Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan Wednesday on Boston Public Radio to talk about the President petitioning Congress to send additional US forces to Iraq; former military commander and CIA director David Petraeus; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking in front of Congress Tuesday; and whether the Congressman enjoyed American Sniper.
The following questions have been paraphrased, and Rep. Moulton's responses have been edited where noted [...]. Audio for this story will be posted shortly.
Do you support Pres. Obama's push to send more US forces into Iraq to battle the so-called Islamic State?
I'm very hesitant to send American troops into harm's way. [...] There are troops on the ground in Iraq today. [...] We find ourselves back there, we can't repeat this mistake.
You were deployed four times in Iraq. Did you see US troops often rushing to Iraqi troops' assistance?
When the Iraqi unit that we were advising started to get overrun, we went to their assistance.
Where do you think Congress stands on Obama's proposal?
The feeling that I gather from at least the members of the Armed Services Committee on which I serve is that we absolutely need to have this strategy. [...] Get Iraqi forces and other regional forces to contribute, but that military advisor may be needed to support them. [...] We certainly don't want to contribute any troops to a cause that could be in vain.
Is this a problem of our own making?
A lot of our effort was wasted by how quickly we withdrew. [This power vacuum] has allowed ISIS to grow. [...] We not only have to be careful how we get into wars like this, we also have to be careful how we get out.
How does Afghanistan's current situation compare?
They have a much better plan in Afghanistan. We have a strong Afghan partner, and we have a much better Afghan government.
Does the public still support military action, in your estimation?
I don't think that Americans want to go to war anymore now than we did a few years ago. [ISIS is] a serious threat. They've brutally killed Americans abroad, [...] and we do have to take care of this because it is a threat to our homeland.
What was it like visiting Iraq recently with other members of the Armed Services Committee?
It was going back to familiar territory — I spent about three years of my life on the ground. I was surprised how quickly some of the Arabic came back to me. [...] It was really hard to walk on the same streets [and see our] effort go to waste.
Do you think former CIA director and military leader David Petraeus got off easy after he leaked classified information to his biographer, Paula Broadwell?
I don't know the details in the case, I haven't seen the evidence against him, but it doesn't seem that the Obama administration is giving anyone special deals.
Does Petraeus have a future in government, or as a military advisor?
I don't know the details, I don't know exactly what was contained in these books. I mean, clearly he's done something wrong, he's admitted to it, he's apologized for it. [...] Having acknowledged these mistakes and paid the price for them, [...] he will find a way to continue to serve the country in the future. [...] I would certainly be confident in his leadership in the future.
You attended Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech yesterday to a joint session of Congress. Why did you go?
I thought it was important to go and hear what the prime minister of an incredibly important ally of ours had to say.
Congressman McGovern told us yesterday that the speech became 'politicized,' and therefore he wouldn't attend. Do you agree?
I agree with Congressman McGovern's point about how this has become so politicized. [It's] created some serious divisions even right here at home, among the constituencies that I represent. [...] These aren't divisions that have existed before, so I think it's really sad to see those come up.
The movie American Sniper has been controversial, and commercially successful. What did you make of the movie, having seen it?
I didn't think it was a very good movie. Look, I think watching war movies when you've been in combat can often be an emotional experience. [...] You come out pretty affected by it. I came out of American Sniper feeling like I'd seen an action flick.
What's an example of a great movie about war?
One example is, frankly, Saving Private Ryan, because that really gets — it asks these very tough moral questions.
