janet napolitano will deliver the oath of allegiance. later the president and first lady will take part in a fourth of july celebration on the south lawn. >> bartoli's trip makes token will -- toqueville look inconsequential. bartoli spoke to a wide range of people and explore the countryside, understanding what made americans take. he was surprised by a lot of things he saw. he had read that americans were individualistic and he actually saw us as much more collectivist. it seems kind of hard for us to imagine that. he saw the united states as a group of people who like to form associations, who wanted to always be with other people.

he told the french -- after he went to the united states, he saw the french as individual list and the americans as more social people. from that, he concluded that if he was going to put up this colossal statue, it would have to say something to people who understood themselves as a big group, and society, a kind of collective entity. >> you can watch this whole event as part of our prime time lineup. it also includes a discussion on how social media has changed news coverage, and commencement speeches from mayor cory booker -- starting at 8:00 eastern on c-span. now, a congressional gold medal ceremony for the first african- american marines known as the montford point marines -- about

19,000 were stationed at a segregated camp in north carolina. speaking at the ceremony included house speaker john boehner, minority leader nancy pelosi, and senate leaders harry reid and mitch mcconnell. this is an hour. [applause] >> leader pelosi, leaders reid and mcconnell, our colleagues from the senate, senator hagan and burr, our good friends from florida, senator brown and congressman west, mr. william mcdowell of the montford point marines, honored military guests, gold medal recipients, your families and friends and everyone who's made this ceremony today possible. welcome to your nation's capital and to emancipation hall. public law 112-59 was signed by president barack obama last november. section 2 reads as follows. the speaker of the house of

representatives and the president pro temp of the senate shall make arrangements for the award on behalf of the congress of a single gold medal of appropriate design in honor of the montford point marines collectively in recognition of their service and sacrifice for our country. the appointed day has arrived. it is my privilege to welcome all of the recipients. on behalf of every american, we are humbled by your presence here today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of colors by the united states marine corps color guard, the national anthem by the united states marine corp band, and retiring of the colors. ♪ ♪

♪ [playing of the national anthem]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states senate dr. barry black, gives the invocation. >> let us pray. eternal lord god, we thank you for your constant love throughout the days of our

sojourn and for this opportunity to correct a past injustice. we praise you for the more than 19,000 african american marines who trained at montford point, a segregated north carolina facility after president franklin roosevelt desegregated the marine corps during world war ii. while we have already recognized the tuskegee airmen, we are grateful for the nearly 13,000 black marines from montford point who served overseas during world war ii, prepared to give the last full measure of devotion to protect freedoms which they themselves were denied at home.

we acknowledge our debt of gratitude to representative brown who sponsored the resolution that makes this day possible. although we cannot erase the mistakes of the past, thank you for these opportunities to seek to make amends and to narrow the gap between our nation's creeds and deeds. may what we do here today prompt us to anticipate your coming judgment when many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first. may this congressional gold

medal ceremony brings glory and honor to your name, amen. >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, the representative from the 22nd district of florida, the honorable allan west. >> thank you, speaker boehner, house minority leader pelosi, senate minority leader reid and senate minority leader mcconnell,, my colleague, corinne brown, senators hagan and burr, and to the commandant of the united states marine corp, and mrs. amos, thank you for being here. welcome to friends and family and to all the men and women today who are in uniform and to those who have served and their families. i stand here today because once upon a time there were giants

that walked this country. these were men who were giants not because of their stature but because of their comportment. these were giants because of their honor and integrity and impeccable character. they were giants because of their resolve, their commitment to a country that had not yet committed to them. through history we know not all of their names, but we know them from the groups upon which they were organized. the 54th fighting massachusetts, the buffalo soldiers of the 9th and 10th calvary, the hell fighters from harlem, 369th infantry regiment, 614th gamecocks, 761st black panthers, the tank destroyer battalions, the 322nd fighter group tuskegee airmen, 55th parachute infantry regiment, the triple nickels, the smoke jumpers.

these were the giants from the era of my own father who served in world war ii. however, we are gathered here today to remember another group of giants. i first learned of these giants as a young boy growing up in atlanta, georgia, listening to the stories of dark green marines who were with my mother at the 6th marine headquarters. their story made me proud. hearing their triumph against the most daunting of odds and challenges made me just a little bit taller. i learned more about these giants from my older brother who decided to follow their footsteps and legacy and volunteered to serve during the time of the vietnam war. he joined their line of service as a member of charlie company first battalion 26th marine regiment and was wounded. but when presented with a choice of black and gold or scarlet and gold, my dad was the

old soldier. he ended up winning out. as fate would have it in 1999, 17 years after being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the united states army, i received orders to report to united states marine corps base for a three-year joint exchange assignment. i finally was able to walk the sacred ground of montford point, where the giants once tread. where the crucible of prejudice was beaten by men whom had been my unseen mentors and heroes. it was truly an odd blessing that a young army major was promoted to lieutenant colonel, my final promotion, at camp lejeune, by a marine general. somehow it seemed as if the ghosts of these giants looked over to the second marine expedition headquarters from across onslow bay.

with a tear in their eye and with a smile on their face i heard them say, hoorah, army doggie, we are proud of you. today my journey is complete. i have come full circle to a member of the united states house of representatives and a retired lieutenant army colonel who now stands before these giants, these great men, saying thank you for the inspiration that you gave me. these giants, the few, the proud, the montford point marines. may god, country, corps never forget your service, your sacrifice, your commitment to this republic. and may future generations of army, navy, air force, marines, all americans remember you and find inspiration.

may we all forever guard the legacy you have given to this great nation. i salute you, and i say semper fidelis. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the representative of the third district of florida, the honorable corrine brown. [applause] >> god is good. all the time. and you sure look good today. let's give the montford point marines a big hand. [applause]

on behalf of a very grateful nation, in the house of representatives we have what we call one minutes, and if you give me a couple of minutes to say a few words, i will take my seat. we have to remember a little about history. the marines were the last group to integrate. i have to tell you that the montford point marines set the standard for the marines. they laid the groundwork as to what america could stand for before jackie robinson, before martin luther king. when these men went out to war and fought and represented this

country, they were so great that they had to integrate the armed services. and so, let's give them another hand. [applause] and i think it is very important that we define history. recently i was on a program with several women from the different branches. we were talking about the tuskegee airmen. i mentioned the montford point marines. they were not aware of it. but let me tell you something. marines are boots on the ground. boots on the ground. we owe a debt of gratitude to general amos. stand up. he led the fight, now. [applause]

i have to tell you, this bill was probably the most bipartisan bill we have passed and going to pass in this congress. needed 290 signatures in order to get it agendad in the house and you needed a about 90 in the senate. and so when we got it passed in the house, you know, i thought my work was over. the general said, do you know anybody in the senate? i said, sir, what happens when failure is not an option, sir? you get it done. the nicest thing that happened to me is when he said, corrine, you should have been a marine. we got it done. and so i am so pleased that you are here today. we are honoring you in your capital. your capital.

let's give them another hand. [applause] as i take my seat, there are so many people we want to thank. whether it was tony hill, the state senator who brought me the information about montford point, whether the speaker of the house or the president of the senate, leader pelosi, this is one of the most bipartisan issues we had. everybody worked together to honor you montford point marines. thank you so much for your service. you've got to help me. my stepfather was navy. i want to be able to do the you know, hoorah. what is it? let's do it better. hoorah. hoorah. hoorah! thank you again. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the junior united states senator from the state of north carolina, the honorable kay hagan. >> senator reid, senator mcconnell, congressman boehner, congresswoman pelosi, senator burr, congresswoman brown, congressman west, thank you for being here and commandant amos. we are so honored to be here. good afternoon, everybody. it is truly one of the greatest honors of my career to be here as a u.s. senator today to recognize the most heroic and courageous veterans in our nation's history. i can think of no group more deserving of this congressional gold medal than the montford point marines and all of you that are with us today.

when these men walked through the gates at montford point in my home state in north carolina in the 1940's, you came young, brave, and committed to serving a country that did not yet appreciate the sacrifices. a country that measured a warrior, measured a man not by his courage or dedication but by the color of his skin. your road was not easy. to be simply allowed onto the nearby camp where the white counterparts were trained on base, the montford pint marines needed to be accompanied by a white marine. those challenges did not stop them or you. they did not stop james patterson who after president roosevelt signed his historic executive order in 1941, james patterson was one of the first african-americans to enlist in the core.

these did not stop turner who followed his training led a 24- year career in the marine corps serving in world war ii, korea, and vietnam. the montford pint marines served our country with honor and distinction. for that, they are true heroes. heroes to each and every one of us today. these men led the path for those that came after them. mr. white he was represented today by his daughter gina had a deep love for the marine corps that never had the opportunity to rise through the ranks. a story i recently heard took place several years ago. mr. white had the opportunity to meet grover lewis. he served as one of the first

african american commanding officers in north carolina. despite his failing health, mr. white rose to his feet and stood at attention. colonel lewis recalled that as he sat down mr. white said, i never thought i would see this in my life. it was later at his funeral in 2011 that colonel lewis remarked on this encounter saying, that was the moment when he realized as a commander he represented 19,000 african american marines who never had the opportunity to serve under a commanding officer who shared their skin color. [applause] you and all of the montford point marines forged a new path in our armed services, all the while you never lost your love

for our country, love for your family, or for the pride in the marine corps. to these american heroes, to your families we owe an incredible deal of gratitude. the congressional gold medal is a small token of appreciation that you deserve. to those montford point marines here today and those who have gone before, thank you for your service and sacrifice. may god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the senior united states senator from north carolina, richard burr.

>> mr. speaker, leaders from the senate and the house, my colleagues from both bodies, what a great day and what a wonderful event we are here to celebrate. good afternoon and welcome to everyone. thank you to the montford point marines and their families who have traveled here to be at this occasion today. the marines in the audience, especially those of you who are seasoned veterans, know that the history of the core you read about in books and see in movies does not begin to capture the true essence of what it means to be a marine, the sacrifice and commitment it requires, the demand of leadership and the responsibility to lead up to the -- live up to the legacy of those who have gone before you. the story of the montford point marines encompasses all of that effort and something more. something uniquely american and

inspiring. in no other nation could such a story have unfolded at a time when our commitment to racial equality was still restrained by segregation. when those who wanted to serve were often relegated to carrying ammunition for -- or serving afterwards rather than leading assaults. what is uniquely american about what he tolerated and in toward b -- tolerated and endured is what you accomplished and the way in which you overcame the prevailing attitudes of your day. with persistence, with grit, with courage, and in doing so, you ensured this nation could no longer ignore the necessity of living up to the ideals that it is founded upon. today the core is stronger because of your service. today america is greater because of your sacrifices.

god bless the montford point marines. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. [applause] >> good afternoon, everyone. mr. william mcdowell, the representative of the montford point marines, to each and every marine who is here. some survivors are here. many members of the families are here as well.

a welcome to each and every one you. let us applaud our marines, but let us applaud their families as well for their patriotism to our country. i am honored to be here with our other senators here, the representatives of north carolina, burr and hagan, i am delighted to join our colleagues on the house side. thank you for your service to our country. -- congressman west. corrine brown, the author of the resolution. she did not tell you that she collected the signatures in record time. with the work of our congressional black caucus in the house of representatives, many who are with us this afternoon. what was also not mentioned is that she is the second ranking democrat on the veteran affairs committee. she continues her work in

support of our men and women in uniform as a leader on veterans affairs as well. thank you. [applause] it is indeed as others have said a privilege to welcome you here to emancipation hall. an appropriate name for this place. you served our country at a time when it took an extra dose of patriotism to do so. an extra dose of courage because all of the freedoms that you were fighting for were not afforded to everyone in our country at that time. here we come together to honor the roles that african americans played in world war ii in the service of our country. we pay tribute to perseverance and courage of a small group of giants in american history, the montford point marines. in the time of these marines in the age of inequality, breaking

the color barrier took nothing less than perseverance, patriotism, and courage of extraordinary proportions fighting for a segregated america required that extra dose of patriotism. for the men of montford point the reason to join was more basic, there was a war abroad and they saw it as their duty to fight for their country. as one of the first recruits would say, i joined the marine corps because i felt it was the proper thing to do to be patriotic to my country. i felt this is history in the making. they were not just a part of history though as he said, they made history. there were patriots. you are patriots and pioneers. he proved yourselves to be in a

world war -- earning their respect on the battlefields of the south pacific, on the beaches of the world jima and okinawa. you helped protect our country. you helped change our nation. today as we give the gold medal to the marines, this ceremony takes place in the capital and it sits comfortably among other events we have had here to honor the bravery of african american patriots. as have been mentioned, we had the tuskegee airmen ceremony not that long ago. it was also long overdue. a few years ago we had a ceremony in which colin powell was our speaker to observe the anniversary of the desegregation of the military, an order signed by president

truman. was that not a historic time for our country? thank you so much for being with us today. -- commandant amos. it is an honor to welcome you and all the others as well. as we recognize these montford point marines as part of a long drive to break down barriers in the military and our country. coming together in the middle of the 20th century when you did, you share the pioneer spirit of those who have fought for civil rights of the national movement to realize the promise we are all created equal. later these brave men came to understand what their sacrifice meant. as one former young marine put it, they had created -- you had created a legacy of young african americans that will have an important role to play in this nation what ever

disciplined e like to follow. the legacy that you created change the face of a country and altered the course of our history. like all marines, there were few, they were proud, they were december 5, always faithful to the corps and to the country -- semper fi, always faithful to the core into the country. the corp and to the country. their actions and courage, it paved the way for justice at home. you overcame adversity and open the door of opportunity, you drove americans to live up to their ideals, civil rights, freedom and equality which is our heritage and hope. your place in history was earned, not given. you earned the thanks of a grateful nation. god truly blessed america with the service and patriotism and courage of the montford point marines. today you received the highest

civilian honor that congress can bestow, the congressional gold medal. thank you for your courage and your service. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> today we gather to honor the marines of montford point, not just for their pioneering role in breaking down the color barrier in the u.s. marine corps, but for their courage and their sacrifice amid the indignity of racial discrimination. in particular i would like to recognize six marines from my

home state of kentucky who i understand are here today. edward churchhill, thomas cork, sr., james foreman, luther goodwin, clarence hunt, jr., and albert jones. for volunteering to defend our nation in world war ii, all men we recognize today secured a permanent place of honor in our national memory. for doing so, in the face of mistreatment and injustice, we owe them a greater measure of respect and gratitude. they are among the greatest of the greatest generation. the nearly 20,000 marines who trained at montford point, between the years of 1942 and 1949 trained in difficult conditions. instead of standard barracks

like the ones their white counterparts slept in, the living quarters at montford point were more like overcrowded hats. -- huts. a single stove supplied heat for more than 40 men. most just brushed these things aside. as one of the men put it years later, we were so gung-ho and patriotic, we were not concerned at all what we would do. we wanted to get out there and fight. restricted to training for support roles, african american marines had to wait for their chance to prove themselves on the battlefield. the chance came in the pacific theater, where many saw combat in some of the bloodiest battles in world war ii, including iwo jima, saipan and okinawa. they carried out their duties with great courage and heroism.

i want to publicly commanded the marine corps, especially general amos, commandant of the marine corps, for bringing to light the importance of the marines of montford point. recognition of their accomplishments is long overdue. still for many of these men, it was never for gaining recognition. it was about defending the nation they love. paving a path for the generations of african-american men and women who would follow them into the marine corps. this point was driven home six years ago when one of them showed up at a reunion. while there, he came across a senior marine officer who happened to be an african- american. "you cannot imagine how much pride i feel seeing you in that uniform," he told the officer.

it is enough to make an old marine cry. the officer replied, "i owe much of this to you." and so we honor the montford point marines who are here today and the thousands who are no longer with us for rising above and beyond the call of duty to defend this nation. for enduring a great injustice with dignity and forbearance. for your bravery and your service, congress recognizes you today with our nation's highest civilian honor. thank you, gentlemen, and congratulations. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the senate, the honorable harry reid. [applause] >> their barracks where nothing more than little shacks. mosquitos were thick. there were snakes. there were poisonous snakes. the training was really brutal. general, it's always hard, isn't it the training? the way it's supposed to be. the private first class leon moten -- that was what he was supposed to do. in a swampy peninsula on the north carolina coast, leon became one of the first african-americans admitted into the marine corps. leon, raise your hand. he is here. i saw him earlier. where is leon?

there we go. [applause] thank you for your service. although the core was forced by president roosevelt to accept black recruits, it was not forced to treat them equally. the monster. -- montford pointmarines road in the back of the train, at the it had separate counters and use different bathrooms. even sometimes different drinking fountains. they were trying to fight injustice overseas. meanwhile, they suffer discrimination every day. they were trained to fight tyranny abroad but their friends and families suffer depression here at home. they tried to break these traies, but the men at

montford point showed the same tough stuff as other leathernecks. they prove themselves and training. -- in their training. although they were assigned to support roles in pacific theater, these were not really support roles. many had the challenge to prove themselves in battle as well. some fought in the deathly beaches of iwo jima, solomon islands and other pacific islands. some claim that the ash after the bomb was dropped in japan. -- cleaned up the ash. some witness the flag raising. many made the ultimate sacrifice for their country dying at the hands of japanese forces. unlike the marine corps, an emmy, bonds, and bullets did not discriminate between black soldiers and white soldiers. it also pave the way for future

generations after the american marines. corporal odom is also from las vegas, fought and okinawa. -- in okinawa. i met ervin later today. raise your hand. 70 years he has been married to the lady sitting next to him. [applause] almost 70 years later, his grandson died after 21 years of service in the marine corps. -- his grandson retired after 21 years of service in the marine corps. nearly ervin or leon join the marines intending to be

trailblazers. there will always be heroes. i congratulate mr. odom and every man who trained at montford point. elmer brown cannot be with us today. i congratulate him as well. unfortunately, only three -- to -- navadans who train that montford point are still alive. congratulations to each and everyone of you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. >> this is a happy occasion. there are so many people who worked hard to make this a possible. corrine brown, alan west, hagen, burr.

montford point renegotiation, general amos. they all deserve a big round of applause. [applause] in world war ii, american fought two enemies who told their soldiers they were supermen because of their race. the ratio experiments of nazi germany and imperial japan have failed utterly. they failed in part due to the bayonets, bombs, bullets of black american war fighters. they not only helped defeat tyranny overseas, they thoroughly discredited a poisonous philosophy deeply held and long defended by the the it's near home. -- elites here at home.

for generations it justified bigotry, segregation. this is why allowing blacks to serve in the marine corps was called an experiment. if it was an experiment, it did not last very long. before the end of the war, he said the experiment was over. -- commandant at that time said the experiment was over. the men trained at montford point were "marines, period." [applause] the commandant had witnessed firsthand a black marine fighting in hand-to-hand combat during the battle of sight and. -- saipan. he saw what other white marines saw. he saw what montford. -- pointmarines already knew,

they had the right stuff. they could live by a code. they could meet the high quality of the eagle, globe, and the anger. -- canchor. montford point remained open another five years after the end of the war. the continued preparing young black men for ward giving them the tools they needed for the challenges of military service. one of those men was barnett, he was 16 years old when he lied to get into the marine corps. in 1946. after montford, he went on to witness the full integration of the marines. he also saw combat in korea and vietnam. barnett was awarded the silver star for engagement in vietnam in 1967 while he was a tanker in the third marine division. his unit was surrounded and attacked by overwhelming enemy force.

barnett's persons bravery save his unit's position. his actions "undoubtedly turn what could have been a dangerous situation into a complete route to the enemy superior force. by his son, leadership, careless -- uncommon leadership, fearless action, and selfless -- he upheld the highest traditions of the marine corps in the united states naval service. this is the legacy of montford point. unflinching devotion, courageous under any and all circumstances and an example now etched in gold to any marine of any color. thank god for the marines of montford point. [applause]

thank god for this occasion that the american people through their representatives can demonstrate our love, our respect, and all our thanks for what you have endured for our freedom. thank you all very much. [applause] if i could invite mr. william mcdowell of the montford point marines to come forward to receive the medal. >> please remain seated for the presentation of the gold medal by members of the united states congress and mr. william mcdowell.

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, mr. william mcdowell, representative of the montford point marines, united states marine corps. [applause]

>> good afternoon. if i do not talk loud enough. let me know. for 167 years, negros were not permitted to join the marine corps to defend this country. that change did 1941 and entreated begin in 1942. -- that condition changed in 1941 and entry began in 1942. unfortunately, it took a world war to make it happen. it happened. on behalf of those who came forward and said, i want to be a marine, i welcome you to this occasion because you all were directly involved. at this very proud moment and in this magnificent then you, i

-- and in this magnificent venue, i want to thank the honorable speaker of the house, mr. john boehner for his kind invitation to each of us that are here today. [applause] i want to thank the members of the united states senate and the house of representatives who supported the bill to honor the montford point marines with a congressional gold medal and a particular thanks to corrine brown of florida. [cheers and applause] senator hagen of north carolina who made it happen. [applause] joe carpenter, lieutenant- -- dr. james everhart of the united states marine corps.

national president of the montford point marine association -- united states, retired. and jo carpenter, lt.colonel retired united states marine corps. [cheers and applause] i would like to personally thank the officers and staff of the marine corps special project, colonel smith and her operations planning team, you guys did a hell of a job putting it all together. last but not least, on february 25 of last year, at the camp based theater, -- i happen to be -- camp joseph h. pendleton basic fear -- i happen to be there -- a gentleman said this is an injustice.

it is not a recognition of what -- this non-recognition of what montford point marines did, many of them who served in world war ii and korea and vietnam, a lot of them are here. he said he was going to fix it. and he did. he is a man of his word. he made it happen. 35th commandant of the marine corps, general james amos. [cheers and applause] come on, general amos. i like a guy who says he will do something and he did it. on a personal note, i think i am echoing the thoughts of many of us who were fortunate enough to be here. i do not think we imagine that anything like this would ever

happen in our lifetime. it does satiny that so many of -- it does sadden me that so many of our brothers are not with us today. they are in our in our hearts and minds and they will never be forgotten. this day, that congressional gold medal -- excuse me. [applause] suck it up, a marine. [laughter] this gold medal is very much

there's also. i am happy for this event to take place because as an extension of it, i get a chance for me and my wife, brenda, to reunite with old friends, and i look forward to reminiscing a bit. i might let them buy me a drink or two. we go around complementing each other about how good we look. ladies and gentlemen, it is a privilege and honor to stand before you and received the congressional gold medal on behalf of yourselves and the almost 18,700 other brothers who serve this nation and the core with courage, commitment -- this award belongs to them because collectively you all did what some of us thought was impossible.

once again, you have made history. thank you for being here. semper fi, marines. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives gives the benediction. >> let us pray. lord, made the hands and hearts

of this nation be raised in prayer and praise for these heroic trailblazer members of the united states marine corps who served our nation in the hope of freedom for all of the world. as our nation was defending itself from the attack of dangerous foes, these veterans chose to serve while they were still not completely well, to -- welcome to share in the fullness of the american society of fabric. although the need for montford point given the unrepentant racism at that time in our history will never be remembered without considerable embarrassment, made the people -- may the people of this nation now rise to celebrate these marines. they bore no small rejection by their fellow americans yet

proved to be not merely were the two being marines, but forgers -- worthy to be marines but forgers seven even greater fighting unit by their heroic service. made the breath of god uphold their noble and historic story. made carried to other generations and even to other nations, a message to inspire citizens everywhere to serve the mighty cause of public service while always seeking equal justice. made those who made the ultimate dutymay those -- may those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who etched out heroic victories, those who earned medals of honor, and those who suffered personally the pain of rejection in those dark days of our world and our nation be rewarded with success and find peace. bless all women and men in military service no matter their racial, cultural, or religious heritage and their families. god bless america and grant us

peace both in the present and with you forever, amen. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the marine's him by the united states marine band. -- the marines hymn. ♪ ♪

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen please be seated for the departure of the official party as the marine band plays a song inspired by the montford point marines. ♪

♪

♪ >> this concludes our ceremony. thank you. enjoy your day. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] ♪

♪

>> still to come from a natural resources subcommittee holds a hearing on future plans for the national mall. after that, remarks from nancy pelosi unheard 25 years in congress. there come a paddle of manner of honor winners -- later, impaneled metal honor winners. finally, a group of technology experts discuss the history and future of the internet. today in new hampshire, it is a former governor mitt romney participating in their fourth of july parade. he issued a statement today saying that as we gather to enjoy food and fireworks, let us take a moment to pay tribute to the patriots who signed the declaration of independence and the brave men and women who fought to protect our freedoms.

>> no one paid attention to tony shep. -- tunisia. it became on the radar. protests began getting under way in different countries. i started taking the techniques used in tunisia and i am proven tell my twitter followers became my newsroom. rather than being in the studio as an anchor would, i was sitting on a park bench with my phone, having dozens of twitter followers. i could essentially be rolling anchor coverage of these revolutions. >> can watch this whole event tonight as part of our july 4 prime-time lineup.

it includes a discussion on the history of the statue of liberty. commencement speeches from new york mayor, carrie booker, and elon musk. at all starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> tomorrow, c-span's wrote to the white house coverage continues with president obama as he kicks off a bus tour through ohio and western pennsylvania. we will have live coverage thursday at 11:15 a.m. see his remarks on friday at 2:00 p.m. in pittsburgh. watch them both on c-span.org. last month, the house of natural resources subcommittee held a hearing on the national. witnesses gave an update on what is currently happening. the national mall has

commissions for a massive overhaul with underground parking and performance spaces being built. this is about one hour. >> year will come to order. -- the hearing will come to order. this will be an oversight hearing on the future of the national. opening statements are limited to the chairman and ranking member. i ask consent to include any other member's opening statement to be committed to the record. it will be so ordered. the national mall is america's front yard. actually, the backyard. our guides have to say we have an east front end west front, which is a nice way of saying is the west is the back. that means when this building was built, the east was a friend

because everyone knew washington, d.c. would grow to the east. -- the front because everyone knew washington, d.c. would grow to the east. the national mall stretches from the capitol to the lincoln memorial and is the home of the washington monument, world war ii memorial, and the smithsonian museum. it includes the area from the white house to the jefferson memorial and millions of americans will visit these historic sites every year. it is essential that the beauty and dignity of these grounds be protected for the future. , this has to deliberate how each proposal will affect this important resource and its finite capacity. we have seen exactly why it is important to advance memorials with caution. the orioles present in the eisenhower has gained intention. they have failed to achieve a design with the consensus of support.

that particular situation has worked out. i hope we can learn from the process. this committee must also consider the pace at which new memorials have come about. we have to evaluate each proposal on its merit. i believe congress has done that. however, taken on their own, there are probably thousands of ideas that make sense. vietnam memorial is very popular and most people find it inspiring. i doubt that at the time congress approved it they consider that it would lead to a korean memorial and enormous world war ii to memorial. it is not to say that each of these and on meritorious. the committee must take into account the future generations.

where do we draw the line? between elements that are free for the mall and what has become a gettysburg national battlefield? this hearing will provide an opportunity to discuss what we can do better when it comes to the future of our national mall. we of witnesses who will provide us with an inside perspective of the care and planning of this landscape. i welcome insight as to what we can do better to preserve the grandeur of the national mall. every year, we have more proposals for additions. we have to figure of the matrix on how to go forward in those areas. i think is our duty and i am sure my colleagues agreed, that we have to secure a spot for the memorial to ronald reagan.

with that, -- >> thank you. good morning. unwanted think the witnesses for coming. today's hearing is entitled "the future of the national mall." i am glad my colleagues had decided to address this topic. it is good to revisit our previous successes. there is a lot to talk about. i look forward to this morning to to a conversation. the national mall is where we recognize our triumph and our failures. it is a place to gather to remember the fallen heroes. to celebrate call for. to learn. and the educational role of the mall has been forgotten by congress. thousands of visitors from across the country travel to

d.c. to learn more about this great nation. often the stories they learn are not entirely true. some of our memorials perpetuate myths. for example, lincoln save the nation. jefferson created the debt erasion -- that declaration of independence. roosevelt brought the country out of the depression. the story that idolizes a series of events rather than acknowledgeing of the public space. that is where public -- the national mall is a living vibrant history book where tales are told and the power of the place moves us toward understanding the deeper side of all or collective history as a

country. numerous soldiers camped on the lawn to make a statement about their plight. the first lady hosted a concert. an african-american preacher speaking in front of the lincoln memorial ignited a nation. the stories are among the many that make up the story of our country, where democracy survived and continues to survive. our national mall is a place where we can continue to learn from the past and build for the future. i look forward to hearing more from our witnesses about their vision for our nation's backyard. i yield back. >> thank you. our panel today includes officials and ghida private --

two private citizens. mr. whitesell. mr. luebke. mr. bryant. mr. shubow. dr. view. i hope i did not betray your names to babbitt. -- too badly. we appreciate you coming here. you have all been here. you all know the drill. the light in the timer tells you how much time you have. we are asking you to confine your oral presentations to five minutes. the green light means you're going. the yellow light means to speed up quickly. in the red light means to stop. mr. whitesell, i would appreciate hearing your

testimony. >> mr. chairman, it is my pleasure to appear before you today to discuss the future of the national mall. i would like to summarize my statement and said that michael testimony for the record. the national mall is a prim and designed historical landscape and is home to some of the great symbols of our country. my summary will focus on the process for locating memorials on the mall and also on some current projects to improve the mall. proposals for new memorials in the district of columbia are governed by the commemorative work act. the procedure set forth are built on four base attendance. one, it delegates decision making of the siding and design of memorials to those agencies already legislatively charged with planning and urban design authority. d dead, it precludes -- two, it precludes mon-khcommemoration.

