not let the men since. we have a very tolerant society of people who tolerate differing views and different opinions, but they do draw the line when those differing views turn into acts of terrorism. we are constantly on alert and constantly vigilant. we are proud that no foreigner has been killed in hostile action in that region. we want to keep it that way, and our security services are doing a good job of keeping it that way. [applause] >> of maritime article in yesterday's "washington post" which i bet you have read before i did. it had very positive things to

say about the kurdish government and the progress that has been made. it said the kurds have also worked out a peaceful mode as vivenda with their iranian neighbors and could be of help if president obama is pursuit of dialogue if it gets on track. can you comment, please? >> living where we live, we have to have good relations with all our neighbors. we are flanked by iran on one side and turkey on the other, syria having to the domestic angle to deal with. iran is a powerful neighbor, and it has a very long border with us. it is a neighbor that has played but a constructive and a negative role " in iraq and also in the kurdistan region. we have to deal with the reality and the fact that neither of us are going anywhere anytime soon.

we have to find ways of working together and living together. we are watching closely the tensions brewing between the united states and iran, and between other players in the region. we are concerned because we do live there, and obviously anything that happens, any increase in tensions will likely have an effect on the confidence and the situation in our region. we have also been a very moderating factor in iraq, and we believe we can play a moderating factor beyond our borders. we do have a sizeable kurdish communities in turkey, syria, and iran as well that can play a positive role, should that be necessary. but we welcome dialogue and increased efforts to try to diminish the tension, because at the end of the day, we have all

had to much tension and conflict over two long period of time, and it is time to get on with dark like and build a better life for our citizens and the region. >> my name is dave butler. i am a retired lawyer here in denver. one of the areas where some conflict or disagreement has arisen related to kirkuk, and who should control it and who should get the money for the fields and so forth. i am just curious, how do you think that is going to work itself out? >> i am glad you asked that question, because it is really critical to how iraq develops harmony between the different communities. kirkuk is a city that is oil-

rich, multi-ethnic, that has had a very miserable history. a city that was once predominantly kurdish has been ethnically cleansed by successive iraqi governments, not just the saddam government, but prior to that. a city that has had almost half a million people displaced from it, several hundred thousand kurds killed from it, surely because of their kurdish identity, purely because of the fact that they would not subscribe to the former government's believes and ways of governing. the reality is, it is a multi- ethnic city and a multi sectarian city. it is considered disputed territory. the iraqi constitution has a swath of territory that is being administered by the kurdistan regional government, despite -- defined as disputed territory. it is one of the most complicated issues plaguing iraq

today. meet its plan is an abundance of oil and natural gas -- beneath its land. if thrown into the mix extremist elements, remnants of al qaeda as network, and you have a very volatile mix. the constitution of iraq outlines a road map on how to resolve the issue of disputed territory, how to make sure that the people that were forcibly evicted from their homes have a legal way to return back to their homes. more to the point, the constitution outlines a process where a census be held, nationally, to determine the national population, but specifically for the disputed territories. what these -- once the steps are outlined and have been accomplished, the constitution states that a referendum be held in the province of kirkuk to determine who administers this area.

it is the federal government role, or will there be other alternatives presented for the people who live in these disputed territories? up until now, post-saddam governments have not made good on their promises to implement those articles of the constitution. the issue has been left festering for too long. the longer the issue remains, the more frustrated the people of kirkuk will remain frustrated and will lose out. ultimately, in my opinion, the situation in iraq will never be completely stable, politically or security was, unless we address the issue of disputed territories and bring to close the issue of kirkuk.

there is a political road map that outlines what needs to happen. we are just asking our partners and colleagues in the country to fulfill the obligations of that constitution, and lament the articles, give it to the people. that the people of kirkuk make that determination. that is the democratic process, and that is all we are supporting. the issue of oil frequently comes up when we talk ki kirkuk and disputed territories. it is not because of the oil that the kurds of wantkirkuk to come back to the kurdistan region. we have discovered oil all over the kurdistan region. if we resolve the national oil policy, if we come up and define a national oil policy, figure

out a way to manage the vast resources that iraq has, boost national production, not just in the north but elsewhere, start to develop the many untapped and undeveloped fields that iraq has, and more importantly, execute the initiatives proposed by the kurdistan government to share the revenue from the sale of oil, regardless of where the oil comes from, but the revenue toward the national treasury and then distribute it out to the region and the provinces, then it does not matter if kirkuk has oil or not. we have been pushing for this and will continue pushing for this. we are confident that if we have a government -- if we get a government in baghdad that we can make this one of the first major agenda items and address this issue, start to genuinely build trust between communities and rectify the genocide and

injustice that befell my people for many many decades of until the liberation of iraq. >> to follow-up on some of the other questions, kurds are not just in iraq but in syria, iran, and turkey, and what is your view on a greater kurdistan proposed by these other kurds? >> there are kurds in those countries. we are the largest community of people in the world that do not have their own country. some estimates say we are close to 40 million people now. it does not matter where you are from, whether from iraqi, syrian, kurdistan, or a turkey.

-- or turkey. it becomes tough sometimes, but political reality has a way of putting us in check, making us realize what is attainable and what is not, what is in the best interest of our people and what is not. i can say that each kurdish community and each country has its own issues, has its own set of problems, its own set of things going for it and against it. there are very few calls right now to combine greater kurdistan. turkey is aspiring to become a european country. kurds in turkey where to get their full rights, other democratic, cultural, political, educational, cultural rights, then maybe the lure of the greater kurdistan may diminish. the same with syria. kurds in syria get their rights,

are treated as citizens and given citizenship, because many are not even given syrian citizenship. if they get treated as equal citizens, you will find the unrest diminishes. this is what happened in iraqi kurdistan. we did not fight for the sake of fighting. we fought for our basic rights. we ultimately secure our goal with a little bit of help from our friends in the united states through political and diplomatic means. we passed the constitution that was drafted and ratified by 11 million people across the country. that is what we are hoping for, that ultimately people will be treated with equal rights, regardless of what religion you support. we are a long way from that,

unfortunately. we have to keep struggling for it. >> i wonder what you can tell us about conditions and rules for women in kurdistan? >> this is one of the success stories of the region. historically, it has been the role of women in our society -- it is all too often in negative stereotypes of the middle eastern women, and in particular the kurdish woman. when the men were out fighting, when the work out at war, of being arrested or killed by the former regime, it was the women in our society that had to raise the families. there were the breadwinners. there were the ones raising their homes and building society. kurdish women are very strong. there are strong-willed. they are opinionated. that makes them very effective. i think we need to do more as a

culture, as a society, to allow women to integrate more into politics. we have now 30% of our parliament made up of women. but i would like to see a day where the woman does not get a seat in parliament because of quotas, that they get there based on their own courage, their own competence, their own ability. i am confident in many kurdish women i know who are in politics and civil society. they are making their voices heard. that is not to say there are not issues. we have many cultural issues that are not acceptable to the modern woman in kurdistan. i think the strength of our civil society and the women's organizations gives me hope there will be able to keep breaking down those barriers, he modernizing our society and our culture, and truly become a critical fabric of our society

and of our democracy. >> i am a member of iie. help me understand the history and ethnicity going back 500 or 1000 years of how the kurds are different from the other people in the middle east. i need that. it will help me understand a lot. >> how much time do you have? [laughter] we can grab a coffee afterwards. we could do a whole 12 steps dedicated on the history of the tribe. we are an indo-european people. we are arian. -- aryan. it is not clear where our origin came from. some say thousands of years ago

people migrated from what is today parts of eastern europe. but over the years we were a major [unintelligible] before boats were built, most people travel the silk road from east to west. most troubled in, through, or close to kurdistan. that is probably where we got our persians and farsi from. we occasionally smuggled. that has kind of routed us into this area. there are many famous kurds throughout history. one very famous one is a law had been -- is salahadin, somewhat of a controversial character in kurdistan today. many see him as a hero. others say he fought for islam,

not his ethnic ideologies. i stay clear of such debates. we are kurds. that is our ethnicity. our language is kurdish. we are predominantly muslim, predominately suny, but we have shiite muslims to. we have questions. we have an ancient christian religion who live in the kurdistan region, whose ethnicity is kurdish but their religion is different. we have had many kurdish jews as well. unfortunately, very few are living in the region right now. but there are many in the united states, in california. there are many kurds in israel who remember fondly their time living in the kurdistan region. we have historically been home to many different cultures and religions.

that kind of tolerance that exists today stems from that culture of tolerance. the fact that we have always been persecuted, we have always been attacked, is why we are so strongly tied to our kurdish identity. it is why our kurdish identity is, for most kurds, more important than their religious identity, their sectarian identity. when we were being massacred, leaders did not come out to cry foul. it was not these are muslims being killed. our kurdish identity kept a strong in that time. i think it will continue to keep a strong as we develop our society. >> i am a retired latin and greek teacher.

following up on some of the cultural questions that preceded me, i think we would all be pleased if you would recite your favorite poem or a short story or something in the native language so we get just the flavor of it. i think we would all be pleased if you would do so. [applause] >> i will close with that one. let us get a few more questions. >> i am a international politics student at columbia university. i am curious. you mentioned that you support an american presence in iraq. what the think will happen with the impending removal of troops? >> u.s. troops? >> yes. >> i think the u.s. -- the withdrawal of u.s. forces from iraq makes us very nervous. i am going to be very honest with you.

even though you do not have many troops up in kurdistan, we know you are not far away. we have come a long way from the fifties, seventies, eighties, and '90s, to give you a sense of our history. in '88, subgum launched a genocide against our people. he destroyed 4500 of our villages, killed over 200,000 people, used chemical and biological weapons in more than two under 50 instances. in 1991, the gulf war. president bush senior at the end of the war called the iraqi people to take matters into their own hands. we did take matters into our own hands. we liberated our towns and cities only for the government at the time to strike an agreement with the u.s. government and to use their helicopters to crush the uprising.

millions of our people fled to the borders of turkey and iran it was only after no-fly zones were established we were able to rebuild our infrastructure and society. we have done a pretty good job, i can say. we have come a long way. we rebuilt most of those villages. we are starting to rebuild our society and overcome the many insecurities we have. but we always have this fear of being let down again, being betrayed again, of being left alone again in a part of the world where we are not very popular because return not arab, persian, do not have a neighboring country to run to, to ask their support. that is not an enviable position. our friends are a thousand miles away from us. the president of your forces right now in iraq -- the presence of air forces in iraq

is reassuring. we know this government in iraq, which we are a part of, is not going to hurt our region. but what can happen 15 years from now? we do not expect any of our neighbors to invade tomorrow or the day after your troops pull out. but there is nothing guaranteeing this will not happen five, 10, or 15 years from now pure we do not have a navy. we are landlocked. we do not have an air force. we have good infantry and we have great guerrilla fighters, but that is not enough. your presence, even if it is one soldier, means a lot to us. it is more than your military that we respect, honor, and welcome. it is your political and cultural engagement. it is events like this where americans get to meet kurds, and vice versa.

it was a young lady from iraq coming with a group of students and teachers and parents, coming to create these kinds of interactions that teach us more about each other. if we can develop a relationship where the united states is proud of where we have come, because we are proud of where we have gotten to, we can hopefully work toward our relationship that will prevent another atrocity, that will hopefully prevent another genocide eradicating our lands and our livestock. we will always be insecure. we will always feel that any minute we are going to get the trade. that sometimes plays out in our politics. it plays out in our decision making. sometimes when we consider that we are demanding too much or overreaching, or some of the other aspects we get labeled, it is not because we work to be

difficult. we have had a lousy history and doing everything we can to prevent that from happening again. we know deep down in being friends and allies with united states will go a long way to prevent that from happening to us again, but on the condition that the u.s. is a permanent allies. thanks again for having me. [applause] >> once again i want to say thank you. we greatly appreciate everything -- your time in coming to denver and your insight. it has been incredibly interesting. thank you very much. from the institute of international education and the denver water affairs council, we look forward to seeing you. we have a number of programs coming up in the fall. rather than hold on to you here

and go to the list, i hope you will look online if you have not got -- have not seen the program. take a look. come back and visit us again. thank you very much for being >> harry truman in 1939 said that he despised it. at the time, harry truman was seen as a center from the machine of kansas city. i always wondered if he did not think that the movie was looking at him and his relationship with the political machine back home. >> donald ritchie on washington movies and his new book, "u.s. congress: a very short introduction."

>> and his weekly address, president obama marks the 75th anniversary of social security and warns against privatizing the federal program. then you will hear the republican address but pennsylvania senate candidate pat to me who criticizes policies and proposes tax cuts to stimulate private sector job growth. seventy-five years ago today, in the midst of the great depression, franklin roosevelt signed social security into law, laying a cornerstone in the foundation of america's middle class, and assuring generations of america's seniors that after a lifetime of hard work, they'd have a chance to retire with dignity. we have an obligation to keep that promise. to safeguard social security for our seniors, people with disabilities, and all americans -- today, tomorrow, and forever. now, we've been talking for a long time about how to do that. about how to make sure social security is healthy enough to cover the higher costs that are

kicking in now that baby boomers are retiring. and i'm committed to working with anyone, democrat or republican, who wants to strengthen social security. i'm also encouraged by the reports of serious bipartisan work being done on this and other issues in the fiscal commission that i set up several months ago. one thing we can't afford to do though is privatize social security -- an ill-conceived idea that would add trillions of dollars to our budget deficit while tying your benefits to the whims of wall street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market. a few years ago, we had a debate about privatizing social security. and i'd have thought that debate would've been put to rest once and for all by the financial crisis we've just experienced. i'd have thought, after being reminded how quickly the stock market can tumble, after seeing the wealth people worked a lifetime to earn wiped out in a

matter of days, that no one would want to place bets with social security on wall street. that everyone would understand why we need to be prudent about investing the retirement money of tens of millions of americans. but some republican leaders in congress don't seem to have learned any lessons from the past few years. they're pushing to make privatizing social security a key part of their legislative agenda if they win a majority in congress this fall. it's right up there on their to-do list with repealing some of the medicare benefits and reforms that are adding at least a dozen years to the fiscal health of medicare -- the single longest extension in history. that agenda is wrong for seniors, it's wrong for america, and i won't let i it happen. not while i'm president. i'll fight with everything i've got to stop those who would gamble your social security on wall street. because you shouldn't be worried that a sudden downturn in the stock market will put all you've worked so hard for -- all you've earned -- at risk. you should have the peace of mind of knowing that after meeting your responsibilities and paying into the system all your lives, you'll get the benefits you deserve.

seventy-five years ago today, franklin roosevelt made a promise. he promised that from that day forward, we'd offer -- quote -- "some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against&hellippoverty- stricken old age." that's a promise each generation of americans has kept. and it's a promise america will continue to keep so long as i have the honor of serving as president. thanks for listening. thanks for watching. and have a nice weekend. hi, i'm pat toomey from the great state of pennsylvania, and i'm pleased to have this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you today. like a lot of americans all around the country, i really believe america is at a crossroads. i'll always be optimistic about america. we're too strong a people and too good a country to be held back for long. but i am deeply concerned about the direction we're heading in right now. that direction is being driven by extreme policies that are coming from one-party domination of government in washington. and this extreme ideologically driven agenda is preventing the

strong economic recovery and job creation that we should be having. it's time we put some real checks and balances back in place this november. let's take a minute to review what's happened in just the last 18 months. first, there were the ill- advised taxpayer funded bailouts of fannie mae and freddie mac and the car companies. now, to be fair, the bailouts were begun under the previous administration. but the crew that's in charge now ramped them up when it was perfectly clear that they were not accomplishing what they were supposed to. next, we had the so-called stimulus bill. nearly a trillion dollars in new washington spending, including some egregiously wasteful spending, like $2 million to study exotic ants and $30 million for a spring training baseball complex, among hundreds of other ridiculous items. now we were told that this monster spending bill would create jobs and keep unemployment below 8%. well, since then we've lost nearly 3 million more jobs and the unemployment rate hit 10%,

and in some states it's still well above that. over 14 1/2 million americans remain out of work. but even that was not enough for the one-party extremists in washington. after that, they went ahead and rammed through a $2-trillion healthcare bill, that even the official budget scorekeepers say will actually increase the cost of health insurance for individuals and families. and that's not to mention the very serious consequences for healthcare quality of imposing government in between doctors and patients. now where do all these bailouts, takeovers and spending sprees leave us? they leave us with a weak economy without job growth and with a mountain of debt for our kids. washington spending as a percentage of our country's economic output has grown by 25%practically overnight. that extravagant spending has caused a budget deficit for this year alone of $1 1/2 trillion dollars. that's a staggering amount of

debt. in fact, this democratic administration is projected to create more debt than all the debt we accumulated in the entire history of our country from george washington all the way through 2008, combined. so where do we go from here? well, the first thing we need to do is eliminate the threats from further harmful legislation. some elements of the democrats' extreme agenda have not yet been implemented, and if we want to create jobs, we need to keep it that way. for example, democrats have tried unsuccessfully to impose a massive energy tax on all of us through a cap-and-trade bill and to take away workers' rights with a card check bill. well, first and foremost, washington needs to stop causing even more harm. second, you know, there's an old saying. when you're in a hole, stop digging. there are hundreds of billions of dollars that have not yet been spent in the bailout and stimulus programs. we should stop spending that now. there are billions more in completely unnecessary and

wasteful washington spending that should stop immediately. and finally, we need to offer american families and businesses the kind of tax cuts that will stimulate genuine private sector job growth, instead of the billions of tax increases the democrats have already imposed and the more that they are threatening. to start, we should make the current tax rates permanent instead of raising them at the end of the year. and we should cut capital gains taxes to encourage business investment. even prominent democrats have recently said the last thing we should be doing in a recession is to raise taxes. now, i have every confidence that the 21st century can be another great american century. and i know we can have a booming economy. but to get there, we have to remember the source of our national strength. our strength does not come from bailouts and government spending. it comes from a free enterprise system and the hard-working honest citizens who make it run -- the kind of industrious folks i see every day in pennsylvania. when government lets these folks grow their businesses and work hard without putting obstacles in their way, that's when we will achieve the flourishing

recovery our country deserves. i'm pat toomey, and i thank you for listening. >> tomorrow, on "washington journal," mark murray talks about upcoming elections and poll numbers of them sonal verma on the process that people go through to become u.s. citizens and hurdles of they might encounter. after that, wall street journal water to him angwin on her newspaper's investigation on how on-line companies use technology to learn about a subscriber's interest. washington journal, live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. washington d.c. delegate eleanor holmes norton hosted a discussion on the unemployment rate among african-american men. speakers include a professor

curt this is all over two hours. >> good evening. hello. let me welcome you. i am pleased to so many of you here this evening. there are more people here than we expected, and that is good news. because of the seriousness of the subject could we have brought some extra chairs right at the beginning before we get started. let me watch a new to this unofficial hearing --, you to this unofficial a hearing on black men and boys. they are not officials of the district of columbia. the commission consists of african-american men who live in the district of columbia who have credibility with other african-american man.

all right, so what am i doing here? well, i initiated the commission about 10 years ago. and what is very clear is that if we were to look at the dilemmas and the challenges that face black man, it cannot just be the congresswoman alone in her official capacity. we had to focus on black men themselves first and then our entire community, on what amounts to hidden issues, because they simply are not

spoken about. the issues surrounding black men and their status in american society, and what has happened to them. as i look, i can see that we have paid attention to every member of the black family except the black man. those of you who don't no need to know right now, i am a card- carrying feminist. i was pleased to be one of those who had led the fight to pay attention to women with the notable results. women finished college and high school, but with a minute, we

did not mean to finish college and high-school more than men. reduction in the number of children, so that women can control their own fertility. and higher employment at professional levels in many professions of black women. of course, we'll always been willing as a society to support african-american women and other women if they have children and support, so there is a support for black women with children. since they are the guardians of children, that's all the means support for black men in the same what -- that seldom means support for black man in the same way. we paid attention to women, we paid attention to children -- not nearly enough. here in the district of columbia, education is the

number-one issue. we are focused on children. and there are a plethora of programs, private and public, at every level of government, for children. what about men? well, men are supposed to take care of themselves, or so it goes. one reason that has always been the case is that men dominate the work force. men have the jobs. when it went out to work -- women went out to work, especially in the african- american community, but the work force was dominated by men. when people work, they take care of themselves.

well, men no longer dominate the work force, either whites and/or black men. women are in the workforce today in almost equal numbers -- not quite, but almost equal numbers to black men. now, women still have a long way to go we just passed the lilly ledbetter bill for equal pay for equal work. women still work largely in it stereotype women's jobs -- in stereotyped women's jobs. but we have made progress for women. as a feminist, i would be the first to say that we have made considerable progress even as i press for more. why are we talking about black men this evening?

in the first place, the job market, where everybody is in trouble, makes it very, very easy to fail to disaggregate who is in the worst struggle, since all of us feel we are in trouble. if you have a job, whether it is the public or private job, you still feel you are in trouble. if you don't have a job, you are among the 14.6 million americans who are officially categorized as a jobless. that is 9.5% unemployment rate. 5.5 -- 5.9% -- i'm sorry, 5.9 million have stopped looking for a job. they are discouraged workers. they have looked and looked until they could not look any more. 8.5 million americans are working part-time, but desperately want full-time work.

you add all that together and you get 30 million people who cannot find the work they need. there are some people who call themselves 99ers. those are people who have been out of work for at least 99 weeks. that is how deep a recession president obama found himself with when he took office. and, yes, to be sure, it is digging us out of -- remember, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month when the president took office. now for seven straight months we have been gaining jobs. the problem is we have all hole so deep that you have a lot to fill in before anybody knows you are filling in the hole at all. unfortunately, that consists of real men and women in our community, along with millions of other americans. and it has been very tough for

those out of work, especially for black men, whose official unemployment rate is almost 16% compared to about 8% for white men. and yet we had the toughest time even getting unemployment benefits out until this month. it was to the 7600 b.c. residents who finally got -- there on the planet 76 -- 7600 d.c. residents who finally got their unemployment benefits. it was like there was saying, "let them eat cake." why is there a fight to get unemployment benefits today when there are five people looking for every job that is open? i have said to my republican colleagues on the floor of the

house, i don't know how you could have shut down unemployment for the first time in memory. whatever arguments we have in congress, everybody recognized that you had to do unemployment insurance. and that was like threading a needle this time. even though unemployment benefits are an immediate stimulus to the economy, because they are spent immediately, yet we could not get unemployment insurance out until the beginning of july the 60th vote came in the senate with the new democratic west virginia senator, and the bill was passed. we in the house have passed this bill over and over. we could not get it out of the

senate. here we're talking about jobs, and we are looking at people who have no jobs and had no unemployment benefits either. even though you pay unemployment -- into the unemployment insurance fund, not only the employer.

very bitter pill to swallow. with men, women, and teenagers out of work, we have lost sight of african-american men altogether, even though, even in boom times, their unemployment rates remained stagnant -- not what they are today, but pretty stagnant. our concern here this evening is not only with the men involved, it is with the fragile state of the african-american family, where 70% of the children are being raised by single women. this state of affairs began with the loss of jobs in the

manufacturing sector beginning in the late 1950's and early 1960's. therefore, if you care anything about the state of black america, you have got to begin to focus specifically on black men and not assume that the economy is taking care of them. now, we're not going to just be talking about -- this evening, as we hear from you as well, the audience witnesses, because you will have the opportunity to come up here and testify, as they say, for a few minutes, after a witnesses have testified -- but we're not only talking about what society has done to black men. we talking about black men have done to themselves. we are going to be talking about what our community has done to them and has not done for them. this is a societal problem, but it is our problem. and we cannot have our man off -- and our men off to a society

which has been -- we cannot hand our men off to a society which has been uncaring of them forever. when we look at this recession, men have been hit harder than women. four out of a five jobs lost were held by a male worker. that figure astounded me. i realize that male unemployment was greater, but i did not understand the depth of it until i saw these figures. the reason is that men have been employed in the most vulnerable industries. 1/3 of black men 16 to 19 in the united states today are unemployed.

black men have been employed disproportionately in the manufacturing sector. that was good for us, because those were high-paying, often union jobs that created the first african-american middle- class. but those are the jobs that have steadily declined over time. for example, african-americans' of many factors -- african- americans' share of manufacturing jobs years ago was almost a quarter of those jobs. almost a quarter of the manufacturing sector, black men. today their numbers are down to 10% in the manufacturing sector. the whole manufacturing sector has collapsed in this country. that is why many of us in the democratic caucus have said to get america back to making things, not just back to work. pac man -- black men were disproportionately, hugely disproportionately hurt by the

collapse of the auto industry. everybody in the african- american community ought to be applauding the bailout of the automobile companies and what it has meant now that all of them are back, every last one of them. if ever the united states made a good investment, it was in the auto companies, instead of letting the auto companies go down. the reason for what i have just described are many -- the reasons for what i've just described are many and disparate. for citizens, racial discrimination has enhanced the other factors that are on the table, and those factors cannot be ignored. studies of shown that -- studies have shown that

employers are generally more adverse to hiring black males than others. and there is a heartbreaking study done in new york by a princeton university professor who looked at in large -- 1500 employers in new york city, and found that a black applicant without a criminal record was no more likely to be employed that a white applicant just out of jail. -- than a white applicant just out of jail but this builds on stereotypes of who the black male is. it means that a disproportionate number of black males are hurting the entire group. when they see a black man come in, they see our incorporation -- incarceration rates. black men are incarcerated at a rate seven times a white man. we know that there are many societal reasons for that. but they have got to carry the record around for the rest of

their lives. we have got to do something about that. even if you say is because of the communities and they come from, it is because of the crime-infested communities with no jobs, whatever you say, a black man with a record on top of being a black man is in trouble, and everybody knows it. and yet, do we really want a whole generation of black men to unemployable -- to be unemployable, to be unmated and have no families? we have to focus on black men, whether they have a criminal record or not, and we have not done so with a neat black men of any kind or description. -- a zero we have not done so with black men of any kind or description. we will look at all kinds of reasons, not just the easy reasons to talk about. we will look at some of the top reasons, we will look at education as the root of almost all the problems of everybody was out of work. if you have a high school education, college education,

your unemployment rate is way lower than those with less education. everybody competing globally now -- you are not competing with people in neighboring states, you are not competing with other americans, you are competing globally. they don't need you, they can go abroad. therefore, we need education, all of us. that message has got to go especially to our young black men. this is a knowledge economy. yes, we often make thing --, yes, we have to make things, but the more advanced you are as the economy and a nation, the more you will depend on people with a college education. yes, there is work. -- yes, there is work for those

with basic schooling. but it will require stabilized, mostly without criminal records, except for the very fortunate, and a decent education. black men have to understand that they are not competing with the man in the cell next to them, they are competing with a man who has never gone to jail. if two men walked in the door, no matter how rehabilitated the ex-offender is, there is no avoiding the choice that most employers will make. that is why we have got to get to our young men before they get to any description of jail or prison. so tonight the commission, i will turn it over to the commission now -- will look at the entire context concerning

the balance between unfair stereotypes that confront black men and boys on the one hand. they are huge. and issues such as educational and job preparation that handicap so many black men in our country today. i will turn it over to the commission, who will proceed with the witnesses. >> i want to thank congresswoman norton for convening this work. we want to make the best interest of time, so what we're going to do is come in the next 60 to 90 minutes or so, introduced the other members of the commission, give a brief introduction to this members from our panel, hear from them, after which time we will hear from members of the audience. we will begin on the left. >> good evening.

i am a national chair of concerned black men. >> i am the founder of the xl institute, an adult education job training school in the district of columbia. i want to say, as the congress lady said, these are very difficult times. you probably know better than me -- board seven away, the unemployment rate is 30 per -- is inside board 708, -- board 708, the on a plan rate is 30%. i am in the education business. we're talking about adult education. that is fine. the only way to insulate ourselves, our family members, our cousins and uncles, is through education and having a trade. you have to have something that you can market. the economy goes up and the economy goes down, but there are traits out there that always, always, always -- trades out there that are always,

always, always looking for people. you might want it think about being in one of those businesses. at the end of the day, it is education. it is education at an early age, if you can do it the right way. but if somehow you just messed up, or an ex-offender, or not an ex-offender, you just 25 years old and you did not go to school, you need to learn a trade. to think that somehow that you are employable without having a trade, you just kidding yourself. you are kidding yourself and you need to stop doing that. i could talk about this for hours. i just wanted to clear up what i think about it. this is what i do for a living. you need to insulate yourself -- if you are talking about employment and taking care of your family and yourself, you have got to think -- you have got to bring something in. you cannot just walk in the door and say, you know, there should be a job for me. you need to create your own job, learned a trade. maybe we will get to that. >> hello, i am a co-founder of return citizens incubator. >> i am on the 100 black men of

america national executive committee, and i am the president in washington, d.c. >> we are going to hear from expert witnesses who have assembled to address this critical issue. first we will hear from dr. ronald walters. he is both a political activist and a premiere of leading thinker in our country today, and has been for over the past 30 or 40 years. he has taught at several universities. he served as campaign manager and consultant in rev. jesse jackson's presidential bid both times. finally, he is married to patricio walters and lives in the silver spring -- patricia walters and lives in the silver spring carry out silver spring, maryland but secondly, we have michael jones, one of the leaders in the legal field. he has been too numerous states throughout this country. we are proud to have him as a member of the washington, d.c., community. he has been acknowledged as one of the 75 best lawyers in washington by "washingtonian" magazine and what of the top >> we

are going to hear from expert witnesses who have assembled to address this critical issue. first we will hear from dr. ronald walters. he is both a political activist and a premiere of leading thinker in our country today, and has been for over the past 30 or 40 years. he has taught at several

universities. he served as campaign manager and consultant in rev. jesse jackson's presidential bid both times. finally, he is married to patricio walters and lives in the silver spring -- patricia walters and lives in the silver spring carry out silver spring, maryland but secondly, we have michael jones, one of the leaders in the legal field. he has been too numerous states throughout this country. we are proud to have him as a member of the washington, d.c., community. he has been acknowledged as one of the 75 best lawyers in washington by "washingtonian" magazine and what of the top

black litigator's by "black enterprise." class and certainly not least is rodney -- mitchell -- last and certainly not least is rodney mitchell, who gives a great example of community activism linked to the practice of law. what i think about him, he has a very distinguished resume and career, but i think of him as a native of the southeast and one who has deep roots in south- central los angeles who was caught up in certain implications -- consequences of certain decisions of the criminal justice system. . .

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>> i want to thank the minority business development agency. we at u.s.c. are thrilled to be the education-in-training program partner. u.s.c. is located in downtown los angeles. we work to obtain community -- what bodes well for this project, we look at our most successful private partnerships that we have at u.s.c. and we find a lot of them are forged in times of real challenge for the city of los angeles. for example, we have a minority program in real estate development that was created in 1993, the year after the civil unrest in los angeles. that's been an incredibly successful program. i think that bodes well for

where we are today. it is a challenging time for our nation. that is the time when we inknow vate and come together. you see these unique papes partnerships like we have here at the table. we know educational development is a life-long benefit. so for us we see the future development as well as the current development. so as mr. hightower said, let's get to work. thank you. [applause] . >> thank you, jennifer. ralph moore, president of ralph moore and associates, is a leading firm that works with

minority-owned programs and councilworks expertise. he will be working with the g.c.p. companies on helping them better understand how they can participate in the global markets. [applause] >> i'm excited to be here. the fact i'm 61 years old, i feel i bring history everywhere i go. i go back to 1979 when we started our business. this is the most exciting thing

i've seen come out. our goal is to work on out-reach in search of 180 great participants. our objective is to attract a diverse pool for this ground-breaking project. achieve this objective through the use of excessive tools to ensure participating minority businesses are ready for the capacity building experience that has been designed by the university of california and mbda. i won't take you through the questionnaire, but we talk about structural management, operational facilities, again, making sure the company is ready. as a consultant that'sed in

these areas, i glate -- congradulate them for the political savvy to execute on that vision. this is certainly a probusiness program. historically mbda has kept score regarding collective revenues and employment. it was quite refreshing to discover that this team has transformed mbda from -- to quab. is let me also comment dick rizzo that minority business is not only the right thing to do, but it is the smart thing to do.

the american taxpayer wins by creating more jobs for all americans, more businesses for the construction services industries, and badly needed tax revenues for federal, state, and local government treasuries. this project represents a milestone. this is the first time they have gone beyond rhetoric to create minority businesses for meaningful participation in the global participate. the global construction project has the potential to set the agenda for minority business agenda for the next 50 years. for minority c.e.o.'s this project goes beyond an opportunity to make money. participation in mbda's global construction project will take your business to the next level and enable you to build an institution that will last for generations. this is a game-changer.

thank you. [applause] >> thank you, rob. there should be no doubt in the minds of all americans, the obama administration, this administration is a pro-business administration. this is a public-private partnership that speaks to the focus that this administration has on bringing together the public sector and private sector toward business outcomes to gain more jobs for all americans. we will seg way -- seguay into the q & a session. >> just a couple points, sort of

a 30,000-foot view leer. one, there are two numbers within commerce that we spent a lot of time discussing and i want to make sure we get clarification on where the numbers are spent, the number five and the number two. five is the fact that we have to double exports in the next five yearsnd the president's national export initiative. two is the two million jobs that we expect to be supported by that. so i wanted to clarify that. the other part of the context is that in 2009 exports represented about 11% of america's gross domestic product. we have done some congratulations which now almost everyone agrees that for $185,000 of export value, one job here in the united states is created. so if you do the math on the 11% of the g.d.p. you can back into why 2 is a good number but it is

also a stretch number. the other thing is, the broader context, you want to take it up to satellite level, get up to 60,000 feet and above, and that is having spent a lot of time in india and china over the past two years, all you have to do is go to india, go down to bangalore and go to the technology centers and understand what's driving this. 30 years in ph.d.'s in areas so he is take that -- esoteric that you need dictionaries to understand what they are doing. that is a framer why this is poor. there are naturalies -- analogies that suggest that only a generation away from those of you sitting here, this will be your generation, your challenge, that those countries of india and china will probably represent close to 60% of all consumer spending in the world.

in that time frame. 50 million people moving from rural communities to major cities in and around those cities, infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. hospitals, schools, jails, public transportation, roads, brinls, you it. we do that better than anyone else in the world today. this will not only bring the first 150 companies and more to follow, but it will lift -- the old adage, all balls rise in a high tide, we expect that will be that high tide to have continued export express in two countries in the world where a lot of that action will be

occurring. that's the context of what we get started on. >> i would like the media who has questions to stand and state the outlet you are with and we will go from there. >> the contract is an international contract. >> the contracts will be international contracts.

tuta forini does a tremendous amount of business outside the united states. the contract will be targeting a tremendous amount of business. >> we currently have backlog in our boats. 35% of that is outside the u.s. most of it is guam, afghanistan, and iraq, unfortunately.

as we pursue more federally funded projects overseas, we will incorporate this program in that pursuit. most of our work is large commercial. in the form of building construction it is military housing, military facilities, airports, runways. in guam, it is for the navy. in expansion of the naval presence in guam. there is potential opportunity in the next four to five years, projected.

we have destination resorts. >> you mention india and china is so huge. but i wonder if the infrastructure in china is open to the population, you will know, the labor cost in china is so low, so how can minority construction firms in the united states compete with local firms? >> that is a good question. >> i think there are more cranes in shnghi -- shanghai than anywhere else in the world. there comes a time when the construction becomes a bit beyond the capacity when you get to the area of tems, you get to

the area of -- telecommunications, the area of high-speed transportation. these are areas that china will begin to look out ward as opposed to inward. i've done business in china in since 18987. oftentimes that results in joint business as well as out-sourcing. there will come a time because the capacity, there will be 300 million coming in over the next several years to support the activity going on in shanghai and shindu and areas like that.

>> i want to first say that these contracts are high-tech, high toll. you are basically not worried that before they start building to capacity within this here that they will not be [untellible] >> i'm sorry, if you would please repeat your question.

>> i don't think there is a concern. as deputy hightower said, this is an emerging opportunity, and we are moving aggressively to prepare minority firms to compete in the global markets. big picture, there is no question that the relationship between the united states and china is an important relationship for both nations. we believe this relationship and this partnership will continue to open up scommick opportunities for minority-owned firms in the united states as it will open up opportunities and continue to open up opportunities for chinese firms across industries. what we plan to do is prepare the mine ordinary business communities to take advantage of the opportunities within the global markets. keep in mind, the minority business community contributes

to millions of dollars in economic output. wore here to expand the capabilities and expand unique relationships, partnerships, family ties, and language cape abilitied of u.s. minority firms in countries they would consider in many instances, their home countries. so we are talking about asian-american firms, hispanic-american firms within our space. the pacific-jewish community is considered a minority. we provide services for them. these are the firms that we're referring to. what is unique about the united states, unlike any other country, is that many of these companies, many of these management teams still have close relationships to their

home country. a chinese-american firm, with the right skills, we believe, will be in a position to lefrpbl their relationship to take advantage of opportunities. so that's one of the benefits of the us united states that we want to leverage here. >> we are not looking at start-up companies here. these are established companies, at least three years in business, a minimum of 25 employees, already with sberns in major projects under their belt -- experience in major projects under their belts. these are capable firms that have demonstrated success in the united states that when they take their expertise off shore they will be able to compete day one.

>> will there be any kind of training? >> they -- the training program will be taught by senior executives at tutor perini in conjunction with the team at the university of southern california. the program is centered around providing these companies with the things that don't exist. culturally, that is not contemplated as a skill set provided from the training, and from our vantage point, it is

something embedded. what is more important, is building relationships within president tutor perini family of companies. gaining the technical knowledge, that is a unique skill set that's not embedded within the minority community. and frankly, the $1 million of contracts available for these firms will give them an opportunity to gain on the ground skills, so that when they complete this program and complete these contracts, they will be in a position to really be a partner with tutor perini corporation and their global supply chain as well as other global construction companies. these are the fastest access to build these firms critical to design and scale.

>> if there are no other questions from the media, we'll call it a day. >> how do the skills differ from what they are doing over here to what they are going to do globally? briefly outline that. >> i think depending on the company we're dealing with, the use of local labor generally is practice. the supervision and support is what the minority companies we're working with, that we're expecting them to deliver. the majority of the local labor is going to be local. either through custom or tradition in that particular country or usually, when we go abroad, we will have a local partner who will also add that

dimension that you had mentioned about the language. the language challenge and cultural challenge. we will never go into a country without the inner workings of that particular country. that will be transferable to those minority firms we are working with and encouraging to work with us in those locations. >> any other questions from the media? ok. thank you for coming. we really appreciate it. >> i think it is important that every person in florida those i will not be part of this culture of corruption. i will fight for the people of florida. >> it is campaign 2010, and the c-span video library makes it

easy to follow debates, rallies, and concession speeches on your computer at any time. >> leticia long became the first woman to lead a major u.s. intelligence agency. robert gates and others spoke at the ceremony. it is 45 minutes.

>> bob has overseen an impressive array of assignments at s.g.a. his -- n.g. a. under his leadership, n.g.a. has pushed to get more activists into theater. the folks who deploy from here to iraq or afghanistan are making a big difference to the lives of our men and women in uniform. apart from our critical -- a critical role in our efforts in iraq and afghanistan, we have also been working to provide a common operating picture in haiti, track the oil spill in the gulf, and monitor the ash

clouds from the volcano in iceland, to name a three. the hard work has enabled decisions makers to make informed choices of national security challenges based on the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art analysis. he goes on to say, admiral moret was instrumental in access to and the sharing of geo-safety intelligence which has had a profound impact both in canada and the united states. bob's work is not just with canada, but our partners and allies around the world has been a key example of integration and

collaboration at its best. the location of this ceremony is also a lasting reminder. and i must say, it has been a long way from inpick in southeast washington. even though the move is not complete, the plan of consolidating several areas around the capital region and creating a worthy home for this agency. this facility, to use the admiral's words, will do more than anything else to bring this agency together, and will be be the new home of geospatial intelligence. bob, you have done a superb job of keeping the mission going during this time of transition, and i wish you all the best as you have new opportunities to lead and to serve. to you, and your family, and the entire n.g.a. team, thank you, and job well done.

[applause] >> as i said back in february, tish long is the right person to pick up the reigns and lead during this time of transition. and, i might add, she'll be the first person ever to -- first woman ever to lead a major u.s. intelligence agency. ms. long takes the reigns after deputy director of naval intelligence, and as a coordinator of intelligence community activities for the director of central intelligence. with her experience and proven track record, i have no doubt she'll lead this organization to

ever greater success in the very near term. in closing, as some of you older folks may know, i have a special connection to the men and women of n.g.a. based on the lessons learned in the first gulf war, as d.c.i., i wanted to lead this. i made decisions that led to the national imaginary and mapping oothsy in 1986. that organization, which later became n.g.a. combiped imaginary elements from c.i.a. and d.o.d. to provide a more centralized focus on this critical intelligence discipline. this organization has grown into a critical link into america's apparatus and made a decisive difference between our national security and recent war efforts.

to the men and women of n.g.a., i am grateful to your service and what you do every day to protect newark. -- protect america. [applause] >> please join center stage for the presentation of the award. citation to acome any the award of the defense distinguished service medal. his broad intergration of geospa

cia intelligence set new standards for collaboration and operational support. he balanced service with security threats. his work led to the advancement of geospacial handling architecture. he encouraged geospatial intelligence through preparation of the agency's highly complex politician deployment to a new operations facility and substantial improvement to the agency's facilities in the west. through his distinctive accomplishment, he put great credit upon himself, the united states navy, the national intelligence agency, and the department of defense, signed robert m. gates, secretary of

defense. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. it is my hoonor to introduce the honor james r. clapper junior and incoming director of national intelligence. mr. clapper. [applause] >> i mention dave because he is sworn in. that was a superb job of

reciting this esteemed crowd we have today. i'll just ditto what lana said. first, secretary gates. sir, you honor this agency, its people, and all of us by your presence, your interests, and your support. i personally want to thank you for your leadership and your mentorship that has meant so much to me over the years for obvious reasons. first, i would like to thank bob moret for his distinguished service as director, and i want to thank him as -- for his dedicated leadership and his esteemed love for this agency and its people. obvious reasons bob and i have a

strong connection because of our affinity for n.g.a. and its people. one thing i would like to do is thank bob for his persistent however well-inch tended medaling. the second reason is to recognize the second director tish long. as the secretary indicated, we are witnessing history. with tish's ascension to serve as the first director of a major intelligence agency. i think i understand how proud her parents would have to be of tish. this is a magnificent accomplishment. i am so proud of her as a friend, colleague, and mentor for over 15 years. the third reason this is special

is this venue, n.g.a.'s new campus. it seems like only yesterday we were under another tent at bethesda, and this campus was only in our nadge nation. -- in our imagine nakes. now look at it today and what it's going to be. and my third point is, tish, after i'm sworn in, the meddling will continue. [applause] >> thank you, mr. clapper. please join mr. clapper center stage. ladies and gentlemen please stand for the presentation of the award. >> citation to acome any the award of national intelligence distinguished medal to robert b.

morets in recognition of the intelligence community from july 2006 to august 2010 while serving as the national director of the geointelligence agency. throughout his tenure his drive and dedication as well as his enduring focus on the nation's intelligence needs has greatly benefited the entire intelligence community. he has been an enthusiastic champion of geospatial intelligence helping establish it as a critical component of our national security structure. aadmiral morets has also made vital geospatial donations for years to come. he reflects upon himself, the national geospatial agency, and the entire intelligence community. signed by the acting director of national intelligence. [applause]

ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. it is my distinct pleasure to introduce vice admiral robert b. morets, united states navy. [applause] >> perhaps some day i will do something to deserve all of this. >> thank you, secretary. i would like to thank everyone for participating in this event. i am humbled by the awards

presented here today. they are clearly a reflection of the accomplishments of all of us at n.g.a. our work with our allies also who are present here this morning. it has always been about our people, our mission, and our work with others outside of our organization, and it is great to see so many that we work with represented here in the crowd. i also need to recognize the participation of all of our families. on a personal note i need to thank especially my wife judy. she never likes me talking about her at these starmse, but the people at n.g.a. fully understand how much she has contributed to our efforts. thank you. [applause]

looking flu the audience it is great to see the n.g.a. work force here in such large numbers. the men and women in this agency at all levels reflect the character of an organization that it has been a privilege to be a part of it is time to acknowledge the progress that n.g.a. has nade made since its imseppings in the mid 1990's. since then, they have had a product of growth of admission. they continue to be the world experts in mapping, charting, and with a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. many here in the audience recognize this is our d.n.a. a lot of help from secretary gates, and the imperative of working out things with each other in an effort to

collaborate, focus outward, deploy forward, and work with so many other organizes across the interagency. it is inherently collaborative as we are in so many settings and places around the world responsible for the basic geospatial foundation. there has been a fair amount of continuity and stability and we have continued to very well in a couple key areas. let's go back many years. first the growth and recognition of a geofunctional discipline reaffirmed in legislation, executive order, intelligence community direct yiffs, last year's n.g.a. charter signed by the secretary of defense, and most importantly, the day-in, day-out practice. the growth of our support to

ongoing combat operations right down to the unit level, expanting engagement, a broad and deep systems architecture providing dramatically expanded access to thousands around the world, our day in, day-out emphasis. the steady expngs of our collection platform and all class fantastic lefrls reflecting our true mission assurance. also how we did this, including enfranchisement of stable employees at n.g.a. and the ways they continue to expand and provide unique talent for our mission.

there is even more reason to be confident about the future. one of the direct reasons is tish long. she has been here with many years experience. she brings a wealth of perspective from her key most of defense throughout the intelligence community, and we are all very proud to welcome to n.g.a. a new leader of such talent and distinction. [applause] this new home will be a means to even greater mission analysis.

the great team surrounding us today continues their work right through the ceremony. our new home is not about bricks and mortar but about mission and the impact we have far away from this site. tremendous effort has gone into this to effect a new mission for our nation and allies. there will be continuing challenges that immediate to be met head on. most are ongoing challenges as articulated by the commission and enactment that changed our national intelligence structure.

n.g.a. has addressed these challenges by addressing the central theme of the two commissions. it is by working across the ipt agencies that is perhaps best reflected by the 2,000ing ining in personnel that we have assigned outside. statement thatting ining in has obtained this out-going focus is mission balance. as we said, n.g.a. is committed to everything we can in support of our men and women that go in harm's way. n.g.a. will continue to make dangerous places safer for young men and women who defend our country and do everything

possible to expand their mission. at the same time we continue to prevent threats to the u.s. and allies. this includes nuclear and conventional threats. responding to these challenges, so many from n.g.a. have worked across organizational bonds. special operations, humanitarian and disaster response and protection for u.s. personnel around the world to name just a few. these n.g.a. men and women who have forged our interagency success here and abroad are the future leaders of the intelligence community with the critical experience that they

have gained over the past decade will loom large in the future. 6 n.g.a. will continue to be a strong ingredient in that steady process. in closing, as we have taken on these challenges, we have much to be confident about as we look to the future of n.g.a. and the mission our people accomplish. our annual leadership. work with combat support agency counterparts, keith alexander, ron burgess, bruce carlson. the early morning p.r.c.'s with iraq, afghanistan, and other

locations. such terrific participation by the entire agency. to work with our key allies with australia, canada, new zealand, which we did demonstrate that sleep was over-rated. we went to emergency operations, rain, snow, darkness, and all kinds of conditions, and i'm happy to say no injuries. family day at bethesda and st. loose -- st. luis, and so on. what we should be proudest that we work with day in and day out. people that demonstrate passion here, st. louis, and all our other locations. i would like to thank our partners across the world for

yourment and service and for all that you have done in the n.g.a. quietly remarkable way for the nation and for our allies. finally, judy and i wish you all the best. this is the enduring legacy for all of us as you go forward into the bright shining future of this great agency. thank you. [applause]

>> please stand in place for the transfer of authority. admiral morets and -- this concludes today, august 9, 2010. at this time the authority and functions of the agency will transfer to ms. laticia a. long. to mark the transition of authority, they will now post the flag of the civilian director of the national geospatial-intelligence agency.

[applause]

>> >> ladies and gentlemen, the director of the national intelligence agency, leticia long. >> distinguished guests, thank you all for being here today. as i begin my remarks, i first want to say what an honor it is to be able to serve our nation not only alongside n.g.a.'s outstanding and dedicated profrlse, but also with our partners and colleagues who span

the u.s. intelligence commuent, the international community, acedemia, and industry. i am excited by the opportunity to bl on the firm foundations that n.g.a.'s four previous directors have established. i share the stage with two of them, and the first two directors, jack tone and jim king, who are here with us today. thank you both for coming. good to see you both again. i am pleased to see so many friends and family members here today. not only here in person but also on the video network. thank you all for joining us. your presence is a fitting tribute to admiral bob murrett and his wife, judy. i would like to take a minute and give them another round of applause for their service and commitment to our nation. [applause]

among those here today, i would like to acknowledge my former bosses and mentors who have taught me a lot about leadership. mr. paul long, ms. joan democracy -- dempsiy -- dempsy who has given me great advice over the years. pat hughes. pat, thanks for being here. the vice-chairman, general james cart wright, thank you. dr. steven cambone. retired lieutenant general majors and lieutenant burgess. thank you all for your council and friendship as well as your leadership and service to our nation. i especially want to thank general cleaper.

sir, you have been instrumental in my success throughout my career. your 46 years of public service have made more and more important contributions to the nation than i can begin to describe here. thank you for sharing your which is tom and for taking a chance on a young executive way back when. i think you said it was 16 years ago, sir. congratulations to you, and on your appointment and getting sworn in real soon. i look forward to working closely with you and all meddling is welcome. your successor has continued the tradition of outstanding leadership during the simultaneous changes in leadership and challenges of war and change across the intelligence community. bob, i appreciate all of the time and guidance you have

slared with me -- shared with me. thanks to your leadership n.g.a. is more agile and responsive and more unified and more mission focused than ever before. the nation has benefited significantly from your steady hand at the helm of n.g.a. thank you. we all applaud your service. [applause] >> our coming together this morning symbolizes the close connections we have throughout the intelligence communities and the international community as well. together we have confronted the security challenges facing our nation. i have worked with many of you over the years, and as director of n.g.a., i will continue to build upon our close tips to better serve our nation and the war fight. finally, and most importantly, i

want to acknowledge the steadfast commitment of the many thousands of n.g.a. professionals, sifrpbls civilians, military, and contractor. in my almost 32 years in the community, i have never seen an agency as young as n.g.a. do so much in so ll little time to come together with such a strong sense of mission and common purpose to have as many successes as n.g.a. has had. i look forward to working with you based on the solid foundation you have already established. secretary gates, director clapper, general cartwright and other senior leaders, i dedicate myself to continuing to build n.g.a. as an exceptional partner in our shared community. we will have a sharp focus on our mission and operational results, our accountability to our customers and mission partners, and especially to our

people. once again, thank you all for coming here today. you honor our presence. and a special thanks to the cybrinsky clan that from a long way. thanks mom and dad for making the trip. bob, thanks to you and judy for everything you have done for n.g.a., for our navy, and for the nation. it is a personal honor to share the stage with you, director clappe. r -- clapper, and secretary gates. it is a true privilege to serve as the fifth director of n.g.a. thank you all, and may god continue to bless the united states. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the formal ceremony. please stand and remain in place for the departure of the for the departure of the official party.