>> if there is separate war between pakistan and america, afghanistan will side with pakistan. ♪ host: the comments of the afghan president, just days after the wreath clinton visited the region. all when president obama announcement last thursday to withdraw u.s. troops from iraq. a live view of the u.s. capitol. sunday morning, october 23. voting taking place in tunisia for the first time in 22 years. they start to fall -- form a new government. government leaders failing to

unveil a plan to resolve the eight european debt crisis. another round of talks set for wednesday. we will congress for the first 35 minutes on the comments of president karzai. no official response from the white house. for democrats, 202-737-0001. for republicans, 202-737-0002. for independents, 202-628-0205. we will get to your calls in just a moment. abc news is the month of upset with more details on this developing story overnight. hamid karzai as saying that if afghanistan and pakistan ever went to war, they would back up pakistan. such a scenario is exceedingly unlikely, he writes. his remarks appeared to be less

a series of statement of policy than an overture to pakistan. this cooperation is sorely needed it afghanistan is to have any stabilization after years of civil war. "the secretary of state last week ramp up pressure on islamabad." by the way, the other story that we are focusing on it is from "the washington post," as the arab spring enters a new test.

host: that is this morning, from inside of "the washington post." the comments from president karzai were first aired over the weekend. >> if the people of pakistan need the help of the people of afghanistan, afghanistan will be there. afghanistan is a brother. afghanistan will never forget the hospitality, the respect, and the brotherhood of the pakistan people.

anyone that a tax afghanistan -- pakistan, afghanistan will be a brother. afghanistan is not going to be dictated by in any way, by any country. u.s., india, afghanistan has its own clean you up on things. -- reviview on thing.s we have historic links. we have cultural links. we have to live together in heaviness. host: the comments of the afghan president' over this weekend. this headline is from "the washington post." "karzai accuses pakistan of supporting terrorists."

beginning with these words -- "pakistan has pursued a double game toward afghanistan." karzai and other senior members of his government have become increasingly blunt in their accusations, staking out new positions in the region. saying that peace talks are futile unless it involves the pakistani authority." these latest developments with the afghan leader, saying that afghanistan would side with pakistan. we want to get your comments. for democrats, 202-737-0001. for republicans, 202-737-0002. you can also send us an e-mail. journal@c-span.org.

or you can send us a tweet. twitter.com/c-spanwj. maxwell, your reaction to his comments? caller: should we really be surprised? they hid bin laden until the united states found him. should we really be surprised about what he had to say? i do understand the united states of america. we send all of this money to these other countries when we have people sleeping on the steps of the capital. they always stabbed us in the back. i do not understand. host: thank you for the call. norman, massachusetts.

good morning. caller: it seems to me that hamid karzai has no choice in the matter. the u.s. is carrying on this terrible war against the afghanistan people. if people are asking the u.s. to ask this pashtun genocide. he has no choice. he has to stand against the murder programs that the u.s. is carrying out in pakistan. host: thank you for the call. from our twitter page, hamid karzai saying -- host: twitter.com/c-spanwj is our handle. you can also send us an e-mail, journal@c-span.org. we are getting your reaction to

yesterday's comments that aired on a number of television stations. our next call is from florida. good morning. caller: good morning. i was calling with regards to hamid karzai, who is truly an ingrate. [no audio] ho host: go ahead. caller: i think about the american citizens going over there. i think it is no longer worthwhile. i think we should leave. i think that his shelf life, date of expiration, would be short in deed after we left. host: thank you for the call. from open quote the london daily mail," "afghanistan with

backpack a stand in a war with america." -- "afghanistan would back pakistan in a war with america." host: you can read more by logging on to their website, dailymail.co.uk. alex is joining us from georgia. good morning. caller: like the first caller said, we should not be surprised. i hate to use this word like that, but people like that are so embedded in what they believe. they are so embedded in their childhood, they must stick

together. once the united states helps them get out of their predicament half, they will go back to what they were taught since they were a little. anyone that believes in suicide bombing? you cannot trust people like that. another thing. you are a great host. i really like you. host: thank you for the call. houston, texas. good morning. caller: good morning. you know, we cannot keep going to war with countries and expect them to be our allies. it is the most ridiculous of view i have ever had. we have been at war with them for 10 years. we wonder why they are turning us? what would we do?

obviously they would be our friends. host: from our twitter page, one of our viewers saying -- host: of course, we heard last week from president obama. u.s. troops moving out by the end of the year. just over 100,000 in iraq. numbers are a result of the surge that the president put forth just over one year ago. from "congressional quarterly," "necessary alliance does not sit well."

host: you can read more. it is the "in focus" this week in "the congressional quarterly." or you can go online to read it. next, albert, north carolina. democratic climb, co-head, please. caller: you just read an article. he showed a clip of pakistan --

saying what he would do. the new turned around and read an article, saying that he was talking against them. host: i wanted to pointed out, that was a piece from october the third. giving you two different perspectives on hamid karzai, basically showing you the level of the relationship, or the lack thereof. caller: you did not show him -- you did not show the film of him saying it. that is propaganda to me. host: " we wanted to do is show you the two stories over the last month. the interview that he did october 3, and the interview from this weekend.

president karzai saying that he would back pakistan over the u.s. if it came to war. president karzai saying that he would back pakistan in a military conflict, in sharp contrast between the two neighbors relationship over cross-border raids. john, good morning. your fox? caller: good morning. the first thing that i want to say is that for all of the people who think you have a tendency to side with one party or the other, i wanted to assure everyone that you do not. i have watched c-span from the beginning. you do a wonderful job of being balanced. regarding karzai, this is a terrible thing to say, i suppose. the reality that he lives in, he

does not live in indiana. it is a bit -- very difficult place to exist in. hillary clinton, frankly, i do not think that she is qualified, in my mind, to be in my position. but she said, i do not know she was told to say that or not. that is why comment. he lives in the reality that he does. i am repeating myself. i wish that we believe these people alone. we have completed our mission. the increasing involvement seems to be increasing. perpetual. it is dangerous to do that. we should try to get out of there as quickly as we can. host: thank you for the call from detroit. john was referring to hillary clinton, who was traveling through the region.

to libya last week, including pakistan as well. "hillary clinton pushes human rights, urging closer cooperation on securing borders with afghanistan." host: this issue, with a lot of different element. we are asking you to react to the comments from yesterday. president karzai saying that he would support pakistan over the u.s.. maggie, good morning, and welcome to the conversation. host: -- caller: so grateful for

c-span. i look forward to sunday mornings. i think that we should get out of pakistan. give the dollars that we have given to him to our people that are hurting financially and economically at this time. thank you for c-span. host: thank you for the call. this e-mail -- host: journal@c-span.org, that is our e-mail address. good morning. caller: i just wanted to say that i share your opinion of some of our previous callers. another american blood and

treasure has been shed. -- enough american blood and treasure has been shed. time to cut them loose. they have been like this for 1000 years and did it -- is not going to change. thank you. host: muhammed, washington, d.c., your thoughts? caller: in 7 american pakistani. -- i am an american pakistani, i wanted to give my thoughts. pakistan is totally against america. really, of the americans, they have been in a very good position, these politicians.

something is wrong with washington to deal with pakistan. regarding how they comment, this was an interview with his old friend. because of that indian trade, he would show that he was taking something for pakistan. from pakistan to rest -- to afghanistan, there is nothing serious. host: thank you for your call and your perspective. you can give us a call, for

democrats, 202-737-0001. for republicans, 202-737-0002. "the times of india," we want to share that headline with you this morning. "india is brush aside -- brushing aside president karzai's comments." "a porous border, escalated violence, putting afghanistan in a tight spot." id you can learn more by logging on to their website for this story. manchester, new jersey. good morning. caller: good morning. we cannot forget that he is an ethnic pashtun. the taliban is also ethnic pashtun.

there are also a large part of northern pakistan. that is what occurs when borders are created without regard to the ethnic groups that are being called up. host: thank you for the call. this is from our twitter page. "should we not be asking what the troops want family of ron paul will -- want them not only ron paul will." -- want? only ron paul will." "william dobson, in one of the

pieces on one of the last old school dictator's." here is more from the president. >> protecting the libyan people, providing them with a chance for their own government. a skilled diplomat who has led an unprecedented global response. our sailors have provided support from their shores. without putting a single u.s. service member on the ground, we have achieved justice and our nato mission will soon come to an end. this comes at a time when we see the strength of american leadership across the world. we have taken these al qaeda leaders and put them on the path to defeat.

we are now working in libya with friends and allies, demonstrating what collective action can achieve in the 21st century. host: that is the president from the rose garden, last friday. your comments on president karzai, his support for pakistan over the u.s. in the unlikely event that hostilities broke out between the u.s. and pakistan. your reaction? caller: my reaction to afghanistan back in pakistan, we have been over there for the last 10 years. especially with the whole osama bin laden thing. we went over there and ignored their sovereignty. causing a lot of problems with

that their nation. like that one guy previous said, they have been this way for 1000 years and it is never going to change. enough is enough, we have spilled enough blood. host: massachusets, go ahead. caller: we have to understand that what happened within the context of our withdrawal from the president's announcement with all troops leaving iraq. thinking that all of these troops would be left in a situation with pakistan. it makes sense, for his own well-being, to make a statement like that. again, it is the context. host: robert, independent line,

new york city. your thoughts? host: -- caller: i would like to add my thoughts to the president obama statement. republican candidates that are running should take a look at this type of foreign policy, which is far superior to what we have seen previously. i have to recognize good foreign policy when i see it. the president really handle that situation excellently. host: another point from our twitter page -- "why are we still there? what will we be sold? oil, coal"? twitter.com/c-spanwj is our twitter handle. or our e-mail, journal@c- span.org.

host: we are asking this question in part because u.s. troops are sitting -- situated over there. we showed you, basically, what we were able to find of the interview that was first aired yesterday. no official reaction from the state department yesterday. belden is joining us from newport, south carolina. caller: good morning. host: go ahead, please. caller: hello? host: you are on the air. please, go ahead. caller: [unintelligible]

i do not think that we should be babysitting them. thank you. host: thank you for the call. this story from the cbs web site -- "afghans would side with pakistan in more." the autopsy confirmed what many newexpected, libya's leaders are creating -- celebrating liberation in the country. john is joining us from tampa, florida. good morning. democratic line. caller: yes. yes, i wanted to say what i

wanted to say. host: michele, woodbury, new jersey. go ahead. caller: we should not go back to colonialism. this is the same sort of thing that the british and the french have done for many years. mrs. clinton, she is like lady macbeth. all the talking will not wash the blood from her hands. host: margie, cleveland, ohio. caller: was the major reasons we are in this area is because of the pakistani president. and we are worried about some of these people getting ahold of that reference. host: thank you for the call. more headlines, courtesy of the newseum.

