>> thank you. >> former vice president dick cheney spoke about how his experience in washington and his recent heart transplant surgery. then remarks from president obama at the holocaust museum. then mitt romney campaigned in pennsylvania one day before the state's primary. charles colson, special counsel to president nixon, who went to prison for his role in the watergate cover meant, -- cover- up, died this past weekend. he talked about the white house taping system. >> kissinger at the right -- had the right to come into the oval office without having somebody an ounce him.

kissinger could just walk in when he wanted that. nixon told him that because of the severity of the foreign policy issues to interrupt anything. henry would do it for trivial things. one day nixon was ticked off at henry for a variety of things, and i was in the executive office building. it was henry, i caught a glance at him. nixon did not appear to look, but he knew it was henry. the nixon said, it was right, it is time for us to use nuclear weapons. kissinger stood in the doorway absolutely paralyzed. he said, that is on a tape somewhere. somebody is gonna get here that and think nixon was a madman. it was pure humor. nixon loved it. >> hear more about his political

career online at disease and video library, with a quarter century of politics and public affairs available on your computer at any time. >> dick cheney at his first public interviewed in washington since his heart transplant last month. he spoke with c-span's steve scully at this one-hour event. >> thank you, everyone.

welcome to the spring semester internship program here at the washington center. 25 years ago, before -- the four-term congressman from wyoming spoke to a group like you. we're honored to have him back to date, and introduce him is his good friend, another congressman and cabinet-level erable normthe hon. norm mineta. >> thank you very much, mike. it gives me a great deal of pleasure and honor for me to have this opportunity to introduce the next speaker in ies hereership sheer

at the washington center. the washington center was founded in 1975 and has been the recognized leader in providing transformational experience for over 50,000 students who did internships and special academic seminars. almost two years ago, my very good friend of 70 years, former republican senator alan simpson of wyoming, and i, a former democrat, member of congress, agreed to lend our names to this leaders series in order to present to washington center students distinguished individuals who have

exemplified not only the high honor of public-service, but the ability to engage in the statesmanship that this country and a whole world so desperately needs in these very challenging times. this is a forum for intelligent discussion on important issues of the day that transcend party affiliation and encourages bipartisan solutions. i was just completing a stint as the secretary of commerce in the clinton administration when i was asked by president-elect bush and vice president-elect cheney to join their

administration in an act of bipartisanship to serve as their secretary of transportation. so i know a little about life partisanship. vice president cheney and i had a very special relationship, one that was cemented on that tragic day of september 11, 2001, during which i gave the first order in american history to ground all aviation in the united states. i was with vice president cheney in the presidential emergency operations center the day that i am sure neither one of us will ever forget. dick cheney has served this country with distinction, as white house chief of staff, a

six-term member of congress from wyoming, secretary of defense, and then as vice president. this represents a lifetime of public service, and we are grateful to him for honoring his commitment to speak here after what has been thankfully a speedy recovery from his heart transplant surgery. so please welcome steve scully from c-span and my very good friend, former vice president of the united states of america dick cheney. [applause] >> vice-president, one change of

the program -- thank you very much for being with us. it has been a month since her surgery, so the obvious question is, how are you feeling? >> i am feeling very well, very fortunate. i have been through living with coronary artery disease since 1978. gradually, over time, as is predictable in those cases, i eventually had five had attacked -- heart attacks. i got in line for a transplant and i got that transplant just four weeks ago yesterday. and i feel a lot of emotion. one is great gratitude to the individual who donated, the family who donated the heart,

and i was privileged to receive it. the fact that i am no longer carrying around about 10 pounds of batteries, which is what i operated on for two years -- i had a heart pump installed on my heart to supplement get -- and i had batteries and control elements that i wore a vest 24/7. i do not have to do that anymore. i'm not wired to the wall or anything else. i back to having a strong, and have great doctors and nurses who took great care of me. i feel better in terms of my overall health than i have in a long time. >> walk through a month ago when you got a phone call. who called you? what was your immediate reaction? and what happened next? >> two years ago, roughly two years ago, i had reached a point

where i was in end-stage heart failure. it was not moving enough blood to serve my vital organs, liver, kidneys, so forth. installed -- that is when we install the mechanism in 2010. , apply it to go on the waiting list for an actual transplant. the lvad is a device that has been used in the last few years to use it on people who have need for a transplant, but one of the problems we have is we do not have enough organs. this buys you time, so i was able to live with that for 20 months. you work your way up on the list with respect to being eligible for a transplant. you have to go through a lot of tests. there are a lot of things

involved in deciding whether or not you are a good prospect for a transplant. also an awful lot of measurements that need to be taken to make certain that you get matched up with the right kind of heart. involves blood type, the size of a heart relative to your body, tests for all the antibodies you have, to make certain they get as close a match as possible, so that enhances your prospects of success. then on a friday night about midnight, i got a phone call -- i knew i was getting near the top of the list -- it was a matter of finding a heart and had a heart become available. we got a phone call at midnight, and got in the car and drove to the hospital. our home is about 20 minutes from inova fairfax, checked in

there, and at 7:00 in the morning they began the operation. it took about five hours or six hours. i was up and around within two days, they had me off the respirator, and out in about nine days. it went amazingly fast. part of it was that i had by then been living with -- it was an artificial system, in effect, with a heart pump, but it had restored my vital organs to where they needed to be to be able to tolerate that kind of surgery. it has gone very well. i was out of a hospital in about nine days. everything has been marvelous ever since. >> white has this taught you, or what have you learned about a whole organ donor program? >> we can talk about that all afternoon. you hear people talk about their health, and lots of times we

overdo it in a sense, but the donor program is enormously important. it is possible when people agree to be donors. as ary my driver's license little red hearts, indicating i am a donor. they will know that they could harvest what ever organs might be used. . when they do a transplant, a lot of times they are able to get organs to help several people, not just one. there were also be lungs involved, a kidney for somebody else. a number of different possibilities.

one of the things you learn, it is a kind of gift that is unbelievable, what it makes possible. we are at a stage where air technology gets better all the time. not yet have artificial hearts. to some extent, but the ultimate solution for somebody with coronary artery disease for over ultimately in transplant. and that is what i have been very, very fortunate to receive. >> let's talk about the book and then we will get to the students. you outline how you started out as a graduate student at the university of wisconsin. you never got your ph.d. but

ended up at the white house desk. how did that happen? >> well, i had a somewhat spotty academic career. you might say. i am sure that has not happened to anybody here. but i was recruited to go to yale when i got out of high school and then -- well, i got kicked out twice. i ended up back in wyoming building power line and transmission line for some years and ultimately decided i needed to get an education. so i went back to school at the university of wyoming, and was seriously interested in the young lady i had gone to high school with. she was an excellent student and graduated at the top of our class. she was not too sure about where i was headed. but after a year, she agreed to marry me, and we will celebrate our 47th anniversary this year.

she was a strong motivator for me to work hard and be a good student. i got my ba and masters at the university of wyoming in the 1960's and then went on to the university of wisconsin where i was working on a doctorate, and i completed the course work for a congressional fellowship, in effect an internship with a stipend. it was a relatively small group, but we were able to pick a member of congress wanted to work for. i came to washington to stay 12 months in 1968, and i stayed about 40 years. i overran my schedule. but the experience i had, a group of members of congress would come through during the orientation session, and i was very impressed with one young congressman from the north shore of chicago, a man by the name of don rumsfeld. he spoke for the group. i thought i would kind of like to work for him.

i went to interview with him. he had me in his office, and he asked me what i was doing. i am explaining how i was studying the way congress voted into doing a ph.d. thesis and so forth and i was going to go back and become a professor. he listened about 10 minutes, stood up, and said this is not going to work. he threw me out. he claims that is not what happened, but i took notes. i remember very well. a couple months later, he was named by president nixon, who was just starting his administration, to run the anti-poverty agency in the office of economic opportunity. and i sat down shortly after he was announced and i wrote an unsolicited 12-page memo to him, telling him how he should conduct himself in his confirmation hearings, what he should do with the agency once he took over, and what kinds of policy initiatives he should undertake and so forth.

i send it through the man was then working for and did not hear anything about it for a couple of weeks. then i got a phone call asking me to come down to the agency the next day to be part of the transition group to advise rumsfeld. this was the day he was sworn in. i went down. came in. he spoke to the big group and left. he sent a secretary in and she came in and said, is there anybody in here named cheney? i held my hand up, and he took me back to his office. he looked at me and said, you, you're congressional relations. now get out of here. [applause] that is how he hired me. he did not say i liked your memo. he did not say, would you like to work for me, he said, you are congressional relations, get out of here. so i went out, got directions, it took over. >> and you were how old? >> at the time, i was 37 -- no, excuse me, i would have just turned 28.

>> a question from ariel. >> i want to thank you first for this opportunity. my question has to do with your book. when writing your book of memoirs, was there in any event or moment it would have done it differently at any regrets in your early years of politics that you wish you would have done? >> things i wish i would have done in political life? >> yes. >> not really. i look back on that -- two thoughts stand out. one, i was very fortunate. i had some great opportunities that came my way. but that was, in part, because of people willing to take a chance on me. after a career like mine, it is easy to look back on it and sort of get into the mindset that somehow i earned it all by myself. that is not true. that is almost never true.

if you think about it, you're able to advance on what you do in the forward progress in a career because people are willing to help. i can identify john rumsfeld, bill steiger, a congressman from wisconsin, jerry ford who was willing to hire me to work for him. i actually went down in the day he took over to be part of the transition, eventually to become chief of staff, when i was very young. my subsequent career has turned on those decisions that other people made when i was here as a young man. i did not expect to stay more than 12 months. but those are the things i think about. in terms of what i would have done with my own career, i did everything i set out to do. and it was obviously varied. had to do a bunch of things.

i was glad to be there to work in the aftermath of watergate. and i was finished working for president ford, i went on to wyoming because i decided i wanted to run from congress and that was the place for me to run from. but everything here during the nixon and ford administrations laid the groundwork all the relief for my campaigns, and fortunately i won all of those and then i got to be secretary of defense and vice president. you cannot plan it. there is no place you can go to the job fair and say that is the package i want. i was extraordinarily fortunate. it has been, from my standpoint, it has been a wonderful career, and i have loved every minute of it. i am only sorry i am not young enough to do it all over again. >> thank you very much. >> let me ask about the 40 years. you're not part of his administration when he pardoned

richard nixon. but you said the impact of the pardon would have been lessened if more thought would have been given to how the pardon was announced. you said it was the right decision. but in terms of public relations, what you think ford should have done or the people around him? >> rumsfeld and i came in and helped with the transition for about two weeks, i guess. we both left. i went back to the private company i was working at. he went back to nato. we got called back a couple weeks, after the president had been there about a month and he decided he needed a new chief of staff. that is the job he gave rumsfeld and the name be his deputy. it was during that couple of weeks' time span between our tours that he issued the pardon for nixon. i thought it was the right thing to do from a standpoint that it was just, in a sense. nixon was resigning under fire,

the only president to ever do so. he made a very, very difficult call. and president ford made the decision he did because he thought it was the right thing for the country. put watergate behind us so we can move on and deal with other things. the only problem i saw in that i talk about in the book was the president announced the pardon on a sunday morning on a nationwide television. nobody is up watching a nationwide television on sunday morning unless your, you know, a glutton for punishment and you watch "meet the press" or fox on sunday mornings. but in those days, very few people actually saw the broadcast. if you go back and look at those old tapes, you can see the sun streaming into the windows of the oval office. the leaves are in the trees. early september.

early in the timber still. it is a beautiful day and a fantastic setting. ford gave a great speech, but nobody heard it. there had not been any effort made to sort of laid the groundwork. you know, maybe, for some, some leaks to the press or maybe bring in congressional leadership and briefed them in advance. so everybody was really surprised by it when it happened. it dropped us about 30 points in the polls. we went from a 70% approval rating down to about 40%. it was a burden we carried on the way through the 1976 election. i take it contributed to our defeat. but the thing i really loved when i think about it was when president ford died, with a lot of people remembered and we're reminded of was that he had had the courage knowing full well it might well cost and the presidency to make that decision and to stick by it. and he was a remarkable man, and as i look back on it now, i think one of the things that

proved that was, in fact, his decision to pardon nixon. >> westfield state university. >> thank you so much for being here. i want to go back to the beginning a little bit. you start off as an intern in washington, d.c. and work your way up to chief of staff and vice president. the feel that your internship was vital to that process, and what kind of lessons did you learn there that you cannot have learned anywhere else? >> well, i did an internship in the wyoming state senate, but they only get 40 days every other year, so it was not like it was an extent, which is, by the way, the way congress should meet. when i entered that, i was sort of nonpartisan. i was a graduate student. then i work for the government of wisconsin for a year. both of those were with

republican state senator and republican governor. out of that, then i got the summons, if you welcome the opportunity to go to washington as a congressional fellow, which was a yearlong proposition and also paid. i had to feed my family. the predominant impact of those experiences -- i really thought i wanted to be a political science professor. i worked hard at that. i had done everything except the dissertation for ph.d. in wisconsin, and it is grade school with a very strong department. what i found after had been back here for awhile, based in part on those early experiences, was i decided i was much more interested in doing it and then i was teaching about it. so when it came time for me, after we lost the 1976 election, i had to go fight.

what i really wanted to do was to go run for congress, put my name on the ballot. i was impressed and felt very strongly that if somebody like jerry ford, don rumsfeld, bill steiger could serve in congress -- that was honest work and those are great guys. those experiences really lead to the change in my basic life, and i never did finish the dissertation. i never did get my ph.d. i never did go back and teach. there are probably some political adversaries in wyoming who wish i had instead of running for congress, but i got caught up in the political wars. it was fascinating. it was interesting. it was something that fundamentally changed my life. that is how i met norm mineta,

back in the 1980's. >> thank you. >> there is a juxtaposition in the book which is emblematic of the american political process. he began the morning of january 20, 1977 in the white house. by midafternoon, you and your family were having lunch in a mcdonald's at andrews air force base. take that metaphor and what that tells you about politics in america. >> well, it was a unique kind of experience to go through. i did not know at the time that was ever going to get the chance to go back to the white house or go back to senior levels of government. we lost the election in 1976. jimmy carter was taking over. we had run a transition. on january 20, i went up to capitol hill on the president's motorcade and restorer in president carter. then we got in the president's

helicopter and flew over the city a couple times and then out to andrews air force base. the president of the helicopter and walked over and caught on air force one. it was the first time in as the time i had been working for him, the first time he had been on air force one all by himself without me. and that was a bit disconcerting. as his plane took off, a guy in a trenchcoat came out with the big aluminum suitcase that he laid open on the ground in front of us. i was there with my staff, our advanced men, military assistance, and so forth, those who work for me in my capacity as chief of staff. he said, ok, gentlemen, i need everybody's radios. throwed in the aluminum suitcase. then he closed it up and walked off and said, it has been great working with you guys. that was it. we were out of work. my family was there, so we stopped at the mcdonald's across the street from andrews

air force base and had a little leisurely lunch. big macs. it was interesting time in part because at that moment, i was out of work. i had two young kids. lynn, my wife, was finishing up her phd. she finished and i did not. we have to decide what we were going to do. that is why i ended up making the basic decision, i wanted to go back home to wyoming, if i was going to run for office, that was the place to do it. that was home. with -- that spring, we loaded up a u-haul truck and went home to wyoming. that fall, a few months later, the incumbent congressman announced his retirement and surprised everyone. everyone thought he would run for reelection and he did not.

there was my opening so i jumped in in the three way prairie and won the general election. in less than years -- three years i was back here. as a freshman. >> you were running for reelection and one of your constituents did not know who you were. >> on more than one occasion. i am trying to remember. >> you were running for reelection. >> my favorite story was, had to do with a fellow in torrington, the house painter. this is one of these guys who runs all the time anyway but never wins but he always files. that was an insult, by the way. when he ran the dog.

i am trying to remember the exact -- we were at a big barbecue late in the campaign in torrington, wyoming. i had a guy come up to me at the barbecue, as i recall. i was introduced as dick cheney, a candidate for congress. he asked me, "are you a democrat?" i said no, sir. he asked if i was a lawyer. he said -- i said no. he said i will vote for you. >> thank you for being with us, first of all. you served as the chief of staff in the ford white house and as vice president. i was wondering if you could

tell us the similarities and differences between those two roles in the white house and how your position as the chief of staff held due to be better prepared to serve as the vice- president. -- help you to be better prepared to serve as the vice president. -- helped you to be better prepared to serve as the vice president. >> i came away from my years as a student in -- and a scholar, we were always looking for similarities across administrations, trying to identify institutional factors and see in each congress or presidency, what they had in common. after had -- i had been involved doing it for a while, i changed my attitude in terms of what was significant and concluded that especially from the standpoint of the white house and the president, what was distinctive about the job was it was different for every president,

independent of what on the time in which the governed -- it depended on the time in which they governed. in the bush administration, when i ran with then-governor bush, we were focused on a lot of domestic issues. he was governor of texas, he was focused on policy and taxes. and months and to the administration, 9/11 happened. -- into the administration, 9/11 happen. it was our responsibility to defend against any other attacks, is what dominated our presidency for the next seven years. that was the prime focus. the other thing that was crucial and vital is that the personality or personal characteristics of the individual behind the desk in

the oval office. each one of them is dramatically different. it is hard to predict and know how right eisenhower might have dealt with the kind of thing we had to deal with -- dwight eisenhower might have dealt with the kind of thing we had to deal with. also we had been fortunate during our time during the crisis, the individuals who could step up and do what needed to be done. it is interesting. i have just finished a book on dwight eisenhower by gene edward smith. "eisenhower in war and peace," it covers his life. i came away with a higher regard for president eisenhower than the conventional wisdom. you see that list of presidents

and historians will rank order them in terms of who is the best, and so forth. i would have to say that those rankings bear almost resemblance at all to my experience in terms of how i look on those individuals. but the chief of staff's job is different from being a vice president. it is focused on what the present needed to have done. he needed to have someone around him who was going to be there from early in the morning to late at night and do whatever needs to be done and who could speak with the authority of the president, never be used it and never -- abuse it and not mistake his own position as chief of staff for what the president is doing. you only have one president. he is the guy runs for office, he puts his name on the ballot. york expend will as chief of staff -- you are expendable as chief of staff. it is important function in a

way that emphasizes the staff part of that tile. when you from time of time have had chiefs of staff who did not do that. they spent a lot of time in front of the television camera, they sought the ability to be a major public player or to voice their views on various issues, sometimes manage the process to get the policy outcome they want. that is not what your their trade your there to serve the president, and he needs to -- and that is not why you are there. you are there to serve the president to carry out his instructions and do what he needs to have done. the vice-president, on the other hand, you may or may not have much to do. it is an interesting proposition. part of which you do your there in case something happens to the president. -- you are there in case something happens to the president. his relationship with the vice

president in terms of what you are asked to do or get to do. we have had a lot of vice- president that no one remembers because he never has to do anything. in my situation, i -- the first time i was offered a chance to be on the list, to be considered, i said no. i had a good private sector job and 25 years in politics. i did not want to come back to washington. eventually he persuaded me that i was the guy he needed in that post. he put me in charge of the search committee and some of my friends have said yes, cheney went to work and searched and searched and he found himself. that is not accurate but that is the charge that is often made. it is a very different function. you're not in charge of anything. not the white house staff, you're not secretary of defense commanding 4 million people, troops and civilians or running

the treasury department or transportation the way norma di. there are cabinets and vice president and staff on the others. i loved both jobs. there were absolutely fascinating, but there were very different. absolutely were fascinating, but they were very different. >> they did not like the job, al gore said he had a lot of responsibility. what works and what does not? >> the norm has been, if you go back over -- i was the 46th vice-president. you look at what the pattern has been. my guess is that you may have somebody here who is a diligent student, who can name our vice presidents but i could not. it is often times been described various ways by other

politicians or vice-president themselves. some of them were not allowed to go to cabinet meetings. eisenhower and nixon had a somewhat strained relationship. it never was a close relationship. a lot of that had to do with nixon's background. he had been the supreme allied commander in europe throughout world war ii. he ran a military-style operation and there is not any place in that for a "vice- president." you could have a deputy commander and chief of staff that runs things on behalf of the supreme allied commander. this style of operation to is to delegate a lot of authority down, especially to the cabinet. he did not delegate much of anything. he would focus on the big issues himself. in other cases, where i was

involved, president bush spent a lot of time thinking about it and when he asked me to help him find somebody after i said no the first time, i had the opportunity over several months to hear him talk about what kind of individual he was looking for. and what he really wanted was someone who would be part of the team, heavily involved in policy-making, that is in effect what he offered me. what he said to me after we finished the search and interview the candidate, he said you are the solution to my problem. he put the arm on me and a few days later made the decision to sign me on. it worked well in our case. i got to do an awful lot. part of it is i have a set of

experiences as secretary of defense that was very relevant after 9/11. and so i was a valuable commodity in that sense. he had asked me, to spend a lot of time on those issues. i became persuaded that in fact, what he wanted, he was not worried about the big state. we only have 3 electoral votes. it turned out in the election of 2000, those three were the difference between victory and defeat. that was not ordinarily the case. i did not have any special appeal in terms of ethnicity or gender or a lot of reasons people talk about hiring vice- president. he decided that he wanted me pro mayor lee because of my past experience, and i would guess also -- primarily because of my past experience, and i would guess he consulted with my

father. all those things came together. >> the chief of staff, you make it a point in your book, your code name was backseat. >> it was. i took it as a point of honor. the secret service had given me that. when we had a dinner for me, my staff did one before left and turned things over to the carters. they gave me as a token of affection the back seat out of an old, beat-up junker of the car. it had rats living in it. it was a bad piece of equipment and they presented it to me that night to commemorate my secret service code name. it was keeping your head down and doing everything you could for the president, stay out of the line of fire, do not become

a target for the president. >> thank you for taking time out of your scheduled to speak with us today. i wanted to know, have you ever felt like there were times when you stood alone on an important issue? if so, how did you handle that issue or the situation? >> there were times when my -- i felt outnumbered. it is easy to do sometimes when you are a republican in the house that is run by democrats, for example. i had the attitude, i suppose i am trying to think about some of the controversies we were involved in. some of the strongest controversy surrounded some of our post-9/11 policies. we had to do a couple of things i felt were very important. the president made the basic decisions and signed off on it. i did not do it by myself.

one was to set up our terror surveillance program that led us to collect intelligence on people calling from outside the united states to people inside the united states. if we had reason to believe that that call may have come from an al qaeda type. the other was our enhanced interrogation techniques that we applied to a handful of al qaeda terrorists when we captured them that were controversial. i will not bore you today here with all that but we were careful to make sure they were legal and stayed within the limits. but we did develop techniques that were absolutely vital in collecting information from people like khalid sheikh mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11. we captured and in the spring of 2003. he was not very cooperative at the outset. after he had been involved with the enhanced jerrick --

interrogation techniques, waterboarding, he decided he wanted to cooperate and was a wealth of and valuable information for us in terms of our putting together our program to defend the nation against al qaeda. leon panetta when he was cia director at the time, osama bin laden said he believed their bill the -- ability had been influenced by the intelligence we collected through that means before and that led to the location of bin laden when president obama and the seals took him out. zachary neck from tennessee. zachary from tennessee. >> when you were a younger

professional -- [unintelligible] i>> now that i am an older professional, one of the most valuable experiences i've learned over time that i did not have when i started was i thought when i started that the quality of my contribution was directly related to how many hours a day and put in at my desk. and the longer i stayed and the harder i work, the more i was contributing. that was my mind set. that was not true. what i did not understand until later was there was such a thing as quality. that it was important not just to be at your desk, sending memos out and responding to memos, you have to do that sort of thing but it was much better to be organized in a way that

you had good health, good staff working for you, that you could get them to focus on things and give them guidance on what they ought to be doing and focus on the big issues yourself. but also to pace yourself. to take that time to occasionally grab a day with the family, seven days a week, sometimes it is necessary in the midst of a crisis but a steady diet, it will wear you down. i also made the mistake of smoking two or three packs a day when i was younger. the last one i had was when they wheeled me into the emergency room with my first heart attack. that came only two years after i left the white house. there is something to be said for the notion that the way i lived during that first cycle in government, if you will, drinking a lot of black coffee, smoking cigarettes, not getting much sleep or exercise, to some

extent, i brought it on myself because i did not take care of myself. what i have learned over the years since is that there is such a thing as quality, and sometimes less is more. it is important if you are going to make a career out of it. as i have. and pursue it over a long period of time. you have to develop the capacity to know what is important and what is less important and focus on the big things and do not sweat the small stuff. >> thank you. in your book and this is a conclusion but it might be about politics. you said our political battles are messy, shrill, and sometimes cruel. you said this system has a way of producing courageous and compassionate action when it is needed the most. in terms of what you are seeing today in congress and american politics, what are your thoughts? >> i am still looking for it in the cycle. i think about it in terms of --

when i am asked today, lots of times people will say is this not the worst period in american politics? the rhetoric is harsher and the relationships are more strained and people are nastier to one another. i hark back and i say, let's see. when i came to washington in the summer of 1968, martin luther king had just been assassinated. bobby kennedy had just been assassinated. the cities had been in flames as a result of the riots and protests that came out of that. when i arrived in washington find an apartment to live in that summer, i came down for a day. they have troops stationed on the steps of the capitol. elements of the 82nd airborne have been moved into washington to maintain order during that time. 12 people had been killed in writing -- rioting that summer.

that was difficult time. what we went through, the civil war, the bloodiest conflict in history, over 6000 dead. it was -- oftentimes we look at it, a time like now and say, it has gotten that bad and nasty out there and they do not remember the struggle we had in slavery to build freedom and democracy as we know it today. so, some of those struggles were very tough and difficult. we have a lot of people who are talking as though this was the worst of all times but it is not. we have got a media operation now that tends to dramatize events, partly because that

improved ratings, i am not saying that negatively, it is the way the technical problems -- process works. if we look at ourselves as a nation, as a people, we have come through difficult times. we have survived and prospered and we have gotten a lot more right than wrong. i think back on those times, and i feel pretty good about things and i think we will get through this, too. this is difficult. and will not tonight. we're not making much problems -- process. i do not agree with the administration. we're about to have an election credit will be a hard-fought election as shelby -- as it should be. that does not happen very many places in the world. >> our last student question. >> our moderator has addressed the question i have. we're not always going to agree with the stance is our

supervisors have once we go into the workforce. since leaving the white house, you have been more supportive and outspoken of gay rights. was a difficult to be silent when you have a podium in washington? what advice would you give us in our careers? >> i do not feel like i was silent about it. one of my daughters is gay. we have lived with that as a family and we crossed that bridge a long time ago. and i remember in my first vice- presidential debate, joe lieberman had a strong statement about how freedom means freedom for everybody. and people ought to be able to make choices of their own. it has not been my standpoint, something i spend a lot of time

worrying about. i think there has been a significant, i guess, process of enlightened and over the course of the last several years. things have changed a lot since i first came to washington. it is important if you feel strongly about an issue that you jump in with both feet and get actively and aggressively involved in it. that is a different proposition then if you -- than if you want to be public about it while you were working for someone else. you have to reach some kind of accommodation or understanding of their part. one of the things you learn as a staff person, you get to express your point of view to your boss, whoever that might be. occasionally, you may fundamentally differ. if the differences are big enough, you have got to leave. he is the boss. you can go find someplace else to work. on the issue of gay rights, when

i worked for president bush, he strongly felt -- felt strongly about and supporter of the effort -- supported the effort to amend the constitution to redefine marriage. we did not agree. we talked on more than one occasion. he expressed his views, i expressed my. it depends in part upon the relationship. there are various ways to participate in the process. if you're going to be a staff member for president, he is the boss, he got elected, you did not and you have to remember that in terms of how you participate and whether or not you support his policies. as i say, if the differences are big enough, you ought to probably move along and find another line of work, but you also might want to participate in the process with an advocate. you might want to spend full time on your issue.

whether it is a rights or environmental issues or the tea party organization -- gave rights -- gay rights or environmental issues or the tea party organization. some of you will probably have that chance eventually. there is also that basic fundamental fact that when you are working for an elected official, he is the one or she who put their name on the ballot and went out and worked hard, voter by voter, and got themselves elected. your first obligation is to them, unless it is an issue you feel so strongly about that you cannot accept that and then you need to go find someone else to work for. >> thanks for that question. the me conclude on one final point. you have looked at this from a number of bandage points and mitt romney is going through the process of selecting a runny -- a running mate.

what advice would you give to him and his team? >> i have been involved in a couple of vice-presidential searches. some more successful than others. the thing that i think is important to remember is that the decision you make as a presidential candidate, it is a first presidential level decision the public sees you make. the first time you make the decision that you are going to have to live with, it gives the public a chance to watch you operate and see what you think is important. what kind of individual you choose to serve as your running mate. what are the criteria? the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president. that is why you pick them. lots of times, in the past, that has not been the foremost criteria.

it varies administration to administration. you watch the talking heads out there, they're talking about, you had better get a woman or hispanic or pick someone from a big state. those are all interesting things to speculate about. it is pretty rare that the election ever turns on those kinds of issues. it is much more likely to turn on the kind of situation where they will judge the quality of your decision making process based on whether or not this individual is up to the task of taking over and serving as president of the united states, should something happen to the president, and that is why you were there. aside from serving as president. >> do you have another book in you? >> not yet. i am thinking about it. this is -- we could have written five or six of these but we tried to keep it at a reasonable

link trade we brought it in at 600 pages which is what the publisher -- wanted. >> thank you for being with us. we appreciate your time. >> thank you. [applause] >> enjoy your time here in washington. it really is a remarkable opportunity. you will have a great time and learned a lot. just jump in with both feet and some of you might find honest work as a result. goodluck. -- good luck. >> will ask the to stay seated for a moment while we walk the vice-president out. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2012] [applause] >> coming up next on c-span, remarks from president obama at the holocaust museum. then, republican presidential candidate mitt romney is in pennsylvania one day before the state's primary. and the constitution party held its national convention last weekend. we will hear from their presidential nominee, former virginia congressman virgil goode, later in our schedule. tomorrow, the bankruptcy investigation into the mf global collapse continues. we will hear from a trusty and the head of the trade commission. senator johnson is the chairman

of the senate banking committee and senator richard shelby is the ranking member. live coverage starts at 10:00 a.m. eastern. james murdoch, the former chairman of news international and his father, rupert murdoch, will testify regarding the practices of the british media. coverage begins tomorrow morning with james murdoch. rupert murdoch will testify at wednesday and thursday mornings. >> one of the things i always remember because my office overlooked the building in the plaza, there was a day care center in the plaza. some of the children were killed. during recess, there would always come play out here in the plot and you would hear their voices. that will -- that left a lasting impression when they were

silenced. my friend, his friend was in high school and she had just graduated. her father was a good friend of mine. when i got home that morning, i had three different messages. first of all, wanting to know what he could find out about his father. it did not look good. the third message was when he was crying. >> watch our local content of vehicles exploring the history and literary culture of oklahoma city with special bearings the weekend of may 5 and sixth. >> president obama announced a plan that would allow the u.s. to impose sanctions against foreign entities for using technology to carry out human rights abuses. he made his announcement during a speech marking the annual commemoration of the holocaust at the u.s. holocaust memorial

museum in washington. nobel peace prize laureate and holocaust survivor elie gesell introduced the president. >> mr. president, mr. president, chairman bernstein, fellow holocaust survivors and their families, the families of officers steve jones, who was gunned down by a murderer here in the museum, director sara bloomfield, and ladies and gentleman, i stand before you today as a proud american. the in to -- jew in may is

infinite the proud to be with the president of the united states in this museum, together to celebrate jerusalem, the greatest in the world and most important of all. this country, the united states of america, has welcomed the great majority of survivors of what we call the holocaust. it is a place of redemption, a place of unity. presidents of both parties, from jimmy carter to george bush, have spoken to us here, and now we are honored that president barack obama is with us today.

