MTP Transcript for Jan. 21, 2007

SEN. McCAIN: I, I think we are all responsible, including me. But I believe that it is a frustration that Americans feel that we have not succeeded. We raised their expectations with comments like “stuff happens” and “last throes” and all of that rhetoric that went on, including predictions by our military commanders over there that things were going well. But I believe, again, and I—I’m sorry to be repetitious, but I think we have now a strategy that can succeed. We’ve got a military commander that I hope we would give him a chance to succeed over there with his outstanding leadership, and I believe we can show them a path to success, and I think we can turn those numbers around.

But I want to emphasize again, if we leave and Iraq descends into chaos and you see this ethnic cleansing going on in places like Baghdad, the Sunnis will play, the Iranian—the Sunnis in the region will have to try to support Sunnis, the Iranians will support Shias, the Turks will become very nervous about Kurdish, a Kurdish state. This is—there’s a tremendous amount at stake here, and I think we who support this change in strategy have to paint the big picture in a more compelling fashion to the American people. There’s no doubt.

When we left Vietnam, Tim, and came home, the Vietnamese didn’t want to follow us. If we leave Iraq, I am convinced that al-Qaeda and terrorist organizations will want to follow us home.

MR. RUSSERT: But, senator, if, in fact, in six months, nine months, the situation in Iraq does not improve, it is not stable, would you then say we gave it our best shot, it’s time to come home?

SEN. McCAIN: I think it would depend on the situation on the ground at the time, Tim. I hope that we can set up some benchmarks so that we can know whether we’re achieving some success. But look, it’s taken us nearly four years to get to this desperate situation we’re in today. So to think that within three or four months or a short period of time that we could retrieve the situation, I think is, is just foolishness.

MR. RUSSERT: You said something to Todd Purdham in Vanity Fair that I want to share with our viewers and ask you about. “‘I do believe that this issue isn’t going to be around in 2008. I think it’s going to either tip into a civil war...’ [McCain] breaks off, as if not wanting to rehearse the handful of other unattractive possibilities.” Finish that statement. It’s either going to tip into civil war or...?

SEN. McCAIN: I think we’re, we’re going to see some success and some measurable success over a long period of time, or we will see failure, is what I—is basically what I—what I said and what I’ve been saying in response to your questions.

MR. RUSSERT: Is the administration considering a policy of rather than cut and run, cut and blame? Where they say to the Iraqis, “It’s time for you to step up. Well, you didn’t do it, we now have to leave”?

SEN. McCAIN: If we do, it, it will be simply rhetoric. We, we are very, very dependent upon Iraqi cooperation, both from their government leadership side, but also to their—the military side and they—that they get sufficient forces into Baghdad, and we continue the training, etc. But I promise you, if we fail here, there’ll be plenty enough blame to go around to everyone, including to me.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to your 2008 presidential race. Are, are you prepared to formally announce, not just an exploratory committee, but a full announcement of candidacy?

SEN. McCAIN: As is obvious, we’ve been tied up very much in this Iraq issue, which is far more important than any political campaign, but we’re making all the preparations to move forward.

MR. RUSSERT: And when will that be?

SEN. McCAIN: We have, have not decided.

MR. RUSSERT: James Dobson, head of the Focus on the Family, outspoken in, in Christian right circles, said this the other day, “I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances...and I pray that we won’t get stuck with him.” You responded, “I’m obviously disappointed and I’d like to continue and have a dialogue with Dr. Dobson and other members of the community.” Are you going to reach out to Dr. Dobson?

SEN. McCAIN: No. It’s a free country, and Dr. Dobson is very much entitled to his opinion. I meant I will continue to dialogue with everybody in America that would like to have a dialogue with me, including on this issue of the war in Iraq.

MR. RUSSERT: But not with Dr. Dobson?

SEN. McCAIN: If, if—of course, if Dr. Dobson would like to have a conversation, I’d be glad to have a conversation with anyone.

MR. RUSSERT: One of the things that Dr. Dobson was most concerned about was your support of a, a legislation which would demand that organizations provide their fundraising lists when they were doing grassroots lobbying. This was the Hill newspaper the other day: “McCain does about-face on grassroots reform bill. Senator gets onto same page as base, conservative groups.” You flipped, senator. You were very much in favor of that kind of transparency, and then you voted against it on the floor. Why have you flipped on a legislation that Dr. Dobson cared about, conservative groups cared about? Is it because you’re trying to win their favor in your race for president?

SEN. McCAIN: I, I hate to keep referring to Dr. Dobson, but his—among his many other objections to me was his view of my commitment to the sanctity of marriage. But I—as—over a year ago, I had changed my position on this issue because I believe that it was too big a bite to take. I believe that there’s ambiguities concerning it, and so I believe that it was better to move forward with the reforms that we can make, and so that’s a position that I took well over a year ago.

MR. RUSSERT: But it also helps you politically.

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