the race. they get on the telephone. to the dccc or the rcc. that doesn't mean we've got that members. i promise to many members of congress of the mr. change, too. many members of congress do not find it delightful. so there's a lot of good members. i want to make you think and say there isn't. that comes to the conclusion the barrel is so corrupt. jack abramoff and i go away and stop people with felonies didn't change anything. to my dismay people feel more comfortable, but it didn't change things. i ended it with a quote i really like basically to paraphrase, i had an addiction and today there's another addiction to campaign contributions and they

need an intervention and it's the public to the public and do an intervention come and make it a beautiful place, make it even better. i address a lot of issues in the book and i hope it's not just the dead is one issue or attacking one person. i'm not a bitter person. i spent time with my granddaughter today. i get to go to india. i get to do radio. people at the right or left or the middle get their voice out there and tell people a story of what's going on in their government. the journalistic side of this is critical. so i'm happy. i'm not a person who's unhappy and angry and want to get everybody, but there's things i had to tell. i couldn't leave it out. so custom harper, dressmaker mother said this too shall pass. she just didn't tommy sometimes

it takes a stand on. i want to thank everyone for coming. [applause] >> i went in. i backed into the kiosk and fit in to report. the guard came up and said i knew one of your campaign managers in ohio. i said okay, got them in there. the guys said you have seen hate now biggest in california and massachusetts. they gave me the mail. you go through the most embarrassing part of the stripped-down and then i got into the intake, what in the prison down the courtyard. the word -- of what use a language i do in the book, but the warden told the men get away from him. he confined his own life and i'm sitting there not knowing where to go, what i'm saying. they called them pajama pants. another prisoner said was her

escort is supposed to take your? i said i don't know, some dionysian guild felt language. he took in the back with the laundry room. the the man is sitting there in a saturday the congressman? he said are you a republican? said republicans that man hair. he said i was the mayer piece cleveland. welcome, i get you some clothes. >> next, the tv sits on the eric draper comes longest-serving white house photographer to discuss his photographs which george w. bush. it is just over an hour and a half. >> "front row seat" is the book put together by eric draper. as a forward by president george w. bush.

in this book on the u.s. the question, could a black kid from south central los angeles the photographer for the president of the united states? with the answer to the question? >> guest: that's a big yes. >> host: how did you get job? >> guest: in 2000 i was a staff photographer and that's my background is photojournalism. so i covered the campaign full-time for 18 months nearly. >> host: did you get to know the president in that kind of work? >> guest: you do. he spent a lot of time on the road, most of the other journalists and a lot of time at the campaign staff. i really didn't think about the job until after the election because you might remember the election wasn't decided that night. during the recount, that gave me the opportunity to pursue the position if governor bush had won the election.

everything line up. it was perfect timing for me because right after he became president-elect, i asked him in person and took a page out of this political playbook because they say during the campaign i must've been echoing that i'm going to look you in the eye and ask you for the job. so that's what i did at this party. right after he became president-elect. >> host: what was his answer? >> guest: you put that name. that's the longest handshake ever. he let that be like you never thought of before. he said i appreciate that my get back to you. a week later received a call for an interview in austin and it all happened very quickly. >> host: how many years did you spend with president bus hod you spend with president bush? >> guest: well, if you count my time as a journalist, nearly 10 years. >> host: you at the white house for eight years with an

eerie how many photos did you take altogether? >> guest: i did a count because we had a digital system at the time that i type in my name to see how many hits with come up and came around to nearly 1 million images under my name. that's everything. outtakes, out of focus, photos that may see. >> host: eric draper you have a picture of the top of the oval office. how did you get up top in the oval office? gascoyne mounted a camera on the top. there is a pledge that once the top of the oval office with a fluorescent lights are capacious enough room for a camera. surmounted the digital camera and left it up there all day to show the sequence of events from the very moment when president bush would walk into the oval

office through all of his meetings. so that sequence shows his working meetings and there's one image what it looks like when the oval office is full of media, just to show you how many people can fit in the oval office. >> host: how one for your days? >> guest: it very. definitely nothing shorter than eight hours. either 12 hours or 16 hours and a lot of my schedule when i travel with the president, those days are longer, the international travel. as long as it took to always watch them and make sure you didn't miss anything. of course i had back. i couldn't do it all alone. when i needed help, i had a support staff. i had for their photographers on staff, which recovered the first lady, the vice president. >> host: between either due?

were there any times off-limits? >> guest: good question. well coming in now, obviously there's a lot of pedant moment on the schedule. his private time as the residents off-limits. i have so much access but is it really had to hold back just to respect that privacy, just because i was always around. as stefan landor radar, but not of one of them. i try to respect you. >> host: this photo in the white house -- in the oval office. really the only one of the room room along with? what's that like? did a talk with you, do they interact? >> guest: date army -- they ignored me. i would go days with a president didn't speak to me. i didn't want them to acknowledge me every time i walked in the room because that would change the environment.

you change the environment because i was present, but it didn't always want him to interact because i really wanted to document real moments of not change anything. so that was my role. >> host: eric draper, you read that he was magical whenever george bush and his father were together. there's a lot of that to president bush in this book. >> guest: first of all: they look so alike which was interesting. anytime they are together, it was like history in the making because you have two presidents together. father and son, the second son to become president. it was always really interesting to photograph them together as a family because they are so normal and lots of ways, other than the fact they are two presidents together.

i really enjoy documenting the entire bush family. >> host: did you get to know mrs. bush's low? >> guest: i did. >> host: i want to ask about this photo i very, very long couch. is this happenstance? >> guest: this is inside buckingham palace prior to departing for black-tie dinner hosted by the queen. the president and mrs. bush were staying there, walking around. they were like kids. they really enjoyed themselves. they said come photograph this on this couch. i really created a fun, light moment. >> host: there's another photo from 2001, were mr. and mrs. bush are dancing. >> guest: that was taken january 20, 2001. the president and mrs. bush were

rehearsing before their very first inaugural ball backstage at the reagan center. just a quiet moment the two of them. obviously there's lots of commotion behind me because everyone is preparing for the event to start and they wanted to rehearse their dance, which they repeated a dozen times that night because of all the. >> host: and a lot of these photos come edc secret service agent standing around. what was your relationship -- did they have final say over your access? >> guest: no, i love those guys. they were great to work with. they knew exactly what i needed to do. of course they were the priority. the present safety was always sold to men. if they were in the way, they would ask me, they would get out of kuwait and images that they were in no way. they were wonderful people and

they hope to get my job done, especially with predicting the president's movement and knowing where he would go. part of the job of staying a step ahead of the president in order to be the right position at the right time. >> host: barneys and a lot of these photos. >> guest: the president called barney the son he never had. as you can see, they really enjoy each other. the president would play with him, even during the day in the oval office. bernie literally had the all access pass to the white house. he can go anywhere. >> host: to ask about this photo because the president is on the south lawn of the white house. you could look straight out. can people see him on the jogging path? >> guest: is so unique because of the way it is laid out. typically you couldn't see anyone. it was almost like he was completely alone, but obviously

there's thousands of tourists outside. it's a really interesting place and how it's laid out. >> host: here is another visit. this is miss beazley in this picture. >> guest: miss beazley was more affectionate and really enjoyed writing. the president to play with her love. these types of light moments have been literally seconds and then it's back to the seriousness of the day at the meeting. it was amazing how quickly things transition from very intense and serious to light and funny to back to serious. the whole day was like that. >> host: you write in here and should say in "front row seat" there's a page or two of text introducing each type. you say here that i enjoyed the president's trips to texas more than the time is spent in washington. why? >> guest: first of all, i am

more of a westerner. i'm from california, from the west. i enjoyed it into the open space. i enjoyed not having to wear a suit because it was always casual. then as a photojournalist, as a for talk of her trying to tell a story, the story of present bush as a texan was so fun to document. so what i tried to do is hang out. he was more relaxed because he had more downtime in photograph president bush is a texan. even though his meetings, his schedule would be very much on d.c. time, he still had time to unwind and i was able to document him on a personal level. >> host: you spent a lot of time riding the back of his pickup truck.

