mr. powell and the middle east. and colin powell is someone that the republicans should have in their party. an enormous distinction and achievement and strong feelings. i am a much more conservative republican than he is. but i am what they call a big-tent republican. and wil'mton where my favorite is from. host: where the government contested distention. you wrote a strong column about the president's speech in cairo, would you tell them of your concerns of what he said? guest: the concern, all presidents but particularly this one, tend to think their personality is an irresistable force, and there are a lot of immovable things out there that won't find it irresistible. the president had a theme in the 40's, if we would just talk and harmony would break out. this is the old belief that the natural continue is harmony, i tend to be more like hobbs, people getting along is difficult. in the 30's, when we got to know the empire of japan, we had an irrepressible conflict on our hands. i thought his view was "a," optimi

mr. powell on the subject of israel and the middle east. colin powell just now is engaged in a robust argument about the future of the republican party and i think colin powell is someone obviously the republicans should have in their party. he's a man of enormous distinction and achievement and strong feelings. i'm much more conservative republican than he is. but i'm, i guess what they call a big tent republican. you might say with regard to wilmington, wilmington before michael jordan became the most famous export from wilmington, the most famous one was my former colleague and much-missed friend david brinkley. host: also the city the government chose to test the digital transition. you wrote a very strong column about the president's speech in cairo. would you tell people what your concerns are with what you said? guest: the concern is that all presidents, but particularly this one, tend to think their personality is an irresistible force and there are a lot of immovable objects out there that won't find it irresistible. the president r

powell's shoulder wipeout was talking. so the general said he had to lean in more and he said mr. president, we cannot have the leaders, on and on. reagan finally stopped him and went like this, colin powell told me he stopped immediately because the president does this you stop talking. he said, hey colin. i put some acorns out in the garden last weekend looks like the squirrels are starting to pick them up. [laughter] >> and general powell said there and he turned to me and he said i immediately ran out of the room, picked up the phone, called my wife and said what have i gotten myself into? [laughter] >> what he figured out and what so many other people figured out about reagan was that, you know what, the screaming and yelling and the accusation, that was just a sidebar. in the end for reagan, he believed it was about giving his policies enacted in that respect he was not going to get engaged in sort of the nasty back and forth. i think that's one of the reasons the president obama right now is doing as well as he is because he has not found the center of american politics ideo

limbaugh is hurting the republican party, but rush limbaugh says the powell ought to get out of the party, how do you come down, mr. vice president? in all honesty my guess was that he was not going to answer that question. i thought he might give it an amusing dodge, might be artfully side-stepping. without blinking an eye he said, when it comes to republicans i have to go with rush limbaugh. i said really? i was taken aback. people wrote about that and be interviewed for a couple of weeks. they are still writing about. that is journalism. do not assume you will note the answer when you ask someone a question. just ask the question. host: this question comes from oklahoma. caller: good morning, my question is, with the medicare question -- health care for everyone, is there any way they could extend down the medicare to people from 65 to 60 and then every year ago down to cover everyone. those who want to stay on private plans and those who want to be on medicare plans could be. guest: i will give you an artful side-stepping of that question. i simply do not have the technical expertise to give you an answer to t

powell didn't get hurt because the barbecue's throughout. >> bob: that might have taken a couple of ribs off the rack. that's number 297 for adam dunn. >> jim p.: he does it all on sundays. mr sunday. >> rob: one of these days he's going to develop a little more of a power swing. >> jim p.: oh, yeah. i don't know if adam is lying boog powell, but boog never got all of one. he did it about 440 feet. >> bob: almost got it. >> jim p.: i think he got all that. i called him the paul bunyan of left-handed hitters. i'm talking about add a he's big and strong. >> rob: the scruffy beard, the gum hanging out of his mouth. >> jim p.: he's a big kid. i like the fact you said he was going to be a starting quarterback at texas. >> rob: oh, yeah. he's a much better athlete than people think. he can run, too. >> jim p.: after one ball goes about 450 or 60, that one goes about 75 feet for a base hit. the nationals have three consecutive hits here in the fourth. elijah dukes was slumping. four for his last 29 is next. we usually get a reading of how far the home runs go. >> rob: there's a lot of frustration pent up in that swing. >> bob: he hit one at citi field they're still talking about.

and that is the relationship with what colin powell described as the most misunderstood country in the world. i'm talking, mr. speaker, about the fourth most populous country in the world, the largest muslim population in the world and, of course, by virtue of that, the largest muslim democcy in the world. that being indonesia. now, as we look at the changes that have taken place over the past 11 years in indonesia it is absolutely remarkable and extraordinarily impressive. the 32-year reign of harto came to an end in 1998, and since that time we have seen democracy take hold and build. we all know that democracy is a work in progress. we as americans know that our democracy continues to be a work in progress. and indonesia's is as well. the challenge of ensuring that the military comes under civilian rule is one with which they're still grappling. and if you think about this country, 17,000 -- 17,000 different islands and hundreds of languages and ethnicities and yet they have been able to cobble together what one called the convergences of muslim and democracy. so, mr. speaker, we are continuing to this da