understanding that there have been supplementals to pay for the war in afghanistan and iraq under president obama's administration. what is different, and i am not a military defense expert, but what is different is that they are trying to keep away a lot of other, some of the pet projects outside of those. so, i do think there have been at supplementals that have gone on under president obama. and i think that keeps the best apples to apples comparison. but we are a little bit outside of my expertise talking about this subject. host: there is a story in "the washington post" today -- democrats want kennedy's we go to run for his sea it is the seat held by scott brown, the most popular politician in massachusetts. in an interew, they quoted mrs. kennedy saying she could not see yourself running for her

husband's seat, but could not rule it out. guest: there are a lot of democrats that wish that she was running and not martha copely. it would be interesting to see what she decides to do. if she ran, should be the democrats' beschance. but scott brown is very popular. in 2012, that will be during a presidential year. massachusetts is a democratic- leaning state, but it voted for scott brown. it will be tougher for him, and he will weigh that in. he has taken some moderate positions on key senate votes right now. the political junkie in the hopes she runs, because that will be a fantastic race. host: we conclude by asking about the survey. the polling to place between august 5 and august 9.

what is the margin of error? guest: 200 were conducted by cell phones we were able to contact the proper universe. >> now, a discussion on the process of becoming a u.s. citizen. this is about 40 minutes. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we want to welcome sonal verma, the d.c. chapter chair of american immigration lawyers assocation. we want to go to the process of how those a become american citizens. what are the requirements for nationalization? guest: you have to be 18 years or older. you had to offend a legal

resident for three years or far years.-- or five years. you have to provide continuous physical presence. you have to have continuous of physical presence. you have to have permanent residence for the five years preceding the time you file for citizenship. you cannot have committed crimes or done certain things against laws of the united states. host: as you look at the process, how has it changed in the last 50 or 100 years? is it more complicated or easier to become a u.s. citizen? guest: it is more complicated. it is more complicated to become of legal permanent resident of the united states. people travel worn out. the world has become global. so when people travel and they

are a legal permanent resident, they are spending more time outside the united states and it is difficult to show the permanent residence prior for applying for the naturalization process. host: these questions are available from the web site of the department of homeland security. what is the rule of law? what does the judicial branch do it? why do some states have more representatives than other states? what is freedom of religion? what is one right or freedom and the first amendment? some of those born in this country could not answer those questions. guest: the immigration and naturalization service has a terrific website. anyone planning on filing their application can go to the united states citizenship and immigration service website, www.uscis.gov, and there are

study guides. there is a list of 100 questions asked on the civics exams. there is a lot of preparatory material available so they can prepare and be confident going into their citizenship interview and taking their civics and english exam, which is another part of what is required in order to become a citizen of the united states. host: we have on line for those of you going to the process of applying for citizenship. that is 202-628-0184. otherwise, we have a dedicated phone lines for democrats, republicans, and independents. in talking about this segment, we discussed about what happened when folks came through ellis island from europe a century ago. what did happen to those immigrants here? how long was the process? guest: the process to travel

here was several months on a vote. when they came to ellis island, they were herded into a large room, basically, a large area, and individually they would have to show where they were from, who were, what their profession was, and provide health screening. they would get screening there on the premises. now that is not part of the naturalization process. the four met at that time was a very primitive compared to what is now -- the four met at that time was very primitive compared to what is now. as we have now, it is a more organized process. we have the law available to allow for naturalization. back then, you were a chinese

citizen. you are from china. you were not allowed to be a citizen. there were other rules at play that now are not available. host: i want to go back to one requirement, the ability to read, write, and speak english. we are a bilingual country. many people speak spanish. if you go to an atm, it is in english or spanish. in a recording, it is english or spanish, and many are critical of that. guest: i think the criticism is unfounded. to allow people to participate in united states, to make certain concessions to allow them to bank oor to move forward is fine, but i think, also, to have the english requirements in the civic requirements are necessary to show that they do want to become progressive members of our society, to participate.

one of the the freedoms you get when becoming a citizen is to vote. to understand what the issues are, to vote, it is necessary to know english. host: sonal verma is with the american immigration lawyers assocation. harris arkansas, pennsylvania, good morning. caller: i do not have a problem with people who want to come here legally. it is people who come here illegally to jump over the fence and create a burden for our society. if they do the necessary progress to become a citizen, i do not have a problem with that. it is the people who come over here illegally, take the jobs, use up our health care, cause all the financial crises that california is experiencing right now. you know, we can be realistic about the problem, but government wants to get too

involved in it and they do not want to do the right thing. that is my comment. host: thank you. guest: in order to become a citizen, you have to be a legal permanent resident and have a green card. that is not an issue that would affect the citizenship process, because you have to go through a number of steps in order to become of legal permanent resident prior to applying for citizenship. host: next is marked from miami, someone going to the process right now. mark, good morning to you. caller: yes, i am going to the process now. host: where are you from? caller: canada. i have been a resident alien for several decades. i love the united states and i want to star participating in the political process. my question is, when you are applying as a resident alien, you have to relinquish your

resident alien card and its status. is it true that if you do not pass your naturalization test, that you have it then therefore lost your resident alien status, too? guest: no, that is not correct. you can only lose your resident alien status by appearing some of -- by committing some crime or fraud. you will not lose it by relinquishing your car. by not passing the sixth exam or retaining u.s. citizenship, you will not lose your legal permanent residents -- by not passing the civic exam. host: bonnie joins us from oklahoma on the democrats' line. are you with us? good morning. caller: i am 61 years old, and

after googling the best place in the world, i find united states is not the best any more. host: were is the best? caller: norway. host: to you want to move? caller: yes. after living in 10 different states and the things i've seen in the people i've met, i am sad for our country know. guest: let me use your call to ask you about the reverse. if you have u.s. citizens who want to move to our land or norway, what is your process? guest: it depends on each individual country, just as the united states has a set parameter of laws to apply for citizenship. each, individual country outside the united states will have their own at method by which to determine who can be a citizen. in europe, the vast majority of

countries have a points system which allows you to become a legal resident. then they have a certain period of time within which you have to file for citizenship of that country. but each country has its own laws and they are very different from the united states laws appeare. host: sonal verma is from the american immigration lawyers assocation. nina joins us from villanova, pennsylvania, on the republican line. caller: good morning. if one is applying and their parents are citizens of -- from india or pakistan -- what is the weight once -- the wait once the child, the citizen, has applied for their parents to come?

