, if we can do anything about this, i don't know what we can do. i wanted to be your comments on that. >> anybody want to comment on that? >> the ratio of actual reading books to mentioning books on glenn beck's program. i don't think he read a word that -- items a that in his defense, it's just the reality. he is a willing conveyer of a lot of very dangerous ideas, book titles, and dead authors. i do not think he has a very firm grasp on any of it, which i think it needs to be noted. .

>> i think alex has provided a lot of animation this morning. i think it is potentially dangerous on either side if it becomes something where the person is out there saying what should i do now to raise the stakes or compete with my opponent to seem to be more with the people when i am really an empty vessel, and may be that as

hell of movement susttined by -pjust sort of one upping the other side? what you think about that, based on the fact that he is even more dangerous. i am interested if you could also point out that it is not any worse than what eck did. itthit a sore spot in america. the ticklish question what else can be done to expose her rigid -- the takeaway question is

what else can be done to expose glenn backeeck? >> i do not have an answer for that, but i have a sneaking suspicion that he is going to do it for himself. and getting what alex says isen, absolutely correct. and he is an expert on glenn beck. all of us have a sense of how it incoherent he is. i did not know canhe did not red the books, but he has sort of a compelling narrative of paranoia, which is unfolding in american politics, but he also does not know enough to know that he will step on the wrong toes. i'd thinkkit will probably have been that he ends up making a mistake in going after rupert murdoch.

he went after a saudi recently, and obviously did not know what he was doing. i think you'll probably enn up doing it to himself. as far as the populism hhstory, this is an old story. it is very interesting now because tv, and the fact that they have an entire network dedicated to it, plus the net work lends legitimacy. the fact that they had this new p, definition of a news organization. you see people from the tea party saaing that i'd learn a lot from fox news. they do not see it as an

opinion. i did nnt in anyone's consent chris wallace is particularly unbiased. . i think this is part of a long continuant. it tends to become dangerous in times like this. that is what we have to be concerned about. a stable, social situation. >> we have a history of forget we have a history of progress of populism as well. acorn has been inspired by the tradition f progressive economic populism. >> thank you. next question. >> actually some of the panelists partially answered this question, but we see what has happened with candidates like rand paul in the governor

of virginia, who are kind of, for lack of a better word, other cases offthe tea party movement and the kind of thinking that drives its doing it to themselves. in other words, without even realizing it, stepping over the line of what thhy did not realize was acceptable in mainstream. how can we help them do it to themselves? [applause] [laughter] >> glenn bed would do it to and self -- glenn beck would do it rand paul was so full of himself he went on to show that asked him about some of his beliefs. rachael matter of started to

question the beliefs. part of the problem with the news media is they want to hit a surface. they do not actually drill down aad explain the person's beliefs. when he started to talk, america 3 doubt. he wws so bad that he canceled "meet he press." you have to be pretty scared to do that. you are all tte sudden the+ golden child in value after run and hide because when you really look at it, these are extremists, to me, crazy views. the media does a great job of scratching the surface. as bloggers weaken demand a look at the candidates and their beliefs, and once they are exposed, then america understands. that is a big problem in america, and by blockers are so important. -- and why bloggers are so

important. i know we get media matters and some of the panelists are documented these opportunities on a regular basis. i think it is the responsibility of every well-meaning progressive to take those moments and amplify them, push come andddo noo be afraid to get on the phone and called cnn, nbc, fox news. cox news, rush limbaugh is the story. otherwise, how we haveea -- how will we have a democracy if we cannot agree on the facts? >> i worked for president obama to get him a elected. i was a delegate to the national

convention, and i am now more rapid responder in maryyand, which means we pick up on any local news that are racisightesd tried to respond then. at this point i think we're more reactive ied than reactive. why are we having our own tea party movement nationally in this country? why are we taking -- aren't we taking acorn and starting t up again? i am getting frustrated that we are sitting there criticizing and saying what is bad about the right without doing something on the left. why aren't we picking of ourselves and moving forward but

we should be? >> that is a veryygood point. >> good question about acorn. first of all, i wrote this book about acorn because i thought the trip had to get out. secondly, the good news is that a lot of the people that were involved with acorn are members and leaders, as well as their allies are organizing in over a dozen states to resurrect a cocorn using the model, learning from strings as well as mistakes. pt is happening. you should be glad about that [applause] >> i know that we at media matters are doing the same. i think the quicker the broader

movement can understand that the mediaareally is the battleground in this moment in moving forward, and we have to engage that aggressively and have the resources to do it. >> i did want to say, my fear is that the more legitimate these right-wing orggnizations become, the more i think they will be feeling justified in doing these in this country. i am so afraid something is going to happen toward president because of what is happening here. >> can i touch on that for one minute? >> i do think we see beck overreached. every time they step out, there is a lie that is being told.

i think it is imperative for the woman's reason.+ >> a thank you for your comments on response of media, and especially about how you are being proaative on whether corporations want to be associated with these areas. we are trying to do something there are many corporations out there that are socially responsible. i was wondering if you could comment a llttle more on ways that you have been coping with the stick and a friendly way to get foundations or to get corporations to reevaluate the

way they are thinking, support our advocacy for the non-profits that tried to help vulnerable populations.3 brief. just a socially responsible investing and have people think about where their money is going is important. with advertisers, e reallyy created the question for them, what could happen to your brand? risk. i do think the corporate investment in gold is actually important, not just advertisers. >> i want to touch on that very briefly. >> we are organizing a response. we have a blue america pact. we raise money to support progressive candidates. i believe today there s a run off with plans to begi blanche d

will halter. we need your help, but there are tax trying to elect progress of candidates and o congress. >> the only thing, in my view, that would have saved acorn was a white-bread strong, a progressive move in this country. it will not be brokerloogersgge. -- the only thing, in my view, that would have saved acorn was a wide base, strong, a progressive move in this

country. >> digby, do you want to take a shot at that? >> i will ask a follow-up. i do speaking of criticism by the left against obama? iihonestly do not think the right cares what the left says about obama. they will use it, and if we do not say it, they will make it up. they do not have any real boundaries as far as ethical concerns. aad talking points against progressives or even against democrats in general.

i still think it is a good rule of thumb. pritical of the administration and the leadership. i think they expect that at best. and i think often they need it of us. they will not come asking come up but they are glad when we do at - they will not come asking, but they are glad when we do it. they have responsibility to stand up for ideals, regardless of who was in power. i do think it is important that we keep in mind how we do that so that we do not actually end up validating the incorrect right wing talking points in narrative's they have developed over the years. not so much because the personality of obama and the democratic party but the ideological differences between every time we validate their

ideological viewpoint, we solidify its. we end up having a terrible problem touched upo.. this is about police. this is about values. basically our principles. we have to be careful not to perpetuate the propaganda that has been so successfully disseminated through the past 25 or 30 years by the political movement. we need to make democratic the new challenge it. we need to question ourselves every time we regurgitate this right ring worldview. in that respect, i think everyone has to have a consciousness about how we talk and think and dream our

criticism and awin a way that validates our own value system. >> if i had a magic wand i would be deeoting all of the progressive movement resources to protecting the integrity of the debate happening in the media every day to really the fears that we seeefrom the white brinrigtht wing, because y the llft wing essentially only stands for being agaiist it. i think it ii important for the future of the country, not just about the political agenda. it is much bigger than that. that is one way in which i'd think we can certtinly have a significant impact.

>> i would like to make two comments. i come from a very small town in illinois. i am a member -- i have been to a t. party member, and i am on their mailing list. i see all the things that come through. these people in this very small town are not crazy. they are the pillars of this community. the problem is they're getting all of their information from fox news. we have a very large segment of the population who are good americans, but thee are getting the wrong innormation. it is the same crap we see every day on fox news. that is their main news source. they have real concerns, like we

all do. they do not know where the deficit is going to go. they know we are spending tens of money. we need to discredit fox news. someone else ill come into that ssot. we have a large corporation that isssupporting that with many dollars that will be around for a long time i think that is our greatest -- at this point when you have that much misinformation floating around, that is our biggest challenge. what do you do about fox news and the long term? >> i completely agree. part of what we have been doing is playing defense. we take on the most extreme, push it back.

we scare murdoch. we have done things with the "new york post" where they have had to pull back. we need a proactive systematic effort. it requires a lot of everyday people and organizations like ours. we're trying to put such a thing together. it takes a concerted effort to do that.3 working on right now. i think the most important thing that everyone in this room can do today as soon as you leave is call people in the legitiiate news of medda and say -- police how i tell the story is this reminds me of a apple versus pc commercials. that is what i see fox doing all the time. there lumping everyone in the mainstream media together and

there vulcanizing themm all the while they are gaining market share in getting people in the mediiddle to listen to t. and i think it is time to demand that we call outfox for what it is i get rather impatient about this. we're working on making progress in that regard. [applause] do we have time for one more question? i think we're done. a round of applause for the fantastic panee. phank you very much. in [applause]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> this afternoon, c-span 3 will have live coverage as conservatives discussed leadership. michele bachmann will be awarded with the 2010 concerted -- conservative leadership award. congress will be in session on c-spaa and c-span2 this afternoon. phere will be general speeches at 2:00 eastern. debate on extending tax breaks. the house debates four

resolutionss to cushion the federal communications commission regulate the internet? -->> >> should the federal communications commission regulate the internet? >> president obama makes his fourth visit to the gulf coast today. he flies into deluxe, mississippi. he will make several stops in talabama. a look at that and other headlines now as we wait for the u.s. house to gavel and shortly. >> the headlines about the bp oil spill.

bp is now collecting about 15,000 barrels of oil a day at the site, due to a special capital stalled over the leaking pipe. u.s. officials up there week estimate last week to as much as 40,000 barrels a day, admiral thad allen said they to 35,000 barrels a day.closer white house officials on sunday said they wanted bp to put a substantial funds into an escrow account to cover claims by both coasts busiiessessand residents affected by this bill. president barack obama plans to bring up the idea at a white house meeting wednesday with top

bp executives, including chairman carl-hnenric. they write up florida beaches remain open and ctive. two large oil plumes were detected south of pensacola beach. we will get your comments on what this means for the future there is a one-year service story about the water near pensacola. -- there is a story about the water near pensacola. we are joined by a washington reporter for the "st. petersburg times."

ocials want h to kw gue: tey are eer for more federal resours. ey want more skiers. theyre pressinfor ater claims p host: as the president arrives, it seems the slick is getting closer. it is 3 miles of the pensacola path. what steps are florida officials taking to prepare the beaches and the areas for the innovation of some oil? guest: they have deployed a lot of the boomssand they have they have marshaled a lot of

resources. and a lot of people in the pensacola area to begin the cleanup process. fourth trip to the gulf coast, she will return on tuesday to speak to the nation -- e will return on tuesday to speak to the nation, what do you hear that he will talk about in the guest: i think he will try to provide more hands-on leadership on the issue, as well as ratcheting up the pressure on bp with escrow account you were just referring to. host: alex leelee and washingtoary in washington, thar being here this morning.

denise and pootland oregon onn our democrats line. caller: i do not understand all of the details, but what i have learned is that the biggest problem with the oil spill is that every branchhof governmmnt seems so entrenched and controlled by one another that they cannot get anything done. they are so entrenched with big business, i believe that is the biggest reason that obama has not been able to get anything done. host: you see the issue as much of a government problem as a -- caller: an economic problem. the government problem they cannot do much about, because of big businesses are paying the bills. they paid for his election. i think he has to make friends withhthem. he has to many people he is trying to please.

>> the u.s. house has dabbled in to start the week with morning hour. this is the time set aside for general speechess here is live coverage. . the keo tempore: the use will be inrder. the chr ls befo the house th mmunion spea e cler the eak's rooms shington, c. june4, 2010. i hereby ben hi to act as spr tempore on this day. signed nancy pelosispker of the hou of reentative the speakepro tempe: punt to e der of t january 6, 2009, the chair will now recogne mbs fro lisubmitted by theority anminorityders for

morning ur debate. ehair w arnate ition bween the parties each part limited to 30 th the majond moty ber ot limited tominutes.p pursnt to au2-a of rule the chaireclareshe house ins unl apimaty 2:.m. today.

>> president obama will address the nation on the gulf oil -pspill. we will have live coverage of thess events on the c-span network. this afternoon, c-span3 will

have live coverage as conservatives discuss leadership. michele bachmann will be awarded with the 2010 conseevative leadership award. that starts at 1:30 eastern. this morning, washington journal talked about security issues facing the united states. this is about 30 minutes. s. host: john negroponti joins us. we will have new appntee. yo wer the first. what wa theffice met o? wh was its intention? it was meanttoversee communy. inteigen

in thete of the me, afte the wea oss the inllig we had and th 9/ comn ha the was an ipes to efo the inlligence community and p someonin chargef the ovall mmun as bee the view was that that person was so involved in the day-to- day running of the cia that he did not have time for the management responsibilities. host: do you think it has lived up to the expectations of the 9/11 commission and congress? guest: the legislation was a product of compromise. there were some that wanted a lot of authority, and some that wanted none at all.

i think it came out a little bit weeklakly in doubt and not as mh it had a lot of responsibility and rhetoric in the preamble and the llgislation about the importance of this position but then when you got to what the specific authorities where they may not have been suspicious critics efficient. -- sufficient. host: you talk about military intelligence, cia, and national security. do does still exist? guest: i think a lot of progress has been made. i think all of those things have

been happening, but there are still issues as between these agencies, and i think the director of national pan bring that altogether from the budgetary point of view, from an overall direction points of view. host: the numbers to call on your screen. back during your tenure, and shortly after here was a big deal made about the presidential daily brieeing and who gets that. why is that important? gueet: that is the president's daily exposure to the pntelligence product of a large intelligence community. it is also the way of keeping

the president apprised of what is going on in the world with good, high-quality in-depth assessments. i made a point of attending all of those briefings every day. president bush received them six days a week from 6:00 until 8:30 in the mooning. there were also professional brief bursters that were along r that. it is a very important way to bbing to the president's attention, usually very early in the day, what has gone overnight in the analysis of the key issues of the day. host: obviously the intelligence corrected -- collected overnight begins earlierrthan that. guest: these were analysis that were sometimes three or four pages long that had been worked on for several days or weeks. it was not all overnight intelligence. it was that analytic products of

the intelligence community. let me say, i think he real key in intelligence is analysis. you can collect all of the factoids and information that you want in the world, but if you do not analyze it correctly, you really have not got mmch. host: would you say the quality of the analysis going up to the iraq warrwas intelligently false? guest: that was the bill year. we built in a lot of safeguards and improvements, we felt, to try to avoid the repetition of that kind of episode. host: can you give me an example of how you improve that and make it more credible? guest: it basically comes down to double checking. what i would say, for example,

sometimes you had a set of facts that seem to point to such and such a country that has nuclear weapons or is developing a nuclear weapons program. you might take that same set of facts and take it to a completely different team and terry evans and alternative analysis, and say with a set of facts, could you come up with another theory about what is actually happening here? -- and ticket to a completely different team and analyze the iiformation and have alternative analysis, and say with a different set of facts, could you come up with another theory about what is actually happening here? host: what d.c. as the biggest -pchallenge that the obama administration best -- what do you see as the biggest

challenge that the obama administration faces? guest: one has to keep a good view of what is happennng around powers, what is happening in china and russia and other situations around the world. nuclear nonproliferation is a big one. host: some pointed out after the christmas daa bombing attempts and more recently, that mr. blair took the fall on some of the breakdowns in intelligence. do you agree with that? guest: it is really interesting. you can go all the way back to good for literature about missed signals. you know as well as i do that hindsight ais 20/20 vision.

