good read from gop.com
Monday, February 14, 2005
Off The Record With John Thune Transcript
Katie: Senator you just returned from visiting Iraq what was that like? What did you see there?
Thune: There were some things there, I guess the lasting impressions of the trip were first of all the dedication and determination. The skill of our troops over there just doing an extraordinary job. We’ve got great commanders and great soldiers. It was really impressive to see the display of not only technology, but just the quality of the people who are serving in the region. Secondly the training of the Iraqi troops is making great strides forward -- that was something that was really impressive to me is how far we’ve come in terms of getting Iraqi security forces trained and prepared and equipped to defend the Iraqi people. And then finally I guess what I would say is just the exuberance of the Iraqi people in having the opportunity for the first time to vote. It was an incredible tribute to the power of freedom, and to see the Iraqi people. We had the opportunity to talk to Iraqi citizens who had the opportunity to vote for the first time, and they still had their ink stained finger that they were sporting, that they had marked the ballot with, and they were just thrilled at that opportunity.
Katie: That’s amazing, I understand that back at the GOP retreat a few weeks ago you talked to Senators and Congressmen about blogs, and I know that blogs played a large role in your race in South Dakota. Can you tell us how you think blogs are important in the political atmosphere now and maybe what you see they will do in the future?
Thune: Well, I think it’s a medium that more and more people are tuning into. They say that there were 32 million people reading blogs, right around the November election, and I think that is only going to increase with time. Generally speaking it’s people who are Internet savvy, who have some experience with the Internet, who actually use the blogs as a source of information. But I think it is a medium that we need to be taking advantage of, because there is a big constituency of people out there, many of them who get their media, their information from the blogs, they might not read a newspaper they may not get their media, their information from some conventional sources that are available, so we need to be aware of that and figure out how we can best use that medium to communicate our message.
Katie: You’ve been here about a month now, what was your first day as Senator like here in Washington?
Thune: It’s been kind of a whirlwind. But it’s a wonderful and exciting time to be a part of this process, and also a very challenging time. We’ve got some big challenges both internationally and here at home. But, it’s a real thrill. It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to serve and I am very passionate about public service. I think it’s a platform for having an impact, for making a difference. And I want to be a part of solutions here, addressing the issues, the agenda items, that are important to the American future. And that was one of the principle reasons I decided to run for the United State Senate this time around in the first place.
Katie: If ten years ago somebody had said to you that today in 2005 you would have beaten a Democratic leader in the Senate and be a U.S. Senator right now, what do you think your reaction would have been?
Thune: Well, I probably would have told them they were crazy! And I probably would have, in some ways. You know it’s a great country, it’s a tribute to our democracy that people like myself and others who come out of nowhere have an opportunity to serve and have a chance to be part of this process and to run what was a very hard fought and tough campaign. But, because I believe in things and I want to help bring about positive change in this country and make the government work again, to have that opportunity says a lot about the system we have in America.
Katie: A couple of fun questions before we have to let you go. What is the latest book you’ve read?
Thune: Well I’m currently reading a book right now called Founding Brothers, which is about, it’s kind of an inside the locker room look at our founding fathers and the things that they went through as our country was being formed. And I really enjoyed that. I am just about through reading a book, one of William Manchester’s books on Winston Churchill, who is a great hero of mine, and so those are a couple of thing I guess I have been reading recently.
Katie: How about music, what are some of your favorite artists maybe?
Thune: Yeah I’m kind of a throw back to the 70’s you know, some of the Eagles, you know, Doobie Brothers, Styx, Journey, Boston bands like that. I still like some of the old stuff, a little bit of U2, I haven’t quite acquired the taste for some of the stuff that my teenage daughters listen to but they listen to a lot of good stuff too. There is a lot of good Christian music out there today; contemporary Christian music, and we enjoy a lot of those good artists like Steve Curtis Chapman, people like that.
Katie: Now in South Dakota you don’t have many professional teams, are there any teams that you are a big fan of?
Thune: We are in South Dakota removed somewhat from a lot of the professional sports scene. A lot of people in South Dakota because it’s close to Minnesota identify with the Vikings or the Twins or the Timberwolves, but I since the time I was a little kid have been a die hard Green Bay Packers fan. So that puts me a little bit out of step with where the majority of South Dakotans are in terms of their choices for football teams, but that is just something that I’ve grown up with.
Katie: Finally before we have to let you go, what is the biggest difference between Washington and South Dakota?
Thune: Well South Dakota is obviously more sparsely populated, not as congested. People are very warm and friendly there. Washington DC is more of a big city and people tend to be a little less, more removed, and a little more distant than they are in South Dakota. But the thing that I guess I like the most about South Dakota is the quality of our people. We have a great work ethic. Anywhere you go around the country you talk about your home state, when you talk about South Dakota one of the things that people always mention is “I knew someone from South Dakota and they were such a hard worker” and it is nice to hear things like that. So, you know in term of the environment South Dakota is a place where you can hunt pheasants, where you have a lot of wide open space, and obviously this is a big city. I am a little more comfortable with wide-open spaces.
Katie: That is wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us.
Thune: Thank you Katie.
