Former Senator Sounds Off On Bush’s “Bad Legacy”

While hailing from the ruby-red state of Nebraska, former Sen. Bob Kerrey’s record was far from monochrome. Some of his critics have complained that his views were more liberal than those he represented, while others felt he was more conservative than the platform of the party of which he was and is a part. In town for an event for the Al Franken campaign this weekend, Kerrey agreed to sit down for a brief interview. And from criticizing how some on the left view events in Iraq to condemning George W. Bush’s “bad legacy” of grabbing unprecedented power for the executive branch, he remains just as enigmatic today.

Kerrey acknowledged this lack of a single perception of his tenure, calling himself more liberal on social issues, but more conservative on economic and national security issues. A Vietnam veteran, he agreed with the assessment of himself as a “war hawk,” but made it clear he disagrees with many aspects of the conduct of the Bush Administration’s so-called Global War on Terror. At the same time he distanced himself from those on the left who want an immediate and total withdrawal from Iraq. He said, succinctly, “There is an organization called al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and the facts on the ground in Iraq are sometimes out of line with some on the Left in America,” he said. “I don’t believe in ‘Islamofascism,’ but there is an existential threat.”

Kerrey’s views on the war and subsequent occupation of Iraq have been called into question by some in Minnesota vis-a-vis the views of Franken, whom he was in town to support. Franken’s position on Iraq has shifted over time, from one of general support in 2003 to strong opposition today. I asked Kerrey if he thought his own support and Franken’s opposition presented some kind of “image problem” for Franken, and he gave an immediate “no”:

The U.S. involvement in Iraq, by the time that Al gets to the United States Senate is going to be significantly reduced from what it is today. Three years from now we’ll probably have minimal forces there. The question is, what kind of judgment does he have going forward? From his own experience, Al’s going to be a very strong supporter of the U.S military, very strong supporter of U.S. veterans and a very strong supporter of things I believe strongly we’re going to have to do.

Story continues after the jump. For more on the interview, watch the UpTake‘s video or visit MN Blue.Unfortunately, the management at the coffee shop where we met told us we couldn’t film anymore. I forged on, deciding that I wouldn’t soon be purchasing any more berry-and-yogurt parfaits from Starbucks, and asked Kerrey about major issues facing America today. He noted that he thought the Bush Administration’s flagship education legislation entitled No Child Left Behind was “insane,” but added that the federal government’s role in education is much smaller than its part in health care. He lamented the oft-flogged Republican line that Democrats are for a government takeover while the recent Medicare Part D legislation (crafted largely by Republican leaders) represented a huge increase in federal influence over health care. Kerrey said he thinks “we need more government involvement and more market-based solutions right now.”

I asked the former senator whether there’s currently a crisis in the Social Security system. He shook his head and said, “No, there isn’t a crisis in Social Security yet. There’s about to be a crisis in Medicare, though. On Social Security, what we are looking at is workers under 40 getting a 30 percent cut in benefits. With demographic shifts, we know that’s going to happen.”

He acknowledges he doesn’t have a solution. “I have to lay a lot of the fault for this at the president’s feet. He allowed ideology to get the best of him, and aligned himself with some bad people who really are opposed to Social Security.” He went on: “The accretion of power in the Executive Branch is a bad legacy. It’s one that President Bush is proud of, but it’s a bad one for the country.”

Kerrey’s name was mentioned in connection with the open Senate seat in his native Nebraska, but he recently said he would not run. When asked this weekend about how Democrats can be successful in 2008, he said economic justice as a good theme, but warned his fellow Democrats that, to win, they should be the party promising moderation, not extremism. He said he would return to Minnesota on behalf of Franken, so future encounters are not out of the question.

Related: State GOP Playing a Dangerous Game with Franken, Kerrey