WEBVTT

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I'M NOT GOING TO BE TOLD TO DO  
HOW TO REPRESENT THE STATE OF   

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ARIZONA.                        
>> AND JOINING ME NOW IS THE    

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CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE ARMED    
SERVICES COMMITTEE, JOHN McCAIN 

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OF ARIZONA.                     
SENATOR McCAIN, WELCOME BACK TO 

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"MEET THE PRESS."               
>> THANKS, CHUCK.               

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THANKS FOR HAVING ME BACK.      
>> I WANT TO STALK -- START WITH

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NORTH KOREA.                    
WHY WOULD I CALL CHINA A        

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CURRENCY MANIPULATOR WHEN       
THEY'RE WORKING WITH US ON THE  

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NORTH KOREAN PROBLEM?           
WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.       

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WHY DOES CHINA'S CURRENCY POLICY
HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH NORTH  

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KOREA?                          
SHOULD IT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO   

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WITH THE NORTH KOREA?           
>> IT MAY BE PART OF THE OVERALL

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RELATIONSHIP, BUT CHINA IS THE  
KEY.                            

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CHINA IS THE KEY.               
THEY CAN STOP THIS IF THEY WANT 

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TO BECAUSE OF THEIR CONTROL OVER
THE NORTH KOREAN ECONOMY.       

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AND BY THE WAY I WOULD POINT    
OUT -- I KNOW THIS WILL COME OUT

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LATER ON, BUT THERE ARE         
ARTILLERY ON THE BORDER BETWEEN 

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NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA THAT CAN  
REACH SEOUL.                    

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WE CAN'T TAKE THEM ALL OUT --   
THIS IS -- THIS MAY BE THE FIRST

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TEST OF THIS PRESIDENCY.        
BUT CHINA CAN SHUT THEM DOWN.   

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WHETHER THEY'RE CURRENCY        
MANIPULATORS OR NOT, WE SHOULD  

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EXPECT THEM TO ACT TO PREVENT   
WHAT COULD BE A CATACLYSMIC     

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EVENT AND THE NORTH KOREANS KEEP
MAKING PROGRESS.                

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THEY HAD A FAILURE YESTERDAY.   
I'M NOT SURE --                 

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>> DO YOU BUY THE SABOTAGE      
THING?                          

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>> I DON'T THINK SO, BUT I      
WOULDN'T RULE IT OUT.           

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BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY HAVE 
MADE STEADY PROGRESS.           

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WHILE WE HAVE MADE AGREEMENT    
AFTER AGREEMENT AFTER AGREEMENT.

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CHUCK, HOW MANY TIMES ON THIS   
SHOW HAVE WE SAID, WE HAVE NOW A

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COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT WITH    
NORTH KOREA AND SO I'M NOT      

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BLAMING TRUMP FOR THIS.         
I'M BLAMING REPUBLICAN AND      

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DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS OVER THE    
LAST 20 YEARS WHILE THEY HAVE   

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CONTINUED TO MAKE PROGRESS.     
>> IS THE CARROT AND STICK      

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APPROACH WITH CHINA WORTH DOING?
IS USING OUR TRADE PRACTICES OR 

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THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT       
CURRENCY WORTH HAVING THESE     

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DEBATES IN ORDER TO INFLUENCE   
THEM ON NORTH KOREA?            

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>> TO PREVENT NORTH KOREA FROM  
HAVING A MISSILE WITH A NUCLEAR 

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WEAPON THAT COULD STRIKE THE    
UNITED STATES AND WE WOULD HAVE 

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TO RELY ON OUR ABILITY TO       
INTERCEPT AND -- BY THE WAY I'M 

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TOLD THAT WE HAVE THAT ABILITY  
IS STILL RISKY BUSINESS.        

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THIS IS -- THIS IS REALLY VERY  
SERIOUS.                        

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THIS GUY IN NORTH KOREA IS NOT  
RATIONALE.                      

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HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER WERE 
MUCH MORE RATIONAL THAN HE IS.  

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>> WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITHIN A 
IRRATIONAL ACTOR, WITH NORTH    

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KOREA THE MILITARY OPTION IS ON 
THE TABLE BUT WHEN YOU'RE       

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DEALING WITH AN IRRATIONAL      
ACTOR, DOES THAT MAKE THE       

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MILITARY OPTION SOMETHING YOU   
DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE 

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YOU KNOW HOW HE'LL RESPOND?     
>> I THINK WITH THE PROXIMITY OF

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THE NORTH KOREAN ARTILLERY TO   
SEOUL, A CITY OF HOW MANY       

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MILLIONS OF PEOPLE?             
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TO RISK A 

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SITUATION WHERE THEY HAVE THAT  
ABILITY AND WE RELY ON OUR      

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ABILITY TO INTERCEPT, THIS COULD
BE THE FIRST TEST, REAL TEST, OF

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THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY.           
BY THE WAY, I BELIEVE THAT HE'LL

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GET VERY GOOD ADVICE FROM MATTIS
AND FROM McMASTER.              

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>> LET ME MOVE ON AND A BIGGER  
PICTURE AND WHAT WE'VE LEARNED  

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ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS   
POLICY.                         

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IN YOUR HOMETOWN PAPER -- IT    
WAS -- WRITING ABOUT THE SYRIA  

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DECISION.                       
IT WAS A COMPLETELY AD HOC      

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DECISIONS AND MY GUESS IS THAT'S
THE WAY THAT FOREIGN POLICY IS  

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GOING TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER     
TRUMP.                          

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A SERIES OF AD HOC DECISIONS    
BASED ON WHAT SEEMS RIGHT OR    

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DOABLE AT THE TIME.             
AT THE END OF THE DAY TO BORROW 

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FROM WINSTON CHURCHILL, THERE   
WILL BE NO THEME TO THE PUDDING.

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DOES HE HAVE IT RIGHT?          
>> I THINK IT'S PARTIALLY RIGHT 

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BUT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BEING CANDIDATE AND HAVING THE  

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GUY BEHIND YOU WITH THE CODES.  
>> WITH THE CODES.              

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>> THE SECOND IS THAT I THINK   
HE'S GROWING.                   

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AND HE IS LISTENING TO SOME VERY
WISE AND INTELLIGENCE PEOPLE AND

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THIRD, I THINK HE WAS DEEPLY    
MOVED BY THE PICTURES OF THE    

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CHILDREN.                       
WHO WASN'T?                     

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AND I DO BELIEVE -- I SUPPORT   
WHAT HE DID AND I SUPPORT THE   

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BUNKER BUSTER BOMB, BUT WE'VE   
GOT TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY.      

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THERE IS STILL NOT AN OVERALL   
STRATEGY THAT HE CAN COME TO    

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CONGRESS AND -- GOING TO HANDLE 
THE POST IRAQ.                  

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WE HAVE TO HAVE A STRATEGY AND  
I'LL GIVE THEM SOME MORE TIME.  

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BUT SO FAR THAT STRATEGY IS NOT 
APPARENT.                       

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>> IT SEEMS ON THE ISSUE OF IF  
ASSAD SHOULD GO, PRESIDENT TRUMP

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STOPPED SHORT OF REGIME CHANGE. 
HE SAID LOOK, HE OBVIOUSLY ISN'T

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PROBABILITY GOING TO BE A PART  
OF THE SOLUTION.                

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BUT HE STOPPED SHORT OF THAT.   
WHY?                            

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>> BECAUSE I DON'T THINK HE'S   
ABSOLUTELY SURE WHAT HE NEEDS TO

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DO.                             
BUT I WOULD POINT OUT OF THE    

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400,000 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN 
WHO REMEMBER SLAUGHTERED THEY   

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WEREN'T SLAUGHTERED BY ISIS,    
THEY WERE SLAUGHTERED BY BASHAR 

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AL ASSAD.                       
THE WAR CRIMES ARE HORRENDOUS   

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HERE.                           
AND TO JUST SAY WE'RE ONLY AFTER

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ISIS IN MY VIEW RATHER THAN     
REGIME CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT 

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WE HAVE TO RETHINK.             
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE     

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OVERALL CHANGES.                
YOU SAID HE'S GROWING.          

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>> YES.                         
>> IN OFFICE.                   

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THERE ARE SOME WHO WILL SAY, NO,
THE WASHINGTON ESTABLISHMENT    

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SUCKED HIM IN.                  
>> I HOPE SO.                   

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>> OKAY.                        
>> NO, ON NATIONAL SECURITY, I  

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DO BELIEVE HE'S ASSEMBLED A     
STRONG TEAM AND I THINK VERY    

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APPROPRIATELY HE'S LISTENING TO 
THEM.                           

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AND THAT'S THE AREA OF COURSE   
WHERE I AM --                   

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>> BUT I WANT TO GO QUICKLY ON  
THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS, NOT   

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EVERYBODY THINKS THE WASHINGTON 
CONSENSUS ON FOREIGN POLICY HAS 

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WORKED IN THE MIDDLE EAST OVER  
THE LAST 25 YEARS.              

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>> IT HASN'T.                   
YOU'VE RIGHT, IT HASN'T.        

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BUT IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF THE    
PEOPLE AROUND HIM NOW.          

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IN FACT, IF PREVIOUS            
PRESIDENT -- FOR EIGHT YEARS WE 

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BASICALLY DID NOTHING IN        
RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE MOST    

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HORRENDOUS WAR CRIMES IN        
HISTORY.                        

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AT LEAST HE DID SOMETHING.      
NOW I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE A 

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STRATEGY TO FOLLOW THAT UP.     
AND LOOK, AMERICA IS ABOUT A    

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MORAL SUPERIORITY AND OUR       
WILLINGNESS NOT TO FIGHT EVERY  

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FIGHT, BUT AT LEAST RESPOND TO  
HORRENDOUS ACTS OF INHUMANITY   

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AND WAR CRIMES.                 
ALSO, BY THE WAY, SYRIA WILL    

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CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SPREAD OF  
AL QAEDA IF WE DON'T GET -- TAKE

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CARE OF BASHAR AL ASSAD.        
>> SENATOR JOHN McCAIN,         

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UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO LEAVE IT
THERE.                          

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>> THA