>>> SHE’S BEEN A COUNTY PROSECUTOR, A STATE
REPRESENTATIVE, HER STATE’S
AUDITOR, SHE’S BEEN A U.S.
SENATOR NOW FOR 12 YEARS.
SHE’S PERHAPS THE ONLY
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR UNDER THE AGE
OF 70 WHO IS NOT APPARENTLY
ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE THAT SHE’S
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE
PERSONAL PRIVILEGE HERE, SHE’S
ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE WHO I COULD
IMAGINE VERY EASILY IN THE JOB
OF PRESIDENT.
OF PRESIDENT. I HAVE THOUGHT THAT FOR YEARS.
BUT APPARENTLY SHE’S NOT
RUNNING.
RUNNING. SHE IS, THOUGH, LEAVING
WASHINGTON, AND SO I CAME DOWN
HERE TODAY FROM NEW YORK TO MAKE
SURE I COULD TALK TO HER BEFORE
SHE WENT BACK HOME.
SENATOR CLAIRE McCASKILL OF
MISSOURI, THANK YOU FOR DOING
THIS.
THIS. >> THIS IS GREAT TO BE HERE.
THIS IS MY LAST LIVE INTERVIEW
AS A SENATOR.
>> I THOUGHT ABOUT BRINGING A
BEER AND TELLING YOU IT WAS
OKAY.
OKAY. >> SHOTGUN IT?
>> BUT I HAVE A FEELING I DON’T
NEED TO LOOSEN YOU UP THAT MUCH.
>> PROBABLY NOT.
I’M READY.
I’M READY. >> I HAVE A BUNCH OF STUFF TO
ASK YOU ABOUT LEAVING THE
SENATE.
SENATE. I DO HAVE TO ASK YOU A NEWS
QUESTION, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE
YOUR ROLE ON THE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
PRESIDENT TODAY ON SYRIA?
HE’S SAYING ALL U.S. TROOPS OUT
MEDIA.
MEDIA. IT’S CLEAR FROM THE PENTAGON AND
SENATOR CORKER, THERE APPEARS TO
HAVE BEEN NO PROCESS LEADING UP
TO THIS.
TO THIS. WHAT IS YOUR TAKESOME
>> WILDLY IRRESPONSIBLE, VERY
DANGEROUS.
DANGEROUS. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
COMPLICATED PLACES IN THE WORLD.
THE CROSS CURRENTS IN SYRIA ARE
SIGNIFICANT.
SIGNIFICANT. WE HAVE THE KURDS, WHO HAVE MADE
OUR VICTORIES POSSIBLE.
THEY HAVE FOUGHT SHOULDER TO
SHOULDER, THEY HAVE DIED ON THE
BATTLEFIELD, WITH AMERICAN
MILITARY TO DEFEAT ISIS.
AND WE ARE LEAVING THEM TWISTING
IN THE WIND BY LEAVING.
WE WERE THE BALANCE, EVEN THOUGH
THERE WERE ONLY 2,000 PEOPLE, IT
WAS A BALANCE THAT KEPT TURKEY
KIND OF AT BAY, AND ALSO WAS A
CAUTION TO IRAN AND TO RUSSIA,
AND TO ASSAD.
IT’S NOT SO MUCH THAT HE’S
PULLING, IT’S THE WAY HE’S DOING
IT, WITH COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR
THE COMPLEXITIES THAT ARE
INVOLVED, WITHOUT TALKING TO OUR
ALLIES, WITHOUT HAVING A PLAN,
WITHOUT TRUSTING THE MILITARY
LEADERS THAT HAVE BEEN TELLING
HIM FOR MONTHS DON’T DO
SOMETHING RASH HERE, BUT BECAUSE
HIS POLITICS NEED SOMETHING RASH
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> UH-HUH.
>> UH-HUH. >> THAT’S WHY HE’S DOING THIS.
THAT’S WHAT IS MOST DISTURBING
THAT HE IS MAKING THESE
IRRESPONSIBLE AND IMPULSIVE
DECISIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR
MILITARY INVOLVEMENT AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. >> YOU’RE SUGGEST THING IS A WAG
THE DOG DECISION TO CHANGE THE
NEWS CYCLE.
NEWS CYCLE. >> AND HE’S GETTING HEAT FROM
HIS BASE THAT HE FOLDED ON THE
WALL AND HE’S PREOCCUPIED WITH
HIS RALLIES AND WHAT HE TOLD
EVERYONE, THAT MEXICO WOULD
BUILD IT, HE WOULD GET A WALL.
AND HE ALSO SAID, I’M GOING TO
BRING PEOPLE HOME FROM ALL THESE
ENTANGLEMENTS FROM AROUND THE
WORLD.
WORLD. SO HE’S SAYING I’M IN TROUBLE
BECAUSE I FOLDED ON THE WALL, SO
I’LL DO THIS THING THAT I
PROMISED, DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES.
I NEED TO SOMEHOW REPAIR MY
POLITICAL IMAGE IN TERMS OF
BEING STRONG AND DECISIVE.
THAT’S WHAT IS SO DISAPPOINTING
ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE HE PUTS A
LOT AT RISK.
AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO DIED
THERE DESERVE BETTER.
>> THE PRESIDENT ACTING IN THOSE
TERMS TO ME, THAT WOULD MAKE
SENSE IF WHAT WE HAD SEEN WAS
THE PRESIDENT PUSHING THIS ISSUE
AT THE WHITE HOUSE, RAISE THING
ISSUE, TELLING PEOPLE THAT
WANTED TO DO THIS, HE’S EVERY
ONCE IN A WHILE HE TALKS ABOUT
THIS.
THIS. BUT AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, THERE
WAS NO PROCESS LEADING UP TO
THIS.
THIS. HE JUST DID BLURT IT OUT,
LEAVING THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND
PENTAGON FLUMMOXED.
PENTAGON FLUMMOXED. WHAT I AM PARTICULARLY WORRIED
ABOUT IS THIS REPORTING THAT
THIS IDEA OF THE PRESIDENT CAME
DIRECTLY FROM THE PRESIDENT OF
TURKEY.
TURKEY. WITH WHOM HE SPOKE WITH JUST
SEVERAL DAYS AGO.
WE WERE JUST TALKING WITH THE
KURDS, THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY
WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO
HAVE THE UNITED STATES MILITARY
OUT OF THE WAY SO HE CAN MOW
DOWN THE KURDS, BECAUSE THEY’RE
SO THREATENING TO HIM AND HIS
DOMESTIC NEEDS.
DOMESTIC NEEDS. I MEAN, I’M WORRIED ABOUT THE
PROSPECT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS
MADE THIS DECISION AT THE BEHEST
OF A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT.
I DON’T KNOW HOW WE FIGURE OUT
WHETHER THAT’S TRUE OR WHAT THE
CONSEQUENCES SHOULD BE IF THAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. >> I THINK THE WAY TO KIND OF
LOOK AT IT, HE’S SURROUNDED
HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE TO ADVISE
HIM.
HIM. AND EITHER THEY’RE BEING
INDICTED OR THEY’RE BEING
IGNORED.
IGNORED. SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF
ATTRACTING PEOPLE WITH ANY KIND
OF WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE
SUBJECT MATTER, ESPECIALLY IN
SOMETHING AS COMPLEX AS WHAT’S
GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST,
PARTICULARLY IN SYRIA?
IF YOU WERE GOING TO COMPLETELY
IGNORE THEM, INCLUDING THE HAWK
OF ALL HAWKS WHEN IT COMES TO
IRAN, BOLTON.
IRAN, BOLTON. I MEAN, BOLTON JUST SAID A FEW
WEEKS AGO, OH, NO, WE’RE NOT JUS
WE’RE NOT GOING TO LET IRAN HAVE
THAT KIND OF POWER IN SYRIA.
>> HE SAID WE WILL NOT LEAVE,
THE U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN