paul was on going to damascus. -- that is the one that st. paul was on going to damascus. half of the cia agency has been hired since 9/11. we have a lot of junior people. i began to ask the experts along the take to build an analyst with 20 years of experience. they came back with an unacceptable answer. they said, "about 20 years." [laughter]

envoy to damascus. you say the president is working to rehabilitate relations with the islamic world. why is this? guest: just after the former lebanese president was assassinated in 2005 the bush administration withdrew the ambassador in damascus. there was a suspicion that intelligence was behind the killing and it was an act of protest. since then it the u.s. has had virtually no contact with the syrians. as president obama has reached out to the islamic world, for example in cairo with his speech, they have called for greater engagement with the arab middle east in particular. this is a step in that direction. host: president obama spoke yesterday about the situation and iran, seeming to take a different tone. what went into the shift? guest: there are couple of things to note. he has slowly reted it up his language about the while and he sees on the street. substantively, however, there is not a big change. he is still not calling for the government to be changed in iran and is not even condemning

i am willing to go to damascus, to beirut, to jerusalem, too. illing to go to damascus, to riyadh, to beirut, to jerusalem also. [applause] i call on the >> i call on us to advance an economic peace and it's not a substitute for political peace but it is an important element to achieve it, together we can undertake projects to overcome the scarcities of our region, like water decontamination or to maximize the advantages of this region like developing solar energy, or exploding our geographic location to lay gas and petroleum lines and transportation links between asia, africa and europe. together, we can realize the achievements of the impressive entrepreneurship i see in the persian gulf impresses me very much and i call upon the talented entrepreneurs of the arab world to come and invest here to assist the palestinians and us in spurring the economy. today we can develop industrial areas that will generate thousands of jobs and create tourist sites that will attract millions of visitors either to work, walk in the footsteps of history in naza

in he recalled he saw a vision of jesus christ on the road to damascus. someone did not sit down with him and share the for spiritual laws. jesus came to him and said hey, or persecuting me. not geldof. just decided, saw you are going to follow me. you are going to suffer but you are going to be used by god to reach millions of people. you are going to write half the new testament. the bible says in the last days god is going to pour out his holy spirit. this is what is happening. as a document in the book millions and millions of muslims are saying these dreams and visions. last year i had the opportunity to go into iraq, my first time there and i happen to meet a young pastor been we are going to to a joshua humanitarian project, handing out backpacks with school supplies and copies of the new testament in arabic and in kurdish and the copies of the jesus film in arabic and kurdish at the invitation of a muslim school, muslim principal, muslim teacher, muslim kids. they said yes, we would like you to come and tell us about jesus. this is the new iraq, b

i am willing to go to damascus, to riyadh, to beirut, to jerusalem also. [applause] i call on the arab countries to cooperate with the palestinians and with us to advance an economic peace. i would like to make it clear, an economic peace is not a substitute for political peace, but it is an important element to achieve it. together, we can undertake projects to overcome the scarcities of our region like water desalination or to maximize the advantages of this region like developing solar energy, or exploiting our geographic location to lay gas and petroleum lines and transportation links between asia, africa, and europe. together, we can realize the entrepreneurship icy in the persian gulf. -- on a per ship i see in the persian gulf. i call on the talented entrepreneurs of the persian world to assist the palestinians in us and together we can envelop best -- to get a weekend develop industrial areas and create tourist sites that will attract millions of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of history. in nazareth, and bethlehem, around the walls of jer

interlocutor among those nations for reasons partly because we did not have any diplomatic presence in damascus. i'm not sure help the russian ship will develop with the syrian ambassador, but the administration believes it is better to talk and be present with and not to be. i think that is the logic. host: we're joined on the democrats' line from newark, new jersey. caller: thank you to your balanced response to the questions coming your way. as a person who watches c-span consistently, it is a pleasure to hear you cannot avoid questions posed to you. my question to you as a reporter for "the washington post" regarding john mccain and lindsey gramm attacking the president's response to the situation iniran, do you s a writer for net to be out of hand on their part and only politically motivated? do you think -- what are we supposed to do in response, technically, to what is happening andiran? should we sit back, observe, and be the third party like the rest of the world was to our own the elections? be thankful that there was a process seat that the people are responding to change? guest: it

i am willing to go to damascus, to riyadh, to beirut, to any place- including jerusalem. i call on the arab countries to co-operate with the palestinians and with us to advance an economic peace. an economic peace is not a substitute for a political peace, but an important element to achieving it. together, we can undertake projects to overcome the scarcities of our region, like water desalination or to maximise its advantages, like developing solar energy, or laying gas and petroleum lines, and transportation links between asia, africa and europe. together we can realize the achievements of the end -- impressive monster proportions i see in the persian gulf. the economic success of the gulf states has impressed us all and it has impressed me. i call on the talented entrepreneurs of the arab world to come and invest here and to assist the palestinians - and us - in spurring the economy. together, we can develop industrial areas that will generate thousands of jobs and create tourist sites that will attract millions of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of history - i

bush had his road to damascus moment or he did what i was suggesting and send more troops. and then he started criticize same big government spending. but it was too late. i think we have to tell the truth. and i personally like george w. bush and i always have. but he read to the conservative movement. if anybody can dispute that i love to hear their arguments. >> host: we are going to talk more about a comeback of the republican party and what mr. obama is up to but we are going to break for just a moment, we will be back. and part two of our interview, are we a center-right country? >> guest: we are and we have always been a center-right country. always americans -- and there is this great line and i never forgot it in david stockman spoke about the triumph of politics when he was complaining about how the reagan revolution when off-track. i have never forgotten in end stockman was 100 percent right. when he said at the end of the book americans don't like revolutions, americans still want revolutions. they want evolutions which was actually paul mccartney's theory of th