policy in eastern libya.he cia was in eastern libya because they were concerned that al-qaeda was using that part of the country to recruit people into the terrorist organization, now, what was the u.s. state department and obama administration's policy towards libya? between the lines of this report suggested it was reflected in a kind of lig light footprint. they thought libya was going all right. i think there was a break between-- >> a light footprint was explicit policy, maybe not explicit, but after gaddafi fell we washed our hands of libya more or less. had a few state department and cia this. morals said the qataris and united arab emirates, they would take care of arming things and we let them arm the islamists, that's who they support and now the islamists are gaining in strength against an elected government. >> but this is reflective of a broader pattern of a spore raddic attentiveness that this administration shows, it's broadly reactive, not proactive and you know, basically said, hey, libya, we

the truth is across the eastern libya for many months, before the attack took place in ben benghazi, there was a troubling pattern earn of deteriorating security not only directed a the the united states, there has been a tendency not just in the case of eastern libya, across the world in recent years for us to focus too much on specific credible threats and times those are the forest and the trees. i think it's something we were painfully reminded of in the benghazi attack. there are specific recommendations that the accountable review board made we will implement relentlessly in the state department and we'll work with the rest of the intelligence community. >> finally, reading from the report again, and having listened to both ambassador pickering and admiral mullen, they made it clear while there are many mistakes made in the outline and respond to them a significant problem here is resources. we can hide our head in the sand or ultimately meet that challenge. where they say it's imperative for the state department to be mission-driven rather than resource-constrainted, particula

memos it came up to the seventh floor that talked about the deteriorating security situation in eastern libya broke after all these different trips to libya yourself -- >> libya. >> after all these different trips to libya yourself, do you know of any high-level meetings above the assistant secretary level? whether any meetings convened? >> there were certainly meetings that took place within the senior levels with regard to the situation in libya in general, particularly with regard to the concern of the week security capabilities of the libyan government of that time. that was a fairly consistent concern. we made a number of offers a number of occasions and pushed the libyan interim government to try to move and accelerate their efforts to develop these institutions, which related directly to security. >> beyond the assistant secretary level, there was a general and specific awareness of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in libya of the repeated requests on the ground for security and inability of the libyans -- >> there was certainly a general awareness of both the deteriorating s

eastern. two committees are holding hearings today on the attack in libya that killed four americans. the senate foreign relations committee will hear from deputy secretary of state at 8:00 eastern. you can see that live on c-span to. mr. burns will go to the other side of the capital of the afternoon to testify before the house foreign affairs committee about the report. that is live on c-span3 at 1:00 eastern. >> our first experience was to come and a different way than every other family up here. probably would never happen again in history. after dad was sworn in, we went and took a picture of the family behind a wall office desk. that night we did not get to move into the office -- white house because they left their daughter and son in law to pack all of their clothes and belongings. it literally took seven or eight days. we had to go back to the little house in alexandria, virginia. the neighborhood was surrounded by secret service. i will never forget, that night mom is cooking dinner. literally we're sitting around the dinner table and mama's cooking dinner, and she said somet

memo's that came up to the seventh floor that talked about the deteriorating security situation in eastern libya, yes or. >> after all these different has to live it yourself, secretary and others, other senior officials in the state department, are there any memos produced after those visits basically saying we've been to libya, and by the way, there are two things the station is concerned about the security in general and the libyans are concerned about their ability to provide security as we are relying on them? do you know if any memos were produced about that above the assistant secretary level? whether any memos produced? >> there were certainly meetings that took place at at senior levels with regard to the situation in general, and particularly with regard to the concern about the very weak security capabilities of the libyan government at that time. and so certainly that was a subject of fairly consistent concern as i said, we made a number of offers and on a number of occasions, pushed the libyan interim government to try to move to accelerate their efforts to develop -- which related

memo's that came up to the seventh floor that talked about the deteriorating security situation in eastern libya, yes or. >> after all these different has to live it yourself, secretary and others, other senior officials in the state department, are there any memos produced after those visits basically saying we've been to libya, and by the way, there are two things the station is concerned about the security in general and the libyans are concerned about their ability to provide security as we are relying on them? do you know if any memos were produced about that above the assistant secretary level? whether any memos produced? >> there were certainly meetings that took place at at senior levels with regard to the situation in general, and particularly with regard to the concern about the very weak security capabilities of the libyan government at that time. and so certainly that was a subject of fairly consistent concern as i said, we made a number of offers and on a number of occasions, pushed the libyan interim government to try to move to accelerate their efforts to develop -- which related

