islamic state in forcing enforcing -- in forcinenforcing. they both want to dictate your behavior down to small details. for both of them, the culture of individual liberty is reallythe target of an obstacle to the types of utopias that they would like to impose. the reason, historically, that they have worked well together, has been that wherever you see both sides aligning despite the fact that they have differences

-- it is generally because they have a common obstacle or enemy. whether it was the shah in iran -- there are other historical examples. wn they work together the best is when they can overcome their differences because they have something in common that is an obstacle. host: as an assistant u.s. attorney for new york in the 1990's, andrew mccarthy led the prosecution against the blind sheikh. what lessons did we not learn in the aftermath of 91? guest: we immediately clamped down on any consideration of the role of islam in that attack. i think that was a really tragic

error. to the extent that we can and should be in powering authentic muslims trying to reform their religions, by moving away from any consideration of the islamist ideology that was the catalyst for the attack, we missed an opportunity to study the aspects of sharia, which are antithetical to american republicanism. we made a tactical error, which we have built on since 9/11. there have been a lot of sweeping claims on both sides. if we had not only engaged islamist ideology, but thought about it in terms of civil rights -- many people who are natural allies in the civil rights community -- to what

should be the struggle to save western life -- it probably would have lined up on the right side. as it happens, all these years down the road from 9/11, and it has been 17 years since at i think was the jihadist declaration of war, the bombing of the wld trade center -- most people do not know that sharia does not endorse freedom of conscience. it does not support equality between men and women, equality between muslims d non muslims. it rejects the very premise of american constitutional republicanism that the government have a right to make law for themselves in respect of any religious code -- is

respecrrespective of any religis code. we would be in a lot better shape than we are. host: next call is from los angeles. make sure that you turn down your television set. is this ma in los angeles? caller: no. host: here's mary. caller: thank you for taking my call. i wanted to ask you -- before the 9/11 attacks, i understand there were several of the bin laden family living in different places in the united states.

was there any investigation performed on what exactly that family was doing in the united states? also, why were they flown out united states right after 9/11? guest: i think those are excellent questions. in the book, i do talk about the very strange to him statistics which some bin laden -- very strange circumstances. some of their lifted -- air- lifted out. i find that to be one of the really troubling aspects of the post 9/11 period. i do not have a good answer. i try to lay out why it happened. host: president obama made a

speech in cairo one year ago picked the has thawed in "the chstian science monitor -- one year ago. i want to play in a short clip. >> i have come to cairo to seek a new beginning between the united states and muslims around the world, based on mual interest in mutual respect. and one based upon the idea that america and islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. instead, the overlap and share common principles. principles of justice and progress, tolerance, and the

dignity of all human beings. host: andrew mccarthy, one year later from thatspeech, what you hear from the president's efforts in cairo? guest: president obama -- one of the interesting things he said in cairo, which i agree wi, was that for us in america to understand islam, we have to understand what it is and what it is not. he proceeded to say what it is not, unfortunately. he talked about a vision of islam that does not mesh with the reality of islam. we ought to recognizeethe fact that islam is very diverse. many muslims do not want to live under sharia law. he would be quite right to say that we have commonalities.

what you cannot avoid is the fact that there are hundreds of millions of muslims who go th other way, who subscribe to islamist ideology, which is not ly the catalyst for a fringe of terrorists, but also a much broader based what they regard as a civilization movement to bring the west under sharia law. if you ask people in the muslim world if they agree that it is legitimate to kill even muslims that do not subscribe to a certain strict interpretation of islamic law, the president would be quite right to say that is a fringe position. it may get 10% of the muslim world. for my money, that's a frightening amount. if you change the question and

you say, "do you think it is all right to kill americans who are operating in islamic countries, even if they think they're doing humanitarian mission work, do you think it is ok to destroy israel?" those propositions -- you jump from 10% to something more along the lines of 50%, 60%, or 70%. a lot of these propositions are supported in the muslim world. i do not think we can pretend that is not true and keep ourselves safe. host: ellen on the line for independents.

caller: good morning. can you expand in a little bit on how the title represents an ongoing process and how the u.s. congress plays a role in this? guest: what i'm talking about is a particular part of the left and a particular part of islam. the harder elements of both. congress plays into this equation the same way we all do. before you can deal with a sabotages strategy -- that is their word, not mine. before you can deal with that, you have to realize is going on. once you do realize it is going on, it's incumbent on our representatives to take every measure that they can take, legal, social, and political, to try to marginalize the elements that are threatening to us. as far as the military

terrorist aspect is concerned, that in many ways is an easier part of the equation. it is simple to understand. if people are trying to project power and mass murder americans, we do not have any alternative but to attack them, capture them, and kill them. we cannot pretend that we are going to sign a treaty with those people. with respect to the broader chlenge to us, that is mething that is more about politics than military. we need to know what is going on and try to marginalize it. host: another common here on the president's speech in cairo. richmond, va., and charles on the line for republicans. caller: good morning. when the founding fathers came to the new continent, they

boughrought korans with them. slavery is islamic. when they left, most of the europeans did not delike slavery. the constitution of the united states had to be revised. people alws talk about how they wish they could go back to the old ways of the constitution. i'm a blacc person in america and. [inaudible] host: charles, there's a breath connection. andrew mccarthy, anything there you want to respond to? guest: despite the fact that slavery is the darkest chapter in the history of our country, it is a chapter that we overcame. the caller is thought that there is islamic scripture, which is

approving of slavery, for that reason world. host: you argue in your book at president obama crafted his message and images for a muslim world. outside of the speech in cairo, give us a specific ongoing example of that. guest: the president follows the same practice that some of the islamists in america could do. they present a sanitized version of what some of the scriptures say. for example, you get constant coating of the scripture that talks about -- in islam, if you kill one person, it is as if you killed the entire world. if you save one person, it is like you saved the entire world. in the next first, they talk about -- those who wage war

against islam, their fate is crucifixion. i do not think it helps us. i do not think it helps the president's cause to cite only the pleasant, congenial stuff that is in the scriptures, and pretend like the author's death is not there. empowering the large segments of the islamic world -- need to encourage them to develop a the logical theory that can compete with the islamists. even though t islamists -- some of what they want to accomplish, we regard it as reprehensible. one thing you cannot say is that it is the rational -- is that it is irrational or there's no nexus to islamic doctrine to what they teach. eric teachings are supported by some of the greatscholars of the islamic world.

we need to be able to compete with that, if thats doable. host: president obama is a professed christian. do you believe that? guest: i sure do. i think is relevant that president obama has roots in the muslim world. obviously, he thinks it is relevant, too. if we're going to defend western civilization -- in o civilization, if you declare your a christian, you are a christian. it's in the civilization that we need to worry about that if you have ever been a muslim, if you leave, that is a capital offense. host: let's hear from washington, d.c. on the line for democrats. caller: i would like to challenge his scholarship. for centuries, i believe christians killed christians in great numbers. and muslims and everyone else. there w kristin jihad -- there

was christian jihad. the republicans have been the ones who have been trying to get in your bed, control your every lifestyle or choice. host: we will get a response from andrew mccarthy. est: i do not think we have tried to control your trans fat content. there was violence in christianity. other religions as well. the problem with christianity, and the problem with islam -- whether i'm right or wrong, there was a reformation in christinanity.

what those people are saying today in what they are encouraging today, which is a civilization were on the united states and the annihilation of israel -- i do not see how you can deny that. host: andrew mccarthy is our guest. we're waiting for the spokesman of the white house, robert gibbs. andrew mccarthy will stay with us longer to talk about his book, "the grand jihad: how islam and the left sabotage america." los angeles, good morning. caller: good morning, everyone. after 30 years of calling talk shows -- some of what you're saying is corre. [inaudible] one thing i see is no one brings up the cause of these probls.

it comes up naturally. the iranian are great people, as bush and obama have sai. [inaudible] this is a big issue. nobody bringst up. what do you think about this? guest: what do i think about the situation in iran with the respect to the people rising up against the government? host: i believe that was the tail end of his comments, yes. guest: as far as iran is concerned, the policy of the united states should have been regime change for a very long time, since before 9/11.

it was the iranian regime that killed 19 members of the united states air force. they have been the principal ate sponsor of terrorism for years. they have been working with al- qaeda since the early 1990's. when we have a policy of resisting change, that does not mean we have to attack every place -- regime change, that does n mean we have t attack every place. it's not a regime that you want to engage until it either change its behavior or better. president obama had a historic opportunity to give encouragement and help to the iranian people when they tried to rise up against tha reprehensible regime, much like esident reagan had, and took the opportunity, to support the people who tried to rise up against the soviet union in the 1980's. host: a couple more calls for

andrew mccarthy. travis is on the republican line. caller: thank you for c-span. i want to bring up a point. here in the enlightenment, -- during the enlightenment, people realize that religion was not everything and other things needed to have been in the world. maybe the middle eastern countries need to have an enlightenment. what do you think about that? guest: it is something that has to happen. it is something that's a more difficult sell in islamic ideology. i do not pretend be a scholar of comparative religions. i do know that scriptures in the west and the religions we are familiar with in the west are deemed to be inspired. there's a human intermediary in the equation.

