and public services and to privatize healthcare. just a surprise that there are very poor object services in egypt now. i don't have those numbers and they are hard to come by. >> i want to get to this issue that has been alluded to and that has been concessions, or corruption. getting anything done involves so much corruption. is that worse today than it was three months ago? how difficult does it make life? how much does the average person have to pay off? ability to get things done, to get basic services, on the issue of human rights, do you have to buy human

rights in egypt? again, i agree that it is not a coincidence. an opportunity in january of 2011 to have a discontinuation, to have a cut off point to say this was the have transparent and accountable government and let's at least the senior level of administration to see who needs to be transferred to maria trained and prosecuted or at least relieved from duty. byre was at least an attempt the very first cabinet that came, that was appointed after mubarak's ouster, there was an attempt to have laws that would not have criminalized, not have ushered in prosecutions for past corruption, what did that socked

, torevent future corruption really address the root causes of corruption like conflict of interest laws, more transparent and publicly accessible budget making postings and final outcome. the military council that was in power that came after mubarak had a vested interest in .aintaining the mubarak state that is why we did not see a coherent prosecution strategy for past corruption and they refused to pass any of the corruption prevention laws that by the current deputy prime minister at the request of the government. the supreme military council did not want to pass it trade when morsi came and we all felt that finally someone with at least a

democratic mandate to introduce each changes -- to introduce these changes, morsi and the jptherhood and the f revealed their intention which was not to reform the state but to take over the state. how do we utilize the structures, whether it is the corrupt and abusive police force or the corrupt your accuracy, how do we make sure that it continues to work while preserving the privileges and the current balance of our but under our leadership and for our benefit? backfired because the bureaucracy went on strike. ultimately, they refused to work for the new government and there was no attempt to reform this bureaucracy that we could have supported, that our section of society could have supported in

the face of this strike of the bureaucracy. right now, we are exactly in the same position. it is exactly the same secretive , theoretically anticorruption oddities that are still working in exactly the same manner. the administrative control for mubarak's was last 10 years under a leadership that was facing very serious corruption charges, the head of that authority was selected on july 1 by the interim president as a new head of the general intelligence service. someone who was facing corruption charges for 10 years under mubarak and for the past two years, including -- is the replacement as director of general intelligence. that gives you a direction -- that gives you an idea of the direction the state wants to take right now. in terms of laws being passed, even in the constitution, -- even in the constitution the

brothers passed at least there was an idea of setting up an anticorruption body. that idea is now being scrapped from the constitution so that we keep the current anticorruption structure as ineffective as it is. of course, the budget making process is still exactly the writing fact they are into the constitution provisions that will ensure even more secrecy in the future, codifies in the constitution, especially the military budget that has to be entered as one figure in the constitution. i agree completely with jared and diane that it is a big and important factor. we cannot do human rights work without paying the court official to photocopy a file of a client that i am representing the with power of attorney. i still have to pay to photocopy

this file. i understand that it is endemic and has reached a cultural is a result of the institutional makeup that encourages corruption. goesd the fee that you pay in his pocket rather than in the government revenue. >> yes, but to government understands that this is part of his salary. art of his salary is calculated as direct out-of-pocket fees. , it iswant us to pay really seen as part of his salary. that workpeople here for the government would support me in this. >> you deal with this issue on the ground with people. ?ow much tolerance is there you mentioned the word strike. it is really interesting to see, not only in egypt emma but in tunisia and elsewhere, that where people are feeling more

power they are striking over not being paid or lower salaries are people getting fired, and much more vibrant ways. i remember right after the revolution there were strikes. bettergs are getting any , if this endemic corruption is getting worse in part because the economy is imploding, at -- how much tolerance is there? what is next, where should we look at how much appetite -- again we get to this issue of stability versus freedom. or rights, be they economic or how long the twotian can tolerate months, three months, four or five.

this is my own assumption. i think it is not getting better. things are not getting better. the institution is the same. it is not getting worse. the curfew has been really hard. it is kind of a disaster. , i can'te, in my area say for all egyptians, 85% of -- 85% of cairo are in unplanned areas. and therety of cairo are many other areas, are not planned. when you talk about planned, it

is government. so when government wants to allocate budget, the can't because they really don't know. this is according to the germans. >> 85% of new housing, 65% of cairo. >> 80%. really the egyptians can , one year of giving all the benefits, whatever government is supposed to do, and then the people will start to move. that is my feel. oni just wanted to press you that. what do you mean when you say start to move? >> the majority of egyptians, the majority of the people in the streets, most people don't -- we were not the

majority. the majority of the people that were in the streets where people who were in low income families and people who had their own personal issue with the police. ony had their own personal satisfaction that gave them a strong drive to want to change. i'm talking about the same thing. people went down and close the road and this is the type of disobedience that i'm talking about. i think maybe the closed street likee, but not revolution going down like they did. it is going to be very disruptive, every area will use their own way of trying to disrupt or make a sound or make a noise. the media will, and the government will listen. this is the government is going to act.

i'm not talking about another wave of millions of people going to sleep. >> yes, absolutely. >> while of course the country is completely consumed now in this fight, waiting for the street battles to and between .slamists and the new regime even though the entire country is in this egypt fights --rorism owned which you terrorism mode which you see everywhere. the protests did not stop. this month we have labor strikes starting again in mahal a and exactlythe same -- in where the workers used to strike against mubarak.

what is really remarkable is the response is the same. again, the military tanks moved they arrested people from the steel factories and put them on military trial. they prolong their strike until the colleagues are released and then the military would force the owners of the factories to give concessions to the workers to end the strikes. in a few months you're going to have labor strikes again. >> what is the issue? >> first of all there has never been a fundamental revision of where we went wrong. >> what are the issues for the workers? >> they are not political issues. theourse once you have wheree workers in although movement against my against mubarak was said to have

started in 2008. authoritarianism is restarting in egypt. all the pallet-- all the panelists they are saying the brotherhood should find out where we went wrong. the people that were part of the old regime are now defending the old regime. why don't we have a process where we look at the economic and social policies of the cabinet for the last 10 years -- the underlying root causes of the problem that we have right now. we don't understand them and therefore of course we are still applying exactly the same measures, exactly the same responses that will continue this problem. what governments do is exactly what the brothers do. instead of doing this, they -- they think they

can control the labor unions. done it.has all the people that say why didn't you wait for three more years four more see, even though there were problems? occasionally you read any newspaper here in america and they say they have the same background paragraph almost. they say freedom and justice party failed to be inclusive and were showing authoritarian tendencies. these are the two cases that always made against the brothers. we always say it was much worse than this. morsi and his people incited the killing of processors. they ordered mass arrests and torture and sexual assault of political opponents.

the council was discussing a law against ngos and the judiciary and demonstrations and against labor unions. there was a clear attempt not to just rewrite the rules of the game but to control the public sphere. this war onhat terror is being used exactly to justify and to legitimize exactly the same restrictions. how do we close this revolutionary season that started two years ago, and it now, return to the talk of reform. i think that the words of the man on the first panel were identical to the words we used to hear in 2007 by the progressive elite within the ruling party of mubarak. the history of the egyptian state is against the revolution. let's forget about this revolution and start introducing

reform. another -- his people are going to be up for exactly the same surprise that caught them unprepared in january of 2011 because this state that we have right now is not going to be reformed. you really have two scenarios now. one is there is going to be a political deal cut with the islamists and they will be integrated into the political process. that is exactly when people will say what about this power outage , my minimum wage, democracy. they're going to ask questions because the war on terror has -- thethe other sonora other scenario is that the crackdown will continue, the islamists will be defeated and again that is when people will start asking the serious and hard questions. the next one i am worried is going to be a real revolution

this time because people are going to realize it is not about the faces or names of those in power, it is about the structure ,f this state that is mediocre that is literally and morally bankrupt, that is inefficient, that is really repressing us. right now they may want this big daddy state to protect them, but ultimately they are either going to grow tired of this war on , or it will come to an end that people will realize that the big daddy is the problem. >> i want to follow up on that eloquent point. is the use of these antiterrorism laws or the terrorism bogeyman going to make it almost impossible for the kind of people power we saw in

