a hamas member in the west bank is the in as much danger? >> guest: absolutely that is underreported right now we put all of the eggs in one basket saying fatah is the peaceful alternative to hamas which is of course, is that the islamic suicide bombing at -- in organization that violates human rights but fatah is also engaging in a lot of the same acts of violence acts of retribution today i was reading in one of the palestinian sites that four people were kidnapped in gaza and to kidnapped in the west bank just a day from opposite factions. this continues to happen. it is not easy being eight hamas member on the west bank because the help of cut-off faction get from israel with counter-terrorism operations and trying to clean up the streets. the bottom line is real and united states and international community is interested in a stable peaceful west bank that does not include the presence of hamas. >> host: it seems to me that we seem very much about this more about these killings, this torture and human rights violations in the media. we

hamas is sunni. fatah is sunni. yet the biggest support of hamas appears to be the islamic regime in tehran. that is shia. how many years have we heard experts tell us that shia and sunni could not possibly cooperate on any realistic level because the religious identical line between them is so deep and here you have it seems as i understand it, the mullahs of tehran as the principal backers of hamas. >> well, i wrote an article about this for commentary magazine back in february. and it stems from this. that when hamas was created, this immediately appealed to iran. iran was steadfastly opposed to the oslo process. did not want to see the palestinians make peace with israel. and found a faction that steadfastly opposed it as well so began to throw money in their direction. now, this shiite/sunni divide played a factor in the early goings because there was this sort of inherent distrust between these different sects within islam but over the years, we saw hamas, palestinians islamic jihad other rejectionist groups r

>> that is the point when you have hamas as part of a unity government and hamas rejects israel and actually read just the legitimacy of the plo which has renounced violence against israel, i don't know how you move forward on this. people have suggested that hamas just yamelie takes parts in foreign relations but really it is about control over the west bank and fatah -- gaza but i believe there will be no compromise because both sides have their hands on a state that you have got hamas and fatah land and neither one wants to let go. so i think it is for that reason alone getting about ideology that i don't believe a compromise is imminent. >> the other thing proposed is a truce and that a hamas while it can have peace with israel could have a truce that could last up to 10 years based on theology and then those who are hopeful say that troops will allow ideas and attitudes to a lot of overtime and an investment in peace and you give something out of it, those who are less optimistic would say over the 10 years you will see an arms buildup for a round of fighting that will make everything e

a sense in the hamas takeover in 2006 up until operation we saw that hamas was amassing weaponry more food sophisticated and high-powered sniper rifles and anti-tank mines, all sorts of weaponry they ended up using against israel during the operation, so the fear is when you know that hamas continues to seek the destruction of the state of israel but at travel position and why would you want to allow if you are israel which you want to allow this and more over if you're interested in peace why would you allow this. >> is the obama administration want to see a fatah hamas unity government? >> i think the ideal would be they would like to see it in which, in a case where both factions actually support peace. but we have to deal with the hand we are dealt and deal with reality and i think the reality is that both factions actually forgetting about hamas and for the moment, you have got fatah which still calls for the destruction of the state of israel so they're calling for a unity government that openly call for the destruction of israel and i think for what ever reason both factions wi

created by the muslim brotherhood to support hamas. according to a wiretap of a 1993 palestinian committee meeting in philadelphia, former holly land foundation president and c.e.o. spoke about playing down hamas ties in order to keep raising money in the u.s. another wiretapped phone call included abdul rack mad, holly land -- holy land foundation representative, referred to a suicide bombing as a beautiful operation. according to a national review article, in the precare days both awad and ahmad were top officers in the islamic association for palestine. former f.b.i. counterterrorism chief has called awad's former employee the islamic association for palestinian quote, a front organization for hamas that engages in propaganda for islamic militants, end of quote. a september 24, 2001, l.a. story described the connection between the islamic association of palestine and the holy land foundation this way, quote, the i.a.p. and the holy land were founded and funded by mazuk, he's also the political leader of the terrorist group, hamas. a

given that hamas is on the current list of u.s. designated foreign terrorist organizations, this was obviously a serious claim and one which if true would rightly inform a shift in the f.b.i. policy. however, the fox news piece left me with some unanswered questions, questions which given the seriousness of the report necessitated further inquiry. such questions of the executive branch are common congressional practice and in fact are the responsibility of the legislative branch of government and the intended purpose of our system of checks and balances. for six years, from 2001 to 2006, i served as chairman of the appropriations subcommittee with oversight of the f.b.i. this year i resumed the leadership role as the lead republican on the subcommittee. according to the congressional research service, and i quote, congressional oversight refers to the review, the monitoring and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities and policy implementation. it is an integral part of the american system of checks and balances. end o

hamas is a terrorist organization. it won control of gaza after men in ski masks based battle with another leadership. it launched rockets in nearby cities. this is the thanks israel got for withdrawing from gaza. haplgz does not recognize agreements that -- hamas does not recognize agreements palestinian leaders recognized with israel in the past, does not recognize israel's right to exist at all and is ideologically committed to israel's annihilation. gaza's people thrift for freedom and opportunity. even today after the consequences of menacing israel became clear in a disastrous war, weapons are flowing freely through tunnels into gaza. hamas is rearmed and it is readying itself for the day when it is going to take on israel again. hamas and hezbollah may be the head of the snake when it comes to terrorism, but the tame extends much farther back. the weapons terrorists use were sent from iran. money they received was sent from iran. propaganda supporting hamas' campaign of terror and calling for israel's destructio

the previous administration always described hamas as a terrorist organization. what we heard as new is a recognition from president barack obama that regardless of the epithet that you attach to hamas, it has a following. he acknowledge that it had a palestinian following. he wants to work with that. he obviously wants hamas to recognize the existence of israel and recognize previous agreements achieved with the israelis by the palestinians. the fact that he has not rejected hamas and out wright as a terrorist organization, i think indicates that he wants to take the issue in a different direction. although the conventional wisdom is that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, i think the man does seem to be very serious about what he wants to achieve. not because he loves the palestinians or the israelis, but he says that he has america's best interest at heart. he sees a resolution of that contract -- the conflict. host: can president obama really bridge the gap? do the people have to? guest: the israelis and the palestinians, obviously, have a very major

[applause] [applause] hamas will not even allow hamas will not even allow the red cross to visit our kidnapped soldier gilad shalit, who has spent three years in captivity, cut off from his parents, his family and his people. we are committed to bringing him home, healthy and safe. with a palestinian leadership committed to peace, with the active participation of the arab world, and the support of the united states and the international community, there is no reason why we cannot achieve a breakthrough to peace. our people have already proven that we can do the impossible. over the past 61 years, while constantly defending our existence, we have performed wonders. our microchips are powering the world's computers. our medicines are treating diseases once considered incurable. our drip irrigation is bringing arid lands back to life across the globe. and israeli scientists are expanding the boundaries of human knowledge. if only our neighbours would respond to our call Â- peace too will be in our reach. i call on the leaders of the arab world and on the palestinian leadership, let us

we look at evidence of hamas and hamas's shielding, were the shielding, were they operating in areas that were endangering civilians? i would like to point all of you out that in two weeks, god willing, we will have a report that is being published, specifically on because of attacks and shielding issue of hamas. we put out a report on one of the things hamas used, they used the war as a shield, they used the war as a shield for them to perpetrator tax and abuses where they went around gaza and met with many gaza civilians who had either family members kneecaped or killed, drag out and shot with a message, some had family members killed because they either assisted the israelis or to have been part of the fog -- fatah the political party opposing hamas. they call a press conference to denounce our report. that shows the impact we have. whenever area we going to, we are always looking at how all of the actors are performing, what they are doing, so that we can report on any abuse of international humanitarian law. i would like to close with just one bright ray, one glimmer to lift us

you have hamas and gaza. and in the west bank, you have a division between the plo and fascia who are rivalling one anothers. one of the significant challenges is how do the palestinians come together as a unity. the second issue is whenever the palestinians have been offered an opportunity for a two-state solution at camp david and most recently with negotiations with omar where reportedly he was prepared to ... host: richard? caller: they refused to move in that direction. so how does those who propose to have a two-state solution, especially on an expedited basis, hope to accomplish that, given those two realities? host: please. guest: there is a good point to make. even if the sentiment issue were to be resolved they won't bring peace or a two-state solution. there are so many other difficulties on the ground. so many issues not dealt with yet regarding foreigners or the final status of jews or the refugee issue. there is a long way to go, even once we solve the sentiment issue. it is true one of the main

we do not believe we should provide aid to gaza until hamas meets these conditions. so, you know, there are people who also say that the palestinian-israeli problem needs to be settled before there can be peace in the region. that is nonsense. the problem with iran has to be settled before there can be peace in the region. we all know that iran is developing nuclear weapons. we all know that ahmadinejad has threatened to wipe israel off the face of the earth. we all hope he loses in his election this week, but whoever replaces him is not going to be much more of a moderate than he is. and so israel has the absolute right to defend its security. and the united states is israel's greatest ally, should not be putting pressure on israel to make unilateral concessions up front. that is very, very important. when president obama said the bond between israel and the united states is unbreakble, then we ought to do that in our actions as well as our words. so i thank the gentlewoman for sharing this time with me. i know we're going to continue to fight for a strong u.s.-isra

funds sent to unra will not end up in the hands of hamas. yet this bill takes a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil approach, refusing to demand accountability and transparency for our investments. supporters of this bill will claim that it strengthens nonproliferation activities at the department of state. however, the pertinent sections of the bill contains contradictory statements regarding the department's nonproliferation and arms control infrastructure. on the one hand the bill asks the secretary of state to develop a comprehensive plan to determine what the department actually needs in terms of personnel, additional authorities, new appropriations in order to carry out its arms control and nonproliferation policies. yet, before that plan has on been drafted, before that plan has even been drafted this bill removes the statutory requirement for the assistant secretary for verification and arms control, authorizes $3 million for 25 new positions focused on arms control and mandates other programs and activities. these provisions ac

the palestinian authority must overcome hamas in the gaza strip. israel will not sit at the negotiating table with terrorists who seek its destruction. [applause] hamas will not even allow the red cross to visit our kidnapped soldier, who has spent three years in captivity cut off from his family and his people. we are committed to bringing him home safe and sound. [applause] with a palestinian leadership committed to peace, with the active participation of the arab world and the support of the united states and the international community, there is no reason why we cannot achieve a breakthrough to peace. our people have already proved they can do the impossible. over the past 61 years, while constantly having to defend our existence, we have performed wonders. our microchips are powering the world's computers. our medications are treating diseases once considered incurable. incurable. our drip irrigation is bringing

we also look at evidence of hamas, were they shielding? were they operating in areas that were endangering civilians? i would like to point all of -- that in two weeks god willing, we will have a report that is being published specifically on the shielding issue of hamas. we have recently put out a report on one of the things that hamas uses during the war. they use the war in the wake of the shield. as a shield for them to perpetrate the past abuses, where they went around gaza and met with many thousands civilians who either had family members kneecaped, or killed. they were believed to have either assisted the israelis, were to have been part of the top. -- then a part of fatah. hamas held a press conference to denounce our report. whatever. we go into, we are always looking at how the actors are performing, what they are doing, so that we can report on any abuses of humanitarian law. i would like to close with just one glimmer, to lift us all up. sometimes people ask me, how do you do it? how do you keep going on? there are two things

the question becomes, why are we supporting hezbollah and hamas? in the election, israel is not an issue in iraq. it is not an issue in iran. the revolutionary guards are in much more powerful positions then we think. if that is the case, we are moving towards a dictatorship. we are moving into not a military dictatorship, but they dictatorship of thugs. the military is completely out. the past 72 hours, there have been military maneuvers. the army, the navy, the air force -- i have no idea what that means. the military is having maneuvers. if we're going to go towards a dictatorship of the thugs, that is very frightening for us and for israel. i do not know what israel is going to do. i think discipline is waiting. we do not know which direction we are going. >> we are both at a crossroads and out of time. let me underline the fact that one of the themes of the presentations is how much we do not nel. being -- we do not know. being in that situation, we are best device to collect as much information as we can and not take any action right away. pl

i also heard reports that the machine as important elements from abroad, up from pakistan, from hamas, being used to quash people as we speak. how many elements from outside coming in as a direct collision as to whether the regime will still utilize them and create more casualties. >> bonjour. i would like to come back to present topic. i would like to know if you think president obama -- >> name and organization. >> do you think that president obama's statements were forceful enough? do you wish he would condemn more directly the actions of the actual regime? >> as i said in my press conference -- this is not just directed to president obama, but to all world leaders who can take a defined position on the subject -- if you separate the issue of what could be argued or painted as interference in the nation's, from the issue of standing firm on the question of human rights violations, in which there is no reason why this regime or any can object to the fact that, whether it is president obama with canadian prime minister or the french president, will make life easier for the heads of s

guest: i wish there were something encouraging about hamas and their policies, but here is an entity devoted to the ethnic cleansing of all jews, and wherever we have seen that in a we have seen genocide, as well. their position when israel pulled out of gaza was to declare that tel aviv was also occupied and they were going to try and kill as many israelis as possible and kill them all until tel aviv was also under hamas control. caller: i would like to remain to remind the american people that the u.s. trained russians in afghanistan. so we have to look in the mirror to see why the current situation exists in the middle east. and i wonder, with respect to the china situation, they have a stranglehold on the economy when the united states no longer is able to buy chinese goods that cost 20 cents to produce because we no longer have the disposable income that we once did when the economy was booming, what do you think will happen? will china with barack? will lending start to tighten, -- will china withdraw? will lending tighten? i will take my answer off the air. guest: first, to th

hamas connection was feared, but we in the united states have chose not to accept that. to me, ahmadinejad has allowed the protest so far. the election campaign has been allowed. it seems that this election has appeared on israel to the best tank. and, you know a tank. if you take it to the confrontation, each in southern arabia, i don't think they allow more civil rights than what the present regime of iran has allowed. [inaudible] some people have died in the end. so long, these kind of protests and fighting are not allowed. but he has allowed so far. i think it is only politically correct to condemn everything they do. the election has not been the fairest but i think the minority -- the decided majority is keeping quiet. any young men who might have been 30%, 40% who are in the opposition, they're protesting so [inaudible] so that i think what happens is there are similar movements in the united states. [inaudibl [inaudible]. host: are we looking at something that could turn into major civil unrest? guest: it may. as far as i'm concerned, there are two or three thi

from pakistan and from hamas who have been used to crush people on the streets. so how many elements from outside coming in has a direct correlation on how they could utilize them and create more possibility. >> i would like to come back on a topic. i would like to know if you think that -- would you identify yourself, please? >> do you think that president obama's statement was forceful enough, and do you wish he would condemn more directly the reactions of the actual regime? >> as i said in my press conference, and this is not just directed to president obama, but to old world leaders. if we separate the issue of what could be argued or painted as interference from the issue of standing firm on the question of human rights violations, which there is no reason why this regime or any could object to the fact that why they are taking a strong stance on that, would make life easier for such heads of state to be able to say what we expect them to say, showing absolutely no remorse or any kind of caution when they stand firm on that question, separating one from the

hamas does have support among some palestinians. but they also have to recognize they have responsibilities to play a role in filling palestinian aspirations, to unify the palestinian people. hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements cannot recognize israel's right to exist. -- recognize israel's right to exist. israelis must it knowledge -- their right to exist cannot be denied, and neither can palestine's. the u.s. does not accept the legitimacy of continued israeli settlements. [applause] this construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. it is time for these settlements to stop. [applause] host: just part of the president's speech yesterday in cairo. victor is on the democrats' line from missouri. caller: good morning. i want to say i am really proud of my president. i think he is -- he has extended an olive branch and has done something that is long overdue, and using force first combat use -- instead of using force first he used diplomacy, and understanding and compassion

hamas has put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognized israel's right to exist. at the same time, israelis must acknowledge that just as their right cannot be denied, neither can palestine's. the united states is non -- does not accept the legitimacy of israeli settlements. [applause]

of their weapons to hamas were cut off and hezbollah was not a threat from the north. so the reopening of the ambassador is a very positive sign, positive sign that envoy former senator george mitchell was visiting. and this, i think, bodes well. the article i wrote in the washington quarterly some time ago sets forth in greater detail my views on the issue of dialogue. i note my colleague has come to the floor, so i will conclude my statement and yield the floor. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, harold koh of connecticut to be legal advisor of the department of state. mr. specter: madam president, may i regain the floor for a unanimous consent request? i've been asked on behalf of the democratic leader to ask consent that caroline mcneil, nay can keefer and stephanie -- nathan keefer and stephanie lewis be allowed privileges of the floor for the remainder of

an american flag was displayed alongside of of palestinian national flag and there was no green hamas flag inside. the next call is from south brooklyn, new york. caller: good morning. this show is very good overall. thank you. uc obama being careful with iran -- it will do only one thing. what is going on in iran right now -- obama is playing politics right now and is dangerous. asked the iraqi people who are rallying there now. do you like democratic? if they say yes, then they should accept the election. because when we have an election and the united states in the party wins, go ahead. the party who loses, if you do not like it, you do not go into the street. [unintelligible] host: before we run out of time a couple of other opinion pieces. "the wall street journal" puts it this way. the president yesterday denounced the extent of the fraud and a shocking in response of the running regime to public demonstrations. he says if ahmadinejad had made such progress why such violence? they show that the president who spoke these words was nicolas sarkozy of france. this is that the rebel

