i'm serious when i tell you that i think of roya and the women like her that i met in afghanistan. every time i hear the amazing numbers that illustrate how far this country has come since 2001 and that underscore what secretary clinton was saying a few minutes ago about how critical our choices are with respect to the future. in 2001 by then, there were only 900,000 afghan children in school. and all of them were boys. today, nearly 8 million students were in school and more than a third of them are girls. think about what that means for the future. in 2001, maternal mortality was 1600 per 100,000 births. today, it's down by 80%. in 2001, life expectancy for the

average afghan was 42 years. today, it's 62 years. and rising. in 2001, 9% of afghans had access to basic health care. today, 60% of afghans live within an hour of basic health services. in 2001, there was only one television station and it was owned by the government. today there are 75 stations. and only two -- and all of those but two are privately owned. and in 2001, there were virtually no cell phones in the country. today, there are 18 million covering about 90% of residential areas. 80% of afghan women. now have access to a cell phone meaning they are connected to their families, their friends, and most importantly, they're connected to the world and the

future. thanks to entrepreneurs like roya, afghan women will now also be connected to the internet too. ten years ago, it just would have been unfathomable to imagine this. but because so many individual acts of courage this is the future we are now watching afghan women build. secretary clinton, laura bush, ambassadors rivera and russell powerfully remind us, when afghan women live longer and go to school in greater numbers, all afghan families and their communities will grow stronger. all afghans profit from more diverse, dynamic, and inclusive economy. and when afghan women hold public office at the local and national levels, all afghans being a stronger voice in their communities. that is the vision behind the

united states national action plan on women, peace, and security which president obama directed to be implemented two years ago and hillary spoke about just a few minutes ago. and that's why we are committed to bringing the perspectives of women and their full participation to bear on these opportunities and challenges in afghanistan going forward. now, what has moved me, and i mean moved me, in my meeting with afghan women entrepreneurs, when women move forward, believe me, they don't want to go back. not to the days before the talib taliban. it's important that we keep investing in and defending the progress that empowers afghan

women and men to be able to have their voices heard and to buy into their future and shape their future. what has been achieved is nothing less than remarkable. it would have been more than a tragedy if the world allowed this progress to be aban conned. now the question is where to we go from here? we think about the future, we're mindful of the challenges that afghan women continue to face. this is a critical moment. many of my women share very legitimate concerns that the games of the past decade could be lost. all that i talked about could be wiped out. and the truth is, their anxiety that i hear when i visit afghanistan, or you'll hear today, is palpable. despite the significant achievements of afghan women and

girls, many challenges still remain. we remember too well, the difficulties, the difficult history that led to the decades of war in afghanistan. we know the costs of walking away. believe me, afghan women know the cost, because they have always paid the steepest price. so i say to you today, as afghanistan sees women standing up in afghanistan to take control of their country's future, not only for themselves, but for all afghans, we have to be determined that they will not stand alone. america america will stand up and shape a strong and united afghanistan and secured the rightful place in the community of nations. that is why president obama and president karzai signed a

strategic partnership agreement last year that lays out our mutual commitments and that's why america's relationship with afghans is changing. it's not ending. there's a lot to do, so much to do. obviously the road ahead is not easy. the violence that is plagued afghanistan for decades has left very deep wounds. and it is going to take time to heal. we also know that security is going to be a real challenge. we know that afghans have to strengthen the rule of law. they have to improve access to justice. we also know that discrimination and violence against people continue to be major problems. but, i know every one of these women and the women in afghanistan today will remain determined. and we have an obligation to remain determined and stand by

them. we intend to make clear that securing the rights of afghanistan women and girls is not just a challenge for this moment, it's a generational challenge. in fact, we've made a significant downpayment. but make no mistake, finishing this job is going to take courage and not just the courage of women in afghanistan. as a proud father of two daughters, i have many times been reinforced in the fact that this job will require the courage of men too. in afghanistan, it will take the courage of every man who defends his daughter's right to an equal education. it will take the courage of every brother who challenges the law to keep his sister from owning property or the business. every husband who not only promises the cycle of domestic violence can stop with him, but who actually proves it. we have spent a great blood and

treasure in afghanistan. and that makes even greater our obligation to get this right. yes, there are challenges ahead. for sure, the transition is going to be difficult. but without question, there's a world of possibilities staring us in the face. in fact, the transition that we're talking about and now working on is really about three transitions. a political transition, a security transition, and an economic transition. no surprise afghan women are playing an incident gral role in all of them. look at the political transition. we all know that the single most important milestone in the next year is the peaceful transfer of power from president karzai to the democratically elected successor. the elections have to be on time. they have to be accountable and transparent and free and fair and accessible. they have to be inclusive and result in an outcome that is

perceived as legitimate by all segments of afghanistan society above all, but also by the international community. above all, though elections obviously always entail competition and debate, they've got to be a unifying moment for the country. not a divisive one. as we speak. as we are here, afghan women are leading the charge to ensure that the elections next year are credible and conclusive and transparent. gulelei, one of the women who's a teacher by profession. she had a passion for public service. she worked as a human rights commission in kandahar. she's serving on the election commission. she told president karzai she had only one character flaw. she fears no one. now, we are deeply encouraged by

hers and others who are taking a part of this, hundreds of women all over the country, who are running for positions on councils. we're pleased to lend our support in partnership with the united nations to train female volunteers as they facilitate, secure access for women at the polls. there's no question that lasting prosperity in afghanistan will take root only when women have as loud a voice as men, not only on election day, but every day. it's essential, it's the prerequisite to the future stability of afghanistan. but make no mistake, it's not enough. it's not sufficient, and won't do the job alone. that's why the united states firmly supports and will continue to support an afghan-led peace and reconciliation effort as the surest way to end the violence

and bring lasting stability to afghanistan in the region. peace is possible possible if it respects the historic achievements that afghanistan has made over the past decade. all of those things i listed and talked about. including and above all the protection of the rights of all afghans, both men and women. as part of the outcome of any process, the taliban and other armed opposition groups have to end the violence, break ties with al qaeda, accept afghanistan's constitution, including the provisions on women's rights. those are the standards which will lead us in this effort. there can be no compromise on these points. there can be no peace without respecting the rights of all afghans and afghan women have to have a seat at the table.

afghan women are at the forefront of another transition, the security transition. this is one of the most stunning things. you saw it in the video. the folks in uniform. unprecedented. joining the army, police, serving as judges and prosecutors and some of the most conservative parts of the country, it's an 12r0id transformation. my team recently met with a female police officer from kabul. for those who have been to afghanistan, you know there's not many female police officers and fewer of them are willing to step forward and tell their story. on the way home from work one evening, this particular police officer heard another woman screaming inside the house. and when she heard the cries, she didn't run away. she didn't call someone else to do the job. she went right up to the house, knocked down the door in order to help. police officer went inside and

saw a woman inside, badly beaten on the ground. and her husband was standing over her. without any hesitation, not intimidated, not an ounce of fear, she pushed the husband aside and took the victim to her own house in order to record her statement and make a report. believe me -- believe me, that's courage. and it's an example that all afghans can be proud of and followed. they can be proud that their security and law enforcement forces are growing strong by the day, more capable by the day. and they can be proud the past summer the afghan national security forces took over the lead responsibility in providing security all across the country. now, as you know, we have made a commitment along with our nato partners, to continue to advise,

train, and support the afghan forces beyond 2014 should afghans approve in the next few weeks that the bilateral security agreement. make no mistake -- bringing women into the force and supporting their safe and meaningful participation is going to be a key part of this transition. i'm pleased to report to you now that we are closer than ever to completing the task of defining our new partnership with afghanistan going well into the future. the bilateral security agreement when it is completed will help both countries to fulfill the long-standing commitments that we made through security partnership after 2014. but i want to underscore, again, that nothing, neither this agreement when completed, nor the assistance that we've provided will replace the role that the afghan people

themselves will play determining the future of their country. afghan women are also takinge nowhere mouse risk to support afghanistan's third transition. that's the economic transition. women like hasina say yesterday are leading the charge. i met hasina in march. she started a trucking company i think about ten years ago with $500. she has now 500 truckings. of her employees, 300 are women. not so long ago, they never would have the opportunity they have today. she told me she always knew she wanted to be a businesswoman when she grew up. i asked, why? she said simply, because then i can be my own boss. that's not just an afghan trait,

that's a universal aspiration. but afghan women like hasina are forming connections not just within afghanistan, but all across the region. her trucking company is doing a great deal of work outside of afghanistan to bring supplies and food and things and so forth into the country. what i found is that all of the afghans understand, they may be landlocked, but they're not trapped. they refuse to be trapped. afghanistan is linked with roads, railways, products. fortunes are tied to the region just as the future of the region is tied for the stability of afghanistan. we saw this the new silk road vision. secretary clinton launched in july of 2011. it's a vision we believe in. and it's a vision we're going to

continue to work hard to implement. hasina knows that the benefits of investing in women and girls are not limited to one village, one province, or one country alone. they ripple out across the borders. you all remember the great quote of robert kennedy's about, you know, rippling and creating a huge turet that sweeps down the mightiest walls of oppression. that's what's happening. that's why investing in the training and mentoring of afghan women and entrepreneurs is so important. that's why we launched the economic women's initiative in order to link female entrepreneurs to markets in south and central asia. and that strengthens those women to have those connections to those other parts of the region. that's why we're investing in the education of afghanistan girls so they can break the

cycle of poverty and become leaders and engage in a way to strengthen their neighbor's willingness to join them. that's the future that even here in gaspin hall today, we're all building together. that is the story i want to leave you with today. as i was flying back, my staff handed me a letter from a young afghan girl who sent me a letter that returned from the state department to study at the university university university of afghanistan. she has the same vision as leaders like hillary rodham clinton and laura bush who know that no country can succeed if it leaves half of its people behind.

the phrase that hillary and i both heard and loved it about the bird with two wings -- can't fly without one wing. one letter stood out the me. her goal is not just to help herself, but to lift her community, her society, her country just like roya, goliliah and hassina are doing today. she said simply -- i want to be one of them. that's the power of example. that's the ripple fanning out to create the courage. think about that for a minute. she feels ownership over what she's creating in afghanistan. girls all over afghanistan, believe me, i promise you, they are saying it today. they are living that dream thanks to the courage and

leadership of women themselves in afghanistan. our responsibility is clear -- we need to make sure that they succeed. because this is one of the benchmark moments, not just for them, but for all of us, what we care about, what we fight for, and who we are. as we move forward, just keep thinking about the young girl who wrote that letter and the inspiration that she draws from women like roya and hasina. she just wants to be one of them. making that happen is going to take every single one of us. thank you very much. [ applause ]

>> now we get to the exciting part. inviting secretary clinton, mr. bush, all of the can't dates come up on stage so we can listen for a moment. we'll go out, set up the chairs, and the program will continue. can i invite all of you up here, please?

well, this is not working well. thank you. secretary clinton, mrs. bush, and ambassador. you have no idea how much your work has impacted afghanistan women. it's a special honor for me to be on this stage. with my afghan role models, afghan leaders today. secretary kerr withry told you about the women of afghanistan who shows him the change that's possible in my country. like many afghan children, i saw the world through eyes of a refugee. i had dreams of my homeland.

but my dreams only became a reality in 2002 when my family could finally return to afghanistan. returning home was not easy. we had to make many adjustments. like no car. but we were finally home. my family took advantage of our opportunities and sent me and my four sisters and brothers to school. i did well enough i became an exchange student in california. the move was not easy. i was with a cultural difference. but i learn new things. i had always believed that the young people could make a difference. but i didn't know how. back home, people either believed that you had to do something really big or nothing. i learned from my fellow american students that you could do very small things in the

community, like getting to know your neighborhood. it doesn't look big, but in the small collective access, it makes a big difference. i went back home to car bull. i took the lessons and started mentoring other students. we thought about things that we needed to change. for example, we were tired of being harassed every time we tried to live a normal life. by going to school or going shopping. my fraends i started to go out, young men and women. sometimes people harrassed us. we organized demonstrations to make our voices heard. no one talked about these issues. we didn't even have a definition

for harassment. but after the march, people began to talk about it. then a small gathering making a big impact. why are we telling you this? we want you to know we're not stuck in the past. our country is 60% of men and women. men are not simply victims. we see ourselves as agents of change. my story is just one story. children of afghanistan -- there are many of us. through small actionings, sacrifices, working hard to form our society in the future. but we need your help. all of you. we have raised our hand. transform our future. thank you. [ applause ]

>> ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated. the program will resume shortly with a conversation with hillary clinton, mrs. laura bush, and ambassador miland revere. >> well, it's my pleasure as well to be able to welcome secretary clinton and mrs. bush back to georgetown and here for this conversation this morning. no one can question the commitment of either of you to this issue. i remember firsthand secretary

clinton, when you were first lady, at the end of the '90s, calling the world's attention to the abuses that the taliban were perpetrating and how critical the afghan women were. and i remember so well, mrs. bush, when the military engagement was called by your husband after 9/11 and afghanistan. you took the president's radio address and told the world that the world of the afghan women would be important to building the future of their country. so you heard a lot this morning. we're at a cross roads. the women have made enormous progress. they are very worried that the progress may be reversed. there are important events ahead. the elections in april for president. as well as a negotiated

settlement, reconciliation process. we still don't know what that would go. but to say the women are concerned is an understatement. they fear that they may be a bargaining chip unless the negotiated process with the taliban. what do we say particularly in the backdrop of a united states that's war weary, where we're focussed on our many challenges at home. what can we do to ensure this progress is not reversed and as secretary kerry said the strategic necessity that the women represent to a better prosperous peaceful, stable afghanistan is realized. both of you, i know, have a great deal to say on this subject. >> even as our troops draw down, start to draw down, there are many, many groups on the ground in afghanistan. and it gives us the chance now, all americans, really, the

chance to support those groups. define the groups. you the see the latest prize winner to support her schools. leslie sweitzer is here, the fundraiser for the american university of afghanistan. maybe we may get some questions out of afghanistan from american university. you can give directly to the american university of afghanistan to make sure that girls have scholarships there. so i think as our troops leave, it's very, very important that we continue to support all of the programs that were built over the last ten years in afghanistan, including many that came from this very council, the u.s. afghan women's council. and to work with our own congressmen and women to make sure afghanistan stays in the forefront of the people do pay

attention to i want. 1 i was pleased with secretary

kerry's remarks that we were close to the bilateral support. the number one thing on the minds of the women is how can they continue to work if they don't have security. how can they continue to protect the girls that go to their schools. how can they continue to keep open the shelters for victims of domestic violence. how can they continue to encourage other women to take leadership positions in either

the government or the private sector. so this is a very real worry. and i think we have to work with our own government, both the obama administration and secretary kerry and other leaders in the administration as well as members of congress to keep this issue on the forefront. then to coordinate as we withdraw from our coalition partners as well. i think, too, as malan has pioneered in this work of peace and security, we have to continue to make the case that all of the decades of war have ravaged their country could be for naught if we do not have a

unified census of what must happen going forward. security is key. so are the elections that we just heard reference to. those elections will determine a piece of power that's by a fair manner by the people of afghanistan. if you look at secretary kerry's formulation, the security, the political, the economic transitional challenges facing us, we need to be committed on all three fronts in support of those women and men who realize afghanistan is so strategically located, so many opportunities to be at the real center of what happen unless the south and central asia. and that will all anticipate there's not a commitment to ensuring that half of the

population gets a chance to fully participate. we have our work cut out for us to support these women here with us to make sure they continue to be given the attention and resources that they so richly deserve. >> just as we have the women here with us in gaston hall, there are a group of afghan women gathered in the university of afghanistan in kabul. they can hear us, they can see us, and they have sent in in advance a few questions they wanted to ask to women for whom they are immensely grateful for all that they've done for them. you can see from this question that their minds are very much on the future and what's going to happen.

one question is how can we encourage development investments and preserve those that have been made after 2014? we all know a great deal of investing has been done in afghanistan. we want to make sure they are preserved. they want to know does it all end in 2014 or does this commitment continue? >> i know the commitment of the u.s. afghan women's council and the women here who founded programs across afghanistan that they're -- they want to continue. they will continue. i hope there will be, obviously, u.s. government participation as well. i think that's really important. and the international community as well as spent a lot of money. i hope they'll continue a lot of the programs they started.

but i want to encourage people in afghanistan after i heard anita and her talk. i think it's important for young people in afghanistan to really start a youth movement to get the word out before the elections about how important it is to vote and how important it is for all young people, boys, girls, young men and young women, to be involved in the future of their country. they can let older people know as anita said that it's important they live in a secure and safe country, that they have a chance to build the kind of prosperous stable afghanistan they want. so i want to encourage all of the students at american university in afghanistan to develop a strategy of public relations that you can use just like you all did to protest harassment in the street. that you can use to encourage

people to vote to make sure they have free and fair election so that afghanistan really does show the rest of the world that they can build the country they want to. have and i know that's what the young people want. >> i think that's a real opportunity. we were talking earlier in the -- in the council meeting that we need some kind of internet outreach, some kind of movement, a virtual movement to support the courageous stands that young people in afghanistan are making. and also to try to enlist the support of young people around the world, to make sure your voices are heard, even to perhaps do some crowd funding on behalf of some of the projects that are so important. with respect to the development aide, we held an international meeting in tokyo in 2012.

and it was a very successful pledging meeting. countries that had troop troop there as well as countries with no military troops but had sent both development experts and resources. the decision was made that that community representing a great number of nations wanted to continue to support the development of afghanistan in a variety of areas. but they did want to make sure there was transparency. that there was an effort to limit if not avoid corruption, that there was a need for the government to be more open to taking advice and expertise so they can be better organized to deliver services to the afghan people. i think that is the shorthand

attitude of the international community represented by governments and aid agencies. and i think that's important because we do want to make sure that any aid that comes in is actually delivered to people who are doing the front line work. i think, however, it would be a mistake for private funders, for ngos not to continue to try to fund the young people making a difference. how we do that is a subject we will be discussing further. because even though governments may decide that whatever standards they set are not being m met, we would urge governments not to give up too easily for the problems that governments everywhere are facing. and we would urge the private ngo civil society community that

has been so helpful in many areas of afghanistan not to give up either. so i think milan and our students at the american university, we're going have to be very determined to continue to work together and encouraging the transfer of resources to those who have demonstrated a track record about being able to use them effectively to get results. we can't give up. i think you both are right. that as our troops come home, there will be an understandable totally human response in our country like, okay, fine. we've spent all of this money. we lost all of these brave men and women. we ran into a lot of problems. we're proud of what we accomplished but we can't continue at that rate. and we have to be prepared to make the case why we don't have a choice but to continue in some form and fashion what has

worked. i think that will fall to people like us to try to make that argument to the congress and to the american public. [ applause ] >> no surprise that security as you just heard is on the minds of the students at the university. another question they have raised is how can they possibly raise awareness and preserve women's rights in the absence of security? >> it's very hard, it would be extremely hard. security is the paramount issue. security in and of itself for the physical well being of people. but also for the work that is

being done. i would like to make a few quick points on this. i consider president karzai a friend. i have worked with him every since i was a senator. we've had many long conversations over the last 12 years. i know how passionate he is about afghanistan's sovereignty and unity and i admire that. and i agree as the president of the country, he must stand firm for the people of afghanistan. but i hope he reaches in the next few weeks agreement in the united states about the bilateral security of the agreement. the sticking poiblt is one we have seen before, namely that when the united states sends our young men and women to continue to provide security and in this case, to train and mentor the afghan army and police in

providing security for their own people, it is an absolute requirement that our troops be given immunity from local arrest and prosecution. that is what we have in japan, in korea, in germany. i mean anywhere in the world where you still see american troops, that is the requirement. i understand president karzai's sensitivity to this. but i would want to ask you to remember that we could not reach an agreement in iraq and iraq is descending into a cycle of terrible violence. not that we could have stayed or for how long we could have stayed, but we never got a chance to test it because the malaki government said, no, we can't give the same immunities that are present in the gulf where we have troops and

neighboring countries. so this is a big decision for the afghan government. if you enter into the bilateral security agreement, it doesn't mean the united states will be there in great numbers. it means we will be available to help the security forces of afghanistan to help against the continuing attacks from not only the afghantal banal but from terrorist troops across the border. i know this is a difficult decision. i'm not in any way implying that it isn't. if its's signed, we have a chance to look seriously at what we and our continuing partners in providing security can offer. if it is not signed, which means that when the american troops and the nato and international coalition leave, the afghanistans are left totally to

themselves, we have a set of very serious challenges that will be difficult for us to help with. so this has to be thought through carefully. because security is paramount. if you cannot provide security for your people, a lot of the other good results you're hoping for simply cannot happen. so i think the next two weeks when it comes to security will be especially important and we won't know what we can do and how we can respond to the women's request for support on security until we get an answer. >> no country can function in a successful way without both security and rule of law. and that comes from within the country as well as in this case, the presence of our troops in afghanistan. so that's one of the things that the afghanis need to work on, the people of afghanistan need to make sure they start to build

the civic institutions that they need to support a democracy. and they get the word out. and i do think young people like i said before, like anita, will make an effort to get the word out across the country. that we can succeed. afghanistan can succeed if we build our own security in a way, and our own rule of law in a way that people respect and pay attention to. >> secretary clinton, we have a question from the georgetown graduate student amanda. she has a question about the u.s. national action plan of women, peace, and security which you launched here at georgetown. she asked, the plan calls for incorporating women's efforts into the range of u.s. work and development, diplomacy, and defense. what does this mean for afghanistan? >> well, amann at a.

i think that it means that we have to do all we can. to make the case and support the efforts with those with whom we are working to ensure women's voices are heard in the areas that you mentioned that we have to stand firmly for women's rights to participate fully in afghanistan society. that we have to continue to find ways to support the education of women, the entrepreneurship of women, the political careers of women. so that there can be these role models that we saw in the video and we saw on stage that can encourage women and men to see a vision of afghanistan that truly can move it to a new stage of its great and storied history.

in doing the national action plan, and i'll give a plug to the national defense university which will be publishing a book of essays by a number of experts, military experts, intelligence, diplomatic experts, talking about the difference that involving womens makes. it's not just something that laura and milan and i are up here saying it would be nice if you did this. we know it works. we know in the absence of women being at peace tables, being in the negotiations, representing their views, it is less likely to succeed in terms of ending conflicts and providing security. one quick example, one of my favorites liberia, a place both laura and i have been through and one we both strongly admire. we never would have ended the

horrible conflict in liberia if not for the women of liberia. they said they'd had enough. christian and muslim women alike joined together to make it clear to the men who were negotiating the peace agreement which they tried to negotiate seven or eight times before, they were not going home. they barred the doors and guarded the windows so the men could not escape until they reached a peace agreement. if you want to see that in action, one of my favorite documentaries is "pray the devil back to hell" is what happened in liberia. women stood up and said we're the ones who are most at risk. it is our children who are being savagely abused or killed. and the national defense university integrates into the curriculum what it means to stand up for women and peace and

security, we will learn these lessons and be able to work with our friends and colleagues in afghanistan and to make the case over and over again that these agreements don't last if they don't represent the entire community. and you can't do that without having women's voices and participation. [ applause ] >> mrs. bush, you have made this issue a priority issue at the bush institute. you have focused on a range of investments in afghan women. and economic participation is one of those most significant. tell us a little bit about w why -- why does economic participation and the ability of women to do their work enable

them to be more secure in an insecure environment and also to create stability in their country. >> one of the really important reasons, of course, is that if you leave half of the population out of the economy, then you're not going to have a very successful economy. so when women are included in economic life and actually afghanistan women especially are entrepreneurial. i've learned a lot of great stories, the woman who started the furniture business early on right after the taliban left kabul and became so successful as the furniture builder and furniture sales nan three men, cobblers, came to her and said, will you help us build a shoe company? she said, no, but my daughter is available to help you. so she said i'll give you a loan to start. but you have to pay me back. so now her daughter is in the shoe-making business with three men who, three cobblers who --

who wanted her help in being able to build a business. all of that is really important. and afghan women are working right now. and lots of different businesses all across afghanistan. it's very important to the economy of afghanistan. afghanistan also stands in the point. if they can stay stable and secure to be able to develop e tth the -- a lot of the resources they have. i want to encourage you, this is something i like to do in the bush institute. that is to be a convener with the people of afghanistan, and corporations, united states corporations to help develop what you all have in afghanistan. but not develop it for export. develop it so that you and the people of afghanistan can learn the skills to build whatever it is you have at home.

so that both people are employed at home and you can make not just what you would make by selling your resources, but you would make what you made by selling your resources turned into the products that you build yourself. and you can build your economy in a great way. and i think once men are employed also, and young men are employed across afghanistan, then there's going to be a lot less, a lot fewer young men who will want to join the taliban. but instead, will want to work to build safe lives for themselves, safe and prosperous lives. so i think education and employment are the two keys. and, of course, we know those are the keys in our country. >> i hate to end the

conversation. the clock is ticking. i don't want to leave until we can ask one more question. that is -- it's a continuation of some of what you both said. this room is filled with policy makers, ngo leaders, business leaders, extraordinary students. something i discovered over the last few months coming back to my alma mater. young men and women with great talent as well as faculty and administrators who care. what can we do? we heard a lot already. we'll hear a little built more. but what can each of us do to advance this agenda? and ensure that the kind of investments that have been made by the united states and the international community in the last decade can endure and don't push everything back. >> i would say first, just keep talking about it. i'm so worried that once our

troops leave, no one will pay attention to afghanistan again. we can't take that risk. we don't want the people of afghanistan to think that because our troops are leaving, they no longer matter to us. because they do matter. and the relationships and the friendships we built with afghan women and there's the afghan women's council. through many, many opportunities that we've had to meet, really do matter to us. and i want the people of afghanistan to know that the people of the united states do support them and are with them. i remember at a conference we had shortly after we moved back to dallas at the bush institute hosted. and the opus prize winner was there. she said at the end, she said, listen, don't feel sorry for us. just be with us. that's what we need to do. we need to just stay with them. and we will.

>> besides saying, "amen," i would love to have georgetown students talk with one another about what you can do in solidarity with the young people of afghanistan as anita reminded us, the population of young people is, what, 60%, a very high percentage. what can you do to support them through virtual context, through raising money, through exchange programs, anything that can keep the lines of communication and relationship building going. this university is already making a very significant contribution to the future debate through the institute on peace and security and through

other academic and professional programs that you have. the more we can link up our university communities on some of these specific issues in support, for example, of the america university in kabul looking for ways to do much more in terms of exchanges that can be partnered with the bush institute or other institutions, those are lifelines. those make a tremendous difference in validating the work that is being done. and lifting up examples. it's important to tell the story to our fellow americans about what has been accomplished because there's a -- there's a sense that, you know, what did we really get for everything we did and how do we know it will last? well, we need to tell the story to the first question.

here's a lot of what what we accomplished. compared where afghanistan was in 2001 to where they are today. and then to sort of take it to the next level by -- as laura said, talking about why this is still important for the united states. so i'm hoping in the next year, because this upcoming year is the critical year, we will have a much greater awareness and a better connection among people who know what's at stake in afghanistan from either a moral perspective, a human rights perspective, a strategic, economic, political, whichever way you enter into it, every one of those is at stake. and to think of ways you can be creative to support the women and the men who are trying to move afghanistan forward.

and we will certainly the three of us be deeply involved in making that case. but we need a virtual army now that the real army is leaving. we need a virtual army to help us make the case and to build that awareness here in the united states and around the world. [ applause ] >> well, thank you to you both, mrs. bush, secretary clinton. thank you for all you've done. thank you for all you will surely continue to do. and thank you for being an extraordinary bipartisan face on an issue that is usually partisanship. [ applause ]

going to go down and step down. >> thank you for being here as well. and it's a great honor to always be with secretary clinton. much of what i will describe as progress that is enabled under secretary clinton's great leadership. i want to thank you, milan, for hosting and putting this together and kathy russell who is, of course, your successor. over the last four years, i've had the privilege of visiting afghanistan on a number of times and seeing the fruits of some of our concrete partnerships that delivered extraordinary results for women. partnerships with the ministry of public health that led to the biggest single reduction in maternal mortality anywhere in the world which means tens of thousands of mothers in afghanistan are alive with their families and children as a result of our partnership.

dozens of partnerships, 22,000, in fact, with local village councils to help build schools and encourage girls to go to school which is today enabled 3 million young afghan girls to be a part of the educational system formally in afghanistan. regardless of where we work, we know these types of partnerships are critical to the effort to advance peace, security, and prosperity. that is true in colombia as it is in kabul today. secretary clinton noted and secretary kerry emphasized that our commitment to these partnerships and to these issues, not just on behalf of the united states, on behalf of all of the international partners will absolutely continue to the future.

we know we're making the single largest investment in afghanistan's women and girls we've made in a new program in a partnership we call promote. the purpose of promote is to appreciate a huge amount of success has already been achieved on behalf of afghanistan's women and children. we know we can continue to accelerate that progress. over the next five years, we were committed to reaching 75,000 women in afghanistan and giving them the support they need to achieve leadership roles in all parts of society, from business, academia, politics, and government. that includes helping more than 3500 women-owned businesses get loans, training, support, and connection to market locally and globally. that includes expanding the percentage of afghanistan's civil service workforce that are

women from 20% of the workforce today to 30% in five years. this also includes starting a new scholarship fund that will open doors for women in afghanistan to attend universities at home and abroad. we're going to continue to build the institutions that will last long, long after international efforts are no longer the centerpiece of foreign aid and assistance. centers for women's studies. centers for technical training focussed on giving young women and girls a chance to learn the skills necessary to quickly me trick late to the workforce. most importantly, we'll work with our partners to ensure that the commitments made in tokyo which total more than $16

billion in aggregate development assistance to afghanistan, are seen through and delivered to the people of afghanistan and in particular, women and girls. i believe the most important part of that tokyo arrangement we made with our colleagues from norway and all over the world is to make 20%le of that commitment, conditioned on a set of basic activities and political leadership decisions that we know are central to peace and security, the conduct of free and open elections, the commitment to a security that's provided and under transparent rule of law, and perhaps most importantly the protection of human rights and basic opportunity for women, girls, and all parts of society. we know this is a critical moment for our partnership in afghanistan as american troops begin to come home. and withe know that the eyes of the world will be watch iing fr

the perspective of the drawndown of that troop force. but we also know that it is precisely at this moment that we need to step up and make more visible our commitment to afghanistan women and girls. and i'm proud to be a part of the obama administration that is absolutely committed to that objective. thank you. [ applause ] >> secretary clinton. distinguished and brave women of afghanistan. friends at georgetown -- one of the greatest universities in the world. e excellent len sis, ladies and gentlemen. what we are discussing today is the puntedmental human rights and freedom shared by all human beings, the rights and freedoms that everyone, man or woman, is

entitled to. the women of afghanistan have glimpsed the chances of a better future. many women and girls can attend school. they can go to university, vote, have jobs, and pursue professions. 1/4 of the ministers are women. several ministers are female. this is real development. in short, the rides and opportunities of afghan women have grown considerably since the end of the taliban machine in 2001. yet, there are still a long, long way to go. a recent u.n. report expressed alarm against the violence against women. we heard one of the story there is early on from secretary kerry. we see the threat and targeted killings for women working for

the government and female human rights activists. we read reports on girls in schools, still being attacked. as activists, what my frommed said. you'd have hundreds every day in afghanistan. no a new phase in zbangs with the betroe that will. we must ensure that the hard won gains for the african-american women are not lost. hold the garment accountable. women should be allowed to participate in all parts of the economic development. this could unlock the potential in afghanistan. we know equality yields the highest returns of all development. my country, 1% of gmp is also

focusing on gender equality. it is the right thing do. it's the right principle. but also the y50erd p yeared is impressive. more women must be included in politicings. the presidential elections in april will stake out the future direction of afghanistan and its people. 34% of woman -- women of afghanistan have already registered to vote. that's good news. but more women should run as candidates. and they need support from the garment and the media. and it must be safe for women to go to the ballot box on election day. political stability in afghanistan requires a true peace process. women must be part of this peace process. afghanistan civil society on women's organization, many of you are present here today, have

a crucial role to play in this defining moment for the future of afghanistan. you can count on norway's continued support of your important work. we will be there next year but we will be there in 2018, 2020, we are together in making sure that all of the gains and future gains should be secured secured for the women and the people of afghanistan, thank you. [ applause ]

essential for assuring the stability. the attention of the alliance is to continue the support to the afghan national security force. also after 2014 to a new admission. and with our afghanistan partners, we should explore how we can continue to support the building on gender and to support the recruitment and retention of women in the afghan security institution. make the work within the wider

context of the international community. our constitution promoting the security agenda should be seen as a part of the overall efforts to help afghanistan fulfilling its own commitments. it is crucial that the international community meaning international government organizations, governments, ngos, and other parts of civil society, demonstrate a long-term commitment to afghanistan and to all of the forces for a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of afghanistan. excellent sis, ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor for me to introduce our next speaker, the ambassador. he's the permanent representative to the u.n. of the islamic republic of afghanistan and has a long standing journalist. the story is yours.

