-israel alliance. [applause] and please thank him for going to israel in a few weeks. [applause] this trip sends an important message to the people of israel and the world about america's commitment to the jewish state. ladies and gentlemen, i am honored to introduce and welcome a friend who stands with us now and had stood with us always, a steadfast supporter of the u.s.-israel relationship, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] >> that was really nice. thank you, mr. president. it's great to be here. it's great to be here. ladies and gentlemen, oh, what a difference four years make. i look out there and see an old friend, annette lantos. annette, how are you? her husband tom lantos, a survivor, was my assistant, was my foreign policy adviser for years, and tom used to say all the time, joe -- he talked that hungarian accent -- joe, we must do another fundraiser for aipac. [laughter] i did more fundraisers for aipac in the 1970s and early 1980s than -- just about as many as anybody. thank god you were not putting on shows like this. we would

come to israel, see what israel is all about. you need to the young generation. this is an amazing generation. i used to tell them i have a problem. i do not know what to do about it. do you have an idea. these people, 25, 26 years old, they came back with the most innovative idea. come and see them. they love you, love them. together, we can do it. >> lastly, the final word goes to senator john mccain. >> i have to tell my baptist friends that it is hard to do the lord's work in the city of satan. it gets harder every single day. your ambassador does the same every single day. he became a socialist in the ivy league. the only way to destroy the iranians is for them to leave the united states and israel will act together. egypt is the heart and soul of the arab world. we must pay careful attention. we must gauge our aid to egypt to their progress. we cannot just give them a blank check. we do not want to break the camp david accord either. that is a serious issue. everybody in this room has something to do besides be here this morning and this evening. i want to

it is two trips in one to israel. the public part, you'd be hard- pressed to find a ford minivan'' worth of israelis that are anti- american. they want to like an american president. whatever their differences, for the most part, every stop along the visit is designed, choreographed to touch deeper chords in israeli society, whether it is the shrine of the books, or the stop at hertzel's tomb, or talking to israeli kids about their future in the 21st century. these are things obama will do very well at. i think this trip -- i would be surprised if it is not a success. there'll be some pickups, -- some hiccups, but the big piece, the public part i think is going to be successful to the extent it can. the way i see it, some say obama is just checking a box. i think he sees that the way towards managing his relationship with the israeli government runs through the israeli public. it does not mean that netanyahu is completely poll focused. i think the issue of iran as a gut issue for netanyahu. it is not just looking at p

has done for israel. the president and i agreed to focus our discussion on three main issues -- first, iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, second, the deteriorating situation in syria, and third, the need to find a responsible way to advance peace with the palestinians. on the first point, iran has made it clear that it will continue to defy the will of the international community. time after time, the world's leading powers have tabled proposals to resolve the iranian nuclear issue peacefully, but i have to tell you the truth. diplomacy has not worked. iran ignores all these offers. it is running out the clock. it has used negotiations, including the most recent ones, to buy time to press ahead with its nuclear program, so thus far, the sanctions have not stopped the nuclear program either. sanctions have hit the iranian economy hard. that is true but iran's leaders grit their teeth and they move forward. iran enriches more and more uranium. it installs faster and faster centrifuges. it still has not cros

kind of ion is, what future israel will look forward to? israel is not going anywhere. but especially for the young people in this audience, the question is what does its future hold? and that brings me to the ubject of peace. i know israel has taken risks for peace. reat leaders men ack ham rabreen.ts ack made credible proposals to the palestinians at annapolis. you withdrew from gaza and lebanon and then faced terror and rockets. across the region, you've extended a hand of friendship and all too often you've been confronted with rejection and in some cases the ugly reality of anti-semityism. so i believe that the israeli people do want peace. too also understand why many israelis, maybe an increasing number, maybe a lot of young people here today, are skeptical that it be achieved. but today israel is at a across roads. it can be tempting to put aside the frustrations and sacrifices that come with the pursuit of peace. particularly when iron dome rep else rockets, barriers keep out suicide bombers. there's so many other pressing issues that demand your attention. and

israel alliance. please thank him for going to israel in a few weeks. [applause] this trip sends an important message to the people of israel and the world about america's commitment to the jewish state. ladies and gentlemen, i am honored to introduce and welcome a friend who stands with us now and always, a supporter of the u.s.-israel relationship, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] >> thank you, mr.president. it's great to be here. it's great to be here. ladies and gentlemen, oh, what a difference 4 years make. i look out there and see an old friend, annette lantos. annette how are you? her husband tom lantos, a survivor, was my assistant, was my foreign policy adviser for years. and tom used to say all the time, joe -- he talked that hungarian accent -- joe, we must do another fundraiser for aipac. i did more fundraisers for aipac in the 1970s and early 1980s than -- just about as many as anybody. thank god you weren't putting on shows like this. we would have never made it. we would have never made it. my lord, it's so g

