denton jr. has been many things in this life. he's a naval academy graduate, he became what in the navy they call an aerodale, i say that because one of my sons is retired navy, he's a seal, and he was shot down over north vietnam and it was the longest-serving prisoner of the vietnamese and probably the most abused of those who lived to survive it. >> alvarez was actually longer than i, shot down the the previous year. he was by himself there a long time. >> i see. and subsequent to his release became a united states senator from the state of alabama, and he has authored a remarkable book. it's called, "when hell was in session." it's about his experiences all those many years when the vietnamese tried to break him. they tried to break everybody. and it was he, it was admiral denton who when forced to appear in a propaganda film did two things. using his eyelids, he blinked out the word torture, got the word out that they were being tortured, and he said he didn't know what was going can on bec

. >> bob married, in your book -- merry, in your book, you talk about a senator named denton. -- denton. -- benton. >> he was a big man. he was the most -- was called the most grating political maniac i ever knew. he was a powerful figure, and rode on massive memoir which historians have been using for a century and a half. and he was very powerful during that time. >> the story about the deal will and andrew jackson never ceases to amaze me when i read it. >> benton had met him in the war of 1812. there were very close. but there were a lot of tools in tennessee in those days. jackson consented to be the second abduat a duel. jesse took that bill would -- took a bullet to the buttocks which was somewhat of an embarrassment. people began trashing jackson's name. jackson took that very seriously. jackson was wounded in this older, bleeding profusely, and almost died. benton realize that jackson was the hero of tennessee, and he needed to get out of dodge. so he left tennessee and went to missouri. he rose up to beat missouri lost a top politician for 30 years. >> to this injured -- did t

>> reporter: mary th dye's huand, major denton dye, is on his second deploymt, and has been gone for six months. >> look here, lookere, oh, th was pretty. >> reporter:he dyes have four children, six year o morgan, fi year old avery, three year old kelsey, and the-month old presn. >> he hasn't been able tsee his son yet. he was born in septemb and the opportuny arose that we could send him a picture of oufamily and let him know tt we're doing well back here >> bring it up a ltle higher, look at me right here reporter: mrs. dye, herself an army reserve mar, says the fami works hard to cope with the long separatns. >> little thin, we've made dolls of daddy that ey get to hug and sleep witht night, they're lled their daddy dolls. let th do a project and be able to mail to daddy, this like that. so we do what can to help the kids stay inouch with him and have the feelings d know that he miss them and that they miss him and that it's ok miss him, but we go onith life and keephem busy and everything else. >> thais it, we have got it done. woo. that's an ercise. >> reporr: over 400 volunteer

vivian joins us from denton, texas. independent line. caller: good morning.nd have more conference wasç israel because believe hatç jews have suffere -- i believe that the jews have suffered enough and we are going through the same thing because of al qaeda and bin laden and i think their deal was not 9/11. it had to do with ruining the united states. they took all of our money. they have taken everything away from us, including our sons, our daughters and everything else and i believe that the government should do something about it instead of just sitting on their hands and not helping the military take care of this. i'm so tired of saying i'm sorry, i'm sorry i'm an american and that is the way it is now.ç that is w that is what obama is telling everybody. we are so sorry. i'm so the sorry. i'm upset. i'm very upset. my son died a month before 9/11 in an f-14 off theç u.s.s. constellati constellation, and i know that it was one of the problems that started 9/11, it was just one of the things that happened. he is still in the indian ocean in an f-14 abu

vivian joins us from denton, texas. independent line. caller: good morning.t the jews have suffered enough and we are going through the same thing because of al qaeda and bin laden and i think their deal was not 9/11. it had to do with ruining the united states. they took all of our money. they have taken everything away from us, including our sons, our daughters and everything else and i believe that the government should do something about it instead of just sitting on their hands and not helping the military take care of this. i'm so tired of saying i'm sorry, i'm sorry i'm an american and that is the way it is now.ç that is w that is what obama is telling everybody. we are so sorry. i'm so the sorry. i'm upset. i'm very upset. my son died a month before 9/11 in an f-14 off theç u.s.s. constellati constellation, and i know that it was one of the problems that started 9/11, it was just one of the things that happened. he is still in the indian ocean in an f-14 abubecause they coult bring him back. now you tell me what are we posed to do with iran? what ar

labeled these individuals as astroturf or rent-a-bob but i had 2,000 people show up for a town hall in denton, texas, on a saturday morning in texas and these were my friends and neighbors. i know he most of the people in the town and it was not an important crowd to give grief to the poor member of congress. these were people who were legitimately concerned just as the gentleman from iowa accurately points out, we're trying to fix the problem for less than 5% of the american population and disrupt what 65%, 70% or 73% of the american population sees as something that is working relatively well for them. sure, they're earn concerned about costs for the future -- they're concerned about the costs for the future, but by and large, those that have insurance do want to keep it. that's why we don't hear that brought up anymore. i thought we'd come back in september, we'd hit the reset button, the pause, the replay. no. we hit the fast forward button and we pushed this thing through, don't check the weather, we're going to fly anyway. and the speaker pushed it through in the early part of november,

the only serious dating relationship i ever had in my life was this young girl named caroline denton, and she became one of my best friends in high school. and it just so happened one weekend i couldn't get a date and she didn't have one, and i asked her out. and from that point forward, i fell in love with somebody i've been married to for 41 years -- my wife caroline coburn. and on this day of significant votes in the senate and tomorrow, i wanted to take a moment to say how much i appreciate what she has meant to me the past 41 years, how much stronger she has made me as a man, how she has completed every aspect of my life in being my partner as we walk through life, and the gift she gave me of three wonderful daughters. to my wife, caroline, in front of the body, i tell you thank you and happy anniversary. and now i'd like to go to my prepared remarks. i spent five years in the senate talking to my colleagues about spending. and we find ourselves in front of us another opportunity to do the wrong thing. and we have a debt limit increase. and yet, in those five years, after hundred