Fmr. Defense Secretary William Cohen: Don't Give Vladimir Putin Respect | Morning Joe

SHIP. >> ASSOCIATE EDITOR AT THE
WASHINGTON POST, BOB WOODWOORD. >>> FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS THAT
THE UNITED STATES LAUNCHED MISSILE STRIKES AGAINST A SYRIAN
AIR BASE. 59 TOMAHAWK MISSILES WERE
LAUNCHED FROM THE USS ROSS AND USS PORTER IN THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN SEA, TARGETING THE SHAYRAT AIR FIELD NEAR THE CITY
OF HOMS. IT FOLLOWS A CHEMICAL ATTACK BY
THE SYRIAN REGIME WHICH KILLED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE INCLUDING
DOZENS OF CHILDREN. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAYS
SARIN GAS WAS MOST LIKELY USED. THE AIR STRIKES TARGETED
AIRCRAFT, AIR DEFENSE AND RADAR SYSTEMS.
ACCORDING TO U.S. OFFICIALS, EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES WERE
TAKEN TO AVOID CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND NO PERSONNEL WERE
TARGETED. A SYRIAN MILITARY SPOKESMAN
CLAIMS AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WERE KILLED.
RUSSIA, WHICH OPERATES OUT OF THE TARGETED AIR FIELD, RECEIVED
WARNING OF THE STRIKES THROUGH SECURE CHANNELS.
THEY HAVE THEIR VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED AS WELL.
>> RIGHT. AND I WOULD WARN OUR RUSSIAN
COMRADE FRIENDS, IF YOU TELL DONALD TRUMP THAT HE DIDN'T
DAMAGE YOUR AIR FIELDS ADEQUATELY AND TRY TO MOCK HIM,
HE WILL COME BACK TONIGHT. I SHOULDN'T BE -- LIKE YOU'VE
TALKED TO ENOUGH OF HIS PEOPLE. >> ONE THING WE KNOW ABOUT HIM.
>> YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. DON'T TEMPT HIM.
RIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN TALKING TO HIM
NONSTOP THROUGH BACK CHANNELS, RIGHT?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SO ANYWAY --
>> OH. DARK HUMOR.
>> NO, NO, NO. IT REALLY IS.
IT'S JUST NOT A SMART MOVE. >> IT'S NOT.
>> ON THE RUSSIANS' PART. WE STARTED TO DISCUSS THIS LAST
HOUR. TALK ABOUT THE PAUL THAT WOULD
HAVE HUNG OVER THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAD WE NOT RESPONDED
TO THE CHEMICAL ATTACKS THIS WEEK?
>> LET'S PUT SYRIA IN CONTEXT, WITH RESPECT TO WHAT CONGRESSMAN
HIMES HAD TO SAY. TWO VERY BIG THINGS FOR AMERICA
ARE AT STAKE. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE
SYRIAN CONFLICT, FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO.
LIBYA IMPLODES, SYRIA EXPLODES. >> RIGHT.
>> 5 MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD.
>> IT'S SHAKING JORDAN, LEBANON. THESE ARE BASICALLY PRO-WESTERN,
PRO-AMERICAN REGIMES. THAT IS A THREAT TO US.
IT'S ALSO UNLEASHED THIS TORRENT OF REFUGEES ON EUROPE,
DESTABILIZED THE EUROPEAN UNION AND PRODUCED A BACKLASH OF
POPULIST PARTIES EMERGING ALL OVER EUROPE.
PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE EU IN THIS COUNTRY.
IT'S LIKE THE MOST BORING THING IN THE WORLD.
IT'S THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE.
>> A POINT THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND.
THOSE 5 MILLION REFUGEES THAT HAVE FLOODED ACROSS THE MIDDLE
EAST THAT HAVE DESTABILIZED JORDAN, THEY'VE ALSO
DESTABILIZED POLITICS ACROSS EUROPE.
>> THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT. >> IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE RISE
OF THESE POPULIST LEADERS, THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN IN A VACUUM.
THIS WAS, IN PART, BECAUSE OF OUR INACTION -- NOT AMERICA, THE
WEST'S INACTION IN SYRIA. >> REFUGEES FROM SUBSAHARA AND
AFRICA. AND LIBA WE UNCORKED AFRICA, SO
ALL THESE REFUGEES -- AND SYRIA. THIS HAS DESTABILIZED THE OTHER
UNITED STATES OF THE WORLD. I'M A BIG BELIEVER TWO YOU STATE
ARE BETTER THAN ONE. IF THE EU WERE TO FRACTURE, THAT
HAS IMPORTANT STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS FOR US.
DOES THIS MEAN WE NEED TO TAKE OVER SYRIA?
NO. THIS CAUTIOUS APPROACH IS VERY
WISE. >> CERTAINLY SENDS A MESSAGE.
I REMEMBER READING A COLUMN OF YOURS IN 2003.
YOU WENT UP TO DAMASCUS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
YOU FOUND A SURPRISINGLY PRO-AMERICAN ATTITUDE IN
DAMASCUS. >> RIGHT.
>> PEOPLE OF DAMASCUS AND PEOPLE OF SYRIA HAVE FELT ABANDONED
OVER THE PAST FIVE, SIX, SEVEN YEARS.
>> THOSE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN THIS.
BUT THE LARGE ROMAN NUMERAL ONE MESSAGE IS THE WRAP ON BARACK
OBAMA WAS THAT HE WASN'T TOUGH ENOUGH.
HE WOULD NOT ACT. TRUMP HAS MADE IT CLEAR, I WILL
ACT. AND THE OTHER FACTOR IN ALL OF
THIS, IT WAS DONE QUICKLY. >> YEAH, RIGHT AWAY.
>> AND ANY ONE OF -- DAVID IGNATIUS, YOU ALL KNOW, THE
MILITARY WILL SIT AROUND AND SAY WE WANT A PLAN.
WE NEED MORE SATELLITE PHOTOS. WE HAVE TO SET UP THE TARGETS.
GIVE US JUST ANOTHER WEEK OR ANOTHER MONTH.
AND SOMEONE SAID DON'T SCREW AROUND WITH THIS.
WE'RE GOING TO ACT. >> AND THERE WAS A SEAMLESSNESS
TO IT, VERY EARLY IN THIS PRESIDENCY.
>> WILL WE GET LEVERAGE OUT OF THIS, VIS-A-VIS, IRANIANS AND
RUSSIANS, FOR A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION?
I DON'T WANT AMERICA TO TAKE OVER THIS PROBLEM.
NO ONE IN AMERICA DOES. WILL WE INCREASE OUR LEVERAGE TO
ACTUALLY ENGINEER SOMETHING GOING FORWARD?
I DON'T KNOW. >> WE SRNL KNOW THE STATUS QUO
WAS UNACCEPTABLE. DAVID IGNATIUS, YOU WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE TIMING BEFORE. YOU SAID IT'S A VERY MEASURED
ATTACK BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE TIMELINESS OF IT.
THEY MOVED QUICKLY. >> THIS CHEMICAL WEAPONS
HAPPENED TUESDAY. BY THURSDAY NIGHT 59 CRUISE
MISSILES WERE FIRED FROM TWO WAR SHIPS IN THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN. >> THERE YOU GO.
>> TAKING OUT THE AIR FIELD WHERE THE WEAPONS WERE LAUNCHED.
DECISIVE USE OF AMERICAN POWER. I HATE TO SAY IT BUT IT'S LIKE
WHAT RUSSIA DID WHEN IT INTERVENED IN SEPTEMBER 2015.
IT SHOWS THAT POWER CAN BE USED QUICKLY AND DECISIVELY.
GENERAL MATTIS, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, IS OF ALL THE FOUR
STARS IN THE PENTAGON THE PERSON WHO WAS MOST CONSISTENTLY
RECOMMENDING DO IT, SIR. DO IT.
MOVE WITH ENOUGH TROOPS. GET IT DONE.
HE SAID THAT IN TORA BORA, IN FALLUJAH AND NOW SAID IT IN
DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM. >> LET'S BRING IN SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE WILLIAM COHEN. WAS THIS THE RIGHT MOVE AND HOW
WOULD YOU ADVISE THE PRESIDENT ON WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT?
>> IT CERTAINLY WAS THE RIGHT MOVE.