this is the story of israel. this is the work that has brought the dreams of so many generations to life. and every step of the way, israel has built unbreakable bonds of friendship with my country, the united states of america. those ties began only 11 minutes after israeli independence, when the united states was the first nation to recognize the state of israel. as president truman said in explaining his decision to recognize israel, he said, "i believe it has a glorious future before it not just as another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization." and since then, we've built a friendship that advances our shared interests. together, we share a commitment to security for our citizens and the stability of the middle east and north africa. together, we share a focus on advancing economic growth around the globe, and strengthening the middle class within our own countries. together, we share a stake in the success of democracy. but the source of our friendship extends beyond

israel is a just cause. israel has the moral ground. israel should be in the same values that we all believe in the path that israel represents and there is no more a war. it is not a war with airplanes, it's not a war with tanks, it's a war with speeches, with the wrong narrative work a lot of lies and these people should fight it as we are doing it. we don't have -- let's say we should create this structure to fight this war in the same structure that fights the kinetic war but this war of words is really important. so see what israel is all about, meet the young generation. this is an amazing generation. as chief of intelligence i used to tell them, guys, i have a problem. i don't know what to do about it. do you have an idea? and these people, 25 years old, 26 years old, young person, they went for a month, went for three months and came back with the most innovative idea that one day there will be books about it. come and see them. they love them, love them, together we can do it. >> and lastly, final word goes to senator john mcca

and israel as well. this will undoubtedly come up in israel. i think the president should be prepared to talk about it there. i am sure he will. my question is for michael. that strategic converters between the israel and united states need to prevent iran from getting nuclear weapons capability. [indiscernible] the president has only talked about preventing iran from getting a nuclear weapon. is there anything new in the administration's position? [indiscernible] >> this might be a better question for dennis. our message has been mixed on this front. i agree with you that the president has come a in his last interview on the said, weapon. as opposed to weapons capability. capability clearly has been both the israeli focused as we saw from the prime minister, as well as the u.s. focus in the past. i think the terminology has varied. which sends a mixed message. the point here is, i do believe -- it isrlying that based on the totality of the evidence that both the u.s. and israel are focused on the same thing, preventing an undetectable breakout

do you push israel to the blowhard? --push israel too hard? what do you wish you would have done differently? mr. prime minister, do you accept the president's understanding that iran is a year away when it comes to nuclear weapons? another question -- [laughter] >> you said you had one question and now you have five. the young lady from channel one had one question. >> i have one for you. >> don't hog it. [laughter] >> my question is -- why do you believe the israeli people have not embraced president obama the same way they embraced the last two as presidents? thank you. >> you had to get in a polling question right at the end. [laughter] >> chuck, you're incorrigible. peace failed to achieve in the middle east in my first term, i must've screwed up somehow -- i hope i'm a better president now but when it first came into office. my commitment was not to achieve a peace deal in my first year or second year or third year. that would have been nice. what i said was that i would not wait to start on the issue until my second term. i thought it w

this is the story of israel. this is the work that has brought the dreams of so many generations to life and every step of the way israel has built unbreakable bonds of friendship with my country, the united states of america. [applause] those ties began only 11 minutes after israel independence when the united states was the first nation to recognize the state of israel. [applause] as president truman said in explaining his decision to recognize israel, he said, i believe it has a glorious future before it, not just as another sovereign nation but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization. since then we built a friendship that advances our shared interests. together we share a commitment to security four citizens and the stability of the middle east and north africa. together we share a focus on convincing growth around the global and strengthening the middle class within our own countries. together, we share a stake in the success of democracy. but the source of our friendship extends beyond mere

it is about tearing visit -- caring israel down rather than building palestine up -- tearing israel down rather than building palestine up. host: our guest this morning, nathan guttman and said arikat. your reaction? guest of people seem to forget that since hamas was elected, according to the monitors and international standards immediately. the cramped situation was conducive. the fact that the former prime minister chose to withdraw unilaterally without coordinating this and intended to diminish their power and did up with what is going on today. -- ended up with what is going on today. hamas is more militant than the west bank. the occupation cannot go on. where we have occupation is in the west bank. you have to deal with it on that basis. this situation must end. the only way it can end is with a brokered deal with the palestinians on the west bank. host: there is no silver bullet for peace in the middle east. given up is not an option. kant never did a thing. let's go back to syria. are we doing the right thing in cilia? -- in syria? guest: the only redline the white house put out

