mr. graham: well, let's stop there. the omnibus appropriations bill was defeated last night, is that correct? mr. kyl: madam president, yes. the majority leader -- well, it wasn't defeated. the majority leader pulled it down in order to reach an agreement with the republican side on a much slimmed-down version, a continuing resolution. mr. graham: did that take much of your time? mr. kyl: madam president, yes, that took a lost my time, working on the omnibus appropriations bill, as you know, when two days ago we began debate on the start treaty, there was an asum on this that i would speak immediately on the first evening. i said actually, let's get some business done here first. we need to do the funding of the government and so my first comefntses were on the omnibus appropriations bill. mr. graham: as of right now, do we have a deal to fund the government that's firm? mr. kyl: madam president, no. the house of representatives, i understand, has gone home after adopting a very short-term, i think three-day continuing r

mr. graham: thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: am i allocated ten minutes, i think? okay. can you let me know when i'm at nine minutes. i don't want to go over. the presiding officer: the senator will be allowed. mr. graham: thank you. thank you for allowing me to speak. senator grassley, senator baucus, i appreciate this. i guess the first observation i would make is that we're here on a saturday morning and this is democracy in many ways i think at its best. people understand the two votes are going to fail but it's good for americans to have genuine differences to be able to discuss what makes us tick, why we want to go one way versus the other. so the fact that america is divided on a lot of big issues is -- is just the result of living in a free country. now, what was the lessons of the last election? they are what you would like them to be but here's my observation, for what it's worth. our democratic friends really took a beating. as republicans, we have been there. in 2006 and 2008, we took a beating. 2006, the iraq

mr. mccain: i ask unanimous consent there be five minutes additional on each time and the additional five minutes be allotted to senator graham on this side. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mccain: i thank the chair and i thank my colleagues. i thank the senator from illinois. a senator: mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. udall: thank you, mr. president. unanimous consent saoubg that the full text of my -- i ask unanimous consent that the full text of my remarks be included in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. udall: i've spoken many times about the repeal of don't ask, don't tell and how it will improve our national security but i would like to make a few additional short points today before we take this important vote at 10:30. repealing this law is not about scoring political points or catering to a special interest group. rather it's about doing the right thing for our national security, especially during a time of two wars. instead of turning around qualified interpreters, mechanics, infantry men and others, we need every able-bodied m

mr. graham: and i believe the president of the united states believes that too. mr. kyl: yes. mr. graham: now, here's the problem, as i understand it -- and correct me if i'm wrong -- if we enter into this treaty and the preamble is not clarified or stricken, there could come a point down the road as we develop these systems to defend against what we all agree is a real national security threat to the united states, what damage would it do to our relationship and what kind of conflict would it create or anxiety in the world at large if the russians say we're going to back out of the treaty? because that's the one thing you don't want to happen. you don't want to sign a treaty where we're going to do, a, and if we do a, they back out. because you put the world in a state of confusion and really danger. the idea that the -- all the papers in the work would read one day, "russians back out of strategic arms limitation treaty because of u.s. deployment of missile defense," to me, that is something that we need to deal with, with certainty. because if that day ever came, it would really

graham, 10 minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: would my colleague yield for a question? mr.ssley: will i yield for a question? mr. schumer: yeah. mr. grassley: because you new yorkers think you can make us midwesterns look bad. but i'll be glad to yield. mr. schumer: not you. i thank my colleague. and through the chair, i'd simply like to ask my colleague this. i understand we have a different point of view here. we both care about deficit reduction. could he please explain to me why it is okay to take $300 billion of tax cuts for those at the highest income levels, above a million, and not pay for it and yet we have to pay for unemployment insurance extensi extension? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i thought i made that point very clear, because the taxpayers are smarter than we in congress are. they know that they give another dollar to us to spend and it's a license to spend $1.15. so it just increases the national debt. and when it comes to paying for unemployment compensation, we can pay for unemployment compensation because the stimulus bil

mr. president, again. ryan? >> have you never done my show? >> you do it in the morning and reasonable people are asleep. >> you did an extraordinary interview with reverend graham5. and he had sent a letter that he wanted us to read on the air and i'll read it in part. it says, dear larry, hard to believe after so many years you are retiring from "larry king live." i'll miss watching you every evening as i have done for so long and thank you for the times you had me on your program. i always thoroughly enjoyed the times together. i want to send at least this brief note of appreciation both for your program and for our years of personal friendship. you will will be greatly missed in my evening routine and that is from reverend billy graham and i think we say ditto. >> also, i think a big friend of mine. >> larry: i know. loved your movie. >> trying to get on your show. >> larry: lots more to come. don't go away. >> larry: we're back with bill maher and ryan seacrest. joining us now my good friend, dr. phil mcgraw and he will be on ask oprah's all-stars on own. how do you feel? you're an all-star now. >> listen. that's okay. hanging with oprah is good, right? tha

mr. krugman who i respect very much. >> senator, i want to shift gears for a minute to afghanistan. i guess you're familiar with your colleague, senator lindsey grahamosing building two air bases in afghanistan and keeping our troops there inner. pew in perpetuity on our show. >> i respect lindsay. when it comes to the united states' presence in afghanistan, it's an expensive commitment, $1 million per year for every soldier on the ground. costs us $400 for every gallon of fuel used at afghanistan. we're a nation that is very sensitive to our own debt and deficit and very sensitive to the fact that a lot of the money we're pumping in to afghanistan is being diverted sadly into the hands of corrupt officials turning it around and using it for bullets to shoot at american troops. >> one last question, senator, before we let you go. is it true you kill rats with your bare hands? >> no, that's not true, but it is true i happen to live in one of those glamorous townhouses on capitol hill with senator schumer of new york and george miller of california and yes, we were invaded by rats and yes i set the traps. >> okay. senator dick durbin, thank you for be

mr. reid, announced that he was going to take up immigration legislation first instead of climate regulation. graham, conservative republican, was also the key guy on immigration. he was furious. i heard some blue words come out of his mouth that i don't ordinarily here are from members not on the record. but he was very unhappy. they were poised to have a press conference on monday announcing their bill with a whole bunch of ceos standing up. grandma walked out and said not doing it. reed pulled the rug out. kerry and lieberman soldiers on. they came up with a bill in may, but without a key republican. and grant has managed in his tenure in the senate to become a key republican on a lot of really interesting issues. the bill went nowhere. his defection that resulting from reid's decision to do immigration for us, which was usually imported from a nevada -- nevada perspective that he was worried, shockingly, about his reelection. there was won by the name of intellect laid who was running against him, a tea party or we might recall. decide who's going to do what he could on immigration instead of cl

mr. reid, announced that he was going to take up immigration legislation first instead of climate regulation. graham, conservative republican, was also the key guy on immigration. he was furious. i heard some blue words come out of his mouth that i don't ordinarily here are from members not on the record. but he was very unhappy. they were poised to have a press conference on monday announcing their bill with a whole bunch of ceos standing up. grandma walked out and said not doing it. reed pulled the rug out. kerry and lieberman soldiers on. they came up with a bill in may, but without a key republican. and grant has managed in his tenure in the senate to become a key republican on a lot of really interesting issues. the bill went nowhere. his defection that resulting from reid's decision to do immigration for us, which was usually imported from a nevada -- nevada perspective that he was worried, shockingly, about his reelection. there was won by the name of intellect laid who was running against him, a tea party or we might recall. decide who's going to do what he could on immigration instead of cl