it is also a place of questions. some of them, many of them, disturbing questions which remain challenging. it is about the possibilities of power, suffering for victims, about the massacre of children. these questions, of course, are relevant. why did america open up its doors? why did not the allies bomb the railway going to auschwitz? in those years, hundreds would lose a lifetime. 10,000 were guests every night

bombing the allies which would have at least stopped that process for a while. from the very beginning of this institution, we attempted to confront the already distant past with this terrible tragic truth and the questions that we are compelled to ask. commitmentpeople's to memory to israel. we had a problem that we did not know how to deal with. so much suffering, so much evil, which meant so much power. never has won people been condemned by another people to total annihilation. what are the questions, who are we to remember?

the perpetrators, bystanders, a multitude of victims? all of them jews? it became clear to us from the beginning that while not all victims were jewish, all jews were victims, young and old, rich and poor, teachers and students, those from the city's and populations. all were targeted. and the children, why the children? and the old people, why the old people? was the enemy it afraid of the future, of the children, for the past, the old? now we know that this tragedy, we know how it was done, but we

do not know why it was done. know why it is metaphysical, but physically, we do not know why did it happen? what are the conclusions? one thing that we do know, it could have been prevented. the greatest tragedy and history could have been prevented, had the civilized world spoken up, taken measures in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942. each time, in berlin, they always wanted to see what would be the reaction in washington and europe? there was no reaction.

they felt they could continue. in this place, we may ask, have we learned anything from it? if so, how is it that assad is still in power? how is it that the holocaust no. 1 denier, mahmoud ahmadinejad, is still in power? he here threatens to friends to use nuclear weapons -- he who threatens to use nuclear weapons. we must know, when the eagle has power, it is almost too late. preventive measures are important. we must use those measures to prevent another catastrophe. whenever communities are

threatened by anyone, we must not allow them to do what they intend to do. of course, one more question to the believer and god in all of this. what does it mean? was god fed up with his creation? however, auschwitz did not come from the heavens. human beings did it. human beings. the killers were human beings. auchwitz was conceived by human beings, implemented by human beings. so what is it about the human psyche, fascination, that could allow human beings to become inhumane?

mr. president, we are in this place of memory. of course, i remember when you and i traveled together. we spoke about all kinds of things. i hope now you understand, in this place, why israel is so important, not only to the jewish people, but to the world. we cannot not remember. and because it remembers, it must be strong, just to defend its own survival and destiny. mr. president, you spoke and quietly, elegantly gave me the

last word. today, the last word is yours. ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct privilege and pleasure to give you my friend, the president of the united states, mr. barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] thank you. [applause]

good morning, everyone. it is a great honor to be with you here today. of course, it is a truly humbling moment to be introduced by elie wiesel. along with sara bloomfield, the outstanding director here, we just spent some time among the exhibits, and this is now the second visit i've had here. my daughters have come here. it is a searing occasion

whenever you visit. and as we walked, i was taken back to the visit that elie mentioned, the time that we traveled together to buchenwald. and i recall how he showed me the barbed-wire fences and the guard towers. and we walked the rows where the barracks once stood, where so many left this earth -- including elie's father, shlomo. we stopped at an old photo -- men and boys lying in their wooden bunks, barely more than skeletons. and if you look closely, you can see a 16-year old boy, looking right at the camera, right into your eyes. you can see elie. and at the end of our visit that day, elie spoke of his father. "i thought one day i will come

back and speak to him," he said, "of times in which memory has become a sacred duty of all people of goodwill." elie, you've devoted your life to upholding that sacred duty. you've challenged us all -- as individuals, and as nations -- to do the same, with the power of your example, the eloquence of your words, as you did again just now. and so to you and marion, we are extraordinarily grateful. to sara, to tom bernstein, to josh bolten, members of the united states holocaust memorial council, and everyone who sustains this living memorial -- thank you for welcoming us here today. to the members of congress, members of the diplomatic corps, including ambassador michael oren of israel, we are glad to be with you. and most of all, we are honored

to be in the presence of men and women whose lives are a testament to the endurance and the strength of the human spirit -- the inspiring survivors. it is a privilege to be with you, on a very personal level. as i've told some of you before, i grew up hearing stories about my great uncle -- a soldier in the 89th infantry division who was stunned and shaken by what he saw when he helped to liberate ordruf, part of buchenwald. and i'll never forget what i saw at buchenwald, where so many perished with the words of sh'ma yis'ra'eil on their lips. i've stood with survivors, in the old warsaw ghettos, where a monument honors heroes who said we will not go quietly; we will

stand up, we will fight back. sacrede walked those grounds at yad vashem, with its lesson for all nations -- the shoah cannot be denied. during my visit to yad vashem i was given a gift, inscribed with those words from the book of joel: "has the like of this happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? tell your children about it, and let your children tell theirs, and their children the next generation." that's why we're here. not simply to remember, but to speak. i say this as a president, and i say it as a father. we must tell our children about a crime unique in human history.

the one and only holocaust -- six million innocent people -- men, women, children, babies -- sent to their deaths just for being different, just for being jewish. we tell them, our children, about the millions of poles and catholics and roma and gay people and so many others who also must never be forgotten. let us tell our children not only how they died, but also how they lived -- as fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters who loved and hoped and dreamed, just like us. we must tell our children about how this evil was allowed to happen -- because so many people succumbed to their darkest instincts, and because so many others stood silent.

let us also tell our children about the righteous among the nations. among them was jan karski, a young polish catholic, who witnessed jews being put on cattle cars, who saw the killings, and who told the truth, all the way to president roosevelt himself. jan karski passed away more than a decade ago. but today, i'm proud to announce that this spring i will honor him with america's highest civilian honor -- the presidential medal of freedom. [applause] we must tell our children. but more than that, we must teach them. because remembrance without

resolve is a hollow gesture. awareness without action changes nothing. in this sense, "never again" is a challenge to us all -- to pause and to look within. for the holocaust may have reached its barbaric climax at treblinka and auschwitz and belzec, but it started in the hearts of ordinary men and women. and we have seen it again -- madness that can sweep through peoples, sweep through nations, embed itself. the killings in cambodia, the killings in rwanda, the killings in bosnia, the killings in darfur -- they shock our conscience, but they are the

awful extreme of a spectrum of ignorance and intolerance that we see every day; the bigotry that says another person is less than my equal, less than human. these are the seeds of hate that we cannot let take root in our heart. "never again" is a challenge to reject hatred in all of its forms -- including anti- semitism, which has no place in a civilized world. and today, just steps from where he gave his life protecting this place, we honor the memory of officer stephen tyrone johns, whose family joins us today. "never again" is a challenge to defend the fundamental right of free people and free nations to exist in peace and security --

and that includes the state of israel. and on my visit to the old warsaw ghetto, a woman looked me in the eye, and she wanted to make sure america stood with israel. she said, "it's the only jewish state we have." and i made her a promise in that solemn place. i said i will always be there for israel. so when efforts are made to equate zionism to racism, we reject them. when international fora single out israel with unfair resolutions, we vote against them. when attempts are made to delegitimize the state of israel, we oppose them. when faced with a regime that threatens global security and denies the holocaust and threatens to destroy israel, the united states will do everything in our power to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

"never again" is a challenge to societies. we're joined today by communities who've made it your mission to prevent mass atrocities in our time. this museum's committee of conscience, ngos, faith groups, college students, you've harnessed the tools of the digital age -- online maps and satellites and a video and social media campaign seen by millions. you understand that change comes from the bottom up, from the grassroots. you understand -- to quote the task force convened by this museum -- "preventing genocide is an achievable goal." it is an achievable goal. it is one that does not start from the top; it starts from the bottom up. it's remarkable -- as we walked through this exhibit, elie and

i were talking as we looked at the unhappy record of the state department and so many officials here in the united states during those years. and he asked, "what would you do?" but what you all understand is you don't just count on officials, you don't just count on governments. you count on people -- and mobilizing their consciences. and finally, "never again" is a challenge to nations. it's a bitter truth -- too often, the world has failed to prevent the killing of innocents on a massive scale. and we are haunted by the atrocities that we did not stop and the lives we did not save.

three years ago today, i joined many of you for a ceremony of remembrance at the u.s. capitol. and i said that we had to do "everything we can to prevent and end atrocities." and so i want to report back to some of you today to let you know that as president i've done my utmost to back up those words with deeds. last year, in the first-ever presidential directive on this challenge, i made it clear that "preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the united states of america." that does not mean that we intervene militarily every time there's an injustice in the world. we cannot and should not. it does mean we possess many tools -- diplomatic and political, and economic and financial, and intelligence and law enforcement and our moral

suasion -- and using these tools over the past three years, i believe -- i know -- that we have saved countless lives. when the referendum in south sudan was in doubt, it threatened to reignite a conflict that had killed millions. but with determined diplomacy, including by some people in this room, south sudan became the world's newest nation. and our diplomacy continues, because in darfur, in abyei, in southern kordofan and the blue nile, the killing of innocents must come to an end. the presidents of sudan and south sudan must have the courage to negotiate -- because the people of sudan and south sudan deserve peace. that is work that we have done, and it has saved lives. when the incumbent in côte d'ivoire lost an election but refused to give it up -- give up power, it threatened to

unleash untold ethnic and religious killings. but with regional and international diplomacy, and u.n. peacekeepers who stood their ground and protected civilians, the former leader is now in the hague, and côte d'ivoire is governed by its rightful leader -- and lives were saved. when the libyan people demanded their rights and muammar qaddafi's forces bore down on benghazi, a city of 700,000, and threatened to hunt down its people like rats, we forged with allies and partners a coalition that stopped his troops in their tracks. and today, the libyan people are forging their own future, and the world can take pride in the innocent lives that we saved. and when the lord's resistance army led by joseph kony

continued its atrocities in central africa, i ordered a small number of american advisors to help uganda and its neighbors pursue the lra. and when i made that announcement, i directed my national security council to review our progress after 150 days. we have done so, and today i can announce that our advisors will continue their efforts to bring this madman to justice, and to save lives. it is part of our regional strategy to end the scourge that is the lra, and help realize a future where no african child is stolen from their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier. we've stepped up our efforts in other ways. we're doing more to protect

women and girls from the horror of wartime sexual violence. with the arrest of fugitives like ratko mladic, charged with ethnic cleansing in bosnia, the world sent a message to war criminals everywhere: we will not relent in bringing you to justice. be on notice. and for the first time, we explicitly barred entry into the united states of those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. now we're doing something more. we're making sure that the united states government has the structures, the mechanisms to better prevent and respond to mass atrocities. so i created the first-ever white house position dedicated to this task. it's why i created a new atrocities prevention board, to bring together senior officials from across our government to

focus on this critical mission. this is not an afterthought. this is not a sideline in our foreign policy. the board will convene for the first time today, at the white house. and i'm pleased that one of its first acts will be to meet with some of your organizations -- citizens and activists who are partners in this work, who have been carrying this torch. going forward, we'll strengthen our tools across the board, and we'll create new ones. the intelligence community will prepare, for example, the first-ever national intelligence estimate on the risk of mass atrocities and genocide. institutionalize the focus on this issue. across government, "alert channels" will ensure that information about unfolding crises -- and dissenting opinions -- quickly reach

decision-makers, including me. our treasury department will work to more quickly deploy its financial tools to block the flow of money to abusive regimes. our military will take additional steps to incorporate the prevention of atrocities into its doctrine and its planning. and the state department will increase its ability to surge our diplomats and experts in a crisis. usaid will invite people and high-tech companies to help create new technologies to quickly expose violations of human rights. and we'll work with other nations so the burden is better shared -- because this is a global responsibility. in short, we need to be doing everything we can to prevent and respond to these kinds of atrocities -- because national sovereignty is never a license to slaughter your people. [applause]

we recognize that, even as we do all we can, we cannot control every event. and when innocents suffer, it tears at our conscience. elie alluded to what we feel as we see the syrian people subjected to unspeakable violence, simply for demanding their universal rights. and we have to do everything we can. and as we do, we have to remember that despite all the tanks and all the snipers, all the torture and brutality unleashed against them, the syrian people still brave the streets. they still demand to be heard. they still seek their dignity.

the syrian people have not given up, which is why we cannot give up. and so with allies and partners, we will keep increasing the pressure, with a diplomatic effort to further isolate assad and his regime, so that those who stick with assad know that they are making a losing bet. we'll keep increasing sanctions to cut off the regime from the money it needs to survive. we'll sustain a legal effort to document atrocities so killers face justice, and a humanitarian effort to get relief and medicine to the syrian people. and we'll keep working with the "friends of syria" to increase support for the syrian opposition as it grows stronger. indeed, today we're taking another step. i've signed an executive order that authorizes new sanctions against the syrian government and iran and those that abet them for using technologies to monitor and track and target citizens for violence. these technologies should not empower -- these technologies should be in place to empower

citizens, not to repress them. and it's one more step that we can take toward the day that we know will come -- the end of the assad regime that has brutalized the syrian people -- and allow the syrian people to chart their own destiny. even with all the efforts i've described today, even with everything that hopefully we have learned, even with the incredible power of museums like this one, even with everything that we do to try to teach our children about our own responsibilities, we know that our work will never be done.

there will be conflicts that are not easily resolved. there will be senseless deaths that aren't prevented. there will be stories of pain and hardship that test our hopes and try our conscience. and in such moments it can be hard to imagine a more just world. it can be tempting to throw up our hands and resign ourselves to man's endless capacity for cruelty. it's tempting sometimes to believe that there is nothing we can do.

and all of us have those doubts. all of us have those moments -- perhaps especially those who work most ardently in these fields. so in the end, i come back to something elie said that day we visited buchenwald together. reflecting on all that he had endured, he said, "we had the right to give up." "we had the right to give up on humanity, to give up on culture, to give up on education, to give up on the possibility of living one's life with dignity, in a world that has no place for dignity." they had that right. imagine what they went through. they had the right to give up. nobody would begrudge them that. who'd question someone giving up in such circumstances?

