setting where i was there, the president, you know, talked with great specificity with president medved about the dual track that we are on regarding the iranian nuclear program and the upcoming meeting on october 1. and opened the discussion about the information that we had concerning this facility. >> smith: he told president medved. >> yes. what we also saw happen today, later that day, was an agreement by all the members of the so-called p-5-plus-1, united states, germany, france, united kingdom, russia and china-- all in agreement that saying we expected answers from iran in the october 1 meeting and that we were working on what's called a dual track. we're pursuing the answers. we have made it clear to iran that they have a right to peaceful nuclear energy for civilian purposes under appropriate safeguards and monitoring but not to a nuclear program... nik lar weapons program. if we don't get the answers we're expecting and the changes in behavior we're working for, we will look to our partners to move forward with sanctions. >> smith: you talked this summer about if diplomacy fa

president medved said in this room that sanctions may not be preferable but they may be inevitable. so i think this is what diplomacy and engagement is about. we are doing what we think is right for the united states. the missile defense decision, the iranian process, this is in the interest of our people, our security, our safety, and our friends and allies. but we also believe that in working closely with russia, sharing information, that they have been quite helpful this past week. >> smith: is there anything the iranians can do in this meeting in october 1 to dissuade you from what you believe they're up to? what can they say in this meeting to say all we're trying to do is make lech it tritty? >> they can't say anything because they've said that for years. but they can open up their entire system to the kind of extensive investigation that the facts call for. >> smith: is that the only thing the u.s. and the other nations that will be there-- is that the only thing you'll be satisfied with, if they completely open the doors? >> well, we have to be satisfied. there may be other

barack obama and demetri medved met privately and medved applauded obama for scrapping the missile defensebrian ross reports there are dark undercurrents in this relationship. >> terry, what you are about to see is a sex tape, supposedly made in a moscow hotel room with an american diplomat and a prostitute. the u.s. says it is a clever fabrication, including some authentic scenes and some that are staged. all produced by the russian spy agency that replaced the kgb now known as the fsb. the initials may have changed, but it seems for some the cold war is still alive and well. there are few americans in moscow who are more closely watched by the russian security service than this man. kyle hatcher, the u.s. diplomat, assigned to work with religious and human rights groups. a valuable deputy to u.s. deputy, john beyrle. >> kyle works in the political section and he's responsible for outreach to the russian orthodox church to civil society, human rights organizations. and there may be some people here who don't like that job description. and would like to discredit him in the eyes of his con

are you offended, michael medved?epublicans don't have a plan and there are people that are left out there to, you know, go absolutely financially destitute or live with the disease. what's your take on what he said? >> americans are too easily offended. i'm not a fended by it. i don't think it's a constructive contribution to the dialogue. right now this is serious. this is not gamesmanship. it's not ra-ra back and forth. right now there is a good plan on the table. it is called the wyden/bennett bill, co-sponsored by seven democrats and seven republicans. i don't see why everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. i've had members of the u.s. senate on my radio show talking about this plan that would attempt to move us toward individual control, at the same time you get nearly all americans insured. why not work constructively instead of calling names? the american people are tired of it. >> he didn't call republicans a name. he said what they're -- what their plan is all about. >> it's not true. when -- >> it is true

the only member of congress to have attended yale law school with hillary clinton, michael medved. >> thank you. this on the surfraste face of it doesn't -- surface of it doesn't it seem like an uneven debate? tonight the president of the united states, the leader of the free world, with his magnificent elegance is going to be speaking to the entire world about his vision for bigger government involvement in health care. and here we are with 1.3 million individual americans, ordinary people, the same kind of people, ordinary people who came out at tea parties, who came out at town meetings, who made themselves known, who expressed themselves. seems terribly uneven. except it is a tremendously important demonstration of two different visions of health care and of society. one vision is top down. you make a big decision in congress, you make a big decision in the administration, and the rest of the country has to follow. more regulation. more tax money. more direction from the top. the other decision -- the other vision, is from the bottom up. ordinary americans making decisions for the

