mr. mcconnell. look at mr. mcconnell. this is the top five industries that have given him money. securities investments, 1.16 million. let's go down here to health professionals, $713,000. those are two republicans. here's the big brouhaha democrat on this. not too far off, by the way, securities and investment, top five industries, 842,00$842,000. insurance, $552,000. health professionals, $497,000. pharmaceuticals, $507,000. now $507,000, that's a big amount for people who are making decisions about how our health care is going to be run from someone who's very interested in how it's going to be run, isn't it? >> and you're not adding the amount of the equation that goes into both political parties. >> i'm going to start doing this all the time. i think americans need to know who's getting what and then what are they deciding on. you've got $435,000 from retired. 331,0$331,000 from democratic liberal. i'm not sure what that means. $78,000 from transportation and $75,000 from education. you don't do as well as the others by the way. >> most of those came from organizations repre

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. connell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, september 11 is a day of the year that has special resonance for all americans, and always should. earlier this week i was honored to stand with some of the family members of those who died eight years ago this morning on flight 93. they were here to mark the establishment of a memorial to those brave men and women who gave their lives that day over a field in pennsylvania and who in the process may very well have saved the lives of many of us here. their role in history will now be forever memorialized here in the capitol, ensuring that we never forget their sacrifice nor the sacrifice of the thousands of other innoct men and women who were taken from us on that terrible day. and thiss just as it should be, because as i said during the ceremony earlier this week, there are some moments in the life of a nation that ar

mr. mcconnell, issued a statement tonight endorsing the mcchrystal request for more troops and in it he saidould confirm al qaeda's view that america lacks the strength and resolve to endure a long war. you said would you have a hard time finding al qaeda in that report. where does al qaeda rank in mcchrystal list of who we are fighting in afghanistan? >> if you listened to hillary clinton, she said that al qaeda lies behind all of the taliban groups. there are three taliban groups outlined. it's probably the second network that has the closest affiliation not only with al qaeda but other jihadist groups. the issue is not just that. the issue is that al qaeda most people think is operating out of pakistan, operating on the outside. maybe even operating in other parts of the world. it is somewhat peripheral. you hear al qaeda less and less and less. what do you hear referenced are issues about how the taliban would run against the democracy that we hope would define a victory eventually in afghanistan. that's a very different kind of mission. something that general mcchrystal's report argues

mr. mcconnell, on the left. the other senators who will follow them will be obvious to you. they are the visiting team as you will. it will take a while for the president to get to the podium. we'll shut up at that point. i want to continue this conversation with rachel maddow and howard fineman. rachel, howard just mentioned the drop in the president's approval rating particularly on the issue of how he's handled this. there's, i think, an understandable reaction to assume this is from critics of reform and yet that's not entirely true. there has to be a significant drop-off in confidence on those who are ultra pro-reform. >> you saw the full page ad in "the new york times" for those who worked on his campaign saying we want real reform and a real public option. there has been disappointment among progressives. a shot there with barack obama and hillary clinton. >> i can't resist noting that that was an extra long moment with hillary clinton. there have been several public pageants recently where bill clinton, has made a point of showing himself to be in deep conversation w

mr. mcconnell has promised as long as it doesn't add to the deficit he'll go along with it.have voted to offer extended benefits to those who are unemployed. how is it that you manage to do that and still keep this deficit neutral? >> well, this is the longest recession we've ever had in my political life. and what we did in this case, there's a tax called the -- it's been in place for 30 years. we're continuing it for another three months to cover this unemployment extension. so it does not add to the deficit. it's already part of what's going on. it's going to be paid for. >> congressman mcdermott, good of you to join us today. >>> we want to turn our attention right now. harry reid is speaking on the baucus health care plan. we want to listen in. >> republicans have chosen not to be part of this discussion. they have obviously to maintain the status quo. the bottom line is that we have to act and act now. the status quo will not work. too many people are hurting right now. too many people are being crushed by the costs of health care. i mean, i got two letters handed to m

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i, too, would like to speak of our departed colleague, ted kennedy, whose passing was a focus of the nation and who's life was memorialized over the past weeks in so many poignant stories and heartfelt expressions of gratitude and grief. today the senate also grieves not only because he was a friend, but because the senate was so much a part of who he was. and because he became so much a part of the senate, the simplist measure is sheer longevity at the time of his death, ted could call himself the third longest serving senator in history having served almost one-fifth of the time tt the senate itself has existed. or consider this -- when i was an intern here in the 1960's, ted was already a well-known senator. and when i was elected to the senator nearly a quarter of a century ago, ted had already been here for nearly a quarter of a century. he served with 10 presidents, or nearly one out of every four of them. no one could have predicted the kind of run for ted back on no

mr. mcconnell had to say. what we saw today, mr. hatch saying to the president, let's scale this back, agree what we can agree on. but the president is under huge pressure from himself, from the white house, from his own campaign, and certainly from nancy pelosi and the house caucus to do a lot more. >> yes. exactly, andrea. he is under pressure. and when nancy pelosi said yesterday that a public option is essential to pass the house, she sort of threw down the gauntlet. and i know there is pressure. but if the president truly wants to bring america together and have republicans sign on to this, he really does need to start all over with a new blueprint. i think there are republicans, i'm certainly one, who believes that reform is needed, that we need more access to health care coverage for more people. but the way to get that is not the way they're approaching it, which is to have this big public government takeover. and to raise the costs on every taxpayer and then with the plan that's just come out of the finance committee as a b

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be suspended and i be recogzed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. presint, there's a lot of things happening in the united states and the world today. there's many issues that -- and challenges that we face. obviously, the issue of health care reform has dominated the news and our attention, and the somewhat interesting joi session of congress the night before last. but there's also other issues that are facing the congress and the nation, and one of them, of course, is our strategy in afghanistan, and my colleagues have been discussing and debating and we will, as the president continued to debate and discuss, as the president makes some very tough decisions concerning afghan -- i have the greatest respect and regard for my colleague and friend, the distinguished chairman of the senate armed services committee, and he and i are in agreement on many issues. and it's very clear t

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: madam president, over the past few months the american people have been sending us a clear message on health care. they want reforms that make health care more affordable and more accessible, that increase choice and keep government out of their health care decisions. what they don't want are so-called reforms that cut seniors' health care, force americans off private health plans they have, cost hundreds of billions of dollars, raise taxes, and put government bureaucrats in charge of health care. but that's exactly what they'd get under the plan that was released by the chairman of the senate finance committee just yesterday. so while i appreciate the hard work of the senior senator from montana on this legislation -- and he certainly has spent enormous amounts of time on it -- i'm extremely disappointed that it does not reflect the concerns americans have been expressing for weeks about health care reform. that much is very clear. now it's time to let the american people s

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president?ve had a chance today earlier in the early in the day to recognize our colleague, senator martinez who, sadly for most of us, have leaving the senate. today 8 be his last day. he had an opportunity to address the senate this morning and give some final thoughts so i would like to take a few moments to give my final thoughts about senator martinez. i expect to see him many times in t future as a private citizen but my thoughts about him and his contribution here and his life story. obviously all of us have a story to tell. the story of a journey to this place. but in the case of senator martinez the journey certainly has more twists and towns than s than most. he came to our country when he was 15, a political exile exile, not speaking a word of english and did not know when or if he would ever see his family again. his journey from that point to now is proof that the boundless promise that exists in america. more than 50 years ago in a small town in cuba, an 11-year-old mel martinez co

mr. mcconnell: mr.ember 11 is a day of the year that has special resonance for all americans, and always should. earlier this week i was honored to stand with some of the family members of those who died eight years ago this morning on flight 93. they were here to mark the establishment of a memorial to those brave men and women who gave their lives that day over a field in pennsylvania and who in the process may very well have saved the lives of many of us here. their role in history will now be forever memorialized here in the capitol, ensuring that we never forget their sacrifice nor the sacrifice of the thousands of other innocent men and women who were taken from us on that terrible day. and this is just as it should be, because as i said during the ceremony earlier this week, there are some moments in the life of a nation that are worth remembering. there are others that are impossible to forget. september 11, 2001, is both. all of us who lived through that day know this to be true. we know that w

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, the senate grieves over the loss of one of its giants and one of our great friends. all of us were, of course, med by the many tributes that have poured in since senator kennedy's passing and we'll make time later in the week for senators, including myself, to deliver tributes of our own here on the senate floor. mr. president, i previously had an opportuni to welcome my friend, the majority leader, ba and welcome all of our other colleagues from an active month in august. i kw we always enjoy spending this time with our constituents and hearing their particular concerns. this year, most of us really got an earful. and i hope the experience has an affect on our work here as we move forward. health care reform is clearly a critical issue f many americans and i think we have an o@lition to show them we've been listening closely to their concerns. at this point, there really should be no doubt about where the american people stand. the status quo is not acceptable but neither

mr. mcconnell: mr.resident, the debate over health care continues to be a top concern for most americans, but it's important to realize that this debate isn't taking place in a vacuum. it's taking place in the context of a nation that's increasingly concerned about the size and the scope of government. over the past year americans have seen the government take over automakers and insurance companies. they've seen government spend hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out banks and other financial institutions. they've seen government run up unprecedented debt. and now they see the government trying to take over health care. if the white house wants an explanation for all the unrest it's witnessing across the country, to all the worry and concerns that americans have about its health care plan, this is a crucial piece. democrats in washington may see all these government programs and interventions as separate, individual events. but to most americans who are weathering a recession, it seems like every

mr. mcconnell: mr. president, the debate over health care continues to be a top concern for most americans, but it's important to realize that this debate isn't taking place in a vacuum. it's taking place in the context of a nation that's increasingly concerned about the size and the scope of government. over the past year americans have seen the government take over automakers and insurance companies. they've seen government spend hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out banks and other financial institutions. they've seen government run up unprecedented debt. and now they see the government trying to take over health care. if the white house wants an explanation for all the unrest it's witnessing across the country, to all the worry and concerns that americans have about its health care plan, this is a crucial piece. democrats in washington may see all these government programs and interventions as separate, individual events. but to most americans who are weathering a recession, it seems like ever

mr. mcconnell: mr.ember 11 is a day of the year that has special resonance for all americans, and always should. earlier this week i was honored to stand with some of the family members of those who died eight years ago this morning on flight 93. they were here to mark the establishment of a memorial to those brave men and women who gave their lives that day over a field in pennsylvania and who in the process may very well have saved the lives of many of us here. their role in history will now be forever memorialized here in the capitol, ensuring that we never forget their sacrifice nor the sacrifice of the thousands of other innocent men and women who were taken from us on that terrible day. and this is just as it should be, because as i said during the ceremony earlier this week, there are some moments in the life of a nation that are worth remembering. there are others that are impossible to forget. september 11, 2001, is both. all of us who lived through that day know this to be true. we know that w

mr. mcconnell: mr.tember 11 is a day of the year that has special resonance for all americans, and always should. earlier this week i was honored to stand with some of the family members of those who died eight years ago this morning on flight 93. they were here to mark the establishment of a memorial to those brave men and women who gave their lives that day over a field in pennsylvania and who in the process may very well have saved the lives of many of us here. their role in history will now be forever memorialized here in the capitol, ensuring that we never forget their sacrifice nor the sacrifice of the thousands of other innocent men and women who were taken from us on that terrible day. and this is just as it should be, because as i said during the ceremony earlier this week, there are some moments in the life of a nation that are worth remembering. there are others that are impossible to forget. all of us who lived through that they know this to be true. we know that with each passing year the d

mr. speaker, center lot, members of the family, century, senator mcconnell, i am still wondering what i am doing here. [laughter] actually, for the first time in my life, i found myself agreeing with most of what newt said. on the way in here, i was told that thomas jefferson was elected president in that room back there, and i remitted rick -- i remember trent that if it had not been for thomas jefferson, neither one of us would have been here, because he bought louisiana, and arkansas and mississippi were part of it. senator breaux wishes they still work. -- wishes they still were. i like to be here with all these republicans. i am a private citizen, and i do not have to convince you of anything anymore. the great thing about not being in office is you can say whatever you want. witness my notes. but nobody cares anymore. i would like to say a couple of things. we were laughing back there about how people get all exercise around here, and my party is understandably exercised about whether the president was born in the united states, or about death panels. i was kidding knew about being t

mr. obama denied that test test but on the senate floor late today, republican leader mitch mcconnell urgedhe president to endorse more troops and soon. >> for the sake of our long-term security, we should support the mcchrystal plan. anything less would confirm al qaeda's view that america lacks the strength and the resolve to endure a long war. >> reporter: the u.s. force in afghanistan now numbers 62,000. and already it's on its way to 68,000 by year's end. and u.s. casualties also are rising, to 48 killed in august, the deadliest month yet. 29 more have died in september. meanwhile, the struggle continues over afghanistan's recent presidential election. today, a u.n.-backed panel agreed to recount a sampling of thousands of suspect ballots. >> lehrer: now, secretary of state hillary clinton takes up the troops story in our newsmaker interview. margaret warner talked with her in new york on the eve of the united nations general assembly meetings. >> warner: madam secretary, thanks for doing this. >> thank you very much for talking with me today, margaret. >> warner: you are a key advisor

mcconnell. senator majority leader harry reid is right behind him. mr. obama will work the aisles as presidents always do. george w. bush loved working the aisles and basking in the adulation. there's no reason why president obama shouldn't operate the same way. in front of him, of course, is the sergeant of arms who announced his coming into the chamber. let us just watch some more. you may recognize some of the faces and maybe your own congressman or congresswoman. let's just listen to the applause and the adulation as the president makes his way to the podium. . >> that's congressman wexler of florida you just saw. this is, of course, a hugely important speech for mr. obama. he called it himself for a special joint session. he requested it about a week ago. his health care plan has had a difficult summer. declining polls would suggest that among independents and seniors. of course, the town hall meetings, controversial as they are did stir the pot for more unrest. people are asking many, many different questions. not only about the health care plan it

mcconnell furious. >> this gag order, mr. president, this gag order now applies to all medicare advantage providers.nment says. brian: peter johnson jr. is here with the prescription for truth. specifically, are you allowed to do that, peter? >> no. you are not allowed to do that. brian: a violation of one of those amendments we worked so hard to acquire? >> the first amendment. what they are saying, the government is saying is, you know, you don't have a right under our contract with you to send this kind of information out. and, as i said, i looked at it, everything they said was pretty objective and was absolutely truthful. and what we're seeing now, i believe, in terms of the discussions on the baucus bill in the senate finance committee is that we have not a health reform act but a medicare reduction act. our health reforms being financed by taking money, literally, out of the pocket of seniors and saying, listen, i'm going to take your dollar, 70-year-old senior citizen, i'm going to take this dollar, too, that you had in health care. i'm going to give it to you, brian. you take it. you take t

mr. kyl: as senator martinez snows, senator mcconnell could not be here this morning. i made some brief remarks yesterday but let me just say, kick offome comments that i know others of my colleagues will want to make, that in addition to the other attributes that senator martinez has brought to the senate representing the people of florida, his personality, his engaging wit and his love of people, his spirit, his friendliness and his genneness all have been appreciated by all of us, i know, very much. and so it's even more difficult for us to see him leave because in addition to being a good colleague and a great senator, he's been a wonderful friend. and i think all of us appreciae that friendliness which is not always the order of the day when it com to politics. with kitty and mel march te mare knees, we appreciate it very much and will miss them. mralexander: mr. president, the best stories in the united states senate are not the political stories. i see the aistant democratic -- i would rather defer to him and come next, if i may. -- you -- you mr. president? the

mr. kyl: as senator martinez snows, senator mcconnell could not be here this morning. i mae some brief remarks yesterday but let me just say, kick off some comments that i know others of my colleagues will want to make, that in addition to the other attributes that senator martinez has brought to the senate representing the people of florida, his personality, his engaging wit and his love of people, his spirit, his iendliness and his genuineness all have been appreciated by all of us, i know, very much. and so it's even more difficult for us to see him leave because in addition to being a good colleague and a great senator, he's been a wonderful friend. and i think all of u appreciate that friendliness which is not always the order of the day when it comes to politics. with kitty and mel march te mare knees, we appreciate it very much and will miss them. mr. alexander: mr. president, the best stories in the united states senate are not the political stories. i seehe assistant democratic -- i would rather defer to him and come next, if i may. -- you -- you mr. president

boston or the compelling interest that austin and mcconnell relied on were forthrightly challenged in a ld have e government -- the option to -- >> mr. waxman, the government did that have opportunity and the government compiled a record and when the citizens united, abandoned that position, you're quite right they changed their course -- the government and district court complained it went to all this work to develop this record and yet we hear nothing about what the record showed. >> that's because -- i assume i have your permission to answer? >> yes. >> the only challenges that were litigated in the district court -- and they were largely related to disclosure -- were very direct as-applied challenges that did nothing whatsoever to implicate the foundation of mcconnell or austin. and all i'm saying is that if you want to re-examine the predicates, the interest that congress is going back a whether it's 60 years or 100 years and courts, whether it has been the actual rationale of the decision or a predicate of the rationale of the decision, you ought to do it in a case where the issue is squarely presented so that the government c

alito, or the compelling interest that austin and mcconnell relied on were forthrightly challenged in a case, the government would have the option to -- >> mr. waxman, the government did that have opportunity and the government compiled a record and when the citizens united, abandoned that position, you're quite right they changed their course -- the government and district court complained it went to all this work to develop this record and yet we hear nothing about what the record showed. >> that's because -- i assume i have your permission to answer? >> yes. >> the only challenges that were litigated in the district court -- and they were largely related to disclosure -- were very direct as-applied challenges that did nothing whatsoever to implicate the foundation of mcconnell or austin. and all i'm saying is that if you want to re-examine the predicates, the interest that congress is going back a whether it's 60 years or 100 years and courts, whether it has been the actual rationale of the decision or a predicate of the rationale of the decision, you ought to do it in a case where the issue is squarely presented so that the government c

mr. president, i had a meeting with senator mcconnell. we try to get together personally every week. it's nice that we have a chance to visit privately. but also we talked about what the schedule's going to be. excuse me. we have a lot to do. i went over that in some detail with the republican leader. we have now scheduled a work period at home on the columbus day weekend -- columbus day week. we have many times in the past taken that because there's so much work to do at home. but we can't do that unless we complete our work here. i've explained that to the republican leader. he knows that. and so we'll see what progress we can make in the next few weeks as to whether we can do that. it's -- i won't go into detail about all the things we have to do, but we are in a fiscal year basis. that fiscal year ends at the end of september. we're in september now. we have a lot of must-do things we must move forward on as quickly as we can. i note the absence of a quorum, mr. president. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. mr. reid: mr. president, i withdraw that. i didn't see

became president as part of a detailed intelligence reports provided by mike mcconnell, then director of national intelligence. mras received updated intelligence reporting on several times. in advance of the announcement mr. obama dispatched top officials to brief the iaea chief inspector. other diplomats and intelligence officials shared the findings with china, russia, in germany, all viewed as key players. we have about eight or nine minutes left. we want to get more of your reaction from the story. the u.s. house of representatives gaveling in at 9:00 and at 9:30 a.m., the senate finance committee continues its markup process that began tuesday. according to a number of reports, it will continue into next week. jerry is joining us from louisiana. caller: it is highly coincidental that every time one of these middle eastern countries decides to switch their petrodollars from american to euro, suddenly wmd's pop up and secret facilities popup. i find it highly suspicious that this is going down. i would like to reference again that israel did attack the u.s. as liberty -- uss liberty. they are the ones causing

mr. gibbs? >> i'm fine, thank you. >> a cbs news poll finds that most persons still don't know what his plan would mean for them. mitch mcconnell says it should be clear by now the problem is not the sales pitch, it's the product. is the president willing to accept or consider the possibility that's true? >> well, look, what we're going to do tonight is the president's going to speak clearly and directly to the american people about what is in this bill for them. it will provide safety and security for millions of americans that are fortunate enough to have health care and provide access to affordable health care coverage for the millions who don't. it'll talk about cutting costs for families, small businesses, and government. and i think that's what we'll lay out tonight. >> the president has continued to express the support for this public option that would compete with private insurance. but i could give you a list of republicans and democrats who either are not for it or are very willing and happy to drop it. would the president tonight go on and say i know the only chance of this happening is if this public option is off t

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be suspend and the pending business before -- the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the pending business before the senate be set aside in order to consider amendment number 2403. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the snrr arizona, mr. mccain, proposes amendment numbered 24036789 on page 318 between lines 11 and 12 insert the following mr. mccain: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent further praoegd of the amendment be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mccain: mr. president, the amendment is very simple. it prohibits, as recommended by the president, the use of funds under this act to carry out the brownfields economic development initiative grant program that is administered by the department of housing and