>> january 5th, 2012, from comedy central's world news headquarters in new york, this is the daily show with jon stewart. (cheers and applause) captioning sponsored by comedy central >> jon: hey, welcome to the daily show, my name is jon stewart. we have a good one for you tonight. our guest tonight, craig shirley. author craig shirley, author

of the new book december 1941, best-seller, november 1941. let's begin tonight with the president, the executive branch of this united states government. in recent weeks, months there have been expansions of executive power that many have found troubling. but perhaps lacked the hyperbolic vocabulary to properly condemn, your prayers have been answered. >> republicans call it an unprecedented power grab. >> it what intemporate, arrogance and irresponsible. >> arrogance of power, abuse of power. >> who cares what the law says who cares what the rules are, i'm the president. >> jon: finally, elected officials in our punditoctober crassee standing up against i'm assuming the recent kodd fiing of indefinite detension of americans or perhaps the unrestricted and secret use of drones that rain death from the sky or maybe the president's most recent outrage, the institution of mandatory sharia school lunch where even the most american of sandwiches, pb & j must wear the hijab so which one of

these all true things are they objecting to? >> the president is naming richard cordrays ahead of the consumer financial protection bureau. (laughter) >> jon: huh? so congress created a bureau to protect consumers financial interests in 20150. now the president is not two years later, hiring someone to run it. what kind of monster doth come he is. how is filling a position that congress created an arrogant, lawless and banana republic abuse of power. that's use of power. what did the president do that was so wrong? >> the president acted under his authority to make recess appointments when congress is not in session. >> my god. (laughter) that's how hitler took poland. look, george w bus, did

plenty of recess appoint otments. how bollton became u.n. am was do chuck norris became 6thsdmç what is the difference between that and what obama just did. >> the republicans say the senate is actually in session, and the president had no right to make the so-called recess appointment. >> jon: wait, the senate is in session? i watched c-span for living and i haven't seen them in session. what's that? i missed it. what dow mean i missed it, a congressional session, it's not like a shooting star, you know what i mean? you can't go to the bathroom and miss-- turn on c-span. show me their session and while we're doing that i'm going to just try and open this childproof bottle of aspirin. let me see if i can -- >> the senate will come to order. pursuant to the constitution, the hour of 12:00 noon january 3rd-- senate now stands adjourned until 11 a.m. on friday january 6th,

2012. >> jon: push down and-- holy [bleep] did i miss it again! that was the whole congressional session? that counts for to the being in recess? so the president bid the arcane recess appointment and the senate raises him a technical bylaw adherence, the pro forma senate session. well played game of [bleep] poker. for more on this appointment, we go now live to senior political analyst john oliver stand on the hallowed floor of the united states house of representatives. john oliver, nice to see you. (cheers and applause) >> jon: john oliver, what is this? >> jon t couldn't be simpler. in 2010 in the throes of one of the worst economic recessions in u.s. history congress came together and passed a law creating a badly needed consumer

protection bureau. a watchdog against the kinds of predatory financial practices that have so destroyed the economic foundation of this great country. and since then, congress has worked diligently to prevent this unaccountable, unelected and down right dangerous bureau from ever fully coming to existence. that's the answer, jon, you are welcome. any other questions or can i get out of here. >> jon: yes, no, yes, i have question. if congress now fears the bureau that they themselves created, why not then just pass a law uncreating it? >> well, what? go on record as opposing a vital and necessary agency that will protect the most vulnerable, hardworking families in this i:. oh, yeah that will play great in an election year. what are you talking about. >> jon: but you just said they're killing it bureaucratly. >> exactly but why shoot something in public when you can just quietly squeeze its feeding tube in the priv see of a hospital shift change.

>> jon: so the congress won't get rid of the agency legislatively. >> that's correct. >> jon: they'll just stay in a sort of suspended animation perpetual fake session to prevent the president from a recess appointment. but if they are in session. >> right. >> jon: why can't the democrats just bring the guy's name up for an up or down confirmation vote. the democrats have a majority in the senate. >> whoa, jon, are we really doing this? (laughter) are you really stooping so low to ask me a britisher, to explain your own country's system to you? (laughter) is that happening? i think that is what is happening. >> jon: john, no, we don't have to know how it works. we already have green cards. >> all right, all right, okay, okay, all right. point taken. point taken. the democrat, let me explain v a majority in the senate. but they don't have a supermajority so the republicans have vowed to filibuster anybody the president dare appoint. >> jon: those bastard

republicans. >> quite, quite. exactly, jon. how dare they use the exact same pro forma session technique that harry reid used in 2007 to keep george w. bush from appointing stephen bradbury to head the justice department's office of legal counsel. how dare they. how dare they. (laughter) >> jon: wait, you-- can i ask you a question. >> what? >> jon: you had to know all that for a green card. >> no, not for a green card, jon, i've got the platinum card. >> jon: i didn't know. >> i wanted to carry a concealed weapon and complain about mexicans. >> jon: i see, all right. but i have t if the democrats control the senate -- >> i think i know where this is going. >> jon: why can't the democrats move to adjourn to allow the recess appointment? see the republicans can't filibuster an adjournment. >> well done, little girl. well done. well done. you can finally take off that training bra because