102 more101 and difficult? if they are using antiterrorism laws to round up labor union make -- fores that the process does that make the next round bloodier or more if occult or traumatic? we had those laws before. can everybody hear me? those laws are not new. they are being cooked in a different way now. now it is the war on terrorism. there's always a need for the state to protect itself. look, when we were talking about corruption earlier, corruption is endemic to every part of her life in egypt. it stops -- it starts at the

stop and keep shunting its way down. further down you go a more morally indefensible it is. arm -- teachers are making lousy salaries. these laws that you're discussing now set up by the state, i think the hope is that --y will appeal to certain egyptians tend to be patriotic. during this whole mess the only numbers that have been written -- people sent money back. egyptians are patriotic. there's going to come a point where they say you know what? enough. , i think the state thinks that people are just going to keep swallowing this hoax line and sinker. in door that was opened january 2011 you cannot close.

in the same way that after january 2000 11, everyone who got a salary thought that they were entitled to more and therefore everybody want to in egypt you know what happens when you strike hurt either you will get fired or arrested or worse. people are not going to stop. when this dies down at the moment, and it will die down, i think it is possible actually that the current government is aware of that. the interim government is currently desperately spending about 22 billion egyptian pounds, which is just over $3 billion which is a quarter of gave us gulf arabs just on infrastructure. that is really where it is at the moment. people don't have water or gas. to their hospitals because they don't have roads. we just really need infrastructure. even though this new government doesn't have much of a mandate, that is where the money is

going. so if the state thinks that people are going to sit down and go away, they are mistaken. >> i just looked at my watch. it is going so fast. so interesting! i want to open it up to your question. let me ask one more of diane. have seen all this money pouring in from the gulf. 12 billion dollars from the saudi's and the uae. how long will that last? how vulnerable does that make the state in the long-term? at one point during the littlehood the joke was dough i was trying to buy big egypt. -- the joke was little was trying to buy big egypt.

>> i can speak to the first part of your question. interesting. now we have billions of dollars pouring in from the gulf and a lot of that is owing not necessarily to infrastructure, a lot of it is going to buy petrol and wheat and provide food. but that is not obviously going to solve any of the endemic problem's. the problems are also structural. i think one of the things that is interesting to point out about the continuity of the mubarak regime and the morsi regime is that it is a very neoliberal framework. you would have it a sort of different policy. there was an opportunity for innovation and an opportunity for a new direction. , the f jp isothers

still building affordable housing in the desert. they are still talking about building cities in the desert and they are ignoring the assets and capabilities and what you can do informal areas. it is the old kind of, we need foreign investment, it is a neoliberal policy and that has not changed and they are in such economic predicaments now that they are going to be using this rent money for basic needs. it is not going to change a situation. i would go back to something analyze thed tremendous challenges that egypt has. the question i have is, why haven't lyrical parties in egypt done a better job of trying to channel and lead local efforts and trying to change the demerit size of things.

why should we expect economic elites to change your policy? why should we expect the military to change its policy unless they are forced to at some level? the question becomes, in brazil and argentina and south africa, been able tole hold their governments accountable? i think there has been a failure of political parties, but there is an opportunity to go local. there is an opportunity to work , to demand elected andrs and elected governors demand elections in municipal elections quickly and not think these things are unimportant. again, if political parties can operate nationally and throughout all areas in cairo, that is a tremendous opportunity there. think, itactivists, i

is not just political parties, the young activists and the innovators really have to target the state. they have to demand new policies. they have to demand new services. target those things in very tangible material ways that matter so much to people. egyptians all over know the solutions to these problems. they know how their government works or doesn't work and how to get things done. it is a tremendous loss that thosenowledge and citizens are not valued as democratic actors. they can't participate. i think any new government has to reach out and create many more spaces, not to retrench as it is, not to talk about terrorism all the time, but talk about inclusion and the rights

of people to participate. >> is probably a lot easier to say than to do. we are talking about the real world not the ideal world, unfortunately. that may open it up to your questions. i hope there is a female. right here. i do think we have had a female question all day. >> i have two questions. >> we have been amazed at the ability of egyptians to mobilize , cleanup streets, get people together, demand, have a whole entire campaign. i tell you, when it began in 2011, people all over, and i work with the nonviolent movement, people were sending

experts to go to egypt and learn about their methods. weres massive how they able to organize, mobilize and stay committed to one vision. >> what is your question? >> why has not followed through? why is it the fact that once mubarak was gone somehow people retreated and said someone else can take the reins? that is one fundamental question that i just can't imagine with that kind of ability, what happened that they owed follow through, why was there not a vision afterwards? been three years, right? a lot of us, once we go in the media we are really negatively attacked. a lot of us decided to be low- profile. one of the things that we learned is that anyone who is

going to be solo is going to be singled out. for me to bring an organization or some kind of real power, you have to think. one you need real grassroots support. for me to actually say i represent the people, i need to actually win the people and understand what the people need. the first thing we did, i am not the only one, there is a group of us, we moved with the people and try to understand what the people are. we really are sincere about our revolution and our love for our country, it is not about me becoming a minister or president, it is about us knowing exactly how we're going to take egypt from point a to point b. ,f i don't have that answer then i am not ready to stand up on stage. we are in that process. any politician and anyone who will accept the position and

appear on stage and does not how you'rewer on going to take egypt from point a to point b is unethical. we know exactly what we are doing and what happened and we are just trying to take our time to understand the problem. stage and we are all young, so the age factor -- we are losing every war, but we are trying to win the age war. when we are ready on time, we know exactly how to solve the real problems. now we can say yes, the revolution succeeded. and it was a success. >> thank you. maureen i? you talked about continuing

satisfaction and the continuation of protests. the suggestion is that it is going to blow up again in the future. my question is what is going to be the outcome this time? it is very easy to forget that the voting in january 2011 and this summer, this popular movement ended in a military intervention. it was a military the front yard mubarak and morsi. what other people going to do next time? you know you have a situation when you have a small dot that gaps and a big dog comes around the corner and takes care of things. the big dock is the military. what is that dog going to do this time? turn againsto

protesters rather than against a government? >> thank you. do you want to take that? i will have to resist the urge to engage the metaphor. obviously. i think your question is related to dan's question of what -- whyd to the political our political parties not organizing. a question about what happened to the grassroots movement. ok, it is complicated in that when mubarak was overthrown we did not have a roundtable national process to agree on the rules of the game, right? we had big eddie or the military

place and the military decided the generals were going to write the rules of the game. we are going to consult, we might even call a public referendum, millions will come, but then we are going to write what will actually go into the constitution. and the framework of the transition. then they singled out the muslim brothers and said i pick him. were part of the committee that would draft the proposed amendments to the constitution, the questionrted of who gets the ear of the generals and leaders. it was not a matter of who organizes faster or who goes out and builds a movement, it became a matter of who really influences the decisions of the generals. the was really what killed mubarak political party. on the one hand, it was a competition

for who gets to sit in the lap of the generals. on the other hand, they could not trust that if they went and spend the next four years building a movement and bypass this next election and conceded that they're not going to win it , in four years time when they come back the rules of the game will allow them to actually compete. it was a foundational moment and it was being written in the most on transparent, on democratic ways. of course, that was a huge distraction. grassrootsed to the is what happened to this. when mubarak was ousted we had a few months where we could travel everywhere we wanted in the country. as a human rights organization that we used to run away from state security it used to be impossible for us to go to a village in the aftermath of sectarian violence. up andd have been picked thrown out of the village by the

security officer. we have the entire country (. enter cultural centers and palaces. the entire country was open to us. that is early 2011. by the summer of 2011, all of the government media and government officials and ministers at the time started january 25 was a conspiracy. it was funded by the west are going to start an investigation into who funded this conspiracy and to undermine to the mubarak regime. started thist investigation and assigned a minister of justice to do the fact-finding and suddenly the april sixth,ng, they were flown to the west and they were told how to destabilize the situation.

all of these people attacked the state and wrote down mubarak in one conspiracy. of course, that was effect did and that was the refusal to change the ngo laws come up to change the funding rules. with being completely shut out of the policy level, the policy impact ont had a big the stability of this grassroots movement to continue. morsi's rule did not change. i don't know what is going to , but i agree with the analysis that says it has been three weeks. those that actually wants to hand us over designation to the -- there was another way to get the american military to concede. there has been a third wave

against the religious right that was going to destroy this nascent democratic process. there were different actors of course in every wave. i think there will be a fourth wave that will come soon unless people in power realize that this states that was born in 1952 has become a dead body that we are trying to pretend is a live for a few years now. it is time to say that this nationstate project has failed. we need a new republic and the new republic must be based on these new values for it to be acceptable and to not suffer the same crisis of legitimacy and the same crisis of delivery that has really brought down all these residents. >> until we get to that point, what i see right now is going to be a political sphere heavily controlled by the military with

some political parties competing in a formal political process areas is going to wield results they have ae -- constitution, they have a referendum and elections, etc. but the process collapsed. to -- probably, the roadmap is going to be step two. but what comes out of it is not going to have the legitimate -- you legitimacy or the acceptance to make it an enduring political system. >> we only have four minutes left so i want to get to the last it of business we have. the policy group prescription. what are the recommendations? other three of you would wrap up with giving your being tangible and

realistic and not dreamy? >> i don't really think it is a think ist, what i do there a resistance of how it is going to be done. i think there will be no economic success without a political consensus and i think there will be no political allensus without accepting parts of egyptian society. what we have at the moment is not feasible. what we have is a small group of people making decisions for a very large group of people. the large group has said that they won't do it. >> we know what doesn't work. what will? >> i think you need to open up. tangibles, specifics.

whoicularly the people brought us the revolution, what can they do now? that is the place i would like to be. let's say we have 300 people, right? our ngo, according to the --istry of justice, we have we affected around 100,000 people in the last two years. if you go through ngos and you get 300 people and everyone averaged reaching out to 50,000 people, you're talking about 15 million people. you are supporting two things, one, easy access to funding. number two, easy access to

implementing the parties. >> you said no three main. called thee proposal citizenship development fund that is exactly what roger the government needs to do in terms of healthcare starting with the medical center's, in terms of the youth centers. i have a detailed plan on what a government can do right now. by the terms of policy, i think the fact that they should do -- i am being kind of hopeful, is that providing ngos with very quick accessibility to implementing projects. if i'm taking a lot of time and effort and actually reading the funds in gathering the people and doing the work, i shouldn't be stuck with government approval. the government should have a committee that actually fosters

or makes easier access or ngos that are the only ones who can actually touch the citizen and make his life better. it is as simple as that. that is my recommendation. the ngos is going to be the number one savior for whichever government is coming. i don't care which other one comes, as long as you let me help and you help the people that we are calling for. then you are good to stay. government any official that wants to make a proposal that is very detailed, i will be happy to share it and push for it to make the life of egyptians better. >> once again, the pinch-hitter. >> i think that some of these things that need to happen are not ideal. i think there is tremendous act activistsand that need to be much more specific in their target. for example, again, there needs

to be a democratization of local government. there needs to be in the constitution elected mayors, elected governors. there needs to be targeted reforms of local government, of local administration to make it more representative, to make it more effective. i think one of the things that i would really push for and i know the human rights community has for a long time. without a right to information law it is extremely difficult to know anything about what the local government is doing. there needs to be a right to information loss of that local people can ask their governments what is happening. this has been tremendously effective in india. it took 10 years of activism that the right to information law in india led to social audits all over the country, freedom of information act so you could figure out what their communities needed. there needs to be from below, i

am not imagining that the government is going to have a change of heart, i think activism needs to think about social justice and a built environment, housing policies and the ferret distribution of public resources. egypt is a very strange place. people talk about the military which owns a lot of land in egypt. the state doesn't, the military does. we have to think about the price of land in who gets the land. what needs to happen is that local activism demanding the transformation of andstate and state policies particular policies which people find very enervating. >> i get the last word on this and i will use it. those are all great ideas, but when you are just trying to get the garbage cleared from your area or maintain a job and you

are a driver in the middle of a is where i worry. we outside can talk about lots --great ideas, but there because their ideas out there. how do you get from point a to town me. i guess i would call myself guardedly pessimistic. i think there is such a gap between the tough realities that egyptians are living through and how much flexibility there is within a political system. is incredibly tolerant and willing to use any tactics it needs to achieve stability and what egyptians want. egyptians are torn, i think. mike there is that there isn't that kind of flexibility organic movement that we do get into

something that gets brittle and confrontational and eventually bloody. this concerns me a great deal. please join me in thanking an extraordinary panel. thank you very much. [applause] [indiscernible] from the middle east institute's conference on egypt. this is a discussion on egypt's relationship with the international community. topics include a debate on u.s. aid to the country and what other countries can do to help egypt achieve political and economic stability. this is an hour and a half. >> good afternoon, everybody. if you can please take your seats we are starting the fourth panel of the day. we have got a lot to discuss. i am kate seeley with the middle east institute. last -- one to the

of the most interesting panels of the day. everybody, if you could please sit down. we have talked throughout the do about what egyptians can to move forward on their political path. greater stability and greater democracy, greater prosperity. we talked about what egyptians can do to work toward national reconciliation, healing the wounds and the divide. we have talked about how egyptians can work to meet the demands and needs of the people, for bread, freedom and social justice. i want to talk a little bit about what the international community can do to help egypt along on its path toward greater stability, prosperity and democracy. panel ofith us today a academics and analysts who have

been writing extensively on the u.s./egyptian relationships and are well placed to discuss this topic with us today. i will start on our moderators (we have amy hawthorne. she is a senior fellow at the atlantic council where she has been writing on egypt before joining the atlantic council. she was an appointee at the u.s. department of state advising on u.s. policy toward the arab spring countries. next to her is mohamed feldman charlie. and a very well- known columnist for the pe jem -- for the egyptian paper al- sharouk." and then jason brownlee, associate professor of

government where he teaches mideast politics. this panel is in very capable hands of michael hanna who is a senior at the century foundation where he has written extensively on the u.s. egyptian onship. michael, i'd like to hand the panel over to you. thank you so much for joining us it is a real privilege and honor. >> thank you kate and thank you for persevering to the end of the day. to educate ourob panelists. maybe we will get a little argument to keep you awake. of thefrom the start arab uprisings, was seen as a sort of center of gravity. the outside world believed that what happened in egypt because of its demographic weight, it's that will state -- have profound indications not just for egypt but for the

region. its potential out success is something the international community wanted to prioritize. the international community and the united states have not always been able to adjust to the changing times. the results of international interaction and engagement with egypt are clearly something of a times havend the yielded very disappointing results from the perspective of the international community. by askingke to start whether egypt really wants international support. in the wake of the popular uprising of june 30, the military intervention of july 3, we have seen a mood of hyper nationalism sweeping across the country where state media has stigmatized foreign countries, chief among them the united