he has done for israel. the president and i agreed to focus our discussions on three main issues. first, it runs pursuit of nuclear weapons. second, the interior situate -- situation in syria. the need to find a responsible way to advance the peace to the palestinians. on the first point, iran has made it clear that it will continue to defy the will of the international community. time after time, the world's leading powers to resolve the iranian nuclear what issue peacefully. i have to tell the truth. diplomacy has not worked. iran ignores, it is running out the clock. it has used negotiations to buy time. thus far, the sanctions have not stopped the nuclear program either. the sanctions have hit the iranian economy hard. iran is leaders move forward. iran and reaches more and more uranium and installs faster and faster centrifuges. iran is getting closer to the red line and it is putting itself in a position to cross that line very quickly. once it decides to do so. ladies and gentlemen, to prevent iran fr

observer in syria to observe the truce between syria and israel. these peacekeepers -- the circumstances are not entirely clear -- were picked up by the element of the free syrian army. this is a palestinian brigade say you get a sense of the complexity on the ground. they were held for some base. subject to syrian army shelling. a cease-fire was negotiated and as of yesterday they were transported to jordan. i think it really signifies this concern about how the situation and syria continues to deteriorate. it has implications for israel, iraq, and other countries to host: before we get to calls to explain to us the condition of the president. what has been his most important statements lately? guest: he is still in damascus. he gave an interview not too long ago to a british newspaper, very defined. he is not aware or certainly not going to indicate to the world that he is aware of the dire situation his country is in. he lashed out at the west in particular. britain has taken a forward leaning position on the need to arm the opposition. one gets

it does get israel counter to that. it should not be confused with a reliable enough system that can make you think you could stop nuclear warheads with high enough confidence that you can therefore considered the threats to be neutralized. obviously with one nuclear warhead getting through, that is one too many. host: this is a question posed by carl levin who is the chair of the senate armed services about u.s.- talking defense systems, what we can and cannot do. here's more from this during this past week. [video clip] last friday secretary hagel and the vice chair both said the currently deployed gnb systems with 30 interceptors in alaska defenseifornia currnetly america from north korea or iran. you believe the current system detects the united states against those long-range missile threats from stations such as north korea and iraq, including the east coast? >> we have coverage against both iran and north korea. >> for the entire united states? >> including the east coast? >> that is correct. host: can you elabor

that there's always an israel, and that there is always a secure israel and that an israel that can care for itself. my father is right, you are right, it's the ultimate guarantor of never again. god bless you all and may god protect our troops. thank you! [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> coming up in 35 minutes, we will take you live to the white house. president obama will sign the violence against women act. it was passed by the house last week. we'll have live coverage when the ceremony gets under way. back on capitol hill, a joint hearing between the senate homeland security committee and the senate homeland security and commerce committee. they will hear from secretary janet napolitano at 2:30 eastern. the white house spokesman said the united states is capable of defending against the north korea missile attack. and here's a look as they gaveled in this morning at the u.n. >> today the security council unanimously adopted resolution 2094, strongly condemning north korea's highly february 12 nuclear

israel, this is life or death. have said they want to wipe israel off the map. israel has rightly vowed, never again. [applause] osama bin laden is dead. [applause] we are glad about that. make no mistake -- al qaeda is very much alive. yet what has this administration's response been in the last week when we captured osama bin laden's son- in-law, captured him overseas? let's understand to this individual is. this is a man who was sitting next to osama bin laden the day after september 11, the attack on our country that murdered so many americans. he is sitting next to him, he filmed, and do you know what he said then it? he threatened, the storm sean not stop, especially the airplane storm. children, muslims, and opponents of the united states not to board any aircraft and not to live in high-rises. he is linked to the murder of at least one of our marines in an attack in kuwait against us and our allies, and after he spent time with osama bin laden, he fled, and guess where? iran. he is charged with conspiring to kill americans. instead of taking this foreign

as i said, there are still going to be significant disagreements between israel and turkey. not just on the palestinian issue but a range of issues. but they also have a range of shared interests and they both happen to be strong partners and friends of ours. so it is in the interest of the united states that that begin this process of getting their relationship in order. i'm glad to see it is happening. >> the question about the asylum that he has to answer himself. if he is interested in the asylum and is he interested in coming to jordan? our point of view, we need a transition as quickly as possible. if the issue of asylum ever came up, that is something that all of us would have to put our heads together and to see if that would end the violence quickly. so the question is beyond my pay rate at this stage. but it is something that i'm sure if it came out it would be something we discussed a level of international unity. >> thank you. jordanjesty, last year managed to break the peace process and bringing israelis and palestinians together at the table. now -- do you have

broaderty and israel's role in the world. all of the talk of security and peace can sometimes seem to dominate the headlines, but that is not where people live. every day, even in the threats you face, israelis are defining themselves that opportunities you are creating. the talent and hard work, israelis have put this small country at the forefront of the global economy. israelis understand the value of education and have produced 10 nobel laureates. [applause] understand the power of invention and universities educate engineers. that spirit has led to economic growth and progress. ,olar power, electric cars synthetic limbs, stem cell research that treat disease. computer technologies that change the way people around the world live. if people want to see the world of the future economy, they , home ofok at tel aviv research centers and startups. [applause] are active on social media. every day seems to be a different facebook campaign on where i should give a speech. [laughter] [applause] that innovation is as important to

israel living in peace and economic corporations. canremaining dispute issues and should be negotiated and completed. just aor israel is not choice, it is a moral code that stems from the backup of our heritage. our heritage condemned slavery, , thousands are considered borne equally. a legacy called upon to build [inaudible] my partner that was assassinated, we laid down the foundation for peace with the palestinians. it is time now to continue. to renew the peace process we must continue to work with the palestinian authority. we have to support the palestinian economy. makeve to come together to complete peace. the palestinian security force was formed. now we work together with the united states to prevent terror and crime. our hands remain stretched out to all the countries in the middle east. in a short while a new israeli government will be born. to resume theion peace negotiations. to realize that a two-state solution, there is no other solution, neither for the palestinians nor us. it is not only our preference, it is the ca

israel has a lot of gas and oil rights. i think that russia is being -- laying in the background arming syria. they have the mother load waiting to come down in israel. thank you. in florida. caller: the u.s. has one of the most powerful militaries in the world. so i hear a lot of people calling in about not being able -- they should not be able to police the situation. the bottom line is, it is a sticky situation. the person that just called in mentioned that iran and russia is there now. the ambassador to syria has made it clear that the u.s. is going to have to do something about that, whether we like it or not. we don't want to see another rwanda or something like that. thank you. host: new york times, the headline -- host: russia accused the west of trying to create a diversion -- host: that is from the new york times. from that no one knows the facts. the rebels are in most cases, the same ones we are fighting in iraq, afghanistan and yemen. host: front page of the wall street journal -- host: in the new york times th

why is it we can't do that for israel? what does the president have to use vacant language about all options on the table, a threat to use of force. why does he have to make categorical verbal guarantees would commit him to the use of that force and create a presumption that he will? at the country been consulted -- has the country as a whole been consulted? could happen. if we wish to protect israel and the threat credible fashion, by karen teas which are binding than those we gave to the europeans and the japanese and south koreans. especially sell -- so vis a vis a country that cannot threaten us. if we do repeat vis a vis iran what we did with iraq, qill probably be engaged in a conflict that is more regionally widespread than was the case with the iraq -- with iraq a decade ago. beyond that, let me make one more observation about the nature of war. democracies are very able to wage total war if they are attacked. they are not so good, they are not predisposed. i think they are mentally not prepared to wage total war i

i am just two weeks ago returning from my 15th trip to israel, not only to israel but other areas in the middle east. in light of all of the instability that is ongoing, i think this program, as well as the short range of ballistic missile defense programs are crucial at this time. mr. chairman, you mentioned the fact that we polled a carrier out of the middle east. i could not agree with you more that at a time of in ordinate and stability in that region, it would seem to me particularly in light of meetings that i had with different officials in the area that a carrier is may bbe e of the few things iran understands. my question is when this measure passes and is completed, the you feel it the appropriate authorities make the determination to return the carrier that this measure will allow or facilitate a carrier being returned to the middle east? >> i think so. the department has some discretion in how they move monies around. they can ask for reprogramming in transfer. as they see fit. this should solve the problem. i worry about the inability to send a carrier force to the middl

they ask, are your sympathies more with israel, the palestinian authority, or neither, 55% said israel, 9% said the palestinian authority, and just 35% said neither or no opinion. host: want to go to john now from woodville, ohio. john, give us your take on this growth and opportunities report by the republican party today. caller: well, i'm not quite sure that i agree with the direction that the g.o.p. is actually taking now. they're fighting an issue that it's going to be very difficult . i mean, when you have an administration that gives away food stamps, they give away cell phones and they're promising everything, the trouble is, the pide piper has to be paid, and what's happening now is obama has always thought about -- he said he's for the middle class. trouble is, had he gone to the gas station, have you gone to the supermarket, and also, have you looked at your paycheck? he really says one thing, but he does other things, and it's coming around. i think the g.o.p. probably on't do any good until the american people see what the promises of the democratic party really are. they

and israel on these issues. we will not tolerate and israel will not tolerate a nuclear weapon is iran. >> israel is our closest allies. we need to do everything we can to support and protect israel. in terms of is there a trip wire, israel should have the green light to do whatever needs to defend itself. whether iran has nuclear capability, more important is whether they have the ability to protect themselves and are immune from an attack. if they get to the point where they can protect their urbanization, and i think that's a trip wire to give israel the necessary means and the green light to do with any to do to defend themselves. >> absolutely, there needs to be a trip wire. i'm confident there is a trip wire that's been put in place by israel, and it should be. i have had the opportunity to work with counterparts in israel during my national security work. the fact of the matter is they have to make sure that their national interest is protected. its greatest ally in the world, after mature is support them

support and protect israel. is there a trip wire? israel should do whatever it needs to defend itself. whether they have the ability to protect themselves so they are i mune from an attack f. they can protect their wentization then i think that's a trip wire to give israel the necessary means and green light to do what they need to do to defend themselves. >> there needs to be a trip wire and i'm confident there is a trip wire. there say trip wire put in place by israel. i've had the opportunity to do work with counter arts in israel during my national security work. and the fact of the matter is they have to make sure their national interest is protected. it is greatest ally in the world, we have to support them in every measure as well. >> let me get in one. bernanke's term snup 2014. does he warrant another one? >> it's up to the senate? >> it's up to you if you're not senate. >> i would like to see somebody different in there. >> i would say no. we are on a bad path. >> i would say no and i will post on dan.

the innocent people in syria and our good friends israel. i saw today the president getting off the plane and meeting the president and prime minister and kind of reminded me of my daughter's first prom date bringing him to the house to meet me. it was a little tense situation there. be that as it may, what are the chances that hezbollah will remain a potent force in syria and if that's the case, will hezbollah's role in lebanon be affected? >> i think hezbollah wants to remain a potent force in syria. there is no question of that and that's why they are increasing their presence now and they're increasing their system, but i have to tell you, congressman, that when i talked to syrians across the spectrum, those who do not support the government, the anger at what hezbollah has done to help the regime is palpable, and so i think the transition government when it comes and the government after that is not going to want a relationship at all with hezbollah like what the assad regime had. >> what is the status of arms transferred to hezbollah t

israel: -- mr. higgins: it upholds the need for the supreme court to uphold the law. meanwhile this congress we should be working to alleviate the lon likes at polling places. it is my hope the supreme court and this congress will honor the struggle in the years ahead. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan rise? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. thank you for letting me speak today. before i came to washington, i was a high school teacher. to be a good teacher, i had to make things understandable for my students in the classroom. with the budget, i knew that had to be an easier way to explain the numbers i was looking at to the people who sent me to washington. thomas jefferson once wrote that an informed public was vital to our couldn'ting democracy. i'd like to share with you how the sequester affects federal spending.

continues hisa first trip of his second term visiting israel, the west bank, and jordan. he met with king abdullah. king abdullah said jordan is housing refugees and expects the number to double by the end the year. president obama says the u.s. will provide financial aid to jordan. this is about 40 minutes. >> i remember you were here when you were a senator. i hope you are enjoying your second term. we are delighted to have these discussions. they were very, very fruitful on the strategic partnership. we are very grateful to you, sir, and the administration, as well as congress for the continued support as has been shown over so many years. and this partnership throughout the years has provided us to get to where we are today. and we continue that you will continue to help us secure regional peace. we did have an opportunity to discuss syria. as you know, we are horrified by the loss of life and brutality. if this continues as we are seeing, there will be increasing fragmentation of syria which obviously will have disastrous consequences for decades to come. it is impor

