Transcripts For CSPAN2 Tonight From Washington 20130712 : vi

Stamey wanted a representative look at American Life so i need politics, business, entertainment and food, finance art. I also was interested in this recurring pattern which you see with gingrich and you see with oprah and you see with jc and sam walton. People who really begin in very humble places and are not unlike the main characters but to sort of reinvent themselves as something new and find a new language and a new idea that is riveting to americans. Through that they build an empire and they cant stop doling it. Its almost like an imperative with the corporation. You have to keep growing even as a person. As a brand you have to keep growing but eventually sort of decadence that then where the language becomes a parody in itself and they no longer seem to produce something good. They just continue to produce. Gingrich just keeps writing book after book. Oprah was on the cover of every issue of her magazine and so they become the celebrities that we are now familiar with who are just dominating our imaginations and in a way have come to replace the institutions that have faltered in this period of time. Now his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearings for several state department nominees. Among the nominees former state Department Spokesman Victoria Nuland nominated to be assistant secretary for european and Eurasian Affairs. This is two hours. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] calling the hearing to order, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider threemile nominations that tory is applied to the assistant secretary of state for Eurasian Affairs and douglas lute to nato and daniel baer to be the u. S. Ambassador to the organization for security and cooperation in europe. Before we begin let remind the members that the deadline for submission of questions for the record is as of the close of business this monday. First let me welcome our nominees as well as your families. Our first nominee victorias nuland is a 29 year veteran of the foreign service. She most recently served in the state department as the spokesperson there but ambassador nuland his work at the highest levels of both republican and Democratic Administration turning their respective her colleagues at every step along the way pages served with integrity and dedication as a special envoy for conventional armed forces in europe, the u. S. Permanent representative nato and the Principle Deputy security adviser to Vice President cheney. As her colleaguecolleague s know for 20 years of work as an expert specifically on russia as well as negotiator and strong voice for democracy and human rights takes are ideally suited for the position of assistant secretary for europe and eurasia. Victoria is originally from my home state of connecticut so i am especially pleased to preside over her confirmation hearing today. She is here with her family. Her parents as well and her husband robert and her son david and we welcome them as well. Daniel baer is the Deputy Assistant secretary and improve democracy and human rights and labor currently at the departmedepartme nt department state. Prior to joining the administration had teaching positions at georgetown and harvard and during his time in academia and the private sector and government dr. Baer has distinguished himself as a talented diplomat and passionate defender of human rights and i believe he is an excellent choice for our ambassador to the os cd. He is here with his partner brian and we welcome him. Douglas lute has long had a distinguished career in both the military and civilian service. He is currently serving as Deputy Assistant to the president coordinator for south asia and the White House National security staff. He retired from active duty in the United States army as Lieutenant General after 35 years of service. General lutes previous positions include the u. S. European command in germany and as the commander of u. S. Forces in kosovo where he first worked with nato. General lute we thank you for your service and look forward to working with you in your new position and we also welcome your wife jane who is here today. I congratulate all of you on your nominations. Let me say as we are going to be talking about europe today probably the most overused word in the Foreign Policy Community Today is there is no doubt that america has new and important diplomatic economic and security interests in asia. There is no doubt that the original reason for many of our valuesbased alliances with europe, the cold war is no longer present but today no less than ever before europe as a unit and its european nations individually remained americas most trusted and important ally to be found anywhere on the globe. Our most important security relationship is with europe. When confronting a Global Crisis the first place we almost always turns to her european allies. Her most important economic relationship is with europe. That is why we are investing with a kickoff this week of negotiations of the transatlantic trade investment partnership. In a lot of ways this United States and europe face a new Economic Growth in asia as we look at Communal Security challenges in places like syria iran and afghanistan our alliance is more important than ever before. So if confirmed ambassador nuland you will at a crucial moment in our alliance and i look forward today to hearing your thoughts friends and somehow the state department can assist the u. S. Trade rep in moving forward a potentially transformational economic deal with europe. We need to hear from you as to how we continue to maneuver and increase equally complicated to use a generous term relationship with russia. How do we Work Together on common goals like arms control and middle eastern instability without letting them off the hook for the downward turn in the treatment of Civil Society. While we welcome these leaders in the balkans that we work with their partners in europe to continue to integrate these fragile nations to the World Community . General lute you will be working with nato partners to bring our troops home from afghanistan while at the same time formulating a future role of the alliance. Nato still remains the worlds Preeminent Security alliance but to remain strong you are going to continue the work of your predecessor in emphasizing emphasizing the importance of smart defense, interoperability and coordinated strategic and dr. Baer you are going to an organization that more than any other represents our ideals and yet you will be faced with the challenge, maybe more of a challenge today than ever of putting those ideals into action. So i congratulate each of you on your nomination and i hope is that the full senate will work quickly and positively on their confirmations. At this point i turn it over to senator johnson for opening remarks. Thank you mr. Chairman. Appreciate your opening remarks and i certainly appreciate also the distinguished service the nominees have already provided the nation and truly appreciate the fact that you are willing to step up to the plate again and serve your nation and your capacities here. We have some i think firstclass nominees here and im looking forward to your testimony. What is being contemplated in the United States senate require some comment and i would like to utilize my opening remarks to talk about what we were talking about in our caucuses and the majority is contemplating action to break the rules to change the senate rules in a way that i believe would be incredibly damaging and very destructive to the United States senate. It is doing it on the basis of what i think certainly the folks on our side of the aisle has to do with nominations and supposedly republican obstruction and apparently our blocking foundations but here are the facts. And the 111th congress there were 920 a president obamas nominations confirmed in only one was rejected. In the 112th congress, 574 nominations were confirmed. Only two were rejected. In the 113th congress the Current Congress there have been 66 nominees confirmed with only one being rejected, hardly a record of obstruction. In terms of nominees in terms of the length of time it has taken to get confirmation president obama and his cabinet nominees have taken 51 days on average. During president bushs Administration Today is during president Clintons Administration in five days. Again president obama says ben given due consideration his nominees have been moved forward very rapidly. In this term, in a second term president , has confirmed 28 judges. The senate has confirmed 28 judges compared to 10 judges in president bushs second term. This manufactured crisis and im not the only one that believes the Nuclear Option would be incredibly damaging. This is the word of majority leader harry reid when he wrote a book in march of 2009. The Nuclear Option was the most important issue i have ever worked on in my entire career. If that had gone forward it would have destroyed the senate as we know it. Its not the only thing harry reid has mentioned about rigging the rules to change the rules. He said in violating 270 meters is standard procedure in the senate changing the rules by breaking the rules is as far as you can get with the constitutional option necessary for people to suggest you can break the rules to change the rules as unamerican. The only way can change the rule in this body is through a rule that now says change the rule in the senate rules to break a filibuster still require 67 votes. You cant do it with 60 does. You certainly cannot do it with 51. Now we are told the majority is going to do the socalled Nuclear Option. The parliamentarian would acknowledge its legal. Its wrong, you can do it. They would overrule it. It was simply be we are going to do it because we have more votes than you. You would be breaking the rules to change the rules on that as unamerican and finally the American People and affect reject the Nuclear Option because they see it for what it is, and abuse of power, arrogance power. Lord acton said absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is what is going on. The rules are being changed the middle of the game. Theyre breaking the rules to change the rules regardless of ones political affiliations americans understand its a political power grab a partisan political grab. Vice President Biden commented on this when he was a senator. The Nuclear Option is an example of the arrogance of power. Its a fundamental power grab by the majority party. Its nothing more nothing less. Former senator Christopher Dodd in his farewell address had where there is such a temptation motivated by noble desire to speed a village that a process or political expediency believe such changes would be unwise to my fellow senators who have never served a day in the minority i urge you to pause in their enthusiasm to change the senate rules. Senator murphy neither one of us unfortunately have pleasure of serving with senator robert c. Byrd from West Virginia somebody who certainly as i watched the senate from afar was acknowledged as someone who revered the senate and fully understood the rules. We unfortunately do not have him speak to us during orientation but he gave a famous orientation speech december 3, 1996. I would like to take some time because i think his words bear repeating. He said let us clearly understand one thing. The constitutions framers never intended for the senate to function like the house of representatives in the majoritarian body. I have said this as long as they senate retains the power to amend and power of unlimited debate the liberties of the people were remain secure. The senate was intended to be a forum for open and free debate before the protection of political minorities. I have led the majority and let the minority and i can tell you theres nothing there is nothing that makes you appreciate the senates role as the protector of the minority interest like in the minority. Since the Republican Party was created in 1854 the senate has changed hands 14 times. Each parties had the Opportunity Party has had the opportunity to appreciate firsthand the senates role as guardian of majority rights. Almost from its earliest years the senate has insisted upon its members rights to unlimited debate. When the senate adopted the cloture rule in 1917 it was made closing of debate difficult by requiring a supermajority and by permitting those cloture debate. By the way that supermajority was twothirds vote and now its threefifths. The deference of them minority view distinguishes the majoritarian house of representatives. The framers recognized the majority can be right and the majority can be wrong. They recognize the senate should be a treat delivered a body a floor in which to slow the passion of the house hold them up to the light and examined them and threw informed debate educate the public. The senate is the proverbial saucer to cool a a cup of coffee in the house and the one place the whole government with minority is guaranteed a public hearing of its views. The senate informing function was as important as its legislative function and now with Televised Senate debates its informing function plays even larger and more Critical Role in the life of our nation. The senate is often castigated for 10 efficiencies but in fact it was never intended to be efficient. Its purpose was and is to examine, consider, protect and be totally independent a totally independent source of wisdom and function on the lower house and house and the executive. As such the senate is the central pillar of our constitutional system. The senate is more important than any or all of us. More important than i am, more important than the majority and minority leaders. More important than all 100 of us. More important than all of the 1843 men and women who have served in this body since night 1789. Each of us has a solemn responsibility to remember that and to remember it often. Finally in a speech he gave me 19, 2010 senator byrd said the senate has been the last fortress of minority rights and freedom of speech in this republic for more than two centuries. I pray that senators will pause and reflect before ignoring that history and tradition in favor of the political priority. I have that same prayer. I came to the senate because this nation is facing enormous challenges. You and serving this nation will face enormous challenges. You simply cannot afford to damage this incredibly Important Institution the United States senate and i hope our colleagues on the majority side contemplates exactly what they are doing that without mr. Chairman i will turn it back over to and look forward to testimony. See thank you very much senator johnson. Lets go to our left, right to left and we will start with ambassador nuland. Welcome. Thank you very much budget chairman chairman Ranking Member johnson all the members of the committee did im honored to come before you to be considered for the position of assistant secretary of state for european and Eurasian Affairs and im grateful for the cop at its events present opponent secretary carrey have shown in me. Is confirmed i pledge to work with all of you to protect and advance u. S. Interests in promoting security prosperity democracy and human rights in europe and eurasia and working with our allies and partners there to advance our shared global interests. Im also delighted to share this panel today with my colleagues and friends doug lute and dan baer. I can think of no better partners to provide vital leadership on to multilateral institutions. As a lifetime european as i have witnessed firsthand some of the most profound change in europe and eurasia. From my days as a Young Political officer in moscow when i stood on the red square on new years eve when in 1991 the soviet flag came down on the russian flag went up to the brutal wars in bosnia and kosovo and the enlargement of nato and the e. U. And the creation of euro. I know when europeans and americans joined forces in defense of our Common Security and values we are more effective than we arbonne whether in afghanistan molly verma countering terrorism and promoting nonproliferation Development Human rights for a cleaner planet. America needs a strong confident europe and our european allies depend on americas unwavering commitment to their security and their continued support for europes prosperity is cohesion and its growth. As we look at the agenda at the buzzer first task is to revitalize the foundation from our Global Leadership in their free market way of life. We need growth, we need jobs on both sides of the atlantic. The transatlantic trade and Investment Partnerships that senator murphy mentioned began this