states. has its dig midsized contact with those countries. the intentions of the rest of .he world vis-a-vis egypt this suggests a somewhat complementary -- a somewhat complicated picture. based on the mood, does egypt think its relations with the outside world are important? it doesn't care about international support. thankingat start by the institute for inviting me here. thank you for letting me start this discussion. egypt tell you that cannot stay away from the rest of the international community. i am sure a lot of egyptians got anothermeet one way or to have good relations with other countries. basically, this was not the framework we were talking about. what kind of relations to be one with the united states in

particular? some egyptians will do it and say if you remember the fiddler said, roof, the gentleman long live the czar but keep him away from us. so, there is that fear to have usingational community the opportunity of egypt and mounting problems in order to take off what the most important thing that egyptians like to have, which is independence. independence needs to be translated into a certain framework. i would emphasize the egyptian american relationship. someone said recently that we cannot keep the relationship with egypt as business as usual. the business as usual never was

defined. do we have business or do we have a number of values that the united states wants to implement in egypt? >> i think the long list of businesses we have often completely ignores. here, we talk about the u.s. in particular and other events in the international community, if you want to make it in the frame of a relationship, it is based on reciprocity, of interest. in the case of united states, there is a long list of american interests in egypt as well. usually, the debate about egypt and the relationship of the united states is centered around eight. should we cut off aid or not? -- thatwas in my life

was in exchange for a lot of interests in egypt. art of the business in egypt, something called overflight, and in a country that has made two major wars in the last year, overflight was an important interested -- an important interest for the united states in egypt. first, to run access to the swiss canal was important for a country that has lots of freight ships and nuclear ships. the country that is making balance of trade of $4 billion, there has to be interest. the american debate, actually, and some of it i use today, was completely different from the kind of debates that we have back in cairo. point,ng this particular this relationship got to be a builds on interest, to reciprocity. in that sense i think i call here, i use the opportunity that

assessment of egyptian american relations. that has been enduring for about 40 years now. it was helping the interests of both countries. i have found in the last few weeks, probably couple months, that this relationship is coming that hasage of tension to be explored. >> jason, maybe you could touch now on what you think those interests are and perhaps what they should be. assess for us what this bilateral relationship looks like? where has it gone wrong. -- >> regarding where the relationship should go from here and what international actors can be doing, i think answering that question begins with a sober assessment of what the united states has done in

the past and what it has done wrong in the past when it comes to egypt. areas. there are two key one of them is to minimize and neglect and not take seriously public opinion inside of egypt. the second is to support the -- that was talked about in the first panel because it was convenient to have authoritarian civility and not take into account the long-term risks in that type of arrangement. when we talk about business as usual between egypt and the united states, i don't think it has changed. business as usual between egypt and the u.s. means basically what the writer called the bargain.

the problem with that bargain, is that it produces people like omar rock mine. it produces people like mohammed out top. the strategic benefits that are raised, they are much less valuable than they were during the cold war. i think the importance of bright -- has shrunkxi significantly. do a fresh cost- benefit analysis of the traditional u.s. egyptian partnership, we may find a perspective.

the midst of an obviously nationalistic moment, there has been a contradiction in the sense that suggestions that the aid relationship be reformed or changed are also met with nationalistic fury. yet this is obviously a type of dependent relationship. there is a bit of a contradiction there. mohammed, maybe you can touch upon the nature of that complicated relationship where you have a military who is the biggest beneficiary of american aid and yet a broader political climate where foreign entanglements are being stigmatized. clearly, a strange dichotomy there. >> sure. let's keep in mind that egypt received about 32 or 33 years, 76 billion dollars in aid. the average egyptian won't get

any leisure of this 76 billion dollars aid because most of it went to the military and we don't know what happened with that. we have a strong military but we don't see it in daily life. this equation between egyptian and american relations was fourd on eight cooperation. that has been in operation since 1979. i believe in the last two months this equation needs to be aid ford very this corporation doesn't work anymore in this changing dynamic of egyptian policy. it was not so significant to the relation between the two sides. the opinion of egyptian was not on the table for american egyptian side as well. now it is a big factor for everybody, even for the military, for the muslim brotherhood am a liberal he egyptian voice.

82% of egyptians don't want any kind of aid from the united states. to reflect the desire of the egyptian people it should stop because that is what the egyptians want. i believe that is a romantic request, but the equation should be changed. the relation was based on three foundations. , yet it is very much marginalized recently. egypt is not a strong ally. egypt is the third country after israel and the united states that doesn't have a full relationship with iran as of today. the second foundation for the tourist was military relation.

they thought we had serious leverage over it egyptian military. secretary of defense chuck hagel called his counterpart in egypt, general nothing happened in terms of changing the equation of the relation as we speak. there is no serious discussion in washington of stopping the eight. articles,in one of my stopping the aid for several months.

>> thank you! thank you, thank you, thank you all very, very much. steak , 36 harkin 36th friday, 36th and we haven't fried a steak yet.

i don't know where that name ever came from. as you heard, i have a better record, a better winning reak, 45 years of love and partnership with a woman by the name of ruth harkin. [cheers and applause] >> i thank you, ruth, for those keend words, a very formidable troduction by a formidable woman, the only woman county attorney at that time and the only democrat in the county courthouse. i ran for congress that year. i lost, ruth won. and i said she was the only democrat in the courthouse, only women prosecuting attorney in the state of iowa so i ran two years later for congress and more than once i heard it said that, well, if she is that good, he can't be that bad. [laughter]

so i rode her skirt tails into office. and then ruth became the deputy general counsel at the department of agriculture appointed by president jimmy carter. [applause] >> and then she became the president and c.e.o. of the overseas private investment corporation appointed by president clinton. [applause] >> and then a senor attorney with one of our nation's top law firm which was headed by ob strauss and for whom both hulean castro and joaquin castro worked in that same law firm also. and then ruth went into the private sector, became senior vice president for one of our largest manufacturers, united

technologies corporation and through it all, a great mom to our two daughters and now a wonderful grand mom to our three grandchildren and i remember one time some years ago our oldest daughter amy coined -- she was studying french in high school. so she coined a phrase that has stuck with us ever since when she described her mother, ruth. la petit her general. [laughter] [applause] >> for those, that means the little general, you got it? a very special welcome to the vice president of the united states, joe biden. cheers and applause]

>> now, folks, i got to tell you, i have enormous respect for the office of the vice president every time i see the vice president i refer to him and address him as mr. vice president. but having joe for so many years and knowing the down to earth type of guy he is, it's just hard not to call him joe. so, mr. vice president, no disrespect, but to everyone here and to all of us here in wa, you're our friend, joe biden. cheers and applause] >> and you're right, it's just joe, right, exactly. he wouldn't have it any other way. i can tell you that.

he wouldn't have it any other way. thank you all for putting up with the extra security today. i mean, in addition -- [laughter] >> i guess in addition to the secret service and everybody hecking tickets and the secret service doing their security checks, i heard that donald trump was outside checking birthday certificates. cheers and applause] >> so it is always a big deal to have the vice president here with us. it's also a big deal to have san antonio mayor hulean castro here with us today. [cheers and applause] and if you'll just turn a little bit, i'll introduce his brother, congressman joaquin castro is right there. cheers and applause]

>> so i'll tell you, our two speakers today really embody the strength and the genius and the heart of the democrat party. mayor castro is young, charismatic, one of our bright stars with new ideas, new energy the constituency of party. vice-president by me, who embodies enormous experience and wisdom, the sound judgment of our party that perilous times. we need both, the new and the seasoned. it's a great strength that we have as democrats and such a great honor to have you both here with us today. [applause] year the steak fry marks the change of seasons.

there was an attack on a buttered cow. [laughter] isn't anything sacred anymore? [laughter] over the summer we have endured visits by rick santorum, rand ted cruz, governor way --rry is on his >> [booing] thell i can say is that's calendar is filling up rapidly. on a more serious note a couple of weeks ago we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the martin luther king jr. i have a dream

speech. [applause] vision forember his all of god's children. ,arlier in the summer congressman steve king made headlines with a very different vision. the children of immigrants who aspire to become citizens, let me say it loudly and clearly, i am the proud child of an immigrant mother and i know which speech is for me. [cheers and applause]

folks, congress is back in session. i want to say this, yesterday the announcement came through. russia, the u.s. have reached an agreement. weapons is being dismantled in syria by 2014. this happened because of the strength, the wisdom, the courage of president obama. this guy right here, vice president joe biden [applause] and our great secretary of state, john kerry.

we reached this agreement with the international community to secure and dismantle by 2014 and we did not lose one american life. that is leadership, folks. that is leadership. once again, republicans of threatening to shut down the government or default on the debt unless we dismantle obama care. as one of the principal authors of the affordable care act, i do not know whether to laugh or cry at that. republicans have now voted 40 times to repeal of the affordable care act. folks, the good news for these republicans is that obsessive compulsive disorder is covered under obama care.

[applause] [laughter] even better news is that the affordable care act is already working for all americans and as you know, next month we start sign up, ending the denial of coverage for all children based on pre-existing conditions. following abuses from insurance companies, such as giving canceled, it allows young people to stay on their parent policies until age 26. october 1,days, millions of americans will be able to sign up on the exchanges

for subsidized health care. [applause] at long last, every american qualitye access to affordable health insurance and cannot be taken away. i want you to know that that includes every american with a disability. no more segregation, no more exclusion, no more second-class citizenship for people with disabilities in america. so, bruce, i understand that they're probably going to vote again on ending obama care. they are going to fail. because they are on the wrong side of history. americans will not let republicans drag us back for the social security, medicare, obama care, or opening new opportunities for young people with disabilities across this country.

so, we are going forward. [applause] we are going to build a reformed health-care system that works for all americans. before i go further, i want to acknowledge some special people. first of all, all the steak fries for just about all of them, my dear friend joey has been the death interpreter for almost all of them. thank you, joey. interpreter for almost all of them. as well as susan, let's hear it for her. they always trade-offs. on that not a great job national anthem yeah cupful [applause] the ground crew spent -- national anthem? [applause] the ground crew spent days

setting up. our grillers, glenn perry, valerie deal, again, let's hear it for all of the people who made this possible. applause]d and we have some wonderful rain last night. now it is nice for all of this year. i want to thank the one responsible for that, too. [laughter] [applause] have a lot round of applause for scott ran, who once again answered the call to be the state democratic chairman. scott? [applause] lost by contact, but where is jim? againck here, thank you for leading the pledge, thank you for your service in iraq and your future service as a united

states congressman defeating steve king. thank you. [applause] our former state senator, stacy apple is with us. thank you for your future in the third district. i want to recognize and honor all of our state democratic dignitaries, including mark smith. he is here somewhere, i saw him earlier. [applause] thank hours want to -- our senate leader for being our rock of gibraltar through the last session. [applause] where in the heck is t.?

mike, thank you. i want to all to never forget that those of you who call iowa home, those of us who care about keeping this state on a progressive course, nothing is more important than getting more democrats in the senate and winning back the governorship next year. [applause] our fighting second district congressman. dave? is dave? i just lost dave. -- dave? where is dave? i just lost dave. to come upsomeone here with me now. bruce. [applause] folks, and you have been so kind and generous to me in the years i have represented you in the

house and the senate. when i announce my retirement in january i said that i would sit back and that this was going to be a passing of the baton, but that i would work every day until that day in january. i want you all to know that there is only one person i want our nexthe baton to, united states senator, bruce. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. >> thank you, buddy. ok, it is on with the show. you have your stake, for some sizzle. our first speaker, the mayor of america's seventh largest city. new to iowa, you have all seen

him before. take to be the keynote speaker at the democratic national convention in charlotte. the ovation that he got at the end of his speech, all the talk about him ever since reminded everyone of the ovation for a previous keynote speaker eight years earlier, an obscure state senator named barack obama. [cheers and applause] the reason that there has been such outgoing love and support, many people see this young man as the future of our party. in fact, if you do this you can try it at home in your iphone, castro and rising star and you will get 410,000 hits. he was introduced by his twin

brother, whom i introduced earlier, who is also with us as well today. as he said in that introduction, for 18 years they shared a small bedroom and a lot of big dreams, raised by a single and he became the youngest councilman in the history of san antonio. he was first elected mayor in 2009, reelected to a third term this year. the youngest mayor of a top 60 american city. there is much to admire about him, but what really caught my eye was two things. one, the phrase that he used in his speech last summer when he isd that the american dream not a sprint for a marathon, but

it is a relay. think about that, he generation growing up to pass on the opportunity to the next. for almost 20ing years to years something done for early childhood education in america. this last january in his state of the union barack obama $75 million to a program for young people in america. we have not gotten there yet, the mayor of san antonio decided not to wait. business community came together and they passed a sales tax measure for preschool and next month the first san antonio children will be enrolling in preschool and they are going to cover every single kid with preschool education.

[cheers and applause] a round tolet's give one of our bright young leaders, a courageous young man, the mayor of san antonio, texas, coolly and castro -- julian castro. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. hello, i love. it is nice to be here. all, let me say a huge thank you on behalf of the regenerationand and this is your senator, tom harkin. a leader and a true public servant for so many who often

if you can be in public service and stay true to who you are. tom has said yes and showed us and he couldyears not done half of what he had a and thank you for having us today. sometime ago president obama said that the best political made in hisever life to -- was to select joe biden as vice president. i agree with him. commend president, we you on your leadership. thank you for joining us. i had nothing to do with the

security here. next greatse, the senator from iowa, bruce. [cheers and applause] i know we have got a lot of folks from all over iowa. dubuque,ot folks from desmoines, and indianola. i come from a city that google maps says is about 1,000 miles away from here. of theonio, texas, one fastest-growing in the united states, economically prosperous, vibrant, 1.3 million people. i have been mayor for about four years. i told the folks that a couple of months after being elected mayor i had a meeting with a

woman in my office in city hall and i do not remember how we were meeting about any more, and as an elected official you get a lot of gifts. most of the mark trinkets or t- shirts. i have something like 200 t- shirts, five of which actually fit. before the meeting was over -- i was a rookie mayor and this woman, she gave me this gift bag that was covered in tissue paper. she asked me to go ahead and open my gift. i started to unwrap the tissue paper, i took the gift out and it was a prayer card. it was of st. thomas more. not know it, but he is the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. so, right before she walked out the door she said by the way, he

was beheaded. [laughter] that is true. i thought to myself, what in the world have i got myself into. in thishat many audience have been sold during the way in iowa, in the trenches as democrats for a long time. people hereobably who have been here since the first state fried. lock walking, letter writing, ing, and sometimes you wonder why we are doing this. today we are gathered at this special moment in 2013, a moment when our world is changing at a faster rate than it has ever

changed in human history. a time when it is easier to travel than it ever has been. easier to communicate with folks than ever before. computing in an iphone is faster than the computer. a computer that cost millions a few years ago. united states is engaged in a 21st century global economy that is more competitive than it ever has been, with countries around the world who are producing well-educated young people capable of learning and manipulating technology that a timefine this century, in which brainpower is the new currency of success. which the divisions

that have often separated us, the divisions of geography, creed, are crumbling at a faster rate than any other time in human history. the question before us is -- what is the blueprint in this , the, in this century blueprint that america should to ensure prosperity. our friends on the other side of the aisle, they say the blueprint is this -- if everyone goes on their own, we will be fine. if everyone does their own thing and government leaves everyone alone, everything will be great. but i believe in a different blueprint. i believe in investing in the gi bill so that millions of americans can get a higher education.

