ABC "This Week" - Transcript

Interview

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TAPPER: And then we're joined in the studio with the president's opponent in 2008, Senator John McCain. Thanks so much for being here.

MCCAIN: Thanks, Jake. Thanks for having me on.

TAPPER: Well, you just -- you heard David Axelrod talk about how Mitt Romney was blunderbussing around. It's true that even conservative pundit Bill Kristol said that it was foolish for Mitt Romney to make these comments in the middle of this international kerfuffle. What's your take? Should Mitt Romney have not said what he said?

MCCAIN: Well, I think that it's very clear that there were a number of missteps here, having him go to the hospital and then not allowing the American embassy people there, the back-and-forth. The key now right now is to get him out of there and to the United States. That's I think what we all ought to focus on.

But I also think it's important to recognize that people who helped him are being rounded up and detained. People are being arrested. There's other people who helped Mr. Chen get to the American embassy. We've got to focus a lot of attention on them, as well. But first priority is to get him out of there and to the United States.

TAPPER: There's been a lot of back-and-forth about this Osama bin Laden web ad that the Obama campaign is running. And it quotes Mitt Romney in 2007 saying in an Associated Press interview, quote, "It's not worth moving heaven and Earth, spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person." Now, you and Romney were opponents at the time, and you actually took issue with those comments before Obama did. Here's an article from Politico at that time. Headline, "McCain hits Romney on bin Laden comment." McCain was asked about Romney's remark, that it's not worth moving heaven and Earth, spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person. "It takes a degree of naivete to think bin Laden's not an element in the struggle against radical Islam," McCain said. It would seem that you and the president agree on this issue, no?

MCCAIN: Well, I think what Mitt was saying also, if you looked at the entire context of his remains, was that bin Laden was part of the overall war on terror and we shouldn't just focus on that interview. The back-and-forth of a tough primary campaign, there's a lot of things said back-and-forth.

But let me say that, compared to this president's record, let's begin with Iran. Let's begin with 1.5 million people demonstrating in the streets. A young woman named Neda being bled -- bleeding to death, that the whole world has seen, and they're chanting in English, "Obama, Obama, are you with us or are you with them?" He didn't say a word. That's one of the most shameful episodes, in my view, of -- of our history.

In Iraq, he keeps bragging about Iraq. Iraq is unraveling. We all know that there should have been a residual force there, and now the whole situation is unraveling. In the words of General Keane, the architect of the surge, we won the war and are losing the peace, thanks to the president's commitment to get completely out.

On Israel, relations have never been worse. They've never been worse between the United States and Israel. And now Syria, thousands of people being massacred in the streets, and the president -- I'm not making this up -- goes to the Holocaust Museum, where we said never again, and says that he is setting up an Atrocities Prevention Board. I'm not making that up. Instead of standing up for the people of Syria, who are -- who are being massacred and slaughtered, tortured, rape. Terrible. I was in a -- in a refugee camp in -- in southern Turkey and saw these people, the wounded, the killed...

TAPPER: Do you think that we should be arming the rebels in Syria?

MCCAIN: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's an unfair fight. The Russians are plying arms -- supplying arms. The Iranians are on the ground. How could we not stand up for these people? How could we sit by and watch this slaughter go on, while the president of the United States is totally silent and goes to the Holocaust Museum, where Elie Wiesel says to him, why don't we do something about Syria if we're -- if it's never again? He goes to the Holocaust Museum and makes that comment.

And if I sound a little emotional about it, it's because I've been to the refugee camp. I saw these young women who have been raped. I saw these young people who have been wounded. I saw the 25,000 who have had to leave their homes and go to refugee camps.

And this administration is silent. This leading from behind is not going to work, my friend.

TAPPER: Is -- is there not -- do you not have any concern -- there are reports that some of the rebels in Syria are affiliated with Al Qaida, are extremist. Are you not concerned at all that arming these rebel groups in Syria could end up having a horrible blowback effect?

MCCAIN: Well, I don't know what horrible blowback effect there would be, besides the fact that extremists may take it over. But right now, there's another side...

TAPPER: That's a pretty big blowback effect.

MCCAIN: ... to this question -- well, look, the longer it lasts, the more likely there are for extremists to come in. And, by the way, I heard this same story in Libya. I heard it in Tunisia. I heard it in Egypt. There's always, "We don't know who they are."

I'll tell you who they are. They're a direct repudiation of Al Qaida. Al Qaida believes in acts of terror to change governments. These people believe in peaceful demonstration. Is there a danger? Yes, there is. But Iran is -- is -- is the one who would lose the most by Syria, by Bashir Assad being overthrown. Iran is controls Syria. They support Hezbollah. This -- in the words of General Mattis, our commander of Central Command, said if Bashir Assad goes, it would be the greatest blow to Iran in 25 years.

So there is a strategic component. And what it really means, Jake, is our interests are our values, and our values are our interests. That's what America is all about.

TAPPER: We're running out of time, so I just want to ask you one question. And that is, Mitt Romney is going through his vice presidential selection search right now. You went through this four years ago...

MCCAIN: I remember it well.

(LAUGHTER)

TAPPER: ... a much discussed decision. What's the best advice you can give Mitt Romney about picking a running mate?

MCCAIN: I think it's a person that he knows he could trust, and the primary -- the absolute, most important aspect is, if something happened to him, would that person be well qualified to take that place? I happen to believe that was the primary factor in my decision in 2008. And I know it will be Mitt's. And I'm very happy to say, we've got a very deep bench.

TAPPER: All right. Senator John McCain, thanks so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

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