i'm from west virginia and in the eastern panhandle there's a single-payer group in west virginia and there are literally scores of these groups and the list a lot of them at the resourced page at single-payer action.org. a lot of it is spontaneous grassroots. their national organizations. as mikuak said we are coming together. the first thing would be to defeat this democratic bill and to have a single-payer advocates in the house and senate in the lead on defeating the bill so for the second round we have a leg up on the debate and not just let the republicans take charge in the defeated the bill. last question. >> back to the whole process thing, before the teabagger thing happen in august as you noted that the beginning of the news conference, a bunch of you were arrested at those hearings and what was a mistake to step back from that? the illusion that there is a settlement made. >> that was just a legal settlement and it was a legal settlement and it was pretty much a plea agreement with part of the condition of the plea, we did not plead guilty, but we said we would not protest

host: richmond, virginia. calling on the democrat line. caller: hi, capt., how were you? my question is, do you feel that the increased flight security members after 9/11 had hindered fliers so much that it becomes overly cumbersome for them to actually go to the destination? guest: certainly the hassle factor of the first couple of years of tsa was very disturbing and i think it drove some be back into their cars and back into the trains are canceled their trips. but i have noticed over the last year or 18 months that it has become quite a bit better. the airport i have been flying out of, waiting has been anywhere from five minutes to 6 minutes, and i noticed the professionalism of the officers who are doing the searching. i think it is just a matter of experience. if you have not flown for a while, i think you will find it is much better. certainly it can always been disproved. we would like to knock down the hassle factor but in the end we guarantee the safety and security of the system, and that is part of the process. host: "the wall street journal" today, faa rejec

host: richmond, virginia. calling on the democrat line. caller: hi, capt., how were you? my question is, do you feel that the increased flight security members after 9/11 had hindered fliers so much that it becomes overly cumbersome for them to actually go to the destination? guest: certainly the hassle factor of the first couple of years of tsa was very disturbing and i think it drove some be back into their cars and back into the trains are canceled their trips. but i have noticed over the last year or 18 months that it has become quite a bit better. the airport i have been flying out of, waiting has been anywhere from five minutes to 6 minutes, and i noticed the professionalism of the officers who are doing the searching. i think it is just a matter of experience. if you have not flown for a while, i think you will find it is much better. certainly it can always been disproved. we would like to knock down the hassle factor but in the end we guarantee the safety and security of the system, and that is part of the process. host: "the wall street journal" today, faa rejec

he said the president is always welcome at the commonwealth of virginia. there has to be a personal grace note that the republican caucus has lost. he is the president. he is a figure that has -- demands our respect and he is well-liked and we need to do a better job as a party to separate -- and separate the differences of opinion about policy compared to how we speak to hiabout him as a person. there are people in our caucus who do not -- are not able to bridge that note. >> we spent time thinking about this but we will try to be concise. i would say to the republican caucus that i know lee atwater said when your opponent is busy destroying himself, do not interfere. do not think that your opponents failures and weaknesses are your success. if everyone took a step back in line you somehow step forward. believing that is a prescription for permanent minority status. people want a society that works. people want solutions and leaders to a better -- and lead us to a better place. i would say to republicans, it is jobs and economic growth, it is all that. yo

this comes from hillary from virginia beach. [laughter] she got from pakistan to virginia beach very quickly. it is capitalism married to a democracy so that as one goes, so goes the other. >> i actually think it is. one of the biggest problems in the world in the last 50 or 20 years is because the two of them run together, democracy has gotten into trouble. i think trade is a great thing. when we did all of the free trade, that i approve of, it has done a lot for the geopolitical stability of the world, the free-trade agreements we cut with folks were great for corporations. it was not free trade for people who worked in these countries. one of the most chilling things that happen to me in between my race for president and my stand as dnc chair, i went to a foreign country to give a speech. the flights leave at all hours. at 2:00 in the morning, i'm sitting with my host on my way out of the country. we were getting away you get to a clock in the morning, you say a lot of things you would not say during regular social hours. he

west virginia, on the independent line. caller: hello, first of all the democrats started out negotiating from a point of weakness when it took single- payer off. then when it had organizers during the summer time volunteering for american nobody was talking about a trigger until august. the liberals in the democratic party need it to stop bowling down to the conservative democrats. the democrats have republicans in the democratic party. we do not need the republicans or the conservatives to stop on this initiative because we have republicans in the democratic party. the people like a byayh to get hundreds of thousands from the insurance company and his wife sits on the board of an insurance company making $2 million, and they said that does not influence their votes? the democratic party sends out things to ask for money because of rush limbaugh when they have sold their soul to give olympia snowe. i did not to vote for olympia snowe to be president, so i will not give the democrats another penny. host: new jersey, on the