today president medved said he welcomes a decision and president obama made it clear he wants to workufficient focus has been the threat posed by iran's ballistic missile program and that continues to be our focus and our basis for the program that we're announcing today. in confronting that threat, we welcome russians' cooperation. >> well, the system was going to be built in poland and the czech republic, and the president's decision to scrap it brought furious reaction from republicans. congressman mike pence, republican of indiana, issued a statement saying, quote, the first nine months of the obama administration has emboldened rogue dictators across the globe and now an increasingly antagonistic russia has been rewarded for bullying and threatening its neighbors. not since the carder administration has america looked so weak on the international stage. will this make us less safe? here to-to-face our, our democratic pollster and republican strategist doug high. all right, doug, how much of this is a republicans just wanting to oppose anything that the president does? >> you know

so for instance, medved asked about this after the revelation of the nuclear facility and said, well, you know, i stand with the international community. iran has to meet the obligations, however, iran has a right to peaceful nuclear facilities. to a program that was produced power or whatever. nuclear means. do you buy that? i mean, is there a way for russia and china to escape at this point cracking down on their partner iran? >> without question they can escape if they want to. look. there is no doubt but that iran is entitled to peaceful nuclear development. but there is no doubt also that this is not what is consistent with the plant they have been building and held in secretly. russia and china have great economic interests with iran. russia is the largest producer of natural gas. the second largest producer is iran. trying to establish a cartel to fix prices in the world of natural gas just as the oil people do it in -- >> trumps nukes? >> for china and russia it does. china is one of the biggest importers of fuel from iran so they have major economic interests and for them, th

. >> quickly, michael medved, do we need more time? senate finance committee voted on an amendment to draw is out another couple weeks. do you really need more time? >> when you're talking about changing 1/6 of the american economy, yes, talking about more time to get more consensus is a good idea for the country. >> gentlemen, good to have you with us. >>> i asked our viewers what you thought. should the senate finance committee delay a vote on health care reform? 8% of you said yes. 92% of you said no, absolutely drive it on and let's go. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. for more information on "the ed show," go to ed.msnbc.com or check out our radio website at wegoted.com. "hardball" with chris matthews starts right now on the place for politics. msnbc. >>> james traffic cant. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in boston. leading off tonight. he is back. james traficant, the former congressman found guilty of bribery and racketeering is fresh off his seven-year prison snrngs the expelled politician known fo

. >> reporter: but from moscow, president da meet dmitry medved praises the decision. mr. obama is hoping mr. medvedev will back stronger sanctions on iran to stop its nuclear program. but in this three-dimensional diplomatics chess came, medvedev's praise could backfire for obama. creating the impression he's caving in to the russian pressure. but the obama administration is adamant it still thinks there is a threat from iran. as defense secretary robert gates puts it, those who say we're scrapping missile defense in europe are wrong. wolf? >> he insists they're simply wrong. thanks very much. >>> president obama's also facing growing pressure today to reveal his plan for the faltering war in afghanistan. the vice president, joe biden, and other administration officials are asking for patience as they privately review a report from the top u.s. military commander on the scene, and a request for additional troops. let's bring in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr. she's been doing great reporting on this story. what are you picking up? >> reporter: you know, wolf, a

speakers include michael medved and radio hosts and house minority leader john boehner. president obama speaks to a joint session of congress tonight about health care at 8:00 p.m. eastern although the coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. live on c-span and also on line at c-span.org and c-span radio. we will take your calls after the speech and the republican response. >> as the debate over health care continues, c-span's healthcare hub is a resource. watch the latest events, including town hall meetings, and share your thoughts with your own citizen video, including video from any town halls and you're going to. there is more at c-span.org /health care. >> "washington journal" continues. host: we welcome the white house correspondent for "time" magazine. how did the speech come together? guest: there was a debate after the august recess on when should the debate -- president take charge and control of the debate, which really ran away after the august break. initially when the president returned from martha's vineyard, a number of aids were suggesting that the speech be delaye