we look at people who are subscribers to freedom works, which is the largest tea party membership group at least. they went very heavily for romney. the more active they were for the tea party endorsed candidates in the primaries, the more they went for romney. i think the dislike of the other party drives this a lot. and the dislike of obama. i do not see this move away to a third party. a few people might say it, but i do not see that. here, there was this talk about when the senator from ohio -- >> portman? >> portman on gay marriage. the tea party people were going to, in a sense, go against him. >> look at the tea party leaders in congress.

who have been the most prominent leaders of the tea party in congress, people like michele bachmann and jim demint, who is now at the heritage foundation, ted cruz? they are all social conservatives. they are all pro-life and anti- gay rights. i do not see any evidence that they are libertarians. even rand paul, who kind of flirts with libertarianism -- on social issues, he's very conservative. he is not a libertarian. he is pseudo-libertarian. >> one more. anybody? >> i was hoping i would get a chance -- i am from the university of akron. this question is for alan. basically, you were talking about 15% of the libertarians are the available voters.

there is a 15% group in the data. there was 15% that were basically targetable, that could move up or down. that was in your slide. >> i do not think there is a 15% libertarian cohort out there. -- a 15% libertarian vote out there. >> that might be the first paper. >> i do not think it was my paper. >> i will try to talk to you about it later. >> i am curious about the role of money. we have had unprecedented money flowing into politics -- outside money, money to candidates. talking about the future, does this make it impossible to move away from this intense polarization?

i mean, it just magnifies everything. >> look at the right. predominantly anti-obama. the money is being spent overwhelmingly on negative ads, on attack ads. i saw a breakdown of positive versus negative advertising. in 2012, it was pretty overwhelmingly negative for the candidate-sponsored ads as well as the outside groups. but the outside groups were really negative. that is just about all they do, is put on attack ads. >> when subjected to this intense negative barrage -- i guess they canceled each other out. >> there were candidates who were easy to attack. >> it was just a mudslinging contest.

terry mcauliffe had twice as much money as cuccinelli. that camp is saying, if republican donors had come through for us, we could have slung more mud and maybe won the race. >> this goes back to the question earlier about polarization. it is not just outside money from these groups. it is also the candidates, and how they have to raise a lot of money in small contributions. they have to go to individual voters or citizens who are willing to give $1000 at a time. it is liberals and conservatives who want to give. that reinforces the pattern. >> ok. we are right at noon. >> can i add one thing to that? i think on the big outside money, independent expenditure groups, you would have to look at the needs and wants of the donors. that is not something i know about. the countervaling force is

raising money. there is some evidence that fear or anger and threats are more successful at motivating individuals to give money. so it is no surprise that politicians like michele bachmann have been very successful fundraisers in congress, for that reason. >> but at a certain point, it's sort of throwing good money after bad, right? if it is reinforcing everybody's views, it is just a big waste of money. >> it is a presidential election. ultimately, in the presidential race, i think they cancel each other out. iowa is a swing state. both parties are coming in and spending tens of millions of dollars saturating the airwaves. and it is just -- they are canceling each other out. it is not doing anything. >> ok. >> it is great for the consultants. >> before we thank linda feldman and the panel for that invigorating discussion, i have a couple of announcements to make.

one is that we will take a break here for a few minutes. and those of you who are signed up for lunch will have lunch next door, right in the room through that wall. we do not go through the wall. go through the door, to the other side. and i was asked to remind you all -- there are some students who are interested in the masters of applied politics program here at the university of akron. there are some reserved tables up at the front where we can help provide you with some information about that. finally, as you all may have noticed in your tote bags, there are evaluation forms. and i have been told on pain of death to ask you all to fill out your evaluation forms. because the staff at this institute takes this kind of information very seriously. at this point, please join me in thanking linda feldman and our panel. [applause] >> that was good. all right.