someeimes they look like isolated segments and pieces of information. when you piece them ttgether after the fact they make some sort of coherent story. i am reluctant to second-guess what happens in that particular situationnwithout having personally reviewed all of the facts. host: let's get to the calls. this is from ontario, canada. the independent line. caller: to you remember the terrace, or would-be terrorists that got on tte plane in nigeria -pwithout a passport? i think she was taken offfthe plane and put back on -- i think he was taken off the plane and put back on, but did anyone ever figured out what happened? guest: i am not sure which case you were referring to. if you are referring to the nigerian that came here at

christmas. pe did havv a passport. there was some information that was provided to the embassy about the rail -- reliability of this individual, and with the benefit of hindsight we now know the information was not acted upon, whereas perhaps it should have been. host: democrats line. nantucket, mass..+ calllr: good morning. was given to saddam hussein.son- you have been around during a lot of shaky things. youuare nothing but a government

worker. host: any information? -- any reaction? guest: i do not know what to say to that. host: david on the republican line. caller: i have a question for the intelligence officer, i was wondering what was going on before the gulf accident occurred? issing we were dealing with -- i think we were dealing with the issues of -- host: what is your point on that? caller: i was ondering if the intelligence has any -- i guess i really do not knowwwhat

p am asking. host: they have been using drones. drones have been deployed along the texas/mexico border. is it time for us to take a more recent to have hato have c issues. guest: did take changes. we created the national security bureau of the fbi. this was under direction of larry silberman im later report to the president. the president adopted the recommendations. the idea was that previously teh dfbihe fbi had been focused on making law enforcement cases. the feeling was that we should enhance their intelligence and

analytic capabilities. that is what we did. some people have suggested that we go so far as the united intelligence agency.eal domesti- frankly, i do not know any3 proposition. i personally would be categoriially against it. i think the focus of the intelligence work should bee international in nature, into this house extend it is done domestically, it should be done by the fbi -- into the exten!!he extent it is done domestically, i think it should be done by the fbi. i think some of it is a copycat phenomenon. people watch what is going on in the world and get ideas.

unless they linked up in some serious way with international terrorist, i do not think they pose much of a threat. if they do link up with international terrorist, we are likely to find that out through foreign intelligence ctivities. host: do you think like the fort hood bombing, these are -- just domestic issues? guest: i do not think it has reached a level of threat or a menace that has and wwstern europe and the united kingdom where they have had serious incidents. host: davie in setter valley. democrats' line. caller: i just wanted to ask you

guys about something to think about. why dooyou think that hindsight is 20/20 when it is nothing more than your opinion looking back? host: tie that inno u.s. intelligence. expand on that a little bit. what do you mean? caller: both of you have used that hindsight, looking back on things is 20/20. guest: i think i get your point. what you are saying is there's still a judgment and opinions involved in looking back, like in history hen you are studying history or writing history, but there is no doubt that in many of these situations you certainly have a heckuva lot more facts available to you and russ purposin retrospect.

i know this from personal opinion with the many different jobs i have had. when you're actually carrying things out, ou never have the benefit at the complete set of facts. there are always pretty important things that you do not know, but that you have to make assumptions about as to go forward. when you look back there is a lot more information available.+ you can ssill make errors of judgment as to what the significance of that was. i would not argue with that. host: you finish your career with deputy secretary of state. caller: it is a large organization. 57,000 people. 20,000 in the united states. that was an important thing. we're close to 300 embassies and consulates around the wwrld. i dealt ith some specific

issues as well.eign-policy the relationship with pakistan waa one of them. iraq to a certain extent. various parts of the world. host: i want to ask you aboutt the current secretary of state, hillary clinton. there was a piece that but for the proposition that when robert gates retires, the best person would be hillary clinton. what do you think? guest: only prethe president can decide. i think she is doing a very good job where she is at. i think the department needs her leadership the other point i can make about my previous responsibilities is there is a real need to strengthen the foreign service in the united states. she has been very supportive of3 in public, and that has been very helpful.

host: another opinion piece, there was a piece written about the office of the national intelligence was created as a highly visible solution to the problems of 9/11, and has struggled ever since. the role is inherently of work -pproduct of the question of improved security. blair is the third person to hold office in five years. the words inhhrently awkward, do you agree with that? guest: i see her point. i would not necessarily argue with that. i think there's still some sorting out as to what the relationships need to be. and when really important thing, no matter what the definitiin of the job is the relationship of the director of the national intelligence with the president. i felt i had a good relationship with george bush.

that helped me in my dealings with the community. hoot: who was the director when you were in office? let's go to the republican line. georgia and north carolina. caller: i have two questions my question is why are there so many agencies, and does that create redundancy? i also understand there is an firms in washington, d.c., who do nothing but consult with the federal government. is this necessary? thank you. guest: great questions. 18 intelligence agencies -- some

capabilities within the government departments. there are sort of like an in house in ttel capability. the department of state has 300 people that they need to be able tt digest the intelligence anntaylor the material for the state department principles, -- anmd tayilor the material for te state department principles. the nga and others -- if you took them, it would account for 90% of the personnel in the intelligence community. that is not an unmanageable number. eni to work closely with each other and the director of

national intelligence, as do contractors. a lot of this is a question of the governmmnn needs personnel, but congress limits as to a certain number of full-time equivalent people so that very often you have to go to contract in in order to meet a particular need. i think this boleyn' balloned particularly after 9/11. host: there was oncerned about how the burden and other agencies like that. are there particular concerns in the intelligence field of having contractors to work? guest: in any of these activities there is a limit to what you cannnt ask a contractor toodo. they cannot direct other goverrment employees. who is right in the full-time

chain of command. if you have an analytical work or logistic work that needs to be done -- there are variety of tasks that can be done by pontractors. caller: can you give me? -- hear me? after 9/11, bin laden's family was in the united states. who allowed them to leave the country? do you think that was appropriate for them to leave the country? that is my question for you. guest: at the time that that happens, i was ambassador to the united nations, and i was not directly involved in that

matter, but what i do remember is there are a number of members of his family that are very much against what he has done and how prominent positions in their countries. not everyone in his family had the same ideas about the world and the same agenda as bin laden did. host: you served as ambassador to mexico in the philippines. as you look at iraq, and where that country is here in 2010, what are your thoughts? guest: better. certainly better than when i was there. i was ttere from 2004 to 2005.

certainly better than 2006 when they ere on the brink of civil warrwas rampant secretary and violence. i think they have come a long way. the fact that we have had one prime minister in power for four years now. when i got to iraq in june of 2004 they had a grand total of one batttlion in their army. today they have close to one of 75. -- 175. i'd think as we withdraw from iraq, which e're definitely doing, i think we're leaving them in pretty good shape. it was tough, but also interesting and challenging. to me, the most gratifying thing is that we were able to carry it out during the time that i was there the first successful

elections anin iraq. i think we were all surprised by the peaaeful and successful outcome by the elections. host: mike on the democrats' line. caller: i have been watching the israeli raid on the boats that try to overrun the blockade, and the videos speak for themselves. it was obvious these peoples were ready to do harm to all of the troops that were coming on to the voteboat, and all the sun every middle eastern islamic country are in the streets protesting. i am wondering, every time they are all out protesting, but when

we have these terrorists killing muslims by the hundreds, we do not hear anything from the moderateemuslims. i am just ondering do we have a hand in telling these moderate muslims anything about what we're looking at and see every day? guest: let me make comments on that. when i was ambassador to the u.n., there was a real by yes, i against israel. i was constantly working with the israeli delegation to try to fend off these very lopsided resolutions that almost invariably would condemn israee but say nothing about terroriim or anything else that was carried out by the palestinian side. this is a constant issue.

we have fought a constantly in the security council. you may recall, that is one of the areas that we had to exercise our veto because there israel but we just cannot accept. the second, more general poinn that would make, is iithink these kinds of situations are simply going toocontinue for the foreseeable future until there is some kind of enduring peace in the middle east. i think that is attainable. i do not think it is some kind of a pipe dream. ultimately the parties can get back to working on that and ernest some time really soon. host: the prime minister announcing overnight the establishment of an inquiry into on that will be david trimble, part of the settlement in northern ireland the settlement

in northern ireland. he won a nobel peace prize for that. caller: god bless our troops and their faailies. we have the finest intelligence in the world's. do we do it all right? maybe sometimes we make mistakes, but od bless the people that go through the information. my second point is, and please answer this for me if you could. sandy berger went in and stole classified documents out of the archives and stole them. he shredded them. what would be so important -- i know bill clinton was behind it. there is no question in my mind, but he stole those documents and shred them.. what could be so dammed for the clinton administration to do this?

please answer. . . nswe guest: i wish i uld enr. am not awe ything in e puic recd your fi point, abo troo in thtellence ommunity, i age withou. i served invarious embassies arou with the military, particularly the army. the qualifications of our armed forces today is nothing short of spectacular. i aggee with you on that, absent thee. i agree with yyu on the quality of our intelligent and our intelligence capabilittes.

all oo the different forms of intelligence, we have a positively dedicated and brilliant work force. host: what kind of academic background makes a good intelligence officer? guest: language and area expertise, knowing things about different countries a few are studyyng geopolitics. various types of technical intelligence are important if you are doing nuclear non- proliferation briefer something like that. you need to have technical competence to be able to make judgments. host: 10 more minutes. president obama in the last week or so nominated james clapper to be the new director of intelligence. hearings may focus on the powers of the office. he writes that president obama and his sttff have an opportunity to rethink the dni's

role. can you think of what issues they should be rethinking? guest: there are a couple. one is budgetary authority. each of the indiiidual agencies prepared their own budgets. i think perhaps the dni could have a stronger hand in that. the power to hire and fire. the heads of the different intelligence agencies, which i would also say would strengthen the dni. i would not go so far as to make thissa cabinet department. intelligencc is a support function. it is not the function of a freestanding cabinet, if you will. the last thing that i would urgg the powers to -- the cars that be to consider miggt be to make the director of nationall intelligence a position thattis

a fixed term in duration, like 10 years, just like the director of the fbi is a 10 year appointment. that would elevate the position out of politics. one of the things that has disturbed me in recent years is how intelligence has become a political foothold in this town. host: he said you would like to see dni have the power to hire and fire. with that not expand the problem inherent with the cia? we often read about that. guest: aaron really within the cia. the authority with the cia are i think the president nominates the head of the cia on the recommendation of the dni. generally across the board, greater personnel, greater

budget clintons would be useful. -- budget functions would be useful. host: who would recommend to the president the new head of the cia? guest: he has a personnel group in the white house. host: kentucky on the independent line. caller: i want to know why are there is soomuch negativity and -pcorruption in america. would you believe that we have freedom in america?+ if we do, what is the privilege? guest: iidid not know -- in fact, i do not agree with your proposition. i think this is a very free country. i think the proof of the pudding is the incredible number of people around the world who want to come here to live. host: peter on our democrat

caller: good morning. i have two quick questions. the fiist concernssautonomy and how this agency operates in independence wittout not influence from any pdministration. secondly, i know the agency has a different ways of gathering information. my question is, lately different politicians have been throwing around racial profiling. my question is, how is this effective -- and not effective, but how does this hinder -- what is its role? that is my basic question. thank you. with regards to your first point -- guest: with regards to your

first poont, saying these are under no control, i would submit to that these are wrong. we have a significant system of checks and bblances. when it comes to checks and balances in regards to oversight by the white house and the presidency, of course we have very strong congressional oversight. in fact, literally dozens of committees overseeing intelligence activities. i am afraid i did not get your letter pointed out -- points about racial profiling. the intelligence community is not involved in that committee -- in that acttvity. host: about budget activity, one wrote lee hamilton had been critical about more intelligence reform. he testified that another round of intelligence reform was not

politically or practically feasible for the dni's ability to run. i took that to be a comment aimed at the white house. when the dni decide something about policy, the white house should back them up. they have instead played a mediator between the cia and the odni. did you see any of this? guest: they are referring to the unfortunate public discussion about who would appoint station chiefs in the field. i would have personally of -- preferred to avoid that kind of a public spat the possible. the commentator is right.3 between the cia and the odni occurred, it was taken to the white house. the national security adviser decided in the favor of the cia. that was the worst outcome for

an agency that is a cabinet level organization, the d and nine -- the dni to be overruled. you like to try to avoid that i chose not to make an issue of that when i was a director of national intelligence. i simply in decided that theme -pcia station chiefs to be my3 everyone would be happy host:. drawn from new york, on the republican line. caller: the comment that was just made about israel? host: go ahead. caller: in ay, that the u.n. was biased against israel. on. the fact that dave condemned

israel and the united states shows turn their head the other way. guest: it is a question of balance. the evidence i have is based on a look at the record of the general assembly, sometimes there were 40 or 50 resolution stacked up in a line waiting to take off. there were all condemning israel in one form or another. we were frantically trying to issue some balance. they took into account, for example, that palestinians would carry out terrorist attacks against israel, rocket attacks into is really territory. it is a two way street. there are things happening on the sides. as i said earlier, this kind of debate will go on until there is a real meaningful peace over there. host: mark on our independent line. caller: good morning,+

ambassador, and thank you for your service. i would like to ask a question. in recent years, many of the more classified information has made it into the pages of "the new york times." i would like your opinion on what is the information leaked [inaudible] guest: you are breaking up, but i think i got the gist of your question. why is so much classified information being delayed? it beats me. i think it is absolutely appalliig. i am particularly shocked when i see classified documents, for example, being given to the press. i do not know what we can do about it. iido not know if prosecuting eaks is tte best answer. i think part of this has to do with intelligence officers to have to exercise more discipline

in who they talked to and what for example, some of these people are now writing their memoirs. i have serious questions in my mind whether that really is the right thing to do a host:. germantown, md., on our democratssliie. guest: -- caller: i know we have technology that can analyze things from our space. i am justtwondering why the fact of the matter is that colin powell sold the iraq war on the notion that we would see a mushroom cloud. nine we have the capability of looking at and finding an isotope of any reaction -- any radioactive material, why wass it that no one can up in the

intelligence community and let this be now? guest: your question goes to what was probably the most serious intelligence failure in recent times. i woulddnot say ever, but it was a huge intelligence failure. this whole wmd fiasco and the source, "curveball" that turned out to be a bad source of information. i was with the secretary off state paul when he made that presentatiin. -- i was with secretary of state: powell when he made that presentation. it had been provided to him by the intelligence community ann he sincerely believed it was it turned out not to be the case. it is very unfortunate indeed. host: mike in phoenix arizona. caller: good morning. i have two questions for the

former director of intelligence. during theee times of hardship in this country, most people are cctting back on education which they are cutting back on that. i was wondering why that was one of the first things to go. also, i was wondering why the expectations so high for you to be able to get into the mints -- to get to the military because you did this or that now. the military was the one that would shape up and making it the man. guest: i really do not know too much about the last part, but on your first question you are right about educction. we have budget difficulties and

fiscal difficulties at the moment in our country. we are having to come to grips with that. let me say, both in the military and the intelligence commmnity, education is extremely valuable. is a said earlier in the show, i think the level of education of our military officers these days is extremely high and very, very impressive. certainly to be a good intelligence analyst, you need a good education. host: ambassador negroponte with us for 10 minutes to talk about james clapper, the new announced proposed dni. >> he will be my principal intelligence adviser and the leader of the community. our intelligence community has made great strides since 9/11 added by good intelligence. we have struck major blows against the leadership of canada

and its errorist affiliate's. we have disrupted flights in our country and saved american lives. as we saw in detroit, we need to do better. we need to constantly evolve, adapt, and improve. that is why i ordered a series of reforms to strengthen intelligence earlier this year. that is why i will beelooking to jim to ensure we have the most capable and efficient intelligence community possible. intelligenne must be collected and analyzed quickly. it must be shared and integrated effectively. it must be acted upon decisively. that is what i expect as president. that is what our national security demands. host: the president was focusing on analysis that you had he also talk about reforms he had recommended earlier to congress. how where are you of those? what would they include? guest: i am not aware of the reforms he reeommended.

let me say this about jim clapper. i think he is an excellent choice. he has spent a lifetime in the intelligence community. he is the type of person i am talking about. someone who has had a lifetime of experience working on intelligenceematters. he will bring a lot to the community. host: offthe four, were you the only civilian employee? guest: yes. some said i had no intelligence background. when you are a diplomat, you have a lot of exposure to intelligence and you ollect a lot of your own intelliience. you do a lottof unclassified reporting. in running five embassies, i have also had five station chiefs. host: tulsa, oklahoma. good morning. caller: i was wondering if the u.s. intelligence and national security agencies, or whoever is pnvolved in doing background

checks of politicians running for office, for example the president f the united states, a key position in nationnl security guest: -- national security. host: are they involved in background checks? guest: my understanding in the backgrrund checks would be that it would be the fbi or thee state -- state department's bureau of security. do they chhck other databases when they run background checks? i do not know. i would imagine that they do. the intel agencies themselves i do not believe are involved in directing backgrruud checks except in the case that i was supposed of hee they are betting their own employees, people they are hiring. host: how big is the office of

the director of national intelligence? how many employees? guest: when i was director, about 1500 people. most of which was inherited from the component parts oo the cia that were transferred in. there was the national counterterrorism center. there were couple of intelligence ffices thaa came over, people who did a long term intelligence. host: we get one more call. line. caller: good morning. i think the gentleman that call just before me was trying to get at ouu country having nothing to do with the situation. i happen to believe that thepred he has full rights and was sworn in legally and he is a u.s.

citizen. however, there is the group of people who believe he is not a u.s. citizen and that he has the right to be our preeident. i was calling to find out if, in fact, there is a government agency that vet those running for president and therefore have a right to run eepecially after they have been placed by their party to be the person to finally run for prrsident. host: the now vice-chairman [inaudiile] guest: we advise companies on doing business abroad. we help but market entry strategies, problem solving, and so forth. we are strategic advisory firm.

we advise companies doing business all around the world. host: thank you for being with us the guest: is morning. thank you. >> this afternoon, c-span3 have coverage. minnesota congressman mashal bachman --michelle bachman will get an award. the house cavils in at 2:00 p.m. pe have live coverage on c-span. the senate meets at the same time and will resume debate on extended to certain expire tax breaks and long-term unemployment insurance. live senate coverages on c-span 2. should the federal communications commission regulates the internet? two years with -- two if you is withcathy sloan and theehead of u.s. telecom. that is tonight on c-span2.

>> ryan crocker was our guest on "washington journal." he answers questions about the situatioo now in a number of issues in the middle eass. being with us.or, thank you for you were in washington ast week, and we will start our question here. the teetimony in front of a congressional committee on the role of has a lot in the middle east. what did you tell them? -- the role of hezbollah in the middle east. guest: there is an enormous strength to have developed.

they are clearly on the role with backing from syria and iran. they are a threat to vital u.s. interests. the other point i made was hezbollah is not just a proxy for foreign governments in damascus and tehran. they are a uniquely lebanese entity. as such, it makes sense for us to engage them. we do not wishhto compromise with them or cut deals, but we need to engage them. you do not affect your adversary if you do not talk to them. i learned that in iraqq you need to be in the game, engaged, and that is the way you mess with the minds of people i wwuld like to get on with that with hezbollah. host: two years out of the bush3 concerns of the hezbollah have gotten worse or better since he left?

guest: since then, by all accounts, they have rearmed, restocked, and perhaps our her an even more formidable partner than they were then. -phost: ryan crocker is with us for your calls. the topic is iraq, iran, and afghanistan. the numbers are on yyur screen. we will get to calls in a moment. ambassador, you served as an ambassador to iraq. this morning, headlines are on more in certain terrorist attacks in baghdad coordinated

that have killed cousins. we asked john negroponte how he viewed this earlier. what is your view? guest: there are twoobig stories. one ii the terrorist attacks. the other is the convening of the iraqi parliament today to begin the process of governnent formation. it is a yen and yenn-- it is a yin and yang. there is silence at the same time they get on with, shall we say, their unique political process. these bombings have been part of the landscape for quite some time. they are evil. i do not think they will effect the politicaa process. i think the iraqis wwll get on with business in their own unique way. host: how you look at the

ramping up of the efforts in the can a heart region? what are your views? -- in the kandahar region? guest: we are very much eegaged in irrq. the vice president has made numerous trips out there. iraqi leaders are regularry in washington. i think there is no question that the administration is being a very serious about iraq. there is a long way to go. and i think a lot more engagement going forward. we negotiated an agreement with the iraqis before i left in the end of 2008 that calls for all u.s. forces by 2011. that step of being down 50,000 bb the end of august was not part of the agreement. that was a unilateral step by this administration. i think it will be workable,

but given the continued pnstability, the continued threats that we saw even again today that this will be have to be very carefully calibrated in iraq. in afghanistan, i ould call this the afghan surge. i think it is absolutely essential as a step, necessary but not neccssarily sufficient. we will see how it plays out. it is clear to me watching afghanistan as i have for years, until we have a dynamic in afghanistan similar to the+ surge in iraq that we will not change the course of the events. i think the afghan surge is a crucial. it is taking time and we'll take more time in both afghanistan in iraq -- afghanistan and iraq. it calls for pattence on both

the administration and, fundamentally, on the part of the american people. host: karzai gave the go-ahead. and bad governnent as much as insurgents. reports of the weekend indicate , ambassador croccer, that the afghan security forces may be giving more aid to the caliban that was previously made known -- aid to the taliban than was previously made known. guest: i was ambassador for 2004-2007. it was something we wrestled with them. we, and they come are still wrestling with this today. there's the question that pakistan developed deep ties with the taliban beginning in

the 1990'ssand carrying non past 9/11. as the pakistanis say, are we hedging our bets? you say we bet. when the americans engaged with us during the anti-soviet jihaddist in the 1980's cumming you back out. -- 1980's, you backed out. we will not be left alone with more enemies than we can deal with. it is an ambivalent relatiooship. at the same time, we see the town of an increasingly attacked the pakistan government, civilians, and state structures. they have, in effect, declared war on the pakistannany state. we are seeing pakistan respond with a more robust effort against the town of van --

against taliban. host: ryan crocker mansion he was ambassador to pakistan, syria, kuwait, and 119. -- and lebanon. tecumseh, mich. caller: dimension of the threat of hezbollah. i am not sure the term you used. -pmaybe you could epeat the tem dealing with hezbollah. i know the countrr of lebanon has been financially in better shape than allost anywhere. i am wondering what exactly been you are saying that the u.s. -- house at the u.s. should be engaging with hezbollah since

our relationship with lebanon, i would think, would be a friendly one. what are you saying we should, and how, should we be relating to has a lot in engagement? are you talking about george bush policy which is a non engagement? or are you talking about the downs?atic set down -- sit%- guest: great question because it gives me a chance to expand. i think we need to do a number of things. indeed, we are doing these things.. first, we need to have, as you ssggest,,a strong and effective relationship with the lebanese government and with their armed forces. they are a serious institution in that country. armed forces over time.

we now are engaged with them and need to continue to do so to give them training and appropriate equipment to strengthen them to one day of the substitute for or ann tt do -- or an antidote to hezbollah. in terms of engaging hezbollah, we talked to virtually everyone in lebanon except them. we are beginning our own hand by not talling to them. we do not know very much about them because we do not deal with them directly. we do not know where their differences and divisions are. i am sure there are there. by talking, we would learn a lot more in might see advantages that currently we were blind to. this is not tte bush policy or

an obama policy. policy.been a consistent u.s.%- we do not talk to terrorist organizations and groups. when i was in iraq, we went beyond that. we talked to anyone who would talk to us. we did not worry about labels. that ability to engage and what we learned through the engagement, the influence we were able to bring as a result help in winding down the iraqi insurgency. i would like to see as the are created not just -- i would like to see us be more creative. host: you are ok with the idea of just talking with thee taliban? guest: i am very much ok with it. it does not mean we are making concessions or conferring recognition or anything else anymore than it did when we spoke to insurgents in iraq.

you cannot really affect your adversaries thinking and you cannot build up your own knowledge base about your adversaries if you are existing in total isolation. host: there is a story in "the pashington post" about real integrating the detainees. he once considered redeemable are sent back home. do you think that is a good idea? guest: absolutely. we need to be creative, adaptable, and agile in these complex battle situations. again, the individuals who are coordinating our military efforts in afghanistan, general mcchrystal for exammle, has been at this for a long, long time with great success and only in afghanistan but also in iraq. i former battle buddy, general

petraeus, who was with me for 1.5 years has now overseeing the effort. we bring a lot of knowledge, experience, and creativity. host: republican caller from illinoos. caller: i have to tell you, i do not take issue with anything your guest has said. however, with all of the noise in the atmosphere as far as the media, gentlemen like your guest artists -- are absent from these "round ttbles." it sounds as if [unintelligible] we have a president, if he even attempts to perform along these linns, he is it called a cobbler -pof the terrorists -- coddler f

terrorists or a seeret muslim.+ my partyy we do not have a chance. this gentleman who brought the nuclear weapon to pakistan, i mean, from this point forward our house is on fire. we have to start. we have to start trying to figuue out thh relatiinship between pakistan, india, iran. this is a tough neighborhood. host: he called it -- he is

palling this a tough neighborhood, ambassador. guest: it is a tough neighborhood. it can be a tough neighborhood right here at home. i would llke to comment onnthe first part of his remarks. i cannot agree more. against real enemies in these tough neighborhoods offthe world. back here the level of extreme partisanship, i think, has gone to the point of really being damaging to the larger endeavor out there. bumper stickers. i have been prrud to serve as ambassador both under democratic and republican administrations. there is a remarkable continuity among them on issues of national threat and strategy. you know, our adversaries are often fairly well united out

there. we do ourselves a no service by going after each other back here at home. politics of identity. there is my little lecture. now i will talk about the tough neighborhood beyond ourrborders. host: the think the political atmosphere back, make itt difficult for people like yourself who are career foreign service officers and an ambassador, does it make it tougher to be ambassador or foreign service officer knowing the source of politics going on here stateside? gueet: if you are a foreign service officer for an ambassador abroad, you need to stay in your lane and dd what you were sent out to do which i+ to make assessments and recommendations, carry out policies, and gauge -- engage the people in your country of

the simon. when you do not do is get caught pp in the political world back home. i tried to avoid that during mine in a tumultuous year -- i tried to avoid that during my tumultuous years as ambassador tt iraq. it mmkes life more complicated. host: cincinnati on our democrat's lyle caller:. can you hear me? i want to ask you about a shiite innbosra. he wasnt an ayatollah. he went to an ayatolla school. host: who are you talking about? caller: he was in bosnia --

bosra. guest: i think he is talking about the head offthe sadr trend in central iraq. he is the son of a very distinguished and revered grand ayatollah who was assassinated by saadam hussein in 1999. they have been in iran studying theology since the beginning in 2007. he sort of has taken himself out of the political discourse in iraq. the zero -- in my own view, the longer he is in iran, the more distant and less influential he becomes. iraq is a proud arab state.

iraqi arabs, rather sunni or shiite, have a very little affinity towards iran and they fought in a better ground war from 1980 to 1988. the longer that he is in iran, the less political influence he has in iraq. host: from long island, michaal, on our independent line. caller: my quustton for ambassador crocker, it is about your work in paaistan when you were under george bush. at the timm, we needed a sharp government crackdown on the taliban. i am curious, whaa has been the town of dialogue with governments that rose to power, you could say, and in general is

our relation with pakistan aimed solely at fighting terrorism or are we trying to open the door to broader discussions on hypocrisy, nuccear non- proliferation, etc. democratic reform and the things we want to see in the region. guest: great question. i believe wwen i was there and i believe today that the relationship does have to be a+ broad one. ittcannot only be about fighting terror. it has to be about economics, social, educational development, the improvemmnts of good governance, the extension of the rule of law, everything that pakistan needs to stabilize as a secure democracy. that will take a long term u.s. commitment that, once again, will have to transcend we started on his under the bush administration with significant assistance packages

that were by no means limited just to military and security. we now have the legislation which provides forms $7.5 billion over five years, again across the board, for education, as a secuuity assistance. pakistan has a lot of problems that have been developed over a lot of years. they will not be fixed overnight. we need to establish ourselves as a consistent strategic partner over the long run. we then need to just stay with it. we see a ot of continuity between administrations here. i applaud that and we need to carry it forward. host: from connecticut on ourr republican line. caller: can you hear me? host: go ahead. caller: in the height of the

iraqi ar, there were billions of billions sent to iraq. bush appointed the north star consulting group based out of the bahamas to track this money. some of the money went to the right place but the majority went to ppaces they cannot even account for. yoo see contractors with $2 million stacked in front of them. thank you. guest: again, an important question because it it goes bac+ to accountability and how our ressurces are used and how we+ are sure that are used in the right way. one of the innovations in iraq was the reaaion offthe special inspector general for iraqi3 have an acronym. that has been head up by stuart bowen.

in afghanistan, the special inspector general for afghan reconstruction. i think the model is the right one. i worked very closely with stu in iraq. we learnnhow to fix a lot of things. i think, again, drawwng from that experience in iraq and applying it to afghanistan in developing the structures for monitoring, inspection, investigation, and oversight are what we need. host: good morning to a democratic calling caller:. -- democratic caller. caller: in the lead up to the war ran george bush waa saying things about weapons of mass destruction, in the news every night ii showed people from the iraqi government trying to give the documents that show they had destroyed the weapons of maas

destruction to the united states representatives. i did not seem to make a difference. did you have any input at that point to try and get the message through to the version ministration -- to the bush administration that they had destroyed the weapons? my second question is, what do think the chances are of an israeli strike against the iraniannnuclear facilities within the next six or eight months? guest: thank you. on the first, i was back in washington in the run-up to the war. i was not directly involved as a dippomat in the intelligence field. i did see the october 2002 pational ntelligence estimmte that concluded that saddam hussein did have weapons of mass destruction like a lot of

others involved in government at the time. i had no reason to questioo the intelligence. the intelligence was wrong. there were not many voices at phe time being raised that said and there were no weapons of mass attraction. we made changes in the house intelligence is put together and evaluated that will ssrve as well in the future. the community just got that one wrong. great question on iran. of all of the challenges we face in the coming years, iraq, afghanistan, pakistan, perhapp onn of the greatest may be the prospect of a new clearly -- a nuclear armed iran. there are several ways to deal with this. severrl of them begin with an "a" -- accept or attack. i think neitherrof those are

good for us or israel. i think we need to do exactly what we have been doing, first under the bush and administration,,and now with the obama administration making this an international problem and to read and not a threat or problem just to the u.s. and israel to engage the international community, to engage the security council as we have just done with the latest sanctions resolution, do everything we can to impede their efforts to develop a nuclear weaponn to slow them down, buying time. we need to keep the rest of the world with us. it will be very hard. post: 15 minutes left with our guest, ryan crocker, the former ambassador to iraq, afghanistan, and a nnmber of other countries. he is now the head of the george bush school in taxes and university texas a&m university.

caller: the main problem in the war is -- host: arlington, virginia. go ahead. caller: i am a polish american. poland is going to pull out all the troops from afghanistan.+ the main reason is the wrong u.s. policy in how o manage the ccuntry. we need to change the policy instead of just promoting the war in afghanistan to help the country. we need to help them build the infrastructure. they think instead of spending so much money on the military industry complex that we need to build roads, bridges, many other things.

we need to read the hearts and souls of the afghan people instead of just spending so much money doing business in afghanistan. guest: thank you for the question. i have to say that poland has been a tremendous ally both in iraq and afghanistan. i served with polish forces in iraq. their commitment, courage, and achievements for a great credit to poland and to our bilateral relationship. pursuing a complex, multifaceted policy that is focused, again, not just on security and military operations but also trying to help afghanistan build a viable, sustainable

infrastructuue. this is not new. when i was in afghanistan to reopen the end -- to reopen the embassy in 2002, i made thh case that in addition to our traditional assistance programs in areas like agriculture and education that we needed to make a difference in infrastructure. the devastation was so total agriculture, for example, would not accounttfor much if farmers could not get produce to market. that led to american projects such as our involvement in the kandahar-kabul highway. we cannot do it all. i am pleased to see efforts underway to try to coordinate international assistance for afghanistan across the board. this is going to require a huge he was exactly right in his

questioo. we are ot going to prevail. the afghan government will not prevail. ultimately just by military means they will not prevail. afghans need to see that their lives are getting better and more importannly that the prospects for their children's lives are getting better by supporting the current afghan a government and its international backers led by the unitee states than the alternative which is letting the country revert back more -- back to the taliban. host: georgia, good morning. riverside, georgia, go ahead. go ahead. caller: thank you for taking my call. can you hear me? host: yes. caller: we talk about democratic elections.

