the national defense university which is the top military madrasi in the united states and michael mullen who is the joint chiefs of staff chairman conducts the soul searching jam session for the military profession the top objective is to spill the guts within the military community from the outset the admiral has made it perfectly clear that couple of subjects will be off the table without any benefit of the doubt the first of them is the ebb erratic behavior of some lose cannons of the strikers brigade in kandahar because couple of those road warriors so cold sculpture hunters not only have discredited a large part of the image of the u.s. military their broad and specifically in afghanistan but by their things are counting from afghan civilians they undermine the u.s. state department democratic finger pointing to the other countries abroad thus on demining their holistic and integrated us foreign policy. it's not ten minutes past the hour here in moscow you are with r.t. now britain's pensioners are going bankrupt faster than any other group in the country the u.k. insolvency service

afghanistan admiral mullen says it's being severely challenged during nine years of war and needs reviewing artie's a military contributor believes i'm a tourist personnel are undermining american defense policy as a board. and the national defense university which is the top military madrasi in the united states and rural michael mullen who is the joint chiefs of staff chairman conducts the soul searching jam session for the military profession the top objective is to spill their guts within the military community from the outset the admiral has made it perfectly clear that couple of subjects will be off the table without any benefit of doubt the first of them is the behavior of some lose cannons and the striker's brigade in kandahar be ghost couple of those road warriors so gold sculpture hunters not only have discredited a large part of the u.s. military in iraq and specifically in afghanistan but by their anger from am against civilians they undermine the u.s. state department democratic finger pointing to the other countries abroad the us on demining their whole least stick and integra

you'd be foolish to say there wasn't. >> reporter: mullen says the absence of a big-name mafia leader in san francisco suggests the mob has never had a big presence here meaning those with a true interest in mob culture will have to watch it from afar. >> congresswoman gabrielle giffords is continuing her extraordinary recovery. she left the tucson hospital that saved her life today. she had been there for 13 days after being shot in the head. crowds lined the route and the airport. she was flown to houston where she will begin rehab at one of the foremost brain trauma centers in the country, memorial h hermann in houston. >> the kind of injury she, really minimal injury from what it could have been so we look at that and think that over the next few months she will do remarkably well. >> reporter: doctors say giffords will need to keep up her determination to continue her successful recovery. >>> well, a major manufacturer of sodium thiopental, needed for executions, will be affected. hospira switched production from the united states to italy and an italian law prohibits the manufac

i'm mark mullen. >> good morning, i'm thalia assuras.his hour -- >> welcome, we're in new york, hope had you a terrific weekend. i'm mark mullen. >> i'm ashley blake. good morning. welcome. how are you doing today? >> i'm doing very well. i had a terrific weekend. how about you? >> same, same. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news now." >> the president says states are not doing enough to get children the coverage that's available. hello from new york this monday morning, i'm juju chang. >> good morning, i'm anderson cooper. also in this half hour -- >> hello from new york, i'm derek mcginty. >> good morning, i'm alison stewart. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> sources say senior officials have been working in secret since the september attacks. hello from new york, i'm liz cho. >> good morning, i'm derek mcginty. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news now." >> soldiers from several nations will join the marines in haiti. hello from new york,

admiral mullen has said a huge national debt is a nation wool security problem. so the people in the department of difference understand that this issue has to be dealt with and that we have to do our part. >> lehrer: you don't think the pentagon should be put in the same category as the department of education or the department of state or whatever, that the pentagon should be a special category because of it's mission? >> i believe so. i think we have to do our part, and i think we have to expect serious scrutiny in terms of how we spend our mony and make sure we're not wasting taxpayer dollars, and make sure we're making smart decisions. but the united states faces a very complicateed and dangerous world. we face -- we're engage ?d a major war in afghanistan. and have 50,000 troops in iraq. we have to deal with regimes in iran and north korea that are unpredictable and developing weapons of mass destruction. they have strategic modernization programs going on in russia and china. there's a real world out there that has to be dealt with, and the idea that the u

meeting with his principals, vice president biden, secretary clinton, the new chief of staff, admiral mullen, that the president decided he had to say something publicly. he had to call president mubarak. that's when the whole thing set in motion. here's a little bit of what the president shared with the public about his conversation with president mubarak. when president mubarak addressed the egyptian people tonight, he pledged a better democracy and greater economic opportunity. i just spoke to him after his speech and i told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words. to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise. >> reporter: brian, you could see the tone change really throughout the day from the white house both with robert gibbs's briefing, secretary clinton earlier and the president at night where they basically are getting tougher and tougher and tougher on president mubarak to the point where you heard them even threaten that foreign aid, brian. >> in again what is a tough situation for them. all right, chuck todd at the white house. thanks. >>> we

