Thursday, May 15, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN

Highlights From John McCain’s Latest Conference Call With Bloggers

John McCain seemed feisty today, even in the face of some somewhat skeptical questions from bloggers.

McCain: As you know, I gave a speech this morning in Ohio concerning what the country would look like after my first term in office in 2013 – whether that vision comes to pass depends on a lot, including whether Congress is willing to come together to work for the common good... I know the numbers, including right track/wrong track are bad, but I think that gives us an opportunity to address those issues in a bipartisan fashion.

I said by 2013 we will have won in Iraq. This means the Maliki government has control of Iraq, and fighting is sporadic. In 2013 we will have won. Winning means the troops are back to a significant degree, we have a functioning and capable Iraqi government and military. It doesn’t mean all is well, but it doesn’t mean we’ve announced a date for withdrawal. No chaos, no genocide, no increased Iranian influence in the region.
Jen Rubin: Thoughts on negotiations with Ahmadinejad? Reaction to Bush comment on appeasement in Knesset in Iran?

McCain: Bush said he wasn’t talking about Obama. I take President Bush at his word. There are plenty of results throughout history of the results of appeasement to evil.

Maybe one of the reason you saw such a vociferous reaction from friends on the other side of the aisle is that it is highest degree of naiveté and inexperience that anyone would want to sit down with face to face talks with the Iranians – who just a few days ago declared Israel is a stinking corpse – who send weapons across the border into Iraq. In Lebanon we see a proxy war between U.S. and Iran. Hezbollah is a proxy for the Iranians. All I can say is if Obama wants to sit across the table with a country where they declare Israel is a stinking corpse — what is it he wants to talk about?

It enhances prestige of a nation that is terrorist sponsor and is directly responsible for the deaths of young Americans.

I look forward to having that debate with him and taking it to the American people.

Michael Goldfarb: Even if they met preconditions, what could we discuss with Iran?

McCain: Before meetings, I would have Iran renounce position of wiping Israel off the map. If they abandoned efforts to get nuclear weapons, and renounce those ambitions. They would have to stop sending these weapons into Iraq and training people to use them. Then I think that perhaps meaningful negotiations could take place. But then we would have to discuss their sponsorship of known terrorism organizations.
The Iranian ambassador is in Baghdad, and Ambassador Crocker has met with him. He’s told me they haven’t shown the slightest inclination to address these issues. They are interested in addressing age-old Persian ambitions to dominate the region.

Me: Senator, I suspect you saw this Monday New York Times article:

Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Susan Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state.

You and I saw Obama’s answer to YouTube debate – how do you hold opponent accountable when his staff flat-out lies and the New York Times covers for him?

McCain: I don’t know, Jim, except maybe to rely on the media [did he mean alternative media?] and the American people. I saw him say in Ohio he would unilaterally renegotiate NAFTA. And I noticed that the Canadian response was maybe we’ll sell our oil to China. To state that we would unilaterally negotiate NAFTA, and then in North Carolina, where the economy was significantly impacted in a beneficial manner by NAFTA, he announced he was a free trader. I have seen Senator Obama switch his positions on several issues several times. I hope he would be held accountable for this and other cases where he said it and he said it more than once in these debates…

There are issues where he’s been not only inconsistent, but contradictory.

Me: I see you’ll do “questions with the Prime Minister” type interactions with congress and weekly press conferences. Please tell me that as President, you’ll be able to do weekly blogger conference calls.

McCain: I have tired to do as often as possible on the campaign trail, and as President, I would try to do them as often as possible. If I can’t do them weekly, I will commit to do them at worst biweekly. And I will try to fire Steve Schmidt, who is responsible for anything that goes wrong with our campaign.

Doug Lambert: Some of your ideas sound like past suggestions from Newt Gingrich.

McCain: I’ve talked to Newt from time to time over the years. I’ve watched him on television and I’ve read some of his books. Certainly parts that have been excerpted. I’d be pleased to have more conversations with him; he’s got some of the best ideas….

Kate Shephard: Energy independence and nuclear power?

McCain: The biggest problems with nuclear power are of our own making. Carter said we wouldn’t reprocess nuclear fuel, that was a huge setback…

Erin: Isn’t this a troop withdrawal timeline?

McCain: You either didn’t read or understand my speech, Erin, and I’ll try to clear it up for you. [I am in that tiny demographic of people greatly amused when McCain expresses the slightest irritation with a questioner.] We are winning in Iraq. Is it long and hard and difficult? Yes. I know that we’re going to win in Iraq, just like we won World War Two and the Persian Gulf War and other conflicts. I selected 2013 because that would be the end of my first term, I think that’s fairly apparent. So of course we would be able to have further troop withdrawals as we are winning. It would be based on recommendations of the generals and facts on the ground.

My only objection to the Webb legislation is that I would like to encourage troops to stay in uniform.

Q: You talked about bipartisanship. Are there positions you would appoint a Democrat?

McCain: I’m proud of my record working across the aisle with senators like Feingold, Lieberman and Levin. I don’t identify specific posts for a Democrat in my administration. Find the best and brightest, and if that person is Democrat or Republican, we ask them to serve…

Particular positions? We really haven’t started that process yet. I know there are great Democrats in this country as well as great Republicans… Let me get a running mate first.

05/15 03:01 PMShare