this is about the millions of undocumented democrats in the minds of barack obama and the people on the left. for me it is about the rule of law and conserving our constitution. that optimistic because of the loss of justice scalia. are on this bench today, i think the force of his personality might make more of a difference. is an example of what we will get if we let the preston -- president name next justice to the supreme court. so i think it is ever more -- the need to elect a president who makes a commitment and to honor the federal

court. [inaudible]

he would have to confess that the american people are right and he is wrong or veto a bill -- this is not hard to understand. and it is appalling to me that you can have justices in the

supreme court that have difficulty reading and understanding the constitution and interpreting it to interpret what it says. and how with a straight face they can say all of these discussions are part of a constitutional argument. heart to think that we could have another justice that would be arguing policy when it comes to constitutional questions. how do you predict the supreme court these days? when i came to this town, i could. i understood the justices on the constitution. when they would respect advices and when they would not. i had a pretty good handle on predicting the decision. in this court, it is almost impossible to predict because you cannot go to the

constitution as your guide. president whoke a would make more than one appointment to the supreme court . >> a new york times article characterized the scene inside the courtroom today. "the supreme court on monday seemed sharply divided over an extended argument to president obama's plan that would shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation, and allow them to work legally." much of the argument was technical, but the justices occasionally paused to acknowledge realities outside the courtroom. we will bring you the audio from the oral argument on friday. >> this sunday night, historian

ron chernow talks about the hit broadway musical hamilton. >> he said to me, i was reading mexicook on vacation in and i was reading it, hip-hop song started rising off the page and then he said, you know hamilton's life is a classic hip-hop narrative and i was thinking, what is this guy talking about. i think lynn quickly picked up that he had a world-class ignoramus about hip-hop on his hands and he said to me on the spot, because my first question was, can hip-hop be the vehicle for telling this large and complex story, and he said i am going to educate you about hip-hop and he started pointing out that with hip-hop you can pack more information into the lyrics than any other form because it is very dense and rampant.

he started talking with the fact that hip-hop not only has rhymed endings but internal rhyme. me on all educating these important devices for the show. , saturday, april 30, c-span prevents live coverage of the white house correspondents dinner, an event that typically includes prepared remarks by the president of the united states. coming up in a few minutes here, we will show you the last white house correspondent stay speeches from presidents reagan, both bushes and clinton. first, were going to discuss the annual washington event with mcclatchy's white house correspondent steve toma.

how long have you been attending these events and how have they changed over the years? going to 28've been or 29, it might be 30 years, but close. i've been going since reagan. >> how have they changed? >> have become much more crowded. >> we start with ronald reagan and he goes about eight minutes and george bush goes about 20 minutes. clearly there getting longer by the presidents. what do you account for that? >> age. ronald reagan was getting up there and was ready to go home.

20 minutes is about the average now. for all the presidents they insist that they want to get out and go home. so when we are working on the schedules, the white house always reminds us whether it is barack obama or ronald reagan that they want that done by 10:45 or 11:00. >> to you find that the president's take a different approach with each year? do they get more comfortable, do they enjoy themselves as the years go by? >> absolutely, they get more relaxed. humorn see that the changes. barack obama at the beginning often told jokes that kind of stang. he was using those jokes to go after his political rivals or enemies and as each of them go on, they become more relaxed and more together terry and. they make more fun of themselves than their enemies and everyone laughs a little more. >> what about first ladies?

how long have they been attending the event and do they take a role in any way? >> no women attended at all before 1962 when john f. kennedy insisted he would not, unless they opened it to women. before that we did not have eleanor roosevelt or best truman. they have all come, a few of them have played a role. there is a great moment where president reagan asked if she had anything nice to say about the media and she took a long dramatic pause and she said, i'm george w. bush stepped aside and laura bush delivered the monologue on his behalf one year. very funny. >> what's going on at the tables? are reporters working that room at all? have you had an opportunity to talk to an administration

source? >> it's on a story. definitely making contact and getting as much information as you can other than whether to have a drink and a few laughs, hopefully you're working your sources. we tend to take people in politics and people who can help us and we'll talk to us about policy and politics. >> in the time that you have been attending the event, what is one memorable or fun moment that you can relate to us? >> my position is a little different because i was president of the association. the unique moments tend to be presiding over the dinner and at with them for three hours. his conversation is off the record so he can relax and chat a little bit more.

i will say that he told me they talked about golf, i know what he shot which is kind of a state secret and the white house does not release his golf score because it is the only thing i have from my book. we talked about some things that have since become public, he talked about where he would live after he left the white house. i asked the white house staff several times a week to put it on the record, but they said no. so i never wrote it. moment was, iable was a picked entertainer. it was joel mchale told jokes i thought were a little off-color. i was wincing. i kind of apologized. he put his hand on my knee and said, steve, don't worry. i have heard worse. bob: steven thomma, the senior white house correspondent for mcclatchy news.

now we will watch the last white house correspondent dinner speeches by president reagan, president george h w bush, bill clinton, and george bush. we start with ronald reagan from 1988. [applause] ronald reagan: thank you. thank you very much. i am delighted to be here. what a crowd. it looks like the index of

larry speak's book. [applause] president reagan: it is good to see your incoming president, jerry o'leary. in his book, larry said that jerry would line his coat pockets of pastries. jerry denies it. earlier tonight, just to be safe i told him, keep his hands off dinner roll. larry said preparing me for the conference was like reinventing the wheel. that is not true. i was around when the wheel was invented, and it was easy. [applause] president reagan: even howard baker is writing a book about me. it is called three by five, the measure of a presidency. [laughter] president reagan: mike in his

book he said that i had a short attention span. i was going to reply, but let's move on to something else. [laughter] [applause] president reagan: now, i forgot to acknowledge yakov smirnov, i have heard him before, he is a very funny man. i just have an idea -- why don't you and i have fun? how would you like to go to the summit as my interpreter? [laughter] [applause] president reagan: the media certainly has had a lot to report on lately. i thought it was extraordinary that richard nixon and on "meet the press" and spent the hour with chris wallace, tom brokaw, and john chancellor, that should put an end to the talk that he has been punished enough. [laughter] [applause] president reagan: of course you

have been reporting on the new york primary. i am afraid that dukakis's foreign policy views are too far left for me. he wants no u.s. military presence in korea. no u.s. military presence in central america. no u.s. military presence at the pentagon. [laughter] president reagan: caucus got good news about the jimmy carter endorsement. he is not getting it. [laughter] [applause] president reagan: george bush is doing well. george has been a wonderful vice president but nobody is perfect. [laughter] i put him in charge of antiterrorism and the mclaughlin group is still on the air. [laughter]

but with so much focus on a presidential election, i have been feeling a little lonely these days. i am so desperate for attention i almost considered holding a news conference. [laughter] i have even had time to watch the oscars. i was a little disappointed in that movie "the last emperor." i thought it was going to be about don regan. [laughter] of course i still have lots of work here. there is that panamanian business. one thing i cannot figure, the congress wants to bring the panamanian economy to its knees, why doesn't it just go down there and run it?

[laughter] [applause] president reagan: ladies and gentlemen, this is the last white house correspondents dinner that i will be attending. we have had our disagreements, but the time i have spent with you has been very educational. [laughter] i used to think the fourth estate was one of walter annenberg's homes. [laughter] as my goodbye i am not going to stand up here and deliver one of those worn-out sentimental homilies about the presidency, neither of us would believe it. [laughter] a president may like members of

the press personally, and i do. jerry, norm, johanna, and so many others, but a president institutionally seeks to wield power to accomplish his goals for the people. the press, locates the wielding of that power by using its own great power. that makes for friction. every president will try to use the press to his best advantage, and to avoid those situations that are not to his advantage. to do otherwise results in leadership of his powers. the press has more freedom, more influence than ever in our history. the press can take care of itself quite nicely. the president should be able to take care of himself, as well. what i hope my epitaph will be with the white house correspondents, what every president's epitaph should be, he gave as good as he got. [applause]

that i think will make for a healthy press and a healthy presidency. i think all that is left to say is to thank you for inviting me and thank you for your hospitality. [applause] president bush: thank you all very much. thank you charles. please be seated. tonight is a night for relaxation and fun.

barbara and i are delighted to be here. this is a strange and ugly year in politics. there is a lot of name-calling out there. candidates calling out terrible at the tests like corrupt, liar, hypocrite, fascist, racist, incumbent and -- [laughter] even the normally relaxed marlon fitzwater got into deep water with the press. he went a little far when you referred to that simple flare up as global warming. i hope you will excuse me that if my normally hilarious one-liners are set aside for

just a few minutes here because. i am just back from l.a.. i would seldom try to speak for the white house correspondents, but i think all of them were with me on this trip and were moved. for me, it was a very emotional and moving trip. the scenes of the wonton destruction will not go away, nor will the hurt of the people i met with. nor will be vivid pictures on television of the firefighters and police officers stepping in harm's way or neighbors coming to the rescue of friends. yesterday, i talked to a woman who used to go to our church and in houston, saint martin's. her son and her brother climbed on a motorcycle and set out to see a friend, a young afro-american, living in an area they were concerned about. an area that became a gang member's riot zone. their motorcycle was upended by a gang. the woman's son was beaten.

a pistol held up to his head and a trigger pulled, did not go off. her brother, a guy that had been deeply offended by the king verdict, and felt very close to the black community itself was savagely beaten, and then from close range shot through the head. that same terror gunned down the now paralyzed firefighter that i went to see in cedars hospital yesterday. justice you might say. what does this have to do with justice? the point i make is out of that fear there was something stirring positively. the people i met with. the wonderful church service, the church leaders, civic leaders, kids. the boys club, the ministers all projected a sense of determination and help.

it was genuine and pervasive. some of the reporters know that one of really tough moments was when we met with the korean community. a young koreans said, i am staying. i want the american dream. south-central will be restored. we will find many ways to help everybody. local, state, federal, private sector to help not only in the restoration but giving people a shot at the american dream. in some out there it was ugly. the scene made a profound impression on all of this. -- all of us. there is that certain spirit that is hard to describe. the spirit says, we will come back. we will make it back. i wanted to share that with you. i am sorry for being so somber.

now there is an expression you do not hear much of anymore, perk up. perk up. the best is yet to come. charles brought pollack -- paula poundstone to the white house, i said, how are you? he said, stop being political. it is that kind of year. i know it. she knows it. i told her not to hold back. paula and i are both funny people. [laughter] but she is funny on purpose. thank you very much. [applause] ♪ [applause]

pres. clinton: good evening, ladies and gentlemen, president-elect dylan, distinguished guests. i am really happy to be here. [laughter] happy to be reunited at long last with the white house press corps. if i may, let me direct your attention to a photograph. [laughter] taken moments ago. it proves beyond a doubt that i am happy to be here. now, wait a minute. it seems that my hair in that photo -- it is a little longer than it is tonight. [applause]

[laughter] so maybe i am happy to be here, maybe not. feel free to speculate. admittedly, looks and photos can be deceiving. look at this photo. it is a recent one of the vice president applauding one of my policy initiatives. but look a little closer. those are not his real hands. [laughter] [applause] now this photo -- it made all of the papers, but i have to tell you something i am almost certain this is not the real easter bunny. [laughter] the next one is my favorite, i really like it. let's see the next photo. [laughter]

[applause] isn't that grand? [laughter] i thought it was too good to be true. but there is one thing beyond dispute tonight, this is really me. i am really here. the record on that count is clear in good days and bad, and bad, in times of great confidence or controversy, i have actually shown up here for eight straight years. [applause] looking back, that was probably a mistake. [laughter]

in just eight years i have given you enough material for 20. this is a special night for me for a lot of reasons -- jay leno is here. [applause] no matter how mean he is to me, i just love this guy. because together, together, we give hope to gray-haired, chunky, baby boomers everywhere. [applause] [laughter] tonight marks the end of an era. the after dinner party hosted by "vanity fair." as you may have heard, it has been canceled.

every year for eight years, the "vanity fair" party became more and more exclusive. tonight it has arrived at its inevitable conclusion, this year, no one made the guest list. actually i heard the bloomberg party will be harder to get into than the "vanity fair" party was. i am n worried, i am going with janet reno. [applause] [laughter] now the bloomberg party is also a cast party for the stars for the "west wing" who are celebrating the end of their first season. you'll have to forgive me if i am not as excited as everyone else is at the thought of a west wing finale party. i have to give them credit, their first season got better ratings than mine. not to mention the reviews.

the critics hated my travel office episode. [laughter] and that david gergin cameo fell completely flat. speaking of real-life drama, i am so glad that senator mccain is back tonight. i welcome him especially. [applause] as you all know, he just made a difficult journey back to a place where he endured unspeakable abuse at the hands of his oppressors, the senate's republican caucus. [laughter] [applause] i am glad to see that senator mccain and governor bush are talking about healing the rift.

they are thinking about talking about healing the rift. you know, i would really like to help them. [laughter] i mean i have a lot of experience repairing the breach. i worked with catholics and protestants in northern ireland. i have worked with israelis and palestinians, with joe lockhart and david westin. [laughter] the differences between bush and mccain may be too vast. mccain as bush's running mate? hasn't the man suffered enough? [applause] george w. bush has a brand spanking new campaign strategy. he is moving towards the political center, distancing himself from his own party. stealing ideas from the other

party. i am so glad dick morris found work again. [applause] [laughter] the clock is running out on republicans in congress. i feel for them, i do. they only have seven more months to investigate me. that is a lot of pressure. so little time. so many unanswered questions. [laughter] [applause] for example -- over the last few months i have lost 10 pounds. where did they go? [laughter] why haven't i produced them to the independent counsel?

how did some of them manage to wind up on tim russert? [applause] [laughter] now some of you might think i have been is he writing my memoirs. i am not concerned about my memoirs, i am concerned about my resume. here is what i have so far. career objectives -- to stay president. [laughter] but, being realistic, i would consider an executive position with another country. [laughter] i would prefer to stay within the g-8. i am working hard on this resume deal.

i've been getting tips on how to write it, mostly from my staff. they seem to be up on this stuff. they tell me to use the active voice. things like, commanded u.s. armed forces. ordered airstrikes. served three terms as president. everybody embellishes a little bit. designed, built, painted bridge to 21st century. [applause] supervised vice president's invention of the internet. [laughter] generated, attracted, and maintained controversy. i know lately i have not done a very good job of creating controversy, and i'm sorry for that. [laughter]

you all have so much less to report. i guess that is why you are covering and commenting on my mood, my quiet, contemplative moments. my feelings during these final months in office. [laughter] in that case, you might be interested to know a film crew has been following me around the white house documenting my remaining time there. this is a strange time in the life of any administration, but i think this short film will show that i have come to terms with it. [laughter] could we see the film? [laughter] [video clip] >> on the campaign trail, things are not as exciting as they used to be. in fact, it is starting to wind down. >> there is bipartisan support in congress and it meets the principles i set out in my state of the union.

if they send me the bill in its present form, i will sign it. ok. any questions? [laughter] >> are you still here? [laughter] ♪ >> radio just does not captured be sadness and isolation of it all. >> joe? anybody home? [frank sinatra singing] >> john? you here? >> ♪ set em up joe i've got a little story i think you should know ♪

>> i have nothing to ask him. he is yesterday's news. who is next? >> white house, hold please. hello, white house. please hold. hello, white house. white house, hello? hold please. he's not here. would you like his voicemail? >> nothing to do. [laughter] >> i am a little bit worried about him. this morning, he came into the oval office for our meeting. i said, "mr. president, are you all right?" he said, "yeah, what's the matter?" i said, "mr. president, you're wearing your pajama bottoms." >> i wish i could be here, but i know he has everything under control. >> wait, wait! [laughter]

[applause] >> i think his legacy is going to be the natural environment. ♪ >> i have urged him to spend more time on that. [laughter] >> his schedule is as busy as ever, just filled with different things. >> ♪ one more for the road [laughter] ♪ >> ♪ you would never know it but funny how i'm kind of a poet and i've got a lot of things i would like to say and when i am gloomy ♪ >> i feel bad for him.

i wish there was something that would cheer him up. ♪ [upbeat music] >> hahaha! ♪ >> yes! >> there you are. come on in. >> let's light this candle. just like that, you are riding the wave of the future, my man. how many are you going to buy? >> wait a minute. >> chicken? >> what does it cost?

>> name your own price. let's do it. you did it, my man. [laughter] ♪ >> you sunk my battleship. [laughter] >> yes! ♪ [laughter] >> i want to thank the academy for this tremendous honor. this may be the greatest moment of my life. ever since i was a little boy, i have wanted to be a real actor. [laughter] ♪

[traveling music] ♪ >> pretty good, huh? whatever you want. ♪ [applause]

>> you like me, you really like me! [laughter] >> now, you know, i may complain about coming here. but a year from now, i will have to watch someone else give the speech and i will feel an onset of that rare affliction unique to former presidents -- agdd. attention-getting deficit disorder. [laughter] plus, i will really be burned up when al gore turns out to be

funnier than me. but let me say to all of you, i have loved these eight years. you know, i read in the history books how other presidents say the white house is like a penitentiary and every motive they have a suspect. even george washington complained he was treated like a common thief. they all say they cannot wait to get away. i don't know what the heck they are talking about. [laughter] i have had a wonderful time. it has been an honor to serve and fun to laugh. i only wish we had even laughed more these last eight years because power is not the most important thing in life. it only counts for what you use it. i thank you for what you do every day. thank you for all of the fun times that hillary and i have had. keep at it.

it is a great country. it deserves our best. thank you and god bless you. [applause] [applause] president bush: thank you, all. [applause]

thank you very much. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. please excuse me if i am a little sleepy. 3:00 a.m. this morning, the red phone rang. [laughter] the damn wedding planner. two weeks from tonight is jenna's wedding, so i am a little wistful this evening. plus, this is my last white house correspondents' dinner as president. i am not sure what i am going to do next. after he left office, vice president gore won an oscar and a nobel peace prize. [laughter] i don't know. i might win a prize, publisher's clearing house or something. but thanks for inviting me. our entertainment tonight is craig ferguson. [applause]