. >> the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen, was speaking to reporters in washington on wednesday. he expressed concern about china's recent military build-up, saying that it is investing in very high-end, high-tech capabilities. his comment comes a day after chinese media reported the country's military has successfully conducted the first test flight of its j-20 stealth fighter jet. local reports say the j-20 completed an 18-minute flight from an air field in sichuan province. >>> the popular egyptian resort sharm el-sheikh has been hit by a series of shark attacks. the incidents have alarmed tourists and shaken the community. authorities are scrambling to deal with the problem. nhk world's mostafa fathi has the story. ♪ clap ♪ clap, clap, clap ♪ clap your hands >> reporter: summer never ends at sharm el-sheikh, a luxury resort. it's a popular vacation spot-w 4 million visitors a year. it gets busier this time of year with tourists enjoying the sea. this is one of the most beautiful beaches all over the world. but unfortunately, it has been attacked by shark. and on

the wife of joint chiefs chairman admiral mullen faints. but is okay.fes like president hu's last visit, when introduced as the president of taiwan. an oval office meeting follows, with a few members of the press. late afternoon, crunch time. the dining tables for the first time, spread out across 3, different rooms to accommodate all 230 guests. 5:00 p.m., the east wing. guests begin arriving. a cross-section of american politics, business and entertainment. jackie chan, vera wang, wearing, who else. even barbra streisand. no sign of the salahis or three of the top four in congress. john boehner and harry reid, both no-shows. under the north portico, the first lady wearing alexander mcqueen. and president obama greets president hu. the room fills. the evening begins. presidents both offer toasts and a surprise. >> our national zoo will continue to dazzle children and visitors with the beloved giant panda. >> reporter: dinner begins. on the menu, surf and turf. lobster and ribeye. apple pie for dessert, an american meal, just as the chinese delegation r

as some russians vented their anger with mullen foresman for not being able to prevent their attack others through the initiative into their own hands hundreds of volunteers turned out bad blood than a few stations is a first comer and the explosion really seemed to prick his. it is worse of syria when going from when something like this happened before i was concerned like everybody else but i never did anything to help but based on a fool's i had to get involved instead of just bashing you know security services and blogs and you can always go to pick one up while the tragedy at the airport prompted many russians to ask what they can do for their country improving security is still the main thing that country can do for them accent avoid r.t. moscow and from vice president of counterterrorism and corporate security charge for a front of a global risk analysis says that not technology will help stop terror attacks or lead without human intelligence there has to be a careful balance in essence you need very granular intelligence to tell you who to look for and what kind of ammo you also ne

>> we certainly have -- like people from michael mullen from the first series using craigslist to reach sandra bullock to dress her for the oscars, sort of unsuccessfully, as it turns out. but he's somebody craigslist would love if he had a show all to himself, and we're trying to make that happen. we definitely look at -- we don't look at it a way to -- we don't need to take every story to that level, but there are certain special people we would love to help get to another place. >> as a television producer, this is a rich vein, though. you could not write ninja for hire, or nobody would believe you. >> right. >> some of these things, it's like this hurricane of great stuff that you are probably -- surely you're creating -- you know, do that. >> one of the stories we e ear watching right now is a foam fight club. it's a fight club, and underground fight club, and they use foam -- >> are you supposed to talk about that? >> rule number one. >> go ahead. >> don't talk about fight club. not on tv. but we love them. i mean, they're looking for new warriors through craigslist. that's how we

the some russians vented their anger with mullen foresman for not being able to prevent their attack others through the initiative into their own hands hundreds of volunteers turned out bad blood donating stations pawel is a first comer and the explosion really seemed to prick his conscience because we're going from when something like this happened before i was concerned like everybody else but i never does anything to help but based on the thought i had to get involved instead of just bashing our security services and blogs. escaping while the tragedy at the airport prompted many russians to ask what they can do for their country improving security is still the main thing their country can do for them some of the artsy moscow where you are with r.t. and still to come your way in just a few minutes. only an eighty eight in brazil or an idea here see the deal of wall street as high jack watching us governmental report names those responsible for the financial crisis but few americans believe it's likely to make any difference. tens of thousands of angry protesters have continued to c

so that is just trying to explain what averdmiral mullens put more succinctly.we have to worry that the rising debt is unsustainable. we cannot borrow that much. we will get to a point, and it could come quite quickly, the europeans have been surprised by how quickly it comes, when we simply can't market our debt, except at astronomical interest rates. we have a spike in interest rates, a crash and the dollar, and we are into a deep and prolonged recession that will affect us for a generation. now, what does the defense budget have to do with this it? that is the next serious question. these projections are not caused by rising defense spending. by assumption, everybody is making these projections, the war is winding down, and the defense budget goes up at some rate, maybe at the rate of gdp growth or maybe inflation, but it is not what is driving the future spending. so why are we talking about the fans? well, i think we are talking about it because we have to do everything we possibly can, and we cannot do it all on the health entitlement side, because we are

to be lacking a real withdrawal date two thousand and fourteen beyond who knows the admiral mike mullen chairman of the joint chiefs of staff did say yesterday to expect more violence more casualties in two thousand and eleven despite two thousand and ten being the bloodiest year so far afghan civilians find themselves in a catch twenty two increasingly needing humanitarian aid but being faced with more danger if they accept it as it forces them to hew sides and all along we now find out that paul a brinkley a u.s. deputy undersecretary for defense is trying to woo investors and businesses to take a chance on this supposedly land of opportunity calling himself a matchmaker just like you harm me here to discuss it with me is joshua foulest fellow at the american security project joshua thanks so much for being here thank you let's go over i mean this entire situation sounds a little bit bizarre to me he described himself as a match maker he comparisons health to eat harmony is there anything romantic about taking a war stricken country that's been that way for the you know decades now so

now the joint chiefs mike mullens. the navy admiral who is the chairman of the joint chiefs.general casey, the head of the army, who is going to be retiring soon. and mike mullins' last year. no word. michael and mark, who will replace mike mullin. general cartwright has been mentioned. he's the vice chairman now. the marine general and marine aviator. they already have one marine aviator in the joint chiefs, general amos. you see his back there. he's the commandant of the marine corps. two marine aviators. one small group. >> it might be a little much. >> lehrer: there is the president shaking hands with the new speaker of the house john boehner. he delivered the speech to the speaker. and to vice president biden. a process that began many many years ago. hand delivered. they introduce the president officially again. then we're off to the speech. of course the first lady in the red there. and on the right is the wife of the vice president. >> i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting the president of the united states. ( cheers and applause ) . >> thank you.

secretary kofi annan and admiral mike mullen chairing the joint chiefs of staff.his is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. eastern. live coverage here on c-span2. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] .. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible con

admiral mullen served on a destroyer off the coast of, you know, vietnam. okay? this -- these were not the band of brothers, you know, for example, or anything like that, but people then, you know, they don't want to challenge them. now, chris mentioned about my stories. i'm going to tell you a couple i think are relevant to what we're talking about. as many of you know, i had the privilege of working in the reagan administration as assistant secretary of defense and trying to deal with a lot of issues that are still with us. you know, military pay and benefits and things like that. so i was talking one day at a meeting. i said, you know, the military retirement system is killing us, going to have to do something about it. and i thinks you know, too many good people are leaving after 20 years and getting half pay. can't we kind of cut that down then give them an insensitive to stay until 30? anyway, we're at this meeting and this admiral said to me, he said, if you do that the volunteer military will end, nobody will join. i said, admiral, give me a break. i said

admiral mullen served on a destroyer off the coast of, you know, vietnam. okay? this -- these were not the band of brothers, you know, for example, or anything like that, but people then, you know, they don't want to challenge them. now, chris mentioned about my stories. i'm going to tell you a couple i think are relevant to what we're talking about. as many of you know, i had the privilege of working in the reagan administration as assistant secretary of defense and trying to deal with a lot of issues that are still with us. you know, military pay and benefits and things like that. so i was talking one day at a meeting. i said, you know, the military retirement system is killing us, going to have to do something about it. and i thinks you know, too many good people are leaving after 20 years and getting half pay. can't we kind of cut that down then give them an insensitive to stay until 30? anyway, we're at this meeting and this admiral said to me, he said, if you do that the volunteer military will end, nobody will join. i said, admiral, give me a break. i said

continues to say as we hear from president obama and secretary of state clinton and admiral mullen of the joint chiefs and certainly general petraeus and his predecessors were very frustrated with the pakistani government not doing more to go after the afghan taliban based in their country. well, hello, they are not going to go after them, they are going to support them because they see them as their only possibility for having a surrogate in afghanistan later. now, why is that? it's because the u.s., iran, russia and india, crucially india, have all backed the same side in afghan's long running civil war. meaning, the so-called northern alliance. the non-punjab parts of the afghan government, which now they used to be called warlords. now they're called vice premiers and things like that. and now they are called the government but that's where you have this huge contradiction of u.s. policy. it's asking pakistan to give up the one part -- the one component of afghan power where pakistan traditionally has a base. and what pakistan is looking to for the future, to say just give up that

secretary general, admiral mullen, vice president biden, beloved friends of richard, good afternoon toaries between our personal and our public lives. we gave each other courage, great courage knowing that the other was always there. not a single day passed wherever he was without a phone call. we married during the fateful year of 1995, the deadliest year of the balkan wars. en route to our wedding, he was on the phone urging strom talbot to start the bombing. on the way to our honeymoon in france, he addressed the council of europe meeting in budapest. he introduced his new bird to a local girl. a group of very determined bulgarian ladies accosted him. ambassador, they called to richard, we did not know you were looking for a bride in the region. [laughter] >> we have so many beautiful ladies in bulgaria. [laughter] >> but it was too late for that. a few weeks later, my new husband returned to washington with the coffins of his three comrades. following their funeral in arlington, richard headed back to the balkans and did not quit until he brought the warring parties to wright-patte

admiral mullen served on a destroyer off the coast of, you know, vietnam. okay? this -- these were not the band of brothers, you know, for example, or anything like that, but people then, you know, they don't want to challenge them. now, chris mentioned about my stories. i'm going to tell you a couple i think are relevant to what we're talking about. as many of you know, i had the privilege of working in the reagan administration as assistant secretary of defense and trying to deal with a lot of issues that are still with us. you know, military pay and benefits and things like that. so i was talking one day at a meeting. i said, you know, the military retirement system is killing us, going to have to do something about it. and i thinks you know, too many good people are leaving after 20 years and getting half pay. can't we kind of cut that down then give them an insensitive to stay until 30? anyway, we're at this meeting and this admiral said to me, he said, if you do that the volunteer military will end, nobody will join. i said, admiral, give me a break. i said

it, peter, some months ago there was an extraordinary moment when in a hearing in congress add mil mullen the chairman of the vice chiefs, was being asked by someone who was trying to challenge him, and you saw him rolling his eyes and thinking, oh, god, do i really have to do this? the question was, can you tell me, admiral, how many tanks does the taliban have? they don't have any tanks, senator. and how many planes? is they don't have any planes either. so can you tell me why they're winning? and he sat there for a moment and said something, something, it's their country. i thought, wow, he gets it. so if he gets it, why is he leading this war? he knows we can't win like this because whether it's next week as i advocate or if it's in 2014 as president obama, unfortunately, is threatening now to stay until at least 2014, at some point we're going to leave. the people of afghanistan are going to have to stay there. it's their country. they're going to have to rewild it. -- rebuild it. are they going to rebuild it in this a way that we feel looks like us? probably not. they have a very di

secretary general, admiral mullen, vice president biden, beloved friends of richard, good afternoon tousband that none of the thousands of remarkable tributes from the corners of the world have mentioned, richard was a very good husband. from the time we came together 17 years ago, we were full partners. with richard, that moment no boundaries between our personal and public lives. we gave each other courage, great courage, knowing that the other was always there. not a single day passed wherefore he was without a phone call. we married during the fateful year of 1995. the deadiest year of the balkan wars. on route to our wedding, he was on the phone urging strobe talbot to start the bombing. that was my initiation into life with richard would be like. on the way to our honeymoon in france, he addressed the council of europe. from the podium, he produced me, his new bride, a local girl. as we were making our escape, a group of very determined bulgarian ladies came up to him. am bad door, they called to richard, we did not know you were looking for a bride in the region. we have so many

admiral mullen served on a destroyer off the coast of, you know, vietnam. okay? this -- these were not the band of brothers, you know, for example, or anything like that, but people then, you know, they don't want to challenge them. now, chris mentioned about my stories. i'm going to tell you a couple i think are relevant to what we're talking about. as many of you know, i had the privilege of working in the reagan administration as assistant secretary of defense and trying to deal with a lot of issues that are still with us. you know, military pay and benefits and things like that. so i was talking one day at a meeting. i said, you know, the military retirement system is killing us, going to have to do something about it. and i thinks you know, too many good people are leaving after 20 years and getting half pay. can't we kind of cut that down then give them an insensitive to stay until 30? anyway, we're at this meeting and this admiral said to me, he said, if you do that the volunteer military will end, nobody will join. i said, admiral, give me a break. i said

speakers include president obama, secretary of state hillary clinton, bill clinton and mike mullen. it took place at the kennedy center for the performing arts in washington. [applause] [applause] >> well, i'm david rubinstein, the chairman of the kennedy center. on behalf of the kennedy center, i'd like to welcome everybody here for a memorial service for a extraordinary man who was often against so many odds. some of you maybe wonders why at a memorial service we have a palm tree. the answer is that south pacific is playing here now. we were going to move the palm tree, but kofi said "south pacific" was his favorite show. he was the asia and pacific affairs. let's keep it here. i wanted to say thank you. behind me president obama, secondary clinton, president clinton, and a couple of foreign visitors who have come quite a way to be here. including president of georgia, the president of pakistan, president somewhere -- zardari, i'd like to recognize minister that's come here to acknowledge the president of afghanistan, and the chief of diplomatic corps that's here as well as all of

. >> mullen jurors hit the street to count the homeless population this is necessary to get $18 million of federal funds for homeless programs in this necessary to continue to improve. this account will continue, officials hoped to have wrapped up, and completed with the count of the homeless in the city by february. in san francisco kron 4 news. >> taco bell a class action lawsuit. claiming their meat is not real beef. lets take a look. is as they keep for suing us. here is the truth saying the claims are false, they actually say their meat is 12% secret recipe, and they say what that is in case you're curious. the lawsuit alleges their meat mixture does not meet requirements to be called beefed. the claims are their meat is less of 40 percent beef. knuckleball says its 88% beef. that's an that had light catches you doesn't it is says think you for suing us. >> is dug so you can see too much 49 degrees clear here we have patchy fog around the bay. we will keep you posted we will only see a high of 59 today. the bike to spring. california should be proud. we were the first to ban smokin

as i said i had a very good month with admiral mullen yesterday and we talked about it. you could argue for the nato perspective we now have reached that point we have to go to the specialization. i don't see a great appetite for that yet but most of the nation's new political leaders but it could be the military have to be very wise and force the pace otherwise the truck he readily identify but all i can tell you is we've got the issue and s was said in your opening comment it's probably not a good time to be the chief of defense. >> that seems to be a nice note to close on. general richards, this has been a terrific opportunity. it is an honor to have you with us. we wish you the best of your assignment and we will support you however best we can. things also we know it is a tight schedule. rauf to the pentagon now and you have worked as a to the schedule. it's great at the atlantic council as well. let me thank you for taking the time. [applause]w/?

but the secretary and admiral mullen will certify to the president at the time that they feel that they understand they've got the bulk of the force and they understand -- they believe they understand all of the ramifications that are out there. after that, 60 days go by before that takes in -- takes effect. okay? so the law doesn't change until that -- the end of that 60 days, okay? so does that get at what you're looking for? >> but does -- would the -- so you're saying no decision has been taken as to when you expect certification? >> no, that will be a judgment. >> just one follow-up on egypt. is it true that embassy personnel and their families have been moved to a secure part of the embassy? and have any plans been implemented to evacuate dependents or those working for the embassy? >> i think it'd be best to go to the state department for that. >> julian. >> so when i've done an embed with a marine rifle company, i would estimate between 20 and 50 percent of the jokes that they do as they're going around are -- you know, you would say are gay jokes based on, you know, maybe mocki

as i said i had a very good month with admiral mullen yesterday and we talked about it. you could argue for the nato perspective we now have reached that point we have to go to the specialization. i don't see a great appetite for that yet but most of the nation's new political leaders but it could be the military have to be very wise and force the pace otherwise the truck he readily identify but all i can tell you is we've got the issue and s was said in your opening comment it's probably not a good time to be the chief of defense. >> that seems to be a nice note to close on. general richards, this has been a terrific opportunity. it is an honor to have you with us. we wish you the best of your assignment and we will support you however best we can. things also we know it is a tight schedule. rauf to the pentagon now and you have worked as a to the schedule. it's great at the atlantic council as well. let me thank you for taking the time. [applause] [inaudible conversations] mitch mcconnell said the upcoming debate on raising the federal government borrowing limit is an