"a landslide, setting the stage for the open primary record." the republican governor of the weakness in the -- governor of louisiana, garnering 57% of the vote. nevada will hold its caucus on february 4. the new hampshire primary will likely be set for january 10. probably more this week of the exact date for the primary. the las vegas sun has more this morning. including more from it bromley, newt gingrich, and rick perry. republican line, go ahead, please.

caller: i was born and raised in india. by parents happen to be born and raised in the current pakistan. they do not understand the culture, but have a better perspective, being born and raised in that culture. i do not think that there is any substance to the house made karzai statements. they are more lip service for domestic consumption. karzai is feeling that the united states will eventually, in a couple of years, leave the site. then they have to live with their neighbors, which is pakistan and india. so, making enemies, ultimately they are so interdependent that it is not going to work out.

they are sharing a common border. the statement does not mean that he is going to physically support pakistan in the unlikely war with the united states. i do not see anything of that nature happening. after all, pakistan is a nuclear power. no one will take a chance of attacking each other. host: this e-mail -- host: next is corey, joining us from california. caller: [bbep]

host: we go next to honolulu. caller: we need to get off of our resources and back to our own people. people in all 50 states are sleeping on concrete. we always need to respect the land, respect the people, and this -- respect the organization. we have a good president who is doing the right job. doing what we need to do to get to where we need to be. thank you. host: thank you for of the call. from "the international herald tribune," many web sites

addressing what was aired yesterday, "karzai says he will support pakistan in the event of a military battle between pakistan and the west. of the border between pakistan and afghanistan has been one of the most volatile front in the war. the common ties between the neighbors is the only way to bring about peace." here is the version that we were able to find, about all longest in english, with the comments from the afghan president, as he talked about pakistan and the u.s. yesterday. >> afghanistan is a brother to the people of pakistan. we will never forget, never forget the hospitality of the

people. the 5 million refugees there. anyone who attacks, afghanistan will never betray a brother. afghanistan is not going to be dictated, in any way, by any country, the u.s. or india. afghanistan has its own policy, its own stand in clear view on things. we have cultural links. we have historical links. we have to live together in happiness and prosperity. host: president karzai, over the weekend. from our twitter page -- "his statement means nothing if it means we have to preserve

relations with neighbors." darwin, twin cities, go ahead. caller: just seeing karzai's comments, it is clear that he did not have a great deal of respect for what we were trying to do to respond to terrorism. however, the bigger issue is the fact that they are over populated in all of these areas where continents are not doing well themselves. we are mooring for religious reasons, factional reasons that will turn the world into another great crusade, using nuclear energy. before that, the world is over populated.

there will be massive starvation in the decades to come. the greatest thing that the world could do, people can humble themselves and turn within their own countries, trying to educate people. the lack of educated people who research and analyze the things that are happening in the industry's that take care of the people of the world, such as food production, things like that. host: thank you for the call. michaud points out that "president karzai pops up with attention every few months. he wants the attention." agusta, georgia. good morning. caller: first-time call.

host: glad to hear from you. your comments? caller: president karzai is this sneaky as he looks. i say that we should burn all of the poppy, get our troops out, and make them pay our money back. that is it. host: lewis, joining us from clearwater, florida. go ahead. caller: we should just get out of there. we have more and more problems in our country. host: from sasha, saying "america, it is not called

afghanistan for nothing." the title of the book, "no higher honor," a preview of that from peter baker this morning, who obtained a copy of the book. a look at the tumultuous years on the attacks on the u.s. host: one other point from the book, obtained in advance by

"the new york times," is that it is the latest in a string of memoirs emerging from the bush administration trying to define the history of their tenure. host: you can read the story, in side of "the new york times." back to your calls and comments about president karzai. madison, you are on the air. caller: hello? host: go ahead, please. caller: this thing has been going on in this country for thousands of years. these countries need to work this out. americans need to pull out and let them deal. i feel as though president obama

-- even the republicans did the right thing by walking out of the u.n. and allowing these countries to work it out. host: thank you for the call. from our twitter page -- "i wonder how karzai really got his office. i think the last election was rigged." "the new york times," with this story from yesterday on the freedom forum. abortion took center stage in the form. rick perry greeted supporters as he talked about his own social conservative views as the issue came out of herman cain and his view on abortions. more on this at 9:00 this morning, east coast time.

90.1 fm in the baltimore washington area. fort orange, florida. independent line. caller: i disagree with the sentiment. we should be thinking about what our country is doing. that is our responsibility. we just assassinated a head of state and his family members. this is being lost on the american people just on this guy's say so. we have acts of aggression. obama is just as much of a war criminal as george bush and his administration. the shock and all of libya on march 19, 2011 -- that is a war

crime. launching those missiles on libya. obama, his third day in office, he started bombing pakistan with drones. all without the consent of the american people or congress. we have got to look at ourselves and stop getting sidetracked. karzai, by the way, was consulting and put in by the bush administration after they bombed afghanistan in 2001. enron wanted that pipeline. look at the project for the new american century, people. host: mike murphy has this point -- "the taliban will take care of karzai after we leave. get out now." that is joining us from cape

cod. good morning. caller: i thought that karzai's comments were interesting. we saw him joking with secretary of state clinton about the remarks made by herman cain. it seems to me that this is a slap in the face. one further comment, for people who are thinking about abandoning afghanistan, we know what the taliban did to women and girl children there for years and your -- years and years. even sebastian under has made the comment that we would be leaving those girls and women in an abandoned state. host: thank you for the call. daniel serwer will be joining us

in a few minutes. exit strategy, as the u.s. runs down the strategy in iraq -- host: bob is joining us from baltimore. caller: i agree with the people who said that karzai and his comments have to be viewed in context. they were especially upset with the inroads that india made, diplomatic in afghanistan. as far as getting out of these places, we are in them so that

extremist militants that want to attack america do not have a safe haven. thank you. host: this headline, from the jerusalem post, pakistani and english versions of the newspaper -- host: one last twitter comment -- "bring the troops back from

afghanistan. they do not want the troops there either." you can go to our kreider page, twitter.com/c-spanwj, for more and to continue the conversation. coming up next, our sunday round table. we will also talk about the issue of social security recipients getting an additional increase in their checks. next, libya and iraq, with daniel serwer, of the middle east institute, as "washington journal," continues on this sunday morning. i ♪

>> every weekend, on "american history tv, closed but the people that document the american story. this weekend, the 150th anniversary of the battle of ball's bluff, the legacy of the union defeat, and the death of edward baker. on "american artifacts,) little tokyo in downtown los angeles has been a center of american culture since the 1900's. and scott martin, on the history of opiates in america. look for the complete schedule at c-span.org/history.

>> to me it is very obvious that with all of the priorities that we have, and they are all worthy, until further notice, every decision made by the national government, every close call should be made in favor of economic growth. >> he worked as an adviser in the reagan white house, the george bush administration's omb, and he produced a billion dollar budget surplus. tonight, which daniel on the economy and his decision to not run for president. that is 8:00 eastern on "q&a." >> watch more video on the candidates, track the latest campaign contributions on the c- span campaign website for 2012.

easy to use, with candidate bios and the latest polling data. plus, links to partners in the early primary caucus states. >> every weekend, let the c- span network speed your source for public affairs. politics and public affairs events. the latest nonfiction books and authors. american history 3, showcasing the people and events that shaped our country. the c-span networks, washington your way. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we want to welcome back to c-span daniel serwer, scholar and professor at the johns

hopkins school of international studies. thank you so much for being with us. guest: my pleasure. host: i want to focus on the washing -- "the washington post ," headline. just one of the many obstacles facing the transitional government in libya. guest: i am amazed that it is only 7000, to tell you the truth. the reports of abuse are serious, but i must say, i would have expected worse. they are going to have to try some of these people and release others. the question is, can they implement those intentions? host: "the prisoners will oppose

an early test in reining in the militia and breaking from the cruelty of muammar gaddafi. human rights groups have warned that his death, after he was punched and kicked by former revolutionaries, could constitute a war crime." guest: it could, but i must say that the lack of desire for revenge is what is most notable when you talk to the people. i was simply amazed that there were not stronger feelings. but there are some rough guys and tough militias. i hope that the national transitional council can rein them in. host: this morning we are getting confirmation on the kinds of death suffered by muammar gaddafi. shot in the head.

