Hardblogger : Hardball Highlights

Sen. John Kerry: 'This is an Iranian movement'

Hardball — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 22:07:00 GMT

Following is a rush transcript of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on tonight's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." Sen. Kerry discusses the protests in Iran and President Obama's stance on them, saying "this is an Iranian moment, not an American moment, and we need to have the discipline, the restraint, the maturity to stand back from this as the Iranians proceed."

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Senator Kerry, John McCain, your colleague, has been critical of the president for not speaking out and joining the protests in the streets of Tehran. What's your view?

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: My view is that the president has clearly spoken out. He spoke in Cairo as clearly as any president ever has about the prospects for democracy, for the possibilities of a different future. And I think he's been very, very clear. But for the president to step into the middle of what the Iranians appear to be handling for themselves would be a mistake, because it would give to the hardliners the ability to be able to use the president and the West as an excuse.

We've seen what hard-line rhetoric has gotten us over the last eight years, Chris. It's created an Iran that's more powerful in the region, an Iran that's been more reluctant to engage with the rest of the world. The president has opened up new possibilities. I think even the elections in Lebanon a week ago showed the results that come from a different kind of diplomacy. And we need to let the president pursue that.

MATTHEWS: Do you think we're kidding anyone, though -- don't they know, on the Ahmadinejad side over there, the government side and the ayatollahs' side -- that we're rooting for the opposition? Don't they...

KERRY: They don't have any...

MATTHEWS: Don't they...

KERRY: They don't have any illusions about it, but that's very different from overt activities that they can then turn around. ...(read more)

'The Decider:' A Hardball documentary

Cathy Finkler — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:22:00 GMT

Below is part of the transcript of the Hardball documentary 'The Decider' which aired on Monday, December 29. As George W. Bush prepares to leave the White House, Hardball takes a hard look at his legacy. Obama's election and the Democratic sweep of Congress represent the American people's opinion of the Bush presidency. But what will be history's verdict? I put that question to presidential historian Sean Wilentz of Princeton University and Mark Halperin, Editor at Large, Time magazine. ...(read more)

'Liberal' is anti-American?

Sam Go — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:56:00 GMT

On tonight's show, Rep. Michele Bachmann got in a heated exchange with Chris Matthews after she associated being liberal with being anti-American. She suggests that some Congress members are anti-American. Watch the clip below, and click here for reaction from Katrina vanden Heuvel and Pat Buchanan....(read more)

Hardball College Tour: Sen. John McCain

Cathy Finkler — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., appeared on Tuesday's Hardball College Tour from Villanova University.

Below are highlights from the broadcast:

On the difference between him and Pres. Bush
Chris Matthews: How will you be different than President Bush?
Sen. John McCain: Well, I think that there's many philosophies and views and vision that we share for America. There are other areas, specific areas, in which we are in disagreement. Chris, I think the American people will make their choice for the presidency on who they believe, not only their record, but how they articulate a vision for the future. That‘s why forums like these, very honestly, are things that are important to me to be on so I can communicate directly not only with the people of this country but with the young people of this nation. So what‘s an area of disagreement? Climate change. Climate change. I believe that climate change is real. I think we have to act... And I've said that for many, many years. I would just like to put the question this way to my fellow Americans. Suppose that we are wrong and there's no such thing as climate change but we go ahead and adopt green technologies and we reduce greenhouse gas emissions? All we've done is give our kids a cleaner planet...

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

On torture
McCain: My point is that for the future of this country, we have to make sure that we remain a nation that does not do things that our enemies do. And I promise you, my friends, I`ll close Guantanamo Bay and we will never torture another person in our custody again.

On whether or not he's a "typical white person"
Student: Senator McCain, the day following Barack Obama's speech on racism at the National Constitution Center, he remarked on comments he made during his speech about his racist grandmother, referring to her as a "typical white person." Would you characterize
yourself, as Barack Obama would phrase, as a typical white person?

McCain: May I say first that I thought that Senator Obama's speech was an excellent speech and I think it was well presented. I think it was an important statement that he had to make at the time, and I think it was good for all of America to have heard it. I can`t comment directly as to how I portray myself, except to say that I hope that all of us learn over the years the need and the importance of treating everyone in this nation only and solely on the attributes they have and their ability to follow their ambitions and their hopes and dreams as far as they`ll take them.

