Washington Friday Journal

Current news events and political issues were examined through reviews of the morning newspapers, interviews with journalists, newsmakers, and legislators; and viewer telephone calls, faxes, and electronic mail. Topics included Iranian arms permitted by the U.S. to be sold to Bosnia, the U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center, and the plane crash in Croatia which killed Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and others on Wednesday.

Speakers: Jason Connor, Connie Doebele, Blaine Harden, Christopher Hitchens, Brian Lamb, James E. Miller, James Nemer, Byron York

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Brian Lamb: Good morning, this is good Friday, it’s also pass over. It’s also a city in mourning, the death of… and others in the plane crash over in Bosnia.

And that is a live picture on your screen of the lone sailor, the US memorial between 7th and 9th streets on downtown Washington. And we’ll be talking to admiral Miller about this as the morning goes on and other things.

Including our guest for the first half hour Blaine Harden of the Washington Post. He spent a number of years over in Bosnia and that area.

And then we’ll go to a newspaper round table with Christopher Hitchens of Vanity Fair and the nation. And Byron York. Of the American Spectator.

And then as we said earlier it's the U.S. Navy Memorial time where we'll take your questions and talk about. This one nine hundred eighty seven memorial and whether or not it's open to the public and how you get there.

And then for the last half hour we want to ask you to begin faxing any time. You have questions about how the Washington Journal is run. Our executive producer Conny brode will be at the table. And we'll take your calls and your suggestions and that's the last half hour.

Good morning. And Blaine Harden look at this story on the front page of The Los Angeles Times. It's an exclusive. It's written by. McMANUS And. Is it Jim Risen Arisan.

Blaine Harden: I think it's risen.

Brian Lamb: Risen of The L A Times. Us. Okayed Iran. Arms for Bosnia official say let me read a paragraph or two. President Clinton. Secretly gave a green light to covert. Iranian arms shipments into Bosnia in one thousand nine hundred ninety four. Despite a United Nations arms embargo. That the United States was pledged to uphold. And the administration's own policy of isolating Tehran. Globally as a supporter of terrorism according to senior administration officials and other sources what's your read on this.

Blaine Harden: Well this is a very explosive story. What it does is it sort of revives. The question of the United States dealing with a regime that it publicly. Derives and tries to isolate. It's going to cause a lot of problems I think for the administration to try to explain that's why. Well. Because there's the duplicity of. Actively trying to isolate every team and. Allowing it to funnel arms into Bosnia against a U.N. arms embargo.

Brian Lamb: Well let me read a little bit more. To top U.S. diplomats. Acting on instructions from the White House and State Department told Croatian president. Is it from neo to judgment. In early one nine hundred ninety four that United States would not object to the create. Of an arms pipeline that would channel the weapons through Croatia and into Bosnia Herzegovina. For the forces of the Muslim led government fighting in the bloody civil war what did that mean at that time to these. To the Bosnian. Well. They they had a very difficult time finding the arms to fight against the Bosnian Serbs the Bosnian Serbs had the the. Huge cache of arms from the former Yugoslav army available to them. From the very beginning of the conflict. And so you had a massive. An equality between. What the Serbs had they had tanks. They had all kinds of artillery shells they had so much artillery. That they could afford to just shoot them. To waste them. And lots of artillery pieces and the. Bosnians the Bosnian Muslims had virtually no tanks. And no artillery and. Very little mortars. But there's help to do was to give them a chance to fight back. Way deep in this story and you can see on your screen here how big a story that I Times made of this war is a full. Other page your own page a four. In the end it was the CIA also cut out of the loop that first blew the whistle on the covert Bosnia policy. Is that is that where the story probably came from. Perhaps perhaps the. Apparently the CIA had monitored it using satellites and went to the White House to try to find out what was going on according to the story. There was a could look. From the satellites. Down on the Boston area and watch the. Early watch arms coming in trucks move through the mountains and stuff I was in Bosnia. Before this. OK was given in one thousand nine hundred four according to The L.A. Times. There were small shipments. Going into Bosnia. Before them. That was clear. In one thousand nine hundred to seven forty seven full of arms wish. Was seized at the airport in Zagreb. And there was a lot of publicity surrounding that and that plane was confiscated. And the arms. Did not go on to Bosnia. But there were other shipments and the. Croatians were nodding or. Collaborating with this with this smuggling from Iran and from other Islamic countries before ninety four. I think a certain context on this story is that this was happening in small ways before the administration gave it. The OK. According to the story. So in some ways I think it might be better to understand what was happening as. This was already happening. To a small extent. And the administration. Gave the nod and it probably increased. We read this paragraph. The Iranian link. That grew with the shipment is now an obstacle to the implementation of the four month old peace accord said U.S. officials who are relying on the pact to bring about a permanent end of the conflict the administration has demanded repeatedly that the Bosnian government expel the Iranian military advisers who helped the Muslim led government when the West would not and Bosnia is dragging its feet on complying. That's obviously the big problem. Consequence of having this policy is that the Iranians now have a toehold. Is there any comparison with what you've seen here in this story with the Iran Contra. I don't think so. I think that this is the administration. Sort of accepting something that was happening on the ground. That the Croatians wanted to do because they were. They were creaming off thirty percent of this. Of these weapons shipments for themselves which they needed to fight the Serbs and. It would also fit. The administration of directives of allowing. The Muslims to get in a position where they could effectively fight the Serbs and bring the situation on the ground to a stalemate that could lead to a peace. I don't think it has much to do it. It in that it's the around and it's an outlaw state that we're trying to isolate. That's the similarity but there are important. Francis in the washer poses more of a story with John Pomfret. And the headline on it is Brown's jet very sharply Of course. And at the end of the piece they say. Had reports from all over. What was your input on this. Well what happens with John John was on the ground into Brabant yesterday. And he had information given by the Croatians and by the U.S. ambassador to Croatia. Peter Galbraith. And what I did was take what he had and all this stuff we gathered in Washington from defense sources and. For right through of the story. What's interesting about this story is it looks as though. The Air Force pilots who are coming in to land in the worst weather in a decade according to Peter Galbraith. Were in the wrong Valley. There are three valleys that cut up into the domination Colt's really rugged mountains there. And the plane began its to send out forth about twelve miles out it went below four thousand feet. And once it went below. Four thousand feet it went into. Very very rough weather with almost no visibility flying only on instruments. And somehow the blank. The plane moved to the north into the second valley. Up into the mountains rather than the first valley where the airport is if you look up on your screen this is from The Post this morning and. This is right here the control tower in the airport. And over here is the crash site. Have you. This is Dubrovnik. Up in this area have you landed here before I have. And it's a steep. Downward rather scary airport to land then it should be noted though that this is an airport that's used by hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. So it is safe and five planes landed. Before. The Air Force plane landed there. So what. One could speculate. Is either. There is pilot error or. There is a lack of. Spirits on part of the Air Force pilot and landing at that particular airport. The instruments available. Were relatively primitive as compared to what's available in any. U.S. airport. On the screen will be. The captain and actually two captains of the U.S. Air Force. For the plane once thirty five. And the copilot was thirty three. This is not fair to people that age but. I remember in this town when Air Florida. Dumped into the Potomac. And one of the things they pointed out after it was over there was ice on the wings and all that were that the part it was like thirty four and the copilot was like thirty. Is this the normal age for folks flying those seven forty seven's over there. For the Air Force. I don't know. I don't know if these were experienced pilots according to the Air. Force Experienced in flying. This aircraft. And they had been. They also experienced in using the landing. Procedures that were available at that airport. The one. We talked yesterday. To some very experienced American pilots who said that they would not have landed. Given those weather conditions and given this landing. PROCEDURE. At the bra. The other day. Because there was the. The margin of error. With this landing. Technique was enough so that they could have flown into a mountain. Which is apparently they did. The plane was at the right altitude. It was just in the wrong Valley. Here's another photo go to calls this is from The Philadelphia Inquirer you see something like this in other papers. Grave diggers carry the Exuma body of a Bosnian Serb killed during fighting in September. The town was given back to the Bosnian Serbs of the terms of the Dayton Peace Accord. It is one of several sites of mass graves in Bosnia. How how bad is this going to be before it's over. It's an aspiration. The consequences of. The mass graves. It's unclear what it's going to do to the in The Hague that they're trying to bring people to justice to try them. They only have a few people there. They. There's a real problem in arresting that the leaders of the Bosnian Serbs. It's just unclear how much has Milosevic to the chief in Belgrade is going to allow. Senior Bosnian Serbs to be arrested he promised in the Dayton agreement last November to deliver a president of the Bosnian Serbs are out of the carriage and their senior commander. Michael Maddox but he didn't do it hasn't done it. BLAINE HARDEN it was from one thousand nine hundred in one thousand nine hundred three over in Eastern Europe in the buys in Bosnia area after he is a native of Moses Lake Washington. He has a new book coming out called a river lost in about a month of. All about the Columbia River. And. Was a graduate of a university in Spokane and Syracuse University a master's degree in journalism we have a call waiting for you from Arlington Virginia and it's during this period we'd like to ask our viewers to tell us what stories they're reading this want to go ahead on it and. I'm referring to an article in The Washington Post, page eleven.

All right, here what is it. For a Democratic Congress. Right there it is on your screen by Thomas at school and. Why did this get your attention this morning. Well you know the Republicans have been up to a whole lot of mist of last year or are attacking Medicare. Oh old people. Poor people and and. Generally if you're poor and have the kind of government power meant. There are those subsidies. All right thanks. You know in this same piece. The Pew survey. It's any KOAT who used to run Gallup and. And in the times of our survey shows that Bill Clinton has fifty three percent to forty one. Lead over. Bob Dole in a two way race. And his lead seems to be. If anything. Lengthening and and. As the primary season ends. He also point out to the George Bush had the same kind of lead at this time back. Yeah. For the one nine hundred ninety two election. To pay attention to polls of this time. Well. Yeah I mean I'm covering politics right now so I pay attention to Paul's I have no idea what the trend will be though. It's just it's impossible to predict Have you ever covered politics before. You know I just started six weeks ago. What are you thankful for. I'm. I really think it's fun. We have. At the post. People who've been covering politics for for decades. And who are high priests know everything. And I know know more than the average Joe. And but I've been flying around on the airplanes with with Buchanan and all and I just was down to see Perot and I just watch it. And it is terrific fun.

Washington D.C. Next Go ahead please. Brian. I want to read. I want to talk about the Bryant Brown play if you were just talking about. Yes ma'am. Am I wrong or right. If that I'm here as well. They're the. Baker of the house. Nor. Mr don't have say anything publicly about it not only Mr Brown being killed by you know all the of America for me I am I wrong or. I just think if I think that they have not me one single public statement. And the only Republican they have say they were Larry Pressler for about three seconds go if I had on LARRY KING LIVE. And then yesterday I think maybe Jesse Helms there and then the post like oh I were perfect a feeling when I heard the news. But you know if Speaker of the house or an air of the majority leader I mean Ron Brown were a member of the cabinet and. Other people were American citizens that even if they didn't agree with Ron Brownstein all it takes and. Didn't think that the Commerce Department needs to be a part of the government. Don't you think they at least it makes some kind of statement. They Thanks Karl. When are. I just don't think that that's a factor here I the fact that they have been quoted in the paper saying something about it I don't. Think that that's. If it means anything I know that Haley Barbour yesterday the chairman of the Republican Party he he expressed his sorrow and. About Brown's death. I just don't think that this is a partisan issue. In any way. Lana. Grant place yet. I'm reading The Atlanta Journal Constitution and. I'm reading an article about. Fowler being picked for this. How do you write and post as ambassador. You talking about the chairman of the Democrat National Committee or the white feller. Why it's Valerie and. Tell us again who is it definite or is it a speculation story. It is that he has. If it says that he has been nominated for what post again. Or ambassador. Ed. The administration.

Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Former senator from from Georgia what do you think about. Well I just think they never go away. I think that. You know he was defeated here. And that they just never go away. They. And they are resurrected over and over and over again. To be on the payroll. Of the tax payers of America. When they were voted out of office. Thanks. I have no comment on that. I'm not aware of them. And I think about it a bit do you think this you have a point that when people are defeated that they often. You know. Both sides have done this. The senator or the congressman then gets on the baster ship. I don't know. It's a different job. If he's qualified to do it and he may be useful. One of the next popping up in the stories throughout this recent Christ over in Bosnia is the ambassador Peter Galbraith Galbraith. Is that trying to kind of cover sun. Yeah you know he he used to work for Senator Moynihan. And he's been a very able. And energetic. Croatia guy. It's as if I may be one of your stories it's more that he could actually climb the mountain. Up there. To the correct price that. It wasn't in our stride but it is not surprising he's a young energetic guy. And he's taken a tremendous interest in Bosnia from from well before he was named as master of that spirit and the

ANA. You have the Franklin journal there you have soared. And what do you rate it. Morning. Yes sir it's pertaining to the supposed to deal that Clinton made with the government employees. I know you've had two or three calls on this. And there were reports that comp it on it. Kind of copped out that they weren't aware of the article. And one of the last one made the comment that the government workers. Wouldn't sit down with Clinton. And make a deal like that when it was two hundred fifty thousand government workers. It was their union leaders you. Now I'm a union worker myself. And I believe this article again from The Washington Post. It talking about how old is this story. Oh it's been going on now for about a week you'd have on your program. And the story basically says what that the union leaders from the Government Workers Union. That down with claimed it made a deal. To shut down the country. And lay off the employees. The pipe Republican to Gondor.

The story again probably print was the boat. You know are you from there that Mr Howard. I'm not about and what's wrong with it if it is the case. Well the board the Democrats all grind that Republicans shut down the government and put all the workers out of work and now come down to Clayton made a deal with the union officials could you out of maybe get three border on that wrote this story. And then let's ask him some questions. Share a good idea. You know I remember reading as though I suppose know I've been busy. And I didn't read it. How much traveling everyday I've been doing a lot of traveling on the road basically for the past five six weeks. How would you compared this year on now covering politics for. One thousand nine hundred six with being in Bosnia. Well it's interesting I think you sleep less covering politics than any job in journalism I've ever known with Buchanan. He was pushing himself so hard before the Super Tuesday. Crushing defeat that we're all sleeping. Sometimes five four four five hours a night. Day in day out. So it's. It's a bizarre experience unlike anything I've ever done. Even when I was in Sarajevo during the war when they're blowing that town up. I slept at night. Because there's nothing else to do. Michael Meyers has this piece in The Washington Times. Would buy third party B Can an app to decline his stay on G.O.P. campaign trail in Pennsylvania. You hear the headline it makes sense everything that Buchanan has been saying is that he wants to stay in the party. He wants to have a chance to speak out at the convention and he wants to position himself. If Bob Dole loses. As perhaps the person who picks up the pieces for the party. After. After November. If he were to say flatly that he didn't want to have a third party or. To make a third party run. He would lose a little bit of his leverage so it seems that he has to keep this as an option. But the. The likelihood of his doing it seems pretty slim. Playing hard with this until the bottom of the hour then Christopher Hitchens' and Byron York will be here for a newspaper roundtable remember had a bit about two hours. We'll take your faxes and your questions about the Washington Journal. Suggestions you might have criticisms or observations Let's go to Charlotte North Carolina next you have the Charlotte Observer there. Yes I certainly do Brian and by the way thank you for C.-SPAN. Welcome What are you reading that we got a couple rapidly through to your Warner's kind of national to the school violence is the number one issue. Rather than test scores go. And they're talking about that and what to do with the trouble. You. And then the next thing we've got here is it looks like we might have four coliseums in the city of Charlotte with a little over five hundred thousand population. Who's going to pay for all those. Yes that's exactly right Brian and.

The sports thing is all over the country to.

Who is going to pay for all those tax payers.

Eventually taxpayers are going to pay for everything. And so do you have a question or a comment for a blind heart out I do in the political scene and it has to do with what you're talking about with Bob in the plane. The one problem with the media that bothers me is they're trying to compare the Air Force. Which is controlled. To public transportation where they've got. Probably over the you know up to date by the way I don't think they spent the money they should on the guidance system. But I wouldn't want to be in a plane landing on an aircraft carrier. That's pitching in your ng. Please keep in mind this was their force. And I don't see how the media I don't think yet has the message that when you drive around in the Air Force that. They fly differently than they do. For the public which has all that safety and so I'll just hang up and listen to that. Well I I'm I'm not a pilot I'm not an expert on aviation but. What I can gather from the reporting of this week is that this plane was a seven thirty seven which is actually the most more seven thirty seven flying. Right now in commercial service. Than any other aircraft in the world. And this plane was modified for military use but it had all of the up to date systems of. Thirty seven thirty seven that takes off and lands in the United States or any other country. The problem was not what was on board that aircraft in terms of instruments. But the landing devices that were available in Dubrovnik. It was two or three generations. Older. And the best systems here. The one possibility of a mistake which. The color support may be true is that the military pilots. In this case. May not have understood. The degree of risk. At that particular airport using this landing system which had a relatively wide margin of air. There's a had I was showed earlier Brian Christ raises questions on. Trade missions Beth Belton's piece. And today's USA Today. Let's take a call from.

Fern and Dean at Beach Florida correct. Good morning what are you reading the article in The Los Angeles Times about the. Ministration. Given your carry. For arms from Iran and the bars. And I'm like ask your guest. How he sees. You have now is between a president. Who would not serve in Vietnam. Who worked on the Hill sink your cohorts. To conspire for the loss of United States. And presented himself as to be educated. To go and serve his country. How in good conscience. Could OK. The import of the pause where people were slaughtering each other. Well the ad hominem attack on the president. If and that's what it was not serving in Vietnam and. I also think it accords. It doesn't seem to having to do with this. In my opinion I mean this was a. This is the decision by the president. To carry out the the. Foreign policy goals. In Bosnia by trying to level the playing field and it raises a lot of eyebrows about. Official hypocrisy. Condemning an outlaw state in the same time allowing it to move arms. Into a country in violation of the UN's. Arms embargo. But the way the question was phrased it just doesn't seem appropriate to this pair. From the dull McManus Jim arisen story at ministration officials insist that the decision on the arms shipment. Was justified. The United States was always sympathetic to the Muslims who bore the brunt of Serbian territorial aggression. And amenable to easing their plight. Short of violating the embargo. If I remember correctly Bob Dole was also in favor of lifting the embargo so is this the kind of story what was it take to get had this story become a serious story that has legs. Well I think it has a serious. It has legs. Already because there's this conflict between the U.S. and supporting the embargo and at the same time. Allowing the Iranians. An outlaw state to to violate it. It will be running around Washington for a weak side. I would think it's a very good story. I wish we had it Orlando Florida go ahead place. Oh good morning. Brian. I get the Sentinel there. Yes I do. What do you read this morning. The main thing here is is. The tragedy with Ron Brown and. I just wanted to make a comment it seems to me in the scheme of things that we're losing sight of the fact that. Ron Brown and all these other C.E.O.'s. Lost their lives. Because Clinton is trying to make points. They had no business there. Just like our troops have no business there or. I'm going to hang up and listen to Mr planes respond. Mr Hard. Well

I guess my response.

Having spent. It one of the things that I think. Viewers should know. Is that when journalists then much time in my Especially the time that I was there. Ninety two particularly when. Serbian gunners. Were basically murdering Sarajevo. And the journalists in the city were. Were being shot at. It's hard for anyone to leave such an experience and. Be neutral. About what's going on there. One. Leaves. Sarajevo. After a year after that year. Hoping and praying to God that something can be done to stop this. It seems that the U.S. peacekeeping effort. The Dayton Accords the diplomatic moves that were pressed by the administration have silenced the guns in Bosnia. People are not dying they're not being slaughtered. That is a definite plus and it's. Whatever other consequences come out of it. It's the. Policy has saved a lot of lives. Since the guns went silent. As you know we showed the headline from the USA Today Brown Crace raises questions on trade missions. And there is this headline. Commerce staffers work while grieving. Fourteen colleagues proration Croatia. Crash. Will there be a follow up. Number of stories about the number of people who are on this mission from the Commerce Department. I'm sure there will be is that too many people fourteen people flying over there. From the Commerce Department. I don't think so I mean if. If Ron Brown was talking about a reconstruction effort over five years. Of several billion dollars. Before the crash and. The involvement of the Commerce Department with the with the American executives is so the Commerce Department does. And that there was a lot of money to be spent and a lot of money to be made by American business over there. Yugoslavia. Before the war. Was the most industrialized and progressive country in a communist country. There's a tremendous potential in that country it is rich. It is beautiful. It's a tremendous tourist market it can be rebuilt and people can make a lot of money doing it. Did you know the New York Times reported a thing on national I didn't.

Last call for our gas headers and go North Carolina go ahead please. Good morning Brian I probably meant you are. And it is a great great show. Bags what you read this morning. don't I. What story are always in the back of the newspaper. When it's our president. What part.. Disgust Oh. What it is that you know. Is claiming that practice resident Clinton when he was governor and met with him in cable's big. regarding the three hundred thousand dollars. Now one of the thing is that only three hundred thousand dollars loan. To MacDill goes wife. One of the things that the media is always do you think is that there is no connection between the president and Rick don't hold your data get. I want to hear. He's mean I'm requesting the money be given to make. You know. I'd like to hear what your report as to say about Fred. You know it raises a lot of eyebrows and it's I've been reading it and. Raises a lot of questions but it's not something that. That I've been focusing on I don't have an expert opinion on what would take. I mean if you look at the day's polls fifty three for Bill Clinton. Forty one for Bob Dole. What would it take to have white water. Matter. In politics. It would take more direct links. Of the president getting money. Than than it's been clear so far. The polls are showing that White Water is a murky. Unclear. Old. Problem. That a lot of voters are willing to say. Is not that important at this point. Thirty seconds on the cover of The National Journal. The parole bloc almost twenty million Americans voted for us Perot in ninety two what will they do in ninety six. I was just down following Perot in Florida. And talking to his floored voters many of his voters from one thousand nine hundred two. They're they're not. As in love with them as they were before. There seems to be several things going on his behavior in ninety two when he pulled in. When he pulled out of the race and then jump back in here is his sort of disappearance during the balanced budget debate last year. Has bothered some of. Some of his voters and then the fact that some of his issues have been basically co-opted by the republicans democrats. The line item veto has been passed by Congress and will be signed by the president. So Perot. Has lost a little bit of his bite. But still there are a tremendous number of disaffected Americans who don't like either party. And Perot. Is not because they love Perot but because they're disaffected. He's likely to get their vote he's running. Right now with fifteen percent of the vote in the most recent polls. So he's going to be an important factor and nobody else has his kind of money there's never been a third party candidate who's had this much money. Who's publishing your book. A river lost on Norton. And he comes out in about a month and. It's about the clearer what about that aspect of what it's really about it's how. Western Americans live along the rivers. Considering themselves to be rugged individualists completely self-sufficient. When in fact they live in a world that. Really couldn't exist without massive federal subsidies. It's about that contradiction I grew up in a town that. That basically couldn't have existed without federal water and. The book sort of a it comes out of that. Contradiction. Please come back. I will thank you. BLAINE HARDEN of The Washington Post political writer. Reporter on the campaign trail and a native of Moses like Washington. We're going to shift focus here to something called the U.S. Navy Memorial. And that's some videotape on your screen there as we look. From above down on the memorial. And there in the background way in the background is the portrait gallery where we spent some time area. A couple of months ago. And right down there. On that memorial. Somewhere. Live at this point. Is. Admiral John Miller. Who is in charge of this whole project there Admiral Miller tell us about this. Well the Navy even Morial and. Naval Heritage Center has a long history really. Brian It started with Pierre L'Enfant. When he designed Washington

D.C.. And he made provision for a maritime memorial. The next major step in this great. Memorial was when John Kennedy set up the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. To revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue. And then aurally Burke and Bill midden door secretary midden Dorf and many others. Said You know we've got to carry through with the promise of fun and a lot of people want to work real hard. Thousands and thousands and thousands of. Naval veterans across the country. Contributed to building this great tribute to them.

Right behind us along saying Our

What's that about. Say again Ryan. I said right behind you is a statue of a long sailor What is that about the lone sailor is the epitome of the American sailor. Out at sea or ashore. He stands seven feet tall and he's got the Medal of seven ships blended into him and. We understand he may be the most photographed statue in town. Because we do hundreds of reenlistments and we get veterans from all over the country who want to have their picture taken with their symbol. And Omar. Where did you serve in the Navy. Last. I served for thirty seven years Brian ended my career in one nine hundred ninety three and came over is the president of and C.E.O. of this great memorial and. So I've had forty wonderful years. Looking out. I think for our for our Navy and. Trying to help pay tribute to the veterans. You know Brian Today's a little bit of a. Of a great day. Here in Washington with the over. Yes guys. But you know it reminds me of the Navy saying. Hayes grey and underway. And while we pay tribute to our veterans of the past. Let's remember that of the three hundred sixty ships in our Navy. Over half are under way as we speak right now in over one hundred are deployed for six months or more. Around the world to helping to keep our freedoms. And ensure our economic dependence. We're going to take a tour and later on this morning. Where I spent about five more minutes with you now but won't be back. How long has the memorial band there on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was dedicated in one nine hundred eighty seven. In the Naval Heritage Center was dedicated in one thousand nine hundred two in Brian the heart beat. Is this whole the moral and Heritage Center is our Navy Memorial log. It is an electronic interactive video system which has over two hundred forty thousand. Naval veterans with their pictures in a summary of their service data in it and. People can get into this log and get information about it just by dialing one eight hundred. Navy log. And what. If someone wants to be in this. I mean what's the criteria for before getting on the Navy log. It's a sea service veteran Navy Marine Corps Coast Guard or merchant marine. In war time but let's remember. Even today our merchant marine are sailing with the fleets. In an increasing numbers in Euler's in support ships and that type this thing where you have to have been and. A combat or in a war to be in the Navy log. No absolutely not. Brian you know. Those that went to war. You know. Sacrificed much in their valor is greatly appreciated. But you know those are this that. In the veterans is served in peacekeeping and peacemaking. Have an equal stake in our nation's independence and our freedoms. And so. Anyone can be put in the log by anybody and anybody that comes to the Naval Heritage Center here can look up anybody. And I'll tell you when you see a grandson or a grand daughter come in and actually pull up the picture and service dad of a grandfather. Or a shipmate coming in looking up. Somebody who has been a fallen shipmate. It is a very emotional and wonderful moment in heritage. In the valor in the honor in the courage and commitment. Of all of our naval veterans. Is being preserved right here of

Pennsylvania Avenue. How much for the memorial cost. It In total about fifteen million dollars was raised. For the outside and that was all by private donation there was no public funds. At all in that. And we received no grants from the government today were supported by the Naval veterans whose valor. We reflect. By the way how many people have logged on to the Navy along a two hundred forty thousand today. Brian. And we know there's about seven million living veterans naval veterans. Out in the country. And that's why we have this one eight hundred

Navy log number. Where they can get an application to become a member of our of our log family. Which the favorite. Stop there at the memorial for people when they come there what do you hear people saying they like the best. Well I think for the veteran unquestionably it's the memorial log. And just the memorial itself which pays tribute to them. You know. The build the memorial centers around a hundred foot diameter map. We think it's the largest in the world. But it shows vividly that seventy two percent of the years surface has come. It is covered with water and therefore we need a strong Navy a strong sea services and a strong maritime tradition. To the casual visitor I must say that I think are great movie at sea which profiles. Are great young men and women out at sea. Today. Is probably the major attraction. It's on it's shown on a two story high screens. Seventy feet wide and. With surround sound. In one of your previous. People that you had on talked about the Navy aircraft carrier in landing on it. That movie profiles very much. The. Aviation in the Navy but it also profiles and fifty S landing surface ships submarines. And it's an all around view of your Navy you work today and it's a great tribute. You went to university runs California. I sure did Brian masters from the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey. I did at that Ser San Diego native Californian eighty's San Diego in fact one of the few my age it's a said Diego native I think most supply corps What was your last assignment before he retired. I was the commander of the naval supply systems command. In Chief of the great U.S. Navy supply corps that homeowner will be back to you in about an hour and we'll take a tour. Brian fine thank you I will say. The for people coming here. We have a Metro stop here archives Navy Memorial. And so if they want to take a tour like you're going to. They can get off right here at the Navy Memorial. And especially tomorrow for the blessing of the fleet. And that's where we pay tribute to all those tens of thousands of Navy people see service people around the world today. And the Navy Memorial as between seven tonight on Pennsylvania Avenue and will

Top of the hour nine o'clock East Coast time to talk to a number I learned see some more

Thank you sir thank you Brian it's great to be talking to a great shipmate. Guy. Good to have you here with us on C.-SPAN as well take a break and be back with our newspaper roundtable. Coming up with a visit the U.S. Naval memorial and Heritage Center here in Washington. That's at nine A.M. Eastern Time. And up next our newspaper roundtable with Christopher Hitchens a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. And Byron York a contributing writer to The American Spectator. First poll look at the recent travels of our C.-SPAN school buses.

Landover has a really fascinating history. And over was founded. Three hundred fifty years ago. Our anniversary date. Is May sixth. Sixteen forty six. So this year we're celebrating our three hundred fiftieth anniversary. The community was founded by. Puritans that came in learned from switch and Salem. And Lynn. And Boston. To colonize the hinterlands. And over this community was very large in terms of square miles and the. Part of the problem with and over and ancient and over. Was that we had to have two parishes. There was a North parish and a south parish and. Through the years. The parishes decided to split for a variety of reasons a lot of them more economic. Mark and tie or. Commercial reasons. Perhaps some religious reasons. Maybe some. Family differences or whatever. But we had a north parish in the south. So we have two very distinct. Communities and one they split in the eight hundred fifty S.. And in fact both North Andover. Today and Andover are celebrating the three hundred fiftieth. And true to our natural split. When we tried to get the communities together to celebrate. The the end overs. Birthday. And one event. North Andover. Decided not to cooperate with us. So and over went. And is doing its own thing and North Andover is doing its own thing. So we have a fascinating history and that way. We also have some aspects of our history that aren't quite so nice to talk about. And that is the witch burning. Episodes. We. We had. Part of our history. Pockmarked with the witch hysteria and. It is alleged and I haven't really read our history enough to know if it's true but it's alleged that more which is. Or burned in Andover then and Salem. During the civil war. And over was very involved in the Underground Railroad and. I think it was through the Andover Theological Seminary. That was founded here in Andover that we had a number of. Of slaves come up through and over and go to points north. Were especially proud of the song America. During this our three hundred fiftieth year because America. Was written in and of was composed in and over by a student at Andover Theological Seminary in eight hundred thirty two. Samuel Smith who had graduated from Harvard. I was studying to be a minister at and over theological seminary. And he was translating some. Some German. Marching songs and. He was struck by the tone or the beat of. One particular song. It was really composed. According to him. In just a matter of a half hour or an hour's worth of writing and. It was played. At Park Street Church. In Boston. That summer. And it just caught on. And it's. It's sort of the town's anthem during this year. So we're very proud of America and in fact the logo for our three hundred fifty year. Fiftieth year. Has the name and over. Home of America. Today. One bus will visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The other school buses in Lewisville Texas where the crew will meet with students and teachers from area schools.

Washington Journal. Continues.