guest: it does not surprise me. it looks like a summary execution. that should not happen. it should not happen to gaddafi or anyone else. gaddafi is history now. the main thing is to protect these prisoners. but it will not be simple and it will love be quick. justice in libya but take time. host: on these visits to libya, you were there just about one month ago when gaddafi was off the stage but still alive. what was the sense that you got? guest: tripoli was in a state of joy, that is the only way to describe it. they were putting their arms around me in thanking me, as an

american, for what we had done. that said, we are facing a lot of problems. that is going to be one of the first big problems. host: in tunisia, the arab spring began there, essentially, making way for another transitional assembly, these of the first democratic votes in tunisia in more than four decades. it is extraordinary. tunisia, leading the way in revolutions, now leading the way in democratization. so far the preparation for the election seems to have been very high quality. election day seems to be going well.

it seems to me that tunisia could set a positive example. host: and then there is egypt and the ongoing trial of closed mubarak. guest: egypt is a much more complicated and difficult case. a much larger country. one that, frankly, has not had as much build leadership as to misha, or even libya. the egyptians faced the difficult problems. they are turning themselves over to a military that is not giving up power. host: the other story getting a lot of attention, the president's announcement to leave iraq by the end of the year. we want to talk about afghanistan in just a moment, but here is the president's from

the white house on friday with more on what it means for the u.s. troops departing from iraq. >> the drawdown in iraq has allowed us to refocus our fight against al qaeda. now, even as we removed our less troops from iraq, -- our last troops from iraq, when i took office there were 180,000 troops. by the end of this year, that number will be cut in half. make no mistake, it will continue to go down. host: from their editorial page this morning, "the u.s. exodus may jeopardize strategic alliances." they are concerned over the level of withdrawal and what it

means we would gain and possibly lose by pulling out so quickly. guest: is a gamble. a judgment call on the part of the president. but it is forced by the iraqis. the iraqis do not want an official american troop presence after the end of the year. it is actually quite a democratic decision. it seems to me that the president did not have a good choice here. let's be clear. there will be trainers. probably contractors. there are likely to be covert forces as well. i am sympathetic with those who say that it is a gamble. host: what about our diplomatic presence over there? guest: gigantic.

most of protection for the diplomats, not the that lets themselves. and i think it is problematic. this is a fortress embassy that is already becoming a target of criticism amongst the iraqis. over the last day or two they have started complaining. i have sympathy with that. i think that the presence is too visible and we have to figure out better ways of doing these things. i am the first to want our diplomats protected. i was an american diplomat, but i think there are better ways to protect them and to put them behind 20 foot high walls with barbwire. host: we will get to your calls and comments in a moment. numbers are on the bottom of the screen. you can also send us an e-mail, journal@c-span.org, or join the

conversation online, twitter.com/c-spanwj. from pakistani television, president karzai said "if there is every war between pakistan and america, afghanistan beside the pakistan." everyone is pointing out that this is highly unlikely, but just a few days after the secretary of state was in the region, how were we to reflect on this comment? guest: it was a very strange comment. i think that what karzai is doing is leaning over backwards to make a pro-pakistani statement. frankly, he is a bit erratic.

host: this is the comment from "the times of india," rushing aside a comment. guest: i imagine it would, because he just signed a strategic agreement with india. it does not make much sense. karzai is kind of caught between india and pakistan in a backwards kind of way. host: yet we have 100,000 troops in india and pakistan. guest: the lack of reliability from karzai is a real problem. host: germany, international viewers line. good morning. caller: hello, sir. i wanted to ask another question about libya.

they lifted the travel ban, and they removed sanctions against libya. in 2009, he was chairman of the african union. how is it that we have this drastic change all the sudden? we have these protesters less than a year ago. all of a sudden, he is dead, his military is destroyed. guest: i think the circumstances change. there was a rebellion. a massacre, and we reacted to that. french ships and -- friendships

and diplomacy are not permanent. i can not regret it because brutal's regime was a one, even after we started being friendly. host: our guest is a scholar at the middle east institute. welcome to the program. caller: it is a great day for liberty. this guy was a homicidal maniac.

the u.s. military, right there every step of the way. these guys did the right thing. this guy was an evil man. my concern is the rule of law. do the libyans have the capacity for the roulade? -- for the rule of law? guest: i do not think we know that yet. libyans seem very well behaved -- benghazi was a very normal city when i was there. tripoli had just recently been obliterated -- liberated. the fact of the matter is that normal life was proceeding. restaurants were open. iran in the morning along the seaside in tripoli and did not

feel uncomfortable at all. the question is whether they can build the institutions of competent police forces, prosecutors, defense attorneys, prisons that did not torture people. we do not know the answer to that question. we do know that the intentions are good and they have ample resources. let's see what they can do. host: please ask your guest why private sector and state department officials remain in iraq after the troops leave. guest: what you have is a massive operation that is partly geared toward continuing training of the iraqi military. you've also got a lot of protection for the people who do

the work. i do not know the precise break down. i am afraid we might be very surprised. host: susan is joining us, md.. the caller: -- caller: my question is, with the patrol from iraq and wars that have gone on for 20 years, there is no discussion about any of our soldiers being pows. with palestinians and israelis exchanging soldiers for military leverage, is there going to be a dialogue between these governments to get to our

soldiers back if they exist? would they do some kind of swap for prisoners? host: between which governments? chicago between afghanistan and iraq. caller: between afghanistan and iraq. would they identify them, or would they do prisoner swaps? host: thank you for the call. guest: i am not aware of pows in either iraq or afghanistan. i could be wrong, but i am not aware of any. there may be some of missing people, i am not absolutely sure about that. i am not aware of pows said. the: let's go back to election in tunisia. there are 110 parties on the

ballot. describing the scene from the capital city, all this leading up to today's vote. guest: these things are never perfect. tunisia looks about as good as it gets. the european observer mission since the elections were pretty well prepared. people were lining up to date in enormous numbers to vote. this is thrilling, to tell you the truth. it sets a good pattern for the rest of the arab spring. host: some of the photographs in the washington post. below that is the preparations and the capital city of tunis. you can read more by logging on to washingtonpost.com.

caller: thank you for taking my call. as americans, we will rue the day that obama got into this conflict between gaddafi and the rebels. it has been reported that weapons to libya have ended up in the gaza strip. gaddafi was not an immediate threat to america. as of today, -- as the most recently, he was not a threat to the united states. why would he choose to go after

him? look at syria. look at iraq. he left those to complete the alone. he won to get involved -- these conflicts did not serve america's interest. he has a lot of oil, but he was selling oil to the united states for cheaper. i think we will regret this because those weapons are ending up in the gaza strip. guest: i think the caller is not alone in believing that a vital american interests were not at stake in libya.

secretary gates said sell at the time. there is a set of circumstances that led the international community toward intervention and the american supported that the intervention. you do not have the same circumstances with syria or iran. you do not have the arab league support for intervention in syria. he did not have a security council resolution. there are different circumstances and president react on a case by case basis more than they do across the board. on the question of the surface air missiles, which have disappeared, i had not heard that any appeared in the gaza strip. that is a possibility, of course. we're going after those things now. a large number of them have been in circulation in recent decades. to my knowledge, there has been only one attack launched, and it

was an attack that failed against an israeli airplane. they are a problem, but they are not an overwhelming problem. i am not aware that gaddafi sold oil at cheaper prices to the united states. in fact, most libya and -- most libyan oil and gas went to europe. host: how many years to to spend at the state department? guest: 21 years. host: let's go back to the situation in libya. a lot of commons relating to when we will see elections in that country. how long will it take? guest: it they played -- they have laid out a road map. one of the first milestones days after the formation of an interim government is an election in 8 months to select a

constituent assembly. it will prepare the constitution. basically, the libyan roadmap gets them to a new constitution, a new parliament, in something like a year and a half. if it happens within two years, that is a very rapid transition. it is a long road, and a difficult road, and a lot of expectations will be disappointed along the way. if they can keep to anything like the road map, they will be doing very well. host: to different situations when it comes to osama bin laden and gaddafi. on the immediate issue of disposing of gaddafi's body, how does the libyan government deal with that? guest: it is up to the interim national council. it has a big problem. the misratans the suffered

horribly under the gaddafi regime, they have the body and they will probably decide what is done with that. this whole business about how bodies are treated is very culturally dependent added as a big political issue as well in libya. and i cannot pretend to know what they should do. all i would say it is libyans should decide. host: let me ask you about the secretary of state. she was in libya before the capture and killing of muammar gaddafi. she is wrapping up with two central asian visits. she is talking about human rights. a thorny issue in that part of the world and she talked about the democratic movements and the u.s. troops in afghanistan and the border between afghanistan and pakistan.

guest: it is a very thorny issue because our interests are can stability in that part of the world and these resumes are not democratic regimes. we have to learn better how to help regimes transition from dictatorships to democracies without the challenges we are sitting in the middle east. host: our next call is from pittsburgh. caller: just wanted to thank you for the opportunity. i generally agree with the guest house that everybody deserves opportunity for a trial. i am calling on behalf of my fellow students from syracuse university, who were victims and that lockerbie bombing.

25 years it has bent. all the evidence points to gaddafi. if gaddafi is behind the lockerbie bombing, why waste our money on a murderer? i leave it to your guest host. guest: i am not sure how we wasted our money on a murderer. we wasted our money on getting rid of a murderer. i cannot regret that. host: it was a question that came up last week. the secretary of state was in libya just before the capture of gaddafi. i am suspicious that hillary clinton was there two days before the capture and killing of gaddafi. guest: it was pretty obvious that he was going to be captured or killed soon. there were down to the last

square meters that he controlled and -- in sirte. my guess is that the secretary of state knew that. she may have known a little bit more than that. i do not know what there is to be suspicious about. this is in the cards. it was going to happen sooner or later. it happened sooner, in this case. host: your reaction about a new book about condoleezza rice. secretary rice threatened to quit over white house clashes. she described dick cheney -- she writes that it was the latest in a string of memoirs of emerging from the bush administration figures.

she described in great detail her clashes with president bush and dick cheney. your reaction? guest: it is hard for me to react to a 734-page book that i have not read. condoleezza rice was an important figure during the bush administration, both and the national security council and the state department. this kind of book, you know, has become a habit for the americas. i look forward to reading what she has to say about the clashes. host: it is out at the end of this week. daniel serwer is our guest. he is joining us -- ann is

joining us from florida on the democrats' line. caller: we have a lot of young adults coming up trying to get into colleges and universities. there is a conflict, obviously, and there is a lot of hate going on. i wonder how you feel about instituting a draft or a mandatory capacity for these young americans to get in there and take a tour every two years, if necessary, as part of protecting our own. from this type of hatred that i do not believe we have ever experienced. guest: i am rather favorable towards the idea of national service a.

it cannot be national military service because the military can no longer used draftees as they did in the past. the training is too long and you cannot use people who are only in for two years. the military has improved -- it has improved our military performance enormously. ibid be favorable towards set -- i would be a favorable toward some kind of national service requirement. i think the book's title is accurate. i felt that way when i was in the state department. i think all citizens should have the opportunity to serve the country. host: what about assad?

we are talking about old news here. let's talk about syria. guest: by standard arabic in syria. i love the place. the spirit -- i studied arabic in syria. the syrians are suffering under his repression. i think there is no possibility of international intervention in this place. the russians have enabled based in syria. they will not allow any security council resolution to pass that allows military intervention. the syrians on their own and that means they have to stick with nonviolence. that is going to be very difficult. host: is there a lesson from libya? guest: it is a contrary lesson. the lesson is, you cannot go the libyan way because you are not going to get the international support that is required to win

a violent revolution. they are going to have to do it on their own. the only way to do it on their own is nonviolent. caller: good morning. we were talking earlier about how afghanistan would side with pakistan. if we were to go to war. what are we giving them all of these millions of dollars and talking about going to war? it does that make any sense to me. why are we giving these countries all this aid, and they are talking about going to war with us? why would afghanistan side of pakistan after all we have done for afghanistan? i do not understand.

guest: it is a very good question and i do not understand entirely either. especially with respect to pakistan, we need a re- evaluation of our policy and an assessment of what can reasonably be achieved. pakistan has nuclear weapons. if those nuclear weapons would fall into the wrong hands, that would be a big problem for us. pulling the plug on our military intervention in afghanistan, you have to begin to worry when people propose that about where those nuclear weapons will end up if we do pullout. i am puzzled the way the caller is puzzled. are we achieving what we need to achieve for the assistance we are providing? host: not far from here at

arlington cemetery, thousands of men and women who died in both afghanistan and iraq. as we look at the developments of president karzei's comments over the weekend about u.s. and afghanistan, we are pulling out of iraq because the iraqi government is saying they do not want us there. were these two wars justified? what you tell the families that lost loved ones? guest: i think it is hard to tell anybody that the iraq war was a wise decision. the weapons of mass destruction were not there. president bush did not know that when he took us to war, but presidents are paid big bucks to make those decisions, and that

decision was not wise. we entered iraq with intentions that were clear and compelling woodstock -- with strong support in the congress. our military serves the will of the nation and the will of the nation at the time is to go to war. and afghanistan, quite a different case. afghanistan was not a war of choice, but a war of necessity. al qaeda had safe haven in afghanistan. this many years later, we have to begin asking ourselves, are we right to stay? if we withdraw, what are the consequences? we have to make the decision given the circumstances today,

not the circumstances of 8 or 10 years ago. host: steve is joining us. caller: i have two questions. the brotherhood of muslims, i believe, they are pretty strong in egypt. do you believe they will be elected for that government? the second question is about al qaeda. i was wondering if the libyan people are going to be able to deal with al qaeda it has been a long time since i have called you. i enjoy your program. i see you have a different

format. when i call, they asked me what questions i was going too fast. that has never happened before. i was is wondering if that is your new policy. have a great day, thank you. host: we just want to make sure that they are on topic and able to get through. thank you, steve. guest: the muslim brotherhood is likely to do pretty well in the egyptian election. that does not mean it is going to have a majority, however. there are others who will do well also, but that is why you have elections. to figure out who is most popular in the country. fear of the muslim brotherhood is to be exaggerated in some parts of the united states. there are many variations of the muslim brotherhood.

let's see how they do in democratic elections. let's watch them carefully. i believe we should have contact with them. our embassy should be talking with them. our ambassador should be talking with them. i think she has declined so far. communication is important and encouraging moderation. in libya, it is true that some extremist islamists have been with rebel forces in libya. the numbers apparently pretty small. i do not know if any al qaeda that has been active in libya at this point. but the libyans are going to have to deal with this. i am really quite confident that to -- if it is relatively moderate in the minds of most

people. democracy is the best way, it seems to me, of containing the more extreme islamists and convincing people that they do not want to host something like al qaeda. i see no indication at all that the libyans are interested in hosting back. they are extremely pro-western at this point because they see nato as having helped their revolution. host: our guest is a professor at johns hopkins university. ernest is joining us from baltimore. good morning. caller: i have a problem with the attack on libya orchestrated by the united states and our president.

if they had a black delegation that went to libya. they were able to go to libya and move around the country uninhibited. they are not seeing the things that this man is saying. there is a lot of propaganda coming out of this. when you say the international community, that is the white countries. bahrain and saudi arabia -- nothing was said about it. if something happens in occupied palestine, they said it was war crimes. host: let me jump in. can you put this in form of a

question? caller: i do not believe because they reported in the new york times -- they report it in the "the new york times" bad gaddafi was this big bogyman. all of a sudden, i think the reason why -- this is my opinion. the reason why the attacks on libya is because they're being forced out of iraq. our main consideration is oil. and gold and minerals. we have to find another place to go. guest: i do not believe that at all. i think the caller is right that we were from the with gaddafi at one. , as he gave up on his programs of the weapons of mass destruction.

and part be accepted responsibility for the lockerbie bombing. he also threatened to a massacre in benghazi. i do not think we need any place to gowe do not need another plao go after we withdraw from iraq. we can bring our troops home to their bases. i do not think that oil accounts for much, with respect to libya. we were not getting much oil from libya, and never will. my view is that the entire oil thing has been a federated. the caller is correct in that he is suggesting that there is a black-white split on gaddafi. certainly, his active diplomacy

with many black african countries and assistance to black african countries give him a good deal of support in the sahara. the new libyan regime is going to somehow need to reconstruct those relationships. host: professor daniel serwer, with the middle east council, institute, and johns hopkins university, thank you for your time. guest: thank you. host: coming up on "newsmakers," our guest is senator tom harkin. among the talk -- topics, the super-committee, his thoughts on the role that committee is playing versus his own committee when it comes to shaping policy and cutting the deficit. >> in some ways, i think that we might be better off.

>> does that mean that committee chairman get more of a say? >> absolutely. when you have more of a say so as a committee chairman, you buy into it. you have some oversight. if it is just 12 people making decisions, no one has ownership. if you go to the legislative process, then you have some ownership. there is a much better chance of success. host: that is at 10:00 eastern time here on c-span and c-span radio. speaking of, nancy is looking at the guests and topics of the sunday morning programs, all of which can be heard commercial free beginning at noon eastern.

>> network tv talk shows begin at noon. today, secretary of state clinton began -- is on four of the five programs. beginning at noon, "meet the press." david gregory balkans hillary clinton and ron paul of texas. at 1:00, "this week." after talking with elrich clinton, they welcome john mccain, -- after talking with hillary clinton, they welcome john mccain. on "fox news sunday," hillary clinton, then lindsay gramm. also, michele bachmann, republican presidential candidate. at 3:00 p.m., "state of the union." another appearance by elrich clinton. joe biden sits down in a pre

taped interview. after that, mitch mcconnell offers the republican view. finally, "face the nation," two were pad -- republican candidates -- michele bachmann and rick santorum. noon eastern with "meet the press." 1:00, "this week." to a clock, "fox news sunday." sunday."0, "fox news listen to them nationwide on satellite radio, or online, c- span.org. >> every weekend, on "american history television," the people that document the american

story. the legacy of the union defeat at ball's bluff been the death of a colonel and senator. on "american artifacts," american tokyo at -- little tokyo has been a part of american history. we are shown around. plus, the history of opiates in america. look for the complete schedule at c-span.org/history. >> to me it is very obvious that with all that we have, until further notice, every decision the national government makes, every close call should be made in favor of economic growth. every time i should be the favorite in growth of the economic sector.

what he worked as an advisor in the reagan white house and as governor of indiana he implemented spending cuts that produced a $1 billion budget surplus. tonight, mitch daniels on his book, "the economy," and his decision to not run for president in 2012. "washington journal," continues. host: we would like to welcome alex lawson, director of public -- social works. for those of you who are recipients of social security, we have a special number-622- 0184. numbers offset by higher medicare premiums, put that in perspective. host: we are talking about the

first cost of living adjustment seen in three years. 3.6%, starting next year. you could average that over three years and see it as a very modest increase. wednesday, we will hear about the medicare part d premium increasing. coming right out of people's social security benefits. that is going to decrease in already modest increase the people are seeing in social security benefits. host: if you look at government statistics, it is going up 3.6%, after being steady for years. guest: of this year is the first year that there has been a quarter of a quarter increase. the one thing to note -- while

the government calculations are showing that this is the first year for this, if you ask the americans that rely on this, they both tell you straight forward that their costs have not been increasing -- that their costs have been increasing every single year. averaging out to about $30 per month, that is an incredibly modest increase. host: not only $39 per month, but 12 months over a year, here is -- here are some of the figures as you pointed out. a 3.6% increase, averaging out to a monthly check of about $1,082. does this have any economic impact?

caller: 8 definite -- guest: it definitely does. affecting every community around the country. they are spending money in the local economy, driving the local economies. when we see an increase of 3.6%, although modest, almost 100% of it will be put back into the economy as people spend it, costs of the things that they do every day. it will not be a massive effect, but there definitely is a real one. host: you can join us on line, twitter.com/c-spanwj, or send us an e-mail, journal@c-span.org. one of our viewers say that it is not an entitlement, that we paid for it. guest: that is completely correct.

people that receive social security earned their benefits over a lifetime of hard work. the belief that playing by the rules, working hard, and in the end he will be getting what you deserve to this promise between people and their government, really, it is an inter- generational promise as well. these are benefits that people have burned through a lifetime of hard work. they can see that this program is theirs. it comes out of their paycheck. these benefits are likewise theirs. regardless of party, across america, people recognize that these are earned benefit. they are really clear that they will not stand for anyone taking them away in any sort of way or

cutting them in any sort of way. host: in 2014, medicare payments will go up $270 per month, but we are not getting a benefit? caller: wednesday, they will actually be coming right out of that $40 increase in social security payments. that already modest increase for some people could be severely cut. a piece of it could be taken by the medicare premium. your viewer is absolutely right. host: mark, l.i., go ahead. caller: i have been disabled for about two years. first of all, you do not even receive any kind of medical coverage until 2.5 years after

you become disabled. we do not even get any for a couple of years. 3.6% is a joke. when you look at the amount of money that these politicians get, raises over the past few years, they equal about $100 a week. we will be getting $36 per month? that is after getting none for two years before this. everyone needs to take a turn at being a second-class citizen. where you literally get treated like garbage and there is nothing that you can do about it. is a hopeless situation for people like me. host: how long have you been receiving social security? caller: from last june.

you have to wait six months. i did have a heart attack. and you cannot get medicare for two years after that. host: how old are you? caller: 61. i worked for 34 years. this is the thanks that to get in this society for putting in a lifetime of work. host: what was your job? caller: self-employed. another story altogether. when you are self-employed, you really take a hit. guest: he is absolutely correct. the it increases that we are talking about are extremely modest. many people would say that they are not position that all to cover the real costs for living in this country. for the past few years, medical costs have been rising at

incredible rates. at the same time, people are not getting their cost of living adjustments. id is an extremely modest increase. it part of this program that people really understand, is that they have earned it. 34 years, paying into the system, and now he needs to get what he earned and he is relying on the system to help temper stay with the standard of living he has earned through a lifetime of hard work. the real message is that the passage and feeling that people -- passion and feeling that people are talking about, it is really hard to imagine that here, in washington, d.c., there is a super-committee of 12 people waiting for the first time in public in months, and

they are city -- seriously considering cutting the cola, that the cost of living investment is too high. it does not make any sense at all. these people are release struggling of these programs that they have burned over their lifetime. host: because of that, a new advertisement today from national social security, called "no cutts." >> in this tough economy, millions of americans are losing more than ever. for so many, social security, as well as medicare, has been there for those in need.

tell congress, hands off. no cuts to social security, medicare, and medicaid. guest: it shows that people are paying attention, coming together and making their voices heard. their message is simple. it goes across party lines. no cuts, this is not how america operates. anyone in this town who thinks they can offload their super- committee today, 12 people meeting behind closed doors, the american people will not stand for it. host: franklin social security, who funds your organization?

guest: we have been given our grant to protect social security for the millions of americans around the country to increase the positive impact of the program for people like mark, who called in and worked a lifetime, then became disabled. not something that people can plan for. it is what programs like this are for. programs that we rely on for some unexpected outcome of becoming disabled. also, for the foreseeable loss of wages due to old age and retirement. you can visit us social security.org, we have an organization representing 50

million americans. host: we have a link there, at our website, c-span.org. on our twitter page -- we are the 99%'ers and we will vote in 2012. democratic line. caller: you are absolutely right. those commercials that you had on a moment ago are dynamite. finally, the aarp have awakened. rather than try to peddle insurance products and so forth, it is a dynamite commercial. it is directed to people in congress and reminding them that we are 50 million strong and that we vote. question to mr. lawson. is it true that if we eliminated

the $106,000 income tax on people earning over that amount, not having to pay social security for that amount, if that was eliminated and we took that one step, is it true that the social security fund would be actuarially sound until 27 be, without the need for any benefit cuts or extension of age for qualifier? guest: you are right on the money on that one. people paying social security payroll taxes on the first, $110,000 of input. after that, they pay no payroll taxes after that. to the vast majority, they pay payroll taxes on 100% of their

income. if a wall street trader, making hundreds of millions of dollars, only pays a percentage of their income, they're only paying benefits other income if they were to say, scrap the cap and do away with it altogether, the program would be actuarially sound until 2017. i would point out that at the moment, the program has a $2.70 trillion surplus, it would be able to pay for the generation of baby boom -- baby boomers getting ready to retire right now. right now, there is absolutely no reason, no crisis on doing nothing. the program can pay out 100% of promised benefits until 2037. something to remember, when

there is this rhetoric about social security being bankrupt and not being able to pay what it promised. that is false. social security is working extremely well. it is an extremely conservatively managed program. you can see that by the fact that they have to project out 75 years. other programs that 100% from the their programs over the length of that projection, you will not find one. social security, paid for by a dedicated payroll tax, it pays for itself. it is owned by the people and it comes out of their paychecks and benefits. the people know that. the advertisement that was just launched, they are really trying to get that point across. these other people's benefits. they are our benefits. we will not stand for any cuts.

host: our guest is alex lawson. caller: and uninsured drunk driver hit me. i m 63. for two years i had to fight with medicaid. it pays for everything. once i turned 65, they switched me to medicare. now i have co-payments. it covers nothing. my glasses, nothing is covered. copayment on my medication. i do not understand it. how can this be? host: how much is your co pay? caller: my medicare? $98 per month. coming out of $600 per month.

it paid for my glasses. medicare does not cover glasses. it does not cover dental. it does not cover anything. why? host: bonnie, your question is right on the money. what we are talking about here with these programs that, they are literally matters of right -- life and death for people. budgeting $600 per month. a very modest amount to try to string together the payments for medical services, which are continuing to rise. i do not have an answer for your question. we need to make sure that our voices are heard in saying that these benefits are very modest. we need to increase them. making sure that when there are unforeseeable things, like a

drunk driver hitting someone buy a car, it is not something you can plan for. luckily, we have these programs we have been paying into for our whole lives. we need to make sure that we can increase those. at this moment, the crazy thought is that in washington, d.c., people are literally talking about decreasing benefits, making it harder for people to continue at the standard of living which they have burned through a lifetime of hard work. bonnie, the crucial part is making sure that your voice is heard in washington, d.c. the first step is saying absolutely no cuts. once we are in a rational place, we need an increase in benefits. they need to more readily reflect the reality is that people face in the real world.

host: the topic of our "newsmakers," super committees, with senator tom harkin, this week focusing on the issue of social security. one of the members is bernie harkins. >> specifically, you are saying that many more seniors are taking social security at 62 with 25% fewer benefits than it would get if they waited until 66. >> correct. social security is there to make sure that they have income, for older people. it has done its job and reduced poverty rates for older people steadily. since its inception. clearly, people that have a different pattern in poverty

levels, they have it at age 65 and older. host: that is from last tuesday's senate committee. guest: that was a very important hearing. it was the impact of the recession on older americans. it really was just too set out there, for the super committee and others, what the realities are. seniors in this country before the recession were already in a place where they did not have much disposable income. much of it went into medical costs. then, with the recession and economic catastrophe over the past couple of years, they have seen their house prices plummet. the value of pension and for 01 k, retirement programs -- really, the whole time, the rock

that has been solid the entire time is social security. something that senator sanders really highlighted. 55 million americans rely on this. the rock has been followed when everything else, across the board, has been going down. host: some are taking their social security early because of the shift in the economy. myrtle, south carolina. caller: you all keep talking about social security benefits. what about the children and the younger people that get it better under 40. there are just as affected as the seniors are. guest: a really great point. one that i would like to

highlight. most people think of social security as a retirement program only. as the caller pointed out, are around one-third of the beneficiaries of social security actually are under the age of 65. many of them under 40. is the largest children's program in the country. it is also a disability insurance program and a survivor's insurance program. it is a life insurance program for people where the breadwinner is killed. survivors' benefits will be paid to that family. the caller is on point. these folks who are receiving social security benefits are impact at the same level, if not more.

