to say, it is such a great day. we just take a look at it. you take a look at how people are so excited the way it is look at internationally. you take a look back 10 years ago just as far as how people in the middle east were looking at how the powers fell. this is a weird way to look at this. >> our last call comes from los angeles. >> i am david from l.a. i just wanted to say woo. >> i just want to read the statement from michael bloomberg. the killing of osama bin laden

has not lessened the suffering. i hope that his killing brings comfort -- closer to those affected by the events of 9/11. u.s. operations have captured and killed osama bin laden. this was eight years after president bush gave his mission accomplished speech. here is more from president obama on the east room of the white house tonight. >> good evening. the united states has conducted an operation that killed usama

bin laden, leader of al qaeda, a terrorist who is responsible for the murder of thousands of men, women, and children. it was 10 years ago when a bright september day was darkened by the worst attack on -- in american history. hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless september sky and the twin towers collapsing to the ground. black smoke coming up from the pentagon and the crash in pennsylvania where the actions of roach citizens saved us from more heartbreak and destruction. the images that were unseen to the world, the empty seat at the dinner table, children who were forced to grow up without their mother or father, parents who would know their feeling of

their child's embrace. nearly 3000 citizens were taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts. on september 11, 2001, our time of grief, the american people came together. we offered our neighbors a hand. we reaffirmed our ties to each other and our love of community and country. that day, no matter where we came from, what god we prayed to come up what race or ethnicity we work, we were united as one american family. we were united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. we learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al qaeda, an organization headed up by osama bin laden, which had declared

war on the united states and would kill citizens across the globe. we went to afghanistan to protect ourselves and our allies. over the past 10 years, thanks to the tireless work of our military and counter-terrorism professionals, we have made great strides. we have disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened homeland defenses. we remove the taliban government that had given them safe haven and support. around the globe, we work with friends and allies who captured scores of al qaeda terrorists, including those who were involved in the 9/11 plot. bin laden avoided capture and escaped across the border. al qaeda continue to operate over that border and to its

affiliate's drop the world. shortly after taking office, i directed the head of the cia to make the kill or capture of bin laden the top priority in the war against terror as we continue our broader efforts to capture and dismantled his efforts. last august, after years of painstaking work by the intelligence community, i was briefed on a possible lead it to bin laden. it was far from certain. i met with the national security team as we thought that we had found him hiding in a compound deep inside of pakistan. last week, i determined that we had enough intelligence to take action and authorized a mission to get bin laden and bring them to justice. at my direction, the united states launched a targeted are -- targeted operation against

that town in out -- pakistan. a small amount of americans carried out the mission with courage and capability. no americans were harmon and day took care to what -- harmed and took care to not harm civilians. after a firefight, bin laden was killed. he continues to be a symbol for those who would plot attacks against ourselves and our allies. this is the most significant day in our effort to defeat al qaeda. this does not mark the end of our effort. there is no doubt that al qaeda will continue to pursue efforts against us. we must remain vigilant at home and abroad. we must reaffirm that the united states is not and never will be at war with islam. i have made it clear, as

president bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war was not against islam. he was not an islamic leader. he was a mass murderer of muslims. they have killed many in many countries. over the years, i have repeatedly made it clear that we would take action in pakistan if we knew where bin laden was. that is what we did. our counter-terrorism corp. with pakistan to help us lead -- led us to bin laden. bin laden had declared war against pakistan as well and ordered attacks against the pakistani people. i called the president and our team has spoke with their counterparts. they agree that this is a good an historic day for both of our

nations. it is essential that pakistan continues to join us in the fight against al qaeda and its affiliates. the american people did not choose this fight. it came to our shores and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. after nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. these efforts wait on me every time i have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one or look into the eyes of a service member who has been gravely wounded. americans understand the costs of war. as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened or stand idly by as our people are being killed. we will be relentless in the defense of our citizens and allies. it is our values that make us

who we are. on nights like this one, we can say to the families of those who have lost loved ones that justice has been done. tonight, we give thanks to countless counter-terrorism professionals to help achieve this outcome. the american people do not see their work -- see their work or know their names. tonight, they know the satisfaction of their work and the result of the pursuit of justice. we give thanks to the men who carried out this operation. they exemplify the professionalism and unparalleled courage of those who represent our country. they are part of the generation who has borne the heavier share of the burden. let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11th that we have never forgotten your loss or wavered in the commitment to see we will do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.

tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that we felt on 9/11. today's achievement is an assessment -- a testament to our country and the determination of our people. because of securing our country is not complete. america can do what ever we set our mind to. that is the story of our history. whether it is the pursuit of prosperity for our people or the struggle for equality for all of our citizens, or the commitment to stand up for our values abroad or our sacrifices to make the world a better place. we can do these things, not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are, one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for

all. thank you. may god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. >> the helicopter break that resulted in the death of osama bin laden happen overnight in pakistan. it was in a town in the northwest of pakistan north of islamabad. three other people were killed including the adult son of osama bin laden. the u.s. has custody of his body. the remains will be handled according to islamic tradition. earlier this year, the former head of the bin laden unit talked about the 10 years since 9/11. this is a little bit over an

hour. >> good evening, everyone. i think it is perhaps a troubling time to be talking about this subject. the events of the day and last six weeks requires us to rethink how we stand in the middle east. speaking about the persian gulf and the islamist militant sikh rising from there, i would like to quote george washington. i am sure that the mass of citizens of this united states meanwhile, washington told john jay in 1776, and i believe they

will always act well when they can understand the right of matters. i share washington's sought of the stand of -- common sense stand of its citizens. except for the young man who cannot seem to put their baseball caps on forward. is this accurately educating the american citizenry? today, american simply do not have the right understanding of the threats from the persian gulf region. in my writings, i decided -- i tried to inform americans of the nature of these risks. the vicious anti christian, anti-jewish, and anti-western brand of islamic plans exported.

or al qaeda and other sunni islamists that insight. the united states government is fighting an islamist entered -- and made that this not exist. these run counter to america's historical can -- traditions and best interests. the official islamic enemy is the stuff of an islamic -- hollywood farce. they are nihilists ready to kill widely and indiscriminately for the pure joy of murdering and ready to sacrifice their lives because my daughters go to university, iowans hold presidential primaries every four years and because i have one or more sam adams after work. would such an enemy existed, he would be a nuisance and not the

national security threat posed to debt -- today by iran, the saudi islamic imperialism, and the movement inspired by osama bin laden. the farcical view is unfortunately pandemic in both u.s. political parties. most of the u.s. and western media and perhaps much of the academy, especially in our most prestigious universities. this view is almost entirely without substantiation. if it continues to be washington'is working assumption, america will be slowly but surely defeated by the loss of prestige, financial solvency, and political cohesion. we will lose not because any of these threats are stronger than we are. america's myopic government elite and acolytes have taken

enemies that in military capability are only 5 feet tall and made them into both humus. the 3 threats i'm going to speak about are those posed by iran, saudi arabia, and al qaeda and its allies. each of these is based in the persian gulf. let's look at the smallest threat, that which comes from iran. since our tehran embassy was seized in 1979 and america was humiliated for more than 40 days, it has ben the trouble of the governing elite. the hostage holding created a hatred of iran in america that is easily exploited by academics and other organizations. so successful have the scare

mongers been in hyping a nzi- like threat from iran. in all of american history, there probably has never been a non threat that was so feared as iran. it is a small island of shiite muslims followed by -- surrounded by a sunni world that would like to destroy them. we see that in iran, for the last decade, they have been virtually surrounded by a u.s. military bases. its access to the high seas can be shut down almost immediately by the u.s. navy. its energy production has peaked. with the economy it supports, it is steadily declining. in cold war terms, iran is opposed by other powers, and so

was iraq, and that did not stop and unnecessary, dangerous war. what is bank iran gets a nuclear weapon? iran will get a nuclear weapon. if we have been serious about stopping it, we would have stopped the european allies from selling them the necessary technology in the 1990's. irani leadership has heard nothing from the u.s., israel, and nato except for the threats of regime change and strikes. it has done little but except the reality of the u.n. sanctions and they saw those turning on their own president, by cheering a speech by benjamin not -- and benjamin netanyahu cheering for war on

iran. as it is received to date in egypt, western governments to encourage their college students to twitter young iranians to have a revolution, without a care of how many would die in the streets. iran's leaders would be truly negligent if bay or not seeking a defense from the world's nations. iran will certainly get a nuclear weapon. then what? my response would be, so what? iran does not have the ability to hit the united states with such a weapon. the shiites will not supply the sunni extremists, who would be more likely to use it against iran, that against the west. will they not use it against israel? i would say only if iranian leaders are the most the big men

and women that were never created. israel has at a large and unaccounted for wmd arsenal and it would use its if iran was looking for a first strike. it is a shiite island surrounded by hostile sunnis, u.s. military bases, and targets focus squarely on it. with or without a nuclear weapon, iran is contained. if you continue to dabble with violent surrogates, but it cannot pose a military threat to the united states. before moving to our so-called saudi friends, but me say there is at once serious iranian threat to the united states, but only if we strike first. thanks to 35 years of criminal negligence by the u.s. executive

and legislative branches in the areas of border security, they have created a large clandestine infrastructure in the united states, one that works with similar networks in canada, mexico, and the caribbean. the iranians are too smart to use this network to strike first on america. it allows tehran to respond with violence if iran is attacked by the united states or their allies. now to saudi arabia and the states adjacent to what we often we forget is reese -- referred to as the arabian gulf. i view saudi arabia and to a lesser degree, the tyranny, as perhaps the state that is most dangerous to the west and the united states.

russia and china are threats to the united states, but they are threats that washington openly acknowledges, a closely watches and assesses, and is fully capable of defending america against. saudi arabia is a serious threat. one that is more dangerous than iraq. our governing elite turns a blind eye. we pretend that we have a close and reliable ally. it keeps its energy security dependent on our enemies by allowing the saudis to play a pro-u.s. role in the american oil market. i allow the saudis to buy a larger share than our out-of- control debt. the saudis have built a highly effective lobby in the united states which as -- is at corrupting. this lobby employs former u.s.

ambassadors and senior intelligence officers to argue its case in the white house, the congress, the media, and the wall street journal. their work is enthusiastically assisted by our oil and arms making corporations whose concerns have less to do with the u.s. security at keeping their seats on the saudi gravy train that is hauling away another $60 billion worth of u.s.-made arms. u.s. leaders never tell americans the truth about the kingdom. since the 1970's oil boom, it started a large transfer of u.s. wealth to the peninsula. they have quietly exported a brand of sunni is -- has radicalized much of the region. they are arabizing many regions

in pakistan, afghanistan, india, the balkans, and sub- saharan africa. in nigeria, where saudi and gulf missionaries have labored, a saudi group name the united states as its number one target for america's aggression against muslim nations, particularly in iraq and afghanistan and for its blind support for israel. more dangerous are the saudi- regime funded activities by the clerics in the united states and europe. especially in the united kingdom. for more than 30 years, the domestic religious establishment

has brought western muslims to the kingdom for theological training in its universities. these men returned to the west to preach what only can be described as a martial oriented islamist imperialism. a division of the world that is wholly islamist. christian and jewish populations could convert, except subordination to islam, or be eliminated. these are prominent in mosques in the united states and in europe and have a secured positions as chaplains in western universities. this is not to say that all americans were muslim communities expand this -- share this expansion as idea. they have obtained and of positions in the west and have enough access to muslim youth to have egg growing impact. they are now influencing some

young the muslim males in the west in that direction. in much the same way they have influenced them for years in the middle east, asia, and africa. those who doubt this would be well served to review the growing numbers of militant activities that have been detected and stopped in the united states since 2007. to note the number of growing canadian, american muslims who are going to fight under al qaeda's banner in yemen and afghanistan and to know al qaeda'is very successful recruitment of u.s. muslims to run media operations targeting communities in the english- speaking world. the saudis are the bridge from our second source of concern in the persian gulf.

the third is osama bin laden, al qaeda, and their allies, and the increasing number of muslims inspired by each. when all is said and done, osama bin laden is not an anomaly. he is the poster boy for the education system of success. for the united states and the west, then laden has matured as a defensive islamists. not like the muslim brotherhood. even with these differences, the saudi's overseas mission activity is an aide to al qaeda's military activities. islamic ngo's and direct funding for organizations, they have created communities in most areas of the world that are alienated from an even hateful

towards the west. these communities are congenial environment for hosting and al qaeda president's -- al qaeda presence. in north america in europe, and in sub-saharan africa. and saudichers ngo's cash have for years made it ready for osama bin laden. and do the saudis realize this? of course. inside the kingdom. the final point on the symbiotic al qaeda at-saudi relationship outside the peninsula, saudi activities relieve al qaeda of the need to staff and manage the health services wing like those run by

the hamas, as block, and the muslim brotherhood. bin laden is allowed to focus on spreading his organization and military activity. bin laden, al qaeda, their allies and those who inspired them are a third of the persian gulf threats. they are the most dangerous to the united states. not because they are more powerful than the united states or because they are supported by the muslims, they are the most dangerous gulf origin threat to america. the u.s. bipartisan elite has refused to accept reality. from george w. bush to barack obama, americans have been told that they are at war because al qaeda and its allies are motivated by hatred of our way of life. this is a lie.

we are being attacked because of our half century record of intervention in the muslim world. 50 years of interventionism, we find the main motivation of an islamist's enemies. there is a principal organization clue that has the confusion. this is a view that as hell not only by those carrying ak-47's, but if polling is reliable, 80% of all muslims worldwide, a young and old, moderate and militant men and women. no american must accept the islamist indictment of the anti- u.s. intent of foreign policy. to avoid military defeat, and

economic ruin, and widespread domestic violence, u.s. leaders must acknowledge and explain to americans that this is the muslim world's perception. they must require us to accept the truth that perception is reality. what are the perceptions motivating the islamists? i can do no better dent list the policies that he enumerated in late summer, 1996. four of the six policies motivate to a greater or lesser extent, our foes in arabia. america's declaration of war on islam and against muslims are clear in the following facts. the u.s. military and civilian presence on the arabian peninsula. the u.s. western exploitation of muslim energy resources. the u.s. military presence in

muslim lands outside of the peninsula. the u.s. support for nations that oppressed muslims, especially russia, china, and india. unless an unqualified u.s. support for israel. u.s. support and protection for muslim tyrannies. it is policy, not life style, that are the cause for the war that bin laden declared on the united states in 1996. nearly 15 years on, there has been no public attention by any serious political figure save ron paul and dennis kucinich that the islamists are motivated by anything other than a blind blood lust for the west. why is that the case? i believe it is because the governing elite are addicted to

intervention. it is their response to international affairs. obama, clinton, and mccain intervening on both sides in america -- egypt's process. from the new york times to the washington times, from fox news to national public radio, and for most of the u.s. punditry, too many of the top pastors of the christian evangelical movement, u.s. leaders left, right, and center believe there is no political problem with gender equality, ethnic conflict, court elections, jailed female poets, or religious clash, that does not require direct american involvement. they can identify even a single genuine u.s. national rest. i do not suggest i can meet the

mines or hearts that those who have 43 dick it -- decades and ford are u.s. policy in the muslim foreign world. no one has such divine inside. the views of men cannot be no more guessed at by their actions. our viewers doctrine aeriel conventionalism has relieved. u.s. intervention alyssum -- is theentionalizsm islamists main motivation. there is the assumption that muslims eight americans for who they are and how they live and not for what the u.s. government does in the islamic world art -- believe nothing else than in a massive case of self deception. the united states today may stand in a historically unique

position. no other great power in my memory has faced a situation where it was more likely to be attacked at home at least as severe or more severe than 9/11 and have no means to respond to the enemy in a militarily telling manner. having already destroyed the central structure of the taliban, we are left with no military targets. we can tap -- attacked iran no matter who attacks us, or attack symbolic terrorist such as pakistan and afghanistan or holy places such as mecca or medina. the choice of watching -- washington can be one or two. stand motionless in a rage or launch attacks that would make the clash of civilizations all

to a precedent. the foregoing analysis is not mainstream. i have often heard it dismissed as pathological. more than 14 years after all, declared war on the united states, the single act of expediency in iraq known as the surge is unraveling. u.s. casualties resume, sectarian father -- sectarian violence grows. president obama has burrowed our military forces, making them dependent on resupply routes that depend on hostile russian and afghan supply lines. the bleed through from iraq is visible in jordan, syria, turkey, lebanon, and gossip. the islamist insurgents seized

have been read, with the islamic mujahideen spreading to west africa. similar insurgencies are under their weight in yemen, southern thailand, in the north caucasus. the islamic movement in western europe is growing. in britain, the traditional stilt security services are at the point of public despair. as for the united states, bin laden long ago delineated his intentions towards america. the purse is to take advantage of economic situations militarily and lead america into bankruptcy. the second is to spread out u.s. military and intelligence forces to sap their flexibility and exhaust their reserves. to disrupt america's allies and

disrupt the unity of america as much as possible. i will leave it to america to decide whether there is any reason for al qaeda or bin laden to be discouraged about the progress the -- they made in the war that began in 1996. the best foreign policy advice for the obama administration, for any u.s. administration, has been heard by anybody that has flown on an airline. during the preflight safety briefing, each passenger is being told, place your oxygen mask first and then help others. i referred to this in my books. it is of continuing pertinence to u.s. policy. few of our allies who will fight can defeat the expanding the islamist movement. beat it we must with more

military power that we have used to date. washington must use its own political and foreign-policy activities to order. america can help no other foreign policy partner or nation until it is re-anchored. to achieve this goal, we must return to the governing dr. and -- doctrine. the key to re-anchoring is an approach that is less interventionist. we should have nothing to do with conquest. in america's dealings with iran and saudi arabia, as well as in its war with islamism, it is because the media apologists and

academics have turned jefferson on his head. because of this interventionism, which the founders would have damaged to help, we are mired in an environment in the persian gulf region that is doomed to an endless war with muslims. we are creating multiple options to use to defend u.s. interests. this is always an unpredictable world. when americans celebrate independence day this coming july, i would predict that neither president obama or mccain would have the courage to tell americans the truth. over the past 35 years, both parties have consciously eviscerated u.s. independence on the single most important foreign-policy issue, the decision on whether or not to go to war. both parties have failed to move the country closer to energy to

independence since the first saudi oil embargo. instead of releasing it from the dagger pointed at its heart, american presidents have grovel, beg, and publicly vowed to the presidents of the arab peninsula in their quest for more oil. they have so overspent the public treasury that america is further in the thrall of the same arab tyrants and china with the largest part of our debt. there are few better definitions of abject foreign-policy test the one that puts u.s. energy and foreign security in the hands of its enemies. americans have found that they have lost control over the peace or war decision. if peace in the region ever seriously curtails the oil availability, we will deploy our forces.

the idea of an automatic war for oil goes beyond the arab world. mexico is one of our top oil suppliers. it is creeping it to the status of a fail-safe. by 2015, the united states will import 20% of its oil from the niger delta region. u.s. soldiers and marines will almost certainly it deployed to restore production. if you think the insurgencies in iraq and afghanistan are nightmares, white until they are fighting in the niger delta 20,000 square miles of a forest. there is indispensable component of defense known as border control. this has set america up for a tragedy of shakespeare in proportions. a tragedy that when it comes, it

will be of our own making. it will bring with it the small possibility of significant violence in parts of the united states. americans also have lost control over the peace or war decision because their leaders have to involve them in the almost unending religious war between arabs and israelis. even ridiculing the idea of the founders at in not getting involved in other people'is worse. wars.ple's can there be a better definition of a foreign policy that has us in this irrelevant more. and backing both antagonists in the war, israel and saudi arabia appeared by being the only protector of the

fundamentally anti-american saudi state. washington has created a situation in which america would be drawn into any arab-is really worth that includes any state beyond palestine no matter what the interests of the american people. having all but negated the ability of the united states to abstain from war for oil wars, there is an axis of doom for americans from its endless zeal for democracy crusades. a perversion of what america stands for beckham only lead to more war. the democracy crusading has destabilize the entire region, creating new threats to oil supply and making the crisis largely unpredictable. it has cost american taxpayers nearly $1 trillion. it has killed more than 4500 of our children will wounding

