FOX News - Transcript

Interview

MR. WALLACE: Senator Thune, we're going to get to this question of timetables in a minute, but I want to go back to that statement. McCain is saying, and has repeated, that in effect Obama is putting his own personal political ambition over the nation's security. Whatever happened to the politics of civility?

SEN. THUNE: (Chuckles.) Well, John McCain has his own way of saying things, but I think he was putting a fine point, Chris, on this pattern that Senator Obama has of making decisions that are predicated on political conditions back here at home, rather than security conditions on the ground in Iraq.

And I think what you saw this week were some examples of that, and I think his position's been anything but consistent. He is evolving now -- there's a story as we speak running right now that Senator Obama is now saying that any residual force that's left in Iraq will be based upon security conditions on the ground, the very exact position that Senator McCain has been taking for some time.

And I think that it points to a lack of judgment and experience when it comes to dealing with these types of important issues. And Senator McCain's leadership on this issue, going out and supporting the surge. Senator Obama opposed it, opposed funding it, and as recently as this week had a hard time explaining to people why he couldn't be for it, even though he acknowledged the great results and progress that it's achieved.

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MR. WALLACE: Senator Thune?

SEN. THUNE: Well, I think that what you have to make here, Chris, there is a critical distinction between ending a war and winning a war. And Senator Obama has been intent on ending a war, no matter what the consequences.

Senator McCain has said consistently that we need to win this war, which is why he advocated the surge, which was an unpopular position in this town at the time. And we've seen now incredible gains, incredible results, and all of which could be reversed if we don't do this right.

But I think if you look at the recent stories that have been out, it's been a remarkable success. Civilian casualties are down 80 percent. Senator Obama still refuses to acknowledge the basic fact of the success and result and progress and gains that have been made as a result of the surge.

MR. WALLACE: On the other hand, Senator Thune, let's pick up on what Senator McCaskill pointed out. All sides do seem to be moving in the direction of Obama's timetable of getting combat troops out by 2010.

Prime Minister Maliki endorsed that idea this week. President Bush is talking about time horizons, when he refused to talk about dates. And let's take a look at what John McCain had to say about this question just on Friday. Here it is.

SEN. MCCAIN: (From videotape.) I think it's a pretty good timetable, as we should -- or horizons, for withdrawal. But they have to be based on conditions on the ground.

MR. WALLACE: Senator Thune, isn't -- going forward, isn't there a consensus forming around the Obama timetable of 2010?

SEN. THUNE: I think what there's a consensus forming around, at least with Senator McCain, with General Petraeus, with a lot of the Iraqi leadership, is that it needs to be conditions-based.

We wouldn't be having this discussion today were it not for the fact that John McCain, against a lot of popular and public opinion in this town, took the position that we needed to get additional troops on the ground and advocated for the surge.

The reason we're having --

MR. WALLACE: But he wasn't even willing to talk about any timetable or any dates at all. Now he's saying 2010 sounds like a pretty good timetable.

SEN. THUNE: Well, I think the reason he's able to talk about that, the reason we're even having this discussion and that Senator Obama can have this discussion and President Bush can have this discussion is because it's been so successful. And the conditions on the ground now permit a discussion about okay, when can we start withdrawing U.S. troops?

It has been a masterful success for our men and women in uniform, but more importantly, it gives us an opportunity now to actually talk about drawing down some of our troop levels there.

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MR. WALLACE: Let's bring in the McCain campaign. Senator Thune?

SEN. THUNE: (Chuckles.) Well, look, it was his first trip to Afghanistan. You talked about Afghanistan. McCain's been there four times. Senator Obama's never held a hearing on Afghanistan, even though he chairs the relevant subcommittee.

And with respect to the trip to the military hospital, that could have occurred. He could have gone by himself. I mean, this was a flashbulb-type tour, a photo op tour, if you will, and if he had wanted to go visit the troops, he certainly could have done that. And he could have done it without the entourage of press that was accompanying him.

I think it is a distinction that can be made. Senator McCain, when he's traveled over there, has visited that hospital. I've visited that hospital when I've been over there.

I think it's an important point about this trip that people need to take into consideration when they evaluate the trip. It's getting lots of great -- there was great photos, great imagery and that sort of thing.

But at the end of the day you had a trip where Senator (sic) David Petraeus disagreed with Senator Obama. You had a trip where he was trying to explain why he couldn't now before the surge, even though it'd been effective and worked. And you have a trip where he neglected to visit the -- our wounded warriors --

MR. WALLACE: Let me ask you real quickly, because we're beginning to run out of time. Respond, if you will, to Senator McCaskill's charge that it is McCain now who is using the wounded soldiers for politics.

SEN. THUNE: Oh, come on. I mean, get -- John McCain has generations of service to this country. John McCain has sacrificed enormously, as has his family, for this country. To suggest for a minute that he is -- that just -- that is just -- is laughable.

I think the important point here is that this is about judgment; it's about experience. It's about how you make decisions.

Senator Obama made a decision not to visit the military hospital, and I think people, when it comes to the election this fall, they're going to evaluate these candidates based upon their judgment and based upon their experience.

MR. WALLACE: All right. In the time left, we have to play the vice presidential game, because both of you have been mentioned by the, quote, "great mentioner."

Senator Thune, if John McCain asks you to be his running mate, what will you say?

SEN. THUNE: Hypothetical question. I'm not going to -- I'm not prepared to answer that question. I don't think that's going to happen. I think that you've looked at the --

MR. WALLACE: If he asked you, you'd say yes, wouldn't you?

SEN. THUNE: Well, it's obviously -- you don't rule anything out in this profession, but it's certainly not anything I aspire to. I like the job I have. I'm trying to solve energy problems for the country right now, in the United States Senate, which is a difficult job.

MR. WALLACE: Simple, factual question and not a hypothetical. Have you been asked to turn over personal information to the campaign?

SEN. THUNE: I have not.

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