to convince the court that the obama administration really does have some evidence of criminality and that they are not completely operating outside of the law that at least they are now pursuing sanctions within the sphere of the judicial system and then i think the other aspect of it is that one of the concerns that the obama administration has is that at the many government succeeds in detaining and finding and then detaining all aki they've essentially already said that because the law is a you many citizen he's also with us today and he has dual citizenship that the men he's don't intend to turn him over to the united states and so by criminally charging him and indicting him that i think they they think bolsters their hand to seek extradition from the him any government and demand that he be sent to the united states the reality is that they're still trying to kill him this is not in lieu of trying to kill these criminal charges just in addition to as they continue to search for him in order to drop a drone missile on asserted yeah that's what i love is they're like just in case

administration and that discussion between president obama and. president medvedev on w t o started in the context of their discussions over start so what i think we're really talking about here is not an old cold war issue but process a new opportunity after all the expectations and disappointments in the u.s. russia relationship before a decade or more to really move this relationship to a win win situation rather than the kind of. contrarian problems that we've had in the past that's what's at stake here i mean time what do you think and then add one thing it's not just the republicans yes there are enemies of an improved u.s. russia relationship in the united states but the point also has to be made that there are enemies of an improved u.s. russia relationship also in russia and and i think this agreement by getting this agreement ratified we will open the doors for greater cooperation in the future ok if i go to you i mean i would like to repeat the question the republicans willing to throw away all of the improvements that we've seen in thi

administration by signing this executive order they're still saying that they fully uphold the idea that some people need to be indefinitely day detained tough luck we're going to keep you forever and obama actually made a statement about this when he was asked about it a press conference today i want to listen to the clip there. of the fronts one of the toughest problems is what to do with people that we know are dangerous that we know are. having gauged in terrorist activity or proclaimed enemies of the united states but because of the manner in which they were originally captured the circumstances right after nine eleven in which they are interrogated it becomes difficult to try them whether in a article three court or in a. military commission. so he's essentially admitting here sorry because we captured you and then we tortured you all of which was illegal that's why i will never let you go well i think you've hit the nail exactly on the head how is it that we know that these people are dangerous is that because they were tortured and then allegedly confessed well facts the cas

defense strategy when viewed in the context of the obama administration's nuclear security summit last spring when over forty countries came together to look at the problem of trying to control the spread of dangerous nuclear materials and technology. if this treaty is not ratified to use the word you used at the outset of this program is it's going to represent a step back we need to remember that non-nuclear nations especially signatories to the nuclear proliferation treaty negotiated in the late one nine hundred sixty s. see a link between efforts on the part of nuclear powers to reduce their arsenals on the one hand and they're continuing to abide by the nonproliferation treaty on the other so i think the failure of start would be would undermine the credibility of the united states and i would argue. other countries other nuclear countries in trying to dampen down incentives for nuclear proliferation in fact i would go so far as to argue that the two countries that would welcome the non ratification of start would be north korea and iran because it would give them simply more argu

obama's plan is higher than any other plan put forward by any administration democratic or republican that shoot issue or republicans on the hill so i think the administration has an extremely good case to make in the next few days to get the senate to approve the ok ambassador burns what's the if we keep mixing in why the republicans are against is a lot has been said since the last time you spoke so go ahead prioritize react go ahead well i will what what what what i would say is just very briefly and it's probably i think the one most important aspect of this agreement that hasn't been discussed today and that is the fact that this agreement is the cornerstone of what i believe has become a very productive relationship between president obama and president medvedev i think the fact that they were able to reach agreement on start which whether it go harkens back to the cold war or it doesn't it's still seen as very important to both sides national security establishments it's open the door to a very intense relationship between the two presidents it's led to agreements. on afghanist