>> enjoyed your presentation. >> tomorrow, c-span is live from the center for strategic and international studies. we will have that live at 10 a.m. eastern here on c-span. day discussion about cybersecurity and the threat of cyber warfare with a group of journalists from "the new york times." at 2:00 eastern, also on c-span. >> our message was this, as ashers we are concerned, first ladies we are committed, as citizens of the world we pledge to do all that is possible to stop this scourge. >> however different we may appear, there is far more that

unites us than divides us, and we are here to find common ground so that we may help ring new dignity and respect to women and girls all over the world. >> all of you are such a vital part of the conversation, because in the coming years all of you will be building the businesses, you will be making the discoveries and drafting the laws and policies that will move our countries and our world forward for decades to come. starting january 13, our original series, first ladies, influence and image, return to the five most recent first ladies from nancy reagan through michelle obama, mondays at nine eastern, live on c-span and c-span three. also on c-span radio and c- span.org. >> next, a confirmation hearing

for carolyn diane craft to be cia general counsel and daniel bennett smith to be assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research. they were both before the senate intelligence committee in december. this is a little less than two hours. >> the committee will come to order. we meet today to consider to of president obama's nominees in the intelligence community. mrs. caroline diane craft, nominee to be the general counsel of the cia, and ambassador daniel bennett smith, nominated to be the assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research. welcome to both and to the family and friends with you today. else understand that senator bennett will be introducing ms.

craft and will be arriving shortly from another meeting. when he does come in i will give him the opportunity to make his remarks and then we will go back to whatever we are doing. to our received answers prehearing questions from both nominees and those can be found on the committee's website for anyone who is interested. we look forward to hearing both of your opening statements. this committee has the jurisdiction over all nominees requiring senate confirmation within the intelligence community. we try to move that process as quickly as we can. the number of these positions is fairly small. so i appreciate my colleagues's cooperation to keep the process running. it is my hope that we will be able to vote on these two nominees as one of the first orders of business when we return in january. both ms. crass and ambassador

smith have long and distinguished careers, but neither has worked for an intelligence agency warned in a primarily intelligence position in the past. disqualification and both of you have been involved in intelligence matters over the course of your careers. we will ask you both to discuss how you intend to lead and supervise intelligence organizations as relative outsiders. caroline crass currently serves as the principal deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel, or she is also serve at the national security council and previously in legal positions at the department of treasury and state. the committee has received federal -- several letters in support of her confirmation from senior officials and colleagues from both sides of the aisle. i ask unanimous consent that

those letters be made part of the record. counsel,med as general ms. crass will be the chief legal officer of the cia responsible for providing legal advice for agency operations and ensuring that cia activities are conducted in compliance with applicable law given the sensitivity and secrecy of most of the cia's work, it is of paramount importance that general counsel be a strong lawyer. but also a leader, a manager and someone who exercises good sound judgment. smithador daniel bennett has served in a variety of positions at the state department, most recently as ambassador to greece, but also as executive secretary of the department, principled secretary for consular affairs and an istanbul,ost in bern,

stockholm. he has a rank of career minister. the position to which ambassador smith has been nominated, the assistant secretary for islligence and research -- its primary customers are the senior leaders of the state department. the assistant secretary for i &r has one foot in each camp, both as a leader and a briefer to the secretary. he is also the conduit between the intelligence community and the state department and is responsible for ensuring that our intelligence activities in

the conduct of our foreign policy are coordinated and compatible. i am particularly pleased to note -- and mind that i said note and not gloat -- that both nominees attended my alma mater of stanford university. as an undergraduate in ms. crass's case and for a masters and phd in mr. smith's case. i know this is not the only way to be confirmed through the intelligence community, but it might be the best way. i would also like to remind , please do not discuss classified topics or ask questions that require a classified answer. mr. vice chairman, would you like to make your opening statement and then i think senator bennett is here and we will go to senator bennett. >> thank you, madam chair. i didn't go to stanford. but i hope i can read all of my statements anyway. [laughter]

