been conducted so well and with so little safetyr other concern that there was being an award given and executives were on board the rig that day for that purpose. >> and'm going to continue on with you, if you don't mind, because there's too many to spread it around. isn't it true that you'd concluded your basic drilling, what, two days before? >> yes, sir. the transocean was brought in to drill the rig by bp as a subcontractor anthat drilling had been completed on april the 17th, three days before the deephorizon incident. ironically we were in the process of completing our work, an were in the very short future going to remove the blowout preventer and the riser package and depart the well site -- >> so going through that line of questioning, isn't it true that the scontractor for the corete portion, halliburton, was on-site? >> yes, sir. halliburton as well as miswayko

were doing the drilling. >> british petroleum owns the lease, they have some oversite. at least three on contractors, you're in a transition phase. is it a particular dangerous time historically, this transition? >> that's a good question, and i would say generally, not being a drilling engineer myself, it is actually considered one of the more safe times. anone of the things that is so astoundingly unusual about this incident is that it happened after a well had been cemented and cases. normally you would anticipate that during the drilling process, as you're actually reaching different geologic depths, you would see greater risk from hydrocarbons emanating from the structure. here the well had bee cemented, cased and concluded. so it is extraordinary. i've heard that from everyone in the industry that there would be such a catastrophic failure. >> so going through that line of questioning, for our edification, one, you're gng take care of your people based on laws unrelated to our hearing here today.

two, your work had been completed, but more importantly, there were multiple different folks, companies represented there. there is a whole series of logs, not of all of which you probably have, that will have to be reviewed. the failing device may or may not have been the one that was inspected days before, the blowout preventer. the concrete is a factor of why and how it failed to perform. so summarizing it, we don't know whether there was any failure that could have been anticipated. we don't know and we're not representing here, mineral management service who has a primary responsibility to ensure that, and yet we're talking about removing a cap that may or may not apply, based on whether there was or wasn't wrongdoing by any of the companies represented here. would you say that synopsizes what we're doing here today? >> i agree with many of the

states you just made t is incredibly difficult to prejudge liabilit or responsive action that should be taken. i'm tlifled to hear that perhaps the well leak has been stopped. that will allow more to be dedicated to the investigation. i wholly agree it is inappropriate to assign blame or liability until investigation is complete. what is important today is claims are being paid and persons europed are being taken care of and that is our commitment. >> i for one will be loong at how the companies handle their obligations and obviously would like to have further research once there are more facts as to whether this was an inevitable event something that could have been prevented by compliance. mr. chairman, i thank you for your diligence in this a

>> and live picture under the sea where bp argues a remotely operated robots to stop the oil leak in the gulf of mexico. yesterday announced their latest attempt did not work but they called their top kill approach to jam of mud and debris into the pipeline to claude it. company officials are now planning to go back to a method they tried earlier, putting a cap on the week which could take up his seven days. it is a delicate procedure made more difficult at the depth of 5,000 feet. in the meantime, work continues on the ocean's surface where they are drilling relief wells which will look like to be the best option. this will not be complete until

august. if you -- you would like to watch the live feed or congressional hearings, you can log on to our website, c- span.org. and look now at the environment will be the environmental impact with the campaign director for the gulf restoration network from today's "washington journal." this is 40 minutes. host: joining us from new orleans, the campaign director from the gulf restoration network. and we appreciate you joining us this morning. i want to ask you first about your reaction to the news from late yesterday when you heard that the top kl procedure had failed to stop the gusher in the gulf. what was your reaction? guest: well, we are absolutely disappointed. it felt like somebody punched us in the gut. there was a lot of hope that this was going to work. not that anyone really bought the 60 to 70% chance of success that bp d touted but everyone

wanted this to work. and so as we stretch into well beyond that first month, everyone is hoping for something to stem the tide. but we understand that we're in for the long haul here and it really is disappointing. host: what is your organization tasked with doingn response to this spill? est: well, we're a 15-year-old environmental advocacy organization. so we've been for our entire history focused on helping to protect and restore the natural resources of the gulf of mexico. so for us this is a game changeand it's something that we've put as much of our resources into as possible monitoring the spill, monitoring impacts, having a critical eye on the containment and cleanup efforts, watching what's happening as the oil's coming ashore and working for a better response for both the federal government and from bp. so we've been doing independent flyovers of the spill site and oil and its impacts.

we're the first group that flew over what was happening offshore in the gulf of mexico that first sunday and have been on the water and in the air trying to keep a hand on what's happening and spreading that and sharing that information, because we found that to be something that hadn't been happening as much as we would like. there needs to be better information and we're working to facilitate that host: 're day 41. are things worse or better than you expected in this disaster? guest: i think we have -- it's hard to say. we've never seen anything of thiscale before as we watched it unforlede and just really weren't sure what the impacts were going to be. clearly, we're seeing them. you know, hundreds and hundreds of animals have washed up dead, you know, and we know that the oil is coming ashore. we have seen really likely hundreds if not thousds of acres of wetlands' impacted,

hundreds of miles of louisiana coastline have seen oil come ago shore. so we know the impacts are there. but there's so much you can't see. der the surface of the gulf of mexico where so much of this oil and so much disburse nt has been put into that eco system we don't have a good handle on what that's doing. scientistses now are beginning to understand that the oil has created plumes under the surface. we know that iimpacting the marine environment somehow. we're just not really sure how. so it's a really important time of year in the gulf of mexico. blue fin tuna, which are really a globe trotting species but the western atlantic population only spauns in the gulf of mexico. they're spawning right now. we know their la va are coming into contact with the oil and dispersents. we don't know what that's doing. it will likely have a f an impact on the ability to recover. it's a threatened species.

host: go ahead. guest: what we do know is there's a sperm whale population that's in this area that their most productive feeding area is inhis canyon. so we know they have been moved off their best feedi area or coming into contact with e oil. so again, we don't know what the impacts are. we expect them to be significant. we hope they're not devastating. host: we are lining up calls. the numbers are on the bottom of your screen. the impact on the environment. the impact of the livelihood of those living on the gulf coast. caller: thanks for taking my call. i have a comment i guess. i keep hearing a lot of like basically excuse making fo this administrrtion's response to this. and they could talk about the

culture that exists with the friendly ties to the oil companies. but the bottom line is according to my understanding is this administration gave this leaking oil well operation a permit to drill. this administration gave this leaking oil well operion an environmental waiver. and how long is this guy's learning curve? he promised to have change. you can oy finger point so much. and then, as far as the response to the oil spill, that's where they also went wrong, because it was my understanding that the people in the gulf states, particularly louisiana had their own state disaster plan responses and they were told to stop and do environmental impact statements before they went ahead with any plan they had while they were facing an environmental catastrophe, which is kind of like swatting at a fly while your house is on

fire. host: your thoughts on the administration and the state response to the oil spill. impltsdz well, tho one can look at what's happening right now in the gulf of mexico and be satisfied. you can't be satisfied with bp's response, with the administration's response and with the state's response, either. this is a crisis that we're going through right now, and i think clearly there's lots of blame to be assessed everywhere. ultimately this is bp's failure, bp's responsibility. and bp needs to be spending all the money to make the community and environment whole again. but this is going to be a decades long process. so to say the obama administration's fault because his mms had the final signature, you know, ignores the fact that the drilling plan was created and first proposed under the bush administration mm and really the changes to mms, there are cultural changes that need to be made and we

think that this is, if anything comes out of this, one thing that we'll hope is administrative kind of perspective is that mms gets completely reconfigured so the internal conflicts of interest are minimized and we can have an aggressive watch dog out there in the gulf of mexico and anywhere that drilling is happening. host: ten days ago your organization, the gulf restoration network, is one of a number of organizations writing a letter to the administration calling for more direct overse in response to the disaster in the gulf of mexico. have you seen any progress on that front? guest: i don know that i can say that we've seen enough progress, certainly. we've asked for more federalized response here. we've been here for 15 years. we were here five years ago in the wake of hurricane katrina and rita. and what we saw is a mility response is sometimes wholely

appropriate and the best way to bring the full weight and resources of the federal government to bear. what we've seen right now through the coast guard leadership many, many agencies it has not been adequate. folks in new orleans are hoping for a general hon ray who came down and kind of cigar chomping, butt kicking kind of guy who got a lot of stuff down and marshall resources and was very sensitive to the community as well. we haven't seen that type of response and we're hungry for it. host: a caller asked, talking about the oil spill earlier and that calr wondered what could happen now that hurricane season is under way. what's the prediction of what could happen if this gusher is still going and a hurricane hits? guest: well, tuesday is the start of hurricane season, so it is ather worry, another level of anxiety placed over this horrific scenario that bp's oil drilling disaster has

brought to the gulf of mexico. so clearly, if you are ming a lot of water in the gulf of mexico and the water comes ashore we could s some impacts but i think what we expect is that the later summer tends to be the more active area for this region and storms. so we're hopeful that we'll see far more effective cleanup and containmentfforts before we goat the more active part of the season. host: we have our lines open. louisiana next up. good morning. go ahead. caller: well, a couple comments. one is that so many people always complain at least particularly in the very republican area that i live in that they don't want big government. and yet now they're all complaining that we don't have enough government down here t clean up a mess for us. whether it was a natural

disaster or a man-made disaster. secondly, one thing i hadn't heard anybody ask the question about is this second drill that they're doing, the relief drill, if the first drill released incredible pressures, what's to say that the second drill can't create an even worse mess? host: any comment? guest: well, iertainly am not a drilling expert. you know, put some things together in th last month, unfortunately, but we know that the relief well is about a couple months away. the te i read this morning was august. so that is something that is too far away. but i hope that they do it as safely and quickly as possible because experts say this is the most guaranteed the options to shut down this spewing geiser of oil. so i don't know clearly they've made mistakes. what we're seeing right now is

that deep water drilling is a highire act without a net. we hope there's something done and some safely and ultimately contains it. host: joe in orlando, florida. go ahead. caller: good morning. well, the one lady asked about the hurricane. that was one of mine. but i've got a couple quick questions and then i'll hang up and listen. what i got here is this oil is getting into the gulf stream. isn't that glowing to contaminate the entire world? the gulf stream will carry that oil for years tough the entire gulf stream and contaminate the whole world what's already out there. and also, is it possible that it could rain oil on to like we're in florida here. could the storms in the gulf of mexico end up raining oil on to florida? and i'm wondering why they

can't just drop a gigantic concrete on top of it. and i'll hang up and listen. guest: well, i'm not sure about how the oil will interact with storms to create rain. i do know that the gulf stream ise is something that a lot of people are concerned about. once it gets into the gulf stream clearly -- it's starting to now and it will be moved through those curnlts and it will show up in places you won't expect it. we can see it in the carmes. but as we're watching it come up shore here in gaufen island, alabama, or ship island, mississippi, it's coming up in smaller tar balls. so it's not the images you have seen in louisiana's coastal marsh where you'll see a blanket of oil in certain areas. it's smaller and more

widespread. so i think what happens, you'll see some impacts but you won't see a devastating slick of oil as it gets into the gulf stream. host: so at this point, the state of louisiana bearing the brunt of the most difficult of thickest oils? guest: once again, louisiana is once again taking the environmental price of this nation's addiction to oil. our coastal marshes, they're not healthy. they have been really devasted through a 50-year legacy of oil and gas exploration. and that 50 of year slow motion death is in fast forward mode. and what we hope is that the nation now sees what's going on down here, the cost of this exploration and development, and we get the nation fully committed to in thlong haul using bp's resources and the federal government's to make

this marshland whole. host: we're starting to see more of, the baltimore sun, the illnesses flair. fisher mone hired by bp to mop up report sickness as law makers press for medical care. what can you tell us about efforts to protect people to go into cleanup areas? guest: we think ty're wholely inadequate. we've talked to some friends of mine at the louisiana slimple association. their slimplers were eager to help protect the coastal system. they became part of the vessels of opportunity program. and then put out there with inadequate protection. didn't have ressprators and they're out there i this toxic stew that is louisiana crude mixed with the dispersnt. they've never done hests on this concoction. and so now i think it's 11 workers who have been hospitalized, folks who were

working to protect their marsh and protect their way of life and this is whatp does? it's outrageous. osha needs to be engaged. what we've also seen is really offensive first responses from bp and the federal agencies. they not oy think it might be heat stroke or food poisoning. these are shrimpers. they work out there constantly. if they weren't cleaning up the mess they would be out in their boats. so what we do need to know is what is bp going to do to protect people. we need to put all shrimpers to work. the direction of the federal navy is how we're going to have the boats on the water to contain the spill but those workers have to be protect ds. host: charleston, tennessee. caller: gd morning. i don't think this is rocket science. i just think it's boiling down to incompetence. the technology exists to close

this we will off well off. it's used every day. farmers use it to pressure test plumbing at home. auto manufacture use it to expand. it's just steel wh compacted rubber between it and the top and bottom are threaded and when the center shaft is turned it compresses and expands. i don't understand why something like that wouldn't work to plug this. i don't know if they're just -- i don't know. i don't know what the excuse is for not having this closed. it seems simple to me. i know this is aile deep in the ocean, but why could something like that not work? i'm just -- host: robert one of many weighing in with suggestions. here's one from vian.

you mention that your organizationas been tre for 15 years. do you think that there was adequate preparation before drilling in mile deep water that the procedures were well known in advance on what to do if catastrophe like this happened? guest: well, clearly you can't look at what's happened right now and say yes to that question. there was no preparation, whether it's because mms didn't require an effective blowout response plan or because the industry didn't feel they needed to go through the effort to set one up. there just wasn't nearly enough resources mar shled here to quickly and effectively contain and clean up this disaster. and what we saw, that first weekend when we flew over this huge site of the slick, we saw three boats out there. and we've been hearing reports that bp had mobilized dozens of

boats. there were three boats, two of which were operating the sub, and one was a skimmer that couldn't work because it was in three-ot seas. which three feet in the gulf of mexico is a pretty calm day. so what we found quickly is the technology wasn't the immobilizer didn't exist to deal with this and ase watch thiso on it's clear they haven't changed the cleanup technology, the containment technology from what they used 20 years ago in alaska. and no one said that was terribly effective 20 years ago. so they've expded and gone into deep water and now ultra deep water drilling for oifplt they've pushed the envelope when it comes to the technology to get at these very deep, very inaccessible oil fields but they've done nothing commensurate to bring along the technology to contain it. this is a high wire act without a net and now we're paying the price. host: good morning on our democrat's line.

caller: hello. thank you for takingy call. i believe i've heard that up in canada they require two blowout protectors and the only way they've ever stopped a spill like this has been a relief well. so, and they require that you drill one of those along with the original well. i think that would be a good idea for congress and the senate to write up a bill for that. and i just, i was so glad to hear everybody coming together onhis in the first segment we had. and i wish that it wouldn't continue and i don't know why we listen to people like rush limbaugh and palin and beck who make millions of dollars dividing this country and that's what i have to say. and thank you for your service there, sir. and we appreciate it. host: guest: thank you. host: is your ganization one that is sort of organizing and massing volunteers to go out

there and help mop up clean up or protect some these delicate marshes et cetera? guest: we have on our website that we put together for this is bp drilling disaster.org. there is a button you can volunteer. but unfortunately, the way this horrific scenario is unfolding is there is not a lot of things for volunteers to do. what we do know is contractors that are paid for by bp are the folks who are the front lines cleaning up this oil. and that's the w it has to be. people need to be trained, have proper hazardous material training. and they also clearly need to have the proper protection to be out in this toxic stew. i don't think bp is doing that effectively right now but that's their charge. and when it comes to cleaning up this contamination, 700 animals that have been killed by this oil so far and we have

seen really hundreds ofirds that have been easketted. everyone sees these iconic images of the brown pell kn turned black and they want to help. and what you can do to hel is to take action, to hold bp accountable. to put resources into the ground that's necessary so we learn from this a we effectively respond to this. we unfortunately don't have an outlet for people to come down and help clean the marsh. as i said before, our marshes in louiana are incredibly vulnerable. they are not a robust system even though they are still a very productive system for the nation. about 30% of the nation's wild caught seafood directly related to these marshes. once the o gets in, we can't have beam in boots wading around cleaning up the marsh. you're going to do more harm than gd. so unfortunately touf do it from afar. but there's you can do from your community. so as a nation we learn from this.

go to bp drilling disaster.org to take action and to help out. host: there's a piece in the "new york times" about the use of these dispersents to break up the oil. a woman writes this piece, swimming through the spill her, the results of her dive into some of the oil spill. she writes that though all dispersents are potentially dangerous, when ooptplid in such volumes, cor ex is a particularly tomism one. she finishes with this. the deep water horizon spill has done enough damage without adding to it.

would you agree with her? guest: absolutely. i would add io that this on the workers is significant. it seems like it's very negative. we've called when president obama came this week to address this issue we were out there asking for him to put a halt to this unless and until we can tell they're not havingore harm tn good. we think really as that marine biologist points out, it's really a pr move. it takes the oil from where you can see seen it and puts it out of sight. of course, it's not out of the eco system. it's not hadgic. it doesn't make the oil disappear. it moves it into these deep water plumes just below the surface expanses impacting our marine environment. and we are just terrified that we might be making this matter worse than if they were just letting the oil come to the surface ere they could be

more aggressive and containing and skimming and collecting it. host: our guest joining us from new orleans this morning, aaron vials with the gulf restore ration network, talking about the impact of the gulf oil spill. sandra on our indents line. . .

caller: they wanted to fight bp $100 million per day. i am on board with that. how about you? guest: it sounds like something that is in line with general honore. we want an aggressive federal response. the full weight of the u.s. military, as well. seizing their assets or the fine sounds good. we need to bring all our resources necessary here. last i checked, bp had a lot of them, billions of dollars of profits quarterly. it is time to bring everything to bear in tes of cleaning up the oil and repairing the coastal communities. that is a good step in the right direction. st: you've mentioned the under water plumes of oil that have been escaping.

scientists are building a case for undersea plumes. has this not been noticed before? guest: to is not something we have beenware of here in the gulf of mexico. there are a number of reasons. we have not seemed a disaster like this before. we have not seen unchecked geysers spewing forth. there is a natural response that could likely to explain t plumes. there is an outrageous amount of disbursement at has been used here. there is an unprecedented deep water injection at the well head site can explain some of desperat some of this -- some o. the plumes eventually get eaten up by the natural bacteria

out there, we will likely see oxygen depletion which causes a condition called hypoxia. as the mississippi river puts out amazing amounts of nutrients into the gf of mexico, tt excess nutrients blooms algae and that does and it creates hypoxia which sustains marine life. week are afraid we will see multiple plans in the gulf of mexico for it to remain a producti ecosystem. host: we have a sweet here from, who wris, "everybody is an oil spill expert. drop a boulder on it. this is not a warner brothers cartoon." new orleans is next. caller: thank you for taking my call.

in canada, they require a second drill being done at the same time as well as devices to kill e well when these accidents happe is that true that they have that in canada? guest: we have heard that. we are checking on it now. we hopefully will be able to make sure that is in fact the case. we have a canadian member of parliament who is interested in coming down. we will ask him when he comes down to discuss the issue. that is certainly something how the nation approaches it deepwater drilling is how we inform our approach in the gulf of mexico. it sets the bar when it comes to the technology toexplore for oil. clearly, we have not when it comes to the ability to clean up and stop accidents. host: there is an article on

u.s. policy in the arctic. our democrats line is next. you are on the air. caller: i have the solution to stopping the oil leak. you take weather balloons of catheters and forced them into the hole and blow them up. you will need three or four in case one of them explodes. host: there are a lot of experts on the line this morning. the impact on the lifestyle of the livelihood of the fishermen, the watermen on the gulf coast, here is a "new york times" col. article. any sense of how bad it will be? guest: the fisheries in

louisiana is about $2.6 billion annually. we will see that severely curtaid. you can multiply the impact of those communities. i have been talking to my trumping friends and oyster man. -- my shrimping friends and oystermen. these communities are still not recovered from katrina and ike. they are recovering but this is the inverse of katrina. boats will be there. the docks will be there. they might not be able to get to them. this is an ecosystem that is open for business.

if you are at a restaurant, please keep more seafood. we have been aggressive to make sure it is safe. we are closing areas where oil might be coming ashore. if it is on the menu, it is safe and he did. these communities need help. we look forward. we know the oil is contaminating the wetlands right now. that will continue because the oil has not stopped flowing yet. we think it will have significant long-term effects. that the worst-case scenario. we hope that whatever the bp response is, we want to make sure the ecosystem is cleaned up and make sure these coastal communities remain whole and are supported in the interim as they are being affected by the oil spill. we must learn from this and make sure that any offshore drilling

is de safely with the effect of resnses. ultimately, we hope to get off oil and we don't put our coastal areas in harm's way. host: the head of bp america has testified on numerous hearings since the initial oil rig exploded. he testified last week on several hearings where you can find online at c-span.org. he is focusing on what bp will do in terms of environmental restoration anthe gulf. listen to this. >> to ensure the rapid implentation of sticking to supplant, we have made available $25,000 each in block grants on monday, we would said -- we have said we would make up to $100 million available to research program to study the impact of the deepwater verizon impact and its associated response along the gulf of mexico.

beyond the environmental impact, there are also economic impacts. bp will pay all necessary, and costs and is committed ted to payi all legitimate claims for a loss of damages caused by the spill. we are expediting interim payments to individuals and small-business owners. whose livelihood has been directly impacted. host: anything from that testimony you like to react to? guest: it sounds appropriate but there is an awful lot of legal which ll room in there. we understand that right now, the nion's eyes are focused on bp and the gulf coast. they are saying the right things. if you think back 20 years ago to the exxon valdez, it is a similar game plan. the corporation will be contrite and apologetic and commit to amazing things. the question will be, ater this

geyser is capped and the worst oil impacts is contained, what will they be saying. where will they draw line for a pro. damages? we will need to hold their feet to the fire. they will say the right stuff right now. what will they say in five years to the local community that has legacy issues that relate to the ool drilling disaster. ? we don't know right now but we have the ability to watch them every step of the way. host: texas, an independent caller, go ahead. caller: i don't know if this is true but maybe you can shed some light on this. as russia accused nuclear devices to cap off similar oil

geysers? i think host: that is the second call we have had on that. guest: i have heard it but i have not checked it out. we haven't done any trust or the research. -- trust for the research. host: long beach island, new jersey, republican line. go ahead. call: with the way nasa handles missile with the thrust and wait and everng else and some of the scientists at nasa, maybe they could design a pipe that could go over the end of that or design something else. they seem to handle very good for the space ships and everything. they have some of the best scientists and the world. host: we read a piece earlier that suggested americans were

relying too much on technology to solve their problems. guest: if we rely too much on technology, clearly that is coming due now. technology is failing us. the top hat did not work. the copper down did not work. all the technology we mustard to shut this thing down athe source or contain it has failed. they are operating 1 mile deep. the best minds in the oil industry are in the room in houston working for the different scenarios. it is outrageous that these scenarios were not worked through before. this is all being done on the fly and as much as 1 million gallons per day of oil is flowing into the gulf of mexico. we need to think very long and hard about how our energy technology and energy economys

set up for the future. as the easy oil has been captured, we get into the harter oil. --harder oil. every time we discuss this, we ar about coastal's drilling in the interim until we can get into solar and wind. that doesn't make any sense to me. the folks i ve talked to says it takes 10 or 15 years to get a new offshore field online. where will we be in 10 or 15 years? we want to get the transportation system off of oil. i bet in 10 or 15 years, we will be pretty far along. this is openly bp' responsibilitys it is not openly their fault. we have a very energy-intensive lifestyle. we have not demanded better from

our leaders and energy companies. i hope now that we do. host: federal regulators have been blamed. here ia piece suggesting we share blame. your thoughts on that? guest: i heard that rush limbaugh blamed the sierra club. he was blaming them from blowing up the oil rig. there are many people who are to blame and the environmentalists are clearly getting sme from the right. it is an interesting argument but i do not understand it. the gulf of mexico has

shouldered the responsibility of providing domestic energy for a long time. if anyone wants to bring it to your shores, see how it goes because of energy production. because other coastal communities do not want it does not mean those coastal communitieare to blame. we are to blame as a nation for not making the tough decisions and not demanding better leadership from our federal leaders to get us off of oil and not just put it into the convenience sacrifice zone in the gulf of mexico. host: ohio, good morning on our democrat line. caller: thank you for bringing up that we have to look at our personal consumption habits. people don't want to look at that. it is obvious that bp did not to the preliminary safeguards that they needed to becausef money. all that being obvis, the bp

executives sounds like they will take on responsibility. the wall street executives did not sound the same way. you had admiral allen on the other day and he said the oil rigs in saudi arabia could not be used in the gulf becausef the shallow nest. ness. another expert said the tankers could be used. why wouldn't use them if they could? could cspan do shows on what is going on in iraq and afghanistan? our major media has talked only about oil. host: we will speak on monday's program for nearly one full hour on that subject. guest: the technology to contain

this is not being utilized. it is either because it does not exist or there is some other reason, i cnot answer that. what i do know is that we have monitored the best and what would happen at the site and were the oil is coming up and in the mares where the oil is coming ashore. it is having a response but it calls for a more federalized response. we also called for a halt to the toxic disbursement activit the shrimpers were working to protect their marshes and were getting sick. most importantly, this is a very vulnerable and important ecosystem that is getting hammered because of our nation's dependence on oil. we need to make that ecosystem hall and bmoney can be used to move in that direction. we need to commit long-term to

this region. you can go to bp oil drilling disaster.org to see what we are doin >> a debate between the five republican candidates in the data -- in nevada. that is at 6:30 p.m. eastern here on c-span. now, a house hearing on recent pharmaceutical because by johnson and johnson's. the company has issued multiple because of the last two years.

the most recent involving children's tylenol. you will hear from the fda ministration answering questions from congress. this last one hour and tenants. >> the meeting will come to order. good morning and think you for being here today. any time we give our children or gang children medicine -- or grandchildren medicine like this bottle of children's tylenol that was included in the recall, we expect it to be safe and we expect it to help the children get better not create problems for them. parents need immediate answers. almost every household in this country has these products in

their medicine cabinets. everyone has the same question this morning -- are these products save? what are we doing to ensure the safety of and to make certain that this is not happening again. we do not want to cause unnecessary alarm. we also cannot ignore the troubling fact before us. less than one month ago, a johnson and johnson co. recalled over 40 variations of children's medicine. this includes such widely used products such as the children's tylenol, children's motrin, children's been a drill, and drops. -- children's benadryl. this affected the quality and

potency of the medicine. they received dozens of complaints about foreign particles in medicine which were later confirmed by the company. in addition, through batches were found to be super potent meaning that they contained an overdose of the active ingredient. the production of children's madison was shut down by the company. -- children's madison was shut down. the fda is currently investigating any possible links between the recall madison and adverse health effects on children who took the medicine. the fda is also reviewing reports of children who died to determine if there are any connections between those deaths and this recall. at this point, the fda is not

aware of any connection between the recall of the madison and the death of a child. one document they receive from the fda referred to the case of a one-and-a-half year-old girl who died. that document reads that the debt is expected to be related to a tylenol product. just last night the committee obtained from the fda even more disturbing information. according to an fda document, mcneil and new there was a potential problem with one of its products that was on the market in 2008. rather than issuing a recall, mcneill said contractors out to

the stores to purchase the products back and told the stores not to mention a recall. add to the fda confronted mcneil about this, the officially enacted a recall on the affected products. if true, this phantom recall attempt could have endangered the public and it warrants further investigation by this committee. we need to know what risks are associated. we need to know whether this is an isolated issue or part of a widespread problem with the safety of children's medicine. we need to know that johnson and johnson is doing something to get to the bottom of this. we need to ensure the safety of

medicine and whether the fda has the resources it needs to carry out its mission. johnson and johnson and the fda will be asked of the difficult questions today. i hope they are prepared to give us the answers that will insure the safety of these medications. this is our first hearing on this issue. there may be more. we will follow this road until we have all the answers and questions raised by the people are answered. there is nothing this committee will investigate that is more serious than the health of our children. i can assure you that as chairman of this committee, and i know on this matter i also speak for the ranking member, when i say this -- we will use all of our authority to find out what went wrong and do everything that we can to ensure that it does not happen again.

on this note, i yield five minutes to the ranking matter congressman issa from california. >> use before both of us when you say we will use all efforts of this committee and all of our power to make sure this does not happen again. johnson and johnson has owned the mcneil consumer health-care division since 1959. from this day forward, i will say johnson and johnson and not talk about subsidiaries. before i came to the congress, i was in manufacturing. there is no question that my manufacturing techniques were less than i would've expected if

i ever going to put the product in my mouth. producing electronics, you want it to work reliably. you wanted to never hurt anyone. my company knew we would produce a product that from time to time would be installed quickly. we knew that from time to time we would have a bad transistor or diode. we did not produce to aviation specs because i am alarmed because a malfunction was less of a problem. today, we talk about a market leader, and leader who had so much confidence in the american people that we never questioned it their products or services. they have disappointed us. we are not the committee of manufacturing. we're not the committee of jurisdiction directly over health-care products or any

manufacturing sector in this country. that is for other committees. what we are is the committee that oversees the government overseeing its responsibility. today we have in front of us the fda. much like the ntsb and other parts of the department of transportation, we have an agency who have done their job. the have deliver a report after report of problems and have come to a final conclusion before coming to this committee of a massive recall. like toyota, we would hope that johnson and johnson will say this is a mistake that will not happen again and that the company will, in fact, change how they do business as significantly as to never be before us again. as to the fda, i am encouraged to have done their job but i am disappointed that it took so

long. as with the national transportation questions we had before secretary lahood, today i will be interested to know what changes at the fda would allow for, if you will, shortcuts to this conclusion. how do we find that a manufacturing technique that is below standard is corrected more quickly? how do we insure that there are no back door or, if you will come on announced recalls? how do we ensure the fda has all of the authority and financing it needs to insure the american people that not just a 120-year- old country that is well regarded and able to pay for their mistakes -- a 120 year-old company that is well regarded, that all these products whether domestic or foreign imported is safe. i am deeply concerned, mr. chairman, that johnson and johnson is the tip of the iceberg. if one of the most reliable and

responsible organizations in america, a company with great connections to the community, can fail us, then what about the aspirins and other products that are more and more being imported from outside of our country? from factories that are harder to reach and people who do not even speak our language when we go to inspect them. although today is about johnson and johnson, and i hope the second panel does their job to make sure that everyone is absolutely safe from this pain forward. -- from this point forward. >> i think the ranking member.

i'm agree with you. i would like to recognize someone. >> could you please stand up? there we go. >> think you so much for joining us. we turn now to our first witness, dr. joshua sharfstein. he is our witness from the fda but he is accompanied by michael chappell and colleen goggins to provide any additional affirmation. michael chappell is the acting associate minister for regulatory affairs at the fda.

it is committee policy that all witnesses are sworn in. if you would stand and raise your right hand. do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? you may be seated. let the record reflect that the witness's answer in the affirmative. .

>> i am joined by mike chappell who is a 38-year veteran of fda. the fda has authority over drug manufacturing, to enforce good practice requirements and to require companies to comply with their own rules. consumer health care makes a variety of over-the-counter products from four manufacturing facilities in the united states and canada. fda has said crowing concerns about the quality of the many -- has a growing concerns about the quality of the manufacturing process. fda inspected the company's facilities with increased frequency. in february, the agency convened the management of its parent company, johnson &

johnson, to express concern about a pattern of noncompliance. this is a story of an agency that identified a problem, confronted a company, and forced major changes to protect the public. i would now like to walks you -- what you through the events. prior to 2009, fda investigators identified it problems at facilities run by mcneill. these problems include a laboratory control's, equipment cleaning processes, and a failure to identify problems -- to deal with identified problems. they inspected the firm regularly. at its fort washington facility, a large number of over-the- counter liquid products for children -- in june, 2009, after yet identified several violations -- fda i defied several violations in one of its

over-the-counter in the courts -- the fda identified violations and one of its over-the-counter liquids. partial lots had not tested positive for a bacteria, but the vendor had tested partial lots and had found a certain bacteria. they should not have used any of them partial lots from the master of law. fda scientists included that the risk -- concluded that the risk to the public was remote. all of the final product had tested negative for the bacteria. it would be unlikely to grow in the final product, it was concluded. it represented a significant violation of manufacturing practices and the company issued a recall of 8 million bottles of finished product. a few months later, in puerto

rico, were mcneil makes a large number of over-the-counter pills, fda became aware that the company received reports from the facility having a musty odor. it did not notify fda despite the requirements that these reports be notified to the as rigid fda within three days. it identified as source of the odor to be a chemical in the air because of the pesticides used. mcneil issued a series of free calls is the problem became clear. the risk to the public included potential temporary, non-serious reactions, including stomach pain, vomiting, and possibly die reappeared very little is known about this chemical, but in small quantities it was not thought to cause a serious risk

for long-term health problems. fda issued a warning letter expressing serious concern about the company's control all for its products and its failure to correct quality problems. fda noted in this public warning letter, that upper management at johnson & johnson nor mcneill had assured timely investigation or resolution of the issue. on february 19, senior compliance staff from fda called a meeting with senior officials from mcneill and johnson & johnson. attendees included the president of mcneill, the company group chairman for over-the-counter drugs ed johnson & johnson, as well as a number of quality assurance executives from both companies. this was an extraordinary meeting. fda requested senior officials from johnson & johnson attend the meeting, over the heads

of mcneill -- fda raised concerns about multiple recalls, based on inspections and expressed concern that there was a pattern of a failure to report material information in a timely manner. fda told the company that significant, immediate steps were needed to address issues of compliance and quality. the company was taking major steps to address the issues, but we told them we would not take their word for it. they should expect close oversight. in april, we returned to the mcneill facility in fort washington. this was an inspection scheduled sooner than usual. days before the inspectors arrived, mcneill shut down manufacturing because of the particulate found on the liquid

medication, including acetaminophen. we identified of range of violations, including a failure to meet specifications for bacteria, and the possibility of higher than expected concentrations of tylenol in one product. fda scientists concluded that the risk was remote. we did not find evidence that mcneill used raw materials. and that all finished lots tested negative. the particles would be expected to pass to the gastrointestinal tract. there was potential for higher concentrations per dropper, but none of the final products tested with high levels. although the health risk was low, these problems should never have occurred, and the failures at the facility that cost them were unacceptable. following requirements assures that products are consistent in safety, and failure to follow these procedures risks more

serious problems and undermines consumer products. on april 30, they announced a voluntary recall of children's products, and liquid products. we are monitoring the implementation of a corrective action plan, that includes his -- includes changes to the quality program and senior management oversight. fda will take steps to make sure that when this facility manufactures again, it will produce safe products. we are considering additional enforcement pactivities, which include criminal penalties. it is understandable that many americans, hearing about these recalls, are wondering whether or not their children were put at risk. fda considers two sources of information. first, our assessment of the manufacturing problems and second, adverse event reports to the agency.

fda analyzed the various manufacturing problems. based on those, our experts believe the risk for any child in the united states was remote. we are looking at adverse event reports. but we request and review medical records and other supplementary data sources. in one case, we had a report of a 6-year-old child where the child died as a result of an infection from the same bacteria that was found in a lot of the ingredients. fda problem of cold of the medications used by this child and test them. we conducted extra inspections to see if there was a connection. in fact, all the samples tested negative and fda believes there was not a connection in that particular case. when we have adequate information, we reviewed the report to find out what role, if any, the medication play. we can find the medication had

no role, or that a quality problem may have contributed to the outcome. so far, fda does recognize that some of the reports reflect the side effects of the medication, but we have no cases of evidence epoch quality problems contributed -- that quality problems contributed to the problem. we will update the public and the committee should our assessment change. let me close by noting that every investigation presents an opportunity for fda to improve our effectiveness in protecting public health. in this case, and we have learned more about the importance of corporate structure for compliance. when we do not get a response we are comfortable with from a subsidiary, we will not hesitate to go over their heads to the corporate parents. fda will be developing new procedures to use what we learned at one facility in

guiding our inspections of other facilities run by the same company. we have also gained experience with two issues we are working on. how to improve our recall process and how to strengthen enforcement. the fda commissioner has called for their enforcement to be vigilant, strategic, quick, and visible. our range of activities are underway to bring this into reality, including strengthening our criminal enforcement. we will continue to work with congress to secure additional authority to assist us. let me mention it, we believe that transparency in our enforcement activities is a very important, quote so people can see what we are doing and to make sure we are accountable. as part of our new program, will bed fda track, posting monthly the enforcement actions we are taking. we will make public every

inspection when it happens occurr. this episode reminds us that of vigilant fda is essential to drug safety in the united states. as they identified serious problems at the deal, called the company to account, and forced major changes to protect the public. on behalf of the fda staff who are working on this issue, i appreciate the opportunity to make this statement and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much for your statement. let me begin by saying, the fda needs more enforcement authority to be able to respond to issues like this recall? >> i think that it's instructive to think about the food safety bill. in the bill, there are provisions that congress is looking at granting the fda over food we do not currently have

over drugs. those include authority to require certain types of quality assistance and preventive controls, mandatory recall authority and access to records by companies and civil money penalties. those are some areas where we do not have a position at this point, it has not worked its way to the system. with respect to drugs, those are in the food safety bill. the administration supported those for food. >> can you say, with complete certainty, that no children who took the medicine at that were recalled last month were harmed by them? >> no, i cannot say that with complete certainty. we are continuing to get information, and there were remote risks that were potentially possible. from what we know, we do not have evidence of children who did have serious problems. because there was a remote risk, it was a right thing to do to do

the recall. >> but you are still looking to see in terms of whether or not this occurred? >> that is correct. we are. there are certain reports we have done. we are in the process of thoroughly reviewing. >> just how serious with a problem at mcneil's plan at fort washington? >> as manufacturing problems go, they were serious. there was a range of different problems. they had not responded to the complaints they had gotten, of3 they had missed the fact that some of their ingredients came from a lot that it had contamination, even though the previous year they knew this to be an issue. there was a wide range of findings that indicated to us that there were serious manufacturing quality problems

at the facility. >> what went wrong that caused one of the largest makers of children's medicine to recall millions? is a quality control? what do you think might have happened? >> that is a great question. it can be answered at different levels. one level is quality control. at another level, you have to ask, why? why did a company with a reputation and record of mcneill and johnson & johnson have those quality control problems? and we think that that is a very important question for you to be looking at. it is something we need to understand better. it may relate to the corporate compliance and corporate structure. and we note that the company has made major changes when we confronted with the various serious problem. >> can you describe what you are

doing now to work with johnson & johnson to make sure they correct the problems that exist? >> this facility in fort washington is not manufacturing. there is a complete plan for back up that the company will present to fda. i think it is fair to say that we have a very good cooperation from the company. they are looking for the agency's seal of approval before they get going. i am sure you will hear that from them on the next panel. aunt -- in addition, we are also reviewing the record and considering whether other types of enforcement actions are appropriate. what the fda believes mcneill did as described in these fda documents we received? >> can you say that again? >> on your screen. >> what do we believe actually happened?

this is something that is troubling to the agency. i am not sure we know the complete, full story. basically, there was a problem with how motrin tablets dissolve and whether or not patients would get the right dose. the company notified the fda that they were going to be evaluating whether there was a product on the shelves to recall. then we were alerted, or one of the state boards of pharmacy, instead of looking to see whether or not there was medication to recall, the company had a contractor that was going out and trying to buy up all the medicine when they went into the store. the information said, you should act like a regular customer while making these purchases. there should be no mention of

the recall. i do not think we really fully understood exactly what was going on. it was troubling to us. when fda found out, we insisted a recall occur. and we did think it reflected poorly on the company. it was one of the things that fda brought to their attention during this extraordinary meeting that happened in february. >> thank you. after the recall, fda recommended consumers by drugstore alternatives for their children. the vast majority of those drugstore products are made by a company in michigan that has had ongoing quality control problems. when was the last time fda inspected the plan in michigan? -- the plant in michigan? do you know when it was inspected last?

>> i do. i may ask deb to answee that. she oversees the compliance efforts. there were several inspections in the last couple years. >> yes. i do not have the exact dates, but there have been several inspections in the last few years. there have been two in 2010. i would have to double check. >> their milliband issues with quality control? >> yes, there have been. -- issue with quality control. >> i yield to the ranking member for 5 minutes per >> i would like to follow up. it is inappropriate for the fda recommended -- to recommend an alternative at all? if you say, do not do that. isn't it a proper it for the fda to deal with its knitting and not intervene in alternatives?

>> the challenge is 0-- >> know there is an urge to answer people's questions, and i am in that business, but isn't it inappropriate for any government entity to make recommendation unless it is an authorized recommendation? it does not appear as though there is a mandate for that. >> i think we see the fda as a public entity that needs to be responsive to the needs of clinicians. it is very often happens that there is a shortage of medication. we work with manufacturers and professionals to give recommendations in the event of a shortage for what could be used as an alternative. when people do not know what is available, for the fda to say, we want you to know this is a potential alternative. i think that this information the clinical community wants to hear from fda. >> and i have no problem with

the clinical community. when you speak a doctor to doctor, i appreciate that. my only question was, were is ultimatelyhen it's to the public, to the uninformed public? a brand name would be inappropriate, but a chemical description, i gather is what you're saying would be appropriate which would cover multiple brands. >> right. >> in this case, i do not want you to say you have an investigation or you do not, but is there a potential criminal liability for some of the acts that went on? >> i think what i can say at this point is that the center for drugs has referred this to fda's criminal investigative unit. then they have to judge where to go from there. >> i will take that as a guest, that there is the potential.

in that everyone who -- i will take that as a yes, that there is a potential. everyone providing drugs should be aware that the scenario we just saw, in the future could lead to criminal actions or indictments, at least, not saying in this case, but that that should be fair warning to people watching this hearing. >> i think the agency is working to increase our enforcement on the criminal side and to connect carefully what we drought -- what we do on the criminal side to what we do on the civil side to maximize the effectiveness of those tools. >> we very much want to send that message. the commissioner gave the major draft of enforcement or she called on companies to make sure they had excellent compliance programs. this week, someone sent me an email about a course, are

reports that is being marketed where it says, bigger, tougher, faster, preparing for the new fda. when the inspector comes calling, will you be ready? it is about sending a message within the industry. the fda is strengthening its oversight and companies have to learn how to put quality systems in place. this is the kind of thing we would like to see. we would not like to see these kinds of recalls. we want to see compliance. seeing the industry coming together, getting the message, that is important to was. >> doctor, your being here today goes far beyond the mcneill division of johnson & johnson. let me ask a slightly different question. in the course, you tried to visit facilities in the u.s. once every two years. but more and more, a nonprescription drugs are being produced in china and other very far away places. and those places, in many cases,

have a standard of simply lying on their paperwork. we have had that in a number of other areas. how do you propose that the fda and able to ensure that a foreign manufacturer in a country where we have a fairly opaque ability to go beyond what the papers presented at the factory, that we can rely on those test results and the medicine that comes from them? >> that is an excellent question. the safety of imports is extremely important to us. our commissioner has raised these similar sorts of concerns in major speeches. we had a hearing in the energy and commerce subcommittee on health where this got a fair amount of attention. it is a concern for us. there are certain things we need to do better, including holding each person in a supply chain accountable. there are some tools that will

allow us to do that. in addition, we need to expand our coordination with other agencies. we of two foreign offices in china that coordinate with other agencies. for example, if australia does an inspection, we can go to another plan in australiaacan have confidence in that inspection. we need to strengthen -- >> what you are saying is your procedure would be to learn to inspect the inspectors, to qualify countries or techniques so we could be reciprocal? >> that is absolutely true, both for our major partners in the developed world, but also we want to strengthen the indigenous inspecting capacity. there is a big effort to do that in china and india. it is a very complex problem. >> let me ask one final question. i would let -- ask that it be answered for the record. every day of 45-foot containers of nonprescription drugs come into the country.

our imports are authorities opened only a fraction of those containers occurred when they do, they open them to see if it is aspirin and not much more. do you believe that the congress should begin creating both the authority and the mandate for at least sample inspection of 100% of these imports if they come from countries you have not certified? >> i believe that congress and the fda needs to work together to address the question of import safety. i am not sure testing is the answer. i think we need to have 100% accountability across the supply chain and a border presence. >> i would like you to answer for the record, then, the key question -- if it comes to my country and which you have not achieved that level of confidence, no part of the supply chain can change the fact that if any one of those bottles is bad and there has been no

sampling, you will not have public confidence. i would like you to tell us how you will get that confidence. if you did not get it in the country of origin, and now it is in a container in the u.s., and i would ask you to answer that for the record. >> a thank you. >> i now yield at five minutes to the gentleman from maryland, mr. cummings. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. i say this without reservation, when you served as the health commissioner for baltimore where i live, you did an outstanding job. we did it -- you did it with excellence and integrity. i have a full faith and confidence in you. i wanted to say that before i got into these questions. >> thank you. >> it appears as i listen to your testimony that mcneil was involved in a culture of mediocrity.

it seems the fda had one standard, and mcneill had another. i am trying to figure out where thw te two meet. we talk about, it sounds like the standard said mcneil -- we have a low problem here, a little problem there. we'll mix it up. it will be all right. that is nots, no, good enough. then you said something that was very interesting. you said there might be a need to take further action. i am trying to figure out how that comes together, when you have a company that seems to be over and over again, be it by negligence, intent, greed, or whatever, skirting the system, but you have the fda saying, we

have at this standard. how does that work and come together? >> absolutely. there is a parallel to baltimore. in baltimore, we inspected restaurants at the health department. we would sometimes find problems. there is always a balance between corporation and taking action. most of the time, we would find a problem, the business would fix it and we were done. every so often there was a restaurant that we would have a significant problem with. we sometimes took away the licenses to run a restaurant in baltimore. it is a balance. if you look at this experience with mcneill, you see that, that the fda is pointing things out. mcneil is correcting them, waiting a little bit of time to tell us about problems. over time, the fda is ratcheting up the oversight like we would do and baltimore where we would say, wait a second. this should have been corrected

or we will have to go back again. essentially we will have to bring them in and bring into the administrative judge. that is what fda is doing. the story of this whole episode is that fda increased the pressure, brought in the corporate executives, and wound up forcing major changes in the company's approach to quality. we will use this as an opportunity to see what we can improve, but i think overall it is a tough balance at the fda has to straddle. >> you said on february, 2010, you took the step of meeting with the management of johnson & johnson to express your concern about noncompliance. why was this meeting considered so extraordinary? >> what was extraordinary about it was a -- two things. we went over the heads of the company. mcneil is a big company, but we went to their corporate, central head of the entire major company to express this concern.

that's one reason why. the second thing is -- usually we need about specific problems. this was a meeting about a culture of compliance, that we had seen so many problems at different facilities and problems that concerned us that we were calling them on their whole quality system. it led to major changes at the company. people were moved or removed from positions. they have a new layer, i believe you will hear. those were the two things that made it extraordinary, that we went over the heads and we talked about the culture of the company. >> how did johnson & johnson react? they were present at the meeting? >> they were. >> what was their reaction? >> they took it quite seriously. they heard it was not the usual kind of meeting for the fda to have. they got one of the fastest warning letters from what happened in puerto rico.

we issued a warning letter, in which we called -- it mentioned a failure of oversight, but not just mcneill and johnson & johnson. based on the changes they committed to, we get the sense that they had heard our concerns. although we made clear that we would not take their word for it. >> what does this say about of corporation? apparently, you have gone far with this corporation. and what does it say about this corporation? have you drawn a conclusion? >> most of the companies we deal with the to comply, and there are great examples of latourette compliance programs. this is a company that had a major -- there are great examples of traffic compliance programs. this is a company that had major problems. fda needs to be able to identify and address these problems, with

its senior leadership. we have to be willing, and in this case, we called them to account for that. >> thank you. >> i yield five minutes to the gentleman from utah. >> thank you for being here. in a moment, the representative from johnson & johnson will testify. she says "the health risk to consumers or remote." is that true or false? >> i think that is fda's understanding right now. >> "mcneill has no indication of a serious adverse medical event caused by any of the issues referenced in the recall announcement." is that accurate? >> i cannot speak to what mcneill those. fda does not have evidence of that kind of severe event. although we are continuing to investigate certain cases. >> she says, "no raw materials

of tested positive for objection bacteria." is that true? >> and that is the true -- sort of true. with a footnote, they did use of raw materials from lots that tested positive. there were negative test for parts of those of what they used, but fda does not consider that an adequate assurance of safety. >> finally, "mcneill rejected the products that were found to have access act of the." ingredient." to you agree? >> i agree with a footnote. then rejectedw,

them. but we felt they did not test other parts of that area to be sure that there was not a problem in other and -- in another ingredient that was shipped. >> let me see if she wants to qualify that. >> with the policy issue, what happened is that mcneil made a change in the manufacturing process. -- the size of the vat they were using. they produced 11 batches using the process. three of them tested to be super-potent. they throw away those three, but there is no assurance that the other eight would not have the same issues. they did some testing. they did not find potency. there was potential that there were policy problems in other batches, even though they had not tested that way. >> i appreciate the efforts of the fda. i love the fact they are ahead of this.

but, having found no serious adverse reaction, is the fda overreacting? there are 775 serious side effects. we're on the spectrum is this? how severe is this problem? spectrum isn the this? >> the side effects were reported about the medications. we think some were linked to the medications, not quality problems. the number of adverse events -- you separate from the quality problems. we consider these quality problems to be quite significant. and we want to fix them before it becomes to the point where we are counting the problem and hot -- and hospitalizations and injuries instead of in bottles recall. >> what is the mother supposed to do? it had -- you have hundreds of millions of a product recall. how many of those have made it

beyond the store shelves and into somebody's covered? what is mother supposed to do at home? >> we had some in our house. we recommend that people throughout the ones they have. you can find out which ones they are from the website and other information. they predict they can go to the store and get alternative. -- they can go to the store and get alternative. >> is there a lot number on the bottom they can check? >> there it is. mcneil has set up a telephone number for people to call to get instructions. they may answer better how they are handling that part of it. there are instructions for people to be able to turn back their medication. >> were you at the meetings in federer? >> no. i think ms. otter call for the

meeting. i do not think any of us were at the meeting. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back per >> i now yield five minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. kucinich. >> in your testimony you reference the 2010 record which identified a 6-year-old who died. prior to the child to death, according to this report, the child had been given several products manufactured at the facilities in question. did any of those products that the child tokok contain harmful bacteria? >> no, as far as we know. those were tested and we did not see any bacteria. >> what was the cause of death? >> let me see. i want to be short. -- to be sure. i think there is still an investigation, so i am not sure

they have a final cause of death occurred >> when was the death? >> january. >> have you seen any toxicology screens a from this autopsy report? at the scene and autopsy report? >> i am not sure we have the final autopsy report the coroner's investigation is open. and there was this bacteria found in multiple tissues. >> which bacteria was found? >> the one we mentioned. >> was that bacteria found in any samples that the fda picked up of the products that were recalled? >> no. that bacteria was not found in the products that this child consumed. was not found any finished product we know of, but it was the same bacteria involved in the ingredient issue the company had. >> so, does the fda have a

pathologist on its staff? >> i could not tell you. >> do you outsource policy reviews? >> we have medical officer is qualified to review them. >> are they certified in terms of pathology? are they pathologists or do they just review? >> i will have to get back to you. but we do have people qualified to review the quality and judge whether or not we were concerned about a link between a product and a particular death. >> and what was the report included in testimony if it does not rise to the level of significance, according to your answers? >> i use it as an example of how serious we take reports like this. we tested the product. we went back and reviewed the records. -- and each of the facilities

involved. we do not reach -- it is two lines of evidence. one is our assessment of the manufacturing problem and the other is a thorough investigation of the adverse events reports we get. that was an example. >> what is this something a result of an adverse event that is well understood to be a counter indication -- contra indication of taking the drug and an adulterated products? how you make a distinction? >> partly it depends on the specific situation. in some of the cases reported, there were toxic levels of the a variety of, medicines. there is a history of the child getting extra doses. that is a known problem for some over-the-counter medicines. >> when you get the autopsy

report on this 6-year-old, would you expect to get it? can you share with this committee? >> i am sure we would do that. yes. >> to your knowledge has anyone who is at the fda, have you gone over and work for johnson & johnson or mcneill? is there anybody over there ed johnson & johnson or mcneill that used to work for the fda? >> i would guess probably there are people who have. i cannot say for sure. >> is there anyone who used to work at johnson & johnson or mcneill now works for the fda? >> i do not know that for sure, but it is possible. >> a thank you. no further questions. >> thank you. i now yield five minutes to the tenement from ohio. >> i want to thank you all -- to the gentleman from ohio. >> i want to thank you all. the cause and effect.

has there been any determination that any adverse event was caused by a product from a bill or johnson & johnson? -- from mcneil or johnson & johnson? >> there are a lot of adverse events that are linked to the pharmaceutical itself, because all medicines have risks and benefits, but not anything went to the product's quality issues. >> i wanted to be clear. have you looked at any of the greek called product, have you tested it to see if there is the -- the recalled product have you tested it to see if there's any of the bad stuff in there? >> we did in the course of investigating the individual adverse events, but we generally do not do that. >> why not? in this situation, why not? >> we believe that there needs to be a recall because of testing done it and it demonstrates the problem. >> no need to check it

afterwards. ok. i am struck by -- it seems to me if i follow the timeline right, you did a warning letter in january, you have the inspection of the pennsylvania facility in theil, and then you've had recalls and everything else. seems to meet -- then you had the meeting, where you indicated at that meeting, though he were not there, you thought it was productive. i mean, i contrast what we are hearing about here and what we have seen with what we are hearing about in the gulf coast with mms. and their relationship with the industry. it seems to me this process is working much better than what we are seeing and hearing about in another area of government. do you think the process is

working properly? >> i think as i testified that if you look at what happened here, you had a team, both part organization,ll's career inspectors at fda to were very vigilant, identified the problem, and made major changes to protect the public. >> mr. chairman, i yield back. >> i now yield to the gentlewoman from washington, d.c., miss eleanor homes norton, five minutes. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. doctor, listening to your testimony and the actions taken, i want to commend you for what looks like an effective action by the administrators. about thiso ask you notion of super-potency.

i think about when my kids were young. if i had read that something i was giving them a was founded by fda to have this summer -- because the super-potency, i would have been immediately fearful. i would like to know what it takes for our product to be super-potent, and as a physician, a former public health commissioner, whether you think such potency could result in health effects at some later point. what does it mean? how did it manifest itself? >> that is an excellent question. there is a range of the amount of material in a drug we expect to be in a particular dose. in this case, it was up to 108%.

when they tested certain lots, 124%.found up to %1 any particular lot, we would say it was acceptable for not to be exactly 100 milligrams, it could be 108. it was up to 124. they threw out those lots. what happened was, both at fda banned at the company, we looked. we assess whether or not this problem, is headed then there, we do not have proof that anything shipped, but if it had been there, would that have posed a risk. that evaluation was done by physicians. a conclusion was that this would not have posed a risk. it is a small increase.

it was a formulation of the dropper for little babies. , youol and acetaminophen and can get into trouble as adults, people get a liver problems. for babies, they are much less likely to get the problem. it has to do with the way the chemical is metabolized in children's livers. that gives you one margin of safety. you have another margin of safety because 20% is not a big increase in the scheme of toxicology. you are looking for two or three times the dosage to get into trouble. for all those reasons, we felt the risk was low. >> that is comforting. particularly since we know that adults can get in trouble with these. to know that somehow children, we understand these effects can

be different. i have to ask you, though, as a physician, these medicines for children and infants are controversial. i am looking at an advertisement for one of them, and it says, infants, pediatricians choice. are these effective enough to take the risk? every time a child has a sniffle, we should run to some of these doses of medicines that were not even available until fairly recently? >> i think for small babies it is important for patients to talk about it with their doctors, about the use of medication. congressman the comings and know that i personally have a history with some of these products of concerned, about whether they should be used for young children. i have petitioned agencies in baltimore, and i am the key -- recused from that issue in

baltimore and up. i think it is important for patients to talk to their doctors about medicine. i use tylenol and ibuprofen and acetaminophen for children. for infants under certain circumstances. but it really is something that, as a doctor i would say to parents of small babies that it is important that we be in touch. if you are giving medicine because you are worried about your child, i want to know about it, so we can decide. >> i am looking at page 10 and your testimony. fda is considering additional enforcement action for its pattern of noncompliance, which may include criminal penalties, in junction. these are nuclear penalties. i do not think you are going to go around seizing companies or even seizing large batches. i do not think you will be quick

to run to court to give injections. we have not seen criminal penalties yet. you have the graduation of penalty is necessary to be effective here beyond the effectiveness you have shown? >> i think that is a fair question. i point out that in the food safety bill, congress is looking at giving fda the ability to assess civil money penalties. >> you have no such authority and out? >> i believe not. >> not for drugs, no. that is a 30 you would like to have. authority with like to have. >> the administration supports that. >> the gentlewoman's time is expired. i want to clear up something. my staff and the ranking members staff earlier this week, they were told that the recall of 6

million bottles. you said 136 million? what number are we using? >> i understand there was a recall of about 6 million to 8 million bottles in 2009. but that this recall was much bigger, over 100 million bottles. that is my understanding. >> this recall was over 136 million bottles. the recall last year related to the chemical contamination, by our numbers was over 60 million. the year before, the recall relating to the potentially contaminated raw material was 8 million bottles. a couple months before. in the early in august, 2009. >> a thank you for correcting that for the record. i yield five minutes to the gentleman from missouri. >> thank you.

it seems to me we have a situation where we have gone through this. we had a 6-year-old that passed away but it was not necessarily due to the drugs that were in question here today. your own fda report indicates that the recalled drugs pose a remote potential problem for serious health problems. but yet, mcneil found in their own problems. indicatedur commeentnts that the operation was not up to mcneill standards. can you elaborate on that? are there standards higher or lower than your standards? >> a company has to set its own standards. every company has to do that. >> are they higher or lower than

fda standards? >> part of the standard is for the company to quote -- they work together. part of fda standards is for the company to set standards for its products. >> ok. so it seems as though we have -- mcneil did the recall on their own, is that correct? >> we do not have a mandatory recall of the record >> they found the problem. they realized they had a problem. they did the recall on their own it would appear to me that we have a situation where we have a sloppy shop that found there were doing poor work and are trying to correct it themselves. you are working with them to do that. is that correct? >> i think that is basically true. what was particularly troubling and the story to fda is that there was a pattern of fda finding out about things away. people were complaining that the products smelled bad for your before they told fda about it.

it turned out there was a chemical coming into the palette, and it should not have taken a year, it should have taken three days off for us to hear about it. the recall in 2010 was related to something that happened in 2009 at the company should have figured out. i do think we, particularly over this period, i believe the company has gotten the message from fda. i believe they are improving. i think you will hear about that. but i believe our oversight was important to them. >> have you found a problem with co-dosing or over, taking more than the prescribed amount with people that you had compliance with? has that been a problem at all with regards to the drugs he looked into in this group? >> these are over the counter, so they are generally not prescribed. i think in general, for these types of medicines, over dosage

is generally an issue. nothing i know for this that would make it a particular issue. >> my question is, as you are looking at some of the adverse events you are describing here, are any of those events, are there instances of co-dosing? >> absolutely, yes. >> are those things, then, that are part of getting your labeling or did your examples -- is that information in there? the individual has to read it themselves to be able to see if they will not interact with something inappropriate. is that information there? were these drugs something that were not part of the description that was released along with the drug itself? >> no. in general, the drugs are labeled with their ingredients and people are able to see those. it's complicated. because of some of these

products may have multiple ingredients and they may not immediately realize that if they are giving one medication and another they have the same underlying ingredients. that confusion has been one of the issues in this field. i think it is something the fda is working with the industry on. >> are you looking at for labeling or advertising? >> i should not go further. this is an area that i am recused from in part, because of the petition are road when i was the baltimore city health commissioner. fda is looking at the appropriate handling of this class of medicine. >> with these adverse events, or any of them with regard to over -- or taking more than a prescribed amount of this medication? >> more than a label them out, i believe, yes. >> between the two of them, co- dosing and overdosing, what percentage of the total number of adverse events would you groups?to those

>> i would have to get back to. i cannot answer that. >> i see my time is expired. >> i now yield to the gentleman from virginia for 5 minutes. >> i thank the chair and i would welcome the concerns of this committee. it's too bad not everyone could get to voting to give the fda mandatory recall authority. that is the crux of we are getting to today. this committee has held many committees and none more important than this. why? because of 37 children are dead due to a tainted product, a product that parents relied on, a product they trusted to be saved, because of the brand name and the expectation that the fda ensured its safety through the

federal regulatory and oversight statues. whoever was involved, they failed those families, including us. the story as part of an equally tragic pattern is characterized by anti-government rhetoric, laws a fair laws and policies, and lax enforcement of existing laws, especially during the bush administration. the last six weeks, we have witnessed the unfolding drama of multiple examples of the consequences of this law is a attitude.aire a mine tragedy. -- lax mine safety enforcement had something to deal with that. the bp oil will has spilled four times the oil leak in exxon

valdez. it was exempted from the normal national and our regulations. result? an oil slick the size of rhode island and delaware combined threatening the single largest fishery and a source of seafood in the united states. no need for health insurance reform? tell that to the breast cancer victims who were systematically targeted by the largest insurer in the united states for recision of all coverage. and what could go wrong with lax enforcement of oversight on wall street? the deepest recession in 80 years. 8.5 million americans losing their jobs. the largest government bailout in american history and a loss of 17.5 trillion dollars worth of aggregate wealth and united states. now, 37 children dead because of contaminated product could not be detected and mandatory leave recalled by their regulatory

agency in question in a timely fashion ther. there is a difference between these two philosophies in government. . . [applause]

>> i discarded like down because i told dr. brooks that i only work in sweats. dick vitel wears a coat, a suit, and talks to much. first of all, i would like to say that dr. brooks has said things that has been given to me over the years but nothing has touched me more or been more important to me personally than the degree given to me by this great university here this morning. that leaves me to talk to you seniors who are about to receive

your degree. there is no finer institution anywhere in the country than the one you are about to graduate from. this institution has replaced you on the starting line of life. this is where life really begins for you. you will have to rely more on yourself from this point onwards. more than any other time in your short experience with life. i will talk to you about some of the things that you will encounter from this day forward. because you will be on your own. you will be working for people. some of you have to work for a guy like me. [laughter] i was not the easiest coach in history to play for. that was never my intent. my intent was to see that the guys that played for me went

away from basketball with a better opportunity to succeed in life than anyone anywhere could have. with that it took a certain amount of different types of encouragement on my part or all of those years. people asked me, in a nut shell what would be your philosophy? i tell them a story. young folks, remember, you will be working for someone like those people that i tell you about here. johnny went in to see his dad one evening. johnny was 16. he had just completed his junior year in high school and his dad was rooting for the cardinals, watching baseball. johnny said, dad, did mom tell you that i passed the driver's exam today? dad said, not only did she tell

me that you pass the exam, she told me that the state trooper that gave you the exam said you had the highest score on the written and driving part of that exam of anyone he had never given it to. he said, i think that is great. well, dad, that brings me to ask you this question. will i be able to use the car once in a while? yours or moms? johnnie, you know i anticipated that question. here is my answer. there are going to be some stipulations, johnny. you folks are going to have stipulations. you folks will have restrictions. here are the restrictions that john's dad gave to him. first of all, i am tired of your mom telling me how you mystery for brother and sister and how reluctant you are two things around the house.

how slow you are to pay attention to things. that has got to change. secondly, your grades have got to improve. you have got to have better grades, john. this last rating. was not good. you have got to have better grades. thirdly, i want to see you read. a reading is the foundation of all knowledge. not just the ability, the desire. i think that while you read you should glance it now and again at the bible. not for religious implications but simply because there are so many good things in the bible about life. john, the last thing, the fourth thing, the fourth stipulation to you using the car is dam, boy, you have got to get a haircut. [laughter] i am tired of that long hair and i want a hair cut. when you have gone through enough time were you think the

you have got these things under control, you come back and we will talk about the car. about three weeks later john had been working hard and he thought it was time to go visit his father and see where he was regarding the use of the car. so, he went into the lounge and there is that watching the cardinals' game. he said dad, can i talk to you about the car? he said, certainly. i did those things that you talked about and i hope i have made some improvement and i hope i am ready to use the car. his dad said, you know, first of all not only has your mother ceased to complain about your behavior around the house, she has been very complementary on how you have helped and what you have done. even with thing she has not even ask you to do. so, great. number two, your grades.

i have been carefully monitoring them, they have all improved but they have to stay there and they must continue to improve. thirdly, i have seen you read. i have seen you open the bible now and then. i have seen you take an interest in things other than watching television and i am very pleased with that. three out of four is very good. but all four things have to be done. and you still do not have a hair cut. and i told you i am tired of that long hair. john said, dad, i have something to say about that. you encourage me to read the bible. i have read the bible. by sought in the bible where matthew, mark, luke, john, peter, jesus himself all had long hair. and his dad said, that is exactly right, john, and they

walked to their ass off everywhere they went. -[laughter] [applause] that is the kind of person you will run into now and then as you get away from the starting line and move on this next phase in life. then there is another thing that i am really big on. that is self-reliance. learn to rely on yourself. now, you will be in a situation where self-reliance is going to be important. getting up in the morning. doing what you are supposed to do. trying to improve. trying to get better. it really bothers me when a guy hits a home run in a teapot -- crosses the plate and points to

the almighty, thinking the almighty for giving him the strength to hit the home run. leave the almighty alone. what the hell does he care about baseball? let him work on something else. let him work on homes for the homeless and better health care and one thing and another. so, when this guy sticks his hand in the air and thinks the lord for helping him win that home run, i say to myself got screwed the pitcher. [laughter] think about that. in life believed in god. have strong beliefs. but mostly all believe in yourself. learn to swing at good pitches. do not go up without any thought of the strike zone. never go to bat when you are not

aware of the strike zone. do not swing at low and outside. do not swing at high and inside. make sure you are swinging at a good pitch. once you have that pitch, make sure that you hit it. one of the great contemporaries of coaching happens to be a guy that played for me at west point. many of you rooted for his duke team to get beat by bubbler a couple of weeks ago. -- butler a couple of weeks ago. i can assure you that i was rooting for duke because i have a tremendous respect for mike as a player, a person, and as a coach. he has become one of the great coaches in the history of the game. i will pass on something he once did as a player. just about the same age as you folks. he was a senior at the time and

we were playing south carolina. they had a great player named john roach. i said mike, you are going to guard roche. i do not want to see roche get 10 points. they play three zones and you will play on top of the zone. simmons will be to your left. deschutes, you pass. you do not shoot. -- they shoot, you pass. you do not shoot. he was not a very good shooter. [laughter] i asked him if there was anything he did not understand. he said no. deschutes, you guys work the middle, -- day shoot, -- they shoot, you pass. i got it, coach. so, we are ahead by 14 points.

my grandmother used to tell me that sometimes in life the devil will try to grab your soul. that happened to mike with that 14 point lead. [laughter] i can still seem like stepping into the free-throw line with the ball and nobody within 8 feet of them. to play basketball and not be allowed to shoot is a difficult proposition. you guys are going and have some difficult situations. you will have some things where you ask why you are doing this. well, you are doing it because as part her job. someone told you to. there will be parts in your job that are not that interesting or entertaining. like not being able to shoot in that game was one of those -- michael not being able to shoot in the game was one of those things. when he stepped up to take the

shot the devil had his soul. his guide hand off -- actually came off the ball and he started the shot motion. bill parcells, the great football coach is sitting beside me on the bench. i said, schivesky is about to die. [laughter] with that at the last possible moment he flipped it past a oxley on the right-hand side. years later i got that picture cut out of the film and i sent it to mike with this inscription -- mike, this past save your life. -- this pass save your life. -- saved your life. [laughter] i use that as a reference point because those of you that follow

sports, even those that do not, he has been a phenomenal success over his career at duke. when he came to west point he had been the leading scorer in the chicago catholic league for two years. one of the better basketball names in the united states. he got fouled a lot but he was never really a good shooter. and he made the best adjustment from high school basketball to college basketball of any player i've ever coached. and i think the ability to adjust, the ability to be able to see something and adjust to it, to change your approach because there is a better approach, it is going to be very important to each of you. as i say, i have never been around anyone that made a better adjustment and mike did.

one of the great offers -- authors had a great phrase on a book that i really got a kick out of relative to adjustment. it goes something like this. and this happens to each and everyone of us once in a while. when you kick the tiger in yes, when you kick the tiger in the ass you had better have a plan for when he turns around. [laughter] we all go off on a divergent kick once in awhile, but we better have a plan to straighten things out as well. remember, what you are about to go into, all 360 some of you, it is an atmosphere where people just do not give a damn where you are from.

or what your degree says. or what your name is. or what your color is. or anything else. what they care about is productivity. for you 360 people, you are way, way beyond the position at the starting line that the normal college graduate has. because this is an extra special education. maybe you are 5 yards beyond the starting line. as a result of your having attended an trin universee city and having worked and studied under this faculty. but if you are not careful you can lose that. one of my most interesting experiences was coaching michael jordan, the olympic team in 1984.

we won the gold medal in los angeles. he had played for dean smith in north carolina. and we were friends throughout our entire career. i do not think either one of us particularly enjoyed playing against the other. we had to do ... five or six times and probably split those games. but it was a real pleasure to coach him. he was more than just a great basketball player. he was very attentive to what was going on. he was a great observer. my wife and i are going down the interstate in alabama last year, going down to do some fishing and karen was going with me. i told her to turn the radio to 90.3. a country western station, really good music. she turns it to 90.3. country music comes on.

karen looks at me and she said how in the world did you know that this was a country western station? i said i came down here 25 years ago and remembered 90.3. she said that was amazing. 20 years and you remember? well, about 1 mile back there was a big billboard. [laughter] it said the tune to 90.3 for country-western radio. i have yet to letter in on that. be observant. -- i have yet to let her in on that. be observant. the ability to observe is the most important ingredients in being good of anything that i know. be able to observe. the press is a difficult thing to deal with in many cases. there are some very good people in the press.

unfortunately i have not run across a lot of them but i know they're there somewhere. the press used to really try to corner jordan. coach smith does it this way. coach knight does it that way. what do you think? coach knight does it this way. coach smith does it that way. what do you think? michael had a great answer for them. he would say, well coached smith is the master of the four corner offense. coach knight is the master of a four-letter word. [laughter] that is how he would use to deal with the press. as great and natalie as jordan was, he really had a sense -- this is what i was impressed most about him. he had a sense of his responsibility. he had a sense of what he had to do not just to be a part of the

team, but to be a leader. it went beyond what he learned on the basketball court. the kid had an amazing -- we were playing europe. four of these faculty members, if they have listened to what i had to say they would be your way. they would just not be very good. i told mike, i do not want to get on anyone tonight. i want to relax, everyone to play a lot, and i want this game to be over with in five minutes. i want uruguay to begin -- defeated in five minutes. at four minutes there is a television timeout. we are ahead by 19 points. i look at the scoreboard, mike looks at the scoreboard, he says coach, we are one minute ahead

of schedule. [laughter] that is the kind of player i like to coach. coaching the olympic team was very similar, and i and my background, i think, in my lifetime, to the degree that i have received here this morning, one of the great coaches in history called me when i was named as the olympic coach in 1984. he said, a son, keep one thing in mind. your not just working for your school, you are working for your country. i translate that to you young people, you 360 would be graduates here. your not just really working for yourself. you are working for your company. your family. your out there approve it for

yourself. just like michael jordan had to prove himself with me, we were playing spain in the gold medal game and we were ahead by 27 points at the half. jordan has scored 19 points in the half. he has 11 rebounds and seven assists. he played 13 minutes out of 20. hard for me to go in that behalf, and i hope it will be hard for you to go in at halftime satisfied. satisfaction is the first step towards the feet. do not ever forget that. never be satisfied. there is always something better. here we are, 19 points ahead at that half. jordan scored.

jordan rebounded. he had assists. hard for me to say boys, you are doing great. we have got them on the run. doing good. so, finally i came up with -- here is my plan. i walked in and i went right in front of jordan. i thought that if i said something to jordan, everyone else would say -- what will he be upset about when he comes to me if he is upset with jordan? i said, like, when the hell are you going to set a street. -- screen. [laughter] once we get you out of the game, all five of those screeners, when are you going to set one? i like people that are not afraid people that are willing

to say something that they believe in. recently where i thought you were the quickest player, what did that have to do with him screening? he said, coach, i am setting them quicker than you can see them. [laughter] so, jordan understood. he understood that there were limits to which he could take me. and he knew he had not reached that limit. now you might have to go another step. buys that was sam perkins, who had played with jordan and north carolina, and chris mullins, they were sitting next to life. as soon as he said that their heads immediately went down.

i walked over and i said -- you guys thought that this was funny, did you not? do you have to be prepared when you kick the tiger in the ass. i walked over to these two and i said -- he really enjoyed jordan's repartee? -- you really enjoyed jordan's repartee? we will start the game the same way that we started it. meaning to you two are going to start the second half. but if you cannot slowed jordan down setting screens in the second half so that i can see him, i am taking you out of the game. [laughter] how'd you like that one? [laughter] you have got to be able to play the game. particularly when you get into a position of responsibility, which i hope that all of you are

able to reach, there is a little give and take involved in trying to reach that it is a long way off from giving and not taking. always keep that in mind. a little bit like the grandfather and grandson walking the mule to town. and then stops them and says -- why is the grandson walking? let him ride on the mule. grant caucus -- puts the grants on the mule -- their grandfather puts the grandson on the road. and while later someone else asked why the grandfather is not on the mule. further down the road after they have switched a man asks why they're not both writing the mull.

they go in the ways and are stopped again. they go on further and are stopped again. a man says -- you should be carrying the mule. they have to cross that bridge across the bridge and it is slippery. they slipped. the mule drowned in the river. the moral of the story is that when you try to please everyone you will lose your ass. [laughter] so, think about that. you young people think about that. things aren't always what they seem. you have to understand your abilities.

you have got to know what you can do and what you cannot do. there are of you eat -- very few athletes that can do everything. he is one of them. there are some people like and go through all forms of music. johnny horton could sing anything, anyway. there are very few people like that. almost all of us have some limitations. there is an 89-year-old man fishing in ohio. he is very adept with a fly rod. in his youth this guy must've been a heck of an athlete. he would go out over the water and the line would drop softly, the bluegill would jump erratically of just amazing

watching the timing, the expertise of this 89-year-old fisherman. while he was casting he heard a voice furious the voice said -- pick me up. pick me up and kiss me. all of a sudden -- looked down at your feet. he did. there is a big fraud. sitting at his feet. bullfrog looks up and says -- if you will pick me up and kiss me, i become the most beautiful woman in the world. and i will provide you with pleasures for the rest of your life that man has never dreamed of. you will be the most contented man ever if you take me up and

kiss me. i cannot even describe what your life will be like from this point on. fid that the old feller reached down, pick them up, -- pick up the fraud, put it in his pocket. the frog said -- did you hear what i said? i will become the most beautiful maiden in the world, giving you pleasures that man has never dreamed of. just kiss me. he opened up the pocket, looked at the frog, and said -- that may be, but at my age i would rather have a talking frog. [laughter] things are not always what they seem to be. you have got to be careful when you go out. there will be a lot of choices for you to make.

i have got a couple of things i want to leave you with. people have asked me, what do you think was the key to your success as a coach? i said -- i wanted to win. more than anything. i learned very quickly that the way the wind is eliminating the reasons why you lose. -- the way to be a winner is eliminating the reasons why you lose. you do not win by bidding to the freeze -- free-throw line. you win because you do those things that enable you to do so. you do them well and eliminate. it is even more important that you eliminate the reasons why you do not win. being late, not being precise with an explanation. not being compared. secondly, preparation. preparation is the key to

victory in any game you are playing. the prepared people have one a helluva lot more than the unprepared people. you can never spend too much time of preparation. the will to be prepared to live is -- prepared to win is far more important than the will. i want you to get two songs. you have to look them up. one of them is by kenny rogers. the gambler. most of you have heard the gambler. but you graduates need to get to gambling. there is a great line in it. "never count your winnings when you are sitting at the table. there will be time enough for counting when the dealing is done. that has been a great model in my life.

make sure that the project is finished first. the second song is from the oak ridge boys. when you want a clear, cool drink of water you have to dig a well deeper. you will find quickly that he will be required on occasion to dig a well deeper. now, i would like to have everyone in the audience -- man, woman. matt, female. any association whatsoever with the american military, regardless of the branch, with those of you that have served in some branch of the military please stand? [applause]

for you 360 would be graduates, it is men and women like those that just stood, and those that will stand in the future, this is life in the greatest country in the world. we owe it to them to do everything we can to improve things, make things better, make things, giving us all that opportunity. i will not tell you good luck, i do not believe in luck.

i believe in preparation. i will leave in the being better. see instead of look. most people look. to win you have got to see. and always keep one thing in mind. until you become the chief executive officer of general motors, it is a lot more important for you to watch and listen than it is for you to talk. i have enjoyed sharing some

thoughts with you this morning. as i said earlier i have a great consideration for the honor imposed upon me. i have a great respect for those that work in a way where they will enjoy the next years. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> dr. david walton teaches medicine at harvard medical

school. he addresses graduates from augustranana college. this runs about 25 minutes. >> thank you for having me. it is one of the greatest honors of my life to have you -- to be here with you today. i must admit that it was a bit of a shock to find out that i had been asked to speak. like most of you i have multiple e-mail accounts. the e-mail from the college is the one where all of the spam goes. last november i was perusing that account, which i checked once every month, where i found an e-mail shortly after reading

one that offered me $6 million from a nigerian prince. [laughter] i read the invitation and did what any good midwestern boy could do -- would do, i called my mother to share the news. i read her the e-mail over the phone and told her, already incredibly nervous, "you should be nervous, you have not given augustana a dime since you graduated." [applause] i am embarrassed to admit the that is true. i must say i will be a regular contributor after today. [applause] last night while enjoying the evening with several of my own classmates none of us could

remember who spoke at my own commencement. i am incredibly embarrassed to admit to you that i found out today it was a physician. which does not bode well for me. clearly from that set of data the stands between you and a diploma of the costs $160,000 that you so richly deserve. it is unlikely that he will even remember what i said in a few years, so that takes some of the pressure off of me. most of these words were written after i was in haiti. where i have spent most of my time. thankfully i was not there when the earthquake hit. i have left for boston to spend

holidays at home. after hearing of a news i flew down the next day and was able to cross over to the border. nothing i had seen in 12 years have prepared me for the devastation wrought by the year earthquake. thought to be the worst natural disaster in this hemisphere in a century. 48 hours after the uruguay, upon my arrival the first thing i noticed -- 48 hours after my arrival the first thing that i noticed was the smell.

hundreds of people lying in a -- on the ground in the hospital courtyard with severe, life- threatening wounds. crushed limbs, facial fractures, countless other injuries. there were barely any staff for health care providers available, as many of them had either perished or were digging their own families out. in those first few days we tended with very few resources in the courtyard of hospital. for some of these patients it was too little, too late. far too many succumbed to their injured -- setting up field hospitals.

over 1 million were left homeless, many of them injured as well. since those first few weeks after the earthquake i have been back and forth frequently and i join you today coming straight from haiti through boston and chicago, as i am still looking for a direct flight. this past week brought me in, out, and through port-au-prince on a daily basis. crushed cars, thousands of people living in makeshift tents, i thought about how i would convey to you what he looks like these months after the earthquake. in the first few days i have had

time to take stock over what had been accomplished in the last few months and, to be honest, it appeared to be very little. every single federal building, including the national palace. the suffering measured in a scale that is unprecedented continues unabated. which brings me to the first of several questions i will pose to you graduates today. how does one stay engaged in a process, movement, our situation that is fraught with frustration, the feet, and loss.

i do not know the answer but as i stared into the ruins of was reminded in the book teems collins talked about someone he met who were shot down over north phenom and taken prisoner, where he was tortured and beaten for several years. collins asked stock they'll -- excuse me, i never doubted i would get out but i would also prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining moment of my life. when collins asked about who did not get out, collins said it was

easy. stock they'll finish by saying that this is a crucial lesson, this is the discipline. a stock sale paradox. he has been a great example of the stock fell paradox. for those that live there and for the patients.

the worst health problems, the second country after our own to do so. the last 206 years have not been kind to our southern neighbor for a variety of reasons. most of them were clearly documented in historical record. 80% live on less than $2 for day. they must confront the brutal reality of their daily lives as some of the most impoverished people on the planet, and to bring hope and faith that that one day things will improve. -- enduring hope and faith that one day if things will improve. to my surprise most of the people contacted after the quake was hopeful as they were before,

despite losing limbs, loved ones, and livelihoods. this is certainly the case for my friend and colleague was a hero of the haitian independence. a pharmacist in a hospital in based in. he was in port-au-prince when the earthquake hit. the building he was in immediately collapsed, falling on top of him and buildings around him. he found himself alive but trapped, his left arm caught under a large concrete column. to his left hip, his teacher, was lifeless body lay only inches from his own. to his right he saw nothing. the wall had collapsed. trapped like this for 48 hours, several months later i have the courage to ask about the time he spent under the rubble. he was not so much concerned

with whether or not he would escape but rather with his crushed arm, which was extra -- excruciatingly painful. his arm could not be saved. he is working again at our hospital, learning to live and be a pharmacist with one arm and a smile, in the process of being fitted for a prosthetic. it is clear that most of us in this room will not face such harrowing circumstances. nor will most of you work in such far-flung places? what, if we look back at recent history, can we do to see james stock sale everywhere that we look? what else but faith and courage

led nelson mandela to the presidency of south africa? what else but faith and courage keeps the brothers and sisters in the armed forces going in iraq and afghanistan? what allowed my parents and grandparents to forbid -- the fortitude to persevere after being beaten in race riots and being forced to sit in the back of the bus? what else kept all of our grandparents fighting for the right to vote in this country. getting the through brutal calculus class, faith and courage. as you leave and embarked on the rest of your lives, a seemingly impossible. from punishing your next agreed to finding a job in the middle of a recession. when the admiral and all of the

nameless stock sales, thus, these struggles are not only worth fighting for, they are incredibly important in how they shake our lives. i would not be the person i am today -- excuse me, i would not be the same person had i not embark on this medical association. although i would probably have more hair. like the admiral i would not trade my experiences for anything. nor the hope and faith that things would improve in haiti. you today is why any of you should even care about places like haiti. or any place with homeless or impoverished. i am often asked why i have chosen to pursue this career path that will not put me on the next episode of "mtv cribs"

anytime soon. i would be lying if i gave you one answer that encapsulate it all of the reasons. but the question always gives me pause. not only because i am often asked that question with a great deal of negativity and skepticism, but because i was wondering if there was something i could have done in my past that led me to give up some of the creature comforts. i was raised catholic and in reflecting upon my career path i did not want to pound out those intense years of having roles in my choices. perhaps there were a subliminal messages in those gregorian chants. i had already told my teacher what i have already accomplished, i attempted to read the bible. i did not get very far. more specifically, i watched the

most recent cartoon show on hulu after reading a few pages. but i did come upon something profound, something that wanted to share with your graduates today. mercy. mercy is meant to connote a virtue of the will to have compassion for and alleviate another's misfortune. it is a strange bit of irony that i would even perused the bible. i was never religious. but my time in haiti, repeating the bearing witness to overwhelming poverty and suffering, it has forced me to answer questions within the context of my religion. the reason i bring it up is not because i love confessing things to you like an episode of jerry springer, but rather because i believe that works of mercy and mercy itself transcends any

particular religion, striking a part of what makes us human. -- striking at the heart of what makes us human. feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, bury the dead. like many proclamations of the past, sacred or secular, it is best to think of these less literally and more as a framework by which to align your moral compass. these tenants can be thought of as a way in which to engage the world around us. for example we may not all know someone in prison, but that should not preclude us from thinking about how we as a free society can protect the rights of fellow citizens who have been incarcerated. might be difficult to find common cause with the homeless,

but-not be used as an excuse to marginalize them. we cannot let the comforts of our own surroundings shield us and prevent us from reaching out to others. that said, the corporal works of mercy take on a very literal meaning when working in haiti. they are all in desperate need of what the markets -- the works of mercy can provide. what was once ability do any of us in this room have to people that we may not ever meet? people that speak other languages or practice different religions? would be easier, or should it be easier, if they look like us? talk like us? it is his view of us and them that begins to divide us. when you think of your neighbor as other, it is easy to

marginalize him or her, look away, walk past, change the channel. once the homeless, the hungry, the prisoner is relegated to somehow being different from you, the challenge to extend your hand is already fraught with difficulty. the concept of bus and them, first world and third world, inner-city and suburb, these are false constructs that only served to deepen inequality and entrenched divisions in our own society. all of us in this room are not members of the bottom million. by virtue of our maker or the cosmos, those of us here today are some of the luckiest people on the planet. do not get me wrong, the class of 2010 is like my class. i know that each and every one of you worked incredibly hard to get here today.

some of you are the first in your family to earn a college degree. others beat every conceivable odd. with that privilege comes responsibility. a responsibility to not only the people in this world, but some of them are just sitting right next to you. a collective effort is what is needed. i doubt that many in this room could have gotten to this point today without some assistance. someone, somewhere, at some time in the last 22 years of your lives, extended their hand to help you get to this point. a teacher that stayed late to make sure that you understood the material. the apparent that gave up their pursuit to make sure that you

could achieve yours. a coach that taught you about life on and off the playing field. a close friend that helped you get over the broken heart. we have all been helped one way or another. as you moved into the next step of your lives, remember that the help you give to others will make a difference is larger than you can imagine. i want to close my comments about personal self-efficacy with a question about the way we can impose upon ourselves something professional and personal. a number of years ago i received an e-mail from a professor who occasionally e-mails groups of former students. he was reflecting upon thanksgiving and personal responsibility, making note of the following. "the problem for many of us is that we have allowed the process of counting our blessings to deteriorated into the habit of

counting upon our blessings. we are proud, rightly proud of our title, position, and residents. we are now overly anxious to maintain our privileges and power in this frightening and horrible economy. we are proud, rightly proud of personal achievements. but we are overly anxious to maintain his image of success. when the act gave when the act becomes counting on our blessings, things become extremely difficult. all of you will move on to focus on your achievements, family, and your own success. it is what we ask and expect of you. as this professor points out,

sometimes we can air on the side of too much self focus. successful jobs, a comfortable life, is that not what most of us want after college? the pursuit of these goals is not mutually exclusive to our ability and responsibility of creating a more equitable world through a free work of social justice. we owe it to ourselves to improve the world that are parents, grandparents, and others created for us. you, class of 2010, will help to shape a world that we can be proud of. if we can learn to love others as much or more as we love ourselves, i think we will be on the right track. class of 2010, you very much.

[applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] .

>> i can remember walking across this campus, so i have nothing but wonderful memories of this fine institution. savannah state, as we usually refer to this wonderful university, was my sole model of higher education during my childhood. there are many universities in the compartmentalized world of segregation and the myopic vision that accompanies it, this was the one and only realistic school for me. the few times i was lucky enough to be on this campus, i was inspired by industrious didn't and amazed at the sickness of

the textbooks. we used to refer to them as the big books. for me, that the dream of going to college was first candled and then gently sustained in those early crosswinds of life. i have always had a special place in my heart for this wonderful school. i could not have been prouder and my late brother and his wife graduated from here in the 1970's. your special day is also a special day for me. in thinking about today, i was sobered by the realization that most of the graduates from the undergraduate program had not started the first grade when i went on the court.

life comes at you fast and passes even faster. in 1971, when i sat where you are sitting today, i was just glad to be done with college. [laughter] but i know the feeling. the happiest day of school for me was graduation. i was both scared and anxious about the rest of life. my grandmother and my mother who shared the day were there in the stadium at holy cross college to support me and be at my wedding the next day. absent was the one person i needed there, my grandfather. mired in a distracting mixture of white econoline branch and

ends s -- and sadness, i wondered what happened -- how would i repayment stallone's? where would i work? where would i live? somewhere through the fog of self observing confusion i barely noticed the graduation speaker -- michael harrington, author of the then-popular book, "the other america, poverty in the united states" and himself a holy cross graduate. he seemed to be exhorting us to solve the problems of poverty and injustice. as important as those are, i, like most people, was focused on whether i would be able to solve my own problems. so that i did not become a problem for or burden others with mine. having sat where you are sitting

today, i have no illusions that i am at the center of your attention. [laughter] nor do i think that what i have to say will be -- remembered. but i do humbly request a few brief moments the year attention, recognizing there is much going on in your lives. i promise i will not clutter up your special day with my own ruminations about jurisprudence or law. i will say, in passing, however, that even today, after almost 19 years on the court, many of the lessons i learned about life and my academics while student, still serve me well.

believe me, what you have learned thus far matters and matters greatly. i also will not burden you with yet another litany of complaints and grievances or exhortations to solve the problems that none of us of more advanced years have been able to solve. or, in some cases, even understand. it seems to be standard fare these days to charge a young people to go out and do great things. often, what is meant dead -- is that they do something in the great out there as opposed to their personal lives. realistically, the great battles for most of us involved conquering ourselves and discharging our duties at hand.

these personal victories are the real building blocks for doing great things. when i take stock of the more than six decades of my own life, the great people are mostly the people of my youth, here in savannah. my grandparents, my mother, my relatives, my neighbors, my teachers. one of the great things they all have in common was the way they discharge their daily duties. conscientiously and without complaint or grievance. i think of relatives like my cousin who cleaned rooms at the midway motel in liberty county. her husband to cut grass and farmed. and my mother, and some of the

others here in savannah who labored as maids for small pay and long hours. they went about their lives, doing their best with what they have, knowing all the while this was not necessarily fair. they played hands they were dealt and threw a ball, they were unfailingly good, decent, and kind people. -- through it all, they were unfailingly good, decent and kind people. they were shining examples for all of us to emulate in our own struggles. whether in the merciless summer heat of liberty county or the seven downpour's at the bus stopped at east broad and henry, they taught us how to live with personal dignity, with honor, with self-respect and

respect for what another. to this day, the good people to do their jobs, raise their families, and sacrifice so that we can gather here in peace are the heroes from whom i draw a great inspiration. those who fight our wars, keep the peace at home, put out our fires, teach our children, mend our wounds, and tend to our health. these are the real heroes. quite a lot has happened in my lifetime, as i alluded to earlier. monumental events involving constitutional law and civil rights have made it possible for me to stand here today as a member of the supreme court of the united states. there are also the technological advances from the scrubboard to

the washing machine, the dishwasher, one of my favorites, the flat screen tv, the computer, the i pawed, -- the ipod and a now omnipresent cellphone. my wife, who is my best friend, always, and -- always comments on the range of my life. i have been blessed to note and befriend the best and the least educated, the wealthiest and the poorest, the healthiest and most physically challenged. i have seen a lot in my journey from my home here in the dark soil of south georgia to the white marble of the supreme court. it has been a longer journey than to be measured from the

miles here to washington d.c., but longer. along the way, i have learned the lessons. there is a saying that if you want to know what is down the road, ask the person who is coming back. today, in a sense, i have come back. i have returned from down along road and returned home with -- where the journey began. returned to meet you at the commencement of your own journey. through the rest of your lives. i would like to take just a few more minutes of your time here, by the road. i have just a few modest suggestions. i promise i will not hold long. first, show gratitude and appreciation. none of you made it here on your

own. there are people in your lives who gave birth to you, who raised you, and who loved you, even when you are not so lovable. bank of people who put up with your antics and loved you through all. thank the people who paid your tuition and expenses. [applause] there are those who helped and counsel you through difficult times or when you have or made our decisions. there were compassionate enough to tell you what you need to year, not what you wanted to hear. take some time today to thank them. don't put off.

-- don't put it off. i never took the time to properly thank my grandparents. the two people and made it possible for me to be here today. keep down, i know they understand, as they always did, and as parents, always seemed to find a way to understand. it is still labored and i will carry to my grave. a simple thank you will do wonders. you may never know how much the expression of gratitude will mean to a person who made sacrifices for you. almost 30 years ago, i went to visit my eighth grade teacher for the first time since high- school. i thank her for all she had done for me and for being compassionate enough to tell me the truth about my deficiencies

when i was in the eighth grade. i told her that i assumed that after more than 40 years of teaching, i was among along list of former students who had come back to thank her. she said no, you are the first. one additional word about her -- on one of my visits with her in the retirement convent in new jersey, she showed a friend and me her tiny room. it had a small bed, a bureau and a chair. while telling us about her room, she listed the items to be given away after death. she is 96 years old now. a rosary to her niece, a prayer book to the franciscan sisters,

there was a large photo of her and me on her bureau. lovingly, she embraced and she said proudly, this goes in my coffin with me. take a few minutes today to thank anyone who helped you get here today, then tried to live your lives as though you really appreciate their help and the good did in your lives. earn the right to have been helped by the way you live your lives. next, remember that life is not easy for any of us. it will probably not be fair and it certainly is not all about you. the gray hairs and wrinkles you see on older people have been earned the hard way. by living and dealing with the

challenges of life. when i was a unmanned and labored under -- when i was a young man, and labored under the delusion of my omniscience, i thought i knew more than i did, with the wit that -- with the wisdom that only comes with the passage of years, the older folks warned me pressure in and ominously -- you just live long enough and you will see. they were right. life is humbling and can be hard. very hard. it is a series of decisions, some harder than others, some good, and unfortunately, to many of them bad. it will be up to each of you to make as many good decisions as possible and to limit the bad

ones. then, to learn from all of them. but i will urge you to resist those around you who insist on making wrong decisions. being accepted or popular or cool with those doing wrong is an awful faustian bargain come and as with all faustian bargains, not worth it. it is never wrong to do the right thing. it may be hard, but never wrong. each of you is about to begin a new journey. whenever that may be, do it well. if you are going to graduate school, the military, or work, do it to the best of your abilities. each year at court, i hire four new law clerks. they are the best of the best.

the major difference between them and most of their classmates is self discipline. by self discipline, i mean doing what you are supposed to do and not doing what you are not as of today. though there are many enticements and distractions, it's up to you to take care of your business, -- remember, the rewards of self indulgent are not nearly as great as the were rewards of self discipline. even as you take care of your business, there are a few other necessities for your journey. are these three f's -- faith, family and friends. when all else fails and we feel like prodigal sons and daughters, they will always be

there, even if we do not deserve them. having the myself, i know -- having needed them myself, i know they will always be your saving grace. trustworthiness and honesty are that. if you cannot be trusted with small matters, how could be entrusted with important ones? it may be hard to be honest, but it is never wrong. for my part, i can only work with honest people. i need to be able to trust them and so will you. conscientiousness and timeliness are invaluable habits and character traits. as i tell my law clerks, i want my work done right and i wanted on time. no matter what you do, do it right and do it on time. my brother used to say that he

hurried up to the early city could wait. not a bad idea. stay positive. there will be many around you who are no walls, cynical, and negative. -- who are no it also, cynical, and negative. they are cancers of the spirit and nothing worthwhile. do not inhale their second and sixth -- second and cynicism and negativism. some, even those with the most opportunities in the best country will complain and grieve the ceaselessly at and the item and ad nauseam -- it may be pared to ask them a question as a complaint about the lack of imperfection in you or others and the lack of our imperfect institutions or our country --

just ask them what they are perfect at other than complaining. look, many have been angry at me because i refuse to be angry, bitter or full of grievances. some will be angry at you for not becoming agents in their most recent seven causes. don't worry about it. no monuments are built to sex. associate with people to add -- no monuments are built to 6. associate with people who at to your life. -- no monuments are built to cynics. always have good manners. this is a time honored, not old fashioned. good manners will open doors that nothing else will. given the choice between two, and people, most of this will opt to hire the one with good manners.

for example, no matter what adults say, about calling them by their first name, don't do it. believe me, they remember and not as kindly as you might think. i think god my grandparents made me put a handle on grown folks names and taught me to say please and thank you. [applause] finally, the golden rule that is virtually universal -- treat others the way you want to be treated. [applause]

you may be required to treat, them far better than they treated you. [applause] and far better than human nature would suggest they deserve. help others as you wanted and needed to be helped. if you want to receive kindness, respect and compassion, you must first give them. but to do that, you must first have the yourselves. three decades ago, a janitor in the senate with him often spoke pulled beside -- pulled me aside. i probably looked as though i had the weight of the world unless soldiers -- on my shoulders. i must look despondent, not an

uncommon look for a young man who is somewhat confused and faced with the common difficulties of life and hoping to make some difference in the lives of others. in a sober, measured, and nearly toothless diction, he counseled me -- some, you cannot give what you got have. he was right. it echoed what i have heard the route i use here in georgia. my grandfather would often point at the field late in the summer and make the point that we could not give to others if we have not worked all summer to plant, tilt and harvest. as a child, that meant little. as a man, i know he was right. we cannot give what we do not have.

there are no guarantees in life, but even with all its uncertainties and challenges, it is worth living the right way. as you commence the next chapter in your young lives, i urge you to do your best to be your best. each of you is a precious, precious building block for your families, your university, your communities and our great country. it is truly at to each of you to decide exactly what kind of building block you will be. i wish each of you godspeed and thank you and congratulate you. [applause] >> nicole stott is an astronaut

who has flown on three international space station mission. she spoke at st. petersburg college and spoke about her life. this is about 10 minutes. >> [applause] >> thank you for inviting me to share this day with you. it really is an honor to be here. it's hard for me to believe almost 30 years ago -- i think that is over a lifetime ago for a lot of you, i was at st. pete jr. college in the aviation administration program. i honestly believe this program is -- was the first real stepping stone for me to pursue my passion for flying, to later follow on with my era nautical engineering studies and all to merely be standing here with you as a nasa astronauts. of you havet most some celebrating to do, so i will keep it brief.

but i would like to start a slide show in the background to play as i speak. i was blessed with the honor and opportunity last year to spend three months living and working on the international space station. aside from the launch and landing and the pictures of myspace what you will see appear, these are pictures i had the opportunity to take while i was on orbit. i apologize because it is one of these cases where the picture just won't do the real thing justice. i believe our spacecraft and the view of our plan at are too beautiful to capture with a camera. i stand here as an example of what can happen if you follow a dream. it is still very real to me that i had the opportunity to see our planet from a 200 mile vantage point, traveling around every 90 minutes at a speed of 17,500 miles an hour. for some reason, i always

thought that once i saw earth from space that i -- that it would seem like we are all pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. but what i found was the total opposite. instead, every time i looked out the window, i had a sense of everything having its place and reason. here we are, all riding on this planet situated at the perfect distance from the sun, providing us with everything we need to survive. each of us has a place and reason. sometimes it is not easy to figure out, but that's what life is all about. in commencement fashion, thought i would share some of the things that have stood out for me as i have been trying to figure out by place and reason. my apology in advance because none of these are new. they all seem to hold true and will staunton -- will sound a lot like what julie said as well. pay attention to the things you enjoy and let them guide you.

i was so happy when i realized this simple idea -- it was one of those like all moments. maybe i really can't have a job where i can -- maybe i really can have a job where i can do things that i think our fund. there's a reason each of us enjoy different things. different things bring each of the joy. it's all about having a real passion for something. it is great when you have a passion and camby part of your life and you can in -- you can feel its influence of all kinds of choices you're making, whether it is with your career or with your family. for me, flying was the passion that influenced me the most. i was fortunate to have a father that loved building airplanes and flying airplanes. as a family, we spent a lot of time hanging out at the local airport. my dad share his passion for

flying with me and i believe it was the single biggest influence on the path i took forceful and career. it is important to be true to yourself and let the things you enjoy guide you. next, and this is sometimes hard to accept, there are sometimes people who know you better than you know yourself. along the way through school and work and just like in general, i found there were people who seem to see and appreciate things in me that i would not see or appreciate myself. these are the people that i think of as my mentors. for me, the biggest example of this was deciding to apply for the astronaut office. if the was not for the encouragement i received from these people, i never would have believed in myself enough to apply. it takes a lot sometimes to trust in yourself and know what you are capable of, but you should know you can do yourself a big favor by trusting the people who know you best.

be happy, because of, and have a good attitude. there is absolutely no situation where this will not serve you well. even when things are not going like planned, and i cannot honestly tell you that i feel very fortunate to have spent three months living on a space station with a happy crew of six. we worked hard and had a good time. this is a navy seal motto -- the only easy day was yesterday. i don't mean that quite as strongly as it sounds, but simply to say that every day will present you with its own unique challenges. someone once said we should look at these challenges as opportunities, opportunities to learn more about ourselves, our own capabilities, and the world around us. i don't know who that someone was, but they were right. these are really obvious.

take the high road, do your best, and don't forget of the golden rule -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you. these are the simple things that will always serve the well. be true to your word and always remember the things you say and do can have a huge impact on others. of course, the old stop and smell the flowers. whenever the path you are taking after you leave today, you should feel confident that you have prepared well. you should take the time to discover and enjoy the little surprises that will be you along the way. these little surprises seemed to turn life experiences into an adventure. what i went to space, i had very high expectations of what the experience would be like and i found every expectation was exceeded, not because of what i expect to find dorsey, but because of the little things --

because of what i expected to find or seat, but because of little things. the smell of space where we open a space walk or when a new space craft arrived and we approached the hatch. how quickly and effortlessly our bodies adapt to a new environment. how offloading and pushing with your fingertips gently off a wall and grabbing a handrail becomes natural for getting around and you don't think about walking anymore. like many before me, i was surprised and in all of the glowing beauty of our planet. every day, i was blessed with the opportunity to spend some time looking at the window toward home and seeing things i never would have expected. moving around the planet every 90 minutes with the orbit slightly changing and shifting and taking you over someplace new, with the sun rising and gracefully setting every 45 minutes, the moon a brilliantly popping into view setting into

the thin blue atmosphere, i could not help but look at earth and seat anything other than a living, beautiful thing that always seem to be sharing a changing demotion or sharing a side of the personality with me. sometimes recall mend peaceful and other times very dynamic and aggressive. i am thankful for the surprises i having countered along by way. i am especially thankful that the design of the space station included windows. i hope you enjoyed the pictures that played in the background and hope they help you discover something new about our planet and maybe something new about the journey you have had the. for me, there is always a surprise when i look at them. you should know there are amazing opportunities out there for you. i wish the best for all of you, success, happiness and all your dreams come true. thank you. [applause]

now, the 2009 high-school principal of the year addresses the college of charleston's graduate school commencement. a high-school principal in mount pleasant, south carolina since 1998, discusses the value of [unintelligible] >> i think, when one asks what makes a school great, the obvious answer is it takes commitment and hard work from all of the stakeholders. we have some of the best teachers, students and parents in the country. when you add incredible community support, the and resort -- the end result is an award winning school. the funny thing for me is, when i began my career, i had no ambition to be the national principle of the year. i did not have plans to be a principal at all. i was excited about being a teacher and i taught one of the board members sitting here.

the one sitting to my right. she did quite well back then. as a student at the college of charleston 40 years ago, i was very fortunate to be placed at bishop abel of high-school, which was then around the corner. before it was over, the principal offered me a job as a math teacher. in the interview, he said is there any math subject you would prefer not to teach, and i suggest, geometry. over the summer, i got a teaching assignment -- you can imagine my surprise when the only subject was geometry and it was every period. needless to say, i had to study books and got help from experienced math teachers, including my mother, and i tried to turn myself into a good geometry teacher. the next year, i faced a different challenge. he said it your schedule will be all geometry and algebra one. the catch was algebra one was

the old freshman building, about eight blocks away by car. both buildings were on the same schedule. so each day, after teaching a section of geometry, i would run down three flights of stairs, out parking lot, jim and to my car and drive down the street as fast as i could without getting a ticket to the other building, run-up to flights of stairs, run into the classroom, pick up the chalk and began. i was young and thin and in great shape. i had to do that because it was best for the kids. they needed a math teacher and that principle thought i was the one who could best and let. i learned some important lessons in those early years that helped me through the rest of my career. i learned that persistence and determination and flexibility are critical for success in any field, but especially in education.

that has never been truer than it is today. as we face what i believe is a real crisis in our country's public education system. for the next few minutes, i would like to talk to you about this crisis and what all this can do to help. on the state and national level, we have far too many elected officials and citizens who seem to have a what did it for me attitude about our public schools. if they are have children or school or never attended a public school, they're not committed to supporting them. some of these individuals seem to be blinded by self-interest or they are under the influence of special-interest groups. they fail to see the connection between a strong system of public education and the future of america as a whole. they are focusing on what is going wrong and ignoring all the many successes. this type of thinking is at best misguided and at worst, it endangers the security and prosperity of this country.

when you hear people say the children are our future, it is the truth. children across this nation come from all sorts of backgrounds and circumstances. the quality of their education and the opportunities available to them should not be limited by their race, family income, or is it code. -- is the code. five years ago, i became a mentor for a young man who was raised in generational poverty. his elementary principle called and asked me to look out for him. he said it is a quiet kid, but one of the brightest in his class. but then he told me the rest of his story -- michael lived in a small, dilapidated it two- bedroom mobile home with 11 of their -- eleven other family members on the edge of town. they had no car, no access to public transportation. his dad was dead. his mom could never come to a

school meeting or apparent night. she had no way to get there. doing homework was not an option. there was no quiet place to study. there was barely a place to sleep. he missed the basic social experiences we all take for granted like going to restaurants and ordering from a menu or taking a car trip with your family. i learned more about the issues of poverty and social class and their impact on children from my relationship with michael that i ever did in a course or some are. although he was intelligent, the obstacles he faced work massive. he did graduate from high school last year. it was a great day. he was the first member of his family to do so. but he quickly found having a high school diploma is not enough. after five months of looking for a job to avail while attending community college, he opted to enter u.s. army and hopes to go to college later.

michael understands that to compete for good jobs in the world today, he must have post- secondary education. that's the new reality for every high school student in america. had not been for the teachers willing to true -- willing to tutor, nurture and encourage, he would be another dropout. as a nation, we cannot afford to fail the children like michael who desperately need a good education to break the cycle of poverty. providing adequate, stable funding for our schools has become a national crisis. it is a problem in every state. cutting instructional days and letting teachers go and canceling arts and athletic programs being considered now are awful ideas. [applause] if that is where we end up, we will have failed these children

and not given the quality of education and opportunities they need and deserve. please understand -- america's economic forecast is dependent on the quality and skill of the workforce. we are always only one generation away from a bright future or a great decline. on a trip to washington last fall, i visited the home of thomas jefferson. as you know, he was one of the visionary founding fathers of this nation and the principal author of the declaration of independence. jefferson's writings, way back then, make it clear that he envisioned a a strong system of public education as being critical to the success of this country. he described a system of education which would serve every citizen, richest to chorused. he believed having educated citizenry was the only sure

reliance for the preservation of our liberty. the solution to the crisis i have shared with you today is simple. each of us and every citizen in america has to actively seek ways we can do our part to support our country by supporting public education. we all have a role to play. those of you entering the education field will have the privilege of molding future generations of americans. decide today that you will always do what is best for your students, even of its difficult for you personally. choose to have a positive attitude regardless of how many flights of stairs you may be asked to run or your teaching assignment is not the one he really wanted. be a blessing to your school, to your students and their families. remember, teaching is a calling. it is missionary work.

every day you will have the opportunity to impact young person for a lifetime. today, i have no doubt every person in here can remember a teacher who made a real difference in your life. be that teacher to your students. for those of you who did not plan to enter the education field, please don't think you are off the hook. the success or failure of our public schools is the responsibility of every citizen. each of you can contribute in a significant way through your time, your talent, your resources and your voice. know that whether you volunteer, by a paper from the pta or sit on the school board, your contribution is appreciated and critical to the success of our schools. a wonderful lady who has used her resources to make a difference is in our audience today. several years ago, she and her

late husband established a fellowship here at the college. it is designed to assist african american men who want to join the teaching profession. today, a first fellowship recipient will be graduating. would you please stand and be recognized and honored for your contributions to education? [applause] on behalf of the children, want to thank you because you are making a huge difference. finally, there is another way all of you can contribute -- by letting your voice be heard. speak up for our schools. learn about the candidates running for office and choose those who support public education and be careful -- most of them say they do. vote in every election -- let me say that again -- vote in every

election. don't miss one. the advocate always for the children. we are so blessed to live in this great country, but we endanger our liberty and prosperity without a strong system of public education for all of our children. please go out and do your part and make a difference for those children. god bless you, graduates, as you take on new roles in our society. god bless your family and friends to our here today and have helped get you to this point. and god bless america. thank you. [applause] >> tonight, president obama at a campaign fund-raising event for

california democrat barbara boxer, running for a fourth term. that is at 7:15 eastern here on c-span. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> house republicans launched a new effort to create policy agenda with input from the public. the americas speaking out initiative will be held by a republican from california. this is about 35 minutes. >> in scribe on this building is the word -- the words to give americans the right to petition government -- the right to speak out. americans are speaking out. but unfortunately, they do not see washington democrats

listening. you look at all the taxes come all the spending and all the debt, it is clear that washington has been doing what washington thinks is best, not what is best for america. the purpose of this project is to give the american people a megaphone to speak out by using the best technology available. as republicans, we know our principles and we're going to use them to build a new governing agenda reader in our principles of smaller, more tenable government. we want the american people to engage with us in the process. that is what "america speaking out" is all about. to explain the "america speaking out", i am pleased to introduce my colleague whose vision has been the driving force behind this project, the chief deputy whip from california. >> thank you, mr. leader.

there is nothing more powerful or inspirational than the common voice of the common man. the town meeting in the public square symbolized accountability at its finest. ordinary people could question and challenge their leaders. the leaders could learn what really mattered to those they serve. over time, something went wrong. elected leaders drifted away from the people represented and the people themselves grew cynical about the democratic process. people stopped attending town hall meetings and many even stop voting, thinking their votes to not matter any more and neither did their voices. then something happened last summer. in every corner of this country, people started to gather, first in small groups, them larger and larger crowds. they acted individually and independently, but their message was the same -- listen. now, finally, we want america to know that we are listening.

that is why we are introducing "america speaking out" -- a revolution in the relationship people have of congress. this is a republican effort to change the course of history and the policies in washington. to return to 300 million americans their voice in the way their government. we recognize americans don't want an agenda imposed on them from washington. they know the best ideas don't come from washington. they come from the people. "america speaking out" will return them their voice and we are ready to listen. what we do here matters and it will matter even more if we commit ourselves to being ambitious in our goals and determine in our pursuit of them. the conversation will address the issues that matter most to the people -- jobs, spending, national security, and whatever is on the minds of the people. but instead of debate behind closed doors, which has

happened far too often in the last 18 months, we are throwing open the doors and letting in a little sunshine. we are giving americans the opportunity to have their voices back. the initial phase of the engagement we are launching today will take place for the web, facebook and other social media as well as crystal town hall meetings over the upcoming weeks. we will gather ideas from the corners of america engage in civil discussion about our nation's challenges. we want to empower every american to provide these ideas as easy as testing on your phone, going on facebook or in person. the simple part is an innovative web forum where all citizens can submit ideas for a new agenda, regardless of party affiliation, or whether or not we agree. to create the web site, we went looking for the very best online tools available.

i traveled to washington state and discovered a microsoft program that helped nasa map the moon. this impressive technology is easy to use and is secure. we will protect privacy of all participants adventure the conversation as civil. a conference will be heavily involved in the nationwide debate, running discussions on a variety of issues the american people want to gauge in. and we will not just see america as it is today, we will imagines america as a could and should be tomorrow. finally, after this conversation and debate, we will introduce these ideas. this will be our public, but -- is set of principles and priorities that will make up our governing agenda. the american people have committed themselves to playing an active role in their future. in return, we will commit to creating a government based

around a fundamental principle of accountability. his primary mission is to insure every american will have the opportunity to achieve financial security and leave for their children a better life than the round. -- than their own. so here is -- "america speaking out." we are ready to hear your voice and we are here to listen. i would like to introduce my partner in this project -- the vice chairman of "america speaking out" to walk you through the web site. >> thank you. there is a brightness to this season we are in. this is a season where americans are being asked and invited to come back and participate robustly in their democracy. the software itself is impressive. let me turn your attention to

the screen to your left. it has cutting edge technology, but a design that is easy for people to interact with. let's go to the >> slide. there are a series of categories chosen to organize. you can see american values, national security, and an open microphone section -- importantly, there is an articulation of republican principles. this is within the context of trying to drive solutions that are consistent with the themes and principles of the republican party has articulated for quite some time. there is an easy registration program. what will happen there is disclosure of information that will help to ensure a civil debate and probably in question and answers section, we will go through how we seek to keep the

debate civil. that is where people can come on line. this is the part that is intriguing. there's an ability for people to make sensitive suggestions on proposals that they have, to vote up or down on them, and then have a dialogue about them. this is a threaded conversation that is very intuitive. when someone comes on the next time, let's say they were on a subject to begin with and the next time they come on, the system will prompt them. there is another subset on this topic, do you want to go there? in the same way other online sources have done in the past. you will see there is an ability to facebook, to communicate via twitter, and all these things will create an opportunity to be in conversation, deploying the social media networks that are really powerful today and are

often times underutilized. let's go to the next slide. the system itself will create points system treat we are all competitive and have an interest in gathering points. people will be incentivized to participate. the more they participate, the more points they earn. finally, there will be applications available as early as this week in all the typical platforms you would assume people can interact with. it is an opportunity for people to pull out of their blackberry and engage from their pocket in this national conversation. i would like to welcome to the podium, eric cantor, the republican web. >> good morning. the american people are speaking out and washington and the

democratic majority are just not listening. the trouble began almost a year- and-a-half ago when the democratic majority jammed through the nearly $800 billion stimulus bill, loading up more government programs, reaching far into the future, imposing debt on our kids and theirs. next came the attempt to try to reformulate energy policy in this country with the prospect for a national energy tax while this economy continued to struggle to try to regain its footing. then, we saw an attempt to try to put governments smack dab in the middle of health-care in this country, taking away from people the ability to determine their health care choices and at the same time, spending well one $1 trillion.

we have heard the sec is attempting to take over the internet. this is after we saw the democratic majority but the final nail in the coffin of the student loan business as well, taking 30,000 jobs away from the economy. as we have seen this week and last, the senate completed its work on the regulatory reform bill, yet another attempt by washington to place itself in the middle of our capital markets and takeover our banking industry. all of these policy proposals and moves have brought this country to a critical crossroads. the decisions we make will have lasting impact. this project, "america speaking out" is about trying to enlist the voices and help of the american people so we can begin by listening and turning around the equation in this town to

produce an economy and an america that meets with the approval of the american people. next up, i want to introduce the vice chairman of our conference. >> all across america, new media

since january 2009, the percentage of republicans on the facebook has grown to 79%. the number on it twitter has grown to 64%. the number on a youtube has grown to 89%. we are ahead of the democrats in all three of these categories and by wide margins. wheat tweet almost five times as much as that -- we tweet almost five times as much as the democrats. house republicans have written to speaker pelosi recently to request that video conferencing is such as skype be available. we have yet to receive an answer.

we want to make public earmarked spending to every american. america is speaking out. we are going to take our whole new leadership to a whole new level. now i would like to introduce candice miller. >> good morning, everyone. i am proud to represent michigan, home to the reagan democrats. we have all heard that term. it is truly a reflection of middle america. i will tell you, in my 30 years of having some elected capacity in this county, i have never seen people so absolutely agitated and frustrated. folks feel that we are going in the wrong direction. they feel that spending is out of control, that washington is

not focused on priorities like the economy and jobs. we have a deficit that is so enormous, so huge, you cannot even get your mind around these numbers. the number one thing that i hear over and over again everywhere i go is, why isn't washington listening to us? americans are more engaged then they have ever been. we have heard them expressing their opposition to these 2000 + page bills better developed in secrecy in the back rooms. all they know is that they have to pay for them. we sometimes forget, because we look at all of the enormous challenges facing our nation, and we forget the strength of america. that is, quite simply, the american people. they are optimistic, determined, brave, committed, and always with an eye towards the future and strengthening america for

future generations. that is why i am so excited about this project. you know, the u.s. house of representatives is often referred to as "the people's house." house republicans want to tap into the good common sense of the american people. the house has an agenda that is currently not supported by the majority of americans. they have not engaged americans. they have done it without engaging, not only republicans, but even rank and file members of their own conference. they develop things in back rooms, in secrecy, with just a handful of leaders. if we look forward to the rest of the year, still to be done is a budget, every appropriation bill, perhaps an immigration reform, and who knows what else.

all of those issues are ones americans will have opinions on, and house republicans intend to listen to those opinions. this is about an agenda for today, because urgency is required, and we can use the input from the american people. people continue to talk about the constitution and the bill of rights, and appropriately so. the first amendment, adopted in 1791, states the congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or discouraging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the rights of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of their grievances. this will be an american agenda with direct involvement from the people, people who in the year 2010, and thank god, still want to petition the government for redress of their grievances.

i think the american people will be able to utilize today's technology to allow them to be able to do so. and now i would like to introduce the chairman of our conference. >> thank you all for being here. the american citizens who are joining us, who are in the capitol building, those who are looking on around the country, and the members of the media who joined us for this field trip. we welcome you. thank you for your attention to "america speaking out." this is a very serious time in the life of this country. there is great anxiety across this land. this economy is struggling. americans are concerned about jobs. they are concerned about runaway federal spending. the american people are looking

for answers. and after years of being shut out of the debate here in capitol hill, seeing massive legislation formulated behind closed doors, the american people finally have a way in, and unambiguous seat at the table, with americansspeakingout.com republicans have offered alternatives on the stimulus legislation, the budget, health care, and energy. america speaking about is a continuation of the dialogue with the american people. it is designed to build a governing agenda for this congress. we are looking for ideas today to face the challenges of today. that is what this is. let me say definitively what it is not. this is not a political party in

search of the keel or in search of principles. house republicans and know what we believe. we stayed those police openly on the first page. we are committed to a limited, more accountable government, economic freedom, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, protecting life, the values of the constitution, and providing a strong national defense. but while we know the principles, the best ideas in america come from america. house republicans know that the american people know better than a elected officials and politicians what putting those principles into practice really looks like. we welcome our countrymen to join us at "america speaking

out," to use this technology to participate in the conversation. john f. kennedy said many years ago, "we are not afraid to trust the american people with an appealing -- with unappealing fax -- facts." we stand for the principle that house republicans trust the american people. whatever your politics, whenever your philosophy, join us on line. [inaudible] >> what we are doing here is, in

the next couple of weeks in the town hall meetings, you will see us in gauging from every different avenue. then you'll see as introduce legislation. next question. >> can you explain how much all of this cost end how is not campaign funding? >> this is all paid for through our ordinary budget. this is about listening to the american people today. the american people do not want to wait until next year to cut spending. they do not want to wait until next year to get their arms around this government. they want us to do it today. i would expect good ideas to come out of this website that

will lead to ideas that we can an attempt to implement today. >> this does not cost much more than an average website for a congressional office. it is kind of ironic that only in washington you get in trouble for trying to let the people have more say in their government. >> are you going to be tracking what people say and then targeting them politically? >> there will be no targeting politically. we will continue to engage them. if someone engages about a certain topic, we want to have their input. we want to have debate. this is an open community to debate ideas. you continue to have that dialogue. i will find members the continue to have discussions with them. >> you say you want to keep the

conversation civil. how are you going to scream comments that you deem out of bounds. ? >> we will have a language screener and make sure that ad hominem attacks are not permissible. in terms of someone who wants to come on and make suggestions on how to raise taxes, for example , they're welcome to do that. that is not something we are going to take up. >> you can police yourself. if you find something that you do not think is proper, you can push it forward. we allow individuals as well to expand it all the way. up in the back? >> why is this epee -- why is .com and not a .gov,

and can you guarantee that you will not sell people's names to political fund-raisers? >> yes, we can guarantee that. this is a .com for security purposes. >> who owns a blessed? >> the republican leadership. >> -- who owns a the list? >> the republican leadership. >> is said that users can police the side. does that mean they can take things down? >> no, it means if they find something offensive, they can send it to us and let us know. >> of the danger of this is that

it is a closed circle. it does not seem like you will hear with anyone but the people who agree with you. the purpose of it just seems like outrage. is there any way you will reach out to moderates and independents who are not already part of the conservative republican fold? >> by definition, today's event and a whole host of other events are forward leaning and very much an invitation. it is very much an open system, and that is my sense in talking to members. they are going to be doing town halls. they're going to be rolling out over the next several months. >> we never asked for party affiliation. you will find a lot of organizations looking for sunshine in government who are very, very excited about it. >> you said that the suggestion such as raising taxes were to come through the system, you would reject it off hand. is there anything else that you

would reject of hand? >> i think the key is to remember that we are focusing in on the principles that we -- there are several principals, insofar as, smaller government, more accountability, more transparency, and so forth. that is not news, necessarily. what is news is the invitation for americans to submit their answers and to their suggestions within that framework, and to have a conversation and the debate on probably the most dynamic technology that we have seen in a generation. i think you're having a robust discussion in so far as you are soliciting input on how to balance the budget. what are the priorities? what should america's role in the world be? those are things where there is a dynamic interplay that i think is very helpful. over a period of time, what is going to happen is, the best ideas are going to rise to the top.

>> i want to make a very careful distinction here. this site is a dialogue and discussion. out of this, republican leadership and republican members hope to build a governing agenda for this congress. issues will be brought through the filter of what our principles are, limited government, strong defense, life and those things that are stated. but the discussion will not be limited, except by the rules of decency and decorum. >> you believe you introduce ideas from this before congress leaves? >> you may find an amendment or two that goes up in the next weeks. the power of ideas should win. this is for everyone across america. is not all republicans, it is america speaking out.

>> you do not have enough votes to pass anything. how can you say with a straight face that this is not have to do with a campaign? it is right before an election. >> the fundamental difference is that the power of an idea can be so strong that you can trumpet. you have to realize, this is revolutionary. this is one tool. this technology can fundamentally change every part of your life. it has not changed how we converse with congress. this will empower people. this gives a greater strength to the individual. >> so does to be clear, you do not see this leading to some sort of signing statement on

the capitol a month or two before the election with all members of congress and gop candidates like and 1994? >> this is not about the election. we are borrowing 40¢ on every dollar. why do the american people want to wait for someone to solve that? >> i don't think they do. >> if i can just clarify again, apart from this, will there be something from the republicans saying, this is our agenda for the next congress? will there be something corresponding to what we saw in 1994? >> apart from this, republicans have discussed coming forward with our plans for the future.

over the course of the next three months, we're going to continue to work with the american people, work with those who are interested, in terms of developing what that is. we do not know what it is going to be, not at this point. but when we do, we will make sure that you are aware of it. >> it is a separate effort from the stacks >> yes. -- it is a separate effort from this? >> ps. >yes. >> are there any issues such as amnesty or pro-choice that you would not discuss on the website? >> i will remind you that when i handed nancy pelosi the gavel in 2007, if we disagree with our colleagues, it was our

obligation to put forth a better solution. over the course of the last 18 months, we have put forward a lot of better solutions. eric outlined some of those solutions. they're covering half a dozen major areas. we have developed in dozens of those solutions. what this is an effort to do is to of more engaged the american people in the development of the solutions to the challenges that are facing our country. we all know that the best ideas come from americans. so i see this as an evolution of our solutions groups that we've had for the last 18 months, to take it to the next level. >> are there issues that might not be -- >> people can come to this site and give us their ideas. they can debate other ideas that

are already there. they can vote on these ideas. but as we have made clear, we know what our principles are. what we are asking the american people to do is participate with us in terms of how do we apply those principles for tomorrow and the day after. >> i am just wondering, how are you guys going to decide what ideas make it into legislation? hill is monitoring the site? -- who is monitoring the site? who will make the decision? will it be a collaborative effort? >> it will be a collaborative effort. you will find a whole host of people that will be watching this. it may be that eric cantor is one of the next possibilities for a program, an initiative of

house republicans. we are really only limited by our imaginations. that is what is going to be exciting about it. >> there has been a lot of criticism of the republican party by democrats as being "the party of the note," -- the party of no," " the party of no ideas ." by asking americans to give these solutions, don't you think you're just enhancing that image? >> as i said, we have come up with many solutions. we are asking americans to participate in coming up with solutions. we see this as a giant step forward, directly engaging the american people. >> just to be clear you are all

saying this has nothing to do with winning the election. >> this has to do with listening to the american people and addressing their concerns today. >> do you feel, since you are using taxpayer money to fund this, that you are going to need to respond to any inflammatory ideas that may be popular. one idea on their right now is to not allow any muslims that want to come into the united states, or changing the rules about how to become a citizen. >> people are going to have an open debate and open discussion. the strongest ideas are going to move forward. there will be ideas that we do not agree with on there. the point is, this is open to sunshine. yes, there will be ideas that we do not agree with. >> if the idea of this is partly

to collect ideas for legislation in the fall, when the fall comes and the ideas are there, is the website going to go away? >> i do not know that there is any discussion about waiting to the fall. as i said earlier, i would expect that in the coming weeks we are going to see some ideas generated from this site that can be implemented today. i expect that to happen. >> a recent poll says the 63% of americans want the health-care law repealed. that is a high number. if the gop does take back the majority, are you all committed to pushing for the health-care lot to be repealed? >> we are committed to repealing the health-care law and replacing it with common

sense reforms that will lower the cost of health insurance in helps save american jobs. >> so if you do take back the majority in november, will the website stay up? >> that is for congress to make a decision about that. >> wiry meeting here today instead of at the capitol -- why are you meeting here today instead of at the capitol? >> because of what is written on the front of this building, the right of citizens to petition their government. this is about getting the message out to all americans that we want their ideas. the best ideas are not been at the capitol. they're out across the country. grus is all very much. [applause]

-- and thank you all very much. [applause] >> coming up next, a campaign rally for arkansas senator blanche lincoln, in a primary runoff election in the june 8th. joining the senator at the rally is former president bill clinton. this is about 30 minutes. [applause] >> folks, you have got to let me resist the temptation here to preach to the saved. because we are all for blanche or we would not be here. [applause] but i want to talk about this

election, and i want to give you a serious talk for just a couple of minutes, because i want to say what i would say to every arkansans if i could speak to every single voter between now and election day. and i want you to repeat any of the things i say that makes sense to you. i am not running for anything. i can run for anything. -- i cannot run for anything. however, at the older i get, the more i think about the future, not the past. the more i think about what m. lents we are making on our children or our great -- what influence we are making on our children or our grandchildren. let's talk about this election. first of all, we all know why we are here. under normal circumstances,

anybody that had worked as hard and accomplished as much as blanche lincoln would not be in a race like this. we are here because america is in trouble, arkansas is in trouble, and people are mad. [applause] here is an article from the "usa today." it says "polls find anger over country's leaders." fair enough. most people today have an income of lower after inflation than it was when i left office. but that is not blanches fault or president obama's fault. we abandoned my economic policy. we lost 2.5 million jobs before the economic meltdown. everybody has a right to be mad. there are people getting up every day in this country who have been out of work for more

than six months. they are having to sit down at dinner and look at their spouses and children and wonder if they are letting them down, if somehow they did something wrong. they see all these changes, and they can make sense of them. i understand what people are mad. but let me ask you something. think about your own life. every time you have made a decision that amounted to anything when you are mad, there is about an 80% chance that you made a mistake, isn't there? start with that. [applause] opponents,lincoln's from her republican opponent on the right to hard democratic opponent are really telling you, "stay mad. it cannot think. -- do not think." well, if you want somebody to

channel your anger, do not vote for her. but if you want somebody to get up and go to work to make your life better, you should approach for her. [applause] -- you should vote for her. [applause] here is what i know. i know in this miserable economy, this eight years we just went through, before the financial mess, two-thirds of americans have lower incomes after inflation and then they did when i left office. healthcare has more than doubled and college has gone up 70%. before this, she was on the job. she worked hard to get a windmill manufacturer here. she worked hard to say that the jobs of people making refrigerators. she worked hard to keep people working in the timber business back to work by getting funds for the national forest.

she worked hard to save the jobs in texarkana that were about to get lost because of unfair foreign competition. i am all for trade deals, but if somebody makes a deal with me, i expect them to keep it. the real problem is not the trade deal, it is the enforcement. we could not do it because we were borrowing money from the same people with whom we made the trade deals. [applause] this is all stuff blanche did before. she got a billion dollars put into the fresh fruit and vegetable program that will give our children in their schools better meals, and fight childhood obesity, the biggest public health problem in america. while she was doing it, if she got more a -- she got 80,000 more arkansas children clean lunches.

80,000. [applause] and she did all of that before she was chairman of the senate agriculture committee. finally, for the first time in my lifetime, in my -- in anybody's lifetime, we have the chairman of the senate agriculture committee. a lot of my farmer friends are out year, and they understand that if you depend on crops, it is no bad deal to have your state senator be the chairman of the agriculture committee. the agriculture committee controls the school feeding program, controls the child nutrition program, and controls the economic development program for small towns. [applause]

in my last year as president, i had the republican speaker of the house and jesse jackson and i going around america promoting something called the new market initiative. it was designed to give people tax incentives to put jobs any place where the unemployment rate was above the national average or the income rate was below the national average. we never had enough money, so a lot of times small towns got left out. blanche lincoln got money put into that program, and arkansas has already seen many people put to work. [applause] if you run the numbers, we are less than 1% of america's population. she got 4% of the money. that means she got four times

and then we otherwise would have gotten, without her efforts. i do not think we want to give that up. do you want to give that up? all that hard work? [applause] if you want to channel anger, you do not care. but you know, in louisiana where i have done a lot of work, there is a great joke about a guy who goes around every day with cigars in his front pocket. one day, he has a dynamite in his front pocket. someone asked what he is doing. he says, every time this one guy sees him, he slaps him in the pocket and destroys his cigars. his friend says, but now i have dynamite? next time he sees you, he will kill you. he says, i know, but i will blow

his handoff. [laughter] you are being asked to trade your cigars for dynamite. in need to think about what is best for your community and your children, and your grandchildren, and your future. [applause] the second thing i want to say is not really about blanche's opponent. let me show you another article. it is from "the washington post." it talks about the primary. if you read along here, it says, the national union made a decision a few months ago that they wanted to make blanche lincoln the "poster child" for what happens when a democrat

crosses them. in other words, this is about using new and manipulating your vote to terra five members of congress and the senate from other states -- to terrify members of congress and the senate from other states. if you want to be used that way, have added. -- have at it. there are many votes they used as examples. in every case, if she had voted the other way, it would not have changed the outcome, but it would have defeated her. they do not care about her opponent. they want to make her a poster child. they want you to help them make a poster. if you want to do that, go back to grade school. if you want to have an advocate,

vote for someone who will fight for you. vote for blanche lincoln. [applause] everybody you talk to says they do not like washington. they are too extreme. they are fighting all the time. if you want to make washington more like it is, vote against blanche lincoln. vote for the poster child strategy. it will send a message to the republicans and the democrats. back off to your corners. stop talking to each other. don't ever make deals. don't worry about how you will solve any of your problems. that is what happens when you go when you are mad. you get the very thing you do not want. this is a job. have you seen the sdi you add on television -- the seiu ad on

television? a woman says the plant lincoln voted to not let her child have -- a woman says that blanche lincoln voted to not let her child have health coverage. if that were true, health care would have failed. blanche lincoln had the decisive vote to make sure that we could give health care to our sick children. shame on them. [applause] now, i want you to go out and tell all your friends and neighbors and that if you want to be the instrument of someone else as well, and you want someone to come in here from out of state and make up your vote for you, by all means, do it. say, i voted in arkansas so that

i could intimidate a senator somewhere else. i voted on the basis of a blatantly false ad. she voted for the health-care bill. it is illegal not to cover people who have a pre-existing condition. and now, you cannot charge them more. those were some of the main point of the bill. [applause] now, this is a job. he might be interested to know, even though it has been released to the press, that the lady in the ad called her office and ventura for voting for health care. -- an event her -- and thanked her for voting for health care. this feels like a washington game. this is not us. this is not what we do.

we talk to each other. i remember, you know, when i went to washington, i had to go to washington to find what a bad person i was. [laughter] one day i read something in the paper and i asked craig smith, who had been working for me for years in arkansas, i said, have you read this article? he said yes. i said, what do you think of it? he said, they are talking about somebody i am not familiar with. that is what happens out there. they get into games. they turn you into a cartoon instead of a real person. they perform plastic surgery on you. they can make you ugly. that is what they do. this is all a game. this is not the game. this is your life. this is your life, this is your children, this is your future. this woman has worked her heart out. she was not a governor before

she became a senator. she got into politics when she was young. she got into family when she was older. some of the weekends, if she had been a man, or a woman with no kids, she would not have been home. she was tom being a mother. she worked hard to do that. -- she was home being a mother. she worked hard to do that. i do not have a dog in this fight. i have got nothing against her opponent. i have something against have they are fighting. that is not what we do here. this is too important. she can help to change the future for countless numbers of us. so, do like her? yes. would she cast a hard vote?

you bet. if you read about what the republicans said about her, they said she supported the president too much. she voted to take unreasonable subsidies away from the student loan programs. this will allow thousands and thousands of kids in arkansas to go to college who could not have otherwise. they do not like that. [applause] she died national guardsmen and reservists include it -- she got national guardsmen and reservists included in the new gi bill because a bunch of them were hauled over to iraq. she is in the business of changing people's lives. this is not about you or me or

people getting into the campaign from the outside. it is certainly not about making a poster child. it is about you and your children and your future, and the answer to that is to keep blanche lincoln in office. [applause] >> isn't he incredible? [applause] i do not know about you all, but that is the bill clinton i love. i love him. [applause] did anybody see the arkansas in him coming out? mr. president, thank you is so very much for being here today.

thank you to all of you for being here. a special thanks to wesley clark who has been a fabulous friend and a great supporter. and an unbelievable thanks to these incredible legislators standing behind me who work day in and day out to make this state great. they are wonderful. [applause] thank you, thank you thank you to them. all of the people who are here today, i cannot thank them enough for the incredible support and the willingness to see beyond what is happening here. it is unbelievable. i am so grateful, because the president brings to this discussion an incredible knowledge, having been in washington, and having worked with so many of these individuals. to see that this is not about me, not about bill halter, not

about any of that. this is about our state, it is about the people of our state and whether we are going to allow our boats to be bought -- our votes to be bought. [applause] this is bigger than me. it is bigger than this collection. is all about whether we are going to let the tide of this nation to turn into being divested, and to feed into that ability of those who want to come and spend a lot of money, misrepresenting who we are and what we are about, so that they can make people even more mad. i don't know about you, but i am tired of that mad. i am tired of that angry. [applause] there are some many other people to thank, and so all of you all that are here, i have campaigned

across this state for the last three months. i have heard arkansans. i have heard them when they say there are frustrated with washington, and i hear them when they say they are mad and angry. it is so critical that we channel that anger and madness in the appropriate way, that we come together and work hard to make a difference. a good friend told me the other day, you know, when our country was in trouble when i was a small girl, during the depression, we did not get mad at each other. we came together to make our country stronger. that is what we need to do right now in this election. [applause] i just want you to know that i hope that arkansans will be an example. that the example we will be is exactly what she said, the example of the people who

understand and cherish here we are and what this great state means to us, and that we will come together to make this state strong. that we will not let this anger and madness divided, but we will see in our cells the ability to make us stronger in all that we represent. i know people are frustrated. i have been frustrated too. i am ready and willing to get up there and make a difference doing everything that i can. but the first thing i have to remember is what my job is. president clinton said, this is a job. he is exactly right. it is a job of fighting for arkansas families. he is right when he talked about those things which, whether it is an ambitious child nutrition bill that i was able to pass in a bipartisan way -- and pay for it -- [applause] or whether it is fighting to

eliminate the kind of greed on wall street that has unfortunately put our children's college fund at risk, retiree's retirement at risk, our small banks and our main street at risk, we have got to put some measures in there. i produce the toughest bill in washington, democrat or republican. it is because i am fighting for us, for arkansas, and for the rest of the country. [applause] in no -- you know, they made this wall street bill about this election. that is absurd. the bill i produced is because i listened to you. i looked at my own savings account for my boys to go to college, and i saw what happened.

i realized, this is not about this election. you should too. is about helping people saving for college, protecting retiree's, ensuring that our small businesses can grow the way they need to grow. that is absolutely the reasoning behind what we have done. the president is right. i have stood up to the big unions. unfortunately for them, i did not support their wanting to take away the private ballot. i did not see anything wrong with making sure they kept the price the ballot. they have made this about so much more. i do not want to be a poster child, unless it is for you. unless it is for it the things that are important to you as arkansans. [applause] that is exactly what we're going to be fighting for.

this campaign, unfortunately, has become about something that is not arkansas. it has become about proving a point. proving a point, and using me as the pawn. not just me. as president clinton said, you as well. i have got to tell you folks, my vote in washington has never been for sale, and yours should not be either. [applause] a lot of what this has been is about trying to divide our democratic party. i do not want to see that happen either. i believe strongly in the democratic party of arkansas in

the democratic people of arkansas. i was raised in a democratic household, and i was taught to appreciate what it meant to be inclusive, to be a part of something, and making sure that everyone else felt comfortable in being a part of that. that is exactly what we are going to do, stand tall as democrats as we move forward. my parents also raised me to stand for what i believe in and not to run from a fight. most importantly, to learn from all sides of it. that is critical folks, right now. i have no intention for running for anything except november and the united states senate. [applause] i have to tell you, this campaign should be about you. it is about you.

it is about our wonderful state, and all of the things in this wonderful state that we cherish. certainly, our outdoor way of life. but most importantly, our fate, our family, our small communities, and the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful opportunity that we have to be able to share that with the rest of this nation. i think that as we move forward in this campaign, we have a lot of work to do. no doubt about it. i am going to hit the trail. in so glad that president clinton has come to help us in our countdown to a victory tour which we are starting right now. we are going to get there on june 8th. [applause] i am so proud we've got mamas for plant, teachers for blanche, seniors for blanche, we've got

everybody out there talking about what this campaign needs to be about. i just want all of us to walk away from here with something that president clinton said. i was raised in a family that taught me that you do not use anger and hatred to try to solve your problems. you use hard work. use a consensus of bringing people together. that is what we are about in arkansas. have you ever seen anybody, anybody respond to a natural disaster like our chances do -- like arkansans do? when itnato's -- tornadoes or floods hit, i am not there on the front line. we do not use anger or hatred. we is what all arkansans know, and it is how to be a good neighbor, how to work hard, and

how to make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. if anybody asks, you let them know, my code is not for sale and neither is yours. we are going to win it this alexian on june 8th. [applause] june 8th. that is where we are going. thank you all very, very much. [applause] thank you. [applause] ♪ >> senator linkedin's primary opponent started an -- senator lin din's -- senator primary opponent started

an rv to work. >> is so stressful, because we wonder, will it ever be the same. i have great admiration for the system. the system works. after the appointment and the confirmation process is finished, the system will bring us a very good justice. >> with the confirmation hearings for elena kagan starting june 28th, learn more about the nation's highest court in our latest book, providing a unique insight about the court. >> joining us this sunday is a lamar alexander. thank you for being with us. let me begin with some of the comments he made this past week

critical of the obama administration when it came to the big issues. you said that this is administration is trying to do too much, too soon. what did you mean? >> president eisenhower said a long time ago, "i shall go to korea." the country said, ok, the general probably knows what he is talking about. he said he would focus attention on it until it was done. he ended the war in korea. president barack obama is a talented person, but presidential leadership should be reserved for only a handful of truly important issues. number one is jobs. number two is dead. no. 3 is the war. -- number two is debt. no. 3 is the war.

>> and me ask you about financial regulation. is that not an issue that requires presidential leadership? >> it requires some, but it does not compare with jobs. it relates to jobs. the health-care bill made it harder to create jobs. it makes it harder to get credit. it makes credit more expensive. it is another washington takeover. it creates more government. is an anti-drug -- an anti jobs bill. if you are focusing on jobs, you would not pass this so-called financial regulation bill. we would like to slow it down. we are here to help legislate. we have ideas. we have something to say about

institutions that are too big to fail. we were basically frozen out of the process. the democrats basically said, as they have all year, we won the election, we will write the bill. until we get a few more republican senators to put a little more check and balance on what we regard as an overreaching washington administration, we may win some arguments, but we are not going to win any votes. >> congressional democrats, a student of history no, made a conscious decision to work with president eisenhower. what we have seen with president barack obama is congressional republicans working hard against him, at a time when americans need the government more than ever. do you think republicans may

look back and regret not being better partners in some of the issues of the last couple of years? >> fayed we will regret it, but i give the president most of the blame. i just left a press conference on electric cars. i am a sponsor of building 100 new nuclear plants. i worked on that note child left behind. but on at the big issues, on health care, on so-called financial regulation, on the stimulus bill, the white house has been absolutely tone deaf to but partisanship. the president has not had a single meeting with a republican leader since he has been president, one on one. fed president johnson, who had a bigger majority -- president johnson, who had a bigger johnson, who had a bigger