him, he said that nothing significant happened on may 15. that does and mean that he will cut the slew of post offices and plants. >> what is interesting is that if you talk to people on the hill, you get a sense that they believe that there is a knife that will come out and he will start cutting. if that is the case and they are not hearing it on the hill, the message is not being received. >> what kind of push back has he received and from what type of lawmaker? >> the rural issues are the most serious and most interesting. that played out with senator mccaskill getting a moratorium for one year. with some exceptions. that is something that hits a lot of lawmakers from rural states. >> there are more rural states. >> they are worried about their constituents. senator mikulski had a hold on

the bill. that remains on the end because of one closure she was protesting. she has just got an assurance that it will not peace treaty will not be closed. >> do not close my post office. he sounded like, back away from closing 3700 post offices and evaluate them. we are looking at reducing the times, distribution centers. did that sound new to you? >> no. not really. what is interesting is that there seems to be a fear on the right that there are lawmakers that take this personally. they will not do it needs to be done is the fear. it is too perreault deal and they will not get it done. -- parochial and it will not get it done.

so they will have to come back year after year. >> what happens with the house bill? it happened six months ago. he would like a bill passed and signed into law by the end of may. >> we did not get too much. the house bill is very different. there is an issue with one large part of it, which is what they would create in the event of appalled. another one is a commission that would oversee these closures. they have very different proposals from the senate. a lot of things to work out between the two chambers. we have a lot ahead. >> the first part that he does not like or objects to, explained that. >> the subcommittee hearing at the end of march, he was there. the whole idea behind this is that if the postal service reaches a default, there would be a board that could take over general management of their

financial situation. he sees that as an encroachment on postal service authority. >> $15 billion -- that is the debt ceiling. >> bright. >> what is interesting is you are seeing some of the same issues that play in the house. there'll republicans concerned about the house bill. -- there are rural republicans concerned about the house bill. people say they're not sure they have the votes. >> house government and oversight chairman. thank you for being here. appreciate it. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> if you missed the interview, we shall begin at 6:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. a reminder to watch it any time on line at c-span.org. >> coming up next, highlights from last night's's white house

correspondents' dinner including remarks from president obama and the evening's entertainer jimmy kimmel. then, an interview with dick cheney and later, rupert murdoch to testify as in britain's phone hacking inquiry. >> born in a work camp, it is the only world he had ever known. he is the only one to have ever escaped from camp 14. >> his first memory at the age of a wound -- around 4 was going to a place to watch somebody get shot. public executions in the camp were held every few weeks. they were a way of punishing people who violated camp rules. they were a way of terrorizing the people who lived in the camp.

>> blaine harden at 8:00 p.m. on c-span's "q&a." may 6, look for our interview coinciding with the release of "the passage of power" his multivolume biography of the 36th president. >> if the affluent can routinely and systematically by their way out of public services and publicly provided goods, do they not lose a stake in the public's fear and the quality of those goods? >> mercenaries can fight wars. students can get good grades. you can take to jump to the front of the line. tonight at 9:00, on what money can't buy.

part of "book td" on c-span2. >> the white house correspondents' dinner was held last night at the washington hilton. coming up, the president's remarks followed by the entertainer. >> please turn off the president's microphone. thank you. >> i have to get warmed up. ♪ i totally have that. what am i doing here? i am the president of the united states and i am opening for jimmy kimmel. why am i telling not not just to kim kardashian? why she famous anyway?

[applause] that is way too risky. a look at my hair. i really went great. do you think anybody would notice if i went a little darker? i am like a 5 on the just for men scale. is the teleprompter working? are you kidding? what you expect me to do out there? i have no idea what i am saying tonight. [toilet flushes] ok. i am going. god forbid we keep the cast of "ackley" waiting. -- "glee" waiting. >> ladies and gentleman, please welcome the president of the united states. [applause]