i believe in shepherding medicare to congress so that millions and millions of senior citizens can get the health care that they needed. ofelieve in the blueprint president obama extending health care to all americans in the united states. that this is the blueprint, because it has worked like this. in the united states we have always had the basic bargain. we expect you and your family to work hard, but when you do, we reward the hard work with opportunity. i know that it is more than just words. i know it from my own life. at the convention, i spoke about my grandfather -- grandmother. she came over to the united states as an orphan from mexico. she dropped out of elementary school and, eventually because of that she wound up working as

a maid, coke, and babysitter her whole life. with myer and i grew up . testing making less than $20,000 that year. my grandmother made a few hundred dollars in social security checks. here were these two women, both

of whom have worked hard during their lives, watching their sons and grandsons with an enormous opportunity and wondering how in the world it would be able to pay for it. i can tell you this, the only reason i was able to reach my american dream to go to college and become a professional was because i worked hard, my family worked hard, and because there were grants, work studies, stafford loans. because iords, invested in myself. but fundamentally, i reached my dream because you invested in me. because the american people invested in me. that is america. that is what is great about this nation. that is the blueprint for

success in the 21st century. that in san antonio. last november for the first time ever the voters said yes to the educational initiatives. 22,004-year-old will get high quality pre education so that we have the best prepared, best educated, most likely to succeed kids in all of the state of texas. [cheers and applause] my grandmother, when i was young, she used to tell these stories about when she was a girl. that after she was pulled out of school, she used to go and work the fields with her family. now, this is the first time i have really been in iowa. i have to admit, i was here for about five minutes a few years

ago, but this is the first time i have been here and when we were coming in on the plains i looked out the window and i saw all the fields, the green space and i thought how proud she would have been that she had been picking crops and her grandson would be here where you guys pick a president of the united states. that is the american dream. so, we have the blueprints. we know what we have to do. we need to continue to elect great leaders, like president obama, like vice president biden. and of course, congressman soon to be senator bruce [indiscernible] working, keep phone banking. i look forward to election night on november, 2016.

i will be in san antonio, i will probably have the television on. i am sure you will be at some victory party somewhere. i look forward to watching cnn, cbs, msnbc, abc, i look forward to that moment on fox news where they turned to which other and they say -- we call the electoral votes in iowa for the democratic nominee for president. thank you very much. [applause] [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you, julianne. -- julian. [applause] remain standing for a second. tomorrow is a momentous day. tomorrow is his birthday. we would give them the biggest

happy birthday. are you ready? youppy birthday to happy birthday to you sappy birthday dear castro at a birthday to you ♪ [applause] [laughter] truly honored to have is our key note speaker the vice president of the united states. i am sure that i do not have to remind you that joe biden first ran for president here in 1987 and 1988. he spent some much time in iowa, he spent so much time in iowa he has friends all over the state. i am pretty sure he is from iowa at heart and one of the few

people outside this state who can say he has been to every one of our counties more than once. so, he does not really need an introduction. here's what i want to say about my great friend. for years he was a powerful senator. now he is the second most powerful person in the world, but he is the same, decent, unpretentious, approachable joe elected at the ridiculously young age of 29 in 1972. all the years he served in the senate, very seldom did you see him after hours in the washington social swirl. the senate quit work for the day, he was at unions station, riding back to

wilmington, delaware, to spend the evening with his family. that has meant a lot to ruth and me. this job pulls you in a lot of directions. there are always demands on your time, demands to do something in the evening. when we started having our families, only two nights per week out, we abided by that. every night joe biden went back to his family. to me that say never lost touch with his humble roots. he has always been a fighter for the working people. he understands what it means to be middle-class. he has known tragedy in his own life.

i can tell you that his heart is always open to others. during 36 years in the senate, there was always one place to find him, at the center of the action. he was the chair of the judiciary committee during some of the most contentious supreme court nomination hearings. he also made his mark on criminal-justice system's, passing the violence against women act. [applause] understand this, last year, to his great credit, he led our

party in recognizing the justice of marriage equality for all americans. [applause] so, we all know why he is so popular here and wherever he goes. he is the real deal. president obama calls him america's happy warrior. he's smart, witty, tireless, irreverent. [applause] did i mention irreverent? [applause] [laughter] those of us who know and love him so much know that he is also

uncilencable, and in this case that is a good thing. my friends, i wish i could put into words what joe biden has meant to me in my years of coming to the house the senate, and having him as ,one of my mentors, guiding me, instilling in the his great values that he always had. understanding why we are there. not for our own glory, not to make the comfortable more comfortable, but to help those who need a government. there are opportunities for advancement and growth in america. as i said many times, i always want to refer to the vice president, all due respect, as mr. vice-president, but it is hard for me not to just call him joe biden.iend.

[applause] [cheers and applause] >> hello, folks. it is good to be back in iowa. how are you? it is great to be with you all. it is great to be here with all of you. let me start by saying that my son both sends his love, support, and affection. he and jim served in iraq for one year. what he did for our administration, what he did for the veterans and their families, it won't be forgotten.

[applause] i know the mayor will find this as a shock, but it is amazing when you come to speak at the steak fry, a whole lot of people ieem to take notice. don't[laughter]know why the hell that is. you have attracted the entire i haveal press corps here. never quite understood it, but i am learning look, folks,you know, when the mayor he talking about tom, -- hened satan thomas mentioned saint thomas more. he did not realize he wae

and public officials. i do not want to change this into a mutual admiration society, you know, as well as i do, but i know them both very well and when he made that reference it reminded me of a play about that time when thomas moore was taking on henry the eighth, seeking to change the law so that he could get married. remarried. there is a famous scene in that play, "a man for all seasons am co- where his son-in-law came over with a fellow named roper to try to get compromise to overturn there is a famous exchange that reminds me and it will remind you of tom.

he said, in response, if i cut down all the laws in england to do that, what will you do when the devil turns around and you? these are god's laws, not man's. he went on to point outyou have to stand sometimes, in spite of inordinate pressure. that is what i have watched tom do. i mean this is not hyperbole. i have served with a lot of great women and men, but none with a conscience, none with the north star, none with more certitude about why he ran for --fice in the first place and in the first place then tom.

work --ell you, tom's everyone knows about his work with americans who have disabilities act. but the thing people don't realize first of all few men or women ,ever get to see the fruits of their labor. especially when the labor was in the face of overwhelming opposition. tom took on the business took on them opposite party, tom took on everyone. not only did tom change the lives, literally, of millions and millions of americans with disabilities, the same way he did with his school programs, not only did he change, but here's what he did -- [applause]

he did something remarkable. he turnedd all of america, he able people, and either not alling at the disabled and or looking at them with nothing to havinghy and pity, them look at them as equals having them look at them in a way to value all that they had have not onlyyou changed the state of affairs for the disabled in america, you changed america's soul. think how different it is from what it was 25 years ago. what people look for, able or disabled, is to be treated with

dignity, treated with respect. that is what tom changed. i cannot think of a handful of served, is i have supposed to make me feel good, but it makes me feel bad i have served longer than all but 13 people in american history, i have served longer in the senate. [applause] so, it is astounding. tom does not leave it to just what happens here at home. think of what he has done and how loud his voice has been for those around the world. not only the disabled and the persecuted, not only the disabled, but the people who in fact have no voice. tom has never been afraid to speak out.

from the war in vietnam to the death squads in central america? to the outrages of everything from the genital mutilation of women in africa to what is going on in syria tom has had a profound impact on how we view ourselves. today, tom remains the conscience of the senate. tom does not allow anyone the comfort of denial in the democratic caucus. permit, because of his voice, the willing suspension of disbelief that so many of us would rather engage in.

hard,these problems are to recognize them, to acknowledge them, it places a burden on us. the good news is that we have tom for another full year. another full year. the good news, as i have gotten to know bruce and carolyn well, with him.ned he won in spite of me in 2006. [applause] [laughter] i have got to see him, i have got to see him up close and personal. i got to see the same thing that impressed his constituency. in 2006 it was not a certain thing, but i have watched people reacting the way you did, people engaged in politics, you can feel, you can taste it. the thing i observed about

how people respond to him is the same reason why tom admires him and why i think he's going to be a great senator. he's absolutely authenticthere is not a phony bone in his body. [applause] i told bruce that i would come campaign for him or against him, whatever helped him the most. [laughter] folks, folks, look. when the president knew that i was coming, sincerely i spend 4- 6 hours per day with him and we have become close friends. he is he wanted me to. thank you. andknew that i was coming and

he asked me whether i would thank you for what he -- for what you have done for him. me to thank you for delivering iowa for him in 2008 and again in 2012[cheers and applause] --ll, michelle, rock and i, we and barack and i, we would not be standing where we are if it were not for all of you assembled here today. but this is been the key to our ability to govern. from that day in 2008 when the ticket was announced, the president and i have had a laser focus on one thing.raising up the middle class. the middle-class has been battered, as you all know battered not just in the eight years that preceded us, but

really the decline began much earlier. i do not know how many times i have walked the picket line. i do not know how many times i've been with you in your hometown as factories were beingpadlocked and the jobs were sent to overseas. watching people who have had the ability to raise their families with a decent incomewith decent income, ,watching it all evaporate before them. one thing i have learned, mr. --yor, people often say that no one doubts that i say what i mean. literally, and they kid me for using literally all the time, and i do, but folks, literally, the president and i had a handshake when he asked me to join him. i ask him only one question, was he committed as he says he was

io rebuilding the middle class? also told him there were two things i would not do as vice president i would not wear any funny hats and i would not change my brand i have kept my promise but he has kept his. he has kept his. ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you how we will measure the success or failure of our administrations. it will not be whether the gdp continues to grow, and it is growing. it will not be whether or not the stock market returned and exceeded its high, which it has. they will not be whether or not we create just any old jobs,the measure of the success

of this administration will be whether or not the middle class is growing and the things that allow it to grow and allow it to feel some security are able to the put in place again, dividing real economic security and peace of mind. creating real jobs, jobs you can raise a middle-class family on. jobs. unlike any other country in the world, we are uniquely a product of having the largest middle for when the world. middle classed as well, the wealthy do very well and the poor have an opportunity. the president believes and has grow theted, as you economy as you always have, from the middle out, not the top down. he has acted on that

believe[applause] the president of the united states and i understand this and i will keep saying it, middle- class is not a number. the middlelue set. class in america is about being able to own your own home, not printed. keep your farm and not have to sell it about being able to live in a safe and decent neighborhood, to send your kids to a school where if they do well they have a chance of being admitted to college. they get into college, like barack, like me, like michelle, having an equal chance to get there not based on your income, but based on the fact that you earned it and work for it and you have a chance.

[applause] that has been the american it is brought home time and again by joaquin and every succeeding generation, what it is the story of the history of the progress of this country it is about being able to be lucky enough to put a little money aside so maybe your children will not have to take care of you like you have had to take care of your elderly parents it is all about the opportunity to be able to find a decent job because your government has fought on your behalf not gotten in your way. my dad used to have an , we all have our stories and i know so many of you personally, your store is so different from mine. or quite frankly, any fundamental way no different than the mayors.

about? by the way, the the president has made everyone in delaware upset because he always talks about me is that man from scranton. from scranton, but i represented delaware for 36 years. he makes me sound like i was a kid that sound out of a coal mine with a lunch bucket in my hand. it wasn't that. my life is not a lot different than yours. my dad after the war in the early 1950's, i remember my father coming up to sit down and he had this -- you have seen it, and i am moving them to wilmington come and and i will come back and bring jimmy and valle.

it is only 157 miles and i will i rememberst weekends. thinking at the time, it was kind of lousy, but my dad believed it was going to be ok. from that moment on, as we were raised, and claim on delaware and wilmington, delaware. every time we heard about someone losing a job during a recession or losing a job for whatever reason, when the steel mill closed and shut down in ,laremont, my dad used to say and all my siblings can repeat it. their verdict hundred times he lot joe, a job is a out a more than a paycheck. it is about your dignity, it is about respect is about your place in the community. it is about being able to hold

your head up and take care of your family. ladies and gentlemen, what a rock set out to do -- what barack obama set out to do was make it possible to enhance the ability to enhance the life of the middle-class people. it was pretty straightforward stuff. the cost of healthcare, that is why the first thing he did, a -- akable compos mentis remarkable accomplishment. it isot being solicitous, for real, he passed the affordable care act. he decided instead of seeing all those factors padlocked he wanted to see more open.

the first thing he did was insist upon free trade. he began to fight on behalf of american workers. he began to say to our competition, all right, will compete third we can beat you on any grounds as long as it is fair trade. what if it is not, we will and he has heard more than any president of the united states of america and in the process he is generated $2.2 trillion in exports last year for my creating good jobs creating good jobs in the process manufacturing jobs brought back to the united states of america. 500,000 of them since he took office. investing in community colleges, because our 600,000 good paying manufacturing jobs in american high-tech industries/not trained people.

so in combination with major businesses, he invested $2 billion in community colleges, creating a conveyor belt from community colleges to decent paying jobs. ladies and gentlemen, over the objection of almost everyone, he rescued the automobile industry, putting his presidency on the line, saving one million jobs jobsreating 300,000 new since then. energy costs, reducing the costs of energy for middle-class families, doubling those mileage standards in automobiles, which will save $1.7 trillion at the gas pump over the next 10 years and over 12 billion barrels of imported oil. we are nowgentlemen, the world's leading producer of oil and natural gas. we have a hundred year supply of natural gas. but at the same time we have

double the number of renewable energy in this country. college affordability, we have increased the number by 3 million since taking office. over 9 million middle-class families can keep their kids in college because of a $2500 tax credit. we have increased the eligibility. ladies and gentlemen, we have also made sure that the interest rates of student loans will not double and a student will never have to pay back more than 10% of his income after he graduates , so you will be able to make it. in spited gentlemen, of our republican friends, this is all done at the same time that we have reduced taxes for the average middle-class family by $3600. we have cut business taxes 18

times. we have reduced the deficit that since 2008. our 50% the largest reduction in history since world war ii. ladies and gentlemen, this president and his leadership has reduced the national debt over the next 10 years by $2.5 trillion. in the process,we have created 7.5 --llion new jobs have and the and there is not a single reason in the world we cannot have the most educated population in the world. there's not a single reason why we can't generate 100,000 new teachers in the next 10 years. imports of oilt in half by 2020. why we can't generate as we

promised, a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years the list goes on. one of the things that i resent about the republican party is they continue almost like they want to talk down america's prospects. ladies and gentlemen, we are on the verge of a fundamental change in this country. like i said, a job is about dignity. it is all about dignity and the standard of living. you need a decent job to be able to provide that. by the way, it goes beyond a job. it goes beyond how you treat the people of our country. a lot of people criticize me for speaking out. about gay marriage. i could not remain silent anymore. it is the civil rights of our

day. it is the issue of our day. it is the reason why the president could take 11 people -- 11 million people out of the shadows and earned their citizenship. that is what strengthened this company this -- this country all along. that is why he came out against unasked don't tell. that is why he came against this notion that somehow marriage cannot be recognized in one state and denied in another. ladies and gentlemen, when it you knowthe rights of, the president's phrase, and i will paraphrase it slightly. everybody in america should have the dignity to choose who they choose. marry who they he believes that, but not just because it is a human right, because it is all about treating everyone with dignity.

