no one is going to publish an op-ed by you saying, i am brian lamb, 22-year-old citizen. i say, i am a history teacher, all of a sudden, the trend times and the princeton packet cared about my thoughts about current events. so, i had that credibility. i was able to build up a portfolio i could then bring down to a much more prestigious place and say, here are the clips i have. in that regard, it worked out nicely. >> why did you come to the bursting -- brookings institute? >> i wanted to get into political journalism. everyone said there are two approaches. one is go out to chat and work for a loc smallapert your clips, experience, and bring back to d.c. and say, here i am. or, make it happen. i was more compelled to come to d.c. and make it happen. , did actual journalism there and i would cover events like a reporter would cover them. even brookings, many years of freelancing and hustling to try to get my first real journalism "the examiner. it is hard to break into journalism. it is doable. i think it is more doable every day. as long as you're good at it. >> you are s

thank you for coming, c-span that demonstrates how one person can make a difference the idea of brian lamb persuaded the cable industry to make that immediate unedited coverage of events. there are many good people here who might have worked with and are active citizens in their own rights. market is here and has been known to advocate statehood once in awhile. [laughter] for the district of columbia , and in writing the book for the people which is a cookbook for civic action and very concrete and editor of the corporate crime reporter never runs out of material. [laughter] and howard d.c. library rasons project starting at 10 years ago it rated the worst library system of any major city now new branch libraries and there is definitely a renaissance. and the great courageous human rights advocate and john richard does is a sin that worker is here as well. and many others. thank you for coming. this book has a provocative title and it is called "told you so' but i did wait 42 years before i said it. [laughter] some say how can you be right so often, empirically? as well as the enormity chi

i would like to open a saying that susan swain is gone, connie gone, i brian lamb is want you guys tow that when you miss other things -- , we miss you greatly -- host: susan swain is president of c-span. host: i don't see her -- host: she is the host of the series on monday nights -- like familyguys are members and we feel a great deal of comfort seeing you and having you guys dissipate or disappear into the background is disheartening because we feel such a close bond to you folks. at least that is how i feel. especially brian and connie and susan and there was a gentleman from a long time ago -- your 25th anniversary, he opened with shaving his mustache off to do the introduction. i don't think anybody recognized him, but i did. he is from way back. anyway, my question, sandy berger has been caught -- this 9/11, he was in the national archives and he ate some of the documents and he put them in his pants and stole them. isn't that a form of espionage, and more importantly, did anybody find out what he was trying to cover up the documents he removed from the national archives? thank

first of all, thank you, brian lamb, for c-span.you have the finest female broadcasting voice i've ever heard. host: thanks. what is your comment? caller: i'm a proud constituent of the senator. senator, i want to praise you for your appearances during new town. you are the new face of connecticut and i'm very proud to be your supporter. i appreciate you sending linda .cmahon back to the wrestlers and i want to remind lucy, who called it for me, the president reagan did not know about iran contra and president nixon did not know about watergate, both of which were proved to be lies, and i don't take any the people she quoted as saying they didn't know from the present administration have been proved to have allied at this point -- to have lied at this point. so thank you very much, senator, especially for your opinion on syria. i think it would be a disaster to get involved in another civil in my opinion is that afghanistan brought down the soviet union, not president reagan. i think christopher murphy is a bright and rational and r