think he was—remember, it was early in his presidency, the president was trying to develop a good relationship with Putin. And, again, I don’t mean stupid. I’ll say it was stupid as far as I’m concerned, but all of us make statements that sometimes are not correct in light—in hindsight.

MR. RUSSERT: How about just, how about a misjudgment?

SEN. McCAIN: At the time it probably was not a good predictor of what Putin would do.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn to Iran. You said this to the Financial Times.

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“‘Everyone knows we’re not going to have two wars (at once),’ [McCain] said...

“‘I do not think [using force against suspected Iranian nuclear facilities] would be successful. There is no guarantee we would get all those facilities. If you have a strike and leave them with nuclear capability, you have got a hell of a challenge on your hands.’”

SEN. McCAIN: I also said that there’s only one thing worse than using the option of military action, and that is the Iranians acquiring nuclear weapons. And we must, as the president has very correctly stated, not removed the military option from the table. We cannot remove that option.

Now, we are going and using every possible avenue short of that. Going to—the president is handling this exactly right. We’re going to the United Nations Security Council with our European allies. We are seeking sanctions. The, the action of China and Russia in relation to this issue I believe is a critical aspect of our relations with both countries. We must have sanctions against Iran. Would it be a difficult military option? Sure, it would be a difficult military option. But you cannot remove it from the table.

MR. RUSSERT: But The Washington Post said it would unleash Iranian agents already here in the United States and bring on terrorist attacks here and worldwide.

SEN. McCAIN: The president of Iran went to the United Nations and announced his dedication to the extinction of the state of Israel. The—they are in clear violation of the NPT, which they were signatories to. This is one of the most dangerous challenges we’ve faced since the end of the Cold War. And put yourself in, in the position of the government of the state of Israel: a near neighbor who has announced his—their desire to put you out, into extinction, and they have the capability to do so. This is one—a very serious challenge. And for us to say under no circumstances will we use the military option would be the height of foolishness in my view. And again, I want to applaud the president’s handling of this issue, keeping our European allies with us.

MR. RUSSERT: So we could have two wars at once?

SEN. McCAIN: I think we could have Armageddon. But I think that, that if we handle this right, and our European allies stand with us, and the Russians and the Chinese stand with us, sanctions might do the job. And I am confident that this administration will exhaust every effort before contemplating seriously a military option.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me turn homeward: immigration, a subject that you’re deeply involved in. You’ve co-sponsored a bill with Senator Kennedy that would toughen the borders, also allow the 11 million illegal immigrants who are here to be on a path to citizenship by paying back taxes, learning English, paying a fine. Senator George Allen, someone who may run for president as well, said this: “The [immigration] bill that’s coming out of the Judiciary Committee rewards illegal behavior. And I think if you reward illegal behavior, you’ll get more illegal behavior.”

CONTINUED

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