we will start with francis lee. >> difficult to find the cause for optimism about the quest to bring government revenue into a sustainable balance. at a time when democrats controlled presidency and enjoy solid margin of control in both chambers of congress it is easy to underestimate the need for legislative bipartisanship. data collected over a long time testifies to the great importance of bipartisanship for successful lawmaking. congress rarely legislates with narrow margins of victory. generally most successful legislation including significant legislation on controversial matters garner's widespread bipartisan support. according to political scientist david nagy 84% of political legislation passed in the postwar period had the support of two thirds of the membership of both chambers of congress. including 95% of these laws gained that in one chamber. the highly partisan politics of health-care reform are not the norm for successful legislation or even recent congresses. by the 111th congress was approved by two thirds margins in the house and senate including controversial matt

william holden, policy adviser to bill frist, francis lee, assistant professor of government and politics, and senior counsel of the federal bureau of investigation', -- the session s a moderated. he is especially appropriate -- appropriate for this panel. i would say that's it would make a great holiday gift. >> that was good. made the trip all worthwhile. thank you. it is a bigger panel than the last panel. each panelist gets 5-7 minutes. we have a bit of a problem because three of the people on this panel have worked in the u.s. senate which knows no time limits. i will do my best to enforce it. >> it is difficult to find a cause for optimism about the government revenues an extension into some type of sustainable balance. it is easy to underestimate the need for a legislative bipartisanship. they have -- data collected over long periods of time testified to the great importance of bipartisanship for successful lawmaking. congress rarely legislate. including significant legislation on controversial matters. according to yale political science, 84% of the legislation passed by congress

william holden, policy adviser to bill frist, francis lee, assistant professor of government and politics, and senior counsel of the federal bureau of investigation', -- the session s a moderated. he is especially appropriate -- appropriate for this panel. i would say that's it would make a great holiday gift. >> that was good. made the trip all worthwhile. thank you. it is a bigger panel than the last panel. each panelist gets 5-7 minutes. we have a bit of a problem because three of the people on this panel have worked in the u.s. senate which knows no time limits. i will do my best to enforce it. >> it is difficult to find a cause for optimism about the government revenues an extension into some type of sustainable balance. it is easy to underestimate the need for a legislative bipartisanship. they have -- data collected over long periods of time testified to the great importance of bipartisanship for successful lawmaking. congress rarely legislate. including significant legislation on controversial matters. according to yale political science, 84% of the legislation passed by congress

lee was invited by both montgomery blair and his father, francis preston blair, to dinner at blair house and either over dinner at the blair dining room table and probably continuing into the study with the cigars and the madera, at lincoln's request, francis preston senior and his sons present offered the command of the union army to robert e. lee in blair house, in that study. so that is testimony to the blair family influence and power. >> in the center of the wall is a large engraving depicting president lincoln and his cabinet. the oldest blair son, montgomery blair, served in lincoln's cabinet. montgomery is standing on the far right in that image. he was the postmaster general. at that time that was a full cabinet post, which it is not today. under that is a very rare matthew brady photograph of general sherman and his senior advisors. another blair son, frank blair jr., is in that photograph. he was one of the senior advisors. what's phenomenal about this photograph -- and remember, this is civil war photography. matthew brady has superimposed him into the image. frank blair was

lee was invited by both montgomery blair and his father, francis preston blair, to dinner at blair houseer dinner at the blair dining room table and probably continuing into the study with the cigars and the madera, at lincoln's request, francis preston senior and his sons present offered the command of the union army to robert e. lee in blair house, in that study. so that is testimony to the blair family influence and power. >> in the center of the wall is a large engraving depicting president lincoln and his cabinet. the oldest blair son, montgomery blair, served in lincoln's cabinet. montgomery is standing on the far right in that image. he was the postmaster general. at that time that was a full cabinet post, which it is not today. under that is a very rare matthew brady photograph of general sherman and his senior advisors. another blair son, frank blair jr., is in that photograph. he was one of the senior advisors. what's phenomenal about this photograph -- and remember, this is civil war photography. matthew brady has superimposed him into the image. frank blair was not present th