of all the presidents they had known, some of the secret servicemen would later say, only harry truman would have been willing to live in the place." but not everyone felt that way. margaret truman remembered it this way in her biography. "i fell in love with the place the moment i walked into it. every room, especially on the first floor, was a little

of all the presidents they had known, some of the secret servicemen would later say, only harry trumanhave been willing to live in the place." but not everyone felt that way. margaret truman remembered it this way in her biography. "i fell in love with the place the moment i walked into it. every room, especially on the first floor, was a little master speaks of architect and decoration. almo3( every piece of furniture was a rare antique from 18th century america or from france. crystal chandeliers gleamed above rugs, magnificent gilt-framed mirrors redoubled the beauty of the drawing rooms and the wood-paneled dining room was utterly charming." >> this house has an unbelievable history much -- of great moments in history, moments where wars were discussed and committed to and peace movements were committed to. >> date, 1950. place, this blair house dining room. president truman and his advisors make critical decisions about u.s. involvement in korea. truman biographer david mccullough wrote about it. "that night, after supper alone, truman summoned another emergency session, a second

harry truman and his family. their signatures are there for when they stayed. in 1945 at fdr's funeral. blair house is an important asset in foreign affairs. we want to put our best foot forward. we want to make people feel welcome to. with a house like that, police, it really has a psychological effect -- believe me, it really has a psychological effect. >> sometimes endure as many as 25, 26, 30 visits a year. some of them: for three or four days. it is quite a task. making sure every single needed they have is meant. diplomacy does not happen until two people engaged. our staff is involved in diplomacy. just by nature of what to do, caring about someone who is arriving. it is not even on a political level. it is what we hope it's a our gracious hospitality to a world leader. it is very personal and meaningful to them. the honor is steeped and intense, especially in times when we are hosting the president-elect before inauguration or whether we are hosting the window and the family of a deceased president for a state funeral. " president reagan once permit a l

if you want to come into the mid-20s century, you can book that harry truman. -- look at harry truman. what has to be noted is that the republicans began to retreat from some of their commitments. as a result of black migration, democrats began to get a new black voters that they had to beg -- had to deal with. -- that they had to contend with. there was a push away from republicans and a poll among democrats that helped to lead this. the final straw, i would say, was the 1964 goldwater campaign which was an abomination to most black people. >> you are married to a woman that is a lawyer? she is at the discovery channel. >> yes, my lisa. she is a wonderful woman. i am lucky because i married up. she probably cannot say the same pain. -- the same thing. she is a lawyer. i am very proud of her. it she is the highest ranking attorney in the company. a multibillion-dollar operation and i'm very proud of what she has done there. she has been there for 13 or 14 years. she is doing very well. >> wanted to name your daughter sunshine? >> -- why did you name your daughter sunshine? >> that is

charl gibson's "abc wor news" prram, george stephanopoulo d a graphic behind himand he showed harry truman's number is going down becau of the korean war, lyndon johnson'because of the vietnam war, and george bush's because of iraq. >> i love the historical analogies, particularly wit vietnam. but we spe more than $1 trillion and 5000 liv chang a few shadowy figes and the bills for one reason, nlear weapons. in these earlieroris -- obvisly, in the cold war, we we worried about the soviet unio -- this is alabout new york and washington and n francisco going up in radioactive du because of jihadists getting nuclear weapons. it see likeuch distant, remote kind of ridiculous that. and yet the consequences are pret great >>. at is whyhis war ibout kistan, not about afghanian. ife abandon theegion, pakistan to lost, and the loss o pakistan to radical islam uld be catastrophic. but let me jt say aord about the politics of this. why are peoplsurprised? are we al suffering of and mia? for the last five years, the democrs have argued that afghanistan was the the good wa afghanistan w the central front

harry truman articulated in very specific terms. it was 69 years ago this month, mr. president, that mr. roosevelt identified the four freedoms. the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear. it is that last freedom that franklin roosevelt talked about in december of 1941 that is deserving of our attention at these closing minutes. whatever else one may argue about the specifics of this bill it is that fear that so many of our fellow citizens have over whether or not they will be confronted with a health care crisis and have the resources to address it and the ability to have a doctor, a physician, a health care provider, a hospital to provide them with that kind of help when they need it. that fear is not just for those who are without health care, even for those who have health care insurance. that fear persists. this evening, more than anything else, beyond the specifics of the legislation in front of us is our desire to address that freedom, that freedom from fear that was addressed so eloquently almost 70 years ag

