and michael short-termer. the entire lineup is on booktv.org. >> come up next, republican presidential candidate mitt romney in arizona. then ban kim moon on the rio plus 20 conference. and after that, education secretary arne duncan previews the president's trip next week in colorado and iowa. now, republican presidential candidate mitt romney and arizona senator john mccain speak at the republican national committee's state chairman's meeting held in scottsdale, arizona. this is about 50 minutes.

national committee is holding jacket. i think i am probably the only chairman in the country that has one. these travels together with senator mccain have made it clear to me that what people in this country are starting for in america are real, authentic people that want to serve with a pure heart and make a difference. in the navy, as a prisoner of war, as a member of congress and a senator, and a presidential candidate, personal ambition has

never come before the needs of the nation. for that, he is respected throughout the country, especially here in his home state where he has been serving the people of arizona proudly for many years. it is a privilege for me to introduce a man and an american hero who has never stopped fighting for the greatest earth. please join me in welcoming senator john mccain. [applause] >> very nice. thank you. thank you very much. thank you for that. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. [applause]

please. thank you for that warm welcome. thank you for kind introduction. hasn't this young man done a fantastic job at the helm of our party? [applause] i am grateful that you are here and i am proud that you have to was in the state of arizona to spend time with us. i want to say that, reince, you have done a fantastic job. you are making it easier for us to let our friend here -- to let our friend here as an ex- president of the united states -- to elect our friend here as states. we need to regain the majority. we need to keep the majority that we have. i am confident that your leadership will make that possible.

[applause] can i also said that i am most proud to be here with the next president of the united states? [applause] can i tell you that i am proud of his campaign? i have watched him go across this country, his wife, his sons, his grandchildren, crisscrossing this nation, working hard, selling them self -- themselves, his principles, his vision to the future of america, to the republican party. i am so gratified to see our party coming together in a solid team that is going to be let him as president of the united states -- to elect him as the next president of the united states. i was looking at a magazine the president's campaigning.

attacks, the desperation. the desperation that is obama obviously, they will do anything. which i have seldom seen in any history. i wouldn't tell you -- i want to boxing fan. i was a lousy boxer at the naval academy. great heavyweight champions was a guy named joe louis. he was a great fighter. he was writing a guy whose name was billy. he was not -- fighting a guy who was named billy. he was a very agile fighter. joe louis was a puncher, not a boxer.

he said -- they said to him, how are you going to catch him? he said, he can run, but he cannot hide. barack obama, can run, but he cannot hide from a record -- [applause] he cannot hide from the record debt, the largest in the history of this nation. it is unsustainable. this country cannot end up like future generations of americans what we are doing today. every time there is a problem, answer is? throw more money at it, more government jobs. mitt romney and barack obama.

government creates jobs. creates jobs in america today. [applause] and mitt romney has a record to prove it. people who like to attack people who get wealthy. the fact is that bain capital, under the stewardship of mitt romney, they saved companies. they turned places like staples into a place called -- into a place that employs thousands of americans. story that is there. [applause] word their failures? were there companies they could not save -- were there failures? not save? yes, there were.

when you look at success after lake city -- there was corruption. a guy went out there and, yes, olympics in the history of this nation thanks to the leadership of mitt romney. [applause] broken. the last few months may be tailing off.

state that was one of the hardest-hit states in america. nearly half of the homes in this state are under water. we had the furthest to fall. this november. other points. to do with a majority in the senate and the majority in the house under the leadership of mitt romney is repealed and replaced obama care. we will repealed and replaced obama care -- is repeal and replace obama care. care. let me remind you of something else. i was there for almost a year. it was the sleaziest process i have never seen in my years as the united states senator. the cornhuskers kickbacks, the

louisiana purchase, taking lobbyists' into the blair house and bludgeoning them into supporting obama care -- no wonder the american people were sick and tired of that. that was not the kind of government that president obama promised people. give the american people real and affordable to all americans. mitt romney will do that. [applause] i understand and there is a lot more i could tell you -- there is a lot more i would like to say. the person that you want to hear from is waiting. that is the importance speaker. i do want to point out to you that i understand that this election will be about jobs and the economy. that is completely logical. but i also want to tell you about the great and grave concern i have about the lack of american leadership in the

world today. and i think that, when i traveled around the world, i can tell you that leaders all over the world believe that the united states of america is in decline. this is not the country that ronald reagan had the stewardship of. this is not a shining city on a hill to the rest of the world. it is a country that has articulated a policy of "leading from behind." that, my friends, is not the role of the united states of america since the 20th-century and must have been the 21st century. it. i will give you some straight talk. relations between the united states and the state of israel have never been worse since israel became a state. we have a country now that, instead of facing up to the iranian threat of the acquisition of nuclear weapons, which they are on the path to, states sends his people to israel to tell them to be sure

not to attack iran, thereby weakening very badly that is really position. put yourself in the position of the steve israel. neighborhood that is dedicated to open a wiping you off the map." they are on the past -- to "why did you off the map." they are on the path to doing so. they are a sovereign nation. we should be with the israelis, are not lines they can cross. we should be telling israeli government and people we are with them. that is what america is supposed to be about. [applause] so, could i say that not only am in his wife.

what a wonderful person. what a great example. [applause] so, every day that we are not romney is a day lost. the campaign. we are not getting votes. this is going to be a very close to election, my friends. late on election night. get out our vote.

kind of nation that we would want to hand off to our children. the greatness of america is that every generation has handed off to the next generation of better than the one that they inherited. i promise you, with mitt romney as the president of the united states, we will be able to hand off a better generation to march to -- the generation to our children and our grandchildren. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, senator, for your

vision and your kind words. we had a groundbreaking day yesterday. national committee. that is to fire barack obama and help save this country. [applause] incredibly high. i know it. every american citizen, everyone going to the polls knows that as well. we cannot afford four more miserable years of this president. our children cannot afford to spend a lifetime paying off his debts. we know that a country that has to surrender its sovereignty to its bondholders cannot guarantee prosperity or freedom to anybody. and a country that buries its kids and grandkids in an avalanche of debt cannot rest in any vestige of the moral high ground.

that is what this election is all about, the big things -- liberty, freedom, opportunity, the bill of rights. we have to end barack obama's presidency before his presidency ends our way of life. [applause] and we cannot trade the american dream for a european nightmare. europe does not work in europe. i would we want to talk to more years of barack obama -- why would we want four more years of barack obama? he has no record to run on, so instead he is running on a parade of shiny objects. out on the campaign trail, barack obama is resorting to a strategy of divide and conquer, resources pour, republican versus democrat -- rich versus

poor, republican versus democrat. he is running on fear and division. the president who so often said this is not about the state of america, the state -- the red state of america, the blue state of america, but the united states of america. gone? he once promised to hold themselves accountable, but now he spends time making excuses -- hold himself accountable, but now he spends time the excuses for his failures. he blamed the arab spring. he blamed atm machines and bad luck. excuses will not pay the mortgage. his class warfare will not create a single job. like all of our candidates, our next speaker understands that. we're grateful, honored, and blessed to have governor romney

with us today. remarkable campaign, unlike president obama. governor romney is not afraid on running on issues, solutions, and an incredible record. and what our record he has, as senator mccain just laid out, turning around companies, turning around the olympics, and turning around a state. if there was ever an entity that needed a turnaround, a new direction, it is the united states under barack obama. throughout his career, governor romney has been a fiscal, responsible, conservative leader. he understands what this country needs -- lower taxes, less spending, an efficient, effective government. governor romney wants to restore the idea that, if you work hard in this country and your played by the rules, you

can -- and you played by the rules, you can give the american dream. that is what this election is question. hard and play by the rules, can you live the american dream? unfortunately, under this president, answering that question has become much, much more difficult. i applaud the governor for the campaign he has run, the experience that he brings to the table and his dedication to making barack obama a one-term president. it is an honor for me to welcome and introduce a businessman, a governor, a job creator, public servant of father, grandfather -- public servant, father, grandfather. we want to welcome you in a formal way to a great family here that is willing and looks forward to working beyond anyone's imagination to making sure that we put a republican

back in the white house. doing our part and not worrying about saving our party, but doing our part and working together to help save this great country. so, with that, would you all please welcome governor mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. thank you. please.

