Andrew Young On Foreign Policy – You Don’t Have To Trust Them, But At Least Talk To Them

Mandeville, LA – Exclusive Transcript – Decepticons say if you’re talking to them, you’re trusting. Nobody is saying we’re going to invite them over for the Saturday evening pancake social.  That’s not the point.  The point is you sit them down at a table, you sit down at that table, and you talk.  Talking is better than shooting.  Talking is better than bombing.  Talking is better than mobilizing expeditionary forces.  Check out today’s transcript for the rest…

Begin Mike Church Show Transcript

Mike:  I don’t know if anyone other than I saw or heard — I was in the car and quite intrigued.  About 3:30 Central, Neil Cavuto had former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young.  I also believe he was the mayor of Atlanta at one point in time.  He was a minister.  He actually went to seminary and by higher education is a minister.  Andrew Young was shocking Cavuto.  Cavuto was like [mocking] “We shouldn’t talk to these Iranian madmen, right ambassador?”  Ambassador or Mayor Young said: Why shouldn’t we?  He’s got a really nice Southern accent.  [mocking] “Well, I will answer the question, Neil, as why shouldn’t we?  We should always want to talk to any country that we have any dealings with whatsoever.  It doesn’t matter whether they’re enemies or whether they’re friends.  You know the old saying, you keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  The United States always should have dialogue with all countries.  This idea that we gotta have war on the table at all times is what’s gotten us into all these wars.”  Cavuto was so flabbergasted at one point really in the interview that he couldn’t even speak [mocking] “Excuse me, I’m trying to make a point here about bombing these Iranians back into the stone age if you’ll just shut up for a minute.”  I was impressed by the soothing calmness of Andrew Young.  Rich, I’m going to put you on hold.  I want you to listen to this.

[start audio clip]

Andrew Young: This meeting, I think, is very good. In fact, it’s most important for us to talk to our enemies. I’ve always advocated that. It’s always worked for us. You don’t really understand what people are really after unless you give them a chance to say to you what it is they’re concerned about. I’ve always felt that we’ve neglected Iran. We’ve got a lot of very smart, creative American-Iranian citizens. I have said to them: One of the reasons why we were successful in southern Africa is we knew the black leaders who could be trusted. We were able to carve out a little influence in foreign policy that made it possible for us to get by without wars in southern Africa. I think the America and Iranian community ought to have the same interaction with the Iranians in Iran. Iran is a complicated place and we have never quite understood it well. We’re going to have to live with them. I read a little book called The Revenge of Geography.  Their suggestion was, given the location of Iran strategically, it’s going to always be a very influential player in that region.

Neil Cavuto: But we have to be consistent, right, sir?

Young: No, we don’t have to be —

Cavuto: Well, the rap against the Carter administration, I’m sure you’re aware, was that it sort of turned its back on the shah and all of a sudden embraced —

Young: No, we —

Cavuto: I’m not saying, I’m just saying who do we trust now? Can we trust these guys?

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Young: You can’t trust anybody. That’s the reason you talk to them. One of the first meetings I went to in the Carter White House was to say to the National Security Council: We need to engage the middle class in Iran because the shah is not as stable as we think he is. The CIA was looking at the Communist Party, which was nothing in Iran. There was always a ferment in the middle class because they were locked out of decision making.  The only reason I knew that was I’m a preacher and most of my friends ended up as missionaries. I would get better intelligence from missionaries that were living and teaching in a place than they could pay for or get through intercepts.

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Cavuto: As a missionary then, do you trust this new government? Do you trust this new president [Mike: No one is saying you have to trust them.] when he expresses regret about the Holocaust and all?

Young: No, no —

Cavuto: Because, as you know, [Mike: You boob, you’re missing the damn point. Let him talk.] As you know, Bibi Netanyahu — hang on, sir. Bibi Netanyahu has said this is a trap, these guys are setting a trap. [Mike: What do you think Netanyahu is going to say?]

Young: I say look, our eyes are wide open. We can only learn more by engaging them. I think any sensible foreign policy learns as much about its enemies and adversaries as possible.

Cavuto: So when I hear the words . . .

[end audio clip]

Mike:  Rich, what’s wrong with what Ambassador Young just said?

Caller Rich:  You left out his last line, which is the best.  He said: Look, I didn’t say you have to trust them, you just have to talk to them. It doesn’t mean we’re going to trust them.

Mike:  Decepticons say if you’re talking to them, you’re trusting. Nobody is saying we’re going to invite them over for the Saturday evening pancake social.  That’s not the point.  The point is you sit them down at a table, you sit down at that table, and you talk.  Talking is better than shooting.  Talking is better than bombing.  Talking is better than mobilizing expeditionary forces.  His point is that you will learn.  This is the cosmopolitan conservative point of view, by the way.  You will learn from other people.  This idea that it’s our way or the highway, that we have nothing to gain or learn by talking to anyone else on Earth is flat out ridiculous.  How closed minded and xenophobic is that?  I heard this yesterday.  I was encouraged.  I’m thinking: I hope he’s going to make more appearances.  That kind of humility and that kind of calm is what is needed in our very, very hyperventilated foreign affairs.  I talked over you, so I’ll let you talk.

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Caller Rich:  I think they would also have a lot better chance of trusting us if they didn’t see a drone strike coming right up their backside, too.  We’re not going to get anywhere by just bombing them or sending a tank that says U.S. Military into their backyard.  I’m going to say a prayer today that Ambassador Young gets a lot more playing time than Karl Rove on that station.

Mike:  Or than John Bolton.  I think after that appearance, Ailes will make sure that was the one and only appearance that Young ever makes on those airwaves.  You’ll never see that man again.  He will go Jimmy Hoffa at Fox News.

End Mike Church Show Transcript

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