She was doing, over 80 votes. So there is bipartisan support for mainstream people as penny said. They have one agenda for the country. Get some trade going. Harry reid after the state of the union when the president now five years in row said we need trade, next day harry reid says not in this senate youre not. So there are things where the president need to Work Together. Real quickly, basically, as a parent, you take care of your children at adolescent age. They become teenage, find their own identity, go to college, theyre 30 or 40 years old now. Let them make decisions. They will make them. Harry reid is not your parent. To be very fair to harry reid, harry reid would accept the following deal in a second. Which . Up or down majority on anything in the senate. Up or down on majority vote anything in the house. In the house we have not had vote on minimum wage increase. Vote on Immigration Reform bill, vote or equal pay for equal work, havent had a vote on lots of things that American Public overwhelmingly supports. Majority vote in the senate. Majority wins. Majority vote in the house. Harry reid would even on bills that would embarass the white house . Whether something on obamacare . Something on Keystone Pipeline . 53 times on keystone. President would veto bill. Would he allow a bill allowed would embraer asker the white House Democrats would vote for would get majority . I think he would accept the deal i just talked about, which is Speaker Boehner agrees to majority votes in the house. Majority votes in the senate. So part of this is the way constitution is written. History of the country. Senate was set in a way with 60vote thresholds so people asked to vote in the senate do so for proposals that need bipartisan support, to keep things getting done in the things that mainstream america would look for. Not things on one extreme or other. Why for treaties you need 67 votes. Why you need 60. Idea of nomination was supposed to be 3 5 so you got nominees like the secretary of commerce, like senator you made a perfect argument. We havent had a vote yet on Surgeon General who was nominated 13 months ago during the ebola crisis. We dont have a Surgeon General because even with 55 democrats in the senate, harry reid cant get 51 because this nominee is so off the mainstream and so wrong for the job. Senator, you must, you made the best argument why the house should vote on every bill that comes out of the senate. Because the bills that come out of the senate, as you say, they have to get that supermajority vote. Whereas the bills you mentioned in the house, yes you had some democrats but we dont have the supermajority requirement. So they dont meet that same test. So the Immigration Reform is exhibit a. It met all the tests you just said. Speaker boehner wont let it come to a vote. So because of the differences between the senate and house, which you described, there is no excuse not to have a vote in the house on bills that passed the senate. I know we can go back and forth but let me just say can we end with one positive thing . Time is almost up. Everyone will say for all those people, this election doesnt matter, i feel frustrated, washington is broken, can you give us optimism whether the state or whether from anywhere . Very quickly anyone wants to stand up and say this is why im glad im in congress, this is why everybody should vote . I think most underreported story around health care, most overreported story the Affordable Care act. Most underreported story is incredible progress being made in states across the country to transform the way we deliver and pay for health care, moving away from feeforservice model. And i just, i think the implications are going to be profound and i think in the end, in terms of what really matters to people in their home communities, is that work and think it is incredibly positive. Lots of states are laboratories of democracy. Lots of different experiments going on in states across the country. Well learn from each other. We dont care by the way if good idea is from democratic governor or republican governor. We care about what works. Were still the hope of the world. Only country can fix what is wrong in a democracy and Work Together and can do that. My dad was in the battle of bulge. Had to quit at ninth grade because of the depression. He always said, john, thank god you live in america. You dont know how fortunate you are. Thank you very much you all. Thank you, amy. Thank you guys. Another speaker was defense secretary chuck hagel. He described the process for troops returning from west africa. And relations with china. This is 20 minutes. Thank you. Lets start off with one bit of news. Tell me what the significance of that is. Morning igned nice this morning was a memorandum in isponse to the memorandum received from the chairman and the chiefs yesterday to go forward with a policy of essentially a 21 date incubation for our men and women returning from west africa. That policy was put in place by the chief of staff of the army. His associates. Was, give me the operational specifics of how that would work and then i believe we should review that policy within 45 days. Military willhe have more americans in liberia than any other department that is number one number two our people are younger. The cohorts are different. They are not volunteers. Policy that was discussed in great detail by the communities. By the families. Of our military men and women. They want a safety valve. What the directive says. That is the news of the day. Lets talk about the broader picture. Steve mentioned all the parts the world where things are concerning. Could you give us a brief picture of how dangerous this time in history is . When will we see some and to these wars . Afghanistane war in and iraq. I think we are living through one of these historic defining times. We are seeing a new world order union. Viet the questions about American People and our leaders. Whats the role of america in this new world that is evolving . Should we have a role . What is appropriate . And the inventory of issues that steve mentioned coming onto the stage with you, and your question, gives us some snapshot into what we are all dealing with. Each one of these issues, regardless of where they are, affects us now, will continue to affect us into the future. I said, chairman dempsey said, president obama has said, secretary kerry, others, that what we are seeing in the middle east with isis, isil, is going to require a steady, longterm effort. Its going to require a coalition of common interest which we are forming. We have more than 60 countries now with us to deal with this. This is an ideology. This is a dynamic that in total we have never quite seen. Then you look at all the other dimensions, the rise of china, russia, what russia has been doing the last six months. Pandemic disease, ebola being an example. Budget issues. We have a congress that cant Work Together. I hope that changes after next tuesday. I dont know but we need all of our institutions functioning, including the congress to do with these great issues. Because they have longterm consequences, global warming. I mean, every facet that we see out there today is rolling back on us in some way. If we are not paying a price today, we will pay the price to morrow. The secretary made interesting speeches about the role of Climate Change as a security issue. You mentioned the role of the congress. Its a unique phenomenon and you were an influential senator and there are four former members, president obama, joe biden, yourself in secretary kerry who are now in these positions a great executive authority at just the time when there seems be less congressional involvement in the decisionmaking, the accountability and the connection between defense policy and the public than historically has been the case. How should we think about this . Is this a problem . Well, in one way there is not less involvement. But the way i would say it, i think theres less partnership. And partnership is critical here because it isnt a matter of we all have to agree. Thats not the issue. We need different opinions. But weve got to have a Strong Enough partnership, for example, with us to allow us to make the kinds of reforms internally, whether its base closing or we dont need anymore of these planes or these ships, but we do need these for the future. Weve got to have the partnership Strong Enough so that both sides can get to some conclusion and make a decision on how we go forward. Congress is critically important here. It is article one of the constitution. I was in the congress as you noted. I was very protective of that constitutional responsibility. They control the money. They are closest to the people. So we need them, and i have tried in the time i have been secretary of defense to continue to reach out and build those partnerships. We cant do this any other way. And again, im hoping over the next couple of years we will see a culture of self correction. Because thats probably the greatest strength america has is with difficulties and problems and issues we can self correct. And i hope that comes together. I go back and ask again part of my initial question i through at the end, again its been 13 years now that weve been involved in more or less openended combat in the middle east, about 1 of the population affected and the rest not. At what point, if ever, will and administration be able to say this war is over . I think the way we have to look at this is tyranny, terrorism, the challenges and threats to our country, the freedom for certainly the short term is going to be with us. Its a reality. Now, the challenges and threats to a nation, to an individual are not new in the sense that threats are new. The history of mankind has been about that. Its always the response and how do you do it. And we have to be smart here. Weve got to the big things right. We wont get everything right. Weve got to get the big things right. What i mean by that in answering your question, coalitions of common interest. We wont get it right with every country. We wont agree with every country, but weve got to focus on in of common interests to build a relationship that deals with the threats to all our countries. Isil, extremism, radicalism, terrorism is a threat to every state, to every society. Weve got to build those platforms to work from there to get to the differences. Unfortunately, i see these things continue to stay out there, jim. I think were in for longerterm challenge here than maybe any of would hope. But thats the world that we live in and weve got to be honest about that and weve got to be smart about it. The climate issue, in the senate you saw the extremely polarized discussion of climate and energy issues. Now in the Defense Department its been one of the leaders on awareness of these issues both the potential threat and fuel and all the rest. What is the Defense Department doing on climate issues, different fuels . Might that change the broader National Debate do you think . From my perspective within the portfolio that i have responsibility for, security of this country, Climate Change presents Security Issues for us. What do we mean by that . Well, lets take the arctic. Glaciers are melting. There can be arguments about why but lets put those arguments aside. The fact is the glaciers are melting. You are saying that part of the world opened up. If, in fact, the continued were going to see a new waterway right into the heart of the arctic. That means exploration for natural resources, oil and natural gas and minerals. That is going to attract, it already is, great powers. That theres a security dynamic to that. As the oceans increase, it will affect our basis. It will affect islands but it will affect security across the world. So just from my narrow perspective, what i have responsibility for, thats happening now and we have to be prepared for that. The leadership as much anything else estimate in this room knows is to prepare the institution that you serve, that you lead for whats coming. And so we have laid out a new arctic strategy. I did that first in halifax last november. I was just in south america about a month ago to lay out the roadmap and how we are dealing with this. I just sent this morning one of our Deputy Assistant secretaries to iceland for a conference the next two days. This is critically important that we Pay Attention to this. Bottom line is, with all the crises of the moment, and thats part of my job, to manage immediate crisis, we also cannot lose sight of the strategic longerterm challenges that face our country either. And this is one that we got to be smart in how we handle it. Spent behind the political figures who would resist and argue about Climate Change respond differently when its coming from the pentagon . I think there is sometimes more of an awareness and edge put an issue it comes from the pentagon. Only because the military, the pentagon has maybe at least perceived by many people in more serious look at the world. And doesnt mean the state department isnt series or anybody else, but when you talk about the military, i remember, jim, when i was in the senate one of the committees i served on was the Senate Select committee on intelligence. John warner and i introduced legislation a number of years ago to project and bring up in the Intelligence Committee authorization bill, a study on Climate Change on how it would affect our national security. And this was quite a few years ago. So i wasnt the only one thinking about the john warner, john kerry, and bipartisan, a lot of people thinking about it. You were in china, a place where ive lived a Long Time Coming country many people think could be the next competitor in some way to the united states. How from your perspective do you fear, not fear, Pay Attention to china and tell us about your Aircraft Carrier visit there . Well, ive been secretary of defense about two years now, and i have taken six long asia pacific trips. And one of the visits was a fourday visit to china as you noted earlier this year, and the chinese gave me a tour of the retrofitted the training Aircraft Carrier that they bought from ukraine. That was an interesting experience but as i had an opportunity to visit other facilities, and i have over the years have some relationship with china. I first went to china in 1983 as a businessman. That relationship is one that as i said earlier in more general terms that we need to make sure we get right