3, it limits commemoration of military subjects two major conflicts or branches of service with the intention that most future military memorials would be placed on military lands. addresses where memorials can be built. in 2003, congress determined to the mall is the completed work of civic art. they established the reserve, an area in which no new memorials would be permitted. at that time, there were 31 memorials already in place. congress has twice made exception to the prohibition of new memorials, museums, and visitor centers in the reserve. in 2003, the national museum of

american history -- african- american history. and also a plaque honoring senator robert dole. in addition, the vietnam veterans visitor center was authorized in the same lot that established the reserve. there are 12 bills before congress to establish 8 new commemorative works. and national capital memorial advisory commission has studied these bills as well as over 70 other memorial and bills introduced since 1986. the commission has recommended amendments to the bill for locating the memorial on lanes not covered by the commemorative work act. turning to operational matters, the demands on the national mall are constant and wide-ranging. each year, there are over three dozen applications for public gathering, resulting in more than 14,000 even days of use.

the resulting wear and tear impacting the appearance of the historic landscape and providing continual means challenges. the national park service is responsible for responding to the ever-increasing visitation with a more sustainable and healthier landscaped and improved facilities. towards this end, the national park service developed the national mall plan, which lays out a blueprint for rehabilitating the mall, accommodating high levels of the verse issues, protecting the historic symbolic landscape, improving energy efficiency in park operations, and better meeting the needs of millions of this is a -- visitors. and amending the plan will require a reinvestment estimated at 600 and million dollars, which we expect to achieve through a combination of the nation's and public funding. a major fund-raiser and is being

undertaken by the nonprofit partner. several projects have been funded through the american recovery in green investment act, including the ec war memorial, the lincoln memorial reflecting pool, the thomas jefferson memorial rehabilitation and phase one of the army corps of engineers potomac park what the project. the project includes phase one reconstruction project and the constitution avenue reconstruction project from 15 to 23rd street. the project includes water collection systems, irrigation, replacing the turf with high- tech soil. the projects that are currently in the design stage include additional phases of the mall turf reconstruction project, the mall walkway steady, the repairs

to the washington monument, the world war ii memorial, to address leaks in damages to the memorial and a washington monument screening facility in thomas jefferson memorial perimeter security. most recently, the trust sponsored a competition for three sites in the national plan. the theater, constitution garden, and unions clear. the architect of the capitol will use the idea generated in the competition to develop plans to redevelop the site. their contrasting with people to provide services. in addition, the national park service is working with bike share to increase access to rental bicycles all round the national. mr. chairman, this concludes my

statements. i would be pleased to respond to any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have. >> thank you . on the constitution project, you have those cameras that catch you when you run a red light. mr. luebke, you have five minutes. >> good morning. i am honored to serve as secretary to the u.s. commission of fine arts. the commission things you for the test of -- the commission thinks you. the commission of fine arts was created by an act of congress as a result the planning effort initiating by a senator of michigan at the turn of the 20th century. since then, the commission of fine arts has played a role in creating the national mall as we know it today.

the commission provides advice on the design and aesthetics to federal agencies, private individuals, and organations in the district of columbia. comprised of seven presidentially appointed members who are selected for their expertise, the commission plays a role in guiding the design of national commemoratives symbols, including the national mall. these need to be worthy representations' of our nation and hours of the ideals. the commission has been actively engaged in realizing the full potential of the mall as the nation's public space as envisioned in the macmillan plan of 1902. the commission has reviewed all design since 1910, including playing a key role in the design of the lincoln memorial, almost 100 years ago. most recently, the commission of fine arts has reviewed plans for

additions at or near the national mall landscape. in addition, the commission contributes an important voice in improving designs for many operational elements added to the national mall sites. these include security plans for the memorials and smithsonian institution museums. the design of the potomac park letty. and the current reconstruction of the reflecting pool. in its active role in reviewing new projects on the national mall, the commission also works with many public and private organizations having an interest in the mall, as well as with the national park service. in addressing the future of this landscape, the commission has cooperated to alleviate pressure of additional construction on the mall and collaborated with the capitol planning commission

, as well as the national advisory commission on the memorial's master plan of 2001. building on that plan, the goal is to encourage continued development and continue to work in other areas of the city. the commission of fine arts graded the monumental core from our plan in 2009, which recommended the extension of the commemoratives landscape into key areas of the surrounding city. the commission has also been an important consulting agency in the developer of the national park service, national plan. we are continue to in -- continue our relationship with the park service. included is the design of the memorial's under the work act of 1986. i am honored to represent the commission of fine arts. or body was established under the law to advise the design of

national memorials. with this group, we are involved in planning and design of the public realm, congress has a unique resource in considering and evaluating competing interests for accommodating commemoration within a monumental core of the city. the commission of fine arts, creation, has encouraged designed as the nation's premiere space. we look forward to working with congress and the public to achieve the strongest addition possible for the national mall. that concludes my testimony. thank you for inviting me to testify. i am pleased to answer any questions you might have. >> thank you. mr. bryant? >> morning. i am the chairman of the national capital planning commission. it is a federal government's central planning agency for the

national capital region. our activities include jointly offering a comprehensive plan for the national capitol with the district of columbia. reviewing all federal development projects in the area and addressing the unique planning issues of the capital city. i am pleased to have the opportunity to speak about ncpc's role and our efforts to protect the open space and unique urban design qualities that make washington one of the most admired capital cities in the world. for each memorial project, we strive to ensure that we implement a process that is responsive and transparent. more broadly, our goal is threefold. first, to ensure that washington commander of landscape explores a rich history of the american history. second, to meet the expectations of millions of americans and

--get \ / \ visited / millions of americans who visit been nation's capitol. under the commemorative work act, we approved the site in design of each new commemorative work that congress authorizes. we worked it with a number of stakeholders and depending on the site or location, either the national park service's or the general services administration. we work with the stakeholders to a short memorials are located in the sign in a matter that supports their purpose and enhances their surroundings. because memorials are integrated with some of the prominent public settings, the staff works closely with sponsors to ensure that each project is designed at the highest standards. in addition to our project's

specific work, ncpc develop studies. these are developed to support the memorial process in plan for the next generation. in recent years, one of the central themes of our work has been to protect the national mall from overbuilding. because of overbuilding may diminish the distinctive openness of this symbolic place. in response to concerns to protect that urban design character, the ncpc and its partners have developed two works. one is the memorial's master plan and the second is the monumental core for a work plan. let me say a word but each of these. the memorials in museum's national plans achieve two goals. first, it identifies a reserved area where no new memorials may be built. congress codify the reserve, which includes the green cross

access of the mall. ncpc strongly supports the reserve policy, which maintains the mall's open spaces and existing landscapes that are mired in the joy by americans. the master plan identifies 100 potential sites for future memorials in museums throughout washington, d.c. the strategy does a few things. it protect them all. it helps sponsors visualize opportunities. it introduces cultural destinations. the master plan has guided six projects to other locations, including memorial's honoring -- memorials honoring president eisenhower, the victims of communism, the victims of man- made ukrainian famine, and americans disabled for life. let me speak to the monumental

corporate work plan. in 2009, ncpc published the plant. identify strategies to extend qualities of the national mall and the vitality of the city into federally dominated precincts throughout the monumental core. in doing so, the framework plan identifies several strategies to make potential locations for new cultural destinations located off of the mall more attractive to memorial sponsors. examples include precinct south of independence avenue, 10th street southwest. new four projects in these areas can serve as anchors to spark investment and provide destinations that introduce visitors to new parts of the city. n coordinated with the national park service to ensure -- ncpc kaur nagin with the national park service to ensure that these plants provide long rage

memorial sponsors. lastly, our most recent study called washington as commemoration, provides an opportunity to look closely at trends related to memorial contact and location overtime. the study was conducted with the national park service and includes the development of public accessible catalogs of existing memorials on federal lands in washington, d.c. classified by the subject matter, a theme, and location. you this as an interactive online map at ncpc.gov. the study includes analyses of how other zero capital cities plan for memorials. this will better equipped agencies to consider critical policy and planning decisions associated with memorial development today. thank you for inviting me. i am happy to answer questions. >> thank you.

mr. shubow? >> mr. chairman, ranking members, members of the subcommittee, i would like to thank you -- for inviting the national civic arts society to speak today. as an educational nonprofit dedicated to the classical and humanistic tradition in public art and architecture, we believe in the importance of pr preserving the national mall as in the central part of our country's heritage. the mall and a monumental core the greatest work of civic art in the modern area. to highlight this, we recently produced a documentary film on the classical heritage, which is available to watch on civicart.org. the mall is nearly just over 100 years old. it appears to have been there

forever. it is hard to imagine. at the turn of the 20th century, there was no vista from the capitol to the potomac. no graceful boulevard. instead, a shabby park incurred on one end by a train station and on the other by a swamp. this was hardly the vision president george washington had in mind when he directed the master plan for a new capitol worthy of a new nation. a grand scheme of reading avenues whose arrangement was symbolically focused on the capitol, white house, and future washington monument. to this day, these are the landmarks by which we orient ourselves at spatially and spiritually. harmonious limit is an orderly, the plan was to be classical in the sun. the physical manifestation of our form of government and political aspirations. this conscious decision connected the city to the ideals of republican rome, democratic

athens, indian white men. it is time is jefferson said, the classical tradition is time honored. he expressed his personal desire for a capitol designed after "one of the models of antiquity, which has the approbation of thousands of years." to be clear, our founding architects no more imitated european architecture any more than the founders imitated other forms of government when they drafted the constitution. they created an unmistakably american gem. in 1901, congress created the senate park commission. serving on that commission were some of the greatest architects and artists of their time. all of whom worked with in the classical tradition. they revised the plan and they've perfected it. they extended the main access of the mall to the lincoln memorial site and clear trees to create one of the greatest places in the world. the macmillan plan created a

simple and site of national unity whe. beginning after the first world war, some of the guard architects abandon that spirit. they held on to an ideology that rejected the past. the asserted that it was a musty pile that stucco ideals whose time had passed. these architectural radicals opposed the design for the lincoln and jefferson memorials. after world war ii, this was a complete. as a result, the mall came to be penalized by such buildings as the hearse for museum -- as a museum that looks like an alien. the classical vision for the city and its monumental core has once again been forgotten, ignored, and violated. sadly, the national park service and other agencies charged with

preserving the mall had been neglecting their mission. if any district deserves the protection -- no man marked, it is the mall. when giving approval to the design of the eisenhower memorial, a modern eyesore that clclashes, they do not even bother to consider the historical impact on the mall and other protected sites. the good news is there are solutions. the future is rooted in the past. what we need is a plan for the district of columbia that carries on the brilliant vision of our founders. the macmillan plan for our time that will extend the best of our capital into a third century. it was none other than president franklin delano roosevelt who major the jefferson memorial was built over the objections of elites. he explicitly parallel the importance of continuity and architecture to that and government. "the principles of harmony and of necessity require that the building of the new structure to

blend with the essential lines of the old. it is this combination of the old and new that marks orderly progress in buildings and in building government itself. it is that sort of leadership which is willing to stand up to architects who think they know better than the american people that washington sorely needs today." >> ? ? dr. view? thank you for the chance to speak on this. all of us here believe in the importance of teaching history and for the sake of today's discussion, let me suggest that good history instruction connects the lerner to the story being told into the significance of continuing to tell the story for many years. one instructional method that encourages teachers to share with students their passion for the subject matter to emerge in coming exploration, and informed

debate. today's teachers face challenges in helping students engage in historical thinking. most teachers generally receive poor instruction from their teachers as well as from the university instructors. many teachers were restricted by standardized tests. qassam teachers tend to use methods that are familiar and approved rather than those who are more engaging. with the federal funding of the grand phasing out, there are fewer opportunities for teachers to deep in their practice. accretive history teacher can still help students understand history through field visits to historic sites. the national mall, with its memorials, is considered the gold standard for history storytelling, welcoming over 24 million visitors each year. it is not enough to drive a graders 1,000 miles to stand at the base of a monument and sick

kids, this is important because it is here. the thing that makes historic sites educational is the question of why is this still here. public morals and monuments can spark at a fine public debate. they might engage students and historical thinking through the use of wise interpretation that embraces effective technologies, partnerships, and a pashtun of humility. if we want to honor the people and events from our history, we must do more than create a solider pieces of stone that serve as resting places for migratory birds. a person or event worthy of representation is worthy of interpretation that brings the stone of life and places it in the context for understanding by future generations. the habits of democracy must be engineered into our memorials using whatever technology is most effective. a simple involves chaka and paper for rubbing headstones.

another is to teach with website, which allow virtual visits to the national mall before, after, or instead of a trip. whatever the technology, it should support the path of taking multiple paths. partnerships between the teacher and interpreter can be arranged before hand. skilled educational professionals are always ready for spontaneous moments of insight and know how to support one another for student learning. the permanence of monuments can create embarrassing errors. one recent example was the quote on the " on the dr. martin luther king memorial. in a recent interview with the vietnam war veteran focused on a memorial known as the wall.

he is certain that without historical context, his a grandchildren -- 8 grandchildren would not understand if they just visited the wall. he would want them to engage with audio and visual material that offered context from the war. in addition, thinking about the wall provokes questions for him, such as is the existence a reflection of the social unrest of the time? why was it erected before world war ii? these are the questions that are part of historical thinking that can be answered through humble interpretation, effective instructor technologies, and partnerships between schools and sites. for vietnam veterans, his 8 grandchildren, and any visitors seeking to understand the wall on the national mall. all of the stories of the u.s.

deserve telling. the national mall is one of the most important sites for this sharing. to be instructive, there must be something to the stories following once upon a time, there was a person. i attempt to argue here that a humble interpretation that uses a effective technologies and classrooms at partnerships help to complete the story. thank you. >> i appreciate all of you giving your oral testimony, as well as the written testimony. we will now turn to the committee for questions. >> thank you, mr. chairman. welcome. let me start with dr. view. you discussed memorials as

sometimes only telling the rosy side of the story. how do you feel we can better deal with this issue as a nation of the first people that we are? >> i stated that memorials have rolling exhibits and continue to rethink the nature of the story that the museum is trying to tell your memorials have to be a song. through interpretation, by committing to having people available to help interpret what people are seeing when they come to that memorial, it helps to broaden the story. as we learn more and the kids as card questions, it provokes a dialogue. it helps to broaden our understanding of why is someone decided it was important to put

this memorial here. >> the changing role -- explained the role of in formal education. >> i mentioned the need for humility. when we commit to a memorial, we might have one vision of its importance. as we learn more about that part of history or that person in history, we might discover new information that needs to be told. i do not think we should think of memorials as triumphs of statements of a story that has ended. it is the beginning of a story. that is part of how historians approached the nature of their academic work. and certainly educators. i think as builders of memorials

and monuments, we should be more humble in terms of how we design and expect to interpret and how we share them with future generations. >> last question. it is part of the discussion and conversation today. design. does the design impact the conversation about a memorial to make it set in stone? >> we can build into the design the educational opportunities. technology has changed. then, we revisit the design. if we are stuck with a bad this time, that begins a conversation, as well.

why was this design designed the way it was? it is all part of an ongoing conversation. we should never see any of these things as permanent and static and immovable and lacking in the opportunity of deepening our understanding. >> one more question -- mr. luebke, the trust for the national mall is preparing all of this work. how is your organization engaged so that there is a smooth process that occurs during this work? the extensive amount of work on the mall and you are preparing for, how are you engaged to

ensure there will be a smooth process? >> the commission of fine arts reviews these projects as they come to us. we participated extensively with the park service and other agencies in discussing all of these projects in some minute detail all the way through well before it actually even comes before the commission for review. we work with our partners. a lot of issues are actually getting in terms of historic preservation values, environmental impact. generally, we are trying to assess the commission of fine arts -- we are trying to assess

how these elements into a larger continuity of design of the national capitol. the answer is, everything that is being proposed will eventually come through fairly close scrutiny at all steps of the process. >> thank you. >> i have of you questions. mr. whitesell, welcome. you have to pay for the sins of your agency. in april of 2009, i requested documents related to the operations of the grand canyon national park. subsequently, the administration withheld 399 pages, a runner shei. i requested those pages last month. do you have the 399 pages we

requested? >> i do not. i understand that the department has received the request and they are in the process of reviewing it. >> we are waiting another three years? >> we only have two your terms. in >> on april 5, i upset a written will request. when will we receive that? >> i will get back to you. >> we only have two-year terms. let me ask you another question that deals with the commemorative works act. what are the risks of exempting the cwa in the process of mall proposals? what are the risks of exempting cwa in the process of reviewing all proposals? >> i think we have been in a position where congress would be asked to have to evaluate these without the benefit of having the input of the commission on

fine arts and the planning commission. tying uplt would be tim congress through hearings that are currently handled through administrative process these. >> let me follow-up on that with mr. bryant. could you elaborate on the significance of the reserve and why the 2003 amendment was important to the future of the mall? >> reflecting on your own comments, you found it important that the national mall --that we look to reserve for future generations. in a process, building on what mr. whitesell said, when a project comes before us, under the law, and there is an early complicaconsultation of process.

when a process comes to us, it comes with a conceptual design and the public can respond. they come back months later with a refined concept of for preliminary approval where the public gets to respond and provide feedback. perhaps, months later, they come back to less of their time for a final approval. each step along the way that we give them feedback. we have a staff and so following comment ishitesell's there is a risk when you don't have months of technical interaction. >> how long does that process take? blogger then two years? >> four times that. the average for a memorial to be

approved is 8 years. of course, that depends on the number of factors. how complex is. how big it is. how controversial it might be as well as funding. public versus private funding. you get into fund-raising and anything can impact that. >> mr. luebke, in the cwa process, how can exemptions from that have unintended consequences? >> excellent question. the cwa establishes a litmus test for all groups to go through. the proposal is measured against that wall. the memorial advisory commission considers each of these and then returned to congress with advice. the danger -- i think is best described as a hazard of precedent setting that

undermines the intent of the law to control and be very careful about what is authorized. the issue is, it may feel cumbersome sometimes. it is trying to be a one size fits all process for a range of memorials. it has some flexibility to accommodate this kind of change in scope. i think the issue it is running around an existing body of regulation and that can make it difficult to enforce a twitter. >> thank you. i have some other questions. i will come back. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

mr. shubow, you seem to be ignoring the national capital planning commission. the commission on fine arts, and your recognition and comments regarding the mall. can you give me some reasons for your plans to ignore the work of these other organizations? >> i do not intend to ignore them at all. in fact, i rely on some of their great successes in the past three in its earliest years, the commission of fine arts was the main institution starting the macmillan plan. one of their great successes was opposing the first designed for the franklin delano roosevelt memorial, which had concrete slabs that looked like