>> i will not speak for what israel thinks about this. i cannot do that. that issue did not come up. as far as how to respond to your constituents, the egyptian military right now is the bulwark against the threats, against israel, and against egypt. they committed along side as part of their government. it has been very outspoken about maintaining the peace treaty. it should not be seen as an enemy. it should be seen as a stabilizing force in the region. unlike the military in libya that fought alongside gaddafi, unlike the military in syria. we have a military that did not act that way when egypt went through its transition. >> that is very helpful. let me switch to something. i had to step out of the room to meet with a distinguished group of retired admirals and generals representing the u.s. global leadership coalition. are you familiar with this coalition? >> only very little. >> they are a group of more than 120 retired three and four- star generals and admirals. they are coming on the hill today to meet with congress and not about the military budg

at they going to lash out israel, jordan, all those around them? that's the line being drawn by the chairman. what do we need to do here to stop this? this is something that can escalate. the situation here is already horrific and terrible as it is. the chemical weapons issue is something that really would push us over, if that's a good way to put it. host: if that is the case, does the u.s. go through the same process when it -- that it went through when it came to the iraq war, debate in the senate and in the house on an iraq war resolution or some such? what would you like to see happen? guest: this is something the president has brought up. the president has to have the ability to act within the national security interests of the country, in the sense of being able to move truman's -- in the sense of being able to move troops. if we are going to be investing a good many lives and people in making a serious investment, it does need to be vetted. the constitution says we have a part to play. i know that has gotten overshadowed in this administrat

observer in syria to observe the truce between syria and israel. these peacekeepers -- the circumstances are not entirely clear -- were picked up by the element of the free syrian army. this is a palestinian brigade say you get a sense of the complexity on the ground. they were held for some base. subject to syrian army shelling. a cease-fire was negotiated and as of yesterday they were transported to jordan. i think it really signifies this concern about how the situation and syria continues to deteriorate. it has implications for israel, iraq, and other countries to host: before we get to calls to explain to us the condition of the president. what has been his most important statements lately? guest: he is still in damascus. he gave an interview not too long ago to a british newspaper, very defined. he is not aware or certainly not going to indicate to the world that he is aware of the dire situation his country is in. he lashed out at the west in particular. britain has taken a forward leaning position on the need to arm the opposition. one gets

let me get your reactions. >> the president spent today than israel. he crossed the border into palestinian territory. he had this to say about the peace process. that the status quo is really not a status quo because of the situation on the ground continues to evolve it makes it harder for us to reach. i know that the palestinian people are frustrated. what are my main messages today. the same message i am conveying is that we cannot give up. on the search up for peace. no matter how hard it is. we'll continue to look for steps build thatsraelis to confidence upon which lasting peace will depend. your reaction? he made a strong statement that he is committed. it was suggested in this time. he is back

roskam: similarly, we said we need to protect israel's military edge and israel's inherent right to defend itself, and also recognize that the israeli-palestinian peace process can only be achieved and advanced through direct negotiations without preconditions. finally, we said that the president must taintain foreign aid to israel as well as find funding for israeli-made anti-missile defense systems. in a nutshell we urged the president to use this as a time to highlight our relationship with the nation of israel because it makes all the sense in the world and it's the foundation upon which prosperity can happen. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the entleman from new york rise? without objection, so ordered. oofl a thank you. thank you, mr. speaker. i stood here a few days before the sequester deadline and urged this house to take action. now the sequester is a set of random, arbitrary cuts that puts thousands of jobs in jeopardy and harms our national security readiness and our economy. some have yet to see the immediate effec

this is his first official visit to israel. guest: yes. he went as a senator. there has been shattered four years that he has not gone to israel because he hates is real and that sort of thing. he is primarily going to show the israeli people and the voters here in the united states that he does not have any sort of problem with israel. he wants to reset relations with prime minister benjamin netanyahu. here is not going to be any sort of major high-profile push to make middle east peace between the israelis and the palestinians. this is a public-relations diplomacy kind of trip, not our diplomacy of trying to make some sort of deal. host: michael from kentucky is next on the independent lines. good morning. host: -- caller: good morning. japan is in the area of north korean. they are our allies in this -- at this point in time. is there anyway they could get godzilla to go in there and crush north korean? host: we will go to jim from maryland on the democratic line. caller: secretary of state john kerry made an appointment to the director of policy planning. w

support for the state of israel was extremely strong. remember we met senator jackson in his office. we quickly told him of the successes across the canal. we have imagery demonstrating this. i remember senator jackson responding enthusiastically. by the time we left an hour later he was almost giddy with the light over the is really advances. very interesting for an officer of juppe elite trying to assess the intelligence. -- very objectively try to assess the intelligence. as the israelis crutcher we gathered the upper hand and we continued around the clock situation reports contributing to the current intelligence borders -- bulletin's in daily breeze. other duties included meetings with agency officials. was easy to breed. amazingly and formal and always grateful. all of these tense days as the fighting grew, climax, and then began to die down, but as the possibility of confrontation with the soviet union grew, i never heard him once raise his voice or show irritation to the officer supporting him. he was always the lowest key person

