Created with no agenda. The idea that there was a an agenda, that it was somehow a midwife to a Public Policy on the course of interrogation was absurd. It is absurd. Which is to say that which is not to say that if there was an issue, is our content was affecting the behavior of interrogators in the field, even if it was 0. 05 of interrogators taking their cues from jack bauer, it was a systemic problem and i suggest that we try to intervene on behalf of those people. But to suggest that this is a television show. I may be pollyannaish about this, but the fact that 24 became the political football that became for a while was a very valuable thing. Tonight at 8 00 p. M. On c span, how movies and television portrayed policy and policy making. Politics and policy making. And i 10 50 p. M. , singer songwriter james taylor. The taping was top secret. It seems the only people who knew for certain of its existence for my father, the secretary, and the secret Service Agent who installed it. That is, until provident until president nixon made the idea of white house taping famous. [laughter] and other president ial recording systems were revealed. Against the backdrop of water grade, of watergate, the concept of secretly taping can be controversial. We hear tense confrontations of the Civil Rights Movement and a life or death decisions being made during the cuban missile crisis. Caroline kennedy in a discussion in the 1962 recordings of the late president in the oval office. Tuesday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern as a book tv continues on cspan2. The Senate Returns for legislative session on thursday. The house has a pro forma session scheduled that day. It will work on two bills. The first is on the fisa act. The other is a relief package for those areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. Live work on the senate are companion network cspan2. And discussions continue over the socalled fiscal cliff. Negotiations continue. Nobel laureate and a burmese Opposition LeaderAung San Suu Kyi accepted the congressional gold medal in september. She said it represents the aspirations of the burmese people for a democratic transition. We will also hear from secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former first lady laura bush. Ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the United States house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. Ladies and all men, good afternoon and welcome to the capital. This is a great day for the American People, and we are happy to welcome you here today. Gold medals are the highest level of appreciation for distinguished achievement. The first congressional gold medal was awarded to general George Washington in 1776 for liberating the city of boston. Today, we will present a congressional gold medal to Aung San Suu Kyi in recognition of her efforts to liberate the people of burma. Today, we celebrate her steadfast commitment to democracy, stability, and human dignity, and we do so in a manner worthy of her ideals. Nancy pelosi initiated the measure of awarding this metal and republican george w. Bush signed into law. His wife, former first lady laura bush, is with us today, as is her predecessor, secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Coming together in mutual respect, a step from the chambers where we passionately debate the issues of the day that has become almost Second Nature to us. But it is a blessing, and we will hear over and over during the course of this ceremony, Aung San Suu Kyi has shown the world just how hard one it really is. On behalf of the congress, let me express how humble and honored we are by your presence here in the rotunda of the United States capitol. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the callers by the United States armed forces color guard, the singing of our national anthem, and the retiring of the colors. Oh say can you see by the dawns early light, what so proudly we hail at the twilights last gleaming, whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming, and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, i gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, oer 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 rev. Patrick convoy, and gives the rev. Patrick conroy gives the invocation. Let us pray. God of the universe, we give you thanks for the gift of life and for the Many Blessings that life brings. Today, we gather in this hallowed temple to Representative Government dedicated to the enjoyment of life and its blessings by its citizens, to honor Aung San Suu Kyi. We are honored by her presence and her heroic witness to the dignity of each person, most especially in her native land of burma. Her story is known to all, her example among the greatest of our time, of all time. We ask that as we come together to honor her, you bless our gathering. May we all be emboldened to give of our life as she has done, to stand up for human freedom wherever it may be denied. And bless her most noble of causes. Move the hearts of those who would deny freedom to her and to the people of burma. May our actions today add to the universal out cry for justice and freedom so that the blessings of life will burst forth for the citizens of Aung San Suu Kyis need of burma. Native burma. God bless the nation of burma and bless the United States of america. Amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable joseph crowley, representative of the seventh district of new york. Thank you speaker and reverend conroy. Thank you to all of my colleagues here today as well as the distinguished senators here with us. Mrs. Bush and madam secretary, our thanks and appreciation to both of you for not