stonehenge. at the time, the commission of fine arts understood the classical tradition in d.c. we believe they could do so, again. >> you feel they do not? >> it is a mixed bag. sometimes, they way inappropriately. sometimes, they ignore that classical tradition. this is representative of some fashionable trends in the world of art and architecture. think of how you go to an art museum and you see a shark in formaldehyde. there is something similar going on in architecture at the commission of fine arts reflects that mainstream. >> running the risk of being out of touch, let me ask you another question. some of the monuments that you propose -- how do they tell the

story of america today? i understand when you memorialize someone, there is this admiration of worship -- how do you see the complexity of these people. how do we do with those questions. -- how do we be more conclusive? how do we keep our nation's legacy? >> the classical tradition is extremely inclusive. examples are the african american civil war memorial. the statue of freedom at the top of the capitol dome. likewise, the crazy horse monument. all of these speak to our

ideals and i would say that our tradition is the best one for memorializing our greatest figures. in contrast to what was said, i would think that for certain figures, we do not want to much disagreement in our memorials. we want them to say a few simple things. that we should honor them and reflect on what they did for us. what we do not want to see is the so-called brown bag memorial where every visitor brings whatever interpretation they want to it. >> this debate is in less. i yield back. >> let me follow-up. mr. shubow, the commemorative artwork act does not require classicism. do you believe the act should be

amended to do that? >> i would say that it does require classicism. one thing that has not been mentioned by the other panelists is the explicit purpose of the commemorative works act. the purposes of this chapter are to preserve the integrity of the comprehensive design of the macmillan plan for the nation to tax capital. since those designs are possible, there is no doubt that this requires future building to be classical. >> thank you. dr. view, you make a good point. let me go back to mr. bryant for a second. the design for the eisenhower memorial is becoming increasingly controversial.

in the process, it requires consensus and the concept of what is durable. can you make some observations that can help congress to improve its authorizing process in the future, based on the lessons we have learned from this controversy? >> it does encourage consensus. we as a commission have been concerned about the consensus. the eisenhower memorial application may have been before a several months ago but has been delayed. you are correct that part of the commemorative works that has us look at the very -- durability of commercial -- materials. how did these materials stand up and over the test of decades?

the architects are continuing to work and test the materials to answer those questions. the last part of your question is, what can we learn from this process? how can it be improved? there has been a joint task force on memorials. that worked from 2000 to 2002 to answer or review that question. how can the process be continued -- continually improved? one of the recommendations was to create a reserve. we are concerned about overbuilding on the mall. create a reserve for no additional monuments can be built. .hat was an example to proc if you are looking for a vehicle to constructive dialogue about improving the process, that task force is a good vehicle. >> i am running out of time.

are there additional suggestions from the task force that had not been implemented? >> i would have to get back to. >> i appreciate it. the me follow up on the . he made earlier. we to the how does one measure during ability? >> that is a technical question that would be answered through materials studies. if you are referring to the eisenhower memorial, this is being undertaken. that would be true. it is less 7-1 building -- less of an asian wall -- of an issue when building with masonry. designs, in contemporary experiences. i wanted to make a point that the commission does not actually determine the style

that comes before it. it is a review agency. the commission does not consider itself opposing a style, but it doesn't defend the resources that we have, -- does defend their resources that we have come on many of which are classical. it is not pleasant sometimes that all of these memorials are incredibly controversial, usually involving years of debate. this was true of the lincoln memorial, president roosevelt intervened on the jefferson memorial. we are used to the idea that there will be debate, and i think that is healthy. >> i would agree with that last statement. let me go over my time limit and ask a couple more questions.

mr. shubow, the process, especially considering the eisenhower project, have you determined where change could be made to trigger a more desirable designed outcome? does that make sense? has your group said we're in the progress we could make a change? >> there are two places. the commission of fine arts could find the memorial is discordant with the best of washington's monuments. they have done so in the past. there is no way to describe the post-modern design as fitting in with the rest of the national mall. another way this process could be resolved is for the national capital planning commission or the commission of fine arts to

find that the memorial materials are not permanent, as is required. the main feature of the memorial is a steel spring. stealing is not as prominent as stone, and -- steel is not as permanent as stone, and the architect behind it are doing testing to make sure it lasts 100 years. 100 years is far short of permanent, and in addition it will require extensive maintenance. >> let me 0 in a little more, then i have a couple more for mr. whitesell, and i will be done. where in the path of leading up to those decisions could have been a time to change the direction the design process was going?

i am asking a procedural question. >> if you go all the way back to the original statute, and when congress authorized the fdr memorial day said it must be harmonious with the lincoln, jefferson, and washington monument. >> thank you. i realize i am asking a convoluted question. mr. whitesell, the first question i have deals with the work you are doing on the mall right now, extensively with the turf, which has effected by softball. when will it be completed? >> the current work is only a portion of that which is in addition for the project. the piece that is under way right now is from third-to-

seventh street, and that is supposed to be completed by the end of this subject calendar year. as to how it will effect your softball -- softball game, i cannot say. >> at my age, nothing will improve my game, but playing conditions are significant. can you give us an update on previously authorized programs, where they are in the process? >> the reflecting pool is under reconstruction right now and should be completed by the first week in august, according to the engineers on that project. we are in the process of developing the plans for the restoration/rehabilitation of the washington monument which was damaged by last year's earthquake. those are the principal ones that are under way.

>> did you have questions of your own? thank you for being with us. i want to thank you to the witnesses for their testimony and want them to be ready to respond in writing to any questions submitted by the subcommittee in a timely fashion, and i further ask -- i do not further test because that is not in the agenda. we are done here. without objection, further questions or further business, the committee stands adjourned. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> a look at the national mall

here in washington where thousands will gather to watch the national fireworks display. several other communities will not have a fireworks display due to power outages resulting from bad storms and wild fires. according to the associated press, they say they cannot spare resources for the activities, so they have to be canceled. >> today, i want to focus on two men in my life that were at my graduation and i know they would like to be here today but could not make the trip. these men are my dad and my grandfather. they taught me what it means to be a man, and they had all regis spirit, and they would show up to graduation and both would be

like a bad joke telling machine, and my grandfather would sell up to me and say the castle is worth the hassle. -- the castle is worth the hassle. [laughter] then, he would look through the program. >> you can watch this whole speech as part of our july 4 prime-time in our lineup that includes discussions on the history of the statue of liberty and house social media has changed news coverage. also a commencement speech from elon musk. it all starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> tomorrow, former cbo director douglas holtz-eakin on the potential cost of medicaid in light of the supreme court decision on the health care law. then, author and host

christopher hayes discusses his new book, "twilight of the lease." then, a look at the degree of freedom to report in china. "washington journal" live thursday at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. >> we pulled in that morning at around 9:30. >> the former commanding officer of the uss coral on the events octobering al qaeda's 2000 attack. >> i was at my desk when there was a thunderous explosion. you could feel all 500 feet thrust and to the right. it seemed like weeks -- were hanging in the air.

we came back down in the water, the lights went out, ceiling tiles popped out, and i've literally bread the underside of my desk until the ship stopped moving and i could stand up. >> more, sunday at 8:00 on c- span's "q&a. >> next, remarks from house minority leader nancy pelosi, as she reflects on 25 years in congress. she is interviewed by rachel maddow at this event hosted by the sea wellhouse here in washington. it is 50 minutes. >> we have representative karen? , representative susan davis, a representative and not issue -- karen bass, representative susan

davis, representative and that issue, -- anna eshoo, barbara lee, doris matsui, and jackie speier. if anyone is on twitter, we are using wmn hist . michelle bernard will not be able to join us here today. i will start with 8 thank you 2 peter and judy, the under wide -- the underwriters for today's program. thank you so much. [applause] >> on behalf of our partnership with the national women's history museum, we are honored to host a celebration for the first female speaker of the house and current democratic leader nancy pelosi. [applause]

>> leader pelosi has worked diligently to strengthen america's middle class, and new gi education bill for veterans of the iraq and afghanistan wars, increased services for veterans, families and their care givers. she has led the effort to provide the first u.s. contribution to the global fund to fight aids, tuberculosis and malaria. her work on behalf of women is not parallel. her leadership in passing the lilly ledbetter fair pay act -- [applause] >> or her work as a champion for women's health, social security, title 9, economic well-being -- she has impacted the life of every woman globally.

[applause] >> s speaker, she has created new leadership opportunities for the next generation of american women, insuring a record number of committee chairmanships are held by women, opening the doors for other women, which is our priority. it is fitting that we recognize leader pelosi today in this historic garden where generations of women have fought tirelessly for women's rights. in 1929, alice paul moved into this building after securing the right to vote for american women. [applause] 1970's, it was -- until the 1970's it was used as both their home and their workplace,

operating as a center for political thought and feminist activity. over the course of many decades, the occupants of this house offered more than 600 pieces of federal, state and local legislation, 300 of which were passed and all of which greatly impacted the lives of women. [applause] >> since the late 1990's and now operating as the sewall-belmont house and museum, we continue this work. through programs like this, we continue to and our women by teaching women to demand their rights, to take on new leadership roles, and to recruit more women to run for office. the emmy award-winning "the rachel maddow show" is popular

with everyone and we are delighted to have rachel maddow here with us today. we are proud to honor leader pelosi with our annual alice award in 2010, and this september we will honor laura bush. today, let's talk about leader pelosi and rachel maddow. "the rachel maddow show" immediately boosted ratings when it debuted in september, 2008, and rachel maddow was named a breakout star and one of the top 10 political newcomers by politico.com. she is the author of "drift -- the unmooring of american military power," which debuted at number one on "the new york times" best seller list. we are happy to welcome both

leader pelosi and rachel maddow. [applause] [applause] >> wow. thank you for being here. i'm used to talking to people, but never seen their faces. [laughter]

>> i am going to start with it meeting my own bias, which is also a meeting by concurrent interests. you are the member of congress for my brother. my parents were married in the chapel of the presidio and when it ceased to be a military base, you are the reason it was returned to the people of the state of california. when i lived in san francisco, you were my member of congress, and as a gay kid growing up in the area in the 1980's, amid the devastation of the aids crisis, it is almost not imaginable as a context for growing up. when you first went to congress in june, 1987, and you said you

were there to fight aids, for me as a gay person, as a caretaker for people with aids, as an activist, you became the person that all of us believed, no matter where we live, that you were our member of congress, so thank you again. [applause] >> 25 years in congress, you are the most powerful woman in american politics ever. but you cracked what you called the marble ceiling. i wonder if you could describe how it works, and how it works more poorly now that you have cracked it. [laughter] >> thank you for your kind remarks and for honoring us with your presence.

i could not wait to get here to see rachel maddow, and with your connections to the san francisco bay area, the heart of san francisco is something we take great pride in, exaggerated, and, again, we're just so proud of you. if my voice is changing, it is because there is air- conditioning coming on and off. i want to state thank you to the sewall-belmont house and museum for giving us the opportunity to talk about issues that are of concern to the women in america, and that even includes the national security of our country, congratulations on your book, as it is important women's faces of opinion and leadership are there. [applause] >> it is exciting to be here,

and the hiv/aids issue is one i feel personal responsibility for coming from san francisco 25 years ago. that comment i made will be saturday. i was elected last saturday. this coming saturday will be the day that i was sworn in. after my colleagues -- after my comments were over my colleagues said why would you want the first thing they know about you to be that you are here to talk about aids? i said i said it for a simple reason, because i am, and that is my responsibility. here we are, 25 years later, and i would not have thought that we still would not have a care. we have made great progress in improving and maintaining the

quality of life, ending discrimination, and doing those kinds of things, but in prevention, care, research and the rest we still have work to do. science is our friend, and that is the answer to our tears. in many of them, thank you for acknowledging that work. page harrington, all of you, thank you for this opportunity today. >> on the issue of aids, taking that as an example of how politics has changed, talk about the reaction to your initial comments, essentially "how dare you bring that up on your first day," you think about the lack of the stated interest from president reagan at that time, and then at the conservative

stance from people like jesse holmes, who at the end of his career was talking with bryant -- bono about supporting that issue around the globe. look at ronald reagan, and then fast forward to his vice president's son, george w. bush, who is conservative on many issues but lead on this issue. on this issue, or whether it is gay rights, or woman's reproductive rights, can you imagine a similar transformation happening in conservative figures? >> yes, i always say it is inevitable to us, inconceivable to them, and it is our job to shorten the distance between the inevitable and the inconceivable. it takes our work not only

inside to maneuver and persuade, but the outside mobilization it is essential, and in almost every issue the american people are ahead of the elected officials. i had the privilege of being in new york city with some colleagues yesterday with bono, who had worked on the aids issue. we started working with bono on that debt forgiveness issue, the millennium challenge in the jubilee year to end that debt that some many countries were oppressed with. that is the initiation of communication with jesse helms, on the debt forgiveness, and we said to bono did you have to be bipartisan, and you will have to reach out to some of these

people, and the next thing you know jesse helms's at a u2 concert. [laughter] >> i as i said to him, he created awareness as a rock star with a young following and he took action. it took a lot of convincing people on the merits of the path that we would follow. took a lot out side mobilization to get it done, and that is exactly what happened. we saw that with the repeal of don't ask, don't tell, you see that in marriage quality, where as recently as today the polling is different than it would have been a short while ago. i have confidence in young people who are free of some of the burdens and older generation has about some of these cultural

issues. that is why i am proud of president obama. from day one, the lilly ledbetter, and then the repeal of don't ask, don't tell, and in between many pieces of legislation that was liberating for people. i think the public is way ahead of the elected officials, as i say. >> you have spoken in a way that has energized democrats about the connection between the policy and social issues. one of the policy fights that you did win that does not get a lot of attention was right after george w. bush was reelected in 2004, november, 2004, and as soon as he was inaugurated he

set out on a barnstorming tour to privatize social security. that went great. [laughter] >> when he started to do this, he thought he was going to wind. the poll numbers looked good. you were a key part of what has to be acknowledged as a democratic defeat of that initiative. how did you beat george w. bush on that subject? >> it was a decision that we made that we were going to preserve social security. this is the pillar of our society, retirement security for our seniors and all that that meant for the rest of the family. when i had the opportunity to become a leader, of course it was my goal to maintain the majority, and we went to some people in the private sector and

said if you were -- i do not know any of these things, but if you were tylenol and you wanted to be at ago, and i do not know which one is first, but if you were number 2 and you wanted to be number one, how would you do it, with the point being that that was in december, after senator john kerry had lost the election. that january, president bush gave a gift to those wh wanted to protect social security by saying he was going to privatize social security. i remind you, he is newly elected. he is 58% in the polls, which is very high, especially after a tough fight, and he was very much up here. our members, working with senator harry reid, we decided

we were going to go out there and do this, but we had to be unified. it took discipline. you might recall that we made a decision. i know our hosts, thank you, peter and judy, they were so much a part of helping us with this. at the time we said president bush wants to privatize social security, the democrats want to preserve social security, and that was the fight. people said why don't you have a plan of your own? important democrats were saying, poured democrats, they do not have a plan of their own. exactly. our plan was social security, and the private sector to divisors started saying the this, the that, you will be

confused with what he is doing. you must not offer another plan. it has to be about his plan. my colleagues who are here will tell you that on a weekly basis members would come in and say is it time for us to have a plan yet, and believe me, we probably head 250 plans combined, house and senate, and i kept saying never does never work for you in terms of the contrast -- social security, privatized, and that is the beginning of the end. because our members trusted harry reid and me, we were able to keep people together. president bush, really a lovely man, we disagree on policies, but he would say i am going to

23 states in 23 days, and i would say i want you to go to 46 states in 46 days and i will pay your way because we will be there to inoculate against your message, protect social security, and educate as to what you say does not work. so, at the end of it i said nothing. he said i achieved my goal. he said my goal was to raise awareness as to the challenge social security faces. that was a different goal than what he set out to do, but he gave us the issue. for us it was not an issue. it was a value, ethics, who we are as a country, and we were going to fight that fight even if it meant taking the swings and the arrows from friends

saying why don't you have a plan? we have a plan. it is called social security. with that, by september, he was at 38%. [laughter] >> we worked with president but on many issues. we passed the biggest energy bill ever to pass in the country, lowering the cafe standards, the emissions, which was hugely important. we worked with him on his version of the stimulus package, to make sure it was refundable for poor people and poor families so families could chill -- with children could get a stimulus, too. that was a great thing that president bush did, but it would not happen without a democratic congress.

some of the people that work on that, barbara lee, did i hear her name mentioned? some of the colleagues that worked on that issue know what was the house and congress that made bad possible, and we worked on it made that possible, and we worked with him on the most unpopular -- made that possible, and we worked with him on the most unpopular bill, tarp, because we were told that if we did not, there would be no economy. mr. ben bernanke was asked and he as an expert on the great depression said if we do not act immediately we will not have an economy by monday. this was thursday night. republicans did not want to vote for that. they did not. it took democratic votes to make that happen. we had some republican votes but

not nearly what would be expected for such a result. we worked with president bush in every place we could, that is why it is so odd to see even though you have differences of opinions that you do not decide you will find solutions to get results for the american people, recognizing we all have an obligation to get results and the job done. in any event, that is what we did. we stuck together. remember, people would say poured years, they did not have a plan? that was the plan. >> tarp, stimulus, health reform, wall street reform, student loan reform, the repeal of don't ask, don't tell, the new gi bill, the number of major pieces of legislation that you

not only saw passed in the house, and we can include cap and trade and the dream that there, but beyond those the ones that became law, and i do not mean to flatter you, but is it is the kind of list with whom we associate people that we name large buildings after in washington. [laughter] [applause] >> your speakership was sam rayburn-best in terms of accomplishments. i wonder how you connect that list of accomplishments to the idea of political capital, and do you think having accomplished so much made it harder for democrats to compete in the first midterm election after president obama was elected in 2010? did the magnitude of what you had been able to do make it

easier for republicans to claim the pendulum had to swing back? >> if i had to use one word to describe what made the difference in the 2010 election it would be money. money. this is we had 9.5% unemployment. it is hard to explain a healthcare bill, o environmental law, whenever it happens to be, if people do not have a job, and they do not want to hear that it would be 15% unemployment, right, to my colleagues? anna is here? it would be 15%. president obama was a jobs creator from day one -- the recovery act, go on from there. if you do not have a job, you do

not want to hear how bad it could have then, and that is a screen that is difficult to get through, but if you put ahead of that undisclosed, special interest money coming in at the end of the campaign, that is on surmountable -- not surmountable. [laughter] >> in any event, i think it is really important. we came to do a job. we did not come to keep a job or have a job. we would not say that we have -- we would not have done health care or wall street reform. whether it is the health-care industry, wall street, people who are against labor, people who are against collective bargaining -- all of that money coming in against us, we could contend with it if we knew who

it was and if it was within the limits of law, but undisclosed, special interest money at the end, that was too much, but we would not trade our accomplishments for anything. i will tell you this. we believe that health care for all americans is a right, not a privilege for just a few, and that was a fight that was important to us. [applause] >> but, on the money, i am going to make a promise to you, and this is a promise i made at the invitation of george h. w. bush on president's day at the university of texas a&m, college station site of the bush library and the president's

school of government and public policy. he invited me to talk on president's day. imagine what the republicans thought of that just this year. the conservative school, they were lovely, what i told them that day is we must reduce the role of money in politics. we have to take it to public funding of campaigns and we must increase the level of civility in campaigns, and here comes the promised -- when we do, i promise you we will have many more women get elected to public office. [applause] >> and young people, and minorities, representing the diversity of the country. we were something like 250,000