one-third of the 55 million americans that rely on social security, of the disabled people maintaining as, standard of living, the point that i would like to make is that we are talking about maintaining a standard of living. we do not understand that. this program is really about a steady level, a steady standard of living. over time, a standard of living will decrease. including children, families, and retirees as well. host: should there been means testing, if you have the ability based on your income and do not need social security, should it be a change in the system down the road? caller: no, it -- guest: no, it

does not fit. it>> -- means testing is not something that fits for the program of social security. the higher a person's income, the more benefit they received when they claim those benefits. it is a very well-setup program. it action reflects the differences in income between people. host: our next caller is market joining us from our week in hawaii, up very early -- mark, joining us from nomaui in hawaii, a very early. caller: our defense budget was $350 billion. now they are talking about coming out of the cold war, the fiscal advantage we gained, which never occurred. at the same time, i noticed, the

extraordinary military build, there was little communication to the public about that. when they started running into a wall with their military borrowing and the wars that were created, we wound up with nothing but commentary on social security and social programs that now and sydney are the problem, when, in fact, they were actually -- that now instantly are the problem, when, in fact, they were actually -- guest: the caller has a very valid point. what you're seeing -- there are problems with the general budget. there are problems that should be addressed. the main problem is the unemployment levels. when you work to put people back to work, that is going to get our economy on track again. the caller is right that social security, which, by law, cannot contribute a penny to the

deficit, has somehow been roped into these deficit discussions as if it is contributing in any way, shape, or form, which, by law, it cannot. fact that social security is being brought into these discussions and talks -- the fact that social security is being brought into these discussions and talks makes absolutely no sense. the american people are not going to stand for it. host: our guest is alex lawson, the executive director of social security works. we appreciate your time. thank you very much for being with us. guest: thank you for having me. host: coming up, our sunday round table. -- roundtable. jonathan martin and amy gardner will be here to take your calls. we will look at where we stand before the first voting in iowa. first, nancy calo in the c-span radio studios with a look at the other issues and topics on

sunday morning programs, all of which can be heard on c-span radio. >> three of the five network talk shows begin at noon. separate -- secretary of state hillary clinton appears, talking about the death of muammar gaddafi. at noon, on nbc's "meet the press." at 1:00 p.m., on abc's "this week," christiane amanpour and welcomes john mccain. -- christiane amanpour welcome to john mccain. at 2:00 p.m., on "fox news sunday," a talk with secretary clinton. also lindsey graham, another member of the senate armed services committee. also, michele bachmann, the republican presidential candidate -- a republican presidential candidate.

at 3:00 p.m., on cnn "state of the union," a pretaped interview with vice president joe biden. senator mcconnell also talks about the jobs plan from the republican view. finally, at 4:00 p.m., on cbs "face the nation," the host talks of michele bachmann and rick santorum -- talks with michele bachmann and rick santorum. rears begin at noon eastern with would meet the press -- reairs begin at noon eastern with "meet the press." listen to them all on c-span radio on 90.1 fm in washington, d.c. online, c-spanradio.org. >> every week in american

history tv, the people and events at that document the american story. only once has a u.s. sitting senator been killed in action. this weekend, the 150th anniversary of the battle of ball's bluff, the death of colonel baker. little tokyo near downtown los angeles has been a center of japanese culture since the early 1900's. on lectures in history, bowling green professor scott martin, on the history of opiates in america. look for the complete weekend schedule at c-span.org/history. or for our schedules in your in box, click the "alerts" button. >> it has become very obvious, with all of the priorities we have -- and they are all very worthy -- every decision the national government makes, every close call should be made in

favor of economic growth. every time should be broken in favor of growth of the private sector -- tie should be broken in favor of growth of the private sector. >> he was the omb director in the george w. bush's administration. as governor of indiana, he produced a $1 billion budget surplus. tonight, on "q&a," mitch daniels, 8:00 p.m. eastern. "washington journal" continues. host: our sunday roundtable. we want to welcome amy gardner of "the washington post." jonathan martin a "politico." thank you for being with us. the nevada caucus is set for february 4. guest: we will have primaries and caucuses in the year 2012, not the possibility that we are going to start in december, as

was the potential when nv said they would start early in 2012. it would have been a full week -- a little bit more breathing time than we had four years ago, when i was on thursday in new hampshire was on tuesday -- iowa was on thursday in new hampshire and -- iowa was on thursday and a new hampshire was on tuesday. guest: they are trying to be relevant as one of the early- state competitions. there was a downside. the public was not going to appreciate his campaigning in the onslaught on their tv sets -- appreciate this campaigning and the onslaught on their tv sets. we think there will be very sympathetic to looking at campaign ads during -- we do not

think they will be very sympathetic to looking at campaign ads during christmas. host: your the comments of the texas governor, rick perry -- here are the comments of the texas governor, rick perry. >> one final thought on the issue of life. it is a liberal canard to say i am personally pro-life, but government should stay out of that decision. if that is your view, you are not pro-life. you are pro-having-your-cake- and-eating-it-too. we respect life. [applause] we respect life as a gift of god. what god has created, we should always work to protect. >> -- host: the comments of governor rick perry. there are comments about rick perry touting his love affair with guns. he went pheasant hunting yesterday.

amy gardner, who was his audience? in terms of the audience in the room and the larger audience in the republican field? guest: in iowa, republican electorate is dominated, perhaps even more so than other states, by evangelical, christian voters. it is certain people who are pro-life and want to hear candidates say unequivocally that they are opposed to abortion. we have heard some different answers from herman cain, for example, who has said that he is opposed to abortion in all cases, even in cases such as rape or when it threatens the life of the mother, but he has also equivocated. host: jonathan martin, two candidates who were not there -- jon huntsman and mitt romney. guest: mitt romney has decided he is not going to go to the cattle call -- every cattle call.

he is not going to try to curry favor with every party leader, every interest-group leader. i think that this is emblematic of that attack -- tack. he has been very careful. so, adding this reflects romney's sort of caution -- i think this reflects romney's saur of caution when it comes to iowa. host: the headline this morning from "the las vegas sun," speaking out on the calendar issues. how does this for in the election and the issues for candidates like mitt romney -- how does this frame the election and the issues for candidates like mitt romney? guest: if you look at the foreclosure rate, the issue set there would have been very

different than in iowa or new hampshire, which have not had economic challenges. new hampshire has one of the most positive -- in the country. adding that will both change the nature of the campaign because of the nature -- i think that will both change the nature of the campaign because of the nature of iowa. i do think if nevada had stayed in january and kept some degree of early supremacy, you would have seen more talk about the state of economy and housing. host: bobby jindal cruising to a second term, the headline from the times picayune well -- "the times picayune." guest: rick perry is going to louisiana for a fund-raiser in the next couple of days, which, of course, governor jindal has endorsed mr. perry, so there's a little bit of energy and momentum to help mr. perry with

fund-raising. guest: the democratic party in louisiana is typically so strong. it did not yield any major party candidate for any of the statewide slots -- they did not feel any major party candidate for any of the statewide slots. if you're going to be a national ticket or in the white house -- host: you have been on this program many times. we have a lot of loyal viewers, none more so than joe mccut cheon. let me take a wild guess. you are going to be talking about mitt romney. caller: yes, i am. i love c-span. i am from a small town. we're trying to make it the no. 1 from the town in america. we are really fired up -- the number one mitt romney town in america. we are really fired up. who do you think would be the

best running mate? a lot of people think it would be -- what is your opinion on who he ought to choose if he wins the nomination? i certainly hope he does. host: before we let you go, colonel oscar poole, who is he and is he a real colonel? caller: no, he's not. he started his own business. he has been extremely successful. he is one of the strongest republicans and infantry -- republicans in the country. we're inviting him to come to our barbecue restaurant. host: you may have a story there. guest: i think romney, if he is the nominee, is going to have a wealth of options to choose from. if he had a mccain challenge, he needs to fire up his party's base. then if you look at a candidate

like marco rubio or herman cain, somebody who was going to fire up the base and give you a boost. if you want to take a more safe and cautious approach, you could look at a more experienced candidate, somebody like a mitch daniels, somebody that has been in government for some time and knows their way was around -- their way around washington. host: your publication published a response from marco rubio, talking about what he did or did not know about his parents 10 years before he was even born. guest: it seems like he has come out with a pretty strong in answer. this is a story that has been passed down to my family lore. host: the story is what?

guest: he has made it an enormous part of his biography that his parents came here following the communist takeover of cuba and threat of communism, when, in fact, records show his family came here before the fall. and so, it is a conflict. it is a contradiction. guest: it is a really fascinating story, because he has clearly indicated one thing, when the facts are his parents did not come until -- did not come after the revolution. it is not the same problem as 1977, 1970, when the candidate was caught making the facts about his family. this is a second hand sin -- second-hand sin. this is not a first-hand account -- account, so there is some

cover there, politically. he has said his parents did not come until after -- i am sorry -- after the revolution, that they came before. there is some hazy area. the big picture -- this is not helpful to his cause if he wants to be the vp. he hasn't been totally vetted. guest: we do not know yet how long the legs are in this story. it depends on the trajectory of center rubio -- senator rubio's career. all eyes are on him and where he is going to go. he is clearly going to be in the short list for vice- presidential picking process for whoever the nominee is going to be. guest: he has publicly been very emphatic that he does not want to be on the ticket next year.

his campaign is ferocious -- his office boss perot just pushed back would reflect the desire to appease keep this -- his office's ferocious push-back would reflect the desire to keep his political standing. caller: i was disabled a few years ago. they have been minimizing the -- a large majority of people had heard about his message and what he wanted to present to the country to me as a free nation again -- country to make us a free nation again. they want to minimize him and call him a nut case. it is all correct. it is all money, money, money. ron paul has stayed with the same message for 20-years-plus, and they want to just minimize him all the time. what is the problem of these people? are they afraid to admit the truth?