look, when it comes to women, it is not just about choice and equal pay for barack and me and many of you. i am absolutely determined and the president is absolutely determined that my daughter and my four granddaughters will have every single solitary opportunity that my sons and my grandsons will have without any exceptions, none, zero, not a single solitary exception. [applause] it is about human dignity, it is about taking advantage of all that this country has to offer. [applause] look, the thing barack and i have been saying for the last four years is that the american people are way ahead of their leaders. you noticed when we announced our position on gay marriage,

the american people agreed with us. when we announce our position on immigration it wasn't a surprise, the american people agreed with us. i republican congress have to recognize that the american people are always ahead of their leadership. it is time. ladies and gentlemen, it is always been the story of the history of the journey of this country that the american people have been ahead. i know i have been criticized for saying and i was saved again, that is what makes america exceptional in the area of foreign policy, the president and i were determined from the outset to reestablish that notion of a shining city on a hill, where we are once again the most respected nation in the world, we are once again looks to not just for the example of our power, but the power of our example.

that is why the world has repaired to america for so long. we told you at this steak fry in 2007 at opposite ends of the platform, but he and i said the exact same thing, coincidentally. we said the first order of business if either one of us were elected was to end the war in iraq, and we did. we ended the war in iraq[applause] the president gave me the responsibility of coordinating the effort to end the war trade -- to end the war, and the inudest moment was standing the god awful gaudy palace of saddam hussein before american and iraqi troops and having a great honor of dismissing the american troops and saying like

every american trooper for you, you are going home with nothing in hand at the certain knowledge that you did your job and your coming home. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, we promised you we would end the war in afghanistan, and i guarantee you we will end the war in afghanistan. [applause] but what we believe from the outset, everybody says why have iou become such good friends? have great respect for everyone with whom i ran into thousand seven, but if you go back and look at those debates, the only two people who never disagreed on a single solitary subject in those debates were barack obama

and joe bidenthe reason i tell you that is this -- this has been seamless. it has been a great honor to work for him, worked under him, work with him. because from the outset in foreign policy, he was determined, as i was, that the best way to defend our national interest was working in concert with the international community, not at odds with it. obviously every president reserves the right to act alone if american interests are at know, he knows, we are much stronger when we act in concert with our allies in the international community. that is exactly how he stepped up to deal with the atrocities of -- that were occurring in syria, with a fundamental violation of human rights by the use of gas for the first time without the world responding since early on at the end of world war i. others have used it, but he was not going to allow it to happen on his watch.

yesterday, as the president said, the use of chemical weapons anywhere in the world is an affront to human dignity and a threat to the security of people everywhere. let me note parenthetically that i think john kerry has been one of the best secretaries of state so far in the history of the united states of america. [applause] himause the president charged , when the president went to the g-8, he is the one who raised with vladimir putin, why don't , since it's not in either of our interests to allow this largest stock pile in the world to go unattended, why don't we jointly moved to the united nations and jointly secure it and destroyed? -- and destroy

it?a lot of cynics were of the view that putin would not respond, but he did respond, not because he's a good guy, because it's in his naked self-interest. the naked self interest of russia to see these weapons not fall into anyone's hands. as a consequence of the incredible work of john kerry with his counterpart, the foreign minister of russia, we are going to the united nations with a resolution this week that will in fact call on the united nations and the world to put pressure on syria to have the confiscation and destruction of all those weapons. ladies and gentlemen, as the president has said, while we made important progress, much work remains to be done. the united states will continue working with russia, the united kingdom, france, the united nations, to ensure this process is verifiable and there are consequences should assad regime

not comply to the framework agreed to. the president's vision is absolutely clear and absolutely straightforward. he in fact is the reason why the world community is facing up ofnally to this hideous aspect the largest stockpile in the world of chemical weapons being confiscated and destroyed. ladies and gentlemen, we have a it restssion of america. on a growing and prosperous middle class where the playing field is level, where the middle class has a fighting chance, and byre again we lead the world the power of our example, ending torture, ending the war, refusing to yield to the baser

side of human nature. i am absolutely convinced -- i say to tom, he and i came into politics at about the same timewhen i got elect it is a. -- when i got elected as29-year-old kid, i wasa29- year-old kid, i was referred to as the young idealist. even to this day, even on the old guy in the white house, they talk to me of -- talk about me as the white house optimist. i am an optimist. i am more optimistic about america's chances today than when i was one i arrived as a -- then i was when i arrived as a 29-year-old kidthere is not a single reason in the world why we will not --ave the world of the 21st why we will not lead the world in the 21st century. the reason for that is very simple. whenever the american people have been given half a chance, they have never, never, never ever let their country down.

that is what my president is about, making sure the people have an even chance. as i told the president of china, who i know well, as i told mr. putin when i last had a conversation with him, it is never, never, never ever been a good bet to bet against the god bless youe all, god bless our president, and may god protect our troops. thank you. applause]♪ here i am, signed, sealed, delivered. i'm yours.

then the time i went and said goodbye. now i'm back and not ashamed to cry.. ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national able satellite corp. 2013]

here i am, baby. signed, sealed, delivered. ♪ here i am, baby. ♪

song "don'tac's about tomorrow"

plays.] ♪ don't stop thinking about tomorrow. don't stop, it will soon be here. it will be better than before. yesterday's gone ♪. yesterday's gone. ♪

don't stop thinking about tomorrow. , it will soon be year. be better than before. yesterday's gone. yesterday's gone. don't stop thinking about tomorrow. don't stop, it will soon be here. it will be better than before. yesterday's gone. yesterday's gone. don't you look back.

don't you look back. ♪ don't you look back. [rock music plays] sun coming up over new york city. a truck driver in a traffic jam. seeing the faces in the rearview mirror.

looking ahead at the promised land. ♪ only in america.

♪ all they want is everything. he came around here to be an actor. he came as a singer in a band. only in america.

believing in the red white and blue. only in america. only in america.

[rock music plays.]

let's see how far we've come.

let's see how far we've come.

come.see how far we've i was running away from the only thing i've ever known.

there i've done that, i ain't looking back. who says you can't go home? who says you can't go back? who says you can't go home?

♪

[journey song "don't stop plays]ng" she took the midnight train going anywhere. , born and raised in south detroit. he took the midnight train going anywhere.

a singer in a smoky room. the smell of wine and cheap for a song you can stay the night. it goes on and on and on. strangers pacing up and down the boulevard. their shadows dancing in the night. streetlife people hiding

somewhere in the night. working hard to get my fill. everybody wants a thrill. some will win, some will loose, some are born to sing the blues. ends, it goesever on and on and on. >> c-span. we bring public affairs offense from washington directly to you, putting you in the room at congressional hearings, white house events, briefings and conferences and offering

complete gavel to gavel coverage of the u.s. house, all as a public service of private industry. we are c-span, created by the cable industry and funded by your vocal cable are satellite. now you can watch is in hd. span, q&a withn c- retired officer andrew base of each. andrewbacevich. we'll be live at the national press club for a preview of the supreme court's upcoming term with a discussion hosted by the american constitution society for law and policy.

this week on q and a, andrew basir discusses his newly -- released book. how americans failed their soldiers and country. >> your new book, "breach of trust" talks in the beginning some about vietnam. how much did your time in vietnam impact what you think today? >> very substantially. although not because my time in vietnam was toward the end of the war. summer of '70 to summer of '71. the experience stuck with me less because of anything i experienced as a combat platoon leader, but from what i saw in terms of the it gave me an idea war.

>> how long were you in the army? >> 15 years. we served until 1992. it was a year in vietnam early on. but for the most part, i was -- my experiences were those of a serving officer in the latter part of the cold war. we thought that we existed to be prepared, to fight world war iii, and that our ready to do that would prevent world war iii from happening. so i spent seven years in germany and most of the rest of the time in state-side units that would have deployed to germany in the event of a crisis. >> it was a time that patriotism equated to seeing military service.