Newspaper roundtable

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS What are you reading on this Good Friday. Passover. My tension was cool today by a nasty story on the front of the Washington Post World News section about the regional Cold War in South Asia. Between India and Pakistan which is actually going nuclear. And I read through it. Looking for a tie in with a story I read last week about how the United States Congress has overridden the president meant in order to supply Pakistan with an enormous quantity of American weapons. In spite of the fact that it refuses to certify that it's not going nuclear and that the tie in wasn't there I wish it had been. There was a much better story. But another regional Cold War. By Redbone in the New York Times. Last Friday. We've got today. About the way that Greece and Turkey. Rearming for war on a massive scale. Both of them being armed by the United States and to the tune of six billion in one case and four billion in the other two countries that really can't afford this. Barrier to you. Pay attention stories like this not as much as I should want. Because it seems like it's taking all my time just keeping up with the Clinton scandals. And you picked this morning. For your story. This one from the New York Times. It's on the New York Times on page A twenty two it's called Day of barbs and. Smirks in a Whitewater trial and it's about cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness against. McDougal's and Jim Guy Tucker. And the. The odd thing about The Times story is what you didn't read a few days ago a few days ago. The witness David Hale. Made his allegation finally under oath. That the president had had pressured him to take this three hundred thousand dollars loan. Front page of The Washington Post it was absolutely nowhere to be found in the New York Times. So they print the rebuttal when the rebuttal to the witness comes out. It makes it to the paper when the original allegation came out. It was nowhere to be found. What was your next story that you chose today. Looks so much as. Was it was a theater review of The New York Times. Theater It has been a revival of a wonderful play. Which was also very interesting film called. It hurt the wind. It's about the Scopes trial. Of some sort some as it was the monkey trial in Tennessee. Fifty years or so good. Wisest of entries to. Because most of us that she was in its trials dire it was on the stand shows my age. Because in Tennessee the. Try to do it again. They just passed a statute saying that if you can be dismissed as a teacher if you. If you instruct your pupils that evolution is a scientific national rather than a matter of debate between evolution and what they now call. Which I think is the last intelligent design instead of creationism you should see the faces by the way of those who think they are the result of intelligent design and. They've also mandated that. The Ten Commandments be displayed in public offices and. To the sea and I just thought of those shows how to do so shows but it would be very good if the play was a here's a go put on everyone else because people would see exactly what happens when these sorts of ideas. Exposed to a fair test.

Now Byron York shows an entirely different story again.

On the federal Page the Washington Post called at the Justice Department. The government keeps getting bigger and bigger and the sage of reinventing government when the Clinton administration says it is down sizing government they've asked for a twenty percent increase in the Justice Department budget and. As a matter of fact the budgets gone up six hundred percent in the past sixteen years most of that under Republicans. And there's a huge. Patchwork quilt of. Federal enforcement agencies. F.B.I. A.T.F.. INS Customs D.N.A.. All over laughing and their people are going to get worried that they're just too darn many and they're not coordinated enough. Now Mr JONES Have you seen this picture here and here. This is the Washington Times. And they have you here. This is their say is it a party of some guy you know I did a No no.. None. Isn't that interesting we can surprise you with this insider base proves great investment. This is something that you put on. It's a book about recall risky business by Elizabeth. Listen. Very good book. And what do you get your talking to in this picture Diana McLachlan. Yeah I think Brits.. Yes Oh that Amy of mine. You know that's a big book by woman who was conned by Lloyd's of London. It's becoming a name. As they call it you put your name down this prestige matter you become an underwriter but you. Last year. You also become liable they didn't tell you that. Bit. Here's Diane McClelland and. Michael Barone. Who is probably the way you see it all and I mean here's a dumb term used to write a terrible gossip column called The air in the Washington Post and then even worse in the Washington Times this week on an enemy of yours when she wrote a review. Short of call it on Washington to which I get a better IF YOU CHEAT shows that she this very evening. To have her revenge on me in her introductory speech for which you need a sheet which it's sort of going to sell for better if you like it just goes to show me this town remembers well it's flattering to think that you know someone's reading you. Even if it. Even if they know we do want to support yourself and I was OK with the picture. Certainly I'm saying that you know it's coming because if I look even I was one of them I do this morning how often ago was this picture taken. Monday night this was one of the. But one of Washington's special joints it's a specially consecrated to munchies and cigars barter. YORK Let me show you. Tony off cartoon from. This is this morning. And they Philadelphia Inquirer. See it up there on your screen. Nixon strolling on the beach great photo ops in history L.B.J. exhibits a scar. Dukakis in the tank. And Bill relaxing in Florida. The reaction. Maureen Dowd told the story about the dog dull photo of the other than a New York Times. And this story she told was that an A.P. Stringer. Posed as a vacationer came up. While the oldest was relaxing. And took his photo. Went back to the A.P. and said well you need permission to run it. Went back to Dole admitted her roots and all said fine write it. So if that story is true at least it wasn't planned by the campaign. To show off his vigor. And he kind of. Just shows you how the hundred pound No this campaign is it seems to me to have been used to be assigned to the Peter to four presumptive Republican nominee and have absolutely nothing to write about. Actual imagine how. What a miserable job it must be and seriously what it says about the fact that this is a company with no post its new issues new no excitement of interest to anyone at all and with months to run. Have either one of you see this story leading the Los Angeles Times warning us. Okayed. Iran. Arms. For Bosnia. I saw your discussion of it earlier today. President Clinton secretly gave a green light to covert. Iranian arms shipments into Bosnia in one thousand nine hundred four despite a United Nations arms embargo that the United States was pledged to uphold and the administration's own policy. Of isolating to Iran globally as a supporter of terrorism according to senior administration officials and other sources its general James Risen and. Doyle McManus storm of mass is the bureau chief for The Los Angeles Times reaction I wrote a very good book who co-wrote with Jane Mayer a very good book on the Iran Contra and knows what he's talking about so I imagine the story's true. It strikes me as ridiculous because one of the arguments that. Those of us who favored lifting the arms embargo. Was used to make was look. If you keep the bozos under and bug it with just hopelessly unfair because it locks in the imbalance between them and the subs. They will turn into fundamentalist regimes for their weaponry. So one reason to lift the embargo so the Iranians don't become the opportunist. Agents of the masses and now as well as keeping the embargo on the fund the United States administration was inciting Iran to break it so it seems. They might just as so often the liberal composer to contrive the worst of both worlds. Played hard was here from The Washington Post he says is that this is an important story. Well it's certainly a way. To get something done without actually doing it. I mean that's the whole thing about it they cannot simply take the United States government something. Couldn't take the action of doing it they let somebody else do it does it talk about with the source of those arms of his. I mean. The Iranian Armstead. I mean we didn't sell it to them did we. I've read most of the piece and didn't see any reference to that. It says it suggested here the source of this. It said the source of the story but the CIA was the most unhappy they found out about this by using their spy satellites watch of the arms coming from Turkey. So they were out of the loop on this. It made a way. It made its way to a reporter. But it was making the point I mean. As with this story I mentioned earlier India Pakistan Greece and Turkey. The most impressive often writes about the international arms bazaar that is if the United States wasn't it straight from room chief patron in chief money functioning as if in fact the United States. Economy wasn't in many ways a world Connelly's the effect is so big that it never gets mentioned.

Unabomber Story

Brian Lamb: William Carly has a story in today's Wall Street Journal. C.B.S. comedy breaking in a bomber story. Comma. Forced F.B.I. to move in on suspect. And I read a little bit of it as F.B.I. agents closed in on the Unabomber suspect in a remote Montana cabin Dan Rather of C.B.S. News broke in the afternoon programming to announce that the seventeen year. Manhunt was nearing an end quote The F.B.I. is preparing to execute a search warrant. Unquote on the home of the Unabomber suspect C.B.S. News Washington correspondent Jim Stewart said shortly after three P.M. Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday. When C.B.S. didn't say. Call and. Breaking the story forced the Federal Bureau of Investigation to terminate its surveillance of Theodore John because the former mathematics professor. Who is the Unabomber suspect F.B.I. agents hurriedly arranged to question the fifty year old suspect in searches like in Montana cabin a process that agents normally prefer to take time and care. Planning. This is on page two. It belonged there.

Blaine Harden: Oh yeah. It's. It was kind of interesting story. Is that C.B.S. The story was almost drowned in the wrong. Brown thing incidentally I mean they were going to have this big exclusive. Goes on so they knew about it. Since Monday. And the F.B.I. asked them to please hold off and. They only ran with it not because the F.B.I. was about to go when but because they found out that C.N.N. and A.B.C. knew about it they might get scooped on it so they decided to to go and. Stories as a number of people the F.B.I. are unhappy about it. But on the other hand. C.B.S. knew the story they had it enough to report it and they should report it.

Brian Lamb: Comment Mr. Hitchens?

Christopher Hitchens: Not really.

Brian Lamb: Not important?

Christopher Hitchens: Don’t know why, just doesn’t excite me somehow. I’ll be more exciting on some other matter.

Michael Lewis Story

Brian Lamb: We have. We have a good article here by Mr York called Bomb of the month if you're not us Mike Scilab. Michael Lewis hates you was Michael Lewis. Michael Lewis is a a writer. He writes he's been writing political coverage for The New Republic lately. And he as he began his campaign journal I read the first few and it just kind of took me off so I wrote that article about him he made. Made quite a bit of fun of Phil Gramm and some of the rural supporters of Republicans out in Iowa and in New Hampshire. So I contrast it that to a story he wrote in The New Republic. About trying to get a summer home and. Believing or having his real estate agent tell him that the actor Ron Silver on the summer home next door and. He relates to his tremendous excitement and his wife's excitement and they go. Almost a year wondering how they could approach. The great man and. And be nonchalant and friendly in approach. Ron Silver they finally find out that some guy named David Silva wrongs that no relation no nothing then. They've been excited for a year for no reason so I kind of contrast to the way he loved the celebrity and. Hated the people. You know Michael as many of us. Would you think of Mr Gorst. Well I'd like to lose his campaign. Coverage in a way that I can't remember now the name of the book. The Republican. Outsider who had made famous. So she didn't make him all that famous and so more a failure anymore it's a little more detail. He was incredibly funny but this got much out of the tycoon who failed to get any delegates. But he seems like. He makes you know a very likable and attractive person. And I thought generally speaking his coverage was good. On the campaign. I remember the run so the diary though did big I remember feeling piercingly about a mystery that York writes about in a Republican Michael Lewis you write about this somewhat about racially. And The New Republic. And other things called plagiarism. What's this about and when when are we going to see it in Vanity Fair. This is my new my next. Father said it's cool to column in Vanity Fair. It's called steal this article because it's. So I close my friendship beyond. Because it's a defense of plagiarism. I thought it was high time someone said a good word for this and. I maintain that plagiarism is really indispensable for literary production. As well as for almost all journalistic production and. It can be a great source of creativity I distinguish it from theft from sort of shoplifting or. or Kleptomania just simply lifting other people senses and putting them in your and but I've. I put the case of T.S. Eliot's. Of Luther King and of the Scottish poet called human. Germ it and show that. It was the best stuff. Had to be based on other peoples. With the justification. Was that they sent the size to them and put it out at a higher level. And that that's. That's a good and necessary thing. If you say you are against plagiarism which most people say they are. You're saying you can tell what it is and to say until it is means you have to claim to know what the original. Is and will say what is authentic. And I maintain that's harder to harder to know than those people believe. Well that least took the trouble to rearrange the words and the problem with Shelley to stuff is it done a number of occasions there appeared to be. Whole sentences that were lifted from other people's stuff and. Also the authors are alive and well and living in Washington so they pointed out well I mean. I think she gambled that. I mean imagine Steve. Me Peace. Prudent to relax and I think in Canada and Australia. He said prove it in those US other countries. I think it's a. I think it's a pity that this is the case and think these and those in this country be unconstitutional and I don't like the way in which the book's been been moved up and I don't like the AS MUCH AS press gives in not because of the change but because of public opinion it's a very bad sign. Byron York is a. Birmingham Alabama native. And Christopher Hitchens originate from Portsmouth. Hampshire. England. Or is it. How do you say it. I'm sure the caption. I'm sure. White

Speroni are going to place that made to reporters why they think our left. This liberal president has not taken. Mr ferric hand. Like he would take on. Mr David. Who seems to me he's very one sided. And I think he's a free of losing the Blair. Oh. In November. I'd like an answer from.

All these men and please don't. Softshell. Byron York. I think the answer is what's in it for him to come out and announce the non-spherical and he can let the. He can go with the people who agree with the good things that Farah Khan says and just try to hide from the track and so some of the law when he refers the prize a leftist liberal does that. There's a track for you. You think he's a leftist liberal. It's hard to tell I think he has in his heart he's been a kind of all over the place and he's done a pretty good job of trying to appropriate. Some Republican ideas lately but. Sure I think if he were in office not worried about re-election he would come out as a pretty left liberal guy. I mean I suppose he's gay so. The audience hasn't caught up today with your views on this. You characterize how you feel about Bob Bill and. Bill Clinton right now. About each one of them. They're like two sides of the same. There are two haunches of the same river and. If you like you know what I want you both really want to know I would know her father Mr probability you'd be a good president I think because this is it things would be much different Bob Dylan present all these things that were vetoed would not have been free to. They would have been passed and. They will be passed if Dole is the president so he'll sign their stuff. I just feel I owe the first quarter and also because he must know he was so sure that you know that he would get off such a tough question that we couldn't possibly face off so I said certain shots also of course Mr Clinton is not a leftist or liberal he's. The self-proclaimed obvious new conservative. Second. He has little occasions I know including occasions where no one asked him to do so. Been very hostile to anything that could be described as black nationalism went out of his way for. If you remember. To pick a fight with. Sister Soldier the reps you know. The Rainbow Coalition you think it's ridiculous to suggest that he's going soft on Farrakhan. Certainly as far as a black puts concern for a clown doesn't believe in elections and doesn't think there's anything to vote for so I don't think that's has anything to do with them. It was going to switch to for the black version which goes to the Democratic Party no matter what the Democratic Party does to African-Americans. But I would like to say there is a film going on that I've been trying to promotion my nation column called brother minister. And it's a film about the assassination of Malcolm X.. And it contains an extraordinary piece of footage of a video of. Mr Fan a concert he and his mosque in Chicago. More or less in this. Was I can see. Actually taking credit for the murder of Malcolm X. and I think this film. Should be moved Why do distributed then it so far has been so be having difficulty getting a distributor if anyone wants to contact me I have to have a number through which they can order it. I mean I mean just. Tell our audience. What's coming up we're going to back the Navy Memorial. Down don't have any avenue. A little less than an hour. And then at nine thirty East Coast time which is about an hour and a half away. Any bird will join as our executive producer on this program will want to listen to you for suggestions ideas you might have for the Weisinger on what you like or dislike anything that you see here in the morning. You could fax this in will also use those. Before we grab and we were going to talk to our. Our high school student of the morning. First vote. Someone who's voting for the first time ever he voted for the first time. Yes I did. But here. One nine hundred seventy six and. Gerald Ford Don't blame me for cars. You can't vote. No I have wishing for them time I one of those unlucky people who was when I was eighteen the when of that so they cheated by the time I was twenty one I sort of missed the chance of a member of the ocean for the labor kind of day but that was the name of our rather our student of the morning is Jason Connor. Of the. Edmund Memorial High School in Edmond Oklahoma Good morning Mr Connor.

Are you there Mr Connor. Yes. Good morning good morning. Are you was are you a senior. Yes sir or how old are you. Eighteen. Have you registered. Yes I have one party Democrat. Why. Well I'm mad. Your student living in Oklahoma ended with the middle of it. The Bible Belt and I study. In my limited. Study have the political parties I've kind of figured that the Democrats. More in favor of the pages free to me. If you will. You know with Buchanan. Of course. Even with. You know I begin with the Christian Coalition in wine did you know. Not to take away the separation of church and state. I just Clint How did you know you might not have done the best job at i'd I think I'd like to see him in there for another four years he get in the Republican. I understand that you travel to Israel. The director. Interest in archaeology that. You remember the young Democrats. And that you paged you were a page in both the

Oklahoma House and Senate what when did you do that. I'm out of the page in Oklahoma how a month ago exactly and I was a page in the Senate. Last year. A week after the murder of building my own presence going to be in Oklahoma City today. Yes. I believe. Are you going to go. You know I think it. It was going to be pretty tough to get access to that he was I think he was going to make of it very public this time I think he was coming to dedicate a building but he wouldn't. He wasn't going to be that until later you think coming to meet with meet with people today I'd let me go back but he said You say your religion is Jewish. Yes or.

Do you feel any anti-semitism living in Oklahoma. A little not not. So much like. I guess and I think because I'm from Nazi Germany. With. You know that. Wanting to preach they destroy the Jewish people but yes there's. There's you know I my school is very you know. Nominally Christian. It makes it difficult sometimes. I mean you can you can feel a little pinch not not.

Against being Jewish but just because I'm not Christian. It when I want to ask you know our guest or any comments on anything I've missed Conner said or question you might have for how the chill.

I was going to be twelve. In citizen. Yes. But you are just another three Americans. How how big is your school and. Mr Connor and. Edmund. It is. I mean I had about eight hundred students. I could be wrong nine through twelfth grade. Are you going to college. Yes or. What do you study. I think either. International business or. Why are we. And where we go. I will be at O.U. next year in. To take my basic. In that after that I'd like possibly in the university pack. Or another school. On the east coast that would possibly have a bigger Jewish population where I could possibly feel more comfortable. Right now. How did you write just or where. Well I've got my government here I had. From the beginning of the years and. There were a lot of students there were either eighteen or turning eighteen. He's been pushing it along did we get our voter registration. I got my nan and. Finity any name. I think they paid me my card back about two weeks ago. Next election I'll be. Be ready to vote. Thanks Jason Kyra for joining us this morning. Thank you there. You remember in seventy six the twenty fifth twenty sixth amendment was. Was law did how did you register your married with a registry in high school. How does it happen. I don't remember when we hear this more and more that those teachers are bringing their I was there was no high school program I went out and did it myself. Does it. What do you think about the fact that teachers are getting kids to register. I think it's a fine idea I have no complaints. Mr Tracy and I are stored you have to register to vote in this any other country whether that's true. List countries if you're a citizen of the US It just show you guys one of the many many things that seem to me to make elections. So I'll start with that again. This is one of the many barriers to having a democratic process in this country. That the Electoral College. When people think the president is allegedly popular that he's not. Registration getting on the ballot just noticed enough to run. You can't say I'd like to be a kind of date you go to complete a huge number of very interesting now she is in many states increasing the. Of both parties combined to make sure the third parties can get on in the New York state it can be. You can have a primary where the main challenger isn't allowed on the ballot. Extraordinary number of. Ways in which the the gods awaited against him. But it was his and. They never seem to get mentioned. Yet but the odds. The obstacles are going down down down motor voter being the last Sure. Sure I mean you mean. Dissenters used to not be elected by popular vote and. Used to you have to have sort of a fixed address and. Everything to register to vote now you can do it with a driver's license right. Get a call from Los Angeles good morning good morning. What are you reading this morning out there you get the times you get where you think this story do you good you read this story on the front page about death. Us OK. Iran arms for Bosnia. Officials say. I can't read it. Really the first part of it go great after it what was your reaction. Is as good or bad as a matter. Well my reaction was very upright that I think that American foreign policy. Isn't or. By the logic and the facts of the social welfare state. That are the government's empty promise to take care of you well. Degrade diminishes your power to take care of yourself and. That that should be informed by the values of America founding principle. Tickler the value of second amendment the legal guaranteed health. Of God given to me of the right. Yeah right

Clinton. Graciously covertly for that value. Second Amendment. I hadn't made that connection. You know no I must say nor do I know so I have yet. It's ingenious that. I must say and I'm always way impressed by the way that puts a gun control can find evidence for their view and a single tool but like those people who can find. This is the Koran with this lesson it was he took pictures of the Virgin Mary on clouds and so forth. I speak as someone who very much. Supports about keep and bear arms but I don't find him thinking about it absolutely all the time this. As one is a part of the supposed Mr York way of I fax or from I it looks like J.. Tracy Jaipuria Tracy of Virginia Beach. Days working for the spectator make you jealous and bitter. Or are these the requirements to work for the spectator. The Spectator is well represented on C.-SPAN. And I can't help but feel sorry for all of you. When you are so unhappy. Jealous of. Of whom. Just jealous no think so besides everybody the spectators just been delighted since the Clinton administration came in it's been great. Circulation has gone up. Lots of stuff to write about I think there's been a pretty happy time. It's a time where you hope your opponents when so that you can. When. Well someone who's opposed to both major parties and I certainly find my life as easy as a big supporter of either one of them but I think the best certainly most intelligent people in each party I think.

Realize that it's. It could be like the thing for them to be defeated by status. Good morning. I am I a gentleman. And I go along with the gentleman from any first and. Once the right cheek one of the left cheek of spades. It's true with joy she got running between Clinton and Gore. I think Clinton even I don't think he's done one thing if. He said you do and if you can train. Except based taxes. Since being president you've got to certainly have no foreign policy it's great here and. And as far as Don't go. I think you can a fall if you can I love you know Reagan. That age is going to trade a major factor. With him. I don't see either one of those being or. Just a kind of president we need all the pensions. That are not in the world that are mainly. North Korea. This thing of Libya. I think we need somebody who's going to seem to have more backbone. And don't just seems to be out of you know. Strike you being too grumpy and not reveal touch with reality. Thanks. You know I think those kind of unnaturally. With the man who seems to be doing his best for the last four years not to say a word. I mean he I think people would like to all of it more if he'd open himself up but on the other hand he might say something like a stop lying about my record. At all which counts as a really tough statement in this is this really could be emaciated political culture that sort of this is a stoplight about miracle shot that. Mr Bill you know gosh. How much more mudslinging can we say. How high can the temperature get completely been our markets those of us. An index of real Savitri. Bill Perkins of Marietta Georgia says Byron York is no reporter. He's a hired verbal assassin. Of our president. I have no comment. This one is from someplace called recovery information I think we might have missed part of it the dull photo is being used to show his damaged arm is no hidden horror. It puts people's mind at ease. Possible

Connery as the photograph seems to be more leg than it was a leg shot was and it was both. But I don't have a photo here we can show.

Around top. New York go ahead place. Yeah. I have a question for Mr Hitchens or really a question more of a comment or statement and. It was referring to getting a little nervous. So his mention on the trouble with the elections in this country. A little bit. For democracy and. This was a republic. In its nature. When you know when the Constitution. Was created it was a republic. And it's not really a democracy and I was wondering if you had a comment on that. Well Mr you'll corrected me I mean. The average fighting way when I was same I say that obviously there's been a an evolution towards democracy. After all when the country was founded. Some of the potential that is will not know as much knowledge of it as actually were allowed to be held as property for example. Which a long time for them together that's a long time for women to have a long time for John isolation to the Senate. I like to point out that. We're still a long way from direct election of the president. Many people think that's what they're getting for example. I'll give you an instance of what I mean. Very very often because of the opinion polls. The where they stand now it looks as if the Mr Clinton would be very easily reelected in the fool. I would even if his opinion poll figures were the same in the fall doesn't mean he'd be reelected because of the the weighting given just small states by the Electoral College because of the weird way the actual college delegates are also lectured to distribute it and so forth and. I don't know what should be done about it but I think the first thing is to realize that these obstacles exist and that this is a very bizarre system that it is a country where you can't just vote. By virtue of being a citizen away you can just run. If that's you. But if. If we were. To be is a kind of that there are all kinds of other political tests that have to be. Pasta met before hug. Good morning to listen to hitch INS discuss American politics this summer to saying an Englishman. Picking his nose. He really has no merit. The edge is not being scratched viewpoints opinions are like most people who display them with merit or without. Free country permits. Sering freely. Can't read it also. Searing freely. Also allows for. Clear thinking not necessarily hand in glove. E.-L.. A cluster of.

Bremen Ohio.

I would be making those with an address on. How did you ever get. Personally angry when people criticize you. No no I mean even if even if they are mean spirited. Now I get. Of the spectators matter of fact published a letter this issue or last or something out by a guy wrote. Calling me an ignoramus it was a terrific letter. So I kind of like to

San Diego Good morning good morning Mr Lamb. How are you. Oh I'm fine. I want to say that I'm happy that. Mr Hitchens was on your show. Along with the man from the American Spectator. I find. Mr Hitchens to be very very interesting that you know much cross several times then book No but no. But what I was curious. In the San Diego Union if the big story down here it. They had a beating. By the police. I mean legally Liam. And. I was just wondering if. Seems like the Cops nowadays can't really do their job but I mean I myself have had police officers. Well look I'm going to me before I left. And I've never. Right. Police brutality or anything like yeah and I was. I don't know I was kind of curious what. Mr Hitchens and the gentleman from the American Spectator feel. Thanks but you are well I haven't had the police pull a gun on me and I think you would be. I take it pretty seriously if. If they did. One of the things about this this has been played on. National and local news for the last few days. Played again last night when the immigrants. Filed suit. But there hasn't been much attention to the underlying behavior which was the seventy eighty mile chase at seventy or eighty miles an hour in which the cops tried to get the truck to stop and. Were unsuccessful. Well I think that's not the case because of and I don't know about that he was a member of the same story that it's all a matter of what you decide. Yourself said about story. It seems there was a chase the allegation is they were throwing stuff off the truck of the police cars. But is that it's. Fantastically unprofessional for any police officer once people have stopped to put their hands on the wheel. And is sitting still to drive them out and not them around especially if they're female and you know the the. Are on is that we sense in which that's. Professional police behavior. Facts. Best against Ron Brown Well the investigation continue in any fashion. Or has Brown's tragic death converted a potential felon. Into St Ron. The independent counsel. Daniel Pierson announced yesterday that the investigation into Brown himself is over. The funny thing about the brown. Special prosecutor was that he was also mandated to look into the affairs of Miladi Hill who was. Brown's business partner and funneled him. Hundreds of thousands of dollars for services that are still not clear. She may be I think the only private citizen in America with her very own special prosecutor and. Investigation. Into what she did. And the money she may have defrauded. S N L's out of his going to continue but probably by a conventional prosecutor.

Kennesaw Georgia. Good morning. Good morning sir. I was listening to the program the other day and I heard a guy call in about. Kenneth Starr. The investigator for a White Water that he had had a conflict of interest in the fact that his lawyer had been you know if it. Be investigated by the R.T.C. while he was investigating R.T.C. So I went down the library. And found a Nation magazine here that was in I started read your article and I was just incredulous that. This guy has been of pulled out it also makes everything he does seem like it's a skewed because. Member they removed Fisker. Because they said they want to protect against the perceptions of conflict. Yet the said gentleman. Mr Starr here. Entered into a secret agreement with the R.T.C. to settle a case against his own law firm does not seem a little odd too and why is that in the American Spectator. Mr York. Well I just. Just came out so it hasn't been the spectators monthly but the thing that. I think star should do and I think is he's done wrong is that he should be doing this full time we should've left his law firm he should be doing full time to get it over quicker and. Not be doing a lot of business on behalf of any clients right now.

How much of this is the nation down. On the kind of star struck was one big close Tory. About it that I think would be to come through follow up pieces. Since by Mary Wallace and starting with the with his name story anyway very interesting stuff so it's we recommend it.

Chico California go ahead place. That a question for the gentleman from Vanity Fair. And I was. We were talking earlier about you know. I was wondering what he thought about the idea of our nation having the opportunity to have a binding. Reference about a national myth. As as we watch. That are so much of what the issue was but we don't have it. We should have a chance to have it. I mean anywhere for California to ask exactly.

Camera can you have propositions in California when that's not intellectual and election year. I don't you can kind of. They have to be on the ballot as they get you know actions you know about so it's well people have a sheet anyway. Which seems to be interesting to me because it was this state for citizens initiative and it's it doesn't substitute for the eventual process which is what I often think people who come on referendum saw with some put themselves having to do. Very are. That would kick out. Two hundred years of. Reliance on the states to do things I mean when you want to amend the Constitution. You have to do it through Congress and then through the state legislature saying the idea of having one big. Up or down vote would be pretty much against anything because everyone practiced

American government. Chicago your next. Good morning. Hi. Mr Bertram. It occurs to me that. In the past the Catholic Church with right. Crisis. To keep the working class from running. It strikes me today. After their churches. Now we have no. Psychology on the street. And it seems. We have people like nothing you know Brandon. You know and they're not going to be getting people. They're not going to prefer working for capitalism. They're not being exploited Could you comment on. Well. Exploitation in the sense in which you're using it as a moral absolute. You know is just a few well for anyone it's what you're being exposed really to have a job actually what exploitation means in the visual Marxist scheme is the is the is the share of. The value of your work. That you get back. Or not the role of religion in in reinforcing that. It's when you see people losing their faith in the church that seems to be all wrong. The. Credulity of a religion is an all time high and the other churches all seem to be doing. Tremendously good business I do think that the therapy industry will ever succeed in substituting for us. I have never. I have never heard Mr Brandon's tapes I understand that he was. Was at one stage a leading member of the on running movement whose was best known in support of the life of the movement is on the Greenspan Federal Reserve of credit will never ceases to astonish me. Why. The got the Federal Reserve is when is this supposed to and run if you haven't read The Fountainhead all at the shrugging of this stuff is pretty much it well and the family of Brandon was here for a book out so a lot of years ago. As in my fact this is our seventh anniversary this week. We had a picture of. Alan Greenspan along with Iran. Which he was a part of a nine member.

She called it his or her Collective. Collective. Yes. That's bizarre. When I think was to be nice but I was married to Brandon SR or something of that he said he was very much part of the in a circle and Brian York is front page piece. Both and I think it's in the Baltimore Sun itself in the Washington Post. And I H That's the National Institutes of Health. Scientists charged with abusing teen. Nobel Laureate has brought dozens of boys to Maryland from overseas. This is Daniel Carlton. Could do six seventy two years old who shared a Nobel Prize in seventy six for Research on a new kind of organism that creates human disease was arrested in the driveway of his house in Middletown near Frederick Maryland after returning home from a trip overseas he was booked into the Frederick County Jail on state charges involving child abuse and perverted sexual practices and was held on one million dollar bond any comment. Couldn't help but attract a lot of attention. As I looked into it last night. He's probably number of boys over. Voice over from Micronesia. And New Guinea. And when you look at his. Who's Who in America. Reference It lists. Forty children. One of those has gone to the cops and alleged that he abused him. Sexually and he made some kind of bizarre comments to local news crews last night as he was being driven away probably should not talk at all. San Diego your next. Good morning brand. Hi there. My name. Up wondering why in the media and especially C.-SPAN and. Reported to pile on and the fact that a young girl was kidnapped from our thing. Driven I think the border. And when did Mexico make John darm pulled a weapon. And shot and killed her. And the driver is wounded. But everybody's making a big to do about the legal alien. Who wouldn't lie down on the ground is ordered by. Two officers who spoke both English and Spanish to the woman and the man. Did you find the first answer your first question we don't know about that here but that's not why don't you check with Kenyan Is he the. R K F E M B. Here in San Diego. Well we have video of it. Well. Thanks that's why he doesn't sound as if it has been ignored by the media. We don't report the news in Sept what happens in this town unless you call us and that's what this is all about let me go to the second point is that you have. Do you find nothing wrong with what the officers did there.

In light of what happened with the Mexican's number one excerpt that you showing. Is only the last excerpt. They do you know it's not humanly what led up to it. Which they do had. It's not. And they had sixty eight cards that were. Ran into by the pickup truck. And it doesn't have that sound. Where the officers. Told the man and the woman. That lie down on the ground. If the money and stayed in the car with their hands on the dashboard. She wouldn't have gotten into the. Trouble that she tried to get out and get away. Mr York. I think the chase story only shows. She's me the shooting story I you know shows that. Law enforcement is Wilder in Mexico and. Don't really speak to anything that was done in the L.A. case. Is there any way from what you know now that you would justify what those officers did not the beating I think I look you can. You can try to be understanding that you know you listen to the police radio and. These guys are. You know. All completely on edge they're full of adrenaline they finally make the stop but no you can't justify beating like that. Tensions. Well I think we just at this.

I did question whether it was a few minutes late in their religion you know that wasn't a call from

San Diego as well I guess.

You may be right maybe that's why I'm not making this up on my we did just do a lot you know a day this is. And I did say what I thought about why policemen should not hit people once they have the rest of the thank you. Long I was glad he was you know good morning. And I are throwing you first on this one that's just your guy when the Turkey Pakistan was brought up. He said he wasn't interested. Well that's true the only thing that tape and now is. If the anti quite rightly. We could be getting bombed and they'd be yelling. Get points. And the next one is the Washington Times. Same thing you had a reporter on. You know that I know you question all the things I think. With a gun. Point. Then you brought ROE on. And that that was a balanced program. And not a tough question for after that man. Here for you to intelligent woman the question. To start with and last point is that. When you bring it up on a NG that. I'm a. Brian you. You are you great just a few you act like this. You to get the person. Oh. What up. I mean after all it was your vice president who invited him. So you had to run. You may go. You know a lot of attention with that story. Color it wasn't a color. Oh yeah. It was not our vice president that invited him up someone called in and that they. won Moderating that day. That your vice president they asked if anybody in the band had anything to do with higher now than I did didn't happen that way. It was in my life. Even your program. Say it that someone didn't. He was invited by. The fellow who is the chairman of a radio and television Gary His name is block any work for the MacNeil Lehrer Report. You know all that to surprise me Larry is completely every price up watching him is to watch him faithfully every night. Stop watching because he's so. Planted the cow. On. But the feet. You know. Even today. How many times have you brought up that one story when you ask someone out west.. Ken On the poing. You again brought up. The story about the office and stuff and. It was your suggestion. That man not. Man telling you what he had to say but that's the lead story in The Los Angeles Times and it's by the wife of bureau chief the Los Angeles Times and. We sit here every day and hear people tell us that. All those newspapers are liberals and that they're for Bill Clinton got a fracture that says it. All we hear from the liberal press is pro Clinton stuff so. How do you explain that. Well I think the current funny kind they don't like I think that it's going down the liberal press if they even there thank you are there. The liberal press. Then I. I don't find I find them all away. But I'm fall of them. Let me read you this could help. Help me understand this is a comment for the Washington Journal which says you. You lost your balance of two sides of the issues wanted seven A.M. You only had one reporter on the air. With this reporter. Is Democratic liberal leaning person which. Eighty percent are you really get a biased view because he is commenting on the. Primarily

Democratic leaning print media and Washington. Explain that. Well I point in the way that I didn't. If you have someone on that completely. On the right. The attack there are really unbelievable I didn't think him attacking even. Given his opinion and I respect. Even the right. OPINION If they're not attacking. Like you just brought up the story of the man with arrested growing up a story in the other day. How Jeb Bush down to Florida was on the board of another failing bank I never heard anybody in the band bring that up. You know I know we all think you are what we think. But. If I was a Republican. And I change this year. And my husband. Still a threat to the republic and I were in a very Republican area. But he'll never vote for a public and unless they come up with someone that dole. We've watched him for yes. He thought he had financing it the way and anybody that goes back a long time know that though I've always voted for whoever. I thought was the best. You know when I made my mistakes I've omitted the next. Big mistake I do not think I really tried to listen. They only. That I just get that I don't have a thank you. You have our own program. Getting into this. Giddy got the moment that you get into trouble me greatly. I can get that with a bunch of people when I think about trucking Rhineland the good deal response. I've always read missing something must be leading a life that secret from me. I was when pushed will come of this. But how. Convince some people of the it is such a thing as. As a media bias in favor of one policy or another or against or for the president I mean it seems to me so fair that in that there is. There is a tremendous bus in the media and. The buses of. Is in favor of by the. Doesn't ship. That's what. That's what every journalist. Is hoping to demonstrate in every newspaper is trying to encourage. That's what makes some of the coverage. Boring and Ha ha of course. I like to call it's just me and. Jim Lehrer on the radical right.

Santa Barbara. You're next. OK Here on. Good morning good morning. Mike is my name and morning Mike.

It's good to get her to you. Dad to get through. All right. I've just been watching your show for the last few months and. I really like it and appreciate. The last caller. They were. You know trying to indicate that in some way or another that you. Or at C.-SPAN. Was included in the left wing media. Or did I misunderstand that. You know I think she was the adjutant and take. Clinton Media. Yeah it's the same argument that made about a different topic. Yeah. Well you know what I find about the. The right. Is that they have very or at least very few of them have the ability to give an opinion.

Without attacking. And I find that. True in the Spectator and. It's

Clanton.

To my way of thinking. The practice is. The politics of community. You know they accuse him of being wishy washy and going back and forth. I think him coming from trying to bring people together. Where the. Right. Seems to be. Do this to him. But I had a very nature. I'm confused about you just said that the right. Was able to comment on the claim without attacking or with by attacking. But they weren't able to give an opinion without attacking Clinton Clinton. They accuse him of being wishy washy or going back and forth. And actually what he's trying to do is he's he's practicing the politics of.

Community or bringing people together.

All right thanks and we're. We're about out of politics as time isn't by definition I suppose it was his point of saying this to people but. I mean what. I love it when people say. But this is the politics of division what is politics but division. It's a the politics of be really as I say the politics of agreement that the definition is a political Here's a fact that says I love the West in general we hear constant about the liberal press. This is so how do you account for the great press coverage of President Clinton every day for the past four years. At this point and the game. Had passed over Good Friday I don't know what the thing. If he was a what do you figure the hack i Pod We're going to think of this in here less than Dolly. Cars what are we supposed to think after this. Well you know the left to say all I have. Is calling him wishy washy all the time and. You know as far as attacks from the right are concerned I mean there are attacks I will say the things that I've heard and I think are based a lot of evidence that had a big piece about reinventing government a while back to was just based on all the stuff I could find from the Clinton ministration. Why did President Clinton cross the road. Why because he wanted to get to the middle is that. The last comment for this has a better idea. If we've got one near the DO YOU be much today for the weekend.

Congressman. It's a Holiday World is a working days for me. Your I'm working on a story. I hate to say this about the president's insurance policies. We are out of time. Scuse me. Byron York. Is a contributing writer for The American Spectator He's a University of Alabama graduate. Is University of Chicago. Master's degree holder in American history. A Birmingham Alabama native a former producer for W.P.S. in Miami and a former C.N.N. producer. Eighty two to eighty seven. What did you do it C.N.N.. I did everything I started. Like most people do it C.N.N. on the floor. Teleprompter and camera and then. Worked up to writing and copy editing and producing. So all these folks Down and Out here we can expect them to be at our desk here. From Michelle you going to be over here are at this desk. With your opinions. As you ever think you're going to be in the opinion business. No but I just developed into a good side light. And Christopher Hitchens Portsmouth. England. Native graduate in philosophy at Oxford. Also was foreign editor with his New Statesman Washington editor of Harper's at one point. Is currently since one thousand and one contributing editor to The Nation and. Contributing editor of Vanity Fair. So. Thank you very much. And it's one we're going to hook you as we continue here with open followers until the top of the hour. And then we're going to go to the Navy Memorial which is down between. Seventh and ninth Street. On Pennsylvania Avenue. There's a live picture this morning. The U.S. Navy Memorial is free and can be visited by. Anyone who is here over this weekend or any weekend. And at that but part of the street if you were to walk right by the Navy memorial you see the portrait gallery. Really easy to get to. And we'll talk with Admiral Jim Miller later on the program about what this memorial is all about let's continue with our friends here. Next call from

Boston Massachusetts go ahead

Boston you're on the air. Yes. I just have a slightly. Picky complaint here I'm trying to keep in track of the. Schedule. I've got American Online and independent. Internet provider and it seems like I never know which one is ahead of the other and. Which is being posted faster and. Very very heavy into grabbing all the information I can from about the. Twelve journals I subscribe to and C.-Span which I sneak in the middle of the work day hoping it doesn't impact me too badly and. So I tip for I'd certainly appreciate it if you could put some more resources into to getting those updated because I assume the website updated. Because that's the most broadly available but then

I find American lines ahead of the web. Well you know they they both should be updated same time I don't understand that. The problem I don't understand what you're saying. But I don't understand where the problem is why they can't be updated the same time but I'll be glad check into. OK great. What else is on your mind this morning. Well yes. Speaking of newspaper headlines this was back just a day ago in The Herald I get my Herald late because I can't get home delivery but. The. There was an article about a ferry sinking in Haiti. OK. And one hundred people lost and usually want to ferry sinks that get some coverage. And this I don't think got any coverage at all and it's amazing how we contrast the value that's given I'm not making a judgment about it. But we contrast the value that's given to certain lives and.

Versus other lives and. What do you do for a living is there.

I'm a computer consultant.

No wonder you know about those computers Thanks for calling. Thank you for C.-SPAN I hope and pray that it is the last best hope for the last best hope.

Thanks color Falls Church Virginia your next. Thanks. Brian and I just want to say. I'm a CSPAN. This week because a I'm in the military and my kids are on spring break so I'd take some leave because my wife's working and I just find it. Great to be a watch C.-SPAN. You know you guys do just super job when you get calls from both sides claiming that you're biased. That that to shows your good lively debate you do a great job. I watch Lambro yesterday if they think lateral is attacking yesterday. I don't think they've read much of Don Lambro or anything he's a good reporter and. You know you guys do a real super job. One real quick point out facts you got about eighty percent I've seen the actual study where that's based on that self identified. People in the media are eighty percent Democrat I wish I could find it for you and I fax it to you but I am sure you can find out that was a self identified study so. I mean that goes without saying but. Page eight twenty seven of the post today. That lots Angeles Times story you're talking about the front page of The Los Angeles Times. On a twenty seven of the. post Accord on sale of arms Stoffel nation stall. Russia box a provision urged by us. I find that kind of interesting. Based not having seen the Time story but here and here in the post. The U.S. is urging Russia. Not to. You know and other countries not to sell arms. And then. We have this on the cover of the times. I think we're looking a little bit hypocritical there. If you read the article in The Post on page twenty seven and if that story on the front of the times is true. The Clinton administration is looking very hypocritical.

You know that. That's what I want to talk about. All right thanks a lot for calling New Orleans your next morning right now or you're fine sir. What a compliment you first of all good programs and. She has went beam and we're going to. What do you do down there are no islands. I'm a pilot. I'm Flight seventy seven. You know as we. Military. I think will put a different spin on the situation I know people vibe rather than a right. But I'm going to look five thousand I was in and. Something's not kosher here like they say. I have to say that there was either he was hit by ground fire or by a missile that hit his left side of his wing. And they that are. There was some kind of malfunction. There was a very reliable navigation system over there is reliable been there already and it's very easily. I mean it doesn't it's not affected by a lot of the things that are affected electronically it's a very reliable system that's been in use for fifty years I doubt that the system itself was a paper with color Let me ask you a couple questions about this. Seven thirty seven I saw in the paper yesterday that's maybe wrong last year that by so. Twenty five hundred mission is over three thousand of these planes. You have any idea how many are in business around the world. It's going to be over four thousand. I mean this is this plane is still reliable in this planet so. Durable that it's hilarious to listen to people that know absolutely nothing about it to make to spin on it. Well what about if that. If airplane is highly qualified it. I mean the efforts of the good people in that position with Alec Well what do you think of that just simply the people the remarks. People come up with OK but what about this you're flying in and I've always thought about this when I'm flying. Myself. But you're flying into an airport and they. Visibility is one hundred feet. Does that as a pilot is that ever make you nervous. But short. You know hundred feet is not something they're going to going to fly into with. Without a sophisticated. I mean. Landing equipment. And for millenia quickly which you can fly in general conditions. But if particular case this guy I mean come on this guy is not going to make a bad decision he may make an educated but not a band with your best people live. And also to make a turn like he did in almost two miles off course and crash into a mountain and have to think that something happened to the left. And you know the left side of the plane that would. Made it uncontrollable. I mean. This. It's got to be investigated Troy this is. I guess like the Vince Foster thing just whatever they say is true and just cover it up and let it go and it's not the case. Now there was no flight recorder.

On there because we don't use flight recorder in the military. They're necessary. Well they said that the rule changed like in seventy four and they now have them on there but before this plane came out like in seventy three. To make that point that we don't require and. Secondly it's a durable plane and. I mean and you know if your system works. It's been working for fifty years and it's just like Iraq or something or something but point to something else. Maybe going to should be investigated. I think second. Quick point nobody's mentioned cow Thomas' article today in the national article about awakening is called awakening. Why Jesus Christ all of a sudden is appearing on. Pages. Throughout the country especially the three major magazines and. If you don't have to you know Article them when people who are just got to be in Marley what they could turn to when I get to be the guy you have to turn to now and. I think people should read that. All right. Thank you thank you. Cal Thomas is published here in Washington Times

Marshall County Alabama go ahead place. Hello my good friend Brian.. Welcome This is your old buddy the Sand Mountain. Like you back only job here this morning. And he got it all right now there is one. Actually I do have a few predictions I was going to share with you but I do have some suggestions on your program and to which would you like first this point. Whatever makes you happy. You know. Well. How you thought about it hard last night and. A little foggy but I predict that after a long battle with the F.D.A.. The beer brewers of America. Will agree to stop using you for appealing characters like the. Budweiser frogs and. Rebel guy and. Will instead. Use more dolt. Oriented. Characters like. Papa Smurf. And the patty cake. Makers man and cigarette manufacturers will get a long long overdue. Reprieve from government agents is after promising the Democrats. To never ever again. Tribute another day. To Republican candidates. Or their campaigns and. It's pretty serious this morning. Oh yes a little serious this morning let's give. Let's get a little political here. The House majority Dick Dick Armey. For say that he will discover that the. Jumbo bottle of. Nasal spray that he has been using for several years. Was actually a squeeze bottle of Elmer's. And our good buddy our good friend Mr Jesse Jackson. He will call out for a government program. To distribute name brand. Athletic shoes. To inner city use as a way to curb violence. Brought on by peer envy. And the program will be known as.

Formative traction. Now that's that that's closed this morning. And out now what about that we've got a causeway and what about this program where you want. Yes I did want to say that I really enjoyed the contest you had for the high school students and. It occurred to me you ought to just carry this thing on a little farther. Have an essay contest for college students now. And maybe have them on your program have the winners on your program then an open. Essay contest for your phone callers who perhaps could write in an essay about a particular dance that. They spoke with on your program. Then say. Collars Choice Award for the. Favorite guest on the journalist round table would be an order. And I guess. Before I leave let me give you my prediction on the vice presidential candidate. Because his running mate. I really hate to give this away but he's been grooming this fella for a long time so I'm going to leave you with this clue. And then I'll come back in and check with you. A few months from now after he's done so and see if we didn't hit the nail on the hit. The clue is like. Yes. His name will mean change. That's it. That's it. All right all the money. Thank you sir. Good talking to you. We are going to go back to the Navy Memorial. At the top of the hour and. We have a live camera down there this morning and we also have a camera on the. On the cherry blossoms this morning which are almost in full bloom here in the town. We got about four more minutes for our open fans this is

Colebrook. Connecticut go ahead place. Thank you. Good morning good morning Brian. And yet. The Navy Memorial. I wish you would ask the. Man. If there is anything there. By some of them boys that were killed in World War two all at one time. OK.. OK Yes or. Thank you. Thanks a lot for calling. I've been saying that Adam Minter will be back with us exact actually. James Nehmer. Who is U.S. Navy Memorial naval heritage. Center V.P. of operations and. I thought that and I was going to come back to his but it's a different. Gentleman who will be taking us on a tour here in just a few moments.

Call in about the Unabomber story

Brian Lamb: Let's grab this call from San Francisco go ahead place you're on the air.

Caller: Yeah hi. I enjoy the show and I think the two biggest stories that are quite big. At last past few days that Ron Brown the Unabomber and I want to say quite frankly that I've been very disappointed at the coverage of both of these stories.

I frankly don't mourn for Iran. I think a lot more work by reporters and even on C-SPAN and asking these report is what the story is could have gone on as to what the development contacts. Were about in in former Yugoslavia. It's my personal view that. Chasing after blood money. I mean you don't throw away a country a thousand people's lives. In order to go up to redevelopment contracts and I do believe that that is what. Germany. First of all. And with the United States. Did everyone knows that when you recognize. Say. One ethnic group as a country. All hell is going to break loose and who is going to profit from these re-development contracts? The C.E.O.'s who are perhaps Ron Brown was that the American citizenry wasn't and you don't have to it's. That it seems to be not a nice thing to wreck. Country in order to get it.

