Hart: Dem 'Infighting' Not as Severe as Media Portrays

Gary Hart is a former U.S. Senator (D-Colo.) who served on the Armed Services Committee, where he specialized in nuclear arms control and was an original founder of the military reform caucus. He also served on the Senate Environmental Committee, Budget Committee, and Intelligence Oversight Committee. He is the Wirth Chair professor at the University of Colorado, and chairs both the Council for a Livable World and the American Security Project. He is also the author of the forthcoming book: "Under the Eagle's Wing: a national security strategy for the United States: 2009."

Photo courtesy of ABC

Alexander Heffner: How do you compare this year's high youth turnout and enthusiasm to the political currents you've seen in your public life?

Gary Hart: The enthusiasm for Sen. Obama especially has been very high and approximates the kind of response John and Robert Kennedy received in 1960 and 1968 respectively. The current generation of young people clearly want a new generation of national leadership they can respond to and identify with.

AH: Do you find that Barack Obama is channeling JFK's rhetoric on the campaign trail? Or RFK's? Or MLK Jr.'s ?

GH: Sen. Obama has his own speech style and content that is distinct and unique. He does not need to "channel" anyone else. Indeed, any attempt to do so would be seen as ineffective.

AH: Should he win the nomination, who is Obama's strongest VP prospect?

GH: Speculation has centered on some senior figure in the Democratic Party who has foreign policy and security policy backgrounds.

AH: You served in the Senate when John McCain was still in the House of Representatives. How well did you know him? In your encounters then, did you find him of presidential temperament and intellect?

GH: Sen. McCain was Navy liaison to the Senate in the late 1970s and early 1980s when I first became acquainted with him. He then was in the House toward the end of my second term in the Senate. I always found him serious and even-tempered though much more conservative than I was.

AH: To what degree is McCain a political maverick?

GH: Until this year's contest for the Republican nomination, Sen. McCain resisted political labeling. He has now decided to court some of the more extreme factions of the Republican Party.

AH: What would be the soundest, fairest resolution to the current Democratic infighting that would unify the party to prepare for a race against McCain in the fall?

GH: The Democratic Party will coalesce behind the successful nomination candidate. The "infighting" is not nearly as severe as in the past during the Vietnam era and is largely overstated by the media.

AH: How would you react to the "Gore proposition," if the former VP were to settle the dispute by inheriting the party's nomination?

GH: I have great respect for my former colleague Vice President Gore but he has made it clear that he is not a candidate.

AH: Are Obama's recent comments about "bitter" Pennsylvanians clinging to their guns and religion worrisome to you -- are they, as Clinton and McCain have suggested, out of touch with Americans and elitist. You said in your endorsement of Obama that he can relate to all "races and religions, all regions and ethnic groups" -- do you still believe this after the Wright revelations and Obama's "bitter" remarks?

GH: They are not worrisome. He was merely trying to analyze why certain kinds of voters have been voting Republican when they are more naturally Democrats. He is the farthest thing from an "elitist."

AH: Frankly, how afraid are you that Obama has not been sufficiently vetted?

GH: I cannot imagine how much more "vetting" is possible at this stage.

AH: Your most recent Huffington Post contribution argued that the notion that Obama is anti-Israel is baseless. Is there no legitimate fear here given the Farrakhan endorsement and his pastor's anti-Semitic comments?

GH: None. He cannot control who endorses him.

AH: What political lessons from your campaign experience would you impart on the Democratic nominee in his/her bid against McCain?

GH: Don't get too tired.

AH: Is Colorado going blue in the 2008 Electoral College map? With recent Democratic victories in the House, Senate, and Governor's office -- plus hosting this summer's convention -- why wouldn't it be in the (D) column?

GH: I confidently predict that Colorado will elect a new Democratic senator and we may come close to having a majority for the Democratic nominee.