just months after world war ii came to crease, president harry s. truman wrote in a letter to congress to this body and i quote -- "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern, that financial barriers and the way of attaining health shall be removed. that the health of all of its citizens deserves the help of all of the nation." decades have passed and these financial barriers have grown taller, but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we haven't found, until, mr. president, today. this is how long we've waited. think of those who are just 1-year-old in 194 a 5 -- 1945. there are far too many who have lived their lives have not had any type of health care. any type of health care. coverage got more and more expensive each year. insurance companies found more and more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one or moved from job to job, the peace of mind health care can provide was merely a dream. today on the verge of the year 2010, those americ

just months after world war ii came to crease, president harry s. truman wrote in a letter to congress to this body and i quote -- "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern, that financial barriers and the way of attaining health shall be removed. that the health of all of its citizens deserves the help of all of the nation." decades have passed and these financial barriers have grown taller, but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we haven't found, until, mr. president, today. this is how long we've waited. think of those who are just 1-year-old in 194 a 5 -- 1945. there are far too many who have lived their lives have not had any type of health care. any type of health care. coverage got more and more expensive each year. insurance companies found more and more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one or moved from job to job, the peace of mind health care can provide was merely a dream. today on the verge of the year 2010, those americ

just months after world war ii came to crease, president harry s. truman wrote in a letter to congress to this body and i quote -- "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern, that financial barriers and the way of attaining health shall be removed. that the health of all of its citizens deserves the help of all of the nation." decades have passed and these financial barriers have grown taller, but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we haven't found, until, mr. president, today. this is how long we've waited. think of those who are just 1-year-old in 194 a 5 -- 1945. there are far too many who have lived their lives have not had any type of health care. any type of health care. coverage got more and more expensive each year. insurance companies found more and more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one or moved from job to job, the peace of mind health care can provide was merely a dream. today on the verge of the year 2010, those americ

if you want to come into the mid-20s century, you can book that harry truman. what has to be noted is that the republicans began to retreat from some of their commitments. as a result of black migration, democrats began to get a new black voters that they had to beg -- had to deal with. the final straw, i would say, was the 1964 goldwater campaign which was an abomination to most black people. >> you are married to a woman that is a lawyer? >> yes, my lisa. she is a wonderful woman. i am lucky because i married up. she probably cannot say the same pain. she is a lawyer. i am very proud of her. it she is the highest ranking attorney in the company. she has been there for 13 or 14 years. >> wanted to name your daughter sunshine? >> -- why did you name your daughter sunshine? >> that is not her official name. her official name is loading. but she is a bright and sunny baby. she is a suite. >> how old is your brother? >> two. they are twins. they are great. we are so lucky. they are healthy. they are smart. very smart. my daughter is smart as a whip. just watching

of all the presidents they had known, some of the secret servicemen would later say, only harry trumaning to live in the place." but not everyone felt that way. margaret truman remembered it this way in her biography. "i fell in love with the place the moment i walked into it. every room, especially on the first floor, was a little master speaks of architect and decoration. almo3( every piece of furniture was a rare antique from 18th century america or from france. crystal chandeliers gleamed above rugs, magnificent gilt-framed mirrors redoubled the beauty of the drawing rooms and the wood-paneled dining room was utterly charming." >> this house has an unbelievable history much -- of great moments in history, moments where wars were discussed and committed to and peace movements were committed to. >> date, 1950. place, this blair house dining room. president truman and his advisors make critical decisions about u.s. involvement in korea. truman biographer david mccullough wrote about it. "that night, after supper alone, truman summoned another emergency session, a second war cabinet me

host: look at harry truman. guest: uc eisenhower come up in the polls.est: i don't have a crystal ball. i have no insight into that. i think it is a president who has tried to put the two-state negotiations back on track. he has had problems as previous presidents have had. there seems to be unusual things going on in the netanyahu government that i don't understand very i would not carry that 32 i rthrough with i. guest: i think iran has its own problems politically. netanyahu -- this of rioting and demonstrations that killed four people - over the weekend, he will have his own problems. host: many people think that israel is about to attack a run. -- iran. guest: if you back them against the wall, they will take out iran. i believe that is the case. i don't think they would use nuclear weapons but i don't think that they can't sit still parl. i think obama may have a heck of a time controlling is real in this case host: you are setting an air strike could take out iran's nuclear capability? guest: i am not that smart to know whether that happens. host:

but more recently, since the time of harry truman. and every congress, republican and democrat, every president democrat and republican have at least thought about doing this. some actually tried. president nixon actually tried. president clinton actually tried to come forward. and as those who remember those days, for a variety of reasons some would seem more clear today than they did at the hour they were being debated, those efforts failed. we're now that third administration, that third effort that's come this far if you will. my hope is this evening and again in the ensuing few days here we'll complete our task in this body and continue the effort by working with the other body -- the house of representatives -- to fashion a final product for the signature of the president of the united states, to allow us to begin what will be a long journey to make sure that that right of health care is available to all of our citizens. many of us here may never see the benefits of that because of just life expectancy, i suppose. but to know th

harry truman once said that his grandfather always said if you hear a politician praying too loud, go home and lockyer smokehouse, which was advice he took. if you read the book, you get the sense that his catholicism was not very basic it is not only very basic and connected to the compassion, but more connected than i realized. >> give people realize his deep devotion to his family, to his parents, his brothers and sisters. it is a devotion that seems to have begun quite early in life. part of it revolved around his grandfather. i would like to read this paragraph from the book. "my memories of this grand old man that restore hope when things have been purchased in my life. he was a constant in my life during the years of boarding school. his request to me has been more precious than any fortune." love life, and believe in it, and he did. >> he is to go down to the breaker hotel in palm beach. they said he would sit in the big couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in, so he could talk to them. those songs that teddy used to sing all the time, that all came f

that was harry truman, 1952. charles malic was our ambassador to the united nations from lebanon and the president of the u.n. general assembly in 1958, made this statement, 1958, whoever tries to concede the american word without taking full account of the suffering and love and salvation of christ is only dreaming. i know how embarrassing this matter is to politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and cynics, but whenever these honored -- whatever these honored men think, the irrefutable truth is that the soul of america is at its best and highest christian. that was the u.n. ambassador and president of the u.n. general assembly in 1958. ronald reagan, our 40th president, 1984, said the frustrating thing is that those who are attacking religion claim they are doing it in the name of tolerance, freedom and openmindedness. question, isn't the real truth that they are intolerant of religion? they refuse to tolerate its importance in our lives, unquote. ronald reagan, 1984. now, i point out these quotes from our histor

harry truman once said that his grandfather always said if you hear a politician praying too loud, gohome and lockyer smokehouse, which was advice he took. if you read the book, you get the sense that his catholicism was not very basic it is not only very basic and connected to the compassion, but more connected than i realized. osca>> give people realize his p devotion to his family, to his parents, his brothers and sisters. it is a devotion that seems to have begun quite early in life. part of it revolved around his grandfather. i would like to read this paragraph from the book. ago my memories of this grand old man that restore hope when things have been purchased in my life. he was a constant in my life during the years of boarding school. his request to me has been more fortune -- or precious than any fortune. lovelock, and believe in it, and he did. >> he is to go down to the breaker hotel in palm beach. they said he would sit in the big couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in, so he could talk to them. those songs that teddy used to sing all the time,

harry truman said if you hear a politician praying too loud go home and lock your smoke house.but if you read the book you get the sense that the catholicism was not only basic tok him but much more connected with a lot of decisions he made in his political career. >> dorris, i think very few people realize on the periphery ted kennedy's deep de voebs to his family. parents, brothers and sisters and it's a devotion that's seems to have begun quite early in life and part of it resolved around his grandfather and i'd like to read this paragraph from the book about terry and on fits. my memories of this good grand old man restored hope when things restored darkest in my life. constant in my life during the years of boarding school. his request to me has been more fortune -- or precious than any fortune. lovelock, and believe in it, and he did. >> he is to go down to the breaker hotel in palm beach. they said he would sit in the big couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in, so he could talk to them. those songs that teddy used to sing all the time, that all

harry truman said if you hear a politician praying too loud go home and lock your smoke house.but if you read the book you get the sense that the catholicism was not only basic tok him but much more connected with a lot of decisions he made in his political career. >> dorris, i think very few people realize on the periphery ted kennedy's deep de voebs to his family. parents, brothers and sisters and it's a devotion that's seems to have begun quite early in life and part of it resolved around his grandfather and i'd like to read this paragraph from the book about terry and on fits. my memories of this good grand old man restored hope when things restored darkest in my life. constant in my life during the years of boarding school. his request to me has been more fortune -- or precious than any fortune. lovelock, and believe in it, and he did. >> he is to go down to the breaker hotel in palm beach. they said he would sit in the big couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in, so he could talk to them. those songs that teddy used to sing all the time, that all

harry truman articulated in very specific terms. it was 69 years ago this month, mr. that mr. roosevelt identified the four freedoms. the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear. it is that last freedom that franklin roosevelt talked about in december of 1941 that is deserving of our attention at these closing minutes. whatever else one may argue about the specifics of this bill it is that fear that so many of our fellow citizens have over whether or not they will be confronted with a health care crisis and have the resources to address it and the ability to have a doctor, a physician, a health care provider, a hospital to provide them with that kind of help when they need it. that fear is not just for those who are without health care, even for those who have health care insurance. that fear persists. this evening, more than anything else, beyond the specifics of the legislation in front of us is our desire to address that freedom, that freedom from fear that was addressed so eloquently almost 70 years ago. so this

just months after world war ii came to crease, president harry s. truman wrote in a letter to congress to this body and i quote -- "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern, that financial barriers and the way of attaining health shall be removed. that the health of all of its citizens deserves the help of all of the nation." decades have passed and these financial barriers have grown taller, but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we haven't found, until, mr. president, today. this is how long we've waited. think of those who are just 1-year-old in 194 a 5 -- 1945. there are far too many who have lived their lives have not had any type of health care. any type of health care. coverage got more and more expensive each year. insurance companies found more and more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one or moved from job to job, the peace of mind health care can provide was merely a dream. today on the verge of the year 2010, those americ

harry truman after world war ii, trying to get advice and was frustrated and not getting answers, and it was said that he was in search of 01 armed economist. [laughter] the guy could never make a statement to him and then say "on the other hand." the questions are sometimes so complex that there are no simple question -- answers. you can make a statement an encounter with, on the other hand, there are these considerations. that may be where we are today. but we have reached the conclusion of this conference. i want to thank our patron saint, more kaplan, our conference director -- i want to thank david, our conference director. [applause] and jeff, for putting this all together. [applause] this has been a very lively, productive, and engaging conference. the proceedings themselves will be archived on the miller center web site in about a week. you can go to our web site and see all of you on camera. c-span has covered this conference last night and today. i would suggest you check the local listings. and the miller center will produce a printed report in due course. thanks again. we

it wasn't easy for harry truman when he tried to do it. it wasn't easy for bill clinton when he tried to do it, and some of us were here and tried with him, and we understand how difficult it is. but you don't sound retreat. you don't ignore history and say we're going to be better off by giving in to 40 people who are trying to destroy a presidency and simply can't stand the fact that there are 60 votes here and there's a president who's got an agenda to fix these things, so the best thing they can do is try to stand up and stop it. some of our progressive friends have said we, you know, because it doesn't have the public option, we ought to do that. you know what it does have, even though it doesn't have a public option? it has a not-for-profit structure that has the ability to be able to drive some competition. we don't have that today. is that not worth fighting for here on the senate floor and putting into this bill? again, i say, my friend howard dean wrote in "the washington post" real health care reform need this had public option

it must be socialism that harry truman is proposing. then the idea died. then again lyndon johnson raised it in the early 1960's. he was a master of the senate, as he's been characterized in a book that's written about him. and he believed that he had the power to make this happen to deal with the health care system across the board in america. it turned out that he made a significant contribution with the enact ph-ft medicare and -- with the enactment of medicare and medicaid but could not reach the goal of universal health care or comprehensive health care reform. this president, president obama, came to us and issued the same challenge. he said that we've reached a point of no return. current health care system in america is unsustainable. it's unaffordable. the cost of health care goes up dramatically. ten years ago a family of four paid an average of $6,000 a year, $500 a month, for health care insurance. now that's up to twice that amount. $12,000 average for a family of four, $1,000 a month. in eight years, with projected increases in costs, we expe

an sue, that has never come to thfloor for a vote under chard nixon, under bill clinton, under harry truman. w, it's passed bog -- now it passed both houses that's important but the important thinto member is this. we passed medica in the middle the 1960's which was probab the apex of american confidee. were doubling the nation's gross tional product in that cade and there was just a sense unlimited possilities. to pass this -- this major, major difference in a me of uncertainty ich itself produces uncertainty to --mong people, 80% of whom ve health ca -- 83% of whom have health care is a signal -- gnal achievement to do th, because ameran confidence and optimism are ong their lowest -- >> wh 35 or 45% support dending on how they ask the question with e majority opposing, which a risky thing too and the other thing i wod say is in the short-term if you oppose e bill or support the bill, there is think -- even the supporters acknowdge a short-term problem whicis a lot of the benefits don't kick in immeately, the tas do, second you're going to have this crease in demand for health care withou

harry truman and his family. their signatures are there for when they stayed. in 1945 at fdr's funeral. blair house is an important asset in foreign affairs. we want to put our best foot forward. we want to make people feel welcome to. with a house like that, police, it really has a psychological effect -- believe me, it really has a psychological effect. >> sometimes endure as many as 25, 26, 30 visits a year. some of them: for three or four days. it is quite a task. making sure every single needed they have is meant. diplomacy does not happen until two people engaged. our staff is involved in diplomacy. just by nature of what to do, caring about someone who is arriving. it is not even on a political level. it is what we hope it's a our gracious hospitality to a world leader. it is very personal and meaningful to them. the honor is steeped and intense, especially in times when we are hosting the president-elect before inauguration or whether we are hosting the window and the family of a deceased president for a state funeral. " president reagan once permit a l

i want to thank you to the harry truman -- i want to say thank you to the harry truman of the democraticty. we would not have this without her and we would not have passed this without her. and every issue that is known to the country over the last year, we would not have even been in the ballgame. she is one of the most incredibly, determined to people i have ever known. i thank god that she has the determination to lead this caucus, which can sometimes be very difficult problem. i am not a touchy-shellee person. i think that -- that is my staff that is laughing here. that is terrible. [laughter] we all have to ask why we came here. why did we want this job in the first place. i think there was a famous religious leader who said this when he said this. do all the good that you can, by all the means that you can, in all the ways that you can and all the places that you can, to all the people that you can, as long as ever you can. that is the job of every single member of congress. i am happy that today, we have, in my view, 217 people have met that responsibility. having a job is central

nearly 65 years ago harry truman condemned the citizens of economic effects. nearly 65 years later, we still suffer from the same. just months before world war ii came to a close, harry truman wrote, to this body, "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a financial concern, but barriers in obtaining help show be removed, that the help -- the health of all the nations deserves the help of all the nation." decades have passed and the financial barriers have grown taller. but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we have not found until, mr. president, today. this is how long we have waited. think of those that were just one year old in 1945, the day truman issued is called to this body for action. there are far too many who have lived their entire lives without the ability to afford any type of health care. coverage to more and more expensive each year. insurance companies on more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one, knew that the peace health care can provi

during and after the second world war, franklin roosevelt and harry truman took initiatives to createl institutions. the lesson was that the power of nationstates could not be unlimited. states must commit themselves to international law and universal rights for the individuals. the world moved away from unrestrained nationstates, and towards greater internationalism. today, yet another american president is trying to renew internationalism. he reaffirms that the united states must lead together with others. walls must be torn down. as in his speech in berlin in july 2008. the walls between all allies on either side of the atlantic cannot stand. the walls between the countries, and those with the least cannot stand. the walls between races and tribes, immigrants, christians and muslims and jews cannot stand. these now are the walls we must tear down. this must be the nobels between nations. president obama, as a political leader, you understand that even the mightiest cannot stand alone. he is a man who believes his strengths of a community be the local community where he started his

