i want to thank you for putting together the budget that you have all in your staff proposal. there was a lot of hard work in this. . .

>> this country today has enormous need to up there. i was present at a meeting of the health committee. i am on the committee and we had a guy from the oecd who did education and he said the kids in our country are falling behind young people around the rest of the world in terms of

graduation rates for high school, brett tuition breaks for college. we will not compete internationally if our educational system is not up to par. we have pure manufacturing jobs than we have had for 40 or 50 years. how could we be a great economy if we are not producing the products we need? i don't know how you do that. in terms of the needs of our kids, in many ways you judge a nation on how it treats its august people. we have the highest rate of child with property of any major country on earth, a 18 percent said. is that acceptable? because we don't invest in child care and your education, we have more people in jail and china does, any other country on earth. china is a communist country way bigger than us and we have more people in jail. our infrastructure is crumbling right now. how will we become a great nation if we don't have roads

and bridges and a transportation system that we need? everybody knows that we have over $1 trillion in terms of need of infrastructure, transportation. these are some of the needs that are out there. on top of all that, let me raise a question that no one has touched on. is it to be an issue we cannot talk about and that is the distribution of wealth and income. are we allowed to talk about that issue? we have the top 1% burns -- earns 50% then 99%. we have the zero most unequal to the addition of wealth and income of any major country on earth. that is immoral and wrong, is bad economics. when so few have so much and so many have so little, you don't create the kind of spending patterns that you want.

those are some of the issues that we have got to address. i think that number one, my view is that this budget does not go far enough in terms of investing in america. i would go a lot further. i will offer amendments to do just that. i will tell you where we begin to get some of that money. i find it wrong that to have a situation where warren buffett, who has been before this committee, and he tells us that he pays a lower effective tax rate than does his secretary. this is the third richest guy in the world, $40 billion. does that make any sense at all? we have a situation where last year, exxonmobil, the most profitable corporation in the

history of the world, not only did not pay any federal income taxes but actually received a text on last year in part by setting up tax shelters in the cayman islands and i recall that chart you have of the thousands of companies that are crowded in one building there. when you talk about investing in america, i think that is a good place to get the money. none of my republican colleas are here but i find it amusing to say the least that without exception, they tell us how serious the deficit situation is. i agree with that. they have voted to repeal the estate tax. virtually, every republican voted that way. when you vote to repeal the estate tax, what you are doing is over a 10-year.

providing $1 trillion in tax breaks to the top 3/10 of 1%. here we have a situation where some folks above it for a war that would cost $3 trillion. i did not go for that war. you voted for tax breaks for millionaires. you voted for a medicaid prescription supporting insurance companies. i did not vote for these big. we are a lecture on being how to deal with the deficit. the bottom line is, i think that if this middle-class is going to survive, and there is a real question of if that will be the case, we have got to invest in the needs of this country. we cannot allow ourselves to become a second-rate nation. when we invest in infrastructure and education and energy, we will create millions of good paying jobs. i think the way you raiseñ that revenue to do that is you ask

the wealthiest people in this country who have gotten huge tax breaks in recent years to start paying their fair of -- their fair share of taxes. we don't talk about this either, take a look of the military budget. the budget we are talking about right now spends, as i understand it, twice as much on defense than on domestic non security discretionary spending on education, the environment, labor, eetc. can we talk about that or is the military-industrial complex to important to talk about? we will offer amendments as this process continues. i beg you very much for your hard work. -- i thank you very much for your hard work. >> thank you for the energy and intellect you bring to the task. we appreciate it very much let

me indicate that we will now recess until tomorrow morning at 9:00. please have the members here -- please have your members here if they have amendments. it will be our intention to have "drawn to the amendments to mark. senator gregg and i talked about one try to add about two o'clock-two o'clock 30 time frame. we will conclude on that tomorrow. -- 12:00-pull the plug 30 timeframe. ---12:30 timeframe. we felt that late in the afternoon might work best. we will see how many amendments we have. with that, i want to thank all the members who have participated today and look forward to a day of amendments

tomorrow. we will stand in recess until 9:00 a.m. c-span3 c-span2 ♪ [captioning y national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

