all or will remain in power mr ambassador i mean that there is given u.s. interest in the region they wouldn't want the united states does not want to see chaos in yemen for a very long i mean what kind of role can the united states and i would stress positive in this case a positive role now given the obama administration's at least new wants to approach maybe not a radical change but what is the united states going to be doing now looking is this country falls into absolute chaos i would agree with daniel i mean there are so many different elements right there how does the how does a country like the united states would like to have a relationship with them and how do they decide now how to how to proceed maybe the best procedure is to stand back for a while. no i think that would be a serious mistake first of all i would emphasize that it's much more than u.s. interests at stake here there are very significant regional interests first and foremost saudi arabia and you've seen that because the gulf cooperation council has been engaged in trying to work a

if i could stay with you mr ambassador let's let's say the assumption is that the the u.s. and its western allies which they would support any leader in yemen they would take on al qaeda in a serious way do you think that's a good idea what about backfire on the united states and the west go ahead. i don't think that's true i don't think it's any one gets our support i think we can be more demanding that this is the yemenis going against al qaeda it's not a favor to us al-qaeda is threatening yemen. it is a shared interest that we have so it's not a something that they can use to blackmail us but our interest in yemen should be much broader than just outside it should be development it should be political political stability there if we have a narrow approach i think we're doomed to failure and i think you can go back historically and that's what i do in my book and show from or one two or four when we had a broad sustained approach that will not only targeted al qaeda but also supported yemeni political and economic development that is when we need our leader gains against

here mr ambassador thanks to you in ok. i passed the ambassador because you know i think we all agree obviously these countries are all different but there are some similarities and some countries get more support from the west and the united states specifically bahrain for example what to do with yemen because of the presence of al qaida there i mean there is one thing the key is a common denominator is how much the west wants to intervene and not intervene mr ambassador go ahead. yes that again is the that's the same of queer i mean i'm just now you know you wish i didn't work myself the question i have sort of put to you our call would with the saudis like to see a functioning democracy and. and that's the thing we're all here and the thing which is which is stalling i think change across perhaps i mean i have read many many reports and so on and people said what is stalling the whole change in yemen it has take a long long time and i've seen the this is the initiative which had in many many flaws and perhaps to a certai

mr. ambassador, thank you for your time tonight. do appreciate it. >> thank you. >> smith: and when we come back, james arness will always be remembered as marshal dillon. but as you'll learn tonight, he only got the role when another legend turned it down. own. you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking and forming dangerous clots. plavix. protection against heart attack or stroke in people with acs. [ female announcer ] plavix is not for everyone. certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with

mr. ambassador. i start by noting how much i want the leadership in creating the research in investigative machinery. excuse my nostalgia, but i would not have believed when we started our first hearing with a good deal of state department, which has come true that we've had over 20 successful major televised hearings. he built the machinery. mr. ambassador, i have heard that the state department's bureau of resource management is demanding repayment of a large sum from dyne corp.. let me state the background. they are been conducting police training on a state department contracting in iraq from the years 2004, figure went back and conducted last year this audit showing the lack of proper support documentation. the sum i have heard that for which repayment is being demanded is $518 million, but i would defer and say it has been many years we have been waiting. has state finally demanded repayment of the sums certain from dyne corp. for iraq police training? >> i mean, i have a two-part answer to tha

mr. ambassador. i start by noting how much i respect chairman thibault's leadership in creating the research and investigative machinery. excuse my nostalgia, but i would not have believed when we held our first hearing which included a good deal of state department content what has come true, which is that we've had over 20 successful, major public and televised hearings. and that is his, he built, he built the machinery. mr. ambassador, um, i have heard that the state department's bureau of research -- resource management is demanding repayment of a large sum from dyncorp. let me state the background. dyncorp has been conducting police training for, on a state department contract in iraq from the years from 2004. sigar went back and conducted last year this audit which shows the lack of proper support documentation. the sum i have heard that is, for which repayment is being demanded is $518 million, but i would defer. i just would say it has been many years we've been waiting. has state finally dem

mr. ambassador, members of our team at the state department. this is exciting stuff for the bay area council and we will be behind it all the way. improving our global competitiveness as a region is what the bay area council is all about. everything we do is all about that. for that reason, having aipac here in san francisco, it is kind of like nirvana and to members of the bay area council, who is a global company. we are pleased that you made the announcement earlier that we would be selected to do this. now we just have to make it happen. just a couple of data points. california businesses combined $300 billion with their counterparts and apec economies. of course, more than any other state. we have two-way shipping. we are a gateway for merchandise shipping. california has the most foreign-direct investment from apec economies than any other state. so we are in the middle of this. these meetings are absolutely vital to the future of the city and future of the region. we could not be more excited to have you here. for recently, we learned ab

mr. ambassador, what i think my fellow commissioner is saying is no, it isn't exactly as you're putting it. and the agencies are not forthcoming, and they are still not fighting this war, they send the wrong people if any at all and i insist on putting that on the record, because that's what it's really like out there. i'd like to ask you about one of our recommendations regarding certification. we noted in our report that agencies have con creeded that they content give regard in reporting past statements in -- we've said this ought to be certified that a database was used. state department says no, i'll disagree with that because accurate and current information and candid assessments of -- >> sure. if it's done. do you belief it's now being done? >> up until recently, there was a split between agencies that used one tool and civilian agencies that used another tool. we are now filling in the new d.o.d. tool, and i know the state department is populating that database. i can't address the other agencies. >> but we're concerned about use. has the database been used? do you have any theafe

mr. ambassador, thank you for your service passed a new willingness to serve in the future. we had a good discussion when you came to my office. i want to pursue some of things we talked about at that time. i know you don't determine or strategy -- war strategy but i wonder what your role will be as the ambassador in terms of information to the congress about where we are at. i am one of those who believe that we would be more successful in afghanistan by reducing our troop presence in the south and continuing support for institution-building in the north. it seems to me that a counter- terrorism strategy reverses a counter-insurgency strategy which is where we are, fighting in search is to give the government time to have the wherewithal to stand up for itself and defend itself and govern itself would maybe be a considerate policy if we had a partner, which in my view, we do not have a solid partner in this regard. so, that present policy has had an enormous toll on american lives, on american treasure, and i don't think we have won the hearts and minds. do you believe we a

mr. chairman. ambassador, let me pylon with everybody else. you're clearly a national treasure here and we are happy to see you going over into that part of the world. i think what my major concern is in you and i had the opportunity to discuss this when he visited with me is how we really define our strategic objectives in afghanistan and how that matches up with what we are able to actually accomplish in a cost-benefit way. i think that's what you're hearing from a lot of people right now. how much do we actually need to achieve in afghanistan with respect to our national interest? how much do people want to achieve that may be above what we need to and were getting into this area is building. how much can we achieve? and how much of that actually benefit persecuted project is. that is what i've been struggling with for more than a year now. i don't know if you saw the column but taking your name wrote recently for "the wall street journal" a few weeks. i don't have it in front of me, but she clearly is not a radical. she's one of the privat

mr. ambassador. >> thank you. i am here out of respect for you as a person, the role you have played in much of your foreign policy. we have had an extensive conversation in our office. general petraeus has asked that we support efforts in afghanistan through this the fighting season, and i think people generally speaking have been willing to do that, but i think you sense in our conversation that probably among the numbers of people here, we're expecting dramatic changes at the end of this cockfighting season and expect and know that you will help guide those changes into a different place. all of us know the model that we have in afghanistan is not sustainable. for multiple reasons we have talked about in detail and private, and i am just here to thank you for your willingness to do this. i don't know why you would come back and do this other than your a great american and we thank you for that. again, without belaboring, there are a number of questions we could ask that you cannot answer yet, but i think you al

mr. ambassador, mr. secretary. thank you so much for being here. always a pleasure to see you. i did not intend to start with the two of the questions -- but it seems there were a few issues left hanging in from various exchanges from my colleague and it probably will follow up themselves and their rounds but i have the vicinity. in the last exchange with a doctor zakheim about the very disturbing article, you said, if i understood you correctly, that the medical staff has looked into some of the allegations that the office of inspector general has done. i think he mentioned another office or two within the state department. to me, the next question is what has happened and result? with allegations substantiated by the inspector general or the medical staff? >> we were not able to identify actions of a gross and horrifying nature taking place on units that were in direct support of the state department. i do not challenge that it might have happened elsewhere, but our investigations to date have not identified activities of this nature taking place against a third country natio

mr. ambassador. you have been doing a terrific job since we worked together a few years ago. you are still in there. that is great. it is good for the country. i want to ask you about a couple of state department responses to some of our recommendations, specifically 26a and 26b. these involve foreign contractors and subcontractors. we recommended that these folks be sent to u.s. jurisdiction as a condition to the reward of a contract. your answer was this requirement would add cost to foreign contracts without offsetting benefits. i do not block note -- i do not know if you want to expand on that. >> i will be glad to go into that, or i could also submit additional material for the record. it is your choice. >> let me pursue this and perhaps you can't wrap it all together. your testimony says that for one contract, you are essentially using d a d -- dod. that is fine. i want to get a sense of what state is going to do to avoid the kind of thing that has been written up in "the new yorker." paint that we have heard about for some time. -- things that we import about for some

ambassador crocker will have an essential role to play in making sure that we get it right. senator lugar? >> thank you, mr. chairman. ambassador ryan crocker returns from -- and retirement to again supply his unsurpassed experience in a dynamic conflict environment. i thank him for his commitment, and i know that he will bring insight and informed adjustment -- judgment to the role. i should point out this is the sixth hearing the form relations committee has held related to a dentist and related -- in the last two months, exploring not just what does happen in afghanistan, whether our best expenditures represent a rational allocation of our military and financial assets. r g.o.-strategic interests are threatened, not just by terrorism, but by debt, economic competition, energy, food prices, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other forces. solving these problems would be much more difficult if we give both to much resources to one country. the question the president must answer is whether we can achieve the most important national security goals in afghanistan, especially preventing the tal

mr. crocker ambassador crocker's statement today? he said the u.s. goal in afghanistan is plerly to create good-enough government. he said it doesn't... he said we're not after a model democracy there. >> i agree we're not after a model democracy but we're not anywhere near a government that is a... in my perspective an honest partner. how much more money will the united states taxpayers have to spend to get the type of government that even ambassador crocker talked about? we're talking about in this upcoming budget looking at another $3 billion in addition to the $19 billion just on the side of assistance. that's beyond the $10 billion a month in our counterinsurgency effort. so it just seems to me that that that there must be a different way. and if our national interests are striking against al qaeda and disrupting the taliban i'm not sure that we have to continue to spend these enormous amounts of money to prop up the karzai government and i find it very difficult to send the sons and daughters of america to fight in afghanistan when you have the

mr. v3 estimate ambassador, i'm going to go back to the suspension and debarment discussion we had. i went back in the interim time to look at your full response to the state department response page 2728 on the department's response to the report and basically what you say there is there are two kind of agencies with regard to sustention, there are those where the recommendations where the evaluation and the recommendation has made at a lower level and then the determination of whether this is spent or to bar is made within the agency or somebody higher and people making the recommendations to make the determinations of the decision makers somebody in the management chain and then the person who makes the ultimate determination given the recommendation whose cause i independent you call it the distance meant department official and your concerns on like leaving your full response by two things. one of the administrative burden, and number two, with regard to the suspension debarment official compromising that person's independence by requiring the agency had to sign off on the dete

mr. ambassador, i have heard that resourced management is demanding repayment of a large sum from .inosaudinecorpg from 2004. they went back and conducted an audit last year which showed the lack of proper support documentation. the sum i have heard is $518 million. but i would defer. i would just say that many years have been waiting period has state finally demanded repayment of a some certain from dinecorp? >> let me give you a two-part answer. we also picked up from bloomberg news service on friday this $518 million figure from supposedly cited to the bureau resource management for the state department. we queried every single senior official. we have no idea of where that figure has come from. none whatsoever. so we are continuing to pursue that. that is the first point. i have no idea what that figure is. the second thing is that inl has been conducting 500% recommendation of inl-related cases going back to 2006. it has conducted -- it has collected $40.8 million related to iraq and afghanistan invoices and has an outstanding request to dinecorp. for another $37.9 million. also, the rigorou

mr. whitaker? >> yes. as ambassador benjamin noted, there is evidence in the past eln and farc members having been present in cuba. there are continuing allegations of cuban government involvement in narco trafficking, but nothing that we've been able to act upon. again, as ambassador benjamin noted, must much of this is in w enforcement channels. i would note that we have tried to reach out to the cuban government, and we have a coast guard attache who tries to work with the cuban government in order to identify and interdict -- >> before my last few seconds, just let me say in my next round i want to follow up with this because it seems as though we're placing sanctions on venezuela which is not on the terrorist list, but more recently we're lifting sanctions on cuba, and i'll get into that in the next round, which is on the terrorist list and, in fact, is harboring a cop killer from this country. so i'll go into that in the next round. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. i will now recognize the gentleman from flo

mr. whitaker? >> yes. as ambassadorbenjamin noted, there is evidence in the past eln and farc members having been present in cuba. there are continuing allegations of cuban government involvement in narco trafficking, but nothing that we've been able to act upon. again, as ambassador benjamin noted, must much of this is in w enforcement channels. i would note that we have tried to reach out to the cuban government, and we have a coast guard attache who tries to work with the cuban government in order to identify and interdict -- >> before my last few seconds, just let me say in my next round i want to follow up with this because it seems as though we're placing sanctions on venezuela which is not on the terrorist list, but more recently we're lifting sanctions on cuba, and i'll get into that in the next round, which is on the terrorist list and, in fact, is harboring a cop killer from this country. so i'll go into that in the next round. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. i will now recognize the gentleman from flor

mr. ambassador, i

mr. ambassador. >> we are so welcomed. >> i'll quickly go through this. thank you and i appreciate you guys. we need this kind of debate about this issue. it's very important. and i do follow congress pretty closely because we're a creature of the congress for the commission. let me just put out the facts. the original cfius which i worked on was put into law in 1988 and it did not distinguish between regular and government-owned. it was amended in 1991 to make that distinction. the dubai ports deal got in trouble because the dubai government did not treat it as a purchase and they did not do the more extensive analysis. that became the political problem. now, i read a book by richard mcgregor called "the party" in which he contends that the party had enormous influence in appointing officials to state-owned enterprises. i don't know that's true or not but i read that book. i found it very interesting. i did see recently that a lot of the heads of these state-owned oil companies got rotated. one of them was running a state oil company and then suddenly he

mrs. ambassador. >> i appreciate opportunity to meet with you today to discuss the military and civilian letter arrived. the ambassador has discussed the policy with regard to transition, so i will focus and say a few words about the support to help set them up for success. i know members have concerns about the readiness of the iraqi government to provide security in iraq as u.s. forces drawdown between now and december 2011. indeed, a terrorist and malicious attacks continue to pose a threat. there were three coordinated car bombs in kirkuk, and there were attacks in baghdad that left 14 dead and dozens wounded. iraq still faces dangerous and determined enemies, but it is important to recognize that they do not have the support of the iraqi people and that they do not spark the return to civil war. moreover, despite these recent attacks, the underlying security situation remains strong. penn -- iraqi security forces have assumed primary responsibility for security of the entire country, and are u.s. forces numbers have declined from one the obama administration came into office in january 200