only taking the time to be here today, but for your many contributions to this effort and for your commitment to advancing the cause of freedom and democracy in burma. I would be remiss if i did not also mentioned someone who is not with us here today and that is congressman tom lantos. He and his staff worked so hard on burma for so many years. I wish you were here today to share this moment in history with us. Today is an amazing day. Today is an incredible day. Who would have thought that when this bill was introduced in the house in 2008, when Aung San Suu Kyi was still under house arrest, that in a few short years she would be standing or sitting here with us on u. S. Soil receiving this honor, and as a member of the Burmese Parliament . Back then we thought about granting the medal in absentia, which may have been the first time in history that a person would have received it while in detention. Who would have thought this change was possible . Who would have thought this could happen . Let me tell you one who believed it could come true, and that is Aung San Suu Kyi herself. She might be too humble to admit it, but i know that she always thought this day, this moment would be possible. Not because she is someone who worries about awards or honors, because i can tell you she certainly does not. She believed it because she and the burmese people always believed that change was possible. They hoped, they fought, the new change must come to their country. She knew the burmese people yearn for human rights and most importantly deserve democratic governance. She stoked the flames in a peaceful way for lasting change. Even amongst those already in a position of power. Her efforts have helped lead us where we are today. There has been a lot of advancement made in burma over the last two years. We must recognize and give thanks to all those who have had the courage to help lead and support the change in burma, including those in the current government. We also must honor those who made the great sacrifices, in prison, lives lost, to get to where we are today. Far too many have played too high a price in the effort to bring about freedom and democratic governance in burma. It is with those people in mind, those who have sacrificed so much, that we knowledge the work that we acknowledge the work that is not done yet. We must be sure that momentum unfolds into sustained progress, into permanent freedoms and solidified democracy, because as much as i would like to believe that the change in burma that has occurred is irreversible, as much as i would like to revel in blind optimism and believe that the battle is won, it is not yet. The tides can reverse if we do not remain vigilant in the demand for progress. But let there be no doubt, today is a moment of joy, a moment to honor a genuine hero or heroine, someone who has endured solitude, someone who was then forced to watch others suffer, someone who has put country before self, someone who has inspired millions to stand up for justice, someone who has given voice to a movement, someone who has led with the unwavering commitment. That person is daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and we are so very proud to stand here and honor you today. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the representative from the 16th district of illinois, the honorable donald mannsulo. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, my family, i come before you today to humbly welcome a legendary human rights champion to a ceremony many of us never thought would happen. I worked on the committee to give the gold medal in the year when Aung San Suu Kyi was in her 13th year of arrest. Incarcerated for exercising freedom of speech and daring to challenge a military junta. Your presence here today is nothing short of a miracle. But patriots succeed because of miracles. The sound of freedom can never be silenced. It is a testament to the incredible strength of your convictions and to the depth of your aspirations for burma to achieve democracy. It means so much to all of your supporters that you have made the time to visit us. Aung san suu kyi needs no introduction because there really are no words that can adequately describe the sacrifice that this woman has endured for over 15 years. We all know the incredible story of her dedication and her love for her beloved homeland and its people, but underneath the public face, there is a daughter, a mother, a beloved companion who put everything she held here on the line to fight injustice and oppression. There are no awards that replaced the time lost or the pain into word, but this time or erase the pain in third endured. But this time lost must not and will not be in vain. We must follow the example set by Aung San Suu Kyi and continued to fight oppression wherever it rears its ugly head. We gather today not only to praise her accomplishments, but to bring to light the anguish and suffering of all those around the world to continue to suffer. We must not forget the decisions made in washington have a real and Lasting Impact on individuals around the world. Aung san suu kyi, let me congratulate you on making a tremendous difference in burma and in the rest of the world. You are a true inspiration for all of us. As the leader of the opposition, your responsibilities were significant, but in my opinion, there is nothing you cannot accomplish. When you addressed the subcommittee via video last year, i was overcome by your resolve and spirit. You asked the congress to support burma and her people and i am happy to report that we have not failed you. [applause] ladies and gentleman, the senator from the state of california, the honorable dianne feinstein. Mr. Speaker, leader pelosi, mrs. Bush, leader reed, leader mcconnell, secretary of state Hillary Clinton and my colleagues in government, this is a special day to honor a special person in a special place. For many years, i have followed the tragedies and victories of this uncommonly courageous and persistent woman. In 1988, she quickly rose to be the voice of democracy in burma, creating the National League for democracy. Elections followed in 1990, where her party won 80 of the seats. That joy quickly turned to tragedy. The military junta nullified the election and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi. She would spend the better part of two decades under house arrest, unable even to visit her dying husband. In 1996, i recall being approached to sponsor a burma sanctions bill. Sanctions were put in place in 1997 andsanctions were only loosened in july of this year. Senator mcconnell later became one of Aung San Suu Kyis chief advocates in the senate and we continued to work on behalf of the people in burma. In 2003, following an assassination attempt, senator mcconnell and i worked to pass an important and that remains in that remainsban in place today, an effort to bring about further reform. And i must say, burma is extremely lucky to have a champion mike Aung San Suu Kyi. Like on songs hoochy like Aung San Suu Kyi like Aung San Suu Kyi. In the face of violence, harassment, intimidation, she has never wavered in her pursuit of human rights. She celebrates the release of Political Prisoners, including the approximately 90 released this week, but she remains true to those still behind bars, estimated to be around twothis woman sacrifice years of her life to bring about these changes. She is truly an inspiration to the world. You are so well deserving of this gold medal. I can only begin to express my happiness that we are able to present this to you today in this very special place, a very special woman. Thank you. [applause] ladies and gentleman, the senator from the state of arizona, the honorable john mccain. At my age, i try to be realistic about how many more times i will be surprised by a wonderful and unexpected turn of events. I might of hope, but i am not i might have hoped, but i am not sure i expected that one day i would have be honor of welcoming my personal hero, Aung San Suu Kyi, to the congress of the United States, that she would be able to travel abroad without fear of being barred from returning to the country that she loves and served so well. I consider myself very fortunate to have lived to see this day and to know the people of burma, whose dignity and rights Aung San Suu Kyi has sacrificed so much to defend, and will one day be free to live with liberty, justice and hope. It is a testament to the courage of the burmese people and the person they call simply the lady, that that day is approaching. I have known quite a few brave and inspiring people, but none more so than the woman we honor today. I first met her 15 years ago when she was permitted to leave her house briefly to speak to me in rangoon. I was not prepared for her. She was exquisitely polite and graceful. She spoke softly and calmly, the picture of gentleness and serenity. Is this the woman, i asked myself, who has managed somehow to cause so much trouble for the powerful, violent, unlawful men who have managed to rule this country . Men who are so befuddled by the powerful, violent, unlawful unprofitable unplacable of this gentle lady. They have attacked her, and shelter, threatened her, isolated her, kept her family from her. They have done all that, done all that could be done to break her spirit and her will to resist. But as a Union Soldier once noted about u. S. Grant as he sat on his horse placidly while shells exploded around him, Aung San Suu Kyi did not scare worth a damn. It is not power that corrupts, she said, but fear. Fear of those who are wielding fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of those who are subject to it. And fear of this scourged of power corrupts those who are subject to it. They have attacked her, and shelter, threatened her, isolated her, kept her family from her. They have done all that, done all that could be done toaung se afraid, and that, my friends, is the most powerful resistance human beings are capable of. I want to thank you my friend, the lady, for teaching me at my age a thing or two about courage, and for reminding me to always expect justice to triumph over injustice, goodness over evil, love over hate. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the former first lady of the United States, mrs. Laura bush. [applause] i want to thank the United States congress for allowing me to add my voice to the global chorus of honors for Aung San Suu Kyi and to send along the deep respect of my husband george as well. The transition and burma, like the transition in burma, like past events in south africa or eastern europe, shows that history has a hopeful direction. It is capable of miracles. There is a part of every soul that longs for freedom, and any government built on oppression is built on sand. But as has been demonstrated, a vast historical changes often because mandela and havel demonstrated, vast historical changes often begin in a single mind, a single heart. Any hope that now grows in burma is a tribute to daw suu. One of the most powerful governments on earth tried to silence one woman. It must have seemed an easy task, but instead, it was broken by her character. She became a symbol of courage. Her perseverance and violence defiance were a symbol that integrity was still possible in burma, and a symbol became an inspiration for activists, months, and millions around the w