this is not from the white house collection or from the white house suite. but it is an example of the finlay's work that still survives. this is from the kauffman collection that was just donated to the national gallery of art. you can see here obviously the antiquity influence, the splayed legs and the form and also the decoration, the grotesques. also, another chair the finlays created as well. what also you'll see as a huge trend here is the caned seat. the 40-piece suite of furniture the finlays made were painted and lacquered in white and gold. here is one of those examples which you'll be able to see closer up later on. but this is one of the couches that the finlays created that latrobe designed coming from the grecian examples that he saw and used from thomas hope's book. here's a close-up of that design. these are all on display for you to see afterwards. here's an example from what the cushion looks like that you could see formerly on the last design we saw. more of that. okay. and the -- some of the furniture was also grained in imitation of high

i mean, what was left of the white house and what did they work with to come up with the white house that we have today? >> essentially it was just the exterior shell that was left. and they still used that same structure and built it from the inside out. there are reports of all the walls standing completely and then there are reports of some of it actually being destroyed on part of the eastern side. but for the most part, if you are ever fortunate enough to get on the inside, in the bowels of the white house, you can still see burn marks. >> some parts of the white house were not flammable. that's why they were still there. >> yes. >> did someone try to put the fire out? >> actually, there was a rainstorm that helped singe everything -- i'm sorry. not singe. put everything out. which was very lucky for them. it happened the next day. >> thank you. >> sure. >> you mentioned when they burned washington, they didn't burn the entire city. >> correct. >> they left taverns? >> yes. >> and what else did you say? >> hotels. >> hotels. >> there are actually several accounts of british sold

so the white house didn't have its start here. he served as the first president in that house from april of 1789 until february of 1790. he then, with the congress, senate, house of representatives, and the rest of the federal government, relocated from new york city to philadelphia. and there he occupied a mansion located in the central part of that city, once occupied by robert morris. washington finished his term in office in philadelphia. he never served as president in washington, d.c. and then he was followed up there by john adams, who was the second president of the united states, who occupied that same building until he -- until the white house was completed here in the district in 1800. so for nearly a decade the philadelphia mansion served as the white house of the united states. it was the seat of the executive branch of the federal government and was a place for both the public and the private activities of george washington. he met dignitaries there. he met his members of the congress there. it was the center of the a

>> it was at that point that the white house that we know first came to be. the white house. edith roosevelt wanted it to evoke its colonial roots. it's a very federal formal white house. the beautiful pillars and the great entryway and the grand staircase she put in helps to brought in a more regal worldwide presidency. they move into the greater world as a power. the white house was built to command respect and show the power of that presidency. mrs. roosevelt was in charge of the decoration of that white house. >> she added a first lady's portrait. >> she did. she consolidated the portraits and commissioned hers and established a first lady's gallery. >> politically, what is she known for? >> she is a first lady that steps away from policy. certainly she is someone who can restrain her husband and can say opinions to her husband. she keeps very private with them. she had a young large family and was concentrating on that family. she wanted time for her family and husband. we think in a lot of ways as one of the first managerial first ladies. she wanted time and decided wha

latrobe was working furiously trying to get the white house prepared. he was finishing marble pieces, installing doors, constructing stairwells, assembling a coach house and installing a well into the side of the house in addition to the furnishings. mrs. madison's parlor and dining room had been finished since spring and it was the elliptical room holding everything up, but december everything was set for the new year's day reception, it had become a tradition that president jefferson had started. at the same time the largest home in the united states, mrs. madison also had a large draw of visitors to the event. before it and preceding it. she was well liked for her warmth and casual nature although a bit bizarre, she took a youthful fashion, robes, feathers, ermine and rouge, very abstract for a woman of her age. president madison was not as beloved. she adored his wife and she him, but he was a bit stern, definitely what we like to call a statesman. one such encounter is described as he was a little man with a powdered head, having pale countenance bu