you have really solve this problem, haven't you. quick, call the white house. i think you've cracked it. >> jon: you're very kind. >> you have earned it. except, john jon, for one thing. according to article 1, section 5 of the constitution, if the house controlled by the republicans refuses to pass a matching resolution to adjourn they can force the senate to stay open in the same pro forma session. (laughter) >> jon: i think i just threw up a little bit in my mouth, i'm sorry. >> and yet this is what you rejected constitutional monarchy for so why don't you suck it. (laughter) >> jon: let me tell you something, oliver, this congress makes me so angry, this congress, this do nothing bunch of mother [bleep]. >> whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. jon, you take that back! they do not do nothing. they are mother [bleep] but do you know, jon, do you know the amount of work it takes to perform this level

of mother wlooep blooep -- [bleep]ery. sure are, you aren't seeing in on c-span but look behind the flaps to the actual office of our capitol building. these good people, jon. >> jon: oh my god. >> who dedicated public servants work tirelessly, jon, night and day to make sure that nothing gets done. this, jon, they-- do not look away, stewart, you need to see this look at it! look, directly at it! this, jon, this, this right here, this is how the sausage doesn't get made. >> jon: all right, look t takes alot of effort. >> yeah t does take a lot of effort, jon. you turn your back on this for 1 second and who knows what could happen. a program that works to educate young people emerges. or a bridge gets built to somewhere. and you say that these people don't work, shame on you, stewart. shame on them and shame on you. >> jon: but what if we used

that same level of effort to help fix or ameliorate the problems our country faces. >> yeah, i guess you could do that too but this is the direct no show from the go-in. so either way, either way. >> jon: thank you very much, john, john

>> jon: welcome back. a fit mean romney and santorum as a bottle for the soul of the republican party, as jason jones found out in florida, there is a bigger and more dangerous threat to the integrity of the grand ol party. >> this is nezer hamvi, director of a nonprofit and a devout muslim with a surprising political leaning. >> i consider myself a republican, con verve difficult individual. >> are you a republican. >> yeah, registered republican. >> why? >> ronald reagan has been a childhood hero of mine. i identified myself because of reagan with the republican party. >> and in broward county, florida, when a boy republican becomes a man republican he goes to the republican executive committee to apply for membership. >> well, i applied to join. i met all the application requirements. but when i got there, there was a very well orchestrated campaign against me. >> how so.

>> there were hand outs that an individual had printed against me calling me a terrorist, saying, you know, islam is evil. >> the campaign worked. and the executive committee voted against his membership 158 to 11. >> after all that, you still want to be a republican. >> yeah. >> that is so nonsensical, that it actually makes me think that you are a republican. >> he needed to overcome this vitriolic islam o phobia. fortunately there are local organizations dedicated to fighting intolerance such as americans against hate. i sat down with its founder joe kaufman. >> americans against hate fights against bigot ree. >> so when you and your group americans against hate heard that mr. hamvi was not allowed into the republican party, what did you do? >> well, i-- i personally praised the leadership of the broward republican party -- >> wait what? >> i spoke out against him.

i put together fliers and i had them distributed at the meeting. >> oh s so it was kaufman, the anti-bigotry crusader who called ham very a terrorist. >> what is the name of your group again. >> americans against hate. >> right. >> and what is your definite nation of against. >> what is the definition of "against" >> yeah. >> going against something that you believe is wrong. >> we just used the same word. >> i know, but i don't exactly have the dictionary in front of me to figure that out. >> but you don't need a dixary to see why mamvi doesn't belong in the republican party. >> well, he is the local head of care, the council on american islamic relations, an organization that was started by a terrorist group overseas. >> yes, care, the nefarious muslim civil rights group lead by director nihada wad, a man no republican would ever associate with. but kaufman's outrage was

met in kind. >> he called me something called an islamophone. >> an islamophoneness which inn islamophone. indeed i'm a terrorphone. >> you do not discriminate on personal characteristics. >> absolutely not. >> are you just junning him on assumed associations with. >> no doubt that is exactly what i am doing. >> was-- how de tack stack up against a real republican on the key issues. >> cap and trade. >> i'm against cap and trade. >> i'm against cap aid trade. >> gay marriage. >> i'm against gay marriage. >> sure are you. >> i'm for traditional marriage. >> abortion,. >> i'm against abortion, pro-life. >> fiscal, free market, i believe there should be-- i feel we need to see -- >> pretty republican. >> are you sure of that. >> i'm positive. >> i mean he is-- in a lot of ways like you, you know. >> big business, small minded. >> that may be true but again, he will never be a part of the republican

party. >> he had been dumped. and needed to move on with a rebound. >> some loose party to get himself into. i set up a speed date with florida's most eligible political party. >> we need to cut spending. and we need to raise taxes. >> raise taxes. >> raise taxes. >> next. >> i'm andrew. modern wig party. >> a sense of humor, at least. >> seriously though what party are you with. >> the modern wig party. >> thanks for your time. >> appreciate it. >> we are the party of economic freedom. we work to allow states to introduce competing currencies into the market. >> i'm sorry, you said states. >> states. >> so florida would have their own money. >> they would have the ability to do so. >> going to let you below this one. >> a bunch of duds. >> it was up to nez irto say something. anything to get his republican party back.