>> thank you. excellent sis. distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, i as a representative of afghanistan am humbled by the strong words of commitment expressed by secretary of state's john kerry. secretary benson, former first lady laura bush, and other imminent speakers before me including norway. i'm also pleased to see the representatives of afghanistan woman present here today at this -- amazing scene of

solidarity with and dedication to that advancement of the right of woman in afghanistan. afghanistan is a new history in the making, following the extraordinary engagement of the international community, the country is entering a new phase taking the destiny at the hands. in the mix of fears, international forces will leave.

wars of the 1990's and the brutality of the taliban. waran women or the brunt of which shattered their lives and families and diminish them to almost nothing.

fear, more than anyone else, that they will lose what has been achieved, but they have futurepe that a better will be felt -- built. ladies and gentlemen, the emancipation has been strong in the minds of afghanistan women since the beginning of the 20th century. women were making inroads into the modern world -- steps are being taken to strengthen the role as equal participants in building a new, democratic afghanistan. however, there remains an

urgency to solidify the afghan woman's place in the future. the government of afghanistan cornerstonet the for advancement of women is there involvement in various parts of the country. women participated in a number of peace talks. they are candidates for provincial elections. authorities are doing their women to include the voters in elections. partscial and political of their lives are improving. it is vital that we hear -- that their voices are heard and their

rule is not only symbolic but genuine. ladies and gentlemen, we have listened today to tremendous support for and cause for the inclusion of women in afghanistan and protection and the motion of their rights. it was an amazing debate. to senator thankful clinton's real expression of friendship with afghanistan. secretary john kerry, and other leaders of the united states are seen as, madam, real friends of our country. essential support is , thature that these goals were emphasized today, are reached and the afghan government is committed towards

the advancement of women in the enshrined in our constitution alongside our partners. i thank you. [applause]

machine. sunday at 7 p.m. now national republican congressional committee chairman representative greg walden. he spoke today at the christian science monitor breakfast in washington, d.c. for about an hour.

>> here we go. thank you for coming. we have representative greg walden. his last visit with our group was in may 2012. we welcome him back. he was born in oregon where his family came to the state by wagon train in 1845. he grew up on an 80 acre cherry orchard and graduated from the university of oregon. early on he was a disc jockey he and a talkshow host and worked as a press secretary and chief of staff for a member -- as -- remember of congress. he was elected to congress himself.

in 2010, speaker been asked them boehner asked him to be chairman of the republican leadership. he was elected as a chair. he also works on the telecommunications subcommittee. as always, we are on the record. please note live blogging or tweeting while breakfast is underway. our friends at c-span have agreed to give reporters time to file. if you would like to ask a question, please send me a subtle, nonthreatening signal and i will do my best to calling you. we will move to questions around the table. thank you for coming. [laughter] >> good morning, everyone. i'm delighted to join you. i appreciate that warm welcome and introduction. i would also let you know that my wife and i were in the

broadcasting business. they generally worked at have a degree in journalism. it is good to be with you all. let me start with my role as nrcc chairman and talk about 2014. i want to start by recapping what i said when asked about what i saw 2014 look like a year ago. i believed then as i believe now that 2014 would be about the president's health care law, obamacare. i believe it now more than ever. now it has become a category 5 political hurricane that is not just causing havoc in certain regions of the country, but ripping apart every region of the country in tiny hamlets and

towns and major cities where people are finding confusion, chaos, cancellation, cost increases, all of which were predictable as if no one was reporting the storm was coming and the administration and the democrats in the house were in denial. they misled. they did nothing to prevent what is now unfolding. and so, i think 2014 is going to be a referendum on the failures of this administration and its notion and philosophy that big government has the answers, the government can do things better, and americans now fully appreciate and understand that is not the best approach. further, they want a check and balance on the obama

administration and its big government ideas. they did not have a check and balance when the health care law was passed with the only democrat votes. speaker pelosi shut out every single amendment in the house that was attempted to be offered in the rules committee on that fateful day. the president has apologized to the american people in different ways. i think it is time for the democrats who voted for this law and for the speaker of the house to apologize as well that the american people feel misled. a bond of trust has been broken. with the president and the democratic leadership in the house. when you lose that trust, it is a difficult thing to get back. no one wants to see what is

happening out there. i did 8 days straight on the road in my district last week. 36 meetings. no matter what the reported agenda for a meeting was, it always got to obamacare and the cancellations. very personal and specific examples of people who have not only lost their coverage, but also we are now finding out their preferred specialists are no longer in their network and that their deductibles had gone from $1000 or $2000 to $15,000 for a family. some had cancellations of the personal policies that are now being replaced with force participation in medicaid, something they did not want. there are a lot of other issues involving the economy.

i will touch on one and i will be happy to open it up to your questions. the other thing that came about as a subtext of a discussion of the failures of the rollout in the health care law broken promises is an insidious thing showing it is affecting real people in their everyday lives. it is nothing employers are holding news conferences to announce, but i tell you it is going on in every town. it is employers who cannot afford the costs of the mandated health insurance. they are reducing the hours of people who work for them to under 30 hours are getting their total workforce under $50 in anticipation that the penalties will apply in a year and they will get ahead of it. that is a really tragic thing for people who are trying to hold a job and seeing their jobs held back.

hours have been cut from $40 -- 40 hours to under 30 hours. she can no longer live by herself as a result. she still does not have health care. she was moving back in with her three-year-old into her father's home. that is why they wrote me to seek help. it is a real and serious problem. in terms of the political landscape, all of this is boiling at the surface. it is a big problem. again, thank you for hosting this. with that, i would be happy to take any questions you might have. >> i'm about to quote an expert at the back table there. on their website, they summed up the situation this week as "not many targetable feats."

for the democrats, you picked a good time to be a chair. for the democrats to take back the house, they would have to take all of the tossups in the republican districts. it looks like a good time for the republicans. what is your sense of whether the health care kerfuffle causes a wave or do you still see a swing either way? >> i think we clearly have the ability to gain seats in 2014. if you look at the lay of the land and read independent -- that put an enormous amount of time into this, i believe there is an ability to gain seats.

>> a handful? >> i will not get into specific numbers. i believe we can get a net increase. we put a real emphasis on recruiting women candidates. we have reconfigured our data and analytics department creating the biggest digital department in the republican politics early on. we'll have the grassroots, the data, the digital components necessary to do more highly targeted voter identification and turnout. with our recruit's and the issues set and history on our site, we can gain seats. history does not repeat itself automatically. you have to earn the seats. we know that. that is why we have been laser focused not only making sure our incumbents go through the patriot program, which has been a huge feet to our success, our numbers are doing great job.

they are raising more than money. it is the mechanics behind it that use them the team and the strategy and the plan to win. >> one more for me and then we will go to caitlin. let me talk about risk to your rosy scenario. in 2014, there will be at least 18 house republican primaries. early this week at the atlantic, karl rove talked about the republican coalition being in a state of flux. he says now they are starting to sort out. i think we're past the point of greatest warfare. how do you see the warfare affecting your job?

>> i think the democrats have a number of primaries that are causing in-party warfare. nearly everyone of those faces are solid republican seats. nearly everyone -- you cannot say that about the democrats. look at the chalice to mike mcintyre. -- challenge to mike mcintyre. a candidate has been picked that did not get into the runoff last time. they pick someone else. and former member of congress is a third candidate. it is a jungle primary. republicans are not the only party that has primaries. democrats, where they have them, i think that is a serious challenge in a primary. they will be weakened as a

result. >> on health care, the republicans have to unite around alternatives? >> a, we have, and b, we can lay out how we would have a patient- centered health care system. the challenge we have is that we have a law on the books that the president has made clear he has no intent of ever repealing. or even modifying. or multiple attempts to suspend it and appeal it has met with pretty unified resistance from most emigrants and certainly the majority leader of the senate. at some point, you say, we have tried to warn you. it is pointed out that individuals would lose their lands for cancellations.

-- plans through cancellations. the ratio number was in their own documents. even then it did not get much attention. they have seen this coming for a long time. i think the key now is how it will play out. they have waited too long. the storm has hit. >> you control the house and have controlled it for three years, but are ineffective. nothing is getting done. instead, you will be number 46. give me one example since january were the house of representatives has passed legislation were you can go out

there and say we have been effective. >> let's back up. the reality of the city is we are in the minority. when it comes to passing legislation. when you get up and have the president of the united states and harry reid on the other side people don't like to hear that, but that is the reality of legislating. we have passed legislation and we passed legislation and we pass the debt ceiling increase earlier in the year. we passed the fiscal cliff year with the tax policy and permanent statute. i can go back to legislation i worked on in a bipartisan bill that will be part of creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the high-tech world. there's legislation that we are working through. we pass some appropriation bills. >> with all disrespect, there is -- with all due respect,

there is a dissension within your own caucus. then carrier bill never even made it to the -- i just the effectiveness of the house -- address and effectiveness of the house. >> when the leader of the senate says he will not take up any bills that house sends overcome, is there not some responsibility there? it takes two to dance. for four years, i know you do not like this, but for four years, the senate -- are three or four years, did not even vote on a budget. we did each year. they may not have liked our budget, but -- >> again, it is your caucus. go down the list. plan b. couldn't get

support within your own caucus. you guys are ineffective. >> we look at this and say we passed a budget and e.g. we have been in the majority. we are going caucus that passed a budget that balances. -- we are the only caucus that passed a budget that balances. it took a shameful approach in the no budget, no pay provision on the debt ceiling increase to get the senate to even vote on a budget. how can you even have a discussion with the other body when they do not vote on a budget? at least we are having a discussion. maybe we can get this back on track. i do not disagree with that. wait. i'm sorry. >> christina. >> talk about the dynamics of the immigration and that primaries. is there a sense that it will be easier to do after the deadline?

>> we have a different approach in the house than the senate as you well know. the american people are very skeptical of big, huge, comprehensive bills. they're looking at real reform that is done a piece at a time, step-by-step, so you can have it be transparent and so the people can have a chance to understand each step of the way and how it is sequenced. the speaker has said on more than one occasion that this is a federal problem. it needs to be dealt with but the federal government. i think you'll see it will come into a matter of timing in part because of everything else that has not been done yet with the whole government funding issue and all of that. my guess is that it comes later this year. >> isn't hard to do it for your members during an election

season? >> people know their districts pretty well and what they can and cannot support going into it. i do not think it is that big of an issue. you have primaries all the way into august. >> ok. we will go to alex, cameron, david, and emily. alex. >> all of the momentum with obamacare, without be squandered that be squandered if the government is shut down in january? >> to think about obamacare is that it continues on. it continues on. the government got funded and back up and running. on the ground in the countryside, shut down wasn't

that well received by many. there were others that probably liked getting the overarching government to have a research and specifics shut down forever probably, but obamacare affects everyone. it continues to. it will continue to affect them. i think it will be the dominant issue. >> if it comes to a second shut down, it could hurt the momentum if that happened twice within a few months of each other? >> it shouldn't. we should keep the government open and operating. >> cameron. >> what can you do to make sure the caucus does not get divided on this and focus? you yourself voted against the bipartisan [indiscernible] i'm curious if there are any

internal pressures from the caucus on this. >> there are, obviously. people have strong opinions. some of our members had an equal-opposite reaction to a government that was spending like there was no tomorrow. these members are reflecting a view in the country that is strongly passionately held that if we do not get control of deficit spending soon, all will be lost. these deficits are racking up at trillions. if somehow that is celebrated as a great reduction, and yet the long-term forecast are not good in the next generation pays the bill. we need to do more.

we wish we had a partner on the other side of the capitol and at the white house that worked with us to get that done. >> in this situation, the kind of brinkmanship that is a distraction from the problems of obamacare -- >> i think we will work through it. >> you said that the house on immigration prefer the piecemeal approach. judiciary sent five bills in the summer. the house never voted on those. how can you say that you want to handle it in a piecemeal approach if you will not consider the regular order during the bills and going to conference? >> as you know, different bills get work to a certain point in the process and then you have to

get the right time and happens in both chambers. with everything else that happened this fall, he kind of alters the schedule. they are figuring out when next year make sense to have time to work this through in a thoughtful way. we need real reform. i think you'll see it come forward. >> tom. i'm sorry. tom. >> mitch mcconnell pushback against the far right. he said -- he noted eight tea party candidate who he mocked was naïve. -- he noted a tea party candidate who he mocked was naïve. should we expect house republican leaders to push back against the far right?

>> so, my job is to defeat democrats and elect republicans. republicans that are chosen by republicans in their districts as the nominees. that is where we are focused. the extent that we can have our wide range of outside organizations focused on that, we will be more successful at growing our majority in the house. i words of encouragement always are the bill buckley line of nominate the most conservative person that can win in the general election. that is critical. focus our attention on beating democrats.

they are continents apart philosophically from where we are. that is my view of it. >> as the caucus moves further and further to the right, making it more difficult for speaker boehner to lead it in any specific direction, is that part of the equation in electing republicans to the house? >> when you're in the majority, you have the responsibility to govern. we are a center-right majority. we have to be able to govern. many people who come here and will fight as hard and tenaciously and thoughtfully as possible. at the end of the day, we still have the responsibility to govern. >> david. >> a few race specific question. democrats say they have a great a candidate.

you have a great a candidate. second of all, we have six retirements on the republican side, including two sophomores on the which is unusual. there are fewer it in the credit -- there are retirements and how so far. do anticipate more on your side saying this sucks, i am out of here? [laughter] >> could you use that phrase? >> no. [laughter] >> oh, david. flor ... ituents in that district and that district had changed over the years. when he no longer was serving, that district would be a competitive district.

it is the numbers. you do all of the analysis. having said that, we will be competitive in that district. the filing deadline has not closed yet. there are a lot of people who are rallied around one. again, our job is to pick the nominee. there will be some explaining to do.

i would rather be us than them. they have to win on red territory they have to pick up seats that romney carried. and i think they've got a big uphill climb to do it.

but we've got to be on game. and on message. and have the right people in the right places. >> two questions. one about the questions you had about governing. in some ways you had the built in advantage where you'll keep the house for a while barring something very unusual. how do you make sure that it doesn't work at cross purposes and be competitive in the national election. because as everyone talked about, your majority now is probably more conservative than what you need to be to win other elections. is that part of your responsibility? >> no, my responsibility is make

sure there's not a checks and balances. we saw that with speaker pelosi, senator reid, and president obama with no one to raise questions about the irs or benghazi and whatever else. my focus is the house. we represent individual districts, not whole states. while we have house members seek the presidency, it's rare they get there. we are a different entity. the way they speak can help with the republican party. we've had initiative partnership to grow and recruit more women to run. we are trying to mechanically build out. and then, you know, we stay on

message of trying to create private sector jobs. have positive alternatives going forward. in these areas. this is about one side versus the other. the people have the choice. they have a clear choice in the cycle about big government-run takeovers and how that plays out in their daily life. when the president kept talking about if you have your plan, you can keep it, someone said if you don't like your democratic house member, you don't have to keep him or her, period, that's how it will play out. >> you mentioned the john tierney race in boston. do you have any hope of winning any seats in new england beyond that or beyond that? are there any -- >> i think so, yeah.

we're not -- we're not done recruiting in some of those seats. we have some interesting people who are looking at running very seriously and are working through their own issues, family issues. it's always important to have your family fully supportive when you venture down this path. you can go up to new hampshire. he's running again. we need to be competitive in new england and can be competitive in new england. we can grow. remember, we came out with the biggest majority since world war ii. we held the second biggest since 2012, a point i have to make to our donor community who are still wondering if mitt romney won because he invested so heavily he must have.

and then we go through the discussion about the senate and all of the things that happened there. by the time we get to what i have responsibility for the house, most people don't realize we held the second biggest majority. this since world war ii is the bigger majority than '94. they have to go to the chiropractor because their neck snaps around. what? so we figured out how do our job. we have a great team and we have great candidates and i think we'll grow our majority. >>. [ question off mic ] we don't get involve in the primaries. but you recruit sometimes in districtings. people have a primary. you help the candidates out. so what do you consider in the primary? >> we don't spend money. we don't go in and drop money in on the races. sure, we're out there

recruiting, you know? there's always that line. you have self-starters, you know, people you don't even know that are out there that just file one day driving past the secretary of state's office, it happens. but we are open to work with every one of those candidates. we have a program that reaches out the them. we will give those candidates the same siloed confidential counsel that we would give to someone else that we recruit if they seek it. we want -- whoever becomes it no, ma'am knee. whoever's chosen by the district to be as capable and confident as possible so that they can win. but certainly as we go out around the country, we're trying to identify ourselves who's the best one to run and encourage them to run. i don't know if you're tracking stewart mills up against nolan in minnesota but he outraged

nolan. it's mills fleet arms. it's a farm co-op sort of store chain and they'll run for office. but he oversees about 5,000 employees and their benefits. he knows obama care inside and out. i'm check him -- we just really got some good people that are out and running. look at martin mcsally back running against barber. retooled in terms of the campaign and how to approach the race this time against mattison. look at evan jenkins, the democrat state senator for a long time. it's now out raising nick rahal in generation there is in west virginia. we have interesting dynamic folks that are up and running. >> congressman? i knew in one district the republican candidates will have

trouble because there is no immigration bill. and the democratic candidate would be in a lot of trouble because of the obama care. that could be -- what is your take on that particular race especially given the fact that it pretty much is a moderate district. and where republicans outnumber in terms of party registration. i think when voters are more motivated when something is taken away from them. i think voters are rightfully upset, maybe even angry at times, about the president's health care law. and i think that will be the overriding. and between now and the election, i think the house will take up immigration legislation and a piece-by-piece approach.

that has due consideration, you know, that still -- those are decisions made by others in the leadership, not by me. but that being said, obama care will live on with the cost increases, the confusion, the chaos, and the cancellations. and i think that will be the dominant issue. that affects everybody. it affects everybody. and when people figure out that they can no longer see their doctor, that will be the next less than truthful promise -- another broken promise. because you'll be able to -- what i hear from my constituents that have been cancelled, they get the new policy, some provider they trusted their health care with and had a relationship with is no longer in their network. it's true they'll be able to see them, they'll just have to pay full price because it will be out of the network. it will be a cap and the deductibles will be off of the

chart. practically speaking, they always can, but they can't afford it. as those play out, this is a hurricane of mammoth proportion that's going to strike everywhere, including california 36. >> not that -- schrader, you had defatz you. a lot of discontent. but there's a lot of discontent with immigration. congressman schrader to perhaps support today's bill in the house. what do you make of these moves? do they have legitimate reasons to be really concerned. >> this is sort of like the guy that robbed the bank. has a bag of money to go out the door and get caught. here, i'll give you back the money. sorry. it doesn't work that way with

voters. and, you know, you have -- i watched this play out with my friend, kurt schrader, who was chals tizing the president for not being truthful only to have pointed out they're co-conspirators in this. you can't get way from that. you can't get way from the votes and the statements. there's a thing called the -- kind of document off of that. and then hold it accountable as you should. i think they're in real trouble. i saw when the senator went on the landrieu bill, that told me panic had arrived. >> we're going go to kiefer, and stephanie kay. francene? >> if you look at the latest developments in obama care strictly from a policy point of view, whether it's the