. >> as i believe, the government said they were going to do dohamas was elected --to do if hamas was elected. i think pretty clearly -- again, i'm finding myself in the uncomfortable position of being the bush administration's spokesperson for if you look at what was going to happen to u.s. aid were hamas to win in those elections -- again, helena, before i can even answer these i think you need to look at exactly what was said prior to the election and what was implemented as a jet -- as a direct relationship to that election. >> the vice president went to 11 on. >> i cannot say the people around the world do not listen to the news. >> the biggest thing to come out of the g-20 was the international monetary fund. the u.s. portion of that is now hung up in congress because republicans are calling it a global bailout and will not votes on a bill that has that im itf money on it. what does the white house wanted you to unstick this -- want to do to unstick this? the would have this separate from the worsening to see if you get it to pass that way? -- do you want to have this separate f

then jerry falwell, who wouldn't hurt a flee, was a menace, but the leaders of hamas, who believe that god has told them to slaughter all the jews and then the christians and then the gays, and infidels, they're ok. they just are reacting a little badly to the oppression of the israelis and of course, the americans being the. this is what warren churchill thinks, in that same essay where that appears, he tells you that america's business is exterminate willing minorities. in those words. well, that tells you what he thinks of mexicans who want to come here and they're so stupid, these mexicans, according to warren church him, i won't be misquoted on -- i will be misquoted on this, guarantee t they're so stupid they come to america. warren churchill is certifiable. but it took the university, spent a million dollars probably and they had to organize a panel. first of all, warren churchill was what? he was the chairman of his department. that means his whole department voted to hire him, even though he had no academic credential, he had an experimental college gave him an m.a. in communi

hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize israel's right to exist. at the same time, israelis must acknowledge that as it is real's right to exist cannot be denied, so must palestine's. [applause] this construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. it is time for these settlements to stoppe. host: part of the president's 55-minute speech yesterday in cairo. the tour is on the democrats' line from missouri. caller: good morning. i want to say i am proud of my president. he has extended an olive branch, and he has done something that is long overdue, sort of using instead of force first, using diplomacy, tactless, and understanding and compassion of all peoples -- using diplomacy -- i am a christian, but you believe what you want to believe because we have the right to believe. he wants to express that in the democracy way of our ideals. i think that christians need to know this and to honor him, not to look at him as a muslim because he is a christian. and i am so fed up with hearing about my fellow christians sayin

why was the government supporting hamas when iranians were suffering so much at home? why were they devoting resources to this militant group when iranians needed so much help and even things like bread and gas were becoming so expensive. and it reminded me of an experience i had back in 2006 and i was living in iran at the time and if you recall that year, israel and lebanon had at least a month-long confrontation of their border and basically hezbollah, the militant lebanese group and it's sort of wildly considered a war. and iran was a supporter and continues to be a supporter of hezbollah, of course, at the time and i remember there being the same constant tv footage of lebanese civilians suffering and of that war. and at the time iranians, i think, were quite resentful of that support. they were very sympathetic again towards the lebanese. i don't want to suggest that they are not sympathetic to the lebanese or the palestinians who suffered during these conflicts but they felt as though this was not iran's fight. and one morning i had gone to the bakery to buy fre

this outcome would do much to weaken the proxies of iran, hamas and as balad. this violence is directed in undermining not just israel but other governments in the region. there is little doubt that iran is engaged directly in a campaign to influence the development and direction of its neighbor to the west. iraq, are run trains and supplies groups trying to destabilize the elected iraqi government. through violence and attacks on iraqi security forces, government installations and officials. iran engages in more subtle forms of coercion in tended to shape the direction of the new iraq. the embrace of iraq by its fellow gulf states will help to contain the ambitions of iran. the iraqi people want to be your partners. given the challenges in the gulf and the rowdy of our run, you should wish to be theirs. the benefits of -- will be mutual. they want to play a constructive role. whether they can do so depends in substantial measure on the nations represented right here. for the better part of 60 years, the government of iraq has been a bad actor in the region, in

