Transcripts For CSPAN2 Former Senator George Mitchell D-ME On The Negotiator 20240622

Former senator majority leader train for attacks about his Senate Service as a diplomat investigator and chairman of the Walt Disney Company. He spoke at politics prose in washington d. C. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] so the evening. And bradley graham, cowinner politics prose and on behalf of the entire staff welcome. Very few quick administrative tidbits. When we get to the q a part of the session as you can see we have ceased in tv with us this evening. If you have a question to be heard, it would really be great if you could make your way to the microphone right there. At the end before you come up to get your books signed our staff would be grateful if you could fold up the chairs you are red and leaned them against something that wont fall over. By way of introducing this evenings guest, let me just say theres a lot of talk these days about the American Dream not be what it once was. There may be some truth in that for younger generations. George mitchells life is certainly one example of how someone in america could rise to smalltown origins of modest means and become a person of considerable accomplishment and influence. A lawyer for main senator mitchell arrived in 1989 years later took over as majority leader, a post he held for six years. In that time he was among the most respect did members in the senate. Actually there is a Bipartisan Group of senior congressional aides who repeatedly voted him the most respect member. The story of George Mitchells career as an elect a politician only gets you a little more than halfway through his new book the negotiator. That is because he has shown the guy with the integrity and problem solving skills can continue to achieve much even after stepping down from one of the governments most morten positions. Since retiring two decades ago senator mitchell has taken a leading role, negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland and in the middle east. Hes also served as chairman of the Walt Disney Company as well as several other entities. He headed an investigation in to the bribery of International Olympic Committee Members and let another prointo use of performanceenhancing drugs in the u. S. Baseball. In fact, all a section of senator mitchells new book is titled no time for retirement. Hes authored for previous books. One dealt with experiences in Northern Ireland, another with the irancontra investigation and he intends to devote a future book to his work in the middle east including his time as the special envoy under president obama. Said this and other key parts of his life dont quite care full treatment in the negotiator. As he says in an authors report, this memoir isnt meant to be a complete autobiography but a collection of an dose coupled with a series of lessons at the end about the art of negotiations and knows lessons alone are very instructive reading. I wasnt quite sure. We were talking before he came out exactly how to refer to senator mitchell on second reference whether by senator mitchell and also a chancellor in ambassador. So he asked something to explain about that which he will in just a second. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming george mitchell. [applause] thank you very much for the very generous introduction. I thank you all for being here, for your warm reception. The title, when i began the negotiations in Northern Ireland i was the chairman at the request of the british and irish government. There is quite vocal opposition to my serving in opposition by several of the parties in Northern Ireland walked out when i came in to take the chairmans seat. In the middle of the night we had a very controversial in stormy beginning. I called a meeting later that day and after the meeting finished i told the leaders of the parties that it walked out of the talks, lucky major point got all kinds of publicity yelling at me and so forth. But why dont you guys come back now. They thought about it and grumbled, but they did come back. However, they wanted to make a further point so they announced although they were returning to the meetings they still do not want to recognize my legitimacy as chairman said they would reduce to calm a chairman. I said well, that is up to you. I said what you want to call me . They said senator. Well why not. That is what ive been called most of my life and ive been called a lot worse things than senator. So since then people say to me how do you want to be introduced. Senator is as good as anything else i was. I meant to comment briefly on the time introduction by bradley. Asthmatics act and speak often. I am on this tour this week so three or four times a day i get up and talk. So the highlight of the program for me is the introduction. [laughter] they always begin by saying i will be brief. You dont have to be. But there is a danger to it of course. If you hear this stuff often enough you begin to believe it and its unhealthy for your mental state. So i like to begin with a story about introductions and how i was brought back down to earth. I served in Northern Ireland and i chaired three separate sets of discussions over a period of five years. When i returned to the United States i wrote a book about my experience. I think that is the last time i was here when that book was published. And not a tour around the country, i received a very large number of invitations for irishamerican groups understandably. But i learned in the process than in the united stated there are more irishamerican organizations than there are irish americans. [laughter] i couldnt do all these requests but i picked out several. As i traveled around the country attending these events, they developed among them an informal competition as to who could give the longest, most extravagant sometimes rather fantastic introductions of me. The proper reaction of course wouldve been to show some humility, to urge them to keep it short, dont be repetitious. I had an improper reaction. I loved it. I encourage them. I scolded them when they left some rainout. One guy took 35 minutes reading the long litany of everything at done in my life which included several things i had not previously been aware of. When he finished a criticizing or leaving out the fact that at my junior year in high school among the science award. By the time i got to the last stop on this tour, it was the irishamerican societies for connecticut. I was very impressed with myself. My head was so swollen i could barely fit in the front door. When i walked in the first person i encountered was an elderly woman who rushed up to me very excited and nervous, vigorously shook my hand and then you praise on me say what a great man i was and how she didnt live anywhere near stamford. She drove three and half hours to come their come to shake my hand and tell me how much she admired me and asked me if i would sign her poster and she handed me a cardboard with a photograph on it and a pen and i like that inside id be happy to sign your poster but before i do there is something i should tell you. She said was his. I said im not Henry Kissinger. [laughter] is a photograph of Henry Kissinger. She said who are you anyway . So when i told her, she was obviously disappointed. She said that she was terrible. I go three and half hours to meet Henry Kissinger and i like it is a nobody like you. Is that i wish there was something i could do to make you feel better. She said there is. I said what is it. Shes leaned forward and a conspiratorial manner. I land forward. She said nobody will ever know the difference. Would you mind signing Henry Kissingers name to my poster. [laughter] so i did and it is hanging today in eastern connecticut as a daily reminder not to take these introductions to seriously. Now most of you have heard Henry Kissingers beak. So heres the best part of the story. About a year ago he and i appeared jointly on a conference in manhattan and there is a moderator into chairs and he asked us questions about world affairs. I thought it would be a good time to tell this story. And baghdad and the crowd laughed in henry seemed to enjoy it. Then we went on with the program. After the program we found ourselves in the elevator going to the ground floor together. If you think you have heard you speak often of a new Senate Majority leader. It appeared together several times. I have to tell you, never have i heard you better than you were tonight. Was it my answer in china, the middle east . No it was that story told in the beginning. Thats a great story. You should tell it all over america. I do and i keep the lists. Every time i see that my hand on a database and politics prose is on the next list in washington d. C. Its great of you to be here. I have been here before so i know that this is a crowd that is full of questions. So while having served in the senate for many years i am fully capable of speaking at indefinite planks on any subject with no prior notice usually neither possessing or conveying any knowledge but i can take up all the time possible. I am not going to do that tonight because i do enjoy the questionandanswer period. Just a couple words about the book because id like to read from it. When i did my previous book books. At an event in new york on monday night a great author and a good friend of mine a wellknown irishamerican novelist came to the event. He introduced me and said what are you going to read. I said im going to give a talk and answer questions. He said doctors should read from their books. I will maybe im an author now so i should find something to read. At that time i did it spontaneously. Since then ive had a few days to think about it. Whether or not you like the book im now an author so i read from the book at the beginning of the program and ill do that before i take your questions. I wrote the book for several reasons. One is i wanted to recognize and pay tribute to the role of my parents and my life. Almost all human beings are greatly influenced by your parents on with most of us they are in fact the dominant fact theres in shaping what and who we are. In my case my mother was an immigrant from lebanon. She came here when she was 18 and what was a small town in maine where her sister had preceded her in emigration and where many immigrants were pouring in because the textile industry was booming. My father was the author and son of irish immigrants born in boston, never knew his parents. He was raised in an orphanage and after several years was adopted by an elderly couple and happen to live next door to my mothers sister. It began a life of long hard work mostly as labor and janitor. My parents earned very little and what a hard life but i had a dream. Each of their five children they would perceive the education they never had a chance to get. As is often the case, those with no education. Have a profound belief in some respects an exaggerated belief in the value of education and in my parents were among that group. If we went to college we would be what seemed like a life of luxury. Although he died penniless they achieved the dream. Each of their children went on to graduate from college in each of us have lived a life that would be wholly unrecognizable to my parents because of that. But only because of them of course. We were very fortunate that they ended up in this country, the United States, which despite many serious imperfections remains in my judgment the most free, the most open, but most just society in all of Human History. The closest any society has ever calmed to a true meritocracy where everyone no matter the background by status has a chance to go as high and as far as talent is willing to work willing to risk. I said in the book so i wrote it so that others would feel they too have a chance come. But the reality is they feared that respect our countries moving backward. That we are increasingly not one america where two or more and what i call the middleclass working class is disappearing. When i was a boy growing up in the town of waterloo, maine which now has a population of 15,000 people, they were to textile mills, one paper mill a Large Railroad repair shop and within a onehour drive there were 20 factories at one time or another. Theres not one today. I think thats a microcosm of what has happened in communities all over america. The Technological Communications and information revolution through which not just me that societies are passing will in my judgment seen by future historians as much a turning point in history as was the industrial revolution. Each of us benefits enormously from it in our daily lives. As a society it has displaced work for many and we have not figured out how to replace those jobs that are gone forever. It seems to me higher levels of knowledge, skill and therefore education are necessary to enable us to have more mine workers instead of mine workers in the future. That means every american child should have the early care early intellectual stimulation and good education that will enable each of them to go as high and as far as their talents will take them. It is not just that we would be helping the individuals because of course individuals comprise a society. We as a society will benefit from the talents of all the members of our society. One of the revolutionary things about the American Revolution was that it established what we now take so much for granted that the only legitimate source of the 34 in a government anywhere is the informed consent of the governor. That was not the case for most of Human History. But if that principle is to be vindicated and the democracy which is a demanding form of government is to take root particularly in what are now deeply troubled areas around the world, education and informed citizenry is my judgment crucial to the task. So it is here at home and abroad that i think we have to do better. Do better at drawing on the talents of every member of our society and i hope in some tiny way one drop in the notion that this book will contribute to that. I would like now to just read about a page and a half the end of the boat which i talk about my parent. The book is a collection of many things. A lot of panic does come to some of which i hope youll find humorous in a couple are included at the very end. I described my work in Northern Ireland, the difficulty of it and i have a chapter in the middle east as well and then i would like to read the last page and a half of the book. It is pure coincidence my mother was born in lebanon. And my fathers parents reported ireland. Traveling to and working in ireland in the middle east enabled me to learn about it. Heritage to a filling of my ancestors to meet the people among whom they lived. To learn their hopes fears aspirations. It helped me fill a void i didnt know existed before i traveled to ireland into lebanon all of this i came to regard as an extra benefit from serving my country. On hundreds of long flights to and from ireland to the middle east i try to imagine my mothers early days. What was it like for young growth growing up in the hills of southern lebanon. Melissa parents lifelike. Arabic speaking questions in the muslim majority land. I asked the same questions about the treatment about my father who never knew us. And one from a catholic orphanage in the center of boston to the cold forests of northern maine whereas the boy he works among men. I wondered about his parents. Much has been written about irish immigrants who succeeded in this new land little about the many who failed. Their lives often whereas hardin baronet rock formations on the west coast of ireland. Had that been the fate of my grandparents and their parents. Im a recent flight across the atlantic i saw the sun rising in dublin as the plane touched down. I was drowsy but my mind was awake with thoughts dreams fantasies about those whose blood is now mine. And then i thought of stories familiar stories that always make me smile when they come to my mind. I was at a reception in my honor at a resort hotel just below the border between Northern Ireland and ireland. A bridge had been destroyed during the troubles. It had been rebuilt and was now called the peace bridge and named after me. The large part of wellwishers peppered me with questions about my father and his family. Most reacted with surprise and disbelief when they answered that it really did know much about his Family History because of them history is a living part of the president. A couple of them in the crowd suggested that i retain them both in the business that specializes in genealogy, mostly for wealthy irishamericans and with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, the local officials said senator if you pay them enough but connect you to brian probert. An ancient irish warrior king well known in irish history that we noticed 10. So we all laughed. In left. In other words its all open. On the other hand maybe its not. The other story is about my mother. When she was growing up she often said to her children usually around the Kitchen Table softly and with great nostalgia, often with mixed in her eyes, you should be lebanon. It is so beautiful. The air is pure water is clear mountains, forests and all better. A lebanon, may lebanon. After arriving in the United States at the age of 18 she returned only ones laid in her life after my father died. My sister accompanied her as he returned to the village where she grew up where they attended a reception and dinner with relatives and friends in the house in which she had been raised. Late in the evening my mother was asked to say something. My mother stood, paused, looked out at the large happy crowd and with great emotion and a broad smile said you should see america. [laughter] it is so beautiful. The air is pure. The water is clean. The mountains, forests, even the flowers smell better. America, my america. She had little formal education. She couldnt read or write english, spoke with a heavy accent. She worked her