we know that when former senator from ohio robert taft was addressing the effort by president harry truman to have universal health care in america, he said, and i quiet -- "i consider it socialism." it was used against lyndon johnson, that same charge was used against bill clinton. it's virtually being used today. when we hear the republicans who are opposing this bill come to the floor, i have a basic question to ask them -- we have been at this debate for a year. where's your bill? what do you want to do? oh, they tell us we have some bills and you're going to see them any day now. well, i'd like to. i'd like to see the comprehensive health care reform bill from the republican side of the aisle. this is ours and it has been on the internet for two weeks for everybody in this nation to read word by word, line by line. sadly, there is no republican bill. i know there are two possible reasons for that. this was hard work. this wasn't easy, politically or otherwise, and they have not engaged in that hard work. what we've seen are press releases and speeches, graphs and pictures, but no bill

in the days of harry truman has sustained for decades by good people, republicans and democrats, theministration, the clinton administration, members like john casey who worked tireless on the afghan trying to craft a good health care bill. you ever do others talk about the regrets they have that not acknowledging his ideas would he propose them. we might not have been passionate we might have been able to address this issue years and years ago. people have tried to come up with answers for this issue. it is with a note of sadness this evening that we're going to have a partisan vote on his bed but i wish it was otherwise. i would like to point out that of course many of others have fought, challenged us to come up with these answers. but tonight, this is our answer. 60 of us will vote to go forward with this. senator harkin just pointed out it is hardly the final answer on this matter. but it allows us to begin that process of addressing these issues in a more thoughtful and comprehensive way in the years ahead. and of course, no one was a better champion of all of this than senator

and likewise harry truman. he is as a press conference -- the reporter asked him, mr. ent, to go back to lobbyists, would you be against lobbyists who are working for your program? truman answer, "well, that is a different matter. it would probably would not call these people lobbyists. we would call them citizens appearing in the public interest." [laughter] jim? >> let me start with the first question. the health care bill will be going to the commerce committee and if we get a cap and a trade bill -- we have one in the house and if we get one out of the senate, is likely to go to the conference committee. could you discuss a bit about conference committees and how advocacy and lobbying occurs at conference committees? does it, and it is it's very effective? and can you give some examples? >> we have a bicameral system. to start out with the basics, bicameral system. and the constitution has implicit requirements that all bills must pass both chambers in absolutely identical fashion before they go to the white house. this is implicit in the constitution, based partly

harry truman articulated in very specific terms. it was 69 years ago this month, mr.that mr. roosevelt identified the four freedoms. the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear. it is that last freedom that franklin roosevelt talked about in december of 1941 that is deserving of our attention at these closing minutes. whatever else one may argue about the specifics of this bill it is that fear that so many of our fellow citizens have over whether or not they will be confronted with a health care crisis and have the resources to address it and the ability to have a doctor, a physician, a health care provider, a hospital to provide them with that kind of help when they need it. that fear is not just for those who are without health care, even for those who have health care insurance. that fear persists. this evening, more than anything else, beyond the specifics of the legislation in front of us is our desire to address that freedom, that freedom from fear that was addressed so eloquently almost 70 years ago. so this e

harry truman once said that his grandfather always said if you hear a politician prang, go home and washout. but catholicism was not even basic to him with compassion, but much more connected. very few people realize they note ted kennedy's deep devotion to his family, his parents, his brothers and sisters. it began quite early in his life. he is a constant in my life during the difficult years of boarding school. he requested me more precious than any fortune. love life, and believe in it. and he did. >> we used to go to the hotel in palm beach, and he would sit in the couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in so he could talk to them. but what is so interesting about the memoir is that it really is a family story underneath it all. no one else was able to write the story because bobby died, rose kennedy could write it, but no one could write it the way that kennedy did. it is the story of a family that has captivated us for a century. he was more open than he could have been before. most characters in memoirs are thinking about future. lbj wanted to say somethin

just months after world war ii came to crease, president harry s. truman wrote in a letter to congress to this body and i quote -- "we should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern, that financial barriers and the way of attaining health shall be removed. that the health of all of its citizens deserves the help of all of the nation." decades have passed and these financial barriers have grown taller, but we will never solve the problem unless we find the resolve, which we haven't found, until, mr. president, today. this is how long we've waited. think of those who are just 1-year-old in 194 a 5 -- 1945. there are far too many who have lived their lives have not had any type of health care. any type of health care. coverage got more and more expensive each year. insurance companies found more and more excuses to leave them out in the cold. and for those who worked in small businesses or owned one or moved from job to job, the peace of mind health care can provide was merely a dream. today on the verge of the year 2010, those americ