>> today, national security adviser james jones on u.s. policy in the middle east. later, today's "washington journal" and coverage of the u.s. house. they're considering sanctions against iran. here is what we are covering on c-span 3 today. at 10:00 a.m. eastern time, a senate hearing looks at the proposed budget for nasa the head of the space agency will testify. at 3:00 p.m. eastern time, the den britain's party leaders. this one will cover the topic of foreign policy. this year's poll in terror -- parliamentary election season is the first to cover u.s.-style televised debate.

you could watch this on cspan 3. >> we still have a best work force out there with too many people cannot read, can learn, can compete, and 80% of the people will be in the workforce "we have to do more with them. >> whether it is bill clinton or last week, the cspan video library features of 115,000 unique individuals and every day eds new faces that you can follow. circuit, which it, placket, every program since 1987 available free on line at the cspan video library. >> now national security adviser james jones. he spoke of the 25th anniversary for the washington institute for near east policy. topics covered in the speech include the wars in afghanistan and iraq. iran's nuclear program, and the israeli conflict.

>> good evening. welcome. [applause] i am just delighted to look around and see some wonderful people from throughout the country and all corners of the washington community here to join with us tonight in celebrating the silver jubilee of the washington institute, so welcome. i would like to open two nights festivities -- to night's festivities on a brief somber

note which is for us to rise for a moment of silence in honor of the women and men of the u.s. armed forces and armed forces of our allies around the world who are engaged in daily battles, daily efforts on behalf of our nation, our friends, and our allies. please join me and rise. thank you. 25 years ago, the middle east was going through radicalism 1.0. sunni extremists had taken the

mosque in mecca and killed and morse adopted -- and killed anwar sadat. the killed hundreds of marines in beirut. i came to washington after graduate school at harvard and i took a job as a $70,000 per year researcher -- $17,000 per year researcher committed to injecting sound scholarship, independent analysis, and new ideas in the u.s.-middle east policy. there were five of us back then. just bought. we were led by a brilliant an enterprising young scholar. before long, our first research paper was by another young scholar named dennis ross. since then, we have gone on

various paths. i stayed at the institute which has become my home. over that time, the middle east has changed from being just a strategic theater in the great power rivalry between the superpowers to be in the central focus of american foreign policy in its own right. through that change, the institute has grown and matured to the point that today, it justifiably boast what i believe is the greatest collection of knowledge, expertise, and insight on the politics and policy of the middle east in washington today. it is with great pride that i stand here this evening with more than 130 members of our board of trustees who have given so generously to ensure the health and vitality of this institution with their past presidents who have led us for 2.5 decades, with the more than

45 colleagues from the institute's staff who work tirelessly to improve the quality of u.s.-middle east policy, with a valued members of our board of advisers whose wisdom and counsel has been priceless, and with more than 200 members of the washington policy community, people who helped make, shape, implement, and interpret policy. people who i have spent more time than i care to remember. &jíand all of you to join us in celebrating a quarter-century of the washington institute for it to all of you, i say thank you. thank you. [applause] just a word about our program. in a moment, i will call upon our institute president, martin gross, who will introduce our

keynote speaker. i am afraid there will not be an opportunity for questions following his remarks. instead, i have to ask that everyone please remain in their seats to allow our guest to depart and to allow our board of trustees and a group of very special guests to leave for buses outside where we are going to the department of state for a dinner in honor of the washington institute hosted by deputy secretary of state. if you do not have a chance to pose questions tonight, everyone here will have a chance to pose them tomorrow afternoon at 2:00. that is when this group reconvenes across the street at the renaissance m street hotel for the closing panel discussion of this 25th anniversary symposium, featuring two outside guests, tom friedman and bill kristol and their own in-house talent.

i hope you can join us then for what i am sure will be a fascinating discussion. ladies and gentlemen, the president of the washington institute, martin gross. [applause] >> thank you. good evening. i am martin gross, the president of the washington institute for it on behalf of the institute's board of directors and board of trustees, i welcome all of you to this gala reception to celebrate our 20th anniversary. this is a very important milestone in the life of this organization. at 25, we are no longer a startup. at 25, we are no longer the new kid on the block. at 25, we have a mile-long paper trail that the funds the excellence of our research and the credibility of our scholarship. at 25, with a record of ideas and recommendations that stands the test of time.