the judge said, yeah this thank is a defense the obama administration offered here, but that doesn't mean that congress has the power to violate another part of the constitution, to do something necessary and proper to carry out the health care law, i think that is a controversial part of his ruling. you are right there are 24 lawsuits, the obama administration has won two, another in virginia and michigan, one argued this week in florida, so, going to have more of these coming, the one in florida is a big aggregation of republican officials, attorneys jones from other states and that will be another big one to watch. >> pete, very quickly, the government's defense on the mandate and the penalty if you didn't buy health insurance did they end up defending it as a tax so that basically by saying, well, look, the federal government has the power of taxation? >> that's right. the president initially said this suspect a tax but when it came time to argue this in court, the government said here is another reason why this is defensible. congress has very road brood power to tax, tax almost

the obama administration is correct, it has helped improve u.s. strategic cooperation in general on other issues. while it can be critiqued here and there, he has done a very good job on specific points. it is generally solid and tough that i don't worry about the loopholes allowing one side to increase their forces and not worried about how one particular way could be constrained because the overall possibilities are generally run wide open for american and russian consideration. i am interested in seeing that u.s.-russian relations are much improved, and this is not a critique of how u.s.-russian relations were handled under george w. bush. i agree with president bush about his approach to arms control, to say that the strategic details shouldn't matter anymore the way they used to. let's do a treaty and agree among inhuman to reduce forces, we don't need to verification, we don't need the lengthy consultations. unfortunately, it did not really seem to work in the sense that it improve the relationship dramatically. and also felt it was losing a

. >>> talks between the obama administration and congressional leaders resume today on extending the bush-era tax cuts. it now appears likely some sort of deal will be reached. meanwhile, the house votes today on legislation that would extend just the middle-class tax breaks. whit johnson is in washington with the details on all of this. good morning, whit. >> betty, good morning. more political posturing on capitol hill. today's house vote just another example of that. the real tax cut negotiations are going on in a place more familiar to lawmakers, behind closed doors. republicans and democrats appear closer to striking a deal on extending bush-era tax cuts. >> we are not going to raise taxes on anybody. the only thing we're discussing now is just how long that extension will be. >> reporter: officials close to the negotiations say a one to three-year extension for all americans is becoming increasingly likely. still, that isn't stopping house democrats from trying to push through their proposal today. it would extend cuts for individuals making less than $200,000 and couples makin

we will be watching closely as well as the obama administration. thank you so much, wolf. >>> we are following other important stories here in "the situation room" including the ceo summit and details of president obama's efforts to mend fences with the business community and help the economy. >>> plus, incredible bravery as a gunman takes a school board hostage. we have dramatic video of the crisis and its chilling end. three. two. one. ♪ don't cha wish your work phone was hot like me?... ♪ the droid pro by motorola knows you need business on the go. with its powerful 1 gigahertz processor... ♪ da da da don't cha... ♪ its globetrotting wi-fi hotspotting swagger... it knows you want a rich web experience with adobe flash and access to over 100,000 android apps. finally a work phone worth taking home. [ male announcer ] you know her. we know diamonds. together we'll make her holiday. that's why only zales is the diamond store. where you can get up to $1,000 off now through sunday. >>> no surprise that congress is on jack cafferty's radar tod

the obama administration allocated $90 billion are dollars. only about 25% of this program's graduates have found green jobs. whether in energy, recycling industry or sustainable landscape design. >> going to go through training and accept what jobs come. >> analysts say the obama administration was ambitious to thing 5 million jobs could be created short term. in two years, 225,000 green jobs materialized a quarter of all public investment jobs created. >> the reason for slow growth in green jobs in that the the induy was very small and it's hard to make it create jobs. >> also government subsidies to get industry greener are short term when industry prefers long term commitment. a major reason solar energy isn't spurring more jobs is states like florida are cash strapped and they kill their generous homeowner rebates for solar panels. >> in a tough economy, the least expensive option prevails. right now fossil fuels remain cheaper than going green. in miami, phil keating, fox news. >> rahm emanuel's fight to be mayor of chicago puts him on t

the obama administration had argued that -- that's a false way to look at it. there's no such thing as someone who is completely outside, because if you choose not to buy insurance, you're eventually going to get sick, you're going to get hit by a bus, an anvil will fall on you, something. and you can't stay outside. you will eventually be part of this and therefore this is a false choice. but he rejected that argument. now, thrfers a fallback. the obama administration had said, well, ok, it's not really commerce clause power. it's taxing power. and here, they had a little stronger argument, because congress does have very broad power to tax almost anything. the judge said, well, i agree with what the president said initially when he was asked about this. it's not a tax. he said, you know, even though they stuck it in the tax code, look at it, it's really a penalty and not a tax. and by the way, virginia had argued, how can you tell it's not a tax? because if everybody follows the law, it doesn't raise any money at all. the tax was a penalty. if you didn't buy

it is one of the weaknesses of the obama administration that just got weaker. >> this is "bbc news". richard holbrooke, the u.s. diplomat and special representative to afghanistan and pakistan has died in washington. he was 65. president obama's said the u.s. lost a true giant in american foreign policy and made ththat e the country safer and more respected. they are almost certain man who set off -- almost set off bombs in afghanistan was a swedish national. he planned to targeted a railway station. the bomb he was wearing that needed to sin. >> the face of the swedish bomb plot. a man who had spent close to a decade living in britain. today, questions about what lay behind his attack. on saturday, a car registered to him exploded in stockholm. moments later, he was found dead following a second explosion. a suicide bomber but one who had failed to kill anyone else. police raided his house last night. his family was still living there. neighbors said they had not seen him for nearly a month. >> i was very shocked when i came home. they were very scared. they could not go to sleep. >

administration has taken an even tougher stance making it very clear where they stand on the issue of marijuana and a letter to former administrators of the attorney general eric holder stated the d.o.j. strongly opposes prop nineteen and said if voters in california do choose to vote for full legalization the federal government will vigorously enforce federal law they're not even the only ones pushing for threats l.a. county sheriff lee baca said that even if the prop ass's. they will have it will have no effect on their actions and they are not going to change their stance on criminalising so clearly this raises a lot of questions regarding resources allegiance legality but i think what stands out the most is that the government is already warning that the will of the people of the we are discussing with me is matt welch editor in chief of reason magazine thanks so much for coming back i mean well first i guess let's start with the obama administration does this just make it more obvious than ever that they have a firm stance on marijuana i wish that all of my democratic friends wou

as you've probably heard by now last night richard holbrooke the obama administration's special representative to afghanistan and pakistan. he suffered a torn aorta and despite going through a surgery that lasted more than twenty hours he could not recover now according to members of his family some of holbrooke's last words were to his pakistani surjit reportedly he said you've got to stop this war in afghanistan and the washington post is claiming that was said in jest which perhaps makes it all the more point that a dying man knew that no matter what he said this war will go on this morning obama held a meeting with his war cabinet finalizing the review of the war strategy in afghanistan which will be released on thursday and he lott and holbrooke as a giant of u.s. diplomacy we have to wonder if in praising holbrooke obama or anybody else in his war cabinet will remember those final words to stop the war when general david petraeus now in charge doesn't seem so realistic not only has he made statements in the past it he sees an american presence in afghanistan for generations but under his

federal judge in virginia struck down a key provision of obama's administration health care legislation saying the provision exceeds the constitutional boundary of power. he is well within authority to pass the bill since the cost of the uninsured translate to interstate economic activity. >> reporter: a federal judge's decision in virginia could put the president's signature program on life support. >> this case is not about health insurance. it's not about health care. it's about liberty. the judge said as much in his order. >> reporter: judge henry hudson ruled the federal government mandate forcing individuals to buy health insurance unconstitutional. >> if we cross this line with health care now, this unconstitutional line where the government can force us to buy a private product and say it's for our own good, then we're giving the government to force us the power to buy other products, cars, gym memberships. >> reporter: the white house response, virginia's decision is a minority view with judges having dismissed 13 earlier lawsuits against the law. >> we're confident it is const

but the obama administration will have to move forward without one of their key top experts. so what is ahead for the united states warriors and diplomats trying to secure the united states interest in this very volatile but important reach? matt lewis is a blogger with politicsdaily.com. i want to start with you. we're just eight months away from the july deadline when we start to bring down some of the troops, hopefully to finish by 2014 according to the current plan. if you're the fly on the wall that during this discussion this morning, what do you think they're talking about? scramble time or the opportunity to make a change here? >> well, i think the administration is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't position. on the one hand i think the american public is becoming increasingly skeptical about the mission and why we're still there and skeptical about karzai, the leader in afghanistan. but if we leave the area, you have afghanistan and pakistan that could fall apart, which we can't afford. so i can't imagine how they move forward. but richard holbrooke's final

do you want yours fast tracked and why would the obama administration not want that? >> i don't know why they wouldn't want it other than they are not too excited about getting there so fast while the issue is still so hot. we want to -- the states have all talked about it, all of -- all 20 of us we want to wait and see how judge vincent's rule reads. for most of us, and me personally, it would be nice to see it fast tracked to the supreme court. i don't know what the justice department's thinking may be. it is premature to judge it on that score. i'd like to know how this judge rules on severability after he rules on medicaid and individual mandate argument. judge hudson had a very narrow ruling on this subject. we may get a much different ruling in this court. we have to wait and see about the fast track part. most of us think it needs to be decided sooner rather than later. >> greta: attorney general, thank you. oh how i wish we had cameras in the courtroom so we could watch, thank you sir. next, the best of the rest. brutally raw video of a high school basketball

he served in the obama administration as the u.s. special representative for afghanistan. and was putting the finishing touches on a major report on american military and diplomatic efforts in afghanistan that was due to be released on thursday. richard holbrooke was 69 years old. >>> a virginia judge today struck down part of president obama's health care reform legislation as unconstitutional. ruling that the government cannot force people to buy insurance. nbc bay area's elis kirshner has more. >> reporter: while not invalidating the entire health care law, a judge took issue with one of the provisions, by requiring that individuals buy health insurance. virginia's republican attorney general filed the challenge and today applauded the ruling. >> this case is not about health insurance, it is not about health care, it's about liberty. >> reporter: the white house is likely to quickly appeal. >> we're confident that it is constitutional, and quite frankly, of the three courts that have rendered decisions on this question, two have ruled in our favor. >> reporter: pointin

why is the obama administration following on the professionaeaa or pan. professionals who canceled the monill about freedom mmuto 2006. [applause] >> i am not grytng to defend th boama feamiheystration. >> we are advocating a containment pan. re gome change policy but that s what it is. i will just srd this is not really a defense of the obama administration, regime change is extremely difto raddlt. i am all in favor of it the intelligeinwe ageneaa where we used to work, hates it passionately and we fight it dgregedlica and enormous amounts of attention and muscle to make this thing move. i am in fae. i have no illusions about it getting off the groun lo htmuert action takes a time. you need to build ud.a cfeare that knows something. they always fight programs where thill actually have to knomue something. it will be an extremely dior >> you can take a $200 million -- [talking muer each other] ä o > i will be very pe in fnap bec i can't resist. the ns wheber of times in my lifetime that i agreed with tim zimmerman are few so i have to say i agree with hi

now the obama administration has made a decision to step back from trying to persuade israel to freeze settlement expansion. you have called that sensible. why? >> because i think we need to find a way forward now that gives both parties confidence that we can have a negotiation that actually succeeds. and in the meantime, we've got to push ahead and create the change on the ground that's going to make a real difference in the lives of palestinians and also provide the israelis with the assurances they require on security. so you know, we've hit an impasse. it's a problem, but we've got to find a way through. >> larry: but that decision, where does it leave efforts for peace talks? it sounds status quo again. >> well, i think that there's still a lot that's going to go on. one of the interesting things that's happening in the middle east right now and in the israel/palestine situation, the leadership of the prime minister, with the full authority of the president, with the palestinian authority, they've been doing some really good things on the west bank in these past few years. they'v

and his ability to convince his fellow democrats in congress of the obama administration's plan. biden, of course, went back and forth with members of his own party last week taking a more prominent and influential role as president obama nears a crucial point in his presidency. "the new york times" reports republicans are still assessing how powerful a player he will be as the white house adapts to a divided government. but in both parties he's seen if nothing else as someone well positioned to shuttle between congress and the west wing. the president, senator christopher dodd says needs the wide network because he just doesn't have the personal relationship joe has or as agenda weine rut it, he brings everything that rahm emanuel brings but the major difference is everyone likes joe biden. president obama has had republicans over, bill clinton over, now he'll call in business leaders to repair some damage there. in an effort to win support for economic policies, the president reaching out to the country's corporate chief executive. on wednesday the president will host a summit

administration's agenda but you know it's worth saying that the best majority of americans don't. i believe that you can see that you should majorities of americans most of story ins will say and then big u.s. flee the civil war was about slavery now the days of slavery are now long gone but you know you have over the past week we've had prison strikes going on in georgia where prisoners have refused to work because well they get paid nothing for his work and so they're saying you know that's a violation of the thirteenth amendment of the constitution because they're essentially are being treated like slaves do you see that situation that way i really sympathize with the georgia prisoners but the thirteenth amendment also says that piques option is for people who have been imprisoned in so that they're not being paid for their work or being paid very small amounts isn't actually one torture that actually they're paid nothing right now in other states i know that they pay you know a certain amount sometimes maybe they give you a dollar for your work a day but here these people abso

the obama administration says they want the company to be held liable for the damage caused by the blow and spill. >>> the panel that would be redrawing california's legislative and congressional district is now taking shape. they were chosen today. the first were chosen last month. the traces include two democrats, two republicans, and two from either major parties. they will be ready for the 2012 election. >>> you know it's true, a bet is a bat. the mayor of the hometown of the texas rangers came to the bay area to make good on his wager with gavin newsom. this time the winners were some young baseball players. mike mibach reports. >> reporter: the stands were packed, players in place. the coaches were ready to coach. >> leadership is important. everybody should be a leader. >> reporter: this is robert cluck, mayor of arlington, texas. he made a bet that if the rangers lost the world series he would fight to san francisco, put on a giant orange and coached a game. -- coach a game, and he did just that. >> i love san francisco. >> i feel like you are biting your tongue a bit. >> not re

a key component of the obama administration plan. cuccinelli argued sch a mandate violated the constitution that it is an overreap of power. judge hudson agreed. cuccinelli calls the ruling a vktry for virginians while the congressman who voted in faye of the legislation called the ruling purely political. >> this case is not about health insurance. it is not about health care. it is about liberty. the judge said as much in husband order. >> henry hudson is a republican pointee. this has become very politicized but i would rely upon the court of appeals to make an unpolitical objective decision. when they do so, no doubt they're going to upheld to constitutionalitof the health care law. >> the congressman said the next step would be the court of appeals. though some repubcans are pushing for an expedited appeal that would bypass that case. ere is time. th requirement to purchase health care insurance doesn't begin until 2014. >>> meanwhile scol lunches will soon be healthier a more students in need will be able to eat for free. today

the obama administration has very little, it's not a program. i think it's been to their detriment because when you got money from the government rg you knew that you, your wife, your kids, your village, your neighborhood, whatever it was knew ha that one had come from the government. you knew that the government was actually doing something for you. right now we have almost 10% unemployment, and nobody feels the government's doing anything for them. the answer is, i think you would need -- and again, i'm no economist -- some kind of serious job programs. retraining frames tend to lead to jobs. you'd need the kind that we really haven't had in this country, and it would have to involve the military because you down size the military, you do have people out of work. >> should i let him go first? >> he's had two. >> all right. i think we have, like, unofficial military bases in georgia -- >> yes. >> i'm just curious as to why we couldn't stop russia from invading. >> i don't think it was ever an option. i mean, i don't think it was ever -- i don't

she says the obama administration is trying to stop her and the tea party movement. >> the movement has to continue, to set the -- keep the politicians accountable. and that's what i want to continue to do. and that's what they're trying to stop with all these phony investigations. >> reporter: after three, failed runs, it's not clear there's a movement to stop. >> there's no doubt that christine o'donnell wants to be a player in the political scene, for the foreseeable future. the real question is whether she will be able to do it. >> reporter: o'donnell says she'll continue her movement with a book and a political action committee. o'donnell even accused the vice president of complicity, saying he was the king of the delaware political establishment. and adding, in a statement, so, it's no surprise that misuse and abuse of the fbi would not be off the table. rob and mike? >>> when we newsback, good news about the nation's employment situation. just as we're all about ready to start paying more at the pump. >>> and they're getting ready for the big party to welcome in the new year. ton

