FOX News Channel - Transcript

Interview

FOX News Channel

MR. SMITH: Foreign policy now. We'll get to the rest of it. The delicate issue of Iran is up and never too far off when it comes to this year's election and Hillary Clinton making it clear that she has no plans to play any games with them.

In an interview with "Good Morning America" today, the New York senator said that if Iran ever attacked Israel with nukes, there would be hell to pay.

Listen.

SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY): (From videotape.) We would be able to totally obliterate them. That's a terrible thing to say, but those people who run Iran need to understand that because that perhaps will deter them from doing something that would reckless, foolish and tragic.

MR. SMITH: Obliterate them? How many debates have there been? Has anyone ever heard rhetoric from this candidate like that, ever?

With us now, Clinton supporter Congressman Joe Sestak from Pennsylvania's Seventh District.

Have you ever heard that before, sir?

REP. SESTAK: Well, absolutely. I've heard that discussion, not from Senator Clinton except during the debate.

MR. SMITH: We will obliterate them? I've never heard Senator Clinton like that and I wonder about the timing. It seems to fit real nicely with Pennsylvania, doesn't it?

REP. SESTAK: Well, actually, if you listened to the debate, you heard her say when she was questioned; she said we would use -- the doctrine of massive retaliation. If you heard that discussion this morning this morning, she said we would be able to obliterate them. In a sense, she's right. The National Intelligence Estimate that came out recently about Iran that said that it had ceased going after nuclear weapons, the key phrase in that said the following: That Iran, that this demonstrates that Iran has a cost-benefit analysis on how it approaches its foreign policy decisions.

So what she has said is the doctrine of deterrence that we have had in the past may be applicable to Iran in the future, and that's a very important statement.

MR. SMITH: The level of rhetoric, though, Congressman, I mean, I've never heard this leveled from this candidate before. I'm not questioning it. I'm not questioning her motives. I'm not questioning her sincerity or honesty. I'm just saying this is new and we're in a political time and, you know, is it like the tear before New Hampshire?

REP. SESTAK: Well, no, now let's step back. Here's a woman that has said as a tough commander-in-chief, let's put 3,000 more troops into Afghanistan. Here's a woman who has stated that China is the most important bilateral relationship we have. She asked me as a Navy admiral when I was testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee where she is the only senator, Democrat or Republican, who asked to be on the military's task force to transform itself, she said to me, admiral, this is several years ago, what do you think about an emerging China that's becoming a maritime power? What does that mean to you as a senior Naval officer? We're the preeminent Naval power in the world.

All she said and no one ever brought up Iran at any of the debates and she had the best answer, look, we need a doctrine of deterrence to say to Iran, which our intelligence agencies have said has a cost-benefit, a rational approach to the future, that you have to understand if you attack Israel, you are subject to a retaliation of a large measure.

MR. SMITH: She's taking a page from Margaret Thatcher, isn't she?

REP. SESTAK: Well, let me tell you, that's the type of toughness that we need. She didn't say we would. She said they would be subject.

MR. SMITH: We'll be able to. Do you know what that does? We all know what that does. That allows her to send one message to a group that wants to receive it one way and it allows surrogates to come back and say she says we can. We all get it and very good answers. I appreciate your points very much.

I've got 15 seconds. Have the media been campaigning against your candidate?

REP. SESTAK: No. I think here's the game. You're in the game and the media does by and large a fair job on both sides and let the cards come as they may --

MR. SMITH: Congressman --

REP. SESTAK: That's my belief in the media.

MR. SMITH: You're the man. Thank you for being here. I appreciate it.

REP. SESTAK: Glad to be aboard.

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