see what he actually did and what gorbachev did.continued to tell gorbachev and others, the soviet union wanted takeover united states. we did not want that. you basically had two incredibly powerful groups looking at each other. it was very dangerous. basically he kept saying, look, if we have a nuclear war and you start the war, we will also work with and do the same thing to you. if we do that, we will both die. let's stop this and make it better. let us just let you work on your stuff, let us work on our stuff. it may sound a silly, but it work for awhile. host: our next caller is from palmdale, calif., on the independent line. caller: good morning to you and your guest. i really loved c-span. i watch it all the time. it is such an educational channel and i recommend it to all of my friends. i'm really happy your guests are on today. i'm reading a book that does talk about president reagan's willingness to talk to his soviet adversaries and his genuine desire to eliminate nuclear weapons. this is a book called "teardown this mes

gorbachev made an astonishing concession.e permitted a unified germany to join a hostile military alliance run by the global superpower. that is astonishing. in light of history, germany alone had practically destroyed were shut twice in a century. now there was quid pro quo. this is bush number one in james baker. it had been thought, until a couple of months ago, that bush and baker promised not to expand nato to the eastern european former soviet satellites, but there was the first careful study of the original documents that just came out by mark grammar, a cold war historian, and he believes he is refuting charges of u.s. duplicity but in fact what the shows this that it is much more cynical than what had been assumed. it turns out that bush and baker promised gorbachev that nato wouldn't even fully extend to east germany. i quote them, they told gorbachev, no nato forces would never be deployed on the territory of the former german ddr of east germany. nato's jurisdiction or forces would not move eastward. they also ass

people think that it wasn't until gorbachev got into office when anything happened.but, in fact, there were -- by the ti reagan was reelected, he had already met with grameco in september of '84 and they agreed on the elimination of nuclear weapons. grameco stated in a speech to the u.n. a few days before he met with reagan that the ussr continues to eliminate nuclear weapons and it was written to reagan who said we are prepared to seek most radical solutions which would allow movement towards a complete ban and eventually i liquidation of nuclear arms. at that point reagan had an agreement that theoviet union wanted to do the same thing that he wanted to do and he said let's take them at their word and say, okay, you agree with us. let's work on a way to do it. there's one final document. we have the first page -- this is from 1987. from september 8th, 1987. these are the minutes from that national security council meeting on arms control positions. and the next page of that is a a summary of some of the things that reagan said in the meeting that we have selected.

he was attacking reagan for making overtures to gorbachev and he was wrong about that but we forgave him anyway. chris: only a few presidents in our history are truly interesting. you want to know more about them even if you doesn't like them. he's one of them. is that why people kept listening and buying books? >> yes. i think that's part of it. nixon, though, he was president during the most sort of tumultuous period of our lives. speaking of you and me personally in this group. are you in in a group, too? so he was endlessly, fascinating. and he quit. he resigned. he did exit with dignity. and i think people did admire him for that. he decided however much acting was involved in his remorse, he did put the country first and say i'm leaving and -- chris: let's talk about a guy who left under a far lighter cloud. far lighter. let me make that clear. bill clinton with the monica mess was a far lighter cloud. he was impeached. let's put it that way. but his stunning appearance on our screens again this week with that delightful moment when that young american woman said he walked -- i

. >> oil, gorbachev, that's a risky bet, isn't it, bill? >> you can't take risk, david? david: we all need to take risks in this environment. if you like baseball, this will be a terrific weekend for it. hope that keeps you entertained. entertained. terry coon inand

he said are you going to talk to fidel castro now that you have been successful with mikhail gorbachev and mr. bush paused, turned around and said what's the point? all i would tell him is what i am telling you, give the people the freedom they want and then see the united states do exactly as we should, go down and left those people up. president bush's immediate predecessor ronald reagan always said first before talking with him the cubans have got to kick out the russians but now the russians put on. the soviets were gone. what happened was clear in 1991 when the soviets disappeared u.s. policymakers reached into the covered and pulled up platt amendment. they pull out washington's centralizing responsibility. like teddy roosevelt and taft today we insist cuba's leaders are misbehaving, that they are violating their citizens' human rights and the united states cannot stand buy quietly and allow this this behavior to continue. and that brings us to the third believe in the cuba ideology which underlies both the neglect and commitment to uplifting. the existential core of our policy t

eastern europe, i think of them are nosh in hungary in 1956 or to check in czechoslovakia in 1968 or gorbachev. all of them were genuine communist who spent their whole lives in the communist party, without, you know people dissent, but at some critical moment they became the embodiment of reform forces that were tremendously important. and i think that, and in politicians, we may get that. and i am fervently hoping that we may see some analog and iran in which some politician who has been all this time a dyed in the wool part of the islamic theocracy will seize the moment to present themselves as the embodiment of the popular unrest and play a very positive role. >> thank you, josh. you might have added yeltsin to that list, borst yells into that list of russian. i was thinking the same thing. there also is a more general question of people who become democrats after starting out as committed to some kind of totalitarian or authoritarian view. there is always a question that is happening with ex-communism with questions about the authenticity of their conversion and so on. i think such figure