mr. ambassador, i'm will davis with the office here in washington. thank you for your time today. you're a former local politician so from that perspective i'd be curious to see what you have to say to our friends in europe when they have to tackle the political buss saw of lowering the agriculture subsidy. we've been mixing met tores for a long time, and seeing that's the major hang up it appears, what new can we bring to the table to help them realize the challenges of their situation presenting in the global trading system? >> wul, one, and this may be some fusion, will, of your observation and mr. richter's that no industry is probably as protected that local politicians are more attuned to than agriculture. the example i give is whether you were an elected member of the united states congress or a parliamentary body in asia, africa, not every elected official is blessed to say i have i want or boeing -- intel or boeing or texas instrument in my backyard. every one has a farmer. they look at our farm support policies, but broadly the argument we make to euroeurope is the same

mrs. ruth olestad. >> the honorable ambassador phillip murphy, u.s. ambassador to germany, and his wife, mrs.er and his wife, mrs. mary briggs. mrs. claus klineses and his wife, mrs. deidra klineses. mrs. leland kennedy and her guest, ms. tina hoskaovich. the honorable secretary eric shinseki, secretary of veterans affairs, and his wife, mrs. patty shinseki. mr. john john kuhni and his wif, mrs. barbara kuhni. >> i feel great about being here tonight and i'm wearing a rented tuxedo. no, what are you wearing? i'm a lawyer in chicago. you guys all look great. mr. robert b. hansen and his wife, mrs. kathleen hansen. mr. douglas redacker. the honorable senator amy clowbashar and her husband, mr. john mittsler. >> this would be, o.k., cost $170. >> and the shoes? >> $29. yes, that's correct, macy's. there you are. thank you. >> mr. eric garsety and his wife, ms. amy wacliff. mr. james rogers and his wife, mrs. mary ann rogers. mrs. carol fulke and her husband, mr. bernie fulke. mr. samuel palmisano. the honorable secretary timothy geithner, secretary of the treasury, and his wife, mrs. carol geith

mr. ambassador, mr. governor, thank you so much. >> jon will do, ann. >> jon is how we'll go, then. you have at least two major strikes against you. they're pretty big ones. we'll take them one by one. a recent nbc news/"wall street journal" poll found that 64% of republican voters have never even heard of you or don't know much about you, and a gallup poll found that 22% said they're hesitant to vote for a mormon in 2012. that's one in five, governor. what gives you confidence you can overcome these hurdles? >> if you look at numbers and assume the election were tomorrow, those would be daunting odds. when you figure you have months and months ahead in specific primary states, we live in a day and age where you can get your name out by social networking and new media tools, we have every opportunity to get out and talk about the issues, to talk about our record from the state of utah, to talk about the future of this great country, and i think over time, a, people will begin to know who we are in terms of name recognition and, two, people will begin to understand how we feel about

ambassador to china. >> reporter: huntsman left his second term as utah's governor to serve for more than a year and a half as mr. obama's ambassador to china. now, huntsman will have to contend with the political fallout of letters like this from 2009 when he called the president a remarkable leader. skeptical republicans are also worried about huntsman's conservative bona fide on social issues as governor huntsman seemed open to health care in his state as he said in a interview in 2007 on public television. >> is a mandate of hurngs insurance? >> i'm comfortable with a requirement. you can call it whatever you want but at some point we have to get serious how we deal with this issue. >> reporter: the former governor has since backed away from this and other positions unpopular with the gop base and is emphasizing his conservative values. >> as utah's governor, i cut taxes across the board which amounted to the largest tax cut in my state's history. >> reporter: while huntsman makes the case he should be the standard bearer for the republican party he also needs name recognition. a recent cbs news poll showed

