>> you look beautiful. what number is this for you? >> maybe 10 or 11. >> has anybody ever told you that you look a lot like the press secretary? i said, i get that a lot of work.

>> someone with a.d.d. should not be in your position. >> what did you say? and we have one of those little

chairs -- >> we have one of those little chairs. >> do not worry about it. thank you. >> nbc news. >> thank you.

>> senator, thanks for being here. is there anyone you are really excited to meet tonight? [unintelligible] >> why did you want to come? what keeps you coming back? >> we learned a lot. -- learn a lot.

>> steny hoyer. hey, how are you?

>> are you looking forward to jay leno? >> i do not know anything about it. what happens here? tell me. >> joy behar.

>> what are you looking forward to? >> i'll be right with you.

>> what brings you out tonight? >> dinner. >> funny. >> president obama. it is exciting to be here. >> mayor bloomberg! >> mayor bloomberg! >> sir.

>> president obama and jay leno were the featured speakers at tonight's white house correspondents association dinner here in washington, d.c. almost three dozen journalists, politicians, and celebrities attended this event -- 3000 journalists, politicians, and celebrities attended this event. .

al hunt, -- >> al hunt, is for your support all these years. there are three women i would like to acknowledge. of sterling, virginia, my mother-in-law, chancy chen of portland, oregon, my mother, and my wife meredith, the light of my life with whom i will be celebrating a 35th anniversary this year. thank you, all. .. i would be remiss not to recognize my son. [applause] >> thank you again. tonight is the sort in three different ways. it is the first time that the white house correspondents' association has made a concerted effort to reduce the carbon

footprint of this dinner. there is more information about that in your program. i would like think the national resources defense council which helped guide our efforts. there are represented here tonight by the executive director. -- t day are represented here tonight by the executive director. c-- they are represented here tonight by the executive director. thank you for being here. [applause] for many years. it was very easy to do what we wanted to do. so thank you to the washington hilton hotel. [applause] >> and tonight, also marks the first time in the 96-year history of this association that the two presidents at this head table are guys who challenged all ways of doing things in washington and shattered some

glass ceilings to get here. so thank you. [applause] and finally, i think we are on the road to making history by having the shortest dinner program ever here. [cheers and applause] >> so i would just close by thanking the other seven members of the white house correspondents association board. each one of them over the past year took on very difficult assignments always with good cheer and they all had results to show. thank you very much. it's been a privilege to serve with you all. [applause] >> finally, this dinner would be unimaginable without the tireless efforts of a woman who spent the last year introducing me to people as her boss.

i will tell you a little secret. she's the boss. and she's the brains and the bra wn behind this dinner and i have learned endless ways of saying know. please say hello to our executive director, jewel yes -- julie. [applause] >> i would ask you to pick up a wine glass and join me in a traditional toast to the president. i think it's safe to assume that not everyone agrees that all he has done and what he tries to do but i think we can agree he and his staff are working their hearts out. and i would like to include mrs.

obama in this toast because she works so hard, being our beautiful first lady. to mr. president and mrs. obama. we are honored by your presence and may you have a healthy and long life. >> here! here! >> without furthera do, i give you the 44th president of the united states, barack obama. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> thank you so much everybody. thank you. please have a seat. thank you so much. ed and to all the other board members, to honored guests and to the lovely first lady --

[cheers and applause] >> good evening. ed's right. i work a lot. and so i wasn't sure that i should actually come tonight. biden talked me into it. [laughter] >> he leaned over and he said, mr. president -- [laughter] >> this is no ordinary dinner -- [laughter] >> this is a big [beep] meal! [cheers and applause] [laughter] >> it's been quite a year since i've spoken here last. lots of ups, lots of downs,

except for my approval ratings, which have just gone down. [laughter] >> but that's politics. it doesn't bother me. besides, i happen to know that my approval ratings are still very high in the country of my birth. [laughter] [cheers and applause] >> and then the other day, my dear friend, hillary clinton pulled me aside and gave me a pep talk and said despite the numbers, don't worry, bralk, you're likeable enough, which made me feel better. [laughter] >> i may not have had the star power that i once had, but in my defense, neither do all of you. [laughter]

>> people say to me, mr. president, you saved the banking industry and gm and chrysler. what about the news business? i have to explain, hey, i'm just the president, i'm not a miracle worker here. [laughter] >> though i'm glad that the only person whose ratings fell more than mine. great to see you, jay. [cheers and applause] >> i'm glad that i'm speaking first, because we have all seen what happens when somebody takes the time slot after leno. [laughter] [cheers and applause]

>> by the way, all of the jokes here tonight are brought to you by our friends at goldman sachs. so you don't have to worry, they make money whether you laugh or not. [laughter] >> we do have a number of notable guests in attendance here tonight. obviously, i'm most pleased that michelle accompanied me. she doesn't always go to these things. [applause] >> and there are few things in life that are harder to find and more important to keep than love . well, love and a birth certificate. [laughter]

>> the jonas brothers are here. they're out there somewhere. sasha and ma lea are huge fans, but boys, don't get any ideas. i have two words for you. predator drones. you will never see it coming. [laughter] >> you think i'm joking? [laughter] >> speaking of tween heart throbs, scott brown is here. [laughter] >> i admire scott. a politician in washington with nothing to hide. [laughter]

>> now you should be aware that scott brown is not the only one with a cellatious floating around. david axelrod was offered one. i didn't know that krispy kreme had a catalog, but it's true. [laughter] >> i saw michael steele back stage when we were taking pictures, a.k.a., notorious g.o.p. he knows what hurts today, taxation without representing. [laughter] >> my brother.

>> i did a similar routine last year but it always worked. odds are that the salahis are here. [laughter] >> there haven't been people more unwelcome at a party since charlie crist. [laughter] >> unfortunately john mccain couldn't make it. recently he claimed he never identified himself as a maverick. and we all know what happens in arizona when you don't have i.d. adios amigos! [laughter] >> i feel for john.

we were on the road together and obviously had a hard-fought battle and you learn that politics isn't easy. this year, i have experienced my share of disappointments. for example, i had my heart set on the nobel prize for psychics. but hey, you can't win them all. [laughter] >> speaking of undeserved honors, a few weeks ago, i was able to throw out the first pitch at the nationals game. and i don't know if you saw it, but i threw it a little high and a little outside. this is how fox news covered it. "president panders to extreme

left wing of batter box." . msnbc had a different take. president pitches no-hitter. [laughter] and then cnn went a different way all together. >> how can you get a volcano in iceland. when you think of volcano, you think of hawaii. you don't think of iceland. you think it's too cold to have a volcano there. >> i guess that's why they are the most trusted name in news. [laughter] >> look, i have a reputation for giving cable a hard time, so let's pick on politico for a while.

you know, people attack politico for putting a new focus on trivial issues, political fodder, gossip sheet. that's not fair. politico's been doing this for centuries now. check out the headlines. our researchers found these. japan serneders, where's the bounce? then there's this one, lincoln saves union, but can he save house majority? there is a little portion there. he has lost the southern white vote. [laughter] >> an analysis there. and my favorite, july 3, 1776, senior whig official, talks

break down, independence dead. some so this is nothing new. even though the mainstream press gives me a hard time, i hear that i'm still pretty big on twitter, facebook or as sarah palin calls it, the socialized media. [laughter] >> of course, that's not the only thing that we have been accused of socializing this year. you might have heard that we passed the health care bill. [cheers and applause] >> and was that roger applauding out there? some republicans have suggested that the bill contains a few secret provisions.

and that's ridiculous. there aren't a few secret provisions in the health care plan. there are like hundreds. [laughter] >> tonight, in the interest of transparency, i would like to share a couple. let's see. this provision is called the bay state of denial. it reads, this bill shall cover short-term memory loss relating to the passage of massachusetts' health care reform. good news. your condition is covered. this next provision is called the jersey shore-up. it reads, the following individuals shall be excluded from the indoor tanning tax within this bill. snookie, jay wow, the situation and house minority leader john

boehner. [laughter] [cheers and applause] >> this provision put a common misconception to rest. it says right here. if you do not like the ruling of your death panel, you can appeal. [laughter] >> now, look, obviously, i have learned that politics can be a tough business, but there are times that you just can't help but laugh. you know what really tickles me? eric massa. [laughter] >> apparently massa claimed that rahm came up to him one day in the house locker room stark naked, started screaming object

sen ties at him to which i say, welcome to my world. [laughter] >> i feel ya! it's a tense moment. you know, even as we enjoy each other's company tonight, we are also mindful of the incredible struggles of our fellow americans in the gulf coast, both those leading the efforts to stem this crisis and those along the coast whose livelihoods are in jeopardy as a result of the spill. also in our thoughts and prayers are the men and women in uniform who put their lives at risk each and every day for our safety and freedom. [applause]