but, elie said, "we rejected that possibility, and we said, no, we must continue believing in a future." to stare into the abyss, to face the darkness and insist there is a future -- to not give up, to say yes to life, to believe in the possibility of justice. to elie and to the survivors who are here today, thank you for not giving up. you show us the way. [applause]

you show us the way. if you cannot give up, if you can believe, then we can believe. if you can continue to strive and speak, then we can speak and strive for a future where there's a place for dignity for every human being. that has been the cause of your lives. it must be the work of our nation and of all nations. so god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. [applause]

[applause]

[applause] >> this weekend, president obama will attend the 90th annual

white house correspondents' dinner. jimmy kimmel will be the featured entertainers. you can see the coverage live at 6:30 eastern on saturday on c- span. republican presidential candidate mitt romney and florida senator markell rubio held a news conference with reporters in pennsylvania, where they talk about immigration policy and the vice presidential selection process. afterwards, mr. romney held a town hall meeting with campaign supporters. it took place at the mustang expedited trucks service company in aspen, pennsylvania. republicans are voting in state presidential primaries tomorrow in delaware, connecticut, new york, rhode island, and pennsylvania. >> is great to have senator marco rubio with me and participate in this town hall. this is the last day before the primary in a number of states. we are campaigning to encourage people to get out and vote. i would love to get the

delegates in pennsylvania and the other states and be on my way to becoming the nominee. this is a big campaign push on the last day before the voting. i am delighted that senator marco rubio agreed to join me for the trip. we have some work to do with the people behind us. i understand there is a good crowd and we will have a town meeting. we will have a good opportunity to chat with you as well. anything you want to add? >> glad to be here with the next president of united states and i look forward to being part of this -- part of this effort in any way i can to let people know they have a choice. >> the process for selecting a vice-presidential running mate is just beginning. beth myers has begun to put together a number of names and criteria and so forth that would be associated with that process.

we have not had a discussion yet of putting together a list or evaluating various candidates. that is a process where we are looking at various legal resources, accounting staff, and so forth, to take a look at tax returns and things of that nature. she is putting that process together and is in the early stages. he and i have spoken about his thinking on his version of a different act. then the dream act that has been proposed in the senate. the one proposed in the senate creates a new category of citizenship for certain individuals. the senators' proposal does not create a new category but provides visas for those that come into the country, came in

as young people with their families. i am taking a look at his proposal. it has many features to commend, but it is something we are studying. [question inaudible] i think young voters in this country have to vote for me if they are thinking about what is in the best interest of the country and their personal best interest. the president's policies have led to extraordinary statistics. when you look at 50% of the kids coming out of college today cannot find a job which is consistent with their skills, how in the world can you be supporting a president that has led to that kind of an economy? the debt that has been amassed that they will have to pay off their whole lives, we are fighting to make sure we can reduce the deficit and eliminate

this debt overhang. the president continues to amass this huge deficit. young people will understand that ours is the party of opportunity and jobs. if they want to have a president that can create good jobs, allow them to find a bright and prosperous future for themselves and their families, i hope they will vote for me. i will take that message to young people across the country. this is a time when young people are questioning the support they gave to president obama 3.5 years ago. he promised bringing the country together. that sure has not happened. he promised a future with good jobs and good opportunity. that has not happened. the pathway he pursued is one that has not worked. young people recognize that and they will increasingly look for a different approach. [question inaudible]

i do not think i have any comments on qualifications for individuals to served in various positions in government at this stage. that is something that we are going to be considering down the road as we consider various potential vice-presidential nominees. >> i am not talking about that process anymore. [question inaudible] >> i have a lot of memories of friends. the best memories were with my wife on a vacation from time to time in france. the nice vacation we had there, walking around the city of paris and over to the jardin of

luxembourg. it is one of the most magnificent cities in the world. i look forward to occasional vacations because it is such a beautiful place. [question inaudible] i anticipate, before the november election, we will lay out a whole series of policies that relate to immigration. obviously, our first priority is to secure the border. yet we also have a very substantial visa program in this country. i spoke about the need to have a visa system that is the right size for the needs of our employment community. how we adjust our visa program to make it fit the needs of our

country i will be speaking about down the road. i do not have anything for you on that. ok, thank you. there is one thing i wanted to mention. i forgot to mention at the very -- at the very beginning, and that was that particularly with the number of college graduates that cannot find work or can only find work well beneath their skill level, i fully support the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans. there was some concern that that would expire halfway through the year and i support extending the temporary relief on interest rates for students as a result of student loans, in part because of the extraordinarily poor conditions in the job market.

[applause] i was born free ♪ ♪ >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you for having us here today. i am honored and privileged to be here with the next president of the united states. [applause]

and i am glad to be here in one of the states that is going to put him over the top. [applause] tomorrow, you get to practice doing that when you turn out and vote. all the noise that surrounds these elections, let us never forget what these elections are. elections are choices. four years ago, this nation made a choice, one that i disagree with and from what i hear today, one that most of you disagree with. but we made a choice. the choice was to give barack obama a chance to lead this nation. from the day he took over today, he has a record as president. that record has numbers behind it, like unemployment, which, under his watch, has gone up. like debt, which has gone up. like the value of homes, which has gone down. he is no longer a theory, he is a reality. for millions of americans,

today, life is worth -- is worse than it was three years ago because he does not know what he is doing. [applause] he will make all kinds of excuses about it. it is somebody else's fault. it always is. the truth is, his party controlled the house and senate for two years. his first two years as president, they would have given him anything he wanted and they did. they gave him a stimulus that failed, a health-care law that is failing. regulations that are failing our country. so we get to choose again. what we should jews are the things that made america great. this place is a testament to america's greatness. [applause] i used to give speeches during my campaign where i would say that one of the great things about america is is one of the few places in the world where you can start a business out of

your parents' garage. in violation of a zoning code, but you can do it. [laughter] one day, employ it a bunch of people and build a huge business. that is what she has done. the job of government is to make it easier for people to do that, not harder. there is only one person running for president. there is only one person running for president that understands that. only one person running for president that has ever helped do that. only one choice running for president that will help us reclaim and recapture the things that make this nation of ours different from all the other countries on the earth. he happens to be here today. his name is mitt romney, the next president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. what a welcome. wow.

[applause] i know what you are so excited. i heard that the flyers beat the penguins last night. that will do it. that is what you are so excited today. maybe because we have senator marco rubio here. isn't he an extraordinary leader? a wonderful leader in our party. [applause] what a terrific welcome. this is just extraordinary. i appreciate your generosity, your willingness to come out. i need your vote tomorrow. get out and vote in the primaries. [applause] the senator was absolutely right. the president came into office with all sorts of dreams about how we bring america together. that shore has not happened. now he is spending his time

attacking fellow americans and dividing us one way or the other. he said he would have a bit of a report card. four years ago, at the convention in denver, when he accepted his party's nomination, he got on the stage and behind him were those greek columns. remember that? he will not be standing in front of greek columns because he does not want to remind us of greece. [applause] he got up and he said how he measured success, by whether people have good jobs that can pay for a mortgage. that is how he measure's success. let's measure him on his own measure. he has been awful for 3.5 years. unemployment has been above 8% for 38 straight months. even though he said if we let him borrow money, he would keep it below 8%. we read today that 50% of kids

coming out of college cannot find work commensurate with their skill. unacceptable. unthinkable. this president has failed on the number one measure he described, good jobs for americans. then he said good jobs that can pay for mortgages. how is he doing on that? 2.8 million homes for clothes, a record number under this president. he has failed on that. he also said he measured success by whether incomes were going up or down. guess how they have gone the last 3.5 years? down. the median income have -- has dropped 10%, $3,000 during this president's term. he also said he judged success by whether people with an idea would take the risk of starting a business. during his presidency, the number of people starting a business has dropped by tens of thousands, costing jobs galore. this is a president who, on his own measure, has failed.

he is looking around to find someone to blame. and he blames republicans in congress. just as andy mentioned a moment ago, republicans did not have the congress for the first two years. the democrats did. he is out of ideas and excuses. in 2012, we are going to make sure we put him out of office. [applause] we sure hope things are getting better. we hope the economy is getting better. there are signs it is getting better. i hope it keeps getting better. and the president is like to stand up and say he deserves credit for that. if it gets better, it is not because of him. it is in spite of him. [applause]

i say that with some evidence. you look at what he has done and you ask yourself or sam or anyone else in a business, big or small, did what he do help or hurt job creation? you can go one by one. first, there was the stimulus. that was 3.5 years ago. that is not creating jobs today. and then there was obamacare. does anyone think that has created more jobs in america? people i talk to in business said that have pulled back on hiring in part because the fear that obamacare will put pressure on their business. then there is the ragged coat -- the regulatory efforts put on business is known as dodd frank. this is designed to keep the big banks from getting bigger. guess what has happened? they have gotten bigger. and the banks that got hurt are the community banks, the banks that loan to small businesses, start up businesses.

then there was the labor policy. stacking the board with labor stooges that decided that boeing could not build a factory in south carolina. look dead this record and there is nothing he has done that has allowed the entrepreneur say this is a good time to grow and expand. he has been anti-growth. we're going to make sure that approach is over in the white house. [applause] this is meant to be a town meeting which means you get to ask questions and we get to dodge with our answers. i am kidding. i want to say one more thing.

this really is an election about the course of america. we are going to decide what america is going to be over the rest of the century. i had the privilege of speaking with the former first lady, barbara bush, who said this is the most important election in my lifetime. we face challenges around the world. how are we going to deal with those challenges and remain the shining city on the hill? i believe we will make the right choice. it is a contrast where president obama would take tests and where i would take us. he has a belief that government can do a better job of guiding our lives and the economy than it can free people. government gets larger and larger under his vision. right now government at all levels consumes 38% of our economy. if we let obamacare stand, it

will be almost half of the economy. if we consider all the regulatory efforts into energy and health care and automotive and financial-services, the government would control over half of the u.s. economy. we cease being a free economy. that is where he would take us. we should tap the scale at 20% in do not let it get larger than that and get government out of our life. [applause] he seems to be willing to accommodate trillion dollar deficit. trillion dollar deficits. he has amassed five trillion dollars of public debt, almost as much as all the prior presidents combined.

this is something i find unacceptable. i will cut federal spending and capet and will get a balanced budget. -- cap it and will get a balanced budget. [applause] the president's vision for america is one where the government thinks it can do a better job than you can for your health insurance policy. what treatments you could receive. obamacareg to repeal and returned responsibility to you. [applause] under the president's vision it is harder and harder to use the energy we have in abundance. he has made it harder and harder through regulation to

take advantage of those resources. i have a hard time understanding what he means when he says he is for all of the above. i figured it out. he is for all of the energy sources from above the ground, the wind and the sun. i love the wind and the sun but i also like the energy from below the ground, oil, coal, gas, we're going to get them. [applause] let me mention something about our military. the president seems to be comfortable and cutting one area of the federal budget, our military. i do not think the world is a safer place. i think as you look around the world, north korea, iran, pakistan, developments around

the world, the world continues to be a dangerous place. we have a navy that is smaller at any time since 1917. 1917. can you imagine? our air force is older and smaller than its founding in 1947. the president wants to cut personnel even as they were stretched in the last conflicts we have had. my own view is that we should take shipbuilding from 9 to 17 year, purchased more aircraft, more personal, and we should give the veterans that care they deserve. [applause] i subscribe to ronald reagan's view below -- which is that you have a strong military to be a

will to prevent war. a strong, american military is the best ally keys have ever known. -- peace has ever known. and so this election is going to come down to a dramatic choice for the course of america. are we going to believe in bigger government, more and more intrusive and more dependent upon it, where are we going to return to the principles of free individuals building enterprises and economic freedom, political freedom, religious freedom, that is the course i represent. the president wants to transform america. i do not want to transform america. i want to restore the principles that made us the greatest nation on earth. [applause]

there is a nice sign a over there. romney believes in america. i believe i -- i certainly do. there is a question right there. get to aoing to try to microphone. -- you a microphone. it is going to turn on in a second. you do not need to touch it, it is the guy in the control booth. try it again. >> an oil company had to refineries operating in delaware county.

konica phillips had a refinery operating until last september. this implied gasoline to the east coast of the united states. without these refineries, and they were based on the epa costs of complying with regulations as well as those matt, we are suffering because of that and because of the use of corn, fruits, in our gas tanks, which makes our cars less efficient. what terry going to do about these things? -- are you going to do about these things? >> we like clean air and clean water. we're going to have standards that keep our air and water clean. we do not want to have standards with developing oil, that make it impossible for us to use those resources to.

the epa puts our regulations a cannot be met with correct technology. that does not make a lot of sense. sometimes they put these things in place to drive us out of business. try the sources out of business. -- drive these sources out of business. with the view that finally solar and wind will become economic. we have a long way to go for them to be economic. i do not believe in driving out of business those resources we have an abundance and believe we have to not have regulators the kill enterprise. pennsylvania has suffered for the decades. one of the reasons is that manufacturers have left. energy costs have become so

high. we have to have a president that understands how business works and recognizes the importance of energy. i do not want to drive manufacturers to go to places like china where they use the call we have been mining and put the same pollutions into the air. they do not call it america- warming, they call it global warming. >> you realize this is the most energy rich country in the world? the american innovator has invented a way to access natural gas we never had a chance to get to? at a time when the world needs more energy, we found more of it. let me give you an example. canada decided to build a pipeline. it can go toward china or us.

which direction do you think the president shows? which will mitt romney issues? america. -- choose? america. >> i said that if we cannot get the thing built, i would bill that myself. which is not easy to do but i will find a way to build the pipeline. >> we are finding out in minnesota that there have been a number of illegal voting procedures. we lost a great senator because of 312 votes, people who were felons were allowed to vote in minnesota. in south carolina, the governor is finding almost a thousand

graveside votes. votes that were illegally given through various means. what is your position on voter registration, a voter id, and why it would be a shame to have my picture taken as an american? [applause] >> it is hard for our friends across the aisle to explain why they do not want to make sure that people who vote are legal citizens of this country. i do not understand their approach. we have it right to one person and one vote. when people cheat and perpetuate fraud, they are taking away from me and you and your constitutional right to have one person to 1 vote. i support efforts -- and these are going out across the

country. i support efforts that say we want people to come in and make sure they are citizens of the united states and they have not voted multiple times or for someone who has passed away. i know a number of states are doing that. we have the attorney general trying to keep that from happening. i just think we should have voter identification so we know who is voting. [applause] and those states working on laws like this are trying to find ways to make sure they do not frighten anyone away by saying -- come into the clerk's office and we will give you an identification. let's make it easy for people to register but we have to have that kind of system. one of my favorite jokes about this -- the former senate president of massachusetts says, tongue in cheek, that he

was being investigated by the fbi because of voting record irregularities in his district. he had across from his home a triple decker -- three apartments on top of each other. they normally hold three families. they said him, all we noted that the triple decker across from your home at 257 votes cast from it. they said to him how do you explain that? he said simple, the top floor was still empty. [laughter] mr. senator, any comments on voter identification? >> a week ago, i bought an exercise bike because my wife said i was looking too senatorial. hat i mean?ht you know what the cashier asked me for? my id. when i got on the plane this morning do you know what they asked me for? so what is the big deal.

what is the big deal? [applause] >> here is one behind you. see if it works. there, that works. >> i have an easy one for you. a political favor. if in november you win the presidential election, i got a baseball signed by five presidents and i would like to add you to it. [applause] mye's my phone number and name. [applause] >> that is a promise i can keep today, right. yes, ma'am. >> first of all, i think you look great. >> he does not need a bike, does he? no. >> i have been using it. >> i am concerned about

obamacare. i have a husband who is ending his career in medicine, a daughter beginning her career in medicine. i know that the wheels of obamacare have been turning. i know you want to repeal it but what are you going to do about what is already happening? >> those things that have already happened are now in the past and there's not much we can do about that. there are new taxes that will be applied. medical devices and instruments and alike are being taxed not as a percentage of their profit but as of their revenue, of their sales. even businesses that are not profitable will have to pay tax under obamacare. i am convinced that under obamacare, you will see more direction from the federal government as to what kinds of insurance you have to have and

what procedures you will be allowed to have. the american people do not want it. they did something extraordinary in massachusetts -- they elected a republican senator to stop it. yet the president went ahead anyway. if i am elected, i would everything in my power to stop obamacare. number one -- i will grant a waiver from obamacare to each one of the 50 states. the president has been doing that to his friends. he grants waivers to various unions and so forth. i will grant that to all the states. then i will go to work to get it repealed altogether. to get it repealed, the american people will have to know what comes next. there are some features in our health-care system that need to be fixed. for instance, an insurance company should not be able to drop someone because they get sick. if someone is working at a -- [applause] if someone is working at a business like this, for sam, and the family decides they are

going to move to arizona. let's say one of the family members has a serious condition of some kind. they have been continuously insured for 20 years than they moved to phoenix and no insurance company will pick them up. that is not fair. i say if they had been previously covered with insurance, they ought to be able to get covered again. that is another change i would make. [applause] here is something -- have you ever thought about why it is that your employer purchases your insurance for you? they do not buy your life insurance or your car insurance. they do not buy your home insurance. why do they buy your health insurance? there is history as to why that has begun. but i would like to do something for you that has been done for companies. if companies buy the insurance for you, they get a tax deduction but if you want to

purchase it yourself, you do not get a tax deduction. i want to eliminate that discrimination and allow them -- individuals to purchase their own insurance and take it with them. [applause] we get the best health care in the world. there is just no question. obamacare threatens that. not just for the people who practice medicine are for those receive health care. i will stop obamacare in its tracks. we have to do it. thank you. [applause] there is a gentleman back here. yes, sir? >> thank you, governor. governor and senator, we are honored to have you here. we are so honored. god bless you both. [applause] i am wearing a veteran for mitt romney sticker, navy way back when. [applause]

i have a son who is a doctor but most importantly, i have seven grandchildren. i am terribly afraid that the constitutional republic that existed when i was born and was growing up is in dire straits of being ruined as these -- slipped into socialism under the current administration. [applause] it is so important. this is the most important election in my lifetime. 74 years. i will tell you that we are a nation of immigrants and we did not come to a country like this for entitlement. we came here for the opportunities. to take on responsibility and the opportunities and most

importantly, the rewards for excellence and achievement an effort. honest effort. that is what we stand for as americans. [applause] our nation has some very serious fiscal problems. we do need tax reform and yet we need to save what has been possible for us as citizens, deductions. we are a very generous nation. we contribute to the needs of others. we are a compassionate people. we need to preserve that but we need to have meaningful fiscal reform and i would be very interested in hearing what your thoughts are on that measure. thank you. god bless you. [applause] >> your question strikes a chord with me. first of all, let me tell you how honored i am to be here today. it would have been unimaginable -- [applause] half a century ago, my parents

came to the united states. they did not speak english. they did not really have much of an education. they both grew up poor. they did not know anybody here. it was hard for me to imagine what life was like then to read my parents were not rich but i was privileged because i lived in a strong, stable family and had opportunities they did not. if my father were still alive and hopefully my mother is watching, it would not have been imaginable for me to stand here today. why am i here today? why have by the privilege to have opportunities they did not? it is it because i'm smarter work harder. -- it is not because i am smarter or worked harder. i had something they did not to read the privilege and honor and being born in the single greatest society of all of human history. [applause] in a place where anyone from anywhere can accomplish anything. d.

no why we are different? -- do you know why we are different? i do not remember growing up my parents ever sang to meet you know why we are not better off? because those guys are doing too well. they never said to me if only we took something away from them and they gave it to us, things would be better. i do not ever remember my parents teaching me [applause] what my parents would do is they would point to people who made it and say that as a source of inspiration. if they made it, you can as well. [applause] and now, we now have leaders, a leader in this country that wants to take that from us. he is telling americans the reasons why they are hurting is because other people are doing too well. the way they can climb up the ladder is to pull other people down. if we do that, we become like every other country in the world. the cannot do that. if we are that, if we become that, that the american

inspiration will be gone and there will be nothing the rest of the world can look to hopefully in the hopes that they too can have what we have. this is who we must remain. but we will not if barack obama is president and another four years. [applause] >> we get one more question with all of you but i want to underscore something. we need to have a president who will stop apologizing for success here at home and stop apologizing for success of brought of this great country. -- abroad of this great country. [applause] let's see, who will lead be?

yes, sir? >> thank you so much for coming to pennsylvania. in a month, i would join the united states air force. [applause] my question to you is i am so glad that in your opening remarks you bought of national defence and our veterans. while the economy is very important, without a strong economy, we do not have a strong anything. my question is on an issue that may take a bit of a back burner which is national defense. my question for you and for the senator -- are you prepared to assure us today that whatever option is required, you will not allow iran to have a nuclear weapon? [applause] >> i recognize that the american people are very tired of the conflicts we have been in. we have been in iraq for a long

time and afghanistan for a long time. when people hear about an option with iran, they say oh boy. we have to tell america what the consequence would be of iran with a nuclear weapon. if they have fissile material, they sponsored terror throughout the middle east, europe and latin america -- hezbollah. if those groups are able to get fissile material, it could find its way to our shores. there can be a dirty bomb. or any other kind of atomic weapon. it could not only blackmail america but could kill hundreds of thousands.

we cannot have a nuclear iran. [applause] one of the president's great failings -- we have a long list of things to talk about that he has failed on of these sums time -- that we sometimes do not get around. he should put crippling sanctions against iran. he should move to indict ahmadinejad. he gave russia their number one foreign-policy objectives and denied get them to agree to sanctions against iran. there were voices to the streets in tirana. he had nothing to say about that. unthinkable. he has been acting like he is more concerned with israel -- that israel might take action to get rid of nuclear weapons that he is about having iran

develop nuclear weapons. [applause] if i'm president, i will take whatever action necessary to prevent iran from having a nuclear weapon and threatening ourselves and our friends. senator. >> national security is the number one obligation of the federal government. what the governor has already outlined is the risks iran poses to the world. we are in a world at a time when global problems require global solutions. that means one nation alone cannot solve problems any longer. but who will lead to tackle these problems. only the united states can do that. we can put together coalitions that will confront threats like iran. the world is begging for american leadership. not an america that leads from

the side or behind an america willing to take the lead because the world understand that only began and we must. you have outlined the great threat that iran poses, not just to america but to the world. and the idea iran having any clear weapon is so horrifying that literally there is no price to large to bear from preventing that from happening. [applause] >> the senator is getting on a train to go back to washington. i appreciate him coming here to be with us today. thank you, senator. [applause] >> thank you. but those guys in florida are lucky to have him as their senator. you're still standing.

i will take that as a standing invitation to tell you these few words.

♪[music]

>> republican presidential primary voters go to the poll tomorrow in pennsylvania, connecticut, delaware, new york and rhode island. 231 total delegates are at stake. for more information go to c-span.org/campaign 2012. now we mark some of the former?ñ?ñ?ñ virginia congressmn virgil goode. the constitution party was founded as the u.s. taxpayer party in 1991. the party officially changed its name to the constitution party in 1999. this event from tennessee is 25 minutes. >> the candidate for the constitution party, it is of course virgil h. goode who hails from rocky mountain virginia. he was born in richmond,

virginia in october 17, 1946. he received his b.a. from the university of richmond. he served in the virginia army national guard. he's an attorney by trade. he was elected to the -- he served as legislature in the virginia general assembly, virginia state senate. he served 12 years as a u.s. representative in the u.s. congress. he's married to lucy goode. and they have a daughter, catherine. i would point out that with his 12 years service in the u.s. congress, he served in federal office longer than barack obama or mitt romney combined. and so with that for his

acceptance speech let's welcome virgil goode jr. [applause] >> first i want to say thanks so much to all of you who worked hard and supported me in this nomination battle for the presidency of the united states under the constitution party label. when you win by one vote, you know every vote cast. i want to say to those that also

ran for your nomination, that it was an honor to be associated with darrell castle. i want to thank again, joan and darrell for all that they have done over the years for the constitution party. [applause] and robby wells, is robby here? robby, thank you. [applause] the energy and

wells on this campaignvñ?ñ?ñ han tremendous and if he will continue to work with us, if we don't get to the top of the hill this time, we will get to the top of the hill in 2016. [applause] i also want to recognize susan dusi and thank her for her campaign and for sharing with us her life story which every person should hear

and listen to because it is a true pulling yourself up by the boot straps story under the free enterprise system. susan, thank you so much. [applause] i'm not sure whether roth is still here, i want to express appreciation to lorie for focusing on issues and for having the presence that a radio talk show host has and i hope call her up and get some pointers for jazzing up a choir

and going with a fewwell placed reasonable zingers that will sure to get you on radio and television. ron from california, got a really thank ron. he allowed the california delegation to vote for me. thank you very much, thank you for standing for traditional marriage and for your speech yesterday. [applause] our party officers

have worked very hard in bringing back this convention getting persons here from all over the country. our staff persons, gary odom and allison potter are in the background and get a little recognition. i think we should all give them a round of applause also. [applause] our party chair, jim clamor is not running again for chair. i want to thank jim. i know i will do this on behalf of all of you, for thinks time and energy and personal contributions to this party. he and several others have been mainstay in providing funding over the years to the

constitution party. you got to have some funding just to keep:oiój3 the doorsrç. jim, thank you so very much. [applause] i won't list all the party officers but, i know they have all worked hard but i do want to mention specifically our treasurer, joe signer. [applause] joe has done yohman's work in the detail that is needed to have treasurer's

report that are informative but also comply with all of the federal election commission regulation. joe thank you for steering us straight and keeping us out of trouble. [applause] are you ready to take on mitt romney, barack obama and the establishment in washington d.c.? if you are say yes! [applause] jim mentioned that i served in the u.s. house for 12 years. i did. peter from louisiana asked me and said, i know you cast a lot

of votes and a lot of them i agreed with. but, tell me one or two that you may have cast wrong. you remember that didn't you peter? i did, i made some mistakes in the house on votes, when you cast a lot. that's not too difficult to do. one in particular, several but one in particular, i voted for the patriot act. i know that most in this room are very much opposed to that measure. i want to say that my association with the constitution party over the last three plus years has given me a better perspective in analyzing

legislation from a constitutional view point. i want to say that i made a mistake in voting for that measure as it applies to u.s. citizens in this country and to legal permanent residents. i do not favor, although this may not comport with all federal court decisions, extending constitutional rights to persons from foreign countries or those illegally in the united states. [applause] as president, i will work with the congress to repeal the applications of the patriot act as it applies to u.s.xñpcx citizens.8rñ?ñ?

[applause] i like many others also voted for support for the troops in afghanistan. i never favored rebuilding the countries with u.s. taxpayer money. but like many who voted yes on those actions early on, i suspect in the u.s. house and the u.s. senate, you would have very close votes about extending and extending the war in afghanistan. it's time to come home in an orderly and reasonable manner. we can talk about some other issues. in most instances, i was right

in line with the thought of this party and with the significant number of american citizens. i have a pro-life voting record and that certainly distinguishes me from president obama who has one of the most proabortion records and positions ever for a president and certainly during his service in the united states senate. i also would like to submit that over time, my pro-life voting record is better than that of mitt romney, who has converted more recently to our position in thinking on that issue. with regard to marriage, i've

always supported the proposition that marriage should be between one man and one woman. while in the virginia senate, while i was in the u.s. house of representatives. if you look closely at president obama's position, you can see that he is moving ever so directly in a direction of procivil unions and really prohomo sexual rights. if i'm president, i will veto legislation advancing that cause. second amendment issues, i have

always consistently been for and supported the right of the individual to keep and bare arms. one of the first amendments that i proposed in the u.s. house of representatives was to give that right to citizens of washington d.c. i know when we -- lucy and i were in the apartment up there, it was against the law for us to have a firearm in our apartment for self-protection. thankfully that has been changed in d.c. but we need someone in the chief executive office of this country who has a history of supporting know you can count on when it comes to the rights of yourselves and defend yourselves and have a firearm of protection, and your person and

property. in the u.s. house, i was one of the democrats that didn't go along with the democratic leadership when it said come by and time to vote for our budget resolution. the republican leadership would come by and say, you know, sometimes you just got to vote with us on these unbalanced budget resolutions, loaded with deficits. well i wouldn't go along with it. that was not liked by the senior leadership in either party. now, we in a situation where our debt is $15.7 trillion and our deficit under the obama budget,

is $1.3 trillion and under the ryan republican budget, it is $600 billion. with the constitution party's philosophy and viewpoint with which i agree, we need to cut now, balance now, not 5-10 years down the road. we must have the courage to cut. i've got from the department of education's, no child left behind, to the department of education in general, to foreign aid and we can go on and on. i would say, look at obama's

record and mitt romney's record, just on those two issues. education, no child left behind and foreign aid. i'm for slashing and cutting. they maybe for taking a paring knife and maybe slicing off just a thin layer of cheese at the top. obama isn't even for that, he wants to throw them out another ream of cheese. i was honored to be in ron paul's liberty caucus. i support an audit of the federal reserve and i don't think you'll get barack obama or mitt romney to even mention the issue. another area, a big distinction

between us and the republicans and democrats. illegal immigration and legal immigration. i cannot think the national committee of the constitution party enough for having the courage in the face of political correctness to say, we stand with arizona in support of their legislation. if i'm president, you will not attorney general, going down as friend of the court to opponent to that legislation. our attorney general will go and be a friend of the court to saying, let's oppose what arizona and alabama and other states are doing to control their illegal immigration.

