CNN Inside Politics - Transcript
CNN Inside Politics - Transcript
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
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BASH: As we've reported, the Senate is moving toward a confirmation vote on an Appeals Court nominee, Janice Rogers Brown. And Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, is with us from Capitol Hill.
And Senator, I want to start by asking you about that. You have now a second nominee, actually going through, poised to go through, after this deal was cut, a deal that many conservatives were very unhappy about. But looking at it now, do you think that it-the case can be made to conservatives that perhaps they were wrong because you are seeing some of President Bush's nominees going through that wouldn't have otherwise?
SEN. JOHN THUNE, (R) SOUTH DAKOTA: Well, as a matter of principle, Dana, we think that all the nominees deserve an up or down vote, a yes or no vote in the United States Senate. And we still believe that's the correct and appropriate way to approach these nominees. But the fact that we are voting-we voted on Priscilla Owen, we're now voting on Janice Rogers Brown. We're going to take up Judge Pryor, Judge McKeague, Judge Griffin here in the not-so-distant future.
I think it's a good thing. And I think that's why you're hearing so much protest from the political left right now. They are seeing us move on some of these nominees that earlier they were describing as way out of the mainstream and radical. And now we're approving them. So this is a good thing, this is why we're here. This is part of our agenda. And we want to continue to move these judicial nominees through the process.
BASH: I want to ask you about another nominee that is not moving through right now and that is John Bolton, the president's pick to go to the U.N. You think he's a good choice, but you're not going to vote for him, essentially to protest a base closing in your state. Ellsworth Air Force Base is being closed. Some Republicans are looking at that, Senator, and saying perhaps that's sour grapes. What do you say to that?
THUNE: Well, first of all, I said what I-same principle applies to John Bolton that applies to judicial nominees, Dana, and that it is that he does deserve an up and down vote. I've made it abundantly clear. If I wanted to block his nomination, I could certainly do that. And I'm not going to do that. He will be voted on.
I've said that I don't think he's the best person for the job, that I do take very seriously the diplomatic posture of this country, but I also take very seriously the defense posture of this country. And right now I've got very serious defense-related matter in my home state of South Dakota and that's my first priority.
BASH: Senator, talking about Ellsworth Air Force Base. Of course, on the list to be closed. I want to take you back to your campaign just a few months ago. You are a giant killer. You unseated the Democratic leader Tom Daschle in South Dakota, primarily because of your relationship with President Bush, who personally came and recruited you.
I want to read a quote from you about Tom Daschle during the race. You said: "It puts Ellsworth in a lot stronger position than having someone who's going to be in the minority and someone who doesn't have a relationship with the president of the United States." So there in the campaign you made it clear that perhaps your relationship would help save the Air Force Base. What happened?
THUNE: Well, Dana, what I said was true then and it's true now. And that is, we are better served, I think, as a state to have someone who at least has a relationship and can make the case with this administration. But that being said, these are military decisions. They were made based upon military value.
I'm going to plead my case every place I can with the administration, with the Pentagon, with the BRAC Commission, in the form of legislation. I'm going to use every tool at my disposal to try and see that this base gets off the closure list. Not just because it's a big employer-it's the second largest employer in the state of South Dakota-but because I think it has critical value to our national security.
BASH: Have you had any conversations with the president, anybody at the White House saying, wait a minute, you're the ones who wanted me here. Can you help me out this time?
THUNE: I've had ongoing discussions with the administration, with the White House, with the Pentagon, throughout this process. And, as I said earlier, they've it abundantly clear that they are not going to politicize this process, that they're going to allow these decisions to be made based on military value.
That being said, we're going to continue to dialogue and discuss with them. But we are going to press this case with them, with the Pentagon, with the military leadership in this country, with the BRAC Commission. Because I am so absolutely convinced about the rightness of keeping this base off the list. This base is important to the national security of this country and that fundamentally ought to be our first concern is.
BASH: Senator, just one-a little bit of a turn here. One final question. Tomorrow, you're going to speak to a group called the greater Des Moines Partnership. That's a group of business leaders from the state of Iowa. And it's essentially a cattle call for presidential candidates in 2008. You've been in the Senate for six months now. Are you already bored?
THUNE: No. Not at all, Dana. But when the chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley, asks you to come and do something, the answer is usually yes. Iowa is a neighbor state and I'm looking forward to having a chance to visit with them a little bit about what our agenda is right now in the United States Senate.
BASH: Never too early to meet some folks from Iowa, though, right?
THUNE: Those are your words, not mine.
BASH: OK, Senator, thank you very much for your time. Thank you for joining us.
THUNE: Thanks, Dana.
BASH: Thank you for joining us.
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