>> thank you. good evening. good evening. i could not be more thrilled to be here tonight. [laughter] this is a great crowd. they are laughing. i am delighted to see "glee" here. what is so funny? my fellow americans, we gathered during a historic anniversary. last year at this time on this very weekend we finally deliver

justice to one of the world's most the tories individuals. [applause] [laughter] now, this year -- we gather in the midst of a heated election season. and i'm told the should never miss a chance to reintroduce myself to the american people. so tonight, this is how i would like to begin. my name is barack obama. my mother was born in kansas. my father was born in kenya. and i was born, of course, in hawaii. [laughter] [applause]

in 2009, i took office in the face of some enormous challenges. some said i blamed too many problems on my predecessor. but let's not forget that the practice that was initiated by george w. bush. [laughter] since then, congress and i have certainly had our differences. and i have tried to be civil. not take any cheap shots. and that is why i want to especially thank all the members who took a break from their exhausting schedule of not passing any laws to be here tonight. let's give them a round of applause. [applause] i promise you.

much has changed during my time in office. i was locked in a brutal battle with hillary clinton. four years later, she will not stop drunk texting me. [laughter] [applause] four years ago, i was a washington outsider. four years later, i am at this dinner. four years ago, i looked like this. today, i look like this. [laughter] four years from now, i will look like this.

[laughter] [applause] that is not even funny. [laughter] it is great to be here in the best magnificence of the hilton ballroom. or what mitt romney would call a little fixer-uppers'. [laughter] look at this party. we have men in tuxedos. women in downs. fine wine, first class entertainment. i was relieved to know this was not the gsa conference.

not even a mind reader knew what they were thinking. [laughter] of course, this dinner is known as the promise of washington, d.c.. political reporters have never gone to an actual prom. [laughter] [applause] our shopper on is jimmy kimmel. he is perfect for the job since most of the audience tonight is in his key demographics, people who fall asleep during "nightline." [laughter]

he got his start years ago on the man show. in washington, that is what we call a congressional hearing on contraception. [laughter] [applause] plenty of journalists are here tonight. i would be remiss if i did not congratulate the washington post on their coats surprise. there is no one else out there blinking into the kind of hard- hitting journalism. [laughter] [applause] give him a round of applause.

even sarah palin is getting back into the game. she posted -- it reminds me of an old saying. what is the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? a pit bull is delicious. [laughter] now, i know many of you are expected need to go after my opponents, newt gingrich. [laughter] there is still time, man. [laughter]

i am not going to do that. i'm not going to attack any of the republican candidates. take mitt romney. he and i have a lot in common. we both think of our lives as or better haves. polls showed to an alarmingly insulting extent, the american people agree. [laughter] we both have degrees from harvard. i have one. he has two. what a snob, . [laughter] [applause] unforced -- of course, we all have our differences. they criticize me for show jamming the news with jimmy fallon.

romney was so offended that he had asked his staff if he could get some equal time on the "merve griffin show." [laughter] still, agassi is feeling pretty good about things because he took a few hours off the other gate to see "the hundred games." and-- "the hunger games." the brutally savage each other until only one is left standing. i am sure this is a great change of pace for him. [laughter] i have not seen it. not enough class warfare for me.

i know everybody is predicting a nasty election. thankfully, we agree that families are off-limits. dogs are apparently fair game. [laughter] while both have had fun with this, the other day, i saw a new advertisement from one of these outside groups. frankly, it crossed the line. i know governor romney says he has no control over what over does -- >> you tookcac your irish etter -- irish setter on the roof. he liked it better in his kennel then he would have liked it inside. >> finally a candidate that fights for a dog's freedom to feel the wind in his fur. what about barack obama? under his leadership, man's best

friend has been forced into a government controlled automobiles. just imagine the european-style dog socialism obama has planned for the next four years. more government handouts. government dependency. indoctrinating our children. a left-wing social agenda. leading from behind. ♪ [laughter] [applause] america take the dogs cannot afford four more years of obama. that is 28 years. our dogs need leadership now. this guy. that is why we need to join mitt romney in sending a message this november of an america. [applause]

>> that is pretty rough. [laughter] i can take it because my step father told me it is a bully eat dog world out there. -- boy eat dog world our there. -- out there. [laughter] if i win a second term, let me say something -- [applause] let me say something to all of my conspiracy-oriented friends on the right to think i am planning some secret agenda. and you are absolutely right. [laughter] i am closing with a quick preview of the secret agenda you can expect in a second obama administration. in my first term, i sang out

praise. in my second, i will go with young jeezy. [laughter] michelle says yeah. as the man to her sometimes. thatsing that's -- i sing sometimes. we ended the war in iraq. in my second term, i will win the war on christmas. [laughter] in my first term, we repealed the policy known as don't ask, do not tell. [applause] in my second term, we replace it with a policy known as, it is raining men. [laughter]

in my first term, we passed health care reform. in my second term, i guess i will pass it again. half [laughter] -- [laughter] i want to end on a slightly more serious note. whoever takes the oath of office will face some great challenges. he will also inherit traditions that make us greater than the challenges we face. one of those traditions is represented here tonight. a press that is not free to examine and criticize. in service of that mission, all of you make sacrifices. tonight, we remember journalists -- [applause]

they made the ultimate sacrifice. they saw to shine a light on some of the most important stories of our time. whether you are able longer -- a blogger or take on interests here at home or put yourself overseas, i have the greatest respect and admiration for what you do. i know sometimes you like to give me a hard time. i certainly like to return the favor. i never forget that our country depends on you. you help protect our freedom, democracy, and our way of life. and, to set the record straight, i really do enjoy attending these dinners. i have a lot more material prepared but i have to get the secret service home in time for their new curfew. [laughter] thank you. [applause] [laughter]

>> i, i am jimmy kimmel. i have put something special together. this is something we do every week. we help the sec keep our public airways squeaky clean by boring things -- blurring things. please enjoy unnecessary censorship. >> good evening. >> i have told leaders of both

parties they might have to come up with a fair compromise that can pass both houses of congress. [bleep] >> this is like children trying to [bleep] unicorn's. >> i have had [bleep] with homosexuals since 1968. >> i am a regular guy with a [bleep]. >> i like being able to [bleep] people who have provide services to me. >> are you not getting enough [bleep]? >> these are gigantic packages. >> i understand what politics is all about. i [bleep] [bleep]. >> that was a great interview. even though you touched his [bleep]. >> i have [bleep] a lot of people. >> the only thing about this one is that she happened to be female. >> i promise you the president has a big [bleep].

i promise you. >> the irish prime minister was crazy. he was introducing the president. they had a wonderful time. >> whenever i'm talking about [bleep]. [bleep] you ready to go? i say, i am ready to go. in a minute or two, i am starting to feel kind of [bleep] up. [laughter] [applause] now, i would like to introduce a comedian who i think will be a particular hit with a journalist in this room. jimmy kimmel is known in the world of comedy for his sense of humor and his work ethic and tenacity. for those of us familiar with the ups and downs of the media business, what is not to like about a guy who has been fired from four radio stations?

ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce jimmy kimmel. [applause] >> thank you. good evening. mr. president, salam. [laughter] it is wonderful to be here. they told me this would be a high-profile event with some of the most powerful people in the world. they did not tell me that i would be looking directly into cleavage. i saw you texting. she is from colombia. this is what women look like in colombia. what you expect the secret service to do? [laughter] i know you will not be able to let the my jokes about the secret service, mr. president. cover your ears, if that is

physically possible. [laughter] i have a lot of jokes about the secret service. i told them for $800 i would not tell them but they only offered me $30. [laughter] i am happy to see congress is taking this very seriously. they flew down to colombia to investigate this personally. [laughter] i know the administration has been cracking down, but this -- if this had happened on clinton's watch, those agents would have been disciplined with a very serious high fives. a announcement, if anyone has tickets to the gsa after party, the plane is leaving at midnight on the dot. do not be late or you'll miss out on your white tiger cub.