we see al qaeda linked terrorists were actually training in eastern libya not far from an ghazi, that seemed to be a hotbed training area for those folks and makes you wonder if the state department believ the presidens own press releases rather than what they should have seen on the ground, they shod have been connecting the dots and they failed miserably. lou: pointing out directly al qaeda is far from dead andloe benghazi terrorist attacks. whether it amounts to a whitewash. joining us now is judith miller, former u.s. amassador to the united nations, john bolton. thank you both for beng here. i would like to start with a couple of the findings from the executive summary of this report. these two findings occur with one paragraph. first, embassy tripoli did not demonstrate strong and sustained advocacy with washington for increased security for special mission in benghazi. that means the consulate. lou: here's the other binding after one paragraph. in the days and months and weeks leading up to it, were inadequate. despite repeated requests and special mission in benghazi and embas

they found a new safehane in eastern libya.urity failure after another led to the deaths of four americans, including ambassador chris stevens. >> the conclusion was stark, candid and honest. told us the following: mistakes were made, lives were lost. lessons need to be learned. >> in the summer of 2012 the report documents 20 related security instance in benghazi, assassination attempt on the british ambassador. neither provided defense. the report state it was stevens' decision to travel on 9/11. saying his status on the leading advocate on policy and expert chief in benghazi in particular caused them to giveus judgments. for the lack of military response the report claims that the system worked. >> there was not enough time for the u.s. military forces to have made a difference. >> the administration officials emphasize the letter to congress where clinton accepted 29 report recommendation no, denying the culpability. today they canceled the white house briefing as they renewed calls to appear on capitol hill. >> it's impera

al qaeda and its franchises are not dead and they found a new safe haven in eastern libya. that led to the deaths of four americans, including ambassador chris stevens. >> i think the conclusion is not intended on it. mistakes were made, lives were lost. lessons need to be learned. reporter: in the summer of 2012, the report documents at least 20 security related security-related incidents in gaza, including the assassination attempt on thh matter. the state department continues to rely on the libyan militia security contractors. neither provided meaningful defense. the reports state it was ambassador stevens report to travel to benghazi on 9/11. his status as a leading government advocate on libyan policy and his expertise on benghazi in particular cost washington to give unusual deference to his judgment. as to the loss of military response, the report claimed that the system worked. >> or something recently was not enough time for u.s. military forces to have made a difference. >> administration officials emphasized clinton's letters to congress, where she accepted all 2

we see al qaeda linked terrorists were actually training in eastern libya not far from an ghazi, that seemed to be a hotbed training area for those folks and makes you wonder if the state department believes the president's own press releases rather than what they should have seen on the ground, they should have been connecting the dots and they failed miserably. lou: pointing out directly al qaeda is far from dead and remains active and significantly so in the region. always good to talk with you, thank you for being with us. what's much more on the state department's response to benghazi, the scandal that ensued and we are focusing on the fiscal cliff, the vote is expected on the boehner plan b. i-pronoui-pronou n want to bring you up to date very quickly ,-com,-com ma we have received word the house has recessed rather than move into a boat on plan b. we are now told that they decided to recessed, the expectation is they would return relatively soon, perhaps within the hour. but at this point we simply do not know. in fact, this is a maneuver by the speaker definitively to delay th

it was really a center of recruiting right there in eastern libya. so i want to know why the president continued to speak of having al qaeda on the run when in fact that is not the case at all. we saw them getting stronger, more forceful and the story that he was telling the american people i think now is going to come out was a story to deceive the american people but certainly to mislead them. jon: you started off this segment by saying you believe that those hearings should be open. is there the possibility, maybe likelihood they will be closed? >> not if i have anything to do with it. i want to have open hearings on the record so the american people can hear the answers from the secretary of state. jon: senator john barrasso, republican, from wyoming. we'll look forward to the hearings and yes we do hope they're open. >> thanks for having me, jon. jenna: now one year since a mysterious crime rock ad wealthy massachusetts town. jack and jerry mcgee murdered in their mansion and the message police have for us up ahead. >>> a major winter storm caus