at 25, with a growing group of institute alumni from young foreign service officers in their first overseas posts to seasoned veterans like ambassador dennis ross were doing their best to events american national interests around the world. in short, at 25, we have much to be proud of. each of you share in our achievements. i would like to take this opportunity to recognize my predecessors as president of the washington institute. they had the idea and give birth to the organization, they nurtured it through its infancy. they guided it through its adolescence. they led it to where it is today, a solid, mature institution that is now a fixture in the washington policy community. please join me in thanking our founding president barbie weinberg. [applause]

chairman and are tied mike stein --emerti mike stein. [applause] and are a permit -- and our current chairman of the board, michael berkowitz. [applause] i would also like to recognize the more than one of the 30 members of the institute's board of trustees. they traveled from every corner of our nation to be here today. one of the finest aspects of this organization is that when these women and men enter a room as a trustee of the institute, they cease to be republicans or democrats. they all understand they are here to advance the national interest above party or politics. it is for that reason that we are here today welcoming a

representative of the fifth president who has been in the white house since we put out power shingle 25 years ago. we believe that commitment to non partisanship is a principal that like our research stands the test of time. ladies and gentlemen, these are not simple time for america in the broader middle east. the litany of challenges is well known. two wars, the specter of nuclear proliferation, the ever-present threat of terrorism, and the skirt of radical extremism, a deficit of democracy, government, and human rights, the unfulfilled promise of recognition, reconciliation, and peace between arabs and israelis and the list goes on. we are not without tools for change. one of the tools is the impressive human capital that has brought to address these problems. our special guest today is a

prime example of this. in and out of uniform, general james jones had devoted a lifetime of service to our nation. as a marine, he saw combat in vietnam and was a commander in northern iraq and bosnia. he rose through the ranks to serve as commandant of the marine corps and the supr>h(lc@+ allied commander of europe and commander of the u.s.-european command. almost immediately after his retirement from active duty, he decided to take on an easy job. he was appointed by secretary of state condoleezza rice as the state department special envoy for middle east regional security. in this capacity, he worked with israeli and palestinian officials in furthering the peace process. he focused on the full range of security issues in order to strengthen security for both sides. in 2009, he was named by

president obama to be the assistant for national security affairs. the new president's top adviser on all aspects of national security. general, we have a history of moving mountains to get our job done but we did not realize it would take the icelandic volcano to make it possible for you to be here today. let me thank you and welcome you to deliver this year's mike stein lecture on u.s.-middle east policy. ladies and gentlemen, general james jones. [applause] >> thank you very much, ladies and gentleman, and thank you martin, for your very kind introduction and for your leadership as the institute's new president. you have 25 years of is to

history to live up to an 25 years of institute history to make sure you get it right. [laughter] in order to set the stage for my remarks, i would like to tell you a story that i think it's true. it happened recently. in southern and afghanistan. a member of the taliban was separated from his fighting party. he wandered around for a few days in the desert lost, out of food, no water. he looked on the horizon and he saw what looked like a little shack. he walked toward it. as he got to it, it turned out it was a little store owned by a jewish merchant. the television war went after him and said he needed water. -- the taliban warrior went up and said the need of water per the merchant city did not have

water but would you like to buy a tie? the television erupted into a stream of -- the taliban warrior erupted into a stream of speaking about jewish people. the merchant stood there until this telegram was through with his diatribe and he said," i'm sorry i do not have water for you. i forgive you for all of the insult you have levied against me, my family, my country but i will help you out. if you go over that hill and walk two miles, there's a restaurant there and they have all the water you will need." instead of saying thanks, the telephone and disappeared over the helm only to come back one hour later and walking up to the merchant says," your brother tells me i need a tie to get in the restaurant." [laughter]

i would like to thank™ you, ro, for this welcome. under 25th anniversary, let me commend all those who have made the washington institute for dear ease policy the respected institution that it is today, a vital institution. especially the past presidents. i also want to thank the distinguished trustees and board of advisers which has one empty chair tonight because of the recent loss of one of your longtime advisers, a public servant and a true warrior, statement, and diplomat and one of my predecessors at the as the supreme allied commander of europe. tonight we all remember alexander haig. [applause]

for a quarter-century through five different administrations, this institute has provided an invaluable service to policy makers and the american people. instead of partisanship, you have given us scholarship. instead of reciting old argument, you have given us fresh and objective advice. -- analysis. i want to thank your staff and 25 years of scholars for your insights and contributions. may you continue for another 25 years and 25 years beyond that. thank you. [applause] i have seen this first and myself. in 2007, i accepted to serve as a special envoy for middle east regional security. our work was strengthened by the advice and counsel of many experts including one of our special advisers and your senior fellow, matthew levitt. we benefited from other

