as to why this book exists but i also wondered if the work of annette gordon-reed, but thomas that thomas jefferson and sally hemmings american controversy published in 1997, the story of one of the founding fathers relationship with his wife's cousin and enslaved mistress. i wonder if it were not for that work, would this have been a more difficult story to tell? would it be harder for our collective imaginations to wrap our heads around the deeply significant fact of the vote launch of humanity represented by this mixture of european, african and native? >> i think it was certainly helpful to me in the sense that there is a framework that people have in their heads about what this kind of situation might he like. for michelle obama's family it was quite different and a lot of ways, but i think in some ways the discussion has been ongoing and i think that was a vital part of that. >> so you have described this as a hard history. what do you mean by that? >> i think it's hard for people to talk about. i think the idea of a young girl, you know, maybe 14, 15, 16, being raped by her, in the end, some

. >> did thomas jefferson know him all? >> i can't find that thomas jefferson ever actually knew him. the -- the only american revolution with whom he was in close terms was benjamin franklin when benjamin was domiled in britain. they didn't know one another very well, respected one another. and they felt kind of pulled apart by the nciient stages of the american revolution, which neither wished to see. they didn't wish to see a break between britn d america. but they were seeing it. and there -- the last hope, really, that burke had in the whole thing was when he offered to go to paris to meet franklin but his own party leaders in the house of commnssaid, hey, that's too hot. we can't have that. >> what would you describe as burke's philosophy? >> um freedom. freedom. freedom was important for him. but he thought freedom, unless it could be combined with order would not work. that's not a terribly original idea. and it was one shared by him and most of the american revolution. not jefferson. jefferson is an unrestricted freedomist -- freedom as a pur

thomas jefferson what image comes to mind? >> i think of jefferson's ideas that gave birth to this republic with a whole lot of contradiction. in that regard i don't think of thomas jefferson as exceptional. the fundamental conundrum developed in spite of thomas jefferson's ideas about independence was that resolved that slavery would exist after the revolution. >> i asked that question because it raises the argument, the story whether this reflected their hypocrisy or their humanity and therefore is an eternal reality that we want to do good things and we believe certain ideas and ideals but we also act otherwise. >> contradiction is part of the human experience. we wrestle with it every day. thomas jefferson and half of the other slave holders who were presidents all lived daily contradictions. they could literally look out their windows and see enslaved people in the land of the free and home of the brave. but the fact of the matter is that they had great responsibility for building what would becomedemocracy. >> it took me long past college and graduate school to figure out that eight of the first ten of our presidents were enriched by their ownership of capi

thomas jefferson. [boos] >> well, let me tell you something, i knew thomas jefferson. [ laughter ] he was a friend of mine. [ laughter ] and governor, you are no thomas jefferson. [cheers and applause] >> bill: all right. >> thatood. >> bill: talking about bill clinton there by the way. >> you both got it wrong even though you are applauding like seals. both got it wrong. here is question number two. conan o'brien nbc had a public falling out in 2010. seven months after giving conan "the tonight show." nbc pulled the plug and brought jay leno back. the media had a field day as did david letterman. >> happy birthday to jay leno, 61 years old today. [ applause ] happy birthday jay. all of his friends got together and had a party. they had a cake and a -- this is interesting point. jay cut the cake with the same knife he stuck in conan's back. >> bill: letterman was once considered favorite tonight show ultimately lost out to leno. what year did leno take over the late night spot? he took it over in 1992, that's c for you people listening on sirius. both got t wrong again. 0 for 2. >> are you attacking us? >> bill: innot yet. one more to get it right and then i will start to attack. secretary of state hillary cli

thomas jefferson, what image comes to mind? >> i tend to think of jeffson' ideas that gafr birth to this republican with a whole lot of contradiction. and in that regard, i don't think of thomas jefferson as exceptional. the fundamental kun none drum that was established in this country, jefferson's ideas about independence is they would dissolve after slivery didn't exist. >> it races the story o whether thisreflecked their hypocrisy or their humanity and therefore is the eternal reality that we want to do good things and we believe certain ideas and ideal, but we also act otherwise. >> so it does. contradiction is part of the human experience. we wrestle with it every single day, whether we admit it or not. thomas jefferson and half of the other slave holders who were presidents all lived daily contra dixes. they could literall look out theirindo and see in the land of the brave and the home of the free and so on and so forth. but the fact of the matter is they had a great responsibility for building what would become american democracy. and in that regard they failed miserably. >> it took me a long time, long past college and even graduate school to figure out that eight o

that's rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the gofrmged. yes, ryan was cribbing from our third president, thomas jefferson and our greatest achievements, the deck calculation of independence. thomas jefferson is one of my favorite presidents, but paul ryan, you are not one of my favorite presidents. it was an enlightenment idea, bigger than himself. at the time that he first drafted the deck calculation of independence, we had not yet become as john adams famously said a government of laws and not men. whatever rights our young nation could lay claim to were delineated by one man, king george iii. but the brilliance of the words of thomas jefferson lies in the words of adverse alt. no one man is in source of those rights. they are endowed by one creator. no man has the power to separate us from those rights. they are unalienable. and because we're all created equal, we all have the right to life, liberty, freedom and pursuit of happiness. they allowed now room under that umbrella for someone who looked like me, but that perfect idea, that perfect document was greater than those imperfect men, so great, in fact, that decades later women who weren't part of the original vision coul

that and other stories behind the headlines when "cbs this morning saturday" returns. >> this fellow they've nominated claims he's the new thomas jefferson. let me tell you something. i knew tomorrow thomas a friend of mine. [ laughter ] and governor, you're no thomas jefferson. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] if you have yet to master the quiet sneeze... ♪ [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. love the air. join zyrtec® rewards. save up to $7 on zyrtec® products. and there are game-changers. those ideas that start with us rolling up our sleeves... ...and end with a new favorite room in the house. and when we can save even more on those kinds of projects... ...with advice to make them even better... ...that's a game-changer in itself. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get flooring for every budget with pergo gunstock oak laminate for just $1.88 per square foot. would they switch? notice a differ