“In the past, I’ve had really solid interviews with student newspapers, but then the headline reads ‘Matthews slams Bush.’ That’s not [going to be] the tenor of our conversation. I’m representing what I think is going on in America according to our poll, okay?”
Chris Matthews was giving me a warning. He’s a polemical speaker-just don’t say he’s slamming Bush.
The U.S. host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” and the Sunday morning talk show “The Chris Matthews Show” spoke with me about the state of the union south of our border in advance of his Toronto appearance this Sunday. “Hurricanes, Scandals and Insurgents: Is Republican power coming to an end?” hosted by the Association of Political Science Students, will take place at Fleck Atrium, Rotman School of Management.
The Varsity: The president’s job approval rating is at its lowest ever. Where does Bush’s administration stand, and can he bounce back?
Chris Matthews: If you look at the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, people think his problem is bigger and deeper than a speed bump that’s going to pass. The key metrics in the presidential job approval ratings is how many months have passed since 9/11. His job approval rating is lower with every new month. To bounce back, he would have to create a totally new vector that hasn’t been there since 9/11. If he could ever have found success or score a victory in Iraq he would’ve found it already.
I think Bush has to come back and take over the White House. I think he has to start giving orders. He needs a group of people who are loyal just to him; instead he has a bunch of people who all want their own ministries and do their own thing.
V: Do you think the Democrats are going to filibuster Judge Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court in the New Year?
CM: He’ll be confirmed.
V: What are your thoughts on Plamegate?
CM: About 80 per cent of the American people think that there are more people involved [than Lewis “Scooter” Libby]. If you read the indictment, it links the vice-president rather clearly to the matter. All those people who say that this scandal only matters to people in Washington are wrong-it matters a lot to the American people because we’re at war right now based on an argument that was made by this group. The Ivy Leaguers, ten or so columnists who basically wrote war ads, the people who urged us to go to war are not fighting it. It’s a tragedy for my country that people who would normally be skeptical about invading another country didn’t speak out.
V: How problematic is Cheney’s suggestion that the CIA should be exempted from torture legislation?
CM: The problem is that countries do what they have to do if their national security is in jeopardy. Suppose someone were to be picked up that said tomorrow there’s going to be an explosion in three major cities, and I know exactly where it’s going to be and how to stop it. What would you do? The problem for this is that the Democrats almost forced the administration to come out in favour of torture, and that shouldn’t be discussed in public. POWs are allowed meals and fair treatment under the Geneva conventions because they’re serving their country and their government. The U.S. just doesn’t want Red Cross packages coming to someone who wants to blow up a plane. They deserve to be treated like human beings, but not as well as fighting men.
Even the term ‘war on terror’ isn’t helpful. Terrorism is driven by the heart. You can’t kill that if it’s growing every day in another heart.
V: What do the Democrats need to do to win the next election?
CM: There are no Democrats worth talking about. The numbers in our poll showed that 8 per cent of the American people are positive about the Democrats. It is a lot more likely that some new third party will take charge.
V: Are John McCain and Hillary Clinton headed for a face off in 2008?
CM: I think it’s Giuliani, personally. Looking at the polls, Giuliani has a very low negative among Republicans. He’s got the authenticity of being the guy on top of the rubble on 9/11.
V: When Secretary Rice was in Ottawa recently, she implied that Canadians are overreacting regarding American duties on softwood lumber. Are we?
CM: I don’t know. You just don’t hear this discussion down here. This country focuses on the macro view of economics; we don’t focus on sector questions here. Is free trade good for America or not? I mean you’ll occasionally hear arguments about steel in Pennsylvania or textiles in South Carolina but generally it’s just a generalized macroeconomic discussion. I’ve never heard a negative word about Canada. It’s very benign.
V: Should the U.S. give more aid to Muslim countries to improve America’s image there?
CM: No, I don’t think that’s the right reason to do it. You’ve got to show them respect and show them that even though you’re pro-Israeli that you’re not anti-Arab. You’ve got to salute those countries that are trying to do the right thing, like Jordan.