latrobe was working furiously, as i said, at the end of 1809 trying to get the white house prepared. he was finishing marble chimney pieces, installing doors, constructing stairwells, assembling a coach house, installing a pump into the well on the other side of the house in addition to the furnishings. mrs. madison's parlor and the dining room had been finish since the spring of 1809 and really it was the elliptical room that was holding everybody up, including the findlays. by december everything was set for the ceremonial new year's day reception that had become a tradition president thomas jefferson had started. although crowds would come from near and far to catch a glimpse of the president's house, at the same time the largest house of the united states, mrs. madison had a large draw of visitors to the event. she was well liked for her nature. although a bit bizarre, she took a youthful fashion. robes, turbines, coquettish blush with rouge. president madison, however, was not as beloved. he adored his wife and she him. but he was a bit stern. definitely what we like to call a st

>> the white house that we know first came into being, came to be the white in white house. and edith roosevelt -- and theodore roosevelt wanted it to evoke it's sort of colonial roots and so it's a very federal, formal white house. the beautiful pillars. the great entryway. the new grand staircase that she put in. it also helped to bolster -- the roosevelts brought in the imperial presidency, a much more regal, formal worldwide presidency. this is when america really moves into the greater world as a power. and this white house was built to command respect for that and to show the power of that presidency. and mrs. roosevelt was in charge of the decoration of that white house. >> and she added a first ladies portrait gallery? >> she did. she consolidated the portraits of the first ladies. commissioned hers to be added to it and established a first ladies portrait gallery on the ground floor of the white house. >> politically, policywise, what is she known for? >> she's a first lady that steps away from policy. certainly is someone that can restrain her husband, and i'm sure

she has co-authored essays on the white house council and staff secretary as part of the white house transition project in 2000 to 2008. she's the past president of the american political science association's presidency research group and a book review editor for "the presidential studies quarterly." dean kotlowski is here. here's a professor of history at salisbury university in maryland. he's the co-author of "nixon's civil rights, politics, principle and policy." he's written lots of articles and many journals including "the journal of policy history," he was the visiting professor of history at indiana university. he's currently conducting research for a biography of paul v. mcnaught. paul milazzo is here as well. associate professor at ohio university. author of "unlikely environmentalists: congress and clean water 1945 to 1972." he received his ph.d. from the university of virginia. fittingly, was a fellow at the miller center for a year. one of our co-sponsors here. his current research and teaching interests include 20th century history, u.s. history, politics and policy, th

social schedules to make sure nothing was impeding the white house's -- or conflicting with the white house's particular social agenda. >> what was the impact of all of that? >> mrs. roosevelt had a control over washington that i think some of the more recent prior first ladies had not. she formalized things. she had a definite code of behavior. if you did not follow her code of behavior you didn't really exist in her washington. and she did bring a power and a grandeur back to the entertaining, the visible side of the white house that bolsters theodore roosevelt's forays into international politics and to bring power back to the presidency. >> lady bird johnson. >> lady bird johnson is one of -- i have to say, i'm from texas. lady bird johnson is one of my favorite first ladies. she is the first first lady to announce her own political -- not her own political agenda, but her own inaugural agenda. she announces leading up to the 1965 inauguration, she goes public with her agenda for her time as first lady and will concentrate on beautification or really now what we call environmental

she's co-authored essays on the white house council and staff and secretaries and the white house transition project from 2000 to 2008. she's the past president of the american political science association presidency research group and a book review editor for the presidential studies quarterly. dean cowlowski here, he's a professor of history at the university of maryland. he's the co-author of "nixon's civil rights." and he's written lots of articles and mini journals including the policy history, diplomatic history, and presidential studies quarterly. he was the paul v. mcnutt visiting professor of history at indiana university and he's currently conducting research for a biography on paul v. mcnutt. and paul charles marozzo is here as well, he's associate professor of history at ohio university and the author of "unlikely environmental congress and clean water" 1945 to 1972. he received his ph.d. from the university of virginia and fittingly was a fellow at the miller center for a year, one of our co-sponsors here. and his current research and teaching interest include 20th century hist