minutes to t(s&op through the questions right there if you could >> i'm bradley from the university of virginia. i was struck by the comments about regime change can be achieved. i'm thinking about that in the context of eastern europe dr" we achieved from the outsides. this is the reversal from the period in 1947 or the successful result of external efforts at regime change in the late 1980's. i wonder not to put the whole burden of the over yet union. if we look at the american, cia's help inputting the shaw in the power in iran. that's a successful regime change but you have a reverse of that creating problems with anty american regime in iran 30-years after the original regime change success is one of the things that the c cia was prouded of. even beyond that do we want refilm change or should regime reform. we want specific results. there's certain things we want like áhe elimination of poverty or effective governments or do we necessarily need the elections that are so easy? or competitive political structure? what will we demand from china as it's been as a successful country over the l

i'm reverend benson from arlington, virginia. i'm a minister member of the national council of presbytery here in washington, d.c. as we move forward in this effort to talk about advocacy to right the wrong and the inickities that we see, i would like to ask all of us that are assembled here and members of congress that we be cautioned that as we move forward to promote the efforts for advocacy for our people and for other people of color that we do so on a position that supports our president and his administration as opposed to being on the opposite end. drawing on the words from reverend jackson earlier that this is a time when we turn to each other and not against each other. because i feel that sometimes it can be a move to discredit this great man at his great time. and we need to try and support him as we advocate for the different issues that have been placed before us. thank you. >> do we have a question? right up here. >> thank you. carmen morris, miami, florida, sanctuary of moses, combating child trafficking and slave

rockefeller from west virginia chairs the committee. this is about an hour, 30 minutes. >> this hearing will come to order. i will make an opening statement. every single day, millions of american consumers sit down in front of computers to make travel plans, to send somebody some flowers, or to order movie tickets for sundry other transactions. for many americans, shopping online is now as routine as going to the gross restore for milk -- grocery store for milk. 59% of all americans have purchased goods or services over the internet. shopping online is an exciting new way for people to learn about products and compare prices, and to find a good bargain. in tough economic times, when americans are doing all they can to make ends meet, every nickel, every dollar counts. but, when we go online to buy things, we all have a few important expectations about how we should be treated. that is regardless of how and where we make a purchase. first of all, we expect the merchants that we do business with to treat us honestly, fairly, and we expec

identify yourself. >> i am from the university of virginia. i was struck by the professors comment about how regime change can be achieved. even in the context of eastern europe, did we see regime change? presumably, it can be achieved from the outside. is this a reverse of the soviet attempt in 1947 or the successful results of the external efforts at regime change in the late 1980's? not to put the whole burden on the soviet union. if we look at the american cia's help in putting the shah into power in iran, that was a successful regime change. then there was a reversal of that creating problems with an anti-american regime in iran 30 years later, after the original regime change success. that was one of the things that the cia was proudest of in the 1950's. even beyond that, do we want regime change or regime reform? do we want specific results? there are certain things we want like the elimination of poverty or effective governedance? or do we necessarily need the elections that are so easy and effective political structures? what would we

host: next up is our line for independence from springfield, virginia. caller: i want to ask about the right wing politicians like dick arfmemey and bill like -- and te like -- are they considered homegrown terrorism? i'm talking about undermining the president of the united states. they undermine him with their rhetoric they accuse him of being a socialist and accuse him of not being born in the united states. they are undermining the president of the united states that was just elected with an overwhelming majority. i think that those are homegrown terrorists. thehost: what about people who y they are expressing their first amendment right to speech? caller: they say that but it is not homegrown braylon it is all manipulated by the republican party. that is where the difference comes in. guest: i think it would take a different from your point of view. i do not do those people or dissent from the democratic party or the republican party critical of the president or critical of the republicans as anything but an expression of the first amendment. i am t

you will pursue the army through northern virginia and get it. it is a pretty good strategy and not irrelevant. some strategies take longer to cute than others. the poept is in our system it has gotten harder and harder over the years since the end of the second world war because the bureaucracies are bigger, there are more of them, there are more players at the table. and translating a president's intent or a commander in chief's intent into actual policy becomes harder and harder. i certainly agree that -- and i think phillip and bob said this -- anything that is run through the interagency slaw guaranteed to come out not as a strategy but a number of wish lists. but i think there is some utilitity in having reduced in some place a very short statement of what it is we are trying to accomplish as an administration and what should our objectives be, what are the priorities and how should we try to go about making those choices. >> i actually come in with a great degree of skepticism about strategy documents having been involved in drafting one o

he is in centerville, virginia. he was a reporter from "the new york times." he had a front-page story that he "had enacted a journalistic fraud." they said it was of a trail of trust. -- a betrayal of trust. it said that he mislead readers. he fabricated comment. he concocted scenes. he selected from across -- photographs the been the more he had not. they found that the 73 stories he had written, 36 had potential problems. they took this very hard. they ran more than 7000 words. by comparison, when the paper finally recognized it covered a weapon to mass destruction the and the knowledge mitterand 1100 words. it was published on -- ran -- the acknowledgement ran the 1100 words. it was published. they were forced to resign. to some observers, it looked like the affair was a tire that was a being handled recklessly. he who longed to matter ended up marrying in ways he had not anticipating. that was them. i read a profile of his reemergence. we got in touch. here we are. perhaps now he has a chance to matter in different ways. i'm here neither to praise him or

. >> this year's tree is a douglas fir from west virginia. here's a look at its arrival at the north portico. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> hi, how were you. nice to see you. [indistinguishable conversations] >> we are not sure what will be on the street exactly. [inaudible] [indistinct conversation] >> is this the biggest tree we have ever had? >> yes. >> take care. >> stay warm. >> the final space shuttle mission of the year ended as space shuttle atlantis ended successfully. the crew delivered spare parts to the international space station. one of the colleagues has been living on the space station for nearly three months and they were returned. >> it is on its arrival. it is moving at 326 m.p.h.. less than four minutes before it lands. >> atlantis is slightly lower. >> this is making it an alignment turn into the space center. the space shuttle has announced its arrival at the facility. >> the shuttle is going at a rate of 355 miles per hour.

what i would say is, look at virginia. bob macdonald reached over, not by moderating his principles, but by saying that his principles were not only good for saying, no. he says he wants to grow the economy, but he just wants us to do it, not washington. there is a positive, republican agenda out there. we will see more of that in 2010. >> when i first opted to propose the question, this was slightly more off-base. i want to bring up the idea. i came down here from boston, where republican was a dirty word. not because of the belief system but the reputation. my question is how much opinion is placed in the word, republican or democrat. and how much is in the ideology. how much will this affect things over the last year? how much has that changed? >> it is an interesting attachment to the word republican, as there is to the word liberal. both of them have baggage right now. by a majority of two to one, people consider themselves republicans over liberal. the job will be to reattach conservative to the sound of democrat. >>

you will pursue lee's army in northern virginia -- even if it takes all summer. pretty good strategy. and not relevant for this area. well, some strategists it longer to execute than others. the point is i think in our system in particular -- and i think it has gotten harder and harder and harder over the years since the end of the second world war because the bureaucracies have become bigger, there are more of them, there are more players at the table, and therefore translating a president's intent for the commander in chief's intent, in strategic terms, into actual policies become harder and harder. i certainly agree -- and i think phillip and bob zoellick said this as well -- anything that is run through the interagency bound not to come out as a strategy but stapling together of different wish lists. but i think there is some utility in having reduced in some place and very short statement of what it is they are trying to accomplish as a demonstration, what should our objectives date, what are the priorities and how should we try to go about making those choi

what i would say is, look at virginia. bob macdonald reached over, not by moderating his principles, but by saying that his principles were not only good for saying, no. he says he wants to grow the economy, but he just wants us to do it, not washington. there is a positive, republican agenda out there. we will see more of that in 2010. >> when i first opted to propose the question, this was slightly more off-base. i want to bring up the idea. i came down here from boston, where republican was a dirty word. not because of the belief system but the reputation. my question is how much opinion is placed in the word, republican or democrat. and how much is in the ideology. how much will this affect things over the last year? how much has that changed? >> it is an interesting attachment to the word republican, as there is to the word liberal. both of them have baggage right now. by a majority of two to one, people consider themselves republicans over liberal. the job will be to reattach conservative to the sound of democrat. >>

sunday, two programs on democracy and the internet, including the university of virginia panel. facebook founder chris hughes on how social networking is changing the political process. this holiday weekend on c-span. >> thanksgiving weekend on c- span, american icons, three nights of original documentaries on the icon mccombs of the three branches of the american government, beginning tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. the supreme court. then, friday at 8:00 p.m. eastern, inside america's most famous home, the white house. our visit shows the grand public places as well as those rarely seen spaces. saturday at 8:00, the capital, the history, art and architecture of one of america's most symbolic structures. american icons, three memorable nights, starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. the dvd set is $24.95. you can order it online. >> now, remarks from actor and recording artist ludacris on the importance of community service and what his organization is doing to help youths in need. he spoke last month for an hour. >>>> good afternoon and welcomeo the national press club.

here is what i would say -- what i would say is look at virginia. bob macdonald, shoots a conservative fellow reached across the middle. and- -- a very conservative fellow reached across the middle. i want you to have the choices, not washington. there is a positive republican agenda out there. i think you are going to see more of it in 2010. >> when i propose the question i thought it would be more off base. i wanted to bring up the idea, i came down here from boston corp. the republican was a dirty word -- i came down here from boston where is the republican was a dirty word. how much of the voters' opinion is placed in the word republican or democrat and how much is an ideological ideas? to cut that is a great question. -- >> that is a great question. there are interesting attachments to the word republican and liberal. both have baggage right now. people consider themselves conservative over a liberal. as part of the republican job in the next cycle to be reattaching the word conservative to republican. the go there is simplicity to the argument

sunday, two programs on democracy and the internet, including the university of virginia powell on how the political process has been affected by the internet. the facebook founder will talk about how networking is changing the political process. this holiday weekend on c-span. >> thanksgiving week and on c- span, american icons, three nights of cspan original documentaries on the iconic homes of the three branches of american government beginning tonight at 8:00, eastern part of the supreme court reveals the building through the eyes of supreme court justices. friday at 8:00 p.m., the white house, inside america's most famous home, be on the bill that ropes. will show the grand public places as well as the rarely- seen places. saturday at 8:00 p.m., the capital, the history, art, and architecture of one of america's most symbolic structures. american icons, three memorable nights starting tonight at 8:00 on c-span. get your own copy of american icons, a three-disc dvd said. it is $24.95 plus shipping and handling. order online. movie director steven -- steven spielberg received the li

host: west virginia, on the republican line. caller: happy thanksgiving. a few concerns. if this bill passes for health care, what side of the curve of will this put us on in economic terms? the downside or the upside? guest: what exactly? host: why don't you explain the laffler curve? caller: ok, it is a theoretical curve where on the upside or you tax people it is beneficial and you collect more taxes for things, but on the downside you tax people so much that they look for loopholes and ways to not pay. you collect your revenues. if you pass health care and are taxing everybody who makes so much money and the curve of only addresses people who make a lot of money, how much revenue the do you feel you will collect? and -- i do not see this as beneficial to anybody. they will not be able to get the money. everything is projected. there are no real numbers for this. guest: there are real numbers. that is what the cbo is. i think you are objecting to the part of the house health care bill that puts taxes on the wealthy to pay for a portion of this. it is not an enormous po

the state of virginia has made substantial progress. the state of maryland has made substantial progress. again, these are states where you see all kids going up, but the rate stops for latino and african-american kids, which is exactly what we want to see. everybody gaining, but kids that are behind gaining faster. [inaudible] >> i think there are a combination of approaches, but one of them that is important is providing lots more guidance to teachers about what to teach. one of the big worries that johnson and many other have is are teachers just teaching to the test? what we are finding is that when districts and states provide more help to teachers, more guidance about how to teach the standards, more christmas home run support, more lessons, units and assignments they can draw on, that helps teachers aim hirer in bringing kids who are behind up. is the expectations over time just get watered down. and so, the districts and states that are actually making more progress or confronting the issue directly by providing teachers help in

i'm from west virginia and in the eastern panhandle there's a single-payer group in west virginia and there are literally scores of these groups and the list a lot of them at the resourced page at single-payer action.org. a lot of it is spontaneous grassroots. their national organizations. as mikuak said we are coming together. the first thing would be to defeat this democratic bill and to have a single-payer advocates in the house and senate in the lead on defeating the bill so for the second round we have a leg up on the debate and not just let the republicans take charge in the defeated the bill. last question. >> back to the whole process thing, before the teabagger thing happen in august as you noted that the beginning of the news conference, a bunch of you were arrested at those hearings and what was a mistake to step back from that? the illusion that there is a settlement made. >> that was just a legal settlement and it was a legal settlement and it was pretty much a plea agreement with part of the condition of the plea, we did not plead guilty, but we said we would not protest

he has excited a lot of fans and my home town of roanoke, virginia. and then playing for the new york giants. i would like to ask dr. maroon, as a team physician and maybe doctors bailes as well. this problem at the nfl level, that you have a multi-billion dollar industry. players with multi-million dollar contracts. fans that pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see the game. the hundreds of millions that watch it on tv. we all know what an advertisement goes for 30 seconds on the super bowl. there are lots of resources available to address this. is the risk reduced by that, or is it just as great because, while you have more equipment and better positions on the ground, -- physicians on the ground, you have stronger, faster, more aggressive -- you are playing at the top of this game. is that more likely to result in those kinds of concussions? or is the risk of greater for high-school and college teams that don't have those same resources, especially at the high school level? they are faced with making a different set of decisions. is the problem

you saw that in virginia this last cycle. the media has a stronger role to play in terms of being a referee. they need to let the public know what is a fact. >> remember when the mccain campaign said that barack obama called sarah palin and take? it was the media that shut that fight down. >> i am a recovering journalist. there was no reason for three days of cable tv talk shows to be talking about it. >> it was the campaign talking about it and the media replayed what obama said and what the comment was. >> don't you think that if cable had ignored that silly little thing, it would have died down? >> i think that these commercials are written for cable. edu a small one and you hope that cable expands it. -- you do a small one and you hope that cable expands that. the accelerate the fight. in some respects, the media is willing. in other respects, that issue i distinctly recall the media shutting it down. >> we would have more fun if they accelerated the fight over substance. coverage is there and we can get our coverage out

host: our last call for you is from springfield, virginia, democrats line. caller: good morning, susan, thanks for susp -- thanks for c-span. dp, i am so excited to see you. guest: this this -- is this portia? caller: it is. senator pryor was the best boss i ever had. guest: she was out or were the director -- our worthy director of staff. she is a wonderful arkansas product and i am happy we can reconnect. caller: happy thanksgiving to you and your family. i am so glad to see you. host: are you still working on capitol hill? caller: i am not i have not worked on capitol hill for quite awhile now. but senator pryor give me my start in my career but i am very grateful to him. host: what would your assessment be of today's climate versus when you serve? caller: it is so different. actually saddens me quite a bit. in my days -- i am from the old days -- it was a different atmosphere. much more supportive of each other, much more bipartisan. it is very sad to see how things have changed. host: thank you for your call, portia. i am sure the senator appreciates it

>> i got it in my favorite store in richmond, virginia. >> [inaudible] >> not recently. thank you. >> use of the politicians talking to the press there. you are one of the reporters standing behind the rope. what sort of questions are they ask when they come into the white house? >> they are soft ball questions. they are about what you are wearing. what you want to talk about tonight? for instance, we asked: paul that -- colin powell that, who was he wanted to meet? he said he was looking for to keep eating. this is the time to have fun and mix and mingle. we asked marty nesbit, obama's best friend from chicago. people come. in a way, in all of washington, there is a little bit of glad- handing and back? -- back-slapping. >> a fashion as part of the evening, and many people will be focusing on what the first lady is wearing. who design her dress, and why -- what goes into choosing the dress for the first lady? is she trying to send a message? >> she is trying to send a message. they do not always like to talk about fashion and how she makes these choices, but this is dip

i think he saw that in virginia this last cycle. but i think the media does have a strong role to play in terms of being a referee. pointing out when facts are not correct or when things are not correct, let the people know about it. but the public know that this is an unfair attack. here are the real facts of what you're talking about. >> remember mccain said barack obama called sarah palin a pig. then they had a three day fight over lipstick on a pig. it was really the media that shut that fight them. >> i am a recovering journalists. but there was no reason for three days of cable tv talk shows to be talking about those comments. >> the media kept replaying what obama said and what the palin comment was. >> but they don't think that if cable had ignored that silly little thing that it would have died down? >> i think these commercials are written for cable. you do a small by and you hope the cable expands it. >> my point exactly. >> but in many respects, the campaigns are on the phone with the media all the time. they are acceler

host: west virginia, you were on witare on with lewis morris. good morning. caller: good morning. i was reading an interview with malcolm sparrow. guest: i have a signed copy of it. caller: in this interview, he said that you folks estimate 3% is fraud, which is $60 billion. he thinks it could be as high as 30%, or 20%, which could be $600 billion in fraud. he said we do not know how much is being lost. we should know. the government knows how to measure it, but it is avoiding doing it. the news would be too bad. he goes into detail exactly how you are refusing to measure the exact profit. i am sure you know this argument. guest: i am familiar with the argument. i think there are some assumptions teammate which we do not share. first, it has got to be recognized that successful frauds, by the very nature, are undetected. i'm not sure we will ever know the full extent of fraud. i do agree it is possible that the fraud is far more extensive than we think. one of his point is that a very clever fraud scheme has the appearance that everything is regular, so it is harder to detect. i d

we will go on to sterling, virginia. caller: i am wondering why it took him so long to impose a war tax we have had a war tax on every war since the civil war of 1%, and as soon as the war was over with, we took the tax away. we are in debt to china and other countries because we are borrowing from them to pay for the war in afghanistan and the war of choice in iraq. i want to know why the bush administration did not impose a 1% tax on everybody across the board and we would have the revenue to finance these wars, the unjust war in iraq and the war that we needed to do in afghanistan. host: thanks. we will go to nancy in green bay, wisconsin. we are asking taxes, soaking the rich, the editorial in "the financial times." good morning, nancy. caller: good morning. i hope my voice is not shake too much. i am kind of nervous. for the lady who just called, there has never been a tax that was repealed. never. it stays, just like all taxes, whether it is a war tax or whatever. i'm going to become about our congressmen in wiscon

host: west virginia, you were on witare on with lewis morris. good morning. caller: good morning. i was reading an interview with malcolm sparrow. guest: i have a signed copy of it. caller: in this interview, he said that you folks estimate 3% is fraud, which is $60 billion. he thinks it could be as high as 30%, or 20%, which could be $600 billion in fraud. he said we do not know how much is being lost. we should know. the government knows how to measure it, but it is avoiding doing it. the news would be too bad. he goes into detail exactly how you are refusing to measure the exact profit. i am sure you know this argument. guest: i am familiar with the argument. i think there are some assumptions teammate which we do not share. first, it has got to be recognized that successful frauds, by the very nature, are undetected. i'm not sure we will ever know the full extent of fraud. i do agree it is possible that the fraud is far more extensive than we think. one of his point is that a very clever fraud scheme has the appearance that everything is regular, so it is harder to detect. i d

he said the president is always welcome at the commonwealth of virginia. there has to be a personal grace note that the republican caucus has lost. he is the president. he is a figure that has -- demands our respect and he is well-liked and we need to do a better job as a party to separate -- and separate the differences of opinion about policy compared to how we speak to hiabout him as a person. there are people in our caucus who do not -- are not able to bridge that note. >> we spent time thinking about this but we will try to be concise. i would say to the republican caucus that i know lee atwater said when your opponent is busy destroying himself, do not interfere. do not think that your opponents failures and weaknesses are your success. if everyone took a step back in line you somehow step forward. believing that is a prescription for permanent minority status. people want a society that works. people want solutions and leaders to a better -- and lead us to a better place. i would say to republicans, it is jobs and economic growth, it is all that. yo

he said the president is always welcome at the commonwealth of virginia. there has to be a personal grace note that the republican caucus has lost. he is the president. he is a figure that has -- demands our respect and he is well-liked and we need to do a better job as a party to separate -- and separate the differences of opinion about policy compared to how we speak to hiabout him as a person. there are people in our caucus who do not -- are not able to bridge that note. >> we spent time thinking about this but we will try to be concise. i would say to the republican caucus that i know lee atwater said when your opponent is busy destroying himself, do not interfere. do not think that your opponents failures and weaknesses are your success. if everyone took a step back in line you somehow step forward. believing that is a prescription for permanent minority status. people want a society that works. people want solutions and leaders to a better -- and lead us to a better place. i would say to republicans, it is jobs and economic growth, it is all that. yo

it would be like the state of virginia being wiped out every year. it is projected to get much worse and that is why i need your help. the plain fact is that new cancer cases are projected to rise from 13 million to nearly 27 million by 2030, and by then cancer could easily consume 17 million to 20 million lives every year. whether reported accurately or not, there are too many people in the u.s. who are dying from cancer of all kinds. i know that we can do this. i know that we can do this because we know enough and we have enough resources to make it happen. not just in america, but around the world. we can always use more but let's recommit ourselves to what we have now. return -- if we turn more of our resources on this crisis, we can move faster. the other day someone asked me why i keep doing this work and why we act susan g. komen for the cure work so hard each state to complete our mission. it is only lead us to be more confident and feeling more charged into victory. i remember are terrific disease, feared by generations, victim's hidden away

who yields to the gentleman from virginia. >> i thank my colleagues. listening to all the hearings we have had on the subject, we are clearly in search as we move forward for a new viable business model for the u.s. postal service. and on the one hand, i think we in congress may want to have it both ways. on the one hand, we recognize the iconic value of the post office in a given community. it centrality and especially smaller rural parts of our country, and we do not want that to change. we do not want to chose -- close any offices. we do not want to close any routes. we do not want a cut back on the number of days of service. and on the other -- and we do not want to necessarily compete with the private sector for anything. on the other hand, why are you losing money, why aren't you making money, why aren't you like your competitors? and we in congress cannot have it both ways. we will have to work with you to recognize that by statute, and mr. hare, i would be interested to listen to your testimony, should the post office be subject to the same reg

host: virginia, go ahead. caller: i was wondering if these laws are passed, what it will be to the small farmers and small food producers? i'm pretty sure it will adversely affect them because they do not have the resources and processes in place. and they are not the ones bringing the food borne illnesses to the marketplace. is the biggest agricultural conglomerate to are responsible. i was wondering if there is a way to change the bill to protect small farmers and small operations. guest: caller identifies this issue that has been raised both in the house and in the senate. in fact, the senate committee that marked up the bill, which is changing the bill before it moves through committee, made several significant amendments that required the needs of small and organic and sustainable farms to be considered when these rules are established. obviously come out regulating a very small farm -- obviously, regulating a small firm that produces a small amount of food is different than a massive farm in california t

so we watched that with great interest, the trial in virginia. first of all, of course, my focus is on security. and i think you've talked about how you consulted with the mayor and with the police chief and senator schumer went over that at length. but, obviously, most of us are interested in getting these guys. and senator leahy mentioned that the conviction rate, i think, is 90%. is that right? people tried? >> 94%. >> 94%. and you feel that you have a strong case. could you just briefly talk about your decision to do this in new york and why you picked that particularly jurisdiction in terms of the expertise of the u.s. attorneys that will be handling that case? >> well, we're going to have a joint team that involves lawyers from the eastern district of virginia as well as lawyers from the southern district of new york. new york is a place that has tried these kinds of cases before. you have a hardened detention facility. you have a hardened courthouse, a means by which a person can go from the jail to -- to the courthouse without seeing the

that decision was made in 2006 to try zacarias moussaoui in the eastern district of virginia. i do not recall any complaints from either the republican side of the aisle of their president, president bush's decision through his department of just toys try that case in an article 3 court or on our side of the aisle either. and i ask you, as you reflect on the parallels between khalid shaikh muhammad's prosecution in new york and this prosecution in eastern virginia. can you tell me what the distinction might be why khalid shaikh muhammad might be tried in a military commission? >> again, we've learned, i think, a great deal from the moose sowy troil that i think will assist us in the conduct of the khalid shaikh muhammad trial and the other four. again, i think determinations are made as to what's the best form for a particular case. what i have tried to do is make individualized determinations in trying to decide what's in the best interests of the american people in terms of safety. what is consistent with our values and have made determinations that some should go to our art

byrd of west virginia, passing karl hayden of arizona. he served 50 years in congress and turned 92. host: we'll go to north carolina. good morning. caller: i'd like to say welcome to your two columnists. i read them pretty regularly. i'd like them to comment on the -- well, i don't know if it's a fact or not. if the senators have taken their inducements for voting for closure outside of the capitol, that they be subject to criminal sanction for corruption. i'd like to hear the columnists' comments on that. guest: that's a very interesting way of looking at it. $300 million sitting across the table at a restaurant is a crime. well, who knows. maybe harry reid and the senator did have lunch. it's not an appealing way to make our laws. guest: no. it's disgusting. but it was also foreseen by the people who di advised the system, the framers. and i think they understood that when you have 535 members of congress in the combined chambers, you have 535 separate interest. that's why you have the president, whose job is to keep the national inter

in 2001, he went to the mosque in northern virginia. it is the same mosque with the same two hijackers from 9/11. his phone number is discovered in an apartment he has been the sick -- apartment. he has been the subject of investigation in 2002. he is well known to the international counter-terrorism community. the defense criminal investigative service was a part of that review. they looked at major hassan's person now file. what was in that file? were they there? were they considered? based on the judgment that was made on it, it raises some question of whether not that information made it into the personnel file that the jttf had access to. if it was not there, we must ask ourselves why. what information was shared? i can tell you from my experience, it will dictate what rules apply in terms of information sharing. there are two sets of rules that apply. this seems to be complicated. if the information in this communications were pursuant to the foreign intelligence surveillance, it typically. cannot recall thinking back on a time wh

that was in new jersey and virginia and he largely failed by a wide margin. that is a clue as to how much influence he has in the coming elections. guest: the early elections were huge as far as a black mark on the obama administration. they campaigned with those candidates and a lot of resources into it. it did not look work at all. i think the poll results matter because it influences the way members of congress view him. it applauses -- it changes the amount of influence he has when it comes up to capitol hill. if he had a 70% approval rating, and he pushed for the health care bill, there are not many democrats who would oppose them. the democrats who are up for reelection may do some soul- searching to get reelected. obama lost arkansas but 20 points in 2008. you can imagine that he is not more popular there than he was back then. host: how much political capital do you think he has? guest: he has some. it is less than he used to have. he has the bully pulpit is popular with the american people but his influence on the capitol hill is on the decline. this

district court for the east and district of virginia. the military does not function as a rocket docket particularly in these cases. even though it is sometimes said that purpose of the military justice system is to dispense prompt, lichty split type justice. it doesn't function that way. it's quite a deliberate process. >> your first question, my understanding is actually that he right now, if i'm not mistaken, is not at fort hood anymore. he's in san antonio, if i'm not mistaken. so the expectation of where he would be following that -- i mean, he will most likely be kept in pretrial confinement. i don't know that he'll go back to fort hood. he may very well stay down in san antonio, and it also may function -- the answer is the ability is there to put him wherever. the jurisdictions -- while there's not a legal impediment to where he goes, there's probably a practical constraint. and my guess is i don't know why they would bring him back to fort hood unless they were going to have the trial there. >> in terms of the venue question, ob

in 2001, he went to the mosque in northern virginia. it is the same mosque with the same two hijackers from 9/11. his phone number is discovered in an apartment he has been the sick -- apartment. he has been the subject of investigation in 2002. he is well known to the international counter-terrorism community. the defense criminal investigative service was a part of that review. they looked at major hassan's person now file. what was in that file? were they there? were they considered? based on the judgment that was made on it, it raises some question of whether not that information made it into the personnel file that the jttf had access to. if it was not there, we must ask ourselves why. what information was shared? i can tell you from my experience, it will dictate what rules apply in terms of information sharing. there are two sets of rules that apply. this seems to be complicated. if the information in this communications were pursuant to the foreign intelligence surveillance, it typically. cannot recall thinking back on a time wh

this is on the side of the freeway in hampton, virginia. we don't know if anyone is inside. but clearly the car is destroyed. we certainly hope the people got out. trying to get you more information. certainly a distraction to the drivers. again, we hope everything works out there. >>> the senate is gearing up for a final showdown over health care reform bill proposed by democrat. majority leader harry reid says the bill will reduce the deficit while expanding health coverage to millions of americans. >> 98% of the american people, those that have medicare will be included in that number, will have health insurance. we'll make sure that 30 million more americans who don't have health insurance today will soon have it. i want to repeat, we not only protect medicare, we're making it stronger. >> like the house bill, the senate bill bill includes that c option. so far republicans have stood almost completely united against the bill. >>> the missouri woman accused of attacking police after cutting in line at walmart is getting her day in court. she said customers shoved her and

, central virginia, central vermont too. we're watching for that. maryland looking for that. rain off towards the west buffalo now moving down i-90 into rochester. going to get some showers coming in today. across the pacific northwest, here's your massive clouds coming on through. lots of rain, snow and heavy wind. talk about that coming up in about a half hour. >> busy thursday. >> a lot going on. >> you got up this morning thinking -- >> thursday cruise into friday. >> warm up to tomorrow. some alleged march jane growers we -- marijuana grows were stoned when they set up shop. >>> forget about the pumpkin pie. what's going on with the great pumpkin shortage of 2009? >>> keep talking to your doctor that's the big message from health and human services kathleen sebelius. this week, a federal advisory board said women in their 40s should avoid routine exams. the american cancer society they don't agree. sebelius said programs like medicaid will keep paying for the exams. the guidelines are recommendation not government polic

byrd has represented west virginia 20,774 days, that is almost 57 years. byrd came to washington in 1953 along with the first eisenhower administration. it is not the only milestone he is marking in two days he will turn 92 years old. >>> the crew of the space shuttle "atlantis" is at the international space station. what they are doing there now and what it looks like from there. >>> astronauts from the space shuttle "atlantis" inside the international space station. the hatch was opened about half hour ago. "atlantis" arrived this morning. just before docking the shuttle did a back flip so they could scan for possible damage. nasa says a previous laser scan of the craft shows no damage thankfully. the "atlantis" crew will be at the international space station for about a week including thanksgiving. they are delivering spare parts. >>> a new jersey woman found a unique partnership between two unlikely bedfellows. helping those in need in this week's "leaders with heart." >> a natural disaster inspired mary marzano to help others. >> my sister lives in ga

virginia later tonight. we're watching for heavy rain possibly for the mid-atlantic coast over the next 48 hours. rain right now around central ohio, that rain is now stretching into chicago, too. here's your rain shield, the heavy stuff is over gary, indiana, but moving in the chicago direction. watch for delays at the airports because of that. get away from that, the upper part of the northwest, one cold front came ashore last night, the first one. a lot of wind, rain, over the past couple of days, still seeing light snow out of that. look at that cloud cover off the pacific. that's your next storm. we'll see more of that action, wind, rain developing tonight. lasting through the weekend. another round behind that one. tower cam from the region, it's going to be a pretty decent day around new york city. that's the upper east side. little bit of wind. high pressure directly overhead. going to feel just like november. there you go, rob. more in a little bit. >> and it is. >> indeed. >>> munching on a waffle

>> virginia. and actually, we made a conscious decision to remain a virginia resident exclusively for their education benefits. >> let me tell you something about virginia. virginia is one of the states that has multiple 529 plans. and there are good 529 plans in virginia and bad ones. so i have a guide on my website which is clarkhoward.com, where you can do the hyperlink and make sure that the virginia plan you're in is the good one. not one of the bad ones. >> this is colonel hall-boyer, she's retiring from the reserve about five years from retirement. and she has a question about coming up on retirement. >> good afternoon, sir. i'm actually going to be retiring from the army reserve next year sometime. and will retire from my civilian job. i'm projecting five or six years from then. >> when do you rest? >> right now, i'm resting. >> this is it, she's resting. >> i just got back from afghanistan and i'm on my way home. and this is a little rest stop here. but i have about five more working year

i'm virginia cha. victims of disgraced financier bernard madoff have more restitution money coming because his valuables were sold to the highest bidder and took in twice as much money as expected. as susan candiotti reports buyers say there is a big lesson behind this auction. >> reporter: fast bidding to buy a piece of bernie madoff, anyone could watch online. >> 10,000. now 20. 20. now 30. >> reporter: inside the auction, no cameras allowed. here is part of madoff's spread at a preview. more than 51 watches, lots of gold-studded rolexes among them. this a wear watch from world war ii sold for 65 grand. ruth madoff's ear rings estimated at around $21,000 went for -- >> 73-5. >> reporter: $70,000, more than triple their projected worth. his house sign valued at 20 bucks sold for 2,000. his decorative buoy took in $7500. madoff's custom silk mets jacket worth about $500 went for more than 14 grand. a retired st. louis business man flew in for the auction, ready to spend big. you snagged a number of ite