>> ♪ your eyes ♪. >> what is the matter with you. come on. >> peter gabriel has gay in his name and he's a republican. >> ♪ and i'm proud to be an american ♪ ♪ where at least i know i'm free ♪ ♪. >> jason twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

>> welcome back. my guest tonight, best selling author, his new book is called december 1941, 231 days that changed america and savered the world. please welcome to the program craig shirley. sir. nice to see you, thank you for being here. >> you bet, thank you. >> december 1941, 31 days, here is what i like. i love historical nonfiction. i read it in the

bath-- where i am. -- i am. but typically it's written from sort of a distant perspective. you went through newspapers. >> uh-huh. >> magazines. >> and magazines and things and it gives it an immediatesy that i think is difficult to find in these types of things where. did that come from? >> well, i grew up in a family, the point of reference growing up as a child was the war, before the war, during the war, after the war and i have an ung wohl was killed in world war ii and my grandfather was a civil defense captain in world war ii and my parents did scrap drives and both my grandmothers were rossie the riveters. one inspected bombs, another tested machine guns. so growing up in this household i heard about all the exploits at their level from the citizen level soichlt wanted to write a book from the perspective, not from franklin roosevelt or church hill's perspective but from the perspective of our parents. >> and grandparents. >> the interesting thing that is the sense truly the sense of surprise, you know

this was obviously a surprise attack. >> right. >> but at government level, obviously something was in the wind. >> right. >> fdr we found, my son found a memo in the library, the president had gotten on december 4th, 1941, 26 page memo which outlined in great detail japanese es meanage activities in america and in the hawaiian territory. and on page four it said very explicitly that there was a possibility for japanese military action against either the west coast, pan ama canal or hawaii islands socks we knew it was in the wind. the japanese had become mill tarristic, quit the league of nations, invade manchurian, put troops into indochina and they expanded their military. so that is why we were in negotiations with them to get them out of china. >> jon: the fascinating part is that you made your son do all that research. (laughter) >> for three reasons. firstly, he is a navy brat

and he loves history and he came very cheap. >> jon: so it wasn't like are you being punished, young man. >> yeah, really interesting, i did not realize the extent to which this country put the japanese citizens through the hell that they put them through that you could be arrested, not just west coast deputies, if you had a camera. >> right. >> yes. >> you had to turn in, after december 7th the attorney general's office francis-- ordered all japanese americans to surrender their cameras and any recording devices they to the local police. starting the afternoon on december 7th there were japanese nationals in washington who were picked up by the fbi. francis biddle is really an unsung hero of world war ii because j. edgar hoover and the army wanted to incarcerate every japanese. >> jon: and germans and italians. >> right. and bittle went to the

president and said this is excessive, mr. president. let's just incarcerate the ones that are on our watch list. >> jon: this is excessive, let's just get like 20,000 of them. >> it is more about 140,000, right, right. >> jon: you know, the incredible thing is also you know we didn't immediately go after japan in the manner that you might think. >> no. >> jon: of the country that had attacked us. >> i didn't realize how-- i don't want to say slow but how our response was more directed towards germany and what was happening there. fdr was under, of course, the japanese attacked us on the 7th. we declare a war on the 8th. >> jon: only to japan. >> only japan. so we're completely focused on war with japan in the pas civic. but there is no call in this country whatsoever to go to war with germany and italy. only after on december 11th when they declare a war on us do we reluctantly say okay, we have to respond in kind so fdr asked the

congress for a declaration of war against japan, germany and italy. but we were so militarily weak in the pas civic, and there was so much pressure that churchill was putting on roosevelt to concentrate our resources in europe, so really it was a great debate in this country. what goes first, the pas civic or atlantic. in many ways the atlantic came first. >> jon: that's what i love, with the newspaper accounts so interesting to see the layers of the debate. >> right. >> jon: and the color of it because you forget that it's not as monochrome attic of what you imagine in retrospect in most history books. really interesting. i really appreciate it i can't wait to see what you are going to make your son do next. (laughter) >> take out the trash. >> jon: thank you so much for coming by, really appreciate it. thank you, it's called december 1941, on the book shelves now. craig shirley.

>> join us next week at 11:00, on monday george lucas returns to the program. here it, your moment of zen. >> niki this is a very joyous occasion for you. >> blessing of the animals and i really believe the animals have a right to captioning sponsored by comedy central captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org