immigrant lawyers that are not charging hundreds of thousands of dollars, do you know of any? i heard in some cases where the poor people are trying to get their elderly parents legally into the united states and they are having trouble with the process because these lawyers are extending these cases on and on it just to get hundreds of thousands of dollars sometimes. i would appreciate that. one more question. there is a business be said that is offered to individuals wanting to invest in the united states and then they are offered a green card, i believe. i wish the obama administration would look into this policy, because they are asking for $1 million or more for some of these investors. if they could lower the borrower, invest in real a state, $100,000 investment, that would increase our economic situation and bring these

immigrants, who are going through missouri. some of these developing countries, they want to come in legally, yet they cannot because of these economic issues. if they lower the borrower, and say you can invest in r, country you will get a green card. that will make it easier on everyone. host: thank you. guest: let me address your first question with respect to how long it takes a u.s. citizen to bring their parents from abroad. it takes less than a year to bring your parents from abroad. they come in as legal permanent residents and once they established their residency with physical presence, they can file for their citizenship within four years and nine months of having entered the united states. it is a quick and easy process, actually. your second question, with

respect to the list of good attorneys available, you can contact the american immigration lawyers association and to do research. you want to look online for attorneys and see if they are members of the american immigration lawyers assocation. i would like to encourage everyone to steer clear of people holding themselves out to offer immigration advice or legal advice. they are not licensed attorneys. we have seen significant issues with respect to these individuals providing erroneous advice to people and causing more problems than they are helping with. so you do want to seek a good, licensed attorney. it should not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring apparent from abroad. it is a very reasonable thing that most immigration attorneys do. with respect to the investor visa, there is a tiered structure.

it is a very complex situation. there is information available on line with respect to the base amount of investments needed and the requirements and which countries can participate in the process. there is actually some conversation happening right now as to whether or not they are going to try to introduce changes or introduce bills that will enable investment in the united states to be a better avenue by which people can enter and become legal permanent residents of the united states of america, and that is something i am looking forward to seeing more of. host: for more information, log on to alia.org. we also have all linked available through our web site at c-span.org. our producer is from trinidad. can he have dual citizenship? guest: the united states does

not have dual citizenship, but if trinidad recognizes it, he can maintain his citizenship and all the rights and privileges that go along with trinidadian citizenship. whenever he enters the united states, he has to use a u.s. passport in order to maintain it citizenship here. host: as part of the process, you get fingerprinted. once that is completed, how long do you wait for the exam? guest: that is a million-dollar question right there. sometimes you can wait two months. sometimes you may be waiting six months after you did your fingerprints taken. it depends on where you are in the united states. each district office has its own processing time, but you are looking at a general period of 10-12 months from the time of filing for application to the time you are sitting for your oath ceremony. in the grand scheme of things,

for everything else you apply for immigration, he is not as lengthy process. host: brian has this question -- true or false? our legal residents required to carry their green cards at all time? guest: the law states they are required to carry evidence of their legal permanent status. host: augusta, georgia. tell us your story. caller: yes, i just filed. i was going to the oath ceremony, but between the test i took, they told me i had a citation, a citation for disorderly conduct, and they told me i could not go through the oath ceremony unless is show good moral character.

they dropped my citation and probation. and i am still waiting for that. host: where are you from? caller: i am from tunisia, north africa. i lived here since 1998 with a green card. i got a wife. i went through this process, and i was there until they told me i cannot go through because of that citation. guest: you have to establish a good moral character for five years. if the citation occurred during that five-year period of time, you have to start the clock over again from the time the citation occurred until the time you filed your application. it is not going to permanently bar you. and depending on what the citation is 4, it will not permanently bar you, but you may have to wait a little longer.

host: our people from friendly nations given more priority? if you are from somalia versus someone from canada or great britain, are friendly nations given preference? guest: in the citizenship process, no. everyone is treated the same way in filing their application. caller: hi. i keep having to remind people that ronald reagan gave a huge amnesty when he was in there and i think it is too hypocritical for conservative folks to forget that and to act like the liberals today are being so soft on immigration and wanting to be so soft. if we are going to move forward, and reagan did not put down any more effort at the border, we will have to do that. we will have to crack down at the border and have to have a good idea requirement. but we will also have the re-do

what he did with immigration. i write about that on my blog. paul brown, my congressman, things the civil war should not .have been fought have now in thewe united states is due to several factors. we have seen an increase in the number of people coming to the united states, but we have also seen an increase of the number of people staying here. in 1996, there was a law that was passed that said if you are in the united states for six months or longer, you are ba rred from returning for three years if you leave. if you are out of status for over 12 months and you leave, you are barred for 10 years from returning.

what this law created was a hostage situation, where people who spend time out of status in the united states, and do not feel they can return to their home country because then it will not be allowed to return to the united states. you have to go through a waiver process and it is a very complex situation to qualify. so we have a lot of people here right now who without the 3 and 10 year bars, would be able to return to their home countries. we have not addressed that as a country. we just see the increase in number is compiling simply because we are keeping these people here. we are keeping people from returning to their home countries. no one wants to stay here and not be welcome, but we are not allowing them to return. host: dana joins us -- dan joins us from tulsa. caller: good morning.