what was that like? how many people were in their? theory is -- is this a spanish prime minister? >> guest: the king of saudi arabia. postcode is king of saudi arabia in the trunk with president bush. you look like you're in the backseat. >> guest: it was tricky because typically depending who is visiting company with several people that needed to be in the truck. so you had obviously security, but also an interpreter or even another gas, let's say it was a couple, that the world leader had a spouse. i typically had to write in the back of the bed, opened the window on the track and shoot through the window as if i was in the truck. >> host: is that where you are in these pictures? >> guest: that would make a funny picture because i had to stretch to get my camera to the

window. i was bumping around the back of the truck at the same time. >> host: secured in the backseat or interpreters? with security follow you around the ranch in vehicles? >> guest: yes, there was always an entourage following the president wherever he went. >> host: just want to read a it further introduction. one of my first weekend trips to the ranch, the president and first lady invited me to join them for what. i wasn't prepared because i was still wearing my wool suit. the president with only close i could go along. i said sure. we went into the house citysearch's cause it or should the teacher to pair of shorts. both verse two sizes too small and the shirts are as bright as the flags of china and russia combined. i couldn't refuse to let that one of the pictures so i got dressed. there we were walking out on a dusty trail come in the mid-to small clothing and cashews when i had the president, first lady

nations having a method and may not the presidential attire. >> guest: yes, that really happened. >> host: 9/11. to photos or show folks. >> guest: yes, these moments were following the famous moment in the chief of staff whispered in the president's ear, the president left the classroom with all the children what gentoo to hold him. that is where there was a tv in the corner that someone had turned on and it showed the live images of the towers, the twin towers burning in new york. i was just shocked that everyone looking at that image. immediately i tried to focus on making the pictures are not missing anything. what i tried to do was definitely connect what was

happening in new york is that the president was doing. as a name for the moment the president would watch the tv to see what was happening, but he never looked at. it was focused on his words because he is preparing his first statement in response to the attacks. it wasn't until the moment dan bartlett alerted everyone in the room and replayed in flight 177 hitting the tyler, the first time i'd ever seen it. the president turned to see the image for the first time burned in everyone's memory. >> host: trains women, who got the famous photo where you can be president tense up? >> guest: the press photographers in the classroom country to on that. >> host: aboard air force one that the quakes >> guest: the first few moments were very surreal and very tense. no one knew where we were

headed. i remember walking up the stairs of air force one before they left it as i walked through the door, andy card was telling everyone to remove their batteries from their phones because we didn't know if we were being traced. you may see the image, the president on the phone and on the other side of the frame you have andy card discussing where, you know, he's in the huddle with the secret service in the military trying to decide where to go. with blowout over the gulf of mexico, basically for safety. we started hearing lot of reports on the plane, like a car bomb hidden in the state department, which results in a fast-moving object is added to the president's ranch. then came the most surreal

moment anything i just heard angel is the next target. >> host: angel being air force one. >> guest: that is very, very surreal. this is the damage of a secret service agent standing post outside the room are inside the president was receiving a full briefing and military commanders that were there. >> host: this is one of the occasions you are not allowed in? >> guest: exactly. >> host: du jour top secret clearance? >> guest: i did. >> host: you had to go to the background check? >> guest: exactly. very intense. >> host: what time did you get back to washington or what time did the day and? >> guest: landed a bit in the

afternoon and the president board marine one and the rest of the staff, including me but had it to the white house. but nakata but the president, he was down in the presidential emergency operations center under the white house, which i didn't know existed at that page until that day. that's where he was having his first face-to-face meetings that the vice president about national security team in reaction to the attacks. >> host: eric draper, what time of the day was this photo taken on 9/11? >> guest: that was probably early evening. 7:30, he. this was before the president addressed the nation from the oval office.

said a day still was not over. very long day. >> host: march 2003 about this photo of the president walking outside. >> guest: yeah, this is the moment in terms of intensity, obviously 9/11 was off the chart. this to me was one of the most intense moments i had experienced photographing. this is the moment after the decision was made to commit troops to iraq. the president made that decision in the situation room just minutes earlier. i was standing out at the door the situation room when that inning broke out. i literally had to leap out of the way when the door swung open and the president walks out. i can see the emotion on his face. i can see that something was happening. i didn't know exactly where, so i followed them.

he walked through the oval office to the south lawn, the entire circle of the south lawn and that's when i made this picture. the decision still weigh in on face. >> host: did he ever say to you, getaway or not now? >> guest: no. at this moment, a matter of fact, he did speak to me right after i made this picture and he asked me on the south on county said eric, are you interested in history? all i can say was yes, sir. these pictures you are taking, one of the situation room and the south on are very. just as he said that out of the corner of my eye, i saw a don rumsfeld, secretary of defense and vice president cheney walking out of the oval office the president what over to greet them. at this stage, they were discussing the timing of the start of the war in iraq.

>> host: when you see a need in the this happening, how close can you physically get to these three? >> guest: i try to give them space. i didn't get too close, but that was fine because i thought, photographically speaking, i was in the right guy to capture the environment. they were standing up at the oval office. i actually shot a photo with the telephoto so you can see expressions during this moment. i was just far away enough for a cut here but they were saying, but i could definitely tell from the expression it was a very intense discussion. >> host: eric draper, do the photos contained in "front row seat" have to be cleared by secret service, but the bush folks? >> guest: yet, every ring is approved by the president's library.

nothing was top secret that i photographed, so that was no issue there. >> host: here's the photo of the president and now on october 7, 2001, afghanistan war. >> guest: this is in the treaty room of the white house and this is just coming in now, nearly a month after 9/11, when the war in afghanistan was announced. >> host: eric draper, lot of historical moment, but also some lighter moments i guess is the word that i want to ask you about. featuring 2004. >> guest: are you talking about the boots? >> host: let's talk about this one on the screen right now. >> guest: been around, hanging out, waiting for the surprise moment, i had a scheduled, briefing because there's a lot of things that are scripted.

to me, enjoyed my job was waiting for a surprise moment like this day was the day this box showed up in the oval office. this is very early in the morning, 7:00 a.m. the president opened the box and it's a boxing robe he pulled out. any person on. i'm the only one there, so is that when they find to show it to. so that's what he's doing here. is opening the door to the hallway to see if anyone is around to show it off because he really thought it was pretty funny. >> host: there's two more photos from the 2004 reelection. >> guest: is his inauguration 2004, just prior to the texas black tie and boots ball. the president took off his tuxedo shoes and put on his use.

this shows his sense of humor, which the president had a great sense of humor. he would always find the right time to lighten the mood, even in some of the most serious moment and the relief he would deliver. i myself just really enjoy being around him because of his sense of humor. >> host: this looks like a big holding room here in washington. how many people -- he looks all alone in this great paper. is he alone in this case? >> guest: now, these people behind me. as to aids, secret service, the usual? >> guest: half a dozen people scattered about. not a ton of people. >> host: in 2007, visitors to the white house? >> guest: queen elizabeth and prince philia visited the white house and this is prior to a black-tie dinner hosted by the

president and mrs. bush and the yellow poker room, which is in the residence. so they are just talking before going down to dinner, trying to show the grandeur of it all. the yellow oval room was so beautiful, a great place to photograph. >> host: i want to ask if this is significant enough. prince philip seems to have a drink in his hand, but it looks like the queen might have put her drink down on the table. did you happen to notice that it also she was a photographed with a drink? >> guest: now, i did notice that. >> host: either you tell the story about her intimate moment with queen elizabeth reveries straight from the book. >> guest: well, i will tell you because when you're the photographer or the president, you have to stay close and sometimes too close. this is earlier in the day when

the queen was visiting the white house. she went upstairs to the residence. i'm trying to remember how long between events because she hadn't been in the white house for two years, so this is bush was given a tour of the residence. we ended up in the queen's room and then i followed this is bush with queen elizabeth and then realized she's actually taking queen elizabeth to the restroom. but then i realized realized what was happening, i was in tears. standing in front of me was prince philip and he said with a straight face, are you following the tougaloo? szekely he laughed and i laughed and i didn't turn into an international incident. definitely awkward. >> host: eric draper, why did you choose the photo on the cover of "front row seat"? >> guest: you know, that

picture visually the composition, the lightning is an iconic image to me. it shows the seriousness of the job, but it also shows the environment at the white house. to me, that one just set out from the pack as a cover photo. ..

the culture there and for me it was my first trip to africa, as a black american to go to africa, is really unique, and i really enjoyed that. >> host: didn't see in your book the picture of him dancing, the famous video. were you there? >> guest: i was there. >> host: what has that moment like? >> guest: it was fun. the crowd went crazy when he started to dance. and he actually did -- >> host: have photos of that? >> guest: yeah. it was very fun. >> host: in this introduction of the book you say you got into the habit of developing a slide show for the president on the way home, on the flight home. >> guest: yeah. something that i started, following 9/11, one of the first trips abroad, i tried to create a show to kind of lift the

spirits of everyone traveling, to share the hard work put into the trips, and i started doing it after every trip abroad, and every trip i would raise the bar and add music and add graphics and title slides and the president and m-burrs always looked forward to the slide show, and so it was like every trip, it was very enjoyable to produce. >> did you have facilities on air force one? did you have an office or computer in this case? you didn't need the development office anymore. >> guest: right. this is at the time that i directed the white house from film to digital, and all the work was done on my laptop. so while everyone else was sleeping, i was up pounding away, creating a slide show, to play just before we landed. >> host: eric draper, this photo

from air force one. >> guest: air force one, an amazing machine. it's basically a flying white house, and this is the conference room board air force one, and the president can literally almost do anything aboard the plane, including here, preparing for major speech, and got the tell prompter and the mock podium, and the president will exercise in air force one, obviously hold meetings,s' it was really a -- never got old. i felt very blessed to be able to see the world aboard that plane. >> host: here's a photo. january 2009. >> guest: yes. the five presidents in the oval office, and this was after the election, and so obama -- president obama had not been sworn in yet, and there was a meeting in the oval office, and

a lunch, with the five president, and definitely a rare opportunity to see a lot of history and all in one room. >> host: have you ever counted up how many people have been in the same room? >> guest: no. no. i would like to know that. very special. >> host: back to george w. geor. bush, and barbara bush, a lot of photos including barbara bush withher camera. >> guest: yes. she was a really good photographer. she would photograph me with president h.w. bush and president george w. bush and send me the photos signed, like in record time. she was amazing. >> host: and here's another photo of mrs. bush. barbara bush. >> guest: yes. this was election evening, 2004. very late at night. actually this might have been

early in the the morning. and we had just learned that president bush was ahead mathematically to win the election, and for the family decided it was time to celebrate with a conga line. >> host: how often were you alone with the family? just you and the bush family? >> guest: a lot. a lot. especially around family gatherings, holidays, typically, for example, every christmas, i was invited to camp david to photograph the family and the best thing was my wife was with me at the same time so she can be with me and i can enjoy the holidays with her, and i would photograph the family around christmastime, there's always a huge family portrait, which was important to get everyone together in one shot, i and i would do that every christmas. >> host: you say it was like herding cats.

>> guest: yes. because the bush family is large. and just like any family, they -- they're very busy doing lots of things other than waiting for a photo. >> host: what was it like, as president bush says in his forward, you put your life on hold for eight year, here you are, easter in crawford, texas. >> guest: right. i tried to document family life, which meant -- and family were very important to president bush, to be together for these special holidays, and it also meant my holiday was spent either at the ranch or camp david, and i actually enjoyed that. and i would -- my wife would also be invited to fly on air force one, which was a nice perk, and -- because the president always wanted to keep the staff's family together if there was an opportunity for

that. >> host: did your wife get to know the bushes as well? >> guest: oh, yeah. >> host: did you agree with him politically? >> guest: you know, i don't think anyone agrees with everyone politically, but for most things i did. >> host: eric draper, january 20, 2009. >> guest: yes. so, this moment, i had been waiting for, for literally years, because i was there when the president walked through the oval office doors for the very first time, and i wanted to be there for the very last time walking out the same door. so, there i was, that morning, around 8:00, and i had always envisioned what that moment would be like. i thought it would be emotional, people crying and hugging, and reminiscing, and it was very simple. very anticlimatic. the president asked for his coat. turned around, walked out. didn't look back.

very simple. >> host: the booked called "front show seat," the photographer and author is eric draper who spent eight years as president george w. bush's photographer. you're watching booktv on c-span2. >> really i have never sunshine any report in the u.s. in any main news has been the story of these people that live with the constant sirens that go off everytime rockets is close by, and they have 15 seconds to get into a bomb shelter. i went to visit some elderly people at a could could kabuts,

and they were 65-plus, many in their 70s. they had not slept at night. it was in the months preceding the operation and part of what triggered it, was this constant bombardment, and people hear that this in a way that is backwards. they hear that israel made a strategic strike on a particular person or a particular target, and that was responded to with rockets. that is the way it's reported most of the time. when in fact the rockets have been going there -- there have been over 12,000 rockets in the last ten years, and some of them are small. made in grandma's garage. but a lot of them nor longer small. a lot of iranian or larger missiles that are not just what they call rockets which are small. these people have to get up and run everytime there is a siren,

and they do it because they know they can be killed and people are killed, whether they're killed in great numbers, it depends on where it strikes. but these people were taking antidepressants, the children in the area were all bed-wetters. the people i went to see were being bussed to a lot for a three-day weekend so they could sleep in a hotel where there was no disturbance. these are old people. they don't want to leave there, but one said to me, how can you come sneer my children won't come and visit. aren't you afraid to be sneer and there were explosions going off nearby. i didn't hear sirens. we were less than a mile from gaza. these people lived that way. the mothers have to get their babies into the shelter. there's a little piece of i quote in the book written by a mother, says, which shield should i grab? she has five children. which one do i take first. everytime she is making these decisions. so that state is ongoing.

it is quiet right now because of the recent so-called truce with hamas. everyone knows it will start up again. i went to lebanon. my friend janet was on the tour we were on, and we were in israel in the 2006 war, and there the north was bombarded and these were larger rockets. these were the katushs and we saw some of the places they had struck, and a whole half a house was gone. the people had gone to jerusalem or else gone somewhere else. most of them were not living there but some were in shelters for a month, living in the shelters. the state of war in israel is such that it's such a little country. people always say it's the size of new jersey. so even if it's the south, everybody has a relative there. everybody's kid is in the army there. it's not like america where you hear of this. this is everybody's problem.

and the phone starts ringing when these things heat up. even money phone, and particularly recently when we actually had sirens in jerusalem for the first time in 30 years. that was an interesting experience. you find yourself saying, okay, should i take a shower or not take a shower? [laughter] >> or, aim going to sleep in my normal pajamas because i have to be with my neighbors in a bomb shelter and i don't think i want them to see those pajamas. stupid things to think but the consciousness of it is what happened. it pervades everything. so, the state of war in israel is -- it's a danger, ongoing threat, and also a a consciousness. but it's also a way of going on with life no matter what, and that is what the israel are best at. they just go on. and they celebrate life. they don't just sit around and

worry. they have dinner and they have plays plays plays and bar mitzvahs and a culture that celebrates life in the face of danger. that's what i would really say thumbs up in the culture. in many ways. >> host: that's the shifting from the misconceptions what life is really like, since you mentioned the north, i -- in the book you mention that when you were there in the city in the north of israel you met with the mayor, and he was, i guess, standing in the rubble of city hall or something like that. with -- what was his -- >> the people there who had been in shelters for almost a month, were very upset the war ended when it dead. they wanted it finished. they said we'll live in shelters for three months if this would

be the end of it. his thing was they burned trees, we plant 100 trees can we rebuild and prepare for the next time because some day we're going to be the gateway to israel and the lebanese will come and we will have dinner together. that's our goal. we want to be the gateway to the north. and he was all about building and rebuilding and planting, and trees are a very big deal in israel. it's the only country in the world that has more trees at the turn of the 21st century than it had at the beginning of the 20th century, and everybody plants trees. so the first thing they do is go out and plant trees, and more trees and more burned and that's what he talk about. it's a defiance, but it's also a spirit of building, and life. and, yeah. the people were sorry the war ended when it did, and everyone knewed ended badly because it

was cut short of success. but they just wanted to be able to get to peace and live their lives again. that's what the wanted to do. block whether. >> one of the current tops i can the state state of the north ko. several how authorizes have been on booktv discussing their books about the culture, military and history of north korea. all of these programs can be seen in full online at booktv.org. but now we bring you a few segments. we start wivinger to cha, about north korea past and future. mr. which ra is in conversation with scott snyder eight director of the u.s.-korean policy at the couple on foreign relations. >> host: one of the basic feat