thank you, guys. ok. thank you. thank you! [applause] thank you. well, it is good to see so many old friends. thank you. [applause] we haven't won yet. it is great to be here with you. i appreciate that generous response. thank you, mr. chairman, for your introduction. are doing. looking from afar, this organization was troubled a couple of years ago. accomplished over the past year. it is just extraordinary. i want to say how much i appreciate your germans' work your work -- chairman's work

and all of your work to help get us ready to take back the white house. [applause] run for president on our side of the aisle this year. some still running, some have contributed to the process. each of them campaigned in an aggressive and dynamic way to spread our message of conservatism. each is going to play a vital in november. and you know their names. wrote it down. jon huntsman, herman cain, rick perry, ron paul, rick santorum, and newt gingrich. thank you to this extraordinary team. we have all fought hard and well.

we're going to fight for the things that we believe in. [applause] and i express my appreciation to senator mccain for his battle for the presidency, for standing true to the principles of our party, for the fact that he has been a fighter for america for decades. this is not someone who came late to the game. he has been a stalwart champion of the things that make america america from his earliest days. and he has sacrificed enormously and continues to battle to this day. i hope we can always count on seeing john mccain in the u.s. senate fighting for the things that we believe in the. thank you, senator. [applause] i am surprised that senator mccain did not regale you with some of his favorite jokes.he says this is the only state in america where mothers do not

tell their children that someday they can grow up to be president. i think i can join the millions of americans that wish you had proved them wrong, john. you would have been president right now. four years ago, the then- candidate obama was speaking in denver, not far from here, standing in front of greek remember that? do not think he will be standing in front of greek columns this time. of greece. [applause] he laid out in his speech there, at their convention, how he would measure progress. he literally used these words. he said, "we measure progress differently." it was the fact that he said, "we measure progress." he described how he and his party measured progress.

us a report card to go back and score him on the very report card he laid out. he said, for instance, the democrats' measure progress by whether people have good jobs that can pay for mortgages. we are 3.5 years later, and he has not created a single net new jobs in america. there have been job losses. 93% of the people who have lost jobs have been women. on the measure he put in place, creating jobs where people can pay mortgages, he fails. there was another measure he laid out. he said in a setting where you are having progress you can measure it by whether people saw wages and income going up or go in belem. ok. for the last -- or going down. for the last four years, the

median income has dropped by $3,000. health care costs have gone up. gas prices have doubled. food costs have gone up. the second measure he has failed. the third measure he spoke about -- he said to see progress, you dream or idea of being able to take the risk to start a new business. what has happened in the world of business start-ups? they have dropped by about 150,000 a year under this president. again, on the measure he himself set out, he has failed. there are a lot of other measures as well. we have record levels of people on food stamps, record levels of poverty. from the middle class intoyou have at the same time home values that have dropped by 30%

or more in some places, and in some cases still going the wrong. on almost every measure, this president has failed. he has also failed overseas. senator mccain described israel and our relationship to that country, the need to show solidarity with our allies. we are not closer to peace in the middle east by virtue of his policies in israel. the arab spring has turned into an era of winter. he failed to execute the status of forces agreement to make sure the gains achieved at great cost in iraq would be sustained and secured. russia with regards to the new start treaty, which i think was exceptionally one-step -- one- sided. iran is rushing toward denuclearization -- doward nuclearization. he made errors in afghanistan.

he is clearly out of ideas and excuses. put him out of office. [applause] i happen to have met him four or five years ago at a dinner in washington, d.c., where we were both invited to tell some jokes about our respective parties. i found him to be a nice guy. i think he is a nice person. i just do not think we can afford him any longer. i do not think the american people can afford to have barack obama as their president. [applause] he points out he did not cause the recession. but he did make it worse. he says things are getting better. and i sure hope they are getting better. i hope that are getting better, but that is not because of them. that is despite of him.

he has made this recession harder to come out of. say that" -- go to his signature achievements. i ask yourself which of those are causing employment to rise right now. i hope it is rising. why would encourage employment? what about the stimulus? that was 3.5 years ago. he borrowed all that money, said he would hold unemployment below 8%. it has not been below 8% 6, 38 -- 8% since, 38 straight months. if unemployment is coming down, it is in spite of that stimulus, and thanks to the entrepreneurship of the american individual. look at the other legislation. does obama encourage businesses to hire people? the opposite.

i get the chance to talk to small business people. the thing they mentioned time and time again is their fear of obamacare. it is one reason businesses have held back on hiring. the labor policies -- does anybody think stacking the board with stooges to hire people? it's just the opposite. how has that worked out? the big banks have gotten bigger since the legislation was passed. and the banks that have been hurt are the community banks. and guess which banks it is that provide loans to start-up businesses, the community banks. that's one reason why you've seen fewer start u.p.s. in this

country. no doubt frank sint help create jobs. obama didn't help create jobs. the so-called stimulus isn't creating jobs today. how about his tax policies? think about that. there are a bunch of taxes that this president has been encouraging. one is to take the marginal tax rate from 35% to 40%. now, i know that he thinks that's going to get a lot of support among people who want to tax folks who they think are particularly prosperous. but don't forget who pays taxes at that marginal rate. small business. do you know how many private sector workers in america work for businesses that are taxed not as corporations, but as individuals? and pay those marriagenal rates. 54% of america's workers work in businesses taxed at the individual level. so if you raise marginal taxes, you will ultimately kill jobs. then, of course, even within

obama care, ease got this tax on revenues. this is a frightening thing. there's a company called neuvasive they make devices for back and neck surgery. they ploim about 1,500. they said the tax on their revenue will have to cause them to lay off 200 to 300 people. so even businesses are not postable will be taxed under the obama regime. then vice president biden. did you hear him the other day? he says he's in favor of a new global tax. he's the gift that keeps on giving, you know that? this guy. [applause]

if he's planning to put this all on businesses, some will decide to go elsewhere and go somewhere else. they don't understand that some of their policies cause people to do different things. they create incentives to change behavior. and when you apply taxes that other countries don't have, or when you make the taxes higher than other countries have them, inevitably enterprises will start up in other places rather than here. what we have here is such an extraordinary economic engine that leads the world, in part because the founders recognize that in america we would be free to pursue happiness as we choose and establish a government that was limited and that encourage the individuals to build businesses and build enterprises. and as they do, that doesn't make us poorer, that makes us better off. america leads the world economically because we have always led the world in terms of our economic freedom. freedom drives america's economy. that's why we'll win! [applause]

i don't know whether you heard david axelrod the other day on sunday. i don't have the exact quote here, but he said something to the effect of we've got to get off the economic road we're on and take a new direction. i could not agree more, all right? [applause] we have to make sure that we get off this road where more and more people are stuck into poverty, where it's tougher and tougher to be in the middle class, where gasoline prices go higher and higher, where the unions are driving what's happening in our schools. this is a very difficult road we're on and it's time we're going to get off it. i'm convinced the president was also right the other day when he said that we're going to have two competing visions in the election in november.

there's the vision which represents the road we're on, in david axelrod's words, and there's the different vision, which is the vision we represent. we can just describe some of the differences. in terms of the road we're on, the obama vision, it means trillion dollar deficits every year. it means a president who in four years has amassed as much public debt as all the prior presidents combined. the alternative vision is the vision we represent. if i'm president, we will cut federal spending, we will eliminate programs, we'll combine some agencies and departments. we'll cap federal spending as a percentage of the budget and we'll finally get us on track to having a balanced budget. [applause] if we stay on the road we're on, you're going to see government getting larger and larger and larger and met tass tiesing itself into every aspect of american life.

do you know how big government is as a percentage of our economy? federal and state local government represents 38% of our economy. and if obama care is allowed to stand, they'll take that up to almost half the total economy. are we still a free economy in a setting like that? and then if you take the things that government is trying to control indirectly, financial services, automotive, energy, health care, you go throughout the economy, they will directly or indirectly control over half the u.s. economy. that's where they're taking us. i don't believe in an economic system run by government and controlled by government. i want to return to america the principles of free enterprise and economic freedom that drove us to be the most powerful economy in the world. [applause] one of the most dangerous aspects of the road we're on is

represented by a president and a party who unfortunately take their direction far too often. from union chief executive officers, u.n. c.e.o.'s. that's where they get their money, hundreds of millions of dollars, and that's where they pay obedience. you look at the president's agenda. all federal projects we're going to make sure union guys get them, not fair rules, where the best competitor gets a chance to compete. no, no, we're going to give it to our friends and then stack the national labor board to try and tell boeing they can't build a factory in south carolina. and then you have a setting where in washington, d.c., where a lot of our schools are just awful, people standing in line to be able to go to a charter school. what does this administration do? shuts down that option. who do you think was crying for that but the teachers union,

demanding that their way be held. then we had opportunities to open new markets. a productive nation like ours grows and is more successful if we can sell goods to other nations. everyone else has figured that out. china and europe kwan nations, over the last 3 nevada years, have opened up 44 different agreements with various nations, trade agreements. guess how many this president has put in place or negotiated in the last 3 1/2 years. none. the three that were finally approved by the senate were the ones that were negotiated by his predecessor. these are the demands of the union bosses. and let me tell you, if anything will kill america's economy, if it were not our deficit and the massive debts this president is amassing, it is his o'bodyence to the union c.e.o.'s. i believe in the right for people to join unions if they to, but i also believe that we have to have a president that will stand up for the american

people at large, not just a segment of the american people. if i'm. of the united states, one of the things i will do to reign in the excesses is to link the pay of government workers with a pay in benefits that exists in the private sector. [applause] you know the road we're on with regards to health care. it's a road that says that federal bureaucrats can do a better job than you can deciding what kind of health insurance you ought to have. and ultimately i'm convinced those federal bureaucrats will tell you what kind of treatments you can receive. that's where we're headed. if i become president we will repeal obama care and return to the individuals in america the responsibility and the right for their own health care. [applause] you know the road we're on with regards to energy. this is a president who says he

likes all of the above. do you hear that? he keeps saying that. i scratch my head because, you know, his e.p.a. and other regulators have been trying to insinuate themselves into regulating natural gas. hopefully they're backing away from that. i saw good news on that today. they made it harder to mine coal and to use coal. they put a moratorium on drilling for oil in the gulf and don't drill for oil at anwr or the continental shelf. it does not seem like an all of the above energy policy to me. and then i figured it out. the president does like all of the above. he likes all of the energy sources that come from above the ground, all right? so anything from below the ground he doesn't like -- coal, oil, gas. [applause] we all like wind and solar, but we also like those underground. i will have an energy policy

focused on keeping the hundreds of billions of dollars we spend a year buying energy from other people, keeping it here. and by the way, one person we will buy from, and that's oil from canada, because i will build that pipeline if i have to myself. [applause] the road we're on is one where every four years the president or his party, they talk about intitlements and the fact that medicare and social security are nearing insolve ventcy. and they also talk about immigration and the challenges for the immigration programs and our immigration policies. and yet, when they had a super majority in the house and a super majority in the senate and the white house, what did they do about social security and medicare and immigration? nothing. for them these are campaign issues.

these aren't issues to deal with and improve. if i'm president of the united states, we will work together to preserve and protect medicare, social security and legal immigration. [applause] i just wants to mention the military for a moment. there does seem to be one place where the president is willing to cut back, and that's our military. i don't see the world as a safer place. when i look at pakistan and the nuclear weapons and the state of their government, when i consider iran and their rush towards rear organization or china and their claim to the south china see, when i look at what's happening in the middle east, i don't think america is on a track to say we should dramatically cut back on our military capability. we have fewer shippings in our navy today than any time since 1917. our air force fleet is older

and smaller than any time since 1947 when it was formed. our troops were, as you know, stretched to the breaking points in the conflicts we've had, and yet our president wants to cut our number of troops. my own view is very much consistent with that of ronald reagan, and that is that the best ally peace has ever known is a strong america, and i will defend our military. [applause] the road we're on is one of blaming and dividing. this is a president who time and again is looking for someone to blame for his own failures, someone to scapegoat. the chairman a moment ago described some of the people and groups he's tried to blame over the past several months. the list is getting longer and more intense as he feels himself under pressure, whether it's the 1% of success or

whether it's congress or republicans or speculators. you name it, he's always got someone to blame for the fact that he has failed so obviously on all of the measures he described for himself. i will not apologize for success at home and i will never apologize for american greatness abroad. [applause] and i will endeavor in every way possible to bring americans together, because i subscribe fully, as our party does, to the principle of america being one nation under god. this is a great land and a great people with a great purpose. the president said we have alternative visions. true. we've seen where his vision leads -- job losses, losses of homes, losses of savings.

we've seen the vision of barack obama. just open your eyes if you want to see where his vision leads. the vision we have, the vision i have, the vision we share is one where once again the middle class is growing and people are earning more money. where kids can afford college. when they come out of college, they can find a job. when soldiers coming out of the military know that there's a good job waiting for them that reflects their talent and the skills they've received in the military. the america you and i are going to fight for is would be where we are known and respected around the world, known that you are on word means something, known that our military is the strongest in the world, so strong ta no one would ever think of testing it. that's a great thing about a strong military. you don't have to use it. just having it keeps bad people from doing bad things. [applause]

this is an america that i see, that we see, with bright prospects for our kids. when you ask parents, do you think the future will be brighter than the past? they'll say absolutely. i see the road we're on. the debt is getting smaller, we're balancing budgets, jobs are growing again, enterprises are starting up again. the number of start-ups are going up, incomes are going up, that's the vision i see. and i also see a nation that's united. for me the image of america comes to mind in a lot of different mental pictures that i've had over the years. let me mention one to you. i was serving as the governor of my state and i got a call from the airport, and they said that the remains of one of our servicemen killed in iraq was coming in on a u.s. airways flight to logan airport. they called the parents and asked the parents if they could

come to the airport to receive their son's body. but the parents lived so far away they couldn't get there in time, and they asked if i could go in their stead to receive the body, and i said of course. our state capitol is close to the airport. we got in the car and drove over to the airport, went under the tarmac. this u.s. airways jet came in and stopped in front of the terminal, and the people disembarked. and then the conveyor came down and all the luggage came off. finally, when everything was cleared, the casket appeared. and it was brought down the conveyor, and the soldiers that were there picked it up. i put my hand on my heart and the state troopers who were there with me saluted. as i was standing there and looking at that casket as it was put in the hearst, i happened to glance up toe terminal. and there's a big glass wall tt boston airport. it seems that the people who

had come off the aircraft had seen all the police cars out there. so they stopped against that glass wall to see what was happening, and then people that were walking down the hall, they saw all those people lined up against the glass, so they crowded in behind them. and as i looked up there, every single person i could see had their hand on their heart. that's the image that comes to my mind when i think about america. i don't think about an america divided. i think of an america that's patriotic, that respects the sacrifice of heroes proved in liberated strife who more than self their country love and mercy more than life. that kind of pride in america, we're going to bring it back again and again by virtue of restoring the principles that made america the hope of the earth. our commitment to freedom, to unity, our commitment to respect, to free enterprise, too people being able to pursue

happiness in the way they choose. thee commitments are profound, defining, exceptional. this is the greatest nation in the history of the earth because of our people, our place and the principles that made us this great nation. we will restore them together with a great win in november. thank you so much. [cheers and applause] [applause]

>> thank you, governor, and thank you senator mccain. we can assure you that we're not going to trade the vision of our founding fathers for the dreams of obama. and we have a lot of work to do. this isn't going to happen automatically, it's going to happen by being unified as a party, because if this is not just a bunch of talk, and it really is a fight for the very idea of america, then we are committed to building this party through the concepts of addition and multiplication and not division and subtraction. so with that, our commitment is to make this election about the big things -- liberty, freedom,

the constitution, jobs in america. we're going to have a great afternoon for everybody as well. we've got break-out sessions. governor sandoval tonight. and we've got a lot of work to do. so with that, i want to wish all of you god's blessings and we'll see you soon. thank you. [applause] ♪ >> coming up next -- u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon on the conference. after that education secretary arne duncan previews the president's trips to south carolina, colorado and iowa. then former attorney general michael mukasey on the state of the war on terror. on tomorrow morning's

"washington journal," a look at the 2012 congressional book. our guest is thomas schatz. then we hear from bob dean of the national resources defense council. and later, a discussion on the i.m.s. and rollback spring meetings and efforts by the i.m.f. to raise for fund. a former executive board member explains the kevin durant eurozone situation. "washington journal" takes your calls and emails live every morning, starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> when i was embedded in eastern afghanistan the soldiers started telling me that the u.s. government was wasting tens of billions of dollars on mismanagement development and logistics contracts. >> in funding the enemy, douglas wissing follows the money in afghanistan and finds corruption from top to bottom,

right into the hands of the taliban. >> i was in one meeting where the brigade commander, an incredibly effective guy named colonel mike howard -- this is not long after president obama took office, and the state department was out there saying, ok, you're going to get a whole bunch of development money. it's counterinsurgency. we're going to do this. win their hearts and minds. and colonel howard said don't send me any more money, send me contract officers that can oversee this stuff. i need people. i don't need more money. >> doug list wissing on bankrolling the enemy sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a. and on may 6, a q&a interview to coincide with the passage of power, volume four in the years of lyndon johnson. the biography of the 36th president. >> now u.n. secretary general

ban ki-moon delivers a keynote address at the center for global development forum on renewable and sustainable energy. he calls on president obama to attend the upcoming u.n. conches this summer. world leaders and government officials from around the world will meet in brazil in june to discuss how developing a green economy can reduce poverty. this is about 40 minutes. >> i now have the great privilege -- really it is a privilege -- of introducing secretary general ban ki-moon. and i'm not going to give his bio, i'm just going to say a couple of things. one is that i've had the pleasure and the privilege of meeting him several times with a group of economists, and one of the things that has impressed me very much as head of the center for global development is how he is a champion of the developing world and of the world's poor.

the second thing that's relevant for today is that he has taken tremendous leadership on this long-term issue of energy for all in eliminating energy poverty and, of course, clean energy. and that is what we need from our global leaders, the long-term vision. of course, we all know he's very busy with short-term crises as well, but he has really stuck to this mission of worrying about climate issues as they affect the world's poor and about energy for all. mr. secretary general. [applause] >> thank you. president of center for global development, the minister of the development of denmark. we just met this morning.

and distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen. it's a great honor and pleasure for me to speak and discuss with you one of the very important agendas, energy. i cannot think of a more timely or more important reason on come together and sit together with you today. energy connects economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability. i know this from my own experience as a young boy of korea. i grew up doorg a during a time when we didn't have energy, until i became a freshman in college in 1963. i had a study and i had to lead under a smoky kerosene lamp.

the candles i used only during the time to prepare for exams, examinations. candles were considered to be too expensive for me and for most of the people. this memory has stayed with me such a long time. i have many things to tell you whenever i talk about the education. i have a lot of things to talk to african people, and many poor children. i just wanted to give a sense of hope for their brighter future, depending upon looking to the united nations. fortunately my country changed. my perspective also changed owing to my country, korea. and we were able to have affordable energy now. nobody would have questioned

whether we would have light here or some heating facilities or cooling facilities here. but too many people around the world have not that kind of benefits. widespread energy poverty extends to many people and to missed opportunities. energy poverty is a threat to the achievement of energy development. this is inquectable, unsustainable, it is unjust -- injust. children cannot study in the dark. people cannot be productive when they have to work miles and miles to have firewood.

businesses and economies cannot grow without power. we must find a way to end this energy poverty, and with the climate change a growing threat to all of us, we have to rethink conventional energy solutions. we can no longer -- there is a limit in our planetary resources. we are using 1.3 times of our available resources, as if we have five planet earths. this notion must be changed. providing sustainable energy to all provides benefits for developed and developing countries alike. it can enable developing countries to leapfrog over the

energy systems of the past and feel the resilient competitive clean energy economies for all. that is why i have why i have established a sustainable energy. this is a very ambitious course. first, to provide access to people around the world of energy by 2013 into a double the energy efficiency by 2030 and to double the share of energy in the global energy mix. we found very ambitious, but we believe that it is possible. it is achievable if we work together. that is why we have established

the eminent experts and a visionary thinkers. the united states has provided strong leadership. we have the secretary of state, his vision. the president of the foundation that has provided his trademark or passion. we have the chairman of the american bank. he is also serving as the share of this group. we are truly grateful for their dedication. when it comes, they are united.

to end of this energy poverty. our challenge is to join forces, overcome that. lee will need innovation to spread throughout the world, especially where energy demand is growing fastest. we want to make a quantum left by forging a strong partnership with the private sector and the primary source of the new of dueent - -of du- investment. it will bring together key stakeholders to change the world's energy systems.

it will introduce a new public- private partnership. for the necessary conditions, including the large-scale investment. a broad range of stakeholders, the initiative will mobilize solutions and for their commitment. the partnership, will be central to this. the is why i am making sustainable energy for all to be supported by the partnership facility which i am going to establish a. it will be my commitment to implement this actual agenda

which i have laid out this year as i began my second -- very concrete areas on how we can and thiend this policy. we must rally behind these priorities. i am glad that we are changing hands such as the global lighting and the excess partnerships. the countries are also spending a up ha. one of the first countries to partner with this has started to develop programs of actions. many of the countries are

looking to get involved. they pledged to provide access for half a billion people by 2013. -- 2030. it is a powerful political commitment that can set the course for generations to come. i call on all of you for the support. [unintelligible] it is just two months away, 60 days. they want to see renewed political commitment to

sustainable development. they also want to see a concrete deliverable that will place us on this path. i continue to use every possible opportunity to maintain a high level of ambition is to produce a powerful outcome. [unintelligible] that was, for the first time, the secretary-general of the united nations has participated in this ministers' meeting, and we discussed about energy, we discussed about the prospect for sustainable development.

it is difficult, there are 26 critical areas starting from climate change, land use, transport, disaster preparedness, and sustainable consumption. those are the issues we are tackling to have a bold and ambitious package. energy is a cost-cutting issue. we cannot achieve anything.

we are successful in providing energy, we can pull this very skillfully and wisely. one expected outcome is a compendium, but commitment is not enough. we must do what we do. we need to focus more attention on how we need to do with. it. we need a system to track where we may be falling short. major groups have a central role to play in planning and implementation.

we need an interface between science and policy making, and to improve the sustainable framework. i am personally committed to organizing the system to promote success, and the robust implementation. i emphasized that there will be propelled in large part by the decisions on investment, subsidies, and distressed to

them the challenges that we face are of such an immense magnitude and so closely interconnected that they require nothing less than the paradigm shift. the fundamental reset of the development agenda. we must seize this once in a generation opportunity to agree on a concrete set of outcomes that will create an increase in live and grain economy for this and future generations. i am also mobilizing the entire un system. in geneva, i chaired the chief executive board meeting where all the leaders of the specialized agencies, programs are all together where we agreed

and committed ourselves to produce an ambitious and bold package. let me share with you from a joint declaration. it is something we issued as a result of this meeting. they must provide for the future with a piece, economic, a social development. and a healthy equitable environment to present future generations.

this is the task before us. a great challenge of our time, it is the most crucially important opportunity, we must be sure that it is a worthy successor for 1992, 20 years ago. the center for global development is uniquely positioned to help insure that for the commitments are kept. we count on your research and your reputation to help us move toward sustainable energy. together, let us work to shape of this worthis world's future.

to make this world better for all. thank you for your attention and, i count on your leadership. thank you. [applause] thank you. >> thank you very much, mr. secretary-general. you can see the sense of excitement you engendered. on the part of the center, we accept your challenge to help any fundamental feeling you invoked. i also thank you for the energy you brought to the issue of sustainable energy.

the secretary-general has agreed that answer some questions from the floor. maybe i can ask the first question. one of our ambitions about today's event has manhattan to help formulate and pushing and encourage the u.s. in terms of its commitment and its promise to commit. who have said a lot about the various commitments you are receiving to making this real and operationable going forward. if you could whisper in the ear otheresident obama wer, or leaders in congress, what would you say? what would you ask?