discussions with other experts. president obama's administration was all too happy to steal dennis and he is leading efforts on the security council. dennis would you-ú please stand and be recognized? [applause] i especially want to thank the institute for work on behalf of the efforts that president obama called for in his speech last year in cairo. that is greater understanding between the united states and muslim communities around the world. the president called for a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek the common ground. in that spirit, you have been promoting mutual understanding for many years. whether it is welcoming washington scholars from cairo to baghdad, the arabic language or website, or the recent

documentary recounting the little-known story of how arabs say to choose from the holocaust. thank you all and thank you for the analysis that strengthen our national security and for promoting the mutual understanding that in to a safer, more secure world for us all. i wish you continued success because frankly, our nation and indeed the world, these institutions like yours now more than ever. indeed, since taking office, president obama has been clear that his first and foremost priority is the safety and security of the american people. to this end, he has pursued a new era of american leadership and comprehensive engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. in the coming weeks, we will be releasing a new national security strategy that formalizes the president's approach, an approach that is rooted in and guided by our these interests are clear,

unambiguous, and enduring. security, we have an enduring interest in the security of the united states, our citizens, and u.s. allies and partners. prosperity, we have an enduring interest in de -- in a strong and growing u.s. economy in an system thatcg promotes opportuy and prosperity. and values, we have an enduring interest in of all the universal values at home, and around the world and finally, international order, we have an enduring interest in an international order advance by u.s. leadership that promotes peace, security, and opportunity for a stronger cooperation to meet global challenges. security, prosperity, universal values, and international order advanced by american leadership, these are the interests of the president and his administration and they're working on them to advance the

every day around the world including the middle east. to strengthen our security, we are responsibly and in the war in iraq. as evidenced by the success of this weekend of military operations against al-qaida in iraq, iraqi security forces are taking over. the u.s. will end military operations, as planned. all u.s. forces will be out of iraq by the end of next year. the most immediate challenge is for iraqi political leaders to form an inclusive and representative government. as they face a longer-term challenge of expanding prosperity and opportunity, the iraqi people will continue to have a strong and reliable partner in the united states. in afghanistan and beyond, we have refocus the fight against al-qaida and its extremists allies. we have struck major blows against their leaders who are now hunkered down in the tribal regions along the bord between

afghanistan and pakistan. at the same'y time, we are forging pakistan's that isolate extremist, combat corruption, and promote good government and corruption. that improves the daily lives of ordinary people and undermines the forces that fuel violent extremism. to confront the greatest threat to global security, the danger the terrorists will obtain a clear weapons or materials, the president post of last week's historic nuclear security summit where 46 nations joined the goal of securing the world's vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. to advance our prosperity, president obama has worked with allies and partners to expand the global economic recovery, pursue growth that is balanced and sustained, launched the national export initiative to double the american exports and support 2 million american jobs, and reform the international

economic architecture so that the g20 is now the premier form for international cooperation. as you promised -- as he promised ankara, next week the president will host a summit of entrepreneurship with business leaders an entrepreneur from more than 50 patients including many of muslim majority countries and israel to promote our common prosperity. to a dance values that are universal, the president has made it clear that the united states will of all our ideals at home and abroad. that will include the right of people to have a say in how they are governed. as the president said in cairo, the u.s. is committed to supporting governments that reflect the will of the people. history shows that these governments are more stable, more successful, and more secure. political reform and effective and accountable governments will remain core elements of our vision for the future in the middle east and around the world. to let fans a just and

sustainable international order, the united states is working to ensure that both rights and responsibilities of all nations are upheld. for example, the new start treaty with russia is part of our comprehensive agenda to pursue a world without nuclear weapons. this is an agenda that reflects the three pillars of the new non proliferation treaty. nations with nuclear weapons give them up and nations without nuclear weapons will forsake them. this will lead to a peaceful nuclear energy. whether the rights and responsibility of nations are upheld will in great measure determine whether the coming years result in greater security, prosperity, and opportunity for americans and people around the world. perhaps nowhere do we see this more in evidence than in the middle east where we face two the finding challenges that i want to touch on tonight.

