Senator Santorum on Hardball

Senator Rick Santorum is a Pennsylvania Republican.

Senator Santorum, this battle - well, let's first talk about the battle at home just for a second here. What do you make of this charge by Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, one of your colleagues in the Republican carcass calling for Peter Arnett to be tried as a traitor. Do you take that seriously?

SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, I think there's a lot of people very, very upset about what he did and the damage he potentially caused our troops because he could've - certainly, that emboldens the population to continue to rebel against our forces when you have someone from the West saying that we're failing. It sort of confirms what the Iraqi information machine was doing. So, it very well was, you know - certainly was a very damaging act and whether we go as far as a trial, that's another matter but I think it evidences we have a lot of concerns here.

MATTHEWS: Well, do you think that's sort of normal behavior for a U.S. Senator to charge a citizen with high treason? I mean, I don't know if the - of the role of the legislative branch but I didn't know it was a judicial branch as well or an investigative branch. Do you think that's appropriate for a senator to accuse anyone of treason, period?

SANTORUM: Well, I mean, there's one thing about accusing someone of treasonous acts, I think we ...

MATTHEWS: He said he ought to be arrested.

SANTORUM: Well, that's - I agree with you, that's up to the judicial branch and to the attorney general and - I assume attorney general - and not up to a member of the Senate. I would agree with that.

MATTHEWS: You think we should arrest Geraldo Rivera, too? How many should be in this arrest pickup?

SANTORUM: I don't think I said that either of them should be arrested.

MATTHEWS: Well, what do you make of the fact of your colleague doing - I'm just trying to get some normal reaction to what I consider an abnormal statement by somebody.

SANTORUM: Well I guess...

MATTHEWS: I can see condemning and I could see a guy saying, "I can't stand with that guy. Did I hate the guy for doing it?" But the call for his arrest for treason seems a little bit odd.

SANTORUM: All I would suggest is that I think it shows that Senator Bunning and many others were very upset about that did and with respect to it endangering our troops and I - was calling for the Attorney General to take a look at it. I don't think that is necessarily unreasonable.

MATTHEWS: It is that the call for his arrest, though, is unreasonable?

SANTORUM: Well, I would say calling for the attorney general would probably have been more the appropriate step.

MATTHEWS: Let's take about the Battle of Baghdad right now. Do you get an inside sense, senator, of how long this is going to go? It's fascinating how uneven it is? A day or two, it's better than almost somebody go plunging on to the outskirts of the city. We're within commute of downtown Baghdad already.

SANTORUM: Well, I wouldn't say that too is bad. I mean, this sort of goes to the 24-hour nonstop coverage. You measure every minute as to whether it's good or bad. The fact is that the plan had in place, was to soften up and prepare the battlefield, which they did over two or three-day period. And then they ran across what was almost undefended territory and now they're pushing into Baghdad to see how far they can push. And obviously if it's heavily defended, you've got one strategy; if it's not heavily defended, my guess there still be another strategy.

MATTHEWS: Yes, I guess as the question facing the military right now. What do you think about the chance they have of trying to win over politically, obviously the people of Baghdad those who are the Sunni rather the Shiites? We're trying to win them over and hopefully mollify at least keep quiet the more of the Sunnis who are more loyal to Saddam. How do you shoot people and still keep them at least open to the idea, you're a good guy?

SANTORUM: Well, I mean obviously you're not shooting civilians you're shooting people who are firing at you. You're not shooting people who aren't and so, I think we have been very, very clear and the reports that at least we have been hearing, is that people recognized that we have not been going after civilian targets and that we've performed very, very well. I think it's very clear who were going after and it will be clear in Baghdad who are going after.

MATTHEWS: Do you insist that this be a democracy that we put in government and place over there when we've finished militarily that it not be a restoration of some Heshermite (ph) monarchy years ago.

SANTORUM: I think we should have the people of Iraq decide what they want and that's through a democratic process and obviously through a democratic process. You've lots of different parties and you've lots of different ideas and the people will decide what that is and we should let all flowers bloom including some of that we probably don't like very much.

MATTHEWS: Well, would you think it would be a success if we were to lead the country with a monarchy?

SANTORUM: I think it would not be a success if we were to somehow support a monarchy. I think if there is a democratic decision that has the monarchs party or something elected, that's one thing but I don't - no, I would not consider is success if we handed over to a monarch.

MATTHEWS: OK, thank you very much. Great having you, Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.