continues to say as we hear from president obama and secretary of state clinton and admiral mullen andgeneral david petraeus and his predecessor, we are frustrated with the pakistani government not doing more to go after the afghan taliban based in their country. they are not going to not only not go after them but continue to support them because they see them as their only possibility for having a surrogate in afghanistan later. why is that? because the u.s. your and, russia and crucially india have all backed the same side in afghan's long civil war. parts of the afghan government which now they used to be called warlords and now they are called vice premiers and things like that. now they are called the government. that is where you have this contradiction in u.s. policy. asking pakistan to give up the one part, one component of afghan power where pakistan traditionally has a base and pakistan is looking to for the future to is a just stops supporting them. for no particular reason. when india, pakistan's longstanding competitor his in the midst of the u.s. russian iran center in a

secretary general, admiral mullen, vice president biden, beloved friends of richard, good afternoon tousband that none of the thousands of remarkable tributes from the corners of the world have mentioned, richard was a very good husband. from the time we came together 17 years ago, we were full partners. with richard, that moment no boundaries between our personal and public lives. we gave each other courage, great courage, knowing that the other was always there. not a single day passed wherefore he was without a phone call. we married during the fateful year of 1995. the deadiest year of the balkan wars. on route to our wedding, he was on the phone urging strobe talbot to start the bombing. that was my initiation into life with richard would be like. on the way to our honeymoon in france, he addressed the council of europe. from the podium, he produced me, his new bride, a local girl. as we were making our escape, a group of very determined bulgarian ladies came up to him. am bad door, they called to richard, we did not know you were looking for a bride in the region. we have so many

reporter: the chief of operations at the time of the videos were made, admirable mike -admiral mike mullenresident obama is starting off this new year by shaking up his white house inner circle. the president is now considering naming former commerce secretary bill daley as his new chief of staff. on top of that, sources say that gene sperling will likely be named as director of the national economic council. sperling is a veteran of the clinton administration. >>> the president has wrapped up his hawaii vacation on a somber note. he took his two daughters to visit his grandfather's grave near honolulu. >> the first family is returning to washington today after two weeks away from the spotlight. at least somewhat. john hendren looks at the new political world the president will face when he gets back to the states. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. president obama is leaving his hawaiian vacation with an olive branch for republicans, saying he's willing to work with anyone of either party who has a good idea and a commitment to see it through. republicans, howe

i think mike mullen would share with you since becoming president, i have only ordered about a dozen, including this one, which we believe is the first one ever on behalf of military families. today, i am proud to announce up for the first time ever, supporting the well-being of our military families will be a priority, not just for the department of defense and the department of veterans affairs, but all across the federal government. that is why all these cabinet folks are here today. 16 members of my cabinet have committed their departments and agencies to making military families one of their highest priorities. we're focusing on four areas. the things you said mattered most to you, whether you are army, navy, air force, marine, or coast guard. active, guard, or reserve. a veteran or a member of a family of the fallen. we did not wait for today to launch these efforts. launch these efforts. many of these efforts have already been under way. that includes innovative new partnerships so that in tough fiscal times, our government is more efficient and serves you better. let me just l

now the joint chiefs mike mullens. the navy admiral who is the chairman of the joint chiefs.general casey, the head of the army, who is going to be retiring soon. and mike mullins' last year. no word. michael and mark, who will replace mike mullin. general cartwright has been mentioned. he's the vice chairman now. the marine general and marine aviator. they already have one marine aviator in the joint chiefs, general amos. you see his back there. he's the commandant of the marine corps. two marine aviators. one small group. >> it might be a little much. >> lehrer: there is the president shaking hands with the new speaker of the house john boehner. he delivered the speech to the speaker. and to vice president biden. a process that began many many years ago. hand delivered. they introduce the president officially again. then we're off to the speech. of course the first lady in the red there. and on the right is the wife of the vice president. >> i have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting the president of the united states. ( cheers and applause ) . >> thank you.

the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral mike mullen, said a few years back that the greatest threat to america's national security is our national debt. now, that is the top-ranking military official in this country. -- country saying -- we talked about the greatest threat to america's national security. he could have talked about al qaeda, he could have talked about the iranian nuclear program, he could have talked about china, he could have talked about north korea. but what did he say? the greatest threat to our national security is our debt. that speaks volume of what we need to focus on and what we public initials the united states senate need to devote our energy to. when we think about that, there are a couple of things obviously you can do. i have advocated as have others that we go back to the 2008 spending levels. because in the last two years we have seen spending on the nonnational security discretionary part of the budget increase by 21% at a time when inflation in the -- and the overall economy is 2%. so the government has grown at 10 times the rate of inflation

the ambassadors were here from chairman mike mullen later in the week, national security adviser tom brown. they will go to our anticipated budget for 2012 and also what we are currently hearing from the hill in terms of our budget for 2011. a wide range of discussion. deputy secretary jim steinberg yesterday and today as head of the u.s. delegation to the african union summit. the delegation also includes special envoy for sedan stop aggression and assistant secretary for african affairs johnny carson. in addition to meeting with the heads of the delegation from many african states the deputy secretary met with african union commission chair person. a major outcome of the summit included reaffirmation of the recognition as the winner of last year's presidential elections. i think we just put out a statement that the united states responded to the brittle post-election crackdown by the government of belarus. they have taken action against those who have undermined democracy and human rights in belarus. the u.s. is provoking the general license that had authorized u.s. persons to do b

and then a mike mullen in cotton wood, california, writes as it stands right now, i can't afford to grow or hire new employees. currently the paperwork alone is a nightmare. and labor costs. if obama-care is not repealed, it would definitely increase labor costs which is the most expensive part of running a business. also, the 1099 deal definitely needs to go. if i have to cut a 1099 to every vendor i use, i won't have time to do my work, closed quote. mr. goolsbee, this is just a sample of what i and other members of this committee are hearing from small business owners in the real world. i have double-digit unemployment in every one of my 10 counties, in my district. we cannot afford to get this wrong. can you explain why the administration's claims are so out of touch with what we're hearing from people who are actually creating jobs? >> well, congressman, i respect that question and i appreciate you bringing that evidence. i think the -- one thing i have noticed when i have talked to many small business people and large business people is some misunderstanding on the part of some bus

we know admiral mullen has had contact. secretary clinton as well. >> throughout the ranks of the military and that the pentagon and the secretary of state and foreign ministry, our ambassador who we get updates from in the regular meetings about the security situation on the ground, she is obviously in contact with all whole host of entities inside of egypt. obviously one of the big focus is right now is on unauthorized departure. on getting non-essential embassy personnel, their family and others to lead the country -- leave the country on any number of planes and cairo. earlier this morning two of the planes had left intending for greece and turkey. that continues, despite government curfews. we have clearance to get personnel on to those plans and to their destinations regardless of the curfew. >> only two planes? >> that was at 11:00 this morning. as soon as the plains are loaded, they will lift off. to go the israelis -- >> the israelis gave each of permission to secure the area. does the u.s. as the israel-2- >> not

but the secretary and admiral mullen will certify to the president at the time that they feel that they understand they've got the bulk of the force and they understand -- they believe they understand all of the ramifications that are out there. after that, 60 days go by before that takes in -- takes effect. okay? so the law doesn't change until that -- the end of that 60 days, okay? so does that get at what you're looking for? >> but does -- would the -- so you're saying no decision has been taken as to when you expect certification? >> no, that will be a judgment. >> just one follow-up on egypt. is it true that embassy personnel and their families have been moved to a secure part of the embassy? and have any plans been implemented to evacuate dependents or those working for the embassy? >> i think it'd be best to go to the state department for that. >> julian. >> so when i've done an embed with a marine rifle company, i would estimate between 20 and 50 percent of the jokes that they do as they're going around are -- you know, you would say are gay jokes based on, you know, maybe mocki

[applause] he was -- [applause] he was, as mike mullen said, passionate about restoring the balance betweened to bring that balance back through sheer force of will if necessary. shortly after richard was named to be the special envoy for afghanistan and pakistan, i decided that i needed to bring richard and general petraeus together. so i invited them both over to our home here in washington. and i set up two chairs, with a third and i just watched them interact. and those are two men with a lot of energy. i was exhausted by the time they had finished going through every thing that they were thinking and what needed to be done in the years ahead. and as they were leaving, the post said let's do this again tomorrow night. [laughter] per richard got results. the high peace council that he helped launch in afghanistan is working and just sent a delegation to pakistan. his work on water, energy, agriculture and trade is paying off in significant improvements to people's lives. he had a vision where we needed to be going and despite all the challenges, which he knew very well, he remained optim