i know the president has enormous confidence and has for quite some time and dennis ross. and what he brings to our foreign policy team. i think the president has stated clearly, and i think he reiterated the first question he got today the priority of ensuring the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> but why can't you speak on ross rexx. >> there are no personal announcements to make. >> is he here? >> i don't know where he is, but i can assure you where ever he is he is working for the administration, on behalf of the administration. [inaudible] >> it's not right. >> what does that mean? >> it means i don't have any policy or personnel announcements regarding dennis ross. >> that doesn't necessarily mean the story is wrong. is that what you are suggesting? that i am suggesting if i had a personnel announcement to make regarding dennis ross, i think they should. [inaudible] >> i'm telling you that the president has enormous confidence, the president doesn't have any personal announcements to make. >> i have no personnel announcement to make. >> she didn't make eve

. >> the secretary has full confidence in dennis ross to continue in his present role? >> absolutely. >> if dennis ross is going to continue as adviser to the secretary of the western gulf -- southwest calaveras? >> he is as i say working very hard, he worked very hard it throughout the weekend and is continuing to do his job. >> has a book that he and david makovsky publish cause any problems internally in this administration? >> no, it's a very good book. >> doing reviews from the podium and. >> was a concern about -- >> is probably inappropriate. >> was there any concern about his authorship of this book of some of the opinions that he and his co-author expressed in the book during the time leading up to his appointment came at not at all. mr. ross is in the administration now, he is very close adviser of the secretary and on a number of issues related to iran in the region but he also came out of the academic community and he was entitled to his opinion. he wrote the book before he came on board here. >> but i mean his opinion in his book and everything notwithstand

first, what is dennis ross's status as today? >> today he is here at the state department. he has been in touch with the secretary. i know that he spoke with her several times over the weekend. he continues to be and i'm probably going to mess up the title but the special advisor for gulf and southwest asia affairs. a lot less are in contact with dennis over the weekend as we were following these very dramatic events in the to kuran. spearman wasden is participating in meetings over the weekend? >> i think it's fair to say dennis participated, yes. >> well this job be out of state or is he actually moving to the white house? >> his job is here at state. >> fri's sermon by ayatollah, did dustin up the prospects for meaningful engagement with the regime? it seemed extraordinarily strident and hostile to the west. >> you know, i think that, well, you all know our policy about engagement and our policy about preventing iran from obtaining nuclear weapons but i think that the focus has to be what is going on inside iran. this is not about us or on our bilateral relationship righ

mike co-authored dennis ross -- my co-author, dennis ross, is now working for secretary of state hillary clinton. people might want to read that book for some clues. but i think everyone understands, and the president said correctly, that and iran with nuclear weapons is the game changer. it destabilize the middle east, create the basis for a middle east arms race -- egypt, saudi arabia, turkey are all going to be states that want a nuclear program. there is a greater chance of proliferation. if it can throw its weight around the region, it could intimidate moderates and emboldened extremists. so there are sets of concerns. i think the caller was referring to the fact that the president said that the united states did not object to iran having some -- civil nuclear power. is that a change in american policy? if i'm correct, secretary of state condoleezza rice said if the issue that iran wanted was in power, we could solve the problem. but i do not think there are any differences between the president and the former administration on the need to stop iran from getting in a car bomb. what

dennis ross is leaving the state department to become a senior adviser at the national security council. news of his departure was first reported by an israeli newspaper. they speculate it is not a demotion. he was a top envoy for middle east peace under bill clinton. former congressman william jefferson who kept $90,000 in his freezer here's opening statements in court. he is accused of racketeering and other crimes. mr. jefferson says he has an explanation for the cash that was found in his home freezer and has pleaded not guilty. william jefferson represented parts of new orleans. those are some of the headlines on c-span radio. >> "washington journal" continues. host: a lot of people heard what the president had to say about health care. what goes through your mind? guest: i think what he said at the speech, and c-span covered it. i had a chance to listen to almost every word. i think he pretty much laid out his plan. he did a wonderful job in rallying troops and addressing an audience that perhaps he thought was hostile. there were very warm and gave him many ovations. there was on

guest: the point is to say that somehow dennis ross might turn a blind eye to the iranian nuclear program. i do not think that is correct. this is a threat to regional peace. it is a threat to american interests. it is a threat to the countries in the region. you could say i am biased because he is michael author, but i cannot imagine any american who is more dedicated in pursuing american interests and to ensure that iran does not become a nuclear weapon state. host: good morning. caller: good morning. praise god. i just wanted to say that i thought obama's speech was a message speech. we all must make peace with god in order to make peace with each other. i do not care if he is a muslim or a baptist or a catholic. whatever. we all were shipped in different ways. there is only one god. that god is jesus christ. he is trying to gather people -- he is trying to make people come together so we can try to make peace with each other. he has accepted him. let god do his part. we will do our part. guest: i think she is saying correctly that the president is trying to transcend these rifts. the

i know dennis ross. the other folks that were involved in that, senator mitchell, hopefully they can craft some sort of plan, that is probably number one. >> host: next telephone call from illinois on the independent line. >> caller: i stand and salute you for your service. >> guest: have a seat. >> caller: my birds are making too much noise for me to make a statement. i will try to get through this. i don't really have a question, i have a statement for the people of this country. whenever in the past there was a revolution, and i hope we never have that sort of a revolution, it is generally the wealthy are the first to be dispatched. most importantly, the second ones to go, if i am not mistaken, are the pundits, you know the sort i am talking about, they are the next ones to go. when the government in power realizes -- when they realize the government they have put in power is not what they wanted the, the careful when you ask for because you just might get it. they will be the next ones on the list. i

there's a book cal out called "mists, -- myths illusions and peace by dennis ross and david makovskyho is a fellow for near east policy. david used to work with me so i'm really interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab-israeli policy. so that's another book i'm going to be going through. another book is by david sanger called the inheritance the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in the "new york times," i know what a terrific reporter he is. and he's now put together what's really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he's been on my show. he's smart. and i think this is going to be an important book. i'll read something reading this book. the one piece of fiction that i want to read this summer, i hope to read some others but i definitely want to read elie wiesel, a mad desire to dance because he's such a terrific writer and what he writes is so important. i was really moved by what he said a few weeks ago when he spoke openly about having lost his foundation so mu

out entitles myths illusions and peace, finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, the mideast envoy who is working on iran, and david mccove ski. so i'm interested not what they have to say about the arab israeli conflict. so that's another book i will be going through. another book is by david sanger of "the new york times" entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years, he is a traffic reporter and now -- a terrific reporter and has put together on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book. finally, the one fiction that i want to read this summer, i hope to read others but want to read the new book, a mad desire to dance. because he is such a terrific writer and what he writes is so important. i was really moved by what he said a few weeks ago when he spoke openly about having lost his foundation, so much money in the bernard madoff uproar, fiasco. he was so smart and lost millions, but

guantanamo closure czar, the af/pak czar, the mideast peace czar, the persian gulf/southwest asia czar, dennis ross, the sudan czar, j. scott, climate czar, todd stern, car czar, steve rad in her -- rat in her. he's been all over the place -- ratner, he's been all over the place. economic czar, the executive pay czar, that's one of my favorites right there. the executive pay czar is kenneth feinburg and then the cyber security czar, position to be announced, but they're going to have one. now, right off i wondered about the cyber security czar because we've got an infotech czar up here which is sort of both in the same -- both first cousins, anyway. and i don't know whether they'll be working together or what. but they're going to have absolute power in their field, whatever that means. i think this is something we ought to be curious about. that's so many czars, you know what's interesting, the russians gave nicknames to some of their czars based on their behave -- behavior. i don't think anybody would want to be called, like, allen the terrible, you know? we had an ivan the terrible in the russia

summer entitled myths, listens and peace, fighting in a direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross, a longtime special middle east envoy who is now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david wyss is a fellow at the washington institute. david and i go way back and used to work with me so i'm interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab-israeli conflict since both of them either worker covered so long so that is another book i will be going through. another book is by david shanker of "the new york times" untitled, the inheritance: to the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times" i know what a terrific reporter he is. he has now put together was really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he has been on my show, he is smart and i think this is going to be an important book i will learn something reading from. finally the one fiction piece of fiction that i want to read this summer i hope to read and some others but i def

entitled myths, illusions and peace: finding a new direction for america in the middle east by dennis ross who's now working in the obama administration on iran among other subjects and david m makovsky. i go way back with david, he used to work with me, so i'm really interested in what these two guys have to say about the arab/israeli conflict since both of them have either worked or covered it so, so long. another book is by david sanger of the new york times entitled the inheritance, the world obama confronts and the challenges to american power. having read him for years in "the new york times," i know what a terrific reporter he is, and he's put together what's really an important book on what the president of the united states has basically inherited. he's been on my show, he's smart, and i think this is going to be an important book, i'll learn something reading this book. and finally, the one, the one fiction, piece of fiction that i want to read this summer -- i hope to read some others, but i definitely want to read elie e wiesel's a mad desire to dance. i was really moved by wha