o'reilly at the white house.hat i find so curious is that the emails he sent, september 23, 2010, he says to mr. o'reilly, you didn't get these from me. that's one thing that i think is suspicious. the second thing is if these two are friends, how come at a congressional hearing, dated july 26, 2010, newell wasn't able to explain why he had direct contact with mr. o'reilly about an ongoing investigation. he wasn't able to explain it. why didn't he say, wewere friends, talking about going out and having a beer. that seems peculiar to me. >> it's very convenient that he will have an absence of mind, under oath before a congressional committee when he has had these communications, he admitted the communications of he didn't want to go beyond the email. but it also gives us a justification, greta, for asking the white house for permission and authority to interview o'reilly. >> greta: has the white house said, look narcotic interest of trying to get to the bottom of this investigation, we have a border agent who has

both the white house historical association, which has shared the stewardship of the decatur house property since 2010, and, in particular, neal forsman, john reilly, mike melton, as well as the building's owner, the national trust for historic preservation, and in particular cindy, and gail berry west, who i think is here today also, who served on the boards of both decatur house and the white house historical association, have all made and kept a commitment to sharing the lessons that this building has held for over a century and a half, treating it with care and listening to it as well. you know, historic buildings i think combine a degree of permanence and stability with the capacity to record and embody change. and it's from this fundamental ability to hold profound lessons intact as the world changes around a building and we impose our will on it that buildings ul maltly derive tremendous power as primary sources. the slave quarters at decatur house certainly exhibits these qualities. the fundamental form, the architectural features and finishes, and the uses of this building remain r

what is the white house doing? not focused on getting us jobs. >> and should probe call governor palin? >>guest: he will never. >> should he? >> he should. >> absolutely positively no. >> she ranted against him? >> maybe she should call you. >> calmer heads reveiling, should president obama reach out and call governor palin? >> if they were smart they would say, everyone to the corner, take five deep breaths, you can come back then we will have a discussion of how we improve our country but that would be the smart thing to do but they will not do it. >> not will they, should he? >> no, it will feed the story. i do. it is another distraction. >> and it is disingenuous. one of the problems the white house has is the appearance or feeling of insincerity and a call like that ... face that. >> i say when you invoke the name of your wife and your children, pick up the phone. last night liberal fox news contributor ... what? what? what in agreed with governor palin. listen to this. >> they are making the distinctions that

i finally arrive at the white house at 4:15.te house. 45 minutes later, at 5:00 on the dot, the president greets us. >> it's good to see you. >> reporter: i asked him about the somewhat controversial apology to afghans for the accidental burning of korans by american troops. >> the reason that it was important is to save lives and to make sure our troops who are there right now are not placed in further danger. >> reporter: do you think it has improved it? that apology? >> it calmed things down. we're not out of the woods yet. but my criteria in any decision i make, getting recommendations from the folks who are actually on the ground, is what's going to best protect our folks? and make sure that they can accomplish their mission? >> reporter: why are we having a dinner tonight? why are you having a dinner, a white house dinner? as opposed to a parade in the streets? >> well, because a bunch of our folks are still in harm's way. >> reporter: interview finished. it was finally time for some fun. so, at 7:00 p.m., i changed my clo

tomorrow will be the pomp and ceremony on the south lawn of the white house. also dealing with the situation in after gn stan, iran's nuclear ambitions and the situation in syria, all topics that the two leaders will be discussing and what is being build by the white house as an official vis wit a state dinner t 19-gun salute for the british prime minister and full pageantry of the white house and we'll have highlights tomorrow evening on the c-span network. the "new york post" indicating there's some confusion on the other side of the atlantic today with some uk, including the bbc mixing up sports reporting that the president and prime minister david cameron were watching a baseball game. earlier today, cbs's bill plante with questions on this visit to press secretary jay carney. >> the president seems to be going out of his way to pay more attention to prime minister cameron than to most foreign leaders. is this because he's reported to sort of shrugged off the so-called special relationship? >> no. i think the fact that we are hosting the prime minister in

now, i'm a student of white house staffing. and, on occasion, people say after they say, gee, that's kind of boring, isn't it? they say, but what do we know? i've distilled two lessons. one is, it all depends. and the second is, everything begins with richard nixon. and i say that quite seriously. in fact, what i'm going to talk about today is nixon and the administrative presidency. and i'm going to suggest that the kinds of strategies and initiatives as well as some of the debate that has come over the administrative presidency, indeed, stted with richard nixon. now, as it turns out, all presidents have clear incentives to seek good staff around them in the white house, in executive branch agencies, and in other parts of government. but richard nixon also, again like all presidents, also desired responsiveness to his own political and policy priorities. nigel has already talken to us about the context of the times. those things have to be kept in mind when one thinks about strategies and one thinks about the kinds of goals th

the white house made me visible.actually my first leave of absence was six months without sort of a joke, looking back. they made me visible. there was an early press conference -- >> they put you in a news conference right off the bat. >> set up via guide who shall remain nameless. >> go ahead and name him. >> is no longer with us. the person you preside at those my dear friend who, it got kind of wild in there. it was only the women of the press and the kind of mad at the president, and it wasn't set up in the briefing room like every other press conference but it was in the roosevelt room, i think. and so they just, they hammered me. it builds character, as you know. i had a title that was not useful at that point to a staff assistant to the president for executive manpower. [laughter] >> and the first question was, how can you have a title like that if you recruiting women? well, there's no good answer to a very good question. and so they took me part, i don't think however the press that came out of it was not a

you cannot make the white house into the waffle house. >> reporter: and here-in lies a political lessonh prop. the clinton campaign laughed it off and handed out fake waffle house menus featuring rare delicacies called iraq of lamb and pay raise souffle. and with politicians do with back drops, nobody can outprop a president. the silent symbol of power. and nothing supports the commander in chief like a speech from an aircraft carrier. but even when you're president, the best props -- >> oops. was that my -- oh, goodness. >> reporter: -- can fall flat. that's today's trail mix. fred? >> thanks so much, candy. >>> tune in every sunday morning for "state of the union" 9:00 a.m. eastern to catch more of candy. >>> three more contests in the next nine days. the contenders go back on the trail, next. concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. i don't want a plunger anywhere near my coffee. not in my house. with maxwell house french roast,

and there is a strong precedent for these individuals, former white house staff and even current whitel rove under certain circumstances to be asked questions. in this case we want to know about fast and furious, not necessarily about what the president was briefed on. bill: have you established that there was contact with this individual from the atf in the field. >> we do, we have an email sting. bill: in that case what would the field operator have told him? >> well he certainly could have characterized and defended fast and furious, perhaps told him that he thought it was a good project, maybe even shared why they were doing it and who authorized it, all of which would be outside of any privilege. understand, bill, we don't know what we don't know, and this individual, kevin owe rile low's attorneys have said they will talk, the only reason they are not talk being is the white house is ordering them to, even though he's a former employee. i've sat through depositions of former bush white house high ranking officials who were asked specifically about what they did in their official

joining us live from the white house is the principal deputy white house press secretary john ernest.s always, thanks for being with us. what is white house reaction to this plan? >> steve, quite frankly i think the white house here is disappointed. this is very similar if not exactly the same as what congressman ryan proposed last year. and what republicans vowed to back last year. at the end of the day, the consequences for the budget plan that the republicans rolled out are very significant. at the end of the day what we're looking at here is a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires on the order of about $150,000. and making draconian cuts in things like education, basic research, opportunities in new sources of energy and, yes, medicare and medicaid. you know, ultimately this plan would undermine the basic promise of a secure guaranteed retirement for seniors. that's something that the president's not willing to budge on. now, the president actually advocates a more balanced approach. not one that just gives tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires and pays for it by making dr

talk to anybody in any white house of either party and what they will tell you is the modern white house is just chaos three. it's one thing after another. there's not much time to think about things to read a lot of things fall by the wayside or did have done and so we are expecting our president to have his hand of every problem and i will say this is why the most successful presidents are the ones to concentrate on what is essential. while ronald reagan concentrate on three or four things and to the fast exclusion or the partial exclusion of other things and letting the government about its business instead of trying to be at the center of everything whereas the president's who are in every problem, jimmy carter most spectacularly with 300 pages of light from his staff until two or three in the morning, the presidents who can set priorities or try to be in the middle of everything tend to be less successful. bill clinton had that problem unless congress forced him to be more disciplined and focused, so this is a problem in the scale of government but it's also the executive model that