30,000 more. it has set the stage for a wide secretary in war. -- sectarian war. the still pending threat of another war to impose democracy, this time in iran, which is a more representative state then the islamo-fascism allies of washington, would be terrible. the war in iran would be billed as an effort to help a press the iranians or stop the spread of nuclear weapons. just conjured the reality that 300 million americans could wake one morning soon to find themselves at war with iran because a man named netanyahu or ahmadinejad, two foreigners that nobody ever voted for, decided

to expand their religious war in which there is no u.s. interest. our precipitation in such a work would produce a iran-sponsored terror in america. it would unite people in a jihad against united states. the bipartisan governing elite have brought the united states face to face with war at every turn. wars over oil, over religious conflicts, and wars to impose secular democracies of peoples that will fight it to the death. this is surely the antithesis of what the founders meant when they founded a system of government that would lead inevitably to tyranny. there are few better definitions of tierney the one that finds a

nation repeatedly led into wars where there are no national interests at risk by the personal beliefs, ambitions, or limbs of an individual and his or her closest advisers. to have a shot and negating the threats to america, u.s. leaders must give up their half century binge of intervention alyssum- interventionism. the question is to how to begin to retrieve the blank check commitment that u.s. leaders have given to foreigners. let me suggest several ways of proceeding. america must accelerate the conversion to alternative energy, expand nuclear power, and further exploit fossil fuel reserves. in america, nothing should be allowed to deter a greater

energy. fears by the bp oil spill should not halt drilling. demands for arctic rabbits, the shrip filled reefs or the sunny shores of california at the expense of shoulder should not be ignored. as our dependence on foreign energy declines, this will become much clearer. self-sufficiency will allow america and the west to stop protecting the gulf and other muslim tyrannies. regimes that cloud our economic test -- destiny and make our advocacy of freedom appear to be pure and spectacular hypocrisy. for america and its allies, it will also and the current cruel reality that sees a price -- a

portion of price people pay at the pump to flow to oil-rich arab insurgents that kill their children in iraq and afghanistan. the impossible must be done. congress must be made to find a backbone or to be purged in pulp -- the next elections. surely the abdication of its branch to cut -- to declare war and restore constitutionality and thereby sanity for the u.s. war making process. infamously, no congress has declared war since december 8, 1941. we have repeatedly seen america dragged into wars because one man and his advisers decided is the right thing to do. joint resolutions to allow presidents to start wars are cowardly acts and allows

congress and senators to have it both ways. they can beat their chests if be work goes well or they can undermine the president if it does not. our postwar history is littered with failed wars initiative by the president and wish divided americans a month themselves. perhaps the issue of four making will allow americans to win the awards on a broad and not wage them against each other at home. the united states must stay out of other people's wars, particularly religious wars. america stands as the abject ruler of the israel-palestine war. the economic straggling of hamas and the periodic israeli invasions of gaza. america is in part losing to the islamist movement because of its backing of israel which

requires the coddling of arab tyrannies. america, and i would suggest europe, must withdraw from the savagery. no vital aspect of western life or security would be negatively impacted if is real or palestine or both disappeared tomorrow. this reality should receive great attention today. the saudis seek to spread their influence by replaced -- replacing our aid to mubarak. all of which will compromise israel's security. we are tied to the saudi tierney only because of the moral cowardice of politicians eager for cheap oil and massive arms sales. we must also rejected pathway of contention that u.s. and israel

interests in the muslim world are identical. we are shedding blood in iraq because of the neo conservative and pro israel citizens. they provoke a war based on the idiot idea that a democratic state could be created in muslim iraq that would be less than whole party anti-is really. saddam hussein, a shield for the israelis and israelis security, were taken out. this is not a fixable situation. potentially because of iraq, potentially be towards ambivalence towards israel exists only in the mind of pro- israel citizens. at the end of the day, these are israel's biggest enemies.

this has been largely ignored by americans. we are now in a situation where the cost of support for israel is or soon will be measured in america ken's children. the cost will be utterly unacceptable. fourth, finally, and most important, the u.s. government and its european allies must stop trying to spread democracy abroad by humanitarian or political and interventions. no young american man or woman should die for the insane goal of giving the people of iraq and afghanistan the possibility of embracing democracy, a phrase used by u.s. presidents and other western leaders. no small republican government

like our own has the right to spend the lives of its young in military crusades for unattainable attractions such as giving liberty, justice, gender equality and democracy for foreigners who do not want them and will fight them to the death. this is especially true when our youngsters' lives have been spent like in iraq and afghanistan. they refuse to allow the full use of the conventional military force that taxpayers have bought to protect the country and their children. u.s. foreign policy must revert to what it was before the cold war, it gave license to meet u.s. politicians to be democracy-mongering interventionists. in america, foreign policy needs to but one thing. it must protect america so as to

allow for the expansion of liberty, freedom, and equality of conditions. if no additional foreigner ever reason -- of votes in an election, americans and europeans would be no worse off. practically speaking, our efforts of building democracies abroad have a track record of making us less safe, and not more safe. washington convention is some- interventionism has impoverished us in a treasurer, blood, but domestic political unity, and what mr. lincoln called the rightful influence of our republic an example to protect the precious legacy to our ancestors had built here in north america over the past four centuries. we in america must return to the founders' goals for our country. that of being the well-wishers for freedom for all, but being

the champion and the indicator only of our own. [applause] >> thank you, michael. i have a feeling we will have some questions. i would encourage you to raise your question as a question. the second row. we will get to you. >> i am confused about the relationship between the saudi royal family and al qaeda. could you explain that a little bit more and particularly what is the interest of the saudi royal family to establish al qaeda cells in the united

states. what has been done? >> they are an aggressive purveyors of it is long. they want to build the caliphate. bin laden is more of a defensive minded person. he wants to take back the lands that were taken from islam. they are sponsoring and paying for subversive activities and they are trying to make the world totally islamic overtime. the relationship with bill laden and the saudis is always a cloudy one. they have disowned him they say. i think he will accept that things are never quite black and white in the arab world and especially in saudi arabia. parts of the royal family are

said to still contribute money to bin laden. wealthy families around the world continue to do that. the saudis are shielded by smiling, speaking english, and holding hands with the president in the rose garden. alabama is not far from being what saudi arabia would be without the royal family. they were educated by royal educationists. expansion ofeda te package bombs, they brag about how they have disrupted everything. they have an interest to bankrupt the bus. they hit every target except for

the pentagon was an economic target. in other parts of the world, they did not like good muslims watching sports in pakistan. in the west, it is part of the culture of people who are not borrowing to tend to exaggerate it. are they responsible for the united states going bankrupt. it looks like it is not going to go bankrupt. what will stop them from attacking u.s. troops in afghanistan? >> i think i described bin laden's first priority to take advantage of the economic conditions internationally to help that process along. that is clearly his intention. he has said it publicly that we cannot invade milwaukee. their goal is clearly to make a

spend money to the point when we do not have any left to spend. he seems to be doing quite well at that at the moment. >> [inaudible] >> there is no way to do it until we tell the american people the truth and we begin to fight the enemy that exists instead of the one that the politicians want us to believe in.

let me go to the ground rules one more time. each candate will come to the podium -- podium individually. there will be given eight minutes to make opening remarks. to my left is a lig system -- a yellow, green, and red light. which one minute left on their time, a yellow light will come on. when there is no time left, a red light will come on. i will ask each candidate to stick to their time. candidates will be -- questions will be directed to the

candidates. they will have as long as seven minutes to answer those questions. each candidate will be asked to respond to it least two questions. -- toespond to at least two questions. it is my closet -- pleasure to beginhe second portion of our program. in order to begin this program, you must be seated or take your conversations outside the room. i respectfully ask you to have a seat so we can begin our presentation. thank you. it is now my pleasure to introduce an individual who will serve as our moderator this evening. this indidual served as the president of american for prosperity foundation in washington, d.c. he is the reason our organization has been as successful as it has been.

in the last presidential campaign, president barack obama mentioned americans with prosperity -- americans for prosperity. that tells you we are doing something right. [applause] it is under the leadership of tim phillips that we have received over 35 state chapters for the americans for prosperity foundation. he oversees all of the grass- roots work that we do, the advocacy campaigns that americans for prospity does it, and the educational work that we continue to do. it is my pleasure to introduce the president of americans for prosperity foundation, tim phillips. ♪ beautiful day ♪

>> this evening. thank you for that kind introduction and for the great work you are doing leading our americans for prosperity chapter here in new hampshire. in states across the country, leaders like corey are leading our chapters and 1.8 million grassroots activists. our goal is simple -- to resre economic prosperity to this great nation of ours through limited government, more economic freedom, a less gornment spending and regulati. [applause] it is a real honor to be with you. i know that you are a quiet, retiring guy. i know it is tough to come out of your shell, but thank you. [applause]

one thing about m you probably have not notic, i grew up in upstate south carolina. there is an overflow room with an interpreter if you need it. [laughter] it is great to see my home center, jim demint -- senator, jim demint. [applause] tonight we gather for a summit focused on government spending, a deficit, that, and the negative impact they are having on j creation and our prosperity. we are glad to have five potential candidates for the republican nomination for president with us. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. [applause] there are a lot of places you could be this evening, although i hear new hampshire i popular this time of year. thank you for sharing this

evening with us. our goal this evening is pretty simple. it is to ask you to detail ur stance on economic issues and the policies he will pursue if you are fortunate enough to move forward to the next level. you may notice, and i know you are stunned to hear this, president obama is not with us this evening. [applause] [laughter] that may be surprising to some didn't how often the president, for some reason, mentioned americans for prosperity last fall. we thought for sure he would be -- he would want to come out. mr. president know this -- you are welcome to explain your economic policies to our audience is any time. we will give you an open microphone to explain yourself. right? [applause] the truth is we have seen clearly with the -- where the

current administration stands and what they had done. simply put, when it comes to budget deficits and debt, president obama's policies are literally bankrupting america. there is no doubt about that. president obama has increased discretionary spending during his first two years by 25%. if you include the failed stimulus that was $814 billion more, it is 65% increase in discretionary spending. i just finished reading a brilliant book called "rock debut with destiny." it is an account of the 1980 presidential race, one that elected -- elected aan named ronald wilson reagan. [applause] ronald reagan and president locked in ae

tense struggle. the budget deficit numbers for that year came out in the fall. it was a shock to the american political system to hear the amou. does anyone want to know what that amount was for the budget deficit 1980? $74 billion. that number shot the american establishment and americans. it sounds almost like today, does it not? we use other words now, but the truth is this president will have three straight $1 trillion plus budget deficits. the health care policies he has put forward will dry up health care costs for americans while increasing taxes and spending trillions more in the years to come. meanwhile, on his watch, medicare has slipped further

down the road towards fcal failure. i do not know about you -- maybe we need to have a show of hands -- but i think it is the height of hypocrisy for this president to call paul ryan and house republicans "irresponsible" for trying to do something about the budget deficit. do you agree with that? [applause] e format for this evening is pretty straightforward. we will ask our five participants to stick to it. pridential leadership is sometimes about following rules. if we want to get everyone in, we need to do that and still have a couple of questions free. we'll ask them to stick to 8 minutes with remarks on revitalizing the economy, spending, budget deficit, job creation. i am a liberal arts major from virginia tech, so we have a

high-tech system here. you have a yellow flashing light that means "cautioned." it is working. at time 48 speaker, it will go read. we will then have two questions on the same economic topic for each and that will be it for the evening. thank you for joining us. we have the first speaker this evening, and that is governor 10 pawlenty -- tim pawlenty from minnesota. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. or as president obama would say, you are welcome. [applause] had had enough of $4 a gallon of gas? have you had enough of unemployment? had you had enough of the federal government that is out of control? have that you had enough of

barack obama? yes. it may, too -- me, too. you are role modeling a service of faith, family, and persistence to this state and the cause of freedom. it is a clarion call for new hampshire and all of america and we owe you a debt of gratitude. [applause] senator dement, thank you for your inspiring leadership. you are a clear voice for common sense. there's not much of that in washington. thank you for coming tonight. we appreciate that as well. [applause] i am delighted to be here with the other potential candidates fo2012 -- michelle bachmann, my good friend mitt romney, herman cain, rick santorum, and

the others. these are all wonderful people. we are on the same team because we have the same goal -- taking back this country and restoring america to its greatness again. [applause] the question before us is about jobs, the economy, and government spending. to answer that question we should talk to the people who provide the jobs in this country. when you do, they give you a clear answer all day every day. it is not that complicated. it is at this -- get the government off my back. [applause] it varies a little bit by industry, business, employer, or sector, but some are barry concerned about taxes being too high. others are concerned about regulation, the time, expense, and the late. they are worried about energy

costs that are skyrocketing. others are worried about workers,, unemployment,, or unfair -- or opt -- workers comp, unemployment comp, or unfair practices. somebody who would take a risk, start something, grow something, add employees, buy equipment, conduct research -- all the things that takes to keep the economy going, every timehe government takes over, they not only grow government and spend more of yr money, but they do something else that is equally corrosive. they discouraged the american spirit. underneath this notion of america's greatness and america's prosperity is what makes us great is we are free.