That's the first thing and the second thing is this Unabomber. Obviously the guys you know he's a killer. He didn’t destroy a country however, but it seems that this guy has flagged a very important issue and that is genetic engineering and. As an issue. The development in the society and. It's a very very important issue and. I think reporters. Could have asked what the hell is going on with it. And what. And where is the study. Going to be going with this. And I'd like you to perhaps keep this in mind. For the future.

Brian Lamb: Thanks for the call this morning.

Call in about toxic chemicals

We go to Jacksonville Florida next, go ahead please.

Yeah good morning Brian. Brian, the local paper does not carry enough local news, it’s mostly national, we like that to some degree, but a number of us are protesting that, I pick up. Right to help. Weekly and the. Journalism question here I have. Gina Kolata. Of the New York Times. With very much against the chemical is the most toxic one we've ever found. And that we're still producing that in and then a writer for the United States. She was very much against it back in the early ninety's. And then all of a sudden. Because Al Gore has endorsed the book our stolen future. She slam dunk it. And I and I had a recent piece. And this stuff causes attention deficit disorder. Behavior. Reduced I.Q.. Breast cancer. Reduced count. And I would like you to comment on it. And I'd like you to get a copy of this right. And when you have some more journalist on like you just had on both the issue of have them comment.

All right sir thank you very much for the call. A lot of fun segment here we've got more to go this morning including our last segment of the morning at the bottom of the hour. Where will the phones of Qana grow to be here our executive producer will continue to listen to what you don't like about the show or like about it. And you know the most helpful thing is. My suggestions on what you would like to have changed if anything but we'll break for a moment.

Coming up at nine thirty Eastern Time. An opportunity to ask questions about the Washington Journal with executive producer Tony broke.

U.S. Navy Memorial Tour

Up next a look at the U.S. Navy Memorial. Heritage Center here in Washington. We'll get a tour from Jimmy the memorial's vice president of operations. James namer vice president of operations of the U.S. Navy Memorial where are you standing. The sculpture wall at the Navy Memorial. And I just want to say good morning to you. Good morning to you. How long has this memorial been there. The memorial was dedicated in October thirteenth one thousand nine hundred eighty seven. So we're about coming onto our tenth anniversary next year. What's right by you there were no we're going to take a look at some of the West sculpture walls. And what's on there and show us some. Ya Brian. We have probably what has been considered of being called. The largest bronze really of project ever undertaken in the United States. We have a total of twenty two bronze reliefs. Done by twelve sculptures in the one that you're looking at right now. Is called the Naval reservists. And of course it depicts the Navy people who serve in the Naval Reserve and. Was sponsored by the Naval Reserve Association. The sculptor of this is Laura. Who coordinated the entire project. How many did you say there were on the wall. We have twenty two. Total. And. How did you make that decision. It was a matter of really trying to cover the various organizations that have contributed to the success of the Navy. As well as some historical events in the Navy. Were you in the Navy. Yes or I was how long. I was in twenty five years. And what. What kind of Navy were you CAN I was a public affairs officer. And I believe that was what you took out in the Navy is that right. A lot of years ago yes indeed. Went out or sculptures condition as they're. Well going down the line here. Of course we have the Navy medicine. Naval air ships. And then this one. Called the silent service. QUEEN. Clean Sweep. Is about the World War two submarine. Patrols. And it was sculpted by Stanley Bligh fell. Who is the same sculptor that did the statue. The lone sailor as well as. The Homecoming statue which is in our Heritage Center. What did this memorial cost. The actual. Our cost was two point seven million dollars for the memorial itself. And then of course. There was about seven million dollars that went into the Heritage Center. What's next on your left there. On. We go to the inland. Naval engagements. Which is the U.S. Navy riverine operations in Vietnam. Sculpted sculpted by. Serina Goldstein. Lieutenant ski. And then the next one we have. Is called naval aviation. And it really. Depicts the. Eugene Healy. Taking off from the cruiser Birmingham in November of one nine hundred ten. In two months later he actually landed and took off from the. Battleship Pennsylvania. Are these sculptures available in miniature for anyone. Some of the law Brian. We've simply not been able to get to. Doing those the miniatures of them but some of them are. What's next on the way there. Well we have historical bronze relief called Admiral davil David Farragut at Mobile Bay. He actually lashed himself to the rigging of the flag ship Hartford. As it. Fought the Confederate iron clad Tennessee in Mobile Bay of eight. During the Civil War in one thousand sixty four. This one was sculptor by Robert summers. You have a personal favorite. Yeah. Actually as far as. As far as art goes I think that. Mr Summers did a magnificent job is a very dramatic. Bronze really thought very three dimensional. So this this one tends to. Be one of my favorite yes. What's the next one on the left. We have. Navy chaplains. Of course and of course the. The Navy Chaplain Corps is a very integral part of our service and. They provide our spiritual guidance. And the Marines that are they depicted anywhere. Yes they're on the other side on the east. Sculpture while we have the Marine Corps depicted as well as the Coast Guard. And the Merchant Marine. They are depicted on the other side. And by the way there is also a bronze relief. Dedicated to the women who served and are serving in the Navy. And that particular sculpture was the first one to be sponsored. We understand there's some famous sayings down there. Yeah there sure are if we can just go on over to the inscription wall. We have a number of sayings on the sculpture on the inscription walls. That surround the northern half of the memorial. Will stop here and. One that of course everybody knows. And it's that. That's one small step for man one giant leap for mankind. And of course those are the words that. Astronaut Neil Armstrong spoke. When he stepped off onto the moon in one nine hundred sixty nine. How many tourists you get there a year. We get about one hundred thousand tourists saw at the memorial you know it's hard to count the number of tourists that actually come through here. It is really very popular space if. I think some of the footage that you shot. Shows how popular this is at noontime. For people coming out here and eating lunch. So it's hard to kind of track the number of people that come to the memorial. We do get a pretty good handle on the number of people that come into the Heritage Center which is about one hundred thousand a year. We just showed the world map. And Adam Miller earlier said that. Maybe the largest map. Anywhere. Yes it is we think it is. We haven't been. Challenged on that yet. I suspect that one of these days somebody will come along and say well there is a bigger one someplace else. But this is a one hundred foot map of the world. And it's in the late granite. Two different types of granite. Which deep. Depicts a poor projection of the world. And of course the map is. It was very difficult to make one of the things we wanted to be able to do. Course and show the projection of the world that. That really kind of indicated the amount of water that our Mother Earth has on it and of course as the environment. The Navy operates in so this is why we selected the. The polar projection and. You should know that this. This granite. Was cut. With water. It was a very difficult thing to do. Until we came along. They were having a really hard time cutting stone. With with water jets and they developed us worry that was able to cut through the two inches. Of granite that. This map is made out of. And they used a sixty thousand P.S.I.A.. Water jet to cut. To cut the heat map. And that's why you'll see that the detail that we've gotten in it. We're going to have the funds up here in just a moment Jim name or who is vice pres I pray she's at the U.S. Navy Memorial. Is originally from Omaha Nebraska he was born in Trinidad Colorado. He attended the Naval War College. Were asked to go to school. I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And how long he worked at the U.S. Navy Memorial. Well I guess I'm the oldest one on the staff now I'm going to be celebrating my eleventh anniversary here at the memorial. In August of this year. And we understand there's an indoor. Yeah. We have the naval Heritage Center which is an adjunct to the Navy Memorial and. It is a twenty two thousand square foot facility. We have a number of things in there including the log room which Admiral Miller talked about earlier. And of course the log if you recall. Is a computerized listing of people who served in the Navy. As well as the Marine Corps Coast Guard and. Merchant Marine. We have two hundred forty thousand entries in that computerized listing. And by the way there are also photographs attached to the records. To many of the records we have about fifty thousand photographs was attached to those records. And through interactive video. People can come in and call up their loved ones or themselves. From the database and get a name each on a monitor. As well as we can actually print out. What is in the database for them to take away with them. How many of these entries and what. Adelman are tossed two hundred forty seven thousand. Right we've got two hundred forty thousand entries and. Certainly anyone who is viewing this telecast right now can call one eight hundred. Navy log and. Find out more information about how they can get their names in the. In the Navy Memorial law. Is it up to the individuals to get in this log. Not necessarily We have a lot of individuals who put themselves in. However many relatives and friends put. Individuals in the log as well. We're going to take. Telephone calls for another and try to manage a song we have a call standing by from Salisbury Maryland go ahead place. Yes that's like. For the director there. Person to. Maybe announce the fact that they have that. They represent a contact for anybody who's ever served in the Navy. As a source for reunions. A lot of people don't really know the fear that their ship might be or they may have a reunion with their ship and they can contact.

To the context of freedom. Thank you. Yes that's very true Brian we have a complete listing or what we like to think is a complete listing of the reunions that are being held around the country. We. We encourage every. Union groups to have their reunion here at the Naval Morial. We do a number of those during the year. And we always have wreath laying ceremony is that accompanied those visits by the review. Groups to the memorial. And we are a resource and we are hoping to become an even greater resource for being human groups. Next call Sylvester Georgia go ahead place. You can say I have run. Yes I'm really disappointed. And I tell you the reason why. I've listened to you many times and I visited my first time I have a cone. And I'll take the Navy. They just never recognized. One of the color of fleet. I served in World War two. I want to destroy you in a stamp and say from aquatic and now down to mainland Japan. And I pay you. If you look back at the First World War were started old want to destroy you. Johnson stand. It over there and a good. One of his just knowing if you don't want to. You know. We were the flag. Always said look all over that a real close. And let him shoot at you so we know where they are. You know and I want to kind of stand. And they never get any credit. And only sign pay and they destroy you. Then I served. And we were instrumental in the destruction of the world forty tanks their enemy had he had entered. They had jumped right. Well on top of. Generous me and.

My range. All right Sylvester go let you go I think we get the point. Do you agree Jim name or. Yeah Brian we will try our best to pay tribute to everybody and all of the ships that. The Navy has. We we have something down in the Heritage Center which is a collection of. Autographs and dad on. Navy ships and we have many many many destroyers in that database. In addition. We're we're actually trying to add another bronze released. For the tin can sailors. Which are they destroy or men that have served in the Navy throughout the years I've got the book out here and there's a whole page devoted to destroyer. Escorts. And there's a bronze there. Yes there is Star escorts Yes there is and that was sponsored by the destroyer escort sailors Association. And as I indicated the tin can sailors Association. Are also trying to sponsor one and we're trying to get approval for adding that bronze relief at this time and. Annapolis Maryland you're next. This is Captain our team Miller. In Annapolis Maryland. And just like to tell Mr namer in a memorial as handsome. I am in the log. But I'm a little disappointed that the bronze really don't include something. Concerning the old construction Corps. And the engineering duty officer who followed on and who were the designers of all the ships. That the Navy exercised. Thanks Jim Never. Brian. A One of the things we didn't get a chance to look at was the bronze relief dedicated to the C.B.S.. And that is that is one of the. Tributes we pay to the engineering side of the Navy. Unfortunately we simply didn't have as much room as we would like to have had to cover all of the various subjects and. And elements that go into making the Navy a success Las Vegas for Jim namer go ahead place. You know. Good morning and then get your news here. Will you please ask him about the Solomon Brothers. You know. I mean your earlier caller on the other segment. In Tampa anything in the

Visitors Center when the band. Brass really well in New York probably first of all Jim Hammer who are the salt of. Boys and is there anything in that Heritage Center on the Brian Sullivan brothers were brothers that were killed during World War two. And indeed. Each one of them are in the Navy Memorial log.

Next call Washington D.C. Go ahead place. And offer I am. I enjoy the show I watch it every morning before I go to work and I live in the neighborhood. I live a half a block from the Navy Memorial and. It's a Wonderful. And I just wanted to acknowledge that they're planning on coming to visit Washington D.C. and do some touring that. If you got to see the area. It's wonderful. They do great entertainment during the summer and. In the spring time when the. When the bands are coming out on a regular basis. It's just super entertainment. It's a very safe area and if you can if you miss it may be a time Mr touring. You can walk up and down the Strip between seventh Street and down towards the Treasury Building and. And take in all the restaurants and still in the evening enjoy the memorial. It's a wonderful place for people to come and speak and thanks thanks a lot Jim name or our camera person down there I'm not sure who's behind your camera. Looks around I want to look around the just shows the context I guess it is a bill have Yeah and just so we could see. You know what's going on where this is in Washington. Brian actually we're we're halfway between the White House and the Capitol building. Is you're seeing right now it's the National Archives which sits directly across the street from the Navy the Morial. And I do want to thank the last caller for the wonderful. Accolades he gave us. And I'd like to comment a little bit further on the kinds of things that we do here at the Navy want to. You know we had over a thousand different events here at the memorial. Last year and we're we're bound and determined to surpass that number this year. We have a summer concert series called concerts on the avenue. And the map that you're looking at right now. Now. Actually serves two purposes one is purpose is it's to educate people about the amount of water and the element that the Navy operates in but at night. During the summer months we. We turn this into an Ampitheater. With the stage and lighting and sound system. We put benches out here. And the Navy band performs here every Tuesday night. We start our our concert series on Memorial Day. Of this year of course and. As I say every Tuesday evening we have a concert with the Navy band. Up through and including labor day. So everybody is certainly invited to come to that.

Fort Oglethorpe Georgia next go ahead place. She's already retired U.S. Navy U.S. Coast Guard and I joined the Naval memorial. On back you know I think it was eighty six or somewhere back in there. And I just want to compliment them for a great job they do not get in there soon. So you know more want to thank you know you shall stand in. And it's just a compliment to them and. The Navy and the future Navy and president and I mean that's just want to thank you very much. Thanks Jim neighbor how much it cost anything to visit any part of what you have morrow. Brian there is no cost of course. To come into the Navy memorial itself because it actually is public property belonging to the Interior Department in the Park Service. And they actually maintain the memorial and we. We retain control of the scheduling of the. memorial There's no cost to go into the Heritage Center. There is a charge a nominal charge. To see the movie at sea. And as I say it's very nominal charge to to see that film. I have this book they are granted see how much does this cost with all the pictures and. And the story on them while. Brian I am I think it's around five or seven dollars I'm not really sure. Next call Casper Georgia go ahead place. Hello Casper you're on the air. That's castor oil. I thought so. Good morning good morning my name good hills I'm a retired Master Chief. I visited the memorial I really like it and. Like to say appreciate your show I watch it fairly regularly. I just want to comment. And I think it's a it's important to know. You mentioned that. One of the first year old or. Bronze relief. Things that were done with the one hundred women in the Navy. I was personally involved in. Workshops. That dealt with sexual harassment and sexual equality. Or back at the early one nine hundred eighty. I think it's important that the Navy was very proactive with this. It was early in corporate America. Have people overlook that when they see situations like Tailhook.

I think support. That's brought out. I'd appreciate your help. At Bank. Thanks to our Master to thank you for those comments. That's absolutely true the Navy has been a. Been a real leader in dealing with the sexual harassment issue in. And certainly whenever there is something that comes up. We like to think and I truly believe that the Navy is right on top of it. And you have a. One of those brands. Relieved they're dedicated to women in the Navy. Yes as I as I mentioned earlier. The first bronze relief that was sponsored was indeed sponsored by the women in the Navy and. Indeed. They've. Sponsored a number of things. Within the Heritage Center as well so they've been extremely supportive of us and we thank them very much what is the story on the theater and they're the center. I think part of what is the story on the theater how big a theater is it. Well we have one of the. Very large theater it seats two hundred forty two people it's a very special to air because the film that we show in there. Is very special it's a seventy millimeter prison. A presentation about the modern navy taken aboard U.S.S. Constellation and. Centers around. A deployed the deployment of an aircraft carrier in. Looting and to B.S. operations. We have six track digital sound the sound actually reaches about one hundred five decibels in the theater. So the theater is totally sound proofed. So that sound doesn't escape but it's an extraordinary theater. And I would invite you and all of the viewers to come and see. At sea. The U.S. Navy Memorial between seven to nine Streets Northwest and downtown Washington D.C. It's actually meant point between the Capitol and the White House on Pennsylvania

Avenue in Athens Georgia go ahead place you're on the air. You know Brown. Morning. I want to thank you for putting this program on it's nice. And I want invite you gentlemen all to come up now. Usually you have it Fall River

Massachusetts P.P. mosquito fleet and not a thing I want to answer gentleman in a one of them have been stopped in Manila. Not long ago on a flight through thing. Stop to go out to the. MANILA American Cemetery. And if so must you nobody would know what goes into that area. I have a lot of shipmates period and

I stop to see it. And it is spectacular awesome. Thanks. Yeah Brian. You know with through with regard to that. You know our Navy Memorial along. Has been called the Navy Memorial Wall. It is thought of in terms of the true in the Morial for people who have served and and. Have sacrificed their lives. In the Navy. And we get we get tremendous emotion. Going down in that log room and. It's not unlike that the same kind of emotion exhibited at cemeteries.

Around the world. Alameda California your next go ahead place. Yes I know. Jim Hari. I want to ask him about.

Harbor survivors. If there could be something there about them. And the knowledge contributed to morrow and. The distinction of having

.

Anyone.

Thank you Brian I would love to be able to say that we could do something for every organization and every. Every event that happened in the Navy throughout the years. That's virtually impossible I must tell you that the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. Has been extremely helpful and supportive. In this effort of building a Navy Memorial. In our nation's capital. And for this will always be grateful. I can't promise anything but will certainly take a look at it. Before we leave we're going to have time for another call. You got some more quotes there you can show us. Yes I do. We have the quote by Captain. John Paul Jones. I wish to have no connection with any ship. That does not sail fast. For I intend to go in harm's way and. That quote was made in seventeen seventy eight by Captain Jones. When he refused to take price. Price ships. For use by the U.S. Navy. Who was John Paul Jones. Well he was of. Obviously one of one of our our heroes in the Navy we've got a number of things here. At the Navy Memorial that quote him and refer to John Paul Jones. But he was a Revolutionary War hero for the Navy. And we're going to take a call and go to another quote Gaithersburg Maryland here in the suburbs washing Go ahead please. Yes. I want to talk. At that yet. Sullivan brothers. Morial there's you know full memorial that that went to late now Morial in Washington. It's done many U.S. Capitol grounds that it passed two hundred eight. When it nor the Supreme Court building it was a bronze plaque that flashed with that grass. And it didn't commemorating the last. U.S.S.. Juneau that. Salomon Brothers were on one of us. November twelfth nineteen forty two by a Japanese submarine and. Their father had planted. Their five. Flowering crab apple trees that are probably in bloom. Now or soon will. They. And it's very hard to find that it's just far as I know the only. Memorial on the Capitol grounds and I invite people to say that because it's a beautiful memorial and it has all five of the brothers. THERE WHO. I was in the Navy during the Korean War and I saw this movie. The fighting. Solomon's and. Inspired me to join a navy and. To me it was one of the great things in my life and. I also commend you you're looking at the. Inscription by John F. Kennedy there by them or else. And now. Thank you thank you Jimmy were you aware of this. No I wasn't aware of but I'll tell you one thing it's a nice day today and I think I want to take a walk at noontime. and take a look at it I may choose to see it.

Give us another quote there and we'll take the last call. OK. The last quote. That we're going to cover today is the one by. Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson. The commanding officer of the U.S.S. Nautilus on January seventeenth one thousand nine hundred fifty five and. He said underway on nuclear power and that was the beginning of the the. Nuclear power age. Last call Reno Nevada for Jim namer go ahead place. Yes No way no sirree no. I had a brother. You know on the U.S.S. Honolulu in apparent Harbor. But I don't know I was wondering about where men were and ships like U.S.S. Louis which Uncle mines were gone. Thank you Jim neighbor. Brian again. We have a lot of those. World War one see ups and World War two ships encourage ships. In our ships and aircraft log. But again. We have a lot of those ships represented on the on the glass wave wall inside the Heritage Center. And again I would. I would invite any Navy veteran. Anyone who is interested. To please come to the Navy Memorial when you're in town. We'd love to have you and show you around. I think you'd enjoy it. And I think some of the callers have represented this as a as as a very very popular place and we think it is and we. We invite you to come to me were how many people work for the memorial. We have about twenty seven full time staff and. Part time we have part timers.

As well as a tremendous volunteer staff that works here. How much do you money you have to raise every year. We probably have to raise several million dollars in order to be able to keep the doors open. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. My pleasure Brian thank you Jim name or vice president of operations for the U.S. Navy

Memorial and naval Heritage Center in downtown

Washington. And we're back here at our desk. High atop the sixth floor. Good morning. Comporting primary burrowed what's on your mind this morning when we don't hear about what we're doing is kind of for two reasons we wanted to go to our viewers this morning and ask them for constructive criticism or what. Basically they think. Like don't like about the Washington Journal. Why does it have to be constructive. Because it makes my job easy. No No Yeah. They just want to talk about what they hate that's fine too. The reason is twofold reason. One we do this. Periodical and. To the Washington Journal is now a year old actually by now it's about fifteen months old. And we're in the process of an internal. Kind of review. What works what doesn't work so we thought as part of that it only makes sense to go to our viewers and ask them to. How many people work on the journal. On a full time basis. Nine people work on the journal. I understand we have a slide there at least for a dome I don't think your name's on there. No it's not. Leslie Burdick David Bird. Elouise Collingwood Katie Kohli I want to Jordan. Julian wall the Christie shots. And Peter slant. Now. We have a camera downstairs. And I think we can show the audience Leon of Jordan. And that's not the whole Jordan right there we'll see in just a moment. When Brett. Punches that up. Can you give us that.

There we go there's Leona wave to us Leon. Leon is anociate producer. At C.-SPAN and she has been with us about a year she's originally from upstate New York and. She is filling in this week because Peterson who normally does that job is on vacation. And right behind her. On the screen was Julian Moti. Who is there is. Well to do. Julian is a production assistant he is one of the first people who communicates with our callers and I call him to this program and. He is the originally from England. And has been with C.-SPAN for several years and with a journal for about a year. If we can pan to the left there and show where the director sets and he's a. C.-SPAN veteran of eight hundred three. years Bret. That's all. Areas he's in the driver's seat by what Brett's job. Bratz job is this technical director. Brett. Basically pushes all theons he pushes the button. That decides which cameras on the air. He coordinates all of our field shots and. He basically handles all of our technical issues and problems. I can't see you sitting there with his back to you know in the in the audio booth and know right to the left there. I think. And that is Andy Miller. And he is handling the robo cam. And anybody who I had let me hand you the first fax this morning and. We can show the robo cam. He is the person who is getting ready to should be able to show what you're seeing right now which is a camera that we have in our ceiling to be able to show. Both faxes but also. Newspapers. I don't know whether the audience can see the two things we'd like to show them where. You know. And is seated six floors below us. That's correct and if we can get a close up on of that camera can move there a couple things we want to show you that right above us. Is a camera. And you can. You can't see it I can stand up with there you know right there that shoots down on the table. That's where we put our. Our newspapers and our faxes and you'll be able to see a long shot of it right now. And he will come in and he can control it from downstairs and come in tight on it. So that we can show you what we're reading at the same time. You know I find that one of the best things that the journal can do. And the reason is that. I grew up in a real small town where I did have access to major newspapers. And so the ability to be able to actually see what a front page of. Some of the papers looks like is what I would try to get across. Carol ols a local Aton says here that. My only suggestion would be to cut off the callers on the first segment of wash and journal. That fail to comply with your repeated requests to put a new story an editorial or something different on the table. And I'll tell you right now that's my pet peeve you know we should quit when the reason I handed you that tax first I knew that you get I'm going this morning I mean. You know they complain I mean you all complain about what we do from time to time which is fair game but when the callers call up and. You're asking them to bring some new information the table I say oh I have a paper from three days ago and it's an article that had you know. I don't really care about that I want to I want to talk about this. Then you've. You've got to be the first ones to complain to us about violating some balance here and. That's that's a really good and I think that we're looking into the possibility of basically. Apologizing but saying to people you know this is. This is mandatory you have to be able to bring. As I think this cut Carol says. It's. It's about bringing something new to the table and that's what we've been talking about in that first half hour. Of attempting to share with viewers across the country interesting stories both local and national that are in papers across the country. When do you decide what guest on this program. It depends. Some guests are booked to weigh in advance. And some guests are booked the day before depending upon which segment we're talking about and. We have to be able to respond to what's going on and be able to give our viewers information about issues that they're concerned with Sometimes we know that in advance sometimes we don't want to join is typing a message or Jim I'll be downstairs and. I can see this when I look right in the screen there I don't know if we can show the audience the teleprompter. But they had messages don't forget

Mohammed while I had that on my hands going to tell you I'm going to forget my Hanes there is has now he's our audio direction this morning. But half the time. But always in Brett's state. He also is our technical director for. Half the days

Bret does it for the other half and they switch on and off. Fade Bill good morning good morning. Connie and Brian morning they had Bill Arkin so. Yes I've been away if you're a long time. You're welcome. Then my home. I have one created from one compliment. To require.

I created. With some areas. I am troubled by how frequently both your clan can hear my problem and the. I like the band on four I can mantra and. Thing that I can. They are. Money is wealth. Bant. For example. You're the go by and took the band to the lawyers. And show them the pros and cons of you think that payer dollars. To create. What some people call a Cadillac. With their birthday quiet. With a band plays explore the pros and cons. But I could pay or money back. The the sport. And very. I think with the building up of the eating out. And if they had me would you quantify the amount of property. Practice which you have funneled through the school or. Band in the. Very frequently through the neglect of academics and vocational education. My tax. My property taxes. Are there rolled out and each year. Seventy percent of that go to school. And I read than that and any of that goes to the gold or ladder three quid. Could you from time to time include a reporter from the science. News. Which is by you in Washington. And I don't think I've every thing won. On your program. So that we could better understand. Some of the science. Story you know like you mad cow to the where public policy. They will flee and. And where we have hardly anything to go on but they're pretty. All right thanks. Good suggestion the only thing is that the property tax thing is and the schools are local local. Pretty local issues and change would change from from area to area. One of the things we have to do when we take a look at what issues we're going to do on a daily basis is how it impacts. A wide variety of people across the country because we watched from the East Coast West Coast in.

And in the Hawaii and in some places internationally. James Sherman. Well more. Minnesota says one of the thing that really bugs me. I have seen many times the very real questions of callers going answered the duty of the moderators to fill us. So take the answering of questions. When a panelist doesn't answer a direct question it's the duty of Susan kind of Brian Steve. Ever to get the question answered by not doing so it's. It is disrespect. Who the person asking the question. Callers take the time the cost to ask a question that they want answered. Please ask your people to get the answer to the important. Color. Questions. Good point. I mean I think it is the responsibility of the host to make sure that answers to questions are answered. Sometimes however. Questions are. Have been asked before. And in order to keep the. The program moving. It's a pro se and I question has been answered earlier in the show we may not have it repeated. Bartlesville Oklahoma go ahead place. Good morning guys I know I have absolutely. Very little criticism in speech but not really none that I did want to mention I've been to occasions when I've gotten through. On your day but. Thanks. Segment. When. One of the requirements is something out of the newspaper. I try to explain to the person and that my paper was the Sunday paper my paper doesn't arrive until four o'clock in the afternoon and. So it's pretty hard. Like on a Monday. To talk about something that can Monday morning's paper because I don't have one. Let me interrupt to say that that's all right. But here's here's the kind of a story we're looking for this morning. A caller caller from Atlanta. And said that. Former senator white Fowler had been nominated to be an ambassador. That's something I've not heard I'd say the nicer here. It doesn't matter the absolute this morning but tell us something new. I mean. You know what I'm talking about when you call up and say well here's a headline from yesterday Medicare's going down the tubes. Coming up but I really want to talk about abortion and. That's what we're talking about not bringing new information from your area to the table. And we don't care.

It's always the last couple days how old it is. Well I guess my only concern was I was just disconnected you don't know how you can not know how hard it is to get Sure. I do know how burned you can be when that happens and we will we will try to do a better job on that. Here and I apologize. Because the folks downstairs answering the phones are under a lot of pressure. There was a fax here also. Just handed you with someone asking why we. Why we can't pick up the ringing line. And basically when we pick up the line and it's ringing. You start paying. And so we try to make it a point not to pick it up until we're close to putting you on the air so as to save you that dime. This was from this sailors from when I found it fortunately it does not.

OK Orange County California good morning good morning coming Good morning Brian. Morning. I think you do an excellent job. I watch every morning them. Here out in the West Coast so I'm up at four o'clock in the morning trying to get involved in my government I think you do the best job of showing both sides. Though I think. Over the many years that I've tried in trying to keep up with government I found that both sides. Are in some way. Have their side and buy a place they do is trying to game the power of Washington and. By not answering the questions and solving the problems that we have out here. And it seems that more Americans when I hear that you know people. BASH pro. It wasn't as much as poor with. The people bad that came and put him on the ballot in all fifty states. He didn't do anything with Larry King one time. And all of us and he's the person to be bashed when he's just put out the issues that the Democrats and Republicans refuse to admit to we are to solve. In. It's just the process. The process that goes on and then we have campaign finance reform we have term limits we have some of those things that would. Most be detrimental to the party system that is in power now or. Those side. And we have such bashing. I have. Pereiro. All right thanks. That's. He's gone. Yeah well. I just want to say that I would like to add we only have a little time I would like to ask you to try to combine your criticisms to this program and what you want to improve here because we can talk about how you feel about Mr Perot and the supporters. Later I The fact is there one problem this comes from Joe Martin. Oceanside California. One problem is becoming apparent is that callers don't seem to average the mood of the country. They seem to be far more conservative than the people I meet. I own a manufacturing business and talk to a wide spectrum people every week I believe the Republicans have mastered automatic dollars faster than Democrats. They are for the following suggestion. Rather than having your two phone lines are determined by geography. Have them determined by politics liberal conservative Republican Democrat rural city. Rich poor labor management American. Americans foreigners black white. I think that should give you an idea of what I'm thinking about the groups would be determined by topics in the. guest That you have won I believe the show would be more informative and fun to watch with this format. So the question is who defines what. Liberal and Conservative is and who defines what the public and Democrat is if we divided our lines that way. Your different definition of what a conservative and someone else is maybe totally different. But we do like that.

I mean we miss is the most frustrating thing I would have absolutely a frustrating issue but. As so when we go to from the from the problem. To trying to solve the problem we've tried different things we tried. Dividing up the lines we've tried to look at what I'm looking at about how they write about a reporter coming out of the beginning of the program in the morning because they perceive that person to be liberal. And that's a mistake force or then they complain about the callers all being conservative. And then they complain. When we go to a line that would be Republican liberal because we're artificially set on who calls. Let me tell you what our goal is here and our goal is over a three hour period that most mornings you're going to hear most. Sides. Of these issues. It doesn't always work. But if you've got a better idea that will be as fair as possible. Let us know. Because we're as frustrated as you are with this and every time we try to change something of course. You have just as many people who are unhappy as.

Are happy. And that's where their common. At least asking. Marja Amy and her group to sit in the back and take the right. Calls or in Bradford Pennsylvania who had place. Good morning. Brian and the mistakes of vast cynicism and mistrust in government and mistrust in mostly everything. Right don't you have more like heroes on that have come up to say they made a success they've been on welfare and a good. And they're good examples. They have. There's heroes. Like were instances where it was a box. You vendor only feel you come through a government program and now you've got a home for a kid and he gives back. Whatever the government. Gave them. And I mean in other words. There's so much mistrust big government program. Don't you think that. If you research. If you see people out. You could find a lot of. Lot of good things are going on instead of.

Everything is bad banks. Because of gesture and. We need to get out of the beltway more. We need to try to be able to talk to people who are involved in this but one of the key issues. For the Washington Journal is to put interesting people. On from varying from varying points of view.