>> i have been repeated publicly and privately aggressing -- addressing many global challenges. like climate change, hunker eradication, global health issues. the political will and leadership is the most important part. it depends on how of leader of the country or the leaders of the world commit themselves. that is why they have had been summoning thme. it is important to have leaders commit themselves. raising political leadership.

more than 130 heads of state and government are coming. it will be one of the biggest conferences in history. it is the most powerful leadership country, we count on the united states. for everything we do. when it comes to the united nations, the u.s. pays for their budget. when it comes to climate change, the u.s. can play the most important role, that is why i have been working very closely with former president bush and current president obama.

president obama has been committed and forward looking addressing global challenges. i hope he will participate himself. that is why to a synergistic effect, we have this meeting. i know they will be in mexico, and they will have the conference. and i believe that you all have to speak. you have may be better access to his pannier. -- to his ear. i count on the business

communities, civil societies. sometimes they have more power that i as a secretary general. sometimes it is politically sensitive on certain issues. >> please send president obama a tweet. [laughter] questions? go ahead, introduce yourself. >> thank you very much for your dedication on this really important topic. i was wondering if you could mention briefly, commitments and dedications of the private

sector towards your initiative. >> how about we take several questions and decide which ones and how you want to answer. yes, lisa. >> could you, perhaps, cite what you think could come out of rio that could most directly help the un climate negotiations? thank you. >> other questions? >> thank you, your excellency. it seems that a significant emerging issue is that the total scale of the -- i am wondering how you recommend that they deal

with this conundrum in the face of the fact that we are already subscribing to resources. >> and you want to answer those? we will have time for one more round. >> we have a big project going with the small island states in the country and we did presentations for general assembly last year. who want to see if we can count on your support to have the island states become the leaders going towards sustainability. >> all these very important questions, very pertinent. many global challenges, we believe that partnership is very important. in the past, a usual pattern of

business was that it was only government. a government that has been providing development assistance to many developing world. united nations has been heavily dependent on the government sources, the funding sources. and in this time of austerity, when most of the other countries are suffering from economic difficulties, the role of the private sector is very much important. i think they are the ones that really have the innovation in technology. they're the ones that invest more and wisely for the sustainable and green economy. government normally makes their policy guidelines, and these days, and even the private sector business community is leading the government.

they are leading the government for better selection. it is not the business community we count on, it is civil society. never in the past been so strong. you are stronger than government ministers, prime ministers, or presidents. sometimes they are very weak to your words. use your influence to challenge the leaders to go to the right direction, to go to a sustainable ways. politics, economic policies, social policies, they should all be based on sustainable path. this is what we are going to achieve at the summit meeting.

putting everything on a sustainable path. including agenda issues hoar youth issues. we have to provide a decent job opportunity for women. and we have to change business as usual. let me go to this planetary limitation and resources. this is related. we are using an 01 0.3 times more than we have. if you have to spend 1.3 times more than a year salary, what happens to your economy? what happens to your companies? they go bankrupt. if we continue this way, as the same way that industrialized countries spend and behave,

instead of using our resources, it is something like having five plant earths. we have one earth. we don't have five earths. but what you're doing, what we're doing is as if there is no tomorrow. we have burn coal resources in the name of prosperity. we have to change this, we have to be very honest here in terms of utilizing resources. that is why we have to use renewable energy. we have 16% of global renewable energy. we have to double this more than 30%. continuously, and naturally replenished sources of energy, wind, solar, hydro.

they will, always, as early as we want. but we have to completely change, and you have to change your individual behavior patterns at home. and companies, had offices, even just one electricity bill will save a lot. oflet's be very conscious planetary limitations. we have limited resources, we have to be very conscious. this is a very strong message i am telling you. on another issue, the specific issue of whether rio will be negotiating this climate change, we have 26 critically important

areas that you have to address. starting with climate change. but the specific meeting will not be the venue for climate change negotiation. climate change has a separate mandated process of negotiation, the united nations convention on climate change. we have the team negotiations. i have made his climate change as the number wantagh priority in the global agenda. without addressing climate change properly, as soon as possible, by 2020, who will be heading for almost the to pinpoint how of planet earth.

we are slowly approaching who our future. that is why i have been urging member states to agree on who will believe binding and comprehensive of agreements on climate change. last year in december, member states agreed to agree on a global treaty, a binding treaty by 2015. and for ratification, the target is by 2020, we will have consecutive binding comprehensive climate treaty. that is our target. there will be a strong commitment of the united nations to address this climate change.

we have many other issues like energy shortages, water scarcity, a food crisis. gender issues, global health, organization, transport. all of these are very important issues which you have to address very comprehensively, from a broad perspective for the future of our world. at last, about the small island in developing states, yesterday, i have a good meeting with a group of ambassadors coming in from the pacific island and developing states. you have a very powerful hong group of small states whose future is affected by the rising sea. that is why you have to address in this climate change as soon

as possible. september of last year, i visited a small island in developing states in the pacific. for the first time, the secretary general of the un has ever visited in this small island, the pacific states. i was struck by what i have seen. this island is almost under the water. it continuously. my wife and i were given life jackets in case the tide might rise during nighttime. i saw many children whose parents have to be very

vigilant and watching the high rise during nighttime. i was struck when i read the three or four weeks ago, heehaw president of the country was negotiating to buy some land to relocate all of his country's population. because this island is sinking. for their future, for their survival. there are so many countries. that is why i have been raising alarms, beating drums on the importance and urgency of climate change. and i am very committed to addressing these issues, they established the special bureau teeming with the small island

developing states. the former cabinet meeting under the sea, those are real threats. which you don't feel much living in these prosperous states and countries. i am telling the citizens of the american government, you have to see beyond what your living. you don't feel anything real. even climate change you don't feel, but when you go out, millions of people whose life and are threatened by rising sea tides, the impact of drought,

impact by climate change, the scarcity of water. those are real threats which we have to help those people. the united nations is very much committed. that is why i am here, appealing to you. very important opinion makers. let us work together for the future of our generations and for the future of this planet earth. i think you very much for this opportunity. [applause] >> thank you for your inspiration, please remain wary warned of the secretary-general leaves. i would like to thank the

government of denmark, thank those of you that participated, thank you for your inspiration, thank-you to the climate advisers have to our fantastic speakers. i hope you all to pick up a copy of the report which gives you an agenda for what the united states, what the role of the u.s. can be. thank you very much. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> coming up next, education secretary on a dunk and previews the president's to next week in colorado and iowa. and former attorney general michael casey on the state of the war on terror. and after that, remarks by one

of the lead attorneys arguing against the affordable health care act for the supreme court. the space shuttle discovery is now on display at the smithsonian museum outside washington d.c. and it arrived earlier this week. you can see the landing and the official transfer ceremony tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern on c-span. this weekend on but tv, who live coverage from the los angeles * festival of books. coverage starts at 2:00 p.m. eastern saturday and sunday. biographers and john farrell and richard reeves on clarence darrow, dwight eisenhower, and jfk. and call in with your questions for stephen ross, author of hollywood left and right, how movie stars shape american politics. and his take on liberals and the

cause. and the panel on surveillance and secrets. the entire schedule for the weekend as online. >> of the white house press secretary of education secretary highlight the president's upcoming trips to universities in north carolina, colorado, and iowa. during his trip, president obama will call on congress to prevent interest rates on student loans for doubling. in effect subsidized stafford loans that are issued to low and middle-income graduates. this is about 20 minutes. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. it is great to have you here today. as intel, i have with me the secretary of education. this week, as you know, president obama is launching a

concerted effort to get congress to stop the interest rate on student loans from bubbling in july. secretary duncan is here to talk about that issue, to take questions on that issue from you. he can also take questions on other issues related to education. it is worth noting that home secretary duncan oversees the implementation of the education agenda, his vision for its investment in agenda, and the education reform. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. it is great to have you here today. as you can tell, i have with me the secretary of education, arnie duncan. this week, as you know, president obama is launching a concerted effort to get congress to stop the interest rate on student loans from dublin in july. secretary duncan -- from doubling in july. secretary duncan is here to take questions on that issue from you. he can also answer questions on other education issues. it is worth noting the secretary oversees the implementation of the president's education agenda, his vision for investment and education reform. the education reform is something that, in a way that is often unmentioned by folks in washington -- has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. this should enjoy broad bipartisan support. you really have to have a brick

in your head not to understand that education is the cornerstone of our economic future. without it, we cannot compete and win in the 21st century. with that, i give you secretary duncan. >> thank you, and good afternoon. next week, president obama is traveling to three states to talk about the fact that interest rates for new student loans are set to increase on july 1 unless congress acts. the rates were set in 2007. the current interest rate is 3.4%. it will double without congressional action to 6.8%. this will add more than $1,000 in costs over the life of that loan. for students to borrow heavily, it would obviously cost them even more. we estimate the increase will affect more than 7 million families expected to take out new loans this fall. at a time when going to college has never been more important, it has unfortunately never been more expensive. families and students are

struggling to meet these costs. i have travelled throughout the country. i was out there the past two days. it is not just disadvantaged communities. middle-class folks are starting to think colleges might be just for rich folks. next week, president obama will outline the end ministration proposal to work with congress to keep interest rates -- the administration proposal to work with congress to keep interest rates down. all of us share the responsibility for the cost of college. because this issue is so important to our economy and our future, our administration is doing more than ever to address it. we have a number of proposals in our 2013 budget. with the support of congress, we have doubled pell grant funding for low-income students and nearly triple tax credits for middle-income families.

we are going to lower the cap to 10%, starting in 2013. so many of us have held town halls across the country to talk about the cost of college. we have met with university presidents, governors, state legislators, and members of congress. next week, the president will meet with students at the university of north carolina, the university of colorado, and iowa city. these are among the nation's educational jewels. we should do everything possible to make sure they remain affordable. 2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the more act, signed into law by abraham lincoln, which created the first public universities. we have a responsibility to honor this vision by working together to ensure that college remains affordable for all americans. i will stop there, if there are questions. >> the white house is going to be screening a movie on a piece of legislation called the student discrimination act, to prevent discrimination against

lgbt students. >> we have to do everything we can to ensure there is no tolerance for this. i met with a woman in the movie. it was personal for me and the president. we all have children going firms -- going to school now. when children are scared, it is hard to concentrate on biology and culture. we have seen the support for an anti-bullying summit here in the white house. the president talked about his own experience. we see many states trying to stop bullying in schools. we want to make sure our children are safe and secure. not just physical bullying, cyber bullion. some of my toughest meetings have been with parents who lost their children to suicide due to the impact. i think this movie is hard- hitting. it tells the truth.

i hope it will create awareness around the country. this cannot be a normal right of passage. -- rite of package. >> are you talking about a one- year freese in the interest rate? >> we need to fix it now. think about the long term as well. this has always enjoyed bipartisan support. we have to educate our way to a greater economy. to not do this together does not make sense. >> is it a short-term freeze? >> let us work together as a country to work on the long- term issues. >> what do you say to the republicans that say this is a deadline that comes out of democratic legislation, right before an election, while the president is out on the campaign trail. >> this passed in 2007 with broad bipartisan support,

signed by a republican president. we understand that if we want to keep jobs in this country, we are competing against india, china, singapore, south korea. to keep those good jobs, we have to have an educated workforce. i have lots of data. if you have less than a high- school diploma, there is a decrease of 200,000 jobs. if you have a college degree, it is about 1.4 million new jobs. those trends are only going to continue. i could care less about ideology. we need an educated workforce. it is fascinating to me that in a tough economic time like this we have 2 million high wage high-skilled jobs that are unfilled because we are not producing employees with the skills employers are looking for. i cannot tell you how many ceo's who are trying to hire. they are not trying to export

jobs, but we are not producing the workers. we have a skills gap. we have to close it. we have to have a lot more young people graduate from college. >> you are saying republicans are wrong to suggest this is a wedge issue. >> this past five years ago in a bipartisan way. no reason it should not pass again. we have to educate our way to a better economy. that is not a republican or democrat issue. that is reality. >> you said it would increase the average loan by $1,000. what is the size of an average loan? >> it varies. for each year this does not happen, it is an additional $1,000. we know debt from college exceeds credit card debt in this country. something is wrong with that picture. we do not need to increase that debt. we have done so much to try to

make college more affordable, with programs, work study opportunities, pell grants. unfortunately, many american families in all types of neighborhoods and backgrounds are trying -- are starting to think college is not for them. that is a real problem. >> i will use a term that is familiar to you. are you going to put some skin on the hill -- some skin in the game, going to the hill? >> i will do what it takes. i have done a number of town halls with the vice president. he is going to three different universities next week. i know you guys love politics and all that stuff. that is not my interest. i am not good at it, do not care about it. we need a lot more young people to go to college and to graduate. if families start to think they cannot afford college, that is not good for our communities

and our country. absolutely. whatever it takes. >> i want to ask you a question. this is the anniversary of columbine, the fifth anniversary of virginia tech. lessons have been learned. from your perspective, what more needs to be done? >> it is a great question. i think we as a nation have learned a tremendous amount about the warning signs, about acting quickly when there is an issue. i take it back to the bullying issue. when we have young adults and high-school students who do not feel safe, who are not secure, you cannot be as effective as you need to and concentrate academically. creating a climate that is free of violence and fear, where people can concentrate in class, is important. there has been progress, a reduction in violence. but obviously one incident is too many. i come at this as a parent.

i have a 10-year-old daughter and an a-year-old sound. -- an 8-year-old son. i do not want them to worry about this. >> the shootings may have meant more than bullying or an atmosphere of violence. >> that is correct. universities, fellow students, when we are seeing something that does not feel right and look right, raise the alarm early and let folks know that this is a student or young adult with some issues. we have to have some conversations. not always, but so often, there are indications this person is not stable. i think we have to take this -- unfortunately, we have to take this very seriously. office,essman klein's as you were coming to the podium, said no one has offered

a serious proposal to pay for this $6 billion stopgap. what do you see as a way to pay for this, so we are not adding to the deficit? "president's budget has a number of proposals to pay for it, which we want to work with congress to do. we are committed to paying for it. we will work with congress. i have tremendous respect for the chairman klein. this is important for his family's in minnesota. -- families in minnesota. >> how would you balance this with the concerns allowing more credit would create a student loan bubble and increase college tuition? >> the most important thing we can do is to have young people graduate. that is the best investment we

can make. if you have no debt, that is the best situation. but this is not bad debt to have. there is data on jobs and how much your earning potential through your life time goes up. this is the best long-term investment you can make. but we are worried about debt going higher and higher. when we have an opportunity to work together to prevent that escalation of debt, this is the right thing to do. i expect folks to step up and do that. >> is there no link between access to loans and rising cost of tuition? >> people say with these programs tuition goes up. look over 30 years. 19 of the year's programs went up. -- of the years, pell grants went up. 10 of the years, they went down. every year, tuition went up. we are trying to increase grants, the biggest since the gi bill.

but states have to invest. we cannot do this ourselves. and universities have to reduce tuition and build cultures around completion. we want to build a scorecard so families can make good choices about good education at a reasonable cost. that transparency and shared responsibility is important. >> [unintelligible] a delegation from india is in town. they are talking about opening 100 or more colleges in india. a high-level delegation is coming from that country in june to washington, d.c. >> i have met repeatedly with my counterpart, the education minister in india. he is an amazing man.

whatever we can do to be helpful, we want to do that. the first time anyone of that stature in and the administration has had that community college background -- whatever we can do to partner with india, we want to do that. some very ambitious goals, but we want to see them achieve it. >> once, india was a house of knowledge. today, india has hundreds of colleges, universities, and schools. how can india hope america? >> we are all in this together. i believe a rising tide lifts all boats. the more we have an educated work force in america and india, both employees and consumers, that is great for the world. we want to partner together. i think we have the best system

of higher education in the world. we have amazing community colleges. 3 over the last few decades in wisconsin and iowa. whatever we can do to help india with its ambitious growth pattern, we want to do that. >> what is so special about these three universities the president is going to visit? do they have a higher rate of students using loans? >> these are public for year universities that folks have -- four-year universities that folks have concern about paying for, flagship universities with large student populations. these are the middle class families having a hard time paying for this. we want more young people going to these types of universities. yesterday in iowa, i talked to a high-school senior who happens to be a twin. her brother was not there. her family is thinking they

have to choose which one can go to college this year. a really deep conversation. no family should have to choose this job or that child. another is one of four in their family. does the older one not go, or the younger one not go? these are hard conversations in madison, wisconsin. these are the real conversations families are having. you should not have to sacrifice one student for the other. he should not have to sacrifice your eldest for your fourth going. -- fourth born. we need to make sure these opportunities stay there. >> if you have an option for paying for it? >> there are in number of ideas the president proposed in his budget. we are working with congress. we are not set on one idea. but the cost of inaction is, i think, unacceptably high. we have to get our act together.

congress is struggling, no question. if there is one issue folks can unite behind, i cannot think of a better one than educating your way to economy. for all the past fighting, why not do the right thing for the country? this is a great opportunity for folks on both sides. >> have you already started going to the hill, talking with lawmakers? >> i have testified to or three times over the last couple of weeks. i will testify again next week. people see the opportunity to do the right thing and the huge cost of inaction. >> what are you doing to rein in the rising tuition cost? >> one big thing is we are proposing a billion dollar raced to the top for higher education. we put money in the states that continue to invest and in those

colleges that keep their costs down and create a culture around completion. it has to be around completion, not just access. there has been a lack of transparency. families are making complicated decisions. it is hard to figure out what the financial aid package is in one university versus another. young people what a great education. they want value for their money as well. we want to move resources more toward universities doing things right, away from those that are not. we have 6000 options for higher education. we want young people to make the right choice for them. >> thank you, secretary duncan. thank you all for your questions. separate from the presentation secretary duncan just gave, i do --

>> coming up next, the state on the war on terror. and attorneys arguing against the affordable health care act before the supreme court. and the republican presidential candidate mitt romney campaigns in minnesota. >> from the colonial era prohibition to today, drinking, for better or worse has been part of the american landscape. a history of alcohol in america, watch the simulcast of back story with the american history guys. the rich gala with tales of beer and spirits in america. in this weekend on c-span 3. >> one of the things that i always remembered because my office overlooks the building in the plaza was that there was a

day care center, some of the children were killed and others injured. they would always come play out here and you would hear their voices. it left a lasting impression when they were silenced. my son was working in the social security office and with someone a friend of was mine. the third message was when he was crying. >> what to the local content of vehicles exploring the history of literary culture of oklahoma city. and on american history de villa on c-span -- tv on cspan 3.

>> former attorney general on the obama stance on the radical islam. he made the remarks at the employers' association policy conference in washington d.c.. he talked about the rise of radical islam and the muslim brotherhood in the 1920's and why hsa-ria law is so dangerous. this is 15 minutes. [applause] >> thank yo8u, elliott. it is our pleasure to introduce our lunch speaker. he is the embodiment of all that is good in our profession and the american dream that the president claims is now dead. born and raised in new york, and

not park avenue, thanks to a towering interact, a superb ethic, he excelled in school at columbia college and yale law school. for the first 20 years, he worked at the top shelf law firm in new york, taking all four years to serve as an assistant united states attorney. he had a reputation as a lawyer's lawyer who could do it all. his mastery was enhanced by his rapier like wit. president reagan appointed him to the district bench where he served as a district judge. he was elevated to be chief

judge in new york where he presided until his retirement in 2006. among the many celebrated cases he can build -- he handled was the case of the blind sheik. teaching the world of the american justice system works at its best, and ultimately sentencing him and his fellow terrorists to life in prison. he returned to private practice spending the majority of his career in public service. he answered the call again when president bush asked him to become the attorney general of the united states and guide the department of justice and through some very stormy waters. at a press conference upon his nomination, he said that the task of helping to protect our security which the justice department shares with the rest

of our government is not the only task before us. the justice department must also protect the safety of our children. hollinger is our prosperity and the rights and liberties that da nation. once again, he brought a steady hand, guided -- guided by a moral compass that was and is infallible. an understanding of the constitutional role of the doj and a complete mastery of the law. he restored the nation's faith in the agency, a faith, i fear, is once again is imperiled. in february 2009, judge mukasey retired once again from government service and joined a private firm where he continues to practice law. we all owe a debt of gratitude to this great man who has served our country with distinction and continues to be a voice of

reason, articulating how the constitution and federal law empowers our elected officials to protect citizens from terrorism and tierney if they are willing to exercise their lawful authority. i am thankful i do not have to figure out if i must addressed him as a general, a judge, or judge-general, because through it all, he is mike mukasey, a man for all seasons who has always answered the call for public service and, happily for us, shares his wisdom with us today. i give you judge michael mukasey. [applause] >> i want to thank larry for my notes. i think i should change it kind introduction to "lavished

introduction." i thank you for inviting me. it is a real pleasure to be in front of an audience that has both republican and lawyer in its title. that is a rare occurrence of these days, but at least i am it ensured when you hear somebody talk about the importance of preserving and defending this country, a country defined by a constitution -- by doing so based on legal principles, the principles apply in the service of politics, they do not start to look uncomfortable and shifting their feet and began to look at their experiences. i also want to stop for a minute and urge you to finish your lunch. i have delivered many clutched speeches. i am neither distracted by the mary tinkle of crockery or flat

where -- merry tinkle of crockery or flatwear. your qualifications make you the ideal audience with whom to discuss not only what i think should be regarded as a threat to the country and civilization that we all value. i also want to go a little bit further and examine whether those charged with responding to that threat have their minds fully into it. first, we have to understand the real nature and some of the history of that threat. it comes from islamism, or political is long as opposed to the religion itself. it has been on display in courtrooms in this country since at least 1994 and is now on display as i speak a in the district of new york where some folks who were plotting to blow up the new york city subway are

on trial. this threat posed a question asked long before 911. that question is how a nation that is defined by a constitution sets bounds on the government's relationship with religion and disregards the idea of a self government as a sacrilege. how is it that after 10 years after 911 and 60 years after one of the earliest islamist said we were incompatible with his decision -- his religion, more than 20 years after terrorist bombs traceable to the movement, and more than 15 years after a son of bin laden made specific his intentions by saying he and others like my dad were at war

with us. we still seem to grapple with what it is we are living with. in a sense, we are constitutionally l equipped to deal with it. -- ill-equipped to deal with it. perhaps because of a religious experience in public life, our constitution -- in an article vi , it bars any religious text for public office. the first amendment means religion out of the public square to the point where even a prayer at an official school function, is forbidden. we tend to think about religion, if we think about it at all, as only one aspect of a person's life, and a private aspect at that. in a sense, it is natural for

people to live in such a -- an atmosphere not to be on the lookout for others who far -- who for religion is not only a way of life, but life is itself. that is where the attack is coming from. 9/11 was certainly not the beginning. as a matter of history, islamism so far as it holds this country in a combination of all, and content, has been around as long wethe other two ism's combated in the last century islamism traces back to egypt in the 1920's when the loosely organized muslim brotherhood was established. it was founded largely as a reaction to the modernizing at influence but of the person who

dismantled what was left of the muslim caliphate in turkey. the drug the country by its lapels into the 20th century. it was an educator and a bureaucrat in the egyptian government. there was enough trouble in egypt to get himself a fellowship in 1948. that was the year albano was killed. that allows it was intended to have the benign effect of staying out of the country for a while. it did have that effect, but he chose to travel to the united states, in particular, to colored water. i think it could be very hard to imagine a most -- a more sedate place than post-world war ii, rather. he hated everything he saw.

american enthusiasm for sports, a jazz, when he caught an animal-like mixing of the sexes, even in church. his conclusion was americans were "numb to faith in religion and spiritual values altogether." he went back to egypt, quit the civil service, and joined the muslim brotherhood. the muslim brotherhood continues to agitate for a refer to reform. they welcomed the coup against the king farouk in 1952. the continued to write and agitate against western civilization, particularly against jews, who believed were atheistic materialist and considered the worst enemy of muslims. he was immensely reelected and

hanged in egypt in 1967. at that time, many members of the of brotherhood fled to saudi arabia where they found ideological sustenance. his brother was among those who fled. among his students were in and out to worry -- al-zawhari, who took over the operation when osama bin laden was killed. the rest, as they say, is history. that history did not come on september 11, to double-a-1, or september 26, 1993 when a truck bomb went off on in the basement of the world trade center killing six people, causing millions of dollars in damage in what would eventually be called the first world trade center

bombing. the in the 1980's, a couple of fbi agents saw some taking some particularly aggressive target practice. as the agents approached, they were accused of "racial profiling." in at the 1990's, one of those men participating in that target practice would assassinate a right-wing israeli politician as he gave a speech in the ballroom of a manhattan hotel. the case was treated by the manhattan be a as the lone act of a lone gunman. in the 1993 world trade center bombing, it became apparent that the assassination had not been the lone act of a long gunman. in fact, when a party's reviewed the amateur video of the speech the night he was killed, they

discovered one of the 1993 bombers had been in the hall when the -- when he was shot. a further investigation showed another driving a vehicle. they were seized from a warehouse. they sought the material included documents that called for the destruction of western civilization, among other ways, toppling tall buildings. a flaw resulted in the assassination of on warsaw got. -- sadat. a fatwah resulted in the 9/11 attacks. several were convicted in for disobeying a in a conspiracy to conduct terror in this country.