>> in that spirit, i would also pay a tribute to the journalists who play an extraordinary role in telling their stories. earlier today, i gave the commencement address in michigan where i spoke to the graduates about what is required to keep our democracy thriving in the 21 century. and one of the points i made for all the changes and challenges facing your industry, this country absolutely needs a healthy, vibrant media. probably needs it more than ever now. today's technology has made it possible for us to get our news and information from a growing range of sources. we can pick and choose not only our preferred type of media, but also our preferred perspective

and while that exposes us to an unprecedented array of opinions and points of view, it makes it that much more important that we are operating on a common baseline of facts. it makes it that much more important that journalists out there seek only the truth. and i don't have to tell you that. some of you are seasonned veterans who have been on the political beat for decades. others here tonight began their careers as bloggers not long ago. it's fair to say that every single reporter in this room believes deeply in the enterprise of journalism. every one of you, even the most cynical among you cherishes the free press and preservation of our system of government and our way of life. i want you to know that for all the jokes and the occasional gripes, i cherish that work as well. in fact tonight, i wanted to

present all of you with a bipartisan congressional resolution that honors all those wonderful contributions that journalists have made to our country and the world, but unfortunately, i couldn't break the filibuster. thank you very much everybody. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> we are going to make history tonight. it's not 11:35 p.m., but i give you a man who is good any time of the day or night.

jay leno. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, ed. this is everybody comedian's dream, rich people eating. i got stuck behind the arizona congressional delegation. luckily all their pips were in order. and i have the honor of being the only person on this panel not subpoenaed by rod blagblag. that is impressive. i see the white house press corps is very excited. so this is it. enjoy it while it lasts. i'm not looking over. is he laughing? some of you noticed that the president is turning gray, but he has had his share of stress. his mother in law moving in with him. i think that would break most men.

sometimes the press can be one-sided. during the election, they would ask, is obama black enough? is obama too black. never the other way around, is john boehner orange enough? is he too orange? we never hear that. as you know, the president and first lady have a wonderful family. you remember this heart-warming photo. we all went ahh. and it reminded us of all of the similar photo taken in the previous administration, take a look. ahh! [laughter] >> our hats off to michelle obama who made childhood obesity one of her causes. [applause] >> she has started a more intense program called leave no

child with a bigger behind. and that is a wonderful thing. [laughter] >> but mrs. obama with all the good work you have been doing, it's been undermined by others in your administration. here, take a look. >> it's's easy to say to stay healthy and exercise more. our children might not live as long as their parents. what can we do to help? be the example they need. make healthy choices and help them do the same. let's raise a healthier generation of kids. [laughter] [applause] >> and there was a big set back for nasa, president obama cutting the space program and not sending any more men to the moon. we can talk to one major

achievement, we did get an astronaut on "dancing with the stars"." and that's something we can be proud of. i remember meeting president obama a number of times and critics describe the president as cold and aloof. he loves to socialize, car companies. [laughter] >> i congratulate president obama, he has done more than for the car industry except for toyota. [laughter] >> and as you may have heard, there are more problems for toyota, two of the crash test dummies refused to get in the car. so things are not looking good. but one wonderful thing about president obama, never lost his street cred. he knows how to deal with the average guy. here he is meeting a business guy on the campaign trail. >> the president is walking in here. this is where we are about to

go. the president again expecting to talk about small businesses and how he is going to hurt them in this economy. what he's going to do. [laughter] >> another piece of cake? mr. president, i have to admit, when you were elected, comedy well at the white house has dried up, so thank you for picking joe biden. joe is a great pick because nobody is more media savy. here he is with andrea mitchell. the word he is looking for is "avatar." >> you have been a very busy man. do you ever get to the movies? >> as a matter of fact, we do. and umh, i think one of the

odds-on favorite is this new program that i looked at it and wish i was seeing it in 3-d and watch this science fiction thing unfold in front of you. >> it's "avatar." as you know a lot of republicans wouldn't be here because of his dollar night at the bondage club. michael steele is here. michael, this has got to be pretty boring entertainment. couple of guys talking, come on. that was my favorite story. republicans in a lesbian bondage club. they don't want them getting married, but they like to watch them tie the knot. i thought that was interesting.

[laughter] >> republicans going to bondage club, looking at porn, i can't wait to get back to hollywood where people have values. i want to talk about white house security for a moment. it's supposed to be the most secure place in the world. here's president obama and vice president joe biden, two most powerful men in the world. watch the door behind them. how does this happen? take a look. >> good evening everybody. >> good evening. >> tonight, after nearly 100 years of talk and frustration -- >> who's that guy. is he on the tour? did he wonder off? [laughter] >> and according to the pentagon, al qaeda is in financial ruin. you know what broke them?

health insurance preliminary yummings? you know the monthly premium for a suicide bomber is? do you have any idea? if you took all the money republicans spent trying to stop health care and what democrats spent trying to get health care, we could have had it couple of years ago. supporters say that the american people will now get the same health benefits that members of congress get. and of course, that's great. how about some of the other perks? get out of jail free card. mr. president, you did a great job but you have to give a lot of credit to nancy pelosi for the way she sold it to the american people, she went to the new media, she went to youtube. here, take a look. >> in order to have quality, affordable health care for all americans, it is essential that

everyone participate when they are well and not just join in when they are sick. so it's all better quality, lower cost, more access if everyone is mandated. [laughter] [cheers and applause] >> you have to admit that president obama's mood really changed once that health care bill passed. i would see you come into the press room before the bill passed, kind of slumped over, looking depressed, didn't have the spark. here's the president the day after the health care bill was signed. take a look. >> he should step in here just a second. >> are you ready for this? ♪ ♪ >> as you know, secretary of defense announced that the pentagon will ease up on don't

ask, don't tell. he said they will be against the rules but not enforcing. like the ethics regulations in congress. david axelrod is here. he is one of the people most responsible getting president obama elected. and without him, john mccain would have been elected and watching "wheel of fortune." david axelrod was on my show. when i told him he was going to be on with "kick ass" he said, rahm's here? he claimed that rahm confronted him in the shower. congress has a gym? anybody in congress look like they work out? it took barney frank 30 years to get that body? what is harry reid bench pressing now? five found?

[laughter] >> the president has the most diverse staff in history. they represent every ward in chicago. and i think that is fantastic, mr. president. [laughter] >> michael douglas is here. where's michael? he won an oscar for high portrayal as a greedy wall street broker. where does hollywood come up with those crazy ideas? bill mar? he is the reason we had no opening prayer tonight. and speaking of that, you know, everybody complains about the lack of civility on both sides. you see it in sports, you see it in politics. i think we have the answer. take a look. >> the reforms i'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. >> you lie! >> are you tired of hearing what

people say what is on their minds. they have an opinion and compelled to share it with others. those annoying comments can go away with this, duct tape. this gray sticky fabric solves it all, the american solution to everything. >> osama bin laden releasing tapes blaming the united states on global warming. even the united states blames the united states for global warming. i think he wants to quit al qaeda and join al gore. president has been promoting alternative energy. texas state university generates electricity when you exercise and generate power by exercising. you thought americans with hiring a lot of illegal aliens before.

manuel, keep peddling. president obama threw out the first pitch at the washington nationals game against the philadelphia phillies. biden got kicked out for cursing the umpire. the pitch was not a good pitch, but to be fair, you are used to softball. i'm going to get fired again. i tell you something. a lot of critics felt that president bush did a better job getting the ball over the plate. but on the other hand, president obama can talk. so i think it balances. [laughter] >> as you know, president obama and the first lady, very much committed to education. in fact, here's their latest program. >> president obama says that a good education is everything to a child's future, but what if

you have a child that can't learn or worst, won't learn. thanks to a bottled government program, you can rein trade them in. it's cash for clunkers. bring in that thing you call a son and get $4,500 for a new or select used child. that's right. up to $4,500 for that wannabe gangster or that morbid punk. so don't be stuck with that tramp you gave birth to. get a kid you you can be proud of. get clash for clunkers today. [laughter] >> i read that book game change about the 2008 election. you know what i learned from that book. reporters hold back all the good stories from the newspapers, they can get really rich.

[laughter] >> nice to see chris matthews. chris, where are you? chris has been on "the tonight show." he comes down and talks straight through for 10 minutes and then i ask him a question and then he talks another 20 minutes. let's talk about the press for a minute. i want you to watch how different networks cover the same story. remember that story about president obama, somebody had a jacket and had a big poster on time square and the president isn't supposed to be endorsing. this is how cbs covered it. >> president obama no longer has the commanding presence in a new york location. remember this huge billboard with his likeness. it was removed. mr. obama's picture is not to be used for commercial purposes. >> now look how fox news carried the exact same story.

>> timing is everything. ok. [applause] >> but to be fair, it is a two-way street ks, and i think the white house likes to play games. i'm going to show you some tape. this tape hasn't been altered in anyway. i'm going to show you some reporters outside the white house. notice how quiet it is when the msnbc reporters reporting and watch what happens with fox. we haven't changed it in anyway. >> does make a couple of problems go away. >> secretary robert gibbs. >> emergens of this part of the party isn't a good thing. >> and john boehner said.

>> past few minutes that it involved just more than congratulations. a special election. >> republicans have held it. >> sausage making you don't want to look too closely at, but -- >> you be the judge! and you mentioned the situation in the gulf of mexico. there's talk that this oil slick could be bigger than that huge disaster they had up in alaska. really? bigger than sarah palin. that is unbelievable. and wolf blitzer is here. doesn't that sound like the name of sarah palin's helicopter? you know, the big rumor is, sarah palin may run for president in 2012 and she is a former beauty queen. if she wins, it would make history, would make the first

time that a beauty queen would bring about world peace. they all talk about it. she could make it happen. you see her last month. it was beauty and the deceased. and my favorite democrat, senator john edwards, while a personal injury attorney who turned out to be a sleaze ball. i was stunned by that revelation . [laughter] >> well, now there's talk of a john edwards' sex tape. there's something that people never seen before, a lawyer screwing people. wow! how unusual is that. betty white is here. we love betty white! hi, sweetheart. betty has a long history in this town. her first stage performance was interrupted by john wilkes booth.

[laughter] >> the last time i was here was 2004 and back then, hillary clinton campaign had $20 million but now mark penn has it. little inside baseball. the rich guys get it, yeah. newsweek is reporting that hillary clinton has been talking to friends about stepping down as secretary of state, you know, i think i picked up a clue in a recent interview about what she plans to do. it's a little subtle. >> i want to ask you again, you are never going to run for president again? >> i have absolutely no interest it. i know that's hard for people to believe. [laughter] >> governor bob mcdonald is here. i heard him say, when he heard the president was going to be here, he said what? jefferson davis is coming?

[laughter] >> this is a tough room. my good friend joy beyhar from "the view" is here. i seen president obama in tough negotiations with the russians and showdown with similar jung il. and president ahmadinejad. but the only time i seen him look nervous and jerky is on "the view." look and count how many times times he fidgets. >> i'm surrounded by women. you always surprise me. you always surprise me. >> i'm going to say, over the weekend, i reread "dreams of my father." >> let's wibed this baby up. my favorite moment was seeing

all five living presidents all together in the oval office and something spontaneous happened and i thought it was fantastic, take a look. ♪ what is it good for? war yeah what is it good for absolutely nothing say it again ♪ >> this has been an honor and privilege. this is the greatest job, for the president of the united states, first lady michelle o'bauma. thank you very much. -- michelle o'baum -- obama. [applause] >> thank you all for coming,

ladies and gentlemen. please stay where you are. and my successor will escort the owe baum ast out. good night -- owe baumas dobamas out. good night everybody. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> for over 20 years now, the mission of the creative coalition has been to nurture, promote, and protect the arts in america. our primary focus has been ours education, the national endowments for the arts, an artist writes. we believe that arts in america is not just an afterthought. it is the soul of our nation.

it is also an incredibly beneficial thing to our society, improving our children's education, and also importantly, improving our economy. >> president john kennedy was a great supporter of the arts. inscribed on the walls of the kennedy center are quotes from speeches in which she spoke of his vision for america's cultural life. tonight as we celebrate the arts in the american spirit, these words are especially fitting. i look forward to an america which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievements in business and statecraft. i look forward to an america which will steadily raised the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all our citizens. and i look forward to an america which commands respect around the world, not only for its strength, but for its civilization as well. i am certain that after the dust

of the sentries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for art victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit. >> i want to say that on behalf of the creative coalition, we want to thank our gracious host for this evening, the library of congress, for allowing us to be in the presence of history. tonight, we are all honored guests of the largest library in the world and the oldest federal cultural institutions in the nation. but we could not be here tonight without our family of supporters and friends. that is one of want to take a moment or a few moments to thank those who are very important to us. the chairman of the event is hannah simone, and we cannot do it without her. [applause] and her partner in nonprofit

riding is shari dexter and wayne marshall, hillary riser, and william pritchett. i just want to say thank you because you allow us to survive. also to our supporters of nuclear it in greek -- nuclear energy is to -- nuclear energy institute. the and special thanks to the staff of the creative coalition. they are the foundation of the creative coalition. they are why we are able to walk the walk and talk the talk, and hopefully make some change for the good. i want to recognize john hope, marc sobel, an meaghan burns. thank you. [applause]

and the library of congress who has really welcomed us into your home, and i hope that we will be welcome back again. dr. james billington, suzanne hogan who really was our partner and we really feel like -- what can i say? the walls of the library are down. the rest of our family, and that occasion caterers. tonight's show was written by keitel bradstreet and conceived and upstaged by tom fontana. thank you. we want to encourage you to look at the portraits that are displayed in the library of congress. it is our launch for a publication that will be out in

the spring called art and soul, and the portraits are by the pulitzer prize-winning photographer brian smith, who is also here this evening. we want to start with a special presentation. we are in the library of congress. it is our spotlight award. we are so honored to be presented to dr. james billington. [applause] >> our presenters this evening are both cultural icons in their own right. one is in any oral warning director -- one is an emmy award winning director. the other is an actress who has been welcome in american homes for the last two decades. most recently for her emmy award winning rolle and let hit tv show "medium."

it is my honor to introduce spike lee and patricia arquette. [applause] >> thank you, tim. tonight we have the honor of bestowing the creative coalition spotlight award on dr. james h. billington. in recognition of his commitment to the arts, past and present. >> james hadley billington was sworn in as the librarian of congress september 14, 1987. he is the 13th person to hold the position since the library was established in 1800. since his swearing-in, dr. billington has championed the library's american memory national digital library program, which makes freely available online more than 15.3 million american historical

items from the collections of the library and other research institutions. these unique american memory materials and the libraries and other internet services, which include thomas, a congressional data base, the on-line card catalog, exhibitions, information from the u.s. copyright office and a website for children and families called america's library, receive more than 82 million visits, and 626 million page views in the year 2009. throughout dr. billington service to the nation, he has tirelessly worked to find new and innovative ways to expand the reach of the library of congress beyond washington d.c., taking the collections more broadly and deeply than ever before. in october 2004, dr. billington headed a library of congress delegation to tehran, iran.

that significantly expanded the exchanges between the library of congress and the national library of iran. dr. billington was the most senior u.s. government official to openly visit iranyear the library was placed on line under dr. billington is leadership a major bilingual website up to national libraries of russia and has launched smaller joint projects with that live with -- with brazil, spain, and the netherlands. it contains primary cultural materials from over 192 countries, with expert commentary in seven languages. >> born in pennsylvania on june 1 1929, dr. billington was educated in philadelphia.

he was class valedictorian at the same high school as kobe bryant, and princeton university, where he graduated with highest honors of 1950. three years later he turned -- he earned his doctorate and became a rhodes scholar. he taught at harvard university from 1957 to 1962 and subsequently at princeton university where he was professor of history from 1964 to 1973. in 2008, dr. billington was awarded by the president of the russian federation highest order that a foreign assistant can receive. he was also presented with the presidential citizens medal by president bush. he is also an avid philadelphia phillies fan -- too bad. [laughter]

he loves opera and classical music. >> and now, on behalf of the creative coalition, is our honor to present the 2010 spotlight award for the 13th library of congress, dr. james billington. [applause] >> thank you so much. >> thank you very much. i am not sure i am worthy of sharing the stage with such marvelous performers and creative people. american creativity has taken so many forms over the past 210 years in which the library of congress has been in existence, but no other creative

expressions have had a broader collective influence on the world, certainly in the 20th century and early 21st and those centered on our nation's motion- picture broadcast and sound recording industries. the library of congress plus important role in preserving in guaranteeing public access to all aspects of our nation's creative and cultural history. in honoring me, i really deeply appreciate this honor. the library has a new $200 million packard campus for conservation. it was the opening of this new facility in 2008 that confirm our responsibility for preserving the national collections, the natural patrimony of movies, television, radio broadcast and sound recordings from the 19th century

to the present. it is fitting to acknowledge here in the library of congress on capitol hill the extraordinary leadership of the u.s. congress, which has been the greatest patron of the library in the history of the world. most governments preserve what governments produce. our governments set up an n the constitution top an preserve and encourage and foster and reward the creative people of the country, rather than just what governments -- what the people of america produce. this world has certainly transform this audiovisual world which we are honoring through meet as a photo opportunity guy for the people who do the real work. i am not as photogenic as the rest of the cast, but what is interesting is that it has really transformed the video and

sound skate of the world and the 20th century, what the world has largely created. congress has been the greatest patron of the library and a conservation and preservation of the people's creative life in the history of the world. you are also recognizing, of course, the vision of the congress as well as its action in sustaining in this institution and mandating the preservation of our nation's audiovisual creativity. based on research conducted by the library in connection with its national film and recorded sound registers, we now know that over 60% of the motion pictures produced in america in the 20th century have either been lost or survive only in mangled and unreserve formats. more than 60% of the archival quality film preservation completed in the united states in the past 30 years has become a major activity has been

accomplished by the library congress for the taxpayers and three division and sustaining support of the congress itself. of all the commercial sound recordings produced in the u.s. through the end of 1964, or for a 85% are no longer publicly available in any distribution format, including the internet. in the next few months the library here will release a major national study. i want to express my deep appreciation to the leadership of the creative coalition for ordering meet with this award and in fact honoring the work of this institution. i also want to recognize the ceo of the creative coalition, the two co-president, dana delaney and tim daly for their support this evening and express thanks to tom fontana and his staff for

incorporating so much content from the library's archival film, television, and recorded sound collections. i am gratified to the creative coalition team for demonstrating how these historic materials can be brought to life for modern audiences. when the sun for collection, i do not sign for the library, -- when i sign for a collection, i sign for the united states of america. it is a big responsibility. we really do honor the role in conserving the audio visual history of america and it is wonderful to have those who are continuing this creativity to be with us tonight, at a special honor to receive this award from them. everyone pleasant -- present and all others in the audience i hope will spread the word within the created committees to represent that too much of our

film, television, and sound recording heritage already has been lost, and how much -- remind them how much we are doing here in the nation's library to preserve this unique audiovisual patrimony of our creative people, and doing it to our project to archival standards, and how much more needs to be done. so spread the word, and enjoy yourselves. i want to thank the coalition for giving us of living demonstration of this creativity and the way american creativity can interact with the american people. in closing, i want to thank and a delaney, tim daly, tom fontana for the spotlight awards and for making tonight's program possible. thank you both for this award. [applause]

>> now, as the creative coalition launches its 2010 arts activities, our first stop is here. the cast of the creative coalition's art and social, omar epps, marlon wayans, adrian grenier, wendy malick, cheryl hines, steven weber, howard fineman, cch founder, richard schiff, tim daly, dana delaney, spike lee, and patricia arquette. so please join me in welcoming them, and in the words of the esteemed consider of the show, tom fontana, rather than think that this has been in rehearsals for weeks and weeks, we ask you to welcome the creative coalition, and plugged,

unfiltered, and most important, and rehearsed. enjoy the show. [applause] ♪ god bless america, my home sweet home. >> hello, i am howard fineman. >> and i am spike lee again. that was kate smith with her premiere of booktv.org god bless america campaignnetwork.or>> thd multitudes of land and people. yet somehow despite the many differences dividing us, religion, income, race --

>> we americans come together much more often than we notice, everyday, in fact. >> seeing the movie, watching a tv show, listening to the radio. >> it sometimes what unites us is a 3 d movie featuring tall, blue aliens. >> but sometimes singing in front of the statue of one of our greatest presidents. ♪

♪ >> the recording was from a 1939 concert. marion anderson gave it at the lincoln memorial. >> ironically, she had been denied permission to perform at constitution hall. constitution hall then had a whites only policy. >> 75,000 people of all races attended the lincoln memorial concert. if i can depart from the script for just one minute, one of the people on the mall that day was an idealistic 19-year-old college student from pittsburg. that young man became my father. he has since passed away, but it is a moment that he cherished

and a moment that we as a family cherished, but millions and millions of others listen to that day on national radio, and it echoes down the generations. >> over the airwaves, marion anderson voice cut through racial prejudice and became embedded in our cultural heritage. >> songs, films, television transport us through time. >> sounds and images placed in the middle of epic events, sometimes a dramatic moment that captures a slice of history. >> for example, the hindenburg crashed. the reporter witnessing the event speaks, and suddenly we are witnesses engulfed in the shop in the tragedy. >> [unintelligible] it is crashing. get out of the way, please. it is bursting into flames. this is terrible.

this is one of the worst catastrophes in the world. it is a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. it is crashing to the ground. oh, the humanity. >> and on a much lighter note, game for the 1940 world series between the new york yankees in the brooklyn dodgers. with two outs, no yankees on base, and brooklyn leading, the announcer's voice puts us behind the plate. >> getting set for the payoff pitch, this is a big one. now he turns around. he looks in toward the plate to catcher mickey owen to get the sun for the next pitch. he shakes it off. cohen gives him another sign. he steps on the rubber. he is all set to go.

3 and to the count on henry. joe dimaggio on deck. brown comes the right arm, in comes the pitch. strike three and the ball gets away from mickey owen. >> the yankees when on this court four runs and win the world series. >> we are a nation which produces culture in ways no other modern country has. >> we consume culture, good and bad. >> and we export it to the world with more success these days then chevrolet's or computer parts. >> the library of congress moving images collections are the largest on the planet. >> includes classic films, radio broadcast, video games, early sound recordings, screenplays, and photographs. >> in 2007, the single largest

private gift to the library was made by david whitney packard in the form of packard campus, a more than 100 vicki $5 million audiovisual conservation center -- $155 million audiovisual conservation center. >> it ensures that our cultural heritage tisch and current history will be available for all to study and enjoyed for centuries. future generations will come to know us as intimately as if they were sitting next to you, right here, right now. ♪ >> hello, i am omar epps. >> i am marlon wayans, and this beautiful lady -- >> i am gloria reuben. can you hear me?

>> that means applause. >> this is my morning voice. >> and this is my gq voice. >> communication, the ability to talk to each other, not at each other. >> almost 70 years after the invention of morse code, people around the globe could only communicate using dots and dashes. >> that all changed in 1927 when the first trans-atlantic phone conversation occurred. he said "lindberg is on his way across the atlantic. tell him his bags will be there six hours later." we actually have a piece from the first trans-atlantic phone conversation. [unintelligible]

>> after talking rather closely into my transmitter -- i was talking perhaps a little bit too closely. now i am talking a little farther away from the transmitter and possibly my quality will be a little better. do you notice any difference now? >> they all sound like they were at a yankees game. >> after too many martinis. two men, separated by an ocean, hearing each other's voices for the first time. can you imagine the roaming charges? [laughter] >> the marvels of modern technology. where could it possibly go from there? >> if mankind could communicate across all that water, then why not to the moon? >> columbia, this is houston, reading aloud and clear.

it is beautiful, mike, it really is. >> is the lighting half decent? >> yes, indeed. they have the flag up now. you can see the stars and stripes. >> if we can talk all the way throughout the far reaches of space, why does myself on keep dropping calls? [laughter] >> thank god this is not a corporate event. >> from rotary phones to push button phones to cell phones and blackberries, i phones and i pass, we are tweedy and texting and sexting. guys, what are you doing? >> i am trading ashton kutcher

-- tweeting ashton kutcher. amar, you have a line here. >> and i am sending it. [laughter] the collection of voice, broadcast, and documentary recordings at the packard campus dates back to thomas edison's exhibition cylinder around the world on a on a wrap. from october 1888. >> edison's recording tells the story, and in formal description of an imaginary trip around the world. >> from there it was a short jump to radio programming. jack benny.

[unintelligible] >> from liverpool to london. >> i think that was the first call across the atlantic. >> i was thinking jack benny was a lot funnier than that. [laughter] ♪ >> got a match? >> yes, i have one right here. >> don't make a move. this is a stickup. you heard me. >> mr., put down that done.

>> come on, your money or your life. [laughter] >> i said, your money or your life. >> i am thinking it over. >> orson welles and "the war of the world's." >> something is happening. a shape is rising out of the pit. i can make out a small beam of light against the mirror. what is that? >> i would have been hugging my mama. >> i hate your mama -- i ain't

yoru mama. >> how about howard stern? not a good idea. how about the button-down mind of bob newhart. >> as i said, there's a thing in the paper tonight about documentary's. i have had an idea for a long time for a wonderful documentary which has everything. you go to work, you come home and night, and you never really think about it. it is mechanical pre is routine, but there are a group of men who every day when they go to work, never know if that night they will return, because they face death in a hundred different ways. i am talking about america's driving instructors. [laughter] >> i love him. voices of ordinary people as well as everyday sounds, a dog,

a train, thunder, and music, ranging from a peruvian wedding song to melancholy blues by louis armstrong were launched into space aboard voyager 1 in 1977. next on that occasion, jimmy carter wrote "this is a present from a distant world, our thoughts and feelings. we are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours." he ended the message by saying -- >> imagine being an alien life forms in your living on another planet a billion light years away in the feature. a space capsule comes crashing and. he opened it and see a disk and you put it in and you hear --

>> ♪ [applause] >> hello, i am adrian grenier. >> and i am wendy malick. >> i always wanted my own personal interests music like a professional wrestler. >> what would that music be? >> really? hold on. all right, do it. ♪ {"born to run" playing]

>> very interesting. >> do you think you could do better? [laughter] {"purple haze" playing] [laughter] [applause] >> mercy. i am scared. >> you were a very wise young man. what is it about music that is so good at setting the mood? >> there is something almost primal, the essence of man, or woman.

music can tap straight into a woman's heart and inspire her. >> or make her dance. >> or make him fight. music does not only affect that one person. it touches everyone who is listening. >> music can turn to people into a couple. >> 20 people into a movement. >> hundreds of people into an army. >> and thousands of people into country. >> the library of congress national recording registry is a catalog of recorded sound, including a wide range of music, music that has been the heartbeat of america. ♪ >> "rhapsody in blue" by george gershwin. he described it as a musical kaleidoscope of america. >> did you know that was the entrance music to professional

wrestlers shawn michaels? >> that is so fascinating. at the packard campus you can listen to songs of social discourse and national celebration. >> if i could hear my mother prayed again, performed by tommy dorsey, 1934. >> dorsey is well known as the father of modern gospel music. that song was an ode to the comfort of his mother and the impact of his religion. >> and who can forget billie holiday singing "strange fruit" in 1939? ♪ >> she bemoans the lynching of two men. >> the protest song is a distinctively american form of outrage. for example, "blowing in the

weekend" by bob dylan. ♪ >> "we shall overcome" by pete seeger. ♪ ♪

>> my personal favorite, "what's going on" by marvin gaye. ♪ but of course, "fight the power ." by public enemy.

♪ >> through music, americans express their passion and channel their energy. which explains why america is the birthplace of rock-and-roll , and jazz, and the blues. all of which are preserved at the packard campus. >> and now, time for our exit music. >> one of the oldest recordings in the collection, from 1897. "stars and stripes forever." ♪ [applause] >> thank you very much. >> now we are going to take it back in time to the late 1940's. an american housewife comes

home and finds a large, wooden box dominating her living room. [laughter] what in the world is that? >> what is this? honey, this is only the first television set. that is all. >> a television set? what does it do? >> honey, television brings forth joy and wonder, enlightenment, and fulfillment. why, television is going to change the world. you look skeptical. >> i am. >> sweetheart, television will inspire wonderful inventions such as the lazy boy recliner, the hungry man dinner, and my personal favorite, the remote control. >> that sounds wonderful. you need a piece of furniture can do all that? >> well, debbie, tv has the

potential to do all that and more. imagine, instead of simply listening to "the lone ranger" on the radio -- ♪ >> a fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, but the lone ranger. with his faithful indian companion, the masked rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early west. return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. the lone ranger rides again. >> a have those same chaps. [laughter] >> i know. [laughter]

>> so this thing is purely for entertainment. >> no, honey. television has the news, too. something called an anchorman will tell us of the day's events and even broadcast footage which will bring the defining moments of each era right into our living room. someday, debbie, there will be 24-hour news channels, all news all day long. >> bear and balanced. >> well, they report, you decide. >> let me ask you something. will there be enough used to fill unews to fill up 24 hours? >> no. [applause] not even close. and that is why the majority of time will be spent covering high

speed car chases. get this, they are also going to hire lots and lots of pundits to analyze the news, and tell us what to think. >> that sounds wonderful. but what if i want to laugh at something besides politics? >> well, then, how about the best black-and-white show ever made about a red head? >> this is easier. >> yap, we can handle this ok. >> here succumbs. -- here she comes. [laughter] >> fine, you are doing splendidly. speed it up a little. [applause]

>> i love ethel. but television is probably the most fund late at night. >> why is that? >> because after a long, exhausting day, there is no better way to relieve stress into in but a strange person into your bedroom wall you are falling asleep. >> i know what you mean. women are always looking for a man with a sense of humor. ♪ [applause] >> that reminds me of our wedding night. >> the tiny tim part?

so why don't we turn this on? >> yes, let's do that. there we go. just a bunch of blurry blogs. >> wait a minute, isn't that a face? >> is that brian lamb? >> that means we are watching c- span. [applause] >> i like c-span. i really do. >> you are the one. [laughter] >> the library congress began collecting television programs in 1949. in 1976, congress enacted a law specifically sanctioning a

national television archive, creating a permanent record of television. programs which are the heritage of the people of the united states. >> back in 1976, congress actually passed laws? >> i get it. the goal was to select news, documentaries, special events, drums, comedies, variety, game shows, even commercials, the touchstones of society's priorities, taste, bridges, and innovations. >> the television may be a piece of furniture, but it is also a continuous narration of our lives. >> so now we leave you with one of the most controversial, titillating, and televised musical performances of all time. >> when his musical number first aired, interest groups rose in a feerick, demanding that t.v. be cleaned up uncensored. >> it is not janet jackson at super bowl 38. >> ladies and gentlemen, elvis presley.

♪ ♪ [applause] >> hello, i am elvis presley. >> and i am cch pounder. >> here is the thing that is true about the movies. most of them so usuck.

>> richard, i don't know that this is the proper forum. >> we are in washington d.c. where better to tell the truth? >> we are supposed to be talking about the films that the library of congress is preserving. ♪ >> like "the godfather." ♪ [laughter] >> your just giving meat movies with memorable theme songs. >> your point is that movies suck, so i am naming good movies, great movies, classics. >> but my point is that most of them sucked, and i know because

i have been in many of them. so far, some are truly transcendent. films have the power to expose us to people we would never otherwise meet. >> and situations will never have to face. >> like "dr. strange love." >> they can also show us how our government works. >> "mr. smith goes to washington." but this is not your country. anybody here that things i am going to do that has another think coming. [whistles]

>> that is all right. i just wanted to find out if he still had faces. [laughter] >> when could a filibuster ever happen here? >> finance vote comes to mind, but we will see. the national film registry is the collection of films preserved by the library of congress. up to 25 films are chosen each year, many of which are nominated by the american public. >> but the collection does not only include blockbusters. there are also documentary's. >> such as "buffalo flood creek" which investigates the bursting of a west virginia dam which days earlier an investigator had declared satisfactory. ♪

>> and there are experimental films. plays with rhythm, symbolism, andbjp imagery in unexpected wa.

>> it would have been a challenge to put music to that, don't you think? >> that was actually my linear thinking they captured on film. [laughter] >> there are also home movies. >> they collected footage of a 1956 trip to the house of the mouse. >> the excitement kept mounting as the cable cars continued high in the air and passed over fantasyland where we sell everything from the storybook whale to the red and white sails of the pirate ship from peter pan, dumbo the flying elephant, and sleeping beauty's towering castle, to say nothing of frontier land or adventure land. >> again, they captured my

linear thinking on film. there are news reels. >> such as the fox movie tone footage of the orphanage and that shows the performance of the only black banned in south carolina in 1928. -- the only black band in south carolina in 1928. ♪ >> and there are oddities.

>> a rare piece of film needs to be seen to be believed. ♪ [applause] ♪ >> hello again. >> i want to tell a joke.

>> we are supposed to wrap things up. people are ready to have a drink. >> i am going to tell a joke. a lawyer and lobbyist or drowning. you can only save one of them. what do you do? keep reading the paper, or go grab a sandwich? (ywok, how about this one? how does a politician sleep? he lies on one side, then he lies on the other. >> tim, no more jokes. >> how about this one? bill amar and bill riley walked into a pub and see greta van sutherlisusterin dancing naked e bar. my point is, i believe that the library of congress should have an archives for political jokes. i just did appear in embarrassed myself, and there will never be a record of it anywhere.

oh my god, there will be a record of it. [laughter] >> so what you were saying in a twisted way is that without archiving our history, seminal moments such as that will be forever lost. >> precisely. >>% -- for instance, charlie chaplin, directed a movie with the famous comedian. it was a big hit. >> i never heard of it. >> that is right, because it is his only lost film. there is no existing copy. in 1924, 14-year-old bobby franks was murdered. the two young men were sentenced to life in prison instead of the death sentence because of their impassioned speech by their defense attorney, clarence darrow.

>> i am sure that all the lawyers out there would love to be able to hear how darrow mou the jury, but there is no audio, even though every major radio station covered it. >> as we all know, memories are fleeting. . .

>> iranian leader mahmoud ahmadinejad is a job to speak monday at the u.n. conference on non-proliferation. find key moments from his past speeches on line at the c-span video library. every program since 1987. watch what you want when you want. >> next, fourth circuit court of appeals judge robert gregory, talking about serving as the first african-american on the fourth circuit court of appeals. the new york city bar association posted this event in new york. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> good evening. thank you for coming, everybody. i am eric freedman, director of communications at the new york city bar, and we have a great program tonight. i just want to say a couple of things about that camera right there. that is c-span, and they will be videotaping the program, which is going to last about a half- hour. so, we ask that everybody tried to be quiet so that everyone can hear the speaker and that the video can pick up everything that is going on. and there is that room over there in the back if you need to have a conversation or something. a reminder to put funds on vibrate or turn them off, all of

that. and i think we're just about ready to go. so i would ask people -- oh, and i would encourage people to move of to those stanchions there or to the blue table over here. you'll be fine, just as long as you are not right in the shot. i would like to ask the chair to come up and start us off. >> good evening. i am the chair of the minority in the courts committee. on behalf of our committee, it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to to night's

reception, the importance of a divorce judiciary. i extend a special welcome to the group of students who are with us tonight through this legal outreach. given the proven track record, i am confident the students will one day be attending a similar session as attorneys and judges themselves. [applause] our committee decided to host a reception to celebrate the diversity that exists among the state and for zero judges reviewed and federal judges of new york city. our committee strongly believes that the need to life experiences and perspectives that perverse judges bring to the bench promote the respect for the rule of law and public confidence and our judicial system.

we believe that having to reverse the judge's not only increases the likelihood of cases correctly but will decide in a just manner. as judge gregory recently told me, a judicial system bereft of diversity may on occasion show mercy but will rarely serve justice because it will lack the perspective to do so. i welcome each of you to tonight's reception and now i would like to turn the podium over to our wonderful president at the bar association, who will have some welcoming remarks on behalf of the association. [applause] >> thank you. actually, i think these guys look like lawyers already. i think we can advance right away. thank you all for coming tonight. this is a fabulous occasion for us here at the city bar, because

the issues this city deals with our soap important to us in terms of who we are. i am so honored to have judge gregory here. he honors us by being here. i thank him so much for participating. we have wonderful luminaries of the bench, from the second circuit the to the appellate division judges. it is a great tribute and turn out, and i want to thank everyone for being here. you make it important, and it is important, and we have to keep underscoring that so we can keep making progress in this very important area. this committee on the

minorities in the court which formed in 1992, it was just one indication of the work that we are doing at this association to promote diversity, not only on the bench, but at the bar as well. it we have 126 law firms and corporate law departments that have signed our diversity principles and have been reporting their diversity activities and statistics to us. each year, would publish a benchmark survey. that is a way of trying to show are we making progress. when you get these numbers out there and publish them, it makes a difference. people get to see, yes, there has been progress or, no, there has and and we need to push harder. we continue to war not only at the entry-level but all levels of the profession so it can be

inclusive and more and more members of minorities can aspire to the bench editor should get to a brooch. here in new york, i am so proud because we have a wonderful representative bench in new york. more can be done, but we have made great strides. looking around the room tonight, we can see that the progress has been made and that however, we also understand there is more work to be done. while our focus is on promoting here tonight and celebrating diversity and judiciary, we continue to open opportunities to those traditionally under- represented groups. the association is one of the many organizations that is doing

a look back in the pipeline and reaching out to inner-city high- school kids to show them that we go careers are a possibility, and we also assist college and law school students pursuing careers. we have a wonderful program here at the city bar. the thurgood marshall summer internship program for high- school students, who work with the legal employers and participate in a program to train them for the work environment and expose them to college guidance and law school experience. it is really trying to show them that it is possible, it is possible. they come with such enthusiasm. there is no better feeling than to participate in one of these programs or to see the kind of enthusiasm that the students have added that the legal

community has embracing them. we are so honored to be partnering with them and mentoring the students. we also hold programs were hundreds of high-school students meet to discuss constitutional issues. that is so important, to make young students think about what the issues are, what rights are, what they should be focusing on. we have set up mentoring programs like in high school, college, and law students, and first-year law students can apply for the fellowship program to be placed at summer internships at all departments. all of these programs are designed to promote aspirations. to level the playing field for students of color or from disadvantaged backgrounds who are dreaming of a legal career. but not only we want them to start to dream of a legal

career, because many of these students don't even think about a legal career. we want them to say, i can do it. of course you can. we hope that our efforts will help increase the number of lawyers of color, an important element in ensuring the necessary progress in achieving diversity in the profession and also on the bench. o what true effect juan -- i want to thank juan for pulling this together and giving us this wonderful speaker and hosting this reception. i will now turn the podium back to juan. thank you. [applause]

>> of all the federal appellate courts in this country, the fourth circuit has the most african-americans within its jurisdiction. never have any african-american judges until judge gregory was nominated -- today, they have three african-american judges and a latino whose nomination is pending before the senate. president clinton said, "it is unconscionable the fourth circuit has never had an african-american appellate judge. it is long past time to right that wrong. we all know that diversity in the courts as in all aspects of society, sharpens our vision and makes us a stronger nation. having had the honor of parking for judge gregory, i know firsthand he has lived up to these words. the prospectus and experiences he has brought to the bench have allowed him to have a

significant and profound impact on the fourth circuit's jurisprudence, particularly in areas of the law of that impact minorities the greatest. judge gregory has undeniably had an impact on the fourth circuit culture. prior to his arrival, at its annual conference, the fourth circuit sang a popular song of confederate soldiers during the civil war. needless to say, this was immediately discontinued upon his arrival. moreover, judge gregory has impacted the manner in which the public, particularly african- american communities use the fourth circuit. having seen the pride and joy this committee has taken in his nomination, i believe they number view the fourth circuit as an institution that completely fails to understand their concerns and rights.

without further ado, it is my pleasure to call to the podium judge gregory, a person i consider to be a mentor, role model, and dear friend. [applause] >> thank you, thank you. thank you for those kind words. and he doesn't work for me anymore either and he is still sang those things. i don't have any jurisdiction in the second circuit. thank you so much for inviting me to this all suspicious occasion. it is just amazing for this to be here, standing on concrete that was poured from giants. those of you who are simple war

buffs know that in petersburg was the largest siege of the american warfare, of 300 days for petersburg to fall. when petersburg fell, the confederacy fell about a week later. out of that backdrop came this little boy who loved history, with wonderful parents, the first effect of my immediate family to graduate from high school, let alone go to college and law school. some people say we are born for the court and all these things, but i tell people i am one of those people that god has to let you know yet he is still in the merkel business. -- in the merkel business. it is a wonderful opportunity to come here. this is wonderful because we're celebrating judges. judges, in my mind, have they have irresponsibility. imagine people come before you,

incredible impact to their lives. in the fourth circuit we have quite a few capital cases. i remember handling one of those cases where i was on the motion watch, and this person had filed an appeal to the appellate courts i was there just to make sure what the panel if at the last moment before execution in virginia he chose to file a petition to the fourth circuit would be there to consider it and decide. i will never forget watching. the execution was set for 9:30. they said he would need to be in contact with the court all times, from the time you leave until the time of his execution. i watch the clock, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:15, and no call. 9:30. then you see the order of execution had been carried out

that night. incredible and staggering thing to think that any place in time that you are given that kind of responsibility to understand and apply the law, not to make any personal decisions, as justice frankfurter said so well. he said an opinion should not be an expression of mere will but the effort of reason to discover justice. that is what you do every day. you apply reason to discover justice. what a wonderful place that we are evolving into that has the diversity, that men and women in the federalist papers, hamilton said the office of judge should be riposte to men -- at that time i guess the cannot imagine, it was unfathomable a woman or person of color or anyone else who was not a white male with a

land would have the opportunity to be qualified with a right to even sit. but he said that should be riposte to men who have the knowledge and integrity to conduct the administration of justice with utility and dignity. that is what you do, with utility and dignity, integrity, your knowledge, working hard every day. i am not un-mindful of the fact there are some people who think there may be some danger and fear in promoting a diverse bench. that somehow we are furthering some idea of making racial or ethnic considerations the dominant consideration in the administration of justice. we know that is not true. chief justice roberts said in 2008 at the national symposium of circuit court judges, we are

the only ones to take an oath that includes being impartial. the other coordinated branches don't. this war to defend the constitution, but not to do so impartially. they are appointed and elected to do anything but be impartial. but we are. there has to be an actual controversy with real parties before the court, and within our jurisdiction. having a divorce bench does not we can -- does not weaken the imperative of the oath, nor does it lessen the restraint this of passivity. it gives a great idea of the wonderful progress we

have made understanding this is how the offices. this utility, this integrity, this knowledge might be spread about the population and reflects who we are. a nation that cares about laws. furthermore, the shoulders we stand on, these peoples insisted on the rule of law. so that no one can stand above the law. we owe them a great and mighty that perry -- and by the debt. i have to take a personal privilege here. there are wonderful luminaries, but judge curse, who is standing there, i told her this, but in

law school, the university of michigan, she was the icon. the record she left in the trial she blazed at michigan as the young law student from 1975-1978 is just incredible. this is a wonderful night, not a direct student, but a student inspired by you. i want to say thank you so much, judge. >> thank you. >> i tell you, we talked about the court. when i was appointed, when president clinton appointed may, i did i know a recess appointment. so did a little research. you are laughing.

