Transcript of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's Appearance on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" August 13, 2006 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  And we are back now with Senator Russ Feingold who joins us from Madison, Wisconsin. Good morning, Senator. SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD (D-WI):  Morning, George. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  Well, you heard Secretary Chertoff there. He says that the war in Iraq is making his job easier, making it easier for him to protect the homeland. What's your response? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Well, that just can't be true. I - I heard him say that somehow Iraq distracts the terrorists. You know, it's just the other way around. It's distracted us. It has sapped us of our resource. I think Osama bin Laden and all his lieutenants and sympathizers are absolutely thrilled that we continue to stay in Iraq for an indefinite period of time as they conduct these operations and get others to conduct operations all the way from Indonesia to Turkey to Madrid to London. We are playing into their hands by having an indefinite commitment in Iraq. It has made us weaker. It's time to recognize that and focus on the kind of thing that was uncovered this week and I want to congratulate the â€" the British and those who helped them on that success. That's what we should have been focusing on all along. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  You congratulate the British. I assume you're also congratulating the United States? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD :  Of course, I don't want to talk about exactly who was involved or reveal anything that's confidential, I - to the extent the United States was involved, of course, I'm - I'm delighted with that success and the Pakistanis and the others, but I'm not in a position to discuss the specifics. The British lead role in this of course is public. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  You also heard Secretary Chertoff make the point that the intensive surveillance - tools that the Brits had and the United States had, the maximum flexibility that he believed both the Brits and the United States have has really been a key, that these are key tools in the war on terror. He mentioned the Patriot Act. You were the first senator, only senator, to vote against the original Patriot Act. You've been a strong critic of the warrantless wiretapping program. Does this success suggest, though, that those more flexible rules may be necessary? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Well, notice what the Secretary said. He said that we want to respect the British legal system. That's all I ask, that we respect the American legal system. I support wiretapping of terrorists. I have absolutely no problem with that. I just think it should be done within the law and as the Secretary acknowledged we have updated some aspects of that and I don't oppose those updates. I just want the White House to stop making up their own laws. And I'm on the Intelligence Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee and Judiciary Committee, and I've spent countless hours working with my colleagues and administrative officials saying, yes, we want to get these guys, we want to wiretap them and we want to stop them but we should do within the laws of the United States because I think the British did what they did under the laws of England. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  As you said, you're on the Intelligence Committee. Do you have any evidence that the warrantless wiretapping program was used here? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Well, I certainly wouldn't be able to talk about it but I have seen absolutely nothing to indicate that there's any need that to do anything beyond the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Everything that we want to do, we can do within the act. Senator Feinstein and I of California, we're on both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees, we have been read into this NSA program and both of us have concluded that what this White House needs to do and wants to do can be done within current law. If they want to propose changes, I'm open to it, but not making up your own laws. You know, the White House has been too obsessed with expanding executive power and not sufficiently focused on these kinds of issues of the terrorist threat around the world. They should be more focused on the threat, not trying to expand executive power. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  As you know there was also big political news this week. Senator Lieberman lost his primary to Ned Lamont up in Connecticut. Ned Lamont and you share the same position on Iraq, both calling for American troops to be out by next July.  I want to show you Senator Lieberman's response, though, to the foiled London plot and get your response. Here it is. SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN:  If we just pick up as Ned Lamont wants us to do and get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England and it will strengthen them and they will strike us again. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  Senator Lieberman thinks that your approach will strengthen the terrorists and it's a victory for terrorists. What's your response? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Well, I like Joe Lieberman but I support Ned Lamont because Joe is showing with that regrettable statement that he doesn't get it. He doesn't get it. The fact is that we were attacked on 9/11 by al Qaeda and its affiliates and its sympathizers, not by Saddam Hussein and unfortunately Senator Lieberman has supported the Bush administration's disastrous strategic approach of getting us stuck in Iraq instead of focusing on those who've attacked us. I mean, look at the places that have been attacked, India, Morocco, Turkey, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Somalia, Spain, Great Britain, what does this have to do with Iraq? And Senator Lieberman is stuck on that point. Ned Lamont and I believe that we should refocus on those who attacked us on 9/11 and not simply try to cover our tracks because this was such a very poor decision in terms of the overall battle against the terrorists who attacked us. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  Do you think Senator Lieberman should get out of the race? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:   Well, you know, I think that's his own decision. It would be better for the Democratic Party. I think it'd be better for the people of Connecticut. It would be better for the country if he did it, not because he hasn't been a good senator, not because he isn't a good man, but this is a critical time and we have to change course. We have to focus on those that attacked us on 9/11 and get away from this very mistaken policy in Iraq so it would be helpful if he would do it but obviously Joe will have to make that decision for himself. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  Your leader Harry Reid in the Senate has said that Senator Lieberman will continue to maintain his committee assignments as a Democrat for the remainder of this Congress. Why should someone who's running as an independent be allowed to be a Democrat on a committee? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Oh, frankly, I don't have any problem with that. Joe was elected as a Democrat for this six-year term. He's still finishing out that term. He's a distinguished member of those committees and to me it would be overdoing it to try to remove him from that point. The election will be held in November and those changes, if Ned Lamont wins, as I hope, can be made at that time. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  You're also looking forward to the elections in 2008. And I want to get - go to something you said about our next guest Senator John McCain. You were talking to Playboy magazine earlier this year.   I see that smile on your face, and this is what you said about McCain. You said, 'It may be that the Republicans will have such a desire to win again that they would actually accept a straight shooter. The general public would support him, and he would win easily." Now, here's what I don't get. You're against the war in Iraq. You believe that the country agrees with you. John McCain wants more troops in Iraq yet you think he would win a general election easily. How do you square all that? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Well, I'm going to retract every good thing I've ever said about John McCain right now. I've just - I've done way too much. You know, I love John McCain. He's a great guy. The fact is we do disagree on Iraq, but I think that on the overall fight against terrorism and that that's the number one priority there's a lot of agreement. John and I have been to Baghdad together twice and talked about this at length so obviously I'm going to be supporting a Democrat for president of the United States, but I have a very high regard for John McCain, and this is just an area of disagreement. We agree tremendously on reform and worked together well and I'm proud to serve with him in the Senate. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  But do you still think he would win easily even if you're the Democratic candidate? SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD:  Oh, I think he'd beat me, but - you know, in terms of overall I think John would be a very strong candidate, but let's see what happens. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  Senator Feingold, thanks very much.