Wes Hickman (202) 224-5972 or Kevin Bishop (864) 250-1417

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM IS INTERVIEWED ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL

 

OCTOBER 3, 2007

 

BILL HEMMER [FOX NEWS CHANNEL]: 

 

Back to this developing situation in the skies near Alaska . Only yesterday, we showed you new videotape of U.S. jets intercepting Russian bombers wandering dangerously close to U.S. airspace.  A rare look now from the cockpit of an F-15.  

 

Now, the Air Force has been dealing with these stray bombers since August.  And U.S. defense officials say these incidents are on the rise, adding they have not seen this many Russian flights this close since the Cold War.  

Lindsey Graham, Republican senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with me now from D.C.

Senator, good morning, and welcome back.

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: 

 

Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: 

 

Help me with this.  What does Russia get out of these flights, Senator?  

GRAHAM: 

 

Well, it's -- they have this view that they're re-emerging as a stronger power but actually they're diminishing themselves.  

You know, this idea of re-engaging America and the West in a Cold War mentality is a big loser for Russia .  They're trying to intimidate their neighbors who are joining in NATO.  These flights are just a kind of a flex-the-muscle approach to foreign policy.  That's not going to work.  

Every institution in Russia has been degraded under Putin:  the legal system, the parliament, the press.  So this is becoming a autocratic country, much to the, I think, detriment of the Russian people.  

HEMMER: 

 

You used a word in there.  You said "diminished."  Why are they diminished?

GRAHAM: 

 

Well, because Putin has rolled back democratic reforms.  These flights have not occurred since 1992.  He is trying to now run for prime minister.  He's diminished the Duma, the parliament, when he was president.  The legal system is pretty much of a joke.  The press has no freedom in Russia .  They censor reports about their government.  And these flights are just another saber-rattling episode.  

He's fishing in a stream without a shirt.  It's kind of like the whole country's going through a mid-life crisis.

HEMMER: 

 

Well, that's a statement right out of South Carolina , I must add there.  

(LAUGHTER)

You don't seem to be concerned about this, do you?

GRAHAM: 

 

I'm not.  I'm not, because I know the strength of our country is the institutions we have are bigger than personalities.  

We should be concerned about Russia , but not afraid.  

Remember the bear in the wood commercial that Ronald Reagan ran in 1980 against the Soviet Union ?  

HEMMER: 

 

I sure do.

GRAHAM: 

 

Well, this is a cub in the woods.  

Russia is really a weak, struggling country trying to have bravado through one man that is short sighted.  They could be a very key player in the international community, a constructive force.  They could help us with Iran .  But they're choosing to go a different path.  And that will result in a weaker Russia over time.  

So we have to convince them...

HEMMER: 

 

With global energy prices, too, one argue that their economy's on the boost too, and they're creating billionaires by the day over there in Moscow .

 

GRAHAM: 

 

Right.

 

HEMMER: 

 

Another topic now:  The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is hitting hard back at Rush Limbaugh.  And I know you've heard the back- and-forth between Limbaugh and what has being said in the Senate and Media Matters, this group that really put the headline on the story two days ago.  

 

What are we to make of the back-and-forth and why the Senate is taking the position it is, at least on the Democratic side?  

 

GRAHAM: 

 

We can clearly understand that the MoveOn.org ad really stunned the Democrats, and they're trying to create a bogeyman on the right to make up for what was clearly an effort by the left to diminish and to bring into question the patriotism of General Petraeus.

 

HEMMER: 

 

So you're saying the Betray-Us ad, this is payback because of that.

 

GRAHAM: 

 

Well, it's an attempt at payback.  But from what I can see, based on the record available to us, Rush Limbaugh was talking about two people who claimed to be in Iraq when they were not, who claimed to be participating in atrocities that never occurred,  And they're trying to spin that out into something else.  And it's feeble attempt to change the subject.  

 

HEMMER: 

 

Lindsey Graham, thank you for your time. 

 

GRAHAM: 

 

Thank you.