it looks very much like a regime that is in fear of losing control, just as the soviet under gorbachev were in fear of losing control, which they did. when you're witnessing the repression of close -- as you have, you just come back, i think that there are good reasons why right now there's a sense of desparantment. and aft talks were finally broken off in november and after the british did a reversal on their 50 year policy of recognizing tibet's status with china, which was pretty much almost one step into autonomy, what the dalai lama wants, but you are correct, a succession of american governments has pursued, since nixon, the belief that constructive engagement with china will result in positive reform in commie that. it has not yet. >> it failed totally. >> right. it has resulted in great corporate profit, which is why it's sustained. corporations make money, they contribute to politicians, politicians support the system under which corporations make money. republican or democrat. and i'm not just blaming corporations, but i'm saying there's an economic incentive why the ostents

in to revert to eastern europe i think of hungary and at 56 orajel glaceau balky at hidden 68 or gorbachev. and all of them were genuine communist to spend their whole lives in the communist party people descend but at some critical moment they became the embodiment of reform forces that were tremendously important and i think politicians we may get that and i am fervently hoping we could see an analog with some politicians to all this time has been a part six of the islamic theocracy will seize the moment to present himself as the embodiment of the popular unrest and play a very positive role. >> thank you. you may have added boris yeltsin from russia up. i was thinking the same thing. but there was a more urge general question -- people who become democrats after starting out committed to some type of totalitarian or of their terrie and -- authoritarian view and there is a question of the authenticity and so on. such figures later on, of their previous history makes you wonder about them a little bit to but in any case let me open the floor to discussion. i think i will take two or three

-- to revert to eastern europe, i think of emory in hungary in '56 or in czechoslovakia, '68 or gorbachevyou know, all ofÃthem were genuine communists who had spent their whole lives in the communist party without people moment they became the embodiment of reform forces that were tremendously important and i think, you know, in politicians we may get that. i'm fervent]" opening that we may see some analog in iran in which some politician who's been all this time a dyed in the wool theocracy will seize the moment to present himself as the embodiment of the popular unrest and play a very positive role. >> thank you, josh. you might have added yeltsin to that list, boris yeltsin to that list of russians. i was thinking the same thing. but i think there are also is a more general question ofúñ peop who become democrats after starting out as committed to some kind of totalitarian or authoritarian view. there's always a question that's happened with ex-communists as to questions about the authenticity of their conversion and so on. and when they become a strong voice for democracy and so on t

. ♪ ba da ba ba ba gov chauf gorbachev >> reporter: it's flat and hot, and the mini malls stretch fornty jail that houses the man accused of killing rosemary christiansen, robert temple. put here courtesy of leslie t,ar yuhe toung woman who cereplahed rosemary in robert's bed. but robert claimed he had a surprise of his own in store. he didn't kill rosemary. he simply helped leslie cover up the crime she herself committed. and from his cell he started talking, too. >> i didn't call the police and that was the worst thing i -- i'm not going to lie. i was scared. that was the biggest mistake i ever made in my life. >> reporter: oh, he freely arranged he arranged a meeting with his girlfriend. the plan was to meet at the condo he shared with his wife. but when he arrived -- >> as i went around the building, leslie is coming out my front door and she's white as a ghost. white as a sheet. >> reporter: and when he went into the condo, he said, imagine his shock when he found his wife's body sprawled on the bedroom floor. >> her blood in her hair, on her face. i'm yelling at her to wake up.

me kell gorbachev once tried to ban alcohol, even restricting it in this country.npopular thing to do, indeed. >> thank you. >>> happening now, the one man who pulled president obama off the golf course. ben bernanke is headed for another four years with fixing the economy. why couldn't the announcement wait until after the president's vacation. >>> are banks living up to the terms of their bailout? some homeowners say they are not getting the affordable mortgages they were promised. jessica yellin, on alarming problems with an obama administration. what if half the country comes down with the swine flu. we will confront kathleen is he beel sebelius. i am suzanne malveaux for break news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world. you are in "the situation room." >>> three new arrows up for the economy. we are seeing increases today in stock prices, consumer confidence and home prices. to hear president obama tell it, the federal chairman, ben bernanke, who deserves a lot of the credit. the president announced he is nominating bernanke to a second ter

third thought was, gorbachev, what if we get him alive and he's a vegetable? and the rational thought was treat this patient like anybody else, get his airway under control, get him breathing, get his circulation going, then you can decide about all that other situation. so that's what we did. >> well, you obviously must have really felt such a responsibility. were you thinking in terms of history or, gosh, this is -- >> well -- >> this is on my shoulders? >> this was brief thoughts. it took that long to happen, where the nonmedical thoughts, if you will. i mean, i guess my major thoughts were, you know, i didn't think about the historical impact, what that that's going to do. our job is to take care of the president. we got kind of a reputation of medicine and everything else on our back for a second then. and then that's where the rational thoughts took over and said, ok, we know how to do this. whether this is the president or whoever, we know how to take care of this guy. so it became pretty much unemotional and not automatic, but dispassionate at that poi

that is like ronald reagan and mikhail gorbachev shaking hands. it's incredible. secondly, over the last 15 years, the health insurance industry has treated both patients and doctors so badly that the significant majority of primary care physicians is not through a specialist, but the majority of primary care physicians in america favors single payer, not just the public option but a single payer. so that's a comment on the horrible bureaucracy and the probable thames their patients are having as well as them. so anecdotally, i'm sure doctors are worried and say things, but as i said before, most doctor's wages, if you're in a primary care are lower than they are for great britain. i think doctors are not dumb and they figured this out. they are better off with a real -- with real health care reform, and so there's some doctors who react just like everybody else in america, change always makes you nervous, but i think most doctors really understand that you do need change and the majority of primary care physicians think you'll have a single payer. >> i want to as

third thought was, gorbachev, what if we get him alive and he's a vegetable? and the rational thought was treat this patient like anybody else, get his airway under control, get him breathing, get his circulation going, then you can decide about all that other situation. so that's what we did. >> well, you obviously must have really felt such a responsibility. were you thinking in terms of history or, gosh, this is -- >> well -- >> this is on my shoulders? >> this was brief thoughts. it took that long to happen, where the nonmedical thoughts, if you will. i mean, i guess my major thoughts were, you know, i didn't think about the historical impact, what that that's going to do. our job is to take care of the president. we got kind of a reputation of medicine and everything else on our back for a second then. and then that's where the rational thoughts took over and said, ok, we know how to do this. whether this is the president or whoever, we know how to take care of this guy. so it became pretty much unemotional and not automatic, but dispassionate at that poi

that is like ronald reagan and mikhail gorbachev shaking hands. it's incredible.econdly, over the last 15 years, the health insurance industry has treated both patients and doctors so badly that the significant majority of primary care physicians is not through a specialist, but the majority of primary care physicians in america favors single payer, not just the public option but a single payer. so that's a comment on the horrible bureaucracy and the probable thames their patients are having as well as them. so anecdotally, i'm sure doctors are worried and say things, but as i said before, most doctor's wages, if you're in a primary care are lower than they are for great britain. i think doctors are not dumb and they figured this out. they are better off with a real -- with real health care reform, and so there's some doctors who react just like everybody else in america, change always makes you nervous, but i think most doctors really understand that you do need change and the majority of primary care physicians think you'll have a single payer. >> i want to ask

the challenge gorbachev to tear down the berlin wall and it was because of reagan's confrontational approachhat he is often credited with ending the cold war. so you will want to follow what i call the ronald reagan model of campus activism in that you want to follow pagens methods and style of confronting in defeating the soviets to confronting in defeating the lefts on your college campus. how do you you do this? first of all real basic and i know some of you have the club but if you are not involved on your college campus and you want to be you have to join the conservative club or start one. if one doesn't exist top tier student activities office and start a club. having a club is extremely important because it gives you a vehicle to promote your ideas, to attract like-minded students and will give you resources, access to resources that you won't have as an individual student. now, once you get beyond that point of course, talking more broadly, one of the most basic problems that i see a lot of groups have whether they are new or they have existed for years as they sometimes struggled w

gorbachev, tear down this wall and -- every one of his advisers told him not to say it's coming out 17 over its mr. president. they kept taking it out of his speech with every track and he said now. i am going to say that all santi will be laughed at, they will ridiculed and our country. and he did it anyway. and as a result millions said that the freedom we love and cherish as american. in [applause] when i ask you to take from this week here with us at young america foundation i ask you to take courage back to your campuses. you're task of outstanding and for which you believe in both as school and well beyond is daunting. there's no doubt about it but it is not as daunting as the challenges that those 56 men face. they're willing to sacrifice all so that he might enjoy the blessings and liberties of others say it for granted. take part every one of you as you face the challenges. look to ronald reagan, in washington, adams, jefferson and not one single second again how proud you are and should be to be american. let that be a your courage to go for the nba leader for righteousness e

that is like ronald reagan and mikhail gorbachev shaking hands. it's incredible.r the last 15 years, the health insurance industry has treated both patients and doctors so badly that people prefer the single payer. anecdotally, i am sure that doctors are worried and they say things but as i said before, most doctors wages in primary care are lower than that are in great britain. doctors are not dumb and they figured this out. they are better off with real health care reform. there are some doctors that react just like everyone else in america, change makes you nervous, but i think that most doctors want change. you should have a single payer. >> i want to ask a follow-up question. i was in oregon recently and i did a panel there with some folks that are here today. there was a great young woman there who might enjoy talking to who is going to medical school. she was talking about the incentives were all on going into specialties. she was worried that for people like herself who wanted to go into general practice the economic incentives were not their. it was going