from the white house second floor, from the balcony, you will see the tidal basin in front of the white house. it was so barren. no trees. as soon as the first lady came into the house in march of 1909, she wanted to beautify it. >> ambassador fujisaki, how will the japanese celebrate the anniversary and how will the u.s. honor the gift from japan? >> we ask for u.s. -- i'm not in a place to say it, but i think we will like to make it a big event. two or three things. one, we would like to have many artists from japan. for example, national gallery will have the special exhibition from japan which is not shown in japan as well. the first time going out of japan, the painter will have about 30 paintings of the animal and plants. it's very beautiful work. it will be shown in the national gallery. many other artists and musicians will be here. that is point one. the second thing is we'll try to have some landscape changes in tidal basin. we will just start it from now. and also, some people are looking at planting the cherry blossom trees around the nation. not only in washington, but some

it is a busy morning at the white house. the white house is welcoming british prime minister david cameron and his wife samantha. cameron and president obama took in a march madness last night in dayton, ohio. today it's back to business. the two leaders beings pekted to talk about the upcoming nato and g-8 summit, the middle east, iran, the global economy. you're looking at live pictures of the opening ceremonies on the south lawn of the white house. you see joe biden and his wife jill greeting the british prime minister and his wife. the two national anthems will play, one for the u.k., the other from the united states. then i think in just about an hour the president and the prime minister will make some remarks to the press. before we get to all of that let's head to washington and talk to brianna keilar. she is there on the south lawn of the white house. describe the scene for us. >> reporter: carol, what you're witnessing is very much the formality of the day. this welcome for this official visit by prime minister davi

kennedy white house tapes. there are johnson white house tapes. just as there are nixon white house tapes. and everyone at the justice department was witness to this. >> and somebody would run off and do a memo for the day or something? >> and bobby kennedy tells lyndon johnson after president kennedy's assassinated, bobby stays on as attorney general for a while. and he says i had no relationship with mr. hoover. i can't talk to him. he thinks i'm trying to run a coup to overthrow your government. and he did. hoover did think that. and he describes this conversation for richard nixon on tape. >> are we better off or not better off having had j. edgar hoover running the f.b.i.? >> now, that is a big question. 48 years the man ran the f.b.i. there's nothing like it in american history that a man would serve that long with that much power under so many presidents. he built the f.b.i. from a disreputable gang of cheap detectives to the most modern and effective federal force of its kind in the world. every fingerprint that's on file, every bit of bio

you know what you are getting. >> this goes to the heart of the white house.protect the people, about the people singing at the events? >> it happens. it happens. >> and find out what the lyrics are and what kind of statement that would make. >> based on the information this hope sent me today, looks like there are two versions of that song. it appears, if you look at the video, he actually asked permission to sing the vulgar version and appeared to have gotten permission from somebody in the room. >> and then somebody in the room said you shouldn't be using those kind of words. but i was curious. can i ask a question here? >> go ahead. >> this is the frustration level of the american people. i was tucking about denny about this. one reason he started husband blog, because of the frustration of the american people about pundits and politicians. is it severe? or are people getting more optimistic because the obama recovery is hear? >> one of the -- >> whoa, whoa. there is no recovery. his question is flawed. but go ahead. >> the premise is a little off. >> a lo

i was the white house chief of staff. if i had said we're going to invoke the 25th amendment and give power to george bush, there might have been a little more than a little muttering in the white house, so -- so we decided not to do that, but i -- i will say this. i had the concurrence of president reagan's longtime advisers in taking that course. edwin meese agreed with me and some others, and as it turned out everything was fine. president -- vice president bush was so conscious of the fact that he had been the last standing competitor that when he came back to washington they were going to take the t?qf> what was the relationship between president ford and president reagan like, especially after the 1976 primary challenge? >> well, you want me -- oh, that's a comparison question. i don't think i'm giving away any secrets to s

ron was in the nixon white house, and he was the very first director of the white house office of presidential events, and he was the one who was responsible for the trip to china. before we begin the program tonight, i'd like to mention two programs that will take place here in the mcdow wan theater later this month. the charles ambiguitien heym center presents the film california state of mind: the legacy of pat brown. this inside look into political power in the 1960s takes a new significance now that pat brown's son jerry is once again governor. the film will be followed by a panel discussion. and on sunday, march 25th at 2 p.m., a sneak preview of "the dust bowl" will be shown. it tells the story of an ecological disaster and the heroic perseverance of the people affected. it's sponsored by the guggenheim center in partnership with the 2012 environmental film festival being held here in washington. to learn more about these programs and all of our public programs and exhibits, consult our calendar of monthly events. there are copies in the lobby as well as a sign-up sheet where you can re

♪ >>> a state dinner at the white house.he most distinguished of foreign dignitaries. but tonight, all that tradition, pageantry and pomp is all about a very different guest list. abc's bob woodruff was given exclusive, behind the scenes access, to an unprecedented event. >> reporter: less than an hour before i do this. how many people are late for an interview with the president? arrived at union station, after bad weather canceled my flight. the rush added to my nerves. and the sense of honor, being invited to this historic event in the first place. it's almost surreal in the sense that i wouldn't be in this room with them. how many chances do you get a chance to go to a state dinner? but the real honor, sitting alongside the iraq veterans who this dinner will celebrate. the families are very much still here. they can never be forgotten. and that's probably the most exciting thing for me to be there. i finally arrive at the white house at 4:15. there it is, the white house. 45 minutes later, at 5:00 on the dot, the preside

ed henry at the white house tonight. akers grilling former executive from the failed firm mf global. after nearly $2 billion of its clients' cash vanished. womens of the house subcommittee asked witnesses what they know about the missing money. many of the questions focused on the former head, jon corzine. the former new jersey governor and former new jersey senator and lawmakers say they want to know who knew what in the doomed company's final days but they had a hard time finding many answers. >> on the advice of counsel i respectfully decline to answer based on my constitutional rights. >> we are disappointd that you have chose ton do that. do you intend to invoke your fifth amendment right as to any question that the panel may ask you on this subject today? >> shepard: another former worker was willing to talk. with the one witness refusing to answer questions they may not be surprised but they must be frustrated in some way? >> shep, absolutely. ms global is the 8th largest bankruptcy in u.s. history. lawmakers had a

. >> this is a big [bleep] deal. >> white house aides say president obama may not even hold an event friday to celebrate the second anniversary of the signing of his signature domestic achievement. >> he is focused on a forward agenda right now. and working with congress and doing the things he can through executive action to grow the economy and create jobs. >> republicans think the white house is pivoting away from health care because of uncertainty over next week's supreme court oral arguments. on whether the individual mandate is constitutional. >> i think we will win the fight in the end. the question is how long it is until the end. there is no question that the president's plan will not work. >> the public seems to agree. 59% in a fox news poll saying the supreme court should repeal either the entire bill or parts of it a new abc "the washington post" poll is even worse for the president. a total of 67% saying the mandate or the whole law should be thrown out. the president does talk about health care on the stump. and is convinced the popular pieces will win out. >> you want

he was a white house aide.t you want to know from him and what you think he knows, senator. >> you gave a lot of very important background in regard to this specific request of the white house. we've known for several months now through some e-mails that we got, that there was can't between people down in arizona connected with "fast and furious", with people in the national security division at the white house. last july, before congressman issa's committee we had testimony from mr. newell, who came from down in arizona and was communicating by e-mail with people at the white house. we got his side of the story at that time which probably wasn't much beyond what our e-mail already told us. now we have one side of the story. so we need to have about o'reilly's side of the story. at this point the white house hasn't set up the interview even though the attorneys for mr. o'reilly have said that he is willing to give us an interview but he won't give an interview without the white house okay. so congressman issa a