Sen. Thad Cochran responds

Yahoo! readers wrote in with hundreds of comments for Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record). Thank you to everyone for participating and to Sen. Cochran for taking time to respond.

The interview took place in Sen. Cochran's office on Capitol Hill. Talk to Power host Judy Woodruff presented the questions.

With the recent elections, readers continue to have questions about where the country will go from here and, specifically, what Sen. Cochran — a Mississippi Republican — thinks about the future of the GOP. As with other Talk to Power guests, readers continued to be intensely interested in the war in

Iraq, education and

Social Security.

Questions asked of Sen. Cochran are broken out with links to videos of his responses. A complete transcript of the interview follows.

The debate over Iraq

A reader who described himself as a naval officer wrote: "All I hear about in the news is how we (reporters, politicians, civilians) want our troops to come home from Iraq. What do you say to the tens of thousands of military personnel currently serving our country that believe they are doing the right thing and are scared we are going to be forced to leave Iraq; making everything we, and those who have fallen, pointless?"  

See Sen. Cochran's response or read the transcript below.

Ms. Woodruff pressed Sen. Cochran on whether there was a real possibility of leaving Iraq and if indeed that would make the mission "pointless."

See Sen. Cochran's response.

Shifting the point of view but continuing the conversation about Iraq, Ms. Woodruff presented another reader's question: "I am now 65. In my early years I consistently voted Republican because I believed in conservative principals. But I am terribly disappointed in

President Bush and the misrepresentations he made to gain acceptance of his war in Iraq. My question to you: what is President Bush's definition of victory? What is your definition?"

See Sen. Cochran's response.

On education 

One reader, self-described as a 22-year-old University of Mississippi graduate, asked: "Our county has become very divided over certain issues, such as gay marriage and abortion. However, an issue that we all support - education - falls through the cracks. What do you think it would take to finally bring parties together to create an effective plan to fix education in the United States, and do you think that partisanship can be overcome for this cause?"

See Sen. Cochran's response.

Continuing in the vein of education, a self-described assistant administrator in the Washington, D.C., public schools system wrote: "I am concerned about the many weaknesses of the No Child Left Behind Act, particularly the many unfunded provisions that place a burden on states and school districts that are currently unable to meet the basic funding needs to maintain and build high standard,effective education programs for kids. Please tell me how you view that current implementation of the NCLB Act, and address the issue of providing federal funding to assist states and school districts the adequate dollars to ensure the best value of the act."

See Sen. Cochran's response.

On Social Security 

A Mississippi native wrote:  "Senator, I would like to thank you for your service to our country and for the State of Miss., where I was raised and my parents still live. Is there any hope of a partial privatization of [Social Security] with changes of this midterm election or is the issue totally dead?"

See Sen. Cochran's response.

On politics and the GOP's future 

A reader from the South wrote: "I am wondering about recent comments in the media after the mid-term elections that the Republican Party will primarily be a Southern-based party. Your recent election to minority leadership positions of primarily Southern senators plays this out. Will the Republican Party be able to appeal to the broader nation in future elections, with this Southern-based leadership and outlook? Will the Southern Conservative values and perceptions be able to win broad appeal across the nation, and return the party to power?"

See Sen. Cochran's response.

A reader identified as a registered Republican wrote: "I believe my party has lost its direction as indicated by the blue dog vote going to the Democrat party in the off year. I believe many things have helped sway the vote — among the one I am most concerned about is the influence peddaling that continues to this day in the House and Senate. When are we as citizens of the US going to see constructive reform and an end to lobbys giving both the house and senate money and perks to influence your votes on bills?"

See Sen. Cochran's response.

Below is the transcript of Sen. Cochran's interview.

*****

 

MS. WOODRUFF:  First of all, Senator Cochran, thank you very much for participating in Talk to Power.  We had a large number of comments come in from our viewers, our visitors to the Yahoo site, a large number of thoughtful comments.  We tried to choose a good cross-section, and I'm going to begin with Iraq because it is the question that keeps coming up.

