. >> before we go into the suite, it's actually been named after howard baker. when did that happen? >> before i got here when howard baker left in 1984, he was very popular with both sides of the aisle, both the republicans and the democrats. that was sort of a parting gesture to an outstanding republican leader. >> let's walk in. as we're walking in, i've been doing this for a long time. and it seems as though you're one of fair to say a declining number of senator who's really care about the history of the senate? i'm thinking about senator byrd before you who spent so much time. do you find that your interest in history is not as shared among newer members as it was in the old days? >> i don't really know. i know there are a few who read a lot of american history. i've always been interested in it. in fact, i did my senior thesis in college on henry clay and the compromise of 1850. i have a depiction that you have which i'll show you subsequently. and so i've always had an interest in it. once i moved into this office and became the republican leader, we got

i started before that with howard baker, but that was early in my time. >> host: senator alexander, is president of the university of tennessee, what was your experience with the students when it came to reading of literature and some of the classics? >> guest: i tried to drop in on classes. one of them was not there anymore. his name was richard mary is. he had taught at the university of tennessee and when i was governor i created a governor's school for teachers of writing. he came down from harvard where he had been taught the freshman writing course to teach about 200 tennessee teachers for two weeks how to write, how to teach their students how to rate and they might be third-grade teachers, face great teachers, eighth-grade teachers, senior english teachers. i was a part of the university of tennessee for a lot of the action was the students and teachers. >> host: is there any value in a whole city where you hear about a whole city saying everyone read this book or university. let's all read this book coming in. is there a shared value to that? >> guest: sure, it comes as close

i really started before that with howard baker. that. that was early in my time. >> host: as president of the university of tennessee, could you, what was your experience with the students when it came to reading, literature and and some of the classes being taught? >> guest: i try to drop in on classes that were interesting features. one was not there anymore and it was richard mary us. he had taught at the university of tennessee and when i was governor i created governor school for teachers of writing. he came down from harvard where he then brought the freshman writing course to teach about 200 tennessee teachers for two weeks every summer how to write how to teach. they they might be third grade teachers senior english teachers. so that that was a part of the university of tennessee that i have a lot of interaction with students and teachers. >> host: was there any value in a whole city where they're saying everybody let's read this book or the university, let's all read this book. is there a shared value to that? spee2 yes. roots,

if you think about what bob dole or jim baker or howard baker or dick lugger, or what colin powell stood for, they were conservative, they were concerned about limited government and balancing budgets and making sure we had a strong defense. but they also understood that our system of government requires compromise, that democrats weren't the enemy, that the way our government works requires us to listen to each other. and, you know, that's not the kind of politics we have seen practiced. i think all too often. >>> coming up on "cbs this morning," the very latest on the democratic national convention live from philadelphia including john dickerson and more of his interview with the president. >>> this morning, two major wildfires are burning out of control in california. at least one person has been killed and two dozen homes destroyed. the larger sand fire in the santa clarita valley has burned more than 3,000 acres and a fire near big sur has destroyed 11,000 acres. the sand fire raced down hillsides evacuating homes and officials say it's the most extreme fire behavior he has ever see

if you think about what a bob dole or a jim baker or a howard baker or a dick lugar or a colin powellood for. they were conservative, they were concerned about limited government and balancing budgets and making sure we had a strong defense. but they also understood that our system of government requires compromise, that democrats weren't the enemy, that the way our government works requires us to listen to each other. and that's not the kind of politics that we've seen practiced. i think all too often. >> do you think the majority of american people feel safe, that the world is safer after -- >> well, i think right now we've gone through a really tough month. and that happens sometimes. we've had a terrorist attack in orlando, although it does not appear externally motivated, but a deranged man killing scores of people. you've had the tragedies that happened in minnesota and baton rouge. police officers targeted, both in dallas and baton rouge. and the senseless violence that took place in nice. if that's what you're consuming, that's what you're seeing on a day-to-day basis for the

he brought in a new team, howard baker as his chief of staff and that third team was the third chapterthe president of the united states. >> george bush played a major role in everything that we have accomplished in these eight years. america needs george bush and barbara bush as first lady. >> george bush will be the 41st president of the united states. >> the election of bush with the american people was we want more reagan, we want more of what we had. bush was the closest thing to a third term for ronald reagan. >> ronald wilson reagan, the 40th president of the united states, in two days he leaves office as our oldest president and as one of the most popular ever. >> ronald reagan was the chief architect of the 1980s. you don't always identify a president with years, but reagan should be identified with the 80s. >> for me it always seemed like the great rediscovery of our values and common sense. as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future should always be ours. >> the very firmness of his rhetoric enabled him to be a pragmatist. he's our conse

if you think about what a bob dole or a jim baker or a howard baker or a dick lugar or a colin powell stood for, they were conservative. they were concerned about limited government and balancing budgets and making sure we had a strong defense. but they also understood that our system of government requires compromise, that democrats weren't the enemy, that the way our government works requires us to listen to each other. and that's not the kind of politics that we've seen practiced i think all too often. >> dickerson: do you think the majority of the american people feel safe, that the world is safer? >> i think right now we've gone through a really tough month, and that happens sometimes. we've had a terrorist attack in orlando, although it does not appear externally motivated, but a deranged man killing scores of people. we've had the tragedies that happened in minnesota and baton rouge, police officers targeted both in dallas and baton rouge, and the senseless violence that took place in nice. and if that's what you're consuming, that's what you're seeing on a day-to-day basis for

each realize in a green mustang and you worked for senator marlo cook from kentucky, i worked for howard baker and i can remember in 1969 editor baker saying to me you need to go over and meet that smart young legislative aide from marlo cook, mitch mcconnell. but let's go back to louisville. in louisville you lead a march or part of a march on the capital about civil rights. you were in washington as i was to hear martin luther king's speech in august 1963, the i have a dream speech. you had goldwater come the university of louisville because you were president of the college republicans but you voted for lyndon johnson in 1964, what happened? >> guest: i think the civil rights movement was the defining if you are a generation and in 62, i was fortunate enough when i was college republican president, goldwater accepted in invitation to come to you about, it was terrific. in the summer of 63, people like you and myself got to see the i have a dream speech and that 64 i was an intern at senator cooper's office, two important things happened and 64. we broke the filibuster, the civil rights bill

who would support people on the fringes is greatly enhanced and that would be a for instance, howard baker, though there are other moderates who might satisfy liberals and more conservatives in the party. so, we are all standing aside here for the shootout from the kc stockyards. the republican national convention coverage by cbs news will resume after this message. walter: the session is set to begin 15 minutes from now, the session that will tell whether president ford will get the nomination of his party or will it be the challenger, ronald reagan. bill lawyers will be watching this rules fight tonight and we have some thoughts. bill: the president is first to choose winning the nomination rather than winning the election and in terms of the future of the country, the vice president becomes president -- four out of the last six presidents were i think it is vice presidents. of course the ford people would not oppose it. he wants somebody who can help them in the election, but also somebody who could be president if necessary. if he loses the fight tonight, think what walter and dan rath

on either side of that who believes if the president is forced to do that that he will not name howard baker of tennessee. if 16 c chances, baker's chances jump considerably. that is the speculation that runs fairly heavily down here. the big delegation to watch is pennsylvania. it is one where if the reagan forces are going to get what they want tonight on this issue of forcing president ford to name his vice presidential nomination. it indicates they will not be able to do that. we have a rough vote of 85 against the proposal if that holds, the reagan forces can win. the nixon people -- slip of the tongue, sorry to say -- the ford people were out here early checking out all of their communications equipment. they still have an organizational set up that is much better anything be reagan people have put out. have walkie-talkie and telephone to medication and a lot of experienced convention people. the reagan people have a far less efficient telephone system. as far as i know, they don't have any walkie-talkie system at all. the chairman who figures he can deliver all of his 100 delegate vot

we through with reagan from california, the two people he didn't want was george bush and howard bakerand one chief of staff. and paul and jack kemp would have been choices also. >> are we starting to see a more disciplined donald trump? when we look at polling, beats her on honesty and terror, when will he look at the camera, if you want isis, and overseas, want higher taxes, vote for hillary clinton. you needs to draw a contrast. >> that's the exact strategy and if you want four more years of obama, vote for her and if you want change. >> the strategy is crooked hillary, that's the term he's-- >> it's not enough. >> it has a chance. >> i think to your point, he had great advantages. the country is worried about terrorism and economy and the two things he has great high points on. that's all i would talk on. dagen: in terms of the economy, we have president obama joining hillary clinton on the campaign trail and donald trump questioning how clinton is getting to this event, travelling on air force one, with the president. why is president obama allowing-- allowed to use air force one

in california go to detroit 1980 two fo two people didn't wantopolis one george bush the other howard bakerhe wapdz vice president two days rateer last chief of staff at the end of the day, of no one anticipated spiro agnew, a lot of people that dan quayle another example my sense is, anyone of these people would be just fine, they don't move needle a lot but at the end of the day, someone like, gingrich brings a great depth of knowledge very helpful. >> eager for the job. >> i think all kind of eager. >> but i think the difference is, newt is -- conservative like him, certainly extremely target one man think tank this campaign desperately needs policy people. dagen: trump campaign doesn't needed anybody new and exciting because donald trump is new and exciting. >> every day. >> right kind of boring we know a lot about might be -- a betterk. >> like cheney cheney picked for george w. bush was the stable guy been around a long time obviously that the point in time reputation was great integrity, and substance, you know i think the only one that i am concerned about is pence, we now have i th

she was married to senator howard baker intel his death. -- until his death.wo articles on cleveland on the side. the protest and an article about the ohio gop delegates are iffy about trump is the headline. here is usa today, trump a nation they say. they have someone from every state who is supporting donald trump. it has their stories inside. here is the chicago tribune. their front page as the convention gets started this summer. a couple of tweets. brian from the wall street journal. this is a sign that he saw. says spotted at the rnc in cleveland. i'm told it is being replaced for obvious reasons. naacpor kasich was at the convention taking place right now in cincinnati, ohio. tweet governor kasich sent out from cincinnati. so thatcome together all have the opportunity to reach their god-given potential. abc, was on the floor of the q and was watching a rehearsal from tonight. [video clip] the brave ♪ home of [applause] host: one of the performances that will be happening today off the 2016kicks convention here in the cleveland, ohio. that gets underway