guest: actually, i think ron paul has been one of the most consistent politicians in washington. while substantively, he is the same person, tactically -- he has tried to be more of a mainstream candidate this time around. he had some pretty glitzy tv ads. you saw him last night in the morning at the christian, conservative dinner -- in des moines at the christian conservative dinner. these are things he did not do in the last campaign. he is trying to move a tad bit more toward the mainstream, at least symbolically, technically. why is ron paul not taken more seriously? among the wide swath of gop voters, he simply as a ceiling he cannot get beyond because he is not in the party's mainstream on foreign policy. on fiscal issues, he is moving closer to party or the party is

moving closer to him. i wonder what this campaign would be like if rand paul, his son, had decided to run for president, not the father. the father is in his 70 prospered there are generational issues. rand paul -- his father is in his 70's. there are generational issues. rand paul -- what would it have been like in this tea party era? host: ron paul is retiring from congress next year. guest: so his son will be the only paul in congress, the senator from kentucky. guest: i agree with everything jon has said. there is a ceiling to congressman paul's reported -- support. we heard this -- his views on foreign policy in the debate. he is not to be dismissed, of course, as a factor in the

field. i believe there is a $2 million -- it is real money. that affects the field. guest: he raised $8 million in the third quarter of this year. that is not quite the money that romney or perry raised, but that is serious money that could keep him on tv for some time. the challenges, even as he tries to be a more mainstream candidate, as he watched the debates, he cannot help himself. he has to talk about the federal reserve and foreign policy, because that is where his heart is. guest: i think people are noticing -- i am -- that he is aging. he is older than he was four years ago, and it shows. it shows in the debate paprika -- debate format. he looks a little bit stooped and tired.

i think that hurts him. host: another store that is likely to drive the day -- story that is likely to drive the day. guest: there is another interesting detail. he actually went up against president clinton in the mid- 1990's at some kind of a health care town hall, where he was pushing back against health care reforms that were on the table at the time. this story has the potential to

cut both ways. there is something his opponents can pick up on, that it is not -- he is not a washington outsider that he claims to be. on the other hand, he was fighting the good fight on some of the ideological and economic issues that he is continuing to advocate today. so he can fight back with that narrative, as well. guest: he does not often talk about his service there, because obviously running them major washington trade group is not as helpful -- because, obviously, running a major washington triggered is not as helpful as an outsider running a business -- major washington trade group is not as helpful as an outsider running a business. does have some relationships here in town -- he does have some relationships here in town. host: he talked about his nine- nine-nine plant, but called it

9-0-9 with regard to those who fault -- 9-9-9 plan, but called it 9-0-9 with regard to those who are below the poverty line. i would love to win in iowa -- >> i would love to win in iowa. i will campaign here. i intend to campaign in all of the early states, at least, and maybe all of the states at some point. host: we will go to hurricane in a moment. that sets up our caller from iowa -- we will go to herman cain in a moment. that sets up our caller from iowa. that was an event in the city -- in sioux city. we're joined by amy gardner of "the washington post" and jonathan martin a "politico." tom -- jonathan martin of "politico." tom? ok. michael in new york.

good morning. caller: are you there? host: we sure are. caller: we ought to have a single, six-year-term president. public funding. in other words, a national primary in june. whoever wins become the nominee of the party. we could end all of this. the way it is right now, thanks to citizens united, they have opened up the doors and nobody can really win and just do something to make this country more democratic. host: thank you. a six-year term, one term for the president, and a national election. guess now that would require some constitutional amendments -- guest: that would require some constitutional amendments that would take a lot of time. it seems you're unlikely.

guest: not to mention what it would do -- it seems very unlikely. guest: not to mention what it would do to have double nominations every six years. host:, is joining us from ohio -- tom is joining us from iowa. what are you seeing and hearing on the ground from the romney campaign in light of the event we covered last night, the faith and freedom forum, in which both jon huntsman and mitt romney did not appear? caller: romney was not there. we was -- he is not wooing the social conservatives the way he did four years ago. he has been keeping his arms length, letting the republicans bang it out ahead of the iowa

gop straw poll. i think seeing an opening here and rick perry not taking off the way people may be expected, romney is pivoting. he is looking much more seriously at campaigning hard in iowa. hart is a relative term for a guy who spent $10 million here -- "hard" is a relative term for a guy who spent $10 million here four years ago. he keeps in touch with regular supporters. he is building neat support among agribusiness and the small business -- niche support among agribusiness and the small- business community. he thinks that he can surprise in the iowa -- in iowa in january. it makes perfect sense that he was not at this faith and freedom forum, because it is not his crowd. he is very happy to let six

other candidates fight like dogs over the social conservative base, because he can surprise in january. host: since the caucus began in your state in 1972, you have to either come in first, second, or third. no candidate who has received the nomination has failed to come in on the top three in the caucus. caller: the only exception would be john mccain, who finished a close fourth four years ago. there was a fading fred thompson. host: it was essentially a tie for fourth place. taller >> i forget exactly what the numbers were -- caller: i forget exactly what the numbers work. this is starting to look like that model. you will have somebody who emerges as a social-conservative favorite. like i said, we have communities -- conservative

communities like past doors and christian home schooled groups -- conservativep communities -- astor -- like a said, we have communities like pastors and christian home-school groups. rick santorum knows this crowd well. but he does not have money. ron paul sort of touches those things but trips immediately back to their federal reserve -- the federal reserve. cain has a problem on abortion. it leaves an opening for romney, as an economic conservative, to emerge. guest: you may have heard the soundbite. i think you were there in person.

it was about 30 seconds. he was talking about how he wants to win iowa. is he preserving the option of playing there? caller: it is an answer that he has given throughout the years. it was not newsworthy, except for the fact that we know now that he is turning the heat up in iowa. he is making plans to be here more often to look at where he has finished. you talk to ron paul's ceiling. -- about ron paul's ceiling. first or second is within range. guest: what are the chances that the conservatives do not coalesce around a single person, as they did with hoppity -- mike

huckabee four years ago? what if the electorate on that side of the spectrum remains divided? is that a possibility? it is, there is potential for mitt romney to actually win iowa -- if it is, there is potential for mitt romney to actually win iowa. caller: we know that rick perry has money to drop in iowa, perhaps with some pretty aggressive ads, especially if romney is going to play harder there. that community of social conservatives has not gravitated to any one of these the way they did with mike huckabee four years ago. michele bachmann remains a factor. people who were early with her remain loyal, but her star has faded. she has stayed in regular touch with these evangelical pastors

that are so well-connected and active, but her campaign mechanism here has become a little bit loose. her visits have not been as regular. at any rate, nobody is really getting that mike huckabee bust of four years ago -- buzz of four years ago -- ago. caller: is your staff -- guest: is her staff suffering in the kind of attrition like -- any kind of attrition like we saw in new hampshire? caller: her national, political director remains headquartered here. guest: i also wonder how much governor perry's economic proposal, which we liddy tells of on tuesday, i believe in south carolina -- which we

believe we will hear on tuesday, how much do you think that has to do with attracting support in iowa, where, of course, four years ago, the fair-tax movement was a pretty big factor in mike huckabee's win, right? caller: i keep thinking there is this untapped reserve of the -- in iowa. he and romney will be fighting it out for these economic conservatives. the extent to which the flat tax that, iat -- a part of do not have a handle. they are, ikn romn -- if you ook at perry,h he has been making overtures to the social conservatives, which they said would hurt.

bank -- would hurt perry. host: tom beaumont, the iowa political correspondent for the associated press. we'll be seeing a lot more of you. thank you for being with us. the front page of the "des moines register." iowans came in second in giving to the obama campaign. they are trying to figure out who has given to the presidential candidates. guest: iowa is more of a grass- roots state, than a money state. you have those who follow politics so intensely they do not just go to the polls. i would venture it is obama in

small-dollar cash. guest: it is important to remember what president obama did four years ago in iowa. he pushed far ahead the caucus process. he brought out incredible amounts of voters. it is a swing state. it is a potentially important battleground in the general election. host: i will ask about another swing state. amy gardner of "the washington post." jonathan martin of "politico." berman came was speaking about his 909 -- herman cain was speaking about his 9-9-9 plan, and 9-0-9 for those who fall

below the poverty line. >> number one, how do we deal with the poor, those that are at or below the poverty level? we already have this provision in there and we have still raised the same amount of money. if you are at or below the poverty level, your plan is not 9-9-9, it is 9-0-9. say amen, y'all. 9-0-9. if you are at or below the poverty level, based upon family size, because there is a different number for each one, then you do not pay that middle 9 tax. that is how we help the poor. host: this plan has resonated. guest: it certainly has. it is helping herman cain, but he is facing a challenge now, because with success comes

criticism, not just from us in the media, but from his opponents. he came under intense attack on this plan from nearly every one of his opponents, who are finding flaws. i think that is why you see him in detroit, in that sound bite, tweaking the plan. what was a magical about this was that it was so simple. -- what was so magical about this was that it was so simple. if you have to amend it, it becomes more complicated. guest: he is not changing it, he is just tidings of the night was already -- he is just highlighting something that was already there. last week, right before the debate, we saw a pretty devastating analysis that showed the overwhelming majority of american taxpayers would see their taxes go up under this plan. the overwhelming majority of

millionaires would see their taxes go down. that is not a good message for herman cain. guest: herman cain, a man with a plan. richard is joining us from bristol, england, on the bbc parliament channel. go ahead, please. caller: hello. good afternoon. thank you. my question -- obviously, america has got a lot of austerity measures taking place at the moment. in relation to the election, americans, compared to many other nations, you spend not just a couple million dollars, it is like multibillion-dollar budgets for elections sometimes when a new u.s. president is elected. what are you guys going to do to cut the fat from the selection process -- this election process? if the people in your country

cannot even afford to keep a roof over your head and food in their belly, which some people cannot, unfortunately, how're you going to be taken seriously internationally? that is one of the biggest questions you need to ask at this time, before you even start campaigning. host: thank you, richard. guest: it's actually a very smart question, i think a few of us have thought of. there are -- you can have these well-lit debates, all kinds of graphics, technology. it is a reminder that there is this very expensive campaign going on.