we know where those died training camps are in eastern libya. why not go after them.n al qaeda takes from this? once again no consequences. the americans will be fighting each other, not us. i think we allow them to become emboldened, and this is a green light for continuing to attack americans. martha: what do you think the mindset is of the administration on this. do they generally believe al qaeda is not a threat? we know they say died has been decimated. a lot of this was blamed on a movie. the ruffling of feather that has gone the out of control. >> it's two things. it's their mindset and their failure say, gee, if these are terrorist attacks, terrorists then that's a lie because they can't admit then that al qaeda is bigger than ever and has spread. martha: we know they have taken this on in a way president bush did, hitting targets when they have them. why not go after these attacks in training cams in eastern libya and send a strong message? >> i think the arab spring took everybody by surprise. it took us by surprise and it took al qaeda by surprise. the reac

the report also highlighted how security has deteriorated across eastern libya amid regime change after the death of the dictator muammar qaddafi. >> we did fought do a good enough job and the report highlights trying to help in that struggling pattern. >>shepard: secretary of state, hillary clinton was initially set to testify at the hearings, and she did not appear because the state department reports she suffered a bad concussion. now, lawmakers say they have learned secretary clinton will testify in january. and catherine is on the story live on capitol hill today. what more are we learning of warnings that came before the attack? >>reporter: at the senate hearing, her deputies were pushed on state department classified cables that warn the threat was spiking. >> you were aware of the security risk. we have read the cables. you were fully aware. either you sent people there with security or you don't send them there. >>reporter: an august classified cable summarized an emergency meeting in benghazi a month before the attack, directly warning clinton that the consulate could not defe

that al qaeda and affiliates are not dead, they have found a new home or safe haven in eastern libya were systematic failures which is code for multiple failures and stops short laying the blame with secretary clinton. >> it is in our view the appropriate place to look is the assistant secretary, where the decisionmakinging takes place, where the rub are hits the road. >> as for the military response, there is no fault claiming the attack on the consulate was over in less than half an hour and nothing more could be done. >> this was not enough time for u.s. military forces to have made a difference. having said that, it is not reasonable or feasible to tether forces at the ready to respond to protect every high risk post in the world. >> the administration officials today emphasize the fact that the secretary of state has adopted all 29 of the recommendations, five are classified. there were no briefings at the state department or the white house today which meant that no administration official was on camera on the record responding to the report's finding. >>shepard: catherine, wha

it also indicates that it was the ambassador's decision to travel to eastern libya, to benghazi on september 11th and that he was aware of the anniversary. the report states, his status as leading u.s. government advocate on libya policy and his expertise on benghazi in particular caused washington to give unusual deference to his judgment. while the report concludes that there were systemic failures at senior levels of the state department, significantly it does not make any formal recommendations for discipline airy action, bill. bill: what else should we know that's in there, catherine? >> reporter: well the missing piece really, and this is the critical policy piece, is why it was that the obama administration specifically, the secretary of state, advocated for this light footprint on the ground in benghazi when the intelligence seemed to suggest otherwise? secretary clinton will not be testifying this week citing doctors orders she remain at home as she recovers from this concussion. instead we'll hear from two of her deputies. >> when you hear the testimony of deputy secretary burns an

that its followers have a new home in eastern libya. and that the benghazi on 9/11 was a significant defeat for the united states. it killed 4:00 americans including our ambassador. it also shuttered our diplomatic security presence in eastern lib. >> as well as a sizable cia operation. within the last hour a senior democrat at the closed classified briefing said there were systemic failures at seniors levels of the state department. >> i think the conclusion was very stark, very candid, very honest and told us the following. the mistakes were made, lives were lost and lessons need to be learned. first america can not retreat from a dangerous world. it is important for us to be there, to not only protecting our values but protecting american citizens. >> reporter: the report states that in the summer of 2012 the security conditions on the ground prior to the attack in benghazi were consistently deteriorating. the report cites 20 separate incidents, some targeting the u.s. facility. at the same time the state department increasingly was r

al-qaida is really resurging in libya, especially eastern libya.failures in the senior levels of the state department when it came to security. administration relied on libyan militia to provide security there and that was a big mistake, and outside contractors. there were 20 security-related incidents right there at that consulate prior to this attack. as well, martha, quickly, the former chairman of the joint chiefs, admiral mullen said that the military could not respond in time. there are today people saying -- looking at this report and the timing, they didn't know where ambassador stevens was for three and a half hours. at that time they didn't know he was dead. almost five hours they didn't know where he was. and there are people questioning whether somewhere, somehow some element of the u.s. military could have responded in that time. martha: yeah, a lot of questions remain, and as you say we'll stay on it. catherine herridge has been on it as well talking about why they would have encouraged a lighter fingerprint at the same time they were

what i would say is there's a general awareness of both the deteriorating security situation in eastern libya and also there was not only a general awareness, but a real concern. >> reporter: and so, they acknowledge there were worries of what was happening on the ground in libya. they say that some of the intelligence they were getting, they did not realize would be a direct assault on the u.s. they saw it as more being about what was happening in libya. an enso, there are questions to be asked and answered. it continues this afternoon and secretary clinton plans to come here sometime in january. tamron? >> thank you very much. >>> let me bring in bobby goeshch. you have the back and forth and what can she say that's not in the report that we have read? >> what you have now with the hearings is a sideshow. >> it's quite clear of the changes and what happened. >> and state department fessed up. four officials have fallen on their sword. all that remains is some political point scoring taking place. senator kerry wants to look -- what's the equivalent of presidential. secreta secretarial. shou

undeniable facts that there was a decision prior to the assault not dead found a new safe haven in eastern libyaone security failure after another led to the death of four americans, including ambassador chris stevens. >> i think the d-backs was very stark, very candid, very honest and told us the following mistakes were made, lives were lost and lessons need to be learned. >> in the summer of 2012 the report documents at least 20 security related incidents in benghazi including the assassination attempt on the british ambassador. if the state department continued to rely on libya militia and security contractor on 9/11 neither provided any meaningful defense. the report states it was stevens of decision to travel on benghazi on 9/11 adding quote his status as the leading u.s. government advocate on u.s. policy and his expertise on benghazi in particular caused washington to give unusual deference to his judgments. as for the lack of military response, the report claimed the system worked. >> there simply was not enough time for u.s. military forces to have made a difference. having said that, i

a pattern of violent activity in eastern libya was well-documented for the entire year leading up to the attacks of september 11, 2012, and yet the administration did too little to support our libyan partners who were grateful for america's help in the fight for liberation who elected a pro-american government in july, who sought greater u.s. assistance to treat their wounded, train their national security forces come to secure their borders, build their democratic institutions, and expand the rule of law. libyans did not want al qaeda militias running amok in large parts of the country. that is the reality we now face. this is the broader failure of the administration's so-called life footprint approach toward libya. regardless of whom the president nominates to serve in his cabinet, we will continue to ask these questions and demand answers and accountability. i would like to concur with senator mccain. i thought the report was very detailed and the recommendations good and solid in terms of how to better understand the intelligence and run it, how to improve security on the ground

libya. at 8:00 a.m. eastern the senate foreign relations committee and the deputy secretary of state william burns. we will have that on c-span2. later in the day, the house side of the capitol and testifying for the foreign affairs committee. live coverage at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span3. >> up next on c-span2, senator barbara boxer discusses two gun-control measures she plans to introduce. then carolyn mccarthy and members of congress touched by gun violence in a briefing calling for stricter gun laws. and the governments role in mental health funding. >> you're watching c-span2 with politics and public affairs weekdays featuring live coverage of the u.s. senate. on weeknights watch key public policy events and every weekend the latest nonfiction authors and books on booktv. you can see past programs and schedules at her website. join in the conversation on social media sites. >> california senator barbara boxer spoke with reporters on wednesday about to go she is introducing regarding stricter gun laws.

but we know for a fact that al qaeda connected operatives were training in eastern libya, not very far from benghazi. this was a hot bed for terrorist training. yet, it didn't really follow what the president was saying for his election narrative. that's why i think, sean, this was a deliberate deception. >> sean: thank you very much. we will continue to follow the story that the mainstream media ignores. four dead americans, including two seals and the first ambassador killed in 30 years. obviously, a coverup. we will get to the bottom of t. gentlemen, thank you very much. >> thank you, eighteen. >> sean: we have a lot more breaking news on hant. sometimes even i am stunned at the audacity of our political, opportunist president. when we come back, wait until you hear that he is using the tragedy in newtown to push -- well -- not gun control. it's deeper than that. speaking of the president, when is he going to help this former marine? that guy right there? he has been sit income a mexican prison since august on false gun charges. it is time to bring jon hammar, an american hero home

