>> retiring senator george lemieux of florida. >> anybody else?n you're retiring? >> can't they figure out that americans are adults and if you tell them the truth like george is doing and like marco is doing, you get rewarded? >> we'll see. up until now, republicans have been attacking the president for cutting medicare. in a of races i think that helped him. if the president said to you i need your advice, i need to get republicans in congress co-cooperate with me on deficit reduction, what does he need to do to get that level of trust and cooperation from republicans? >> two words, spending cap. the only way that congress is going to balance the budget or come anywhere close to it is if we put in a cap that says congress can only spend this much money. and above that, in the deficit commission has recommended this. there will be automatic cuts across the board. if you don't put handcuffs on congress, they will continue to rob the gook key jar. >> go to 2008 levels? >> i would go to 2007. >> if the president agreed to that, would republicans the

. >> even senat george lemieux from flida finds the advanc patdowns a little too intimate. is it going to change? the head of the tsaays no. >> do i understand the sensitivity of people, yes. if you're asking am i going to change the policies, no, because i think that is what being informed by the latest intelligence, the latest efforts by terrorists to kill our people in the air, no, i'm not going to change this policy. >> he specifally mention the underwear bomber in today's senate hearings. last christm the man tied to al-queda tried to blow up a northwest airlines flight bound to detroit. during covert tests they found it could happen again. the recommendation by intelligence to prevent it, more thorough patdowns. now screers have the authority to touch areas around your breas and private parts. you can choose this option if you get called for a secondary screening. the other option, the full body scan which some call x-rate the growing outrage is even sparking a pop culture movement. a california man designed this t-shirt and a berkley man posted had this song on youtu

given eight minutes after the chairman of the appropriation committee and following him, senator lemieux with an intervening statement from the other side followed by senator mccaskill for 10 and senator inhofe for 15 minutes. alternating back and forth. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coburn: thank you. mr. inouye: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. inouye: mr. president, i rise this evening to speak against the coburn amendment, which imposes the moratorium on congressional initiatives for the next three years. mr. president, our founding fathers bestowed upon the congress the authority to ensure that the people's representatives would make the final decisions upon spending, not the executive branch. they lived under monarchy in which the power of the purse resided with the executive and they had no desire to repeat that experience. in short, our founding fathers did not want another king. they wanted a president. but a president whose power would be held firmly in check by co-equal congress. none of us should be surprised that president ob

. >> even senator george lemieux from florida finds the advanced patdowns a little too intimate. is it going to change? the head of the tsa says no. >> do i understand the sensitivity of people, yes. if you're asking am i going to change the policies, no, because i think that is what being informed by the latest intelligence the latest efforts by terrorists to kill our people in the air, no i'm not going to change this policy. >> he specifically mentioned the underwear bomber in today's senate hearings. last christmas the man tied to al-queda tried to blow up a northwest airlines flight bound to detroit. during covert tests they found it could happen again. the recommendation by intelligence to prevent it, more thorough patdowns. now screeners have the authority to touch areas around your breasts and private parts. you can choose this option if you get called for a secondary screening. the other option, the full body scan which some call x-rated. the growing outrage is even sparking a pop culture movement. a california man designed this t-shirt and a berkley man posted had this s

lemieux: thank you, mr. president. before i start my remarks i would ask unanimous consent to be added as a cosponsor to senator coburn's amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lemieux: thank you, mr. president. it occurs to me that when i addressed this august chamber tonight and i follow my colleagues who have served here for a very long time and with distinction, that i am new to this chamber, and that i have a different perspective, but my comments tonight are not meant without respect, because i have a great deal of respect for those who have spoken in opposition to this amendment. but i have a differing view, mr. president. i'm new to the senate, as you know. i came here last year in 2009. i didn't have a specific position on earmarks before i got here. i knew that there was a problem with federal spending, but i had not yet made a decision as to whether or not i would support earmarks. and when you hear about a project for your home state, whether it be for a hospital or for a road or for a bri

senator lemieux. >> i want to thank both of you for your service and these appointments. general ham, if i may ask some questions about africom and terms i have about that region. would appreciate your evaluation of florida as well. [talking over each other] >> we don't have any -- we are entitled to one. can't speak for illinois. about time we had a command. senator lemieux, thank you. >> i had an opportunity to visit yemen and djibouti and to see firsthand what our forces are trying to do to combat aqap. and concerned about somalia and the tie between al qaeda and the arabian peninsula as well as the ties with al shabob. i would like you to tell me what your view is of the area, and your plan for this country in coming years to combat terrorism and the links between yemen and other african countries and radical islamic groups and what we can do to combat those threats. >> i believe the extremist threat emerging from east africa is probably the greatest concern that africa command will face in the near future and if confirmed it becomes a very high priority. consistent w

we haven't heard the last of george lemieux, i'm sure, in politics. senator burris of illinois, a state comptroller, his own man who has completed an outstanding career in public service by being here. and senator cart goodwin, the youngest senator who replaced the oldest in senator byrd, and has only been here a few months but we've greatly enjoyed having him. mr. president, it's been my privilege to serve with these 16 senators. we thank them for their service to this country. we'll greatly miss their leadership, and we hope they'll stay in touch with us because they are not just retiring senators, they're all our friends. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. sanders: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. sanders: mr. president, there is a war going on in this country, and i'm not referring to the war in iraq or the war in afghanistan. i'm talking about a war being waged by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in this country against the working families of the united states of ameri

. >> tomorrow we look at lemieuxs.hey don't like to gamble. >>> and tonight, a new segment we're called the redicu-list. tonight, the well-known wife of a well-known politician makes the list. we'll tell you who it is and why they're on tonight's list. >>> and sarah palin created a new world a while ago so folks poked fun at her. guess who's laughing now? the new oxford dictionary added it it to the dictionary. you remember the word? we'll tell you in a moment. mmmm. you don't love me anymore do you billy? what? i didn't buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds it's for my heart health. good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. it's the idea that a car that will never have an accident may be possible. in pursuit of this goal, lexus developed the world's most advanced driving simulator, where a real driver in a real car can react to real situations without real consequences. the breakthroughs we innova

. >> tomorrow we look at lemieuxs.w segment we're called the redicu-list. tonight, the well-known wife of a well-known politician makes the list. we'll tell you who it is and why they're on tonight's list. >>> and sarah palin created a new world a while ago so folks poked fun at her. guess who's laughing now? the new oxford dictionary added it it to the dictionary. you remember the word? we'll tell you in a moment. s be. we think it probably helps teachers be their best too. quaker instant oatmeal. does your breakfast make you amazing? nah. we have something else. but if you're hurt and miss work does it pay cash like aflac does? nah. or let you spend it in any way you want like for gas and groceries? nah. or help with everyday bills like aflac does? nah nah nah. [ male announcer ] there's aflac and there's everything else. visit aflac.com for an agent or quote. aflac! you know what, tell me, what makes peter, peter ? well, i'm an avid catamaran sailor. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's ra

. >> that is senator george lemieux today voicing his concerns over the busy pingers of our friends overt the tsa. tsa chief john pistole testified about the controversy exploded around patdowns and full-body scanners which he admits are more invasive but argues are necessary. [ inaudible ] the debate sparked in part by a cell phone video of a traveler righteously protecting his "junk." some air passengers calling for a scanner boycott the day before thanksgiving in a national opt-out day. but you know a story hasn't officially arrived until the taiwanese media get ahold of it and turn it into a cartoon this animation, complete with sexy searches and a flightful of naked people, of course this whole debate misses the actual way to catch terrorists as we were informed on monday by the former head of security at el-al. the best measures of prevention are behavioral profiling and aggressive questioning of the individuals flying on the airplane, not spending billions of dollars on technology that is awarded to god knows who so that you can act like you're doing something while you're actuall

at a senate hearing, florida republican george lemieux was among several senators asking the head ofsa about traveler concerns over full-body scans and those new body pat-downs. >> i wouldn't want my wife to be touched in the way these folks are being touched. i wouldn't want to be touched that way. i think we have to be focused on safety, but there's a balance. >> to me, it comes down to that balance, as you say, and the fact that everybody wants to be secure on that flight knowing that you've been screened, i've been screened, everybody has been screened properly and we have a high level of confidence. and yet we want to ensure the best possible privacy. >> the tsa administrator has announced people will not be able to avoid full-body scans or pat-downed based on religious reasons. tonight, on "hardball" we'll talk to john pistole. >>> the murder of a high-powered beverly hills publicist tops our headlines today. ronni chasen was gunned down tuesday after attending a premier for "burlesque." the 64-year-old publicist to hollywood's a-listers was shot in the chest several times. pol

i'm joined by senator george lemieux, republican from florida. good morning, senator, good to see you. >> nice to see you, chris. >> tough to find anybody that doesn't have an opinion about this. what's yours? >> my opinion is that the enhanced pat down goes a little too far for most americans. i'd like us to use a little more common sense. we all want safety, that has to be our number one goal. let's use our common sense when we're doing it. we know that most americans whom never traveled overseas, the vast, vast majority of them are no threat at all. we need to use some data that we have, you know, even when you go to disney world, for example, they take your fingerprint. why can't we have a card that show wheres we traveled if we're american citizens and why can't we take a fingerprint. for those 99.99% of americans they pose no threat at all. i don't want my wife to be palted down like this, my kids, my mom. >> there are people who say there are phrases which means profiling. is that what you're talking about? >> what i'm talking about is tha

senator lemieux. >> thank you, chairman. i had an opportunity to visit yemen and djibouti and see firsthand what our forces there are trying to do to combat aqap. i am concerned about somalia and the ties between our qaeda and the arabian peninsula. that is a destabilized area. i would like for you to tell me what your view is of the area and what will be this country's plan in the coming years to combat terrorism and the links between yemen, somalia, and other african countries with radical islamist groups and what we will do to combat their threats to this country? >> senator, i agree with you. the extremist threat emerging from east africa is probably the greatest concern that africa command will face in the near future. if confirmed, that will become a high priority. consistent with what i believe to be the commands highest priority, to the fact, deter, and if necessary defeat threats that would emerge from the continent, u.s. homeland, or u.s. interests. one challenge, i think, for us will be that, as you correctly poin

senator lemieux. >> thank you, mr. chairman. administrator, good to be with you again. i want to talk to you about the subject, i know all my colleagues have spoken to you about the patdown and what americans are dealing with at airports across the country. you and i spoke before you were confirmed about maybe relying more on behavioral evaluation, doing more of what other countries like israel do. i'm, frankly, bothered by the level of these patdowns. i've seen them firsthand in airports in florida. i wouldn't want my wife to be touched in the way folks are being touched. i wouldn't want to be touched that way. i think that we have to be focused on safety but there's a balance. and now you're going forward with more of these advanced imaging technology machines, this i think -- which i think are fine, appropriate, though they're invasive, there's not a physical touching to them and you're doing -- you have procedures in place to keep that person who is looking at the imaging in another room, there's some protections there, but i also understand that you would like to d

. >> let me come back to the competitive and i want to recognize senator lemieux. spriggs before, mr. chairman and for the way you are approaching it where we can have a discussion about these issues. sitting here listening to this occurs to me that there's a lot of regulation of this industry and perhaps it's the regulation that's causing the problem. while i agree television is important and certainly i want to be able to watch football and baseball i've heard words like a devastating and crisis applied to these things in light of the other things that we are addressing it congress, not sure that they are. but let me say that with all these regulations perhaps the view should not be that we should create more regulation but maybe we should unpack some of the regulations we already have. the world is changing. television is important but there are so many alternate ways to receive content. we are watching television and movies and other forms of communication through various sources, not just the tv but on computer and how this will be transformed the next few yea

. >> let me come back to the competitive and i want to recognize senator lemieux.priggs before, mr. chairman and for the way you are approaching it where we can have a discussion about these issues. sitting here listening to this occurs to me that there's a lot of regulation of this industry and perhaps it's the regulation that's causing the problem. while i agree television is important and certainly i want to be able to watch football and baseball i've heard words like a devastating and crisis applied to these things in light of the other things that we are addressing it congress, not sure that they are. but let me say that with all these regulations perhaps the view should not be that we should create more regulation but maybe we should unpack some of the regulations we already have. the world is changing. television is important but there are so many alternate ways to receive content. we are watching television and movies and other forms of communication through various sources, not just the tv but on computer and how this will be transformed the next few years

. >> let me come back to the competitive and i want to recognize senator lemieux. spriggs before, mr. chairman and for the way you are approaching it where we can have a discussion about these issues. sitting here listening to this occurs t me that there's a lot of regulation of this industry and perhaps it's the regulation that's causing the problem. while i agree television is important and certainly i want to be able to watch football and baseball i've heard words like a devastating and crisis applied to these things in light of the other things that we are addressing it congress, not sure that they are. but let me say that with all these regulations perhaps the view should not be that we should create more regulation but maybe we should unpack some of the regulations we already have. the world is changing. television is important but there are so many alternate ways to receive content. we are watching television and movies and other forms of communication through various sources, not just the tv but on computer and how this will be transformed the next few year