muslims takes a kon to be the verbatim word of allah. on the principles they subscribe to, most of the great questions were believed to be have settled around the ninth century or 10th century. it's a much harder sell to use reason in order to evolve a doctor in when your core belief -- have been given directions by allah himself. it's not easy to say that he must have gotten it wrong or he paid too much attention to the traditions of the seventh century. it is not an easy sell in the place where it has to be done. host: you talked about the term jihadnd sharia law. also inhapter 5, what is dawa? guest: the missionary work

through which islam is spread. it has developed into what robert spencer has called self,j jihad. a way in which people try to spread sharia law in every way except terrorist acts and extortionist threats. host: get a few more calls. we are waiting for the wte house briefing. arlington, va. caller: thank you for picking up my call. i would like to ask a question about european affairs. we are familiar with the situation in switzerland when they recently -- i would like to ask a question to andrew mccarthy.

do you think that the problem is the import of radicalized clerics that do preach to islamic youth inurope? the real problem is in these people to preachranches of islam? guest: you are right that is the basic problem. part of what they are preaching is that the way the sharia agenda is advanced is not only by acts of terrorism, but by a broad based propaganda campaign that seems to infiltrate the media and the academy and all aspects of our society.

propaganda victories are deemed to be very important. that's part of the reason we're having this big debate in new york now. it would be a great propaganda coup for people who are still at war with the united states and to identify themselves as involved in a civilization will struggle to islicize the. . .

you would not even see any non- muslim because they are closed cities, they are not allowed. i think we need to keep an eye on, number one, the fact that a big part of this is a propaganda war where the islamists won to build their icons on top of the icons of the people they came to conquer and we need to, if we are going to talk about tolerance, we need to do a comparative tolerance study. hostone re call for you. louisiana. ruston, louisiana. caller: yes, i totally agree with you in your ridings. and i would like to say, i would love to see these muslims put a duty on hollywood running around

half naked all the time. i did not think they should be able to build at ground zero. if we had, what the scriptures say, -- let are slaves a loose after seven years of slavery and given them all that they need to go and be free, we would not be having this conflict today. we did not do it, so we are paying for it -- whether, martin luther king, who, by the way, was a republican. i hate that slavery happened and i hated that it still goes on today. and that women have no rights in the muslim community. host: thanks for the call. we will get a final thought from andrew mccarthy. guest: i do think that on the theory that something always beats nothing, we do have a moral drift in the united statesnd islamists, we may not like what they believe -- i

don't like what they believe -- but the book -- but they do believe it, they believe it with a fervor and that allowed them to make a lot of the inroads that they've made because we seem to lot less attentive and a lot less respectful to our prior traditions, including our traditions of morality host: we >> on tamara's "washington journal," we be the competitive primary elections. a fellow with the peterson institute for international economics and the impact of tschida's economy on the u.s.. ap reporter julie hirshfeld

davis. that as live starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. congress is back this week from recess. negotiations continue on an artist to rewrite of financial regulation since the great depression. the white house would like to see a final bill before the president has to the g-20. they meet on thursday to start merging the separate bills passed by the house and senate. some key questions remain like derivatives regulation, the complex and strength of the center of the crisis. senator blanche lincoln has a proposal for derivatives. she prate -- she faces a democratic runoff tomorrow. another question they have to consider is dealing with credit and debit cards.

>> on the democratic health care plan from political this afternoon, -- from politico this afternoon.

tomorrow, president obama will hold a national town hall meeting on health care with senior citizens in maryland. it has been 47 days since the deepwater horizon explosion.

>> the completed a meeting with the cabinet. they are in charge of dealing with the deepwater horizon oil spill. we activated 15 agencies for what is now the largest national response ever. what we want to do is make sure every agency is coordinated with clarity about how we will proceed in the coming months. now, we have gotten reports that have been confirmed by our scientists at the top hat mechanism is beginning to capture some of the oil. we are still trying to get a better determination as to how much it is capturing. we are pushing a bp very hard to make sure all of the facilities

are available so what is being captured is being separated into receptacles for the oil to go into. we have topped their contingency in case there are emergencies or a hurricane so the mechanisms are not disrupted and there is redundancy built in. here is what we know. even if we are successful in containing some are much of this oil, we are not going to get this problem completely solved until we have the relief wells completed. that will take a few more months. there is a lot of oil that has been released. there will be more oil released no matter how successful the containment effort is. that is why it is so important for us to continue to put every effort that we have the, booms,

skippers, hiring local people with their facilities, and get every asset we have out there to make sure we are minimizing the amount of oil that is actually coming to shore. there are a number of other issues raised during this meeting that i want to touch on. first, when i was in the gulf on friday meeting with fishermen and small business owners, what is clear is that the economic impact of this disaster is going to be substantial and ongoing. as i said on friday, and i want to repeat this, i do not want to see bp nickel and diming his businesses -- these businesses. we have the sba helping to provide relief. we have the department of commerce helping businesses to prepare and document the damages they are experiencing. what we also need is bp being

responsive to the needs of these communities. we have individuals who have been assigned specifically to ride hard on bp. we want the people in charge of a bp's claim process to be meeting with us on a regular basis. we must insist that the money flows quickly so we've do not have a shrimper processor or a fisherman going out of business before bp finally makes up its mind as to whether or not they will pay out. that is a top priority because we know that no matter how successful we are over the next few weeks in some of the containment efforts, the damages are still being added up. we talked about the issue of the health of the workers out there dealing with the spill. so far, we have seen that on

shore we are not seeing huge elevations in toxins in the air or the water. that may not be the case out where people are actually doing work. we have to make sure that we are providing the necessary protection is and we put processes in place to make sure they're getting the equipment and training they need to protect themselves and their health. this is something we both continue to monitor. increasingly we are starting to get individuals who may not be experienced in oil because we are trying to get all hands on deck. we need to make sure they are protected. obviously, we are monitoring the effect of people not working out there. that is where the epa of is during constant monitoring of the air and water quality. we are doing tests on the seafood to make sure toxins are

not being introduced into the population. a couple of other things i want to make known. noah -- the completed a scientific conference on issues that were reported on in the news and other questions about how large a this is and what kind of damage there will be. we have full transparency of the information out there for this project. we will continue to strive of four complete transparency in real time so as we get information the public its information, academics, scientists, researchers all get this information in what will be a fluid and balding process. let me make one final point. i think this was something that was emphasized by everyone here

and it is something i want to say to the american people. this will be contained. it may take some time and it will take a whole lot of effort. there is going to be damage done to the gulf coast and there will be economic damages so we need to make sure bp is responsible for and compensate people for them. the one thing i am absolutely confident about is that, as we had before, we will get through this crisis. one of the things i want to make sure we understand is that not only are we going to control the damages to the gulf coast that we actually want to use this as an opportunity to reexamine our work with the states and local -- local communities to restore the coast and in ways to actually enhance the livelihood and quality of life for people

in that area. it will take some time. it will not be easy. this is a resilience ecosystem. these are brazilian people. i had a chance to talk to them and they have gone to all kinds of things over the past 1500 years. they bounced back. they will bounce back this time. we need help from the entire country. they needn't vigilant attention and that is what they will get. we are confident that not only will leave get past this immediate crisis but we will focus our attention on of being sure that the coast believe recovers and they come back even stronger than before this crisis. thank you, everyone. >> president obama today on the gulf oil spill.

now, remarks from admiral thad allen during today's white house briefing. >> we are joined this morning by our national incident commander, thad allen. he is here for a meeting with the cabinet agencies dealing with this crisis. that begins in an hour. let me turn it over to him to walk through the stages of our response. we will both take your questions. >> good morning. first, a quick operational update. in the last 24 hours, the production of the enterprise over the wellhead has produced 11,000 barrels of oil. we have gone from 6000 to

11,000. we are trying to increase the rate and altman the close of the venting valves and move to regular capacity. -- and eventually close the venting valves. the combination of this which is the q-4000. we are looking to increase production so we can slowly closed the events and see how the containment cap is working. in the long run, british petroleum is looking at bringing in larger vessels in case we have hurricane or bad weather during the season. we will continue to optimize the well to contain it. as i have said, the long-term solution is going to be the drilling the relief wells which

is targeted for early august. there are two in progress right now. it is down between 7008 dozen below the sea level. those will continue as a risk an indicator. the final solution will be the relief wells. they will put heavy mud down there to suppress the oil coming through the reservoir. they will do a bottom till -- bottom kill instead of a top killed. what i want to talk to you about is the area of operations. think of this as a work in progress. can we look at the slide? are there copies available -- there are copies available on the web. we are going to try to give you a three-dimensional view. we are dealing with four areas

of operation. what is the said sea area where we are trying to do containment. the next is dealing with oil on the surface as it comes up in large quantities to be dealt with. we know about the recovery on shore. the emphasis has shifted to the area between the shore line and 50 miles. what has happened, the spill has aggregated itself. we are no longer dealing with a spill but an aggregation of hundreds of thousands of patches of oil going in lots of different directions. we need to adapt to be able to meet that threat. when this operation started, we were controlling all stemming from our home post in louisiana. in the last week, we have shifted control to the commander in alabama. he is responsible for

mississippi, alabama, and florida. he has a task force to push out 50 miles and find these smaller patches to deal with them before they come to shore. this is an adaptation to the changing characteristics of this bill which is no longer a single spilled in a massive collection of smaller spills moving forward. what is becoming critical in the near future will be to get skimming abilities. we have made significant process with bringing people into the fight. these workboats that recertified to help us and certify the individuals on them between louisiana, mississippi, alabama, and florida we have at 1500 vessels of opportunity that we have certified to kreuz and put them out there. we have an opportunity to outfit them with skimmers.

we want to increase the amount of them now that we have the number of vessels. we have over 100 large vessels offshore skimming. we want to take this down to eight lower-level with smaller boats to work on the harbors and days. we will be looking nationally at our inventory to try and get those matched up with the vessels moving forward. we continue to move in coast guard units. we have the votes withskimming -- boats with skimming possibilities available. we have boats scouting works to identify the small patches of oil and a deal with them there. i will tell you this. we had a situation over the weekend where we had both been in place.

we had some oil come ashore and had to deal with it. we continue to press forward. we need to deal with the reality that no matter how much we have out there, the abrogation will cause oil to come ashore. the challenges for us get quicker and we need smaller units to find these and deal with them as quickly as we can moving forward. with that, i will be glad to take any questions you have for me. >> what percentage of oil the you think is being captured at this point by the containment cap? >> there are two answers. we will know more once we get the actual flow rate established. they were done by our flow rate technical crew. one was a range of 12,000 to 19,000 and the other was 12,000 to 25,000. we now are approaching 15,000

barrels per day. once we know the production flow and we can assess the leakage, we will have a hard, fast number to let us know where we are in that range. i would say we would narrow the range. once we do that, we can factor that in to get a better overall estimate. it is like an oral budget. how much is coming up, how much to be burned, account for all the hydrocarbons. this is a work in progress. we will give you a better estimate what we established loan rate. -- the low rate. >> can you elaborate? you cannot expect it all to be cleaned up by the fall? >> we need to be realistic. when in the relief well is finished sometime in august, oil will be at the surface. we will not be 100% contained,

but we want as much as we can get. it will have to be dealt with. and -- there will be long-term environmental issues. we will have to diagnose environmental assessments. that will help us determine what bp is accountable for. we will be dealing with the effects of the oil long after the well is capt. >> how long? >> it depends on the direction of the currents. there needs to be an expectation that this will be at least four to six weeks after the well is capped. that does not account for what will might come ashore to include us. to elude us. >> we need a facilitator. >> how would you characterize the contain a process so far? has there been any sign of

progress? can you say how many total miles have been spoiled by oil? cracks on the containment, i think it is going well. they will increase production once they establish that. they only are concerned about putting methanol down and warming the oil that comes up. i think it is going very well. we want to establish a rate so we know exactly what the containment cap can tolerate in terms of flow and what will be lost. i think it is important we watch that very closely. as far as the coast line, i think it is around 120 miles linear that is impacted. i was talking to gov. jindal. that could go very deep in regards of the marshland behind that. there is a depth component to that and the effect can be far greater than that.

>> as you say you are in contact with the white house every day. there are not enough people on the beaches. are they misinformed? you mentioned optimizing production. i understand you want to get as much out of this. there is an incentive for bp. do they need to forfeit the oil and the profit? will that incentivize them from keeping that going? >> they reason they want to keep production going is not because they want to recoup. it alleviates pressure on the well floor. we will -- we were able to force mud down to where every suppressed the oil. the minute they stopped pumping, the oil came back up. they do not know the condition of the well. if you exert pressure on that, you would not want to push that out and head of the come up through the sea floor. they want to produce the oil for safety and containment reasons. >> should have to forfeit it?

>> that is above my pair rating. they are the responsible party. they will bear the cost for exactly what the admiral is describing. the costs are likely to greatly exceed over what the oil that is recouped is sold for on the market. they are in for a response and recovery, penalties involved in the many billions of dollars. >> we are doing a national inventory right now. as the response has evolved, skimmers are in demand. we may have to make a decision at some point to move them from some point of the united states and assess the risk if we have to bring them here. the threat has evolved. we have a lot down there, but we

now know we can take advantage of the opportunity to have more. we did not have these vessels a few weeks ago. we have them now. >> they are doing under water and water samples in florida. what do we know in terms of these big p oillumes? >> they found densities under the surface. of those masses, how many hydrocarbons are there? we have a couple of kreuz on that. she has dispatched ships which is right around the latforms. there was a vessel taking water samples. what they are doing is taking samples at different depths trying to figure out the amount of hydrocarbons at different depths. it may not be there the next day because it moves. she was to create a model of the

entire gulf. and is like putting pixels on the screen to measure what the hydrocarbon level is there. that is happening right now. they need to come up with a data model. that is what is going on. it has not been established by testing. we understand there are oil plumes. as she would say, they have not been characterized the yet. >> are there birds covered in oil from taxes? >> i do not know. i can get back to you. >> following up on you saying the cleanup could take months. they believe that is a pipe dream. based on exxon valdez it will be a minimum three, four, five years and even much more. this will be going on in a major way. do you agree? >> no.

dealing with the oil spill on the surface is going to go on for a couple months. after that it will be taken care of. long-term issues of restoring the environment and habitats will be years. there are two different functions, i guess. i have no argument with that characterization. >> when you were down there, there are rules they can only work 20 minutes of every hour on the beach. we could not get a shot at anyone working when we were on the beach. they want to go out and do it. why are there all the world's and bureaucracies? is there any mechanism that could be used to the people who are fired and to clean because they live there to do so? >> it is called qualified community responders. they come in and we teach them certain responsibilities.

a number of states, we are treating these people and putting them to work. i do not know the particulars of that situation. >> is there really a 20 minute limit to reach our? >> we will get the information to follow-up. >> as the admiral said, there is a training program that is involved. we are taking worker health extremely seriously. we do not want to find, as you said, weeks, months, four years later that we did not put in a safeguard in on the front-end to ensure the health of those who have been contacted or who volunteer to help. >> we have an agreement with the department of labor and social up on how to use their protocols and how they are used in our response.

>> you mention that bp is going to bring in another ship. why does it seem like we are always one step behind here? >> they are now at a production rate. as they bring it up, there will be a second ship. they are not at the full production rate yet. that is my understanding. >> as i understand it, there are, as you said, there are concerns about pressure, hydrates, and this is a delicate. we wann to ram this thing up -- ramp this up so we can work with this for weeks and months and not something to rapidly to make sure something tragic does not happen. >> several weeks ago, they converted to a much larger platform in anticipation they would replace this one. it is being done right now with

a large ship. some of these are coming as far away as the north sea. that had already been in progress. >> why have they consistently underestimated the flow? why is this so difficult? >> frankly, bp is not doing estimates on flow rate. we established our own group and we are doing that now. those are the estimates we are doing. they can do what they want, but the american people understand that these are not being developed under an team -- any model. these are third parties. you want to talk about transparency. you need to be assured we are doing this. >> the amount of oil that leaks will help determine and find -- find that bp will incur. our interest align on capping the well.

we would never asked bp to tell us how much they think is leaking in order for us to determine the compensation and penalties to be derived from that. understanding that, the flow of great technical group and has -- as adm. allen has said, our response was not dictated on a flow rate mechanism. hold on. we had a better idea and could use better equipment from all over the government to get as best investment that we could for an event that is happening 5,000 feet below the surface. the analogy that someone used to me is that we are trying to measure 5,000 feet below the surface. the amount of material that is coming up, if he were to shake a coke can. that is not a perfect analogy.

but they are 12 ounces and you know that. this is going back and looking at the information that we have now, the information posted, and whether or not we can get a closer range as to what has happened. >> there was a time when you were saying that the flow rate was at the center because you were planning for the worst-case scenario. it is relevant for how much you are able to capture. >> at one point in the response we said ok, it is time to get a better estimate. we need to know for the purposes of what falls to bp for accountability. we need to know exactly how much is out there. in the beginning, it was not quite as required in terms of timing is. that is the reason we are doing this. >> can you answer whether bp has

the resources when they filed the application for their drilling permit? >> the permit for the original well? we have a far exceeded the assets being brought to this problem that were indicated. we far exceeded the breadth of this thing. it is from louisiana, florida, so these are far beyond. >> a bp has brought all they said they would? >> yes. they were all brought to bear. >> is there anything right now that bp is not doing that you would like to see them be doing? >> we would like to see them get better with claims. they make some things. -- fairly easy. if you have a w-2 they are starting to make partial clams and payments.

we have someone on my staff after the meeting with bp today. the larger issue that the local leaders identified to the president and that would be businesses putting plans in for their inability to operate like seafood manufacturing plants. they require different documentation and information about the business itself. it appears that may be in little cumbersome. we will have a meeting with british petroleum this week to try and simplify their ability to handle claims from businesses. in that regard, they do not have a history of doing that kind of work. they have brought in contractors and claims adjusters. we think they need to do that better and quicker. .

>> we have problems with major claims being paid and different things -- one seafood processors said when we catch our shrimp, we freeze the shrimp and they are processed. while there processor may not be seeing a lessening in the output based on what they had caught previously, obviously because a

huge portion of the gulf is closed to commercial fishing, more schrempp is not coming in. so that back and is ending while if you simply look at the business, the sheer output would not necessarily look different. those are things we are asking bp to whir through. >> the best example -- the president and i met with local leaders and had lunch with them. having maybe 10% of the boat tied up in the marina and all of the associated support for that like food and local businesses being used for meals. that's very complex, but we have to get to the bottom of this and make sure people have access to the claims process. >> >> if you supply food to the bed and breakfast --

[unintelligible] >> you are asking questions we never had to work with in context of an oil spill. we have someone on the national incident command staff looking into that this week. >> when the second platform are rice, they will be able to contain about 20,000 barrels of oil? >> produce about 20,000 barrels. >> when you look at the two models you are expecting, is it gonna be closer to the 25,000 barrels? >> that is a big unknown we're trying to get the exact numbers on. >> so it could end up being higher? >> if that is the case, we will deal with the larger amount of oil and had to have the other platform. >> [inaudible] >> could have. >> as i understand it, the flow

rate, the larger flow rate, and in terms of what we have seen in it capacity after. >> we're not trying to lowball or highball it. >> [inaudible] >> correct. that's anticipated to be contained by a larger capacity platform in a few weeks. >> how often do you speak to tony hayward? >> as often as possible. either him or bob deadly. maybe multiple times a day. >> have you brought up the claims issue? >> yes. >> what is their response? >> they're looking for any type of direction we can give them. they want to do this right. >> the meeting at your having this week, is that with tony -- >> that is what the person who

runs our claims processing. >> when you speak to tony, do you trust the information they're giving you? >> i question all the time. i'm not so sure it's a matter of trust. we try to create unity of effort. i ask for information, i get it. if i think any more, if something is to be clarified, i go back and do it. i say we're not going to go forward until we get this and it's an ongoing constant dialogue. you can call up partnering, but that is the way it works. >> we will be asking for greater transparency on the claims process. trying to shorten the window for what bp is legally required to do in filling those claims. in having a broader understanding through transparency about what has yet to be felt. >> there are some complicating factors. we're dealing with personally

identifiable information, so there are private in this -- private issues and data with individuals and we need to make sure we get it right. >> can you catch the nation up on dispersants? what is the environmental feel you have for them now? in louisiana, where are the sand berms? where are we in that process? are they being concentrated anywhere else along the spill target areas as it continues? you said yesterday he would look into whether or not bp and whether they withheld video early on in. >> i don't think there is any indication we did do that. i forgot the first question. >> dispersants. >> we recently reached the 1 million gallon threshold -- on a

threshold of any importance, just the sheer magnitude. >> [inaudible] >> never for. the overall approach is to minimize the amount of dispersant's use on the surface because they are not as effective as dispersant's use to in the said sea area. they go on top of the oil and you get less of an effect because they will react on the top and to mix it up and mollify it -- malls -- mixed up and emulsify it. at the point of discharge, there is better mixing and it's much more effective at a much lower rate. the general strategy is to use subsea dispersants were other possible. i will give you an accident circumstance. we did some video on the oil rigs last week and in the background, one of the offshore supply vessels was spraying water all around the enterprise.

that was to put down a compounds that are coming down the oil sitting around the ship. there is actually a threat to personal safety and help on those vapors. dispersants will put this down. you would rather use water to do it. there may be times that you want to use the dispersants to release those papers and those are the kinds of things we would talk about. they give us a dispersant plan and the epa is aware of. we're trying to minimize dispersants on the surface, but we need to use -- we will be relying on burning and skimming around the well area. sand berms, at this point, the president made the decision last week in authorized 66 months -- we authorize six segments created by the army corps of engineers. the real issue right now is the availability of barges. a couple of barges are starting work right away.

i believe the first place they will start working is around the chandelier islands because of his and source is close enough that they can get to work right away. west of the mississippi river, there will have to take the sand from offshore and actually deposited on the seabed and retransmited to make berms on the island and that the longer process. i talked to the corps of engineers about freeing up other projects to help. the state of louisiana is looking nationally at dredge capability and right now, it's a matter of finding the trench capacity to start doing some work. but ultimately, they will have to take a lot of sand and the bid to shore. if they come up against a capacity problem, we could do something called a waiver of the jones act which would allow us to bring dredges in. i would consider that only as a

last gap fill that might be needed. louisiana has not told me that yet. >> each night, the joint information center's fact sheet contains an updated #in the amount of surface and subsea dispersants used. people should be able to track how much. >> what role is the government playing in actually managing it? on royalties, is bp committed to paying royalties? >> i'm not sure on of the royalty issue. >> on the claims process, we are trying to create claims for every state to facilitate them and the state getting together with the bp claims process and move ahead. there is a novel idea being approached in alabama which is training national guardsmen to

assist folks in filing claims so you have a multiplier effect. that is being discussed today. we will have teams in every state to do that. some people are just sitting back and think it too much trouble. they have to know that these claims are going to get paid and we need to help them understand how to do it. >> over the weekend, the ceo of bp said they were clearly not prepared for a spell of this magnitude. the coast guard is the front- line agency, did you discounted the possibility of a major blowout in the gulf? >> we have always anticipated that what happened. in april of 2002, we've actually ran exercised about 90 miles to the west of where this happened. we envisioned a total loss of the well head for a number of days. it was a similar type of event but in much shallower water.

i was the national incident commander and we ran this out of the superdome. we have known about these and planned for them. what makes this 1 anomalous is the amount of various oil as come like -- is. -- as well as covering. i don't think any plan ever envisioned would get that far and disaggregate and have so many resources spread across such a wide area. if you think about an oil slick and you think about the exxon valdez and it's coming in and mass. what is taxing the resources is the bread and desegregation. >> is there any reason why that was not anticipated? >> in a response plan, you come out with a worse case discharge and defy the resources that could be brought to the scene in terms of what is nearby. those were all identified, but if you have to replicate that

across the entire gulf and start multiplying the resource requirement, that's something we need to look at as the commission takes a look at the response. i do not think it was a lack of duty, i think it was a peculiar set of circumstances that were not anticipated and will have to be anticipated in the future. >> we have said this before. the last time you saw a spill of this magnitude was in 1979. the president has asked the commission and department of interior as alexi the framework -- and week -- we are looking at the framework and it is probably safe to say if something has happened since 1979, you begin to take your eye off of that. >> we need to be transparent and learn as much as we can. i think everybody is on board with that. if there is something we can do better in the future, we

certainly need to do that. >> you have truly become the face of this spill and i can't imagine that how you expected to have [inaudible] >> i told somebody i'm failing to get fired. i did not anticipate this would happen in my career, but i'm honored to have been asked to do this. it is one of the hardest things i have ever had to do it personally. but clearly we need unity of effort. what makes this spill different is i hear talk of let's bring in the department of defense. when you have a military operation, you are operating under title 10 and there is a monolithic chain of code all the way up to the president. in this one, there are a lot of different cabinet departments with roles and responsibilities and emissions required to conduct out there. the real goal is unity of effort, not unity of command.

there are a lot of stakeholders and people have responsibilities. a good example is fish and wildlife and noaa. fish and wildlife has animals and endangered species and noaa is responsible for the fisheries and business and coordinating them is a challenge. >> this doing briefings like this take away from the incident commanders? >> this is always a very valuable practice. [laughter] >> on the skimming and the shoreline, you say the boom is not a silver bullet. how many skimmers are out there close enough to shore to be doing some good? is there no other high-tech techniques to protect the

shores? are there new technologies that have been tried? >> we have a separate team looking at alternative technologies and we are about ewing some of those. there are very different types of skimming capabilities. -- we are evaluating some of those. the big ocean skimming system is very different from what to do in five or 6 feet. some systems are actually drums and the will will stick to it and they will scrape off and capture it in a containment device. there are some systems where there will be a boom with a pocket in the and in view evacuate it out. some systems will take a circle and drop it just below the surface of water and have the oil flow in like a train. we have to match the type of skimmer with the vessel's we have got. that is how the characterization of this response has changed.

>> that has been hard to get in close enough? >> the best thing we need to do is give these vessels and opportunity. they have boats of the right draft and match the right skimmer to them. that is the process we are going through right now. >> you mentioned vessels of opportunity were not on hand until recently. the systems for compensation are still being set up and finalized. can you address the perception -- that the response has consistently been a couple of steps behind? >> we are adapting to an enemy that changes. the nature of this oil spill has been changing since day one. this has all been disaggregated and as this bill has changed, our response has had to change. -- as the spill has changed, we have had to change. they are agnostic to boundaries and states. all of our structure is buying

states. the difference between incident command at home and in some command in mobile, alabama is pro river divides alabama and mississippi. we have to learn how to adapt to these artificial boundaries as they go across different jurisdictions of authorities and change the command and control structure. there is a latency and you can say we are slow to react, but we are trying to adapt to a spill that has never happened in this country. >> you said over the weekend it yet issued an order that journalists are to have unfettered access to the disaster site. what are you going to do to bp for preventing journalists from prior up to now and going forward. >> we can issue and

administrative order. we have not issued an order like that, i have put out a general guidance. there is only two reasons media should be prohibited -- either a security or health reasons. -- security or safety reasons. unless it is security or safety reasons, there's no restriction on access. >> if bp calculates that key -- that keeping journalists away from oilbirds is more viable than whether the penalty is down the road -- >> somebody will have to give me a particular incident. >> i -- >> that's hypothetical and if you give me the facts. >> they are giving the impression you cannot talk. >> i will have a call with tony hayward.

>> director james cameron says he has offered to help filmed the site and bp told him know. he says that currently, the video stream we have come to the images are controlled by what he characterizes as the criminal. would it not be worth the risk to have someone other than bp provide images of the leak? >> i know that he met with les jackson and i would just make this observation. i have not talked to him myself, but all the video coming out of the operation right now from a remotely operated vehicles is available. there was some concern when we started the top kill process that might but to much pressure on the operators and want to have a delayed broadcast to remove that risk and it was decided that the need for transparency overwhelmed whenever the additional risk might be created by that.

they are conducting simultaneously operations -- simultaneous operations. in a one square mile around that wellhead, you can have between 14 and 20 remote operated vehicles down their trade the safety issue is a valuable one -- is a -- a safety issue is a real one. the remote operated vehicles that are down there working the insertion to actually bumped into each other and that caused the to to be dislodged. so there is an issue of density and the amount of remote operated vehicles. i appreciate his comments, but trying to go one more remote operating vehicle down there might increase the risk to the operation. there are a number of them already operating down their request as the president have any reaction to helen's remarks on friday? >> i have not spoken with him

directly on that. i think those remarks were offensive and reprehensible. i think she should and has apologized. obviously, those remarks do not reflect the opinion of i assume most of the people here and certainly not the end ministration. >> on the question of desegregation, which think means breaking up, -- >> yes. to use simple sailor talk. [laughter] does that make it more difficult? >> it makes it more difficult, but when it comes ashore, he did not have a huge impact in one place. there is oil in the water, nothing that happens, but it

does lessen the impact where does come ashore in a lot of different places. it vastly increases the complexity of the response. >> [inaudible] >> all of the above. when a came to the surface, there may have been burning were skimming and the next day the wind may have shifted and so some of it went that way. you have current and tidal currents, so depending on when the oil came to the surface, it could have created a small batch of oil and moved it another direction and it is not a monolithic spill. >> is the use of dispersants worthwhile? does it make it harder to skim? >> i believe it is worthwhile, but there's enough concern as we approach the million gallon mark, regarding the un and

implications of that amount of dispersants, out of caution, even though we might need from time to die, we need to have a minimum amount of dispersant and use it only to achieve a particular affects and focus all our applications at the site of the leak. >> [inaudible] >> we have suppressed them at the surface. >> i think it has now been several weeks old. >> given the delicacy of this resolution, will remain effective during the month it will take to dig their relief wells? what kind of maintenance is to be done down there? will a scenario ever arise where you might stop producing oil to fix or upgrade it whatever is happening down there? >> i don't think we should ever be comfortable with the

containment operation. we should be watching it closely and we should be ruthless and our oversight of bp. whenever a oil was leaking out, once we know of a flow rate is, we need to understand completely that if we have severe weather in form of a hurricane, there may be times where they have to disconnect the operation and reestablish it. during that time, we will have oil coming to the surface again. that's why i say this is a long campaign and we will be dealing with this for the foreseeable future. >> has bp or the government consulted with the british government on efforts of the military to help? >> i have no contact with the british government, but we have looked at 4 and officers and assistance. we have taken demand skining capabilities and except that ndp has made a lot of purchases, especially in the middle east where the equipment is there.

i'm working with our military to the extent they can add value. we have had a canadian forces flying missions and there has been a lot of international outrage but nothing to correct with british forces. >> [inaudible] especially since bp is based of there. why not? >> we can reach out and contact them, and everyone that can bring anything to the fight, we will contact them and ask them. >> you are talking about optimizing production. is it cost-effective to recycle some of the waste of the oil that has been spilled? >> almost all of the recovered oil is recycled with one exception. if it is contaminated sand or debris, that can in some cases can become oily waste or hazardous waste as a retreat in accordance with epa guidelines.

we have been to a couple of facilities to know how they're handling the waste and there are certain ways it has to be disposed of properly. those are falling epa guidelines. >> [inaudible] >> when you have any thing that has oil on it, it has to be disposed of in accordance with federal law. >> it is not cost-effective to try to do that? >> some of the disposal is done through incineration? if oil can be recycled or reclaimed, that can happen but when it gets to the point where it is just willie debris, epa is consulting with us -- where it is just oily debris, epa is consulting with us. the other thing is waste disposal and how they do decontamination. almost every forward operation base has a decontamination station. there are boots and clothing that are washed off and put into a tank and oil is decanted

and recycled. >> one more and we should go to the meeting. >> can you discuss the benefits and shortcomings of actually requiring oil companies to drill relief wells in conjunction with wells? would that have helped in the current situation had bp had the relief well up before the spill took place. >> i think that's a legitimate question to put in place and for the commission as they do their work. >> that would fall under the regulatory framework the commission will evaluate in order to determine the best way to operate in a fail-safe operating manner. thank you.

[inaudible conversation] are you feeling any negative feelings from the fumes or anything? we have a lot to do. thank you. we told bp today that they are going to pay people hopefully for a whole year in advance because this is when they make their money, in the summer. they have to show last year, by operation grossed $200,000. so you're going to give me

$200,000. bp is going to have to do this and do it for their own reputation. if they do not do this well, they will not worked anywhere else in the world. no other country will have them if they don't do right by the people in louisiana. >> these people can't wait for litigation. >> we have to think about really focusing on the claims process. that's what i'm going to focus on. >> [inaudible] >> they are going to do an automatic send out of the second check. but these checks average $3,100. they range from $1,000 to $10,000 because they want to get money out quickly to people. they are overpaying some people and underpaying others. but in june, they have to focus on big claims big head light --

like big hotels. these are companies that make hundreds and thousands and millions of dollars that are still waiting either for reimbursements for boats have on the water or for big claims. then you have disclosure issue. we have 7,000 miles of tidal lands. we approved today how many miles? 30. this is the scale. we down need to barricade of 77,000, but if we are talking about sand protection in certain places, it will be more than 30 miles. that cost $13 million a mile. maybe we can do it for cheaper.

maybe we can do it for $10 million or $5 million a mile. and if we have all the miles we have to protect, we only need to protect a critical thousand. but that is the scale. it's not just grand isle and left feet. >> when you talk about grand isle, you can get on a boat biggest 50 miles an hour and a boats i know see nothing but beautiful marshland. there is more marshland than anywhere else. what people don't realize is they have big clumps of oil 1 mile long coming in right now. >> we have a assert -- we have a sense of urgency, but there are clubs of welcoming into mobile, alabama right now -- when you look at the big picture, and not saying it's not urgent, it is extremely urgent, but is the

whole gulf coast. i was sitting -- i was sitting next to the governor and the prisoner was pitching a complete fit to the president, saying he has sent all of the boom from alabama to louisiana. all of my dems are in louisiana. -- all of my blooms are in louisiana. -- all of my booms are in louisiana. he is telling the president, you have left us defenseless. >> miles and miles of navy boom and we don't have enough to contain the spill. >> i am not defending them, i'm just telling them it is a big coast. >> the marshlands in louisiana, you cannot clean that up. when you talk about the beach,

it's a different story. clean the beach. -- if it washes ashore on the beach, they can clean the beach. >> do we know how many miles it would take to block all of the marshlands of louisiana? >> i kelly tell you in jefferson. >> how much in jefferson? >> 21 miles. >> but if you address the passes -- [crosstalk] one of the ways they have kept some of the fisherman is they have used their resources to put the boom out. that is part of why we do not see an uproar here. when it talked about cleanup, they're not coming in and giving the training and they talked about laying guys off that have been putting the boom out to be

put booms outside. >> we need to hire our own people. \ [crosstalk] >> we obviously need more resources. we got good news -- the federal government has a barrier island planned, but we need more. we need expected claims processes, which is what i'm focused on. not one person should lose a boat, building or business from this experience. it was nothing of their fault. not only is bp responsible, which we know, but we need to make sure those checks get in

the hands of the business, whether it is a charter boat owner or camp owner or seafood operator or ice houses or warehouses. that is what i am focused on today and hopefully we will make some progress. >> [unintelligible]

>> this is held down with a pipe? >> with anchors. >> [inaudible] >> that one needs to be picked up. [inaudible] watch your step.

[inaudible] >> we have been trying. >> you have to wait on that. >> yes, it is coming. [inaudible]

>> a little better overclouded. [inaudible] [inaudible] >> how many boats the draft? >> i have two.

i was a commercial fisherman for 42 years. >> its about how many employees. [inaudible] we're going to try to make sure that you are all compensated. [unintelligible] you or a fisherman? howany ptsd you have? -- how many boats do you have? ank you. are you a charter but fisherman?

