‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Aug. 26, 2007

MR. RUSSERT:  ...and told that you had about a 50 percent chance of survival.

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Hm.

MR. RUSSERT:  What did you go through, and what did you learn from it?

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Well, you know, it was an interesting time because we didn’t have the tools that we have now.  For example, we didn’t have the Internet. You didn’t have a livestrong.org.  You didn’t have a Google that you could go to and type in “cancer” and all of these answers come up.  So we really scrambled.  And then all—and all the while you’re being told that it—you have a coin-flip chance of living, and, and it, it was a, it was a difficult time.  But ultimately we found the best care.  We asked hard questions, I mean, just like we’ll do in these forums, we’ll ask hard questions.  With my doctors, we asked hard questions.  We sought second opinions, third opinions, fourth opinions.  We weren’t going to be content with just sort of the corner oncology shop.  And, and I think that’s the attitude that people have to have with their own disease, but also that’s the attitude that we have to have as a nation.

MR. RUSSERT:  You gave an interesting interview with Forbes magazine, and I want to share with our viewers.  You wrote this:  “Without cancer, I never would have won a single Tour de France.  Cancer taught me a plan for more purposeful living, and that in turn taught me how to train and to win more purposefully.  It taught me that pain has a reason, and that sometimes the experience of losing things—whether health or a car or an old sense of self—has its own value in the scheme of life.  Pain and loss are great enhancers.”

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Right.  So it, I mean, it was a—wake-up call wouldn’t even begin to describe it.  It was—it just gave me a sense of perspective.  So, as I came back, and, and I mean, I had that sense of—new sense of perspective with my sport.  I have that new sense of perspective as a father.  I have that new sense of perspective here as a—as an activist.  It made my life very—it—I mean, the, the things that you thought were major before are incredibly minor now.

MR. RUSSERT:  Seven Tour de Frances.  You do not believe you could have won one of those but for the fact that you battled cancer.

MR. ARMSTRONG:  No.  No way.  I was, I was set into a rut there as a, as a, as a—what we would say?--a one-day cyclist or a one-day classics rider before, and I never would have changed.  I mean, the disease came along, and it released all of the—I mean, when I came back, nobody had any expectations, so I was free and able to go out and, and try the most challenging thing that I could without, without any risk.  It was all upside.

MR. RUSSERT:  Is, is this forum in itself a message to people who are battling cancer today, that there can be a life beyond that?

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Well, the easiest way to say that is it’s one thing to survive cancer, but it’s another thing to thrive after cancer.  And I deal with, with thousands of cancer survivors throughout the year, and most people have the same perspective.  I mean, they come back as, as better people, more obsessed with what they’re doing, more committed to what they’re doing, more passionate about what they’re doing.  So, I mean, I think most of us would, would agree that the disease was a blessing.

MR. RUSSERT:  Is there a political career in the future of Lance Armstrong?

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Well, this is pretty political, I think.  But, but in terms of if you’re asking me will I, will I ever run for office, I mean, my answer is always the same, never say never.  Right now I think that my role as a, as a—as an apolitical activist is, is, is more beneficial and important.  It, it could be—there could, could come a time where I say, “You know what?  I need to step in.” But right now I have three small kids, I have a great life, I’m sort of enjoying myself.  So the answer now is no, but never say never.

MR. RUSSERT:  Might you endorse a candidate based on the answers they give you at the forum?

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Again, the, the issue, my issue, what I’m fighting for, so a cure for cancer, is apolitical.  It’s bipartisan.  It strikes both sides.  It would be very risky to endorse a candidate.  I mean, let’s just say, for example, I picked one side or the other, and then all the sudden the other side were to win, it would be difficult to go on in the future with the—have a good working relationship there.  So right now the only thing that I’m interested in supporting and endorsing is a cure for cancer.  I’m not, I’m not interested in picking a side.  Obviously I will go and vote for a side, but—which I’m not going to divulge—but right now all I’m interested in is a cure here.

MR. RUSSERT:  Lance Armstrong, we thank you for joining us and sharing your views.  Once again, the presidential forum in Iowa Monday and Tuesday.  Good luck.

MR. ARMSTRONG:  Thank you.

MR. RUSSERT:  And we’ll have much more of our conversation with Lance Armstrong about his foundation, his future and the future of the sport of cycling all on our Take Two Web Extra this afternoon on our Web site, mtp.msnbc.com.

That’s all for today.  Join me Tuesday on MSNBC and msnbc.com, all day political coverage of 2008, Super Tuesday.  We’ll be back next week.  If it’s Sunday, it is MEET THE PRESS. 

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Nov. 8: Casey, Barbour, Rendell, roundtable, Brokaw Nov. 1: Tim Geithner, David Plouffe, roundtable Oct. 25: Cornyn, Schumer, Burnett, Sorkin, roundtable Oct. 18: Jarrett, Dodd, Kyl, Shriver, Podesta Oct. 11: Levin, Graham, McCaffrey, Myers, roundtable Oct. 4: Ambassador Susan Rice, roundtable Sept. 27: Bill Clinton, Paterson, Kyl, Webb Sept. 20: President Obama, Sen. Graham, Rep. Boehner, roundtable Sept. 13: Durbin, Cornyn, Dean, Gingrich, roundtable Sept. 6: Axelrod, roundtable Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: