department has ret sources it needs and that the disposition of those resources is accountable. even as we deal with difficult budget decisions i will never break the commitment to our troops, our veterans and our military families. we will continue to invest in the well-being of our all-volunteer force and working with the va and other institutions we will make sure our troops and their families get the health care, job opportunities, and education they have earned and deserve. just as i did when i co-authored the 9/11 gi bell with webb, lautenberg and john warner. this includes focusing on the mental health of our fighting force because no one who volunteers to fight and die for this country should ever feel like they have nowhere to turn. that s unacceptable for this country. in my 12 years in the senate, my
africa where we have clear national interests. rather as recognition the united states has been and always will be a pacific power. in the asian pacific power it is increasingly vital to america s security and economic interests. that s why we must become even more engage d in the region ove the incoming years. doing all this and much more will require smart and strategic budget decisions. i have made it clear i share leon panetta s and our service chief s serious concerns about the impact sequestration would have on our armed forces. and as someone who has run businesses, i know that the uncertainty and turbulence of the current budget climate makes it much more difficult to manage the pentagon s resources and our national security. if confirmed, i m committed to effectively and efficiently using every single taxpayer dollar the right way to maintain the strongest military in the world and to working with congress to ensure the
a deal. jon: peter, president obama has said to the teachers union, the national federation of teachers they have no better friend in the white house than him. is that what this is about? well, if i were to grade the romney campaign and their surrogates on this whole episode i could grade them an f for substance and a for effort. the fact of the matter is the administration, like other administrations will not weigh in on a union dispute in a city or a state. rahm emanuel has been running the city of chicago in a way he is making some tough budget decisions. i don t think he owes that to scott walker. that is what you do when you govern as an executive. jon: scott walker in wisconsin, let me finish. if you ask the aft and nea, teachers unions where they believe this administration has been on their positions, on their agenda, you will find some very interesting answers to that question. they are not supportive of a lot of reforms the administration has called for, tying teacher s
evening. let me start with you melissa, republicans siding with big oil over womwn s health, aren t their priorities clear to you? yes, it feels like that. and look, the idea that they are continuing, in the context of even as they try to put forward a new violence against women act, saying there is no war on women, continuing to see women, children, and poor people. those are the folks most impacted by the budget decisions their making and by the compromises the so called compromises their making. the fact that the most vulnerable people are still the target rather than those with the most to give, like big oil. now, ej, let me ask you. when you look at paul ryan s budget, the plan cuts tremendously from the poor. 62% from programs amounting to
we re live in charleston, south carolina. iowa declares a new winner. rick perry bows out, and 35 hours before the polls open here in south carolina, we have a dead heat. a southern republican presidential debate starts right now. the part of the republican party where tradition lives. the strongest military in the world. and values matter. we want a conservative on the ticket. tonight, the republican candidate on stage in south carolina for their final debate before the south primary. mitt romney, the front runner, going for another win. trying to close a deal with skeptical voters. work to get good jobs back. newt gingrich, armed arrived, trying to harness conservative support as the field gets smaller. i am the only candidate capable of stopping a moderate from winning the nomination. rick santorum, with renewed momentum, after learning that he won iowa after all. we defeated mitt romney in iowa. ron paul, the insurgent, a powerful force in the first