BLITZER: Iran is erupting right now with anger and death.

The presidential election is being disputed, and there's blood and protesters on the streets. Some people here in the United States are urging President Obama to be more forceful in his reaction to what is going on.

Let's bring in Congressman John Boehner, the top Republican in the House of Representatives.

Congressman, I suspect -- I don't know, but I suspect -- you might be one of them. What do you think of the way the president has reacted to what has gone on in Iran?

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Well, Wolf, I think the situation there is -- is very serious.

And I think it's a real opportunity for President Obama to really make a strong statement and take a strong stand with regard to what the leadership over there is doing.

It's pretty clear that they have had serious election difficulties. The people in Iran believe in democracy. They believe in the rule of law. And they -- I think they believe that this election has been stolen.

BLITZER: What do you want him to do, the president?

BOEHNER: I think the president, who's said that he's want -- he wants dialogue, I think he has the opportunity to say, we're not going to have any dialogue if this is the way you're going to treat your people.

And, so, he has an opportunity to make a very strong statement.

BLITZER: Do you think he will?

BOEHNER: I don't know.

BLITZER: What about North Korea? There's a crisis unfolding there right now as well. Should the U.S. actually go ahead and board North Korean ships that are suspected of having either nuclear technology or -- or weapons on board?

BOEHNER: Wolf, I just met with the president of South Korea.

And -- and I mentioned to him that I have been in Congress now for 18-and-a-half years. And, over that time, every agreement that the North Koreans have made, they have ignored. And all they have done is come to the table, agreed to do what they had agreed to do 10 years ago. We -- we give them food. We give them fuel oil. And then they continue to not do what they have agreed to do.

And I think it's time to take a very serious stance...

BLITZER: All right. So, what do you think the president should...

BOEHNER: ... when it comes to North Korea.

BLITZER: What do you want, specifically, the president to do?

BOEHNER: Well, I think that making sure that these ships do not proceed would be the right order.

I'm not sure that boarding these strips -- these ships is the right move, but we can impede their progress and make sure they're not delivering nuclear weapons or parts to nuclear weapons to other countries around the world.

You know, it was North Korea that we believe, and others believe, that were building this nuclear facility in Syria. They're spreading the use of this technology. And we should do all that we can to prevent it.

BLITZER: Two major crises unfolding right now, Iran and North Korea.

Let's talk about some of the domestic priorities under way right now. The president wants health care reform, delivered a big speech on it yesterday. And, in that speech, he said this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: They're not telling the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Are you among those naysayers who are suggesting he wants to bring about government-run health care?

BOEHNER: Well, I think the president is ignoring reality.

The Congressional Budget Office came out with a score on Senator Kennedy's bill, just part of the score -- of the -- of his bill, that says that the public option would cost over $1 trillion, and would cause 23 million Americans to lose their private health care coverage, and only 16 million of which would -- would be covered under the -- the government plan.

And, so, it's not just me and others. It's -- it's very clear that the so-called public option would be subsidized by the government. It would draw people out of the private sector. It would cause companies to just give up their coverage and force people into a government-run plan.

BLITZER: I know you don't...

(CROSSTALK)

BOEHNER: That's not what we -- that's not what we want.

What we want is, we want to work with the president to make sure that all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance.

BLITZER: I know you don't want a government-run health insurance plan. You want a private-run plan.

What about this proposal, this compromise, in between? Kent Conrad, the Democratic senator, suggesting co-ops, where you -- you band together hundreds of thousands of people, and you create a co-op that's not government run. It's privately run. But it -- but it would potentially do the same thing.

BOEHNER: You know, I think it's worth exploring.

I haven't seen how this would work and what the rules would be. But, clearly, it's an idea that might be able to bridge the differences. But, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that doctors and patients are making decisions about what care is in their best interest, not some government bureaucrat in between.

And, so, if there are ideas out there that will help promote a competitive health insurance system in America that provides access to all Americans to high-quality health insurance, I'm for it.

BLITZER: Congressman, thanks very much for coming in.

BOEHNER: Thanks, Wolf.