MSNBC Hardball-Transcript

Interview

MSNBC Hardball-Transcript

MATTHEWS: Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee is a member of the Homeland Security Committee.

Congresswoman, what is your comment on the trip of Nancy Pelosi and the rest of that delegation to Syria?

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN ®, TENNESSEE: Well, Chris, no member of Congress should be meeting with a state sponsor of terrorism.

And we are not the secretary of state. We are not the department of the secretary of state. And, if we disagree with foreign policy, there is a way for us to take action. And it is called the budget, and not funding it.

MATTHEWS: What do you see as the role of Congress in war-making, under the Constitution, as you read it?

BLACKBURN: Chris, what we can do, if we disagree with some action that is being taken, we can just not fund it. You know, the Democrats, and a great example of this, the Democrats had said we‘re going to have this open administration, we are not going for earmarks. We‘re not going to go for pork. And within three months, they come around, they pass a bill. It is loaded with pork. It serves as a disservice to the men and women in Congress.

So if they don‘t want to be fighting the war, if they think we should leave Iraq right now, they should bring a clean bill up that says let‘s stop the funding. Let‘s have that vote. I think that that‘s the way they should approach it. That is there for us. We can do that as Congress. We can pull that vote to the floor, have that vote, and see where people stand.

MATTHEWS: What do you make of the constitutional provision that only Congress can declare war? What do you make of that? What role does that play in your thinking?

BLACKBURN: Well, that is inappropriate role that is there, but when it comes to going in and meeting with the head of a state that is a state sponsor of terrorism, that is an inappropriate role for any member of Congress. Now, every member of Congress may want to be the secretary of state, but they are not the secretary of state, Chris. And another example of this, you can go back to the 80s when John Kerry went over and sat down with the Sandinistas to try to broker a deal with the Contras, and you had Henry Kissinger and George Schultz and even your old boy, Tip O‘Neill, talking about that he embarrassed us. It was the inappropriate role.

MATTHEWS: What do you think the motive is of that delegation, which includes, first of all, several Republicans. I think it was four Republicans met with President Assad last week. Do you think they were in violation of your principles as well?

BLACKBURN: I have no idea what their conversation was.

MATTHEWS: No, they met with, as you call, a state sponsor of terrorism.

BLACKBURN: I don‘t think they should have been there. It is just like with pork. It does not matter which side it comes from, Republican or Democrat. It is not something that should be done. If people want to end the war, then put a bill on the floor and say, let‘s cut the funding. But it is inappropriate to do this to the troops. It is inappropriate for member‘s of Congress to go in and try to break a deal or fashion a deal with the head of a state-sponsored terrorist state.

MATTHEWS: How we find a compromise between president‘s position, which is an unfettered bill and fight the war as long as he says we should fight it, and the majority in the Congress that believes there should be a limit to the war, in terms of time next year? Is there any opportunity for compromise between the two positions, the two branches of government?

BLACKBURN: You know, Chris, when you start talking about how long is it is going to take, I think that is a question that goes to the terrorists. How long do they expect to carry this out. We are in a global war. It is a war that is very, very difficult. There are no guarantees. We do know that they have said they‘re going to just fight until they can defeat us, defeat our country, destroy our way of life.

We have to take that seriously. We also have to take seriously that they say that the center stone and the center point of the war on terror, at this point, is in Iraq. And I think it is important that we be mindful of that. We cannot let the terrorists win. We cannot let them get another toehold over in the Middle East or anywhere else.

MATTHEWS: Well, is there an opportunity for—my question was, is there an opportunity for compromise between the Congress and the president on this issue.

BLACKBURN: I did not know if there is an opportunity for compromise. I think a good way to define that compromise would be to put a clean bill on the floor, one that supports the troops, supports their needs, and then have an up or down vote. It Speaker Pelosi doesn‘t agree with the way the Department of State is carrying forth their effort, put it up there, just a clean bill, focused on the Department of State. Look at those appropriations.

If they want to cut them, then that is something that they can appropriately do, reduce their spending.

MATTHEWS: So, it‘s winner take all, as you see it.

BLACKBURN: It is not going to always be winner-take-all—

(CROSS TALK)

BLACKBURN: You know, that is the way to decide if they are more that want to completely cut it or not, but to come in here—

MATTHEWS: NO, you said if—

(CROSS TALK)

MATTHEWS: You said if the Congressman wants to stop the president, they should stop them. I‘m asking you is there‘s any room for compromise between the two positions? What is it?

BLACKBURN: And that‘s what I‘m saying. The way for compromise is to put a bill on the floor that says let‘s fund the troops, let‘s fund the effort, and what they need. And those that want to vote against it, vote against it.

MATTHEWS: That is a compromise?

BLACKBURN: That is.

MATTHEWS: I just don‘t understand how one side wins, one side loses.

How is that a compromise?

BLACKBURN: It is a clean bill that deals with the issue at hand, and that allows people to have a vote specifically on the issue at hand. But to put in money for spinach farmers and fisheries—

MATTHEWS: Right, you‘re changing the subject. I‘m just asking you is the founding fathers created a balance of power and checks and balances between the executive and the legislative branches. I‘m just asking if there is room for compromise. I can‘t find it from you. Anyway, thank you Congresswoman Blackburn. Her answer is to let one or the other side win.

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