[laughter] i want to think the washington hilton for hosting us today. president obama wanted to move the dinner to the kennedy center but the republicans want to keep it at the hilton so they compromised and here we are at the hilton. [laughter] [applause] i am staying at the hotel. i will be honest, it is not great. i had to change rooms last nine because there was a week in the room above me. peter orszag left his mouth open. he told me you guys like that one. he told me a lot of stuff. [laughter] it is an honor to be here. if you told me i would be sitting on the same stage as president obama, i would have said the president's name is barack obama? [laughter]

mr. president, remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? that was hilarious. here with the president. he has guided us through difficult times and had a heavy price for it. there is a term for guys like president obama. even some of your fellow democrats think you are a pushover. they would like to see you stick to your guns. if you do not have any guns, you can ask eric holder to get some for you. [laughter] kind of hard to be funny with the president of united states sitting next to you and looking at you. somehow, every day, joe biden

manages to do it. [applause] i wish he was here so he could sit behind me and fake clap like he does during the state of the union address. is this fun for you? this is the first meal he has had in months. they say diplomacy is a matter of carrots and sticks, and they say since mrs. obama got to the white house, so is the dinner. they're very skinny. she does not let you eat. the real reason people thought you are from kenya had nothing to do with your birth certificate. it is because you lost so much weight, we thought you were the guy who won the boston marathon. this is how you know the country is in bad shape. our president is starving. north korea is sending him food aid. i had the opportunity to sit next to the first lady tonight. she is very, very nice the matter what side of the fence you're on, you have to admit,

she has done a lot of good work. she just wants us to be healthy. look, it is chris christie. get him. [laughter] you know, they said that inside every american governor is a president struggling to get out. i'm chris christie's case, he's the only one where you can still hear him screaming. it is not the olive garden state, new jersey. look, it is chris christie, get him. [laughter] you know, they say that inside every american governor is a president struggling to get out. in chris christie's case it is the only when you can still hear him screaming. it took months and months of

patchouli oil and hackensack, but finally, wall street is not greedy anymore. congratulations. the white house press secretary is with us. hello. he is not only the press secretary. you also know him as the white guy from every lens crafters commercial. one of his jobs is to keep track of all the hilary rosen said. for those of you who are not familiar with this story she is the woman who said an romney never worked a day in her life, even though she raised five kids. of course, the administration -- the administration tried to distance from that comment. they said she is not an adviser even though we found out her name appeared on the visitor lot 35 times. when reporters asked why, this is where it's hilarious, he said he was not sure it was the same hillary rosen. he said, i personally know 3 hillary rosens.

where did they all come from? the pick them in the hillary rosen guarding? -- garden. [applause] i would bet you $10,000 he did not know three, but i am not running for president. that sounds like president clinton's worst nightmare. people are still upset with rush -- is that slut rush limbaugh because of comments he made about sandra. there is a reason he said what he said, and that reason is percocet. just to clear things up for the extreme right wingers. here is the difference between bill maher and rush limbaugh. the people who watch bill know he is an asshole. [applause] this is my first time here.

every news organization has its own table. scripps is here, thank god in case a spelling bee breaks out. we have numerous members of the print media in attendance. it reminds me of a riddle. what is black and white and read all over? nothing anymore. really. the christie jokes are ok but no? where is the cnn table? are those real tables or virtual tables? every election cnn comes up with new and amazing technology. they still have not figured out a way to make james carville look less like a hairless boiled cat. [laughter] quite a few cable news anchors wrote books this year.

chris matthews wrote a biography of jfk. it is 400 pages long. poor rick santorum was throwing up all night. bill o'reilly wrote a book about killing lincoln. i have my own theory about his death. i think john wilkes booth was innocent. i do not even think it was an assassination. i believe abraham lincoln had a vision about what the republican party would become in 50 years -- in 150 years and he shot himself. [laughter] [applause] is the fox table laughing or did it rupert murdoch happen to all my jokes already? some people think rupert murdoch was intentionally trying to appear to be confused when he testified in front of the british government. the man is 81-years old. i think you have to figure out how to use a cell phone before you can hack into one. he paid $500 million for myspace. clearly he knows nothing about technology. they are the old grumpy man of cable.

-- fox news is the grumpy old man of cable. loud, stubborn, out of touch with reality, just had a mole removed. is the fox mole here by the way? were it not for his brave sacrifice the world may have never known that the bathrooms at fox were overdue for renovation. [laughter] leaking two videos and getting caught right away does not make you a mole. it makes you a freckle. as a result, msnbc has moved a bit to the left of hugo chavez lately. msnbc has a big star in rachel maddow. somehow she still finds time to cut her own hair. [laughter] the rachel was a different hairstyle when jennifer anniston had it. there are a lot of big celebrities here with us

tonight. he is the dog from the movie "the artist." he is amazing. he can roll over on command. he is a democrat. [laughter] if mitt romney ever invites you to go for a ride, call shotgun. if the president tries to butter you, run. last week we learned his favorite two steaks are rib-eye and seeing eyes. you know you can leave some things out of a biography. when you go to a dog park, is it the same when we look at a tank full of lobsters? the president was very candid in an interview a couple weeks ago

when he called kanye west a jackass. no offense, i think you got the wrong west -- i think you meant alan. do they all look the same to you? george clooney is here tonight. tomorrow he wants to appear before alan west. george is hosting a fund raiser event for the obama campaign. for $3 you can enter a raffle and the winner gets to have dinner with the president at george clooney's house. i have always dreamed of eating a hot pocket with the president and batman and now i can do it for $3. if you do not win the raffle you can still win dinner with george himself if you are 6 ft. 1 with a perfect body. sully sullivan barter. where is he? i met him. would you do as a favor? would you do us a favor? would you mind driving lyndsay lohan home? make sure you do not run into a goose. especially a grey goose.

[laughter] good morning america just beat the today show for the first time in 15 years. george is riding -- high is not a good word but let's say he is pleased. 16 years ago there was no facebook or google. a tweet was something barbara walters gave her dog. [laughter] this is really incredible. what a collection of people here. in one room we have members of the media, politicians, advertisers, lobbyists, and celebrities. everything wrong with america is here in this room tonight. unfortunately, the speaker of the house john boehner is not. apparently yours are not the only invitations he declines. eric cantor cannot be here he is at the gym working out his gavel arm.

this feud fascinates me. it started during the debt ceiling negotiations when they could not agree on the wording of the ransom note. it went down from there. interesting thing fact about speaker boehner, the reason he smokes so many cigarettes is his tears keep putting them out. nancy pelosi is not here but her lipstick is. it is on my glass from last year. she believes in lipstick the same way as government. too much is never enough. i have to say i have been having a lot of fun and washington. -- fun in washington. it is a great city with history and monuments. i was at the lincoln memorial last night. i was standing there saying, back in the 1960's on the spot, forest gump reunited with jenny. [laughter]

the people are interesting, too. it is fun to have conversations with people so passionate about politics. i spoke with a guy who was a big supporter of obamacare and a guy who said it is a disaster. it was interesting because i had never met mitt romney before. [laughter] mitt romney is the inevitable republican candidate for president. they picked him out of a lands' end catalog. that is how he was discovered. some people say he will not be elected president because he is mormon. that is ignorant. we elected an african-american president. we would absolutely elect a mormon president, just not mitt romney. speaking of we have elected an -- stevie wonder just said, we elected and african-american president. we heard him compare the campaign to an etch a sketch. i think twister. 1 foot on red, 1 foot on blue, and both hands on green.

he has trouble connecting with regular people. you cannot have a beer with them because he does not drink, you do not have coffee with them because he does i have caffeine, -- you cannot have caffeine, and you do not play monopoly with them because he keeps trying to put the dog on the car. if you are a republican there is not much choice. rick santorum is out. it was just not his year. his year is 1954. it is one thing to oppose gay marriage. it is another thing altogether to do it in a sweater vest. [applause] in the end, rick santorum may not have won the nomination but he succeeded in getting his message out not to americans but to people -- all of flat the world. ron paul is still in there sticking with it. to me he looks like the guy that gets unhooded at the end of every scooby doo episode. [laughter]

it is good to see newt gingrich here tonight. i guess that means the check cleared. [laughter] how can you be against gay marriage would you have two gay parents? the michelin man and the state puft marshmallow man. [laughter] i do not understand anybody against gay marriage. are all marriages not gay? -- aren't all marriages kind of day? i mean, as a man when you get married, essentially what you are saying is i will never touch another woman as long as i live. now let's put jewelry on each other and dance. not that it's any of my business, but why are you waiting until tuesday to will drop out? just do it now. it's time to mitt or get off the pot. the election process has changed a lot. the presiden