THE QUESTION IS, IT'S GOOD THAT XI JINPING IS IN FLORIDA WITH
THE PRESIDENT. YOU WOULD TURN TO SUN SUU WHO
WOULD SAY TACTICS WITHOUT A STRATEGY IS THE NOISE BEFORE
DEFEAT. WE'VE HAD A TACTICAL STRIKE AND
THE IMPORTANT THING IS, TO PUT IT IN A BROADER CONTEXT, WHAT IS
THE OVERALL STRATEGY FOR DEALING WITH SYRIA, RUSSIA AND NORTH
KOREA? WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THEY'RE
PUTTING TOGETHER A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AND NOT JUST LOOK AT
THIS AS A SIMPLE STRIKE AND SENDING A SIGNAL.
MORE TO COME. UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT THE MORE TO
COME IS GOING TO BE. I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT
STATEMENT TO MAKE. I THINK CERTAINLY IT GETS THE
ATTENTION OF THE RUSSIANS. BY THE WAY, I WOULD SEEK TO
BRING ABOUT A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION IN THIS CONTEXT THAT IT
IS TIME TO EMBARRASS PRESIDENT PUTIN.
HE WANTS RESPECT. THAT IS THE ONE THING HE HAS
BEEN BARKING ABOUT AS SUCH, I GET NO RESPECT.
HE WANTS RESPECT. WE SHOULD NOT GIVE IT TO HIM.
HE HAS ENABLED ASSAD TO CARRY OUT THESE HEINOUS CRIMES.
HE IS EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS CONTINUE TO POINT OUT THAT
RUSSIA IS NOW SUPPORTING A CRIMINAL OPERATION.
BEING CRIMINAL IN ITSELF BY SUPPORTING IT.
I THINK THAT COMBINATION WITH OTHER ECONOMIC MEASURES WILL
HELP BRING ABOUT AT LEAST AN ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE A SOLUTION.
>> JOE, THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT PUTIN HOLDS HERE, ISN'T THAT
SOMETHING WE NEED TO HEAR FROM TRUMP HERE AT SOME POINT?
>> NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. AND I DO, THOUGH, THINK THERE
WERE SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED STRATEGICALLY LAST
NIGHT THAT I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON WHAT THE SECRETARY SAID.
WE DID SEND A MESSAGE, MR. SECRETARY, TO SYRIA AND ASSAD.
WE ALSO SENT A MESSAGE, OF COURSE, TO THE CHINESE.
>> YES. >> BUT WE ALSO SENT A MESSAGE TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN, ONE THAT I'VE BEEN CALLING FOR, FOR SOME
PERIOD OF TIME, WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS WRINGING HIS HANDS
ABOUT CRIMEA. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE BEST THING
TO DO WOULD BE TO RUN MILITARY OPERATIONS IN POLAND AND KEEP
RUNNING THEM, AND KEEP BUILDING UP THOSE FORCES.
AGAIN, BECAUSE IT DOES, AT THE END OF THE DAY, COME DOWN TO THE
FACT THAT HE WANTS RESPECT, THE FACT THATHAT RUSSIAN FOREIGN POY
HAS BEEN RUN ON RESENTMENT NOW SINCE CHRISTMAS DAY 1991.
>> JOE, YOU AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE SAME PAGE ON THIS.
THREE YEARS AGO I WAS CALLING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SAFE
ZONE SO THAT PUTIN AND ASSAD COULDN'T, QUOTE, WEAPONIZE THOSE
INNOCENT PEOPLE AND SEND THEM SCURRYING INTO EUROPE TO TRY TO
DESTABILIZE OUR EUROPEAN ALLIES. THIS HAS BEEN LONG IN THE
MAKING. WE HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME
BEFORE TAKING ACTION. I THINK IT'S A VERY POSITIVE
THING. I HOPE IT'S NOT JUST A ONE-SHOT
PROPOSITION BUT RATHER -- AND I HAVE CONFIDENCE OF THIS -- THAT
SECRETARY MATTIS IS SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE NEED THAT YOU
HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH AND YOU'VE ANTICIPATED ALREADY
WHAT THE IRANIANS MIGHT DO, WHAT THE RUSSIANS MIGHT DO AND HAVE
CON CONTINGENCY PLANS IN OPERATION TO RESPOND TO ANYTHING
THOSE IN THE REGION MIGHT DO. >> MR. SECRETARY, BOB WOODWARD
IS HERE AND HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
>> SIR, HI. HOW ARE YOU?
AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, THERE ARE NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO
REMEMBER OPERATION DESERT FOX IN 1998.
>> RIGHT. >> WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON AND
YOU SAID, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO ATTACK SADDAM HUSSEIN IN IRAQ.
AND AS I RECALL, IT WAS 70 HOURS OF ATTACKS, 350, MUCH BIGGER
THAN WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID
YESTERDAY. >> 78 HOURS OF ATTACKS.
>> OKAY. I'M SORRY.
IMPRECISION. THE QUESTION IS, SHOULD
PRESIDENT TRUMP DO MORE? BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER AIR
FIELDS THERE THAT COULD BE ATTACKED IN THE SAME WAY AND, AS
I UNDERSTAND IT, THE PRESENTATION TO HIM WAS IF YOU
ATTACK SIX OF THESE, THE BIG ONES, YOU CAN, FOR PRACTICAL
PURPOSES, ELIMINATE ASSAD'S AIR POWER, AT LEAST TEMPORARILY.
SHOULD THEY TAKE ANOTHER SQUEEZE HERE OR SHOULD THERE BE MORE
ATTACKS? >> I THINK THEY HAVE TO PAUSE
FOR THE MOMENT, QUOTING THE CHINESE STRATEGIST AGAIN.
HE SAID BE PRUDENT BUT NOT HESITANT.
I THINK THE PRUDENCE COMES IN TO SAY LET'S LOOK AT THE DAMAGE
THAT'S BEEN DONE, THE REACTION THAT'S COMING BACK.
IF THEY'RE GOING TO ESCALATE THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE EVEN
MORE QUICKLY AND DO MUCH MORE DAMAGE.
SO I WOULD SAY BE PRUDENT ON THIS.
YOU MADE YOUR POINT. WE'RE NOT WALKING AWAY FROM THE
WORLD BECAUSE THE WORLD IS NEVER GOING TO BE WALKING AWAY FROM
US. SO I THINK THIS IS A MAJOR STEP
FORWARD. BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT, TO THIS
DATE, HAS ARTICULATED AN ISOLATIONIST POLICY.
OR AT LEAST A RETRENCHMENT POLICY.
AND THAT'S WHAT OUR ALLIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION SAW WHEN
WE KILLED TPP. THAT'S WHAT THE CHINESE SAW.
THEY WERE VERY PLEASED WE KILLED THE TPPP.
ALLIES IN THE REGION SAW US AS WALKING AWAY AND DISENGAGING.
NOW I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GET A DIFFERENT SIGNAL THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHO ALSO TALKED ABOUT LET'S COME HOME, AMERICA,
LET'S HAVE NATION BUILDING AT HOME.
YOU CAN'T HAVE NATION BUILDING AT HOME WHEN THE WORLD IS COMING
UNDONE. YOU HAVE TO REMAIN ENGAGED.
I THINK THIS SENT A SIGNAL TO THE SYRIANS, RUSSIANS, CHINESE,
IRANIANS AND TO EVERYONE IN THE REGION THAT WE'RE NOT
DISENGAGING. WE'RE MORE ENGAGED THAN EVER
BEFORE. >> DAVID IGNATIUS?
>> MR. SECRETARY, SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON GOES TO
MOSCOW NEXT WEEK, PROBABLY TO TALK WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN.
WHAT SHOULD TILLERSON SAY TO PUTIN SPECIFICALLY ABOUT SYRIA?
>> I THINK HE SHOULD SAY YOU AGREED TO HELP IN SYRIA.
YOU ESTABLISHED BASES THERE. YOU PROTECTED YOUR CLIENT STATE
AS SUCH. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT
SUPERVISING YOUR CLIENT STATE. YOU PROMISED TO GET THE CHEMICAL
WEAPONS OUT. YOU DIDN'T GET THEM OUT.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO HOLD YOU TO IT.
AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY BAD RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA
UNLESS WE FIND THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH A WILLING
PARTNER WHO WILL KEEP HIS END OF THE BARGAIN.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE THAT SUBJECT WITH THE PRESIDENT.
THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES, OF COURSE, CRIMEA, WHAT'S GOING ON
IN THE BALTICS, OTHER AGGRESSION ACTIONS THAT HAVE TO CEASE.
IN TERMS OF SYRIA, THAT'S THE MESSAGE I WOULD WANT TO CARRY

Fmr. Defense Secretary William Cohen: Don't Give Vladimir Putin Respect | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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