later, women defense officials from the bush and obama administration's will talk about their experiences. in january, there will be eight members of the u.s. house from the state of florida. one of them is republican sandy atoms from the 24th district -- sandy adams from the 24th district. she is a deputy county sheriff and air force veteran. she deferred -- defeated the incumbent, 59% to 49%. -- 41%. another incoming representative is david rivera, a native of brooklyn, representing the 25th congressional district, covering part of the miami metro area and the florida keys. the new congress convenes on january 5, with live coverage on c-span. >> florida will gain a couple of new seats during the redistricting. most of the places that will gain seats lean to the gop. according to "the christian science monitor", there are 12 seats in flux. of the winners, six are considered politically conservative. according to the cook partisan voting index. now, a discussion are and how the constitution is being interpreted by today's politicians, judges, and the public. the bill of rights institute 9

he also gave an admission to the obama administration saying -- gave an admonition to the obama administration saying this ruling is now what stands. >> you can't provide people with preexisting conditions much more problematic. denying people health care with preexisting conditions only works as a rubric if everybody is buying a policy. if they don't have to the deal falls apart it becomes extraordinarily expensive for the individuals who buy policies because insurance companies raise rates. >> we have to get back to earlier discussions. when we started this discussion three years ago, two years ago, it was about the uninsured. nobody in this country does not get seen. if you have a preexisting condition and you go to the hospital they are not going to turn you away the question is, do we force people to buy insurance so they can make sure they have the coverage ahead of time? it is unconstitutional. >> sean: what's the political fall out? >> it hurts the president. the pub for repeal gets emboldened. it probably doesn't succeed because of the senate. but makes those who block funding of impl

administration and by killing this treaty they want first to kill the reset. and the start treaty is the major symbol of the reset and second which is more important they want to show a bomber as a weak president as a president who can't you know guarantee the fulfillment of the camino the commitments that the because mate they want to undermine our bombers credibility worldwide not only russia killing start treaty it will undermine obama's critics among all the contras american allies both in the europe and asia that he will show as a weak president and his chances for re-election will be reduced this is the real thinking behind the republican opposition is that parity mix of ideology may to possible. talking of the time now the senate is expected to vote on tuesday but that it's only on ending discussions around the how do you think about voting is going to pan out well i think this will it will be affirmative i'm in positive because as far as i know according to the procedure only ratification requires quality majorities which is sixty seven of these tuesda

in fact, a recent state department report issued by the tko*epld said -- by the obama administration said not withstanding the implementation of start, a significant number of long-standing compliance issues that have been raised in the start treaty's joint compliance and inspection commission remain unresolved. defense. i am also concerned that proposals under the new start treaty may restrict u.s. missile defense capabilities which could threaten our national security. now, mr. president, of all the concerns that have been raised, i think this is the most important. it also is part of the amendment that we are going to consider this afternoon. russia and the united states each issued unilateral statements when they signed new start that clarified their position on the relationship between start and missile defenses. the official russian statement said the treaty can operate and be viable only if the united states refrains from developing its missile capabilities quantitatively or qualitatively. contrary to claims by the obama administration that missile defense will not be negative

russia arms control treaties is a more dangerous world the obama administration is going out of its way to have the deal ratified the president's arguably major foreign policy chief meant is on the line not only does the start cut nuclear arsenals of both countries by a third it's also seen as a symbol of trust between the two nuclear superpowers russia has cooperated with us on critical issues to our national security like iran sanctions transit to supply our troops in afghanistan working on securing loose nuclear materials and the relationships and trust that are built from the new start treaty spill over into a whole host of other national security issues that are of vital importance to america the shoe of trust and america's reputation globally was addressed by the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee every senator has an obligation to ask that question of themselves over the course of these next days are we a credible partner. can other nations rely on us what happens when the present united states negotiates a treaty and he comes back here and the rest of the world s

and has continued through the obama administration. it was a failure of what i think cyberexperts would say we didn't even practice cyber101 security and how this database was set up, how it was managed and how people were provided access to it. >> what kind of change to you recommend in the international community? >> i think we are going to have to go back and take a look at the next congress is going to have to take a look at the whole issue of cyber. number one how do we secure our databases and make sure we get the right information to the right people and then we will have to take a look at whether there has to be new criminal procedures, laws developed so that when breaches like this to occur that the people that are responsible and the chain of events that gets this information public and widely distributed, whether there needs to be more accountability and criminal liability for some of the people in that food chain. >> after this is done do you feel that our intelligence gathering in the world is irreparably harmed by this? >

administration's main foreign policy achievements started flash russian and american deployed nuclear arsenals by a third signed by president dmitri medvedev and barack obama in april it needs to be ratified by both the american senate and the russian duma it's a race against time for the democrats lose control of the senate to republicans in january after last month's elections they currently need at least nine republican votes to pass the treaty about it's now thirty senators personally urging them to bank this deal and we're now joined live by joe rubin from national security network think tank in washington mr ben thank you very much indeed for your time so this senate is to vote and choose down the motion to end the debate what do you think is likely to happen. well it looks like the republicans are starting to trickle in for their support for the treaty we think that the numbers when folks around washington. are looking like there will be enough to pass this week and russian says there should be no amendments to the start treaty yet republicans are trying to introduce some inclu

trade policy has been on a prolonged hiatus since the obama administration came in. i welcome the move to revive it and get the korean trade agreement moving forward but it is worth noting that these agreements, if we are going to confine the discussion by what you get by 2015, these agreements take awhile to pass and then to implement and to have an -- and in effect. it has slowed a certain degree of market opening. is the korean agreement a good thing in the long run? absolutely. it could be $10 billion or $11 billion in u.s. exports. the goal is to go from $1.50 trillion to $3 trillion so $11 billion is good. there are hurdles to moving beyond that. grant talked about the idea of a better commercial policy, better export promotion. the theory behind how this might work -- the advocates who have spoken about the nei and the potential for doing this will point out that if you look at the distribution of exports and the sectors where the u.s. does reasonably well, you will find some are only a fraction of the firms within a sector are exporting. they see this as indi

bill: there are new questions about the obama administration's handling of this threat as the website releases thousands of secret diplomatic documents. the attorney general eric holder announcing a government crackdown on websites that sell counterfeit designer purses. >> pretty serious stuff. bill: so is the justice department letting wickileaks run wild? our panel weighs in on that straight ahead. it is the holiday season. you get bargains on canal street. -- martha: and we talk to a congresswoman about that juxtaposition. >>> just when it looks like we might start to see bipartisan action, we're going to get a vote most likely today, folks, and it is expected to get very heated -- heated. will it sandbag is chance for the bush tax cuts? will time run out? we're going to ask dana perino. bill: chilling calls from a student holding other students and a teacher at gunpoint. bill: there is a big showdown expected today over the bush-era tax cuts, this coming as republican leaders in the white house were trying to hammer out a bipartisan compromise. all signs seem to be pointing to a p

eastern, a forum on african-americans and the current economy and the obama administration, with the national urban league president and a former president. at 9:30 p.m., "2 n/a." -- q&a." after that, a jamestown foundation discussion on terrorism threats in pakistan and afghanistan. that is at 10:30 p.m. eastern. >> you know, the senate is often called the most exclusive club in the world. but i wonder really if it is so exclusive. if someone from a town of 300 people and a high school senior class of nine students can travel from a desk at the that small school to a desk on the floor of the u.s. senate. >> search for farewell speeches and hear from retiring senators on the c-span video library, with every c-span program since 1987. more than 160,000 hours, all on line, all free. is washington your way. >> watch "book tv"all this week in prime time. tonight, with your phone calls and they look back at the year in books. also from this year's national book festival, the former first lady on her memoir. then, tony blair, the longest serving labor party prime minister, on his memoir. "