 

Role of US Troops

This is a reader who describes himself as a naval officer, and here's what he wrote:  "All I hear about in the news is how we (reporters, politicians, civilians) want our troops to come home from Iraq.  What do you say, Senator, to the tens of thousands of military personnel currently serving our country that believe they are doing the right thing and are scared we are going to be forced to leave Iraq, making everything we and those who have fallen, pointless?"  

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, the first thing I would say is thank you.  Thank you for serving in the armed forces of our country.  I was a naval officer myself, so I understand the feeling.  I was lucky not to be involved in any combat operations, but nonetheless we were trained and ready to serve and ready to go wherever we were deployed, and I know that's your situation too.  Thank you for being in uniform and protecting the security interests of our country.

I think all Americans are proud of our armed forces because they do such a great job.  And those who are serving in the Iraq theater and those who are in the region protecting our sea lanes, protecting access to places like Iraq and other areas of interest throughout the world, your service is very vital, and without you, we wouldn't have a chance to be an influence for peace as we are right now.

And that's what we're trying to do in Iraq, is end the war, end the conflict.  I can remember one time several years ago, Secretary Kissinger was up here talking to us about the war between

Iran and Iraq.  There was a shooting war going on.  It was dangerous in that it was going to possibly spread to other regions and other nation-states in that part of the world, and our policy was that we should be a force to try to stabilize that situation.  It's a difficult area of the world to deal with, but I think our judgment is being reviewed right now.  Our nation's decision-making process is under review by an independent group of people brought together by the president to ask, to take a look at what we are doing, and make suggestions for ways to improve it.  But in the meantime, we thank you for doing your duty.

 

Bringing the troops home

MS. WOODRUFF:  So, Senator, to follow up to the question, if they are scared they are going asked, forced to leave Iraq, making what they've done pointless, is that a possibility?

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, I don't know what the possibilities are.  There is a review being undertaken right now at the request of the president to help reassure us that we are doing the right thing, that we're on the right track by being actively engaged in trying to bring this conflict to an end and create an opportunity for the people of Iraq to establish their own government that is strong enough to meet the needs of the people of that country.  We don't want to run that country.  We have enough trouble running the United States here in our own government.  So, we know that we can't be there for an unlimited period of time, but we think that in the near term, the soldiers and sailors who are in uniform now and marines, who are all contributing and risking their lives in many cases to stabilize the situation, are serving our national interests, and we appreciate their service very much.

 

Defining Victory in Iraq

MS. WOODRUFF:  Senator, as you can imagine the war in Iraq has been a touchstone of the Talk to Power questions that have come in since we had our first guest back in August.  The comments and the questions we see seem to split fairly evenly between those who advocate a pullout and those who argue against it. 

Here's what another reader has written in to you:  "I am now 65.  In my early years I consistently voted Republican because I believed in conservative principles.  But I am terribly disappointed in President Bush and the misrepresentations he made to gain acceptance of his war in Iraq.  My question to you:  what is President Bush's definition of victory?  What is your definition?"

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, my definition of victory is to bring peace and stability to the region, to be a contributing factor and an influence in stopping the killing, stopping the conflicts, creating a stable environment, a democracy in Iraq so that the people there can determine what they want from their country for themselves.  Let them be the judge, not the United States.  I think that's what President Bush wants.  He doesn't want to take over the government and run it from Washington.  We can't do that, and we're not trying to do that.  We're trying to give the people of Iraq a chance to run their own country in peace and stability in a very volatile and dangerous region of the world.

 

The State of Education

MS. WOODRUFF:  All right, Senator, I'm going to move now to a different topic, a domestic topic, and this one is education. 

This reader, visitor to the Web site, describes himself as a 22-year-old University of Mississippi graduate, who asked:  "Our country has become very divided over certain issues, such as gay marriage and abortion.  However, an issue that we all support - education - falls through the cracks.  What do you think it would take to finally bring the parties together to create an effective plan to fix education in the United States, and do you think that partisanship can be overcome for that cause?"

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, I have a much more optimistic view about the future of education in the United States and maybe in the current state of education in our country.

First of all, most states assume the responsibility for running the school systems in those states, whether you're talking about state universities. Public school systems throughout our country really are the primary responsibility of local school boards, local taxpayers who decide through their elected officials how much money goes into the school system, how big the budget is, how much teachers are paid.  These are not questions that are answered in Washington.  We don't have a federal system for elementary and secondary education, for example.  Further, we have private schools that are alternatives to the public education system that offer for some children another opportunity.  So, it's a very complex and not easily managed in a one-size-fits-all kind of system as you might have in some other countries.

And we have one of the most productive education systems in the world in terms of the number of people who are involved in higher education, students who go to college or who go into specialized training for vocations or specific job skills that are needed in the workplace.  There's so much diversity in America, it's a wonder to me that we have the problems we have with some falling through the cracks and not taking advantage or getting to take advantage of all of our resources.

Being actively involved, as you are though, in that process is something that we should encourage everyone to do and take a more active role in the process, serve on a school board, be a teacher, be a tutor, be a good parent and help your children understand the values.

I was lucky my parents were both schoolteachers.  My dad was a county superintendent of education.  My mother was a mathematics teacher.  We ended up having to do our homework in my house, and sometimes I didn't like to, but we did it anyway.  I wish everybody could have had that opportunity that I do, but some don't, and we need to make sure that we reach out to everybody.

 

No Child Left Behind

MS. WOODRUFF:  And in that - continuing in the vein on education, Senator, a self-described assistant administrator in the Washington, D.C., public school system has written:  "I am concerned about the many weaknesses of the No Child Left Behind Act, particularly the many unfunded provisions that place a burden on states and school districts that are currently unable to meet the basic funding needs to maintain and build high standard, effective education programs for kids.  Please tell me how you view that current implementation of the NCLB Act, and address the issue of providing federal funding to assist states and school districts the adequate dollars to ensure the best value of the act."

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, here in the Washington, D.C., area, we are experimenting now with some charter school funding with assistance from the federal government to see if some alternative programs can be established to give people more of a choice about where they send their children to school, still in the public school system.  And this is, of course, something that's being tried around the country as well. 

I'm hopeful that we can provide significant levels of funding from the federal level to support state and local initiatives.  We do that through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the Title I program was designed to provide teachers with specialized training in areas where students have special needs.  I know - I mentioned my mother was a mathematics teacher.  At one point in her career, she was the Title I mathematics coordinator in our area of the Jackson, Mississippi, school system area, the county system.  She would go around and teach teachers how to teach the new math.  This was a long time ago.  People have forgotten about the new math.  It is old math now, I suppose. 

But we've tried a variety of things, and we'll continue to explore options, and if you have suggestions for specific things we should consider, send them in.  Who knows?  We might adopt your proposal.

 

Saving Social Security

MS. WOODRUFF:  Senator, a brief question about Social Security.  I don't know if any question about Social Security can be brief.  This individual writes: "Senator, I would like to thank you for your service to our country and for the State of Mississippi, where I was raised and my parents still live.  Is there any hope of a partial privatization of Social Security with the changes that occurred in this midterm election or is the issue completely dead?"

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, it's probably sick, if not dead, because the new members of the House and Senate who've been elected give the Democrats a majority in both houses now, and there's been a decided strong opposition on that side of the aisle to investments and other individually owned supplements to the Social Security system. 

I don't think any of us want to in any way endanger the Social Security system.  The effort is to strengthen it and to give maybe more options for people to choose from in terms of their own personal interests and needs in a Social Security system.  I think we will continue that quest, and I'm hopeful that we will be able to have alternatives that provide people a different level of income and financial support for their retirement years.

Meaning of Democratic Victory

MS. WOODRUFF:  And, Senator, finally three questions about the mid-term elections or off the mid-term elections.  The first one:  Just in general, what does it mean for the country now that the Democrats are in the majority in charge in the Senate and the House - will be, starting in January?

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, I think we'll all have to wait and see.  We'll get a lot of information from the party leaders after this Congress adjourns and people start thinking about what their goals will be and their schedule of their legislative agenda, what the items will be that will be the first on the list.  And so, it's a wait-and-see time for us now.  There were a lot of promises, I'm sure, made in the election campaigns by individual candidates who are now elected to office, and so we'll see if they can deliver on their promises or work to achieve the goals that they set out as their priorities. 

But it's a system that has shown its strength and resilience throughout the last 200 or so years, and we're all lucky to be in a system of government that gives us all a right to participate in it and change our leadership or choose new leaders.  If you don't like your Congressman or Congresswoman, in 2 years you'll have a chance to get another one or support someone else.  It's a great system, and it's worked to give us the greatest amount of individual liberty and the highest standard of living of any country in the whole world.

 

Future of the GOP

MS. WOODRUFF:   From the South, and, again, in this vein, a reader writes:  "I am wondering about recent comments in the news media after the mid-term elections that the Republican Party will primarily be a Southern-based party.  Your recent election to minority leadership positions of primarily Southern senators plays this out.  Will the Republican Party be able to appeal to the broader nation in future elections, with this Southern-based leadership and outlook?  Will the Southern conservative values and perceptions be able to win broad appeal across the nation and return the party to power?"

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, it'll be interesting to see about the transition and how much farther it goes in terms of realignment of states with political parties.  When I was growing up, we didn't have any local Republican elected officials.  It just didn't happen.  But back in the Civil War days, the Republicans were the ones who were reforming the federal government, and the Democrats were sort of the old Confederates from the Civil War, and it took a long time for that transition to be made. 

And there'll be continuing evolution of our system and realignment going on over time, but I don't foresee anything really dramatically sudden or inherently evil or frightening about transitions.  They seem to occur fairly slowly and evolve in a way that doesn't put in jeopardy individual liberties or our basic rights as citizens.  On the other hand, it seems that we have a more sensitive government now, sensitive to individual rights and interests, than we've ever had in our history.  We've broken down a lot of barriers for people of different races, of different ethnic backgrounds, trying to ensure an equal footing and opportunity for everybody, no matter race, religion, background.  And I think that's great.  I think we're moving in the right direction, and we will continue to get better as time goes on.

 

Lobbying Reform

MS. WOODRUFF:  And, Senator, a final question.  This reader writes:  "Senator Cochran - I am a registered Republican and a conservative of the Newt Gingrich house.  I believe my party has lost its direction as indicated by the blue dog vote going to the Democratic Party in the off year.  I believe many things have helped sway the vote. Among the one I am most concerned about is the influence peddling that continues to this day in the House and Senate.  When are we as citizens of the U.S. going to see constructive reform and an end to lobbies giving both the House and Senate money and perks to influence your votes on bills?"

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, I think we're making some progress in this area too, particularly with disclosure.  You know, when I was first elected, it was the first year, in 1972, when I was elected to Congress, you had to report contributions.  There were limits on contributions that could be received in dollar amounts from individuals and also from political action committees or organizations, who were, who were organized to try to be an influence in communicating with elected representatives in Congress.

This was something brand new, and it has been refined, it has been improved, it has, I think, evolved to the point now where if you want to know who's supporting a candidate, you can get a copy of a financial disclosure report that'll tell you where the money's coming from and who's getting it, who they are.  These are all - there are no secret, under-the-table contributions.  If they are, they're against the law, and you'll get caught and get sent to jail. 

And you know, one thing is it's those cases that get the most publicity.  All the people that obeyed every law and every rule, filed every report, honestly disclosed everything, don't get written up.  Hello?  Isn't that something?  And 99 percent of the people here in Congress, or bigger than that maybe, obey the law and have followed every rule, and you hear about the handful who haven't, and that's the way it is.  That's why you publicize it, to remind everybody, if you don't obey the law, you're going to go to jail or you're going to be publicly embarrassed or the voters will find out that you're a crook or close to it, and they'll choose somebody else.  I think our system works pretty well.

MS. WOODRUFF:  That's a good note to end on.  Senator Cochran, thank you very much on behalf of Talk to Power at Yahoo and at the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.  We thank you very much for doing this.  We appreciate it.

SEN. COCHRAN:  Thank you.

 

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