Transcripts For CSPAN Key Capitol Hill Hearings 20140911 : c

oil with ken silverstein. senator kirsten gillibrand. find our television schedule at c-span.org and let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. us, or send us a tweet. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. >> now, former virginia governor about howe, session wanting individual liberties and national security. this event was hosted by the steamboat institute. ♪ >> good afternoon. as you know, the purpose of government is to protect the life, liberty, and property of its citizens but what happens when criminals and terrorists leave electronic footprints instead of real foot prints? what does a government do then and how does it protect our privacy while simultaneously protecting our life and our liberty? to discuss that we have governor gilmore and also charlie cris. >> kirk. >> ok, i completely fudged it. there you go. in order to discuss these issues, i have these two fine gentlemen. i will have them each give a 10-minute openers then a series of answers and a one-minute rebuttal and then give you a chance to ask questions. with that i welcome governor james gilmore. >> thank you. thank you very much. i've seen a lot of you already. [applause] >> thank you. charlie and i did something like this at cpac several months ago and it was so flamboyant they decided to invite us back. we'll try not to disappoint. i don't know what biography was given because i was sequestered at the back. i might as well be a congressman, i guess. but you probably know i was elected prosecutor in my local county. i've been a courtroom prosecutor as well as a defense counsel. i was the attorney general and governor and chairman of the republican national committee. so everyone here knows i was a lawyer, a politician and a party leader. not a good start. but my other habits are good. let me talk about that a little bit. i was chairman of the board of visitors of the united states air force academy, which has put me into colorado quite a bit. i've enjoyed this wonderful state. i'm on the board of directors of the national rifle association right now. [applause] that usually gets an applause line. i was an intelligence agents in west germany in the 1970's as an army veteran during the cold war and i was the chairman of the advisory panel on homeland security of the united states at the request of the congress for five years, from 1997 to 2002 and that was over the time of the 9/11 attack and i was governor of virginia during the 9/11 attack. the 9/11 attack is a watershed, we all know that but it was a very serious issue. i will keep as close why can't a -- as i can to my 10 minutes but this is a very complex subject. i was very concerned about the reaction to the 9/11 attack in the united states. the bush administration, the congress, the people of the united states were all calling for security. i was pretty nervous about it to be honest with you at that time. i was trying to give a bit of a counter pose. if you look to the letter i wrote to congress that year, one of the principal things we needed to do was to protect democracy and individual liberties. it is paramount to achieving the ultimate victory. and the protection of individual liberties with the entire game. i don't feel differently about that today, but i will tell you that my concerns are even greater today as far as the safety of this country goes as they were then. it is a very serious issue, the threat is more serious than at the time of the 9/11 attack in 2001. you can't go into your hotel room and turn on the television, can you, without looking at what is going on with the james foley be heading. with what is going on with isis right now. the threat now is much more dangerous than the cold war. now you have state threats and nonstate threats. a dual problem we have to confront as the united dates of america. -- united states of america. it seems determined to get it and i for one do not see the united states at war with iran. but what are our choices if they insist on getting a nuclear bomb? will we allow them to have a nuclear bomb? and all of these nukes, not to mention israel sitting there. the chinese arrested. they want to change the status quo. the russians, we are all very familiar with that area did my old friend, the russians. what happens if they can invade the ukraine and take it over and decide that the baltics might want to be their next victim? and there are others. that is not the principle problem. it's one of the two principle problems. the nonstate actors we see this most famously in al qaeda and the rise of isis. and don't forget the drug cartels on the southern border. these are people that belong to no nation, observe no rules, except they have certain asymmetrical rules of their own. they can attack this country and spend almost nothing and cause us to spend trillions of dollars in response. have we not been doing that? how long could not go on before the democracy of the united states collapses? why did they attack civilians? they want to undermine the united states confidence in their own country and in their own government. what little confidence the people of the united states have, the enemy seeks to dissipate even further so we will turn to other forms or isolationism. which, by the way, we have people in our own republican party that advocate this kind of drawback right now. at the center of the potential attack, the danger that can happen in this country from secret cells and people in this country who might come to this country or even attack our allies, we have seen it in this nation. we saw it in a first trade center attack and another. we have seen it in allies, countries, the goal to attack civilians and undermine our confidence in the ability of the country. i developed 10 points that i believe are a strategy. i'm not going over them. you may be relieved. i may speak in the breakfast at the morning. we must, as a nation keep our advantages. one of our at vantage is the high technological, scientific advantage that we have, particularly within the nsa, the national security agency. that is enormous power. we will do more of that on q&a as well. i want to tell you that the loss of our technological advantage to be able to understand what the enemy is doing, where they are, what they are thinking, what their plans are, the loss would be catastrophic. that is the danger that we face. i think the arguments being made that say that the nsa has to be drawn back in the name of privacy presents us, in my view, with a false choice. our goal in this country is not to be driven to the choice of freedom or security. our job as americans and the challenge of leadership is to achieve both. not false choices. that is not easy to do. the simple procedure is to go all security or to simply have total liberty. that is a false choice and i say that we don't do that. i think there are ways that we can reform plans and nsa type of operations in order to protect the privacy of american people and maintain our advantage. ladies and gentlemen, i close with this comment. we are at war. a long war. make no mistake about it. i say to you, we need presidential leadership right now that understands the dangers that we face, the challenges that we have. how to thwart these false challenges and the ability to save our country in the long war ahead, we need that kind of residential leadership which means we need change in the white house. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, governor. charlie? >> i am excited to be here at steamboat. i get to travel to colorado to visit some of our campus and college groups throughout the greater denver area every so often. but it is nice to come up to steamboat and hike a little bit and meet all of these wonderful people. i want to congratulate the people here. by attending this conference you have earned yourself an irs audit. [laughter] you can be expecting that early next year. the governor and i had a wonderful discussion back from washington dc and i look forward to continuing that dialogue and diving into the nsa. i'm not going to pretend to know every inch of that model or the -- monolith of an agency or the people even working in it know all about it. there are so many unknowns that we have to go in understanding that this agency -- we have to take a step back and talk about the philosophical beliefs behind it and have a discussion about that. i will ask everyone a question here and i think you will consider some of the thoughts of the nsa. imagine lois lerner running the nsa. imagine that for a second. we are living in a climate and a culture within administration and government that uses agencies like the irs weaponize against systems like you. -- citizens like you. it's true. i have been targeted by the irs and i'm sure many of you have as well. we are living in a culture and climate that no matter what agency it is, there is evidence of collusion of interagency conspiracy against citizens. catherine ingle brecht was a citizen from houston, texas, visited by five different federal agencies in two months, audited by three of them, tax by all five. they said we are not talking to each other. really? all these agencies visit you and ask these questions, you are trying to tell me they are not colluding? we are talking about the nsa which is admittedly probably the most powerful and intrusive arm of the department of defense which, until edward snowden's actions, has gone relatively unchecked. most americans did not know what nsa meant until edward snowden did what he did. trillions of lines of data accumulated and stored in banks in utah about every person in this room. and i would like to venture a guess that with this administration, we have seen the the track record of the abuse of power, do you want to wield that kind of unchecked power to bureaucrats like lois lerner or the irs guy that got into a debate with paul ryan? when paul ryan asked him, why didn't you tell us you deleted e-mails and he said, you never asked me. are those the people you want running federal agencies that collect trillions of lines of data? the governor said the enemy and he is exactly right. the enemy is isis and international global islamic jihad. i will agree with him on that. government bureaucrats don't view those as the only enemy. view the enemy as people that disagree with what they believe in. we can see what happened in the irs, where they thought that conservative groups and tea party groups and republicans were the enemy. if we are going to use that word so loosely, what does the word enemy mean to an unchecked nsa employee who can tap without war -- warrant, every person in this room? unchecked and without warrant. do we want to give that authority to people that we know have a subversive agenda to overthrow our founding principles? there was a slide that said those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither and i truly believe that. if we are trying to get back to our founding principles, we have, in many instances, ask ourselves as conservatives, should we give this authority to an agency that a four edward -- before edward snowden released it, most of us did not even know existed? governor gilmore did. he is aware of these deeper and complex issues. if you look at the freedom and liberty. they have no qualms with growing government. the left does not. they have no qualms about growing bureaucracies. where you out there complaining? we have to, as conservatives, lead the charge against the abuse of power. you have to. we have to be the vocal opponents to unchecked federal bureaucrats for the warrant list and wiretapping of american citizens. we, as conservatives, have to be voices. if barack obama wanted to look at the nsa, this look at the enemy right here. my finishing note is this, the nsa is probably the most powerful agency we have ever seen. we have to ask ourselves one final question. do you trust the federal government? do you trust the people running? thank you. [applause] >> charlie, i have always loved that quote about security and liberty. but i also agree with the governor that it is a bit of a false line. it is not a question of liberty or security, it's where we put the line. is there a country that is doing it right? how do you propose we balance those two things? >> i have used that same benjamin franklin mine at seatac once before in a debate. i knew ben franklin. he was a friend of mine. [laughter] he's no james madison. actually, he probably was. the point is, i thought about this question quite a bit before we got here. that it is useful for us to examine other countries because another one of of our principles is that america is exceptional. there are people who would tell you that we are not, but we are. say we areeople who not exceptional, but we are exceptional. it is exactly the kind of conference we said that these of the touchstones americans have that no other country in the world does have. we draw the line differently. that challenge is that much greater. we are much more careful about what kind of liberties we give up than other people in other countries. i think the duty is not the way the world is moving but to worry about what we do. it seems to me that we have to remember what the nsa is able to do. it has all been in the newspapers. how to intercept al qaeda movements and messages. they have already succeeded in intercepting the messages of hezbollah. it has been in the paper. they already succeeded in following the al qaeda leader through africa and getting to the point where they can be arrested. they've already succeeded in listening in on president karzai when he wasan interacting privately with representatives from iran and told him that when the americans came, he would be working very well and making sure that there would be no interests against iran. these are useful things to know when making policy. these are advanced just that we americans have that no one else in the world has. the enemy would like us to become paranoid. the enemy would like us to become distrustful. the enemy would like us to throw this advantage away so that they can get on a level playing field with us. we have advantages that have been built because of the superior state, the superior economy, the superior system that we have that has enabled us to become sophisticated and therefore able to defend our people better. i yield to no one on the basis of saying that we have to protect privacy. i believe it can be done. i will point to several things here. we have had failings of nsa oversight. the congress has miserably failed to oversee the nsa. there are congressmen today that say we are looking forward to the day when authorities expire and time is on our side to which i hear al qaeda and isis and russia and china standing up and saying bravo. we are run your side congress. we want to bring your country down. it is the duty of us, people like us here, in steamboat to , make sure that doesn't happen. the fisa courts, who was overseeing them? they don't seem to be doing a very good job, at least they have lost the confidence of the united states. anyone who goes in as charlie suggest and uses this information to spy upon american citizens inappropriately and to let that information out and any improper way, to look at our pictures, private letters, to make that available, we need to put people in prison. we need to let people know that we will actually do that. [applause] and finally, the executive branch. the president has been woefully inaccurate in oversight of the nsa. ofcauses us to be suspicion our own ability to govern ourselves. and i say that that can't last. we have to regain her confidence in ourselves. we do that through the election process. >> thank you, governor. >> i agree in a large part with that but if you look at germany and france, they don't have a constitution with the fourth amendment that protects privacy and liberty the way we do. they don't have a provision that disallows unreasonable search and seizure. that, i think we should focus on our own paradigm. i will say that the conversation that i think we should talk about is not as much spying on karzai or international, but should we be spying on american citizens. the premise of the debate is, does it matter that the governor stores every e-mail or text or phone call that we send? some people may call us terrorists. does it matter to everyone in this room? does it matter if they listen to us? i agree with you. congress has not been a good job overseeing this agency and i will venture a guess that before what edwards known did, a majority of representatives didn't even know what the nsa was. it was kind of this undercurrent, they are this agency that keeps us safe. but i think it is very important that we open this dialog and that we hold our elected officials accountable. do you think it is ok for the nsa to go completely unchecked? we need to start that dialogue and conversation because if we are going to respect the constitution and be the party of limited government, we have to go back to our roots on the fourth amendment. there is no way to say that with the nsa has done is really constitutional. >> can i add something to that? if i could add something to that. this is the reality of what we are looking at right now. the nsa has enormous capacity to the very sophisticated computers to be able to get information. what they are getting, not to mention all the overseas information, but they are getting information that says who is calling who. they don't have the ability to look into those phone calls without a warrant. they can't look at your information but if somebody from yemen telephones in the chicago -- into chicago, if they are looking around at what they might be talking to, they can gather evidence. then they can say, this is interesting enough to go to the fisa court and get a warrant. i think what we have to guard against, there are things that you can do. looking at private conversations, that should be -- i am certainly not interested in the government spying on everything the citizens do. the reality is that we have a technological advantage over the opposition and the enemy would love for us to throw it away and be frankly suspicious and paranoid. >> there has been a lot of debate about whether or not these people do store these things for a long-term. edward snowden made a claim that they did, other people said he was mistaken. i think that you would agree, -- i have called for a complete forensic congressional examination of how far they gone . i think we have to do that. i think that you would agree, governor gilmore, that it is necessary for both parties to call for the nsa and do a complete forensic examination of how you treat u.s. citizens. is this being stored, and who has access to it and why? we need to get all the facts about that because edward snowden did say that every phone call has been stored between u.s. citizens, but there has been a big debate about that. >> we know in the case of james foley that he may have been murdered by a radicalized member of the u.k. they're still trying to figure that out. it is not always the case of bad guys overseas. for all we know, we may have bad guys here. radicalized elements within our own population. we have no way of knowing. how do we track those individuals without tracking the rest of us? >> how to attract those individuals without tracking the rest of us? it seems to me that you have to have a standard that says we are going to focus in on people with reasonable suspicion. may be a person that is involved in this kind of conduct. the enemy, al qaeda, the isis people, if they can put somebody in this country that can do some kind of attack. it is not unheard of. is it? take the boston attack, for example. they were not representatives of anybody. they were the same ilk. what i want to respond to is the significance of it is very material. if you could get one guy in here with a suitcase bomb or come a worse yet, with the rising of you couldoliferation, get somebody with a serious bombing here, you could change the way americans take about themselves, we have to protect ourselves against that while at the same time protecting our privacy's as well. this is the challenge of this nonstate, asymmetric type of warfare we are facing. they want to attack citizens. they want to change the way american citizens think about themselves, way we think about our liberties, these are the things we have to guard against. >> i agree. every time someone makes a phone call, i can't tell you how many times someone said i would rather not talk about that on the phone. are the terrorists that upset that we have spent trillions of dollars on surveillance program? a lot of people do live in paranoia now. a lot of people in this room live in fear of their government or the fear of retribution. are we going to continue to grow government? i'm not saying that's what you are proposing. there is more than one reason for that. the paranoia is not necessarily because of terrorist action. if we look at the nsa and we allow it to go as way -- the way it has, it has created a lot of paranoia across the country. , you areatter of fact not going to say someone, we spent too much on surveillance, unless they are talking to somebody and al qaeda. that is the challenge we need to understand. we paint with too broad a brush, we run the risk of taking away one of the principal points that i believe we have to focus on. the enemy has big advantages. they can get into this country. they can spend a few dollars and all of a sudden, the press is talking all the time about the attack. it is a big advantage that they got because they are taking advantage of a free society. they can hijack an airplane and drive it into the world trade center. they can cost them very little. hundreds of billions of dollars we have spent can see 9/11 attack which can be used for the benefit of cutting taxes. the enemy has great advantages. we have to make sure that we use ours. we have great advantages. is biggest advantage american exceptionalism. i have supreme confidence in the quality and nature of the american character. that is what we were discussing this morning. american character. that is why this conflict that is here, it is still coming. we are going to prevail because of the nature of america. >> many of your coming up with questions. if you could write them down on the notecards and someone will be by to pick some up. i would like to ask one more question. edward snowden, patriot, traitor, or neither? you go first. >> we had this discussion at sea pack. personally, i think he should be held in front of a jury of his peers. do i call him a patriot, but it has revealed the overreach of the government and that theysputable have opened a dialogue and discussion about this agency that was unknown for so long. truly to be civil disobedient, he would have turned himself in and would have paid the price and colludedrimes with enemies of our state. i would totally disagree with him in that manner. and payd all understand tribute to what he did. we now have a discussion and a point of evidence. i guarantee you this panel today would not be here because american privacy if you look in national circles and debate topics, it has gone up. >> they can tell it to the jury. this is edward snowden. edward snowden is a traitor to the united states of america. [applause] i say to you now that edward snowden is a traitor. edward snowden was given the most confidential trust. he was granted a security clearance so that he could have the availability to get information. he betrayed that security clearance. he had a job in which he had trust. from his superiors. he betrayed that trust. ton the time came for him light out and take his information available and undermine the security of the the united states, he told his boss he was going back to california for a medical treatment, got on a plane and went to hong kong where we know he was under communist or his -- jurisdiction and ultimately ended up in russia where he has received an extended time of good treatment and asylum in russia. sooner or later, the russians are going to come to their senses and realize they are not going to be able to put the soviet union back together again. being part of the western community of nations is a benefit to the russian people. and when they do, one condition the united states should places the return of edward snowden for trial. as a traitor to this country. [applause] >> i admit my favorite question is, can the nsa find lois lerner's e-mail or phone calls? [laughter] [applause] that is pretty awesome. if i telephone someone from yemen, am i guilty of unknowing association? people are calling and you may just be calling a relative. how do we separate the bad actors from the good actors and not intentionally go after people who, you know, are guilty by association? >> it is a great question and it assumes that you can be targeted as soon as you get a call from overseas. there is no evidence that that is the case. furthermore, we ought to make it not the case. it seems to me that we ought to have protocols for the nsa and there ought to be a position where you tell people, even confidentially, what you are doing, and make sure there is responsible oversight. i said that congress has been in adequate. if you get a call from yemen and there is no evidence that the person is connected to a conspiracy, why would the nsa look at something like this? if you do and you are in contact with someone, you know, frankly, your next-door neighbor or your girlfriend may be looked at to determine if there is some kind of cell being form that can put people in the united states in danger. in largee with that part. with congress inaction, it has been intentional. no one wanted to dive deep into the agency and it would have made them a lot of enemies. edward snowden has given an opportunity for congress people to have a political shield and go to oversight without seeing any political retribution. thomas jefferson said that, when the government fears the people, there is liberty. when the people fear the government, there is tyranny. i want to reinforce that. if we fear every phone call from yemen, that is close to tyranny and i did not want to live in that kind of country or society. [applause] >> it is not fair to quote thomas jefferson against a virginian. it is not fair to do that. it is not fair to do that. [laughter] but, i think that we need to recognize that what edward snowden has done -- this was a low-level guy and we do not know the whole story of edward snowden. hopefully, we will put him on trial and find out more things about edward snowden. but, the fact is, what he has exposed is the superiority of our knowledge and the enemy knows that if they are sloppy with cell phones or use cell phones in a particular way, they will be tracked and they will change their conduct. they know that if they do certain things to give e-mail information, they know that they are capable of being tracked. people in other countries know that if they operate in a particular way i gets united states, we will find out and, therefore, the people who are the adversaries to this country, they are changing their conduct right now because of edward snowden. if they could get at the citizens of the united states and make them suspicious of our country and government that we dismantle our advantages, at that point, that is a giant strategic victory for the enemies of this country. i promise you, ladies and gentlemen, if you do not believe me, you will go and see that we are at war. the worst is coming. we have to be as prepared as we can be. we have to be as active as we can be to protect the people of this country. the challenges, believe me, they are not behind us. they are still ahead. >> are you in favor of monitoring all electronic correspondence? what parameters would you place on monitoring? what would you replace them with? >> we have to find out what they were doing. if it was the frequency of every phone call you make, that is a violation of the fourth amendment. if the police think there is a crime behind the door, they can kick down the door. if there is not reasonable cause, they should not be monitoring everyday citizens. if there has to be reasonable cause and they have to get a warrant, so be it. the fisa courts have gone unchecked. i would not cease all of this. i'm not saying to abolish the nsa and i have had this discussion with some. they say i am a terrorist sympathizer and all of this crazy stuff. i say that we live in a culture and environment that abuses its power every single day and we have to be careful in the way that we approach unchecked federal agencies and bureaucracies. some of the labels me and says that i want to end all cellular data simulation. -- accumulation. i say that we have to reform it and oversee it correctly. you are international threats that are present today that were not there 3-4 years ago. there are many reasons for that. if we do not have congressional oversight of the agency, we will continue to see the erosion of civil liberties. >> thank you. [applause] >> i have another question for you from the audience. these are great questions, by the way. corrupt politicians have justified the removal of citizen liberty by using fear tactics. can you provide a moral justification for fourth amended -- amendment violations that does not rely on fear? >> no. i believe in the fourth amendment. i have been a prosecutor. i have tried cases and have gotten awards under the fourth -- warrants under the fourth amendment and have been restrained by the fourth amendment as a potential prosecutor. i understand that. i do not believe there is any excuse for building up fear in the body politic to