entire life life on a night shift in a textile mill issue is generous and loving, strong and wise and understood clearly the meaning of america. To me no one has ever said it better. America, my america. Thank you all very much for being here. [applause] i will be glad to take your questions. Contrary to what you may have been told if anybody wants to make a speech, be my guest. Thank you from the senator. I only had 20 minutes will make his race. No. I enjoyed the sections where you describe your relationship with your boss and i guess that this may be where you learn to treat staph not like Small Appliances the light came in being. Senator ford used to say when someone would acknowledge the existence of a staffer, he would say and moses leaned on his staff in died. But mitchell didnt do that. Trimming down my stuff and thrived. One to boston when i served you as we ended it gave me a pat on the back. My friend who works for Tommy Thompson saw this. The streetcar to have for weeks was great until i open my mouth. When youre describing the irish and i am an irish person, member of several irish organization. When you are out there and you mentioned muskie didnt hold a grudge. I was taking grudge irish alzheimers. Did you see that in Northern Ireland and you werent there . How do you deal with that . I did indeed. On my first flight to Northern Ireland i carried with me to New York Times that day and i rented them by complete coincidence there was a long story, two parts. I only read one part which essentially criticized the lack of knowledge of americans about their history. And described High School Students who didnt know much about the governor wife and created the impression of why thats just terrible they dont know enough about the history. And then i got to Northern Ireland in may an update know too much about their history. There is a great emphasis on history and the desire constantly human and understandable to right the wrongs of history. I tried hard in the years i was there to encourage people to be more forward looking. Not to suggest forgetting the past but that would be wrong and futile in any event that just to give more emphasis to the future and ineffective person turning around and facing another direction. The back is still there but you are not watching it all the time. I cant say i was responsible for any change in attitude. Over the course of the years i was there almost all of those who are so strongly opposed to me at first became my friends. They reconciled. We all shook hands and hugged and had pictures taken together later in our lives. I do have to say that you didnt ask it wont flattered about all the nice things said about me and also about president clinton the Prime Minister in ireland. The real heroes of the Peace Process for the people of Northern Ireland and their their elected leaders have vilified, criticized all the time. They spend their entire lives and conflicts. Many of them shot shot at. Several had done long prison terms for brutal crimes against people on the other side. At a critical moment in their societys history in their own personal histories, they summon the courage to rise to the occasion and in a circumstance of great danger individually and for their families, they did the right thing. It is a hard thing to ask of people to place your life your familys life in some jeopardy to risk your political career. Many saw their careers ended almost immediately and that they did the right thing as society has benefited greatly and while it remains fragile it is still a deeply segregated society. There is not full reconciliation. The ugly wall that separates the two communities is still there and will be for some time. Date now disagreeing dispute through democratic and nonviolent means which really is all we can hope or ask for it. People still have to work at it. Political leaders have many decisions to make but i think it is great they are solving parliament in elections not by bombs and bullets. Thank you. Thank you,com,com ma senator appeared first on a thank you for your work with Major League Baseball as well. In the last several years especially since the report came out there has been a giant change. Ive been a baseball fan ive noticed from a decade ago to today, especially the Players Association the Players Associations, the owners and current players themselves and i thank you for that. I was wanting to know your thoughts on how you compared Major League Baseball Drug Testing Program with other professional leagues in the United States like the nfl and the International Organization that the olympic committee. Where are they better, where are they not so well . Thank you for your nice comments. I am not able to do a comparison because diagnosed early and in detail the Baseball Program but i dont know if there really in detail the others. I believe baseball has the strongest and most Effective Program because of the tribulations they went through to get there. I think it is to the great credit that he authorized a completely independent inquiry into his sport which no other sport has done. When he called me and asked me to take this on i told him he had to understand that while we were friends i had to have complete independence and wherever it may lead in my report would say what i found. He said i understand anil had the independent than i did. Absolutely no effort to interfere in any way. I should mention a germanic change in the attitude of the players which they deserve credit for. The time i did an investigation the players through their association were adamantly opposed to the investigation. They refuse to cooperate. They would provide me with the documents. I tried hard to persuade them that the principle that owns of cheating in sports or the athletes who dont cheat because they face a competitive disadvantage. They have to face some horrific question of do as she or do i suffer competitively by not cheating. In the eight years since i did my report theyve undergone a dramatic change of heart and change your view and now they understand the benefit and are actively and aggressively supporting a Strong Program with strong penalties. The commissioner and the players have now implemented almost all the reference is for the program. Thank you. Senator mitchell, i want a thank you for all youve done for the Northern Ireland prices. I have friends and relatives who are deeply grateful to you. This is my question. With all thats in the news right now about british politics and the Scottish National party and its inclination to break away from the u. K. And there are some political [inaudible] thank you who talk about the breakup of the u. K. D. C. Is time in the u. K. Will break up a Northern Ireland will be on it own and perhaps in some fantasy world Northern Ireland would want to become part of the republic of ireland . Included in the Peace Agreement which i had my colleagues drafted is a provision which states the political status of Northern Ireland can be altered only with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland in a referendum. A free and open vote in a democratic society. There has not been one even though 70 years have passed because it is widely recognized and accepted that a majority would want to stay as a part of the United Kingdom of scotland, england and wales. The minority view held largely by catholics commonly referred to as nationalists is in favor of leaving the United Kingdom to and becoming part of the united are the ireland. One of the interesting things that has happened since the agreement is while the percentage of unionists, primarily protestant who wish to stay in the United Kingdom has remained very high. The percentage of nationalists who wish to leave the union and become part of Northern Ireland has declined somewhat in part because they had been picked and some discrimination over the previous century and their interest was the quality jobs, Housing Education which they are now getting. So for them or at least for some of them i should say, the imperative to join the republic has declined and that was accentuated during the economic difficulties on the republic went through the recent financial meltdown. But it is the fact that the british and irish governments have committed themselves to holding such a referendum to when there is reason to believe there might be a change and it will be up to the people of Northern Ireland to decide. Right now it is fair to say i was there 10 days ago. Right now it is fair to say in the immediate future if the population stabilizes there is unlikely to be any change in that status. Senator mitchell, there is some connection to you as though brian and my current parents who came from ireland were catholic and my soninlaw comes from bangor in the north end is protestant. But i also want to ask you about what i think is a major problem in america right now in you anywhere someone to talk to solve the problems. This may be the hardest. That is what is happening in baltimore the west the last couple weeks. Not just baltimore but all are cities and maybe even small towns. Ferguson certainly wasnt very big. All the steps he thought about that society could take to maybe not solve the problem to get us on the road. I spent time in Northern Ireland in the middle east, also the balkans. It is my view that while almost every social problem is not exclusively economic or even primarily economic but underlying all of them is a problem. I know in the places that i just mentioned the lack of jobs, the lack of opportunity, lack of hope a skill for instability. The it creates desperate and vulnerable populations mostly young adult bed without any prospects of future who become worse is that it will to the appeals to violent or other courses of action. I think that is true in all of these issues in our country including baltimore and others although intensified by the racial divide in our country the differences that exist in our society in terms of education, opportunity jobs. I dont pretend to have any and theres to this problem which has existed really from our nations beginning. We all rightly revere the 45 minute who voted in that convention in philadelphia in 1787. But it basically it included provisions which confirmed and accepted the existence of slavery as an institution and it took 75 years or so to change that and another hundred years for the changes to be given practical effect. It remains a deep and difficult divide. My feeling is that we have to do a lot of things. I dont want to get into the whole area because i regard myself as particularly expert in that area. Among them no matter what else we do if there is not education opportunity and jobs the others cant see. Society when men and women dont have opportunity and the chance to do something and then with their lives. Its impossible for young men with families to maintain their sense of selfesteem. Closes by referring to the section in my book in which i described by senior year in high school and my father at the age of 50 who worked steadily since he was 10 years old lost his job and was out of work for the year. I very nearly destroyed him in a family. It was a desperately difficult circumstance and he seemed to shrink physically as he withdrew and became more and more despairing. A year later the local school and the change in attitude thought it would become president of general motors. He changed completely as a result of that and that has always been with me. One of the things we can and must do is deal with the issue of the absence of opportunity for education and skills. Better to help people help themselves they had to do things for them. One sure thing i forgot to say. In the introduction something was missing. Senator and ambassador and the one many you wish you had had. [applause] next time you hear about tell hear about tory setback. Hello george. Nice to see you. And any joke first and then a question. I was serving with usaid in afghanistan in 2009 when Richard Holbrooke came in a special envoy