>with the reference to spot, is that a crack -- spock, is that a crack at my years? i want to be sure? [laughter] we are still in this process. we are not drawing lines in the sand other than reform has to control costs. and has to provide relief to people who did not have health insurance or who are underinsured. those are the raw parameters that we discussed. there are a whole host of other issues. i may have strong opinions and will express those two members of congress. it is too early to say that. a public plan makes sense right now. let me go to the broader question you made. as i said before, been met think there is a legitimate concern if the public plan were simply eating of the taxpayers' trough. but it would be hard for private insurers to compete. on the other hand, if the public plan is structured better they have to collect premiums and they have to provide the services. , then if what they insurance companies are is true, and they are doing their best to help their customers and keep people well and give them security, they should be able to compete. i

first of all, with the reverend of spock, is that a crack on my ears? [laughter] >> i would never meet one of your ears, sir. >> in answer to david's question which you co-authored, we are still early in this process, so we have not drawn lines in the sand, other than reform has to control costs. and that it has to provide relief to people who don't have health insurance or are underinsured. those are the broad parameters that we have discussed. there are a whole host of other issues were alternately i may have a strong opinion, and i will express those two members of congress as this is shaping up. it's too early to say that. right now i will say that our position is that a public plan makes sense. now, let me go to the broader question you made about the public plan your as i said before, i think that there is a legitimate concern if the public plan was simply eating off the taxpayer trough that it would be hard for private insurers to compete. if, on the other hand, the public plan is structured in such a way that they have got to collect premiums an

matter, because i remember growing up and i watch reruns of "star trek" whenever captain and bones or spock would get on that transporter platform, there would always be somebody you didn't recognize. and you knew they weren't coming back. so when i see that question mark, i just think of the poor staffer that at the direction of someone else actually utilized the pen because if this inquiry continues as it will, you know that they may not be coming back. i yield. mr. latourette: i thank the gentleman. the answer to your question, first part, is clearly this is not indicative of transparency. all we want to do is move on and find out why somebody felt it necessary in a dark room, in the dark of night to put in language that protected these $173 million in bonuses and why they did it. they may have a great explanation. i doubt it. but they may have a great explanation. we want them to come forward and tell us, i did it. and why they did it. so i can't report, madam speaker, that we have solved this particular episode of clue. sadly we have another mystery that has sort of reared its ugly hea