in libya there was. if which intervened we could stop gaddafi from regaining control of this country. at the time we understood there was no guarantee that that would mean he would be driven from power immediately, but we could at least stop him from doing that. it was a humanitarian crisis that our actions could prevent. i think it made sense and i think the president has clearly articulated that. for congress to pass a resolution saying they have no earthly idea what the president is dng in libya simply means they have not been paying attention for the last couple of months. it's been made clear. i think it's appropriate that we ask the president to regularly keep in touch with us, let us know where the mission is going. i supported the resolution that said no ground troops in libya. i think that's a step too far. i don't think that's something that would be accomplished militarily. i think that's appropriate. the part of the resolution that i oppose is that the president has made no national security

we have no business in libya. even the administration has said it's not a national security interest of the united states to be in libya. so why are we there? we are there because we don't like omar gaddafi. there are a lot of bad guys in the world and if we start picking them off one at a time we'll be at war with most of the world. because most of the world is led by rogue dictators or bad guys. we have no business being in libya. we have no business justifying this war on the house floor. it is congress' responsibility to defund any further action in libya. and that is what we should do. it's unfortunate we don't have that up or down vote. i wish we could vote up or down today on that issue and let the house decide if we should be at war in libya. $700 million has already been spent in the war in libya. it's hard to figure out where that money came from. i get different answers from different people about where the president got that money. but maybe we should spend that $700 million in the united states buildi

military mission in libya. the administration has yet to present congress and the american people with a clear strategic objective for our involvement in libya. furthermore, to date we have not been informed of a specific end goal under which the military operations would cease. this threatens the effectiveness of our mission and could soon create an unjustifiable strain on our military. while they remain engaged in two other theaters of operation critical to our national security interest. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remains. mr. mckeon: how much do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has one minute remaining. mr. mckeon: i'd be happy to yield. mr. dicks: wouldn't you feel better if we could add as the fifth item in this list of things suppression of enemy air defenses? the reason i say that is i think we're going to have a difficult time doing any of these other missions unless we ha

military mission in libya. the administration has yet to present congress and the american people with a clear strategic objective for our involvement in libya. furthermore, to date we have not been informed of a specific end goal under which the military operations would cease. this teatens the effectiveness of our mission and could soon create an unjustifiable strain on our military. while they remain engaged in two other theaters of operation critical to our national security interest. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remains. mr. mckeon: how much do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the geleman has one minute remaining. mr. mckeon: i'd be happy to yield. mr. dicks: wouldn't you feel better if we could add as the fifth item in this list of things suppression of enemy air defenses? the reason i say that is i think we're going to have a difficult time doing any of these other missions unless we have s

in libya there was. if which intervened we could stop gaddafi from regaining control of this country. at the time we understood there was no guarantee that that would mean he would be driven from power immediately, but we could at least stop him from doing that. it was a humanitarian crisis that our actions could prevent. i think it made sense and i think the president has clearly articulated that. for congress to pass a resolution saying they have no earthly idea what the president is doing in libya simply means they have not been paying attention for the last couple of months. it's been made clear. i think it's appropriate that we ask the president to regularly keep in touch with us, let us know where the mission is going. i supported the resolution that said no ground troops in libya. i think that's a step too far. i don't think that's something that would be accomplished militarily. i think that's appropriate. the part of the resolution that i oppose is that the president has made no national securit

military operations in libya. the rule also provides the minority with two separate motions to recommit with or without instructions. mr. speaker, it was in this week in 1788, june 21 of 1788 that the united states ratified its constitution. that constitution that still serves us so well today. in that constitution our framers made clear that the power of the purse belongs here and here alone. here in the people's house. here on capitol hill. on that constitution made clear that the power to declare war arrive here and here alone. on june 3 of this year, by a vote of 268-145, the house of representatives passed a resolution asking the president to make clear what his intentions are in libya. asking the president to come and consult with congress, to get congress' permission to seek our authority to prosecute those hostilities in libya. we received some information from the white house since then. we have gotten a letter from the white house since then. we even have classified documents since then, but what we have

mitary mission in libya. the administration has yet to present congress and the american people with a clear strategic objective for our involvement in libya. furthermore, to date we have not been informed of a specific end goal under which the military operations would cease. this threatens the effectiveness of our mission and could soon create an unstifiable strain on our military. while they remain engaged in two other theaters of operation critical to our national security interest. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remains. mr. mckeon: how much do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has one minute remaining. mr. mckeon: i'd be happy to yield. mr. dicks: wouldn't you feel better if we could add as the fifth item in this list of things suppression of enemy air defenses? the reason i say that is i think we're going to hava difficult time doing any of these other missions unless we have s

involvement in libya. the white house has warned that such a restriction would be a boon to the libyan dictator muammar gaddafi, with the united states, along with european and arab enemies, is trying to oust. we expected the committee to get into session shortly. just to let you know our coverage plans, we are here to watch the markup session on this libya resolution. following that, we expect the committee to move on to consideration of nominations. we will lead here on c-span. double end our committee coverage at -- that will end our committee coverage at that time did you can watch the entire committee following the markup at c-span.org, and you can watch the morning session with harold koh. this is the senate foreign relations committee, and many of the 19 members have arrived. still waiting for the chairman, john kerry, to andarrive an -- to arrive and gavel this session in. the resolution would authorize limited military involvement in libya operation, but not ground troops. it is similar to a resol

the first, to end funds for libya. -- the first, about the situation in libya. secondly, funding of the operation. c-span has launched a new web site for politics and the 2012 presidential race with the latest c-span advance from the campaign trail, information from the candidates, twitter feeds and updates from reporters, and links to c-span media partners. visit us at c-span.org/campaign 2012. ron paul discusses his previous presidential bid. his strategy for winning the gop nomination, as well as his years as a doctor, service in the military, and his views on congress. "road to the white house," sunday night on c-span. the house overwhelmingly rejected a measure giving the president the authority to continue u.s. operations in libya. 70 democrats voted against the residential operation. the congressional action will have no immediate effect on american involvement in the mission. pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentlelady is recognized. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker

military operations in libya. the president declined to seek congressional operation before engaging in hostilities. he is carrying out for more than three months without seeking your receiving congressional authorization this is at odds with the constitution and with the president's own pronouncements on war powers. for example, in december 2007, he responded to a boston globe question by saying, "the president does not have power under the constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping it an actual or imminent threat to the nation." before return to constitutional and legal issues, i believe it is important to make a more fundamental point. even if one believes the president somehow have the legal authority to initiate and continue the military operations in libya, it does not mean that going to war without congress was either wise or helpful to the operation. the vast majority of members of congress, constitutional scholars, and military authorities would

i agree with you that we should be out to libya -- out of libya. i do think we should not try to get out of there in 14 days. we ought to give the president an opportunity to make his case, which he has not done yet. i think we -- we need to get out on a timeframe that does not leave our allies in the lurch as we do that. host: another point of view from chris on twitter -- chris, there are some people who would agree with you. i don't think we should commit to a war unless we have the mission well defined as to what we are going to accomplish. sometimes that might be able to be done without the commitment of ground troops. secondly, we should never do any kind of act that would lead us into a conflict without going to the constitutional procedures to do that, and that would be to comply with the war powers act and have congress declared war or give an authority to do that. host: the next call from north carolina. caller: i have a strange view of the world, so bear with me. i believe that, as an overview of the american people, we want to show our

they're performing magnificently in libya. if anything, i would like to speed up the implementation of the strategic defense review because so many -- so much of the new equipment we're looking to have in terms of drones and things like that it would be more helpful to have them right now. so far from being the wrong strategic posture and it's right and it's good we're putting them in place. >> mr. speaker, i think it will come as news as the wider defense and security community that there's been a review of the original strategic defense and security review. and if there indeed has been a review since the arab spring took place, then why doesn't the prime minister publish the results of that review? let's have a consultation with the experts who know about these issues. now, let me just answe the prime minister finally -- let me say this to him in all sincerity. [laughter] >> when our military chief -- when our military chief raised concerns and raised legitimate concerns about the conduct of our operations, surely, it's not

the libya campaign. predator drones have reportedly fired missiles on some 30 occasions. most significantly, the broader range of air strikes being carried out by other nato forces depend on the essential support functions provided by the united states. the war powers resolution required the president to terminate the introduction of u.s. forces into hostilities in libya on may 20, 60 days after he notify congress of the commencement of the operation. the administration declined to offer any explanation of its view that u.s. forces were not engaged in hostilities in libya until nearly a month later, on june 15. even at that time, the administration's explanation was limited to four sentences. and it was a 32-page report on the libyan operations. the administration analysis focuses on the question of whether u.s. casualties are likely to occur. thereby minimizing other considerations relevant to the use of force. but this definition of hostilities that have a significant scope to conduct warfare from remo

libya campaign. predator drones have reportedly fired missiles on some 30 occasions. most significantly, the broader range of air strikes being carried out by other nato forces depend on the essential support functions provided by the united states. the war powers resolution required the president to terminate the introduction of u.s. forces into hostilities in libya on may 20, 60 days after he notify coness of the commencement of the operation. the administration declined to offer any explanation of its view that u.s. forces were not engaged in hostilities in libya until nearly a month later, on june 15. even at that time, the administration's explanation was limited to four sentences. and it was a 32-page report on the libyan operations. the administration analysis focuses on the question of whether u.s. casualties are likely to occur. thereby minimizing other considerations relevant to the use of force. but this definition of hostilities that have a significant scope to conduct warfare from remote

lex i think what we're doing in libya is important. it is important that congress have their voice be heard on the issue. i am going to try to introduce a new resolution authorizing that it is based off of the mccain won in the senate but further limited. there was concern that it was not as specific as it needed to be too limited to what we're doing now and make sure that no ground troops are used. it might be something we revisit. whether or not the house majority is interested in doing that, i do not know for sure. >> if the white house had come to congress in march and ask for authorization in libya, do you think it would have supported it back then? >> it is hard to say. republicans are focused on the process argument. the president and white house could have been more inclusive of congress in the buildup to the decision to going to libya. it happened fast. i think the president and his team were reluctant to get involved. very quickly, they were launching the operation and needed our help. from that point, the president has done

the administration says it has no plans to introduce troops into libya. strong majorities of the house and congress oppose ground forces there. the american people do not want ground troops there. i see no reason why this prohibition should not be binding. it fails to counteract the president's assertion that current u.s. operations do not amount to hostilities and therefore do not require something under the war powers resolution. the resolution also lacks sufficient provision for congressional oversight of the operations, their costs, their potential impanth on other u.s. national security objectives. i have offered five amendment to address these concerns that have been circulated to all members. they have. second, establish a legally binding prohibition on the deployment of ground forces. third, specify the war powers resolution applies to current u.s. military operations in libya and that continuation of these operations would require congressional eighthization. fourth, require specific reports on the libya operations on strict deadlines, and expres

the house votes on libya on friday. defense spending bill will be the first order of business after the july break. "newsmakers" today at 6:00 p.m. on c-span. next, a look at the u.s. economy with remarks from federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. he said on wednesday that the recovery is going at a moderate pace, though more slowly than expected by economists. he made these remarks after eight meeting with the policy committee. this is about one hour. >> threw out the briefing, michael will be to reflect the consensus of the committee while taking note of the diversity of views as appropriate. my remarks and interpretations are my own responsibility. as indicated in the policy statement, the committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at zero to point to 5%. we continue to anticipate economic conditions are likely to warrant low levels for the federal funds rate for an extended time. the planned purchases of $600 billion of treasury securities will be completed by the end of the month. the co

when we get involved in libya, everyone wants an exit strategy. i appreciate that, but we do not always know what is going to happen. at the same time, the president laid out in pretty coherent exit strategy in afghanistan and he is doing a pretty good job following it. the reason karzai is saying what he is saying is because of pressure from his constituents. we all have constituents. he has his, and they are concerned about the fact that they have 150,000 troops from the norah on their country. we need -- tromping all around their country. we need to drawdown in a responsible way. >> how confident are you that they can take security manages -- matters into their own hands? that is the crux of the problem there. >> and how will we pay for that in the coming years? the force -- >> the force is a lot better than they used to be. we have trained about 120,000 afghan army and afghan national police since 2009. their training is better, they are more equipped, more capable. it is not a guarantee by any stretch. we are paying for it now, but not foreve

role in libya. our next call comes from florida on our line for independents. you're on the "washington journal." caller: good morning. and thanks, c-span. i just want to tell the american people based on what i'm hearing is that the g.o.p., the republicans are being a little hypocritical. people on the line calling you are talking about two wars that we're in, afghanistan and iraq, when we violated the united nation's ruling that all countries are to be sovereign we don't just go into them. i think it was 1441. i heard the comments and i understand how everybody feels about the president's lack of making decisions. but it's not his fault. we tied his hands with the decisions that were recently made. and i want people to think about that when you -- i am so angry. when you have so many people that are complaining about our progress with helping other countries, you've got a president who is able to deliver and to help other countries. i know a lot of people don't like what's happening right now, but

host: what does it mean about libya? caller: we should get out of libya. let them take care of their own business. they are not going to listen to us once we leave there. they are going to do what they want to do regardless of what america says. we should get out of afghanistan right near and iraq. host: somerville, alabama, that was built on a republican line. the top democrat on the house committee will talk about many things related to the jobless things related to the jobless numbers. sander levin spoke about addressing the national debt and also on whether tax breaks for upper individuals should be extended. >> the upper income people have done so well these last 10-12 years, while 90% of the population has had stagnant income. for the upper income groups, it has gone up. we have more income disparity today in what we have had in a long time. i am confident that what the president says about the tax cuts is where he stands. i think it will be resolved and president obama reelected will make sure there is tax equity. that means that we cannot extend be

they are performing a magnificently in libya. if anything, i would like to speed up the implementation of the strategic defense review because so much of the new equipment that we are looking to have in terms of drones and so on, that would be more helpful if we had them right now, so far from being the wrong strategic posture, it is right, it is good that we are putting in place. >> i think it will come as news to the wider defense and security community that there has been a review of the original strategic defense and security review, and if there indeed has been a review since the arab spring took place, then why does not the prime minister publish the results of that review? let us have a consultation with the experts know about these issues, because as you will see, there is clear concern across our military about these issues. let me ask the prime minister. in all sincerity, when our military chiefs raised legitimate concerns about we conduct of operations, surely it is not the right thing to say, "you do the fighting, and

in libya, i would not have ordered troops into libya. once we are there, it is a different equation. i think john kerry would agree with me that for the president to announce deployment of pulling troops out of afghanistan on a timetable, and that timetable is consistent with the one that announced during the search, it is a wrong tactic that we will fight a war on numbers that are predicted. it is the wrong thing to tell them. this tells them go underground and wait it out. a couple of more years, there will not be opposition in afghanistan. we know what they did to afghanistan after the russians were gone. there was a power vacuum after the russians that was filled by the taliban laying the foundation for the al-qaeda. host: steve king is our guest, republican from ottawa. we have set aside a phone lines this morning for afghanistan war veterans. we want to hear from you definitely. there is that number. if you served in afghanistan, we want to hear from you. i want to play a little bit of president obama from last night and get your r

qaddafi is part of libya's past. the future belongs to the people of libya. nous devrions donc tous planifier l'avenir et nous tenir prÊts pour la suite. this is why we should all plan and prepare for the future. the international community must be prepared to help with the libyan people and sure a peaceful and orderly transition to democracy. let me be clear about one thing. once our mission is completed, i do not expect nato to play a lead role. i am convinced others have the capabilities and required expertise to assist with olivia's transition -- libya's transition following the conflict. the united nations will be in the lead in the transition. nato, however, can play its part. we could support a post-qaddafi libya in the building modern and democratic security forces that will protect the people, not attack them. many allied nations went through similar reforms some two decades ago. we are ready to provide our assistance if we are asked to do so. the debate will not end this week, but we do need to start the debate now because now the tide has turned a

is it true you were a lobbyist for libya? guest: no, i am not a lobbyist for libya. for libya. and it does not kill me at all. i and grilled. m thrilled. i made the decision to leave congress, and then i made the decision to run for governor. i lost in the primary. host: republican line from texas. caller: i am retired military. when did the military's functions mean stop fighting wars and become nation building? also, how long will we be on the hook for paying these guys salaries over there? we are paying the whole country in afghanistan. it is time to get out of there. i have been a republican for 46 years, and i did not believe anything you are saying. guest: that is an interesting comment. i appreciate that. i do not think the military's i do not think the military's job has ever been nation building. i think we have seen that in a number of the wars we have been involved with. when you get involved with -- when you ask the military to get involved with nation-building and ask them to fight a war with one hand tied behind their back, those of the things that create problems

it is for the people of libya. >> the german decision on libya -- were you surprised by the se indications? is there something like a reset button that you are bombarded by its. will this happen? i believe that this event has been agreed for a long time. it is on a very broad basis. sometimes, there may be differences of opinion. it is important that we wished each other every success. paired doing it without started mixing things up. there would be areas where we can do this. we are doing it together with others. it is being spent we believe can be useful. this is what we want to do. we want to make sure that our contribution is a success. we wish to live in a sensible democracy. this is not something that is so unusual. i see it in the continuity. it is a meeting of their challenges of the future. some people say in germany the american president has been here for germany as all. berlin opens his arms to them every day. >> i very much so for to being in berlin. the last time i was there we had a lot of fun. i am sure that i will have a wonderful time the next time i'm there as well. i ap

in libya, we must stop bleeding from behind. recognizing the tnc as the government of libya and unfreezing assets so that they can afford essential services as they march toward tripoli. beyond that libya, america should always promote universal principles that undergird freedom. we should press new friends to end discrimination against women, to establish independent courts, and the freedom of speech and the press. and we must insist on religious freedoms for all, including the region's minorities, whether christian, shiite, sunni, or baha-i. the second -- or bahai'i. the second category is the kings. these kings have understood that they must forge a partnership with their people, leading step- by-step to market -- more democratic societies. these monarchies can smooth the path to constitutional reform and freedom and thereby, deepen their own legitimacy if they choose this route. and if they choose this route, they, too, deserve our help. president obama spoke well about bahrain in his recent speech. but he neglected to order

this process will result in a new libya. that is how we use force in libya, serving the political solution that is our shared objectives. as for syria, the rejection of the reforms and the vicious circle of violence are no less intolerable than in libya. we do not have two different policies in these two different countries. i would like to denounce the crackdown that has once again killed dozens of people in recent days, including one city where they had already mosser did their own population in 1972. our message to president aside is clearer. it is the same message conveyed by the united states. either he initiates reform or he leaves power -- there is no other solution. it is with this in mind that on france's initiative, the eu decided that assad should be subject to european sanctions. the united states announced the imposition of sanctions against the president and his entourage beyond the european and american sanctions prettiest -- the security council must take a position, with each country assuming its responsibil

it is a war in libya. in the federal courts we are saying the president does not have the ability to take our country into war absentee approval, express approval of the u.s. congress. host: our guest has been congressman dennis kucinich, democrat from ohio. we always appreciate you coming over and taking calls from viewers. next, representative tim huelskamp, a freshman republican from kansas. we will talk about budget issues, congress is currently facing. from c-ews uupdate span radio. >> house democratic leaders said to me today on what to do next about congressman anthony weiner, the new york democrat has resisted calls to resign in the midst of a texting scandal. the meeting comes the day after a former actress who exchange e- mails and messages with him said that he asked her to lie about the interactions. some reports say the congressman may be stripped of his committee assignments. house meets at 9:00 a.m. eastern with live coverage on c-span. there's a report the number of u.s. homeowners behind o

the progress that has been made in libya is significant. our goal there was to protect the libyan people from a potential slaughter. we have done so. benghazi is free from threat of the libya regime now. they are hunkered down. n nizrata that was under severe attack, is in a situation, still threatened qaddafi's forces have been pushed back. what you see across the country is a trend of the regime forces being pushed back, being incapacitted. you are see defections oftentimes of high profiles of the qaddafi government, as well as the military. and i think it's just a matter of time before qaddafi goes. and each country that is part of this coalition is playing a different role. so we did a whole bunch of stuff at the front end to take out significant fire power. now we are in more of a supportive role as other countries have stepped up. we did discuss last night germany's role. and there will be a lot of work to do when qaddafi does step down to get the people on their feet. the economic political work to be done, and my expectation is that

as regards libya, the united nations resolution is apply -- still applies. qaddafi needs to step down and he will step down. i'm convinced of that, because we have made great progress. and then there will still be a lot of work to do. and in the future when we have the talks on this, we agree that germany is showing -- will be showing that it is responsible and committed to the libyan cause. there will be a lot of problems still to contend with, and we'll be in the closest possible contact. we support -- germany supports the nato operation simply by being present in the stance there, and also by stepping up our commitment in afghanistan. it is our joint will that this nato mission is successful. and this is important for the people in libya, but it's also important for nato, for the alliance at large. and here we have one heart >> i believe that and our partnership rests on a broad basis as of this morning. of opinion. what is important is that we wish each other every success. there will be areas where we shoulder different responsibilities. partners are do

. >> could you please respond to berliner's remarks on libya remarks on boehner's today on libya? >> you have the 30-plus pages we provided the congress. there is a substantial amount of material here in response to the questions that congress has asked, and we disagree. we think the u.s. forces are playing a supporting role in a multi-national coalition, legitimized by the u. n. security council resolution. as we made clear, we believe u.s. forces are not engaged in the kind of activities envisioned in the war powers resolution. the presence of u.s. ground troops. let me reiterate -- not a single u.s. ground troops in libya now or ever. u.s. casualties -- they also lack. u.s. casualties were a severe threat -- our conclusion, that these constrained and limited operations to not amount to hostilities under the war powers resolution is consistent with the war powers resolution to interpretation put out by administrations and the political parties to the enactment of the statute in 1973. obviously, as a lawyer, you know there is a long history of legal debate about the war powers re

>> i am from libya. more from libya in the last year than it ever before. we lived in the continuing -- continue on, and we waver. if we were to measure our identity, arab or americans of arab descent, it changes. but over the last few months, it has been much easier being proud of your heritage. i have been living on facebook the last few months. the difficult part with libya is a military conflict now. it is between civilian populations that have to arm itself and now by nato, and those who want to continue killing until it regains power or stays in power. i think the nato involvement was needed. if nato was not involved in march, we would have seen a horrible massacre and benghazi. the recourse to arms that the libyan people have resorted to is something that they have not chosen. it is something that they have to do. and we are grateful for the u.s. and france and british and the italian and european involvement. i know that that is very -- i was supportive of the war in iraq. the involvement in libya was something that the libyan people called for. the

so they say, attack libya. ok, we will attack libya. so we are spending billions of dollars attacking libya. nobody even knows what is happening. how many people are the killing? where are these bombs landing? the only one they have not gotten is the one they want to get. why doesn't somebody say we are going to attack them, we want $5 billion. that is nothing to saudi arabia, and to other countries of the arab league. instead, obama comes out and he is thrilled because the arab league gives us approval. we don't have the money, but we have approval. when i look at things like that, if you remember the last problem we had, oil hit $148 a barrel. oil is going up there again. now is that $100 and is going higher. saudi arabia a couple of weeks ago announced they are going to cut back on oil because they want to get the price higher. there are going to destroy the economies of the world, and ultimately they will have their own revolution and we will not be a will to protect them for free anymore. we protect them. we protect south korea. i

military mission in libya. the administration has yet to present congress and the american people with a clear strategic objective for our involvement in libya. furthermore, to date we have not been informed of a specific end goal under which the military operations would cease. this threatens the effectiveness of our mission and could soon create an unjustifiable strain on our military. while they remain engaged in two other theaters of operation critical to our national security interest. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and how much time do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: one minute remains. mr. mckeon: how much do i have left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has one minute remaining. mr. mckeon: i'd be happy to yield. mr. dicks: wouldn't you feel better if we could add as the fifth item in this list of things suppression of enemy air defenses? the reason i say that is i think we're going to have a difficult time doing any of these other missions unless we ha

there's definitely a split in libya. east libya and was libya have a history of tribal antagonism. take another strain, syria. syria is a very complicated country. the syrian relationship to israel, to lebanon, to iran, hezbollah, hamas. syriana is run by a tiny minority -- syria is run by a tiny minority of a shiite run islam. so is the leader gets overthrown, who replaces him? is it a step forward or backward? it is hard to say. yemen is a very different case. yemen is a very tribal society. before president saleh managed to consolidate, there was a north and south lebanon -- i mean yemen. each one of these situations is different and complicated. let me move on just very quickly. i have already talked 15 minutes. a little bit about afghanistan and pakistan -- i think you can not discuss them separately. we have a huge dilemma with growing pressure. osama bin laden is dead. we have terrible budget pressures on defense and so on. it is time to cut our losses. it may be. but we should also worry about cutting regains. it has been a difficult struggle in afghanistan. we have changed

is it true you were a lobbyist for libya? guest: no, i am not a lobbyist for libya. for libya. and it does not kill me at all. i and grilled. m thrilled. i made the decision to leave congress, and then i made the decision to run for governor. i lost in the primary. host: republican line from texas. caller: i am retired military. when did the military's functions mean stop fighting wars and become nation building? also, how long will we be on the hook for paying these guys salaries over there? we are paying the whole country in afghanistan. it is time to get out of there. i have been a republican for 46 years, and i did not believe anything you are saying. guest: that is an interesting comment. i appreciate that. i do not think the military's i do not think the military's job has ever been nation building. i think we have seen that in a number of the wars we have been involved with. when you get involved with -- when you ask the military to get involved with nation-building and ask them to fight a war with one hand tied behind their back, those of the things that create problems

as regards libya, the united nations resolution is apply -- still applies. gaddafi needs to step down and he will step down. i'm convinced of that, because we have made great progress. and then there will still be a lot of work to do. and in the future when we have the talks on this, we agree that germany is showing -- will be showing that it is responsible and committed to the libyan cause. there will be a lot of problems still to contend with, and we'll be in the closest possible contact. we support -- germany supports the nato operation simply by being present in the stance there, and also by stepping up our commitment in afghanistan. it is our joint will that this nato mission is successful. and this is important for the people in libya, but it's also important for nato, for the alliance at large. and here we have one heart of allies that beats with the other allies. >> the german decision on libya has burdened the german- american relationship somewhat. were you surprised by these irritations and this warm reception? is this something like a reset butto

on libya, he said it was unhelpful. you plan to respond to what the resolution called for, which was a report within 14 days? >> i do not have anything new for you be on my question about this earlier. we believe we are acting consistently with the war powers resolution. we have said repeatedly prior to and throughout this period when there has been -- this mission in libya, that we have consulted with congress, and we had. there are always disagreements in washington about different things. the over all thing we agree on is we need to make sure the nato mission succeeds. we need to make sure through the non-legal measures that we have embarked upon that we continue to keep the pressure on gaddafi and ensure libya in the future, that people have the opportunity to choose their future, and i think we enjoy broad support within congress for those goals. >> you brought up kerry-mccain -- >> do not control the calendar, regrettably, but our position has not changed. we believe there is bipartisan support for the actions tha

forces in libya. is more with representative adam smith. >> congressman, if the white house will come to congress in march and asked for authorization in libya, do you think it would have supported it? >> it is hard to say. republicans are very focussed on a process argument now and i actually agree with one part of it. i think the president and white house in general could have been more inclusive of congress in the builds-up to the decision to go into libya. it happened fairly fast and the president and his team were reluctant to get involved. but then you had the arab league, u.n. and they were launching this and needed our help and nato expressed support. from that point the president has done a good job of explaining it. what the republicans and house could have done is say we understand and we. like our voice should be herds. let's authorize it. instead, this hanging back and criticize being the president saying we support that gaddafi should go, we should support that the libyan people, the fol

we are succeeding in libya. qadhafi is going to fall. it is just a matter of time. so i would ask my colleagues is this the time for congress to turn against this policy? is this the time to ride to the rescue of an antiamerican tyrant when the writing is on the wall that he is collapsing? is this the time for congress to declare to the world, to qadhafi and his inner circle, to qadhafi's opponents who are fighting for their freedom and to our nato allies who are carrying a far heavier burden in this conflict than we are, is this the time for america to tell all of these people that our heart is not in this and that we won't see this mission through, that we will abandon our bestriends and allies on a whim? this all comes back as to how we americans define our national interests and act on them. we canll agree that none of us are averse to doing what is necessary to defendmerica and our allies when we face a clear threat in the world. in that way, we're likely -- we are like any other nation in history, but what sets us apart from those other nations, what makes us

i want to start with libya. you have repeated today the administration's goal that colonel gaddafi must go. what then? if there's any painful lesson we have learned from our experience in iraq, is that if we do not have a plan in place after we have been posed a high rent, that chaos and violence in seuss -- have deposed a tant, that chaos and violence ensues. you have a plan for dealing with libya post-gaddafi? do we really know who we are dealing with in the opposition? >> i know that secretary clinton is spending a great deal of her time working with our allies to respond to that concern to try to work with those in the opposition who have come together. to try to work with them, so that if they do have to take control of the country, they will have that capability. what you have raised is a legitimate conrn and its an area we have a lot more work to do in order to ensure that gaddafi does step down, we can enre that libya will be a stable country. >> it really concerns me particularly when you look at the le

another issue that is sure to come up, libya. the germans are generally known in the international community to be concerned aut the use of military force. they have not been supportive of all of the u.s. initiatives in the libya conflict. that most definitely will be a part of this. as most people are expecting. then there is the issue of trade in the economy. germany has a leadership role in europe in that respect. the united states is obviously interested in germany being an advocate and a partner. host: can you tell us about that? talking about the pomp and circumstance, i think that she is getting a 19 gun salute. what is the difference and why was this applied today? caller: right? cut short by two? if you have ever heard these gun salutes, even five would be a lot. they are loud and impressive. everything here is dictated by protocol and tradition. a head of state gets 21. a leader of the country, as e is, gets 19. it is as simple as that. either way it will be quite a show. host: as far as dinner is concerned, is this an

a engagement in libya. what does the president say to that? >> the president says threw me that he believes he is acting -- that his actions have been consistent with the war policy resolution and furthermore, the consultations are very important and that we have been in extensive consultations with congress about our mission in libya, the goals of which we believe are widely shared by republicans and democrats and house members. >> does that mean he will not seek specific congressional consultation? >> we would support and welcome expressions of support from congress similar to the resolutions put forward by senators mccain and kerry and other republicans and democrats, but i do not have anything more to say beyond that. >> polls by fox and the gallup showed widespread disapproval of the president on the economy. yesterday, a poll by "washington post" and nbc indicates most people do not even believe the economic recovery has begun. how do you explain this? >> i explain it by saying we are still struggling to emerge out of the worst recession

one will prevent assets to combat in libya. the second would validate his current position but capet to one year and insist that u.s. troops not be deployed on the ground. had you planned a vote on us? guest: i have seen either so i cannot say how i would good. but i continue about this issue. i think this country has made a mistake by besting too much power to engage our forces abroad. in iraq in vietnam, the problem was that they did too much. i like to see the constitution which says that congress is to declare war, and the reason it is complicated, it is hard to criticize the president for joining nato and other arab country in preventing gaddafi from massacring people in benghazi. but the bottom line, we cannot afford to and should not be going around the country anytime there is a bad thing happening in using our young men and women in uniform to change the outcome. maybe you think about it from time to time. bill clinton is still haunted by intervening in rwanda. was not a simple issue, but we have to get away from being

the administration did not request money for libya. we asked numerous times what their plans were, how long it might take, what the cost might be. we did not get an answer until recently and they said no, they did not request any funding and they were basically going to make up the balances by a reprogramming and would not ask for a supplemental, but would reprogram some of the existing funds. it's a good bill and i wish it had more money in it for certain types -- that would have liked to have seen a major pay raise and fund the $1.6% pay raise for the military, which was the authorized level and requested level, but we just had to find that $9 billion. the staff had to work extremely hard to make sure that we did not have an adverse effect on any of our soldiers or our readiness for our overall readiness and provides $312 billion for the health defense program and we understand the needs for our soldiers and our wounded. there are too many of them. and we provide what we think is adequate money to care for whatever their medical requ

military involvement in libya. look for continued debate in the house and senate at c-span's congressional chronicle, a comprehensive research on congress. fine video of every house and senate session, daily schedules, committee hearings and information on your elected officials at c-span.org /congress. >> c-span has launched an easy to navigate web site for politics in the 2012 presidential race. with the latest c-span events from the campaign trail, by all informational the candidates, twitter feeds and facebook updates from candidates and political reporters, and links to c-span media partners in the early primary and caucus states. visit us at c-span.org/2012. >> "washington journal" continues. host: transportation secretary ray lahood is our guest. guest: good morning. host: you are heading out on the road. heading to essentially the rust belt -- michigan and ohio area -- to tout the administration's role in the auto industry and manufacturing jobs that have been created. what is your message? guest: that in t

military involvement in libya. look for continued debate in the house and senate at c-span's congressional chronicle -- a comprehensive resource on congress. find video of every house and senate session and information on your elected officials. >> rep michele bachmann makes her official presidential campaign announcement in her hometown of waterloo, iowa. in a poll released today, she is second after mitt romney. >> c-span has launched an easy to navigate website for politics and the 2012 presidential race, with the latest events from the campaign trail, biographical information, facebook updates from candidates and political reporters and links to media partners in the early primary and caucus states. "washingtony's journal" a discussion on the proposed reduction of troop levels in afghanistan. this is 35 minutes. "washington journal" continues. host: we want to welcome back to c-span joining us from new york leslie gelb. let me begin with your own words on what the president said saying the white house and presi

, in libya. that is a very great challenge. let me take you back to that period after the second world war when for the marshall plan germany was able to get back on its feet again. i see this also is our common task, as the task of the europeans and of the americans and germans to support this change, to make it possible for these young people to have our perspective for the future. we talked about this. we talked about germany in particular with this experience and vocational training schemes, offering an alliance for jobs, for training and education. we're working with the egyptians and the two nations on this with our foundation. -- and the tunisians on this with our foundations. building up institutions, for example, is something that we want to do. i said that after be opened up an office and -- after we opened up an office in benghazi, will serve as a clearing house for training schemes, for the security forces, the police there on the ground, and we will have an additional commitment to a