it is fundamentally different from other countries all around the world and throughout time. we are not the greatest nation in the world has known because we had the most people. we do not. we need to be more competitive with our cost, but we are not the cheapest place in the world. we're the greatest nation in the world has ever known because we are the freest nation in the world. [applause] as government pushes in two families, neighborhoods, communities, places of worship, private markets, dr. norris - ereprenuers. many of you kw that i talk sometimes about costco, kmart, wal-mart. if you go to a store like that,

you will often times a mom or dad with a grocery cart with a year's supply of chips in their car because they are trying to save money. they are trying to get the most value for the money they do have. they want that on the government as well and they are not getting it. we have a government in washington, d.c. that was fighting recently about whether to spend $3.60 trillion or $3.70 trillion. the problem was, they were only taking in $2.20 trillion. we need to fundamentally change this country. ininnesota, one of the bluest states in the union, mitt romney and i used to debate each other about whether massachusetts or minnesota was more liberal. we have changed my state. we cut spending and brought it below zero for the first budget

cycle in our 150 year history. [applause] we cut taxes over my eight years as governor. we were one of the first states in the country to have performance pay for teachers statewide. we had pension reform. ito was the largest transit strikes in the history of the country -- bus driver shut down the chances system for 44 days -- i had people standing outde my window saying pawlenty is a weapon of mass destruction. in minnesota, i share that with you. to say as frank sinatra always sang about your, if we can do it in the land of mondale and humphrey and u.s. senator al franken, we can do it anywhere. [applause] it was not easy. with all due respect to other

people in public office, some of them need a little encouragement. pushing them back up against the wall metaphorically matters. i had the first government shut down under my watch i minneso in the 150 year history of the state. i set record for vetoes in my state single season and won the most in history. the cato institute is a libertarian organization. they gave only four governors in the country an a. louisiana, west virginia, and minnesota. i am proud of that. [applause] i just want to share with you in

the minute i have left, working in the mills was not easy. working in the meatpacking plant or driving a truck was not easy. of course, when you see those big plants shut down in manchester or south st. paul and the faces of unemployment in your communitynd disruptions to your family and community, you see things not as a budget number, but as a matter of a mily and of the bargain future. my mother died when i was 16. my dad lost his job for a while not too long after tha when you are young and your mom passes and your father is unemployed, you learn about hard work and individual responsibility, but we also kn that in america we are strong people. i see a brighter future for our nation. that is why i am running for president. [applause]

it will be formally and finally announced later. [laughter] that is the secret to this country -- we are hopeful, optimistic group of people. we are not about thinking china is going to lead the world and we are going to be second, third, or fourth place. let's get to it and take back our country. thank you very much. [applause] >> governor, a decade ago, federal highways were at $1.80 trillion. today, they are more than double that. what are some of the specific policies that he would pursue to get the spending under control

and would it have to include entitlement refor, especially medicare? >> if you look at the federal outlays of about $3.70 trillion in the pie chart of federal spendi, looking at the red part of the pie chart being be mandatory or all of pilot spending, medicare, medicaid, social security, and interest on the national debt -- that read rt of the pie chart is over the line. at the rate it is going, it will soon be over the three quarter line. the blue part is defense. if you believe what i believe about defense, which we should not cut, then the real answer to the problem lies in the red part of the pie chart. be bulk of that is the entitlement programs. i believe we need to look the american people in the eye and tell them the truth.

we need to speak courageously about the challenges we are in. do not scare them, but showed them the solutions and the way forward. in social security, it is time to say to the american people or new entrants into the program, because life expectancies are increasing, we are going to gradually increase the retirement age overtime for new entrants into social security. we have to do it. i think we can ge the bulk of america to agree to that. given the choices that we have in front of us, i believe we have to do at least this -- as it relates to the cost-of- living adjustments to social security, it is time we look the american people in the eye and say if you are wealthy you are not going to get as big a cost of living adjustment as if you are a middle income or lower income. those things will send a powerful signal to the world commodity markets, to our country that we can solve our

prlems and get these programs back on track. i believe a majority of the country will embrace that. on medicare and medicaid, i believe we should do what paul ryan suggested -- block grant the whole thing to the laboratories of democracy, the states. [applause] medicare is a longer answer, but two things to note in particular we cannot have a 1950 system that paysroviders based on historical cost without regard to results or quality. we have to align the money to the results we want. we have to have people have some skin in the game in terms of being in charge of their own health care and making choices of what is best for them and their fily, not having a centralized system run out of washington, d.c. with limited or no choices. >> thank you. thank you, governor. [applause]

as you may know, new hampshire's house recently passed legislation that will allow new hampshire to pull out of the capping trade style energy tax system. -- cap and trade style energy tax system. as governor of minnesota, you supported sothing that was similar in the early 2000's. have you changed your views and approa to this issue? >> yes. a couple of years ago after considering cap and trade in minnesota and regionally, i changed my position and said it was a mistake. it was stupid. i am sorry. [applause] it is a ham fisted. this was a couple of years ago in a communication to congress, i said i no longer had that position.

it was wrongly directed. it was directionally want philosophically. everybody has a couple of clockers in the record. that is one of mine. i am sorry. it was a mistake. [applause] >> thank you, governor. >> our second speaker this evening is senator rick santorum from the great state of pennsylvania. please give him a big welcome. [applause] >> thank you very much. i am honored to be here in new hampshire. it is my 15th trip to new hampshire in the past year. i just came from my hometown of pittsburgh where i spoke at the convention. of wanted to speak to the n.r.a

one of the things they are always focused on -- i am a member and i get the magazine. the name of the magazine is a "freedom." it is the core of what motivates me. what would your plans beat? the plan has to be what is the core values that make america different than any country in the history of the world? what made our economy more successful? what made our society more successful? it comes down to the document that is the why for america. the constitution is the how -- how does america operate? it is on the lips of every american, or at least used to be before the education system got to our children. "we hold these truths to be self

evident that all men are held -- all men are created equal." our founders understood -- [applause] our founders understood that is a lie. is it an economic understanding of the world? no. it is a more understanding. america is a moral and duke -- moral enterprise. all of us is created equal -- why? are they equal in any objective way? probably not. why is she equal? because she is a cool in the eyes of god, jack, and everybody else. the founders understood that america, if it was going to be a prosperous and great nation, had to have a "why" that held us

together. we are equal and we have rights from god given to us and the government's role, very clearly, was to be limited for the one thing. one of my favorite movies is "city slickers." the one thing of america, the whole purpose of america is to keep you free so you can provide for yourself, your family, the people you love, and the gaudy serve. that is the -- and the god you serve. that is the "why" of america. someone told my grandfather that his children had to put on a brown shirt and march every day.

he said he would give up that security that the government would provide for him. he worked until he was 72-years old in the coal mines of western pennsylvan. he sacrificed like every generation of americans. he made sacrifices for one thing -- that one thing is what people are so animated aut across america. it is the one thing at stake in this election. president of the united states two weeks ago said something every person in this room should know and repeat over and over again -- it is descriptive of what the problem is that is confronting america. he said in his budget report to paul ryan -- he talked about the wonders of medicare, medicaid, and unemployment insurance. he said this -- "america is a better country because of those policies." fine.

then he said this -- "i will go one step further -- america was not a great couny unt those programs." [catcalls] can you imagine the president of this country saying america was not a great country prior to 1965? america was founded in great. it was not great because some politicians gave us stuff. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, if we want to revive this economy and this nation, do you want to know what motivates me? it is what jim demint's book was about. freedom. it is about freedom and trust in the american people. trusting that each and everyone of you by serving your god and providing for yourselves and your families and, yet been your

brother's keeper of in your community, collectively we can do much better than a group of people in washington, d.c. designing things for us. [applause] this hugee from budget deficit, this huge burden we have laid on this country is the result of people in washington think they know better and the trust themsels re than they trust you. obamacare is about a man who believes he is caring for you so he designed a health care system that provides for every man and woman in america. that is carrying in his mind. that is not caring. that is trying to manipulate every man and woman to do what you want them to do and that is not america. [applause] what would i do to get this

economy going? first and foremost i would repeal obamacare. out of the box. [applause] i would cut taxes and cut taxes on people who create jobs in america and incentivize corporations to keep their emplment here in this country by cutting corporate taxes. those are the kinds of tngs we have to do. again, trusting, trusting, you, trusting you, trusting the american people to do what is right. we also need an energy policy. look at what is going on in our country today with these huge gas prices. and here's what the president of the united states said. he mocked sarah palin and john mccain and oths from the last election who were talking about drill, baby, drill. he said that's not the answer. no, the answer is we need to conserve. we need to use less. we need all these new technologies to conserve and

use less, liquid fuel. does the president really think you are that stupid? think about what he said. the anticipates is not supply. -- the answer is not supply. it's just demand. any basic economics class said there are two ways in which you can affect price. supply and demand. and under the president's world, there's only one. he does believe you're that stupid. but let me tell you what's going on rig now in america. when i left the united states senate, we were fighting over building l&g terminals on the east coast of the country. why? becae we didn't have enough natural gas. well, during that time, we found something in pennsylvania, and in new york called marcelus shale. the large nural gas find in the country. and guess what we're doing with those l.n.g. terminals? we're exporting natural gas y? drill, baby, drill.

[applause] you want a lower cost? the reason and i'm almost done -- [laughter] i'll be very quick with my answers to the questions. the reason that we're seeing gasoline prices high is not because there's a shortage of gasoline. it's because there's uncertainty as where that gasoline is coming from. we need to make sure that gasoline is coming from here and those prices will come down. [applause] you didn't get my big close. but that's -- >> senator, the administration has been pursuing a regulatory assault on americans, families, businesses, that they really can't get through congress. they're using the environmental protection agency, national labor relations board, other agencies to pursue their agenda. as president, what would you do about this assault from a regulatory perspective and

rolling it back and specifical would you call fo legislation that says congress has to approve regulations that cost beyond a certain dollar amount? >> we have all sorts of regulatory review procedures already in the congress. but look, the heart of the problem of regulations is passing laws and jim talks about this, passing laws that are these huge expansive bills that provide enormous flexibility for regulators to do incredible amounts of mischief. so the problem is the congress. it's -- the president is using the authority that the congress is giving to them. you look at the obamacare bill. and i think there's 700 times the words -- "the secretary shall" appears in that bill. you're giving power away from the people who were elected to actually make decisions about how government should operate and you're yielding them to the executive branch and worse yet to the bureaucracies within that branch. and so the best answer to this is not the -- to mess around

with the regulatory system but let's get back to simpler bills, no g three, four, five, 6,000-page bills. but talk about getting simple bills that actually force congress to make decisions. when the lnrb, what's an unfair labor practice? well, read that law. you have no idea what an unfair labor practice is. so let's get congress back to the job of actually articulating what the laws should be and not yielding that authority over to the executive branch. [applause] >> senator tomko burn has called earmarks the gateway -- senator tom coburn has called earmarks the gateway drug to -- and they explode spending and even when republicans were in charge they dramatically increased. and you supported -- has your view of these earmarks changed

and where would you go policy wise if you were president? >> jim demint, now, he doesn't have nearly the trac something we should

get rid of. >> senator rick santorum. >> thank you very much. [applause] and our third participant is governor mitt romney from massachusetts. governor?

>> thank you, my friends. good to see so many people this evening. great to have you here. thank you. for your great service to this great state and to our nation. ank you also, mr. speaker, thank you for those that have come from outside the state to join us this evening. what a week this has been. from one extreme to the other. our hearts go to the people in the south who were affected by that terrible series of tornadoes. this morning, great excitement as we saw a wedding across the pond. and big political news this week. the president finally produced a long form birth certificate. and there was no one more disappointed tn that amiable know it all windbag joe biden. [laughter] we wish joe biden well. now, i want to thank you in new hampshire for the role that you play, a critical role in assessing who should be our nomineand who the next

president ought to be. and that's role which is special because you puto much attention and involvement in the selection of individua and pay so much attention to them. i appreciate that. the nation does. and because of your special role, i want to tell you a bit why ann and i are back talking to you about a presidential run. and i will begin with family and values. my dad, you don't know a lot about. he grew up poor, actually. he was governor later in life but grew up poor. his dad went broke multiple times. he was a laugh and plaster carp tr as a young man. and on his honeymoon to pay for the hotels and gase sold aluminum paint from the -- aluminum and paint from the trunk of his car but he believed in america. and became head of a car company and became governor. he taught me values. he taught me the value of hard work. he taught me the value of family and faith and their

preeminence in my life. he taught me to care for other people and he taught me a profound and abiding love for the united states of america. as my career began, i got involved in business as you know. and as a result of the business i started or helped to start, i was involved with some startup businesses and some very large businesses, some in trouble, sometimes successful, sometimes not. but one thing i learned was how jobs grow in this country and how they go elsewhere. and how you compete with other countries and i learned how you can try and make america more competitive place with more jobs to grow. that's why it's broken my heart to watch this president, who has no experience in the private sector, never worked in a business at a job that you're working in. has no experience in leadership. and he took the reins of the country at the time the economy s going down. and as a result, he says, well, he just inherited the downturn. yes, that's right. but he made it worse and made it deeper and longer. it's three years now.

we have 20 million americans out of work or underemployed or have given up looking for work. we have people who don't know how they can make ends meet because of the cost of gasoline. and the higher cost of food. it is simply inexcusable. he couldave learned better. he came to new hampshire. look, he saw the mills in manchester. he saw the buildings. recognized that there was an economic crisis here. he could have learned that when you dealt with that economic crisis, you believed in holding down taxes. keeping regulations low. balancing budgets. keeping government small. and that formula has filled those new buildings. and now new hampshire is a capital of innovation and small business. but he didn't look to new hampshire. instead he looked to europe. he looked to europe. and what he saw over there was when their economies got in trouble, that they spent more money and borrowed more money. that's what he did. and when he saw that their health care system was in trouble the federal government took iover. that's what he did. and then of course when energy prices were high over there,

the solution was higher energy prices with cap and trade. and then he also looked at labor regulations and said you know what? we need to tilt the playing field much more in favor of labor. all the things he did, you look at them, one by one, are just like the europeans did. and europe doesn't work there and sure as heck not going to work here. he got it wrong. don't look to europe. look to america. i believe in america [applause] -- bailiff in the american experience. we got -- i believe in the american experience. we got it right. they got it wrong. when founders spoke of freedom and opportunity, think of the choices that ty made. ey could have fashioned our declaration and our constitution to put in place a strong central government or a king to tell us what to do and how to do it. but instead they said no, we're not only going to let the american people select their representatives, we're going to let the american people choose their course in life. and by virtue of that choice,

america became the place on the planet wherevery person seeking opportunity, every pioneer, every freedom lover, wanted to come here. circumstances of birth was no barrier to what we uld accomplish and so they came here. by the millions. ev those who came here involuntarily as slaves had to overcome prejudice and bias in order to become part of the american dream. and theyid so and became champions in doing that. we are pioneers, freedom lovers, freedom seekers, innovators, champions. and we are not going to let barack obama or the democrats or the liberals take that away from america. [applause] i believe in free enterprise. and capitalism. how many people in here, you or your spouse, work in a business, in the private sector, almost everybody. i don't think the president likes you. [laughter] i do like you. he like the jobs that you create. i know what it takes to make

more good jobs. i believe in small government. america believes in small government. we're spending too much money. we have a cap on how much money we spent at the federal level at 19% of g.d.p. or more, cap the spending and cap the regulations as well. [applause] we americans are a patriotic people. i believe in the love which we have for this great country. i have seen as i gone across the country and seen the passion and fervor that people have for this great land. and when i had the fun of helping organize the olympic winter games, i noticed that the athletes of america, when we got the gold medal, they put their hand over their heart as the national anthem was played. no other young people from around the world did tt that i could notice. i wonder where that tradition began. i understand it began under f.d.r. who during the second world war asked the american people to put their hand over their heart duringhe playing of the national anthem.

as a sign of respect and admiration and love for those who had lost their lives, who shed their blood in behalf of liberty. for heroes proved in lib ratting strife who more -- and mercy more than life. this is a great country. america's greatness is being challenged by those who would make us more like europe or like some other place. the right answer for america is not to turn elsewhere, to turn northward to new hampshire, and other great states that have -- understand the principles of freedom and opportunity and free enterprise and capitalism and small government and federalism and the constitution. this is a great land. god has blessed america. he has blessed it in part because great people have adhered to principles that are eternal in nature. we will hold fast to those principles that make america america and by doing so we'll provide for our next generations with freedom and prosperity and a land that our god will be proud to call his

own. thank you so much. great to be with you tonight. [applause] >> governor, on the first day of the current administration, the price of a gallon of gas was $1.83. it's doubled basically since then. >> wow. >> $1.83. >> and not just gasoline but utility bills as well that are going up. what policies would you pursue to bring down these energy prices that are hurting businesses and families? >> i just can't help but notice that you remember during the ronald reagan-jim yip carter debates, that ronald reagan came up with in great thing about the misery index and that -- he hung that around jimmy carter's neck and that had a lot to do with jimmy carter losing. we'll have to hang the obama misery index around his nk. and i'll tell you, the fact -- the fact that you've got people in this country really squeezed, with gasoline getting so expensive, with commodities

getting so expensive, families are having a hard time making ends meet. so we're going to talk about that. and housing foreclosures and bankruptcies and higher taxation. we're going to hang him with that -- so to speak, metaphorically. you have to be careful these days. i learned that. [laughter] with that obama misery index. what do you say about energy prices? we're not going to change them overnight. he would like to find a scapegoat. any time the president has an area of concern, he tries to find someone to blame. we're going to have an investigation into -- to see if this -- if price gouge something going on. the reason gasoline prices are high is we don't have enough hoyle and we haven't put in place -- enough oil and we haven't put in place -- and to see gasoline prices brought down, you have to increase supply. now, some would say that would take years to come about. but you know something about now pricing works. when prices are set, they look not only at the supply and demand today but their

expectation of future supply and demand. and if we start drilling, and use our natural gas, which is suddenly become massive abundance, and use our oil, and our coal, as well as our renewable rources, we can change the equation in supply and demand long term and finally begin to bring that balance into a point where prices can be affected. and by the way, one more thing. if we're going to spend a lot more energy, let's spend it here at home. let's not spend -- spend half a trillion dollars to bad guys around the world. >> that's right. that's right. [applause] >> governor, given the benefit of hindsight, would you still sign the health care bill that you signed in law when were you governor of massachusetts? >> i was hoping i would get that question. >> thank you. it's about time. let me tell you, in my state, like in most states, there are a lot of problems in health care. you got people who if they change jobs, lose insurance, and can't get reinsured, you got people who have preexisting

conditions that can't get insurance. you have something else you're concerned about, people that don't have insurance at all. and then there's some folks who show up at a hospital with let's say a heart attack or come from an automobile accident, and they rack up huge bills. $100,000, $200,000 and don't have any insurance. guess who they expect to pay? you. the taxpayers. my state, we were spending hundreds of millions of dollars giving out free care to people who could have afforded to take care of themselves. and i went to work to solve a problem. and it may not be perfect. by the way it is not perfect. some parts of that experiment worked. some parts didn't. some thingi would change. one thing i would never do by the way would be to impose a one size fits all plan like obamacare on the nation. that's simply wrong and unconstitutional and it won't work. and i like how the president wants to -- [applause] you will note he and the democrats want to constantly give me credit for their plan.

you know the method to their madness. but if and when i have the occasion to debate president obama, i'm going to ask him this question, mr. president, why didn't you call me and ask how it worked? why some parts didn't work. his plan will not work. it will bankrupt us. it is absolutely wrong. it's unconstitutional and bad policy. it's bad for america's families. and i'm -- i of course will fight to repeal obamacare. but on day one, if i were president of the united states, on day one, i would instruct the secretary of health and human services to grant a waiver from obamacare toll 50 states. >> governor mitt romney. [applause] next, businessman herman cain from georgia. [applause]

>> congratulations to the people of the granite state for -- that shows we the people are still in charge of this country. thank you for doing that. [applause] let it be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals. the tragedy lies in having no goals to reach for. it's not a clamity to die with dreams unfulfilled. but it is a claty to have no eams. the american dream is under attack the american dream is under attack because of too much legislation. too much regulation. and too much taxation. but there's good news. we can take it back.

and we've already started to take back the american dream. step number one, in taking back the erican dream, is to stimulate this economy, it's real simple. jobs, jobs, jobs, will help to restore the american dream to millions of people who have given up hope. one of the first things i would ask this congress to do in order to stimulate this economy with direct stimulus, not more government spending, number one. lower the corporate tax rates from 35% to 25%. we are the only nation on the planet that has not done it in the last 15 years. and also lower personal income tax res. because this may come as a surprise to the liberals. when people keep more of what they earn, and businesses keep more of what ty earn, the economy grows. you take it out of the government hands, and you put it in the people's hands. [applause]

number two, take the capital gains tax rate to zero. that's going to drive the liberals crazy. but take it to zero. the liberals want to argue where you just rewarderring the rich. no, you aren't. you're stem lating investment in this country. lowering taxes is not in their d.n.a. but if we take this message to the american people, and they understand how it gog to stimulate the economy, i believe that we will be able to get the people to support it. number three, repatriated profits. take it to zero. they are not coming home anyway. this is -- we've got nearly $1 trillion offshore that's not coming home because the liberals want to tax it. take it to zero. number four, let's give workers and employers a real payroll tax holiday. not this little crumb that they threw out of lowering it a

couple of percent. i believe that we can lower the payroll tax for every worker in america. 6.2% for a year. every employer for america, the ll 6.2%. let's give every worker in america a raise of 6.2% for a year. and i guarantee you that this economy will be growing at a bigger rate than it is growing now. [applause] now, the liberals are going to say, how are you going to pay for it? it pays for itself. if they would stop long enough and look at history over the last 100 years, proper tax cuts pay for themselves. we simply got to educate the american public on that fact and not the fact that tax cuts cost money. number five, and most importantly, in my five-point plan, after you make those changes, make the tax rates

permanent. uncertainty is killing investment in this country. make them permanent. and by putting more of the people's money back i the hands of the people. we will get government out of the business as a start of picking winners and losers. government's role is not to pick winners and losers. government's role is to make sure that they provide the environment for businesses to thrive and not just survive. spending. let's start with repeal and replacement of obamacare from a government-centered program to a patient-centered program. ideas are already on the table. all we have to do is take those ideas and pass it with the right leadership. spending. three words. cut, cut, cut. i can think of a few agencies in washington, d.c., that might

need to cut all the way to the bone. i don't believe in unfund mandates. i believe as representative ryan has talked about, if we are going to send money to the states, let's block grant it. and if i were president of the united states, i would use the same approach that i used when i took over some failing companies that were going broke. youo an across-the-board cut of about 10%. then you do a deep drive. mitt has -- do a deep dive. mitt has talked about this. sit down with a new agency head and find those programs that are overlapping or duplicative or they don't do anything anymore. too many programs in washington, d.c., simply just die on the vine. and we keep paying for them. [applause] the only way that we're going to seriously cut is to restructure those programs like social security. that's where i would start. i would use the chilean model.

with the personal retirement account option. now, the liberals are going to try to demagogue it and say you're trying to privatize social security and take away the benefits for old people, puppy dogs and kids. this is how they generally tried to demagogue stuff. the small country of chile did it 30 years ago. they fixed their problem. i believe with the rht leadership, we can also fix ours. now, here's why i belie we can do this, folks. we've got to have the right leadership in the white house. and i believe if you got the right leader in the white house, that understands what i call common sense solutions, we can do this. and here's why. if you get past that line in that great document, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, you'll find some more words as i told a caller one night. if any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it.

we've got some altering and abolishing to do. [applause] and so i believe we can do this because we the people are still in charge of this country. the second reason that i believe we can do it is because this sleeping giant called we the people, the tea party movement, the citizens movement, whatever you want to call it, this sleeping giant has awakened and it's not going back to sleep. this is why i believe we will be able to do this. now, that being said, not going to be easy. it wasn't easy for the grandest state to turn this state, not going to be easy for us to take back our government. but i believe that we can. my grandfather was a small farmer all of his life. my grandfather used to take a wagon load of potatoes into town. he didn't drive down the smooth center part of the road.

grandpa would always drive on the rough part of the dirt road. and so i asked my grandfather one day, grandpa, why did you drive with those mules pulling the wagon on the rough part of the road? he said, that way, by the time we get to town, all of the little potatoes would be on the bottom. and all of the big potatoes would be on the top. here are the big potatoes. in we can take back our country. -- if we can take back our country. be a big potato. [applause] >> mr. cain, do you support a balanced budget amendment to the constitution and if so, what provisions would you need to see in it specifically? >> yes, i support a balanced budget amendment to the constitution. absolutely.

[applause] the provision in it should be real simple. every year, t united states congress cannot spend more than we take in. it's really simple. and if we have a thriving economy, by stimulating it with direct stimulus, we won't have a revenue problem. and it will be easier for us to be able to balance our budget every year. [applause] >> businesses often support corporate welfare in taxpayer subsidies. they decry other forms of welfare. would you support any taxpayer subsidies for businesses and corporations? >> from my experience serving on several corporate boards for the last 20 years, businesses would

very quickly trade and giving up any sort of subsidies and what some people call "corporate welfare" in exchange for less regulation. how about starting all over again? how about taking some of the regulations that are costing businesses money and start over again? one of the things i would do is put togeer a regulatory production commission. for example, for the epa. the people i will point to that commission will be everybody that has been abused by the epa. [laughter] [applause] >> mr. herman cain. [applause]

please welcome congresswoman michelle bachmann from minnesota. [applause] >> some of us are a little more height challenged in the room. thank you for the warm invitation to join all of you this evening. it is an honor for me to be here. you are the embodiment o where this country is going. you proved it in the last election. we are extremely proud of you. this is the core and the nucleus of the movement here in this room. i nt to thank you. thank you for what you have done. [applause] just before the last election, all of us were working hard to change the composition, not only here in the granite state, but also in the house of

representatives and the senate. it looked as if we had a good shot to take the house and the senate. i sat down with my pen and paper because i wanted to write down what would we do if we actually were able to get the gavel? what would we do? i hope you will indulge me. i want to read to you what i wrote down about what we could do. imagine a stable, economic, and political environment where a job creator can get to bed at night assured the rules of the game business is run by it will remain the same in the foreseeable future. imagine that the federal government announced the following tomorrow -- a 25% cut in discretionary spending, about the amount that president obama increased spending by in his first few months in office. then we can still be outstandi stimulus that worked so well. if you cancel the outstanding stimulus fines and return be

repaid part bonds to the united states treasury. then we would reinstate the 1994 welfare reform act with a lifetime cap of five years. that wasne of the first things speaker polelosi did. she got rid of that act. we need to put that back into place. a balanced budget proposed and passed this year with no tax increases. and a commitment to know increased spending beyond population growth plus inflation. imagine the federal government would send a letter to every state and local government announcing it would not now or ever bailout any underfunded public employee pension plan or health care plan. [applause] thank you, governor walter pripet the federal government within announced to private

businesses, both unionized and non unionized -- uncle sam would declare himself out of the financial backstop business. that would include telling wall street investors they have seen the last of federal bailouts. the dice wall street roles would be theirs to deal with. price your risk accordingly. next, we would declare getting out of a awning private businesses starting with fannie and freddie -- owning a private business is starting with fannie and freddie. these failed monstrosities should bput on an auction block and sold to the finest -- the highest bidder. the federal government would legalized competition in the mortgage industry and congress would sell government shares in aig, the largest insurance company in america as well as chrysler, general motors, bank of america, and citi.

it is time to get out of the private industry. [applause] uncle sam with then legalized private student lending. imagine that? that would end the federal government's and vall met. obamacare would be repealed and in its place congress would allow americans to published -- to purchase any health insurance policy they want in any state they want with no minimum mandates, using your own tax-$3, allowing all americans to deduct their costs on their individual tax returns. that is it. you can get thaall done in about 18 pages and we are there. the epa would then be subject to a full review and would downsize their mission focused on conservation, safe air, air, and water. no cap and trade, not now, not

ever. [applause] congress would then legalize american energy production in natural gas, hydro, wind, solar. hamsters running on a case. all of us with public safety requirements a all without federal subsidies. withstanding reduced and uncle sam getting out of private industry, congress would create a pro-growth society. it would cut corporate tax down to 9%, the lowest in the industrialized world. zero out capital gains. zero out the death tax. increase section 179 expense into one other% in the year of purchase. all the marginal income-tax rates would be no higher than 20%. we cld simplified this even a little further. we could take the federal tax code, we could scrap that thing

altogether as far as i am concerned and adopt a national consumption tax. some call it a fair tax. as far as i am concerned, a fair tax or a flat tax, let's get rid of what we have and start over. [applause] finally, i would have congress pass the mother of all repeal bills to repeal the last four years of nancy pelosi, harry reid, and obama. [applause] that would be a pleasure. just like the democrats say their big spending, big government pet projects, so too should pro-growth republicans passed a massive repeal bill that does away with government rules and regulations that kill

american job growth. in my opinion, that should take committed constitutional conservatives a long weekend to get it done. [laughter] drink your energy drink, and the way we get. here is the outside. imagine certainty. imagine downsizing government. imagine -- imagine the government no longer on in private businesses. imagine legalizing new business opportunities. imagine competitive tax rates. imagine the freedom to succeed. we can do the [applause] is. it rlly is not that hard t put our house in order. this dream can be our reality in less than two years if we win the triple crown of the house, the senate, and the white house. i know it can happe i fought against obamacare.

some of you patriots answer this call. he responded by coming to washington, d.c. to fight against socialized medicine. i want you to know that i am committed to not resting until obamacare is fally repealed. it will happen. do not give up hope. [applause] here is why i know it will happen - it is american ingenuity that has given us the greatest nation on earth. let me end with this one story -- polio was a killer. it not only devastated children an adults, it devastated our economy. private charity, march of dimes, worked together with other organizations and were able to bring about the immunization by jonas salk. it changed the course of history. america has done that throughout history, and we can do it again

whether it is energy, health care -- you name the subject, we are capable if we can get our house in order. thank you. [applause] >> congresswoman, if the votes were not in place to repeal obamacare fully, what steps did you take it would be most effeive to roll it back? >> what we should be doing right now is pulling -- is fully defunding obamacare. we should not give one time to put this frankenstein into place. that is something the house of representatives can do. remember -- president obama does not have access. harry reid does not have access to one dime of your money unless and until the house of

representatives authorizes that money. if you have conservatives in charge of the house of representatives, why in the world would we give even at one time to end late this monster? that is where we have our. that is where we need to stand. that is the line in the sand that we need to draw right now -- defund obamacare. [applause] >> our nation's debt when it stands at $14.30 trillion and we are about to exceed it. what should be done this summer when the limit is reached? >> my opinion is we should not increase the debt ceiling. [applause] i believe what we he to do number one is stand for the full season credit of the united states of america. we have a bill being sponsored by representative tom quinn thought that says this -- it director timothy geithner, who

has a tax problem of his own, to tell him he is mandated to first pay off all debts of the united states, all interest and all obligations so we do not put the credit of the united states at risk. i am here to tell you, and i believe you will agree, we are in trouble now. not 10 years from now, not fiv years from now? we are in deep trouble now. you cannot allow us to continue to go on in the united states congress and spend money that we do not have. we are paying a price for this now. what we have to do is have a ve real conversation today with every segment of our population -- young, old, black, white, poor, rich -- all of us. we are all americans and we are all in thitogether. we have to have a conversation

today about why this year we should look at how we are going to balance our budget this year. have those conversations this year about medicare, medicaid, social security, discretionary spending, not discretionary spending. had it this year. our nation is capable of this conversation. the american people are not children. they are adults. they love this country. i come from the state of minnesota where on our birth certificate -- and i do have one -- generally speaking, they step democrat on your birth certificate in our state. i grew up in a democratic household. a lot of things i know about independents and democrats, they are reasonable, fair minded people. if we roll out where we are at right now in the united states, i believe in reasonable, fair- minded americans.

i do. you do. and i think most americans will vote that this country goes on. >> congresswoman michele bachmann. [applause] >> thank you. >> i want you to take note of this, ladies and gentlemen -- fiveotential candidates for the republican nomination, five speeches, questions to each -- we are finishing 12 minutes ahead of schedule. give thea hand, by the way. [applause] thank you for coming. the next yeare as unfolds we have the most direct conversation possible about the economic future of our country. with that, i would like to welcome back up our host for the

evening. [applause] >> a little taller than the congresswoman. what i want to remind everyone of why we came tonight -- first and foremost, that was to honor the conservative of the year from new hampshire. [applause] secondly, i would also like to thank the potential presidential candidates for a hearing to are very complex lighting system of red, green, and yellow over there. thank you. thirdly, i like to remind all of you if you're not aware, as you ave, just a couple of important notes -- there is a silent auction of the left-hand

side as he walked out the door. there is a document that all the potential candidates have signed. there's a picture of the capital that would be a great man into. additionally, if you would like more information about our foundation, you can go to the web site at americansforprosperity.org. laly, there is a poster that everyone will receive as you leavthis evening. there is a picture of all the individuals who spoke tonight. we had some of the individuals in those. -- we had some of the individuals signed those. i would ask the reverend to come back up and close our evening on time. yet he is not here, is there another reverend in the house? [laughter] any other reverend? herman cain, can you come up and

give us a closing statement? herman cain. [applause] >> let us pray. almighty god, we give thanks for you being the creator of all things. we give thanks for this great nation and that we give thanks, o lord, for life itself. we thank you for the fellowship on this evening and we thank you, dear master, for giving us the opportunity to be a part of the greatest country ithe world. the founding fathers did their job. we plate -- we prayed for

strength that we can beat the defending fathers. this is our prayer, dear lord. amen. [applause] >> thank youery much and have a good evening. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

i will tell you one unique thing that we figured out we could do is to get the desired inputs and still but the pace a parameter that we wanted to get from the engineers.

aside from getting that for the first to see to it f-16, and electronic flight control system, and to try out of this technique, the basic profiles while we test dated the input, you will see that in the column. i will point that out. it is a very accurate profile. now want to show you what the film looks like. here is and what we have going at rotation.

richard is pushing over now. we are going to touch down appear. i was going to get the input. that is what i saw looking out over the window. here is a writer kick. i cannot remember the sequence. you will see a rudder kick ere. i think cook is out here. i have got to the stick back now. we cannot see the touched down a

point yet we are not done getting data yet. we are right about there. we veer off to the right. we had a different show breakage. it is still sharing the load. we had practiced this in the same area earlier. it was not noticeable from the graphic yet. we were able to split the time. we were known as the serious crew. as i recall, we had a game song.

you may remember a country- western song. we had a nickname. we named it lucille. we had agreed that we would have this. we did not practice this. we would push the set button. time to leave me lucille. with 400 children right in the field. i have had some bad times and some said the terms. this time the burden is for real.

a fine time to leave me lucille. [applause] >> thank you very much. you are up. >> that is a hard act to follow for short. we got back -- for sure. god bless john young and cook for allowing us to follow in the space ship. in the first stage, all of the orders experience this.

once you get rid of those, the orbiter's are a nice blue -- smooth push. the columbia was the first one to be designed and built. it was a very stiff vehicle. you could feel an oil can in the second stage. what a great ride. my experience with john was the less you do in space lab one mission. if we had to do a lot of maneuvers. we had to do these maneuvers. one at a time, he tied it in the computer.

we spent a lot of time punching the buttons. the interesting part this [unintelligible] >> we had to fly on thrusters. we had a real enabled the primary thrusters. -- re-enabled the primary

thrusters. we got to a dead band and the computer failed. we had that failure malfunction. two of our computers failed and nobody find the ship. we had to get it under control and started talking to the ground. the we had to dump the memory contents of the computer.

gpc1 we never got to recover. we did get the second to come online. they waved us off. they were going to analyze the situation we had a time. to wait -- a time frame to wait. one person went downstairs to the mid deck to take a nap. he was down there for a few hours may be, and finally he came up to the flight deck. he was very angry. he said, i tried to go down and sleep and you make all of this

noise. when i told him, it was not us but our unit, his eyes got about that day. now we have two things with a problem. we had to set ourselves up for entry. we got the right instructions. we flew injury. it was phenomenal. then the nose gear hit the ground after it went into the rotation. then it failed all over again. there were other gpc's. another thing that happened in

the post lending operation, there was an under speed failure shut down. we kept going through the process. just as i was shutting off another one, we did not know what one was all about. we got a call later on. we heard that there was the same failure in both of them, the failure of a shaft. it had speared a substance all- around these units. there was enough oxygen to start a fire. we were burning for about 45,000 feet down. after shut down, more hydrogen came out.

they had to fix it up. other than that, it was pretty swell. >> it was a real thrill to have captain john young. i have the greatest respect for him. i wish him well. look at the human genes that we have as a result. thanks. [applause] >> things. it brings to the old saying, other than that, how would you like to play?

you are up next. >> i am here representing challenger. she was named for his majesty's ship challenger, which was a research by was told that portsmouth england in 1872 changed the course. the challenger space shuttle was in our space less than three years. during that time, she flew 10 missions. january 28, 1986 as we all know. her loss changed the course of space history and it changed the

course of my history, because i got pulled out of where i was. i had to go back and be responsible for the investigation and recovery. that is another story. in those 10 missions that we flu, it was one hell of a ride. she launched the first woman in space, an african woman -- and african-americans in space. a picture of the first untethered with the black and the stars behind him. for the person in the right seat on our flight, the first that meant the most to me.

it has to be the first night landing of the space shuttle program. we did this, because we had an indian a sidelight that we had to launch about 2:00 in the morning to get to the right place. a week later, and lower corporate -- orbit. we got out of the launch pad. he reminded me last -- last night of us looking at the night sky. we were first grounded by thunderstorms i was almost asleep and suddenly, they said

you're coming out of the hold. to make the first night landing was a real privilege, not only also joe had flown the first in a press, which made all of this possible. we felt like we had started an opportunity in to open a capability for the rest of the program. it reminded me of when i made a first night carrier landing. i was kind of nervous. he said, and to not worry about a thing. it is like coming a board a ship in the daytime, you just cannot

see what you are doing. but standing in the way of making the night landing was the fact that we had a hiccup in challenger that we have not had in colombia in the early days. we felt like we wanted a simple display that was simple so that we could just concentrate on getting this bird home. we just thought it had too many bells and whistles. the second thing that was in the way is we did not have a flight assistance. we redesigned with the help of many engineers and other guys in

the crew offices. we redesigned the display and got support of the program office to change the program and we were satisfied with that. we also looked at flares and a lens carrier system. after working and a lot of people appear and in the audience helping us pipeline against the systems on the ground. i have never looked at my logbook to see how many nighttimes we had done, but it was plenty. in addition to us spending all of our time on this.

-- , i have to give credit to mike smith, who was killed later in the challenger vehicle. they did work and we never would have done this without him. the unit was a simple system. it was made of automobile headlights. for the pilots in the audience, it was very simple. if you started going low, you saw three red lights. if you were high, you would see five -- four or five whites. the we had lights to eliminate

the launch pad and had them down the center line. they put a beam of light right down the runway. as bright as they were, the actual amount of light you could see could be measured in a handful of lumens. for a flare, we had a takeoff of a navy carrier lighting system that was a ball that showed you if you were high or low. we got to the interface at 400,000 feet.

to start the entry, as we went on, we noticed a funny thing. the stars went out. i thought of going blind at this point is not a good idea. then they started changing colors in all of the windows. later, we realized that what we were seeing was the ionized gases and the shock waves standing outside of the orbiter's heating up. then we sought every color of the rainbow. after that we got down to seven and white spots to be out of the shuttle one way.

suddenly, just like this, it went away. we were in a steep left bank. there were gorgeous views of the california coast, los angeles, san francisco. we rolled back up. there was no moon. i could see a neon light. we crossed over the field. we put it into emanuel. now it was the moment of truth. we could see if the fighting system would work. it was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. two reds and the two whites.

we kept coming down. by this time, that was all we could see. we got low enough where we could see the top of the frame of the window cover to the runway. we kept driving down to three flair. the runway came into sight. we landed 4,000 miles out. it was a hell of a ride. [applause] >> thanks. >> good afternoon. it is an honor for me to be up

here with the shuttle commanders. i have great respect for the work they did before i flew the shuttle and a song nasa to make the shuttle so much deeper as the years went by. i am here to talk about the discovery. . she was the fourth orbiter built in 1979. she was delivered to the kennedy space center in 1983. the first flight was in august of 1984. the final flight was this past month. some of the more famous missions was to launch the hubble space telescope. it flew after the challenger and columbia accident.

it performed work on the russian space station. it has cumin 1/7 days of space, almost 365 days in space. many were to the international space station. it has flown its last flight. . we have been asked to answer two questions. and to tell some stories about the order. other than the history, it is

pretty much the same. the only differences is that the weight would be changed in the center of crafty. they were pretty much the same. as far as our other differences in the handling qualities, one in s can you guess which one you were flying. i would say no. the flying qualities were stable and predictable by the time i flew. the pilot will notice a difference. a lightweight orbiter, we were

very lightweight and totally empty. maybe it is more predictable to fly and to land. to come back with a full load, i noticed more sluggish flight controls. the pilots are very trained and well prepared. the the endings have been very safe over the program history a

after february 1995. it was to perform the first round of food and close approach to the russian space station. the plan was that we were close to 1,000 feet. and we would have the communications within close proximity of the space station. we started negotiating with the russians we had to learn a little bit on how to speak russian you had to drink with them. that was part of the culture. we thought it was too far to

complete what was in our test plan. we got them to come down after much negotiation. we looked at it closer, and it was not close enough. we negotiated down to 100 feet. we realized we needed to get closer and negotiated down to 30 feet. the launch date was a very smooth assets. the main engine cut off, and no malfunction. one of covered jets head failed off. our second jet failed off. we reset that and set the third master alarm. another jet failed.

it turned out this jet was facing in the direction that the space station would be. the substance is very toxic. we did not want to contaminate it. the rendezvous was canceled. that was until we could find a solution. we tried everything to stop the leak. we tried to turn the jet to the sun. we ran a different of a variety of procedures. we did some other things over a couple of days. in space, it looks like a

snowstorm. i was thinking that we got it down to a trickle. over the four days, renegotiated and the russians agreed to go in and to the rendezvous. it was at this point that i realized the russians wanted to do this test as much as we did. their strategic goals for the same as ours. it led the way for a more expanded program in the future. the tough negotiation was part of their culture. we learned how to work together.

that mission reminded me that sometimes small for lawyers sleet to some important lessons learned. the cosmonauts were strong. part of the discovery legacy which we do not often talk about is the role it played in international cooperation and diplomacy. [applause] >> i have the privilege of a flying to atlanta from my last mission. the story of atlantis is very rich and it will fly one more time. it took the columbus model to

the international space station into visited mir seven times. that is a record. it has several records. it has the shortest turnaround time between landing in launched. it had the fewest interim a problem reports. it set the record and on its next mission, it broke the record. it has always been a very clean airplane and everybody who has flown it has really enjoyed it. before every flight, i go to the main engine. some of you may laugh, but the

engines to respond to me as i talk to them. it has worked, because i have never supported or had to unload from the orbiter and some have had to do that. had they taken my advice and talked to the engines, it never would have happened. i spoke to the atlantis engines and said, we are ready to go. on my mission, there were three experienced people on board and three rookies. flying with a rookie is quite an experience. we were sitting on a bed and one asked me if we were safe yet.

as a commander, you do not want to say, immediate, no. he would say something like not yet. atlantis was a beautiful bird. it was a very smooth the airplane. we got right into corporate with no burns necessary. bit with no burns necessary.

this is the defense support program. it is the only one launched by the shuttle. i love this picture, because it shows the harmony between space and the birth of the blue. if you look very closely in the big and also of the satellite, you can actually see the reflection of earth. on this particular flight, we had a very interesting crew. three of us were married. three were bachelors. before every flight, the

significant other was issued to a primary contact. it was very interesting. for those that were married, it was obvious to our significant other was. that person could visit us during the times we were in quarantine. the office director at the time had the opportunity to decide whether what to do with these. i think he gave up just like we did. we issued these badges to any significant other that these three bachelors would like to see. every day, a new set would come in. being a good commander, i sat there and watched them come in

and go out. if there were two visits a day, he may have two or three significant others. i will not name the names of those particular crew members. i think corporate -- orbit operations were pretty standard. we had an army chief officer with us. determine if we could look through the windows and a lot of down at an area on the earth to assess the situation and report that to a military commander. clearly, that did not work. when we came home, i was asked to visit the air force base

commander. i knew he knew it was not going to work. he wanted to demonstrate to me that he had capabilities much finer than what we could see with the naked eye. he showed me a lot of that. in this particular case, the target was obscured. they cannot see what was on the ground. i said, have ever had anyone in space let down and verified that you cannot see it in space he paused and smiled. that was the end of that conversation in the program. atlantis was an amazing bird.

we were supposed to land at kennedy we came home early and went to edwards. there were several runways right next to each other. as we were turning to the final, my pilot said, do you know which one you are landing on? i said yes. he says, -- i said, i know where i am going. this is what you get when you have a rookie flying with you. it was a great time. i spoke with atlantis a few weeks ago. i heard that it is. to make its last mission.

-- it is going to make its last mission. i found out today that atlantis is going to be at kennedy after it lands in june, scheduled for the 28 of june. i certainly hope that this is not the last made in america. i know you will make sure that it does not happen. [applause] >> good afternoon. endeavor fire with -- it was in the stamp program before it was the stamp program. a new name was given to the schools.

it included not only providing a name but also a science project to go with it. that could be a determining factor on who won. kids got involved in the orbiter before it got rolled out. it was gorgeous and pristine. it was a real testament to the people that put it together. what was interesting was their attitude. the workers got together and had

a heck of a party. i did not qualify as management at that time, they showed up in tuxedos and limos. and had one heck of a party. they were going to go out in style. the first flight was scheduled and launched in may of 1992. the primary mission was to take [unintelligible]

the first time we tried to capture the satellite, we were not successful. we backed away from it. we were feeling kind of bad. about 30 minutes later, we got a good news. the ground crew had gotten the satellite back under control. we got a second chance. we tried it again. we got six shots at it before it went out of control. we cannot capture it. the crew and the ground team then worked on it. the people designed the vehicle.

i could fly in six degrees of freedom. it was an amazing design. it worked really great. crew and a team on the ground. we came up with a plan to send three people out. we did it in one day. the shuttle flying up to us on the third day, there was a bit of a waffle. we moved up and the three guys scrapped it.

-- grabbed it. endeavor worked on its first flight perfect. we have virtually no problems. the people that build it did an outstanding job. just as those people -- as they

i really have to admire them, because they have been a great team for many years. thanks. [applause] you can take the elevator one flight down for this event. symposium residents are allowed to go in. seating is limited. we want to extend our heartfelt appreciation for your service to

this great nation and the space program. let us hear it one more time for all of our teams on this panel. [applause] [inaudible] >> monday is election day in canada. they will provide election results and analysis to explain the makeup of the next canadian government. that is not -- 10:00 tonight on c-span2.

this time on "q&a." >> do you remember the first time you thought about being a photographer? >> it was at a community college. an old boyfriend gave me a camera. and i had a magical moment. [laughter] [unintelligible] i decided i would take a risk and a study photography. >> you won a pulitzer prize. what is it like to get one a once?

>> it is such a prestigious honor. you cannot celebrate personally things like the haïtian earthquake, because it is a disaster the that you are being honored capturing. it is a catch-22. >> here is the video of you getting awarded. your two colleagues >> of the washington post, winners for photography. [applause] >> many of you remember the scene on january 12. we received word of a massive

earthquake in haiti. we did not have all of the information, but there was this belief that we always get involved as a nation. >> there is a haitian proverb taped to my refrigerator that says when you visit haiti, it will break your heart, and when you leave, you won't take back all the pieces. i have wept for haiti a thousand times since my first trip. nothing compared to the profound to endure every day, and especially during this latest devastating tragedy. >> i don't have a prepared speech, but i would like to thank everyone in this newsroom and the editors that worked with me on this. >> this is pretty amazing. two hours of sleep was a lot, because carol was always out there working and you felt guilty for sleeping. we just kept plugging away under incredible circumstances.

it is a privilege to share this with carol and ricky. thank you. >> have you worked together when you are on a scene like haiti with the three of you? >> we went later to follow the aftermath of the story, and nikki and i were down there together. there were no communications, basically. my cellphone did not even work there. we would cross paths occasionally at the hotel. it was so chaotic, we were pretty much off in our own direction a lot of the time, trying to just collaborate with the reporters and get the pictures fast. >> how many times have you been to haiti? >> i cannot even count how many. i started when i worked at the "miami herald." i covered the little haiti neighborhood in miami and became very interested in the story of haiti.

i started going when baby doc duvalier was in power. over a decade i relentlessly covered haiti. >> 1980-1988 "miami herald" and now "the washington post." being a photographer? >> it is a prestigious honor,>> so "the washington post" wins ricky carioti. 12. newspaper gets involved. all the pieces. sorrow the haitian's heart has >> i don't have a prepared thank everyone in this newsroom>> this is pretty amazing.

because carol was always out guilty for sleeping. it is a privilege to share this >> have you worked together when>> we went later to follow the there. pretty much off in our own trying to just collaborate with pictures fast. to haiti? "miami herald." very interested in the story of haiti. over a decade i relentlessly these are the photographs thatif you can remember, tell us whoa little back story on nikki, my dignity and heart and humanity. we started together at the "miami herald" as baby photographers, and we shared our pulitzer with nikki. >> it is hard to even look atit was a sea of bodies. it was very telling because of>>

in haiti, people are so open press. in a situation like this, i think residents are really concerned about getting the word out. the need is so great that i think they realize that we had a role that was really important to their welfare. >> the picture of the feet, this woman dead. >> yes, i cannot look at these pictures without crying, actually. that is my picture. it just kind of speaks to the moment time stops for everyone. people were going about their daily lives in their pretty little high heels, maybe she was carrying her child, and the earth trembled.

this is the first day we were there, the school collapsed, and there were schoolchildren still in their uniforms, crushed at their desks. this lady came and started weeping. the translator said she was saying "these are my brother's feet, and i cannot pull him out." for the folks left behind, the loss was so tremendous, it is unimaginable. this was a few weeks afterwards. rescue groups and international aid groups were coming in trying to help the sick and hungry and injured. >> this is 2008? >> this was 2010, last year. this is nikki's picture, another wrenching picture.

the innocence of that little child, bruised and battered. i don't know that anyone could look at that and not be moved by it. >> what do you do with your mind when you are taking these pictures? >> for me, and every photographer is different, i think the camera is a shield many times. anyone who has to confront these situations regularly, you have to do your job. i think that shield helps during the time. there is a delayed reaction afterwards. i kind of hide behind the camera. this picture was taken weeks after, when they were still pulling bodies out of the rubble. the bodies were already decomposing, and life had to move on, but you were still

smelling the stench of death everywhere. bodies lining the streets. >> one thing we who have looked at it from afar -- you just mentioned the smell. forget? >> it gets in your nostrils and it never goes away. it is part of a whole, tremendous experience, that ash in the air and the smell of bodies. been published? >> yes. published? >> michael says i shoot movies. everybody hates to edit my film. i shoot an awful lot of pictures. i don't want to hesitate because i believe the moment is everything in a picture. >> what about this moment? >> that ran on the front page of "t