my fiancee is from mexico. it has spent 13 years. since then, she has been a model citizen, a single mother that has raised her child care. the child was not born here, a homeowner. owned her home for eight years as a single mother. and she had filed for citizenship. i am afraid she has lost in the system. you know, her english, she may not have worked on it like she should have come up -- it seems money is the key to everything, as in being able to acquire an attorney to represent her. i know you talked about it, but it seems, if you have money, you can get things taken care of.

but just being a good citizen and working at all low-wage, the attorney fees are too much. guest: ok. i don't know if she has already filed for naturalization or she was a legal permanent resident. it sounds like she is going to the process and perhaps has not heard back. i do not know how long it has been since the time of filing. you can call the customer service line. you can call it. if you have received, you can ask them for the status of your case -- with a receipt. you can go to the website and plugged in at the receipt number and see where it is in the process. host: let me bring up the 14th amendment. some republicans call for repealing the amendment set in place after the civil war to make sure that slaves could be

u.s. citizens. is that the right alternative? guest: i do not think it is the right alternative. amending the 14th amendment to appease a certain political goal is not what we do in the united states. the 14th amendment achieves citizenship for everyone in the united states who was born in united states. it did not discriminate against who you work. there is a small line of supreme court cases that upheld the 14th amendment in various situations. it provides equal protection to people within our borders. and to use the 14th amendment as a pawn for political purposes is, frankly, disturbing. host: sonal verma is with the american immigration lawyers assocation.

yusef joins us. good morning. caller: i think we should let all the mexicans, all the haitians, all the jamaicans, we should let all of them into the country because this is god's land. this land belongs to god. if we allow them to come in, we can fight with these jews, who divide people with immigration. host: wait. why do you say that? caller: man, look at the history of the jews? anytime you thought anything jewish, you cut people off. you do not hear people. host: i would say the same for any ethnic or religious group. caller: if you look at the history of them, they have always divided people by race, by color, by finances.

it is the jews behind all of this stuff. there is no such thing as immigration which should allow everybody into this country. this is back to the original land. we're with the jews be at? host: did you want to respond? guest: no. host: where are you from, dom? caller: i am originally from mauritania. host: how long have you been in the united states? caller: june, 2002. host: why did you come here? caller: political problems in my country. i feared for my life. after so many prosecutions in mauritania, i felled my country and applied for asylum. . .

host. host. blah blah blah. caller: bra blah blah (202)737-0002 (202)737-0001 (202)628-0205 (202)628-0184 sonal verma.org cspan.org.org julia angwin (202)737-0002 (202)737-0001 (202)628-0205 (202)628-0184 (202)737-0002 (202)737-0001 (202)628-0205. (2. guest: anyone says anything from 12 to 18 million. host: host: it's red herring. it's not the economic or political issue that people make it. i think that's very true to a certain degree. i think the arguments that are made for the economic problems that are created by people who are here without documentation have been blown out of proportion.

you have a lot of people in the united states who are hard working, paying taxes, who will never get tax refunds, never obtain any money back in social security, they are paying into the system. when people come here, whether they're undocumented or here on proper visa, or whether they're legal permanent residents, they send money. they go to the grocery stores, restaurants and malls. the sales taxes, revenue generated for small businesses by people in the united states are helping our economy, rather than hindering our economy. it goes back to why do we have these undocumented people in the united states? they are here, that increase in numbers has been seen in the past 14, 15 years simply because of the situation i'm going back to.

people are not discusses it that often. without it, you would see more back and forth migration, what was happening pre1996 where people returned back and had more opportunity to go through borders, rather than staying here. without the preentenure bars, we had fewer undocumented people, and more people who could in some capacity file for a visa, or to obtain some sort of normal status in the united states in some way. that was a whole line of method that people do not have anymore. host: you are encouraged to join this conversation on line.

how about the parents can be legal residents, but never citizens after having children here. guest: i don't know that that's a very good suggestion. i think that would cause a lot more, you know, with all the argument about the fourteenth amendment right now, i don't think that's something that's going to go very far. the conversation, the reason that the fourteenth amendment has been brought up, we're talking about people who would come here, have their children in the united states, automatically by their birth in the united states become citizens. the conflict has arisen by saying that they're somehow affording their undocumented parents a path to citizenship. the background is these babies have to grow up, attain 21 years of age, and they have to petition for their parents to become legal permanent

residents, after which time, five years later, their parents can attain citizenship. in order to be petitioned for legal residents, those bars are going to kick in, and those warrants are going to have a 10 year, wait the process and come back. the problem that everyone is raising with respect to people being born in the united states, and that horrible term anchor babies is really what's really happening out there, what can happen, because you're talking about waiting at least 31 years before a foreign national can become a legal resident in the united states. host: a few more of your phone calls, sonal verma, welcome to the washington journal. are you with us?

host: no. host: where are you with us from. caller: nigeria. caller: host: how long? caller: 40 years. i'm a two-time veteran of the armed forces, navy and army, and i have tried to get my citizenship when i was in the military, and they told me i have to pay $500, and i was wondering after serving in the military for about 10 years, why do i have to pay to become a u.s. citizen? guest: that's a good question. currently, there are certain expedited procedures by which people serving in the military can attain u.s. citizenship, but you've, of course, he should already, and it seems are not currently serving, so you would have to go through the

application process, and that's a fee that's paid to the u.s. immigration and citizenship service, a fee based agency, that's how they operate. the current fee for filing is $595 plus a biometrics fee. that's how they look at your background to determine whether you have any criminal acts in your past. host: bennett is joining us from danville, kentucky from the republican line. caller: good morning. i'd like to ask your guest there, given that back in 2000, there were reports that the gore-lieberman folks were registering voters in florida

that were non-citizens, other penalties whether legal or illegal aliens, if they were to register or vote in an election, are there penalties for those who encourage this or if a as i will taillight any illegal vote for a non-citizen. guest: that's a terrific question. yes, there are penalties for fraudulently carrying yourself as a u.s. citizen when you are not, and there are penalties for having someone sign up to become for assisting and aiding in such fraud. the distinction that you made that i want to make clear is sometimes people don't know that they can or whether they can or cannot register to vote. in those circumstances, it is very important to insure that you're rights are represented by a very competent professional to help you sift through the

morass, because if you have a fraud, someone believes you have committed fraud, you will be barred permanently from achieving citizenship, and if you're a resident, may have it taken away from you depending on the level of fraud. you really would want to seek counsel to try to assist you to get out of that. like i said, there's people out there that are going to do things like the notarios, do things that are going to cause more harm than good. host: jason cooper says thank you. it's wonderful to see someone express concern over the term "anchor babies. guest: that's a terrible term. i'm a farmized u.s. citizen born in the united states and been able to attain e.u. citizenship. while a person coming from the

united states must announce citizenship, how is it i'm able to hold dual citizenship. guest: the united states does not recognize dual citizenship, but the country you're going to may. depending on where you are in the european union, they may recognize dual citizenship. when you return to the united states, you won't be able to return using the european passport, your entry would have to take place with your u.s. passport. host: the debate continues, 30 million illegals are in this country. guest: it's difficult to pin down the number of people in the united states. the census is not taking into

account who is here illegally and legally. not everyone is raising their hand to be counted like that. it is difficult to assess the number of people in the united states and who are undocumented. host: steve says please ask if expatriation is growing. guest: i think it is by degrees. it's some people going back to their home countries. many people are in line waiting for their status. legal aliens working here have been just waiting and waiting and waiting before they can get permanent residence, and now they are tired of it and are going back home. host: next we have a caller from the republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. host: please go ahead, rick.

caller: i brought my wife here on a fiancee visa. we have been married for 3.5 years. she got her temporary residency card in january. guest: ok. caller: now we have to go, there's some kind of interview. if we don't go to it, they said they'd revoke her status. host: where is she from, rick? from ukraine. guest: she attained her green card. you said that she attained a 10 year green card or two year green card. caller: right now she has her 10 year green card. guest: had she been married to you for two years or longer when she attained it? caller: our anniversary was april 27, so three years. guest: who told you that you needed to have another

interview? caller: the uscis. guest: generally speaking, when a citizen marries a foreign national and they attain permanent legal residence, they get a conditional green card, a two-year conditional green card. at the two year anniversary of attaining that, you file to remove the conditions of the green card, and then ultimately attain the 10 year green card. in your situation, i'm a little confused in that you've been married for over two years, she has a 10 year green card. i would suggest that you seek counsel to try to get that sorted out, because that doesn't sound like a normal situation. host: caller joins us from philadelphia, also in the process of becoming a u.s. citizen. go ahead, please. caller: i am in the united states fourth time as

family-based green card. i returned to my home country after six months, because i wanted to finish off my education there. i filed my return permit, where i can return to the united states within two years, so i returned to united states after 1.5 years in 2006, july. now, according to the uscs, i can file my citizenship after four years and one day, because i applied for my return permit, and i, so that counts towards my five years, is that correct? guest: i think you would need to sit down with the dates, sit down with someone and count out each and every day. generally speaking, you have

four years and nine months from the time of obtaining your permanent legal residence before filing for your application for citizenship. at the five year mark, you are eligible for that citizenship. the reentry permit gives you that one year towards meeting the permanent residency requirements if filed correctly. you also have to look into the continuous physical presence requirements and make sure you have had 30 months in the preceding five year period of physical presence in the united states. host: if ultimately, you are denied, what is the process. guest: it depends on the reason for the denial. if it's an eligibility factor, meaning you applied at three years and not five years, you apply when you are eligible. if it is for a mistake, somehow, you are confused with someone else, which occurs occasionally, or because they have determined

that your eligibility factors, that you don't warrant the eligibility, or if there's-it depends on the reason for the denial. you can appeal the denial of the n400 directly to the district office. ask for a motion to reopen or reconsider and present evidence as to why you believe that you are eligible. if for some reason it is an eligibility factor, you are allowed to reapply for citizenship. you >> thank you for having me. >> tomorrow, on "washington journal," lawrence yun and update on the housing market and foreclosure rates.

also, a discussion with michael weisman, executive director for the safe and secure gambling initiative. he talks about a pending house bill that would legalize in the net -- internet gambling. then bloomberg reporter phil mattingly. he talks about the expansion of government powers. our week-long series continues on tuesday with a look at the impact on banks, on wednesday, we will look at how it affects consumers. then on friday, we wrap up the series with a conversation on which provisions were created to prevent a future financial crisis. washington journal, live every day at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> monday, secretary of state hillary clinton delivers a speech on the global health initiative. a centerpiece on the obama administration's foreign policy.

secretary clinton will describe the global health initiative or principles, and calls on governments, organizations and individuals to join the united states in pursuing a sustainable approach for delivering essential health services for more people in more places through the live coverage, monday at 11:30 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> the committee analyze and technical causes of the deep water horizon or real explosion held a meeting for it is about 2 hours 10 minutes. we are delighted to be able to

give you our perspective on this. i want to mainly thank you on behalf of secretary cells are for convening this group and for participating in this very important activity. as you know, we reached out very early to the national academy because we are most interested in getting a completely independent and highly credible technical analysis of the probable causes of the deep water horizon disaster. it that is really what we are looking for. on what likely but ron, here. or the probable causes -- what likely went wrong here.

what were the probable causes? our assumption is that that will help us confirm that we are on the right path in terms of addressing the root causes and systemically coming up with recommendations on how to ensure again our understanding -- we appreciate much your willingness to with an interim report by the end of october because we are anxious to ensure that we're on the right path. we also understand that that would focus on the root causes as opposed to the broader set of recommendations that we hope you will be able to come up with in your final report.

is being useful to you in any way that we can. obviously, there is an ongoing joint investigation by the coast guard. i understand that there already have been discussions to help insure that you have access to the information that is needed for your technical analysis to the extent that you need any of our help to make sure that that access is effectuated and you can call on us to make sure. that is all that i wanted to say. there are a number of folks interested and involved in looking at this problem. we look to you and the national academy for your particular

insight, given the depth of your experience. we are particularly interested in in what you will have to say about this. >> thank you, very much. i appreciate the charge. i appreciate of for free access to all the information obtained through the board of inquiry. i think that that will assist us, in particular, in terms of providing a timely input into the process in october and also assist us in terms of assuring a fine report -- a final report is as complete as possible. i think you very much. i trust that we will be able to achieve the objectives that you laid out for us.

>> is a daily challenge in that regard. thank you very much. again, if you -- you'll be talking with mike and david and others. if any is any need to talk to the secretary or me at any time, please do not hesitate. we will be delighted to talk to you all. thank you. >> thank you very much. michael? >> are these microphones live? >> those microphones should be useful, yes. there is also a microphone on the podium if you would prefer to use that. do that.i couldn't

let me know when you are ready. >> please. but we very much appreciate your convening this committee for the purpose of helping us understand that -- the technical causes of the deepwater horizon explosion. this is obviously a tragedy of national proportions beginning with the tragic deaths of 11 people on the rig and i think that the nation has closely followed this in the past few days. it has riveted the nation's attention as few things have in

recent years. what i wanted to do very briefly was to frame the foreign official -- bring the organizational aspect -- frame the organizational aspect. we will do the best to address this in the time that we have. let me talk about the organization. i have been the head of the bureau of management organization. much of what i have been doing has been to deal with the aftermath of the deep water horizon explosion. i found myself testifying before congress. i took over responsibility for a large group of 1700 employers and an organization with multiple missions. i inherited a reorganization

plan that is designed to create three separate entities. this would deal with the leasing and permanent sign -- permitting side. members of my agency have been in the midst of the response to do for horizon. they have been an integral part of unified command in new orleans and the houston location. my colleagues that are here will do the bulk of the presentation and they have been at the center of the joint coast guard and boem this edition. as you know, when i first met you at one of those events, there was a public hearing in

which witnesses have been called to give to the bottom -- to get to the bottom of the technical issues that we will be exploring and what happened in the well bore and what happened aboard the deepwater horizon. i understand that you do not want us to address the specifics of that situation, but we are happy to take questions on that as well. on some of the other things that our agency has been doing that i have been doing as well, we are in the middle of discussions about the current moratorium on deepwater drilling. i just got back into town last night after conducting the third of what will be eight public forums designed to gather information so that sells art can make decisions on whether there are ways to cut short the moratorium before its current

november expiration date. i have been focusing on drilling safety and many of the issues that will touch on today bear on drilling safety issues. the second issue is containment. as we have seen over the past few days, there were difficulties in containing this bill. we saw the horrible videos of the oil spewing out of the well. thankfully, that is no longer being seen because the well has been capped. that is the second issue. the third issue is the spill response. secretary salazar and i, god forbid if there had been another spill, virtually all of our national resources dealing with the spill were dealing with the deep water response.

since those resources are no longer deployed, and we are focusing on this. we are gathering information that we think will be relevant to the secretary's decision on monday. those are some of the things that we have been occupied by over the last 52 days that i have been with the agency. the agency has come under a substantial amount of criticism and we have been dealing with those criticisms as they come. one of the things that we have done is to create a new review unit that will do a number of things. it will serve as an internal affairs arm of our organization to deal with allegations of misconduct. it is designed to enable us to have an aggressive enforcement effort in our agency. that is a way that we have not

had full before. those are some of the things we have been working on. i will be happy to answer any questions the committee may have. let me introduce the two men that will be with me here today and will present the bulk of the material that you have asked for. sitting to my immediate left is david dikes to he has been with the agency for 11 years for. he came to the agency with approximately 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry both onshore and offshore. since joining the agency in 1999, he has served as we call a civil relief officer which is why he is the co-chair of the committee. he has also been heavily involved in safety and environmental management. he is currently chief of the

office of safety and management. sitting to his left is john. he is the lake jackson district manager. he has been with the agency for 14 years. he was previously a technical assessment person. he came to the agency with 20 years of industry experience. the majority of that [unintelligible] operations. john, like david, is currently assigned to the deepwater horizon joint investigation and both of them have been spending the bulk of their time doing that. those are the two people that will be responding to the technical questions. why don't i turn it over to david. >> thank you, very much. i appreciate you coming down here this morning.

good morning. we. uh, got a list of questions earlier this week and we attempted to try to answer most of those questions in this presentation. . .

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up to the mike to ask your question, but don't touch the mike. mike ande up to use the migh was the people in line, and try to keep it down to four people in line at a time. if there are more than four people, wait, and we will try to get your question as soon as the next person is done. you have evaluation forms on your chairs. we would like to fill these evaluation forms out and would really appreciate it. if you are not a member of iie, take the opportunity to join when you turn your evaluation form in. we would love to have to be able to join us for more of these kinds of events and speakers. with that, i would also ask that you please remember to turn off

your cellphone, if you have not done it. now is a great moment to make sure we do not interrupt. i think with that, i am going to, once again, say good evening, and welcome, on behalf of the institute of international education, to our speaker series this evening. as i said, i am a board member of the institute of international education, and am delighted to be able to welcome to denver qubad talabani, who is represented of the kurdistan regional government to the united states. he works closely with the u.s. government, with media, research groups. we call them think tanks in washington, but he has provided

critical analysis and up-to-date information on iraq and kurdistan and the region, and we are really looking forward to hearing him this evening. mr. talabani is the son of the rocky president, -- the iraqi president, and in his own right has been working on political issues from this political family for many years. after the start of operation iraqi freedom in 2003, he served as senior foreign relations officer for the patriotic union of kurdistan. it is one of the leading kurdish political parties in iraq. he has worked closely with the u.s.-led coalition office of reconstruction and humanitarian assistance and also with -- afterwards when it became the coalition provisional authority

in iraq, and was a key negotiator in the drafting of the transitional administrative law, which was the first post- saddam constitution in iraq. with that, i will take very little of your time and say he has appeared on many different television news shows. he has been a commentator and has provided incredibly up today and informed opinions on what is going on in iraq. we look forward to hearing his insights this evening. thank you again, and we will have a question and answerperiod afterward, and we hope you will stay and ask your questions at that time. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you, kim. nothing makes the speaker more nervous than hearing that the crowd all has evaluation sheets on their chair. [laughter] please, give me good marks. it is a pleasure to be here. i want to start off by thanking the iie for bringing me here and for the world affairs council of denver, for bringing the outer to denver. i had to smile when one of my staff suggested i fly out here a day early to try to acclimate to the high elevation of your mountains. i quickly reminded that person that k areurds. -- we are kurds and we live in a mountainous area. the mountains distinguish us in a way that the people who live

in colorado can appreciate. mike todd tonight is who are the kurds, and why you will like what you hear it -- my talk tonight. we have the mountains and we would appreciate some assistance in building some of the ski resorts that you have here in denver. if you help us with that, i guarantee we will be friends for very long time. for a long time, the kurds used to say we have no friends but the mountains. they but, that is less the case today. our greatest friends have long been here in the united states, but in the past few years we have made good friends in some likely -- unlikely places. they are the product of our emerging democracy, that we owe so much to the united states for their efforts bridget for their efforts in liberating as. who are the kurds, and what will happen next in iraq and kurdistan? i am happy to talk about that today. the answer is that today we are the strongest brand an ally that the united states has in our part of eurasia.

the place with the highest percentage of women in our legislature than most of the nations around the world. the place where not one american more foreigner has been killed in hostile action. the plays were christians and others fleeing religious persecution from elsewhere in iraq have come to find sanctuary and a future. where the place for those seeking to invest from some of our new friends like the koreans to those who were once -- who we once had stressful and tense relationships with like turkey, are finding a school of opportunity. we are not too far away from denver, just a few minutes ago, flight 447 departed in international airport, bound for frankfurt, germany. tomorrow morning when you land in germany, you can have a coffee, a patient, more likely

of beer, and you can board a second flight nonstop to the capital of the kurdistan region. tomorrow night you will be in my homeland, enjoying an delicious y alicia'skabob kabob. in kurdistan, against the backdrop of the snowcapped mountains, a frenetic frontier economy is being driven by the promise of petrodollars from the region's estimated 25 billion barrels of our oil reserves. development is intense. new hotels, shopping malls are springing up to meet the surging

population of more than 1 .illion gillo there is a heady mixture of oilman, contractors, journalists, aid workers and increasingly, tourists. kurdistan seems a world apart from the rest of iraq. situated in the northern part of the country, it has a distinct history and to poverty. we are really neat ethnic group, different from arabs, persians, and turks. about 6 million kurds live in iraq has become our own language, kurdish, which is now one of the two official languages in iraq. parts of kurdistan are lush, but the series of mound's has defined our region and has provided sheltered areas in the days of our persecution and genocide from saddam hussein.

it is from our country and said the three wise men set forth to jerusalem. one of ancient languages of civilization, aramaic, is still spoken and taught in parts of kurdistan. atop a prominent hill lies the citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth. it is in kurdistan where archaeologists found some of the oldest human fossil ever. these bolts or now the centerpiece of an attraction in the smithsonian's national -- natural history museum in washington d.c.. it is for the headwaters of the tigris and euphrates our townare found. the shape of kurdish territory in power had shifted over the century, reaching imperial knights during medieval times, sharing and contesting power in the modern era, and experiencing ization, andrginal as asia

at times come out right genocide. in 1946, kurds in iran, backed by powerful tribes declared a short-lived republic inside iran. in these and other instances, many kurds felt that western powers ultimately sold them out in the name of greater power politics. this sense of betrayal still lingers during the kurdish western relations. that is where came from. now we look to where we are today, and crucially, where we are heading to in the future. thanks to the intervention of the united states and others in the 1991 gulf war and the final liberation in 2003, kurds have a region of iraq that is safe. many of us feel we are living a

dream. while not an end up in the country, where part of a nation that is learning how to be a democracy. where are experiences are helping shape a new iraq. i realize the strong feeling and differences of opinion in the united states regarding the war in iraq. i know what the steep cost has been to america, and your sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. to your national treasure and a sharp politics it has created within this great nation. as occurred, however, i am thankful for what the u.s. did. perhaps one of the lines from steven spielberg's film "saving private ryan" is appropriate. he explains a mission and sacrifices made to save him. he says to the younger ryan, we realize the sacrifice you have made for us. we intend to honor them and to earn them. i think we have already begun,

and that is one of the reasons why i was eager to meet with you all today. the of the as is called"know kurdistan." and no one to learn about us, you will find ways to invest in us, not just economic investments, but moral investment, investing in our democracy and are emerging democracy. a democracy that is fashioned after yours, and we need that investment to help us hammer away the frustrations of our past, to lead to a more benevolent and engaging future. fulfilling our democratic aspirations is the key. i am quite proud of how democracy is funding a welcome home in the kurdistan region of iraq. none of us have experience in

building democracies. before the opportunity prevented itself -- presented itself, we had governance issues. we did not have a way of administering our own affairs. from the moment the political dynamics changed, we have been taking steps to ensure that our opportunity is not wasted. just over a year ago, we held regional elections. this was the son of the maturing of our society. it was the emphasis on the notes and bolts, domestic issues that impact of everyone's daily lives. turnout was more than 80%. on key national issues, there's not much depends between the competing slates. instead, it was perspectives on government's performance, roads, education, concerns on -- delivery of water and electricity that shake the debates and decisions that led up to that vote. it was a clear marker in the

ship from where kurdish leaders for once hailed for the revolutionary skills and now where they are chosen on their visions of government and the ability to make each likes person -- is -- to make each person's life better. that was an important moment in our history, and i believe that if you have an important moment in history, with an election year. good luck on that. we know a thing or two about elections in iraq. we have had several recently. all fleer government will form a little quicker than ours -- hopefully your government will form a little quicker than ours. we must remember that we are still part of iraq. this month will see the largest departure of u.s. forces from iraq since the liberation. how the u.s. leaves and remains in iraq is crucial to the stability of the nation and the region. we hope that as the u.s. leaves militarily, it will increase its

diplomatic effort. we are thrilled that the u.s. plans to open up a diplomatic , following the lead of many other countries that have done the same period increased u.s. diplomatic engagement in the kurdistan region, working alongside your embassy in baghdad, will cement the gains we have all made working together. equally important will be how iraqi leaders deal with their new-found freedom country has had handed to us. it is close to five months since the federal elections in march, and we have yet to form our government. there also remains top domestic issues that we iraqis must worked out -- work out, such as revenue sharing, hydrocarbons law, the future of disputed territories. these issues will not go away by themselves. solving them is a great priority with our friends in the united states. we look to whatever guidance and support the u.s. can give us.

solving these issues is a greater priority to us. while all iraqis from all walks of life have stood up to overcome the greatest of challenges, including terrorism, sectarian violence, political stalemates and regional interference, we remain well aware that in order for the u.s. to leave, to stand down and four iraqis to stand up in a sustainable, federal democracy, continued u.s. engagement and continued u.s. infringement is paramount. a stable, relatively democratic iraq, one that manages her vast natural resources responsibly and utilizes the monumental in come the country will receive from them, one that plays a productive and moderated role in an ever radicalizing region must be in the interest of the united states. ironically, it is weak, the kurds, who for years while fighting to gain our basic human rights were always trying to

bring down a government in iraq. today we are playing a leading role in building a new government. we are trying to build a new rack based on the principles. kurds have been oppressed for most of the last century. we are to wary of power centralized in the hands of a federal government. we see the iraqi constitution, which mandates federalism, and the devolution of power to the regions and to local government. as the best way to ensure that all iraqis feel safe as well as feel empowered. importantly, the constitution is a lot of the land. we will follow it, but we expect others to do so as well. kurdish political demands are limited but are fair, deserts, and reasonable. regional and western policymakers need to appreciate the role of the kurds in iraq, our sacrifices and our contributions. kurdistan does the commitment to being part of iraq is unshakable. all we ask for is to be treated

fairly and be treated as equal citizens, and to be able to work collectively. here is how we are at the regional government burning your sacrifices. we know that corruption and its allies are dangers in greek -- enemies of democracy. that makes the public cautious about believing in democracy. corruption and its allies can be an asset, and we -- we have made good governance and issue at top priority. we have teamed up with world- renowned consultants price waterhouse coopers to review current conditions, to weigh how government works and all government related issues. to address the crucial issues of good government, antique corruption and transparency. good government is a major pillar for securing our hope of democracy.

we are confident the strategy outlined our government will help us tackle this issue. we have made our region safe and secure an have overcome many internal conflicts. we have established a system to provide improved services and are moving to guarantee that all this progress is maintained and build upon. the benefits of the strategy are clear and vital for our future. it will help us ensure that public funds are used properly. it will help us make our government more efficient and effective. it will improve the delivery of services of the people of the kurdistan region and help improve international and domestic confidence and increased investment and job development, while helping to raise the standard of life for our citizens. we understand that democracy is an evolutionary process, but in iraq and elsewhere. it is more than just a philosophy. a key to securing our people's trust will be how we deliver the services. for example, large-scale power

generation cannot just be bought off the shelf. we have been working for several years to implement effective power and water distribution projects. in 2008, our region was dealing with to failing hydroelectric dams. the result was the government generated electricity for only three hours a day. we found that unacceptable. today our projects are nearing completion and we will have close to 20 hours of major power in major cities in our region. that is more than the rest of the country. we know there are 24 hours a day and we are working towards that. what we have now is much better than what we had three years ago. it is a journey. likewise, the recent completion of large-scale water projects in our two largest cities will combine with existing systems to provide clean water to much of our region. these are significant accomplishments that have been achieved by our governments and

the region's developing private sector. they are final, critical issues that need to be addressed to the people living in our region so they can have hope and freedom from want. providing such central services is only part of good governance. all that is going on, we have also taken determine steps to strengthen the judiciary and the rule all. in 2008, the judiciary was separated from the rest of the government to create an independent judiciary. the judiciary is now learning how to stand on its own feet, be objective, and uphold the rule of law. we did this on our own. we knew it was the right thing to do. we took these initiatives because this is what being a democracy is all about. i am the first to admit that we have a ways to go. that is what we need to continue u.s. engagement. we are not a perfect democracy, but we are democratizing. we have a vibrant, civil society. we have a free press, an

emerging market oriented private sector. i must say clearly and bluntly that i am not making excuses about the challenges that we face in the kurdistan region. i am not justifying are rationalizing a less than perfect system. i am not pretending that problems do not exist. i know we have stumbled, made mistakes, and misread circumstances, but democracy is hard work. but the destination is working. -- the destination is worth it. we are still moving forward. this is not a sprint, and it should not be. this is the foundation of our future, for children, grandchildren, for the kurdistan region, and for iraq. we would like the u.s. to stand with us and iraq as we continue on this journey. thank you very much for having me here. i look forward to answering your questions. [applause]

>> good evening. i am david french, and i wanted to tell you what serendipity tonight that through iie and our state department, we have an exchange department with six beautiful high school student from iraq. they are in the back, and with their host families and all are iraq students, please stand and wait. -- please dan andwave. [applause] one of the things we know is that young people will change the world. we have asked one of our bright young iraqis from kurdistan to come up here to the mike just for a moment and share what they have learned in the last two weeks. becomes. -- here she comes. [applause]

i am from baghdad, and i am from the exchange program between iraqi students and american students. in the program we learn about each culture, from america and from iraq also. it is a great program. we have learned so many things about leadership, and of course we had a nice experiment in the usa. there is a group of my friends in here, americans and iraqis. we have been in the u.s. for one week in vermont, and in denver also for one week, and will stay for another week. we will also go to washington d.c. for a week. it is an amazing program. i think it is i think everyone

who works in this program and all the staff. it is a very lovely program, the americans -- all they see on media and tv is war and horrible things, so i am glad to be part of this program. [applause] >> i am a part-time teacher at metro state college. i am wondering what the possibilities are for immigration between kurds and turkey. >> we have seen a lot of movement of populations as the kurdistan region is stabilizing and has progressed.

the standard of living has improved and made it far more attractive to many kurds in syria and iran and even in parts of turkey. we have a pretty open door policy, as long as people abide by the law, they are welcome there. immigration is a federal issue, and the federal government has jurisdiction. hopefully kurds in syria, iran, and turkey are proud of what they see, the freedoms there, a government that is functioning there. the flag is flying alongside the iraqi black, and it is something that a lot of people are looking at. -- alongside the iraqi flag. >> and amazon.com cochran. i am a member of -- my name is don cochrane. i am a member of iie.

i am curious as to whether a member of the kurdistan region is in any danger whatsoever of suffering an onslaught, for example, from al qaeda or something in that order. >> we live in a freaky neighborhood, to say the least. that in and of itself presents a danger to our existence. the fact that we are open about our pro-american attitude, that we've bankamerica publicly and not privately, also does not make us properly -- that we thank america publicly and not privately, also does not make as popular in that part of the world. it obviously raises extreme groups in the region that target

us. if you recall in 2002 or 2001 before operation in iraq and freedom, the crew -- one group formed on the border of the kurdistan region with iran. with the help of your special forces from colorado springs, we were able to eradicate this group from our region and we have 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 >> tomorrow,

>> today, at 7:45 a.m., lalawrence yun. at 8:30, michael waxma flfment. at 9:15, phil mattingly talks about the expansion of government powers. our week-loaning series continues tuesday with the impact on banks. on wednesday we look at how it affectss consumers. thursday, we talk about changes for investors. friday we talk about preventing a future financial crisis. "washington journal" live every day at 7:00 a.m. on c-span. >> the american institute of certified public accountants

held their annual accounting conference. funding is important in war and in times of economic stress. our live coverage begins today at 8 sm 30 a.m. eastern time on c-span2. >> i think what we're trying to do is take away profits. profit is what drives crime. >> tonight, intellectual property theft. assistant deputy director erik barnett on "the communicateors" on c-span2.

>> u.s. senate historian, don ritchie, why did you decide to write a small book called "the u.s. congress"? >> i had -- have a series of educated books but not in their field, so they call it science for philosophers and philosophy for scientists. they asked me to write about the congress for people that don't study congress but are interested in what congress does. the series has a tight format, like 35,000 words. i couldn't include everything there is to know about the congress. so my job was to try to take this very complicated institution, which is really two separate institutions, and explain how it developed over

time to an audience that are curious, including people that live outside the united states that live in parliamentary government and wonder why we don't have a parliamentary government. >> i'm going to jump into the middle and read back to you what you wrote. in the first congress, senators wanted president washington to come to their chamber when making nomnages and requesting the treaty be ratified to seek their advice as well as their consent. washington demurred, reasoning that the abundance of nominations would make this impractical. he would send nominations to the senate but agreed to the protocol of carrying treaties to their chamber in person. >> we wonder why they don't have big treaties. the fact of the platter is, it didn't work for judge washington. when washington arrived in the chamber in august of 1789 with a series of questions to ask the advice of the senate as well as

to get its consent, the senators didn't want to debate this in front of washington. he was quite an imposing figure. it was also summertime, the windows were open, it was hard to hear what was going on. they suggested deferring the questions to a committee. washington said that defeats my purpose of being here. he went back a few days to get a response. after that, he decided he didn't want to go in person. ever since there has been a question, the senate's role is to advise and consent, well, we know what the consent is, two-thirds vote, but what is the advisory role of the legislative branch? that has been a difficult issue ever since 1789, so in this case i was trying to talk about the historical origins of what our current situation is. >> this may sound like a crazy question, but if george washington were to come back today and he saw this picture taken outside of the house,