undo the bill of rights or civil freedoms. we agree with that. nor do i believe that we pretend that things are worse than they are. i have seen rand paul say that the government has no right to know what you are saying on your cell phone. he is right and he is exploiting and building up the suspicion and paranoia for his presidential aspirations. i do not support him and never will. we can do these things in a restrained and reasonable way and we can avoid the false choice. the false choice of saying, if you have a cell phone, you are against the nsa having the capacity to do the things to protect this country. i say, baloney! i say, nonsense. we can do what is necessary to use the advantages we have built up as a free society to protect a free society. we do have to throw these things away because of unscrupulous politicians, particularly the ones after 9/11. this was a horrible thing. this worries me. i sound a trumpet call. the congress ran like scalded apes. they were scared that they have been delinquent and negligent. they raced to do things that may have been reckless. i worry. i worry that we have not had a sufficient conversation. this panel at steamboat is a good panel and charlie is a great advocate in this area. we need to have more of a conversation with the american people to prepare them for the challenges of homeland security and for the adversaries that are determined to bring down this nation. we ought to be. if we don't, the enemy will attack us again. we have to be prepared to be in it for the long haul. the long haul is not just the safety, but the liberty. >> this concerns digital currency and privacy. i see a time where paper currency is gone and 100% of transactions are tracked by the nsa or irs. looking with future technologies, what parameters to we need to put around security and liberty? >> what a great question. this comes from the rise of bitcoin, which people may or may not be familiar with. i love this question because, in the next two years, we need to overhaul the way inter-department collusion happens. we will only get more towards a technologically advances side it -- society when it becomes easier and easier for unchecked bureaucracies to do what they do. let's say all of it is online. the irs is dealing with the nsa and we have not made reforms. that is a scary tag team for a federal bureaucracy, if you ask me. this is why the discussion needs to happen. it needs to happen immediately. the oversight and the american people have to hold them accountable. especially because we cannot unelect bureaucrats. that is why we put people in congress. that is why we hold people in congress accountable to do that. you can vote them in or out. it is important that this is a "top-five" issue. >> i am for cash. i just don't have enough of it. [laughter] i think we need to be thoughtful about the rise of technology. paper mail is disappearing and we have heard about these wonderful letters from the founding fathers. letters are not written much anymore. the world is changing. the technological capacity that we have created through the internet is changing the american society and the world society. it is making things very different. i think that we have to be very thoughtful about this going forward and make sure that, whatever technological changes that we make, we never lose sight of the touchstone, as lynne cheney was talking about. >> thank you. this question says, if we get suicide bombers, i believe that people will drastically overreact and make this a police state. how do we prevent that? >> we are seeing that in ferguson. agree or disagree with what is happening. for a local police to have that kind of authoritative force, you can say, hold on a second, that is overwhelming. i agree. as americans, we have a tendency, as the governor said, something happens and we overreact. we have a financial crisis in 2008 and we spent one training -- $1 trillion we do not have. it is our tendency as americans in political discourse to do that. i will say that the greatest asset that we have as americans -- and i will disagree with the governor on this -- is not our intelligence. it is the patriotism and loyalty of the american people. if we lose it because the government creates paranoia and distrust in the american people, that cannot be undone by some sort of super computer. the patriotism that lies in every single person in this room and every american is our greatest national asset and what we must protect. for a lack of a better term, that is what the constitution was meant to do. prevent the government from coming after us so that we can defend ourselves and thrive. our greatest national assets is not the nsa. it is not a super computer. it lies within ourselves as people. [applause] >> i agree with charlie. that is why america is exceptional and that is one of our basic principles, going forward. the future of this country and national security policy is that americans are exceptional. we have touchstones that others do not have. i have lived and traveled to dozens of foreign countries. each of them have their assets. the american experience that charlie refers to is exactly correct. i think that we need to maintain those touchstones. i do want to say, once again, though, that i worry -- i do worry about the rise of technology. if we lose this confidence in ourselves and our ability to govern ourselves, there is danger. i think the enemy -- the enemies of this country would like to do that. they would like to drive us to the point where a triggering attack would cause us to overreact and do the wrong thing. that is why i think another principle we have to have with the principle of homeland security is a conversation with the american people and more of a sense of how they are cut into a challenge that they face. have an understanding with the american people of the challenges that are ahead of us in the long war that we are facing and go back to the touchstones that are referred to make sure that these are found in the american people so that, when the inevitable attack comes, we do not overreact and call on our government to do things that are proper. -- m proper. remember the touchstones of american exceptionalism. >> i was unable to get to the stack. i will give them to the nsa agent to get back with you. i want to give these gentlemen closing remarks and suggest that you talk to them after the panel. visit our website. you will find a wealth of information at both places. since the governor started, i will let charlie do his statement first. >> and other we talked about the nsa warrantless and unconstitutional behavior. a great solution for this is to e-mail a constitution to each other. they would read it and maybe, finally, understand it. [applause] [laughter] this has been a great discussion and dialogue and i hope that everyone here was able to learn something and take something away from the panel. i will say that i do not trust the government. i started my opening remarks with a question. do you trust the government? i want everyone to ask themselves that and i can venture a guess. ask yourself if we should have an unchecked federal bureaucracy and what you are going to do to hold congress people accountable. the constitution was written for a reason and it is a timeless document. it was written to limit the government authority against the people and to allow free people to prosper. the thought process behind the constitution, unlike any other document in human history, unlike the french and german, are the rights that come from god. they are the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and, to live our lives without big brother looking over our shoulder. to be fruitful and the future, we have to understand that if we allow government to go unchecked in the abuse of power, it will continue. the greatest national asset, no matter what the issue, is not the nsa or a supercomputer, it is you. only the constitution can allow the american people to be free. thank you. [applause] >> we need to recognize the challenges ahead and understand that we need to have a policy that means of the 21st century is an american century. we need a president who understands the exceptionalism of this country. who understands the role of the united states in this world and a tumultuous time with rising technology, new opponents, and the opportunities that we have to provide stability in this country. have to have an active foreign policy. not a reckless one. an active one. we do not need to be lured into conflicts. nor should we be withdrawing and opening up chances that we see for so many dangers to the world and to this country that we can adjust to and, with american leadership, can change. when a president who understands the nature of american power and freedom. and, the opportunities that we have to do the right thing. in the end, we have to recognize that it is not a matter of whether we trust the government. we can change the government. we can change the government. americans are in the position to do that. at the end, we have to make sure that this long conflict that we are in now and that we are in ahead, we remain confident in ourselves. >> thank you. [applause] >> put your hands together and give applause to these wonderful debaters. >> thank you. >> well done. >> thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] , a congressional gold medal ceremony for the 9/11 . then president obama's address to the nation last night. is counterterrorism strategy against islamic militants. reaction to the president's speech on "washington journal." our campaign coverage continues this evening. and stacy appel debate in the iowa third district house debate. we will have live coverage. we are excited to announce that it does launch week for the 11th annual student cam documentary contest. $100,000 in cash prizes will be awarded this year to middle and high school contest winners. this year's theme is the broadest ever. the three branches and you. we would like you to tell a story about how a policy or law or action has affected you and your life or your community. the community is open to students in grades 6-12 and students may work alone or in groups of up to three. contestants are asked to produced a 5-7 minute documentary supporting your chosen topic and to include some c-span programming. cash prizes goes to 150 students and 53 teachers. the grand prize winner will win $5,000. entering is for january 20, 2015 and winners will be announced in march. studentcam.org. leadershouse and senate medalsngressional gold for each of the 9/11 memorials. the ceremony begins with john boehner. oehner. >> ladies and gentlemen, please members -- welcome our honored guests. [laughter] [applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. >> good morning and welcome to the united states capitol. at eight: 40 6 a.m., the capital will join the nation and a moment of silent tribute. to those that we lost it is one of many such moments, silent or otherwise. they come by instinct now. we stand taller for the colors, the hand is steadier on the heart, a prayer is felt, not just said and we pull together when we might not have done so before. this is the response of a people who share a stubborn belief in each other. it's a search to grasp whatever it was in the character of those men and women who, leaving life at its peak, thought of others before themselves. tomorrow we mourn for what was taken from us. today we consider what was left behind, stories we tell and retell, a legacy we strive to claim and families that we ache to serve. many of those loved ones are with us today, and please join me in welcoming them to our ceremony. [applause] all that we americans are and all we will ever be, we owe to the fallen heroes of 9/11. that day was made up of many sacrifices from which emerged one spirit, a unity embodied in the medal we entrust today to each member. since the earliest days, congress has awarded gold medals in recognition of extraordinary deeds. among the first recipients were george washington, john paul jones, andrew jackson, and till this day there is no higher honor that we can bestow. t we can bestow. this is the first time the tunnel has been given in honor of so many fallen innocents and we pray for this -- this is the last time. becausewhy we do this the most stirring lasting tribute of all is for week to remain never to forget and never to rest until our work is done. thank you for being here today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces colored guard, the singing of our in an anthem and the retiring of the colors. >> halt. >> halt. >> o say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the reverend patrick conroy, gives the invocation. >> let us pray. loving and gracious creator of us all, we give you thanks for giving us this day and so many days since that moment as one 13 years ago. bless all of us who are gathered here. send your spirit of peace and consolation as we recall a tragic day when so many innocent souls were called into your presence and so many others began lives filled with sorrow and mourning. today we remember them all and in a special way the men and women who died while responding to that national tragedy. we thank you for their courage and self-sacrifice while assisting those traumatized and struggling to survive the violent assault perpetrated on that day. may they rest in peace and may those who mourn their loss be in some small way consoled by this honor bestowed by congress. we implore you, o god, to send your spirit upon all your children. though so many suffer from acts of terror throughout our world and from various perpetrators, some of whom presume to act according to your will, we seem unable to learn how to love one another and come together to bring what families throughout our world want -- peace, health and safe homes for their children. may our gathering today be a call to us all, to work toward a better world and bring some comfort to those who were so personally harmed that violent day 13 years ago by the loss of their loved ones, the fallen heroes of 9/11. may we always be mindful that you, our god, and may all we do be for your greater honor and glory. amen. >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, united states representative from the ninth district of pennsylvania, the honorable william shuster. \[applause] >> thank you. good morning. it is truly an honor to be with you here this morning as we present the congressional gold medal to the three memorial sites in honor of the heroes of 9/11. i represent shanksville, pennsylvania, the area where flight 93 went down, and more importantly, where the first counterattack on the war on terrorism occurred. it's been an honor for me to work closely with the families of flight 93 over the past several years on key initiatives, including funding the flight 93 national memorial and awarding the 9/11 heroes a conled gold medal today. these congressional gold medals are an honor, in honor of the heroes that perished on 9/11 and will be displayed at each of the memorial sites. the tragic deaths at the world trade center, at the pentagon and in western pennsylvania on september 11, 2001, have forever changed our nation. the officers, emergency workers and other employees, the state and local government agencies, including the port authority of new york and new jersey, and the united states government and others who responded to the attacks on the world trade center in new york city and perished as a result of the tragic events of september 11, 2001, took heroic and noble action on that day. the first responders to the attack of the pentagon took heroic and noble action to evacuate the premises and prevent further casualties of pentagon employees. the passengers and the crew of the united airlines flight 93 recognized the imminent danger that their aircraft poised, took selfless and heroic action to ensure that the aircraft could not be used as a weapon. by giving the ultimate sacrifice that day, those heroes saved the lives of countless men and women, american institutions and symbols of american democracy and most likely the building we are standing in today, the u.s. capitol. the united states congress is honored by this opportunity to further pay tribute to the heroic men and women by officially recognizing those who lost their lives that faithful day. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states senator from pennsylvania, the honorable robert casey. [applause] >> thank you very much, mr. speaker, majority leader reid, leader pelosi, leader mcconnell, ladies and gentlemen and especially the families of flight 93. like congressman shuster, i'm honored to be here today as a representative of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. we gather today to both pay tribute to and i believe to draw inspiration from what those passengers did on a bright sunny day, flying through pennsylvania facing the darkness and the horror that they were confronted with. in addition to paying tribute to them and drawing inspiration, we also express gratitude today, gratitude for what they did to save the lives in this building, this city and of course what they did for america. we also want to express gratitude to the families for what they've done since that horrible day to make sure we never forget the contribution of their family members, to our own national security and i believe to our own destiny. i think if i went to everyone in this room today, we would have one sentiment in common, not just gratitude and sorrow and expressing condolence but also i think we would have a federal reservent hope that each of these -- fervent hope that each of these passengers could be here so we could shake their hands and present them wet medals we are presenting here today. we cannot do that. the substitute, of course, is what we can do to pay tribute to their families, pay tribute to them through their families. on a day like today, we reach and research for scripture in other ways to remember the contribution and seek inspiration. i'm recalling the words from part of the lyrics from "america the beautiful." the one line, o beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years. in that moment of horror, those passengers, people that didn't have training in national security or law enforcement or dealing with the horror of terrorism, they understood that patriot drome and they acted on that dream because they could indeed see beyond the years, what their actions would mean that day and what their actions would mean for america. so let us today draw inspiration from what they did and let us today recommit ourselves to making sure that we're doing all we can to remember that patriot dream and to always see beyond the years. may god bless them and god bless their families. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army band and chorus. ♪ god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the life from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam god bless america my home sweet home god bless america my home sweet home god bless america land that i love stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains, to the prairies to the oceans, white with foam god bless america, my home sweet home god bless america, my home sweet home ♪ god bless america, my home sweet home god bless america, my home sweet home ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. >> good morning. when we visit the memory of 9/11, we thread on sacred ground. 13 years ago the world watched on a clear tuesday morning as we suffered loss we could not possibly have imagined and witnessed heroism we will never forget. today, we come together once more in reverence to those sacred memories, to help consecrate those sacred places where so many lives were lost and so many were saved. we're honored to have the secretary of the interior here, representative hoyer, president of the firefighters, my fire chief from california, so many distinguished guests who have sacrificed so much for our country, including max cleeland. it's so nice to be here with senator casey and representative shuster, the representatives of one of the areas so affected and with our speaker, mr. boehner. thank you for making this occasion possible, mr. speaker, and with leader reid. leader mcconnell. i think we will all agree that as many ceremonies that we may participate in, this is singular in terms of how deeply rooted our sorrow is and how broad our respect is for our heroes. again, in the very center of our democracy in this capitol, we bestow these congressional gold medals to our memorials in new york, in pennsylvania and across the potomac as the sign of the never-ending commitment of the heroes of that day today we present those medals to the president, joseph daniels of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york in recognition of the men and women who rushed up the stairs and into the smoke among many other acts of heroism. to gordon, president of families of flight 93 and recognition of passenger and crew who -- passengers and crew who charged up the aisle. to james, president of the pentagon memorial fund in recognition of those serving our country. with these medals, we honor the heroism of the first responders and ordinary citizens. we celebrate them in that capacity but also we remember them as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, families and friends. we remember the perseverance of the loved ones they left behind and the advocacy of the 9/11 families who turned their grief into action to make our nation safer. as senator casey referenced. president lincoln once cautioned of the silent artillery of time wearing away our memories. we pray that the years might ease the pain of the bereefed but never let time -- berieved but never let time lessen. because of their acts and deeds of millions of americans, we found hope in the face of despair, strength in the wake of fear, unity in the shadow of loss. today, we renew our vow time shall not dim the memory of our fallen heroes. their courage add luster to these awards, for we know their deeds will shine forever. let their lives be a blessing to their beloved. let them inspire greater compassion and humanity, let us resolve in their name that this date marked by terror will belong to bravery. god has truly blessed america with our fallen heroes of 9/11. may god continue to bless the united states of america. thank you. \[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> none of us will forget where we were that morning or the horrible things we saw. the explosions that melted steel and shattered symbols of our prosperity and our might. tools of commerce and transport used for brutal and homicidal ends, the people, the loss, the despair, these things we have never been able to forget. and yet that's not all we saw on that saddest of september mornings. amid the horror and the tragedy there was something else, something more powerful. in the heart of a great city, strangers rushed to help strangers sprinting toward smoke and chaos, ignoring the danger to themselves. we heard stories of heroes returning once more to the swirling tempest of paper and glass, searching for others to help. at the edge of the nation's capitol, colleagues became comrades reaching amid the flames and confusion. and high above the clouds, stories of bravery and revolt, courage that did more than just save buildings like this one or the ideals it represents but countless lives. these are the 9/11 fallen heroes. first responders, civilians, passengers and crew and so many others. they did not ask to be heroes. they did not wake that day with dreams of glory. but when history intervened, they acted. and unlike the hijackers who plotted to take lives, those heroes sacrificed to save them. the thousands of men and women who perished on september 11 did not die in vain. their memories served and still serves as a unifying force for our nation. whether by the inspiration of our their bravery or the brutal way their lives were taken, their memories stirred americans to even more acts of selflessness from joining rescue efforts to raising their hands in defense of freedom. in manhattan and shanksville and at the pentagon, we've erected memorials to honor them. and today with these three medals we commemorate every man, every woman who perished that day with the highest civilian award that congress can bestow. to the families gathered here, i know the wounds can never truly be healed, but never forget that your country stands with you and that we will never stop honoring the memory of the heroes we remember today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable harry reid. [applause] >> senator mcconnell mentioned we all remember where we were that morning. i remember. i was assistant leader. leader daschle called a leadership meeting we had every tuesday at 9:00 in the morning. i was the first to come to that room, s-211, and john came in, senator from louisiana, said turn on the tv. something is going on in new york. we flipped on the tv and we said, what happened? plane must have been misguided in the building. and we thought it was just a news story. this it wouldn't amount to much. and so people started coming in for the meeting. conference table there in that room, s-211, and senator daschle started the meeting. within just a short period of time, matter of five minutes, six minutes, couple people came into the room, took him out of the room and he came back immediately and said we got to evacuate this room, the building. there's a plane headed for us. as i walked out of that, i'll never forget as i walked out of the room, look out the window, we could see the smoke billoing from the pentagon. -- billowing from the pentagon. that's the day i'll never forget. we were all very anxious and afraid that day, concerned about what we didn't know, afraid of what we did know. the day ended with everyone coming back -- senators coming back to the capitol, democrats, republicans and assembled on the capitol steps. without anyone giving speeches, we were there just to dignify the occasion, letting everyone know how much we cared about what we thought had happened. and barbara mikulski, who has such a powerful voice in that small stature she has. she said, we'll sing "god bless america," the same song we heard today. that brought back such memories. and we did. those of us that can't sing sang. those that could sing sang. and it was something we'll always remember. i'll always remember. images of that morning will always stay with me. the shock, the horror, the uncertain i felt that day will be forever etched in my heart. today as we bestow the congressional medal of honor on the fallen heroes of september 11, those memories will be with us. but even in the midst of heartwrenching memories, we're reminded of the heroism that day. ours is a nation started, settled and strengthened by heroes. those who answer the call of duty and those who are called without notice has happened. there were so many who answered that call of duty that day. those souls who answered the call that morning left us with a legacy of bravery we cannot fully fathom, explain. no monument can express our true appreciation. no memorial can convey the magnitude of their courage. our forever gratitude is the only tribute that will suffice. so what we must do is remember their suffice -- sacrifice, the ultimate price they paid for our freedom. i believe the heroism and sacrifice we witnessed on september 11, 2001, will forever be in our hearts, in our minds and in our nation's history. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. [applause] >> in a few minutes, we'll have the presentation of the gold medals. first, let me thank my colleagues for their words and for their leadership. now, when congress approves a gold medal, the work is just beginning. each medal has its own design committee and in this case there were three design committees. the medals were then struck at the u.s. mint in philadelphia, just blocks from independence hall. all in all, they've done remarkable work and we're truly grateful for their efforts. on behalf of the american people, we will now entrust these medals to the memorials, all of which are worthy of the people that we honor today. here to receive the medals, joseph daniels, president and c.e.o. of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york city. gordon felt, president of the families of flight 93. and jim, president of the 9/11 memorial fund. please join me here on the stage. \[applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, president and c.e.o. of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york, mr. -- [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, president and c.e.o. of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york, mr. joseph c. daniels. >> good morning. it's truly an honor to be here today along with jim from the pentagon memorial fund and gordon felt from the flight 93 national memorial in pennsylvania, among members of the cabinet, the joint chiefs, family members of the fallen and our first responders to accept this medal created in memory of those whose lives were taken too soon in the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001. on behalf of the 9/11 memorial and museum's board of directors and staff, i'm truly thankful to the members of congress, many of whom are also here today, and who saw the significance of this medal and championed its production. it is also tremendously gratifying to see the number of senators and representatives that have taken the time to come visit the memorial and museum in new york. i do encourage those who have not yet made that visit to come as well, and you are always welcome. we're also fortunate that several of the memorial's board members who are also 9/11 family members, including lee, who lost his son, firefighter lee, paula grant berry, who lost her husband, david berry, and monica ican, who also lost her husband, michael patrick ican, were part of the design group for this incredible medal, making it a true expression of tribute and of hope from those who were affected the most. the 9/11 memorial, since it was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, has welcomed over 15 million visitors, and in less than four months since opening, the museum has already welcomed more than 900,000 visitors. those numbers are important because they are a true indication of the collective and worldwide will to never forget. we are honored as an institution to place this congressional gold medal in the 9/11 memorial museum for our visitors from all 50 states and over 175 different countries to see. several members of congress are working to ensure the history of this memorial and museum represent receive ongoing operating support. i know that along with my colleagues from the pentagon and flight 93 memorials, i'm tremendously gratified and grateful to see the millions of americans who are keeping our commitment to remember those killed in the attacks strong. and that we keep in the forefront of our minds and hearts what we saw on 9/11 and in its aftermath, that when the circumstances require, we can and will come together with limitless compassion. in that spirit, i thank you, again, for this wonderful tribute. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, president of the pentagon memorial fund, mr. james laychak. [applause] >> thank you, everyone. i'd like to recognize speaker boehner, leader pelosi, leader mcconnell, senator -- house majority -- senate majority leader reid, representative shuster, senator casey, senator warner, senator mccain, congressman moran, joe daniels, gordon felt. and i'd like to recognize the 9/11 families, survivors and first responders here today as well as the representatives of the pentagon memorial fund. and the pentagon memorial fund board members. thank you, speaker boehner, for hosting the ceremony. the staff has done an outstanding job. i'd also like to thank senator warner for allowing and asking the pentagon memorial fund for our recommendations for individuals to serve as advisors to the u.s. mint on the design of the gold medal for the pentagon site. i'd like to especially thank our advisors, 9/11 family member, my sister-in-law, laurie laychak, pentagon survivor and family member, kathy dilber and special agent chris coons, arlington county fire chief jim schwartz for your valuable time and insight that has brought us all here today. 13 years ago, my brother was killed in the pentagon on 9/11, and the family members and our nation made a promise we would never forget. these congressional medals reflect that promise and will help ensure that future generations that visit the three attack sites understand the significance of that promise. the p.m.f. was formed by 9/11 family members in three to help raise the funds needed to -- in 2003 to help raise the funds needed to build the memorial to ensure there's always a place to remember, reflect and renew. dedicated in 2008, the pentagon memorial is a place of solace, where friends and families can always go to remember their loved ones. today we are pleased to be working with the department of defense and the state of virginia for plans for a visitors education center that will ensure those that did not know their loved ones or do not know about 9/11 have a place to reflect on the events of that day. they'll also have the opportunity to learn about survivors and heroes in the pentagon and they'll learn about the response of our government and countries around the world on september 12 when nato invoked article 5 and 23 allied countries helped offer defend the united states. it is in this united and cooperative support that is important today as well as on september 11. we believe through these stories of loss, heroism, community and unity, future visitors will leave the pentagon memorial visitor education center with a renewed sense of hope. we look forward to prominently displaying the fallen heroes gold medal at the pentagon visitor education center as a symbol of our nation's commitment to never forget and our renewed hope for the future. thank you for this great honor. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the families of flight 93, mr. gordon w. felt. [applause] >> good morning. ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, speaker boehner, majority leader reid, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi, senator casey, congressman shuster, secretary jewell and those here today that may have been working in this very building 13 years ago, it is an honor to stand before you today to accept the congressional gold medal of honor on behalf of the passengers and crewmembers of united flight 93. the gravity of today's ceremony and location have greatly appreciated by the families of flight 93. on september 11, 2001, the symbolic foundations of our nation came under attack and much was lost. chaos, uncertainty and terror threatened to break our spirit as the scourge of unprecedented evil descended upon our nation. yet, as the world observed one of america's darkest moments and our corresponding response, stories of heroism, extraordinary resolve and american resilience shown brightly, first responders did not run from but rather toward. individuals that lived through these attacks selflessly worked together to survive, and our loved ones on united flight 93, armed with the knowledge that the nation, our nation was under attack, took fate into their hands and fought. in doing so they lost their lives, though in the process most likely saved this very building in which we stand today. were it not for the people honored today with the presentation of these congressional gold medals of honor, our course of human events would be far different. their loss, their sacrifice rekindle the spirit in all freedom-loving peoples of the world that we cannot afford to lose. our job moving forward from september 11, 2001, for these past 13 years and into the future is to remember, remember the individuals, remember their collective actions and remember who we became that fateful morning. on behalf of the families of flight 93, i thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the united states senate, dr. barry black, gives the benediction. >> let us pray. o god, our refuge and strength, we're grateful for this opportunity to honor the fallen heroes of 9/11. thank you, dear god, for people proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life. comfort those who still feel the pain of grief and loss as you teach us to number our days that we may have hearts of wisdom. may exemplary heroism remind us that eternal vigilance remains the high price for freedom. in this dangerous and unstable world, keep us united as one nation under girded by your providence with liberty and justice for all. we pray in your great name, amen. >> amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated and remain seated for the departure of the official party. >> ladies and gentlemen, thank yo >> on our next washington journal, the reaction to president obama's -- president obama's speech. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. davidl also talk to sanger about the anniversary of the september 11 attacks. journal," live in morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. this weekend on the c-span network, american history tv is live from baltimore's fort mchenry for the 200th anniversary of "the star-spangled banner." later at 6:00 p.m. eastern on american history tv, hear how in war came to baltimore 1814, and why francis scott key was there to witness the fight. saturday night at 8:00, the presidential leadership scholarship program with former presidents george w. bush and bill clinton. 3:30 -- sunday evening and 8:00, pearlstein. rick sunday night at 6:45 eastern on book tv, democratic senator from -- york kristin gillibrand kirsten gillibrand. let us know what you think about the programs you are watching. call us at 202-6 26-3400. e-mail us at comments@ c-span.org. join the conversation. like us on facebook. follow us on twitter. ispresident obama authorizing u.s. airstrikes in syria and will expand the bombing in iraq against islamist militants who recently beheaded two american journalists. the president spoke from the white house for 15 minutes. >> my fellow americans, tonight, i want to speak to you about what the united states will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as isil. as commander in chief, my highest priority is the security of the american people. over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. we took out osama bin laden and much of al qaeda leadership in afghanistan and pakistan. we targeted al qaeda affiliates in yemen and recently illuminated the top commander of its affiliate in somalia. we have done so well bringing -- while bringing more than 140,000 american troops home from iraq and going down forces in afghanistan, where our combat mission ends later this year. thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, america is safe. -- america is safer. still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. we cannot erase every trace of evil from the world and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. that was the case before 9/11 and remains the case today. and that is why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. at this moment, the greatest threats come from the middle east and north africa, where radical groups exploit people 's grievances for their gain. the most radical is isil, which calls itself the islamic state. let's make two things clear. isil is not islamic. no religion condones the killing of innocents and the vast majority of their victims have been muslim. isil is certainly not a state. it was a former al qaeda affiliate in iraq and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and civil war to gain territory on both sides of the iraq-syrian border. it is recognized by no government nor by the people it subjugates. isil is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way. in a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique. in their brutality. they execute captured prisoners. they kill children, and slave, -- they kill children. they and slave, rape, and force women into marriage. they threaten with genocide and in acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two american journalists, jim foley and steven sotloff. isil is a threat to the people of iraq and syria and the broader middle east. if left unchecked, these terrorists can pose a grave threat beyond that region, including to the united states. while we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, isil leaders have threatened america and our allies. the intelligence community believes thousands of foreigners, including europeans and americans, have joined them in syria and iraq. trained and battle-armed, these -- trained and battle hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks. i know many americans are concerned about these threats. tonight, i want you to know that the united states of america is meeting them with strength and resolve. last month, i ordered our military to take targeted action against isil to stop its advances. since then, we have conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in iraq. these strikes have protected american facilities, kill isil isillled fighters, destroy weapons, and give space for iraqi and kurdish forces to reclaim territory. these strikes have also helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women, and children. but this is not our fight alone. american power can make a decisive difference but we cannot do for iraqis what they must do for themselves. nor can we take the place of their partners in securing the region. additional u.s. action dependent upon iraqis having an inclusive government, which they have done in recent days. tonight, with a new iraqi government in place and following consultations with allies abroad and congress at home, i can announce that america will lead a broad coalition against this terrorist threat. our objective is clear. we will degrade and ultimately destroy isil through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy. first, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists, working with the iraqi government to expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions so that we are hitting isil targets as iraqi forces go on offense. i have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists against our country wherever they are. that means i will not hesitate to take action against isil in syria as well as iraq. it is a core principle of my presidency. if you threaten america, you will find no safe haven. second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. in june, i deployed several hundred american servicemembers to iraq to assess how we can best support iraqi security forces. now that those teams have completed their work and iraq government, we will send an additional 475 servicemembers to iraq. these american forces will not have a combat mission. a will not get dragged into another ground war in iraq. but they are needed to support iraqi and kurdish forces with training, intelligence, and equipment. we will also support iraq's efforts to help the sunni communities secure their own freedom from isil's patrol. isil's control. across the border, in syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the opposition. we call on congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. in the fight against isil, we cannot rely against an assad regime that terrorizes its own people, a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like isil. third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent isil attacks. we will redouble our efforts to reach -- to cut off its funding, improve our intelligence, strengthen our defensive, counter it's worked ideology -- warped ideology. -- strengthen our defenses, counter it's warped ideology. in two weeks, i will chair a meeting of the un security council. fourth, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians displaced by this terrorist organization. this includes sunni and shia muslims who are at grave risk as well as tens of thousands of christians and other religious minorities. we cannot allow these communities to be driven further from their ancient homeland. so this is our strategy. and in each of these four parts of our strategy, america will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. already, allies are flying planes with us, sending arms and assistance to iraqi security forces and the syrian opposition, sharing intelligence and providing millions of dollars in humanitarian aid. secretary kerry was in iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity. in the coming days he will , travel across the middle east and europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially arab nations that can help mobilize communities in iraq and syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. this is american leadership at its best. we stand with people who fight for their own freedom and rally other nations on behalf of of security and common humanity. my administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach at home. i have the authority to address the threat from isil. but i believe we are strongest as a nation when the president and congress work together. this effort will show the world that americans are united in confronting this danger. it will take time to eradicate a cancer like isil. anytime we take military action, there are risks involved, especially to the service men and women who carry out these missions. but i want the american people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in iraq and afghanistan. it will not involve american combat troops fighting on foreign soil. this counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take on isil wherever they exist and support for partners, forces on the ground. the strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one that we have successfully pursued in yemen and somalia for years and is consistent with the approach i outlined earlier this year. to use force against anyone who threatens america's core interests, but to use broader partners where available. -- wherever possible. my fellow americans, we live in a time of great change. tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. next week marks six years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the great depression. despite these shocks, through the pain we felt and the grueling work required to bounce back, america is better-positioned today to see the future than any other nation on earth. our technology companies and universities are unmatched. our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. energy independence is closer than it has been in decades. for all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. despite all of the divisions in our democracy, i see the grit and determination and common goodness of the american people every single day and that makes me more confident than ever about our country's future. a broad american leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. it is america that has the capacity and will to mobilize against terrorists. it is america that has rallied the world against russian aggression and in support of the ukrainian people's right to determine their own destiny. it is america where scientists, doctors can help contain and cure the outbreak of ebola. it is america who majors chemical weapons cannot pose a threat to syrian people and the world again. and it is america who is helping muslim communities around the world, not just in the fight against terrorism, of fight for opportunity and tolerance and a more hopeful future. america, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. as americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. from europe to asia, from the far reaches of africa to the war-torn capitals of the middle east, we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. these are values that have guided our nation since its founding. tonight, i ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. i do so as a commander-in-chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform. pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger in the middle east and servicemembers who support our partners on the ground. when we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here is what one of them said -- "we allow american friends our lives. -- we owe our american friends our lives. our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people." that is the difference we make in the world. and our own safety, our own security depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for. timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and instruction -- and destruction have been vanquished from the earth. may god bless our troops and may god bless the united states of america. >> coming up, "washington journal" on september 11. we would get your reaction to president obama's speech last night, laying out his terrorism strategy against islamic militants. you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. that is next on c-span. 2, carl levin will talk about the ongoing crisis in iraq and syria. , a ceremony in new york march the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. we will have live coverage from the world trade center's national memorial plaza at 8:30 eastern. .

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