Rep. Lewis reflects on Selma March

>>> almost exactly 47 years ago, congressman john lewis helped lead the selma march that ended with vicious attacks by police against peaceful protesters. the confrontation that came to be known as bloody sunday helped gal vaize the nation's support for the civil rights movement then. the house will vote this week on a measure to put into the historical record testimonies from lewis and others from congress who participated in the movement. this is a bid to preserve their accounts for all of history. georgia congressman june loss now joins me. it's great to see you again. let's talk to you about the meaning of this. this came from eric cantor , not a traditional ally of yours but a bipartisan effort to preserve for the record the record of the civil rights movement and the participation by current and former members of congress . what does it mean to you, the significance of this?

>> this means everything. i'm very appreciative and grateful to the membership of the house and others taking the initiative to get the history told or history to be told for generation yet unborn. and so many members of congress came to the south during the '60s, some came and marched with us in 19165 from selma to montgomery. the wives of some of the united states senators came, and in the past few weeks or past few months, past few years, so many members now want to go and walk across that bridge one more time. so, majority leader cantor, the speaker, leader pelosi, whip steny hoyer all are coming together to see that the story is told for generations, and it 's wonderful . our children and their children will have an opportunity to know what happened on the march from selma to montgomery and what role members of congress played then and even now.

>> now, at the same time, we've had some really nasty rhetoric back and forth. there have been some pretty sharp words between members of your party and the majority leader cantor on other issues. and out on the campaign trail, what about some of the things that we heard from rick santorum speaking out against john f. kennedy 's big speech in houston on the separation of church and state and his comment that the president is a snob for supporting post high school education?

>> well, i don't quite understand where senator santorum is coming from. he served in the house with us, but i'm really shocked and surprised that he said such a thing. say t philosophies, beliefs are so basic as part of the american way . for him to suggest that we should have separation between church and state or to suggest that the president is a snob because he want everybody to go to college and get an education, that schools are going to brainwash people, that the president want to -- it's nonsense. it's really just -- it's beyond pale. it's sort of crazy.

>> okay, john lewis , well, here we are in black history month. the end of last day of black history month, but it is always historic moments when we talk to you. and now it will be memorialized forever more, the record of the civil rights movement , the leaders from congress, their spouses, their relatives in the '60s. thank you so much. thanks, congressman, for being with us today.

>> thank you very much. thank you.

>>> and what political story is going to make headlines in the next 24 hours ? contributor