there and was pretty much a ring around the china panda cholerae and everything and happen to be sitting in the cafeteria one evening and started talking to a guy who it turned out had worked for you in the senate. Im sorry ive forgotten his name. They started said too bad im in the at each other and said my god what if they sent Richard Holbrooke to the middle east. So i think it was the right way. But as someone who i followed slightly injured for stats, work in the senate for 10 years as a staff writer, the use of overlap slightly i was on the Senate Aging Committee staff when youre briefly on the committee. And its terribly upsetting to see what is happening to the congress and the senate and it just seems as if theres no concept of National Insurance anymore and much less compromised being a dirty word. Can you see any way out of this situation . I dont foresee any change in the immediate future. How unfortunate it is. I described the situation when i was elected Senate Majority leader. One of the first person that called with bob dole who was the republican leader in the senate. I went to see him. I said to have come you have been here 25 years. Ive only been here a few years that ive been here long enough to said the senate cant function if they dont trust each other. Im here to tell you how i intend to behave towards you and behave towards me. The simple statistic i guess. He was delighted and literature the small but never has a harsh word between bob im public or private. But disagreed vigorously every day on much if not most legislation. As we agreed to, we kept our arguments on the issues and what the senator said the differences and sometimes my view prevailed. But it never affected our personal relationship and we still remain close friend. That by itself is not a solution. Many people look back to the history through rosecolored glasses and imagined time when everything was sweetness and light and god alone. That was not the case. A professor at the university of maine wrote a lengthy article about the president ial campaign of 1800 when two men who are now icon, thomas jefferson, john adams ran against each other and the the namecalling in that campaign was worse than anything in recent campaigns. Of course there werent tens of thousands of ads and the impact is that what it was now. Has always been tough. I couldnt imagine it being any tougher and yet here it is much tougher. I hope there will come the realization that while the leaders have an obligation to their parties and the members of the caucus they have a higher obligation to the country an institution of the senate that are up to her house to by ran with the nominating constituency in mind because that is how the election decided in their district. The second factor i believe is the truly immense end up seeing Amanda Fleming that is put into our political system and the electoral process. Its always been the case throughout Human History money and dont have a role in selecting leaders. It has reached a point where it is degrading and corrupting our democracy. Corrupting in the following sense. Not that you have a lot of a lot of cases if someone has a center bag of cash and says ill give you this. Vote the way i want. That is very rare in our society thankfully. The corruption is trust of the American People in very the officials so essential has been saved. Ill ask you a question ive asked all over america to audiences large and small, business, college, everything. How many people here believe your elected officials are more responsive to their constituents than they are to their donors. I have asked that hundreds of times to his then aggregate in the thousands and only one buzz next month ago here in 10 when i asked the question did one hand go up. I was so astonished. It was a woman i didnt want to embarrass her. She put her hand up, that was good after i spoke to her. I figure the only person in america is never raise your hand. Can you tell me why. She said its very simple. My husband is a member of congress. Theres not another person ive ever asked. Nobody believes that. I believe the Supreme Court decision will go down in one of the worst decisions. I challenge everyone of you to get a copy of data. And and try to read it through to the end. I challenge you to do it. In it youll find a description of the american political process that does not exist. There isnt any suggestion of corruption. Only if you define corruption but Everybody Knows donors have influence. What i said was very critical. The Supreme Court didnt create the problem. The problem has been there throughout our whole history. Essentially what they did was like a group of nine guys walking down the street. They saw fire in southern sports and gasoline on top of it. It just made it a lot worse than its out of control now. I will conclude with this one story. When i was Senate Majority leader race to get to work very early in every morning i had a stack of phone calls waiting for me on my desk. Please dont have a voter named because ive got a fundraising lunch. Please dont have a vote at 4 00 because are the fundraising meeting. Dont have a vote of 5 00. At 6 00 ive got a dinner. I went to hundreds of them is the guest speaker urging the donors to support whichever senator was having a function. 1108 nospace group of senators. To make a point exaggerating slightly i took one of his thought challengers and it was all black out except for a couple slivers in the middle. I said to them if i accept all of your request to not open you are doing Fundraising Committee you can see from this the only time the senate can vote is between 2 00 a. M. And 4 00 a. M. On thursday mornings. It is infinitely worse now. Anything that money chase that is demeaning to the individuals but most importantly corrupting to the trust americans should have in their elected officials in the political process. Thank you. [applause] senator mitchell no need for modesty on this. Its a personal question. One of the personal care to raise six one of the personal care are at the u. Feel have enabled you to be successful at the negotiator in Northern Ireland when other people felt the task was untenable. My followup question to that is why you refer to yourself as the negotiator rather than a mediator. Theres no better explanation than that. Although mediation does involve negotiation, and so it isnt as though its inaccurate. In the book i describe some of the elements that i learned about trial and error. I had no formal training in the art of negotiation or mediation. What i know comes through experience in trial and error in a variety of roles. I think the first and most important element is humility and patience. It is critically important go into conflict situations particularly that those who were at the table own the process and own the result. Because as i said there were many times when this is over im leaving. Im going back on. You guys are going to live with the results. In fact, on the first day i said to them that if we are ever able to get an agreement, it will be your agreement. It would be your words. I did not then dream that it would be two years of discussion that i had to listen to. But when i and my colleagues drafted the agreement we were acutely aware of that commitment and every single word in the good friday agreement was spoken or written by a delegate from Northern Ireland. It was their process. Its their country their agreement, and its their lives of have to live there. So you cant come in and assume a superior or condescending view. The second is its a very hard thing in life to listen to. Sounds obvious. Think about all the social conversations youve had you say something, someone else talks a are talking your vaguely listening but youre thinking about what youre going to say next. I can go to the painful experience ive been through, it is a demanding task to actually listen. Its especially hard to listen carefully to people with whom they disagree or you dont like. Im not a scientist, but i know this. Our brains have receptors for information and information that comes in that is consistent with our prior beliefs goes through a wide open door is well received, stored and promptly retrieved. Information that is inconsistent with our prior beliefs has to thread a needle thats not well stored, no index and it takes forever to remember. You really have to work hard to actually listen to, give credit to and try to figure out why the arguments of those who disagree with you. And thats absolutely critical in peace negotiations, even though, i had opinions on everything but i didnt disclose them and i never never was in tolerant of views that were different from later in fact on the first day i made the first of the large number of mistakes i made. I said to them in a moment of hubris, because i knew that a long history of not talking to each other, and in Northern Ireland the highly publicized walkout is a standard part of the policy. You make a dramatic statement you to to the papers debt and you walk out before the other guy can into. So i said to them try to encourage them stay in listen, i said im a product of the u. S. Senate where we have the rule of unlimited debate. Ive listened to 16 hours beaches, 10 hours beaches. I said i can listen to anything you guys say come and i will speeches. How i regretted that statement over the years. [laughter] think about it. Two years listening to the same guys saying the same thing over and over again. But i did it. I never kept him off, never shut them up. I listen to every word they said. I wanted to be able to say at the end, nobody can claim that they didnt have a chance to make their case. Nobody can say that they were not listened to. Nobody can say they didnt have a fair opportunity to persuade others. I think that was a factor. We have time for one more question. Bradley says one more. [inaudible] well, they are up in line. I have to say, bradley, its not the length of questions. Its the length of the answers thats the problem. If you will indulge a couple more, i will try to shorten my answers. Its a great honor to meet you. You give the world a great gift helping solve the problems of ireland. What was the difference between the middle east and ireland . [laughter] im not blaming you. In ireland i never thought those parties would recognize each other. I never thought the ira would give up wanting the island unified. What was different about the mideast and what needs to be done, can it be done . Is it hopeless . You would ask you that just after i committed to very brief answers last night by up to the best i can but i cant commitment to you, bradley, to keep the short answer. About a year ago i spoke to a very large gathering about a thousand irishamericans in new york city, and i said to them that i was about to make a statement that i never thought i would ever believe come let alone say. And it is that after two tours of duty involving several years in the middle east i had come to the conclusion that the irish were really easy to deal with. The middle east is more complex. Its more difficult. There are more factors, more actors, many more external forces. There is no iran issue in Northern Ireland. Right now islam is going through a very difficult period of internal conflict. Some of it dates back to the prophet mohammed. The sunnishia divide is not a religious argument. It is a political argument that arose upon mohammeds death in the succession context for authority. David snow erupted fiercely, notably in iraq and syria with the devastating consequences for the people of those countries. And all of these have a facts, not to mention the arab spring not to mention places, all of the others. So i think its a very, very difficult to it is compounded by the fact that there is not only a lack of trust. There is a high and active level of mistrust between israelis and palestinians, and arabs and israelis cheerleader even though they share many common interests. Most notably with respect to iran. Positions of israel