it is being felt by key allies in the region, including israel and turkey. as the civil war continues to rage on, president bashar al-assad and his associates are resorting increasingly with other indiscriminate capabilities that terrorize innocent syrians and increase further the flow of refugees out of syria. former secretary panetta discussed the possibility of more robust options for military support last year. and he agreed to bring this matter to his counterparts in brussels. the recent decisions by the french and the british that provided assistance directly to the syrian opposition suggests that the position and nato is by no means unified. admiral come i hope you will provide us with some concept of our current thinking compared to that of our european partnerships, as it relates to syria and possible additional roles for the alliance beyond the deployment. eucom responsibilities include managing military engagement and cooperation, including through the nato and russia council. this includes russia's cooperation with the coalition equipment out of

[applause] we need to stand with israel. [applause] but we need to stop sending foreign aid to nations that hate us. [applause] just two weeks ago, president obama canceled white house source and said $250 million to egypt. and sent 250 million dollars to egypt, with no conditions, nothing focused on u.s. national security principally wrote a check. -- security. simply wrote a check. we need to get back to growth and opportunity. spreading the message that our policies work, their policies don't, that government control hurts those struggling to ihieve the american dream -- can promise you something. abc, nbc, cbs, "the new york -- none of them are going to help spread that message. but we have something more powerful. we have each and every one of you. [applause] the world has changed. there are no longer gatekeepers that can decide what the american people get to hear and what they don't get to hear. [applause] so i'm here today, asking for each and every one of your help telling the story. how many of you have a cell phon

>> sir, i won't speak for what israel thinks about this. i can't do that. but i would tell you that the chief of testifies of israel is in -- was in my office a week ago and this issue did not come up. secondly, as far as how to respond to your constituents, it is -- the egyptian military right now, sir, is the bulwark in the sinai against the threats, the extremist threats, against israel, against eyipt, against all of it. so the egyptian military, the organization committed, alongside, as part of their government but certainly has been very outspoken about maintaining the peace treaty, the international treaty. so it should not be seen as an enemy. it should be seen as a stabilizing force in the region. unlike, i might add, the military in libya to that fought alongside gaddafi, unlike the military in syria, we have a military that did not act that way when egypt went through its transition. it's a stabilizing force. >> that's very helpful information. let me switch to something. hade to step out of the room to go meet with a distinguished group of four r

president obama wraps up his trip to israel today and heads to jordan. back here at home, we are seeing more news stories about the sequester. we would like to hear from you this morning, whether you are feeling the impact of sequestration. here are the numbers to call -- host: also, a special phone line set up for federal workers and contractors -- host: also, you can join us on facebook or send us a tweet. you can also e-mail us at journal@c-span.org. it you aren, whether feeling the impact of sequestration. here is the headline from "politico" -- host: here is another story on sequestration -- the "wallht delays in street journal" -- host: you can see the percentage of those flights. the story below that says -- host: if you are a federal worker, you can call us at (202) 585-3883. , independencelle hall, is cutting hours because of sequestration. the automatic cuts mean fewer people will get to see -- is inour first call georgia. theer: i would like to say republicans, they don't seem like they care about the people. people are getting put out of thei

she is going to see bb in israel. i would guess one of the issues will be helping them climb down off the latter. i also think the most serious issue have going now is serial. syria. who is going to end up bailing out bashar? israelis. i will tell you why. the last thing they want our crazies on their their border. if you remember 1982, some of you don't remember. some terrible stuff happened. prisonaelis went into camps. there was bombing like crazy. they went not. with the prospect of having radicals on their borders. they may have misread. there was chance for serious agreement. the last thing the israelis on , seven seniorntly wounded officers of the syrian army were admitted to israel treatment. and the israelis on the border -- there is reason to think that the last thing the israelis want is a muslim mother had radical and. running stuff. to his credit, everything i think i know about obama, he has been very skeptical of intong in serious arms syria. that is because our cia which has a lot of smart people -- do

