Transcript of Obama Interview on CNN
Courtesy of CNN:
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now…
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.
CROWLEY: … you're about three, four points in the polls. We are a month away from your convention. You're three months away from this election.
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: And we're sitting in Berlin.
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: Why is that?
OBAMA: Well, obviously, the priority on this trip was traveling to Afghanistan and Iraq, where we've got enormous commitments and we've got to get that right.
Part of getting that right is having the Europeans engaged and involved in the same battle that we're involved with -- against terrorism, to make sure that we're creating a climate where nuclear weapons can't fall into the hands of terrorists, dealing with the situation in Iran, trying to broker peace in the Middle East.
All those issues are ones where we can lead but only if we've got serious partners. And so it's very important for me to have a chance to meet with Merkel. I'll be meeting with President Sarkozy of France today, Gordon Brown tomorrow, just to deliver the message Americans want to partner with these countries in order for us to be successful, and also to relieve some of the burden on our fighting men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq.
CROWLEY: But what's the message to Americans? Because if they're sitting back there going, what is my foreclosure on my house, the gas prices, have to do with him giving a speech in Berlin?
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: Was it -- I mean they don't see any…
OBAMA: That's…
CROWLEY: ..relationship.
OBAMA: Well, it's very specific, if we have more NATO troops in Afghanistan, then that's potentially fewer American troops over the long term, which means that we're spending fewer billions of dollars, which means we can invest those billions of dollars and making sure that we're providing tax cuts to middle class families who are struggling with higher gas prices.
If we've got serious commitments from Europeans to deal with these energy issues in the same ways that we need to deal with them, that will have an impact on our economy. Issues of trade, issues of the economy -- all these issues are now connected in this globalized economy.
And so -- but I also wouldn't underestimate the degree to which people in Ohio or people in Michigan or people in Missouri recognize that our long-term safety and our long-term security is going to depend on how we can interact with key allies, and you know, it's amazing how I often I get questions from people about, where are going to be able to reassert respect in the world?
And that's part of the message that we're sending here.
CROWLEY: Let's go back a couple of days to your visit to Israel. We are learning that a defense committee in Israel has now given a green light -- has to go through several more steps, but given the green light for 20 new homes in the West Bank.
And your advice on that is what? Is that OK as far as the U.S. is concerned?
OBAMA: You know I -- as you said, we haven't seen the whole process move forward, but as a general proposition, the Israelis' sitting down with the Palestinians in Annapolis and in previous agreements have recognized that these settlements are not helpful.
And I think it's important for Israelis to abide by their commitments when it comes to settlements, in the same ways that the Palestinians abide by their commitments for cracking down on terrorists in the West Bank and previously in Gaza, now, obviously Hamas controls Gaza. And -- so it makes it more difficult for Abbas to assert himself there.
But the key is for both parties to do what they say and build trust and confidence so they can move forward and the United States has to be a significant presence in that process.
CROWLEY: So President Obama would say don't do this?
OBAMA: President Obama would say follow your commitments.
CROWLEY: Let me also talk, because you were talking about the even-handedness when you were in Israel. You were about an hour in the West Bank, with Abbas. You were in Sderot talking about Israeli suffering; why not go to a Palestinian camp – why not go to a clothes factory – why not even go to Bethlehem to also focus on Palestinian suffering?
OBAMA: Well, look there is no doubt we tried to jam as much as we could in a very short period of time.
CROWLEY: But you took a lot of time with the Israelis –
OBAMA: Well I had a day. And obviously you make some judgments in terms of where you are going to allocate the day - but I don't think if you look at my statements and my positions when it comes to Israeli and Palestinian peace talks that I could be more clear about the belief that the Palestinian people are suffering – partly because of the failures of their government to provide leadership for them. And that one of the reasons that we need to bring about this kind of lasting peace is so that Palestinians can have economic opportunity – send their kids to school – enjoy the kinds of – you know – the sort of prosperity that I think is so important for them as well as the Israelis.
CROWLEY: I know you understand that symbolism is important in the Middle East- and without the symbolism of - I also understand that by visiting Sderot – about the Palestinian suffering – what does that say about Palestinians who have really never seen the US as an even-handed broker in this?
OBAMA: Well keep in mind that this is my second trip to the region. Last time I was there I was visiting in addition to Abbas also Palestinian young people in Ramallah and having a wide ranging discussion with them about the issues and the concerns that they had – so I think it is important to not isolate just this single trip but to look overall in terms of how I have projected the approach that an Obama administration would take.
CROWLEY: I know that the subject of Muslim has been a tough one for you to kind of balance because of the Internet and people believing that you're a Muslim. And you've always said -- but, listen, this has nothing to do with the Muslim community.
There are those who also wonder -- well, why not go to a mosque at this point? You gave a speech yesterday that said, listen, Christian, Jews…
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: … Muslims.
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: So, is, again, where symbolism is so important, why don't you go to a mosque?
OBAMA: Well, look, you know, I can't do everything, Candy. You know, we're -- we have jammed about as much as we could have in a week. But in terms of our Muslim outreach back in America, in terms of my consistent message, it's always been that I have the deepest respect for the Muslim community and I think that one of the things I want to do in my first year in office is convene a summit of Muslim countries, so that some of the suspicions and mistrusts that's developed between the United States and the Muslim world can be broken down.
We're going to need the help of all people of goodwill, especially Muslims of goodwill, if we're going to solve some of these problems.
CROWLEY: NATO -- I want to talk about your speech yesterday where you said, listen, you've got to step up to the plate.
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: We need more NATO troops, more German troops…
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: … in NATO. You know, sort of preliminarily, how many troops, how many brigades you would put in Afghanistan.
What does the U.S. need from NATO?
OBAMA: Well, we definitely are going to need a couple of additional brigades. Every commander that I spoke to in Afghanistan confirmed the need for more troops. It's a vast country.
CROWLEY: A couple of brigades from NATO?
OBAMA: A couple of brigades from the United States to begin with. What we need, in addition, is not only more NATO troops -- and keep in mind that the Germans, for example, are sending additional troops and another thousand troops. That will be helpful.
We also need to make sure that the rules of engagement for those troops are such where they can carry some of the load in terms of fighting. Some of the countries have a lot of restraints on what they do, and this was a topic of conversation with commanders on the ground in Afghanistan.
And, in addition, I think we've got to figure out how the command structure in Afghanistan works, because, right now, we have unparalleled tracks. NATO troops, some troops under U.S. command -- we don't always have the kind of unified command that will maximize what we get out of the troops that we do have.
And I think all those parts combined with a more aggressive posture when it comes to training police, building infrastructure, making sure that we have -- got a judiciary that is not corrupt, and maybe most importantly, having a counter narcotics strategy that works and that gives Afghans options in their economy other than poppy.
All those things have to come in a single cohesive whole. But the most important thing that I want to communicate when I spoke to Chancellor Merkel and -- that I'll mention when I meet with President Sarkozy of France and Gordon Brown is just understand that we're going to have to have a sustained commitment in Afghanistan, that -- you know, it's not going to be a situation where we can do this on the cheek.
It's going to be a tough job. We're going to have to get Pakistan on the right side of dealing with border issues there. NATO can be extraordinarily important in that overall process.
CROWLEY: You talked yesterday in your speech, saying, look, I recognize that there are people in the world who think that the U.S. has been part of what has gone wrong in the world. Do you think that there's anything that's happened in the past 7 1/2 years that the U.S. needs to apologize for in terms of foreign policy?
OBAMA: No, I don't believe in the U.S. apologizing. We've made some mistakes. As I said I think the war in Iraq was a mistake. We didn't keep our eye on the ball in Afghanistan. But, you know, hindsight is 20/20, and I'm much more interested in looking forward rather than looking backwards.
And so the point of my speech yesterday was, you know, for Europe to recognize that whatever mistakes we do make, we have been overwhelmingly a force of good in the world that Europe and the European Union would not exist, as we understand, had it not been for the enormous sacrifice of U.S. troops and taxpayers.
CROWLEY: So this trip, particularly the event in Berlin…
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: … you don't see as a rebuke to US foreign policy under George Bush?
OBAMA: You know that is not my job on this trip. I think that if you look at how we have tried to conduct this trip that I have tried to abide by a rule that has been historically, I think, very important which is that whatever political differences we have, we have one government at a time and that when public officials like myself, who are not the president, travel overseas that we're not in the business of spending all our time second guessing our president.
CROWLEY: You had two lines to walk really, sort of showing yourself on the international scene as someone who can go toe-to-toe with world leaders and sending that image back without seeming like you already think that you're president. And you also had this just not seem too presumptuous as they say.
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: John McCain has said that this really looked like a premature victory lap.
OBAMA: Yes.
CROWLEY: Did you cross the line? Were there times when you're really aware of that? You know that sort of oh wow, he looks likes he already has got it.
OBAMA: Well, you know what, I'll leave it up to the pundits to theorize on that. I would point out that John McCain, after he won the nomination, met with all the leaders that I am meeting with, that he's made speeches in Columbia and Canada and Mexico.
So it would be – I'd be hard pressed to find a big difference between what I have done over the last week and what John McCain has been doing since he won the nomination.
CROWLEY: Except you got more attention.
OBAMA: I did.
CROWLEY: So let me turn you to just the domestic policy. I've done -- or domestic politics actually. I have done this a number of times -- these campaigns -- and I look at the calendar and understand that we are very close to your announcement about who you would like as a number two.
OBAMA: Yes.
CROWLEY: I am assuming we are within two weeks -- when you look at when the Olympics start, when your convention starts -- so give me an idea of where you are. Do you have a shortlist?
OBAMA: Candy…
CROWLEY: Have you talked to people?
OBAMA: I have told you and everybody else the next time I talk about my vice presidential selection, it will be to introduce that selection.
CROWLEY: Have you done any talking about it on the phone while we've been on this trip?
OBAMA: No.
CROWLEY: Really?
That's what we figured you were doing on the plane the other day. You were taking so long to get off the plane. We all assumed that is what you were doing.
In terms of the convention, is that set? You've got a keynote speaker? There's been some talk that you want Teddy Kennedy to do the keynote. Is that true?
OBAMA: You know, we are still putting together the calendar. We've been spending a lot of time when it comes to the convention just thinking about how to use the convention to organize party activists and organize grassroots activists, that, you know, one of the hallmarks of our campaign has been people getting engaged, been getting involved.
That's part of the reason why we are having the -- my acceptance speech in the football stadium as opposed to in the convention hall because we want people who aren't necessarily a typical delegate to get engaged and this event actually is where we're devoting a lot of time.
We want to see us coming out of the convention we have further built the kind of grassroots 50-state strategy that will not only help us, but help congressional candidates, help Senate candidates, help local races as well.
CROWLEY: So I got the 30-second notice so two quick questions. If I were to say to you it is going to be Teddy Kennedy on Monday, Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, the veep on Wednesday, and you on Thursday, how far off is that for what you want for the convention?
OBAMA: (Laughs) I mean it sounds like a good lineup, Candy. But I've got to say that we haven't made any decisions yet.
CROWLEY: No final decision?
OBAMA: No final decision.
CROWLEY: And then the question we all want to know -- what the heck did you and King Abdullah talk about in that Mercedes ride from the palace to the airport?
OBAMA: Well, I won't share any confidences between myself and King Abdullah, but I will tell you that it's a pretty smooth ride. I gather he was going faster than it felt while I was in the car. That was the report I was getting from the Secret Service afterwards.
CROWLEY: They love that ride.
OBAMA: Absolutely.
CROWLEY: Does it make you want to change the rules of president to sort of take over the driving from the Secret Service?
OBAMA: I would love to drive. I miss driving. Like I miss a lot of stuff. But I think -- you know, when you're in Jordan, when the king of Jordan says he wants to drive, he gets the keys. It doesn't work that way in the United States.
CROWLEY: No, it doesn't. Off to Paris?
OBAMA: Right.
CROWLEY: Thank you.
OBAMA: Thank you.
