ground in iraq have been happening very quickly, our ability to plan, whether it is military action or work with the iraqi government on some of these political issues, is going to take several days. people should not anticipate that this is something that is going to happen overnight. we want to make sure we want to have good eyes on the situation. we want to gather all of the intelligence necessary so that if i do direct and order actions there, that their target, precise, and will have an effect. i want to make sure that everybody understands this message. the united states is not simply going to involve itself in a military action in the absence of a political plan by the iraqis that gives us some assurance that they are prepared to work together. we are not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while

we're there, we are keeping a lid on things and then after enormous sacrifices by us, as soon as we are not there, suddenly people end up acting in ways that are not conducive to long-term prosperity and stability of the country. thank you very much, everybody. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] and noonent obama today, he headed to north dakota to an indian reservation for a meeting on job creation for young people. the president is set to be the fourth visiting president to visit an indian reservation. we would like to hear from you

on what the president had to say this afternoon. the numbers are on your screen. we have heard reaction from members of congress already to what the president had to say. congressman buck mckeon, the chair of the armed services committee, said this. the white house has a history of considering all options while choosing none. we also heard from congressman ed royce. we are going to go to our first called, calling on the line for independents. president obama said he ain't

going to go in. likes war.ent they like it because it is money for them. people need to wake up and realize the government is as crooked as them. robert is next in huntington, west virginia, calling on the line for republicans. that from like to say somebody who just graduated from college and was in the marine corps, i don't want to see myself or any of my brothers and sisters go somewhere to a country where you build up something for years and years, i heard this thing on msnbc yesterday that 30,000 against 1000 ran. how are you supposed to defend

or help somebody who will not help themselves? i don't know if spilling more american blood and resources is the answer. >> how should the united states respond? >> i don't really know that, sir. said today, maybe it's just like the political get underif they control -- the sunni and shia muslims have beliefs that are different. the airstrike component could be used to contain, but it seems like a band-aid to me. >> next, andrew is calling on the democrats line. the caller the just rang and made a good point about u.s. political will. askingstion we should be ourselves is what the iraqi government can do at this point.

obama refers to a need to have a partner. the question is now that they have lost large swaths of lost the and arguably lives of many iraqis, how do you get them back? here there's a lot we can do. research has been done by academics at princeton university, at the institute for advanced studies. at least when the u.s. was taking on the sunni insurgency, one of the most effective things we could do was provide tailored goods and services to community members to earn back the goodwill that we need. also seems torch show that the provision of electricity and iraq was effective in reducing insurgency violence.

minds, win hearts and win people over, encourage them to share actionable intelligence by providing good social services. the u.s. military has collected mass amounts of data on what we tried in iraq. there is still very little known on what was effective and what was not. what is needed is more cooperation between members of the academic community and the government to see where we went wrong and where we went right. nowthe lessons that we can give to people like the iraqis, if and when they decide they want to be more inclusive. benjamin in augusta, georgia on the line for independents. i would be very cautious to get back involved in this type of situation. a lot of american lives were lost. there is a great financial investment placed.

we need to make a stand and be like we have done what we can do. now if it gets to the point -- hearing affecting the president say that he along with members of the staff will be in close contact with congress, it's hard for me to believe that just because seeing the recent situation. with all of these things going on, if we are constantly spending more financial resources towards other countries but we have issues with our economy. i'm a college student, and we have high interest rates. we are talking about student loans and how the prices are astronomical and how our roads are messed up and how we need to improve on our borders.

the united states, we do so much for various countries. we neednd of the day, to realize that we have to make sure other people take responsibility too and step up. >> former secretary of state hillary clinton has weighed in on how the u.s. should respond. yesterday she said the u.s. should not provide military assistance to iraq. quote, i agree with the white house's rejection and reluctance to do the kind of military activities the government is requesting. mainly the fighter aircraft to provide close support for the army to go after targets. we could hear more from hillary clinton on a rack tonight. she will be at an event promoting her new book, "hard choices." we are going to go back to your phone calls. a caller on the republican line. caller: thank you.

to say that benjamin from augusta georgia is spot on. i have been a republican all my , and now leaning more towards even more conservative views. he is so correct. our country must be secured and protected. we must stop placing indoctrinated liberalism on the forefront of solving world wars. we cannot change the iraqi people. we cannot change their belief systems. we cannot change their mindset towards freedom or liberty. we cannot make them a democratic republic as we are in the united states. and no young man or young woman's life should be lost on

foreign soil in a godless country like iraq. they were given the opportunity and billions of dollars in united states money to provide them with freedom, and a way to live not the way they live now. i don't want all of their bibles to come to american soil, and my friends, that is where we are headed if we don't monitor what our president lets loose on gitmo. we have got to take control of our country. the country is for we the people. had thisr john boehner to say, it's long past time for the president to lay out a plan on how we can reverse the momentum and spread of terrorism in iraq. you have been weighing in on facebook. shirley says, no.

your remarks are welcome on our facebook page. caller is from texas, democrats' line. caller: hi. my husband returned from the iraq war. he served his country proudly, and i'm very proud of him. tell you, myo answer as far as intervening is a big no. i have heard a lot of people say their reasons, and i totally agree with shirley. we need to protect our own people here. i feel for the people that are

very weak in that country, the people that we go in there to take care of and make sure they are ok. but we have to start thinking about our country too. first and foremost. dennis is next from chesney park on the independents line. people have to remember vietnam. we did the same thing in vietnam. i was over there. we went and helped the car brought soldiers -- helped the soldiers. forget about iraq. it is gone. the u.s. and protect ourselves. thank you. >> scott calling from texas, republican line. do we have you? let's talk about the

families who have lost loved ones in the united states, and the people that are wounded who have come back from iraq. george bush started this. i agree completely with him. i don't see why our president is doing what he is doing, which is nothing, which is what he has done his whole career. that's all i have to say. "the wall street journal" has an article about baghdad is planning to protect itself. security officials said their forces joined the battle on baghdad's side. the u.s. weighed military assistance. iraq aged closer to all-out sectarian conflict -- edged closer to all-out sectarian

conflict. you can read more about that in today's "wall street journal." , st. louis, democrats line. go ahead. you. like we don't have we will take christine in st. louis. go ahead. on what the president said, i agree with everything he said and voted for him twice. started thisns war. let them solve it. they don't solve anything. they just criticize. >> our last call is from illinois, republican caller. >> i cannot believe some of these people, like the previous caller that is in such a little shell that they don't realize, where were they on 9/11? they don't remember 9/11, 3000 people dead?

4000 american soldiers dead, billions of dollars spent in iraq? now it is all gone because our president -- where is this president's mythical table? everything is on the table with this man. he never does anything. that is why they are attacking. we will not intervene, we will not help anyone. it's a darn shame. right, it is being proven now today, being nice and providing them with social services and all that, it does not work. that is why we have what is going on today. >> how should the u.s. respond? u.s. should not have to respond right now. we should not have left in the middle of after billions of dollars and thousands of lives just to leave, to make a political statement. our president should just not make political statements. he ought to make a real statement and do something.

he can do something. but he's not going to. he's going to do a speech today, get on the tv and say all options are on the table. no option will ever be taken. that is what this man -- the media is not going to call him on it. people will not call him on it. it's a darn shame. i don't know exactly what to do. i'm not the president. elected this man, and he cannot make a decision ever. >> if you missed anything the president had to say, you can watch tonight at 8:00 eastern. we will show it to you in prime time here on c-span. with continued budget cuts, the pentagon is looking at ways to be more efficient in its purchasing and contracting. anorters heard from undersecretary of defense and assistant navy secretary during a briefing earlier today. let me start with a brief update on iraq.

secretary hagel continues to monitor the situation there, as do defense and military leaders at the pentagon. over the last 36 hours, the secretary has met a number of times with senior military leaders to discuss it vents on the ground. i will not detail those options. helpll be designed to break isis's progress. clearly, any decision to employ these options rests solely with the commander-in-chief. it's important to remember that for several months now, we have been working in close quarter nation with the state department to augment the capabilities of iraqi security forces. our focus has been an on increasing their capacity to defend themselves. we delivered 100 hellfire missiles on an expedited timetable, bringing the total to 300.

that is in addition to millions of rounds of small arms fire, tank ammunition. late last year we delivered additional armed helicopters to the iraqi armed forces. a few weeks ago we notified congress of the additional $1 billion in foreign military sales. the secretary believes it is imperative that iraq and its neighbors have strong security forces to meet evolving threats. we are fully committed to that effort. in keeping with that effort, we continue to provide counterterrorism support. that support has included isr capabilities. we have intensified this isr support at the request of the iraqi government. some 35 thousand u.s. military personnel in the mideast region. our forces there were closely each and every day with our partners to defend against external aggression and terrorist networks that threaten america and its allies.

before i take your questions, i want to say a few words about secretary hagel's meetings this morning with the prime minister of australia, tony abbott. they discussed the agreement that he and the president announced yesterday am a which will provide an enduring framework for the initiatives are governments embarked in november 2011. that includes rotational presence of marine corps. we are at deeply grateful for our partnership with the australian defense force. secretary hagel looks forward to discussing further cooperation at the consultations later this year in australia. with that, i will take questions. can you provide a little but more detail? can you generally say when it

would be expected to get their? can you give a broad assessment capabilitiess or that the u.s. believes they may or may not have? question, iirst have nothing to announce with respect to force movements in the central command area of responsibility. the aircraft carrier bush and her group remained in the region theady for any tasking general austin cares to give them. as we speak right now, there's no aircraft carriers marching into the persian gulf. -- i didther question use that verb. [laughter] we have been watching events in watchingsome time, and

movements and developments and capabilities. well resourcedre . what we're seeing is a not unsophisticated degree of onperation and organization their part. the president spoke to that earlier today, about the need in the near term to help iraq break that momentum. --far as their capability this is an armed militant extremist group. we know that as iraqi security forces have pulled back or left and vacated areas and basis -- we certainly have reason to believe that isil has benefited from that.

we don't have a really perfect sense on what exactly they have gotten and their capabilities of using what they have got. we have seen the video. some of theseng vehicles. they are in possession of some of this stuff. numbers. >> this isn't an army. any estimate of numbers would be imperfect. it is in the thousands. we know and we have said for quite some time that they continue to gain sustenance and reinforcements from foreign fighters from syria as well. if you were to characterize it in the thousands, that is accurate. >> [inaudible] >> stay with thousands.

i would be hesitant to give you hard numbers on this. let me finish the answer. force andthe kind of is easy to put down numerically and two counts. this is not an organized nationstate army. left it at thousands, you would be fine. >> what realistically are you looking to do? you say you are not clear on what they have, where they are -- we don't said was, have a perfect indication of the captured equipment that they have. but we have been watching their growth and development and their activities inside iraq. it's not that we have not been mindful of the threat they pose, or what they are capable of doing. detail optionso

that secretary hagel and the leadership in the pentagon are proposing. >> you are confident you have good options to take them out if you were told to do so? >> my job is to provide the commander-in-chief with options. that, as we have been in so many other places in the world, we are confident that we will be able to provide the commander-in-chief options to be as flexible as he should choose to want to be. joe? given the lack of intelligence that the u.s. has , are youound in iraq confident that these options that the pentagon leaders are working on to provide to the give the iraqi government the opportunity to lost,k what they have like the city and other cities? >> your question gets to the

objective. i will point back to what the commander-in-chief said a little bit ago. there is a near-term objective here to help iraq break this momentum. we are going to provide options that try to meet the commander-in-chief's intent in that regard. go intoply not going to much greater detail than that. it's important to make it clear that over the long-term, this is -- this is the sovereign state of iraq. they have security forces. a threat andately a challenge that the government of iraq and iraqi security forces have got to be able to rise to meet. >> are you aware that the iranian revolution guards have sent special forces inside iraq,

and if they did so, what is the pentagon reaction on that? confirme nothing to that there are a rainy and special forces inside iraq -- iranian special forces inside iraq. iraq'surage all of neighbors to play a constructive iraq, clearly, and given the challenges they're facing, but also in the region. >> the president said it was not under consideration, to send u.s. troops back into combat in iraq. would be, orly it is it under consideration or would it be under consideration to send american soldiers or dod civilians to do other things and support?e advising isr iraq andeady have in

have since 2011 -- >> [inaudible] >> a not going to get into hypotheticals about what options may or may not be sent over for the president to consider. today,pretty clear about what he did not want to do. our job is to provide him options to consider and we're doing that. i'm not going to speculate about what they are. in response to this crisis, when do they request -- can you tell us more about what you are doing? if the pentagon cannot even confirm there are iranian fighters on the ground, what is the quality of the intelligence? the presidentve

realistic options if there are so many holes in the intelligence? >> i did not say there were holes in intelligence, barb. at the request of the iraqi government, we have for some time now been providing some isr support. it's not like we have not seen isi's developments in the country. in recent days, this week, we got additional requests from the iraqi government for additional, more intensified isr support, and we are providing that. >> [inaudible] >> no, i cannot. we typically don't talk about the methods through which we conduct isr missions, and we certainly don't talk about intelligence matters here publicly. largerot forget the point. we have been sharing information with the iraqi government, and the iraqi security forces since we left the country in large

numbers and down to what we have had there since 2011. this idea of information sharing arrangement is not new. ,ut it is intensified this week in conjunction with the activities. the lack of precise, on the ground intelligence if you cannot confirm -- if this department cannot confirm that inre are iranian forces iraq, how can you credibly give the president viable options when you don't have a full intelligence picture? >> intelligence is never perfect. never wills been, it be. it is an important capability, one we continue to develop with the iraqi security forces. i am comfortable and confident and so is the secretary that the options that the military will provide the president will be

robust enough for the commander-in-chief to make the decisions he needs to make. >>. you think it's important to know if there are iranians there , don't you? >> we are working on this as hard and fast as we can with our partners in iraq. anything to confirm. iranian special forces inside iranian special forces inside iraq. he have been clear that iran needs to be a responsible partner in the region and continue to urge them to do that. to be said you want iran responsible and prior to this answer you said they should play a constructive role. can you outline what a constructive role could be? >> they can stop supporting extremist networks. that's one thing. >> would military involvements

by iran be constructive or not? >> i'm not going to write an action plan for the iranian government to play in the region. we have been clear about what our expectations are for iran. i have been clear here today that we want all of iraq's partners to play a constructive role as they face this challenge. iraq and iran are sovereign states. the degree to which they talk to one another and make decisions, that is between the leaders of those two sovereign states. this is a very real threat inside iraq. it is certainly a threat in the region. this is the time for everybody to make sober, deliberate, measured decisions. >> based on your assessment of the situation in iraq, do you

envision any scenario where the u.s. can provide any assistance to the iraqi government without getting directly involved in a military way, to break this momentum you have been talking about? that is why the president has asked for options. he's reviewing options. the premise of the question is not that we just walked away didn't.q, and we there has been since 2011 a small number of u.s. military personnel working in the embassy to help continue to advise and assist iraqi security forces. it's important for people to that the iraqi security forces work for the government of iraq. fare's a limit to how advice and assistance can go in the course of three years. fromof what we have seen

iraqi security forces in some parts of the country speak to deeper challenges inside the iraqi government to include political differences. 2011,ing we said back in the best safeguard against a return to violence is to continue commitment of iraqi leaders to resolve their differences. some of what we are seeing now with isf problems stem from ongoing political challenges that remain inside iraq. >> [inaudible] these iraqi forces capable at this moment to raise that momentum we have been talking about? >> [inaudible] >> the president made clear that

in the near-term he wants to have options available to help break this momentum. to clearly have us help them in the near term break this momentum. be cute aboutto it. we are certainly disappointed by the performance of some iraqi security force units with respect to the challenges they faced in the last few days. over the long term, these are threats and challenges that the iraqi government and iraqi security forces have to meet for themselves, and for the iraqi people. beenven that you have sharing so much information with the iraqi government since 2011, all the training that has gone into building up iraqi forces, the equipment that has been sold surprised were you or were you not also prized at the way the forces the performed so poorly -- surprised at the way the forces performed so poorly when push came to shove?

>> we were disappointed in the performance of some of these units. it is fair to say that we did not expect for them -- for those units to not have stood up to the threat. we certainly did not expect that level of performance. again, the president said over the near term we are going to look for ways to help them break the momentum here, and then we will do that. >> should you be concerned that perhaps the iraqi commanders have been feeding information to isil, undermining the performance of the units? >> i have not seen any information in that regard, no. know, the, as we original iraqi army under saddam hussein was disbanded soon after

the u.s. invasion in march 2003. a new army was reconstituted and trained over the subsequent years. is the response of iraqi security forces in the last week is that a poor the training that the u.s. provided to iraqi security forces? >> absolutely not. 2011, weeft iraq in at airaqi security forces level of competency, particularly on counterterrorism, that we believe was appropriate to the threats they faced. -- not that i you don't need to, but there's a lot that wentnd treasure into giving the iraqis that opportunity. a lot of young men and women did not come home, giving them the opportunity.

believescretary hagel that that is exactly what we did. that was three years ago. to a degree, the iraqi government has to speak to the proficiency of their armed forces. we have a small group there who stayed in the embassy to help advise and assist. but it's not an overt act of training regiment. we got them to what we believe was an appropriate level of competency in 2011. the threats change too, clearly. this is a sovereign country. these are sovereign armed forces. going to tee up options for the president to consider for a near-term break in this momentum, ultimately over the long term this is the responsibility of iraq's

government and people and security forces. >> did the u.s. request [indiscernible] equipment of the seized by these people, and how important this could be to prepare -- >> i'm not aware of any inventory we have asked. the iraqi government is the events of the last couple of days. it, they arend looking into the scope of captured equipment and systems that belong to the iraqi government. i would not prejudge how that's going to come out. >> [inaudible] aerial support in case the commander-in-chief requests that? >> i don't understand the question. >> [indiscernible] some support to control the

advance of the people, do you have enough intelligence to avoid massacres? >> let's not get into hypotheticals right now. most of your policies on afghanistan are based on your iraq model. how can you show the people of afghanistan and the u.s. [indiscernible] the premise of your question is wrong. the decisions in afghanistan are not built on the iraq model. this is a completely different situation. the president has made some decisions about what our presence will look like in afghanistan at the end of this year, assuming we get assigned a bilateral a security -- security

agreement. i fail to see a comparison to iraq, and i would remind you that we had remained open to discussing a presence in iraq assuming we can get the same sort of legal protections for our troops, which the iraqi government was not able to produce. >> what is it going to take to show that afghan forces are strong enough to defend any kind of taliban? >> we can stand pretty well on the record of our performance in terms of helping develop the competency of afghan forces, which are in the lead right now, and doing quite well. if you need proof, go back and look at the security of the elections that just occurred. nothing changes about our commitment to that. the nato support mission post

2014 at the end of the isf mission is all about furthering their competency and capability. we are committed to executing that. >> [indiscernible] three years after our mission ended in iraq. will believed then and i say it again, we left with iraqi security forces that were competent to the threat they were facing. that thread has a rolled -- has evolved over three years. the iraqi government should be able to speak to their organization, their manning and resourcing and training and equipping of their armed forces over the last three years. we are going to provide options to the president to see if we cannot help break this momentum in the near-term.

over the long term, this is an iraqi government with a threat to meet. the best safeguard is for continued commitment by iraqi leaders to resolve their differences through peaceful politics, and inclusive government. it is fair to say that that process is far from mature right now. the president said it and you repeated in just about everyone of your answers, break the momentum. momentum can easily be regained. are we talking about a long-term military commitment here? >> i think the president was clear about -- >> what do you mean, break the momentum? stop them from shooting today, next week? we need to let this

decision-making process work its way through. we are providing options to the president. the commander-in-chief is going to make decisions based on the options he has provided. whole international security team reviewing options for the president's consideration. it's not all about the military. aboutesident was clear his near-term objective, and we will provide options that help them achieve that objective. >> it sounds like the u.s. would to in factitment support the iraqi government for some period of time in any one ,f these advancements, reforms that they plan to pursue. meantime, the enemy forces here, the militants, are not going to pick up and leave.

committed to helping achieve the president's objectives, and i will leave it at that. >> i have seen some reports that in addition to the isis force, there are some other former insurgent groups adding to the momentum of this campaign. do you have any evidence at this point that the threat is multifaceted beyond this particular organization? it's not a monolithic organization. extremist groups rarely are. i don't have any insights into their makeup. clearly there's a lot of foreign fighters involved here. it is a fluid number. it is not a hierarchical, organized nationstate force. it matters less to us what kind

of id card they are carrying or who they think they belong to, and more about what they are doing, and what we can do to help iraq's security forces in the near-term. >> is this now a civil war? >> what we have is an armed militant group and network threatening the internal security of iraq. i think everybody is aware of the threat being posed to the iraqi people by these guys. we are committed to doing what we can in the near-term. >> does the pentagon have any information you can share it with us? who is financing isis? do you agree with a lot of analysis here and washington, d.c. saying that religious movement in saudi arabia are behind funding isis?

>> i don't have a lot of insight into the way they are funded and supported. they are funded, they are getting support, they have resources. position to quantify or clarify where it is all coming from. what matters is what they are doing. inside iraq. do you have confidence in the iraqi security force possibility to hold baghdad? >> i will let him speak for their capability in and around baghdad. fast-movingave a situation. that is the spirit in which the options from a military

that we are proposing for the president's consideration. wei said earlier, certainly were -- we were surprised and poor performance of some iraqi security force units in the north. honest if iess than said that performance instilled a lot of confidence. it didn't. >> do you blame [indiscernible] and on baghdad, there are americans there. what are you doing to protect the american specifically at the embassy? blaming.s not about

i think i have made it clear that there are a lot of factors that have played into where the iraqi secours -- security forces are three years after our departure. that is interesting history. we have to focus on what we can do in the near-term to help the iraqi security forces meet the threat. we know there are many americans in iraq. there has been no requests by to movee department those americans out of the country. two questions.

yesterday there was video that came out on social media that showed a very long line of prisoners that have been captured by isis. there are reports today that half of those numbers, 1700 of them, were killed in a mass killing. do you have any information to support that information that there was a mass killing of shiite soldiers captured by isis? >> i do not. >> he returned to the united states last night. around the same time, there was a news report that cited two byters supposedly written him while under captivity. do you have information to verify that those letters were legitimate? >> i cannot confirm the authenticity of the letters. we are aware of the news reports about the letters.

>> you gave up the opportunity when asked to say that this department believes iraqi forces can hold baghdad. saidid not answer that and you will let the prime minister speak for that. does the united states military think the iraqi military can hold baghdad? >> i did not give up an opportunity not to answer. i take every opportunity i can to not answer your questions. [laughter] >> it's a serious question, admiral. >> i know it is. and try to answer it. i will try again. the question about his force possibility to defend baghdad is something he and the iraqi

government are best able to answer. clearly, they are facing a significant threat. and clearly not every unit in the iraqi security forces have risen to meet that threat. herenot lost on anybody that the threat is real, which is why the commander-in-chief has asked the military leadership in the pentagon to provide him some options to review. that's what we're focused on right now. whatever the commander-in-chief decides, it should not include military options to assist them in breaking the momentum that isis has will execute those. if there is a decision. is,ld there be, when there we will speak to that at the appropriate time. they are clearly a force facing

a threat. not all of them uniformly. let's call it like it is, have met that threat capably. >> is the u.s. military making any preparations are moving any forces in case the state department does request and embassy evacuation? who is moving these contractors that were in northern iraq? >> on your first question, all regional commanders have assets at their disposal, particularly our central command commander has assets and resources should evacuations be required in any country which falls under his purview. we have standing plans to conduct those missions should they be required. we are not there yet. i would also remind you that when we are talking about

noncombatant evacuations, the state department makes those decisions. military assets are not always the first choice for that. general austin has resources and capabilities should he need them. there is no such request for that. on the other question about the contractors, they are contractors, and my understanding is -- i don't want to speak for the company for which they work -- my understanding is that the company is arranging for their departure from the airbase. i would refer them to speak to how they are doing that. theou painted a portrait of isis of not hierarchical, nonstate military. you don't know the numbers. the numbers are fluid but in the thousands. how does that complicate military options?

it does not seem like they have theote, center of gravity airstrikes could take out to break the momentum. how does the fact that they are fluid, nonstate and in the thousands versus the 600,000-man iraqi force -- how does that complicate the options? the options being prepared by will cover a wide range of military capabilities. we of the capabilities that are tasked to provide options for would be kinetic strikes, which can be incredibly donetive and powerful when the right way to achieve objectives. i'm not going to get ahead of decisions the commander-in-chief has not made yet. i'm not going to prejudge that.

you are right. as i said, they are not a nationstate army. clearly they are interested in geographic gains as well. ofre's a whole swath military capabilities that could be useful depending on what decisions the president wants to make. >> [indiscernible] set piece army. this is not seem like a set piece force that you could employ traditional -- >> there's not. but iraqi security forces are. whatever the thrust of whatever options would be to assist the iraqi security forces in meeting this threat. >> [inaudible] >> the president has been clear

about his intent with that in that regard, in the near-term to help break the him and him -- momentum of isil. >> [inaudible] planning for unilateral airstrikes by the united states but in coordination with combined -- >> whenever we would do would be in combination with the iraqi government. and the iraqi security forces. certainly at the request of the iraqi government. i don't want to get into a lot of hypotheticals or chase the rabbit hole exactly what options. our job is to provide the commander-in-chief options. that is what we do every single day, all over the world. >> [inaudible] is that unmanned, isr? we are intensifying -- this week, our isr support to the

iraqi security forces. >> i would like to take another crack at breaking momentum. >> go-ahead. >> what is that mean -- does that mean? does that mean preventing the militants from taking down baghdad? or does it mean reversing the gains that they have made so far? it's not helpful at this early stage, before the president has made any decisions ino go into great detail describing precisely what capabilities will be applied and to what tactical effect. clear, in the near-term we are going to try to help the iraqi security forces break this momentum, this momentum that isil has clearly built.

i think that is what the focus is on. that implies this is just not a short term fix. it sounds like you are committing to a long-term solution. >> what we have been committed to in the long term, since we left iraq, since the combat is aon in iraq ended, long-term strategic partnership with iraq and iraq security security forces that are confident and capable of defending their people. clearly, they are under strain and threat right now. clear that wewas have an interest in helping them combat thisterm very real threat. over the long-term -- we said in

to1 -- what really needs happen inside iraqi security forces, inside the government is an inclusive, peaceful political process that allows for the competency and capability of the iraqi security forces to be sustained. there has been some challenges in the last three years with respect to that. ist problem, that issue something the iraqi government needs to solve. thanks, everybody. appreciate it. questionsrd lots of at this briefing about the ongoing violence in iraq. president obama spoke about this earlier today. he told reporters that the u.s. will not be sending troops to iraq, but that he asked his national security team to arrange other options as violence continues to escalate there. we will show you the president's marks tonight at 8:00 p.m..

we have been getting your reactions to whether we should escalate in iraq. -- we invite you to weigh in. /cspan.acebook.com.c to learn how to compromise, how to make pragmatic decisions. in the upcoming midterm elections americans will have choices to make about which path they want to go down and whether it will make investments we will need in our people. i will leave that discussion to others. us, and the private

and nonprofit sector, we have work to do. government doesn't have monopoly on good ideas. couldn'tt wanted, it and shouldn't try to solve all the problems by itself. we have responsibilities to do what we can. >> hillary clinton's latest book is called "hard choices." watch book tv coverage of secretary clinton starting at c-span 2.rn on both events will re-air saturday at 8:30. >> last night the radio television correspondents association held its annual dinner and presented awards for contributions to the news

industry. this program includes language some may find objectionable. >> thank you everyone. rhubarb.kful for have you enjoyed your dessert as much as enjoyed mine? i also want to thank the go, go symphony. especially the founder. i want to rewelcome you to the 70th annual rcca congressional correspondent's dinner. we are now live on cespn 1. -- ccspan. i have to say hello to my mom who would be watching anyway. i love you. now, i would like to send your

attention to the video screen for an important public announcement. this is about a common and very serious medical condition that many of us face on capitol hill. >> i was in reel trouble. i was irritable. i was unable to work with people. i was getting easily confused. i was starting to lose my edge. i just got to say -- i just got a note saying i'm in the wrong hearing. >> i enjoy working. >> i'm starting to suffer from superman delusions. and everything, absolutely everything was off the record.

off the record, i can tell you where the jefferson memorial is. i'd like to have the eggs scrambled and the hash browns off the record. that's when my doctor diagnosed me with campaign per pet ooh -- perpetualalis. it is constant campaigning in a never ending news cycle. call your doctor right away if you experience these symptoms. impaired judgment -- let me interrupt you for a moment. >> right now in miami justin bieber has been arrested on a number of charges. >> chris matthews helping us do the math out of washington. chris, thank you. >> you don't have to live this way. the villas can help manage your

campaign and make you easier to be around and happy. the villas changed my life. now when i go to parties people actually talk to me. and most of the time i don't even hit them up for a campaign donation. and i can talk to people, different points of view. we may argue in public, but we agree on so many other things. we don't want to see ellen grace twerk. >> side effects may include reasonableness, listening, and dry mouth. in rare cases people may -- lectile dysfunction. call your doctor if you experience an enjoyable conversation laughing more than four hours or kicking back and living easy. don't drive or fundraise until you know how this affects you. >> i'm carter fleming and i

approve this message. since i've been using this my campaign is under control. i am not sleeping in my office anymore and i can talk to reel -- real people without conferring with my scheduler. when you're ready to take care there is stability. >> and that video, another example of the greatness of washington d.c. produced by the comedy writers we have with us tonight. thank you guys for that video. and if anyone needs good jokes you can find them at dc comedy writers.com. we come here tonight the "washington post" is now a broadcaster with us tonight. yahoo is here also tonight for the first time. the recession was not kind to everyone in the media landscape

and it would be easy for me to congratulate those of us here on surviving. instead, i think tonight is about what comes next because the people in this room, we are the ones who will form the next evolution, maybe revolution in journalism. and that's the reason the awards we present tonight are so important. these awards set the pace for excellence in our field. we start tonight with the david bloom award. this award is given for occur tath, ino vision -- innovation under dangerous conditions. it is in memory of nbc's david bloom, a rare ino innovateor. here to present that award tonight are david bloom's daughters who we have had the honor to watch grow up. welcome, ladies. [applause]

every year they kindly give ouse this award. now these women are coming into their own. i would like to quickly brag about them in their own right. christine and nicole are college juniors. she is a forensic economic. nicole is i double major in performing arts and journalism. she is co-ainoring the morning news at her college. fantastic. [applause] ava is in high school and she volunteers to help children deal with grief. ladies, we are so proud of you and i present to you the bloom sisters to read you the david bloom award.

good evening. it's such an honor to be here tonight. my sisters and i always look forward to coming to this event. since march of 25011, syria has been embroiled in a violent civil war in uprising. internet censorship is extensive. continues government to bar most journalists from entering the country. making firsthand reporting next to impossible. this year's david bloom award honors an incredibly brave broadcast journalist who risked his life to show the world images inside syria during the military crackdown that has cost 160,000 lives.

the war in syria is now in its fourth year. and while policymakers in washington continue to debate whether to step in and stop the bloodshed, brave journalists continue to risk their lives to shine a light on syrian government's brazen brutality. for several months mr. lambert, a correspondent for the u.k.'s channel 4 television embedded himself with rebels and forces on both sides in central syria. here is an excerpt from dispatches, syria across the lines. >> the river valley tells the story of syria. it reveals a warring nation that is breaking in two. in this valley, neighbor is fighting neighbor.

every day is a struggle to survive. a land where regime and rebels are fighting to the death. this is the story of the people who live and fight on both sides of the front line. neighbors now divided by religion, ideology and the river that runs between them.

[applause] >> under extremely difficult circumstances, mr. lambert filmed, produced and directed this revealing film that examined the affects the war is having on ordinary civilians. not only did lambert skem phi courage his reporting reminded policymakers that the bloodshed in syria is not letting up. we are honored to award this year's bloom award to channel 4's television oly lambert. he is currently working overseas he could not be here tonight. he recorded a video message to call all of you. >> good evening everyone from london. first of all, i'm really sorry that i can't be there tonight. i really wanted to come over and

have a drink with you all, but unfortunately work stuff -- i can't make the trip. this is a really huge honor and i'm really touched making any documentary is going to be difficult. and this one one was particularly difficult. a lot of us went through a lot of stuff to get on the screen and get it seen and getting any kind of recognition at the end of that process is emassive. this is a huge yoonor. i'm very touched. have a greet night. sorry i can't be there but thank you very much for giving me a nod.

it means a lot and it goes a long way. thanks very mutch from a-- thanks very much from across the pond. >> jeri thompson was an extraordinary colleague who always went above and beyond to produce the best work possible. apartat really set him was what a selfless friend, passionate teacher and incredible person he was. this award was established three

years ago by the rtca to recognize those qualities, devotion to craft and to the people around you. this award recognizes photojournalists, sound crews and technical staff who are role models among their peers. >> you since -- sense the heart behind this award. this year's special winner eric hanson. he passed away in february and those in his life and those in this room who knew him still feel the pain of that it's still very raw and very real. and that's because he was the guy at cspan who talked to everybody and knew everybody and always made the effort to spend time with people, and we all know what a difference that can make. trying to spend time with people is one of the gifts he has left behind. one colleague said it would be hard to know how many people he took fishing.

and so those personal gestures are the things about any of our lives that truly endure. he had a long career here at cspan. he was really creative, a teacher. he really came up with one of the ideas that was an early version of what we think of now as live view and for the nonbroadcast civilians in the room that's like a sat like truck in a backpack allowing us to send pictures in real time in a portable way. he was being creative in ways ahead of his time, and that made a mark. he also had a real sense of community. and even when he was fighting cancer and made the decision to retire to devote more time to his health, he was thinking about the people in his life and i'm told he turned his garage into a sports memorabilia center so friends could come and have time and enjoy being together. so we want you to take a look at the man we're talking about in honoring tonight with this presentation made by cspan.

>> i just came to make sure i toned up all right. go ahead and roll that. ♪

>> it is 6:30 where we are.

eric is our director. ♪ [applause] >> eric never complained. his creed was don't argue and he is with us tonight in the spirit of friendship and the quality. work we honor and through the people he loved, his wife sue, their children. and accepting in memory of their father, ryan and erica. [applause]

>> before they take the award, i wanted to read something that was sent to us by inez thompson, jerry's wife. inez ironically was -- eric ironically was inez's crew chief when she worked at cspan and she wanted to send these comments along. she wanted to express how happy i am that eric is the recipient of this year's jerry thompson's award. many years ago when i was fresh out of college i landed a job at cspan and for many years there eric was my crew chief. he was professionalal in every way. his passion for his job and commitment to excellence were evident from the start.

like jerry, there was never a day that eric was grum y or unwilling to give a 100% to the task at hand. eric was one of my first mentors in this business. i want to congratulate eric for receiving this award and i want to give my condolences to his wife and children who i met briefly at the memorial. stay strong and know that his life was an example to all of us and that eric and jerry will forever reside in our hearts. our lives are richer for having known these two truly wonderful men. [applause] >> i'd like to take a moment to say some words about my dad. i think back to when i was younger i was always so excited

for my dad to return home from one of his trips. looking forward to hearing all the stories of all the places he saw, like china, england, berlin . and the many people he got to meet. most of all, i really enjoyed all the stories and all the fun times he had with all of his friends and coworkers that he got to meet and spend so many years with. he said the saying is true, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. he showed all those he met compassion. he had a heart large enough for all those who got a chance to know him. his sense of humor made everyone smile and laugh. his words of -- were his life. so let's leave here tonight remembering what he said so

often. hug your family, don't fight, and look for the good in others. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. next, an award particularly meaningful to me. it is for someone i personally admire who has taught me and many of us on capitol hill as a colleague and friend. the career achievement award is a rare recognition from this association. we decided it must go to abc radio's vic ratner. to present this award, ann comp ton.

[applause] beneath the-- the capitol dome, there are national treasures, and for 40 years one of those has been your colleague, of abc news. you know him as a classic example to dedication of fairness. he has an uncommon ability to extend kindness and generosity. he is tireless. cokie roberts, one of his greatest fans tells me when she had keys to the radio tv gallery he was already there on the , air.

it was vic who invited -- this is vick ratner. ♪ >> coming to washington in 1973. >> there was a time when watergate was a place to live and work. >> i was sent to cover the trial of guys who were caught breaking into the watergate building. a month later, one of the conspirators started talking about coverups and pay ups. i had an incredible time covering the news. family members say carter broke a promise. clinton and his family will be on vacation in south carolina. the opportunity to see how

americans are affected by what we do. >> nancy pelosi is the first woman elected to the speakership. when i got the chance to cover space, i leapt at it. >> liftoff. >> pieces tumble off. the challenger seems to shake free of the ice and goes. >> you can't ever have a real script. things are changing in front of your eyes. hundreds of school kids jumping up and down and cheering as it takes off. that means the engines are running well. what is happening? what happened? something has gone amiss. something is wrong. not a word from mission control.

everyone here is open mouthed. >> i sell kids. saw kids. they don't know whether this is part of it. they don't know whether to cheer . their faces crumble. watching those kids faces turn into tears, i will never forget that. i never walk into the capitol without a feeling of american history in front of me in that building. >> the president of the united states. >> members of the house and senate on their feet cheering and applauding as president obama works his way down the center aisle. one sentence in a bill can change american lives. that is what matters. it is not how do we get this bill together. it is what is the effect owing to be on people? >> please welcome, a lifetime

achievement, vic ratner. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. i am overwhelmed. i am blown away. my heart is very full. lisa, to you and members of the board, to my colleagues at abc news, and my colleagues i have

worked with and learn so much from covering washington, thank you very much. the former senate majority leader howard baker wants likened to running the senate as herding cats. his line was under will encourage anarchy, after what has happened the last week or so, for the new folks in the room, talk about news. what a time to be here. thank you very much. [applause] >> our final award of tonight is one of the most prestigious for political and congressional reporting in the country. the joan s. barone award. [applause] >> thank you, lisa.

you look at your program and you see this name. you don't know her. you don't know much about her. unless you are a certain age. you say, why do i care? here is why. this is a woman who at a time when women had a hard time breaking the glass ceiling in the news business, went from researcher doing watergate to executive producer. she is the kind of person who absolutely encapsulates what it means to be smart, funny, savvy with the news, the kind of thing that you want your colleagues to

be. she is someone that you would love to have your table tonight. and, she was incredibly kind. one researcher who worked for her at the san francisco convention in 1964 tells the story of staying up all night on a project for her, and the next day was surprised with a ticket to the all-star game at candlestick park. pretty good. she had the kind of standards that people saying today, years later, don't exist anymore. the winners of this award tonight at test to the fact that they do exist. joan wasn't just smart and tough. she was a good friend to many of us. she loved politics, enjoyed life, the kind of person that you wish you were with. that is why the joan s. barone award is presented annually for excellence in washington-based reporting on national affairs and public policy.

here is what the judges wrote about tonight so winners. nearly every reporter has covered conferences with a magic act, and too much there there, but in this series, our winners, david curley of abc news went underneath the canopy of washington's questionable spending. they honed in on what may otherwise be apparently meaningless fragments. when they woven together, the expenses by members of congress, the cabinet agencies on automatic pilot, even the biggest of one of spending cut and debates in years, it made a lot of sense.

donuts, catfish, it may not sound like a broad narrative about government itself, but that is what this correspondent and this producer expose. the washington watchdog serious has also approached spending from the consumer angle, illustrating how millions spent in d.c. is a practical concern to people outside of the beltway. here is an example of their work. >> the sunlight foundation

crunched the numbers for us. the house of representatives spent $2 million on coffee and food last year alone. this is a true bipartisan effort. leaders hosting their own members. john boehner, $64,000. nancy pelosi, $61,000. >> what do we do about this? >> in an age of austerity and budget cut, ask them to buy their own copy. >> the biggest spender, the number three republican. kevin mccarthy. even on his facebook page, $95,000. another $4000 for bottled water. enough to pay the salaries of two mid-level staffers. >> and i ask you questions about your coffee and food spending? >> the congressman declined our request for an interview and would not stop to defend his spending. >> $100,000? is that appropriate? >> what we noticed were leftovers from a meeting he was attending. a staffer offered us a bagel. [applause]

>> you see why we are proud to award this year's award to david curley and daniel steinberger. [applause] it is a pleasure. good work. >> congratulations. >> thank you. i never knew joan, but i know bill plante. i can't think of a better traveling mate on many trips to we have done around the world. it is a huge pleasure to accept this award for a man who asked spent the last 50 years at cbs news.

thank you. thank you very much. thank you to the radio and tv correspondents association. i practice this craft like many of my colleagues do. to provide information to our viewers so they can make decisions about how to live their life, and how to run their country. our efforts help preserve this democracy. we are able to ask those in power, those who have the authority, how they are spending our money and what they are doing with our money. when diane sawyer wanted to revitalize this franchise they said we want to know from the people who are spending our tax dollars and the people who are wasting our tax dollars, why they are doing that. we go out and find them and occasionally, as you see, the next majority leader, we find

them occasionally. it is a team effort. daniel steinberger and i, i have a lot of things i do, this is his baby. he has to scour looking for these stories and has read more inspector general reports that anybody in this business should have to do. not the most colorful reading, i am sure. he has done a wonderful job. we try to make it into television. how do we make it engaging? we made it television with some good editors and we think pat, kurt, tom, and gary. for doing a wonderful job, and supporting us, and with distinction serving abc news as a division as a whole. daniel, and i, we would like to thank our wives. from my point of view, i will give daniel the microphone here.

we have mentors and teachers who have launched our careers. for me it was professor jim hayes who --somebody knows jim hayes. jim passed away on tuesday. he would be very proud, which makes me their he happy. [applause] >> not much more to add. thank you very much. tv, a learned early on, it is supposed to be fun. doing these stories, as hard as they are sometimes, are a lot of fun. working with david curley, who can write, ask tough questions, is creative, and a pleasure to work with, makes it more fun. thank you to everyone here. see you on the next one. [applause]

>> quickly i want to thank the excellent staff of the houston who are here tonight. thank you. we depend on you. who in the world would want the job for working for both congress and the press? you do it so well. we have a rear rarity -- real rarity. a speaker few of us have seen. he doesn't generally talk to the press until tonight. denis mcdonough has worked across washington, including in congress as an advisor to democratic leader tom dashiell. in the last day i learn more about his earlier careers.

politics is his second career. he was first a high school and middle school teacher. which, actually was a big advantage when you transition to the white house because he succeeded in getting sasha to stop smacking her gum, helped malia with algebra, and you got joe biden to start taking selfies? don't worry. there is a professional comedian coming up later. [laughter] tonight, he is our honored speaker. white house chief of staff denis mcdonough. [applause] >> good evening everybody. i want to say thank you to nick offerman for hosting us tonight. to senator fisher and representative holmes norton. thank you for sharing the dais. i want to say to lisa, thank you for that thorough introduction.

as lisa noted, i once taught middle school and high school. it seems like yesterday i was roaming crowded hallways teeming with unchecked egos, adolescent gossip, and plagued by mean-spirited bullying. actually, i am sure that was yesterday. [laughter] i am thrilled to be here. i consider this part of what i call our ongoing charm offensive at the white house. that is where we leave msnbc feeling charmed, and members of congress calling us offensive, and for those keeping score on the president's fifth chief of staff, i asked jack lew for advice about how to manage this relationship. he said, like a marriage, and the president is larry king.

[laughter] actually this is an honor for me. ira him or the day i was being offered the position. the president looked at me straight in the eye and said dennis, if you like your current job you can keep it. [laughter] one reason the president and i work so well together, we have a lot in common. one difference is that he is protestant and i am catholic. he wrote "dreams from my father," and i wrote guilt from my father. [laughter] i have an lucky enough to have some pretty incredible experiences. people often ask what it is like to be there in the room with the president. i say we call those people white house photographers. it is not all fun and games

though. the white house can be stressful. my boss likes to talk all the time about how he is going gray. [laughter] really. what is that like? [laughter] it must be hard. there is always new challenges in this job. the president has taken to flipping out unannounced to the interior department to a burger joint, starbucks, and it can get frustrating. if i want a boss who was on his way out when no one expected it i would have tried to work for eric cantor. [laughter] [applause] but, for all the setbacks and obstacles we are seeing signs of progress. the last time secretary clinton joined the president for lunch,

the secret service didn't feel the need to taste his food first. that is change right there. [laughter] in all seriousness, nights like this are fun and important. my old boss often says that debate is the music of democracy. it is not always melodious. it is never pretty. functional discourse and healthy debate should always remain at the core of our democracy to keep us moving forward. the people in this room, the members, the staff, the press, you are the chorus for this music of democracy. tonight is bound to be turning tomorrow into some robust back and forth. that is how it should be. and, at the same time, as much as the founders urged us to debate, they urged us to action. not just to talk. let's make sure that tomorrow's

back-and-forth includes decisions and action. i share the president's optimism and commitment to spend every day in office to working hard at building coalitions and proving leaders in washington can still get things done. this may surprise you. i have recently learned there are a group of commonsense republicans in congress who want to work with us to solve problems. if they are not careful, i will leak their names to the press. [laughter] thank you everybody. thank you for the honor of being here. have a great night. [applause] >> thank you. i want to thank the white house communications staff for making this happen. [applause] now, it is time for our final act of the night. he is an antigovernment government worker on "parks and

recreation." in real life he is a lover of history, builder of canoes, and one of america's greatest comics. i'm excited to introduce denis nick offerman. [applause] >> thank you lisa. good evening. they have left a gavel appear for me. -- up here for me. it is a styled american white owed. if things get unruly i will call this room to order. good evening. it is a great honor to be here. my sisters and i look forward to coming to this event every year. since march of 2011, syria -- sh it.