from having the majority. they won this big number of votes, but it was only 200 here, 300 there, and that came from millions of dollars that would go unanswered. not to be litigate that, but to spring from that question, we have to look to the future and say we have to take back our democracy. this is a government of the fuel. that is not what our founders sacrificed personal freedom for. this is something else. nothing else is at stake than our democracy where the voice and a vote of the many determine elections, not the checkbooks of the very few. they said that three people gave more to governor walker last

night than all of the money raised by his opponent. whatever side you are on, maybe you can raise more money -- is not about that. it has gone too far. it is over the edge. we have to pull it back, and when we do the benefits will be much more diversity, and people able to take a chance and run so that their views are reflected in congress. >> in terms of getting to that point, and you have talked about public financing and how important that is. >> so have you. >> you have spoken. i have ranted. [laughter] >> one of the things that i think is important about what happened in wisconsin, not just last night, but what gave rise to the recall is that wisconsin

republicans were using public policy to demand human rights, and no matter how you feel, it had one big effect. unions have been big supporters of democratic causes, so if they go away in terms of whether or not that corporate money can be answered on the democratic side before there is reform, democrats do not have a way to compete in terms of big, outside money in elections. that is a reality in wisconsin, in states where they have eliminated union rights and it looks like republicans will be emboldened to pursue that in as many states as they can. i think that is a dire elect oral situation for democrats, and i want -- a lot sapporo -- electoral situation for

democrats, and i wonder if there is a secret plan be. >> you mean apart from rachel maddow? >> apart from that plan, which is a bad plan. [laughter] >> let's look at where we are. we are in a situation that is about endless money that does not have to make a decision about one race or another, and unless spigot of special interest money pouring into the system. some people are conspicuous, but by and large the money that came after us, nobody knows who that is. you have endless money with no representation suffocating the system. you have boulder suppression by some of the same people that were elected -- voter suppression by some of the same people that were elected in

2010. you have poisoned the debate, the dialogue. suffocate the system, a press the vote, poisoned the debate -- what does the average person say? a pox on both of your houses, i do not know what you are talking about, and they turned off -- and they turn it off. that is a victory for special interests. we might as well go to those folks and say who do you want to be governors, congressman? there is no way. they did not pass it in the senate. therefore there is no disclosure. we have to call upon plenty of people, as shareholders, customers, clients, saying are

you putting secret money into campaigns? we want to know. we have to shine a bright light on this big money so that people now. this was called an alien viper oozing slime. he is not an emotional guy, as far as i know, but imagine, an alien viper. that is just what it is. it is just that. so, disclose, win, reform, and then amend the constitution to overturn the citizens united decision. [applause] >> we have fabulous candidates

to win. we have a message that republicans are for millionaires, and not the middle class, they want kids to pay more for higher education, and that is our theme, reigniting the american dream, building ladders of opportunity for people that want to work hard, play by the rules, take responsibility, have an opportunity for success, and small business and entrepreneur s in the- entrepreneur wo middle class are pillars for that. i do not want to go into politics on this lovely afternoon in this beautiful setting, but yes, we have a plan. [laughter] >> i tell you this without fear of exaggeration, but nothing else is at stake than our

democracy. think what you will, we have always had differences of opinion. we could just send one person if we did not. we have differences of region, age, political philosophy, and the rest, but that does not mean that we can not find solutions, and that is why i was complemented one president bush invited me to give the president's big declaration at texas a&m, but it was different than than it is now. we will not go into the why and how, but nonetheless, in san francisco we saying do not agonize, organize. [applause] >> that is the deal. we will organize our way to victory. we need 25 seats. i think that is doable. i want 35.

i want more, always. >> on the issue of the time you have spent in congress. you were elected 25 years ago. you have written about how you expected to have a 10-year time frame before the next chapter of your life. what did you think the next chapter would be after those 10 years, and once you were in the congress, did you ever think about leaving, going home, where did you know you wanted to press ahead? >> i did not come here for life, is that if -- if that is what you mean. i figured 10 years would be an appropriate time, and i would then have grandchildren, which was my goal, and one of them is here, madeleine. [applause] >> i really was not thinking -- i did not even know i was going to be running for congress 25

years and five months ago. he'd just happened. the opportunity presented itself -- it just happened. the opportunity presented itself. [inaudible] >> a woman member of congress decided i should be a member of congress. when she did this, she said -- everyone said who said she couldn't somebody? in any event, i promised her that i would run and i did, and i did not know if i would win, but i did. then, we lost. in the meantime we lost the congress. we lost in 1994, 1998, 2000, and my 10-year anniversary was in 1997, and i thought i know how to win the elections.

i grew up with my family in baltimore in campaign-mode, so i know how to win the elections. we had an election in california and we won five seats that year, and i thought we would have won the house, but we lost seats in the rest of the country, so i said one in five children in america live in poverty. that is my driving engine. i cannot stand the fact that my kids are so blessed in every way, and that does not just been economically and financially, but with love, care, and all of that, and some of those children do not have the same kinds of opportunities. that was my driving force. one issue led to another, and then i got the chance to be in the leadership. we won, and i became speaker.

one of the things that i really want to do before i leave, and it will not be finished before i leave, is we months between must get further down the -- while we must get further down the road is the issue of affordable, quality child care in america. [applause] >> here we are at the sewall- belmont house and museum, where these women of such courage who did remarkable things, and imagine the courage at that time, when women were not able to go all by themselves? in any event, women got the right to vote all little over 90 years ago. during world war two, women were in the work force. then there was more widespread

higher education of women, women in the professions, but the link that is not in there is affordable, quality child care, and that is something that has to happen regardless of your income level or you're thinking on the subject. there should be affordable, quality child care in our country and it almost was there. president nixon was about to sign the bill and then there was no intervention from more conservative elements in the country, and that was that. not much has happened since then. i think that was really important because the growth of america will benefit from the increased involvement of women in our economy and in the leadership of our financial institutions, and in our small businesses -- [applause] >> the national security of our country will be strengthened by the increased involvement of

women at all levels, including at the highest level of our national security, whether you are talking about the academic world, politics and government, the answer to almost every "how can we do better" is one word, when in. if more women in power. [applause] >> if we want our economy to grow, the involvement of women, whether it is in small businesses, or as they educate with innovation in the classroom, the best is yet to come for our country because there are more opportunities. 500 are in the fortune women? you cannot tell us the talent is not there. we talked about money, and

increasing civility, and the kind of conversation where women can thrive in succeed. it is about making our own environment. we are playing on someone else's field. i've been supporting women, as it has been so nicely pointed out, wanting to increase the number of women in congress. there were 20 when i went. now we are closer to 80. that is not enough. we tried this incremental thing, and that is not working for us in the right way. let us make our own environment, one in which women could be more successful in elective politics, and at the same time at full participation in every aspect of our lives with child care. we have to make it easier for

women to succeed. not easier because we cannot do the hard jobs, but easier because the arena that we are in has been defined by others, for the purposes of others, and not really to give power away. nobody has ever done that, and they will not give it away now, so you just have to go take it. [laughter] [applause] >> are we near the end? >> that was it. that was excellent a perfect note on which to end. >> i want to take -- tell you one more story. i cannot leave this will belmont house and museum without telling this story again. -- the sewall-belmont house and museum without telling the story again. i will give you the abbreviated version. when we walk upstairs and we see

susan b. anthony and alice paul, and imagine the courage of all the women that came here, i want to tell you the story. many of you have heard it. the first day i went to the white house representing the democrats in the house of representatives, i went to the white house, and i had been there a million times. if i did not think about been apprehensive. i go into the room. as i said at the table, i realize this was not like any other meeting i had never been to at the white house. in fact, it was not like any meeting that any woman had been to let the white house because it was a meeting of the president, the vice president, and the leaders, house and senate, democrat and republican, to talk about the legislative agenda. women had been at the table, appointed by the president, and that is a wonderful thing, but i

was sitting there with my power derives from the election of my colleagues, so my voice at the table had a different authority, for lack of a better word. [laughter] >> anyway, if there is president bush, gracious and lovely, and he says welcome, and as he is speaking, i feel really close to in in my seat. i have never felt that before. i was closed in. he must've been thinking what is going on, but he might i been thinking that any way. [laughter] -- have been thinking that anyway. [laughter] >> all of a sudden i realized on that chair with me was susan b. anthony, you name it, they were all there, so is no truth, they were all there on that the chair with me.

i could hear them say, "at last we have a seat at the table." [laughter] [applause] >> i did. as soon as they said it, i thought we want more. [laughter] >> not that we needed any reality on it, we all know we stand on the shoulders of many that gone before us, and that other stand on our shoulders and will continue to do so. as women advance we want to continue to have something very different, not incremental, but kicking open the door for something much better for women, and in closing, and this time i mean it, let me say what an honor it is to be a sewall- belmont house and museum.

it is always a pleasure, but isn't it great to be here with rachel maddow? [laughter] [applause] >> isn't she wonderful? let's hear it for rachel maddow. [laughter] [applause] >> thank you. >> you are so great. [applause] >> joan wages, president and ceo of the national women's history museum. we are often asked why women's history, and today is living proof that we are able to preserve the stories of the congresswomen, the extraordinary courage she has demonstrated throughout her career. elisabeth stanton says the best

protection anyone could have is her courage. nancy pelosi demonstrates to get -- back to us every day, and we are so proud to have union service to our country. we are so thankful to rachel maddow for taking time out of her busy life, and, of course, she is another woman of courage. [applause] >> to the sewall-belmont house and museum, to page harrington, we are so grateful to be partnering with you on this lovely day, and thank you for the beautiful weather, by the way. we are so honored to be in this house where so many incredible women have walked through the door, so we are pleased to partner with you on the dance. peter -- defense.