and saudi arabia are very close with respect to iran but they dont cooperate and act upon the closest because of the barrier that the palestinian issue presents to them. Ive got a long chapter in the book about it. I encourage you to read that. I will simply say that i believe that in this respect american policy is the right policy. It is it was well stated by president george w. Bush who just before he left office went to jerusalem and delivered a speech which i encourage anyone to read, january 9, 2009 in which he explained that the United States supports israel. Unequivocally we are committed to israels safety, security and existence behind defensible borders. At the same time we are committed to the creation of a palestinian state. Israel as a state but they dont have reasonable and sustainable security for the people. The palestinians dont have a state and they want one. The president made clear, and i believe this is a correct statement of american policy, that the palestinians are not going to get a state until the israelis have a reasonable and sustainable sense of security, but they cant get that intel the palestinians get a state. And each is invested not only in its own interest but in the others because neither can attain its objectives by denying to the other its objective. Thats extremely difficult. Both societies are deeply divided, and there is a high level of mistrust between the leaders of both societies. But i believe that so much in both interest of the societies that ultimately they will Reach Agreement and a fully demilitarized palestinian state will be created and will live sidebyside. I never thought i would agree with anything george bush said. It was speedy thank you for everything you have done. Okay. Senator, when i was im glad we said we would take extra questions. When i was writing my honors thesis i look at the cavern commission which i know you are fully with an opt out senator muskie built the main democratic party. I just think working for congressman mike im wondering, as you look at results in me and ashley at the last election, are there lessons weve learned from senator muskie as democrats as we try to figure out what to do next . Well, im a democrat because the principles of the party are closer to my own beliefs than are those of any other party. I recognize weve made many mistakes and are passed as a party come as we all have as individuals as well, but i believe that we will prevail at every level when we are able to devise and advocate effectively for solutions to what i think remains a central issue. I described here or here tonight. I wont go over it again. Its not easy to do. Its very hard to do. And i think we have strayed from that some in recent years. Any particular case you refer to we also have the difficulty of third party candidates. As you know, the governor of maine has been elected twice without getting 50 of vote in either election because the other candidates who divided the vote. Thats a more difficult issue to deal with because anybody has a right to run and theres nothing wrong or inappropriate about it but the effects can be adverse. Im trying to shorten the answers. So i will take just the last to hear okay, bradley . Then we will go. Too short for my own good. I am a maine native as well born and bred, so thank you. You are a rockstar. We appreciate your lineage deeply. Something that worries me as a maine or and maybe if this is because broad as someone the question you have more specifically towards maine residents. At least a very deeply is that theres a lot of brain drain going on in our state. My four best golfers in moscow all of us went to top tier colleges, and one of us found a job. The reason why they found a job is because they started at beer company with her husband in maine. One is a marine biologist. The other pashtun im a teacher come and the other one is an awardwinning journalist. And only so one of four of us have been able to live the my partner is an archivist and the reason why we live in d. C. Is because this is where we find work. Where i would love to raise my family and for them to be able to steal dennis like i did and wrote to an avid and have a harbormaster bring them back in is maine. But i cant do that because i cant afford to live there. Its it saddens me. I wonder what your opinion would be a. Com how we could get these young minds of maine back to main . Its an issue thats been with the people of maine for a very long time. We have historically had a relatively, in relation to other states low levels of employment and income, and people have historically going way back to the Second World War travel to other states for employment. And what manufacturing there was as i described earlier has left the state. I think thats a microcosm of much of our country. States alderman the country meet municipalities face the same thing. I dont know what the entries the full entry, but i do know that education is significant. One reason, thats one major reason i triggered a Scholarship Fund for needy maine students, to enable Young Students who dont have the Financial Resources to go to college to do so. And we strongly urge, although we do not require, that the remain in the state after graduation. I now give out a scholarship at this program to a graduate from every high school in maine every year. Weve already given out nearly 2500, and most of them are hopefully going to stay in the state. There is no simple easy answer but its not a problem that is unique to main. It exist in many, many parts of our country, particularly in the more rural small and more rural states. I hope you find something in maine soon. We need you back. Thank you. The last question. Its always how often have i regretted saying that . [laughter] first of all i will state that i am not from maine. I am from the state of nevada but in the interest of time and people who want to meet you and get their books signed, i will yield. Oh, boy, thank you very much. [applause] thank you all very much. Damon