at all of the great patriots that came out to our rallies. i am truly move and inspired. i thank the tea party express' team at all of the partners for the great job that they are doing. i am so honored to be a part of this. [applause] i started the rep -- western representation pact because i have two young daughters and i knew that i had to make a difference. i was so ashamed that harry reid represented my great state of nevada. i started a website and facebook group, bought the campaign against harry reid.

i had no idea they would bring me to washington d.c. speaking at the national press club. each and every one of us has a responsibility to make sure we do something to fight for our great nation. i am so proud to be involved with the tea party express. what they announced today is so critical. it is not just enough to stand again something in protest and rally. we need to start having a political impact. that starts in each and every election. when i joined up after harry reid, i knew that i could not just start there. i started a website against barbara boxer in california and barbara -- barney frank in massachusetts and nancy pelosi in san francisco, and patty murray in washington state. and i realized that i am over

extended periods -- overextended. bart stupak quit and ran. three weeks ago i came on these buses. i had no idea what to expect. i walk away in a different man inspired by the presence and the greatness of our great nation. thank you all so much. [applause] >> thank you. before we wrap this up, i want to bring one other special person appeared to address you and give you a few words. we all know how important our seniors are. after hanging with us for two days, he had to come back to washington dc. he said that i do not know how you guys back -- how you guys do ed. -- do it.

we are very happy to have him with us. we have the founder and chair of 60 plus. [applause] >> i had to get off of that tour. i thought i was in great shape. it two days was enough. let me say two things on tax day. first of all, our spokesman, a great entertainer named pat boone, power spokesman. today on tax day, the death tax. the tax you for everything while you are live, we say kildee death tax. do not wounded. get rid of it.

-- wound it. get rid of it. let me close on this note. i have been saying last august to all of those seniors out there that there is a tsunami heading towards washington. it is a senior citizen tsunami. unless its subsides, there are going to be a lot of politicians looking for a new line of work come november. [applause] one difference between that my seniors group, 60 plus, we have about 5.5 million supporters across the country, and aarp, just so there is no mistake, the association against retired persons, that is who they are. [applause] they are in it for the dollars

that they are going to make on the insurance industry. they are going to be the insurer -- a biggest insurance conglomerate left alive under obamacare. limited government, let's taxes, and an adherence to a document that we all revere, the constitution of the united states. i want to thank the two-party express for getting out of the grass roots america. this is not top down, astroturf stuff. to all of the veterans out there, i served in the marine corps. to all of the veterans out there, last august you were called on american. that was the most despicable thing i have heard. i came here as a newspaper reporter when john kennedy was in the white house. that was the most despicable, that i ever heard in my life.

[applause] to wall of those veterans who fought on distant lands to give us -- to all of the veterans who fought in distant lands, i will not mention her name, and but her initials are nancy pelosi. i will not take up any more of your time. thank you very much. [applause] >> actually, that is ted turner. we just punked everybody. folks, i would like to bring up the folks that do all of the real work. we have staffers, horribly abused, horribly underpaid.