i found out that the first recess appointment was by president george washington and he appointed john rutledge. did not go very well. the senate roughed him up and he was not confirmed and there was not too much heard from him afterwards. so my research was not going to well. people up there in the research pipeline know, don't ever stop reading at the first chapter. you have to get all the way through the book. when i kept reading, i found out that thurgood marshall was recess appointed. hit in baltimore is recess appointed. -- hidden bottom was recess appointed. i was in good company. don't you agree?

just the whole idea of the law of. there's something about people, all they know. the question to me and my senate hearing was, when you follow the principle, that is the biggest lob there is. she said i knew this would not be fair. they have all those foreign words. [laughter] so even when it is misunderstood, it is nice to have people who know something about the nuances and experiences of the people, and it is so wonderful and refreshing to have that. it reminds me of a soldier that

my favorite theologian told about a fellow back in the 1920's. he cannot get any work. nobody would hire a negro lawyer. it was a death knell. it was hard enough to get any judges, but to bring a negro lawyer in was not good. so this is what he did. his mother did hand laundry and she supported him with his -- her meager income. but he just kept climbing. when he would do was this. it every day, he would sit in the courtroom, at the courthouse, and listen to trials. every time a negro was being tried, his silent presence -- i love that, sitting in silence --

increased the chances of justice being done immeasurably. because they did not want it to sit there knowing this mich.- trained lawyer, better trained than most of the lawyers, many of the judge's, said they had to be careful not to mistreat and butchered the law. what a wonderful experience. he is a person that the stench of injustice was worse than the sting of insult. it must be insulting to have that kind of training and nobody would hire you, but he loved it justice so much that the stench of injustice was much stronger. i love that. when the whole idea, the notion you might be able to stand up here and plead your case with your client. anybody and south carolina, go

meet judge matthew perry. i was there when they named the courthouse for him in columbia, south carolina. it he practiced law, he had to be standing in the balcony and wait until the case was called. can you imagine? he had the courage to come down from the balcony, argue his case, and that day they were named the courthouse from the district of south carolina. these are the people never give up in the faith, the belief, the rule of law. every time we make the bench more diverse, we increase the chances, increase the chances that voices can be heard, increased the idea that people believed that to be part of this, that little boys and girls of all stripes might say one

day, i can sit there, too. do you realize the court building -- if you are in richmond, call my chamber. i love to give you a personal tour. it was built in 1858. those who noticed a modicum of history, just a modicum, you know when the federal government built that building, it was confiscated by the foot confederacy and became the treasury of the confederacy, and jefferson davis, his office was in the building where i sit. can you imagine that? who would have thunk it? and this little boy from petersburg will sit there, i look out the window, at the capitol that jefferson designed, jefferson was the second governor of virginia, looking beyond at all of those monuments. even though at the time it may

have been unfathomable, i thank god that the framers give us the framework of justice, the road back. even though they were not walking that road, not living all the freedom and equality, they gave us a road map that one day we might find our way. and you stand in that road. walken that road. walk into your season of faith and courage, and don't let anybody tell you it is not for you. they were meant for you. not to ford, but given away. -- not to hoard, but to give it away. we want lawyers and judges who live in eternal sunrise. not people to bring the joy to themselves. because it is too big.

it is too important. too many people depend on it. the tokyo once said, american judges rejected tocqueville once said, american judges -- but the chance occurs daily. what i love about being a judge, the color has nothing to do with it. it is the nuances of what you bring, what everybody brings. a little girl was in the audience. i told iraq had asthma growing up. i would get my bronchial tubes closing up, the southern air that you had to bring out at night so i could brief. she would sing to me.

thank god i grew out of asthma. i will never forget, after i finished speaking, a little girl seven years old ran up to me with her in taylor, judge gregory, judge gregory, i have asthma, too. isn't that wonderful? kids can be cruel, the thing she probably cannot go to recess sometimes, but she had the courage when she knew that a judge had the same thing that she had and he outgrew it and he could stand before and speak. it gave her courage. they believe that they can do it. every time they can do it, we are all the richer. i will end up, but i will tell you that let as many terms. more terms about diversity and what we need to do, i found that

in a very difficult way. waldorf and the printer were, the worst type -- my wife had a brain tumor, the worst type. was all doctors all over the world. people talk about diversity and not understanding how rich and wonderful that is. my wife died in june. people say they had better results. they didn't. like most things in life, it is not about the victory, it is about the struggle. that is what you do every time you keep going. it is a struggle. yes, it is difficult, but that is the struggle. does not matter what the result is, you stand there every day. our forbearers, who shoulders we stand on, they stood there with

this respect, sometimes being disregarded, but they stood there so that one day nobody would stand above the law. i will never forget when my wife had chemotherapy, she had the star. the talk about the faces at the bottom of the well. she had to start chemotherapy on a monday and i was there on saturday to get the medication. i gave her the prescription. she said your insurance will cover this. unlike the many americans who don't have coverage, we have insurance. i said it must be a mistake. if the computer says no, the answer is, what, no. no matter what the human result is, the computer says no, it is no.

they were nice, she was doing. job. i will never forget this. i have to do something personally to talk about why she was telling me my wife cannot have it. i asked what should do. she said, give me 4000 alice cash right now. i said, what? she said $4,000. while she was telling me this, the dumbwaiter came and the medicine my wife need it was next to her. you can see what she needed, and that is how justice is sometimes. people could see what they need, but they can't get through the glass to see it. on monday we got it all together and she got her madison. but i think about the people who cannot get it straight on monday. some people still cannot get it straight on monday.

these things are difficult. they depend on judges and all those people who stand, like hamilton said, in dignity and utility and administer justice. i love the faces in terms of diversity and color, religion of all stripes so that people know they're part of this wonderful fabric we call the american experience. i say god bless the judiciary, god bless you and keep always that force and love. thank you. [applause]

i think we agreed to take a few questions, if there are any. if there are any difficult ones, a former law clerks here on standby. anybody have a question? are there is new? -- are there any? if not -- oh, very good. >> what are some of the challenges that practitioners may have to becoming judges. if you have identified as challenges, what are some of the recommendations that you would suggest? >> good question. some people say that lawyers -- judges or lawyers who new senators.

i had no idea i would be a judge, really no interest. i loved practicing law. well with say it is what you love doing, do it well. not only work hard for your clients and be committed, but also give your time to the bar. the wonderful new york city bar, share your time, and be recognized by your colleagues. it is one thing to be a lawyer. but are you a lawyer to a lawyer? that is always my goal. i wanted to be a lawyer to a lawyer. the way that when you walked into court, other lawyers said, wow, winner lose, somebody was represented well today. you keep your eyes on that prize, that is the better mousetrap type theater. -- theory.

do the kind of work and you will always be recognized. i was in private practice, and you have to herd cats and that sort of thing, but you always have to give back. for me, nobody was more important to my clients. do it ethically and with the greatest fervor, without fear or favor. that is the challenge the same character for crisis is the same one for opportunity. from that crisis and challenges, find your opportunity to express yourself and go for it. yes, ma'am? he wants you to pick up your voice. >> when you were a teenager and

or difference troubles in your life, what did you do to still motivate yourself? >> well, that is a good question. mine is a little different. i don't have time to tell all the story, but i was adopted. i did not really grow up knowing a lot about being adopted. but my parents are great loving parents, and i have for example right now some scars on my shoulder from burns that god has taken away the memory. i don't know how it happened. my legs were rickety in and had asthma. my perspective is that my parents, who would take a boy with asthma, with scars and

righetti legs? imagine that? but i loved it, they said, i will take him. those were surmountable per it i just always felt blessed i had the opportunity to have parents who adopted me by choice and took me as i was as god does, he always takes u.s. he finds you, but he never leave you how you found you -- he always takes you as he finds you, but he never leaves you how he found you. just like my parents loved me and gave me the opportunity, i had to give back, no matter what the circumstances. i sort of cried through it sometimes. like everybody else, i have robber at the end of my pencil, too. but for the grace of god. it is the faith, the abiding

idea. so when you fall down, as you will, just remember that it, too, will pass and you'll get your dream. just hang in there. yes, sir? >> at what point did you decide to become a lawyer, and why? >> i decided i wanted be a lawyer my junior year of college. i want to virginia state university, a small historically black college in petersburg. and i had a constitutional law professor who was then a senator. i would watch him when he was giving exams. he was a practicing lawyer and state senator. i would see these court dates.

i was galvanize, like, wow, that is so cool. i did not grow up knowing that. i was exposed through undergraduate. virginia state was a great all modern because i got an opportunity to do things i would have never done. tenures later, we became law partners. -- 10 years later, we became law partners. i was inspired by that undergraduate professor. yes, ma'am? you have to come up here. as i said, justice frankfurter said it is not the expression of

mere will but the effort of reason to discover justice. the motion would not be the word -- a motion would not be the word. this is not politics or anything. for anybody to get to the point where they're considering executing, that is one of personal reflection turns. all the cases are difficult. obviously there are ones where i've written dissent and i have tried to get the court to hear them. i would not call that a motion. -- i would not call that the motion. i have a wonderful colleagues. my reception and treatment, wonderful colleagues, help me through the transition, could not have asked for better colleagues. i cannot think of any emotional. like all cases, they are

difficult. you work real hard on them. you respect your colleagues for their views, but you also believe that you have it right. after that, you have to leave it there, because that is what justice is about. the grapple with the reasoning, give your opinion, and you say no further and you move on. another question? well, you have been a wonderful audience. thank you so very much. i appreciate it. congratulations to all of the honorees, and to the lawyers to be. i look forward to seeing you at about eight, nine years. when the metal is passed. -- on the mantel is passed. it is hard to get them out of there, too. when they see themselves, what they might be able to do, they

love it. the so keep that focus. thank you. >> tomorrow on "washington journal," a a look at the 2010 midterm elections and the effect the tea party could have. also, a discussion on how the deficit could affect defense spending. that is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. tomorrow on "newsmakers," senator mark warner. that is at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> what i think is vital if is americans agree to talk to the taliban leadership. >> in 2000, he read about the

taliban and the rise of osama bin laden. now with the 10th anniversary edition of his book, he looks at what is next, sunday night on c- span. >> now a look at how to prepare high-school students for a advanced placement government exam. this is 55 minutes. >> joining us now is andrew, a high-school teacher. also joining us, daniel larsen. larsen. they're both teachers at adlai stevenson high school. if i am in a key government student, what am i doing this weekend? guest: we are here to cram for the exam. this is the first step in a lifestyle of civic participation. we are building a new participation of the voters. host: tell us about the exam. guest: almost 2000 students on

monday will be taking the government and politics exam and they're looking for college credit. host: when this exam -- is it just multiple choice? is it s.a.? guest: it is a combination of things. they have four essay or they have to demonstrate their knowledge of civics. host: how long does it take for the students to prepare? guest: this has been a yearlong process. we have three classes that meet in one semester each. it can be anywhere from four months to eight months. host: just to give you folks an example. if you have students who are studying for it, an example of one of these questions? which of the following best describes checks and balances

as new britain and the u.s. constitution? there are five possible answers. what is the correct answer? guest: the house can impeach the president. that means that the house can vote that the president has done something wrong. the senate has to remove him. >> as long as our students can narrow that down and make an educated guess, they'll be fine on monday. host: you'll get all those answers, they could all sit -- they could all have some truth to it. guest: there are a couple of tricky ones in there.

the right answer was house impeaches. host: what makes me think that these questions are vowing to show on the test? guest: when you are talking about questions in government and politics, there will be questions on checks and balances. there will be questions on the three branches of government. if you know those 100 critical words, you'll be fine and this test. it is really about learning the vocabulary of the government. we're teaching a gsl class. host: if you get those words, there is a better chance of you getting the answer. guest: absolutely. host: let's bring on the students. students only for this next hour. but like to hear from you if you are preparing for the exam. if you live in the eastern and central time zones --

you could also send us an e-mail with your questions. caller: my question is, from this practice exam from 2008, should i read the question? it says, a tax whereby citizens pay a higher percentage of their income compared with wealthier citizens is known as a progressive tax, proportional tax, graduated income tax, flat tax? guest: right off the bat, taxation. it is a great question. this is a progressive tax, or the wealthy are taxed at a

higher rate than the poor. of course, this is a -- this is not a test where you can debate politics. it is a tough one. host: hollin the been preparing for the exam? -- how long have you been preparing for the exam? caller: about two weeks now. i am paying a lot of attention to media and interest groups and all of that because those are were my problem areas are. i am focusing on practice exams and reading a lot of definitions i have worked on in class. it has been really helpful. guest: you are doing all the right things. the best textbook is the daily newspaper. host: how does that work? guest: if you look at the news in the last week with the arizona immigration law, if you are reading about that news, you get a better understanding of

federalism. >> the oil spill is about federalism. this is bureaucracy in action. this is federalism in action. host: and others did it from san jose, california. caller: i would like to give a shout out to the independence high school in california. do you think there will be specific federal papers that we should be reading for the exam? guest: the federalist papers were written to promote the constitution, to promote ratification of the constitution. federal 10 was written specifically by madison. the idea of joining factions together.

host: michelle, there is a simple question on the federal's 10 if you want to take a shot at it. callerwhich of the following bet describes what james madison wrote in the federalist 10? political factions can be controlled by the constitution system of government. caller: is it c? guest: federal's 10 is also about factions. the argument that james madison gives is that a larger public, the type of government

established by our constitution, is the best way to control factions. host: that would be letter n/a. we will give you a pass on that because it is so early. when you talk to your students about it, how do you best advise them on preparation? in this last stretch, what is the best advice? guest: fight the fatigue. a good night's rest, for 13 did not be frustrated. michele, to not be frustrated when you come up against a tough one. nobody is perfect. there is not one -- it is very difficult. you'll be fine. >> read the newspaper. we really encourage our students to become news junkies after this test. that is really the essence of

the republic. host: by the way, in the hour that we have, they set a special web site if you have tips and question. that website is -- guest: will be taking questions all weekend. join us on that block for some test preparation. caller: for the triangle that happens between the bureaucracy -- guest: you have touched one of the hot topics. it is difficult to explain. the iron triangle is hard

government works. it brings together the three critical players. the first player would be a congressional committee. there the specialist on this public possibly. -- public policy. it also brings in the bureaucratic agency that enforces the policy. then you have those very important interest groups. you have an interest group, a congressional committee, and a bureaucratic agency that all work on that same public policy. if you are on it that at this time of the morning, you'll be fine on monday. >> interest groups try to gain access to decision makers, legislators or the members of bureaucracy. they try to present information and research and details to try to shape that policy. host: for this test, for

students to take the government, did they take this test every year? guest: it is a one-time test. this is a class that they take. some of them are early as freshman year. host: will the be questions about the supreme court? guest: there are likely questions about the supreme court. >> they will have to know the processes of filling vacancies on the supreme court. guest: it is not ta history tes. it will not need to know names. host: to give you some context, here is president obama talking about his elected process. >> different times call for different justices. each justice has their own strengths and weaknesses. what i want to make sure is that

any justice that i appoint are people who have not only be academic qualifications or intellectual capacity, but also the heart the feel for how americans are struggling in their day-to-day lives. also, and appreciation for -- an appreciation for some time tested principles in our constitution that has to be respected. host: next up is ohio. caller: southern my teacher has been hammering us about -- something my teacher has been

hammering us about. guest: what a perfect time with obama statement about the supreme court. >> i love selective in corporation. it is not a concept that is easy and very few know about it. i love liberty hyde. what a great place to study. it is that process by which the supreme court has applied the bill of rights to states. most of this -- the bill of rights limited the national government. there have been some critical court cases. in 1925, the supreme court used the due process clause of the 14th amendment applied the free- speech clause to the states. this opens up a whole new agenda to the supreme court. it opened up their jurist appearance -- jurisprudence and jurisdiction.

>> you also have the case which incorporated the fourth amendment. it incorporated the sixth amendment right to give us the right to counsel. i am certain that president obama -- that is a topic that comes up, selective and corporation. -- incorporation. he wants them applying the bill of rights to state and local governments. host: i do not know if you want to take a shot at it, but there is a supreme court question. it might incorporate selective incorporation if i'm correct. what was the significance of the u.s. supreme court mccullough versus maryland?