Aug. 17, 2008
Potential VPs Square Off On Russia
Republican Tim Pawlenty, Democrat Evan Bayh Defend Their Candidates' Responses To The Crisis In Georgia
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Play CBS Video Video Potential Veeps On Georgia Crisis Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., have both been mentioned as potential nominees for vice president. They talk with Bob Schieffer about why their candidates' foreign policy is stronger.
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Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., left, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn., discussed he conflict in Georgia and their party's candidates on "Face The Nation" on Sunday. (CBS)
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Who's Who Russia And Georgia At Odds Some of the faces and places involved in the tense dispute.
Pawlenty emphasized presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain's experience and pointed to a statement McCain said last night during a
"I think he's acknowledged that military action in this particular situation is unlikely, but as commander in chief, he wants to make sure all options remain available to him, and that's understandable," Pawlenty said. "And one of the questions this crisis raises is who do you want sitting across the table from Vladimir Putin and people like him, John McCain or Senator Obama? And I think the answer is Senator McCain, and that's for obvious reasons, with his experience in national security, military affairs, his clarity, his strength, and his judgment in these matters.
"As you saw with the surge and as you see even before this crisis broke out, he said last year we've got a problem, we should be thinking about having Russia be disinvited from the G-8," Pawlenty added.
But Bayh countered by saying that McCain went too far in his statements about the crisis, and defended the judgment of his party's candidate, presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama.
"We aren't all Georgians now," Bayh said, referring to a comment McCain made earlier in the week. "If we were Georgians and the Russians were invading our country and killing our people, we'd be in a state of war. And clearly, that's not what we want. And John, sometimes, he's a good person, but he's a little bit given to this kind of bellicose rhetoric, which has a tendency to inflame conflicts rather than to diffuse them, and that's what you want in a president.
"I think Barack Obama has consistently demonstrated superior judgment to Senator McCain on a whole host of national security issues," Bayh added. "Whether to go into Iraq or not: Barack Obama was correct. How to get out of Iraq: The Iraqis embrace Barack Obama's position - even George Bush is coming around.
"He was right about Afghanistan; finally, John McCain is coming around on that. He was right about engaging Iran; George Bush has come around on that. And he was right about Georgia. Months ago, he was calling for this conflict to be diffused. Instead, the president and John McCain are so obsessed with Iraq, we dropped the ball. If we'd listened to Senator Obama and his judgment, perhaps we wouldn't be here today."
Pawlenty disagreed, and pointed to the success of the surge strategy in Iraq. "The surge has been singularly or at least very predominantly one of the main reasons for the turnaround in the war," Pawlenty said. "Senator McCain saw that … the need for it, because of his judgment, his experience and wisdom. Senator Obama to this day, to this day denies the value and the strategic benefit of the surge. That's a startling lack of judgment in my view."
"Barack Obama has consistently demonstrated the kind of judgment that we want in a commander in chief," Bayh countered. "He's strong. He's cool. He's smart. That's what we need in these difficult times."
While both Bayh and Pawlenty have been right in the middle of speculation about who Obama and McCain will pick as running mates, both said they did not have news to report about themselves or the selection process.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was also on Face The Nation to talk about the conflict in Russia, calling on Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to keep his word to French President Nicolas Sarkozy to withdraw from the disputed provinces beginning tomorrow.
VP Hot Sheet: CBSNews.com Tracks Veepstakes Buzz:McCain's Top 10 Contenders
(CBS)
Rice also talked about the future of U.S.-Russia relations.
"President Bush has offered an opportunity for Russia to behave as a partner; offered an opportunity for Russia to make a strategic choice in favor of integration into the international economic, political, diplomatic, security structures; made an opportunity for Russia to finally act like a 21st century modern power," she said. "And I do think that Russian behavior calls seriously into question whether Russia is prepared to make that choice.
"In fact, Russia seems to want to have it both ways. It wants to be part of these institutions that are so essential to the international economy and the international order. And on the other hand, it wants to engage in, kind of, Soviet-style behavior of intimidating and invading allies - or neighbors. Both can't be true," Rice added.
As to whether the U.S. had any responsibility for the conflict or overpromised support to the Georgian government, Rice said, "All the United States has done is encouraged democratic government in Georgia, encouraged market-based economic reforms, encouraged fight against corruption, and encouraged the Georgians to look towards the modern institutions of the West.
"The United States and Georgia have had a very good relationship. This is a pro-Western, pro-European government that wants to be a part of those institutions," Rice added. "As to this particular conflict, we have encouraged Georgians and all parties to resolve this conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia peacefully. We have supported peace plans. We have supported diplomacy. We have told all parties not to get involved in military conflict."
Both Bayh and Pawlenty also defended their candidate's approaches to Russia and Georgia before the crisis broke out last week.
"Georgia, of course, has been a state that has been westward-looking, has been a friend of ours. We have indicated to them, through cultural exchanges and other exchanges that we want to be supportive of them," Pawlenty said. "But I haven't seen any evidence that the United States of America has overpromised. And when you look at the reactions of the two candidates, Senator McCain, Senator Obama, Senator McCain came out saying, you know, this really is bullying behavior by Russia against one of our friends, the state of Georgia. Senator Obama's statement came out and essentially implied that we're going to equally blame our friend Georgia and Russia. And then he revised his statement two or three times. But again, it shows a lack of surefootedness by Senator Obama."
"Let us not forget that Barack Obama has been calling for a resolution of these disputes for many, many months now, long before hostilities broke out," Bayh responded. "If we followed his advice, perhaps we wouldn't be talking about this here today. If the president and Senator McCain weren't so obsessed on an open-ended commitment to Iraq, perhaps we would have paid greater attention to some of these issues."
Read the full "Face the Nation" transcript here. © MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 25 CommentsHere''s someone who disagrees with your charecterization of what General Wesley Clark said on your show. Phillip Bulter was a POW at the same time as John McCain, in fact several years longer. He writes today in Military.com:
"John McCain served his time as a POW with great courage, loyalty and tenacity. More that 600 of us did the same."
He also writes this:
"I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate."
So that comment by Clark that you found so outrageous is echoed by another POW, making it harder to uphold your smear that it''s somehow a slander against POWS.
Read the whole thing, it''s instructive. His bio is impressive.
I think what was so irritating about your segment with Clark was that it was you who used the phrase "riding in a plane and getting shot down" and Clark repeated it back to you just for clarity, and it was the "riding" part that the right wingers were slamming, as if he had just said it. I almost expected to hear you own up to that part and say well listen, he was responding to my use of that phrase, but instead the next I heard you were just writing that "Obama''s people" were "denigrating McCain''s service."
Well, if so, here''s another POW denigrating himself as well as John.
Posted by whitemale08 at 06:32 PM : Aug 17, 2008
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LMAO - yes. The truth hurts (hurts the neocon traitors).
good thing that Jack Abramoff in jail. with his clout he could have enticed the US government to obliterate Native American reservations in order to convince them to integrate into this country... next thing you know it''s 3am and the Indian fleet is in the Bay Area.
What are we to jusdge? Who talks toughest to the aggressor without being able to back up words with any feasible action. What are either going to suggest? Military action on Russia?
All the though retoric I have heard is just that. For now Russia can do as it pleases because noone in the US has the stomach to fight a powerful adversary and we are all tired of IRaq war.
The situation with Russia caught us off-gaurd and impotent because of the huge distraction that is Iraq. McSame supports Bush''s failed policies and wants to stay the course down the same path of self-destruction.
Americans want and deserve change. Americans want and deserve intelligent leadership.
Obama brings change we can believe in.
Obama 08!
Posted by ragnar30066 at 03:06 PM : Aug 17, 2008
*** I''''d rather have Jimmy Carter''''s second term, rather than a George W Bush Third Term! All Bush cares about is the Oil Executives, their profits, Walmart Executives and their profits!
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Posted by tomcool1277 at 04:36 PM : Aug 17, 2008--
Absolutely well said...
these "Republican Suicide Bombers" have got their heads so far deep into their rearend that they can''t see the devastation of what "tax cuts for the rich" and "defecits don''t matter" have done to this nation.
Think %u2013 US 300mln nation worked hard to create it , other %u2013 almost 6 billion of World population did NOT make so much FOR THAT Purpose.
Did help us on 9/11 ?
Our economy can not stand it,
Our people can not - not every person has Cindy with beer profit to live on it.
Why should we put all our lives for McWar scenario of war and more War?
Tell me %u2013 WHAT FOR?
After an hour of negotiating this Old Ruin will push us into the war.
That is the one thing he knows ( maybe not even this - I can not count for military experience his years in prison ).
McWar - for war, more war, where he can . - Not bad for him been paid for that from Georgia.
ABad for us even to have a thought - we need McWar.
We do not need both: War and McWar
Posted by ragnar30066 at 03:06 PM : Aug 17, 2008
*** I''d rather have Jimmy Carter''s second term, rather than a George W Bush Third Term! All Bush cares about is the Oil Executives, their profits, Walmart Executives and their profits!
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See all 25 Comments