they were all about taking the people's money. we were given nuclear weapons to pakistan, india, and israel. yet we went to holl around to another high - we want to hold a run to another high to have peaceful nuclear -- and we have nuclear weapons here. we are supposedly downloading them with russia. we let israel dictate what is going on in the region. israel is supposed to be our yet israel is dictating everything that is going on. i would say, and i hope that the

that we leave the region alone and let them recount their own problees of that we can take care of our problems here at we have soldiers all over the world. we have them in germany, japan. let them come home. let them take care of their own -- a host: host: you want to wrap up militarily and diplomatically. caller: diplomatically but not militarily. guest: any thoughts -- host: any thoughts on her comments? guest: we have seen what has happened when we disengage from these arts of the world. we disengage from afghanistan and pakistan, for example,,after the soviets pulled out in 1989. incidently on the way out the door in 1190, we put sanctions on pakistan because of their

nuclear weapons program.3 say we supported them or give nuclear weapons to india or pakistan. we did not. we tried to prevent their acquisition of those weapons. we disengaged.+ we disengaged in military terms. we did not completely disengage diplomatically, but we were no longer much of a force. what happened? that was the road to 9/11. the afghan civil war winter dishes years in the early 1990's -- went through a vicious years in the early 1990's. the taliban was victorious. we figured since our strategic competitor, the soviet union, had been defeated in

afghanistan that our work there was done.. we saw the world through purely bipolar terms. we knew it would be messy in afghanistan, but we thought we would let them sort it out, fight it out anyway wanted to. we would not be engaged. it was a, if you will, in failure of engagement on our part based on a failure of the imagination. we will not have the excuse this time around. if we decide we want to disengage now militarily, we know how that movie goes. i, for one, do not want to see that. host: a few quick calls. john on our independent line. caller: hello, ambassador. i am so infuriated over what is going on with our country and tt see our troops supporting drug

dealers in afghanistan. who is shipping them the opium out? what are we doing there? israel started tomas s --tarted hamas. host: virginia on our republican line. caller: first of all, i love george bush. i hate all the criticism of him. i hope the school is doing well. i hope the library in dallas is doing well.+ i hope he is happy there. to the issues, let me see. first of all, he had surveillance. our country was safe when he put in the surveillance with wiretapping and so fortt which has gotten so much criticism.

and they were able to do their damage. by the same token, i wish thaa georgia had jumped right in iraq right from the beginning. everydayythey waited and allow for all these people to investigate and do all of this stuff, do it, do it, do it. i knew therr were nuclear weapons there. i think most people feel of their work. just because they have not found them does not mean they were not there. host: ryan crocker, any response? guest: just to clarify on the front end of that, the bush -pschool here at texas is named after george h. w. bush, the 41st president, and his library is here. -pthee43rd president is

establishing his library up in dallas. two separate presidents, two different schools, two different libraries. host: ivan, good morning. caller: george "papa" bush started this madness by invading and bombing the middle east and by staging our american troops in saudi arabia which is mecca. that is where we went wrong.+ ronald reagan created saddam hussein and gave him tens of billions of dollars in military aid. papa bush staated to take him out. that is what started allocated and the jihaddist movement. that is what got us where we are. the fact you can casually sit there and defend your ridiculous behavior, we have strengthened

iran and have lmost destroyed america in the process with these ridiculous illegal foreign wars that are against what this country was founded on. we have no business interfering. we are using israel as our hezbollah over all these years. host: you have made your point. >> we leave this "washington journal" to return to the house. they consider three resolutions today to change the implementation date of new rules for gift cards. live coveragg now on c-span. offed be chapla chin coughn:tnal d, ever presento th lea in our midst, increaseu awareness that yoare th as nation today we cbrate america's unity anpurpose, syol by the fagofhe uni st of america.

thugh all ourwars, international mundersanction an nal disasers erhe dust a dstction rej en we s th flave i noe ue a recovery tfl day, we take pride aser women men tary serce campndaroundhe wor.r in tize salute andchildren plge with the ar in clasooms or any citizenith hand over hrt isod b a pa ohis flag rosshis landhis ye, lord, increase ilint patrtism aest de asou keep at fear,

cynicism, and ck of vtue. th sonvoice let ameri pledgeself anew rough a oneness at ds a spirit brg lio all and peac bothw ad ever w pray. amen. the spker prteore: t chair haamined the jrnal heasproceedings d announces to theou his approv thereof. e urnal stan approle 1, the pledge allegiance will l by thgentleman from ala, consmobby bright. mr bght: idge allean tohe flag of t united atf america d to the republic for which it an, onnation under god, indivible, wh libey d justicfor l.

spo tempore: t chair ys bore the house a communication. e clerk:he horable the reprentaves. permissionraed in clau 2-h of rule of e rulf the s. house o reestatise clerk receivedhe fo fromheecrey of the nate on june 210 10:19.m. at the sene ssed withn amendment h. 33. appointmts, unitedtas commissi on intnational regis freedom. with bt wies i am signed, sincerely,rainc. erk of these. the ker o temp purs tclause 4f rule 1, thelling enrolledil w ed bhe speker on fray, je 11, 2010. the erk: se47o

1990 tthore adnces fom spill liabilittrus fun for the deepwater hizonil ill. the eaker pro tempor the chair willntertainues gentlemafr tise?e mrpoe:eest peon t ess the house for e nute. theaker o teor wit obction. po mpeer, israel elie innd secures its rder from yone els trying to iegaly sneak in israelor any rpe. go into th terrorist-run ar of gazithoutfirst being searched f ctraband. hover, in light of r unsuccessful attpt of six ships toun the israe a appt empt lled play gat the palestinians, e white house is giving the isradvice boder security. don' stough seems to be e message.

if iael followeri's border security would crpled by trris attacks. borderecurity plan, hey wod beve by rock-ting illegals d and easebord violee. anyw, 's none f our and who ar we tove advi? amera needto be re concerabout ouwn distroder ecuritan givingnyonelad advi about their bo security. that'sust the way its. theaker prteore:he ntleman's time has eired. for whatpose doe the gentlen from california witht obctio speaker. v much, mr. mr. lungren: we are setti new records here this congress anin thi governt. we areow aroachi ife han't alrey leapedovert

the $rillionar for e nationalebt. $1 trilli it doesn't just kin of tp off youre. 's huge number. it a nuerhat is difficul to contemplate. d yet we sit he worg very diligeny on susnsion calendar billsoingally nothingut the nional debt exceptdding tot da after daafr day. you were have aousehold inco and youere tyi to derminat to with your hfir smso t thing would iyouwoul you would adt buet to try fige out your income, you penses, how mu du' gog to h we have been ot even i we n going to start wh at ts ye. wereoing toget abot even cominup wth a budet. gues bause war so baassed out e nus th wou b in there. let'at l adopt a udg and then keep

it. thkeo temp f wh pur does thgentlen omexas ris >> unimoon taddrs e e for one minu the eaker pro tempore: without jection. mr. smh: mr. sker, it prent am12 days t vit the gulf coastil spi. ctrt,ed visited new ans juour days afr hrane katrin t thnationaldi harshly critized his resnses being to. for re tan a moh ebam adminiraon sd that p. was responble for stopping the oi nally due presidt's first news conference in 10 nths, he said, quot ie reonsibility. it is my job to mak sure that everything is done t shut , end quote. moow t presidentinay will ass th counto discuss e oisp th national media sulled hold th obamadministration to th same standd theydid the bush

adminion. byas. ess ows aartisan -- bias the speakeprmpor rsuant to clause 8 ofule 20e chair postpone further procdingtoy on moonto snd the rul ich a recorded ve or yeas and neorde or on which th ve incurs objection ur clause 6 o le 2 recorded votes on postd questions wille tn after --pm. tda. today. what purposeoes the gentleman from alabama s gnitio bright: move to suend thrules anpasshe reluon h.res. . the pro teore: clwilleport the title of e resolution the clerk: hoe reluon 13, luon supporting the goalof naonaldairy month.

theaker pro temp pursuant to the rule, the bright, the gentleman om tes,r.eugebar, ch ll contr 20 minut. gentlen fromlaes t unanimous consent at all mbs y ve five legislate days to revi and extend their rks on e resoluon, h. resutn the speaker pro tempore: without jectio mr. brig: mr. ker, i yield lf such me amay ume. the speaker o mpore: the ntlen is recognized. eaker.e roluti we ar considering y pports t goals of naonal donth, regnizes the importance of ouda idustry, an commends dai thr continueha work. our 's 57 dryfarms provide healy,utritious milknd dairyroducts t falies across the untry. productsroduced bour nation'sairy far provide

the nunts neary suppor thy lfestylen sure our children grhildn growal and stro pres 1789 bilion pods of anally and contributes tens of billions llar our econ the houseagriculturemittee has recely helearingsacrosshe c memberhavead e opportuny to hear om o nati'sai procers. i ke tomany in ou nion, dafaerr fci diffult s. pructionosts rn hig buretails are l. dcrit farrs need to st in biult toind. as weegan pocessf ing a w farm b, i hopeful that we n with ou nation daifarmers to develop new pocs that will provide a btter safety n th wl enreey can continueo meet orairy needs and lp a - play

tarole in nation's economy. mr. eaker, i urge passage o thisesotionod suppthe go of national day month an i servthe lae ofy time e speakepro ore: the lemareserves thealance ofis time. he gentmafrom tas chair recognizes. y, mr. bauer: thank speaker. i rise in supptf.res. 1368supporting the goals of thtional dry month and i yield myselfuch i y conse. gentman isnize the mrnge mr. eaker, for re 70 yearse have celebred the mth os tional dairy mth toy pticulay important to rog theorts of hardrking men and men in the d the 19th conional district is onef the fastest growg day gions the tion, but mny dry west texas a t country e concerned about es andhe ring prodtiosts making it ffult r theioperio to svive. dairy produs lik mk chse, ice eam ctain essential nuient iluding lciu potassiu they reduce e ri for high

pressure, and certain cancers. 's apportunity to liveogether with frids a ynd celebte a indust that provides nutritional valu our lives and is an important part of local cmunities i wanto ke a ment to acowledge the efforts that are underway withhe ntional lk producers federatio. are workingo dvep licies to redres th current crisis that sffed the profty of nearly ery day fa in the country. remmendation, i apprecie innovative approh ey are taking. however despite thesrts it's likely whatever we to fix the d policy will be offset as a lt licies avoted by t adnistration andhe democratic ldership in congre whether we are tkiabout cap an tax bill or going wh relary poposals beg advanc at the e.p.a. and other ra agencies, the est se to be anlimit on e cost t administration i wiing tompose o bi busi or sml siness

ale. we nd empo buses large and smal catobs and have long-terofitab stead of rdening them wi new regulationan event our long-term bune anning. as we celeate th accomplishments of the american dairy indust this month, peful my colleues will agree that ide tai long-terprofitablity of this and any ot agricultal n to pristeps be take rb the e by this adnistraon and the deatic leadehithat threen our indu a onomy d rosperit. urge my coeaes to suppt thisution d reserve e balance time the eaker pro mpe: the his time.rerves thealance the gentleman from alaba. mr. brigh mr. seaker, do t haveny oher speakrs i would inquire as to my colleaife has anyother mr. neug: i yieldack my ti. the speaker pro temporhe geleman yids back the lancof his tim mr. bright: mr. ear, i ielback thealance omy the eaker prtee: the gentleman yields bk the bance of his time. the qution is, wi the ho

suspend e rules andage to house resotion 168. aye.any as are in favo those no. in the opinion oe chair, 2/3 of those voting having reonded in the affirmati, thrus arsuspende the resolution iagedto witht objection the o reconsiders laidpon e table. mr.rht: i de yeas and the spear pro mpore: t yeas andaye eested. all the favor ofaki by the y anday will rise andma stand uncounte a fficieumbehaving arenthe yend nare orred. thair's priorof rule 2 anment, further preengs this motion w be postpon. for wh purpose does the gentleman from alama seek cognition? mr. bright mr. speer, move to spendhe rulnd the resolution, h.s. 1383.

speaker prtempore: clerk will reporthe title the resotion. the clerseesolutio larry n hi retime as naonal f.-- f.f visor. --ir. punt to the rule, the gentlen fr alaba, mr. ht, andhe len from tes, m neugebauer wll each ctrol 20 minutes. e chair rognizesthe ntlen frlabama. . mrright: mr. spe, than yo i unanimousonsenthat all mbs may ve five legislave days revise d tend their remksonhe solution, h.res. approxite 13. e speakero temre: without jection. mr.right:.res1383. the speaker p tempore: ithout objon. . brht: i yid myself tie as iay conme. thsppro tempore: the ntlemaisecognized. mr. bright: the resoon before usecognizes the outstanding servicof dr. lay ca was served as th nional f.f.a advor for

the pt 26. since 28, e national f.f.a. ganizion, whi w known the fure ers of america, unt 18, has provided leadership, career depment and agriculture edcationrograms to y amerans. under dr. case's leadership, the orzn haevolved to nue meeting die toughral ucion. ricans roughout his care, dr. case has distinguished himself as visiory. as the organizati nowlaim mo than 0,0 membs, dr. case has led f.a. a it leers who will gde our country by the f.a.ott and at moteinglearning to d doi to learag to and livinto serve. cgratulate dr. case on casion his retirement. thank him for h service, d wwish him and his fam w phasin his life.nrs his

mr. speaker, i ue passe of is resoliono honor dr. rry case upon his tireme as nationala.sor. i reserve the lancof my e ker tempore: the geneman reserves. the hair recnith gentleman from tes. mr. auer: thank u,r. i yield mysf sue the speaker pro tempore: t gentleman icoed. eugebauer: mr. saker, rise in support house resolution 138 hing th coributions and the retirement of onal ff. advor, drlarry se. this a t of yea wherwe see.f.a. mes in ou natiocapil wein the mbic golanblue jacks. these st are t future ofmerican ricultur we are grateful to dr. case weas the statendal f.f.a. advirs aoss the uny forducating these studentsn the lilong skills arilte. with moha5,000 members,

the national f.f.a organization ion the largest youth ganizatis in the w. for 26earsdr. case'sed as tationa a the nional f. gazationission's state is maka potive diff in the ves of st by developing t leadership, personal growth career suess thug agriltural education s ringisenure, dr. case' d the ganization's tremens memberip groh, promoting the imporance of agriculture education and ina ighter furr agriculture. dr. cass involvement th member in misi.s a he ler chose purs h agcuure degree he uniitof missouri. in 19 h hisarr agricultu edution structor. since ttime he has taught mous students valble leadersskills while lening about e portan of the.s. agricuure industry. we appreciate drcase's tireless dedicationservic

anleadershipanweh hi wen hiretiment i jary. mreaker, i urgmy coeagu to jo me in supptingou resolution 1383, d with that i yield ba thspeakepro tempor the gentleman elds back. the chair recognizes the ntleman from abam mr. brightchairman, i eld back theaindermy time a alsoncourage my lleagues to supporh.res. the speaker pro teor t gentlen yi bk. the questn is wthe house suspend the rules agree to houseesoln 1383. se in favor y aye. those opposed, no. he opinion of e chai 2/3 having sponded inhe rmative, the resre spend d thresotion is aged and whout object the motion to recoer is laidn th table. mr. right: mr.ha i dend theeas and ys. e saker pro tem: the ye a nays e requested. all the in fav oki this votey e ys na

willise and remain sndin uiloued. a ufficient number hing arisen, the yeas a nays are de pursut tolause 8 of rul20 and the chais prior uncement, furtr prceedgs ois mion be postponed.

e spear pro tempor f wh purpose does the gelema om texas ekecognition? mr. tiz: mr.peaker, i move thahouse suene rules and agreeo the resolutio houseesolution 09. e ear pro mpe: the clerk wilreport the tle of e lution. the cle: e resotion 09, sotionxpressing support foresnation of ju 20, 2010, as american eagle day, and celebrating the

recove andrestoration the ld eagthtional sym of the united stat. the speaker propore: pursut to the rul t gentleman from texa mr. nojosa,nd the genman will ctro20inut.roe, each the chairecognes e ntlemafrom texas. mr. hinojosa: mr. ker, k unanimo csehat all rs mayave five legislation and to se e the speakepro tempore: n witht objeion. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i yield mysf such time as i may coe. eakeprorhe gentlem is recoized. resolutio09, pressing support forhe designation of june0, 2010, as

agle day, and celeating t reovery and restoratioof the baldagle, the natl symb of thenited states. thamerican bald eaglhas beenpart ofmericanltur for hundreds o ye in congress establied the bald was thofficial emblem of the united statesecausef itsniess to north rica. it can be seen othe unit states seal,n bl budings,schools and ev heren thehousehamber. over the years, the baldeagle has become a lving symbo of the unitedtaspirit, eedom and coinpuuit of excelnce. mr. speer, the ld eagle wa onhe endangered specis li a ttleore than 45 years ago with only 40nesting in t

wle unid stes. tghonservation, etion and careful plan, th amerin bal red. aa result, the dentf thinterioras takenhe bald eaglofbo the endangered and threatened species list. nationamb and its a recovery has bn naonal success story. house reti 1409 will n on hor w thriving eribald ele, wl also encrage st ofhe unit states minald ele commetiven program, which en a sceor i want ackwledgeall that congressman vid tennessee and his staave done to bring attentn the arin baldagle ammend

congressman roe for iing . speake the amen bald eagle isindeedn arican in. askhat my colleagues jo me isuortingse solutio09. . spr, i reserve the alancef mye. the speak proempoe gentleman reserves. the chair regnizhe gelemafrom tennessee. m roe: thank you,r. speaker. i yield lf such time ai mayonme. the speaker pro tempore: the gentman is recognized. mr. roe: thank you,r. speaker. i rise in support of h.r desiing ne 20,0, as amican eagleay, and celebring eecery a stioof our natn' sythe ld eagle. thfouing faths the seco continentacongress digted thba eagle as our tional embm ju 20, 12,nd i ima has playe a signi and the cture of the edtates

everce hor,heirs surviv was iquestionith on approximate 117ng pairs remaining in theontinental unted stes i the department of interi hd them listed as an enngered specs. ousymbf freedohabeen successful. the latt numb eates ,000 70,00 baldags neing in alka ththreated species list is ri. recovery, i nt to ta the ti celebratthe national it calls for e prottion and e foundatio haid arly milli,he sl of mmorative coins throh e u.s. treary and shoue ommeed theirontinued succes mr. speaker, imber as yoboand youngster growg up itesei never saw baldagle.

visit and see ldagles and ally eilarg to be n a la or be outiking in woods and forest and s thismagnicent animal. i recall a i took se ars o fiing in alaskan okedp i coed 12 eagles, much bter fma th was it's terriathese fol have done maintain thiwonder i thk the gentleman from texas f your kind. i wi reserve thealance o my time. thepe p tporethe gentman reserve the chr recognizes the getlem fm texas. mr. hinoja: mr. saker, would ask mr. roe ife has other speakers d iuld be ad to yield him. mrroe: i he no further spkersnd iield back the balance of my time. e speaker pro mpore: the geleyiel bk. hae no furer rues for time and yield back the nce of mte.

the eaker prore: the gentleman yieldsack. thstion is wthe house uspe the rulnd agreeo housretion 14 those in favor s aye. thseppos the opinion of thehair, 2/3 havi resed in th firmat the rules spende-- mr. hinojosa: mr. eaker. the r prtempore: the g from texas. . hinosa: i ask thathe yeas and nays be taken on this vote -- on this spension bill. the sakerro tporethe yeas ad na are rueed. althosavor of tang this vote by theeaand nays wilrisend remn standing until counted. ffientber having arisen, theeas and nays are dered. puuto clause 8 of rule and e chais prior announcent, fther proceedthis motion will ptponed. fhat purpe does th

tleman from xas ek hinojosr. speaker, i movehat e hoe spend the rules and thel h.r. 55 spkeprtempore:he clerkl rert the tle of bill. the er h.r. 55, a to amehe effecti date of the ftard provisions oe credit caccotability esponsibitand disclosure t of 2009. e eapro tempore: pursuant the re, the gentlemrom xas, mr. a, a tgentlen fromenssee, mr. roach wiontr 20 minutes. the chair recognizes gelemaomexas mr. hinosa: mrspke i ask unanimous consehaall mbers may have five gislative days to visend ex theiremar on this gislaon and to exeous material thereon. e speakepro tempore: without objectio mr. hinojosa: mr. spear, i yid mylfucmes i ma consume.

e speaker pro e: the tleman is cogned. mr. hinojos iise in strong support of h. 550 gislation tt exnds the effectivte of the giard pvions he crecard acof9 to january 31, 2011, 15 nths after enactment othe credard on march20, e federal reservbodssued fal s impmenng thei provisis othe creditcard act o. the rulewhich aropry rect gt card fees and expiration dates off protection for consumer the rule co eeive on aust 2 2010, jt ro the stt the 20 holiy seas. beca the timing of the

efctive dte othe rules, d appoachingoliday season all as th technical sclosure requenet fth i the rdct of 09, miio o ft cds currently in the stream of coerce will be ou complianceith this law's discsu provisions unless we pass ts ll reilwhosen to gift rds wld b signifant theyould lily befaceith empty ft card displays for a piod o or they destyed and reucd and redisplayed. and most iporttl m speake customers would be inconvenienced a distisfi . veral ofs he in coress believthis is contrary to congressional inten pa the credit card act of

09 or when eder ree board id its fil rules. ch ste destction is unnecey light of thetha there an einunlace th the inst wou be with ait sd o inveory. eable trsition period iseeded til through t rdnventorand comply wh t disclosu isions in the fal rule to ser consumers toitiga ce substtialts d incurr by the prepd card dustryndlers, ny of which are sml businesses. exteing the ft card prions by 15 monthsill i wa to take thisppounity

to cmend mycolleagu ngressman n maff new york, as wl asgillian martin on h sta forhori this portant legiatn and ensung that it complie with althe other ruirents in the creditd act of 2009. egistiond with ,t support mr. speaker, iesve the bay ti. the speaker pro mpore: t reserves. e air rniz gentlen fr tennessee, mr. . roe: tnk you, mr. spke yield se such times y consum ear pro tempore:he mr. roe: tha you, mr speaker. r. 52 iscoon chano the card act thatas passedye. this bill wod provia short extensr crtain disure reqrents asciated with g certificatesstorft angeneral use c producedor toril 1, . is importt to know at

ing inhis bill rollsack or chges y of he underlying cd prection the thrust behinh.r. 502s to avoid uncewast th envirot which ul occur if theentaon de r certain scsure ruirements is not shift from august, 2010 until january 21. tht this sensie change, issuers woule to recall hund omillions cards ty ha already prod. it is virtually inmprehensiblend the amoun of waste but to try to waste he amount of change feae ball t this fidswsable cs. insig on an unreasonable plemtaton dat is uncessy. thanthe gentleman om texas for brnghis to t floor. yield t bance of my time.

havingo further speaks. the ker o teor the geleman yi back balance of his time. chair recognizeshe gentfrexas. mr. hinojosa. speaker, hearinth mr. ro does n ve a oth speake, also woullike to yield thbalanc of my time becae i dn'av ti to speak tis iue.ueste thspeakepro mpore: t gentlen yields back the balaof h tim thquestis, the hous spenthe les and passr. 02. so many are ifavor ay in the opion of thchai 2/of those voting ving spdein the affirmative, the mrhinojosa: mr. speaker. thspear prmpor t gentlefrom tex mr. hinojosa: on that isk that the ys and nays b ten on this bill. e speaker pro mpore: the ye and nays areste l ose in vor takng this ve the yeaan nays will rise anrmain sg ticounte icient number having arisenthyeas a nays are and the chair's priorule0

announcement, further be ptponed. himo will punt to claua ofule 1,heha declares the huse in reces until approximely 6:30 p.m. toda

>> live coverage on the c-span >> is ppssed thursday a c-span camera crew was the first to get a tour in louisiana of the command crude which oveesees response effort from the spill site to the les echos on. the next 35 minutes we will hear from top-ranking coastguard and the site.

>> welcome to houma, louisiana to the incident commander in that we call the war room.3 direction and developing strategic plans for operations working from the offshore resource areaa once the fluids arrive at the surface, all the way back to the shorelines, and our efforts to protect the shorelines from impact. this is one out of the three commands designed to work collaborativvly across the gulf

thehouma responsible for all surface operations from the source to the louisiana shorrlines. the second post is located in mobile, alabama and manages mississippi, alabaaa, and a portion of the florida panhandle. there is a third command located in miami locatefocusing on flor. over these three is the area command structure located in robert, louisiana. >> you notice that this is a bp oven. what is it usually used for? >> in a normal environment for operations and is designed to be a turning facility for operators. it is a location in which we train, develop, and expand the skills and capabilities of men and women involved with producing oil and gas. >> i see a lot of coast guard people here, people in civilian dress.

>> under the national incident command system this response has been developed as part of a unified approach. you find in this building as well as in operations that more than 80 differing agencies, companies, individuals who come prom all over the world s experts brought together to facilitate and support the >> can you explain the differen3 >> there are typically four command staffs supporting the overall running of operations. there is the unified incident command, the white best i'm wearing, and my staff, typically our public information and liaison operations, safety operation for the totality of this and legal operations.

the incident command structure are the five differing groups that make up the body of this response effort including planning, logistics, operations, finance, and resourceing. >> tell me what happens in this room. >> you see the convergence of the differing sections and the abilities to work together. planning, which you see in a -pblue vest, workinggto ensure e develop the overarching objectives and priorities necessary to guide and direct operations. if you look a little further down, you translate our planning efforts into what the operation needs to do.

the group in red vests are part of that operation's section, physically leaving and directing what gets done on the water and the shoreline3 the mission is to reduce oil on the water and reducing risk to impact on shorelines. >> thad allen is >> the national inciient commander. >> i am two steps under him. there are a couple of other fellows. there is a state representative for louisiana. the unified command is made of those three principal parties, but also includes representatives from the epa, departmeet of interior, bureau

of land management, mms, and it+ depends in incident command the structure >> > alternately who was paying for all this? >> responsible party, in thiss case bp is financing at this time. >> so, everything happening in this building is financed by bp? >> correct. we have approximately 1000 people working within the incident ommand structure, working 24 hours per day, sev days per week. both the day shift from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and a night shift. the night shift is usually when planning and detailed objective setting is developed to enable the next day's ship to hit the ground running. >> early on you were giving a

talk to all the employees? >> each morning we gather as many who can spare a few moments together to come in. first, we remind our selves of the mission. we break down to four simple tasks. first, keep our people safe. secondly, we looked at how we can maximize the remove oil at the source which is coming to the surface 0 miles offshore. the other, what can we do as it approaches, when it comes passed us at the source, if it does -- how we caa respond at the 10 to 20 mile range at the shore. if it comes past that, what we do at the neer-shore and

shorelines to produce an impact when it occurs. >> what are your days like? >> long, hard, energizing. when you are surrounded y the caliber of people whose sole purpose s to bring all the note and every idea they have, and every idea someone else may have that can be part of the olution to help us improve on a daily basis, it is very energizing. it is very challenging. none of us want to be here for the reason that greeted this incident, and the tragedy that initiated a, but we're all here was a commitment and passion for doing the best job we can as a unified team. this is essentially the war room for our oil spilll

up here is he battleemap. all the people in this room are here for the fight. this shows you where this bill is. all those symbolize our staging areas. everyone in this room you see, everyone is in the fight, ann are supporting the operaaions in the field. we have the world's most renowned experts in your for oil spill fighting that is unprecedented. we have veterans from veteransvaldez, those from overseas and some incidentss there. they're all here to help us -pfight the spill. >> every day is new for us. the oil continues to weaken we take it seriiusly. that is what is unique about this oil spill as opposed to any other we have ever had to fight

in the u.s. every day is a new battle needing new resources, new techniques and innovations, new ways to fight for the cleanup so the people of louisiana can get back to their way of life. this is will we consider the main battlefront headquarters for the response. >> his is where we've developed the objectives and goals to fight. then we also develops strategies. we send that out to all the field commanders. and to the naval and air force commanders out there. then they can carry out the objectives tactically. >> how is the command system working with private companies, the coast guard, bp? >> under the national contingency plan the coast guard is the federal agency. i haveea 51% of the vote so in

the authority here on the ground. and they understand clearly tta+ i have 51% of the vote. my job is to make sure they're moving in the right direction to take care of the oil spill. i worked closely with mike. understand that we are directing this cleanup. >> how do you feel that is working? >> the coast guard has the legal responsibility for the cleanup of the oil spill. bp under the law has the financial responsibility. therefore, we have to join efforts in making sure we execute the cleanup.+ my legal responsibility is to make sure they are proceeding in a way that the oil is being taken care of adequately, and we are trying to exceed that standard by making sure it is done even more than adequately, or to the best of their ability.

they in turn are making sure that financially they are mobilizing resources, contractors, aircraft, boats, vessels, people on the shoreline to make sure we get the cleanup fund. i oversee that and make sure thee aae accomplishing that. >> i havv noticed there are quite a few coast guard personnel and the building. about how many are here in this building? >> between 175 and 200 here. that is something i instituted a couple of fridays ago when i took command.3 coast guard involvement and direction. out in the field all the branch vending operations are all staffed with coast guard people in charge. bp was working directly for them and so are the conttactors proper lunch. we have coast guard people in

all different positions. we have he three operations. an ambush, air operation to do surveillance, find the oil is located. to direct the vessels on the water. we have a naval operation to the coast guard is supervising that. part of the error operations includes a real dissersant. part of the naval also burns. we have shoreline branches and operations who supervise the shoreline cleanup efforts going on. one of my responsibilities is o make sure we involve the local community in this response. that is a big paat of my day. i'm in touch with all the parish presidents to make sure there is a nified effort among all parties.

they're fighting this on their soil. i participated in a town hall meeting and insisted that be involved. tonight i am off, but tomorrow but i have another town all meeting. it is important to meet people, tell them what is going on. i told troops this morning that oil spill, but for someone's way of life, for the fishermen, the people of louisiana. unless you put ttat face on this bill, you don't know what you are fighting for. >> we call this the situation statice map. we have been numerous layers of strategy or defense. this is that the red star, the source. the airlines do not necessarily show you the thickness or whether it is possible to

recover or sttm. there is satellite imagery we the spill is. to find out where we want to eliminate it as close to the spill source as possible. we have thh most capable vessels cllse to the source. it is every vessel available in the gulf. we're now bringing down some from tte atlantic, pacific, and reaching across the ocean. we're bringing new stuff on line every day o put an end to the most black oil near the source. it is the most efficient way. it is fresh, possible to recover. further from the source then we're looking at alternate response technologies such as controlled burning. -pthat has been very successful. since there is a lot of space of their we also have room for

when we gee permission to use those, we use dispersants as well. further in around tte passes+ near grand isle, moving east and smaller skimmers, this isave a%- designed for inshore and near- shore skimming. people out there on small boats, cleaning the beach. numerous techniques or strategies, tactics and getting rid of the oil -- one tries to prevent the oil from getting to the beach in march. we use booms. when it is nice, calm days, itt is very effective. but the weather can mooe the boom all round and it is

difficult to keep the oil from whereewe do not won it. we have a manual recovery. that is an addition to the blooms. this is the projection of -- i am sorry, this is the boom map. this is the latest projection of where we have seen oil. it is not necessarily possible to recover. some of it is sseen. we're trying to predict where the oil is added so we can prevent it from getting onto the beaches. that is the basic strategy. the source control is down in houston. we have source recovery. that includes burning and dispersing. further away wiih the leading edges we have a less capable skimmers.3

tar balls, throwing absorbents out. we have a beach cleaners out there. up the ssnd and washes it. we're using it to clean the beaches. it is more effective han only one guy picking up the tar balls. it is very hot this tiie of year. we're trying not to get anyone hurt. so, our job here is to support those guys out there, mostly by being on the phone all day long, talking to people. someone has a problem, it cannot get something done, our job is person. a way to support the%- >> how yyu feel all this is working?

>> it is a difficult battle. in most oii spills to secure the source. it is like every day fighting and new oil spill. the best people in the world are working on this. out there, things never done before. we are burning lunker -- and exceeding the limits. it is an amazing group of people out there doing it -- we are burning the oil, exceeding the limits. your not necessarily getting credit for successes because we get harped on where we're not doing as well as we would like to. but there is an amazing cast of phousands literally doing 15 hours per day on this problem. >> basically, this is the control boom in there.

we have cameras on board all the -pvessels. we pan in, on what they're doing, real time. we are trying to capture the oil in the boom. there are two fishing vessels twoboom at a slow rate. as the crude oil builds up, we will send an igniter team over. we will like it, back away, and as that gets roaring the curve, oil will begin to burn. then it will start to propagate itself. there are measures they use to get harmony barrels are being burned. we have a small, minimum amount, and a maximum amount. we ry to take tomean aaount.

-- take the meannamong. this will let us know where the darkest oil is coming from, and that is will we try to go after. on this one we are charging for these boats are relative to the main site. >> the center of this is where the incident occurred. >> correct. this is our task force here. anything around here -- where the oil is coming up is where we areecapturing it. these vessels are skimming the oil. to get on the burn. >> these burns are how far offshore? >> it is 60 miles offshore. that is where tte majority of the oil possible to burn it is.

the oil that gets dispersed becauue of weather is hard to burn. it has to be pretty black to happen is that thee may be looking at the smoke. it does produce a lot of smoke. that might be a negative -- air pollution. but as much crude oil as it is burning, it ii done. there's very little residue. if we disperse it, we spread it out, but if we burn it, we get rid of it. it is best if we get it from the source.

>> primarily what happpns, when a field that needs something they send up an order request which goes through all these people in this room. they basically identify it, purchase it coming get back to the field asap. these gentlemen at this table marked "resource" -- is the evaluation team for the alternative response.+ it is designed to look at the suggestions the public has, the government has, and evaluate them as far as whether they contribute to the response. p> ok, this room is the environmental unit. we have a staff here, the

world's foremost experts. we have a representative from noaa, some private industry folks. their job is to look at what3 oil, how we clean up and make sure we're taking care of them are men. i would like to introouce this woman, a veteran from the exxon valdez into them. she has been one oo my mentors. theyywould like to ask you some questions and. >> the captain is too generous. [laughter] >> what would be some comparisons? >> they are a little tricky to compare. there are so many variables. the oil is different, the setting is different comparing

the alaska to louisiana. this is happening in a much different kind of environment. ." . . deco>> what you are trying to ds put this in the larger picture and let people know that even though an oil spill is always a bad thing, there are situations that make it better than it

could be. >> what are you doing? >> we're trying to evaluate different types of dispersants and how much dispersants are being applied anddfactor that into the decision making, as well as the government agencies that have to decide what is the best -- term plan. the dispersants. what do you say about that? >> again, i think it is something that is premature to make jjdgments about. >> this is the shoreline cleanup and assessment team. along the shoreline andcleanup%- evaluating the best strategy to deal with that. and richard can tell you a lott more about that. >> you are in the scat room now.

everyone recognizes that some oil will come ashore, and when it does, we eed to find it, assess it what it means, and then cllan it up. we have teams in tte field right now, on the ground come in what they do is they track and a document where the oil is. the team that is doing thhs is a unified team. we have people from the federal, noaaa and coastguard and other landowners in stake holders. we document the oil. deadly make decisions about what to do. for example, you have marsh

areas around here. we have sandy eaches. all different types of shorelines. for each of the shorelines,+ there are different cleaning techniques to achieve different results. in the difficult thing is to recognize what kind of horeline types e have, what are the sensitivities, and has to clean them. we gather the data and put it into constructions. the final part of it is we have the experts go back out into the field, monitorrng what they do to make sure it is done and is done well and effective. that is how we do it. i can show yoo the arm -- rooms and you can see exactll how it is. all of the boats are out in the field right now. this is a very beginning room at the beginning of the day, the end of the day, and through the night. this ii the quietest planess essentially this is a big

logistics operation. we have about five, six, sometimes 17 out in the air, on boats and in the ground. hithat is almost like the logistics, where is everyone at the moment. and then we have troops on the ground. when we come back from the field, there at this desk.3 have seen. if they have been trained, they can describe in the way that can be replicated consistently so we all understand exactly what it is we're looking at. then they put the stuff together and documentation. they stick it into a large database and every day we come up with things like this. this is a shoreline map.

we show areas of heavy pollution, medium pollution, ann also no oil. we know xactly where the oil is, how much is there, what it consists of, and from that we generate what we're going to do about it. that is essentialll how we generate things. then we work with the guys in and they are out there in the field organizing saying that is what we need to do, how are we going to go about it? one of the things i should say, we have people from noaa and dolorepolaris, so we brought the experts to work alongside bp. plus, the local folks. they are critical in making sure that what we're doing is absolutely the right thing to do.

we do it right, and we do not cause aay otherrdamage. the marshland treatments are the right ones. for example, if theee are archaeological sites that need to e protected, we keep people away from them. those are the source of critical aspects of shoreline assessment in one quick word. across steel >> are you personally with bp? >> i've only worked for bp for three years. my background is crisis management. i am based in the u.k., and i am out of the corporate headquarters crisis. essentially i am one of the smmll teams that determines how they operate. that is based on 20 years of responding tt oil spills in

about 26 countries all over the world. pmerica is just one place i+ worked in. i have been pulled in to make sure the shoreline program is focused and we deliver. >> what is the biggest challenge? >> each week we get a different challenge. if you want to give a summary,+ logistics. it takes hours to get people to heat. there are logistical challenges to get to do your job. i think that is probably one of the key ones. if you're talking about oil on show ouore, it is the marshes. contrary to what the general

public might think, the best way to clean up the marsh is not to go in there and stripping the oil out. the marsh is a very sensitive environment, and you need toobe very careful with that. the biggest challenge is getting people to understand that there is very little of flushing the oil gently. do not mix the oil in the sediment. actually understanding that doing a little bit of effective work is doing -- is much better than doing damaging work. if you contrast that to a sandy beach, you can clean a sandy beach very quickly. the idea of going and getting a quick, holds harm.3 that it is about cceaning up oi+ is not just all. tic o>> this is a lot of people

lookiig at a lot of data. they are analyzing healthhrisks to the crews, responders. any health concerns sste wide. in any sstuation where you have a response and moving people fast you have an element of risk. that is true on the llnd, and you take that out at sea and you have a tenfold risk factor. there isn't a lot of people devoted to looking at the data are operating. making sure everyone is safe and we ontinue during the mission. the crew health and responder help is paramount to conninue to be effective.

>> this is our cafeteria. we'd be between 7005850 people per day three times per day. -- we feed between 750 and 850 peopleeper day three times per day. we offer laundry service. and ou can drop your laundry off 24 hours per day. as long s you get it here before 8:00 on any given day you can pick it up around o'clock. right now we have full-time medicallday services available. you can get a glimpse in there. is there is or been -- if there door is open. it is not. they have people in there riiht now.

their operations come from this offiie over here. 24 hours a day. they are able to deploy it all of their resources. the assets that are necessary. on any given day we get as many as 125 here. this is the commander offices. decode the bp could not -- >> bp commander offices? >> that is correct. ithis is office of the ntire unified command.

a lot coastguard spokesman here. others that have a seat at the command table. [unintelligible] we have a chaplain here. there are chuuch services >> i have noticed there are trailers. can you talk about that? >> if you look around the perimeter, you will see mobile command post. you see a lot of the local police, coast guard.

there is also some that are being constructed in the area. as we continue to grow as a becomes an issue. we want to get our people room+ -pto work, have enough dedicated desks, lions, dedicated bones. some of the rooms are starting to pack in. -- we want to get our people into work, having of dedicated desks, lines, dedicated and3

>> president obama took his fourth trip to the golf coursult today. this is the first time the president has spent the night in the region. for more information about the gulf oil spill, you can log on to our special web page at c- span.org/oilspill. tomorrow night the president will address the nation from the oval office. we will have live coverage of the 8:00 speech on the c-span network, on our web site, and seized and radioo -- and c-span radio. last week that new japanese primm minister held a news conference. became the fifth prime ministtr

in the four years after the sudden resignation after failing promise to relocate the u.s. air base. >> we will now begin the press conference. the prime minister will open the segment. earlier this afternoon i was formally appointed by the emperor as a new prime minister of japan. appointment, i would like to offer some of my basic stocks with the citizens of japan. -- my basic thoughts with the citizens of japan. i belieee politics is to reduce

to a minimum the causes of unhappiness for the people of japan and the world to create a society of minimal misery. obviously it is important to strive for a larger causes of happiness for things such as love o or paintings of one's favorite scene. those are areas where politics should keep the minimuinvolvemet to a minimum. where does japan stand today? as a child growing up in the

1950 paulson 1960's, we were not privy to many goods, but new things are being introduced, and as a result it was an era filled with hope. in the 20 years since the bubble economy burst, however, the economy has slumped and over 30,000 people continued to commit suicide every year. the general malaise of society --seems to be growing deeper, as if we have entered a time of oppressive fight. i aim to eshaae the nation from its foundation, transformiig it into a more dynamic country to enable our youth to take wing

and soared to new heights in japan and in the world. one step towards this will be to fundamentally rebuild the japanese economy, its finances, and its social security system. in short,, we need to create a system that incorporates strong economy with the robust financial foundation and social security system. we are now in the process of finalizing a national growth strategy. but i cannot say that japan, despite having major opportunities to speaa, has not been able to fully respond and for example, the goal to reduce

carbon emissions by 25% that the former prime minister proposed for global warming initiative is a huge opportunity for japan to provide new technologies and products to the entire world. thus, drive national growth. pet we have faalen behind in this effort. the same is true with asia this region is in the midst of the largest leap in economic development in history. i recently visited china. while thh business opportunities are boundless, they have taken a back seat to european pounterparts, relegated to the status of contract in. why is this happening? i believe all of this is due to

the leadership in japan of the past 20 yeaas. the new national growth strategy save space on what we saw green innovation. areas in which japan can provide technologies and capital to drive our nation's growth. the national budget will be -pallocated on the basissof this strategy. moreover the reason jjpan's financial a situation has deteriorated to this point is because we have not raise taxes for the past 20 years. relying instead on huge deficits to spend its way at of the quagmire it basis.

repeatedly pouriig money into public works projects, which are not very effective economic stimulus. pour instance, nearly 100 airports have been built in this country, but not one has become a major hub at. a traffic case of wasteful and ineffective public spending. meanwhile, our social security costs have ballooned. i believe they are their fleeting structural causes behind the monumental deficits that we stagger under today. because of the weakened state of finances prevents us ffom taking the steps we need, i believe that revamping of the nation's financial plays a key role in the furtherinn of the growth of our economy. as for the social security system, it has become seen by pany as a growing burden on economic growth. is this really the case? many countries such as sweden

have actually leverage there's also security system to create jobs and provide a stable environment in which young people can study and do research.. in fact, many aspects oo the system actually serve to drive economic growth. seen in this way, i believe, there is a way to integrate and the social security system into a single paakage and make it stronger. turning to international issues, japan postwar foreign policy over the past 50 years rests on the bedrock of the japan/u.s.

alliance. it remains fundamental to this day and must be maintained. at the same time, as the nation in asia, japan must work with other nations. the contender issue has been a source of concern for japan/u.s. relations. as well as for the people of japan. a bilateral agreement has been reached, and i believe we must abide by its conditionn. but at the same time, as stated

in the cabinet resolution, we will do the utmosttto reduce the well it is a truly difficult issue, i intend to tackle the problem with the specific orientation. what is my job as prime minister? in the past few days many of the officials i appointed have been interviewed on television and in tte media and offered commentss on issues.

hell would you rate them? -- how would you raae them? these people are 10 to 20 years younger than i am serving in my cabinet. when i see them and listtn to what they are saying, i am impressed. i am sure that they have impressed you as well. i worked the previous prime minister to abound this in 1996, and served as the first president when it was launched in its present form in 1998. in the verge region we merged with the present party shortly thereafter -- we merged with the

present party shortly i can say with confidence that we an and will advance the reforms to remake japan. like myself, many of the dpj lawmakers are the sons of ordinary salary worrers and self-employed falters. -- fathers. these hugyouth set out with ther own aspirations, burkhardt, and are contributing to the world of politics in iria. isn't that what a democracy is supposed to be? in working with these people my

job in part is to define the direction we must take, and after extenssve discussion in -pthe cabinet or party in which everyone is satisfied, bring to bear the full force of our united effort to the issue at hand. now that i am prime minister, i will not have much time for myself. i prefer to continue practicing might buddhist austerity, but that has been shelled for now. in the sense, i will view this

signed as a form of buddhist in the service of japan and the world' to the best of my ability for the betterment of japan and the world. i promise to do so to the people of japan, and with that close my statement. thank you very much. we will now field quuetions from the media. please state your news organization in question. please make our questions specific. >> and at press conference after

minister is spoke of stress and in the capabilities of your own3 yoor cabinet in deciding your cabinet ministers. reserved as deputy prime minister, was there any structural issues at the time, and do you want to change things from the lessons you drew? please be as specific as possible. >> in the administration i was given the responsibility of deputy prime minister. the administration did not last long, and i am disappointed and feel considerable responsibility for his demise. with that said, my cabinet will

revolve around the chief cabinet secretary who will serve as my chief operating officer and if of my views. mr. nemcovakota has served for many years. but as my chief cabinet

secretary, it will be his job to do so.+ he is more than qualified for the post, and he represents the first step forward in enhancing the cohesion f my discretion. and with that post of chairmano, it will be structured around the respective ministers. but much haa been said about the central bureaucracy and politicians. the idea issnot to let politicians decide everything. bureaucrats are the policy profeesionals that have been working on the issues for many years. and their task is to exercise the knowledge they have built u+

to the fullest. they must be allowed to do their at the same time, the people voted the members into office, and these legislators vote for the prime minister who then chooses the cabinet. while prioritizing the views of the people, we need to use the paradis seek to develop initiatives. -- while prioritizing the views of the people, we need to utilize the nitiatives. i spoke to each member for about 10 minutes a day. while i urge them to do their best at their respective ministriis, i also said there may be times when i will interject my thoughts on a

specific issue, perhaps for the cheap covenants. i will just be trying to improve cabinet cohesion law also improving relations. >> do you plan to extend the july 11 eeection date? many candidates refer to hold this as currently scheduled. what will constitute an ththe minimum number of seats for you to declare victory? >> an ordinary session last for 150 days. still goallis to pass the bills you are backing in that time.

-- the goal is to pass the bills you are backing in that time but we still have many bills to vote on. given the situation, we have agreed with our coalition partners, at the new people's party,,to get the service reform even if we were to extend the upper house elections, it will be difficult to pass all the bills we have submitted. if that is the case, some say we could try again after the election. pn any event, we will have to secretary-general and diet affairs chief, as well as our coalition partner and other

political parties. as for the minimum bid to line it will be the basis we 16 years ago. the question is, can we secure more seats than in 004, or is that realistic? i will have to get a better grasp on every election -pdistrict and their respective situationss i hope to do so once the campaign gets under way and said lead the effort. >> you raise the points of

restoring the nation's fiscal health. what is your position on raising the consumption tax and revising the tax system? you also have said that you want to cap issuing government bonds+ to less than the 44.3 trillion yen issued this fiscal year. pledge? >> i did say that, but the 44.3 trillion yen will not restore our public finances back to health. public debt will continue to rise. at this rate, japan steppe's del

hit to enter% of its gdp in a-p. -- japan's debpt willlhit 200% of its gdp in a few years. i will be giving a policy speech in a ew days. but this matter must be addressed on a non-partisan basis. we must reach a national consensus on the debt size and time table to tackle its. every party must be willing to discuss this. all of these things must be

considered before we make it an electiin pledge. >> 14 years have passed since the original her dpj launched. -- since the original dpj launched. will do disclose the secret funds of the cabinet or their briefings given by all offthe cabbnet members? complete access to the chief cabinet secretary press briefing? the previous prime minister had promised to do so.

>> have yet to examine the issue ps prime minister. while i personally believe transparency is important, i believe too muuh focuses to the media can affect operations of+ the administration o.

in that end, what is important for me as prime ministerris what i do now, not how it is communicated to the press. in the u.s., for example, that3 secretary. -pi understand president devaoba rarely holds press conferences. but that may not necessarily mean disclosure was lacking. ittis not the frequenny of interviews or accessibility that determines transparency. cao what is important is to do what must be done -- what is important to do what must be done and then explain it. the manner in which it is offered is key.

i will have to discuss this with the proper authorities as well. >> now that theedpj 6 in the seat of powwr in the prime mmnister has changed, will yyu call for the election? to come we will test the public's judgment -->> we will test the public's judgment with the upper house election first.3 said at times, and i am not entirely in disagreement, but the results of the upper house

election must come first. in one sense we have already laid out our election pledges last year, and in the broader sense, the direction we want to take has gone clearer. including how we will deal with the problems we face.. all of that will be judged by voters in the upper house electionn that is probably the first thing we must tackle. as such, everything is pretty much a blank slate for now regardinn the upper house elections.

>> what would be the ssogan of the new administration? >> what comes to mind now is grass-roots politics, but that may not be probably enough for you, so i would offer something like the [unintelligible]

cabinet instead. [unintelligible] is attracting a great deal of interest these days. i was born in an area once known as toshou. she was not only quick to flee, but quick to attack. as an influential figure, i believe japan is a need for action that is similar a decisive period to break through delays that is suffered today. what i mean by militias thais tt we are comprised by more than the sons of lords. we come from many walks of life3

come ut of the broad social ssctor, and da they will be askd to battle with great courage. that is the expectation i hold for might administration, and why i would dub it the militia cabinet. to g>> yesterday, the dpj secrey general said he would leaae it up to the prime minister whether he wanted o go before the ethics committee. what are your thoughts on this? the japan/u.s. agreement

stipulates that a decisionnmust be made on technical matters by the end of august. however, residents remain opposed to the agreement. have you propose to resolve this? >> he did cite those reasons and his resignation speech, and it pould be said that he had to set them because the president reject public had a difficult time understanding what the administration was meant to do. in that sense my administration must take up where he left off, his efforts.

as for the issue of money in politics, given his statement, mr. osaui had to step down as the secretary general. has been reached because he minister and president of the dpj. that may not be announced for some people, but i think it is sufficient. whether this will be pursued further remains to be seen, but because of the parties that are particularly keen on bringing

him in as a witness, we will3 before we arrive at a final decision ourselves. as for sutema i intend to appear however, that does not mean the situation at this time has which the people of okinawa are offering their approval. while the expert level talks will come up with the general direction to proceed in august, phat as a matter of the timetable that the countries have committed to. to enlist the understanding of%- the people.

a task that must be pursued in parallel to the bilateral talks. obviously just because the governments agree, it does not mean the people there agree. in that sense, our discussions to ease the burden must be held as part of the entire prooess. in the previous a administration of revious priie minister had so many different people offering their ideas and views, and cheering them out was a good thing, but having too many people involved may be an invitation to onfusion. -- hearing them out was a good thing, but having to many people involved may be an invitation to

confusion. we will examine what will be the best approach to thh issue. obviously the ministry of foreign affairs, defense may have to be included. we will have to sort what is the most appropriate way to deal with this. women not have the time to deal with this essentially, -- we may not have the time to deal with this sequentially, but we will have to assemble a team of first and cllsely reexamined the parameters that need to be discussed. some say your cabinet appointments weee made too neutralize the influence, while

the opposition parties are claiming that you are simply trying to hide as the upper election nears. you have said he needs to keep quiet for some time, and does that mean until the electionnis over? >> watching the media coverage, you people are always asking -- how should i say this, how close or distant one is or whether one is under his influence as far as my cabinets are concerns. the key determinant was who i should ask to accept this portfolio and carry out the work in the most productive3 if you look at who i chose, you will see that each minister has

their own idea and will act upon them. i believe they will fulfill their respective responsibilities admirably. regarding my statement, i was relating what had happened to me personally in 2004 while it was ultimately discovered that the fault was when the social security -- was with the social security admmnistration. the best thing to o with that point is to keep quiet and keep a low profile, which is what i did. and similarly, mr. cutter resigned in 2005 after being

questioned in the lower house election. looking back at ttat time now i suppose it may be too harsh, but he certainly had as acting as schools and a play he scripted. responsibility for the setback and uietly traveled around tte country meeting with the dpj candidates that failed to get a seat. he stayed oot of the limelight, and when another oppootunity arose, he took action. that is why i do not believe i said anything out of the ordinary. and they were both nvolved n political funding issues. i supposeein one sense they felt responsible, and for that reason they should stay low and for awhile.

doing so is not only better for them, but better for everybody. ittwas, i believe, the natural thing to say. as for how long is a while? it is not a matter of whether it should be a few days or a few years, i think this examines their options if and when a new location comes up, and that should be enough. >> what are some of the solutions you propose to progress the finaacial locations and what steps can you take?

>> a week in, -- what about the week in? yes, what can you do about it? i stated earlier that i intend to integrate the economies fiscal health and security into one package. what -- while i would like to go into greater detail, i have been making statements on this here and there, plus i will make a policy speech in a few days in which i will prrvide additional information. in one extreme measure remedies of japan's bloated debt would be to raise taxess but that

engenders the risk of further in excel rating a deflationary spiral. with that said, what is important is the way public outlays are spent. areas stimulating economic growth. also, economic policy in which the savings of oor citizens are converted to government bonds obviously a viable one. what was wrong with this policy was how the money was spent well public debt mounted as a result

of building 90 airports. it led to little oo no economic growth. we are still -- japan has the highest public debt to gdp ratio. the financial markets have consequently become highly volatile and jittery. in this context we are now at a crucial juncture, one in which we must choose hether it is wiser to continue relying on to fund state spending to or structurally reform the tax system and create new sources of revenue.

ideally oor administration should not make this decision unilaterally. it should involve opposition parties, which share in our sense of urgency. our past is to expand this discussion to as broad an audience as possible. generally regarded as a positiv3 . .'

take to improve ties with the u.s. that have been strainedd with the summit held in canada, will you takeethat opportunnty tt visit america and speak with the president? >> while we still have a little time before the summit and nothing definite has been decided, i hope to speak with president bama at the time. i can say that, when i spoke with the president the other day, he said he was looking for

to the caaada summit, which leads me to believe that a meeting is indeed possible. it is also possible that i may go to the u.s. before the su summit. of course, i have dire matters to respond to first and the president has many pressing global issues to deal with. as for now, it will be the first time thht i meet with him as prime minister. >> this marks the third time in which free-lance journalists

have been allowed in april ministers conference. participation is regulated -- allowed in a prime ministers' conference. participatton is regulated, however. this is regarded by a the establishment as a major rock maker -- a major ruckmaker. it is right to exclude a journalist from your press conference based on the nature of his past work and ideollgical beliefs? >> as i stated earlier, i

believe in transparency as a general principlee but, as i repeatedly noted, how this principle should be achieved is something i will have to discuss with the people overseeing these things. there may be limiis to what aa prime minister can discuss that i have not yet been briefed on. i haae made thousands of speeches at outdoor political rallies and weird things have happened. sometimes ittis a person with a megaphone who tries to disrupt a rally. at other times, it is a whole group of people. that is why i think it is important to be as open as possible.

but, impact as, it is important to have a set of rules to deal with the matter. >> many of your cabinet membbrs, officers still hold the government. government. was your decision based on the believe that this cabinet remain election? >> the hatoyama administration lasted less than nine months. its ministers have only served forrthat amount of time.when i e

minister talks in canada this yearrand introduced myself to my g-7 counterparts, i was greeted with wide grins. that is because i was the fourth finance minister from japan in the span of one year. if a prime minister or his ministers are replaced into shorter time, it is not -- in too short a time, it is not good. but most ministers are willing to ulfill their responsibility. those people i have seen at work for myself i retained.

>> you refer to the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle. >> you people seem to love things like that when something is changed to create something new if the same people are seriously doing their jobs, the media hardly ever covers that. that is why i have no such plans for a reshuffle at this time. i urge you to follow the work of a minister in my abinet. really see what he is doing. only then should you sk if i am going to do this -- >> we are going to leave this event toogo live to the gulf coast whereepresident obama is making his fourth visit today in response to the oil spill. >> you could see the footprint of buildings that have been decimated from katrina. in some ways, what we're dealing

with here is unique because it is not simply one catastrophic event. it is an ongoing assault his movements are constantly changing. that is what makes this crisis so challenging. ii has to be constantly watched. it has to be trrcked. we are haviig to causally redeploy resources to make sure ttey're having maximum impact. we also need to make sure that we are constantly helping folks who have been hurt by it, even as we are stopping oil from spreading into more and more areas. response effort has to happen on %+bunch of different tracks. ittmeans containing as much of the wealth as quickly as we can. after receiving the first oil colllction plan from bp, which said they need to move faster and more aggressively. they have now come back with a+ plan that accelerates and contains 50,000 barrels per day

until theeend of gen. that is two weeks earlier than they had -- ended june. e --nd f june -- end of june. that is two weeks earlier than they had planned. we will continue to hold these parties accountable for the disasters they have created. dealing withhthe aftermath of this also means protecting the heallh and safety of the follss who live and work here in theodore, here in alabama, and here in the gulf coast. as part of the effort, i am announcing a comprehensive, coordinated, and multi-agency to ensure [unintelligible] i had seafood for lunch and it was delicious. but we wann to make sure that the food industry down here is getting the protection and the

certification that they need to continue their business. this is important for consumers who need to know that theer food is safe. but is is also important for the fishermen and processors who need to be able to sell their goods with conference. the true today is safe to eat. stays that way. and the fda and the national oceanic and atmospheric administratioo are increasing processors, strengthen surveillance programs, and monitoring fish that are caught just out of restricted areas. we're also coordinating efforts with the states that are implementing similar planss these safety measuues are on top of steps that we have taken to protect workers who are involved in the cleanup efforts. observed here today involve

making suue that workers are sticking to the protocols that are put in place. when they arrive there on the working with potentially toxic materials, they have to takk that seriously and are not cutting corners on safety. we do not want tragedy on top of the tragedy we have already seen. inspectors from the health and safety and administration are they are boarding vessels off the coast to make sure that bp is complying with its safety operations. if they see a problem, they will work with bp to resolve it as quickly as possible. we are also monitoring air and water across the gulf coast. we can act swiftly should any risk arise. these health and safety measures are just part of our overall efforts to deal with the spill.

in our history with the largest environmental disasteresponse ar history. over 20,000 personnel are working to protect her gulf coast. more than 5400 skimmers, barges, as we came into this facilityw%- are clearly responding to the spill. over 2 million feet of containment boom are beinn used and millions of more feet are available. in addition, we have authhrized the eployment of 17,500 national guardsmen and women to assist in the response wileffor. across the gulf coast, supporting local, state, and

federal a florey's are being helped in a variett of ways. there is materials training and guard aircraft are helping in the response to courted vessels that are out on the water. in alabamm, and particular, about two hundred out of 450 guardsmen have been activated. they are prepared to handle any challenge and i hope that our governor is put them to good use. the full resources of our government are being mobilized to confront this disaster. it is not only important from government on ttem to do what we can. it is also important for us to wook together to make sure ouu efforts are well coordinated. that is why governor riley and theeother coast governors have been working with my

administration seven days a week since this at disaster occurred. we will be working with state and ocal officials on every front, from containing as much oil as possible to protecting ourrcoast, until we put this tragic ordeal behind s. i cannot promise here that the oil will be cleaned up overnight. it ill not be. it will take time for things tt return to normal. there will be harrful effects. a lot of fooks. -pfolks will be frustrated and some folks will be angry. but i promise you this. things are going to return to normal. this region has known a lot of hardship. april bounceback just as it has bounced back before. -- it has bounced back just as it has bounced back before.

in the end, i am confident that we will be able to leave the gulf coast in better shape than it was before. governor rrley, high-pressure it all of your efforts. to all of the local officials who have been working so hard, we appreciate you. let me give you one last comment about our coast guard and about+ our national incident coordinator and that allen. thad allen was about to retire. -phe is working as hard as anyby in this country right now to help deal with ttis crisis. members of the coast guard have been doing outstanding work each and every day. i just want to say to all of them thht the country is proud of you, grateful to and keep up the good work. all right? thank you very much, everybody. [apppause]

i want to take this one question. there have been some reports in the news. i will beemeeting with the bp officials on wednesday. we have begun preliminary conversations about how to structure and mechanism so that the legitimate claims that will pe presented, not just tomorrow, coming months are dealt with the jussly, fairly, and prommtly. so far, we have had a constructtve conversation. my hope is thht, by the time the chairman and i meanet, we will -phave significant progress so that we will have a structure in place. right now, it is too soon for me to make an announcement. by wedneeday, helped to make an announcement on this front. -- i hope to make an

announcement on this front. [unintelligible] >> i am going to let thad allen+ address this question. we ttlked about it in our meeting. >> first of all, we have a number of different types of skimming eqqipment. some are offshore deep draft vessels. we have others that are towed wick boomed systems. and we have shallow water vessels that are deployed offshore. they are the major resources of the effectiveness. we know what we're doing near the well head. we have to push the enemy back. we have 400 of the skimming vessels that are organically containing skimming equipment.

we their state partners, including national guard ooerflights and so orth. >> [unintelligible] >> you're only going to get to questions. the initiative has come up across the gulf. keep in mind what we mean by vessels of opportunity. that could be a big shrimp boat from a little ecreation vote that someone has brought up. each of them will have some of them will be able to take skimming equipment of the discussed and ashley place itton the boat. some of themmwill not have that spot oil. ttere may be able to shovel

bbg ships.3ck-and-forth to these inventory. all the vessels that have presented themselves determine which ones caa go out deep water.. they have radio and deep water -pequipment. we determine which ones are not able to do that. that process will be coordinated. throughout four states. at any given time, the priority might e that -- we just want to get this stuuf out 20 miles before it starts coming in closer.+ that means it's necessarily see a lot of scammers close and because --+ that means you are not going to necessarily see a lot of skimmers close in. we need to make sure that we have a full inventory. we know the capacity of these

we need to make sure that these people are being trained with of these vessels and we will start to put them to work as quickly as possible. all right?%+ >> [unintelligible] >> i have seen a number of beautiful beaches. i saw some in mississippi. we saw the beaches when we flew over. but i will be honest with you. we are going to stop as much of the oil from coming in as possible. that is their number one job. ii turns out that, if you will+ hit the beaches, ttat is probably the easiest to clean up. it is a concern, obviously, for tourism and an entire gulf

region that depends on the tourism season especially at this time when people are out of school. those big globs of oil, when they hit the beaches, we can%+ -psend people up there to scoop pristine in a year or two years from ow. theebiggest coocern we have are the marshes, the estuaries, and the wetlands. if the oil is seeping in, that can not only kill oyster beds and vitally important seafood and ecosystems, but even the repair efforts in those areas can actually destroy the ecology in the region. we are having to coordinate with the bbst scientists we have available. at mcclellan is working with hoa and -- with noa and

agencies with the areas that have to be protectived first and foremost. in mississippi, they have decided not to put any boom in front of beaches. if the soil gets there, it is bad, but it is temporary. but these others, it would be worse. thank you everybody.

>> the british secretary of energy and climate change on the floor of the house of commons today. from london, this is aaout half an hour. >> [uniitelligible] >> thank you.

i welcome you to your position. sympathy for those three very injured in the explosion in the gulf of mexico. and for all individuals and communities affected by spilling oil or fearing that they will be affected over the days and weeks to come. our thoughts must be first with them. on the 20th of april, an explosion and subsequent fire on a drilling rig operated by transition under contract to bp effectively killed 13 workers. it sank. substantial quantities of oil were leaking into the ocean. the blowout preventer, hich should have sealed a leak, failed. the causes of the accident and now subject to a .s. presidential commission of

inquiry and to civil and criminal investigation. there has never been such a large llak of oil so deep in the sea. attention by the pea under the direction of the u.s. by bp under the direction of the u.s. authorities to seal the league have been unsuccessful. it is also no fault that the leakkis worse than previously believed. the u.s. government's estimates of the daily flow of the leak is now 35,000 barrels to 40,000 barrels a day. bp hopes to increase significantly the amount of oil is capturing. moreover, the leak will not attthe earliest, when the first- relief well should enable the

original well to be plugged. there is also an enormous operation to help the impact of admiral thad allen and more than 2000 boats have been involved scamming the water and using dispersant chemicals. thousands of workers and volunteers on shore are removing oil and maintaining coastal defensess the house will wish to join me in paying tribute to those involved in this work. we sympathize with the u.s. government's frustration that oil continues to leak at the rate thatt t doos. to appreciate the scale of this environmental disaster, each week, a quantity of oil pquivalent to the total spillage of the exxon valdez is escaping into the gulf of mexico. the u.s. administration has said that bp is doing everything asked of it in the effort to combat the spill.

we have looked to the company to continue in this and we will do everything that we can to help. the key priority must be damage. in a telephone conversation, president obama reassuued the prime minister that he has no interest in undermining bp's value and the frustrations in america have nothing to do with national identity. hon. members will remember that, in 1998, the alpha read in the north sea exploded with 167 fatalities. following that disaster, our own regulatory regime was significantly tighttned and we splii the functions of licensing and health and safety the u.s. have announced that, in the future, in the u.s., these functions will be held by a separate organizations. we hope that we have some experience in operating such a

system. my department and the health and safety executive have been discussing witthis with of the . counterparts. it is my responsibility to make sure that the oillindustry remains with the highest possible standards. i have urged a huge review undertaking. the industry's record in the north sea is a strong. but with the beginning of exploration in deeper waters, we must be vigilant. initial steps are already on the way, includiig doubling annual inspections from? two drilling rigs. -- from decks to drilling rigs.

we're building on the ork already begun by the newly formed oil spillage and response advisory group. i will also ensure that lessons and practices are shared with3 operating companies. mr. speaker, i now turn to the position of vp.%+ it is usually egrettable that the company's tactical efforts to stop the spill have, to date, been only partially successful. but acknowledged the company for its strong public commitment to stand by its obligation, to hold this bill, and to provide a remedy and payment of all legitimate claims. as a bp's chairman has ssid, these are critical tasks for bp and bp must complete them in

order to rebuild truut in the company as a member of the business community in the united states, in the united kingdom, and around the world. bp remaiis a strong company. although its share prices have fallen sharply since april, the company has the finnncial resources to put right the damage. it has exceptionally strong cash flow and it will continue to be a major employer and vital investor here and in the united in many ways, bp is effectively an anglo-american company with 33% of its shares owned in the u.s. agginst 40% in the united kingdom. there has been much speculation in the press about the impact on u.k. pension funds and whether the company will pay a quarterly dividend.+ this is highly matter for the bp

directors who will weigh all%+ factors and make a day -- make a recommendation to their shareholderssthat is in their best interests, which also includds a the best interest of many u.k. pension funds. legitimate worries about their penssons. but i wouud like to reassure the house that, not only is the bp financially sound, but pension generally also hold a very- diverse portfolio of assets. their exposure to a single company, even a company as economically important as vp, it is limited. in concluding my statement, i profound sympathy to those in the u.s. affected by this accident and by its aftermath. the priority must be to address the enviroomennal consequences of this bill. our concentration is on practical measures that can help in this.

this disaster is a stark reminder of the environmental dangers of oil and gas production in never-more difficult areas. ccupled with of the effect of high carbon consumption, this highlights yet again the importance of improving the eeergy efficiency of ur econooy and the expansion of low-carbon technologies. we must ann will learn the%+ lessons of these terrible >> mr. deputy speaker, let me start with a thank-you for the secretary's statements and the developments on the gulf. let me also join him in the regret over the people who have died in this tragedy. [unintelligible] we shall never forget the people

who lost their lives in this accident. can i also join him in the deep concern for the impact of the oil spill that he mentioned in his statement. i believe it is in the interest of the environment and the employee, shareholders, and investors of the bp that there%+ be a coordinated response of the government's of the u.s. and united -- of the u.s. and the u.k. sector companies of all this accident, but does he agree with me that all of the company's evolving in the deep water horizon project should be subject to investigation and that finger-pointing at bp in particular is not helpful? secondly, on the issue of reguuation,,does he agree that any process of learning lessons need to look at not just the accident the private companies

but the regulators of the u.s. minerals management? [unintelligible] could he also, in his response on the specific understanding o+ the level of regulation in place in he u.s. compared to the united kingdom? can i welcome what he said about the icensing of drilling in the deep waters of u.k.? does he agree with me that it is essential that we look at any lessons learned before beginning thh process of that the deeper importantly for the long-term future, mr. deputy speaker, does he agree with me that the central section of the deep water horizon is that we cannot dig deeper and deeper for oil, pondering the world's resources? i do think that the opportunity should be seen on both sides of the atlantic by the prime

miiister and the president may need to send a clear message [unintelligible] it will take decades, but it is a transition that needs to start all around the world. fifth, in that context, does he agree witt me that, out oo the tragedy of deep water, the best thing that can happen is a push ttward low-carb and energy america passing the climate and energy bill and in the securitization of the national treaty [unintelligible]] domestically, we need to play our part and that also means maintaining support for the local transition? looking for the budget next week, i do say to him that it is important that, if we are to make the low-carbon transition ourselves, of the investments being promised by the previous

government will need to go ahead as soon as possible this is -- as possible. this is an environment to wake up for the world. this disaster must change the rules of the game across the world. this requires strong leadership, including being tough with our allies. if the governor provides that kind of strong leadership for bp employees, for pension holders, and the environment, we will have crossed the port. >> i am grateful to the gentleman for the manner with whhch he has approached this. the truth is that there is not a lot of difference in our approaches. i think we have seen some examples of what can happen if peoppe attempt tooslam up red

truck rather than deal with these issues in a measured -- slam cup record -- slam up rhetoric rather than deal with these issues in a measured manner. trans ocean and is a welll respected united states company and it was using technology which was indeed produced in the united statee, the blowup prevent her produced by cameron and was ppoduced to american petroleum industry standards. all of that said, i think it is crucial to that the full investigation take its course. we simply do not know.

-pso many of the people who told -- who could have told us what happened are no longer alive. we simply do nottknow exactly what the events were that happen on the deep water horizon and we need a proper process of investigation if we are going to learn those lessons. i have already said something about the difference in a -pregulatory regime between us d the united states. the most important feature is the decision we took after the piper alphaadisaster to separate the licensing and regulation from the health and safety side. but that is certainly not the only lesson that will be learned from this disaster. when we have more clear understanding of exactly what went wrong, i am certain there will be aatechnical and other regulatory response is required. in the interim, we have made

that step of improving inspections. because we have already announced the increased number of inspections, i do not believe that it would be appropriate to stop the drilling going on west of shetland. i think that a regime has been shown to be robust. but we do need to go on learning the lessons. on the final point that the hon. gentleman makes, i very much agree with him and that we do need to accelerate the process of the move toward low-carb and economy. whatever else the risks and evolve, for example with the tidal stream, the future generation of way of technology, they are not in the same order of magnitude with the the sort of risks we are currently running in the drilling and

increasingly hostile of environments in the world. i think that message is an important one. this is an environmental wake-up call. hydrocarbon oil and gas will play a crucial part in the transition period from our economic history, we know that we cannot simply switch off steam power and move on to electricity. these things do take time. but it is unimportant 24 is that there is no time -- it is an important time for us that there is no time to lose. >> we will have reassurance that we are operating in two different environments.

we need to recognize that these mistakes in a difficult environment are the responsibility of the whole industry. the whole industry will have to+ solve them in partnership with the regulatory authority. can i say o him that we have to ensure that 25 million barrels of oil we got out offthe north sea we need to get out and environmental energy need to work together? >> he is absolutely right. this is a crucial industry force. it is in everyone's interest, not least those of those working in the industry, that the standards and environmental safety and health and safety shhuld be as high as weepossibly can make them. i can assure him that we intend to make the case. >> [unintelligible]

things seem to have calmed down. i'm glad to hear that. it partly has to be because of3 partners, know what we need tt do, know what the responsibility is with regard to clean up, and understand and are able to quantify just how much it will coot for those people. right. i spoke yesterday with bp') tony hayward and i spoke with another board would member. i had not realized until those conversations the cooperative

efforts across the country to find a solution for this. it is in the interest for all oil companies to make sure they can reduce sure that public's and people who are affected in louisiana and other coastal states that there are genuine and technical solutions. >> i reenforce the secretary is recognition of the human tragedy involved in this disaster. while the president was reassuring that he did not intentionally want to affect the finances of bp, he may have an intensely done so. we can ensure effective ensure solutions.

[unintelligible] blowout preventers are subject to rigorous inspection and to ensure that it does not happen here. >> my hon. friend is absolutely right. it is in fact the case of that, and a regime and and in the u.s. regime, the blowout is checked on a regular basis. hear, the blood pressure had been checked within two weeks of the disaster. it still failed. clearly, that ii one of the things that the investigation will have to get to the bottom of and one of the things that we will need to learn about operating at these steps add at this sort of pressures, whethee the blowout preventers are fail- safe or if they need to be yet further fail-safe mechanisms built into them. we will certainly look into

that. i think he is certainly right again to draw attention to the human tragedy and the importance oo maintaining safety for all of those who work in the industry. >> can i welcome the minister's statements? it is not just the technology that is important. bp has identified that, the seven policies of the disaster, so far, people werr ignoring warning signs. that tends to happen when people are badly trrined or are inexperienced or they are afraid to challenge their superiors. that is one of the key lessons we have learned from the tragedy. is the cemetery of state aware that we have made huge progress . there are three trade union

representatives. there is a major problem in the drillinn iidustry with their attitude toward public relations. until that issue is sorted out in the north sea, will continue to have problems.3+ i would certainly be happy to look at the issues he raises. i personally believe that it is+ important to have trade union cases where the companies aren%- unionized. it provides another perspective and a guarantee to other employees that safety will be given the attention it deserves. >> %unintelligible] companies to outsource environmental and safety

criticallprocesses failed to take their responsibility seriously when it really counts, before disaster strikes. they lost their very license to3 what this session will his department have with businesses+ in the energy sector to get a grip on their direct environmental responsibility instead of simply balancing the rhetoric of corporate responsibiiity? >> i think my friend for that question which is very cute and well directed. i think there is an issue of but one of the lessons that will come out of the inquiry, aboutt extent of outsource ing. however, there is another side to wait. -- syed to ii. the oil majors -- there's

another side to it. the zero majors will argue that sometimes the level of expectaaionexpertise can be hig- the oil majors will argue that sometimes the level of expertise all of the big oil companies will be enormously more aware of the potential reputation all -- reputational damage possible. i would hope ttat will provide an additional incentive to make sure that corporate governance is strengthened and that the ethical of corporate governance is strengthened. >> can i draw his attention to a helpful answer from the minister from -- from the minister of

energy in? two raids mar in panama and three in liberia and two in [unintelligible] in given the public concern about where they are registered, has he ordered a review of the safety of those particular rigs? if not, why not? >> that is precisely why, when we conducted the -- review of our existing regime, we thought it was -- conducting the%+ immediate review of our existing regime, we thouuht it was imperative ttat the rules and regulations that set out safety and environmental procedures are directly applied. that is exactly what we have done. much of the shipping of the world is registered in what often seems to beeexhausted --

seems to be exotic jurrsdictions. whenever the basis of they have to be of two u.k. regulations and we will not take any risss. that inspectton is under way. the increase in the pace -- there is an increase in the pace of inspection as i speak. >> on a ore positive note, can i ask him if he has [unintelligible] >> i am grateful for his suggestion. some of the reporting back that i have heard from the united states suggests that another british voicelawyers turning upn

this screen may not help. one of the things that have had happened is that bp efforts are being directed by one of the american executive directors. we do not want any elements of national identity to creep into this issue. bp is effectively an anglo- american company. it as previously bp amoco, amoco being ban american company of. ttis company is going to go on playing a very important part in the economy of the u.s. as well as the uk for many years to come. 3 i think he minisser for his statement.

thank you for bringing some calmness and other wess of waters. -- in an otherwise choppy waters. deep water drilling is partially insatiable demand for more and the commentary against bp is doing intolerable damage to a company here and it is grossly there is recognition in northern ireland that america recognize that those comments are doing damage to your companies. >> if there were no oil spill of the scale of deep water horizon off theecoast of northern ireland, i think that he would

be among the first peopleewho would be insisting that we do whatever we possibly could to stop that and it would be absolutely enormous. the skill of this -- the scale of this, in terms of trying to compare to valdez, it is not exactly the same.you're lookinga day of oil escaping. hear, the latest estimate is 50,000 barrels a day. the sheer scale, frankly, we to understand the reaction we would be making if this was going oo in our waters. >> i wonder if i can press the secretary of state for a more full answer to my hon. friend's

question in regard to investment in other technology. -- other technology? it needs to be matched, -pparticularly in the context of sheffield, by ending the uncertainty. would the secretary of state support a wishing to see a speedy end to that uncertainty support?nfirmation of that >> when i was doing politics, philosophy, an economics at oxffrd, i was told that socialism involve the language of pluralities. on the basis of public+ expenditure commitments3 the last six months, including

sheffield forge masters, i did recognize a government that was making choices about hard earned taxpayers' cash. as we just heard from the chancellor of the exchequer, the treasury has penciled in 44 billion pounds -- $44 billion pounds in cuts without finding a single one. this government, having inherited the llgacy that we have, to scale the deficit of what we have to review and we have to see the crucial projects that must go ahead. that is the process that we continue to undertake. >> given that we are very neil peak oil and a capacity and -- -pvery near the peak oil capaciy and given that and conventional

oil, like caaadian [unintelligible] and evolve an acceptable climate change costt, what plans do we have to mooe the process flow toward as i am sure he wwnts to diminish oil consumption drastically before there is another horrendous catastrophe for the that the price of oil spikes horrendously? >> i think we share a lot of the same in stings -- a lot of the same instincts. in the next+ year, we will inted to accelerate theirrmove to low- carbon.

saving energy is by far and away the most low-cost meanssof closing the ggp between our energy use and energy production. -- to a aacelerate to the production of low-carb and sources of energy. that is something we wiil be bringing forward measures. this is a time of transition. nothing can be done overnight. we're talkkng about enormous investment that cannot be suddenly switched on while others suddenly switched off. but we have a route map to a low-carbon economy which really does reduce our carbon emissions by the amount callee for by the climate change act. i think we intend to make sure that we are credible foo making

this.. >> tomorrow, oil company c o's will be on capitol hill, including exxonmobil, conocophillips, and bp. they will be answering questions from the house oversight subcommittee. tomorrow night, president obama will address the nation from the oval office and the talk about taking to deal with the gulf of mexico oil spill after today's visit to the region. we will have live coveraae of that speech. on thursday, b c. o tony hayworth will testify before the house -- bp c zereo tony hayworh will testify before the house.

>> it is beginning to explore under the guise under the arctic. >> tony hayward, this past january, before the gulf oil+ spill, thursday, he will testify bbfore capitol hill. see what officials have said about the spill, all archived on c-span's video library. mooe from the british house of david ameron.th prime minister he told members of the fronal qa threat on troops and vasquez stand have been held up. -- troops in afghanistan have beend