McCain takes on more questions from Yahoo! readers
After answering a series of questions from Yahoo! readers, Sen. John McCain agreed to again sit with Judy Woodruff and continue the discussion. (Click here to see his earlier answers.)
Thank you to those who posted their questions and comments, and to Sen. McCain for taking the time to answer follow-up questions.
In this new round of questions from Yahoo! users, the senator again tackled questions on Iraq and the war on terrorism, and addressed gay marriage and inequality in the U.S. As with the first question-and-answer session, Talk to Power host Judy Woodruff presented the questions to the senator.
Iraq and the war on terrorism
The interview, which took place on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, began with the topic of Iraq. One reader asked: "Why do you think our current approach to eliminating terrorism only includes combat? Why aren't we addressing the underlying concerns that make people in the Middle East support the terrorists as they apparently are? What exactly does your approach to eliminating terrorism include and why?"
Another wrote: "Why aren't we addressing the underlying concerns that make people in the Middle East support the terrorists as they apparently are?" And a third put it this way: "How will you go about showing the average citizen of the Middle East that the US deserves their support over groups like Al Qaeda, the Taliban or Hezbollah?"
In a wide-ranging response, Sen. McCain agreed that public opinion is a significant part of the battle, and said one step he would take is to close the Guantanamo detention center.
Click here to see his response or read the full transcript below.
Continuing on Iraq, Sen. McCain addressed concerns that the U.S. is creating more terrorists than it is eliminating. Acknowledging that "mistakes were made", he said Iraq is a key to combating terrorism and cannot be abandoned: "I’m also firmly convinced ... if we fail in Iraq you will see chaos in the region, and I believe that chaos will spread beyond those boundaries."
Click here to see his response.
Following up on immigration
Woodruff mentioned the depth of anger and concern that we saw in the reaction to the question of immigration, which led one Yahoo! reader to go so far as to argue the country is on the verge of civil war.
Sen. McCain, while not downplaying the importance of the issue, called that characterization an overstatement.
Click here to see his response.
Gay rights
The question of same-sex marriage and gay rights was raised early by Yahoo! readers but not addressed in the first round of questions to Sen. McCain. In the follow-up session, he spoke to a question raised by one reader, who wrote, "As president, what would you do to help ensure that your gay and lesbian constituents will get equal protections under the law?"
"Where there is discrimination I would seek to cure it," Sen. McCain said. He went on to say he believes marital status "should be decided by the states and not an amendment to a federal constitution."
Click here to see his response.
Economic inequality
Finally, a reader who contrasted his own "nice lush apartment" with poverty-stricken homes nearby wanted to know Sen. McCain's opinions about economic inequality in the U.S.: "Although Lyndon Johnson's Great Society was never realized, what do you think about the growing divide between rich and poor?"
Calling it "one of the most difficult challenges that we face", Sen. McCain argued that the government should do more to train workers to be better prepared and better paid in the workforce of the future. "I don’t know all the answers, but I do know it has to be a very high priority and it has to be turned around for the good of nation," he says.
Click here to see his response.
Reflecting on 9/11
At the end of the interview, Judy Woodruff asked the senator if he would reflect on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. In response, he gave credit to the Bush administration and others for the fact that there has not been another attack since. Interestingly, he followed up by saying, "If I were president of the United States, I would probably ask more of the American people in this war on terror. "
Click here to see his response.
Below is a transcript of the Senator's responses.
TERRORISM AND THE WAR IN IRAQ
The point is extremely well made. We’ve got combat on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq and they’re very important and most important because obviously American lives are at risk and our young people are in harm’s way, but the larger aspect of this conflict is public opinion. It is the view of young people all over the world about America and how well on the other side of the coin that young people of Muslim faith are recruited and turned into suicide bombers.
I think we’re doing some things. The president appointed Karen Hughes, his most trusted adviser, to work in the State Department to try to help our image. We’re funding money for radio and television. But I also have to tell that Abu Ghraib, in particular, but also Guantanamo have hurt our image in the world.
And right now we’re going to be in a fight about what kind of interrogation techniques can be used in interrogation of prisoners? And this is sort of like battle we fought about the use of torture last time around. But we have to do a better job in the war of ideas and ideals if we’re going to prevail over time in this struggle that we’re in.
...I think one of the things I’d do to repair the damage is to close Gitmo even though I think the conditions there are fine. It’s become a symbol around the world. I’d make a clear declaration as we did before that we will not use torture or we will abide by the Geneva Convention for treatment of prisoners, both those in uniform and those who are enemy combatants.
And I would start trying to work on the economy of some of these countries. Pakistan is a great example of it. It’s an impoverished country, and they need to have significant improvement. I would reiterate my advocacy for freedom and democracy throughout the world.
But it’s going to be a very long tough struggle. As you know those young people are being taken off the streets and into these Madras’s, and they’re taught to hate and kill and want to destroy us. As long as there’s no hope, and no job, and no opportunity, and no future for these young people, then they will be fertile ground for recruitment into extremism, which then poses a great danger to the United States. But there’s a lot we need to do on the psychological side but also giving people an opportunity for a better future.
IRAQ AND TERRORISM, PART 2
I think serious mistakes have been made in the conduct of this war. We did not anticipate adequately the post initial combat phase, and we paid a very heavy price in American blood and treasure. And yes, I think that it has now become a place where terrorists can operate at least in certain parts of the country. I think it has probably increased some of the risk that we face.
But having said that I’m also firmly convinced, and I’m sure many of our viewers will not agree with this, if we fail in Iraq you will see chaos in the region, and I believe that chaos will spread beyond those boundaries. And then I think that our - our war that we just referred to earlier will be vastly complicated.
I’ll be glad to spend time reviewing intelligence failures and all of the other mistakes that have been made but the fact is we’re there now. And for us to fail there now, and there are significant problems there, I think would be near catastrophic.
TERROR/GITMO: RESPONSE 1
The point is extremely well made. We’ve got combat on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq and they’re very important and most important because obviously American lives are at risk and our young people are in harm’s way, but the larger aspect of this conflict is public opinion. It is the view of young people all over the world about America and how well on the other side of the coin that young people of Muslim faith are recruited and turned into suicide bombers.
I think we’re doing some things. The president appointed Karen Hughes, his most trusted adviser, to work in the State Department to try to help our image. We’re funding money for radio and television. But I also have to tell that Abu Ghraib, in particular, but also Guantanamo have hurt our image in the world.
And right now we’re going to be in a fight about what kind of interrogation techniques can be used in interrogation of prisoners? And this is sort of like battle we fought about the use of torture last time around. But we have to do a better job in the war of ideas and ideals if we’re going to prevail over time in this struggle that we’re in.
TERROR/GITMO: RESPONSE 2
I think one of the things I’d do to repair the damage is to close Gitmo even though I think the conditions there are fine. It’s become a symbol around the world. I’d make a clear declaration as we did before that we will not use torture or we will abide by the Geneva Convention for treatment of prisoners, both those in uniform and those who are enemy combatants.
And I would start trying to work on the economy of some of these countries. Pakistan is a great example of it. It’s an impoverished country, and they need to have significant improvement. I would reiterate my advocacy for freedom and democracy throughout the world.
But it’s going to be a very long tough struggle. As you know those young people are being taken off the streets and into these Madras’s, and they’re taught to hate and kill and want to destroy us. As long as there’s no hope, and no job, and no opportunity, and no future for these young people, then they will be fertile ground for recruitment into extremism, which then poses a great danger to the United States. But there’s a lot we need to do on the psychological side but also giving people an opportunity for a better future.
IMMIGRATION
I think that to say that the country is on the verge of civil war is a gross exaggeration, and I say that with respect. But there is very strong and passionate feelings out there, particularly amongst the Republican base. And that’s why it’s been very difficult.
I have begged my colleagues to lower the rhetoric, to be more respectful of the views of others. Because I believe you need a comprehensive approach with emphasizing totally border security first. It’s not an unpatriotic position. I agree with those who think we have to secure the border. I and the president just believe you need a comprehensive approach as I stated earlier.
But can’t we sit down together and work this out? Because we know that to do nothing would not be satisfactory and in fact a failure of our obligations. So I still hold out a faint hope that we can sit down together and work out this problem. That’s why people send us here. Not to argue so much with each other but to try to achieve some result. We all know that broken borders have to be fixed.
GAY RIGHTS
Where there is discrimination I would seek to cure it. No person in our society should be discriminated against. In the interest of straight talk I do believe and hold the position that a marriage between man and woman has a unique status in society and in America. But I also believe that status should be decided by the states and not an amendment to a federal constitution.
INEQUALITY
Mike, I believe you touched on one of the most difficult challenges that we face because according to government statistics and others there is a growing gap between the richest and the poorest in America. No society can exist with that gap widening without some kind of social upheaval or certainly great discontent. We have to figure out why that is. We know that part of it is globalization loss of jobs due to manufacturing jobs going to China. We know there’s a lot of reasons for it. I would go back to education, why we have to place renewed emphasis on education and training so that people can be qualified to work in the higher paying jobs. I also believe that those people, that you can prove that they lost their jobs because of foreign competition such as a textile mill moving to China, that those people deserve trade adjustment assistance. Part of that would be education and training. I think that one of the great challenges we may face in the 21st century is this failure to close the gap between the richest and the poorest and particularly at a time when we’ve had a very healthy economy and low employment. So I don’t know all the answers, but I do know it has to be a very high priority and it has to be turned around for the good of nation.
SEPT. 11
We need to do a better job in securing our ports and railway stations and hubs. I’m told that 500,000 people a day go through Pennsylvania station in New York City. And we have a long way to go, but we should give some credit not just to the president but the men and women who work every day trying to make our nation safe for that fact that we have not had another attack on the United States in the previous five years, which most every expert predicted that we would. Do we have a long way to go? Yes.
And the only other thing that if I were president of the United States, I would probably ask more of the American people in this war on terror. I’d ask for more volunteers. I’d ask for, I’d expand the Peace Corps. I’d expand Americorps. I would make a great appeal particularly to young people to volunteer to help make our power plants safe and our refineries in a lot of areas.
And the one thing that I believe more than anything else: when Americans are asked to serve their country, they always respond in the positive. So let’s hope we can get another five years without another attack. Let’s hope that we can prevail in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has seen renewed fighting, and recognize we live in a very dangerous world. But America has lived in dangerous times in the past and we’ve always prevailed. And I am confident we will prevail again thanks to the quality of the American people.