preventing iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them and forging a lasting peace between israelis and palestinians as part of the comprehensive peace in the region. ladies and gentleman, when president obama to colchis, iran had assembled thousands of centrifuges and accumulated nearly a bombs' worth of enriched uranium. braun was an inactive violation of -- iran was in active violation of security council resolutions. their sponsorship of terrorist acts in iraq, lebanon, and gossip, signaled a continuing determination to brands of violence and coercion across the middle east. clearly, a policy of not pi=engaging iran did not work. this is why we made the clear commitment to engage iran on the basis of mutual respect on the full range of issues that divide our countries.

as the president repeatedly said, he was under no illusions. he knew it would not be easy to overcome mistrust, suspicions, and even open hostility between our two countries. he also knew that engagement was necessary to present a run with the choice, it very clear choice and to unite the international community around the need for iran to meet its international obligations. to advance our interests, the president and extended his hand and the opportunity for dialogue. american and iranian diplomats let -- met in geneva in october and for the international atomic agency commission, with strong support from the united states, france, and russia, the iaea put through a creative effort to produce nuclear fuel using iran's enriched uranium. it was an offer with humanitarian benefits which would ensure that iran would meet its needs for medical

isotopes. it gave around the opportunity to show that its nuclear program was in the for peaceful purposes as it claims. it would build confidence on both sides and the possibility of a further agreement. in addition, the united states went to great lengths to demonstrate our commitment and to establish assurances for iran. sadly, to date, we have seen no indication that around's leaders want to resolve these issues constructively after initially accepting the offer, they rejected the tehran research reactor proposal. they have refused to discuss their nuclear program since what they p-5 +1. the resolution of a covert enrichment site further suspicion about iran's intentions.

they recently increased the rich and levels of its uranium to 20%. iran continues to reap less -- repress it on citizens and prohibit their universal rights to express themselves freely and to choose their own future. ladies and gentlemen, these are not the behavior is a responsible international actor. they are not the actions of a government committed to peaceful diplomacy and a new relationship with a willing and ready partner. indeed, iran's continued defiance of its international obligations caused a clear program and its support of terrorism represents a significant regional and global threat. a nuclear-arms to iran could transform the landscape for the middle east precipitating a nuclear arms race, dramatically increasing the prospect and danger of local conflicts, fatally wounding the nonpolar operation regime -- the non

corp. -- the non-proliferation regime. we're working with partners to increase the cost of iran continued failure to live up to its international obligations. this includes the u.n. security council sanctions resolution which we are currently pursuing as the president has stated, our offer of engagement with iran still stands. we remain prepared to pursue a better and more positive future. iran has rights but with those rights, responsibilities if iran's leaders choose not to fulfil those responsibilities and if they continue to violate their international obligations, they will face ever deepening isolation. iran's government must face real consequences for its continued defiance of the international community. we hope that around limit the right choice and back to restore the confidence of the international community and the

exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program. however, showed iran's leaders failed to make that choice, president obama has been very clear and i want to repeat clarity here, the united states is determined to prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons. [applause] thank you. in so doing, we will avoid a nuclear arms race in the region and the proliferation of nuclear technology to terrorist organizations. of course, one of the ways that around exerts in close and the middle east is by exploiting the ongoing arab-israeli conflict. karan uses the conflict to keep others in the region on the defensive and to try to limit its own isolation ending this conflict, achieving peace between israelis and palestinians and establish a sovereign palestinian state would therefore take such an of

bucket issue away from iran. , hezbollah, and hamas. it would allow our power -- partners in the region to build their states and institutions and peace between israel and syria, if it is possible, could have a transformative effect on the region. since taking office, president obama has pursued a two-state solution. this is in the united states' interests. this is in israel's interest. it is in the palestinians interest and it is in the interest of the arab countries and indeed, the whole world. advancing this piece would also help prevent iran from cynically shifting attention away from its failures to meet its obligations. centre has been a lot of distortion and misrepresentation of our policy recently, the road limited this

opportunity to address our relationship with israel. like any two nations, we will have disagreements. we will always resolve them as allies and friends and we will never forget that since the first minutes of israeli independence, the united states has had a special relationship with israel and that will not change. [applause] it will not change because this is not a commitment of democrats or republicans. it is a national commitment based on shared values, deep and interwoven connections, and mutual interests. as president obama said," america's strong bonds with israel are well known. this bond is unbreakable." they are the bonds of history. two nations that are -- the current independence through sacrifice and patriots and the bonds of two people bound together by freedom and