it included the murder, the fur trade center bombing, a plot to blow up other landmarks around new york. the big board when he visited the on -- the united nations and -- mubarak when he visited the united nations and on and on. all of this was treated as a series of crimes. on conventional crimes may be, but crimes. in 1986 and 1988 a solid bin laden declared he and his cohorts were at war with the -- , osama bin laden declared that he was -- he and his cohorts were at war with the united states. there was the usual mantra of bringing them to justice. an indictment included bin laden as the main defendant. apparently he was unimpressed,

or at least, undeterred. in 2000, he killed 16 u.s. sailors in in yemen and would have carried out the bombing of another naval vessel but for the fact the barge carrying the explosives was overloaded and sank. that leads us out to september 2001. wartell finally that we were at war, which was more than 50 years after being told that islamist would have to make war with us, after islamist made it clear there were training for war with us, and five years after osama bin laden made it official with a declaration of war. if as loss of one was reject if islamism was just about blowing up people, that would be bad enough. we have a network that sometimes the text our enemies and a

robust military. violence is not the ultimate end. it is simply a means to that end. the end is the imposition of sharia, a comprehensive framework that has spiritual impact that regulates all the paper -- economic, social, legal, military. it is -- it lays its claim to be divinely inspired. surely at is a totalitarian and profoundly anti-democratic. pieces of this comprehensive framework come peeking through in the supports of of violence in this country. the terrorism trial over which i presided in which the defendants were charged with participating in bombing of various landmarks in new york city?

a conspiracy that was in full traded by an informant who tape- recorded the discussions among the participants. one conversation between the informants and one of the defendants -- the defendant commented that the society in this country was one in which anything was available -- pornography, anything. to me, the observation not out of aberration but out of content and the belief that such a society was brought into the core and would collapse easily under the pressure of islam. in the terraced financing at trial in 2008, it was introduced into evidence a document on the general strategic goal for the group. the phrase "the group"

apparently refers to the muslim brotherhood in america. the document was written in 1991. it explains that the islamic movement is a "supplement process" to establishment -- established itself in the united states. robert spencer has described it as "self jihad." the documentation called it a grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the western civilization from within and sabotaging the hands of the believers so it is eliminated and god is made victorious over all other religions. shariah is not simply a muslim

country. it is any place where militants can and do exercise control some neighborhoods in european cities -- france, and glenn, and sweden -- shariah is enforced with the suppression of local all with some of the neighborhoods becoming "n0o-go zone." spain is referred to as a place to be reclaimed. a proposed mosque at ground zero in new york was to be named "cordova house." the implementation of shariah is the goal of jihad.

it -- the information is readily accessible. shariah contains the obligation to wage jihad against nonbelievers. jihad is obligatory for every muslim. some call it a personal struggle for self improvement. it is the obligatory struggle. that doctrine regards treaties as a temporary ploy's within the struggle. it permits, indeed it urges, takia. shazzad was a talent at a

sentencing. she asked did you not take an oath when you became a citizen to the country? his oath -- his response was, yes, but i did not mean it. are there no moderate muslims? of course there are. millions of them reside among us in the united states as loyal americans. millions more reside around the world. there are even places where they are in power, such as indonesia, the most populous muslim country in the world. some disregard the cries arfor shariah. a brave few are struggling to create a theoretical and doctrinal basis for combating islamist. they include someone who heads and is or does it -- an organization called the american

islamic form for democracy. i hope you will all buy it when it is published. an australian academic recently delivered a lecture hanting there are ways in one -- in which one can use passages from the koran to oppose classical sharia. it was published under the title -- the islamic case for religious liberty per "the incredible part of the story is it is a catholic, not a muslim publication. make no mistake, as onerous as they may be, the moderates are the weaker minority. the majority of view is stated succinctly by a political leader.

he said the term moderate islam is offensive. he said there is no moderate islam area is long is islam, that is it. that politician is the prime minister of the muslim nation of turkey. what of the arab spring? what indeed. as events unfolded in tahrir square, we watched the coverage on twitter and facebook. even less coverage of the emergence of the sinai peninsula as a refuge for how moss-trained terrorist -- how moss-trained terrorists. there was virtually no coverage of the return to egypt by a shake that was exiled by

mubarak and take a sermon among -- upon his return. he was known as a liberal and a reformer. the issue a fatwah that authorizes women to participate in a suicide bombings. indonesia -- is llamas are in control. -- islamists are in control. someone called for the public hanging of someone who taught at the university of tunisia and said he should be joined on the gallows by another tunisian freethinker. a column said that was the new islam with a sense of irony and humor. it is well known that alcohol is

consumed in tunisia. the united states at a bad experience a couple of decades ago. apparently, the spiritual successor to the parade of soviet premiere's in the 1970's. one after another, we were told they must be a man of peace because they drank scotch. [laughter] how is the threat met by those who of the responsibility for protecting us? not very well, i would suggest. the effects are obvious. but the obama signed a declaration to close at guantanamo and to a ban the cia's successful interrogation program. it goes back before that. in the 2008 campaign, the current attorney general said

the previous administration had "authorized the use of fact torture, approved a secret surveillance against american citizens without due process of law, denied a writ of habeas corpus, and authorized the use of procedures that violate both international law and the united states constitution." he added that "we of the american people eight reckoning." that reckoning started on the second day of the administration at the signing ceremony for executive orders. at the ceremony, the private and now that through these orders we will take the moral high ground in the struggle against terrorists. apparently he felt, and for all i know still feels, that success itself is not sufficient to claim the moral high ground. the reckoning continued in april to tell the nine with the public release upper classified

department of justice memorandums. they analyzed the reality of the cia's interrogation procedures adopted after 9/11. that disclosure apparently was designed to stir outrage that would drive up further reckoning. when it failed to do so because the memo had made clear the length to which the cia had gone to avoid violating the law, the attorney general announced he was reopening the investigation into cia personnel involved in interrogation. cases that had been closed after diligent investigation by career department of justice prosecutors were prepared detailed memos declining what papered -- what they declined to proceed in each case. the attorney general testified he had not bothered reading the memos before he reopened the cases. november 2009, the attorney general announced he was -- a

proceeding in which ksm had announced he intended to plead guilty so he could achieve martyrdom. the attorney general announced "we will bring him to new york and try him in civilian court to show the world that we are dedicated to upholding the law and we are afraid." apparently the military commission act was not among the loss used to uphold it at that time when congress forced his hand and withheld funds, he proceeded to do the inevitable. at a press conference, he insisted he had been right all along but was going on with ignorance and irresponsible legislators. the president of the islamic society of north americaa was

invited to the white house to attend a dinner in 2010. you may recall that event as the occasion with a prayer that and out support of the construction of the mosque at ground zero in new york -- the cordova house. another brotherhood affiliated organization, the council on american islamic relations, which was also named as a co- conspirator in the all-around -- elan foundation case, was in 2008 a target of outrage by the fbi and had systematically tried to place in terms on congressional committees. the evidence in the home when case found it was a hamas front. the institution of higher learning that gave us the

definitive guide to islam was been chosen by the president to deliver his famous outreach speech in cairo in 2009, to which he invited members of the muslim brotherhood much to the consternation of the government in egypt then headed by mubarak. when our secondary a state was in tunisia at a town hall meeting, she was asked the following question -- after the electoral campaigns and in the united states, most of the candidates from both sides run to lobbies to get their support at afterwords thank their electorate that comes to show their support for countries like to these and egypt. how would you reassure and gain of trust again given the fact that you're supporting his enemies at the same time? my answer -- and this is from someone who when a questioner asked a couple of years ago what her as one would say about a

particular subject took umbrage and said she was not there to channel her husband. her response to this question was it was a "fair question." "a lot of things are said in political campaigns that should not bear a lot of attention. there are comments that certainly do not reflect the united states, our foreign policy, or who we are as a people per "she advised the questioner to "watch what are the that obama says and does. he represents all of the united states and he will be reelected president. it will be a very clear signal to the rest of the world as to what our values are and what our president believes." i would concede the administration ought it -- in which i served was not a model of clarity. we recalled immediately after 911 that islam was a religion of peace. the director of national security,