I'M NOT GOING TO BE TOLD TO DO HOW TO REPRESENT THE STATE OF
ARIZONA. >> AND JOINING ME NOW IS THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, JOHN McCAIN
OF ARIZONA. SENATOR McCAIN, WELCOME BACK TO
"MEET THE PRESS." >> THANKS, CHUCK.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK. >> I WANT TO STALK -- START WITH
NORTH KOREA. WHY WOULD I CALL CHINA A
CURRENCY MANIPULATOR WHEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH US ON THE
NORTH KOREAN PROBLEM? WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
WHY DOES CHINA'S CURRENCY POLICY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH NORTH
KOREA? SHOULD IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO
WITH THE NORTH KOREA? >> IT MAY BE PART OF THE OVERALL
RELATIONSHIP, BUT CHINA IS THE KEY.
CHINA IS THE KEY. THEY CAN STOP THIS IF THEY WANT
TO BECAUSE OF THEIR CONTROL OVER THE NORTH KOREAN ECONOMY.
AND BY THE WAY I WOULD POINT OUT -- I KNOW THIS WILL COME OUT
LATER ON, BUT THERE ARE ARTILLERY ON THE BORDER BETWEEN
NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA THAT CAN REACH SEOUL.
WE CAN'T TAKE THEM ALL OUT -- THIS IS -- THIS MAY BE THE FIRST
TEST OF THIS PRESIDENCY. BUT CHINA CAN SHUT THEM DOWN.
WHETHER THEY'RE CURRENCY MANIPULATORS OR NOT, WE SHOULD
EXPECT THEM TO ACT TO PREVENT WHAT COULD BE A CATACLYSMIC
EVENT AND THE NORTH KOREANS KEEP MAKING PROGRESS.
THEY HAD A FAILURE YESTERDAY. I'M NOT SURE --
>> DO YOU BUY THE SABOTAGE THING?
>> I DON'T THINK SO, BUT I WOULDN'T RULE IT OUT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY HAVE MADE STEADY PROGRESS.
WHILE WE HAVE MADE AGREEMENT AFTER AGREEMENT AFTER AGREEMENT.
CHUCK, HOW MANY TIMES ON THIS SHOW HAVE WE SAID, WE HAVE NOW A
COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT WITH NORTH KOREA AND SO I'M NOT
BLAMING TRUMP FOR THIS. I'M BLAMING REPUBLICAN AND
DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS WHILE THEY HAVE
CONTINUED TO MAKE PROGRESS. >> IS THE CARROT AND STICK
APPROACH WITH CHINA WORTH DOING? IS USING OUR TRADE PRACTICES OR
THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CURRENCY WORTH HAVING THESE
DEBATES IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE THEM ON NORTH KOREA?
>> TO PREVENT NORTH KOREA FROM HAVING A MISSILE WITH A NUCLEAR
WEAPON THAT COULD STRIKE THE UNITED STATES AND WE WOULD HAVE
TO RELY ON OUR ABILITY TO INTERCEPT AND -- BY THE WAY I'M
TOLD THAT WE HAVE THAT ABILITY IS STILL RISKY BUSINESS.
THIS IS -- THIS IS REALLY VERY SERIOUS.
THIS GUY IN NORTH KOREA IS NOT RATIONALE.
HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER WERE MUCH MORE RATIONAL THAN HE IS.
>> WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITHIN A IRRATIONAL ACTOR, WITH NORTH
KOREA THE MILITARY OPTION IS ON THE TABLE BUT WHEN YOU'RE
DEALING WITH AN IRRATIONAL ACTOR, DOES THAT MAKE THE
MILITARY OPTION SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE
YOU KNOW HOW HE'LL RESPOND? >> I THINK WITH THE PROXIMITY OF
THE NORTH KOREAN ARTILLERY TO SEOUL, A CITY OF HOW MANY
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE? BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TO RISK A
SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE THAT ABILITY AND WE RELY ON OUR
ABILITY TO INTERCEPT, THIS COULD BE THE FIRST TEST, REAL TEST, OF
THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY. BY THE WAY, I BELIEVE THAT HE'LL
GET VERY GOOD ADVICE FROM MATTIS AND FROM McMASTER.
>> LET ME MOVE ON AND A BIGGER PICTURE AND WHAT WE'VE LEARNED
ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS POLICY.
IN YOUR HOMETOWN PAPER -- IT WAS -- WRITING ABOUT THE SYRIA
DECISION. IT WAS A COMPLETELY AD HOC
DECISIONS AND MY GUESS IS THAT'S THE WAY THAT FOREIGN POLICY IS
GOING TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER TRUMP.
A SERIES OF AD HOC DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT SEEMS RIGHT OR
DOABLE AT THE TIME. AT THE END OF THE DAY TO BORROW
FROM WINSTON CHURCHILL, THERE WILL BE NO THEME TO THE PUDDING.
DOES HE HAVE IT RIGHT? >> I THINK IT'S PARTIALLY RIGHT
BUT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING CANDIDATE AND HAVING THE
GUY BEHIND YOU WITH THE CODES. >> WITH THE CODES.
>> THE SECOND IS THAT I THINK HE'S GROWING.
AND HE IS LISTENING TO SOME VERY WISE AND INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE AND
THIRD, I THINK HE WAS DEEPLY MOVED BY THE PICTURES OF THE
CHILDREN. WHO WASN'T?
AND I DO BELIEVE -- I SUPPORT WHAT HE DID AND I SUPPORT THE
BUNKER BUSTER BOMB, BUT WE'VE GOT TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY.
THERE IS STILL NOT AN OVERALL STRATEGY THAT HE CAN COME TO
CONGRESS AND -- GOING TO HANDLE THE POST IRAQ.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A STRATEGY AND I'LL GIVE THEM SOME MORE TIME.
BUT SO FAR THAT STRATEGY IS NOT APPARENT.
>> IT SEEMS ON THE ISSUE OF IF ASSAD SHOULD GO, PRESIDENT TRUMP
STOPPED SHORT OF REGIME CHANGE. HE SAID LOOK, HE OBVIOUSLY ISN'T
PROBABILITY GOING TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
BUT HE STOPPED SHORT OF THAT. WHY?
>> BECAUSE I DON'T THINK HE'S ABSOLUTELY SURE WHAT HE NEEDS TO
DO. BUT I WOULD POINT OUT OF THE
400,000 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO REMEMBER SLAUGHTERED THEY
WEREN'T SLAUGHTERED BY ISIS, THEY WERE SLAUGHTERED BY BASHAR
AL ASSAD. THE WAR CRIMES ARE HORRENDOUS
HERE. AND TO JUST SAY WE'RE ONLY AFTER
ISIS IN MY VIEW RATHER THAN REGIME CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT
WE HAVE TO RETHINK. >> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE
OVERALL CHANGES. YOU SAID HE'S GROWING.
>> YES. >> IN OFFICE.
THERE ARE SOME WHO WILL SAY, NO, THE WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT
SUCKED HIM IN. >> I HOPE SO.
>> OKAY. >> NO, ON NATIONAL SECURITY, I
DO BELIEVE HE'S ASSEMBLED A STRONG TEAM AND I THINK VERY
APPROPRIATELY HE'S LISTENING TO THEM.
AND THAT'S THE AREA OF COURSE WHERE I AM --
>> BUT I WANT TO GO QUICKLY ON THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS, NOT
EVERYBODY THINKS THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS ON FOREIGN POLICY HAS
WORKED IN THE MIDDLE EAST OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS.
>> IT HASN'T. YOU'VE RIGHT, IT HASN'T.
BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM NOW.
IN FACT, IF PREVIOUS PRESIDENT -- FOR EIGHT YEARS WE
BASICALLY DID NOTHING IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE MOST
HORRENDOUS WAR CRIMES IN HISTORY.
AT LEAST HE DID SOMETHING. NOW I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE A
STRATEGY TO FOLLOW THAT UP. AND LOOK, AMERICA IS ABOUT A
MORAL SUPERIORITY AND OUR WILLINGNESS NOT TO FIGHT EVERY
FIGHT, BUT AT LEAST RESPOND TO HORRENDOUS ACTS OF INHUMANITY
AND WAR CRIMES. ALSO, BY THE WAY, SYRIA WILL
CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SPREAD OF AL QAEDA IF WE DON'T GET -- TAKE
CARE OF BASHAR AL ASSAD. >> SENATOR JOHN McCAIN,
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
>> THA