individual opportunity for they are the bonds of two democracies where power resides with the people. they are the bonds of science, technology, and so many fields where required every day. they are the bonds of friendship including because of so many families and friends. this week marked the 62nd anniversary of his real independence. they are a nation and people who have survived under overwhelming odds. even now, six states -- decade since its founding, israel continues to reside in a hostile neighborhood. adversaries who claim to cling to the false hope that denying israel's legitimacy will ultimately make it disappear. those adversaries are wrong. as the president said in cairo for the entire world to hear," the state of israel will not go away." s.e. said at the united nations

-- as he said the united nations, nations do they united nations no favor when they choose vitriolic attacks against israel over construct a willingness to recognize israel's legitimacy and it's right to exist in peace and security. america's cup and meant to israel will endure. everyone must know there is ano space between israel and the united states when it comes to security. [applause] our commitment to israel's security as unshakable and it is as strong as ever. this president and this administration understands very well the environment regionally and internationally in which israel and the united states must operate. we understand very well that for peace and stability in the middle east, israel must be secure.

the united states will never waver in defense of israel's security. that is why we provide billions of dollars annually in security assistance to israel and that is why we have reinvigorated our counsel to make sure israel military edge and we undergo defense exercises that involve more than 1000 united states servicemen and women. we do these efforts as essential efforts of our regional security approach because many of the same forces that are in israel, -- that are against israel, threatened the united states. our security relationship with israel is important for america. military benefits from israel and its innovations in technology from shared intelligence and from exercises that help our readiness and joint training that enhances our capability and from lessons learned in israel on battles

against terrorism posed threats. like so many americans and some many of you here tonight, i have spent a great deal of time with my is really partners, including my friends in the israeli defense force sprayed these partnerships are lifelong partnerships. they are deep and abiding and they are constant. they are personal relationships and friendships based on mutual trust and respect and shared values. every day across whole range of our bilateral relationship, we are working together for our shared security and shared prosperity. our partnership will only be strengthened in the months and years to come. our pursuit of a two-state solution, we recognize that peace must be made by the parties and cannot be imposed from the outside. at the same time, we also understand the status quo is not sustainable. it is not sustainable for the israeli identity because the

demographic clock keeps ticking and will not be reversed the status quo is not sustainable for palestinians who have legitimate aspirations of sovereignty and statehood. the status quo is not sustainable for the region because there is a struggle between those who reject israel's existence and those who are prepared to coexist with israel. the status quo strengthens the rejectionist and weakens those who would live in peace. obviously, we're disappointed that the parties have not begun direct negotiations. the united states stands ready to do what ever is necessary to help the parties bridge their differences and develop the confidence needed to make painful compromises on behalf of both. we will strongly support the palestinian authority's efforts to develop its own institutions from the ground up and call on other states, particularly states in the region, to do their part to support the

palestinian authority, as well. we also continue to call all sides to avoid provocative actions including israeli actions in east jerusalem and palestinians incitement that fuels suspicion rather than trust. as secretary of state clinton has said many times, "we believe that your good faith negotiations, the parties can mutually agree to an outcome which ends the conflict and reconciles the palestinian goal of independent and viable state based on the '67 lines and israel goals of a jewish state would secure and recognized borders that reflect developments and meets the israel's security requirements." it is time to begin those negotiations and to put an end to excuses. it is * all leaders in the region, israeli, palestinian, and arab, to support efforts for peace. it is time for today's leaders

to demonstrate the courage and leadership of anwar sadat and others. i want to conclude tonight by returning to simple words that the president spoke in oslo. this is a moment of challenge and when it comes to the middle east, it is a moment of many challenges. it is the challenge of transitioning to full iraqi responsibility for their future. in afghanistan and beyond is the challenge of the feeding violent extremists who threaten us all. it is a challenge to preventing iraq from acquiring nuclear weapons and a means to deliver them. it is a challenge of forging a lasting peace between israelis and palestinians as part of a comprehensive peace in the region. it is a challenge of realizing greater prosperity and opportunity for all who call a middle east home. alone, any one of these would demand extraordinary patience

and perseverance. together, they will require a comprehensive and coordinated approach. this is the work the present obama has undertaken. this is the work will continue to pursue in the months and years ahead, not only for the sake of america's security but indeed for the world security. thank you very much. [applause] >> on today's "washington journal," a discussion about goldman sachs. we will talk about the environment with the top republican on the top environmental committee and a look at independent voters in this year's election.

"washington journal" is live daily at 7:00 a.m. eastern time on c-span. >> i think there is a huge vat of knowledge about how this town works, how congress works. >> when you do the actual research work, you have to get yourself. >> this weekend, award winning historians will talk about their work, their books, and their profession and revisit their first appearances on our network. sunday night on c-span. >> the student cam competition at students to create videos. here is one of the second place winners. >> men don't ask for directions

before they drive them men are strong, tough, and a fix things. >> corals what barbie's. >> women are the kinder and fairer sex. >> women should be in the kitchen. >> women are the nurturers. >> children learn who they are supposed to be based on society's definitions. >boys are given the color blue and girls are given the color pink birds society and the media have to find what a man and woman are and what is expected of each gender. is it right for a society to limit the persons opportunities based on gender? ♪ >> the society defines gender roles specifically from birth,

what they're supposed to do as the good old and grow up. that really implies and defines what they will do, specifically jobs, careers, family, and it really pigeonholes and direct people to go to specific directions. >> history and media have defined what a man and woman can and cannot do. according to modern media, women should be a size 6 or they are not as attractive. when so-called fat celebrities' photos were released, the media jumped on her appearance. >> i have something to say about all of you who have something nasty to me to say and about women who look like this, women's whose names you know and when have -- and women who have been picked on, i have one thing

to say to you -- kiss my fat a* *. >> the average size of a female is a size 14, women have been fed the idea that they have to be smaller to look good. eating disorders is the result of this extreme pressure from the media. women should not have to abide by the rules of the media. they should be comfortable with who they are. men and women are not only expected to stay skinny but also live certain general -- gender roles. >> there is a whole series of things that need attention in our society that i don't think will actually come through until we have more women in leadership. >> recently, america has been exposed to new female power positions with women such as sarah palin. >> fellow citizens, i will be

honored to accept your nomination for vice president of united states. [applause] >> hillary clinton -- >> to mike champion, to my sisterhood of the traveling pants suits. >> and sonia sotomayor >> my sister said to me, judge, i would like to announce you as my selection to beat the next associate justice of the united states supreme court. >> these gender roles have changed but not in everyone's mind. >> our society defines a man as being being tough on the exterior and a woman being soft on the exterior and the man is to take charge type of person, strong, independent, and a woman tends to be more nurturing.

>> it would not necessarily be better. you can't say they would be better or worse i think that a woman can basically do anything and man can do. >> it is time for a change. >> we never had a field of president -- had a female president. >> i would feel comfortable with a female president. i do not think women would be a better president than a man but i would be comfortable with a woman presidential theme as new generations in march, gender expectations it all. it is no more acceptable for men and women to switch gender roles. >> it started to change a little bit as the discussion growth for the media is starting to show women in non-traditional roles and men in non-traditional roles.

>> my position is on the football team. people were always shying away from me because she is going out for football. people's reactions were crazy. a girl playing football and having girls' prep -- and heading girls. -- and hitting girls. they were all weirded out we are all really good friends. >> a switch in gender roles has become more acceptable, the media and society still finds a way to influence our youngest generation. >> through tv, literature, and

toys, for instance, they really try to say this is what they should be and what evidence they should take of what boys to do, girls should do and what they shouldn't do. >> if you were given the truck or a boy's toy, which you play with it? >know? >> why not? >> what is the color for girls? >> pink. >> two boys wear pink? >> no. >> two boys play with barbie is? >> note. >> why not? >> because those are for girls. >> the pressure that media and society puts on gender has slowly been released. it will not go away unless -- unless we change. life is hard enough without the expectation set on each gender. why should we let anyone from being there true self? our children should not have to grope a world where there are opportunities are limited due to their agenda although a man

cannot be mistaken for a woman nor a woman for man, there is no mistaking the fact that we are all human and deserve equal rights and opportunities. >> thank you. >> to see all the winning entries in this year's competition, the visit studentcam.org. >> coming up today on c-span, "washington journal" next live with your phone calls and e- mail. that is followed by live coverage of the u.s. house. . .