it is their choice to give this money. so, if they are spending it, soeme folks in iowa and new hampshire would say it is helping the economy as they spend it on television and radio. host: 20 years ago, when there would be a debate, we would simulcast those on c-span. now they are on -- amy gardner says, "with each debate, the candidates become increasingly cartoonish as they become caricatures. they're holding up pretty well under the circumstances, but it is the nature -- the nature of the beast."

guest: it is interesting to that hearing we will probably have a lot more -- it is interesting. i think we will probably have a lot more clarity after this. i do not think we know why. one thing i have heard and that i think it sounds right, because we are so wide open and we do not know who will be the nominee, we really do not know yet, there is this uncertainty. it is keeping the field broad. it is keeping candidates in play. it is keeping voters tune in -- attuned. guest: it is not winnowing the debate stage. you used to have a certain threshold. you're not seeing any candidates be pushed off, so to speak. there are all eight or nine of them, seemingly, each week.

i wonder at what point the handlers will say, "enough." you saw more debates added to the calendar. guest: it's over a dozen in total. host: the calednar -- calendar has changed some. guest: they added a foreign- policy debate for next month. rick perry's top strategist said there -- they were a bit tired, frankly, of all these debates. if the news outlets keep trying to add more debates, some of the candidates may say no. guest: rick perry has not

actually been -- exactly been shining. another point relevant to the question from a british gentleman -- we will see even more money in the cycle because of the supreme court decision that opened up the floodgates of third-party spending from corporations. but it is based on, you know, an interpretation of our constitution, free speech. we are going to stand by on the sidelines and watch this play out. i think he is right that it is going to be in the billions. it is going to be remarkable to see. host: let's go back to the headline in "the washington post." michele bachmann was also in attendance, pledging to shut down the -- in a tense. . i -- michele bachmann was also

in attendance. >> i would be fully supportive of a federal, constitutional amendment to the fine life beginning at conception. i believe life -- to define life as beginning at conception i have recently introduced the informed choice and heartbeat -- i would be fully supportive of a federal, constitutional amendment to the fine -- define life as beginning at conception. i recently introduced the informed choice heartbeat act -- act. host: how will this play out? guest: my guess is the economy will be the major issue. social issues player role in the primary because of the conservative nature of the -- play a role in the primary

because of the conservative nature of the republicans. you had a pretty resort -- you had a pretty conservative republican running against a democrat. abortion was one of the issues in a battleground, moderate state, and it did not work, because the economy was the issue. i think that is what is going to happen in the general as well. guest: people on abortion rights tend to be pretty hard on their choices for the candidates. if you feel strongly about the issue of abortion rights, you will be for -- guest: ned is on the phone from new jersey, on our line from republicans -- for republicans. caller: i would like to address

the issue of a possible vice- presidential candidate on the republican ticket. i have been watching the field very carefully. there is one fellow who has no agenda. he seems committed to lessening the outsourcing by american businesses and strengthening the american business community, revitalizing it seriously. pure love of country. i thought he would be a good combo with mike huckabee, but he would also be good with any of the candidates. that is the attorney general from kentucky -- from virginia. host: who, by the way, turns 46 today. guest: how ddo you know that? host: a viewer pointed that out. caller: -- guest: your viewers

are already looking at who is going to be on the national ticket. guest: it is an interesting suggestion. he is from a very important states. -- state. i would be pretty surprised to see him emerge on short lists, only because he is a very divisive figure. he has become popular by fighting the health care law in court in virginia, with some mixed success. he has had a setback recently. he is awfully divisive for a general-election to get. -- general-election ticket. host: there is a tradition in

new hampshire. we have been trying to attract as many of these as we can. -- to track as many of these as we can. you can see t he man -- the man who will be responsible for setting the date for the new hampshire primaries. vice president also talking about next fall and the differences between -- the vice president also talked about next fall and the differences between those who could be on the ticket. >> it seems clear to me there is no big difference between the candidates. [inaudible] how we see the future of america. let's take that cake [unintelligible] guest: you get the idea that joe biden likes being there, by the

way. filing paperwork, on the campaign trail, a politician in full. this is the obama-biden message. they think romney is likely to be nominated. they are saying he is in no different -- he is no different from the rest of the field. they want to tie whoever they will be facing next fall to candidates who have extreme view. the view of the white house campaign has been -- there are folks under fire entirely on mitt romney. they're being very open that he is the one they will face. when pressed on that, they will deny it. guest: what is interesting is what romney is doing about it.

if it is true, there is a case to be made that he has jumped through some hoops, making sure he will sign an executive order on the first day he is president to allow the states not to follow obama care. sorry, i lost my thought there for a second. the tea party is obviously a huge influence that all the candidates have sought to please and appease with opposition to the stimulus, apologizing for supporting tarp, opposing obama care, of course. what is interesting is that romney has been very cautious. he has very much shown that he has an eye for the general election and a need to appeal to independent voters as well. host: amy gardner of "the

washington post." jonathan martin of "politico." caller: great to be with you. host: you have been covering how many presidential campaigns? caller: since 1980 in new hampshire. host: mitt romney is in new hampshire this weekend, campaigning in your state. caller: he visited campaign headquarters in manchester. as your guests know, you like to find a place to go when you do not want be somewhere else. he did not want to be in iowa, so it was an opportunity for him to stop by. he will be filing his candidacy on monday here. host: the issue of the ground game, so important in these early states. it is still about 2 1/2 months,

but what are you hearing? caller: romney is not the only one with a lot of support in new hampshire, particularly among the activist core. paul has support. he draws large crowds wherever he goes and he has a lot of followers, much like a sardine -- like howard dean in 2004. rick perry has a number of prominent republicans who support him, but he has yet to translate that into a strong organization on the ground. guest: what about michele bachmann? can you talk about the attrition she is experiencing in new hampshire? caller: four of her campaign staffers quit, sort of the feared or forced -- sort of the third or fourth iteration of this story.

there have been concerned about how serious she would be in campaigning in new hampshire -- there have been concerns about how serious she would be in campaigning in new hampshire. i think there was a belief that she would not put the time in. as it happens, she did not put the time in. she was not here for four months. she came back the day before the debate in hanover, had a couple of event, and then kind of swooped off. we were not surprised to see the staffers quit. it is all about iowa for michele bachmann. that is what is interesting about new hampshire this time. as jonathan has mentioned, you really have no sense right now, particularly in the new venture, whose the alternative to mitt romney is going to be -- particularly in new hampshire, who the alternative to mitt romney is going to be. michele bachmann, if she wins the iowa caucus, would be a

strong candidate. guest: jon huntsman, the former utah governor and ambassador to china. there are polls that have him ranging from 8% to about 11%. he claimed he was seeing some real movement on the ground. what are you seeing from new hampshire primary voters? is that real? is there growth, or is it just a handful? caller: it is a good question and we still really do not know the answer yet. as you have seen in so many campaigns and the past, the new hampshire-only strategy rarely works -- as we have seen in so many campaigns in the past, the new-hampshire-only strategy rarely works. probably will not work for huntsman unless the candidates above him make some serious mistakes. he draws a lot of crowds.

many voters art independents -- are independents, some democrats. he does have a cache in the economic message that i think will resonate -- jobs lost to china. new venture has lost more jobs than any other -- knew him share has lost more jobs than any other state in the country -- new hampshire has lost more jobs than any other state in the country. there has been outsourcing, losing jobs overseas. we have a very low unemployment rate, third or fourth-lowest in the country, the lowest poverty rate, but we are a big, strong exporting state. this china issue is a significant 1. as former ambassador to china, he can talk about that. host: the shifting of the caucus to every fourth. when will the new hampshire

primary be held? when will we get the word from your secretary of state? guest: i think it will be the think you'll be before the filing deadline -- i think it will be before the filing deadline. one of the points that should be made is that he is fervent about protecting the hampshire, but he also had these relationships with other states. -- about protecting new hampshire, but he also has these relationships with other states. i think this all allows, by the way, going forward, for new hampshire to develop a relationship with nevada aon primaries. host: thank you. from "the national journal" --

haquick -- quick comment. guest: romney seems to emerge as the inevitable one, but voters don't know and they are deeply worried. guest: also, the house, under michael bennet, he did win -- there are clues for how president obama himself can get reelected during tough economic times. host: do you want to break any personal news? guest: you have put me on the spot. i am proud to say that my pro

friend, betsy, -- girlfriend betsy and i are now engaged. she, of course, works out for a rival network. host: you can watch nbc's "meet the press." guest: thank you, steve. host: we will continue the conversation, focusing on obama's campaign. craig crawford and mark pinsky will be joining us. and nirvi shah will be joining us as we continue our look at education issues, the individuals with disabilities act. the federal government will spend about $13 billion on this issue. at 7:00 a.m. eastern, 4:00 on the west coast. thank you for joining us on this sunday morning. enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a great week ahead. [captioning performed by

national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> coming up, "newsmakers" with tom harkin. later, tim geithner testified before a senate small business committee hearing on the u.s. economy. >> it is very obvious, but that with all the priorities we have, until further notice, at

every decision the national government makes, every close call should be made in favor of economic growth. he worked as an adviser in the reagan white house. as governor of indiana, he implemented spending cuts. tonight, mitch daniels on his new book and its decision to not run for president in 2012. >> live monday, independent financial analyst from around the world gathered to discuss the impact of the global financial crisis. they will talk about what is happening in their region and the emerging trend be developing in the financial-services industry. the event is hosted by the american enterprise institute. american enterprise institute.