our alliances or have a different foreign policy. >> we should add to that. >> i feel that clinton's administration missed opportunity which we had which were later actually destroyed by the bush/cheney administration. >> we should add to that from the lefty democratic side here, that republicans are now trying to ride the horse and saying that ronald reagan won the cold war without firing a shot and whatnot. the more they say that, the more problems that i think it will lead to. >> but clinton had yeltsin. he didn't have gorbachev. and steve, you've written quite a bit about how you say that gorbachev -- gorbachev's ambition was to reform. yeltsin's ambition was to gain power. and you paint a pretty ugly picture of yeltsin as a person who grabbed power and diminished the democracy and the reforms that gorbachev instituted and set up this kleptocracy. you call it a grafatization. clinton had a different leader to deal with, and that must have been a factor here. steve? jack? >> well, that certainly was, but the problem -- the problem during, in my opinion, during the clinton administration was, fir

to some extent, particularly in the clinton administration after somalia, we were highly gun shy. participation ourselves in peacekeeping endeavors that involved particularly the notion that we might have to use force for both good and bad reasons. i think in the end, darfur showed we paid a pretty heavy price for that when it was maybe even too much but much too late if coy put it that way in some ways. you're right, the evolution of the tools is still out there. it's still working. the tool that we lacked the most at the moment is what i would call foresight in preventive measures. they require more courage, more decisiveness, more good analysis and more ability to mobilize than i think currently we have at the international community.

in 2001, we decided not to support several of the treaties that had been supported by the clinton administration. bush administration officials were similarly skeptical about the law of the sea treaty. we remembered president reagan's concerns. after a yearlong interagency review, we concluded that the conclusion strongly advanced u.s. security, economic and environmental interests and the administration's first priority list in 2002, we told this committee there was an urgent need for senate approval of the convention. we reviewed the concerns in 1982. we concluded the concerns had been addressed by the amendments to the convention in 1994. the other western countries that president reagan and secretary rumsfeld had successly purr sue persuaded not to sign the treaty had all joined the treaty after the treaty was amended. between 2003 and 2009, senior bush administration political appointees from the department of defense, state, commerce, interi interior, homeland security testified and sent letter to this committee and other committees strongly endorsing the convention. defense department app

that is, i was in and out of ostp throughout the clinton administration in my role as the council of advisers on science and technology. so i actually knew quite a bit of what goes on in ostp before i ever got the job. there are other folks who have been in before and are now back again but weren't carried over from the previous administration. because in a lot of ways, we deal with continuity. but i think we're doing well. >> the benefits -- i know there are benefits and limitations of this current model. but i think what it does emphasize is that outcomes are not necessarily partisan. they're strictly based on -- >> we think of science and technology policy as bipartisan over the years. i think it continues to be. there is wide bipartisan support for at least most of what we do. and we don't think of ourselves as a partisan office. >> does your budget adequately support the mix of staff, and that you think might be best? or do you get too much? >> of course, we took a 32% budget cut for fiscal year 2012. and fortunately -- and that caused a lot of stress, a lot of challenges to man

that is, i was in and out of ostp throughout the clinton administration in ms. role as a member of the president's council of advisers of science and technology. i knew quite a bit before i got the job. there are other people back again but weren't carried over from the previous administration. thardz a lot of ways toe deal with continuity, but i think we're doing well. >> i know there are benefits and limitations of this country model. i think it does emphasize is outcomes are not necessarily part of something. it's strictly based upon finding -- >> we thif science and technology policy of a domain that's bipartisan over the yeerdz and continues to be. there is wide bipartisan support for at least most of what we do, and we don't think of ourselves as a partisan office. >> does your budget adequately support the mix of staff that you think might be best? do you get too much? >> of course, we took a 32% budget cut for fiscal year 2012. and that caused a lot of stress and a lot of challenge ostp's wide range of responsibilities with a budget cut of that magnitude

administration. to you speak to president clinton often the clinton administration. do you speak to president clinton often? host: -- guest: i talked to him a lot. he looks great. his lost a lot of light. host: you have known him since the 1960's? guest: i met him in oxford. host: your first impression? guest: in october, i retired to my cabin, i was seasick, and there was a knock at my door and there was this gang goalie guy with chicken soup in one hand and crackers in the other, and i heard -- he said i heard you're not feeling well. he did not say "i feel your pain." that came later. i was impressed with him in many ways. when was his knowledge and enthusiasm for politics. he was clear he was going to be governor of arkansas and maybe more. at the age of 22, that is saying something. most of us had no idea what we were going to do in the next three years, let alone our lives. he learned and loved his politics and loves people. that was evident from our first conversation. host: charles, colorado. good morning. caller: good morning, mr. reich. you took my steam wit

>> hall at me just mention two things that started in the clinton the administration or least continue from bush on the clinton factor reagan and continued in the second of bush's administration which got much worse. one of them is the reduction of capital gains taxes. people of the top were paying much less than people who worked for a living. we tax speculator is much more than half -- a much less the people that work for a living. they have an average tax rate of 15%, lower than those whose income is much lower. it is not that they are contributing more to society. the other saying that occured in the clinton a administration was the weakening of financial regulation that continued under the bush administration. the kind of activity that was more directed at moving money from bottom to top. predatory lending in the views of credit card practices. the banks were lending to create new jobs for a stronger economy. by deregulation, we did not make a stronger economy, with a bubble economy of growth have left us in the situation we are in today. >> what you're calling for, that is to say

look is done was in one nine hundred ninety doring the clinton administration the military realized there were a lot of young latinos and they could target for recruiting and in most books the most on us in quantity. so knows latinos but as one of them because. you could give iraq war put pressure on the pentagon to step up recruiting and call dark work force not be. back because so they targeted people without immigration papers. document albums i can escape and. i move a lot of kids arrived without papers but they grew up here but ok santiago new cells will need a clue so on they went to school here that he was. they're bilingual and bicultural somebody who died was a lesser squillaci as schools must give recruiters their students' names and addresses and phone numbers to the and there's a lot of meat that was. the less is willing to sink in if they refuse and they lose their federal funding. so the pentagon has direct access to all these young people. that there is a less is one part of the. history there is no family privacy. the recruiters call them up every night the run meant they

look at them was in one nine hundred ninety door in the clinton administration the military realized there were a lot of young latinos they could target for recruiting and they must book the most on us and want. latinos but as one of them because. you could give iraq war put pressure on the pentagon to step up recruiting and conduct workforce not the one that that because so they targeted people without immigration papers that i had been documented now those i can escape and. a lot of kids arrived without papers but they grew up here and. only sells needle and they went to school here that he was. they're bilingual and bicultural somebody who died was. schools must give recruiters their students' names on addresses and phone numbers on this meet that was. less is willing to sink in if they refuse and they lose their federal funding. so the pentagon has direct access to all these young people. for part of the. history there's no family privacy. the recruiters call them up every night the run meant they lost brothers he spun out latino parents are up against recruiting drives all over

it's an honor to appear before you today as president clinton's nominee for administrator of the federal aviation administration. i'm humbled by this nomination and the opportunity it presents to serve our nation. i'd like to thank secretary lahood and also recognize my family members who were introduced who are with me today. my wife ann and son matthew and my sister rose visiting from california. of course, i'd also like to thank my late parents who i know are with me in spirit today. at the federal aviation, we operate the largest and safest aviation system in the world. the safety of the traveling public is our number one priority and it's our mission. we're constantly working to identify and to address potential risks long before there is a problem. we have achieved a greater level of collaboration with our workforce. congress has helped us in our efforts bypassing the reauthorization earlier this year and i want to thank all of you, the members of this committee, for your role in this major accomplishment. the reauthorization gives the dedicates employees of the faa greater financi

the most important deregulatory legislation was actually passed in the clinton administration.mpioned by robert rubin, who was secretary of the treasury and former ceo of goldman sachs, then also larry summers, who is first a pretty treasury secretary and then treasury secretary. first there was the repeal of glass-steagall, the law that separated investment from banking, and then in 2000 -- >> and that was under clinton. >> yes. and then in 2000, also in the clinton administration, the commodities future modernization act that actually banned regulation of all so- called over-the-counter derivatives, including a credit default swaps and many other instruments there were the heart of the 2008 crisis. to his credit, president clinton has publicly stated he regrets having passed that law. but it was definitely championed by major fractions of the democratic party and policy leadership. of course, in the obama administration, we've seen very little reform and no criminal prosecutions. in the appointment of a very large number of wall street executives to senior positions in the go

during the carter administration, janet reno during the clinton administration and most interestingly, they issued one against harriet miers and john bolton during the bush administration over the firing of federal attorneys. so, i'm not sure that the-- this is a serious issue between congress and eric holder, but in the political season right now, there are political liabilities for both of them going down this path. the republicans might not win that con at the point in time vote, on the other hand, the democrats don't necessarily want eric holder's role elevated in the public mind because then people will start asking about the other political things he's done and make him an issue in the campaign. but, this is a very serious battle between these two and i think that both have to have reason to think they might come out on the down side, if they push with contempt vote. >> and eric holder is a friend. >> i am neat sure there that much loyalty, but i think that eric holder has been carrying water for the president, and voter i.d. laws and sort of meant to inflame the african-america

dates back to the clinton administration talking about the indispensable nation and so on. obama gives speeches that are quite intriguing that say you know, we have help underwrite global security for the last six decades, sometimes without thanks. and that perfect tense in there kind of suggests that maybe we won't always be the world's leader. >> rose: richard holbrook wrote a chapter on him. what is it you want us to know. >> how tragic it was, that he really didn't fit in with the obama team, that they, he never had the scope to do what he wanted but in addition, that there was a generational conflict there as well. that he really, he saw himself as the central figure in afghanistan and other people in the administration, and then including the president didn't. and really it was just not a good fit. so actually, i mean i had people say, we had a meeting on afghanistan and holbrook came in and began talking about vietnam and finally we were all rolling our eyes. i had the u.s. ambassador to the united nations susan rice not of holbrook but saying we're just so sick of t

karl rove, harriet myers, bush administration people, janet reno in the clinton administration days.gree on which documents to hand over. the committee votes to hold them in contempt. they come back to the negotiating table and at some point, i think holder and the republicans on this committee will reach some deal and there will be some documents -- that's historically how it's happened. >> let's hope that's what happens or for the good of the government or the good of the washington dysfunction. we'll be talking to the lawyers for months and months. thank you all. kate bolduan is back with the latest news nund to know. >>> egypt's ousted leader is off life support and his health has improved, according to an attorney for hosni mubarak. it comes just a day after a state tv reported mubarak was clinly dead. he's now in a cairo hospital after reportedly suffering a stroke. >>> now to the south of france and the city of toulouse where police have a gunman in custody after a tense standoff. the gunman claimed he was with al qaeda and took four people hostage at a bank. two hostages were

there were a lot of liberals like william galston adviser in the clinton administration, excellent social scientist, who says that what obama can and should do is to seize the big issues, entitlement reform or tax reform something large. it is risky, but it would give him a target does not have now. >> i regret that h he did not take advantage of the opportunity he had a year ago with the simpson- bowles to go with that. i thought he was going to step up to that. he didn't. i think obama from the issue in ohio by saying that there is a choice, a choice between the direction he wants to go and the direction romney wants to go. >> let's [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more and more for cable -- and enjoying it less? upgrade to verizon fios internet, tv and phone for just $99.99 a month, guaranteed for a year with no annual contract. or choose a two-year contract and get $200 back and a two-year price guarantee. fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. and now, it's faster than ever. you get speed you can count on.

but you courageously, 15 years ago, resigned your post, a high post in the clinton administration over the issue of welfare reform, as it was called then. weeks ago, on the front page of "the new york times" there was an in-depth study about the welfare reform bill 15 years ago had really done to women and children. it was abundantly clear in this -- abundantly clear. in a sentence "peter edelman was right." when a high clinton official resigns and disagrees with the president, obviously, it will be news. i and now you're not the kind to say i told you so. but what do you make of that courageous effort and how long it took to finally be proven right. >> i am sorry i was proven right. [laughter] people are hurting as a result of that. and they started -- the heart started immediately. it was masked for the first four years in the middle of a hot economy. women went to work. moms who had been on welfare -- some had been on welfare for a long time, that had not been good either pinned states set their own levels of benefits like they do now. so the benefits were not great everywhere. and

i would say one thing -- a lot of liberals, like william ballston, adviser in the clinton administration, excellent social scientist, who says that what obama can and should do is to seize the issues, entitlement reform our tax reform. it is christie, but it would give him an argument. he does not have one now. >> colby? >> i regret he did not take the opportunity a year ago with simpson-bowles. i thought he was going to step up to that. he didn't. but i think obama framed the issue well in ohio by saying there is a trac -- choice, beatrice between the direction he wants to go added direction -- the direction romney wants to go. >> the private sector is doing fine. >> was president obama last week, and almost immediately, republicans had an a criticized him. >> the baprivate sector is doing fine. the private sector is doing fine. >> he says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. did he not get the message of wisconsin? >> shortly thereafter, the democrats were at attacking romney for that. >> did he not get the message of wisconsin? ron >> the economics doesn't work. -- rom

there are a lot of liberals, like william galston, adviser in the clinton administration, excellent social scientist, who says that what obama can and should do is seize the big issues, entitlement reform our tax reform, something large. it is risky, but it would give him an argument date he does not have one now. >> i regret that he did not take advantage of the opportunity he had a year ago with simpson- bowles. i really thought he was going to step up to that, and he did not. i think he did it from the issue well in ohio by saying that there is a choice, a real choice between the direction he wants to go and the direction romney wants to go. >> let's back up a bit and talk about the president's view of the private economy. >> the private sector is doing fine. >> that was president obama last week, and almost immediately, republicans were out with an ad criticizing him. >> the private sector is doing fine. the private sector is doing fine. >> here is mitt romney's response. >> he says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. did he not get the message of wisconsin? >> democra

other things like terrorism, was to look at all of the treaties we had inherited from the clinton administration before the committee here and decide which were our priorities. we took a really good scrub at it. any administration does. they are not confident of the priorities of the last administration and we knocked a number of things off the list. law of the sea treaty we were particularly skeptical of. it took us close to a year till february of 2002 to move it to the top of the list. i wouldn't say it was the administration's top treaty priority. we didn't rank them 1 to 100, but we said that this was a treaty that was a priority that the senate should act on. and just to summarize, there were the military advantages, particularly after 9/11 when we were asking our military to do more with less and it was easier to rely on a legal right. i think secretary rumsfeld acknowledges that part. but the economic and business advantages were things that just could not be gotten in other ways. if there was another way to do it, i think it would not have been -- that would not have been a good argumen

the team, the former senior advisor to bill clinton and worked for the administration when president clinton was proposing his health care reform plan in 1993. dr. sanjay gupta is with us, cnn's chief medical correspondent and also in his free time a practicing neurosurgeon at a public hospital and worked in the white house during the clinton administration and will cain, an attorney and columnist at the the blaze.com and following the case closely. this morning the supreme court will decide whether all or part of the president's affordable care act is constitutional. politically it is considered the signature legislation of president obama's time in office. likely to be as well a centerpiece of the presidential election. stakes are high on all sides. the most contentious part of the law is the individual mandate. it brings us right to jeff toobin live in front of the supreme court with what could happen today. jeff, why don't you start by walking me through what the main issues are that are at stake here. >> this is really an epic case in the history of the supreme court because this

during the clinton administration, we established the human rights dialogue with china. today we hold these dialogues with many countries with which we have important relationships but deep differences on issues of rights and freedoms such as russia and vietnam. we have frank conversations grounded in our principals and we help elements in governments put in place better practices, solve problems in their own societies and become more accountable and more open to their citizens, and thanks to drl a surprising number of these essential conversations delivered results. in 1998, drl began running programs -- improve their own advocacy and reach. after 9/11 when our government recognized that conflict and stability and -- modernize and advance human dignity. these efforts also gave rise to the middle east partnership initiative, founded in 2002 to strengthen civil society and the rule of law, empower women and youth, improve and expand education, improve economic reform and increase political participation. global -- since 2008, drl has strained and assisted more than 30,000

to former michigan republican governor john engler, and then former labor secretary in the clinton administration, professor robert reich joins us. later, the former head of the financial market sheila bair. >>> president obama's nominee to head the nuclear regulatory commission, alison mcfarland said she would work to create a positive working relationship with her fellow commissioners. if confirmed she will replace the current chairman, who resigned after complaints about his management style. california senator barbara bomber chairs this two with-hour hearing. >> we've been discussing the best way to proceed. because we know senators have schedules, we'll withhold our opening statements and allow you to do your introductions. we'll start with with senator blumenthal, please, introducing the nominee for chairman. >> thank you, madam chairman, and ranking member inhofe, i'm very honored today to introduce alison mcfarlane, president obama's nominee to be a commissioner, in fact chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission. i want to thank the chair woman and members of the committee for giving

hillary rodham clinton and later served as council to the president of the united states in the clinton administration. this is the second of two parts and it's about one hour. >> 1988. >> 1988. hillary came into -- i think she had other business in new york though she wanted to see me. she comes into new york, we had dinner together. she says bill's thinking of running for president. now, this is 1988. this was 14 years after that conversation we had in the car. and bill clinton at this point i think is 43 years old. 1988, he was born in '46. how old is he in 1988. >> he's -- he's 42. >> 42. he's 42 years old in 1988. 42. she tells me that -- she's the same age, no, a year younger. she was born in '47. he's thinking of running for president and she doesn't want me to commit to support anybody else. as if my support for anybody makes any difference which although i've been a contributor it makes no difference. so i say the to her, hillary, i know we discussed this in the past, something like that, but he may be tentative now, he may be kind of young, 42 years old. to run for president. though john ken

he served in the first clinton administration as assistant secretary for international security policy, and really a lot of his most influential work has been done even when he's been out of government at the kennedy school and through things like the aspen strategy group and thing like that. he is the very epitome after defense intellectual and thus it's pleasing to see somebody of the egg-headed persuasion rise to the senior management position in the department. so please let's welcome dr. carter. [ applause ] >> thank you, tom, for that introduction. and i didn't see the thing in politico so i don't know -- but i do appreciate the introduction. i appreciate an opportunity to be here at aei. it was almost exactly a year ago today that my former boss, secretary gates, spoke to you on the eve of his departure as secretary of defense. in looking back on his tenure as secretary he chose to highlight two major themes. the first was his effort to turn the tide in iraq and afghanistan. he spoke to you about his laser like focus on delivering urgent battlefield needs to the war fighter in i

we had almost no job growth compared to the job growth during the clinton administration. and the median wage, the wage for most americans, continued to drop after 2001. you had a huge, huge tax cut for the wealthy and nothing trickled down. i mean tickle down economics is a cruel joke, and the republicans have absolutely no compunks about saying that trickle down economics works when the evidence is exactly the reverse. >> lean forward with the reverend al sharpton and "politics nation" 6:00 p.m. weekdays on msnbc. >>> here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. in new york it was quite a sight. the space shuttle "enterprise" is now home for good. crowds watched as it made its final journey hoisted off a barge and on to the deck of the "uss intrepid." it took about three hours to lift the shuttle into place. visitors can see it up close beginning next month. >>> in texas, gosh it was a chilly moment during a robbery at a cell phone store. just as it was happening, a dad entered with his 4-year-old daughter. one of the robbers aimed a gu

she left this particular doe waste program in 1997 during the clinton administration time long before secretary abraham under the bush administration recommended yucca mountain to president bush in 2002. i would with also note that -- and pleased to learn in a just this week she was awarded the 2012 presidential citation by the american nuclear society. an organization of 11,000 engineers, scientists and educators. when she issued -- was issued the award, the ans president said, commissioner svinicki has demonstrated leadership and adherence to the highest professional conduct while serbing on the commission. she combines an unshakable demeanor we support her nomination to a second term on the commission. the award significantly said, unwavering commitment to a regulatory framework that enable s safety and security with nuclear technology. also i would note that mr. david lockbomb who is the nuclear safety project director of the union of concern scientists basically anti-nuclear and take a very liberal views said this about her. according to the ee newsletter, she in no way is an ind

he worked in the bush administration in the clinton administration.is morning, an attorney and a columnist at the blaze.com. walking us through what's at heart of the case, looking at the constitution. politically speaking, it is considered the signature legislation of president obama's time in office and likely to be a focal point of the presidential election. the most con ten jous part of the law, the mandate. get to jeff toobin at the supreme court with what could happen today. walk me through the options for the court. >> okay. first option, very simple. they affirm the law. they say it's constitutional. it can go in to effect. the other options start to get more complicated. they could invalidate the whole lue. they could say that the unconstitutional part of it is so interwoven with the rest of the law that it is -- there's no way to tease it out so all 2,700 pages disappear, including the parts gone in to effect already like kids staying on the parent's insurance until 26. no preexisting conditions bar for children. it could go out the window i

by the way, with the support of the clinton administration. when yeltsin left office, and this tells you about his relationship with the oligarch, putin was picked by yeltsin. and in yeltsin's memoirs, he said why. because putin had previously saved his own mentor from arrest from indictment by smuggling him out of the country. therefore, yeltsin said this was a man i knew i could trust. and the first act that putin committed when he became prime minister and yeltsin left office which meant putin was going to be the president was to sign a decree giving yet sltsin and hi family immunity from prosecution. so the whole entanglement of the kremlin with this property which i regard as stolen pillaged property, which is also the view of the majority of russian people, affected politics at the very top. how did it affect american releases? well, we endorsed and embraced the oligarchs until 1998 when the russian financial system melted down, and they reneged on their sovereign debt. and we got all agitated. but we have supported these people. and the

during the clinton administration arafat said quote there is something i want to tell you you should know that in one thousand nine hundred eighty the republicans approached me with an arms deal for the p.l.o. if i could arrange to keep the hostages in iran until after the us presidential election and of quote carter was horrified but like l.b.j. he was unwilling to dig deeper or go public with anything that would tarnish the office of the presidency so congress when congress investigated the sale of weapons to iran by the reagan bush administration the legislation authorizing their investigation very specifically blocked any inquiry into whether a deal was made before the election nobody wanted to target the presidency as a republican sabotage almost work with truman did work with l.b.j. and did work with carter next up bill clinton republicans took control of the house in the mid term elections of ninety four two years in the clinton's presidency the new speaker of the house newt gingrich reprised and revisited the republican strategy against truman and put it on steroids now with

this was happening under the clinton administration, just stopped with bush. i think a great thing. >> okay. good. move on to the next one. here is an entrepreneur who wants to know about the best use of her time. >> my question would be the most effective way in which i can manage the multiple hats that i wear in the process of growing and expanding my business. >> it is the hardest question. the way i do it i have a to do list and it is all mixed up together. my work, my personal life, everything and i just -- that's the way i do it. do you have any suggestions? >> i have two suggestions. one is you really want to understand the purpose of what you're doing and why you're doing it. because if you're not really motivated and don't see what it is laddering up to, less likely to stick with t you want to have a real purpose with all to does and see what they are going toward. the other thing and this happens with entrepreneurs all the time, they do get depleted because they don't stop and rest. and tony schwartz publishes a lot of great stuff on, they writes on

hillary rodham clinton and later served as counsel to the president of the united states in the clinton administration. this is the second of two parts and is about one hour. >> 1988, yeah, 1988 hillary came into the office. i think she had some other business. she wanted to see me. she comes in and we have dinner together and she says, bill's thinking of running for president. now this is 1988. this is 14 years after the conversation we had in the car and bill clinton at this point i think is 43 years old. he was born in '46. how old was he in 1988? >> he's 42. >> 42. he's 42 years old in 1988. and she's the same age. no. she's a year younger. she's about 41. she was born in '47. he's thinking of running for president and she doesn't want me to commit to support anybody else. i said, my support for anybody makes any difference -- makes no difference so i say to her very tentatively, i said, well, hillary, i know we discussed this in the past, something like that, but he may be kind of young. 42 years old. to run for president. john kennedy ran when he was 42, 43. she says, well, he's deciding. just d

it's what we did in the clinton administration. if you are serious about taking this on, you have to put everything on the table. you have to look at mandatory spending. you have to look at revenues. you also have to look at how you cap domestic discretionary. but you're not going to solve this problem with the domestic discretionary budget. you just aren't. >> when we brought -- in the simpson/bowles commission when we brought them in to see where we might save money, the most startling testimony came when we asked about private contractors that work forward the department of defense. the basic question is how many there are? and the answer is we don't know. we really don't know. estimate somewhere maybe governmentwide, some 7 million. there are 2 million federal -- civil service employees to give you some context here. and when you look at the dollar amounts being spent in the department of defense for contractors, as opposed to the civilian workforce at the department of defense and those in uniform, it's substantially higher. f

she left this particular doe waste program in 1997 during the clinton administration time long before secretary abraham under the bush administration recommended yucca mountain to president bush in 2002. i would also note that and pleased to learn that just this week, ms. svinicki was awarded the 2012 presidential citation by the american nuclear society, an organization of 11,000 engineers, scientists, and educators. when she was issued the award, the ans president said, quote, commissioner svinicki has demonstrated leadership and adherence to the highest professional conduct while serving on the commission. she combines an unshakable demeanor with proven technical and professional qualifications, and we support her nomination to a second term on the commission. the award specifically recognized her, quote, courageous leadership, dedication to public service, unwavering commitment to a regulatory framework that enables facilities to operate safely and securely with nuclear technology. also i would note that mr. david lock baum, who is the nuclear safety project director of the union