Richard Lugar Meet the Press 03/27/11 TEXT VIDEO

MR. GREGORY: We are joined now by the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana.

Welcome to MEET THE PRESS, Senator.

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R-IN): Thank you very much.

MR. GREGORY: You've heard from Secretary Gates and Clinton. And I wonder, are you satisfied with the progress in Libya and with their explanation of our mission?

SEN. LUGAR: Well, I was startled to hear Secretary Gates say that Libya was not a vital interest, that Secretary Clinton then came in with the fact that our European allies are very disturbed about the situation. And, of course, we have justified military action as a humanitarian action to stop the shooting of civilians. I would just start by saying, before our nation goes to war or has military action, there must be a plan, there must be objectives, the endgame, what we want to, to achieve. And then, at least, some means as to how that's going to occur. That has not happened as yet, and the president has said we've had success because Gadhafi would have murdered many people in Benghazi. But the fact is that there was fighting in Benghazi because the so-called rebels, the other people that are not Gadhafi supporters, started a civil war in Libya, following civil wars that had commenced in Tunisia and Egypt. And, and facts are that that civil war was proceeding and, in many cases, the rebels seemed to be winning, except when they got to Benghazi, or in Tripoli. So, at this point, we then adopt a no-fly zone with the thought of knocking out Gadhafi's aircraft. And then the ground zone situation in which we knocked out the tanks and trucks and the other situation.

Now, having done all of that, the fact is now that the rebels, as you pointed out, in Ajdabiya and...(unintelligible)...have come back, so that on the eastern side of Libya, the cities all seem to be lined up with the rebels. On the western side and Misrata, the Gadhafi people are trying to take that so they at least have all of that side of the country. And, in the meanwhile, we're saying that we're going to back off of the no-fly zone or take a much less of a role there, leave that to the Europeans. It--and it simply leaves the whole situation up for grabs in which there is hopefulness, maybe, that Gadhafi will leave or that something bad will happen to him, or, or, in fact, that somehow these persons who are the rebels who we really don't know, who have no particular government, are, are going to form something that is more friendly to us or to the Europeans.

MR. GREGORY: Well, let me ask you to unpack that a little bit. If it's not in our vital interest, bottom line, should we not be involved?

SEN. LUGAR: I think there should have been a plan for what our objectives were, a debate as to why this was in our vital interest before we committed military forces to Libya.

MR. GREGORY: It's interesting, the press secretary for the president, Jay Carney, said this was not, in fact, a war. This was, "A time limited, scope limited, military action." Do you think that that's a bit of dancing there? And does the president, when he speaks to the nation, have to be more forthright about what we're engaged in?

SEN. LUGAR: Well, when I had the opportunity to ask the president during this telephonic conference that Secretary Clinton has mentioned, he justified action as a humanitarian gesture, that it would have been unconscionable to stand by while Gadhafi murdered people in Benghazi. As a result, these people were saved, and now we move backward in terms of our obligations in the situation. An, an event no boots on the ground. The president has reiterated that. So this means, in essence, the Libyans are still going to have to solve their civil war. We've pretty well knocked out Gadhafi's air force and many of his tanks, but the fact is that the country is still very divide with east and west cities...

MR. GREGORY: And what is our commitment? What is our commitment to that civil war?

SEN. LUGAR: Well, I don't believe we should be engaged in the Libyan civil war. I believe the Libyans are going to have to work that out. The fact is that we don't have particular ties with anybody in the Libyan picture, and we will have to at least adjust to whatever that outcome may be. But, as far as we're concerned, as Secretary Gates has said, it is not of vital interest to the United States. American interests are not at stake, and we clearly have already done much more than our part with regard to the no-fly zone, with regard to European friends.

MR. GREGORY: Will it require more funds from the government for this military operation?

SEN. LUGAR: Of course. And that's what I stated from the beginning. There has to be objectives and a plan and an agreement that we're prepared to devote the military forces but also the money. It makes no sense, sort of in the front room, where in Congress we are debating seemingly every day the deficits, the debt ceiling situation coming up, the huge economic problems we have; but in the back room we are spending money on a military situation in Libya. Estimates are that about $1 billion has already been spent on an undeclared war in Libya.

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

SEN. LUGAR: Some would say only hundreds of millions, and that that will diminish in the days ahead. But what knows how long this goes on? And furthermore, who has really budgeted for Libya at all? I have not really heard the administration come forward saying that we're going to have to devote these funds, folks. And therefore something else will have to go or it simply adds to the deficit.

MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you, finally, Senator Lugar, can the U.S. and its allies accomplish the mission that they've set out to achieve if Moammar Gadhafi remains in power?

SEN. LUGAR: Probably not. In large part, since we have taken the position that Moammar Gadhafi is an especially evil, bad dictator, and we have now indicated, the president said that he must go, he lacks legitimacy and so forth. Others have made the same statement. But if, in fact, he stays, is successful with his forces in subduing the rebels, then we are going to have to deal with Gadhafi and whatever we have there. I think there is sort of a vague hope still, animated by Secretary Clinton, that perhaps he may be thinking about where he might go, or with his money and his family and so forth, who might accept him in the world and sort of slip out of the picture. But even if he did...

MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.

SEN. LUGAR: ...the forces that are allied with him may very well still prevail in the civil war.

MR. GREGORY: All right. We will leave it there. Senator Lugar, thank you very much.

SEN. LUGAR: Thank you.

TEXT IMAGE and VIDEO CREDIT: www.msnbc.msn.com/

Bob McDonnell Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 03/26/11

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT:

Hi I'm Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, Before I begin today, I want to thank the brave men and women of our armed forces for their selfless service during recent operations in Libya, and their ongoing great work in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their relief efforts in Japan.

Virginia is home to many of our nation’s most important military installations, and we thank these courageous Americans for their defense of the freedom and liberty that we hold dear.

Like most governors, my top priority for our Commonwealth is ensuring fiscal responsibility and helping the private sector create the good jobs our citizens need.

Here in the states, we have to balance our budgets. We can’t print money, and we have....
... strict debt limits, so we have to live within our means. We manage our state budgets like you run your family and business budgets. That means making tough choices.

When I took office last year, we faced historic budget deficits of $6 billion here in Virginia. And we closed those deficits by cutting spending, not raising taxes. In the process we reduced state spending to 2006 levels -- and turned a shortfall into a surplus.

We’ve acted in a fiscally responsible manner here in Richmond. And that’s what Republican governors from Madison to Austin and Tallahassee to Albuquerque are doing right now.

But our work in the states is at risk of being undermined by some of the unrealistic and irresponsible policies that are coming from Washington.

Chief among those: the passage, one year ago this week, of the federal healthcare bill.

Unlike states, families, and businesses, the federal government doesn’t have to balance its budget. And that unfortunate reality leads to policies like the federal healthcare bill that push expensive, unfunded and unsustainable programs onto the rest of us. Washington passes the law, and then expects us to balance the books.

One year after the federal healthcare bill was rammed through the Congress in a partisan vote, we now see it has more to do with expanding control by the federal government than actually reforming our healthcare system.

The 2,700-page legislation simply will not work. It creates new entitlements and bureaucracies, and could cost all of us in fewer jobs and lost opportunities.

The law shifts billions in unfunded mandates onto state governments, and rigid new requirements restrict the governors’ abilities to manage our state programs. The result: higher costs, less innovation and freedom. That’s a prescription for serious problems at the state level, where much of this plan must be implemented.

Most notably, the federal healthcare bill dramatically expands Medicaid, which was already growing at unsustainable rates.

In Virginia alone, state spending on Medicaid has grown by a staggering 1,600% over the past 27 years. The program now accounts for 21% of our entire general fund budget, and is projected to grow another 26% between 2012 and 2016. Under the federal healthcare bill, Virginia will be forced to spend $2 billion more on Medicaid between 2014 and 2022.

The more spending required for Medicaid entitlements, the less money available for roads, schools, law enforcement and higher education. The more mandates on employers, the less jobs that they can create. This federal law will lead to painful decisions that will impact every American.

The federal healthcare bill is not only a budget buster, it’s also unconstitutional.

Virginia, like the majority of states, is challenging this legislation in court. Already a federal district court judge has ruled in our favor, concluding that the provision that a Virginia citizen must purchase insurance or face a penalty is unconstitutional.

Courts have split on this issue. Everyone agrees that the case will ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court. But now the very same administration that was in such a rush to pass the bill is in no hurry to find out if it’s legal. And that’s an answer we all need to know.

The legal issues must be settled promptly by the court to create certainty and finality for healthcare providers, businesses and all Americans. Shockingly, the Obama administration opposes an expedited appeal to the Supreme Court, preferring the potential for years of costly litigation in the lower courts.

Regardless of party, we should all agree that the sooner we know if the law is constitutional, the better for the American people.

Also, we can all agree that we must make our health system more affordable, accessible and accountable.

Republican governors are on the front lines of this effort.

We believe that the best way to do that is by repealing this burdensome and bureaucratic bill and replacing it with innovative free-market policies that drive down costs and increase coverage.

We can do that by instituting real lawsuit reform, allowing citizens to purchase healthcare insurance across states lines, encouraging health savings accounts, allowing voluntary market-based purchasing pools and exchanges and focusing on prevention and real health maintenance. Those are just a few of the ideas.

We need policies that give greater freedom to citizens and employers and don’t overly burden states and businesses. Policies that recognizes what history teaches well: and that is that the creative solutions of the free market beat one-size-fits-all plans of big government.

Here in your state capitols, Republican governors are leading the effort to cut government spending, keep taxes low, help the private sector create jobs, provide access to affordable healthcare and get our economy back on track by making our states more competitive.

We are asking this administration to join us in the effort. Thank you for taking the time to listen today and have a great weekend. ####

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress