State Dept. Downplays Kissinger/Schultz Op-Ed as ‘a Lot of Big Words and Big Thoughts’
NN FEMALE: “Has the secretary spoken to Henry Kissinger or George Schultz?”
HARF: “I said he has spoken to some of his predecessors. Here I’m not probably going to get into more specifics. Yes.”
LEE: “Why not? Because –"
HARFT: "I am happy to --"
LEE: "If he has spoken to Kissinger and Schultz they clearly weren't very persuaded because --”
HARF: “I'm happy to check on the full list.”
LEE: “This is – their article, their column is far from the nuanced I think. Basically it say that this is--”
HARF: “Really? You don’t think it’s nuanced?”
LEE: “I mean, I've read it –“
HARF: “I also read it.”
LEE: “Yeah. And you don't think it's pretty damning.”
HARF: “I wouldn't say that its damming. I think that they're lot of opinions on this and the secretary is happy it speak to people to let them know what we've done and that conversation will continue.”
LEE: “Alright well maybe there's a -- maybe there is invisible ink or something. It’s like you are reading between --"
HARF: "Is there a question, or you are just commenting?"
LEE: "Well, I want to know what you --"
HARF: "I am not going to go line by line."
LEE: "You just rejected the right, I mean they say that this is a recipe for a disaster and basically you say no clearly. I mean, you would not be pursuing something if you thought it's a receipt for a disaster. Is that correct?"
HARF: "Correct."
LEE: "OK. So, one of the things they say is that 'Absent the linkage between nuclear and political restraint, America’s traditional allies will conclude that the U.S. has traded temporary nuclear cooperation for acquiescence to Iranian hegemony in the region. ‘Not true?"
HARF: "I would obviously disagree with that. I think that an Iran backed up by a nuclear weapon would be more able to project power in the region. So that's why we don't want get to get a nuclear weapon and that's what this deal does."
LEE: "But when --"
HARF: "I didn't hear a lot of alternatives. I heard a lot of sort of big words and big thoughts in that piece and there is a place for that. But I didn’t hear a lot of alternatives about what they would do differently. I know that secretary values the discussions he has with his predecessors regardless of where they fall on the specifics."
LEE: "I guess one of the criticisms in terms of this is there aren't enough big words and big things. People argue that there are not enough big words and big thoughts that the administration is pursuing. It's overall [indecipherable] its overall policy particularly in the Middle East right now where it has been -- you got void with unrest and uncertainty and I think that's the point they are making."
