secretary of defense's policy board. >> ladies and gentlemen, our friend and great leader, senator chuck hagel. [ applause ] >> thank you. i am grateful. this is old chuck. i am here on behalf of the board of directors of the atlantic council to thank you, to acknowledge what each of you continue to do for the atlantic council. you make a better world for all of us. that is the essence of why we recognize those tonight that joe and mica have already acknowledged because they represent what is best in mankind and they represent contributions to mankind that are made in different ways. that is much of who we are after 50 years at the atlantic council. everyone in this audience knows that we are all living at a time of global course correction. it is going to require strengthening our coalitions of common interests. it is going to require developing alliances of cooperation. and it's going to require building new platforms of partnership. these honorees tonight all recognize that and they all are building toward that. i want to also on behalf of the board of directors in this institution recogniz

chuck hagel pulled his unconscious brother out of a carrier before it blew up, turning his face into bubbley blisters. he prayed as he watched blood pour out of tom's ears. he reflected after that as he lay near death severely burned in a makeshift hospital. quote, i made a promise to myself, he writes in his excellent book, that if i got out of that place, and was ever in a position to do something about war, so horrible, so filled with suffering, i would do whatever i could to stop it. i have never forgotten the promise, unquote. he understands the sacrifices we have made this evening because he has made them. he understands how difficult it is to rejoin society because he has done it. he understands the traumas that prince harry has spoken of so eloquently. his life of public service has been informed in so many ways from what he experienced as a young man. sergeant hagen, mr. chairman, we of a atlantic council salute you. >> fred, thank you, i am grateful for the opportunity to make this award presentation, not to just because i was once an enlisted man in the armed forces and no

senator chuck hagel. he led an infantry squad in vietnam during the bloody fighting following the tet offensive. and like millions of our generation, he demonstrated bravery, patriotism, and heroism on the battlefield. and he also demonstrated that patriotism and that bravery and that heroism in the life of public service that has followed. chuck, we thank you for honoring us with your presence today and thank you for your commitment to the united states of america. god bless you. [ applause ] >> leon, thank you. i am honored to be among you today. and grateful for an opportunity to say a couple of words before i introduce our special guest this afternoon. this uniquely american day, memorial day, was born over 140 years ago of america's civil war. our most costly and terrible war. a war that tore at the heart and fabric of our republic. the next war to tiff void america produced this simple and elegant memorial that watches over us today. it reflects the images of the future, as it records the names of t

senator chuck hagel. he led an infantry squad in vietnam during the bloody fighting following the tet offensive. and like millions of our generation, he demonstrated bravery, patriotism, and heroism on the battlefield. and he also demonstrated that patriotism and that bravery and that heroism in the life of public service that has followed. chuck, we thank you for honoring us with your presence today and thank you for your commitment to the united states of america. god bless you. [ applause ] >> leon, thank you. i am honored to be among you today. and grateful for an opportunity to say a couple of words before i introduce our special guest this afternoon. this uniquely american day, memorial day, was born over 140 years ago of america's civil war. our most costly and terrible war. a war that tore at the heart and fabric of our republic. the next war to tiff void america produced this simple and elegant memorial that watches over us today. it reflects the images of the future, as it records the names of t

secretary of defense's policy board. >> ladies and gentlemen, our friend and great leader, senator chuck hagel [applause] >> mika, thank you. i'm grateful. this is old chuck. i'm here on behalf of the board of directors of the atlantic council, so thank you, to acknowledge what each of you continue to do with the atlantic council. you make a better world for all of us. that is the essence of why we recognize those tonight that joe and mika have already acknowledged. because they represent what is best in mankind, and they represent contributions to mankind that are made in different ways. .. >> and his marvelous staff and all who work so hard on behalf of this institution and what it stands for, what it believes in and how it effects our world. to each of you, thank you. [applause] last comment -- [applause] not unlike anyone or any other institution in the world, we are all playing for the future. that means our young people. that means helping shape and frame their future, their understanding and helping them anchor that through the transatlantic alliance is part of that. but that importance

nearly enough to deserve it, but i'm immensely grateful to chairman of the atlantic council, senator chuck hagelthe president fred kemp and the board of the atlantic council for affording me this great honor. if i may, i would like to accept the award on behalf of my brother william, our foundation, all those on both sides of the atlantic who work so tirelessly to support our wounded veterans, but particularly for the guys because this is their award. it would be wrong of me to speak for these heroes but not presumption of me to pay tribute to them. so many of our servicemen and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. so many lives have been lost and so many changed forever are by the wounds that they have suffered. they have paid a terrible price and keep us safe and free. the very least we owe them is to make sure that they and their brave families have everything they need through the darkest days and in time, regain the hope and confidence to flourish again. for these selfless people, it is after the guns have fallen silent, the battle quietened that the real fight begins. a fight ma may las

it's the good the bad in the very very generously ugly the good chuck hagel the cable cable the former republican senator from nebraska attacked his party in an interview with the foreign policy magazine said that reagan quote reagan would not identify with his party as a streak of intolerance in the republican party today that scares people intolerance is a very dangerous thing in a society because it always leads to a tragic ending and hopefully haggles comments will influence republicans to stop playing games and help america get back on track but don't hold your breath the bad wisconsin conservative supreme court justices in the past four years three of wisconsin's four conservative supreme court justices have been charged with ethics violations these charges in mine all four of the conservative judges voted against reappointing the chair of judge wisconsin's judicial commission the person responsible for filing ethics charges it's bad enough that these crooked judges are still on the bench but now they've managed to corrupt the judicial system even more this is say about our socie

who fought in vietnam, senator chuck hagel.d an and for sure squad in vietnam following the tet offensive. like millions of our generation, he demonstrated heroism on the battlefield. he also demonstrated that patriotism, bravery, and heroism in public service that is followed. we thank you for honoring us with your presence today. thank you for your commitment to the united states of america. god bless you. >> leon, thank you. i am honored to be among you today. i am grateful for an opportunity to say a few words or i introduce our special guest this afternoon. this uniquely american day, memorial day, was born at more than 140 years ago, after america's civil war. the war that tore at the heart and fabric of our republic. it produced a simple and elegant memorial that watches over us today. it reflects the images of the future as it records the names of the past. memorials are built for the living in order to instruct our destiny as they honor and remember those who fell in the service of their country. memorials further inst

one of the best airfares i had was chuck hagel, former senator from nebraska who was a huge lugar fan. he believed the senator made a huge and important mistake in not forcing the issue. he said he was very clear the administration was not going to respond to private treaties and the only way to get action was to go public. bucher disagreed, but one should note that several years into the war, in june of 2007 he went to the senate floor and gave a very memorable speech in which he basically said the administration's policy in iraq is not working. we need to change gears. many took that speech as a tacit addition to try and work with the administration privately and failed. if the experience in iraq i think is not -- will be remembered as a disappointing chapter in the senator's career. i think one of the good chapters is work on the arms control treaty with russia that was approved in 2010. in here with the classic lugar, complex treaty. he viewed it as part of the arms control agreements that the reagan administration had understood the nuances of the issue and decided he was going t

. >> and former republican senator chuck hagel saying reagan would not identify with this party.s a streak of intolerance in the republican party today that scared people. joining me is the daughter of john mccain, and maria teresa kumar. thank you both for your time tonight. megan, let there be light, first of all. you face some criticism from some of the far right in your party. so has colin powell, right? and it's not that you're not a republican, just some of the extreme point of views you feel doesn't represent your views of main street republicans. >> i'm a proud moderate republican, but moderate is considered a dirty word. they treat me like i'm a freak, and i'm a mutant from the original design. i'm not an extreme conservative, especially with my support for gay marriage. there isn't a lot of room for moderate republicans. my father is a famous senator, and i'm blessed to have the ability to talk about more moderate issues. if you're a moderate, you're at remember. >> you support gay marriage, you're pro-life, but because on a couple things you have a different view, you'

not feel i have done enough to deserve it, but i am immensely grateful to the atlantic council, chuck hagel, fred, and the board of the atlantic council for affording me this great honor. if i may, i would like to accept the award on behalf of my brother, william, our foundation, all those on both sides of the atlantic who worked so tirelessly to support our wounded veterans, but particularly to the guys for this is their award. it would be wrong of me to speak for these heroes, but not presumptuous of me to pay tribute to them. so many of our servicemen and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. so many lives have been lost and so many changed forever by the wounds they have suffered. they have paid a terrible price to keep us safe and free. at the very least, we owe them to make sure that they and their brave families have everything they need in the darkest days and, in time, regain the hope and confidence to flourish again. for these selfless people, it oo flourish again. for these selfless people, it is often the guns of fallen of violence, the dinner battle quietened when the battle

as is chuck hagel the head of the foreign intelligence board. they're making a serious recommendation. >> bill: what is the size and shape and status of the russian arsenal then? >> they have fewer deployed long-range weapons right now. their arsenal is aging. as they retire, they're not replacing them as fast as they're pulling them out. they actually have fewer about 1500 long-range nuclear weapons deployed. right now, we have about 1800 nuclear weapons. they have another tactical weapons, short-range weapons than we have. we're roughly equal. between us, the u.s. and russia have 90% of the weapons in the world. >> bill: they have about 5,000, too? >> yes, in what they call the active stockpile. some are deployed ready to use. some are held in the closet. little reserved. be careful where you take those out. >> bill: this is big news. >> this is big news. this is the most serious recommendation to come up from an independent panel in years. it should be taken seriously. >> bill: hasn't been talked about a lot. it should get talked about a lot.

young corporal who came home from combat in vietnam and ener advised the he entire effort, senator chuck hagel. they put together a monument an enduring tribute. it's the most visited memorial in america, bar none. 24 hours a day, you'll find people down there looking at finding their loved one, their friends. now it's grandchildren, it's sons and daughters in touch, one of the organizations. so it's really quite something. we're going to expand this. i'm the chairman of the advisory committee to build this new education center at the wall. it's going to be underground right near vietnam memorial. it's going to bring up the faces more than 300 a day of those killed in action during that conflict. and tell their stories electronically. i might add until the iraq and afghan veterans get their memorial, we're going to add their sacrifices, the thousands killed in action to that memorial. any viewers who want to help, it's build the center.org. it's going to be an $85 million effort. colin powell is one of our fund raising chairmen. we're well on our way and excited about this further tribute to a

young corporal who came home from combat in vietnam and ener advised the he entire effort, senator chuck hagel. they put together a monument an enduring tribute. it's the most visited memorial in america, bar none. 24 hours a day, you'll find people down there looking at finding their loved one, their friends. now it's grandchildren, it's sons and daughters in touch, one of the organizations. so it's really quite something. we're going to expand this. i'm the chairman of the advisory committee to build this new education center at the wall. it's going to be underground right near vietnam memorial. it's going to bring up the faces more than 300 a day of those killed in action during that conflict. and tell their stories electronically. i might add until the iraq and afghan veterans get their memorial, we're going to add their sacrifices, the thousands killed in action to that memorial. any viewers who want to help, it's build the center.org. it's going to be an $85 million effort. colin powell is one of our fund raising chairmen. we're well on our way and excited about this further tribute to a

. >> and senator chuck hagel, a former republican senator from nebraska and i, former democratic co-chair, we try to give bipartisan advice on sensitive national security issues to the president. the group works together very, very well, and i think it could do the same thing with key members of the current congressional committees, and it's something that really ought to be tried, and whoever gets elected president this next time, i hope they'll try something like that. >> you mentioned the advisory board. can you tell us a little bit about that? >> well, i can tell you a little bit about that. the -- it's mainly composed of more senior people, for example, i chaired the most sensitive, secret programs of the government and helped to oversee agencies like the cia and the rest of it. many of us have experience on this committee. others are out of public office that dealt with national security issues. so the president, when he has something really sensitive going on, he wants input, advice or even advice about broad issues. obviously, the world's going to change as we wind down the wars i

it's why people like chuck hagel, a very conservative republican former senator has decryed what's going nonhis own party. >> woodruff: you're not saying democrats are blameless, though are you? you also write about the role of the media and money in all this. >> absolutely. there are many factors involved. the democratic party is not a perfect party. it just so happens that their periods of being out liars go back to the '60s and '70s and now it's been the republican party that's moved in this direction. >> and to pick up the role on the new media, how has that changed? what's going on? >> well, it really is... in a way it's back to the future. we had partisan media in the 19th century. we have it now with fox, with msnbc and a lot of others. with talk radio. but this is different. we don't share a common set of facts and we live in worlds that camp phi those differences and, in fact, help to create the hype that we're in a tribal world and you have to oppose the other side because they're evil. >> woodruff: you do write about solutions and how do you fix it. tom mann, one of the things

one of the best interviews i had in the project was with chuck hagel, a former senator and nebraska, who is a huge lugar fan. he said it is very clear the demonstration was not going to respond to private treaties, and the only way to get action was to go public. lugar disagreed. one should note, that several years in june of 2007, he went to the senate floor and gave a memorable speech in which he basically said the administration's policy in iraq is not working. we need to change gears. many took that speech as a tacit admission to try to work with the administration privately. if the experience in iraq, i think, will be remembered as a disappointing chapter in the senator's career. one of the really good chapters will be his work on the arms control treaty with russia. here it was classic lugar. it was a complex, difficult treaty. he viewed it as part of the arms control agreement that the reagan administration had initiated. he did a deep dive, understand it the nuances of the issue, and the decided that he would work with you, administration because it was in the american nation

senator jim webb, senator chuck hagel, senators lautenberg and senator john warner, retired senator john warner from virginia. so we had two vietnam veterans, we had two world war ii veterans, two democrats, two republicans who led the charge, and many of us in the military and the veterans community helped to put this g.i. bill across the line. host: and so, what you're talking about right now is what's known as the post-9/11 g.i. bill, is that correct? guest: that's correct. host: that was passed in 2009, up to 100% tuition and fees coverage, monthly living and household stipend, up to $1,000 a year for books and supplies, one-time reallocation allowance, and options to transfer benefits to family members. this is information we got from military.com. how does a soldier qualify for this? how long do you have to be in service to get the full amount that we just described there? >> guest: to get the full amount, a service member has to complete three years of active-duty service. in the case of members of the reserve and national guard, there is an earn as you serve provision. so, a basi

one of the best interviews i had in the project was with chuck hagel, a former senator and nebraska, who is a huge lugar fan. he said it is very clear the demonstration was not going to respond to private treaties, and the only way to get action was to go public. lugar disagreed. one should note, that several years in june of 2007, he went to the senate floor and gave a memorable speech in which he basically said the administration's policy in iraq is not working. we need to change gears. many took that speech as a tacit admission to try to work with the administration privately. if the experience in iraq, i think, will be remembered as a disappointing chapter in the senator's career. one of the really good chapters will be his work on the arms control treaty with russia. here it was classic lugar. it was a complex, difficult treaty. he viewed it as part of the arms control agreement that the reagan administration had initiated. he did a deep dive, understand it the nuances of the issue, and the decided that he would work with you, administration because it was in the american nation

chuck hagel pulled his unconscious brother out of a burning armored personnel carrier just before it blew up. turning his own face into bubbling blisters. he prayed as he watched blood pour out of tom's ears. he reflected after that as he lay near death, severely burned, in a makeshift hospital. quote: i made a promise to myself, he writes in his excellent book, that if i got out of that place and was ever in a position to do something about war, so horrible, so filled with suffering, i would do whatever i could to stop it. i have never forgotten that promise, unquote. senator hagel understands the commitment and sacrifices we honor this evening because he's made them he understands the physical and psychological traumas that prince harry has spoken of so eloquently. .. >> not just because i was once and enlisted man in the armed forces, and not because i have anything against officers -- [laughter] but the enlisted men and women, they are the ones who earn an honest living. [laughter] you know, when i was in the army, generals used to paralyze me and scare the hell out of me. that n

we'll hear from defense secretary leon panetta, interior secretary ken salazar, former senator chuck hagel and others. the master of ceremonies is tim. part of our memorial day coverage here on c-span. on wednesday, slate magazine held its political gab fest -- "political gabfest" in front of a live audience. it clull the political campaign, and the student convicted of hate crime against a roommate. this is 90 minutes. >> great to be back here. i'm trapped already. >> it's a metaphor. >> good evening. >> i feel like there are backup singers, or we are backup singers. >> i don't think they would agree. >> the nude colored microphone. bill, where are you? are you ready? you're good? ok. you guys ready? let's do it. welcome to the slate "political gabfest," the washington is just awful, but you, dear listener, are wonderful edition. i'm david plotz the editor. joining me today are sharp as a samurai sword, emily bazzlon, senior editor to my right, and john dickerson, as dangerous as an angry rattlesnake, slate chief political correspondent and political director of cbs news to my left. we ar

chuck. >> always lovely. >> always great to see senator hagel there.e is doing with wounded warriors. it's just so important. it's something we are all going to have to take our focus on. mark, you were with president bush this past weekend. it's going to be a real challenge for us over the next generation to take care of these men and women who are fighting for us and were having so many more survive, thank god, survive attacks that, of course, is going to cause challenges in the generation. >> absolutely. it's hard not to think prince harry is thinking, what's he going to say. how old is he? he got up on stage and gave a beautiful speech that was self-depry kating and acknowledging of his situation and about the issue you talked about. immediately put the spotlight on, i think, one of the most important issues of this generation for his country and ours pertaining to the war. >> no doubt about it. it was impressive. fred kemp, who runs the atlantic council said to me before the event went on, he said, you know, we have had bono, bill clinton, we've h