." >> the truth is, across eastern there had been a tendency-- not just in the case of eastern libya, i think across the world in recent years-- for us to focus too much on specific credible threats, and sometimes and, i think that's something that, you know, we were painfully reminded of in the case of the benghazi attack, and we need to do better at. >> reporter: to that end, deputy secretary nides promised swift action on all of the report's 29 recommendations. >> implementation of each and every recommendation will be underway by the time the next secretary of state takes office. there will be no higher priority for the department in the coming weeks and months. >> reporter: the afternoon brought deputy secretaries burns and nides before a new audience- - the house committee on foreign affairs. the questions there were decidedly more challenging, as republicans quickly turned to u.n. ambassador susan rice and her much-discussed statement five days after the attack in benghazi. >> what this began as was a spontaneous, not a premeditated response to what had transpired in cairo. >>

in eastern libya probably, not just for us, but for many countries that were out here.i think you have to take that into consideration in terms of understanding the environment, and in terms of what was out there but the potential was. >> we also take into account the bolivian government was almost absent from the scene in terms of its responsibilities. in many ways, on piggery 17, as difficult as it was, they have responded positively and a less threatening question in the past was the best that anyone can find. to in the report, you specifically referred to the idea that the ambassador did not fully formed this kind of movement. why is that relevant here? what role did the ambassador have been a lead person wee person in libya in terms of determining security? it is my understanding that investors don't normally notify each and every movement. why was that specifically refer to? >> because it is a question occurred to many people and we felt we should answer it. particularly because the ambassador is the person who has the responsibility for security at his post. >> a

that is distinct from general assessments of the security situation overall in libya, including eastern libya which the secretary and others did see from time to time and did paint a troubling picture of budgetary ration of the overall situation in libya and in particular the weakness in capacity of libyan government security institutions and that is something a number of us who visited libya, including the secretary stressed to libyan authorities have made concrete offers of assistance along with european partners and others to try to help the new interim government in libya develop security institutions. >> thank you. i go back, madam chairman. >> mr. duncan of south carolina is recognized. >> thank you, madam chairman. your leadership will be missed on this committee, the looking forward to the future. i want to say that words mean something and they should mean something and i'm glad we are finally in agreement that this incident was a terrorist attack that took the administration longer to get there. i notice on page one of arb's report that the ongoing investigation has labeled an ongoi

it fragmented with its followers finding a new home in eastern libya.ere systemic failures in the state department that led to the gross lack of security. >> mistakes were made, lives were lost and lessons need to be learned. first america cannot retreat from a dangerous world. it's important for us to be there. to not on protect our values but protecting american citizens. >> reporter: the report cites deteriorating security conditions on the ground. it's 20 stuart-related events including attacks on the consulate itself. the state department here in washington continued to rely on a libyan militia and outside security contractor, both of which did not provide a meaningful defense on the day of the attack. the report suggests ambassador stevens bears some of the responsibility. it points out it was ambassador stevens' decision to go to been gas i on the anniversary of 9/11. secretary of state hillary clinton is at home recovering from a concussion. >> i think it's imperative for all concerned that she testify in an open session prior to any changing of

to al qaeda were slowly but surely setting up their positions and going maybe for a takeover of eastern libyais, did that rise to the secretary of state level, did she know about it and was she rethinking what am period to be u.s. policy in that regard? gregg: eli lake, thanks so much. >> thank you. gregg: a lot more questions than answers now at least. thanks for being with us. >> thank you. heather: well, coming up, troubling new signs about the nation's fight against cancer. why more people are skipping potentially life-saving screening tests. we'll take a closer look. gregg: and fresh on the heals of a massive winter storm that buried a wide stretch of the country in snow we are tracking, yes, another storm taking direct aim at a very hard-hit region. heather: plus for many of us the holidays mean traveling to grandma's house but now in one country it's not just the right thing to do. it's actually the law. we'll explain, coming up. gregg: visit your parents or else. that is the latest from china's national legislature. a state media says a new amendment passed today on an existing law on

the war against terrorism is over, al qaeda had been decimated and al qaeda has a stronghold in eastern libyawe still have not heard what happened as to why the administration put together the story it did, why they continued for ten days two weeks afterwards to say it was not a terrorist attack when it was clear from the start it was. >> the report that is fascinating i think and clearly spells out a ton of mistakes and it's a riveting read. the takeaway is this, no one engaged in misconduct or willingly ignored his or her duty. what do you make of that takeaway from this independent report? >> i think we have to look into that more. i'm not trying to blame people what happened before. i think mistakes were made, we have to find out why more security was not provided. my main criticism is the way from september 11th forward why the administration did not tell the full story and bedon't know why the security was not provided. to me we have to have testimony from people higher up in the department to say how high those decisions went, why the decision was made, that was a dangerous area and to

the pattern of violent extremist activity in eastern libya was well-documented for the entire year leading the attacks of september 11th, 2012 and yet the administration did too little to support our libyan partners who were grateful for america's help in their fight for lib rakes. who elected a pro-american government in july. who sought greater u.s. assistance to treat their war wounded, train their national security forces, secure their borders, bill their democratic institutions and expand the rule of law. libyans do not want al qaeda-affiliated terrorists and militias running amok in large parts of their country but that's the reality we now face. this is the broader failure of the administration's so-called light footprint approach toward libya. and regardless of whom the president nomination to serve in his cabinet we will continue to ask these questions and demand answers and accountability. senator graham. >> thank you. i would like to concur with senator mccain. i thought the report was very detailed and the recommendations are good and solid in terms of how to better understand

across eastern libya for many months and before the attack took place in benghazi, there was a troubling pattern of deteriorating security. not all of this was directed at the united states, but there has been a tendency across the world in recent years for us to focus too much on the civic credible -- specific article threats. ats.redible thre there are specific recommendations that the review board has made that we will implement. the state department will work with the rest of the intelligence community. >> finally reading from the report again and having listened to both personnel where they made it clear there were mistakes made, a significant problem here is resources. we can hide our heads in the sand or we can meet that challenge. it is imperative that the state department is mission driven rather than resource restrained, especially in briski places in the world. -- risky places in the world. i hope that when you present your budget at the same time that you are asking for what accountability review board has recommended as one of its recommendations that in fact you also give u

government, for example, does not have control over the eastern part of benghazi where -- eastern part of libya where you find benghazi. that's rather in the control of the militias. one leading democrat characterized the progress as limited. >> well, there is still a lot more to do. facts now we are using our techniques and using our relationships with other governments to find out who did in and why they did it. earlier this week the attorney general eric holder was asked by fox for his assessment fbi investigation into response to claims that it seemed somewhat slow or stalled. he said there has been a lot of the progress. just some of it is happening behind the scenes, harris. >> catherine herridge reporting behind the scenes. thank you. in afghanistan now. a bomber blew himself up in an attack that left one u.s. soldier dead and wounded several others it happened shortly after a visit from defense secretary leon pa net attachment the attack happening near kandahar air field in the southern part of the country. the defense secretary has visited that air field just less than three hours earl

think hillary clinton would be an excellent candidate for 2016, i think she handled the middle eastern issue, libya, to the best of her ability and also as far as the g.o.p. is concerned, inshe's made strides toward eliminating the tax spending through various commitments with private entities and organizations that coming out of the woodwork. i was watching earlier today and what they were requesting from the white house as far as step up to the plit, pleths fix this problem by incorporating small businesses and less government intervention to somewhat sush the deficit considering it's been astronomical. i heard barack obama say, the way we're going to do it is by cut -- make manager cuts in various ways. he was saying make manager cuts. and the only people they're going to hurt are pretty much the working class and the -- somewhat the middle class. he should have mentioned that spending out of control has a lot to do with the credit card crunch and it's solely because of the middle class, ok. i think if we get those tax cuts, i don't think it would be effective. what's happening, you have these d

eastern on cspan 3. the secretary of state william byrnes will testify this week about the september 11 attacks on the u.s. mission in benghazi, libya. that is live thursday at 1:00 p.m. eastern on cspan 3. the two connecticut u.s. senators talked about last week's school shootings in newtown, conn.. this is 40 minutes. >> mr. president, we appear to be in one of those periods of time where we are working too often through the valley of the shadow of death. senator blumenthal and i've come to the floor to speak about the tragedy that occurred, the senseless horrific attacks on innocent people in newtown, conn.. last friday. we must also note with extraordinary respect and sense of loss the death of our truly beloved colleague, senator dan inouye of hawaii. america, as senator reid and senator durbin made so car, america has lost a true hero, a patriot. this senate has lost a great leader, a leader whose accomplishments have been literally historic, and i think all of us have lost a friend. last evening, senator akaka spoke about how dan inouye's legacy, i'm paraphrasing here, was all aund hawi and all he had done for the state. the