joe biden, who i doing so much to help our military -- dr.our military milies. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce a man who knows both service and sacrifice, the vice president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you all very, very much. deputy secretary lynn, thank you for that introduction. that admiral mullen, i have to say -- and at roland, aave to say, we have gotten to know each other and this is -- admir mullen, i have to say, we have gotten to know each other and this is the greatest opportunity of my life to address all of you on this hallowed ground. and superintendent metzler, thank you for your intention -- attention and care of these hallowedrounds. and tnks to the old guard who stand tch over the souls who gave their lives to standing watch over us and thanks to all of the service members responsible and representing every branch of the military all across america to ensure that on this day that those who served under our flag have a flag standing proudly before their headstones, and decoration wo

>> i certainly wasn't surprised by the dislike of joe biden.for the like of hillary clinton, i've covered secretary of state clinton before. i covered her during her campaign. she's a likable and charismatic person once you get the chance to spend any time close to her. she's also trying to build up her defense credentials. i know she was supportive of mcchrystal during the strategic review and assessment last year. i think if you supported them, there's a much better chance of them liking you, as opposed to, say, vice president biden who is the most vocal critic of general mcchrystal's strategy within the white house. >> larry: are you surprised at one aide calling jim jones the national security adviser a clown? >> i wasn't too surprised by that because within the sort of washington, d.c. chattering classes, general jones, though obviously a very well-decorated military veteran, doesn't -- he doesn't have the sort of -- he's someone who takes a lot of flack within the washington, d.c. gossip circles. >> larry: is this going to change the pent

so give joe biden a lot of credit for that. says that he ud to be able to drive one of these trucks. [laughter] what we cannot do is go back, now that we are starting to find out how big the whole is that has been dug for us, we cannot go back to the same policies that failed us, that led us into that hole. think about it. we have already tri scaling back our investment in clean energy and education and innovation, so that we could give tax breaks to the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations. that did not work. we already tried putting industry insiders in charge of oversight. it did not work. we already tried stripping away rules and regulations that kept wall street banks and oil companies in bounds. we let them play by their own rules instead. it did not work. we know where these ideas to lead us, and we are going to have a choice as a nation moving foard. we are going to be able to return to the failed economic policies of the past, policies that give us record deficits, declining income, and sluggish job growth

joe biden, who is doing so much to help military families. [applause] -- dr. ng so much to help military families. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce a man who knows about service and sacrifice, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] >> thank you all very much. thank you for that introduction. admiral mullen, i have to say, this is the greatest honor of my public life that has ever been given to me, to have an opportunity to address all of you on memorial day on this hallowed ground. superintendent, thank you for your care and attention to these hallowed grounds. thank you to the old guard who stands watch over those souls who gave their lives standing watch over us. and thank you to all of the service member is responsible in representing every branch of the military, all across america, to ensure that this day all those to stand under the flag have a flag standing proudly at their headstones, worthy of their dignity. collectively, the generations of soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines that have served and sa

that included joe biden, christina romer. in the book that was written, they wanted it passed beyond the first couple of years. host: let's get a response. guest: i have not read the book. there is some reticence to health care reform. that is true. joe biden was concerned about moving healthcare right after the stimulus. these are big debates that we will see on the campaign trail. we s democratic candidates for congress, would you vote for the bill? most of them would not get back to us. there was a concern at the time if this is a political winner or loser. it depends on the district or the state. that is going to be a factor. we have seen democrats openly say they are opposed to it. they are walking a fine line. will obama go to their states this fall that they have voted against his number-one priority. host: how realistic is the climate change pushed right now? guest: democrats in many ways are having the meetings. they have presentations of various climate change proposals. this is something that nancy pelosi has as a

give joe biden a big roond of applause. [applause] joe says he is able to drive. well we cannot do is go back now that we are starting to climb out of this whole. we cannot go back to the same policies. they led us into that whole for. -- hole. we are trlready tried to scale back. americans and the ggest corporations. that did not work. we already tried putting industry insiders in chge of oversight. it did not work. we already tried stripping away rules and regulations that kept companies in bounds. we let them play by their own rules instead. it did not work. we know where these ideas to lead us, and we are going to have a choice as a nation moving forward. we are going to be able to return to the failed economic policies of the past, policies that give us record deficits, declining income, and sluggish job growth even before the recession. policies that led to us almost going into a depression. we can take that road again, or we can decide we want to move forward. we can keep building a stronger economy. we can keep pursuing the policies that have started to cr

