MSNBC Scarborough Country - Transcript
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SCARBOROUGH: You know, one of the guys, hes the biggest champions of the military on the Hill, is a former prisoner of war, a military hero himself, Senator John McCain. Now, hes been a (INAUDIBLE) supporter of the war in Iraq since the very beginning. Tonight I asked the guy that many people believe will be the 2008 presidential nominee for the Republican Party just how important Zarqawis death was.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN ®, ARIZONA: I think it was very important. It took out a force of evil that was not only a threat to Iraq and our efforts there, but a threat to the United States, Joe, and you have seen his statements. You heard his tapes where he said his goal was the destruction of the West in general and the United States in particular, so I think it was very significant.
Have we forgotten that he liked to saw peoples heads off? I mean this isI cant think of a more evil character. You would have to go back to Hitlers Germany before youd find people of this depth of evil.
SCARBOROUGH: What does the president need to do right now to exploit the death of Zarqawi, to push democracy, to push freedom, to push stability forward in Iraq?
MCCAIN: I think to tell the American people that this is ample reason why we have to stay the course. And that we notas I mentioned inbeginning of our conversation, this just wasnt the elimination of a threat to Iraq. This was elimination of a threat to the West, part of this titanic struggle we are in between western Judeo Christian values and principles and radical Islamic extremists.
SCARBOROUGH: How much longer do you think Americans are going to put up with our troops being over in Iraq before they finally say you know what, this is the Iraqis problem. We contributed enough money. Weve sacrificed enough blood. Let them take over and take destiny for their own country.
MCCAIN: In other words, what success? The success is what happens when you fight any insurgency. Its slow and its gradual and one day finally you see the threat eliminated. Its not a peace signing onboard the USS Missouri. We have to have a functioning government and improving economy and most importantly, the Iraqi military and law enforcement taking over responsibilities from the United States military and so that they are doing the fighting and dying for their own country and beating back this insurgency, which will take many years before its over.
The key to it, Joe, is not American presence. Its American casualties. As you well know and our viewers know, weve had troops in South Korea for many, many years. Nobody minds that. The way we keep the American casualties down is having the Iraqis capable of taking over those responsibilities. I dont want to revisit history and I dont want to on this day of celebration to sound a sour note, but we are paying a very heavy price for not having enough troops there to start with, whichand we know where the responsibility for that lies.
SCARBOROUGH: No doubt about it. You cannot win wars on a cheat.
Thank you so much, Senator John McCain, great honor to have you...
MCCAIN: Thanks, Joe.
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