Senator Thad Cochran will participate in a political forum tomorrow held at the University of Mississippi’s Overby Center.  The forum is sponsored by the Overby Center for Southern Politics and Journalism and will began at 4:30.  Sid Salter, perspective editor of the Clarion-Ledger, will moderate the event.  Reporters from around the state will join Salter in questioning Cochran.  Democratic opponent Erik Fleming will make an appearance at a the Overby Center for a political forum the following day.  The forum is free and open to the public.

Click here to visit Ole Miss’s Web site for event details.

Read an article that was written by Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal after an Editorial Board meeting was held with Senator Cochran.  Senator Cochran shared his views and concerns about several issues throughout the hour long interview with the paper.

LLOYD GRAY:Cochran remains consensus builder
Sunday, August 17, 2008 - Daily Journal
8/17/2008 7:26:22 AM
Daily Journal 
 

It’s not exactly top of mind, but there’s another U.S. Senate race in Mississippi this year besides the one between Roger Wicker and Ronnie Musgrove.

Thad Cochran, Mississippi’s senior senator who 30 years ago became the first statewide elected Republican official in a century, is up for re-election. Former state Rep. Eric Fleming of Jackson is his Democratic opponent.

Unlike the Wicker-Musgrove race, this one’s not in doubt. Cochran will win handily.

At 70, Cochran signed up for another six-year term after a period of deliberation last fall. Trent Lott’s resignation was a factor, though not the primary one, in his decision. Cochran acknowledged in a meeting with the Daily Journal editorial board last week that returning to Washington for another six years was less attractive than in the past because of the extreme partisanship now the rule at the U.S. Capitol.

Click here to continue reading the article.

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.

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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 including:

The Future of the GOP
The Role of U.S. Troops
Saving Social Security
No Child Left Behind
The State of Education
Defining Victory in Iraq
Bringing the Troops Home

Stay tuned this week for excerpts from this interview.  First, Senator Cochran addresses the Future of the GOP.  Read the transcript below.

Future of the GOP

MS. JUDY WOODRUFF:   From the South, and, again, in this vein, a reader writes:  “I am wondering about recent comments in the news media after the mid-term elections that the Republican Party will primarily be a Southern-based party.  Your recent election to minority leadership positions of primarily Southern senators plays this out.  Will the Republican Party be able to appeal to the broader nation in future elections, with this Southern-based leadership and outlook?  Will the Southern conservative values and perceptions be able to win broad appeal across the nation and return the party to power?”

SEN. COCHRAN:  Well, it’ll be interesting to see about the transition and how much farther it goes in terms of realignment of states with political parties.  When I was growing up, we didn’t have any local Republican elected officials.  It just didn’t happen.  But back in the Civil War days, the Republicans were the ones who were reforming the federal government, and the Democrats were sort of the old Confederates from the Civil War, and it took a long time for that transition to be made. 

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