MTP Transcript for Oct. 8

SEN. TALENT: ...you got to have some distance before you make judgments like that. He was right in the tax cuts that have driven economic growth, and he’s right in a pro-growth, pro-renewable energy policy, he’s wrong in his immigration policy, wrong to support an amnesty and oppose a security fence.  My opponent agrees with him there.

Let me just take a minute and talk about what I’ve actually done...

MR. RUSSERT: Now, but we got to, we got to balance the time here.

SEN. TALENT: All right...(unintelligible). I got you.

MR. RUSSERT: George W. Bush. Is this election a referendum on George W.

Bush, or is it about Claire McCaskill and Jim Talent?

MS. McCASKILL: It’s about changing direction. And I will tell you, I think it’s remarkable that someone would vote with the president 94 percent of the time and then be not willing to say he’s a great president.

Let’s be forthright. Let’s—and frankly, speaking of independence, my career has been branded by independence. I took on the governor of my own party in a primary. I have done tough audits as an auditor of—in governors, both parties, both administrations. Time after time, I have taken sometimes the lonely road, like Senator Warner and Senator Graham and Senator McCain, and, and General Powell. There are Republicans that are standing up and saying, “We are not doing things right in Washington.” I want to be that kind of Democrat, that will come here and stand up to lobbyists, to my own party, to the president, and solve problems for the American people instead of playing political gamesmanship.

MR. RUSSERT: You’re having Bill Clinton come in to raise money for you. Do you think Bill Clinton was a great president?

MS. McCASKILL: I do. I think—I have a lot of problems with some of his, his, his personal issues. I said at...

MR. RUSSERT: But do you...

MS. McCASKILL: I said at the time, “I think he’s been a great leader, but I don’t want my daughter near him.”

MR. RUSSERT: You said that, according to New Yorker magazine, that you don’t think Hillary Clinton would be a good Democratic nominee because she couldn’t win Democrats in Missouri. True?

MS. McCASKILL: Well, you know, honestly, the presidential politics is going to get very intense and very, frankly, there’s going to be a lot of back and forth after November. I don’t want to get into presidential politics today.

MR. RUSSERT: Would you like to see her president?

MS. McCASKILL: You know, I, I, I think any Democratic nominee is going to be better than this president.

MR. RUSSERT: If...

MS. McCASKILL: And I’m anxious to support the Democratic nominee, because if you look at every measure: the budget—you know, speaking of coming to Washington, when Senator Talent came to Washington, he was all about a balanced budget and fiscal conservativism...

MR. RUSSERT: If you’re elected to the U.S. Senate, will you pledge to serve a full six-year term?

MS. McCASKILL: Absolutely.

MR. RUSSERT: You will not run for governor?

MS. McCASKILL: No, I will not.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Talent...

MS. McCASKILL: I’d be honored to serve.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Talent? I give you 10 seconds. Why should people vote for you?

SEN. TALENT: Because I’ve made the system work for Missouri. Passed a Renewable Fuels Act to encourage ethanol and biodiesel, the Combat Meth law, reduced meth labs by 70 percent, other legislation. Everybody—every Midwestern senator supported it. We got—there was one major politician in the country who didn’t and she’s sitting next to me right now.

MR. RUSSERT: Ten seconds, why should they vote for you?

MS. McCASKILL: I wouldn’t have supported for a bill that gave $9 billion of tax money to big oil.

SEN. TALENT: Didn’t give 9 million.

MS. McCASKILL: It’s a bad—it’s a bad idea. Bottom line, let’s have some plain-speaking, forthright independence, a fresh approach, new ideas, and get rid of some of the politics that’re being played in Washington.

MR. RUSSERT: Claire McCaskill, Jim Talent, thanks very much.

MS. McCASKILL: Thank you.

SEN. TALENT: Thank you, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT: Coming next, “State of Denial.” A best seller across America, but the White House is not happy. Author Bob Woodward is next.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: Bob Woodward, his new book, “State of Denial,” after this station break.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: And we’re back.

Bob Woodward, welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.

MR. BOB WOODWARD: Thank you. Thank you.

MR. RUSSERT: You’ve written three books about the Bush administration and here they are, “Bush at War,” “Plan of Attack,” “State of Denial.” The first titles, neutral. The last one, not so. Why?

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Remembering Tim Russert July 20: Al Gore, political roundtable July 13: Carly Fiorina, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), politcal roundtable June 29: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D-WY), Gov. Bill Ritter (D-CO), Chuck Todd June 22: Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), political roundtable June 15 transcript, video NBC's Tom Brokaw to moderate 'Meet the Press' through election   Images: The life of the political journalist   Slideshow: A look back at 60 years of 'Meet the Press' Find ‘Meet the Press’ in your area Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: