no one can identify? i don't have an answer but i have explained it in the look. i have stuck to the facts. people can make up their own minds. >> without the importance of confidence and the united states senator but being a woman and how important it is to foster that in future women leaders or even moms. >> absolutely and i encourage young women to be involved and to step up front frank lee and i always say two graduating classes, i could never imagine i would have been running for the united states senate when i was in your position either but we have open the possibility of doing that because it is critical to have those examples and in governing institutions and all places in our society it's important to have women's voices reflected and women in our population. the second part of it is that they bring a different experience. that is also important to have that voice at the table. so anchorage them to think about it as a possibility in the future and those choices are sent to themselves and even for me as much that was passionate about politics the daughter of running for public politics, uis have to go against the grain. whatever you do in life it is what it is and that is what i always did against the grain and i felt so strongly about the things that i believed in. that voice is a voice to fight for and it may change policy. there is a direct correlation. i love the fact that even today with the women's health initiative that weiss lawns by the disclosure that the nih was excluding women in clinical study trials, to this day it was the biggest human rights study ever. it's so so important is a cause-and-effect to have women participate in the political process and what evolves from it. i think about title ix for example. in fact, i was talking about it the other day with donna brazile as a matter of fact and she was the beneficiary. i said i love the fact that you get young women who are so active and there's no second thought about it. they are active in sports because the law make sure that those sports for women were treated equally. >> itself fascinating how late the rights and responsibilities in respect came and the protections came all during, many of them during your four decades of service where you were really there at a formative period were people that were younger than you may take granted that you were witness to the changes. it's really worth, women especially should read about the fights you had to wage on behalf of women. i loved also an addict to about your much revered senator margaret chase smith of maine gave a speech called the declaration of conscience really directed at mccarthyism but not naming senator joe mccarthy on june of 1950 and you quote a financier and political consultant named bernard burr who said if a man had made that declaration conscience he would have been the next president of the united states. and you mentioned in the book when you are talking about hillary rodham clinton who is an old friend. he said an extraordinary role model and you have known her for years. your husband served together. did they sit next to each other? >> in the order in which the states come into the union is how they sit. >> oh right. it's so serendipitous. you are old friends and obviously colleagues and you said the united states is ready for a woman president so i have to ask you, she is obviously the great hope of the democratic party and the great hope of many women, whether or not you want her to run and you would support her and any feelings you have. you said you have enduring respect for her service as secretary of state. barring whatever is wrapping her up in her current benghazi -- on capitol hill. you look at the future and you think this country is ready. but u.s. a republican sit it out if she ran? >> i don't want to speculate about all of that that i think of hillary wanted to run she should run. she did said i think an extraordinary example of how a woman can run for public office. that is what is important. she broke that there are down single-handedly and is highly capable. if she chooses to do that i think many women will embrace her candidacy. i think the country is prepared to have a woman president and i think by virtue of the fact that what she was able to accomplish was that point in time in her own candidacy has dispelled any notion that a woman could not compete even though she could win the primary for different reasons and the differences with the other party in the primary but i virtue of her candidacy how she conducts herself i think she is basically a rabbit ate any fears about how a woman would handle herself. >> there are many delightful and it does mention in the book and little nuggets for people like myself to enjoy that one of my favorites is that you divulge how frequently and regularly senators get together privately and they sort of nurture each other and mentor each other which i thought was so impressive and you dine with female justices, something i have never known before which i thought was really quite wonderful and what an honor also and i thought you know that is really another reason to delve in here and learn not only about the way things used to be but how much women look out for each other in positions of power and how it's really -- how bipartisan it is and the way you talk about hillary clinton and obviously your friendship formed years ago before she was in the senate is just a unique connection i think and it's very interesting. you want to address somebody and tell them there was a way out and even if it's not your term, there are sick have to unity and protect his future for congress. diminished polarization in the future of steps were taken in the meantime and you list them in the book. you have recommendations for a five-day workweek, an annual budget, i'm sorry biannual budgeting, restoring the process of getting to a budget, it bipartisan leadership committee which is so interesting. that means they have to leave the congress and get out of their own partisan leadership. no clothes, no pay which means members are not going to collect their own paycheck. filibuster reform. no more secret holds on legislation and returned. i think this is so critical to regular order. you can't throw off an emergency supercommittee sequester bill at the last minute. everything would have to go back and abolish leadership -- which makes me chuckle because you are one of five senators without any leadership pass. i'm a big believer of that myself and commissions, state legislators to sign with redistricting. i think it's important for americans to read your look and especially the chapter on all of these political -- the fix is kind have been on the system so they don't know about redistricting and how districts swing every election cycle and how 79% of those shouldn't even get in the car and vote because it's already been decided. i think you have all the right ideas and i wonder if you can share a little bit about what is outlined in the book? you have a great anecdote by congressman rick nolan who has spent 30 hours a week on fund-raising. where'd you get the crusty old system that might seem new but is now so sad and, where'd you get them to throw away the leadership pacts? >> they find it a relief if everybody had to stand down on both sides of the hill. that is the key. any changes on campaign finance for warm has to be a level playing field on both sides. that is what we had to orchestrate with k. feingold. it was my -- but it was the evenhandedness of those sides had to do it. that's one less level of financing or raising money. think about it. in the house of representatives, i think probably the majority at least have leadership pacts, not running for leadership that it's another avenue to get money to candidates at a much higher level than you can as an individual. the point being not only are they raising money for their own campaigns, they also have to raise this money for their leadership pacts because it's expected that you are going to raise so much money. and if you chair committee. >> if you want to be a powerbroker you are expected to deliver. >> it take so much time. it's another huge distraction. it reminded me of the honorary issue years ago plan members of congress would be paid for speeches and so the whole schedule would revolve around the days in which they could give speeches on mondays and fridays. it ultimately came to the conclusion rightfully that we should ban these. it had an impact because then you had people back in town. doing the things they are supposed to do. there was one less level of raising money because that is a huge time-consuming effort and not to mention a distraction. >> during the president's historic chip to china mrs. nixon accompanied him. joe en-lai, mrs. nixon was looking at a package of cigarettes. the package she was admiring he said i understand you also admire the pandas at the zoo and she said yes, aren't they thurling? he said we will make sure that you have pandas to go home with. it was important for her to uphold and support her husband. just her being there with ring so much goodwill and it was always evidence at the end of the trips were news reports would come out and they would talk about the president but they would always say what a wonderful job pat nixon did. up next on booktv "after words" with guest host author craig shirley. this week larry sabato and his new book the kennedy half-century. .. she placed her hand up against her chest and she came back to class and said students i have terrible news. president kennedy has been shot but he's stil he is still alive. take out your rosaries and we will pray. rosaries were standard operating equipment so we took out our rosaries and we were holding each bead for dear life and i don't know maybe 20 minutes later or so she had to go out and thinthe hallway and