thanks, madam chair and i join you in congratulating the nominees by being nominated by the president. i want to thank our predecessors for their service. last week the committee approved this report on september 12 benghazi terrorist attacks. this report includes findings and recommendations that are relevant to both the cia and the state department and including the bureau of intelligence and research. there are many lessons to be learned from benghazi and i encourage both of you to read this report carefully once it is released as i know you will. ambassador of the bureau of intelligence and research has made important additions to their intelligence community over the years, but i do have concerns about whether it is really doing enough independent analysis, especially when it concerns terrorist attacks on u.s. diplomatic facilities overseas. i hope that under your

will be at the forefront of issues that concern policymakers. we have many embassies, missions, consulates that probably unsecured as he found out in benghazi. i know that is not directly under you in this position, but it is an issue that there's an awful lot of looking at, particularly with your experience and your many years in the department. as you noted in your responses to the committee's questions, unauthorized disclosures of classified information can compromise sources, damage our relationships with foreign

partners and decrease the effectiveness of intelligence activities. unfortunately we are seeing all of these effects with the snowden leaks. i'm also concerned that we see much more risk aversion from the administration to collecting the intelligence needed to protect the nation. i expect that the cia general counsel you will fully support any criminal investigation into the leaks of classified information regardless of who might be responsible or why they occurred. when you and i met last week he agreed it was critical to gather intelligence through intelligent -- through interrogation of suspected terrorists. i remain very concerned about the administration's ongoing failure to develop a clear detention and interrogation policy. i understand the president made a promise to close guantanamo bay, but it is deeply troubling and shortsighted that not one terrorist has been added to the list of those being held and

interrogated as long-term detainees in the last five years. as a cia general counsel i hope you will be a strong advocate for full, lawful intelligence interrogations without maranda and without attorneys. there is no requirement to give a terrorist suspect miranda rights. it just means you can't use base date meant at the trial. if you stop terrorist like ordinate criminals, we can lose real-time intelligence needed to keep this country safe. investors smith -- ambassador smith, ms. crass, we look forward to your testimony today and your confirmation in the future, thank you very much. i now would like to recognize senator michael bennet from the great state of colorado. he had to give an earlier introduction and another committee and we are just delighted to have you. >> is a great privilege to be here and thank you to you and the ranking member for coming by

and for all our colleagues to being here. the tendency is much more punctual and better than on the committees in which i served. i'm sure that is a function of your leadership, but it is also a privilege to be here to introduce caroline crass, the president's nominee to be general counsel of the cia. caroline is a longtime friend of mine and an old friend of mine. we have known each other since law school where i barely could keep up with her. i know that she has the character intelligence and the temperament to excel in this incredibly important position. since in age, caroline has had a passion for serving our country in her 22 year career which reflects that. she is currently principal deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel searches been special

forsel to the president and nine years before that a career attorney in the office of legal counsel, not a political position. in each of these positions she quickly developed a reputation for thoughtful deliberative and high-level understanding of the most delicate national security concerns of our country. her work has earned her accolades and praise from officials across the political spectrum. she is the recipient of numerous awards for her high-quality work , including the attorney general's award for excellence in furthering the interests of u.s. national security. 2007lso received intelligence community or peerage as a deep and abiding commitment to the rule of law and to human rights. she will work to protect our civil liberties well furthering our national security interest.

the takes a special kind of person to devote her career to serving our nation with honor and distinction. through her work caroline has shown that she is exactly that kind of person and it is truly a privilege to introduce the caroline to my friend, crass. i recommend her enthusiastically and i hope that the senate was with the confirm her in this new role heard thank you, madam chair. >> you're welcome to stay. witnesses would please would affirmyou the both when i complete its reading. i do solemnly swear that i will give this committee the truth, the full truth and nothing but the truth, so help me god. >> i will. >> thank you. please be seated. now i have five questions that are protocol that we ask. yesou would just indicate

or no, please, do you both agree to appear before the committee here or in other venues when invited? >> yes. >> yes. correct you both agree to send officials from your respective offices to appear before the committee and designated staff when requested? >> yes. >> yes i do. >> do both agree to provide documents or any other materials requested by the committee in order for it to carry out its oversight and legislative purpose possibilities? >> yes, i do. >> will you both and sure that your respective offices provide such material to the committee when requested? >> i will. >> do both agree to inform and fully briefed to the fullest extent possible all members of this committee of intelligence activities and covert actions, rather than only the chairman and vice chairman? >> yes. , and we will

proceed if each of you has a statement. this is the time. then we will go into a round of questions. >> chairman feinstein, vice chairman chandler and distinguished members of this committee, it is an honor to appear before you today. >> let me to stop you. the vice chairman just reminded me, please both the interviews are families if they are here to. >> i can stop and do that? i have my husband william and my daughter -- >> what is the family stand up and we can easily see who you are. >> william, my daughter and my son. >> excellent, thank you. honor to appear before you today as the president's nominee to be general counsel of the central intelligence agency am deeply grateful to those president obama and director john brennan for their trust and

confidence in me and also to the committee for considering my nomination. i appreciate the opportunity i've had to meet with many of you before this hearing to discuss a number of important issues. familywant to thank my who i just introduced for the love and support. havinghe position as four key duties. first the general counsel must give sound and clear legal advice to the deputy, deputy director -- i'm sorry, the deputy, deputy director and other agency employees. as the chief legal officer of the cia, the general counsel must and sure that the cia is complying with the constitution and other applicable u.s. laws. in him 20 years as an executive branch lawyer, i have had the privilege of providing legal advice on a wide range of difficult legal issues to men in government agencies, including the cia. counsel musteneral

work closely with lawyers across the executive branch. the protection of her nation's security and achievement of our foreign-policy goals depend on an integrated approach within the intelligence community, as well as between the intelligence community and other agencies. during my time at the national security council as well as at the department of justice, i worked on many -- with many lawyers from across the interagency community. i strongly value such .nteragency cooperation cooperation with the general counsel for the director of national intelligence is especially important for the general counsel of the cia and i have a strong and productive working relationship with that office as well as with the most senior lawyers at the department of justice, state and defense. third, the general counsel must lead and supervise the lawyers in the office of general counsel. over the years i have artie worked with many of these lawyers and i have been impressed by their dedication to rigorously applying the law as

well as to the mission of the agency. maintaining high morale is particularly important, especially in this time of includinguncertainty, by providing opportunities for professional development and growth. equally necessary is making sure that the legal advice provided by the office of general counsel is uniformly of excellent already. i would bring to the job the leadership experience i gained during my tenure leading oh lc, as well as during my time at the nsc, managing the interagency legal review of difficult issues. important, equally the general counsel assists the director in making sure that the intelligence committees are fully and currently informed and provided with sufficient information to allow effective oversight. this is a critical function and the committee must be fully and currently informed of all intelligence activities including covert action. most significant for the general

counsel, such information must include the legal basis for the intelligence activity. i strongly believe that it is the general counsel's duty to ensure that the intelligence committees and their staff have a clear understanding of the legal basis for any intelligence activities, including covert action in which the agency is engaged. enabling oversight especially important because of the classified nature of much of what the agency does, which increases the need for congress to be fully informed and engaged. michael -- as senator bennett said, i dedicated my career to government service because it believe it is essential that the us government comply with the rule of law. i am also committed to protecting our nation's security. if i'm fortunate enough to be confirmed as general counsel, i would dedicate myself to both of these tasks. i look forward to answering your questions, thank you for having me. >> thank you very much. ambassador smith?

>> thank you, madam chairman. may i introduce my wife diane and my son andrew, my oldest son? my middle son eric is stationed in the army in texas at resins and couldn't be here. my youngest son has a final exam which he offered to skip but i suggested that was not a good idea. madam chairman, vice chairman and members of the committee is a great honor to appear before you as president obama's nominee. am deeply grateful to the president and to the secretary of state carry for their confidence in nominating me for this position as well as to the director of national intelligence for his support for my nomination. if confirmed, i promise to work closely with this committee and pledged to keep it fully and currently informed as carries out its vital role in overseeing the u.s. intelligence community. madam chairman, as both you and the vice chairman have noted, i &r is important to the

intelligence community. the strong reputation derives not from the size of its staff or its budget, but from the germans expertise and skills of its personnel. indeed, the bureau has some of the greatest regional and subject matter expertise anywhere in the u.s. government. this expertise rests principally with the bureau's outstanding civil servants who have spent a considerable amount of their professional careers and i and &r. if confirmed, i will work hard to ensure that it continues to recruit and retain the highest quality staff and provides them with the training, professional development opportunities and overseas experience that they need to ensure the best possible analysis. equally important, i will defend the integrity of the analytical process to ensure the independence and unbiased analysis or which it is justly

famous for it madam chairman, it is less well-known, but it also making critical role in sure that our activities are consistent with and support are for -- are national security objectives. it has a dedicated staff of professionals with significant expertise in this area, which encompasses technical issues as well as practical ones. they help to find the department's intelligence requirements, see clear language for diplomatic medications and ensure the policymakers evaluated and can proposed intelligence activities with potential foreign-policy consequences. they also support our chief submission overseas. if confirmed it believe i will bring extensive experience in relevant skills to the position of assistant secretary for intelligence and research. i've served in a variety of demanding positions, both in washington and overseas,

including as executive secretary of the state department and as ambassador to greece. i know firsthand the challenges facing senior policymakers as well as incredible demands on their time and attention. i appreciate the critical has madeon that i&r in providing the president and policymakers with timely and well focused analysis on a broad range of regional and global challenges. throughout the course of my 30 years as a foreign service officer, i have worked closely with members of the intelligence community. i have witnessed firsthand the role of intelligence and analysis can and should play in the formulation of foreign policy. like many professionals within the department, i have a strong academic background and appreciate very much importance of drawing on the insights and expertise found in our nation's outstanding academic institutions, nongovernmental

organizations and the private sector. as a leader in the department worked tohief -- i've improve communication and information sharing and to ensure that we are working together to advance our national security. if confirmed, madam chairman, i will tell as to ensure that the department continues to make its unique contribution and that our supportence activities our national security objectives. i look forward to answering your questions. >> thank you, ambassador smith. i will ask you to view one question and then move on to the crass, as you are aware, we spoke to oh lc to some extent when he came in for a private visit or it you know that this committee has long- sought access to legal opinions office ofjustice legal counsel that describe in detail the law governing

intelligence activities carried and intelligence agencies. notink as we said, this is just idle curiosity, it is really to understand the direction and rules under which certain programs operate, since they are run by the executive branch of the government. we have found that these opinions are actually indispensable to effective .versight for example in 2004 the cia inspector general concluded that interrogators used to the waterboard on a prisoner in a manner that did not match the description for the waterboard in oh lc opinions. at that time and for years afterwards the committee lacked access to both the doj opinion and operational details describing how the waterboard was implemented. that the committee

needs both a legal analysis and the operational details in order to conduct effective oversight of whether cia activities adhere to the law? question.ou for that i do believe the committee needs to fully understand the legal basis for any activities in which the cia intelligence activities is engaged, including covert action. were i to be fortunate enough to be confirmed i would commit to you had all of your questions answered and could understand the legal basis. when i would be able to provide were i to be confirmed would be an understanding of how the legal framework intersects with the actual operations that are being undertaken and how any advice that might have been provided by the justice department is being applied in specific circumstances. >> let

me be clear. so you agree that we should have access to all oh lc opinions that analyze the legality of intelligence activities carried out by the cia? yes or no?