joe biden was concerned about moving healthcare right after the stimulus. debates that we see on the campaign trail. for democratic candidates congress, would you vote for the bill? them would nottget back to us. there was a concern at the time political winner or loser. it depends on the districc or the state. is going to be a factor. we have seen democrats openly are opposed to it..% line.re walking a fine will obama go to their states that they have voted against his number-one prioriiy. host: how realistic is the pushed right now? guest: democrats in many ways having the meetings. they have presentations of various climate change proposals. is something that nancy has as a signature issue. the votes are nowhere near in the senate. that is coming from democrats way to getre is no to 60 votes. some do not want to have another bill moves that rates.aise consumer republicans waat to have the debate. host: louisville, kentucky, independent line. caller: has anybody heard about them extending unemployment benefits of all? have been working since i was old and

but in new york, while expressing concern for the polite -- plight of palestinians, joe biden voiced support for israel. he spoke with pbs's charlie rose. >> you can argue whether israel should have dropped people on to that ship or not. but the truth of the matter is, israel has a right to know. they're at war with hamas. has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in. >> woodruff: meantime, international mideast envoy tony blair said the blockade of hamas-ruled gaza has been counter-productive. >> my view is the blockade of gaza has to change, to stop. we need a better policy for gaza. but we needed that even before this incident occurred. >> woodruff: in jerusalem, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu insists lifting the blockade would open the door to illicit arms shipments to hamas. >> ( translated ) : now the rockets and missiles that iran is trying to get into gaza-- and some are already there-- at aimed at tel aviv, and jerusalem. it is our responsibility and our right, accordinging to international law and common sense, it is our duty to prevent these wea

during that time a young man from delaware by the name of joe biden was elected to the united states senate. within a month or two after senator-elect joe biden's ascension to the united stttes senate, he lost his first wife in a tragic, tragic car wreck. senator byrd turned to me and said, nick, do you mind if we took a drive up to wilmington, delaware, so we can pay our respects to senator biden's wife? i said sure. i drove the car. it was a cold, rainy night in late november that 1972. we arrived in wilmington. we arrived at the funeral home to face a long, long winding line that was waiting out in the rain to pay their respects. senator biden heard we were in that line and sent word out, he wanted us to come up and immediately get upfront and come inside where it was warm. senator byrd said no. he would not use his office, he would not use his prestige or power to jump in front of anybody already in line in front of him. so we stood in that cold rain waiting to pay our respects to senator-elect, at that time, joe biden's first wife. the only individual to serve in both houses in

vice president joe biden weighed in at the white house. >> there's no shakedown. it's insisting on responsible conduct and a responsible response to something they caused. and i find it outrageous to suggest that if in fact we insisted that b.p. demonstrate their preparedness to put aside billions of dollars, in this case $20 billion, to take care of the immediate need of people who are drowning . >> lehrer: later, congressman barton said his remarks had been "misconstrued." >> i want to record to be absolutely clear -r that i think b.p. is responsible for this accident, should be held responsible, and should in every way do everything possible to make good on the consequences that have resulted from this accident. >> i'm going to ask you to rise, raise your right hand, take the oath. >> lehrer: hayward's turn to speak came after 90 minutes of the hearing when he finally rose to be sworn. but he was promptly interrupted by a protestor. >> you need to go to jail! >> lehrer: when the outburst subsided, the b.p. chief set an apologetic tone in his reprepared remarks

he was at odds with joe biden. he is at odds with the ambassador, ikenberry.calls holbrooke a wounded animal. he talls about general jones as a clown. as i should say, they said that. it's not clear that this is coming from general mcchrystal's mouth. he has been poorly served by his aides in this instance. he will be in a room today with a lot of the people that he and his team have really disparaged. host: what happens today? who will he meet with first? guest: i think he will first meet with president obama. and not sure of the order. they will have both of those meetings. host: the white house guidance for today's meetings only includes the 11:30 a.m. meeting with his national security team on afghanistan and pakistan. it does not include these one- on-one meetings. why is that? guest: i suspect it will come after tte other meeting. i think president obama will want to hear. he will be facing a lot of questions. president obama meticulously encourages people to be forthright with their opinions and then makes decisions. i suspect that he would want to hear

joe biden deserves a lot of credit for that. by the way, he says that he used to be able to drive one of these trucks. [laughter] what we cannot do is go back, now that we are starting to find out how big the whole is that has been dug for us, we cannot go back to the same policies that failed us, that led us into that hole. think about it. we have already tried scaling back our investment in clean energy and education and innovation, so that we could give tax breaks to the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations. that did not work. we already tried putting industry insiders in charge of oversight. it did not work. we already tried stripping away rules and regulations that kept wall street banks and oil companies in bounds. we let them play by their own rules instead. it did not work. we know where these ideas to lead us, and we are going to have a choice as a nation moving forward. we are going to be able to return to the failed economic policies of the past, policies that give us record deficits, declining income, an

gee, i saw joe biden watching the met -- guest: i saw joe biden watching the match. eemed interested. i think there is soccer diplomacy. i think it is significant that the obama administration sent joseph biden to show that we get the significance. you can argue that it is part and parcel to their broader engagement strategy. host: have passed the administration's done this -- administration's done this? guest: i think that they have, but i am not entirely sure. host: what are you looking for in the political frame? what are you expecting? guest: i am really interested in how south africa is able to pull this off. that question looms over all of these other questions. last week, there was a stampede that was held in a friendly match outside of johannesburg. that is really the biggest thing. there are other little subplots. north korea has a team that is plain. they have not had a team for several decades. du can see how they are put -- you can see how they are played it at home and abroad. -- playing that it at home and abroad. there are all sorts of a sub- dramas. br

. >> there was a conversation with joe biden in which joe biden claims that a lot of people will be leaving afghanistan in july 2011. secretary gates said that he was not knowledgeable about the vice-president opinion. has that conversation been discussed internally? >> you should check back with the vice president's staff to get it -- to get a full report on that. the context was that a reporter was pressing whether the tarlan was a firm time line and the vice president was -- whether the time line was a firm time line and the vice president was expressing that it was. >> why is the obama administration opposing arizonas effort to stop illegal immigration? >> i could give you a very serious answer, but i'm going to give you a past. >> it is a very serious issue in arizona. could you just answer the question? >> it is a very serious issue all over this country. and the president has comprehensive immigration reform that includes the border. it is not just one particular issue. if we are going to be a nation of laws, if we are going to be a nation that is protecting our border, if we're goin

joe biden, who is doing so much to help our military families.uce a man who knows both service and sacrifice, the vice president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you all very, very much. says deputy secretary lind, thank you very much. admiral mullen, we have gotten to know one another. this is the greatest honor of my public life that has ever been given to me, having an opportunity to address all of you on memorial day on this hallowed ground. and superintendent metzler, thank you for your care and attention to these hallowed grounds. and thank you to the guard that stands watch over those souls that gave their lives for us. and thanks to the service member all across america to ensure that on this day those who served under our flag have the flag standing proudly before their headstone, a declaration worthy of their dignity. collectively, the generation of service members to a sacrifice for us are the heart and soul, and i would say, spine of this nation. and today we pause today to remember them. they gave their lives of filling thei

now, as my friend joe biden, who has done a great job overseeing the recovery act, would say, this isbig deal. [laughter] i think it is fitting that we have reached this milestone here in this community, because what you are doing is a perfect example of the innovation and ordination and renewal that the recovery act is driving all across the country. . the hospital and is expanding its operations to take even better care of more people, more children, here in columbus, and in ohio, which means they are hiring more people. together, you are creating more than 2300 new jobs and sending a message that this will soon be a place where more families can drive, more businesses can prosper, economics park today will continue into the future. because the hospital is now growing, they are putting money back into the neighborhood for housing and other facilities so that the entire community starts rebuilding. ultimately, that is the purpose of the recovery effort. not to just get us out of the hole that we are in now, but to spur growth and prosperity for generations to come to its offer was he

caller: i am not necessarily for the war, but if you are going to have a war, joe biden recommended a strategy -- i cannot say this to accurately -- but a smaller counter terrorism type of group. let them come back into afghanistan, find out where they are setting up, and attack them that way. right now, they are all over the place. we need to get them back there and we need to be hiding in ca ves, like rambo, use drones, drawn down in that way and keep our presence there, if we are intending to stay. guest: as i said, the president spent 90 days deciding on that. and vice-president biden had a chance to present his full ideas and strategy. the president listened to everybody but finally made the decision to go with the counterinsurgency. vice-president biden, i know it was reported yesterday that he is supportive of this strategy. we cannot second-guess this yet. the president made the decision and we need to give ii a chance to work. we need to give general petraeus a chance to meet with tribal leaders, do the same things that he did in iraq, and i think he will be successful. host:

that if they had to, it would be $1 trillion out of these companies and $1 trillion, according to joe biden, will produce 700,000 to 1347b9 million jobs and will %- produce as many as 200,000 jobs a month. so that's the hit to this economy if this does a i ply to end users system of we have a motion to recommit. first it says there's an exemption on end users. now, you have said that there is one, thuff letter from chairman dodd and blanch lincoln saying there is one. that's half of it. you'd vote for that because you're saying it's in there. secondly, there's the federal audit. and we need, the taxpayers and voters are demanding, and mr. hoyer, transparency at the fed. they're spending trillions of dollars, committing trillions of dollars let's have this audit of the fed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. frank: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has 7 3/4 minutes. mr. frank: mr. speaker, to begin, i want to address the members who are concerned that the interchange amendments will unduly affect smaller financia

vice-president joe biden is heading to the gulf coast today. president obama is meeting with a group of senators to talk about the energy bill. it is tuesday, june 29. we will begin for the next 45 minutes or so on yesterday's ruling by the supreme court, a 5-4 decision dealing with the second amendment and local laws. our phone lines are open. "washington journal" calling it a five-gun salute, and the supreme court: it the bill of rights. you can join the conversation on line. here's a look at some headlines beginning with the philadelphia paper -- the high court limits the gun ban. meanwhile, from this paper, the justices broadened gun rights. and from the editorial pages -- their right to bear arms, but -- the editors indicate that the decision from yesterday's both correct, and potentially troubling. we will read more from the editorial pages, and more of your reaction on this case decided yesterday, a 5-4 release. the four dissenting members of the supreme court. we're joined from conroe, texas, on the independent line. caller: good mornin

under then chairman joe biden to help secure the nomination of ruth bader-ginsberg.nd now one of the most active members of the supreme court. i know you will join with me in expressing our sympathy to justice ginsberg on the loss of her husband. work i working in the clinton white house, doing as she described it, mostly policy work. policy is quite difference than intense legal work. for example, in the office of legal council or some of the divisions in the department of justice. during her white house years the nominee was the central figure in the clinton-gore effort to restrict gun rights and as a dramatic 5-4 decision today in the mcdonald case shows the personal right of every american who own a gun hangs by a single vote on the supreme court. miss kagan was also the point person for the clinton administration's effort to bl k block -- abortions. perhaps she was the key person who convinced president obama to cha who convinced president clinton to change his mind on that precedure.clinton to change his mind on that precedure. her actions punished the military

vice president joe biden says the u.s. and its allies are looking for new ways to address a range of problems in the blockaded does a strip. the vice president spoke today at a red sea resort in egypt after meeting with the president. in vienna, international atomic energy agency is holding a board meeting to discuss the nuclear program of iran, syria, and israel. the agency described iran as "a special case" for the team. the u.s. has criticized the inclusion of is to go on the agenda, saying it has not violated any commitments. in chicago today, lawyers for firmablagojevich will make finay decisions. the former governor has pleaded not guilty to scheming to profit from his power to fill the senate seat vacated when barack obama became president. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. host: among the events we're covering today, progressives with the campaign for america's future " in their political conference in washington. this morning, they're talking about the midterm elections. on c-span2, that is t

as my friend joe biden has done a good job overseeing the recovery act would say, this is a big deal.nd i think it is fitting that we have reached the smallest town. this is a perfect example of the ordination that the be coverage act is driving all across the country. host: we are talking about evidence of stimulus spending in your area. our next call is from jacksonville, fla. on the independent line. caller: i see stimulus here in jacksonville. there is a big project going on in downtown, the new courthouse. there are a lot of contractors from out-of-town that have gotten on this project, so it makes it hard for locals to get jobs. host: why you suppose they are letting this business go to out of towners as opposed to hiring more local people? caller: that question, i do not know why that is like that. i felt like the city of jacksonville should have went to the local contractors first to give them an opportunity to be on the job, so they can put the money back into the economy of jacksonville. i am presently working on the courthouse now. i am into professional caulking and waterp

kenya's leader speaking today with vice president joe biden who is in the east african nation the birthplace of president obama's father to press for political reforms in the country and discuss the situations in somalia and sudan. finally, japan's incoming new prime minister named his new cabinet today keeping core members in miss but adding several fresh faces including a former model. the prime minister hreblgt said he will honor an agreement with washington to move a key u.s. marine base to a less crowded part of okinawa an issue that led to the downfall of his predecessor. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. >> congressional hearings the senate judiciary committee holds a hearing on the decision producing exxon's liability in the 1989 exxon valdiz oil spill. that 10:00 a.m. eastern on pap 3. then we look at the activities of hezbollah in the middle east. among those testifying the coordinator for counterterrorism and former bush administration ambassador ryan crocker 3:00. this morning president obama will be hosting a health care town hall meeting with senior citize

under then chairman joe biden to help secure the nomination of ruth bader-ginsberg. and now one of the most active members of the supreme court. i know you will join with me in expressing our sympathy to justice ginsberg on the loss of her husband. work i working in the clinton white house, doing as she described it, mostly policy work. policy is quite difference than intense legal work. for example, in the office of legal council or some of the divisions in the department of justice. during her white house years the nominee was the central figure in the clinton-gore effort to restrict gun rights and as a dramatic 5-4 decision today in the mcdonald case shows the personal right of every american who own a gun hangs by a single vote on the supreme court. miss kagan was also the point person for the clinton administration's effort to bl k block -- abortions. perhaps she was the key person who convinced president obama to cha who convinced president clinton to change his mind on that precedure.clinton to change his mind on that precedure. her actions punished the milita

[applause] oh, and by the way, the guy standing next to me -- this is joe biden. [applause] just because he's a phillies fan -- he's from delaware. [laughter) now, look, the fact that we've got activists here is important because it's a reminder that change never comes -- or at least never begins in washington. it begins with acts of compassion - and sometimes defiance - across america. it begins when ordinary people - out of love for a mother or a father, son or daughter, or husband or wife - speak out against injustices that have been accepted for too long. and it begins when these impositions of conscience start opening hearts that had been closed, and when we finally see each other's humanity, whatever our differences. now, this struggle is as old as america itself. it's never been easy. but standing here, i am hopeful. one year ago, in this room, we marked the 40th anniversary of the stonewall protests. [applause] some of you were here, and you may remember that i pledged then that even at a time when we faced enormous challenges both on the economy and in ou

the is the vice-president of the united states, joe biden.applause] also have the lieutenant governor of maryland, anthony brown. [applause] we have the mayor of hyattsville. [applause] of course we have to acknowledge the big man here, and he is big. owner of the company, stephen neal. [applause] i want to thank k neal for having us here today and given us eight or to look at all of these trucks. this is a business that has been selling commercial trucks for over 40 years. this company employs workers from all over the greater washington area. after two years of recession, that caused so much pain and so many communities, this is an example of a company that is starting to see business picked up again. i was talking to steven and he said that rental and lease sales have improved and there is a pent-up demand out there for new equipment and he added workers over the last few months pontiff he says if things keep going well he will add more in the months ahead. we are hearing more and more stores like that all across america. a lot of business

as my friend joe biden, who has done a great job overseeing the recovery act, would say, this is a big deal. [laughter] i think it is fitting that we have reached this milestone here in this community. what you are doing here is a perfect example of the kind of innovation and coordination and renewal that the recovery act is driving all across the country. a lot of people came together to make this day possible. business and government. grass-roots organizations. ordinary citizens committed to this city's future. what you're starting here is more than just a project to repair roads. as a partnership to transform a community. the mayor was describing how these people fit together on the way over. the city is using recovery dollars to rebuild the infrastructure. because of that, in part, the hospital is expanding its operations to take even better care of more people, more children, here in columbus and throughout ohio, which means they are hiring more people. together, you are creating more than 2300 new jobs and sending a powerful message that this neighborhood will soon be a place whe

he tells us the drama began monday afternoon when vice president joe biden flying home from illinois to andrews air force base took an unsettling phone call from general mcchrystal. it lasted barely two minutes. the general told the vice president that there is an article coming out what not like. mr. biden asked the staff to investigate and milan, aides handed an article. after digesting it back at his residence in washington, mr. biden put a call to mr. obama at 730 that evening. hours earlier, the white house had and sells gotten wind of the article and a young press aide distributed copies to all of the top officials and mr. obama's national security circle. the press secretary walked a copy of it to the president and the private quarters. after scanning the first few paragraphs -- a sarcastic, profanity lace description of general mcchrystal's discuss that having to dine with a french minister to brief him about the war -- mr. obama had read enough, he ordered his aides to convene immediately to the oval office. the lead on this story is, by the time he woke up on wednesday morn

next, a commencement address from drew brees and after that president obama and joe biden pay respectslen soldiers on memorial day. next is "washington journal." coming up, a look at the state of new orleans in the wake of the gulf of mexico oil spill. we'll simulcast inside new orleans on wistm with eric asher. our coverage gets underway today at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span 2. is government broken? the brookings institution asks that question. the forum will look at challenges to good governance and look at ways to strengthen democracy. this gets underway live at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. >> new british prime minister and conservative party leader david cameron fields questions from members of parliament in his first prime minister's questions live from the british house of commons wednesday at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> now drew brees, the quarterback of the super bowl addresses the graduates of loyola university. he talks about the rebilling of new orleans and his decision to move there after hurricane katrina. this is about 15 minutes. [applause] >> i'll be honest. i

under then chairman joe biden to help secure the nomination of ruth bader-ginsberg. and now one of the most active members of the supreme court. i know you will join with me in expressing our sympathy to justice ginsberg on the loss of her husband. work i working in the clinton white house, doing as she described it, mostly policy work. policy is quite difference than intense legal work. for example, in the office of legal council or some of the divisions in the department of justice. during her white house years the nominee w the central figure in the clinton-gore effort to restrict gun rights and as a dramatic 5-4 decision today in the mcdonald case shows the personal right of every american who own a gun hangs by a single vote on the supreme court. miss kagan was also the point person for the clinton administration's effort to bl k block -- abortions. perhaps she was the key person who convinced president obama to c who convinced president clinton to change his mind on that precedure.clinton to change his mind on that pcedure. her actions punished the military and

now, as my friend joe biden --- who has done a great job overseeing the recovery act -- would say, this is a big deal. [laughter] and i think it's fitting that we've reached this milestone here in this community, because what you're doing here is a perfect example of the kind of innovation and coordination and renewal that the recovery act is driving all across this country. a lot of people came together to make this day possible -- business and government, grassroots organizations, ordinary citizens who are committed to this city's future. and what you're starting here is more than just a project to repair a road --- it's a partnership to transform a community. mayor coleman was describing for me how all these pieces fit together on the way over here. so the city is using recovery dollars to rebuild the infrastructure. and because of that, in part, the hospital is expanding its operations to take even better care of more people, more children, here in columbus and throughout ohio, which means they're hiring more people. so together, you're creating more than 2,300 new jobs and -- the h

bois obama d vice president biden and joe consumption.but yet i see the administration wanting to cut out coal, which doesn't make any sense. that's an ironly. .. . guest: then you have the case of china which doesn't tax their gasoline or oil at all. they're desperate to get oil. that's what they're trying to fuel their economy on. so you get a lot of extremes in the world. the greatest thing that we could do is bring up the price of gasoline, turn on -- and the price of oil, turn on these alternatives and become an exporter. an energy exporter not importer. host: you're saying explore the natural gas that is in the west virginia area, in the shail part? -- shale part what what you're saying? >> this is precious stuff it comes at a great cost to develop. you're displacing people. there's environmental damages. these are risky ventures. very, very risky ventures. we should have alternatives for ourselves. then if we want to use this extensive energy, we should use it for profit for ourselves. host: next phone call, cambridge, new york. bi

he is a vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] we have maryland's lieutenant governor, anthony bro, here. we have the mayor of hyattsville, william gardner. [applause] and of course we have to acknowledge the big man here, and he is big. the owner of k. neal international, stephen nickel. i want to thank k. neal for having us here today, giving us a quick tour and having us look at all these trucks. this is a business that has been selling commercial truc for over 40 years. this comny employs workers from all over the greater washington area. after two years of recession that caused so much pain in so many communities, this is also an example of a company that is starting to see business pick up again. stephen told me that rental and lease sales have improved, that there is a pent-up demand out the r new equipment, and you have added workers over the last few months. steven says that if things keep on going well, he will add more in the months ahead. we are hearing more and more stories like that all across america. a l

withdrawal in afghanistan, and is there going to be any issue, especially since secretary gates -- and joe biden said that you can bet on a number of soldiers withdrawn in july, 2011? is everyone on the same page? the expect anybody -- given the history of this country in afghanistan and your ability to talk candidly to barack obama, have given him any advice on the war in afghanistan? and you believe that the foreign country can win in afghanistan? >> thank you. the short answer is, what we saw yesterday was a change in personnel, but not a change in policy. when we engaged in the extensive review last year, general petraeus was part of a group, and this group included secretary gates, hillary clinton, and my national security team. we discussed, extensively, the different options that we had in afghanistan. and what was determined was that we had to be very clear on the mission. the mission, first and foremost, is to destroy al qaeda and their affiliates so they cannot attack the united states. the reason that we are there is because 3000 americans were killed, from the attacks launched in tha