i want to say thank you to harry truman of the -- to the harry truman of the democratic party, our speaker here, we would not have passed it without her. on virtually every issue known to the country over the past year, we would not even have been in the ballgame without her. she is one of the most incredibly determined and conscience-ridden persons i have ever known and i thank god every day that she has the steel and determination to lead this caucus, which can sometimes be a very difficult problem. as you know, i'm not a touchy-feely person, but i think -- i think we came -- that's my staff laughing there. but we all have to ask why we came here. why did we run for this job in the first place? and i think the famous religious leader john wesley summed it up when he said this -- do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. that is the job of every single member of congress. i'm proud that today, we had in my view, 217 of them whoÑi met that responsibility

>> what of the most interesting in some ways is harry truman invest in the defense industry during worldd getting away with that. here he is. he is a democrat in the senate. he is investigating of franklin roosevelt's activities and spending in the war, talking to defense contractors, saving the country billions of dollars. also, saving lives of americans and airmen who were flying in airplanes and the wings were falling off, and they would burn are in -- bring in somebody like curtis and say they were building them to specifications, and truman say, well, the specs are wrong if the wings are falling off, don't you think? even the party will take on how these wars were conducted. so it is like we are off limits, almost. >> we did pay a lot of attention to humves, though, things like that. >> yes, we did. the question about it. but in terms of looking at the low-bid contracts, no, we have not touched that. this will be published next spring, in two volumes. it is called "congress investigates," and facts on file will be publisher. >> will it be expensive? >> i am not sure. it is designed

this is a debate that's gone on in the united states of america since harry truman was president of the united states and before. we all know that president teddy roosevelt, a republican, but before the country the notion that every american should be able to have their sickness still with. and nobody has ever contemplated that you ought to go bankrupt in order to be able to have health care. but as we know, we have more bankruptcies in america, health care bankruptcies, every year than any other nation on the planet. i think we're the only nation that really knows health care bankruptcy. and the stories that we've heard, countless stories, you know, earlier this morning when we were here at 1:00 in the morning, we heard the majority leader talk about those very poignant movie in situations of individuals in nevada. we heard the senator from california. there are stories from every senator, from every state. and yet, it is only that this dividing line right here down the center of this chamber. it is only the senator's of this side of the dividing line who seem to be prepared to try to

those who today have nowhere to turn will soon have security against what president harry truman called -- "the economic effects of sickness." it respects life. those who suffer from december from injury or disability will no longer be told by claims adjustors that you never met that they're on their own. this respects life. it will help seniors afford every prescription drug they need so they don't have to decide which pills to skip and which pills to split. it respects life. it will stop terrible illnesses before they start and stop americans from dying of diseases we know how to treat. it respects life. it will stop terrible abuses like insurance companies looking at earnings reports instead of your doctor's report, and charging rates that make the health that we want a luxury. it respects life. we will ensure the most vulnerable and the least prosperous among us can afford to go to the doctor when they are sick or hurt. not to an emergency room where the rest of us pick up the bill. it respects life. this bill recognizes that health care is a human right. this bill respects life. th

harry truman once said that his grandfather always said if you hear a politician praying too loud, go home and lockyer smokehouse, which was advice he took. if you read the book, you get the sense that his catholicism was not very basic it is not only very basic and connected to the compassion, but more connected than i realized. >> give people realize his deep devotion to his family, to his parents, his brothers and sisters. it is a devotion that seems to have begun quite early in life. part of it revolved around his grandfather. i would like to read this paragraph from the book. "my memories of this grand old man that restore hope when things have been purchased in my life. he was a constant in my life during the years of boarding school. his request to me has been more precious than any fortune." love life, and believe in it, and he did. >> he is to go down to the breaker hotel in palm beach. they said he would sit in the big couch is there, waiting for anybody from massachusetts to come in, so he could talk to them. those songs that teddy used to sing all the time, that all came f

think how much more powerful it is when you have harry truman's speech about the atomic bomb and thatather than reading it in a textbook. we can do that for six to nine year-old. we need to make media as a partner in this. the fact is there is not a lot of advertising money that is available for this age group. even though there is great work at nickelodeon in trying to address that group, along with some offer collings -- colleagues, we have not really seen an abundance of programming that is not more tipping toward the entertainment side. you go from preschool education to all entertainment, all the time. we have to figure out how we can have the best of hollywood and the best of silicon valley to focus on this need to create programming that is going to move the needle on the educational side. let us focus on those kids. >> cyma zarghami, four children that are not preschool, the morning is important. it is important for also that age group. could you address and then i call it the working family and single parents which highlighted,xd that 3:00 to 7:00 period when a caregiver mayb

president, we have been at this since harry truman was the president. we can't throw this bill away and start all over again. there is choice. there is expansion of medicaid and reform to the medicaid system. there is going to be a strengthening and reform of the medicare system. and in the middle, there is great strength and reform of the private insurance market, and i am a very strong supporter of choice and competition. but i came to the floor today to speak about a segment of our population, 27 million, to be exact. that's the number of small businesses, mr. president, that are depending on us to do our very best work on the patient protection and affordable care act that is pending before the senate as we speak. our economic prosperity as a nation, as you know, as a former governor of virginia who helped bring millions of jobs to your state and now is a leader, mr. president, on small business yourself, you know that the economic prosperity of our nation relies in large measure on how we could help our small businesses become the economic engines

harry truman in 1945, and then again in 1948. and we've heard this on and on. this has been a debate that's gone on for 87 years. and intensely for really the last two years as our presidential candidates took to the airwaves in debate after debate, republican and democrat, outlining their ideas for refo reform. this hasn't sprung up in the last two weeks. this hasn't sprung up in the last two months. millions of americans went to the polls understanding in large measure what we needed to do to change the system. and so despite the rhetoric from the other side that is the case and the rhetoric will -- record will reflect that. instead of coming to the table and working with democrats to write a bill, republicans chose to put party politics first. and i want to say i listened to my good friend, max baucus, to s morning, and i, myself, who had thought i had followed very carefully the work of his senate finance committee. i was actually moved to hear the number of meetings, dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds and hundreds of meetings that he attempted to have in a

it has been 64 years since president harry truman asked the congress to enact a national insurance program, quote -- "to assure the right to adequate medical care for the protection from the economic fears of sickness." end quote. it has been 97 years since president teddy roosevelt ran on a platform that called for, quote -- "the protection of home life against the hazards of sickness through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted to american use." end quote. and, mr. president, it is now only hours until this senate will pass meaningful health care reform. it will not be long now, mr. president, until the law will prohibit insurance companies from canceling insurance policies when people get sick. it will not be long now until people with pre-existing conditions will have access to health care. it will not be long now until the law will prohibit insurance companies from imposing lifetime or annual limits on benefits. it will not be long now until parents will be able to include their children up to aged 26 on their insurance policies. it will not be long now until the law w

we know that when former senator from ohio robert taft was addressing the effort by president harry truman to have universal health care in america, he said, and i quiet -- "i consider it socialism." it was used against lyndon johnson, that same charge was used against bill clinton. it's virtually being used today. when we hear the republicans who are opposing this bill come to the floor, i have a basic question to ask them -- we have been at this debate for a year. where's your bill? what do you want to do? oh, they tell us we have some bills and you're going to see them any day now. well, i'd like to. i'd like to see the comprehensive health care reform bill from the republican side of the aisle. this is ours and it has been on the internet for two weeks for everybody in this nation to read word by word, line by line. sadly, there is no republican bill. i know there are two possible reasons for that. this was hard work. this wasn't easy, politically or otherwise, and they have not engaged in that hard work. what we've seen are press releases and speeches, graphs and pictures, but no bill

during and after the second world war, franklin roosevelt and harry truman took initiatives to creater global institutions. the lesson was that nation states could not be unlimited. states must commit themselves to international law and should rise for the year -- for the individuals. today, yet another american president is trying to reunite internationalism. he affirms that the united states must lead together, with others. walls must be torn down as in berlin i. the wall the walls between races and tribes, makers and immigrants, christians and muslims and jews cannot stand. these are the walls that we must tear down. this must surely be the fraternity between nations. president obama is a political leader who understands that even the mightiest rubble cannot stand alone. he is a man that believes that the strength of the community be in the local community. obama has the audacity to hope and the tenacity to make these hopes come true. that is what makes him so important, by his own behavior and leadership, he is demanding that we all take a shared responsibility for a global respon