...(read more)

Media coverage of '08 race isn't 'too early' after all

Hardball — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:12:00 GMT

In a new segment, "Hardball" host Chris Matthews gives his take on the day's top headlines.

A Christmas primary?
The South Carolina Republican Party wants to move its primary to January 19th. In Iowa, the state law requires its Caucuses be held at least eight days before any other voting. And New Hampshire is compelled to set the date of its primary at least a week before any other primary.

So do the math. If South Carolina gets what they want and forces the other states to follow, you could see the first votes cast in December, making this campaign the earliest in history. So for all the folks complaining about the early coverage of the 2008 race, the coverage is following the facts: The states are moving on up.

Going for the gay vote
Tonight, most Democratic presidential candidates will talk about gay rights at a forum sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and Logo, a gay and lesbian cable channel. Republican contenders were invited but declined to attend. This, the first televised appeal to gay voters in a presidential race, is the third time in six days the Democrats have appeared in a forum or debate. The gay community has a lot of clout, it's a politically active community with big bucks and polls show that up to 9 percent of the voters in our big cities are gay.

Marion Barry is back!
And Washington's Mayor-for-Life Marion Barry, once busted for smoking crack cocaine, says he will be "among the greats of the world" when he stands with former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abe Lincoln. He's being immortalized in Madame Tussaud's new Wax Museum. The museum picked Barry after he came out on top in a poll of 600 people.

Politics of tragedy

Hardball — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:06:00 GMT

Earlier on Wednesday – a few hours before the 35W bridge in Minnesota collapsed -- Senators Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Chuck Hagel R-Neb.) introduced legislation to fix America’s road, bridges, water, and transit systems. According to the senators, the National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007 would help revitalize America’s infrastructure.

“The 21st century holds great promise for our nation. But you can’t journey to a brighter tomorrow by relying on yesterday’s infrastructure,” said Dodd when he announced the bill.

Both senators were on Hardball Thursday in light of the recent tragedy.

“Look, this administration has convinced us to spend 500 billion dollars in Iraq,” said Sen. Dodd, who is running for president. “We should have been doing this [focusing on infrastructure] for a long time. We have been told year in and year out about this problems growing every single year.”

Some key components of the bill include: $21 billion required to be spent annually for the next 20 years to address problems with our transit systems; and $131 billion to be spent annually for things like bridge and road repair.

“We have the capacity to do it,” said Sen. Hagel. “We have the greatest economy, system, nation, people in the world. There is no challenge this country has ever failed at meeting.” (Rumors continue that Hagel may run for president as well).

The effort would be good for the economy as well: “For every one billion dollars we spend on infrastructure repair or maintenance, 40,000 to 50,000 jobs are created by that effort,” says Sen. Dodd.

Watch video here.

Viral video girls face off...

Hardball — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:18:00 GMT

well, not really.

‘Obama girl,’ Amber Lee Ettinger; ‘Hot4Hill girl’ Taryn Southern; and ‘Rudy girl,’ Adelina Kristina explain their provocative YouTube campaign videos and why their favorite presidential candidates should win the election in 2008. Click here if you missed it on Hardball.

And for you Hardbloggers, a special Web-extra: The viral video girls extra share a Beach Boys song with MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Click here for the video.

Here are the YouTube videos that made them famous:

And to share YOUR hot viral campaign ads with us, click here for the Hardball ad challenge.

Highlights of Michael Moore on Hardball Plaza

Hardball — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:23:00 GMT

On Monday, we played Hardball with the toughest kid on the block, Michael Moore. The Oscar-winning filmmaker Mabout the '08 presidential field and his documentary "Sicko," which highlighted criticism of American health care.

On Feingold wanting to censure the president
CHRIS MATTHEWS: (U.S. Senator) Russ Feingold wants to censure the president, the vice president and other administration officials for the way in which they talked us into war in Iraq. What do you make of it? Where do you stand on that kind of thing?

MICHAEL MOORE: Good idea. I think it‘s something, though, that actually, they should be lucky just to get censured. Personally, I‘d like to see a perp walk coming out of the West Wing of the White House.

MATTHEWS: Do you think they‘re guilty of war crimes?

MOORE: Absolutely.

MATTHEWS: Name them.

MOORE: Lying to go to war. Start with that one. Making up something, tricking up the evidence for war in order to take us into a war that‘s cost us over 3,600 soldiers‘ lives and countless Iraqi lives. History will not be kind to Mr. Bush for what he's done.

Presidential candidate with the best health plan
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Hi. My name Karen McCullen (ph), and I‘m from Philadelphia. My question is, which presidential candidate do you think has the best health care plan so far?

MOORE: Well, I would say probably Dennis Kucinich has the best plan in terms of—because he supports HR 676, which is the John Conyers bill that‘s before Congress now to create a National Health Insurance Act. And so the others so far haven‘t supported it, and it‘s one thing I think people can do is insist that the presidential candidates get behind HR 676, the U.S. National Health Insurance Act. And I think that would be a good indication of whether or not they truly support universal health care for everyone and remove profit from our health care system.

Moore offers Americans health care advice
MATTHEWS: There‘s probably a half-million people watching right now at different times today. And I want you to give them advice.

MOORE: Yes.

MATTHEWS: If they‘re right now having a problem with their HMO, and they‘re not getting treatment for something they think is important, is it best to call their congressperson? What do they do to make sure the kind of thing that happened in your movie happens to them?

MOORE: Actually, what I tell people is, if you‘re having trouble right now with your insurance company, and they won‘t pay for something, go ahead and use my name, just say...

MATTHEWS: Say, Michael Moore has been talking to me?

MOORE: Say that I‘m coming, that you have talked to me personally. You have my permission to do that. In fact, at the end of this week, on my Web site, I‘m going have a little like “Sicko” insurance card you can download, print it out, laminate it, and take it in and say that you‘re now part of my team, and that we‘re going to put you on the DVD if you don‘t help my child.

And, so, I give blanket permission to anybody who wants to do that. Carry your “Sicko” card with you. And, actually, I got this idea because a number of people have already gone ahead and done it.

MATTHEWS: The guy did it in the movie.

MOORE: He did it in the movie.

MATTHEWS: Yes. Without your permission.

MOORE: And he just said, "Michael Moore is coming. " I never met the guy... the guy just went ahead and said, Michael Moore is doing this film. And like a week later, the insurance company said, OK, we will pay for your daughter‘s ear operation.

MATTHEWS: God, there‘s nothing like a little blackmail.

(LAUGHTER)

On criticism from '08 hopeful Mike Huckabee
MATTHEWS: You have earned yourself an enemy. This is Huckabee, the former governor, Mike Huckabee. He‘s running for president.

MOORE: He‘s the guy that lost all that weight.

MATTHEWS: He‘s decided to come after you. He said “Frankly,”—don‘t you love it when politicians say that? Like other times they‘re not being frank, right? “Frankly, Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs so much in this country. He clearly is one of the reasons that we have a very expensive system. I know that from my own personal experience.”

He‘s identifying with you.Huckabee, who lost more than 110 pounds and became an avid runner after he was diagnosed with diabetes. Your response sir?

MOORE: First of all, there‘s nothing worse than a reformed smoker or twinkie eater. They all become scolds don't they?

MATTHEWS: I agree with you that attitude. Don‘t preach, do. But he‘s knocking you. He‘s saying you‘re overweight.

MOORE: He said I was over weight?

MATTHEWS: I think that was the implication here. Isn‘t that—to be honest, you talk about France, and I was just over there a while ago. I was over in Italy for the pope‘s funeral. I have to tell you, one of the amazing things about continental Europe, the people all look great. Everybody is in good shape. Is it because they walk a lot? Is it because they don‘t eat the junk we eat.

MOORE: You were there. You notice they smoke more than we do. They drink a lot.

MATTHEWS: Why do they look so good? Why are they so thin? I thought it was walking.

MOORE: Partly yes, it is that. I was halfway through making this film and I said to myself, look, "Mike, there‘s something hypocritical here about your making a health care and you‘re not taking care of your own health." So near the end of the film, I started going for a walk every day, started eating these things that are called fruits and vegetables.

In three months, I lost 30 pounds. I read this book... and so now I‘m on the good path. If you want to avoid this broken health care system, one of the ways to do that is to take better care of yourself.

A challenge to candidates
MATTHEWS: Michael, you‘ve got a challenge I hear. You told me during the break [you have a challenge[ with these guys running for president.

MOORE: We‘re going to challenge each of the presidential candidates to take the Senator Sherrod Brown pledge. He‘s the senator form Ohio. And he‘s the only senator who has said that he will not take his government financed health care—he will not use it until every single American is covered with health insurance.

So I would like each of the presidential candidates to take that same pledge that Senator Sherrod Brown—

MATTHEWS: Where will you administer this oath? Where‘s this going to happen? They‘re not going to do it, of course.

MOORE: You don‘t think so?

MATTHEWS: No, because they expect to lose—most of them—and they expect to serve in the Congress for the rest of their lives, and they need the health insurance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ron Paul already did it.

MATTHEWS: Ron Paul‘s leaving the Congress.

Final words on being "extreme"
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Hi, Mr. Moore. My name is Nicole Irwin. I‘m from Kentucky. Many people view you as an extremist. And because they are so focused on this radical perception, it seems like they focus more on you than the issue. Do you feel like this is a problem. And if so, how do you fix it?

MOORE: Yes, I‘ve always wondered why some people feel that way, because I have made there or four films. I made a film because I didn‘t like the fact that General Motors was laying off so many people in my home town. I made another film about school shootings because I didn‘t think school shootings were a good idea.

Then I made a film—and I said on the Oscar stage at the beginning of the war that we‘re being led to war for fictitious reasons. That upset a lot of people, but I told the truth. And now I‘m saying that I think all Americans should be able to see a doctor and not have to worry about paying for it.

What in any of those things sounds radical or extremist? It‘s an odd thing. I know a lot of Republicans and conservatives feel this way. But I really want to reach out to them. I do in this film, as you saw.

MATTHEWS: I think you‘re tougher on the Republicans than the Democrats. I think you give the Democrats a free ride in that movie. Because a lot of guys, back when Hillary tried to pass that health care, it was a Democrat that got in the way of the whole thing.

MOORE: Look, the Republicans do take more money. They do. They are more in bed with corporate America.

MATTHEWS: By the way, the Democrats gave president his majority on the war, you know. People like Hillary and Biden and Edwards, they all voted for the war authorization. They play ball.

MOORE: Everyone knows that. Democrats running for president who voted for the war are going to have a very difficult time getting through the primary.

Watch for a link to the full transcript on this space. Click here and the Hardball site to watch more video.

Hott 4 Hill

Jen Brown — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:31:00 GMT

Inspired by the success of Obama Girl and Giuliani Girl, actress Taryn Southern has created her own viral political video, Hott 4 Hill:

She explained her reasons for making the video on Monday's Hardball (video) and also on her blog.

If you think you've got what it takes to make a better political video than Hott 4 Hill, sign up for Hardball's Campaign Ad Challenge.

What happened in the McCain campaign?

Jen Brown — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:57:00 GMT

It's been an exciting Super Tuesday on MSNBC.

According to YOU, via an MSNBC.com unofficial unscientific online poll, Iraq is the issue of the day. Your votes tell us Iraq will weigh most heavily in deciding your vote in the 2008 presidential election.

Could John McCain, its most ardent advocate, become the war's first political casualty?

Today, the former 2008 frontrunner announced the resignations of both his campaign manager and longtime chief strategist. As Senator McCain stood on the Senate floor defending the surge in Iraq, the announcement caught the political world off-guard.

One big problem is McCain's "burn rate." His campaign war chest reportedly has less money in the bank than back-of-the-pack candidate Ron Paul. And his poll ratings have sunk to single digits in Iowa. Can a staff shake-up save his campaign?

McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement that he had accepted campaign manager Terry Nelson’s and strategist John Weaver’s resignations with regret, and he told reporters later that they had not been fired.

But former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a longtime friend and trusted adviser to the campaign, told MSNBC that was exactly what happened. Below is the transcript of the interview with former Gov. Frank Keating, conducted by MSNBC's Tucker Carlson. (WATCH VIDEO here)

TUCKER CARLSON: Following today’s upheaval in that campaign, former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating is now the only person that campaign has out speaking on its behalf. He is here with us now. Governor, thanks a lot for joining us.

So what do you make of this? I mean, is this the low point, preparatory to a resurgence? Or is this a sign of real trouble?

FRANK KEATING: No. I mean, I really think that in a two-year campaign—and this is unprecedented in the history of the United States—in a two-year campaign, you’re going to have fits and starts and stalls and stops.

In John’s case, he’s had a very good fundraising quarter for the first quarter, a good fundraising quarter for the second quarter. But he’s spent a lot of money. He needed to consolidate, he needed to have one person placed in charge, instead of a committee of people. And I think it’s going to make him a much stronger candidate, a much better candidate.

CARLSON: I always thought the fact John Weaver was on the campaign was a sign of some deeper problem, though. I mean, here’s a guy who’s an out-of-the-closet liberal, John Weaver, who was a Democrat up until, as far as I know, pretty recently, and he’s running the campaign of a guy who is already viewed with some suspicion by conservatives. Why would he have a liberal running his campaign?

KEATING: Well, I don’t think anybody knows that much about John Weaver’s background. He’s a very bright guy, as you know. He’s a very bright guy. But McCain is a tremendous politician. John knows his values. He’s the only candidate on the Republican side who is consistently pro-life for 25 years. Small government, low taxes, exactly what the conservative base should want.

I think he’s one who enjoys the clash of combat of ideas from a variety of different people. But, as you know, as of today, John’s no longer in the campaign.

CARLSON: Yeah.

KEATING: John Weaver.

CARLSON: I was talking to someone in the campaign, or familiar with the campaign, who said that McCain hauled these two guys in yesterday and asked for a budget, a new budget, and there wasn’t one. It sounds to me like the campaign—and you alluded to it a minute ago when you said they spent all the money—was fiscally mismanaged. How did the candidate allow that to happen?

KEATING: Well, the candidate—you know, those of us who’ve run for public office—you are out on the campaign trail, you are giving speeches, you are shaking hands, you are studying policy positions, you are debating your opponents. You really are not in a position to watch the day-to-day operation of the campaign.

I think when John McCain watched the day-to-day operation of the campaign and saw that, in a two-year campaign, you can’t spend as much money as we have been spending. You need to cut back, you need to make sure, instead of having two or three people giving you one good idea, maybe one person giving you that one good idea. It’s a smart thing to do, because it’s a very long campaign cycle, and that’s what he’s doing.

I think it’s a smart thing, I think it’s a wise thing, and I think it’ll make him a stronger candidate.

CARLSON: What was the catalyst? What was the moment where Senator McCain said, these guys are screwing it up, we’ve got to change?

KEATING: I think you look at the quarter—first quarter, thirteen million (dollars); second quarter, eleven million (dollars), and two million (dollars) in the bank.

CARLSON: And that was it; when those numbers came out, he said—

KEATING: Well, I mean, I was not sitting around the table. I talked to John McCain this morning. But I wasn’t sitting around the table discussing the intricacies of the budget of the campaign. But I think anybody who’s been a candidate, you know you have a message, you know that you’re the messenger, you know that you are the right solution for the country. But where’s all the money? Let’s address the money so we can have a successful campaign all the way through November of ‘08.

CARLSON: What else is going to change in the campaign?

KEATING: Well, I mean, I think—I campaigned with John McCain, I think that he’s a man on a horse, he’s a statue, he’s a walking statue. He’s an enormously significant hero. He was brutalized by the North Vietnamese for all those years and never gave up and let his men leave before he did.

This is a wonderful courageous person. The more people see him, I think more people will embrace him. But you need to have one person making the decisions in the campaign, and you have to have one person who’s writing the checks. And I think that’s what he’s doing. I think it’s a wise thing to do.

CARLSON: You spoke to him this morning—as you said, you’re—I think the only person who’s speaking on his behalf today on television. Is he worried that this makes his campaign look out of control and makes him look weak, personally?

KEATING: No, not at all. I mean, the thing about McCain—look at the immigration debate, you know, look at the debate over the war. All of the things that he’s doing are executive in nature. He’s making decisions, taking positions that frequently are unpopular. As far as he’s concerned, this is a campaign—he’s on the campaign till the end.
But obviously, the technology and the techniques for the campaign he has to address as the campaign evolves. And if you’re spending a lot of money, you better rein it in and figure out where you’re spending it wisely, where you’re spending it…

CARLSON: So he sees this as a series of management problems—it just wasn’t managed well. But are there going to be any thematic changes? I mean, I think he’s taken a lot of lumps for being seen as Bush’s ally on Iraq. Will that change?

KEATING: Well, I mean, he knows—and I’m one who never—who believed that we shouldn’t be in Iraq unless it were connected to 9/11, and it wasn’t. But he knows that, now that we’re there—and he supported the war—but now that we’re there, it is central focus, ground zero in the war on terror. We simply can’t walk out, or they’re coming here. I think that’s absolutely true. Anybody who’s been in the security business knows that. Anybody who knows geopolitics in the Middle East knows that. And it’s a very serious problem for the United States. And I think that he has been consistent with his message, he is consistent with his theology. Now he has to make sure he has the money in the bank to let the rest of the American people know it and see it.

CARLSON: Does he see himself as responsible? Does he believe he is responsible for the problems the campaign has had, or is it John Weaver’s fault?

KEATING: I mean, ultimately, the person who is a candidate is responsible for his campaign, but the mark, I think, of an executive, the mark of someone who really is in charge, is when you find problems, you address them. I mean, the worst thing to do—and I know a lot of people who have been candidates for high public office, they’ll continue mistakes. Why? Because they think, if I admit there’s a mistake, then somehow that’s a statement of me. Well, if there’s a mistake, fix it. Move on.

CARLSON: I remember in 2000, Fred Thompson was one of I think only three senators—DeWine and Lindsay Graham being the other two—who came out early for McCain. It must be painful to watch Fred Thompson get into the race now and come out with higher poll numbers than McCain has. Is it painful for him, do you think?

KEATING: I don’t know. I mean, he’s never said that. I think any of us who have been candidates know that there are ups and downs. Sometimes you’ll have an opponent who makes a good statement, looks good in a particular debate, move ahead of you. But the reality is, if you are fastened into the soil, you know what you believe, you don’t change your basic value systems, you want to bring people around the table to resolve problems, like the immigration debate—again, the Democrats took over the House and the Senate. The only way you resolve this problem is to sit everybody down.
I mean, there’s a comfort in that. There’s a serenity in that, and I think John, at his age, at his experience in life, knows that this is the right thing to do and he’s comfortable with it.

CARLSON: Did he sound serene this morning when you talked to him?

KEATING: Very much so, yes. Very much so.

CARLSON: Governor, thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

KEATING: Thank you. Thank you very much.

* * *

CARLSON: We’re back. We’re here with Frank Keating, former governor of Oklahoma, who is the only person authorized to speak on behalf of the McCain campaign today, in the wake of news that there has been a shake-up in the campaign structure, with the top two strategists gone, to be replaced by the new campaign manager, Rick Davis.
Governor, welcome.

KEATING: Thank you. I was just walking on the sidewalk and you grabbed me.
(LAUGHTER)

KEATING: This could be two dozen other people talking for the campaign.
(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: I’m pretty aggressive. What—Rick Davis, the new campaign manager—what is he going to do differently, and why him?

KEATING: Rick has a wonderful political background, he has a good relationship with Senator McCain. He is a decent, honorable, integrity-filled, intelligent person. And I think he sees the big picture because of his relationship with the senator in 2000. So, what is he going to do different? I don’t know. You’ve got a great candidate who has a very controversial, on occasion, message. But I mean, these are not easy times. We’re looking at a period of energy insecurity, the border and the immigration issue has not been taken care of—it has to be. We have virtually no national savings. We have a serious problem with terrorism. We have an education system that’s not educating, to make our children competitive. And you know—isn’t that enough?

What you need, obviously, is a candidate who is firmly committed to an agenda for change, an executive, if you will, and that’s McCain.

CARLSON: There was a report yesterday in US News and World Report that the senator was being advised by some around him, that it might be a good idea to leave the Senate. Do you think that’s a wise idea, and is it even on the table?

KEATING: I haven’t heard that. I know Senator Dole left the Senate. I thought it was a mistake at the time. I think if you’re elected to a job, you complete your job. Especially when you have today, so many issues that are being debated. McCain’s voice—and read the Tom Coburn—Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma, a very significant conservative—his piece last week in the Nation Review, where Coburn described McCain as the most courageous member of the Senate, even though he disagreed with him.

CARLSON: Interesting. Do you think Tom Coburn is going to endorse Senator McCain?

KEATING: As a fellow Oklahoman, I wish he would, but I have no idea.
I mean, these are the things that a candidate has to advance, and I think John’s exactly the guy that’ll do it.

CARLSON: Governor, thanks a lot.

KEATING: Thank you.