'Hardball College Tour:' Barack Obama

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Obama on 3 a.m. phone calls if elected
MATTHEWS:  Let me give you a scene that may face you in the next year or two, where the national security adviser calls you at 3:00 in the morning and tells that you a couple of jet—commercial jets have been hijacked.  And they believe it is al Qaeda.  And, as we know, al Qaeda always tries a second time.  They tried for the World Trade Center after ‘93.  They came back in ‘01.

They’re heading for the Capitol.  What do you do?

OBAMA:  Well, look, I am hesitant to engage in hypotheticals like that, because...

MATTHEWS:  But it has been predictable.

OBAMA:  Oh, well, the—I don’t think anybody predicted 9/11.  And, so, we don’t know what kinds of circumstances are going to come up.

Here’s the important thing about that 3:00 a.m. phone call.  What you want is somebody who is, first of all, going to get all the facts and gather up good intelligence.  The second thing you want is somebody who is able to analyze the situation, the costs and benefits of action.

And one of the things that we know this president didn’t do is to weigh the costs of going into Iraq vs. the potential benefits of it.  We want somebody who is going to be decisive.  And I won’t hesitate to strike against somebody who would do us harm, if that’s what is required.

But the most important thing that you need is somebody who is going to exercise good judgment.  And judgment is not simply a matter of sounding tough or talking tough.  It is a matter of weighing and making good decisions under stress.

And, if you think about, for example, John F. Kennedy, his biggest mistake was going ahead with military action that hadn’t been thought through.

Video   Obama on 3 a.m. phone calls April 2: Barack Obama explains to Chris Matthews that if president he will exercise “good judgment” when it comes to homeland security issues and that he'll make good decisions under stress. Hardball

MATTHEWS:  Right.

OBAMA:  His greatest triumph was actually showing restraint in a very dangerous, difficult situation.

Now, obviously, something involving al Qaeda is not comparable.  And my whole plan for going after terrorists is to refocus attention on terrorist networks, something that the Iraq war has been a distraction from.

And what I have said repeatedly is, for example, I won’t hesitate to strike against al Qaeda bases and high-value targets.  If Pakistan is not willing to act, and we have our sights on somebody, we should go after them.  I was sharply criticized for that, both by John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and George Bush, except it turned out that, three weeks ago, we had one of our most successful strikes against one of the highest-ranking al Qaeda leaders doing precisely that.

And I think that indicates the degree to which I am more than willing to use our military power where necessary.  But we have to use it in a way that is responsible, and weighs all the ramifications of action, and is based on the best available evidence, and not based on politics and ideology.

MATTHEWS:  Most people believe that the...

(APPLAUSE)

MATTHEWS:  ... intelligence was corrupted in this administration, that it was manipulated—manipulated by civilians...

OBAMA:  Right.

MATTHEWS:  ... with political and ideological intent.

How do you clean out the intelligence agencies and let them know you want the real intelligence; you don’t want twisted case made for whatever policy somebody is selling at the bureaucratic level?

OBAMA:  Well, it starts at the top.  It starts at the top.

If the president is basing his actions on ideas that are preconceived and wants to ignore facts, and only wants to hear things that reinforce what he already believes, or she already believes, then you are going to have a problem.

And that’s why I think it is so important that we send a clear directive to everybody in our intelligence communities that I want independent thinking, and I want people who disagree with me, as well as people who agree with me.  I want to have everybody around the table.

This is one of the most important criteria, I think, for having a good Cabinet, a good sub-Cabinet, and an effective federal government, is, when people have confidence that, if—if they bring uncomfortable facts to the table, that somebody is going to listen to them, and they are not going to be punished for bringing bad news, that is how you actually end up making good decisions.

MATTHEWS:  Can you do this from day one?  Can you make sure that the intelligence agencies get that message fast?

OBAMA:  Absolutely.

I mean, I think one of the first things that you have to do, even during transition, is to make sure that you send a message to everybody.  I want all the bad news.  And I want the bad news sooner than I want the good news.

MATTHEWS:  OK.

Thank you very much.

We will be right back with Barack Obama with some personal questions.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

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