[laughter] excuse me. good evening. [laughter] thank you for having me here tonight. it is a great honor. don't worry. i am being paid significantly less than jill abramson to do this job. [laughter] i grew up in a small town. my late grandfather was the mayor of my hometown. i come from a long line of former politicians. it is only natural i would end up here speaking to you this evening. the citizens of our town loved my grandfather. whenever he addressed the townspeople he opened with this job.

i thought it was appropriate. i thought i would try to endear myself to you in a similar fashion. a bus loaded with politicians is driving down a country road when suddenly the bus ran off the road and straight into old pete's barn. old pete got off his tractor and went to investigate the carnage, which was considerable. after some consideration, he saw no choice but to dig a large hole and bury the politicians. a few days later the local sheriff came out and saw the crash bus and asked old pete what happened to the politicians. pete told him he had buried them. well, the good lord, the sheriff asked, were they all dead? old pete said, some of them said they weren't but you never can trust a politician. [laughter] [applause] i should apologize by the way if

you're expecting my mustache. i am with uta, my mustache is with caa. it is engaged in a soda campaign down at the world cup. [laughter] i was very excited when i heard i would get to meet the white house chief of staff. it turns out that position has nothing at all to do with stick fighting. a lot more would get done in this town if disputes were settled with a bow staff. you heard the news about eric cantor. got a job at fox news. [laughter] [applause] he is the first house majority lose a primary sense 1899.

it is the last time we were at war with spain. watch yourself, spain. [laughter] tonight's dinner celebrated washington, d.c. itself a city with a rich history of music and art and diplomats getting away with the huge dealer -- vehicle or homicide. something that upsets him with this town is that easy residents residents have to pay federal income tax despite not having a vote in congress. [applause] we literally fought a revolution over that. it is like massachusetts not letting straight people get married. [laughter]

requires a little math. between the republicans and democrats among the city has become a noxious stink hole. little actually gets done because of the backstabbing, deceit, and greed. i just want to thank all of you for making a hollywood actor like myself feel welcome. [laughter] i'm right at home. republicans have come around on sex education. i heard they finally decided to teach fracking in schools. can i say that on c-span? gay marriage is now legal in pennsylvania. in the space of just a few weeks their anti-gay law and michael vick. well done. with anti-gay marriage laws toppling so easily, i am starting to worry it is a trap. like perhaps the koch brothers are distracting us while they escape on a spaceship.

a giant gay spaceship. [laughter] growing up in a farm family there were early lessons in politics. in illinois we have these two nations black beetles. indestructible. we would have these family picnics that involved frosty mugs and draft beer. these beetles would dive into your beer so that if you didn't keep it covered, eventually they would all be in there for the free beer. sincerely, these bugs were known as democrats. [laughter] some people assume that because i am a actor i am a democrat. other people assume that because i like to hunt and build things i am a republican. i am neither.

i am a proud bull moose. teddy roosevelt was a personal hero of mine. he was a man's man with a powerful mustache, an adventurous spirit, and no patience whatsoever for this sort of nonsense. [laughter] he probably wouldn't be a big fan of this room to be honest. the news media speaks very loudly and does not own any sticks. [laughter] i am proud to live in a representative democracy. congress is almost entirely made up of rich, white men like me. i appreciate it. speaking of them, comcast and time warner are about to merge, which i think is great.

nbc is owned by comcast and i'm contractually obligated to think that. [laughter] comcast and time warner cable were just named the two most hated companies in america. pretty impressive. gm basically murdered people and they aren't in the top 10. you could start a company whose o set dogsodel was the on fire and they wouldn't be as hated as time warner. corporations are now considered people. i think it is great because it has been my dream to punch time warner in the face. let's be honest. pretty much all of our bosses are evil. nbc is owned by comcast. cnn is owned by time warner.

fox is owned by an all strong -- ahlstrom really and --super villain. happy trails to jay carney, the messenger we love tissue. -- to shoot. he was in the parlance of old racists, one of the good ones. [laughter] as you are no doubt aware, georgia has adopted new gun legislation allowing idiots to wield a firearm in church, the post-offense, bars, movie theaters, the library, but not the statehouse. any of the places where people are prone to get excited or go postal, except the lawmakers' place of an appointment.

if you live in georgia, rest assured you will never need to back down again when wrestling another reader for the last copy of "wind in the willows." you are out of elvis stamps? how about now? [laughter] the second amendment protects our right to own guns, specifically so that we can defend our country from invading armies or from our own federal government should 18 into taking ng end up taking over things and try to make things more royal around here. the second amendment is not there to protect our right to intimidate the teenage cashier at chipotle. i feel like we as a country, present company included, are unclear about the first 10 amendments. if it is alright with you i'm going to run through a brief bill of rights refresher course.

[laughter] the first amendment guarantees of freedom of speech, but freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism. that confusion is one of the many things that fox news and donald sterling have in common. the government can't punish you for saying something stupid, doesn't mean the rest of us can't. and we will. we as a country in joy punishing people for saying stupid things. that fireworks and the missionary position are the three most american things i can think of. [laughter] the first amendment ensures us the freedom of religion. for anybody out there claiming that america was in any way founded as a christian nation, stop it. it is nonsense. look at the bill of rights itself. it is a meticulously worded contract. if anything this is proof that

america was founded as a jewish country. [laughter] come on. i'm a firm believer in the second amendment. i consider myself to be a second amendment originalist. i believe every man or woman has the right to bear arms but only the same arms that our country's forefathers bore in in the 18th century. muskets. then, only as a last resort. if you have a beef with me, i am going to expect you to try and resolve it using reasonable discourse, using words and civility. if our tempers are flaring past the point of civil discourse, i expect you to challenge me in an honorable contest of fisticuffs like a grown adult. to remove oneself to the safe range of a firearm to settle a

dispute in america is nothing short of cowardly. at the ease of automatic firing capability and i will declare you nothing short of lily livered. for shame. it is hard to shoot you when you're shaking his hand. people in texas but it would be good to bring a gun into a chili's to prove a point. it just reminded how fucked up it is to bring a gun in a family restaurant in texas. chili's responded by banning if you are going to shit your pants in a chili's it is because of the food. by god.

the third amendment says soldiers are not allowed to come and sleep in your house if you don't want them to. this is a good amendment. i don't feel like there's a lot of confusion about this one. however reasonable, this is the only amendment that could easily ofswapped into the terms service of airbnb, however. the fourth amendment, we seem to have forgotten about altogether. did someone at the nsa actually spilled barbecue sauce on this one? it does not say "some unreasonable search and seizure." when the closest analog to our government's behavior is billy baldwin in the movie "sliver," something has gone terribly wrong. the fifth amendment is mostly for people to invoke during the second half of "law and order," and basically, five through seven are basically things for people to yell during jury or lawyer shows. the sixth amendment sets up