when president william jefferson clinton left office, the federal budget was balanced, just ten years ago. at that moment in time, ten years ago, the national debt, the net national debt of the united states of america from george washington through william jefferson clinton's eight years was $5 trillion. eight years later when president george w. bush left office, the national debt had grown from from $5 trillion to to $11 trillion. more than doubled in an eight-year period of time. you ask yourself how could that happen in eight years that we could fall so deeply into debt. there are three basic reasons it happened. we fought two wars and didn't pay for them so the spence of those wars was added directly to our national debt. the president's economic theory was the best way to move the economy was for us to give treks to the wealthiest people in america, and he did it in the midst of a war, something no president had ever done, which went directly added to the debt. and he signed into law programs that weren't paid for, expensive programs. and so we ended up with an an $11 trillion

. >> i william jefferson clinton do solemnly swear.... >> reporter: now we're beginning to revalue amongunion and eastern europe didn't slip into chaos after the fall of the berlin wall. when he campaigned for the presidency more than 20 years ago, bush promised us a kinder, gentler nation. now history seems to be extending him a kinder, gentler verdict. not a bad birthday present. >> osgood: next, gentlemen, start your engines. and i've learned a lot from patients who use levemir flexpen. flexpen comes pre-filled with my long-acting insulin, and i dial the exact dose of insulin i need. my flexpen is discreet and doesn't need to be refrigerated. and flexpen goes wherever i go. levemir is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes. do not take if your blood sugar is too low. tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. the most common side effect is low blood sugar. other possible side effects include reactions at the injection site. get medica

block island has been graced by president ulysses grant and president william jefferson clinton.i was pleased to guide president clinton around the mohegan bluffs and the lighthouse during his visit along with the first lady, now secretary of state hillary rodham clinton. throughout the years rhode islanders worked hard to preserve the beauty. captain john r. lewis, a block island resident, spearheaded a campaign to save the southeast lighthouse which was threatened by eroding shoreline. bob secured nearly $1 million in federal funding and persuaded the islanders to raise $270,000 through donations. i must applause the efforts of senator john h. chafee and senator claiborne pell, my predecessors, who worked very hard, particularly senator chafee, to ensure support for the movement of the southeast light. their efforts in conjunction with these federal leaders and state leaders saved the historic landmark which still stands today. block island is not only unique for its rich history, it also has a beautiful landscape. over 40% of the island is now preserved land. the island boasts

as chief of staff to president william jefferson clinton, he crafted the proposal which brought us toalance our budget as a nation. it is hard to imagine that was only ten years ago, we had a balanced federal budget. in fact, we were generating a surplus, putting that money into the social security trust fund to make it stronger. ten years later, mired deep in debt, it's hard to imagine that that did happen, but it did and leon panetta was a big part of that occurrence. he advised president george w. bush on how to bring a close to the iraq war in a responsible way, and for the last two years, he has had an awesome responsibility as director of the central intelligence agency. thanks to the president's strategic focus and director panetta's extraordinary leadership, special forces and c.i.a. operatives were able to locate and capture osama bin laden last month in pakistan. these are precisely the skills and experiences we need at the table at this moment. i know leon panetta is more than just a fellow colleague in the house and a person who shared some time in public service when i di