Talk to Power: Sen. Cochran on the Role of U.S. Troops
Talk to Power continued…
Talk to Power host Judy Woodruff interviewed Senator Thad Cochran in November of 2007 in response to hundreds of questions and comments from Yahoo readers. Several topics were addressed. Today, the topic we are featuring is Senator Cochran’s view on the Role of U.S. Troops. Click here to read yesterday’s topic, “The Future of the GOP.”
The Role of U.S. Troops:
MS. JUDY WOODRUFF: First of all, Senator Cochran, thank you very much for participating in Talk to Power. We had a large number of comments come in from our viewers, our visitors to the Yahoo site, a large number of thoughtful comments. We tried to choose a good cross-section, and I’m going to begin with Iraq because it is the question that keeps coming up.
This is a reader who describes himself as a naval officer, and here’s what he wrote: “All I hear about in the news is how we (reporters, politicians, civilians) want our troops to come home from Iraq. What do you say, Senator, to the tens of thousands of military personnel currently serving our country that believe they are doing the right thing and are scared we are going to be forced to leave Iraq, making everything we and those who have fallen, pointless?”
SEN. COCHRAN: Well, the first thing I would say is thank you. Thank you for serving in the armed forces of our country. I was a naval officer myself, so I understand the feeling. I was lucky not to be involved in any combat operations, but nonetheless we were trained and ready to serve and ready to go wherever we were deployed, and I know that’s your situation too. Thank you for being in uniform and protecting the security interests of our country.
I think all Americans are proud of our armed forces because they do such a great job. And those who are serving in the Iraq theater and those who are in the region protecting our sea lanes, protecting access to places like Iraq and other areas of interest throughout the world, your service is very vital, and without you, we wouldn’t have a chance to be an influence for peace as we are right now.
And that’s what we’re trying to do in Iraq, is end the war, end the conflict. I can remember one time several years ago, Secretary Kissinger was up here talking to us about the war between Iran and Iraq. There was a shooting war going on. It was dangerous in that it was going to possibly spread to other regions and other nation-states in that part of the world, and our policy was that we should be a force to try to stabilize that situation. It’s a difficult area of the world to deal with, but I think our judgment is being reviewed right now. Our nation’s decision-making process is under review by an independent group of people brought together by the president to ask, to take a look at what we are doing, and make suggestions for ways to improve it. But in the meantime, we thank you for doing your duty.
Next: SAVING SOCIAL SECURITY so Stay Tuned!
Click here to see video footage of Senator Cochran’s response. Also, click here to see the full article on Yahoo News!
Tags: Interview, iraq, judy woodruff, military, role of U.S. troops, Senator Cochran responds, talk to power, war, war on terror