-- charter boat fisherman were to mark >> i am so proud of the people that live here, a model for the state of louisiana. you are doing such a good job. i can tell you how proud i am of you l. [unintelligible] we're begging and pleading with everybody. i am so proud, and when i see you working hard, i tell you something. >> i will be brief. all of you guys have been out here for weeks now. you would rather be doing other things.

there is no better people to be out here working. and though it may come every dare we are in meeting, i could go on and on. we want to make sure that we use at our local assets. we saw about a week ago it's about three of four times as bad and it is heading this way. what we had last week is about to get worse. please don't hesitate to call on us. we got a great team that is out here. the senator will be pushing to get more boom for us. i know we are short supply right now. and that the mayor said, they are talking about the conngency and other parts of the state that they had a plan like year. we have to continue to push please don't hesitate to let us know a better way to fight this

battle. jud>> we did not wt this to come to our family so we have to stop it. we do not want it to get to our families. and that is why we're here. the people were outside from here and did not know that this is our livelihood. that is what is making the difference. >> i want to support what they said. you could not have two battered champions than these men. they have been honest. you're getting high marks on what is happening. but a workable plan together. -- they have put a workable plan

to gather. [unintelligible] and i agree, this is about our family, our future, about our kids, about our way of life. no one could work in hotter wther for longer hours. we are doing all the above. [unintelligible] were trying to get more 18 inch hard boom and more absorbent boom. we want to hire louisiana people, louisiana boat capt.. and i've told bp that if somebody made $50,000 last year, you're going to write a check for $50,000. i know what a person to lose a business or home over something

now was not our fault. and when the federal government [unintelligible] excel rate revenue sharing, because the billions of dollars paid by the oil and gas company and taxes to the federal government, the federal government takes billions of dollars every year, and we deserve a portion of that money so we can restore these wetlands and hopefully we won't ever have another oil spill like this. that our marshes will be stronger and get a better plan in place. i know we have a lot more to do. there was a lot of oil out ere. we know that the worst is coming, and we need more boom here right here right now. and i'm going to try to get it.

so god bless. >> one quick thing. about a week ago, went to a meeting and wanted to take people in and out. the mayor said, they have been out there in shrimping, four weeks at a time. they did not come home. we're not bringing them back to the port. know that every minute that an opportunity comes up advocate and your behalf, this man is out there doing it. we're going to support them. when we see it, then we can let you know what is coming. it gives a little more time as this comes in. >> it is so nice to see everyone working so hard, but we all lot

of people that still are not working. we're trying to do whatever we can to help those people. we're when it tried did you and get other people that home -- that don't have jobs. we had the proper gear and you're going to get paid and i know everyone has family and friends. they want to come want but they are not on. such as thank you and keep up the good work. >> thank you very much. i know you all are used to it. [unintelligible]

you got to keep going in some ways. thank you. we will try to do everything that we can. thank you all very much. [unintelligible] >> oh, my goodness. ok, take care.

>> it met a lot. -- it meant a lot for you to see what they were doing. [unintelligible] where is it?

it was going to be a long dam hall. people don't know the direction and the scope. >>hey are good people. >> i am standing on top of it. this is the hard boom. no, this is 18 inches. >> the plans approved so far to

not address all this paris. 30% of shellfish produced in louisiana, and this entire estuary here. the beach runs along here, with thick oil running for the passes beginning at 3:00 this morning. a lot of that oil is out in the barataria bay. there was sheen that they were not able to get. we don't expect they ll be able to get all this time either. where scattering them out in this parish. >> people are criticizing it, saying it s hurricane protection. no, it is for the oil. >> you're going have beaches where it is much easier claimed oil off of the san read it and

the marsh land which is virtually impossible. >> this is beach. this is our beaches look. from here to florida. this is beache this is what we're trying to protect. these are beaches. this is where tte marine life is. this is more important. you can clean the beach. you cannot claim this. it falls into the water and you never see again. >> thank you. >> the center is going to do a press conference and about 10 minutes. >> i've been with the state for years, ran for governor, traved every inch of louisiana. i know these marshes well and i know the people well.

they are the hardest working, most open hearted, generous people in the world. and you could see them out there on his workload. their heart and family and future are on the line here. they see that there's not a lot -- not enough money, little response from the federal government and other places as well in terms of getting things approved that would help, they look at the wealth created in the gulf, and they think, when as louisiana going to get any portion of these revenues the federal government has just taken out ofhe gulf to protect ourselves and say this coast? it is heartbreaking and there are things that we can do it we have to stay focused on those things and make sure that the federal judge permit protect this march. -- federal government for tax this march. we got through all of the hurricanes.

this region has probably suffered more in the last decade, and probably the most in terms of any place. thousands of people lost their homes in katrina. churches, schools destroyed, communities. and that recovery is just under way now. and now this sets and and we've got a fight to get help for people who are out of work, but we cannot allow the federal government to go overboard regulating the oil industry because it will put more people out of work, and we want it to be safe. it should be safe but we have got to make sure to strike the right balance.

and his >> we are waiting to bring you live coverage as president obama speaks to high- school students in michigan. kalamazoo landed the president as their commencement speaker. while we wait for the president to speak, here is an update on to competitive primary races in south carolina and california. >> let's start with the south carolina and there is a competitive one, why is that? >> he has gone against the republican grain for a long time and it is finally catching up with him. the biggest issue is he voted for the bailout like everyone else in south carolina and he

has been beaten up on that. his opponent who is leading in the polls, has just hit him hard on that and that comes in addition to him up voting against the usrge in iraq and the energy bill, voting against protecting "under god" in the pledge of allegiance and a few other small things that all add up to make him unpopular among the tea party crowd and conservative base. >> but he has been considered and raided a conservatives during his tenure in congress. >> exactly. this is a classic example of him having both strong republican and conservative establishment support like the nra and national right to life. he has a very republican voting record, with a few aberrations. but the tea party has focused on

him and they want to bring him down. they have poured a lot of money into his opponent's campaign. >> who is his opponent? >> he is a prosecutor in one of the bigger cities in the fourth district. he has been around for a long time and is an unabashed conservative. >> living on to california, where jane harman is in a competitive race. >> she is an eight-term incumbent facing the same woman who challenger in 2006, a liberal with support from democracy for america which is the group howard dean started. in 2006, she attacked harman over iraq. harman the turbine 26 points. her opponent has staged a grass- roots campaign and it's a lot less likely that she loses.

in california, there is no runoff. it's a very defense-heavy district. even though it is liberal, boeing is the largest employee and harman will probably get through, but we are watching the margin trade the big thing has been the a flotilla incident. winograd has called the soldiers of murderers and attack her opponent has been in the pocket of aipac. it has become a very spirited fight in the final week. .

>> it is time to put your street ahead of wall street. >> i am running for congress. >> she was to kill the state budget, putting thousands of people out of work. harry waxman says israel would cease to exist. and she attacked president obama is iran policy, calling it nuclear narcissism. >> i am jane harman and i approve this message. >> how are these ads playing out in the race?

>> this area is of very expensive media markets. direct mail is the only way to win there. you can see from the tone harman largely ignored winograd until the last week. but they have really gone after her for a lot of different things, both the candidates are jewish. those attacks by harmon had generated a lot of noise from his role groups, different jewish groups that have really been supporting harman. at the same time, winograd is running well with people that are counter to those groups.

we will have to see what the results say about that. >> what about outside influences when it comes to money in these campaigns? >> we see a lot of outside expenditure ads. but harman -- both harman and winograd are independently wealthy. but they've been spending a lot of their own money. and groups like democracy for america and other independent jewish groups have gotten involved on both sides. >> thank you. >> and now live coverage of president obama are writing to speak to high school graduates and kalamazoo, michigan.

kalamazoo central high school won the president as their commencement speaker. live coverage here on c-span. >> this is the part where i say please rise. please join us for the singing of our national anthem. ♪ >> oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? ♪

>> you may now be seated. it is an honor to be here before you on this momentous day. let me take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to our nation's president for this wonderful honor. [applause] we appreciate the presence of a governor jennifer granholm.

i thank the superintendent of our public schools and a member of the public school board for giving me the opportunity to work with so many wonderful students and their families. i thank you. [applause] and i truly appreciate the kalamazoo central high school staff members. [applause] many of whom are seated with the graduates, who worked tirelessly every day to help all students reach their full potential. and to the anonymous, the beautiful anonymous donors.

we say thank you for the gift you provide that removes a very difficult barrier and the pursuit of high school education. please tell me welcome to the podium the superintendent of kalamazoo public schools, dr. michael right. -- wright. >> president obama, secretary of education duncan, governor granholm, members of the board of education and city commission, principal washington, distinguished staff, honored guests, and most importantly, the graduating class of 2010, can we have a big round of applause for them? [applause]

class of 2010, i am under no illusions or dilutions that i am the featured speaker this evening. [laughter] however i hope of a few things i say tonight will stick with you. i will talk about three things this evening. giants are earning their way, giants on the soldiers of giants, and giants helping to create other giants. [applause] once upon a time a man prayed to win the lottery but did not. he prayed a second time and did not. on the third time, he looked up and said, "why don't you answer my prayer dq --?" . a voice comes from the beyond, do me a favor -- buy a ticket. [laughter] we're very appreciative of the

anonymous donors and the efforts of former superintendent janice browne, appreciative of the fact that there so many of you and your parents, who enter school tuition free this fall. [applause] you are the first-class to enter high school to know that if you graduate from kchs, school will be tuition free for you. but make no mistake, it is not different from no prize. you worked hard in high school and will work harder in college. you are paying for your experience and time, energy, attendance, focus, hard work, and dried. you cannot enter the lottery without buying a ticket. that is why it is impossible to be truly successful without putting in the time and effort,

and you have. two years ago, i ask a large group of students to raise their hands if they were taking an advanced placement class. one student raised his hand. he is graduating tonight. raise your hand out if you are taking an ap class in high school. [applause] compare this year to two years ago, 71% of students in the district have taken a peek courses this year compared to two years ago.

minorities have more than doubled their ap participation. [applause] of those of you who were graduating from kchs this weekend, 96% will likely go to some form of post secondary education, roughly the same percentage as last year. that is up from 84%. york giants rising to the challenge that we have put before you and you should be commended for your reference. -- for your effort. just because you have earned her high school diploma and the

right to enter congress -- college, you did not do would be -- by yourself. you're on the shoulders of others. we have people without homes help we would not be where we are today. maybe it was your parents or grandparents, your teachers, your coaches, counselors, administrators, or some other significant individuals in your lives. regardless of the shoulders on which you stand, it is important to recognize that you did not get here by yourself. if you have not bank the giants in your fight, it is time to do so. if you have not thank them recently, it's a good idea to do so. you never know how long the giants in your life will be there to thank. [applause] we have to read giants from kalamazoo with us tonight on the stage. -- we have three giants from kalamazoo with us on the stage

tonight. they have a combined 78 years. they have challenged their students and myriad ways. one works in the district for 31 years, the last 9.5 as the assistant superintendent. before that, she was the

principle of monolithic king jr. and was would elementary schools, for 15 years, where she was many of your principles. the retiring after decades of distinguished servicing of students. can we give up not just for three giant but for all the giants on whose shoulders the stand. -- you stand. class of 2010, if you know that we're working hard to establish a better culture in the district, working hard to become literate community in kalamazoo. we have not arrived yet. we have certainly accomplished a lot as a community, but we need

your help to get to the next level. to whom much is given, much is required. the giants on whose shoulders you are standing are the giant that helped you in your lives. most of them do not need anything from you. they were giants in your lives because it was the right thing to do. you cannot pay them back. they don't need what you have to offer, but the students coming up behind you do. you cannot pay your giants back, but you can pay it for. -- pay if a whole word. -- pay it forward. to whom much is given, much is required. you have been blessed with the kalamazoo promise, and with so many giants in your life, and if you were not already, it is time

for you to step up and be the giant in the life of someone else. [applause] a great african-american poet wrote many poems about dreams. holdfast to dreams, because if dreams die, why it is a broken wing bird that cannot fly. she wrote about the importance of hanging in and hanging tough. she wrote, i will tell you. bhatt grameen ain't been no crystal stair. it is that tax senate, splinters, boards with splinters.

i have been turning corners and sometimes going into the dark were there ain't been no light. boy, don't you turn back. don't you sit down because you find it kind of hard. don't you call now. still climbing. life for me ain't been no crystal stair [applause] class of 2010, you are capable of so much more than many give you credit for. you are the new dreamers, people accomplishing anything to which you set your mind. you are giants earning your ways, giants on the shoulders of giants, and giants helping other debts. but no one define you by yourself. i congratulate you and salute you and i wish you all the very -- the very best for your

future. >> thank you, dr. wright. two students have achieved the highest academic honor for the class of 2010. the salutatorians has the second-highest rate point average over his sysco career. -- over his high school career. and the student with a high as grade point average earned the distinction of valedictorian for the class of 2010. please help me welcome and congratulate valedictorian cindy

lee. [applause] >> but the valedictorian and salutatorian will be addressing the class today. at this time we honor and welcome cindy lee to the podium. >> good evening, ladies and gentleman, members of the school

board and administration, teachers and faculty, families and friends, thank you for coming. and welcome. before i give my speech, all like to thank a very special guest for coming tonight and making our graduation memorable. the president, barack obama. [applause] it is truly an honor to address this day. i ask my friends that they had any ideas. i received a lot of knock knock pokes. so i will go along with humor in my speech. [laughter] today we come together to celebrate a turning point in the

light of this remarkable group of people. to the class of 2010, we finally made it. [applause] we survived four years of high school and are moments away from graduating. for the past four years, we have learned, laugh, and most of all, work together. now we are living a successful and confident young adults. [applause] the people sitting in this audience tonight have clearly impacted our life. given encouraging words, and provided some real criticism. to all our families, friends, and educators, a class of 2010 thank you for your generous --

for your care and belief in as. the class of 2010 banks you for your generosity and supporting our education beyond high school. to the class of 2010, tonight is our night to face the world. we have the courage to succeed and the dedication and perseverance to make our dreams come true. i remember when i first arrived here on a chilly night in january. i was physically and mentally exhausted after a long flight. when i came out of the airport, there was no one there except for a few cars going by. i was not enthusiastic about moving. i was worried about starting my life over in a different city, state, and country. like many people, i tried to

avoid this new challenge. however i soon realized that i could live outside my comfort zone. i could not deny reality forever. and after four years, look where i am standing. [applause] this coming fall, we will start our new life. we will meet new people, make new friends, and learn new things. some of us might be scared of leaving behind the comforts of home, but we will start our new life with confidence. that is what i learned from moving to kalamazoo. there's nothing to be afraid of as we move ahead. we will keep with us the memory and knowledge we came to our high school careers.

we are pushed ourselves to the limited and made great accomplishments. so wherever we go in the future, remember this. i will leave you with this advice. try to imagine the very first note of the year. it is pure and white and everything is quiet and beautiful. can you feel the excitement? however, the snow has another side. low visibility and chilly winds. in the days ahead, not every road you take will be filled with choice. some will be icy and slippery. we must be cautious even when everything looks beautiful. we must not let the fear of the unknowns stop us. we will get past it.

don't be discouraged by the possible snow's ahead. we have the power to become what ever we want and to do anything we want to, because we are -- congratulations to the class of 2010. thank you. >> thank you, sandy. and now are salutatorian. -- and now our salutatorian. >> [unintelligible]

>> good evening, class of 2010, family members, educators, president barack obama -- thank you again for coming. secretary arne duncan, governor jennifer granholm, and superintendent, thank you. this is truly a glorious and momentous day. this is the day mr. washington proudly referred to me when i was a freshman, a day when we could celebrate working together to face tremendous challenges and accomplishment the things. -- many think. president obama, i am proud to welcome you to the celebration, one that comes at the end of one distinguished journey and the beginning of the next.

at this moment, the class of 2010 comes together at a critical point in our lives. we have a decision to make that no one can decide for us, no parents, no teachers, not even president obama. [laughter] it is our choice now. throughout these four years we have surpassed goals and reach new heights only accomplice to the inspiration of others. we have accumulated knowledge outside the classroom to do better and find new horizons. this is where we are, the greatest moment of our life is right now, the time to decide where we go from here and the impact we may make throughout our community and the world. whether it is small changes to inspire others or giant leaps of falling passions, the roads we may take will make a difference

at this very moment. while i may challenge myself to be president of the united states in 200048 -- -- 2048 -- [applause] thank you. i might as well announce my campaign right now. [laughter] how would you challenge yourself? how would you be a leader? how we make a difference in the world? are moments is not a standstill but to shape and mold the people around us to come together for causes we believe in. it will be 13 working hard work that we will prevail. time and time again we her problems and feuding that only leads to more distress. but the class of 2010 have the opportunity to reduce the stress, innovate and better for

top -- a better tomorrow, and make the world a bit more positive. the last possible thing we can do it this very moment is to do nothing. doing nothing builds nobody up, building nothing hinders progress, and leaves no better tomorrow. now is our moment. i over the past four years have sensed the potential and growth of this class. i've seen community service as a keystone to a legacy that the class of 2010 will leave behind forever. i scene leadership take root in every students seated before me, and i see a passion to learn in any field. these elements of the class of 2010 will elevate us to make the right decision because now is our moment. however, president obama, since i am putting my paddle into the

water, i could not pass up the opportunity to let you think about this. [laughter] i am sure that there's a lot on your mind. the challenges that we face as a class and the nation are bigger than ever before. it is my hope that in some way you make formal collection of the first and dedicated young people like the people seat in front of you to surround you from time to time to gauge the ideas and imaginations of youth. [laughter] [applause] and soon enough, it will be the students seated before you and others that will lead us through the darkness. so at this moment, we'll leave a

school and community with guard achievement and hard work and commitment to excellence. a path of optimism, which can lead to a better tomorrow. for our moment is now and must be seized. and now like to thank everyone who has helped to make my journey possible, or i can never forget those who have a list -- lifted the on their back to bring me to this very glorious day. thank you. >> and people always ask the question no matter where we go,

what do you think it was that tipped the scale in your favor and the competition? those two students are a great start, wouldn't you agree? [applause] manal here a musical selection from the choir. this evening's performance will feature a eight guest conductor. we hope you enjoy "go make a difference."

♪ >> ♪ you must see what is possible you must attempt the impossible i can do it, i can do it go make a change go make it possible you can do it go make a difference

let nothing hold you down let the whole world know that you can achieve achieve, a checheive yes, you can ♪ go make a difference

in spite of that all let nothing hold you down go let the whole world know that you can achieve co let the whole world know that you can achieve achieve achieve achieve achieve ♪ [applause]

>> well, it just keeps getting better and better. recently there was a song that swept the nation. it was being sung in high schools all over the world. maybe you heard it. it goes something like this. ♪ we are the giants ♪ that song, a three minute video with unmatched community and

central support, help kalamazoo central high school when the rest of the top challenge. -- win the race to the top talent. just in case you are the only person that did not see the video, we are going to show it to you now. [applause] ♪ we are the giants we are the giants >> we are dedicated to contain the elements and equations to succeed.

>> 150 years ago, it was the first public high school in michigan. now it offers every student's four years of free public university tuition. >> without it, i would be dropped out of school. >> it made its own failure was not an option. >> i am the first of my family to go to college. >> i have an opportunity now. thank you. >> they believe in the mathematics of our promise and potential. through the in our roles and languages, we speak. [speaking four languages]

>> i am going to college. >> the connections we make daily. >> we had a positive behavior support program. go pro. >> 3.5. >> 3.2. >> 3.8. [applause] >> we bring meaning to this base. by thinking of reality, where we all come together to search the

skies and give the proof and the pure and glittering truth of what it means to be a giant. >> ♪ we are the giants ♪ ♪ as the principle of the high school, i'd get the honor of introducing our graduation speaker. after thinking about it for awhile, i soon realized that maybe i should consult with

someone that could help me formulate the appropriate words and so i called my father. [applause] after all, i was introducing one of the most important people on the face of the earth. my father simply told me to say what was in my heart. he said, forget the protocol and think about the occasion. the speaker has come to speak to the students, and to the students he will speak -- and through the students he will speak to the world. the introduction is not as important as the message, because it is the message that will stay with you for the remainder of your laws. change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. we are the ones we are waiting for. we are reaching as we speak.

to the graduates of the class of 2010, ice present to you your graduation speaker, a man who each and every day faces some of the greatest challenge is known to humankind and he does it with the hope that one day one of you will take his place and make this world a better place than it was the day of our graduation. it is with great honor by a present to you the honorable barack obama -- it is with great honor that i present to you the honorable barack obama, president. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you.

thank you, everybody. please be seated. hello, giants. it is good -- it is good to be here and congratulate you, the class of 2010. [applause] i am honored to be part of this special occasion, and i love you back. [laughter] [applause] let me acknowledge your salutatory efforts. -- your salutatory governor, jennifer granholm. superintendent wright, thank you for your inspiring words. your mayor, who i understand is

a proud kalamazoo graduate himself. thanks to principal washington for that, not just a warm introduction, but his enthusiasm and his energy and his leadership and his nai singing voice. -- nice singing voice. [laughter] thank you to all the trustees and alumni and parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, everyone who has been a part of this extraordinary place. and i want to recognize our students speakers, cindy, who embodies the best of our traditions in this country. our ride four years ago and

graduates as the valedictorian. this is what is continuing late replenishing the innovation and dynamism of this country, and we could not be prouder of you. thank you. and to simon, i am glad that under the constitution, you cannot run until you are 35. [laughter] [applause] i will be long gone by then. [laughter] but it gives me great confidence to know that we've got such incredible young leaders who are going to be remaking the world in some many different ways. the recently -- now recently, an article from your local paper,

"the kalamazoo gazette," after one of the school had been -- after the school had been chosen as one of the finalist, and for those who are not aware of it, this is a contest to highlight schools with the most academic excellence, personal responsibility, and at best prepares students for colleges and careers. this article quoted a young lady -- is kelsey here? anyway, she is over there? banks, kelsey. how are you? kelsey was quoted as saying, "we are the kind of school that never gets credit for what we do, and our schools amazing." this is what kelsey said.

well, kelsey, class of 2010, members of the kalamazoo community, i am here tonight because after three rounds of competition with more than 1000 schools and more than 170,000 votes cast, i know in america knows what you have done in kalamazoo central. you have the best year. we know. we know. our amazing secretary of education on the duncan knows. folks in washington know, folks across the country know, everybody knows. together as a community you have embraced the model of the school

district for it every child, every opportunity, every time. every time. every child, every opportunity, every time. you believe like guide to that every young person, every child, regardless of what they look like, where they come from, how much money their parents have, every child deserves a quality education. no exceptions. [applause] and i'm here tonight because i think that america can learn about what learns for an -- what makes for a successful school in this new century. you have got educators raising standards and inspiring their students to meet them. you have community members who are tutors and mentors and

coaches. let parents taking an active interest in their child's education, attending those teacher conferences. yes, turning off that tv once in awhile and making sure that homework gets done. arne duncan is here tonight because these are the values, these are the changes that he is encouraging in every school in this nation. it is the key to our future. but the most important ingredients is you. students to raise your sites, who aim high, who invested yourselves in your own success, it is no accident that so many of you have received college admission letters, class of 2010. that did not happen by accident. it happened because you worked for it. as the superintendent said, you learned it. kelsey, i agree with you. what you have done here at kalamazoo central is amazing.

i am proud of you, your parents are proud of you, your teachers, for principle -- we are all proud. graduates, all of these folks around you -- i have to say but the cameras and the beaming smiles, they have worked hard to get everything you need to achieve your dreams and to fill your god-given talent. unfortunately you cannot take them with you when you leave here. no one is going to follow you around making sure that you get to class on time, making sure you are doing your work. no one is going to be doing that for you. going forward, that is all on you. the responsibility for your future success is clearly on your shoulders. the question i have for you today is this -- with each of you -- what is each of you going to do to meet that responsibility?

right now you're getting plenty of bad of the fis from everybody. some of it is helpful. -- plenty of advice from everybody. some of it is helpful. [laughter] and so i hate the pylon with advice -- to pile on with advice. but while i am here, what the heck. i thought i would offer a few thoughts based on my experiences and also based on my hopes for all of you and for our country in the years ahead. first, understand that your success in life will not be determined just by what is given to you or by what happens to you but by what you do with all that has been given to you, what you do with all that happens to you, how hard you try. how far you push yourself. how high you are willing to reach.

true excellence only comes with perseverance. this was not something i really understood when i was back urate. my father left my family when i was 2 years old, i was raised by my mom, my grandparents, and sometimes i had a tendency to goofball. -- to goof off. i had this sense to act a bit casual about my own future. sometimes i was rebellious spirit sometimes i party a little too much. -- sometimes i was rebellious. sometimes i partied a little bit too much. now this is a cautionary time -- cautionary tale. don't cheer me when i say that. i found hard work and told -- i thought that hard work was all fashion. that is other people tell me

what to do. but after a few years, have trouble living solely on my own, and i realize that living for solely my own inner attainment was not and not any more, it was not particularly satisfying anymore, that it did not seem to be making much of a ripple in the world. i started to change my tune. i realized that by refusing to apply myself, there was nothing i could point to that i was proud of. that would last. then you come of an age in a popular culture that reinforces this approach to life. you watch tv, and basically what it says is, you can be rich and successful without much effort. you just have to become a celebrity. you can achieve some reality tv notoriety? that is better than lasting achievements.

we live in a culture that tells you there is a quick fix for every problem, and a justification for every selfish desire. and all of you are raised with cellphones and ipods and texting and e-mail, being able to call the friend with the click of a button. you're used to instant gratification. but meaningful achievements, lasting success, it does not happen in an instant. it is not about what. it is not about a sudden stroke of genius. it is not usually about talent. it's usually about daily effort, the large choices and the small choices that you make that add up over time. it is about the skills you build and the knowledge that you accumulate in the energy you invest in every task no matter how trivial or menial it may seem at the time.

you've got one person who plays for the yankees, he is supposed to be pretty good. [applause] derek jeter was not born playing shortstop for the yankees. he got there through years of effort. i am surprised he does not still have blisters and i do not have the blisters on my hand from hitting ground balls. thomas edison tested more than 6000 different materials for just one tiny part of the light bulb that he invented. think about that. 6000 tests. trekkie rawlings -- j.k. rowlings' books were

rejected many times more for their finally published. i understand your basketball team did pretty good. state champion for the first time in 59 years. that did not happen by accident. they put in work and effort. so today, you have a rare and valuable chance to pursue your own passion, chase your own dreams without a mountain of incredible debt. what an incredible gift. so you have no excuse for giving anything less than your best effort. [applause] no excuses.

that is my second piece of advice -- don't make excuses. take responsibility not just for your successes, take responsibility where you fall short as well. the truth is, no matter how hard you work, you're not willing to ace every class -- maybe sandy well. -- maybe cindy will. [laughter] you are not going to succeed the first time you try something. they're going to be times when you screw up. there will be times when you hurt the people you love. there will be times where you make a mistake and you stray from the values that you hold most deeply. and when that happens, it is the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for somebody else to blame. the professor was too hard. your boss was a jerk. the coaches are playing

favorites. your friends did not understand. your wife -- no. [laughter] on just messing with michelle right there. that was all in fun. but this is an easy habit to get into. you see it every day in washington. every day. folks calling each other names, making all sorts of accusations on television, everyone always pointing the finger of somebody else. now this community could have easily gone down that road. this community could have made excuses, our schools have fewer advantages, we have fewer