i said during our campaign, i want to thank robby wells for also having this position, calling for a moratorium with a few exceptions on the continuing issuing of green cards when we have unemployment between 8% and 9%. last year, 1.2 million green cards were issued. a significant number went to working age individuals. when we have american citizens that need work, you should not be bringing in so many from foreign nations to take jobs that our citizens have long for

and need so they can get off the unemployment line before we extend the benefits of this country to those from other countries. it's time to put the american worker first. the i was also in supportive of ending diversity visas. this is 50,000 persons per year that can come in on a lottery system. you can be from the middle east, africa, asia, wherever. even though you are nowhere near the front of the legal immigration line, if you apply for the diversity visa pool, and you get in that lottery system and they pull your number, in

you come. again, why bring in so many persons, many of them who whom are working age when our unemployment is so high? it is the wrong course for the nation. if i'm president, i will sign and work for the legislation to end those diversity visas. another big distinction between myself and president obama and likely candidate, mitt romney. i do not support automatic birth right citizenship for the children of illegals in this country. eliminateing automatic birth

right citizenship would also significantly help the budgetary situation of the united states and of several other states. you should not be able to come in, have a child in this country, get food stamps, get public assistance, get medicaid and some other type of public. term'n3wsh(ráizen who are payig taxes. we need to end that practice whether it's by statute or constitutional amendment. i don't know of another country in the world that is that liberal with regard to illegal aliens having children in their native country. we have one of the most liberal

immigration, may be the most in the world. we need to turn that upside down if we do, our budget situation will be enhanced and most importantly, as my campaign literature says, we need to save america by focusing on the fact that citizenship should matter and should count for something. last thing i want to mention as a key distinction between myself and candidates romney and candidate obama, is campaign fundraising. they are hawks and they are

adept of getting $10,000 out of couples for the primary and for the general election. and really sharp at getting big money from big pacs. i'm not taking besides a few left over campaign funds from congressional races and donations from immediate family, no donation over $200 and no pac contributions. it's time that the average citizen had the same voice and government as the -- omaha, they had a google and facebook, let's stand up for the average citizen. let's me and the constitution party in 2012 and we will give

america the change that it is needed and it won't be the barack obama change of 2008. [applause] >> this year's competition ask students to create a video telling us what part of the constitution is most important to them. today we'll take you to cherry hill, new jersey. we will talk to madeleine. why did you choose womens suffrage as your topic? >> i had considered doing the first amendment for my documentary. however, i felt that the 19th amendment, women's suffrage was

a topic i will be able to do well. it was a matter of resources i had and i had chosen my topic around the same time my parents had decided we would take our summer vacation up in the lakes which is near the falls, which is first women's rights convention was held. included as part of theew; original constitution? >> at that time the constitution was being created women's right was a idea. at the time, there were a lot of already some controversial issues that were being brought up such as slavery for example. these issues really threatened creation of the constitution. the introduction of women's suffrage would not have gone over well. i know there were some that might have supported women's suffrage at the time.

it was controversial and radical issue that it has gone over well. >> there were a couple leaders in the women's right movement. who was susan b. anthony? >> she played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement during the 19th century. she founded the national women's suffrage association and she wrote what is now the 19th amendment. she dedicated her life to women suffrage with her friend elizabeth stanton. she gave speeches and she played a pivotal part. >> what was alice paul. >> she dedicated her life to women suffrage movement during the 20th century. she organized a march. she created the national women's party. she held demonstrations and she picketed outside of the white

house and she won sympathy of the nation as women were arrested and abused in prison. when the 19th amendment was passed, she continue to fight for women's right with equal rights amendment. which did not pass in congress. >> what were some of the other thing that women did in order to fight more their right to vote? >> during the 19th century, it was largely convention and speeches. they traveled all over the country. in the 20th century, got much more militant. while it was peaceful, it was much more -- not as in the pass. >> what do you think we can learn from the women's right movement today? >> i think we can learn that one person or small group of people with great conviction and cause, can make a change to an entire nation. when we learn about the women's right movement, we begin to see the parallelsççw3 betwrbñ?ñ?es

right movement and civil rights movement. susan b. anthony said resistance to tyranny is obedience to god. which is similar to martin luther king's quote. you begin to see the parallels and the successful strategies that were involved, which is the peaceful resistance, nonviolence. >> thank you madeleine. and congratulations on your win. >> thank you. >> here is a brief portion from madeleine's documentary titled, vote for women. >> 1872, anthony voted, she argued the 14th amendment. she was later jailed. despite her logical defense, she was charged with illegal voting. she had won, women would have been able to vote under the 14th amendment. >> the 14th amendment did not only include the women it

executed it. the women argued this refers to people and other species. in the 14th amendment, the word male appeared which undeniedly referredrto gender. >> they didn't have a unified voice. there were different opinions. >> susan b. anthony and elizabeth stanton formed national women's association. henry blackwell and lucy stone formed the american suffrage association who's strategy was to obtain women's suffrage. >> you can see this entire video as well as all of the winning documentaries studentcam.org. >> former president dick cheney

spoke to students today about his experience in washington and his recent heart transplant surgery. that's next on c-span. remarks from president obama at the holocaust museum. and later republican presidential candidate mitt romney campaigned in pennsylvania. in his new book, rodney king recounters his life since the 1991 beating of the los angeles police. rodney king will be at the center for research and black culture. you can see that online at booktv.org. vice president dick cheney had his first public interview in washington since his heart transplant last month. he spoke to c-span steve at the washington center and answered

questions from students at this one hour event. [applause] >> thank you everyone. welcome to the spring semester internship program here at the blinken auditorium. 25 yearsç agoñr four congressman from wyoming spoke to a group just like you. we're very honored to have him back with us today. to introduce him is his good

friend, another congressman and cabinet level secretary, the honorable norm manetta. [applause] >> thank you very much mike. really does give me a great deal of pleasure and honor for me to have this opportunity to introduce the next speaker in the norman manetta leadership here at the washington center for interns and academic seminars. as all of you know, the washington center was founded in 1975. it has been the recognized leader in providing transformational experience for over 50,000 students through internships and special academic

seminars. almost two years ago, a very good.kçodd friend ofnóñ?ñ? 70 yr republican smart allen k. simpson of wyoming, and i a former democrat, member of congress, agreed to lend our names to this leader's series in order to present to washington center students distinguished individuals who have exemplified not only the high honor of public service but the ability to engage in the statesmanship that this country and the whole world so desperately need in these very challenging times. this is a forum for intelligent

discussion on important issues of the day that transcend party affiliation and encourages bipartisan solutions. i was just completing a stint at the secretary of commerce in the clinton administration when i was asked by president-elect bush and vice president elect cheney to join share administration in an acts of bipartisanship to serve as their secretary of transportation. i know a little bit about bipartisanship. vice president cheney and i have a very special relationship, one that was cemented on that faithful tragic day of

september 11, 2001. during which i gave the first order in american history to ground all aviation in the united states. i was with vice president cheney in the piok presidential emergency operational center. dick cheney has served his country with distinction as white house chief of staff, a six term member of congress from wyoming, secretary of defense this represents a lifetime of public service. we are grateful to him for honoring his commitment to speak here after what has been

thankfully a speedy recovery from his heart transplant surgery. please welcome steve skully from c-span and my very good friend, former vice president of the united states of america, dick cheney. [applause] >> mr. vice president, one change to the program. this is a series. thank you very much for being with us. it's been a month since the surgery. the obvious question is, how are you feeling? >> well i'm feeling very well. very fortunate. i've been through --q+÷ç[y]çh coronary artery disease since

1978. gradually over time, i eventually had five heart attacks. i got in line for a transplant and i got that transplant just four weeks ago yesterday. i feel a lot of emotion. one is great gratitude to the family that donated the heart. i was privileged to receive the fact that i no longer carrying around about 10 pounds of battery, which is what i operated on for two years. he a heart pump installed on my heart to supplement it. i had batteries and so forth that i worn a vest 24/7. i don't have to do that anymore. i'm not wired to the wall or wired to anything else.

i'm back to having a strong healthy heart and some great doctors and nurses who took good care of me. i feel better in terms of my overall health that i have in a long time. >> a month or day ago when you got the phone call, who called you? what was your immediate reaction and what happened next? >> well, roughly two years ago, i reached point where my heart was still pumping but it wasn't moving enough blood to serve my vital organs, liver and kidneys and so forth. at the same time, i applied to go on the waiting list for an

actual transplant. the l-vad was a device designed to use it on people who have a need for transplant. one of the problems we have, we don't have enough organs to transplant. this guy buys you time. i was able to live with that for about 20 months. in the meantime, you work your way up on the list with respect to being eligible for a transplant. you have to go through a lot of test. there are a lot of things involved in deciding whether or not you're a good prospect for a transplant. there are also awful lot of measurements that need to be taken to make certain that you get matched up with the right kind of heart that involves blood type. it involves the size of the heart relative to your body, test for all the antibodies that you have. to make sure they get close as

match as possible to that enhances your prospects of success. then on a friday night, about midnight, i got a phone call. i knew i was getting near the top of the list. but it was a matter of finding a heart and having a heart become available met my requirements. we got a phone call at midnight and got in the car and drove to the hospital. checked in there and about 7:00 this morning, they began the operation. it took about five or six hours all together. i was up and around in two days

able to tolerate that kind of surgery. it's gone very well. i would say out of the hospital in about nine days. everything has been marvelous ever since. >> what have you learned about the whole organ donor program? >> well, we can talk about that all afternoon. you hear people talk about their health and lots of times we over do it in a sense. the donor program is enormously important. it's possible when people agree to be donors. i carried, for example, my driver's license. it has a little red heart on it indicating that i'm an organ donor. anything happen to me, car accident or like that, they know they can harvest whatever

organs. when it do transplant lots of times they're able to get organs to help several people and not just one. it's not just the heart transplant, there's kidney for somebody else. there maybe eight or ten people that benefit. one of the things you learn and say that i come away with, it's the kind of gift that's unbelievable what it makes possible. i like to encourage people to participate obviously but that's a personal decision for people to make. we're at a stage where technology gets better and better all the time and we don't

yet have artificial hearts. we're able to supplement to some extent. the ultimate solution for somebody with coronary artery disease over 30 years is ultimately a transplant. that's what i've been fortunate to receive. >> in the book, you outlined a great detail. how you started out as a graduate student at the university of wisconsin. ended up on the white house staff. how did that come about? >> i had a somewhat spotty academic career. i'm sure that doesn't happen to anybody here. i was recruited to go to yale when i got out of high school and i got kicked out twice.

i ended up back in wyoming building powerlines and transmission lines. and ultimately decided i needed to get an education and i went back to school at the university of wyoming. i was seriously interested in a young lady that gone to high school with. she was an excellent student. they graduated top of our class. she wasn't too sure about where i was headed but after a year she agreed to marry me. we celebrate our 47th anniversary this year. she was a strong motivator for me to work hard and%qç be aáed student. i got my b.a. and masters at the university of wyoming back in the '60s and then went on to wyoming where i was working on a doctorate. it was a relatively small group.

i came to washington to stay 12 months in 1968. i stayed about 40 years. overran my schedule. i the -- the experience i had, brought a group of congress they come through one at a time during the orientation session. i was very impressed with one young congressman from the north shore of chicago guy named don rumsfeld. he spoke to the group and i interviewed with him. he had me in his office and he asked when what was doing and i was explaining how i was studying the avon congress voted. he listened for about ten minutes and he stood up and said this isn't going to work. threw me out.

he claims that's not what happened. i took notes and remember him very well. couple months, later he was named my president. nixon started his administration to run the agency. i sat down shortly after he was announced and i wrote an unsolicited 12 page memo to him telling him how he conduct himself with the confirmation hearing, what kind of policy initiatives he should undertake and so forth. senate didn't hear anything about it for a couple weeks. i went down, he came and he spoke to the big group and then left and he sent a secretary and she came in said if there's

anybody in here named cheney. i held my hand up and she took me back in his office. he looked up you congressional relations, now get out of here. that's how he hired me. he didn't say i'm sorry i threw you out last time. he didn't say i like your memo. he said you're congressional relations now get out of here. i went out and got directions and went down and took over. >> you were how old? >> at the time, i was 37. no excuse me, i was 20. >> question? >> mr. vice president, i want to thank you for the opportunity. my question has to do with your book specifically. when writing your book of memoirs were there any event or moment you done differently any regrets in early years of politics you wish you

would have done? >> in political life? >> yes. >> really i look back on that. two thoughts primarily stand out. one i was very fortunate. i had some great opportunities that came my way. but that was in part because of the people who willing to take a chance on me. after you had a career like mine, it's easy to look back on it and sort of get into the all by myself. that's not true. it's almost never true. if you think about it, you're able to advance on what you do and make forward progress in a career because people are willing to help. i can identify don rumsfeld, bill congressman from wisconsin, jerry ford who was willing to hire me to work for him actually went down the day he took over

to be part of the transition and chief of staff when i was very young. my career has turned on those decisions that other people made when i was here as a young man and i didn't expect to stay more than 12 months. those are the things i think about. in terms what i would have done with my own career, i did everything i set out to do. it was obviously varied. got to do a whole bunch of things. i loved the fact that i was able to work in the ford administration in the aftermath of watergate. when i finished with president ford, i went on to wyoming because i decided i wanted to run for congress. that was a place for me to run from. everything i done here during the nixon and ford administration, laid the groundwork ultimately for my

campaigns and fortunately i won all of those. i got to be secretary of defense and i got to be vice president. you can't plan it. there's no place where you can go to a job fair and say that's the package i want. i was extraordinarily fortunate and it's been from my stand point, it's been a wonderful career. i loved every minute of it. >> thank you very much, i appreciate it. >> let me ask you about the ford years, you were not part of the ford administration when he pardon the richard nixon. in the book you said the impact of that pardon would have been lesson with how the pardon was announced. you said the pardon was the right decision. what do you think gerald ford or people around him should have been done? >> rumsfeld and i came in and helped with the transition for about two week and we both left.

i went back to a private company. a couple weeks after that, we got called back after the president been there for about a month and he decided he needed a new chief of staff. that was the job he gave rumsfeld and maybe his deputy. it was during that couple week period between your tours that he issued a pardon for nixon. i thought it was the right to do from the standpoint that it was just in a sense. nixon was resigning under fire. he made a difficult call. president ford made the decision he did because he thought it was the right thing for the country. but watergate behind us and get on to other things. the only problem i saw, the talk about it in the book, the president announced the pardon on a sunday morning on

nationwide television. nobody is up watching nationwide television on sunday morning unless you're glutting for punishment or meet the press. in those days, very few people actually saw the broadcast. if you go back and look at thosç old tapes,1pñ?ñ? you can see thn streamingffñ?ñ? in the window oe oval office. just a beautiful day and i a fantastic setting and ford gave a great speech but nobody heard it. it hadn't been any effort made to sort of lay the ground work. like maybe for example, some leaks to the press or maybe bring in the congressional leadership and brief them in advance. everybody was really surprised by what happened. it dropped us about 30 points in the polls and we went from close to 70% approval rating down to about 40%. it was a burden we carried all

the way through the '76 election. i think it corrected to our defeat. but the thing i really loved when i think about it, was when president ford died, what a lot of people remember and reminded of was that he had the courage knowing full well it might have cost him the presidency to make that decision and stick by it. he was a remarkable man. i think one of the things that prove to that was his decision to pardon nixon. >> thank you so much for being here. i'm going to go back to the beginning a little bit. so you start off as an intern in d.c. and you worked your way up to chief of staff. do you feel your internship was

vital to that process and what kind of lessons did you learn there that you couldn't learn anywhere else? >> the internships were vital. i did an internship in wyoming state senate. the congress only meet about 40 days. but that was my first political experience. i was sort of nonpartisan, graduate student. then i worked for the governor of wisconsin for a year. both of those were with republican state smart, republican governor and out of that, i got the summons, if you will, the opportunity to go to washington as a congressional fella which was a year long proposition. also pay to feed my family. the predominant impact those

experiences had, i always thought i wanted to be a political science professor. i worked hard at that. what i found after i'd been back here if a while, was i decided i was much more interested in doing it than i was teaching about it. when it came time for me after the -- we lost the '76 election, i had to go find something to do. what i really wanted to do was go run for congress. put my name on the ballot. i was impressed and felt very strongly that somebody like jerry ford, rumsfeld could serve in congress and it was honest work for these guys.

those experiences that led to the change in my basic life and i never did finish theor@ñ?ñ? dissertation. i never get my ph.d. and i never did gopñ?ñ back and teach. there are probably some political adversaries in wyoming wish i had. i got caught up in the political wars. it was fascinating and interesting and it was something that fundamentally changed my life. i served in the house of representatives back in the '80s. >> thank you. >> there is a position to the book. you began the mourning of january 20, 1977 in the white house. by mid afternoon and you your family was having lunch at mcdonalds. take that metaphor and what that tells but politics in america.

>> it was a unique kind of experience to go through. i didn't know it at the time that i was ever going to get a chance to go back to the white house or back to senior level of government. we lost the election in '76 and jimmy carter was taking over. on january 20th, i road up to capitol hill in the president's motorcade. we sworn in president carter and got on presidential helicopter and flew over the city a couple times. the president got off the helicopter and walked over and got on air force one. the first time he got on air force one all by himself without me. that was a bit disconcerting. as his plane took off, guy in a

trench coat came out and had a big aluminum suit suitcase he laid open on the ground. he said okay gentlemen i need your radios. everybody had radios and they got the ear pieces and stripped it out and showed us that aluminum suitcase. that was it and we were out of work. we stopped at mcdonald and had a leisurely lunch. it was an interesting time part at that moment, i was out of work. i had two young kids and my wife was finishing up her ph.d. she got hers -- >> she finished and you didn't? >> she do finished and i didn't.

we haven't decided what we will do. that's when i ended up making a basic decision i wanted to go back to wyoming. if i was going to run for office, that was the place to do it. that spring since school was out, we loaded up a u-haul truck. that fall, just a few months later, congressman announced his retirement. surprised everybody and we thought he was going to run for reelection. he didn't. that was my opening. i won the general election. in less than two years after i was left, i was back here at freshman congressman from wyoming. >> there was a story you tell when you're running for reelection and one of your constituents didn't know who you were? >> that happened on one occasion.

y!7tekb% éññ?ñ?for reelection. >> favorite story was -- it had to do with the fella down in torenton, house painter. i haven't ran into him. we had a big barbecue and came along late in the campaign down in wyoming and along the nebraska border. he a guy come up to me at the barbecue as i recall, i was

introduced as dick cheney candidate for congress. he asked me said sensor are you a democrat, i said no sir and he said are you a lawyer, i said no sir. he said,ly vote for but you. >> their are keller from ball state university. >> thank you for being with us. you served as chief of staff in the ford white house and later as vice president as president george w. bush. i was wondering if you can tell us the similaritieses and difference between those two roles and how your position as chief of staff help you to be better prepared to serve as the vice president? >> thank you sarah. >> that's good question. studying political science, i don't know whether you had this experience or not, i came we from my years as student and

scholar. we were also looking for similarities across administrations, trying to identify institutional factors that you could look and see each congress or each presidency they had in common. after i been involved and doing for a while, i changed sort of my attitude in terms of what was significant and concluded, especially from a standpoint of the white house and the president, that what was really distinctive about the job, it was different for every president. it depended a lot upon the time this which they governed. you couldn't pro-forecast what they will deal with. in the bush administration, when i ran with then governor bush, we focused on tax policy and education and so forth.

eight month into the administration, 9/11 happened. 3000 americans were kilby terrorist that morning -- killed. that fact and responsibility to deaf against any further attacks and so forth is what dominated the rest of our presidency for the next seven years. that was the prime focus. the other thing that was crucial and vital is the personality or personal characteristics of the individual behind the desk in the oval office. each one of them is dramatically different. it's very hard to predict how dwight eisenhower might have dealt with the kind of things we with. we've been fortunatefñ?ñ? durine of our times to have individuals

who could step up and do what need to be done. it's interesting. i just finished the book on dwight eisenhower by a man named jean edward smith. what i come away with that is a much higher regard for president eisenhower in a sort of conventional wisdom. the academic community may see from time to time a list of president and historians will rank order them in terms of who was the best and so forth. those ranks bare no resemblance at all. but the chief of staff's job is very different than me and vice president. if focused very much on what the president needed to have done. he needed to have somebody

around him who was going to be there early in the morning and late at night and who can speak with the authority of the president, never abuse it, never mistake his own position as chief of staff for what the president is doing. it's very important that you function in a way that emphasize the staff part of that title. we treatment had chief of staff who -- we from time to time had chief of staff who didn't do that. they sought the ability to be sort of major public player. voice their views on various issues and sometimes to sort of manage the process to get the policy outcome they want. that's not why you're there. you're there to serve the president and he needs to have

somebody in that job that has vote of confidence in to carry out his instructions and to do what he needs to have done. the vice president on the other hand, may or may not have much to do. it's a very interesting proposition. part of what you do obvious, you're there in case something happens to the president. beyond that, it's really up to the president and what his relationship is with the vice president in terms of how much you're asked to do and what you get to do. we've had a lot of vice presidents that nobody remembers because never had to do anything. in mentation, first time i was offered chance to be on the list to be considered for the job, i said no. i had a good private sector job. had 25 years in politics and i didn't want to come back to washington.

eventually persuaded that i was the guy he needed in that post. he put me in charge of the search committee. some of my friends said cheney went to work and searched and searched and found himself. that's how he got to be vice president. that's not accurate but that was the charge that was made. it is a very different kind of function. you're not in charge of anything. you're not in charge of the white house staff. you're not secretary of defense, commanding and forming people troops or civilians or running the treasury department. there's a huge difference between cabinet member and vice presidents on the one hand and both jobs. they were absolutely fortunating but they were very different. >> what works? why did it not work for richard nixon or nelson rockefeller?

they didn't like the job of vice president. you enjoyed it and al gore said he had a lot of responsibilities. what works and what doesn't? >> the norm has been, you can go back over i was the 46th vice president, you look at the typical pattern has been. my guess, you may have somebody who is a diligent student who can name all of our vice presidents, but i couldn't. often times it's been described various ways by their politicians or vice presidents themselves. some of them weren't allowed to go to cabinet meetings. eisenhower and nixon had a somewhat strange relationship. it never was a close relationship. a lot of that had to do with

nixon's own background. europe throughout world war ii, he ran a military style operation. there isn't a place in that in vice president. you can have a deputy commander. you can have a chief of staff runs things on behalf of supreme court commander. style of operation was very much to delegate a lot of authority especially to the cabinet. he didn't delegate much of anything to the strength and he focused on the big issue himself. president bush he spent a lot of time to think about it. when he asked me to help find somebody, i had the opportunity over several months to hear him talk about what kind of individual he was looking for. what he really wanted was somebody who could be a part of the team and heavily involved in

policy making and that's what he offered me. what he said to me after we finished the search, he turned it me, dick, you're the solution to my problem. at that point, basically put the arm on me and few days later made the decision and signed me on. it worked well in our case. i got to do an awful lot. part of was because i happen to have set of experiences as secretary of defense on the intelligence committee in the congress and so forth that was very relevant after 9/11. i was a valuable commodity in that sense. he'd asked me to spend a lot of time on those kinds of issues. but i became persuaded that in fact, what he wanted, he wasn't worried about a big state. wyoming is the smallest state in

terms of population. we only have three electoral votes. i didn't have any special appeal in terms of ethnicity or gender or lot of reason people talk about hiring vice presidents. he decided that he wanted me primarily because of past experience, he probably workedhññ?ñ?ñ far and secretaryf defense back in the early '90s. >> the chief of staff, you make a point in your book, your code name was backseat. >> right. it was. that was a reflection i took as a point of honor. the secret service given me that. we had a -- just before we

turned things over to carter. they gave me as a token of affection, the backseat out of a old beat up car. it was a bad piece of equipment and they presented it to me that night to commemorate my code name. but it was keeping in the sense, keeping you head down, doing everything you could for the president and trying to stay out of the line of fire. don't become a target if you will for the press and other politician. >> jeremy hunt? >> thank you very much. i just want to know, have you ever felt there were times go alone on important issues? >> there were times when i felt outnumbered. that's easy to do sometimes when you're republican in the house

that's run by the democrats for example. i had the attitude, suppose i'm trying to think about some of the controversies we were involved in. some of the strongest controversy surrounded some of our post-9/11 policy. we had to do a couple things that i felt was very important. the president made the decision to sign off on it. i didn't do it by myself. one was to set up our terrorist surveillance program that led us to collect intelligence from people calling outside of the united states. if we had reason to believe that call may have come from an al qaeda type. the other was enhanceed interrogation techniques where

he applied to al qaeda terrorists when we captured them, were controversial. we were very careful to make certain. they were legal and we stayed within the limits but we did develop techniques that were absolutely vile in collecting information from people like khalid sheik mohammed, the master mind of 9/11. he wasn't very cooperative at the outset after he been involved in the enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding. he decided that he wanted to cooperate and wealth of invalue information in terms of putting together our program to defend the nation against al qaeda. leon panetta, said he believed that their ability to get bin

laden has been influenced in part by a lot of the intelligence we selected to that before and gradually led to the location of bin laden when president obama and the seals took him out. >> thank you. go to zachary who is next from tennessee. >> yes, mr. vice president, thank you for joining us for th] washington>xñ?ñ center. i just like to know what attribute that you have as an older professional? >> i almost state it the other way in terms of what, now that i'm an older professional -- >> experience, how is that? >> one of the most valuable experiences that i learned over time, i thought when i started that the quality of my

contribution was directly related to how many hours a day i put in at my desk. the longer i stayed and the harder i worked the more he was contributing. that wasn't true. what i didn't understand until later was there was a such a thing as quality. that it was important not just to be at your desk, sending memos out and you got to do all of those things. it's much better to be organized in a way that you had good health, good staff working for you. that you could get them to focus on things and give them guidance on what they ought to be doing but also to pace yourself. to take that time occasionally grab a day with the family. seven days a week, sometimes it's necessary. it will wear you down. i also had made the mistake of

smoking two or three packs a day when i was younger. the last one i had was when we were in the emergency room with my first heart attack. that came only about two years after i left the white house. there's something to be said to the notion with the way i lived during that first cycle in government, if you will, drinking a lot of black coffee, smoking cigarettes, not getting much sleep or exercise, to some extent, i brought it on myself because i didn't take care of myself. what i learned over the years, there is such thing as quality. if you're going to make a career out of it, you really need to develop that capacity to know what's important and what's less important and to be able to focus on the big things and don't sweat the small stuff.

>> great thank you. in your book, this is a conclusion but might be a question on the state of american politics. you said that our political battles are messy, shrill and sometimes cruel. you said the system has a way of producing courageous action when it is needed the most. in terms of what you're saying today in congress and american politics, what are your thoughts? >> i'm still looking for it in this cycle. i think about it -- when i'm asked, people will say isn't that the worst period in american politics? worst time the rhetoric is harsher and the relationships are more strained and people are nastier to one another. i look back, let's see when i came to washington in the summer of 1968, martin luther king has

for aent, i came downfind an day. is the

first presidential level decision mean, the first time you are making a decision you are going to have to live with. it gives the public chance to watch you operate than men and -- to operate. it really varies administration to administration. they're talking about you had better get a woman or a hispanic or somebody from a big stake. those are interesting things to speculate about, but it is pretty rare the election turns

on those types of issues. they will judge the process based on whether this individual is up to the task of taking over should something happen to the president. that is why you are there. >> you have another book in you? >> not yet. i am thinking about that. we brought in at 600 pages. it is a good poke. -- book. i recommend you read it. >> we appreciate your time. [applause] >> thank you.

>> enjoy your time in washington. it is a remarkable opportunity. i know you will learn a lot and jump in with both feet, and some of you might find honest work. good luck. >> thank you all. [applause] >> coming up next, remarks from president obama of holocaust museum. and the republican presidential

candidate mitt romney in pennsylvania today before the state's primary, and the constitution party held its meeting this weekend. we will hear from the virginia congressman later in our schedule. tomorrow, the bankruptcy investigation into the global collapse continues to regard we will hear from a trusty and the head of the commodity futures trading commission. senator tim johnson is the chairman of the senate banking committee. of live coverage starts at 10:00 a.m. eastern. james and rupert murdoch will testify on the phone hacking scandal. rupert murdoch will testify wednesday and thursday mornings

by about 5:00 eastern on c-span 2. president obama announced a plan that will allow the u.s. to impose sanctions against foreign entities for using technology to carry out human rights abuses. he made this announcement during a speech marking the commemoration for the holocaust. a holocaust survivor introduces the president at this event. >> mr. president. mr. president, chairman,fellow

holocaust survivors and officers steve jones, who was bloomfield, and ladies and gentleman, i stand before you today as a proud american. the in to -- jew in may is infinite the proud to be with states in this museum, together greatest in the world and most important of all. of america, has welcomed the what we call the holocaust. it is a place of redemption, a

place of unity. presidents of both parties, from jimmy carter to george bush, have spoken to us here, and now we are honored that president barack obama is with us today. some of them, many of them, disturbing questions which remain challenging. it is about the possibilities of power, suffering for victims, about the massacre of children. relevant. doors?

these questions are relevant. why did america not opened its doors? why did not the allies bomb the railway going to auschwitz? in those years, hundreds would lose a lifetime. 10,000 were guests every night bombing the allies which would have at least stopped that process for a while. from the very beginning of this institution, we attempted to confront the already distant past with this terrible tragic truth and the questions that we are compelled to ask. the jewish people's commitment to memory to israel.

we had a problem that we did not know how to deal with. so much suffering, so much evil, which meant so much power. never has won people been condemned by another people to total annihilation. what are the questions, who are we to remember? the perpetrators, bystanders, a multitude of victims? all of them jews? it became clear to us from the beginning that while not all victims were jewish, all jews were victims, young and old, rich and poor, teachers and students, those from the city's and populations. all were targeted. and the children, why the children? and the old people, why the old people?

was the enemy it afraid of the future, of the children, for the past, the old? now we know that this tragedy, we know how it was done, but we do not know why it was done. know why it is metaphysical, but physically, we do not know why did it happen? what are the conclusions? one thing that we do know, it could have been prevented.

the greatest tragedy and history could have been prevented, had the civilized world spoken up, taken measures in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942. each time, in berlin, they always wanted to see what would be the reaction in washington and europe? there was no reaction. they felt they could continue. in this place, we may ask, have we learned anything from it? if so, how is it that assad is still in power? how is it that the holocaust no. 1 denier, mahmoud ahmadinejad, is still in power? he here threatens to friends to use nuclear weapons -- he who threatens to use nuclear weapons. we must know, when the eagle has power, it is almost too late.

preventive measures are important. we must use those measures to prevent another catastrophe. whenever communities are threatened by anyone, we must not allow them to do what they intend to do. of course, one more question to the believer and god in all of this. what does it mean? was god fed up with his creation? however, auschwitz did not come from the heavens.

human beings did it. human beings. the killers were human beings. auchwitz was conceived by human beings, implemented by human beings. so what is it about the human psyche, fascination, that could allow human beings to become inhumane? mr. president, we are in this place of memory. of course, i remember when you and i traveled together. we spoke about all kinds of things. i hope now you understand, in this place, why israel is so important, not only to the jewish people, but to the world. we cannot not remember.

and because it remembers, it must be strong, just to defend its own survival and destiny. mr. president, you spoke and quietly, elegantly gave me the last word. today, the last word is yours. ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct privilege and pleasure to give you my friend, the president of the united states, mr. barack obama. [applause] >> thank you.

[applause] [applause] thank you. [applause]

good morning, everyone. it is a great honor to be with you here today. of course, it is a truly humbling moment to be introduced by elie wiesel. along with sara bloomfield, the outstanding director here, we just spent some time among the exhibits, and this is now the second visit i've had here. my daughters have come here. it is a searing occasion whenever you visit. and as we walked, i was taken back to the visit that elie mentioned, the time that we traveled together to buchenwald. and i recall how he showed me the barbed-wire fences and the guard towers. and we walked the rows where the barracks once stood, where so many left this earth -- including elie's father, shlomo. we stopped at an old photo --

men and boys lying in their wooden bunks, barely more than skeletons. and if you look closely, you can see a 16-year old boy, looking right at the camera, right into your eyes. you can see elie. and at the end of our visit that day, elie spoke of his father. "i thought one day i will come back and speak to him," he said, "of times in which memory has become a sacred duty of all people of goodwill." elie, you've devoted your life to upholding that sacred duty. you've challenged us all -- as individuals, and as nations -- to do the same, with the power of your example, the eloquence of your words, as you did again just now.

and so to you and marion, we are extraordinarily grateful. to sara, to tom bernstein, to josh bolten, members of the united states holocaust memorial council, and everyone who sustains this living memorial -- thank you for welcoming us here today. to the members of congress, members of the diplomatic corps, including ambassador michael oren of israel, we are glad to be with you. and most of all, we are honored to be in the presence of men and women whose lives are a testament to the endurance and the strength of the human spirit -- the inspiring survivors. it is a privilege to be with you, on a very personal level. as i've told some of you before, i grew up hearing stories about my great uncle -- a soldier in the 89th infantry division who was stunned and shaken by what

he saw when he helped to liberate ordruf, part of buchenwald. and i'll never forget what i saw at buchenwald, where so many perished with the words of sh'ma yis'ra'eil on their lips. i've stood with survivors, in the old warsaw ghettos, where a monument honors heroes who said we will not go quietly; we will stand up, we will fight back. and i've walked those sacred grounds at yad vashem, with its lesson for all nations -- the shoah cannot be denied. during my visit to yad vashem i was given a gift, inscribed with those words from the book of joel: "has the like of this happened in your days or in the days of your fathers? tell your children about it, and let your children tell theirs, and their children the next generation."

that's why we're here. not simply to remember, but to speak. i say this as a president, and i say it as a father. we must tell our children about a crime unique in human history. the one and only holocaust -- six million innocent people -- men, women, children, babies -- sent to their deaths just for being different, just for being jewish. we tell them, our children, about the millions of poles and catholics and roma and gay people and so many others who also must never be forgotten. let us tell our children not only how they died, but also how

they lived -- as fathers and mothers, and sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters who loved and hoped and dreamed, just like us. we must tell our children about how this evil was allowed to happen -- because so many people succumbed to their darkest instincts, and because so many others stood silent. let us also tell our children about the righteous among the nations. among them was jan karski, a young polish catholic, who witnessed jews being put on cattle cars, who saw the killings, and who told the truth, all the way to president roosevelt himself.

jan karski passed away more than a decade ago. but today, i'm proud to announce that this spring i will honor him with america's highest civilian honor -- the presidential medal of freedom. [applause] we must tell our children. but more than that, we must teach them. because remembrance without resolve is a hollow gesture. awareness without action changes nothing. in this sense, "never again" is a challenge to us all -- to pause and to look within. for the holocaust may have reached its barbaric climax at treblinka and auschwitz and belzec, but it started in the hearts of ordinary men and women.

and we have seen it again -- madness that can sweep through peoples, sweep through nations, embed itself. the killings in cambodia, the killings in rwanda, the killings in bosnia, the killings in darfur -- they shock our conscience, but they are the awful extreme of a spectrum of ignorance and intolerance that we see every day; the bigotry that says another person is less than my equal, less than human. these are the seeds of hate that we cannot let take root in our heart. "never again" is a challenge to reject hatred in all of its forms -- including anti- semitism, which has no place in a civilized world. and today, just steps from where he gave his life protecting this place, we honor the memory of officer stephen tyrone johns,

whose family joins us today. "never again" is a challenge to defend the fundamental right of free people and free nations to exist in peace and security -- and that includes the state of israel. and on my visit to the old warsaw ghetto, a woman looked me in the eye, and she wanted to make sure america stood with israel. she said, "it's the only jewish state we have." and i made her a promise in that solemn place. i said i will always be there for israel. so when efforts are made to equate zionism to racism, we reject them. when international fora single out israel with unfair

resolutions, we vote against them. when attempts are made to delegitimize the state of israel, we oppose them. when faced with a regime that threatens global security and denies the holocaust and threatens to destroy israel, the united states will do everything in our power to prevent iran from getting a nuclear weapon. "never again" is a challenge to societies. we're joined today by communities who've made it your mission to prevent mass atrocities in our time. this museum's committee of conscience, ngos, faith groups, college students, you've harnessed the tools of the digital age -- online maps and satellites and a video and social media campaign seen by millions.

you understand that change comes from the bottom up, from the grassroots. you understand -- to quote the task force convened by this museum -- "preventing genocide is an achievable goal." it is an achievable goal. it is one that does not start from the top; it starts from the bottom up. it's remarkable -- as we walked through this exhibit, elie and i were talking as we looked at the unhappy record of the state department and so many officials here in the united states during those years. and he asked, "what would you do?" but what you all understand is you don't just count on officials, you don't just count on governments. you count on people -- and mobilizing their consciences. and finally, "never again" is a

challenge to nations. it's a bitter truth -- too often, the world has failed to prevent the killing of innocents on a massive scale. and we are haunted by the atrocities that we did not stop and the lives we did not save. three years ago today, i joined many of you for a ceremony of remembrance at the u.s. capitol. and i said that we had to do "everything we can to prevent and end atrocities." and so i want to report back to some of you today to let you know that as president i've done my utmost to back up those words with deeds. last year, in the first-ever presidential directive on this challenge, i made it clear that "preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national

security interest and a core moral responsibility of the united states of america." that does not mean that we intervene militarily every time there's an injustice in the world. we cannot and should not. it does mean we possess many tools -- diplomatic and political, and economic and financial, and intelligence and law enforcement and our moral suasion -- and using these tools over the past three years, i believe -- i know -- that we have saved countless lives. when the referendum in south sudan was in doubt, it threatened to reignite a conflict that had killed millions. but with determined diplomacy, including by some people in this room, south sudan became the world's newest nation. and our diplomacy continues, because in darfur, in abyei, in southern kordofan and the blue

nile, the killing of innocents must come to an end. the presidents of sudan and south sudan must have the courage to negotiate -- because the people of sudan and south sudan deserve peace. that is work that we have done, and it has saved lives. when the incumbent in côte d'ivoire lost an election but refused to give it up -- give up power, it threatened to unleash untold ethnic and religious killings. but with regional and international diplomacy, and u.n. peacekeepers who stood their ground and protected civilians, the former leader is now in the hague, and côte d'ivoire is governed by its rightful leader -- and lives were saved. when the libyan people demanded their rights and muammar qaddafi's forces bore down on

benghazi, a city of 700,000, and threatened to hunt down its people like rats, we forged with allies and partners a coalition that stopped his troops in their tracks. and today, the libyan people are forging their own future, and the world can take pride in the innocent lives that we saved. and when the lord's resistance army led by joseph kony continued its atrocities in central africa, i ordered a small number of american advisors to help uganda and its neighbors pursue the lra. and when i made that announcement, i directed my national security council to review our progress after 150 days. we have done so, and today i can announce that our advisors will continue their efforts to bring this madman to justice, and to save lives. it is part of our regional strategy to end the scourge that is the lra, and help

realize a future where no african child is stolen from their family and no girl is raped and no boy is turned into a child soldier. we've stepped up our efforts in other ways. we're doing more to protect women and girls from the horror of wartime sexual violence. with the arrest of fugitives like ratko mladic, charged with ethnic cleansing in bosnia, the world sent a message to war criminals everywhere: we will not relent in bringing you to justice. be on notice. and for the first time, we explicitly barred entry into the united states of those

responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. now we're doing something more. we're making sure that the united states government has the structures, the mechanisms to better prevent and respond to mass atrocities. so i created the first-ever white house position dedicated to this task. it's why i created a new atrocities prevention board, to bring together senior officials from across our government to focus on this critical mission. this is not an afterthought. this is not a sideline in our foreign policy. the board will convene for the first time today, at the white house. and i'm pleased that one of its first acts will be to meet with some of your organizations -- citizens and activists who are partners in this work, who have been carrying this torch. going forward, we'll strengthen our tools across the board, and

we'll create new ones. the intelligence community will prepare, for example, the first- ever national intelligence estimate on the risk of mass atrocities and genocide. we're going to institutionalize the focus on this issue. across government, "alert channels" will ensure that information about unfolding crises -- and dissenting opinions -- quickly reach decision-makers, including me. our treasury department will work to more quickly deploy its financial tools to block the flow of money to abusive regimes. our military will take additional steps to incorporate the prevention of atrocities into its doctrine and its planning. and the state department will increase its ability to surge our diplomats and experts in a crisis. usaid will invite people and

high-tech companies to help create new technologies to quickly expose violations of human rights. and we'll work with other nations so the burden is better shared -- because this is a global responsibility. in short, we need to be doing everything we can to prevent and respond to these kinds of atrocities -- because national sovereignty is never a license to slaughter your people. [applause] we recognize that, even as we do all we can, we cannot control every event. and when innocents suffer, it tears at our conscience. elie alluded to what we feel as we see the syrian people subjected to unspeakable

violence, simply for demanding their universal rights. and we have to do everything we can. and as we do, we have to remember that despite all the tanks and all the snipers, all the torture and brutality unleashed against them, the syrian people still brave the streets. they still demand to be heard. they still seek their dignity. the syrian people have not given up, which is why we cannot give up.

and so with allies and partners, we will keep increasing the pressure, with a diplomatic effort to further

isolate assad and his regime, so that those who stick with assad know that they are making a losing bet. we'll keep increasing sanctions to cut off the regime from the money it needs to survive. we'll sustain a legal effort to document atrocities so killers face justice, and a humanitarian effort to get relief and medicine to the syrian people. and we'll keep working with the "friends of syria" to increase support for the syrian opposition as it grows stronger. indeed, today we're taking another step. i've signed an executive order that authorizes new sanctions against the syrian government and iran and those that abet them for using technologies to monitor and track and target citizens for violence. these technologies should not empower -- these technologies should be in place to empower citizens, not to repress them. and it's one more step that we can take toward the day that we know will come -- the end of the assad regime that has brutalized the syrian people -- and allow the syrian people to chart their own destiny. even with all the efforts i've described today, even with everything that hopefully we have learned, even with the incredible power of museums like this one, even with everything that we do to try to teach our children about our own responsibilities, we know that our work will never be done. there will be conflicts that are not easily resolved. there will be senseless deaths that aren't prevented. there will be stories of pain and hardship that test our hopes and try our conscience. and in such moments it can be hard to imagine a more just

world. it can be tempting to throw up our hands and resign ourselves to man's endless capacity for cruelty. it's tempting sometimes to believe that there is nothing we can do. and all of us have those doubts. all of us have those moments -- perhaps especially those who work most ardently in these fields. so in the end, i come back to something elie said that day we visited buchenwald together. reflecting on all that he had endured, he said, "we had the right to give up." "we had the right to give up on humanity, to give up on culture, to give up on education, to give up on

the possibility of living one's life with dignity, in a world that has no place for dignity." they had that right. imagine what they went through. they had the right to give up. nobody would begrudge them that. who'd question someone giving up in such circumstances? but, elie said, "we rejected that possibility, and we said, no, we must continue believing in a future." to stare into the abyss, to face the darkness and insist there is a future -- to not give up, to say yes to life, to believe in the possibility of justice.

to elie and to the survivors who are here today, thank you for not giving up. you show us the way. [applause] you show us the way. if you cannot give up, if you can believe, then we can believe. if you can continue to strive and speak, then we can speak and strive for a future where

there's a place for dignity for every human being. that has been the cause of your lives. it must be the work of our nation and of all nations. so god bless you. and god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. [applause] [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

>> president obama will attend the 98th annual white house correspondents' dinner. to me kimmel will be in attendance. republican presidential candidate mitt romney and florida senator margot rubio who hold a news conference with reporters in pennsylvania, where they talk about the vice presidential selection process. afterwards, mr. romney held a campaign meeting with

supporters the reagan republicans are voting in primaries tomorrow in delaware, connecticut, new york, rhode island, and pennsylvania. >> i am happy to be able to participate in this town hall. we are campaigning to encourage people to get out and vote. this is a big campaign push on the last day before voting, and i am delighted senator marco rubio agreed to join may. i understand it is a pretty good crowd, so we thought it would be a good opportunity to chat with you as well.

>> i am glad to be here with the next president of the united states. >> the process for selecting a vice-presidential running mate is just beginning. they have begun to put together a number of names and criteria that would be associated, but we have not had a discussion yet of evaluating various candidates. that is the process. we are looking at various legal resources and accounting and staff to take a look at tax returns and things of that nature, so she is putting that together, and it is that very early stages. >> [inaudible]

>> he and i have spoken on his thinking on a different version of the act and the one that has been proposed greater the one in the senate creates a new category for citizenship for certain individuals. the proposal does not create five, but provides visas for those that came in as young people with their families. i am taking a look at his proposal. it has many features to commend it, but it is something we are studying. i think young voters have to vote for me if they are thinking about what is in the best interest of the country and their personal interest, up because the president's policies

have led to extraordinary statistics, and when you look at 50% of kids who come out of college today cannot find a job consistent with their skills, how can you be supporting a president who has led to that type of the economy? the debt that has been amassed that they are going to have to pay off their whole lives, we are fighting to make sure we can eliminate this debt overhang, yet the president continues to amass these huge deficits. i think young people will understand that ours is the party of opportunity and drugjo, and if they want a way to have a better environment for young people this is the time to take that message across the country. i think a lot of people are questioning the support they gave to president obama three and a half years ago.

he promised to free the country together. that has not happened. he promised good jobs and opportunity. that has not happened, and the pathway is one that has not worked. i think that is why young people are going to look for a different approach. >> [inaudible] >> i do not have na comments on qualifications for individuals to serve in various stages -- various positions in government at this stage. that is something we will consider down the road. >> i am not talking about the process in the morning

triggered -- about that process any more. >> [inaudible] >> i have a lot of memories of france. i think the best horse was my wife -- the best was with my wife on vacation. you're walking in paris down to the jardin of luxembourg, and it is one of the most magnificent cities in the world, and i look forward to occasional vacations again in such a beautiful place. >> [inaudible] i anticipate before the nov. 0

election, we will be handing out policies, and our first priority is to secure the border, yet we also have substantial the subprograms in this country. i have talked about the need to have a visa program that is the right size for our community, so how we adjust diversthat to fite needs of our country is down the road, but i do not have anything at this time during good -- at this time. there is one thing i forgot to mention, and that is particularly if with a number of college graduates who cannot find work or can only find work beneath their skill level, i fully support the effort to extend low interest rates on student loans. there was some concern that

would expire halfway through the year, and i support extending the temporary relief on interest rates for students as a result of student loans, in part because of the extraordinarily poor conditions in the job market. [applause] ♪ >> thank you, thank you. >> thank you, thank you.