And also to follow the money. Also we sit here every day trying to give you some sense of what people in this town are thinking about reading about I mean we're not. This isn't the Today show. Or Good Morning America and. There's a whole. There's a there's a line. At some point. Love the idea I'd rather sit and listen to people who are doing great things every day myself. But the fact the matter you've got contention in this town you've got people that feel very strongly on the different sides of the issues. And we like to think of ourselves as a mere. Hole in the mirror up to what's happening here that's what we do with these newspapers see folks get real frustrated when they don't like the bias that they perceive in these newspapers but. Five hundred thirty five. Representative's fourteen cabinet members. All the nations press that live here. Supreme Court justices all get up every day and read the same papers and talk about the same issues based on what. Are in these papers here. And I think. You know that's the real challenge for the Washington Journal. Team. Is there are so many places to go out there. In the mornings. Or any time to watch depending upon what your likes and dislikes are and. Our goal is to be different. And you know. They don't watch us because we're the same as Good Morning America or any of the other shows and. They watch us because we're different and that's a real challenge. And also. As long as we're talking here and yanking yourselves to the American profile series. And the book notes programs are meant to be a conversation instead of a gotcha type of an interview that's right. We're not complaining about gotcha interviews that's a whole different world and. A chance to hear people who may not be heroes but. Have some. Long form thoughts on an issue or subject let's go to Fresno California next go ahead place. I fry and. I Thanks for some of the things I've seen you do with say that. In terms of your programming or the format of your show. It's kind of difficult on the West Coast to have your newspaper ready. First thing in the morning. Specially if it's tween four and five o'clock.

And I kind of got the feeling that that it was. It was. It was limiting limiting for a for people in this country but. Yeah

I have a news story I've been dying to share. You know I just I just point out that you got your fire either Fresno Bee. All right well. But you know things happen all the time and there are things that we never hear about that happen in Fresno that might have an interesting impact nationally so just save it and use it when it. That's the point of this thing is. There are things that happen in Washington D.C. that are pretty important that we never hear about either. The bat. And what I picked up off of. Public radio program that was actually on the Internet. The story itself couldn't be published commercially. Why is. Well let me let me let me give you the story. Quickly and accurately. I don't know the gentleman's name but he broke. Oliver North. And the Iraq Iran Contra scandal. But. He gained access to classified documents from the Senate. Proceedings in the investigation the October surprise those documents were stored in a formerly a woman's restroom in the state building or a federal building. Those documents. Explain the lawyer for President Bush former President Bush in one thousand. Eighty S. to check for three or four million dollars to President Carter's Iranian contacts.

This is. This is this is the smoking gun here but where is this what's the source of this. This is well. The gentleman himself. Is the man who broke the story I don't know his name. But he has yet to start his own Internet media.

I believe it's called Media Watch or media consortium. But how do you know hearsay is the problem you got an Internet story and you get you know the guy's name and I pick it up off of. Pacifica and I'm never smart enough to record everything that comes across on the radio. The sense that the radio. Yeah. But the gentleman I mean. You must know who broke the Iran Contra story. Well you know I just I'm sorry I can't give you his name but the truth is he access to classified documents the results of the Senate's investigation into the October surprise. When they when they concluded that nothing happened. They lied. Because they had the proof. They knew exactly what happened and they did. They deceived the American people. So burning democracy. Tiredly. Be OK for five minutes ago because again this. Half hours about this program can I just address the West Coast Yeah for us because we do have West Coast here is her. Feel that bad because of the timing the changes in. Time zones that. The show is more skewed. To the east coast viewers. And where the process is a kind of revealing our format on that actually and maybe putting a second day book section and. A little later in the program. So that viewers who are from the West Coast A would have a better chance. Having a day book section no talking about the morning news. During a period of time that is a little bit more conducive as than getting up and going to work. And also people want to view this network in the two networks as want and to and we started three and a national way last week it's not a full time network we have a national education meeting up in policies New York. On a nicely trying metadata satellite. And some cable systems carried around the country. People out of view though that. Always breaks. In the votes where we have open followers and this is a this is an ongoing continuous national discussion. That doesn't begin and end in this morning program. Absolutely not and fortunately the only statistics I have this morning are from the Washington Journal and its people are interested to know. In one thousand nine hundred five last year was the first year the Washington Journal we took ten thousand two hundred thirty nine calls within the seven day week. Three hour a day. During the week and two on a weekend show and out of those three thousand were first time callers. One of three. North

Fort Myers Florida good morning good morning

Brian. And the dear lady. For now. I'm a conservative Republican. And I'm alternately furious and lighted way to that sounds like balance doesn't. Maybe maybe not like any rate I've thought that. And I hope I'm on your subject this morning and. I don't like to see you all used by people such as in the last year when they would. Yeah. On your and the Democrats would have their meetings every day at their press meetings. Every day and I just wonder do you all feel obligated to pick up the phone and talk to the Republicans to say hey guys you deserve a break because we're going to give the Democrats some time over this morning would you like to jump in here and. And let us imagine separate Do you feel like the Republicans are obligated to stay awhile. Wide awake and. Every time the other folks have. I don't have press meeting to call you and say what you would like to rebut some of the things we hear. But you know let me explain what happened there which is fast and we ask. The speaker of the house to open up. His daily news conference to television. Which he did. And we told the Democrats if they were interested we have coverage of their daily. Converses same thing was with Bob Dole the same thing with Tom Daschle. What happened was that. Speaker Gingrich opened it up for a month or so then didn't like it shut it down. And the Democrats continue to do this and on the Senate side the same thing with Bob Dole he had one day in which he came out for the cameras and then he didn't do it in again anymore. But Tom Daschle. Continued the Republicans have an open.

Opportunity every day to do this they just choose not to. OK that sounds reasonable to me now a bit of trivia and I would get all. I noticed when Congress. is Voting. And not mention it to want to hear people before they have the name of the Democrat Party. And a Democratic. Well you know how conservative I am it but it's the to me and say new age. But the Republicans are not a Democratic Party. And I'll let you two educated folks tell me. Is the name of the party Democrat or Democratic. Stand. It's a the Democratic Party but it is the Democratic. Is the is the adjective. In the magic and it is a spell with a capital there are small day. It's a capital B. it's the parity and see if you know it's right. Do I get my chance to put my pet peeve in. Absolutely. Very quickly. It's not really a pet peeve. It's just about meeting and then. It's a recommendation to our viewers because I know people get the people who fax in or e-mail and sometimes get frustrated with us. But I brought with me just a couple examples of what doesn't work. And why sometimes things don't get on the air. One is. This is about a ten page. Treatise that someone wrote us. I'm sure that they were very very concerned about this issue. But there's no way in in the space. Of the short period of time that we can decipher through this much material to bring it to to the set. So I would recommend people keep it short. One page. If possible. And the other one is this person. The faxes every day from Virginia. And usually five or six or seven times a day she faxes from Virginia. And I would just tell you that if we get a fax all the time. It's. We can't ask it like the thirty day policy does it's not the same thing as a thirty day policy. But to some extent. If we see these in the facts of the time.

We're not going to be. We're not going to bring this to the table because we know it's somebody who violates. Leo Tarpey of Brooklyn New York says I rely on the New York Times T.V. Guide to monitor programs but their listings for C.-SPAN are somewhat sketchy. Not their fault. So the only remedy is to just channel surf. That's what seventy six percent of people do watch this program. During the day to catch segments of interest would be possible around airily scheduling updates. We actually do that every quarter hour. That's right.. Every Every quarter hour at the bottom of your screen at fifteen and forty five you will see a small line at the bottom of the screen. This is not during the journalist I'm talking about regular C.-SPAN programming throughout the day. Telling you a little bit about what's coming up and then it. Definitely at eight am right. At seven A.M. right before the journal. There is a program listing for the complete day as much as we don't know yet the New York Times credit they try as it is now USA Today an L.A. Times to put our listings and but so often they want more time. And advance and we can get them because we often make decisions. I mean what really. This morning you have any idea when. Christopher Hitchens and. Vajra New York were booked for the show. Byron York was there was booked about three P.M. yesterday afternoon Christopher Hitchens' was booked I think on. Tuesday What about Blaine Harden. Blaine Harden was booked at five o'clock yesterday. And when did we decide to ask the Navy Memorial post a letter sent maybe. That's a little bit different because we takes a little bit more work talk to them for the first time. About a week ago. Los Angeles good morning. If I would probably be getting a program you want to talk about. Articles from local newspapers that had to be a local newspaper and be an article about something that we don't know about that you might pick up in the local. Any kind of a local magazine a newspaper we want to learn something that's the point. You know when I called up December twenty fourth an article from the L A Times that nobody knew about. And the two people just looked at each other so well I don't know anything. And that was it. If you going to bring up an article that I think that. You know you should talk about it sometimes. Sometimes just knowing that there's an article running and you give us the first paragraph of the article. That works because then we know something's going on and that's that's part of the reason for all this. I just didn't do it because I never heard anything about it since it was about the F.B.I. raiding the group here in Los Angeles. For trying to overthrow the friendly government of Cuba. This was before Cuba shot down those planes. And I never heard anything since about it from anybody it was buried in the Thank You to The L.A. Times. And I just think that if you want to hear. Article the stuff about that people should be proud to talk about it. I think was Louis there that day and he looked at the reporter the reporter looked at him with people shrug their shoulders and then that was. it OK. Thanks for the suggestion. One of the things you've probably already. Doubt that watching this program as a lot of people don't know anything. A lot of people do. But I mean you can. It's a gauge here when you sit here and listen to both callers. And gas and. You know all kinds of facts that come in it people often don't have the right answer I don't know the answer to all this.

You do not on a road. Used to be Conny doubly now brode. Is from Hanover Kansas. And where is that. And it's a Kansas is a town of about eight hundred fifty people. It is about a three hour drive west of Kansas City sixty miles north of Manhattan

Kansas. It's very agricultural very rural Duggar Hampshire Good morning good morning. I really don't have a criticism to make I find. Washington Yarnell. Very engaging. And very informative. However it is something I would like to see happen. Is being in this great bastion of the democratic process. Here in New Hampshire. I find people very very an educated as to how the. The whole voting process takes place. What the influences are etc And since you are now having students who have registered to vote. On the program every day which. Which is also unlike. Thing I would like to see if you could have some of their teachers on. Who could talk about how they explain the voting process. To this student I don't mean to take up too much time but I wanted to say that I find it. People can't seem to wait for their vote to take. Like for instance I used to be a Republican. And I never think to vote for a winner in the state of Maryland. However now that I'm a Democrat I for one some my life voted for someone who won and. I think people are not willing to wait. And use their in. So I went over and over again we have to vote. Until they get what they say they can't wait to be bright or something. Thanks. Bill in part I want to can take up on that is the voting process part of it. And that is certainly something we try to do. I'd be very interested in hearing from viewers who don't know something about the way government works. And want to now. Because this is something that they that the Washington Journal can do and. If you if there's a process. If there's an agency you think that you. That you just don't know about or you want to know more about or you think there are misconceptions about. Or anything like that that we can go out and take a look at and educate our viewers. And educate ourselves. That would be great. So. And you can do that by by faxing us with some of your ideas or calling us. And letting us know. This is from John

Roberts I think you really really like this is where you have of this to me no I didn't and then the day. Yeah. Well maybe I did. It's attention to county road Mr Lamb seems to get increasingly over here with every caller who charges and C.-SPAN coverage. He seemed to literally steam today. I didn't know I didn't. And that really boss I was there and I wouldn't suggest that every check of backgrounds the journalists who appear on journalist roundtable would reveal that a vast overbalance. Not only to the right but to journalists connected to publications controlled by that Washington Times yet Mr Lambo. It's actually. Lambro. Lambro yesterday and I fear. Arnaud De Boer Graben Wes Peden have couches in your C.-SPAN building our publications only controlled by the radical right. Foreign missed. Mistake. The Reverend Sun and Moon favorites of C.-SPAN or. Is it just that the movies are over active and badgering you for exposure. The Washington Times is an organ of right wing Republicans. It is basically a small local paper which has yet to reach a circulation of one hundred thousand. Without C.-SPAN it will be losing far more. Of the millions it does today. Balance were made a problem. On C.-SPAN as long as this pandering recount continues. John J. Robins of Stuart Florida. I think it was John Robinson. Or that the. That read an article about me in the Stewart paper that was very very vicious and attacked me. Did you get over exercise. Morning. I did. I usually do when they're accused of being biased. As is the woman who called in earlier. Honest can I address that. You because you kept her on for some time and. What really the only thing that gets. I have. I do I like people calling in and telling us what they think about this. But this woman called in yesterday. Repeated the same thing is that right yes is it and course we don't know that if we're not wow to read it without watching every minute but I did get a call from somebody who was on the show yesterday who said that person was on yesterday. And as much as we try to keep people to the thirty day policy. You know it is an honor system. We know that and. We want to hear your comments and criticisms. But two days in a row. That's it for that lady. No more. All right Seattle Washington go ahead place you're on the air. Oh yes Seattle. Morning. Gotta go great job thanks to the spam. Welcome What can we do better. Well yeah. I did this it might be partially. You talk of comparing the stories I'm best at a reporter to these papers. When I compare. Make up stories or political events that are obviously in the form paper or like the one time. Good idea. It is a great idea one of the problems that we have is being able to get that newspaper in a timely fashion. And we're working right now. To try to see how we can get some of those foreign papers. Through the Internet so that we can bring to the table. The same morning that. That they are happening. And just as a side bar no Monday. We've decided to kind of throw out the format and do all foreign affairs on the Washington Journal. Because we realize that being a mirror on Washington or trying to be a mirror Washington sometimes. The foreign issues. For by the side when you have anything else you want to say as well no not really. We have used to have a camera downstairs. Shirley hope so exulted We also haven't shown the people behind the cameras up here. That's right we do that I don't know we have time enough. But do we have. Do we have time.

But it's not like you and I don't know if there is a man this is an Easter Passover. Weekend there are we go there's also wave to us Michelle Michelle asked. Who's behind the first camera and. You can kind of see we have. I think. Eric. You know I'm going to fix not in Erik's near the room that's right. Bryan little. Yes. We go for tell for tell by fertile. And in turn. And your name. Can you know. If you know what you're asking how are you trying to be honest.

I was in town as he was entering her.

Interest. Hey we're running cameras That's right. And actually we have two interns in the washer journal talk Hughson and.

Rachel Royster who are big help to us on an everyday basis. Thanks to everybody's morning for going in there and thanks to our callers for your suggestions and. You have a final word for the audience to keep watching and keep letting us know what you think and have a nice holiday weekend.

You know. I hate the thought of my idea. Partially you talk and. Comparing the stories and besought a reporter to look at those papers. When I compare major stories or political events that are published the uniform paper or like the London Times. Good idea. It is a great idea one of the problems that we have is being able to get that newspaper in a timely fashion. And we're working right now. To try to see how we can get some of those foreign papers. Through the Internet so that we can bring to the table. The same morning that. That they are happening. And just as a sidebar know. Monday. We've decided to kind of throw out the format and do all foreign affairs on the Washington Journal. Because we realize that being a mirror on Washington or trying to be a mirror Washington sometimes. The foreign issues. For by the side when you have anything else you want to say this one no not really. We have used to have a camera downstairs and Shirley hope so. Exulted free. We also haven't shown the people behind the cameras up here. We're trying to do that I don't know we have time or not but. Do we have. Do we have time. That's you know again I don't know is there is a man is accused of Passover. Weekend there right. There we go there's also waved to us Michelle Michelle I asked. Who was behind the first camera and. You can kind of see we have. I think. Eric. You know I'm going to actually not anyhow Eric's near the room that's right. Ryan Riddle. Yes here we go for TELL IT FOR tell by for tell. And in turn and your name. Can you know. You know which I was that. Perry a friend of yours. Alzheimer's or you as an actor here in times of day who are running cameras That's right. And actually we have two interns in the washer journal talk Hughson and. Rachel Royster who are big help to us on an everyday basis. Thanks to rise twenty four and in there and thanks to our callers for your suggestions and. You have a final word for the audience to keep watching and keep letting us know what you think. And have a nice holiday weekend.