. >> would you indulge to let the ambassador's speech? >> mr. crowley is right, there is an office at the state department tasked with what you're talking about. under the quadrennial development and diplomacy review, there are a number of suggestions on how the office can be strengthened to pursue the role you are recommending them ok, again, if you can get back for the record, that would be great. >> thank you so much. >> the gentleman yield back. would the gentleman from pennsylvania -- do you have some questions that we're ready to wrap this up. thank you very much. if there is no further business before the committee, we want to thank the panel for their testimony in answering our questions this afternoon. without objection, all members will have five days to submit questions or statements to the record. if there is no further business, we are adjourned, thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> here is a look at what we are covering this morning. on c-span

in march let's talk more about the situation now with basil eastwood a for the british ambassador to the country mr eastwood thank you for taking the time and to be on our to your insights appreciated here you spent many years living in syria you've met president bashar al assad what did you make of the man and indeed how strong do you think his power base is right now . good question. when i knew him he was still in as a crown prince roles in the king his father was still alive and we all hoped that somebody who had lived in the west and he would be a breath of fresh air when he when she took over which happened shortly after i left in two thousand. indeed there was at that stage a short of syrian spring but he took over essentially as the one candidate who could ensure the continued perquisites of the syrian power elite. and they i fear told him fairly shortly after he took over that the syrian spring from go too far so he then threw in his lot with them and since then there really has been not so much for there to be seen between him and the power brokers of syria and whether he influences them

prevented their embassadors of easy to join other ambassadors to go there so mr there is a lot of money forgive me for interrupting so you're disappointed with the statements from catherine ashton on the ashton the e.u. high representative on foreign and security policy but you're saying that iran is being proactive and arms wide open for allowing the i.a.e.a. into your country to inspect your nuclear facilities when it comes to catherine ashton she told us here at r.t. that iran has three thousand four hundred kilos of low enrich uranium which doesn't really have much purpose if you're not going to use it in a military program what is it for. i categorically reject i think they should read again reports of director general by way and noted the fact that we have given design information questionnaire about all this specific ation of richmond to facilities and the p one type. that these are designed in fact to produce loyalty to your own you know which could be used. they cannot produce material for a weapon let's say we've been great for their weapon nuclear weapons therefore technicall

mr. ambassador. >> i enjoyed your piece in the paper about an investment in using overseas process. >> nicety to mention it. >> i wanted to ask you to segue from jobs to business. yesterday, commerce secretary locke said that the obama administration is thinking about treating foreign restrictions on the internet is a nontariff trade barrier and that's adapting existing trade tools. i would say that he's on his way out the mini's handing you hot potato and i thought you might want to comment on that. >> i think that same observation. [laughter] that he may be sliding from its purchase favor commerce secretary, you know, the next methane ambassador to china. now, we obviously have had a lot of concerns from contra growth, particularly when this happened in asia and other markets and that is something we're studying, but we haven't made any hard decision on that. our guiding principle on every thing is we want government to be as disengaged from a process of letting the market determine what not to go where and how it out to be as possible. our broad philosophy just gets government come off the

especially from republicans who said look, why are you rewarding the syrians by sending them an ambassador? mrtill maintain he's useful. but guess what he's doing? he' not being allowed by the syrians to meet with anybody in the government. he meets with the government -- >> so what good is that? >> he doesn't talk, you know, with the government. >> all right. jill dougherty with the latest there on syria from the state department. appreciate it. it hasn't even been 24 hours since last night's debate, but we just learned another republican candidate is about to enter the race. wolf blitzer is live with the political taker next. and here's a clue -- for now, it's not this guy. >> i can't say this any other way, i am not a candidate for president. i am not a candidate for vice president. if the vice presidency is offered to me, i will turn it down. so that was new jersey governor chris christie a couple of months ago. has he changed his mind? piers is morgan is going to join us next. to make a difference in peoples' lives. [ carrie ] you're studying how to be an effective leader. [ cherie ] you'