so taliban, hamas, al-qaeda. they didn't just pop out of nowhere. our own view of how the world works is completely amnesiac. you suddenly are presented with these. when you play those kinds of games that can come back and bite you in the ass. not to be too crude about it, but i think that is, you know, an important thing to bear in mind. we have to bring some sense of history to our understanding of what is going on now. yes. wait for the mic. >> i would like to know how you think obama can negotiate with the republicans who really are -- a think the reason that he is looking like a lion in terms of putting in troops is because he feels he has to placate a certain segment. the gatt and. mccain got 47 percent through popular vote. so how is he going to negotiate within his own country to get things that should be done done? >> i see this problem also. and i think this man is also in danger. he is in danger. and there is no doubt. to just say i am ready to speak to the taliban, i am ready to speak iran, a lot of courage. in this country where everybo

approach is historical and the honest broker, brokering the differences of israel and the forces, the hamas and all the rest who want to destroy israel. because israel is a salient of our values, in a dangerous and inhospital neighborhood, it seems that the united states is an ally of israel and gets many awards from that association. host: as we jump around about the policies in iran? guest: it's thrilling what is going on in iran. in the run-up of the election, twittering, i don't know the verb. twitting was important. when the ayatollah came back in 1969, he was using cassettes. the world moves, 30 years late we have internet and satellite dishes, purities have established of sealing out outside forces. socializing the people. it's impossible nowadays, simply impossible. furthermore the median age of iran is 25, they are not going to be governed indefinitely by medieval clerics. it's not going to happen, and we are saying what happened in philippines when marcos call for election from the senator from nevada. fed the election, and it was obviously fraudulent, and people came out and four

. >> does he have any plans to meet with anyone related to hamas? >> no. >> you say that the trial in north korea is continuing. how do you know that? >> is started yesterday. >> we did not even know of the trial has occurred. >> we were told this trial started yesterday. as far as we know, is continuing, but i did not of the status. >> a think the north koreans announced the trial is starting. >> de and know that that is the truth? >> i do not know. >> you have not been able to independently confirmed that it has started? >> i will take the question of what our understanding is about the status of the trial. >> de know what the charges are -- do you know what the charges are? >> i will take that question as well. >> you have any more informational whether these girls have a defense lawyer. >> they do have defense lawyers. >> are they providing any kind of read out to the swedish embassy? >> as you know, there has been some communication from the two journalists back to their families. >> one last thing on speculation concerning a visit -- >> i have

you can see with hezbollah and hamas. one woman got killed. it goes on and on and on. it seems to me -- i also wanted -- now that we're talking about -- even c-span. they got away with saying israel a few times. you cannot say israel and jew together in the same sentence or you get hung up on. they go out of the way to conduct these things. everything is intertwined. whoever has an agenda --. -- it goes up to the top office. it spills into the cia and everywhere. they go on these missions. we're build on a global capitalism system. it is going to keep happening. what obama does is called double he doesn't so nonchalantly. host: any thoughts? guest: not really. to the extent you're saying that the pro-israel community in the united states is pushing a set of policy ideas for an agenda that is not good for u.s. interests. there is much in that agenda i would disagree with. it does not serve u.s. interests well. i don't think it's accurate or helpful to talk about that in terms of conspiracy or some kind of illegitimate collusion among different people. it is a set of ide

thereby becomes more intractable, it's not going to help in our dealings with iran, because it directly hamas and hezbollah and others are involved. if we don't have any serious movement with iran, not necessarily movement with agreement, but movement on a set of negotiations in which some issues might move forward more rapidly than others, that is also going to create a more negative atmosphere in the middle east. i would say the two have interactive roles. it is an interactive process, both issues. a poisoned atmosphere, both issues are potentially dangerous and damaging. >> to what extent do you think the friction over settlements that is developing in the last few days, especially, will constrain to any extent the obama administration in terms of their post-iranian election engagement activities? >> i don't think it will limit its either way. what it has done, however, is it has elevated one specific issue into a policy issue. because the rest of his speech, there's nothing in it that is precisely binding or is precisely a clear-cut test. but this issue is cut precisely. he has put to the

. >> rob: johnny lab none, 41 starts, detwiler, his fifth start, jordan zimmer hand hamas nine starts in the big leagues, cy he has 15, the other four. so the others don't have as many as johnny lannan. so you know when i came up i had, you know, phil gull lick son was at the major league level, you had ron robinson, tom browning had been there for many years, tom franklin had been there for many years, our pitching coach years late would be don argue lick. even the griffey seniors and dave collins and joel youngblood and guys like this, they can help you with your psyche and that's the most difficult thing i think for these young kids is when they have an issue don't always want to go to the pitching coach and go "you know what, i'm not that confident in this pitch," you don't want to be telling steve mccaty all that stuff, sometimes a teammate, it's easier to bounce it off him. i did that with joel youngblood, my first full year. i was struggling, i didn't want to go to pete rose and go "pete, i can't get them out, what do i do exactly?" >> johnny: phillips has a bead on this one an

the fact that he has not rejected hamas and out wright as a terrorist organization, i think indicates that he wants to take the issue in a different direction. although the conventional wisdom is that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, i think the man does seem to be very serious about what he wants to achieve. not because he loves the palestinians or the israelis, but he says that he has america's best interest at heart. he sees a resolution of that contract -- the conflict. host: can president obama really bridge the gap? do the people have to? guest: the israelis and the palestinians, obviously, have a very major role to play since they are basically the main people concerned with this. nothing that is going to happen between the israelis and palestinians is going to happen outside of the american context. the united states is obviously a very close ally of israel. it has always supported israel very strongly. it has always sought the best interest of israel materially and morally, the united states is supporting the israeli side. president obama is saying that he also want

this kind of money, twice, five, 10 times that amount, to some hezbollah family in lebanon or some hamas member in palestine while he is starting, those priorities are not in the interest of their own people. people know that. people are celebrating making yellowcake? how about celebrating keeping us from starving? if you trust the iranian people, and we shoin

or under hamas and hezbollah to bomb is true. host: that will about due for this morning's program. we will be back tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. eastern for 3 hours of conversation and your calls. hope you have a great day. ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2009] . .

he talked about has block, a loss -- has a lot, hamas, and ahmadinejad and this is right below what's -- hezbollah. what about foreign country raping? you don't tell like it is. guest: i am not sure what his point is. he obviously does not like what the united states foreign policy is. but i am not clear on his particular spirit host: a comet saying -- host: this is a comment -- explain costa rica's unique government. guest: coaster rica should be a model for the rest of central america and foreign policy in the region -- coaster rate cut should be a model. that is why i pointed to militarization of central america. the emphasis of narcotics interdiction, that those two policies have cost central america great wit. we have one or real statesmen in central america, and that is the president of costa rica. i think in the rest of central america, we have a new president of el salvador that shows great promise. but in guatemala, the 40% of the territory is under in the control of narcotics dealers, the government does not run in that area of what's ramallah. honduras has been foundering b

given that hamas won elections in gaza, this president seemed to put a broader focus on creating liberal institutions. judiciary, women's rights, creating the foundation for our elections. words are similar, a think there were definitely some major differences as well. host: we're spending much of the morning getting reaction to the president's speech in cairo yesterday. our guest is david makovsky. good morning. caller: good morning to david. thank you for c-span. today, i listened to the entire speech. i listened to the whole speech from the beginning to the end. the reason i want to call today is i feel very close to the palestinian issue. i was born a year after 1948. we were moved from a major palestinian cities. they were moved in a sense -- removed in a systematic way. most of us ended up in refugee camps. some of my family came back with the help of the red cross. i was born in 1950. the city overnight turned into a jewish city. yesterday, the president -- which i'm very proud of -- he alluded to the issue of the palestinians by saying that we have a just cause. he said that we w

i don't want to hear someone talk about hamas. bring the members on to speak for themselveses. we're not children. give us an opportunity to hear the palestinian, jordanian side, syrian, et cetera. so we can have the opportunity to judge for ourselves, our tax dollars. our children are put in the conflict in the middle east. you should focus on africa and cuba. give us other perspectives to see other opportunities. host: we will take your request into consideration. guest: i can understand your caller's concern in regards to why i'm here today has to do with the fact that there is somewhat of a crisis in a given part of the world. i think the one point that i would make, maybe not directly related to the caller's concern, there is a great deal of thought about change in iran and whether how far the change is going to go. i doubt that there are that many people that expect, as i have seen or suggested that there is a good time that the regime is vulnerable and may be a good time to change the regime and all. i want to caution to the degree that the regime is going to take place.