that israel conservatism. >> that sounds like compassionate conservatism. you have tried to work across party lines with your democratic colleagues. you have been on fiscal cliff talks, working on gun control legislation. ?o these gangs of six work >> you build the core. if we get an enhanced background check out, it will be because of the work of schumer and i. look, you all post a lot more partisanship that is here. there are great relationships here, great talks. there is a political flavor and then the policy flavor. we get out find trying to hammer out policy. of the partisan talk and getting to the next election is what is wrong. we have to many people interested in the politics than the policy. >> let me ask you, you plan to leave -- term limited. what are you going to do after you leave the senate to keep you have tried to cut out waste. how do you keep at it if you are not in the sent? >> it will be someone else's job. thend the question is, presumption that other people cannot do more and better than i have done and they can. only we can do it. am

that includes with israel. there are people who provide extra security and when my ships go through the suez canal. the god that area has not been this quiet in 10 years, and in no small part of the egyptian military is doing quiet operations -- the gauze area has not been this quiet in 10 years. >> what do you think the advice of the israeli government would be to policy makers such as us with regard to the of 16 say alabama -- the f-16 sale? i have gotten a lot of male and females -- mail and emails. they say, how could you agree to the sale of f-16s to egypt when it could be so harmful of israel? what would your answer be to that? >> i will not speak to what israel says about this, but i will tell you the chief of defense was in my office a week ago, and this did not come up. as far as how to respond to your constituents, it is the egyptian military that is a bulwark against the extremist threats against israel, against egypt, against all of them, so the egyptian military committed along side the government

followed by president obama's remarks from his trip abroad in israel. and later, federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. >> this week on "newsmakers," i want to welcome back senator tom coburn, a clin, from oklahoma, joining us from capitol hill today. and in studio, jeremy peters, congressional reporter and kneel, roll call congressional reporter. let me begin with the first question. the house has passed the continuing resolution that the senate passed this week to keep the government running for this budget year, avoiding a government shutdown. what do you think that says about the process going forward for negotiations on some sort of grand bargain? >> well, the first thing it shows is we actually passed an appropriation bill even though -- called a continuing resolution, the vast majority of what was passed were appropriation bills. so it was kind of an omnibus ppropriation bill. it had very limited amendment opportunity. but i think it's a great thing. the house pass passed it right after we passed it. so we now have some certainty. the problem for

did you push israel too hard? what do you wish you had done differently? and mr. prime minister i want to help my colleague over here with the follow-up he had, do you accept the president's understanding that iran is a year away when it comes to nuclear weapons and another question for you -- >> how many? you say you get one question and -- you see how the young lady from channel one, she had one question. very -- she was very well behaved, chuck. >> these are perm uted questions. >> i had four questions. leftovers from a couple days. i get four queas -- questions. >> look, this is not a kosher question, but don't hog it. [laughter] >> bill, what is going on there in >> this is exactly the kind of pitfall i was talking with earlier. chuck trying to do a follow-up on an answer that had come before, which was at best inconclusive, probably the way they intended it to be. then he had a question of his own and also a question for the prime minister. but you see what happens? it allows the two principles -- principals in that case to get off the case, change the subje

did you push israel too hard? what do you wish you would have done differently? and mr. prime minister, i want to help out my colleague here, with a follow-up, do you accept the president's understanding that iran is a year away when it comes to nuclear weapons. another question i have for you -- >> you are like the israeli press. you say you have one question, and then -- the lady from channel 1 said she had one question, and then -- >> these are muted questions, reity -- reiterations. >> look, this is not a kosher question, but don't hog it. >> this is zactsly the kind of pitfall i was talking about earlier. trying to do a follow-up on an answer that had come before that was at best inconclusive. and then he had a question of his own. but then he also had a question for the prime minister. see what happens? it allows the two principals -- principle -- in that case to can change the sunt. -- subject. chuck is a good friend, but he should have probably stuck to one question each. and let me just say, that set-up where they have a president and a foreign leader. in this c

the excitement about the republican team ahead of 2014, 2016 israel. it surprised me walking around to see how negative people are about romney's campaign. looking ahead, they feel excited about what is ahead in republican primaries. they think some leaders who have been floating around for a few years are maturing and becoming national stature type politicians. host: the caller mentioned senator ted crews -- ted cruz. andade some news this week in exchange with senator dianne feinstein on the issue of guns and high-powered magazines an assault rifle weapons. he also delivered remarks yesterday at the see pak conference.- cpac [video clips] we need to champion growth. get thet every stage to economy booming. we need to repeal obamacare. [applause] [applause] we need to repeal dodd-frank. [applause] talk about a bill you do not have to read any further than the title. [laughter] need to eliminate corporate welfare. [applause] we need to build the keystone pipeline. [applause] .e need to rein in the epa [applause] in west texas, the epa is trying to use