Naked reto 6 minutes past 12 programming an MPR is supported by carousel automobiles. They audie's store offering the Audie A4 Avant European sport wagons available in front track and Quattro models. Good afternoon, and welcome back to mid-day on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. It's been a week now since bombs Rock the US embassies in Nairobi Kenya and are salaam Tanzania Shilling 257 people and injuring another fifty five hundred people. The FBI of course is investigating. The bombings evidence is being brought to the US for analysis, but officials say it's going to be a long time. If ever before the attackers are actually taken into custody mean while Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the day that she's going to be traveling to Kenya and Tanzania this weekend. The bombings have raised lots of questions about security at US embassies around the world about the US response to terrorist attacks and indeed about the role of us diplomats around the world yesterday present Clinton for his Bart speaking at a memorial service honoring the bombing victims paid tribute to the men and women who serve our embassies all around the world saying through hard work that they serve the country through hard work that is not always fully appreciated and not even understood by many of their fellow Americans. Joining us today to discuss some of those issues raised by the bombings to give us insight into the world of diplomacy, and who those folks are that are serving at embassies around. The world is a former Ambassador Japan former US vice president and former Minnesota, senator Walter Mondale, and we invite you to join our conversation. If you have a question about diplomats diplomacy security or for that matter other issues a big world issues. Give us a call Twin City area number is 227-6002 276 thousand outside the Twin City area 1 800 to +422-828-227-6000 or 100-242-2828. I guess this our former vice president Walter Mondale is Rydel. Thanks coming in today. Thank you. Glad to be here. Diplomatic service I suppose is not usually thought of as being a particularly dangerous job is it? Who can be as we've seen the last couple days? I remember the rainy and crisis were our officials were kept under arrest for what the better part of two years and remember the explosions of How far Embassy and embassies throughout middle of the Middle East? Yes, this can be a very dangerous assignment that usually it isn't that you can never be sure was reading in the paper today. I report indicating that the state department receives something like 30,000 threats a year are most of those serious threats or are they just as a routine things made in Japan how the state department tries to handle is there was an Enderman reports several years ago that was reacting to the destruction or Embassy in Amman. Inman had formerly been a director the CIA expert in this field. He put together a commission of experts and they called for a massive program of improvement in the security of our embassies the trouble is it cost maybe for 5 billion dollars? And it caused four basic changes and locations. So I take a long time very very time-consuming and some of that was put in place. But so and then part of it was that they set up a new office to look at the security of every Embassy and they would raid each Embassy based on how dangerous it was thought to be and that's where these rumors and the rest that you referred to come in. There were very few rumors of that kind or tips. And the rest that would suggest danger in Japan but there are other areas where they come in all the time and they all have to be taken seriously pursued to the fullest extent possible most of them proved false, but nevertheless you can't tell Is it even possible to make a an embassy both accessible open and secure if you if you say absolutely open and secure the answers know what you're dealing with here is reducing the odds that serious harm could occur to the people in the embassy but there's no way of having an absolutely secure Embassy that has any accessibilities the public and that's the rub. How do you keep your business going after Grandpa? My Embassy did I ran your Embassy that I ran in Japan every morning, they be two or three hundred people lined up out in front of the gate for looking for visas. And the rest we had hundreds of people that would come into the embassy on business on cultural matters and you know, just huge volume a business a big business going on there and we Did everything we could to screen them, you know metal detectors. There's a strong iron gates in the entrance way. There are these barriers that come up from the pavement that prevent cars from coming in until they've been approved and there's walls around the perimeter while I was there. A lot of money was spent to fortify the entrance way when people come in their Marine guards there but to prevent the use of explosives it's all sorts of things are done, but no you can't be sure and in that Embassy not the one but its predecessor. Dr. Richard Ambassador rice are former Harvard Professor Japanese scholar and our ambassador in the early 60s. Tempt by some crazy guy in the lobby of his own Embassy and he ultimately died from the vet. Why? Why is America targeted for so many of these attacks? Well, I think others are to get hit too. But what course we should concentrate on what happens to us? I would say several things. Number one. We are the most powerful nation in the world where the only superpower in the world. We are usually the leading. The country involved in negotiations like the Middle East practically every significant dangerous kind of Russia in the world. The United States is in the center of it. Some people resented. Some people are trying to figure out ways of forcing us to change our policy through the use of terrorism and it's it's going on everywhere all the time and we have made your efforts underway all the time to try to a frustrated and prevented but I think we were up a lightning rod people admire us love us and hate us. I'm sure there are people in America today who are saying what in the world are we doing? Kanyar? Tanzania are all these other places. Let's get out of there. They don't like it's what the heck Well, as a matter of fact the Kenyan in Kenya and Tanzania and these countries who we are well like to know I don't know if the word like is the word but we're respected that we're in important to a friend the government's like us the people like us and what happened there was not some kind of popular explosion directed against this we don't know who did it, but it wasn't the people of the country not liking us. There's a reason we haven't we have an idea that has been followed for many many years under the leadership of both political parties that the United States needs Universal representation other words. We want an American presence in every country in the world if we can and we're not in the country say like North Korea. Likely, we are everywhere and their reasons for their many Americans are traveling in and out of these countries. They need visas. They need to be they need to be protected. We have business Commerce and all of these countries and the American Commercial interests are at stake. We have cultural interest with these countries were Scholars and Poets and dancers and and the rest come back and forth and we need to strengthen that we have many many other interests in these countries and it's through the presence of our embassies that this work is done and I think that almost everyone who studied think that that's the right way to go. I guess this hour is former vice president and former ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale were talking this hour about to diplomacy security embassies in the like also other issues if you Like to talk about those course. Mr. Mondale well-versed in the situation Asia on the economic crisis have been very very active in the campaign Finance reform front house. Just passed it a major piece of legislation in that area. Give us a call 227-6023 area number to 276 thousand. I'll try the Twin Cities. You can reach us toll-free had one eight hundred to +422-828-227-6000 or one 800-242-2828 or guess this our former vice president Walter Mondale. There are people Mister Mondale who say that one of the reasons we are subject to these attacks has that we are too soft on terrorism that we are too picky about making sure that all the legal i's are dotted and T's are crossed and that we have to get out and It will it be able more aggressive in terms of catching these people? I don't think that's true. I think we've got a highly sophisticated. Very impressive effort to anticipate these things to prevent it and where it does occur to try to follow up on it. The problem is this is sometimes very difficult to do right now. For example, we have experts who were in Oklahoma City where we found the culprits were in the World Trade Center where we found the culprit Steve sure that the best Pros we have there over there and Nairobi in Dar. Es Salaam trying to find out what happened here. If there's a chance of finding out they'll do it. But this idea that you know, there's some kind of other way of short-circuiting for the finding of evidence and finding out who did it in reacting properly. I think that's a kind of a answer based on frenzy rather than reality of the United States is is not a sucker and we know this is bad. Want to protect Americans and certainly we want to protect American employees who are serving us over there. These are wonderful people are entitled to that once in a while. We're short of perfect. As you know, there's been a big debate now about these two embassies to being less secure than they should be that that was recognized as such that the money wasn't spent to do what was done and I think some of that is true. I think there's other reasons that explain that but there is no shortage of commitment on the part of the government. There's a very sophisticated system of the FBI and the other intelligence agencies. We work very closely with many other governments in dealing with this problem, but you have to realize that we live in a very dangerous world. Is it a lot of nuts out there. There's a lot of people that think terrorists use Terror and terrorism and there's a lot of money made This latest debacle was and tragedy was the work of some people that had a lot of money there very sophisticated. It appears to be coordinated. These are not amateurs at work and to deal with him and and handle that is a is a tough challenge, but I I do not know there are other things you could go out. I read the other day that we should start assassinating people again without you know behind the scenes like we did years ago. I think we would be pleased regret that I don't think it helps our country at all. Lots of callers on the line for former vice president former Ambassador Walter Mondale again, if you'd like to join them to 276 thousand or one 802-422-8284 colors from Dresser, Wisconsin done. Go ahead. I just want to say we were in Nairobi Friday when the bomb went off a little boy took seven blocks away were just facing a visit with our son and daughter-in-law to wear the Peace Corps tell us about it. Could you hear it? And so on and around our hotel and we watched everybody going to get out of town and everybody just left and was whichever way they could But I just want to mention what you said in that the people of Kenya like the people from United States. All right. We are there three weeks back and then we welcome their heels where there is where the kids are working and we're well like great and I we walk around town after the explosion and people in New York from the United States and you know that they pointed that out to you know, I'm glad you made this point because it's so true and we sometimes get the impression that everybody's out after us and someone in there are but in many of these countries were very well-received and one of the reasons is because of these Peace Corps made when I'm glad your kids are doing that. It's just wonderful what they do for these countries in and for themselves and please please give them my personal congratulations. Sometimes it is hard to understand though. Obviously a huge tragedy far more Canyons were killed in a Marriott's I mean many many times writer. But they're at their upset because of the way the investigators and Rescuers were working they were upset because a travel ban was issued or travel advisory suggesting American shouldn't travel there for a week and you think they're their criticisms are Justified. Do I think the travel advisory makes sense to me another until we know who's doing this? I think we've got a right to warn Americans to be careful about going to these countries because we were not in a position to protect them until weed we do. So I think that's entirely proper but we must remember that there were a couple hundred I had two figures here a couple of hundred local citizens who were killed yesterday. We had the flags of Kenya and Tanzania there and so on and the secretary of state is going to those two countries, you mentioned it a few days and I think that that we would they too are anxious and it's important that we show proper deference to their concerns. Do we as a rule are we sensitive enough? Thank you. Americans abroad to sense enough enough to other people. So I think we try try very hard to do that maybe once in a while it gets away from us. I'm trying to think when I was we were in in Japan they had this horrible earthquake in Kobe and people were killed field more Americans that we tried very hard copies of favorite place for Americans. So they were several down there sweet as we tried to help fine and protect Americans. We also did everything we could to be of help to the Japanese. We flew in emergency blankets and pants. The rains came in there with water. We did everything we could to show that we were worried about everybody. So I think we do a pretty good job once in a while we may slip but I think we try very hard. To show proper concern for others wreck your question Place Rockaway it seems as if the United States had really been pressing the issue as far as a going in and doing arms inspections and it made quite a fuss. And as of late with the suspension of the UN inspectors being able to look around near your word has been the said by the United States and I'm wondering two prong question. Number one has his mr. Clinton's domestic problems could cause him difficulty in pressing that issue or secondarily is it that maybe we just don't have the votes for the support anymore in the United States who is looking to hang on to some of Shep's know. I I think that our governments very concerned about what's going on in a wreck. Their their government has a gun showing contempt for the United Nations and inspection systems and all the rest and I believe that at the appropriate time. We will make that very clear the I'm trying to remember I think the other day the United Nations security Council voted unanimously to criticize these changes and curse. The United States was a part of that know, I'd I don't I don't think there's any change at all and US policy and we've been the leader in demanding that the Sodom was saying in the others follow the requirements of the UN inspections how has the all the scandal of the Lewinsky scandal on that? Is that affected the US ability to respond to International crises? No, I don't think so. I think the government's functioning, you know that certainly in this current thing. We're discussing the bomb and I think our country is done everything. We possibly could the Secretary of State the president all the officials have been fully engaged and there's a lot going on behind the scenes as well as what we can read about. So, I think it's functioning very well. There was some mention in one of the stories about this that day there was speculation that that was why the bombs were set off. The belief was that we we really weren't in a position to take a real strong decisive action. Well, we've had bombs going off for a long time under all kinds of different circumstances. I don't think these work people do that sort of thing. I think that way I think they're they're trying to make a big Point here. They're trying to Humble the American government to anybody who thinks about Killing people the way they have I don't think you can get much credit for rationality Steve your question for. Mr. Mondale won the cabinets going to be responsible for developing the plan to deal with the economic crisis what sort of background that person has maybe what kind of economically needs they have and has a consensus developed about what should be done in Japan. Yeah, they they have a new government there that the new the Finance Minister is a man named. Miyazawa whom I know well, he's an old hand in Japanese government in an old hand in financial and economic matters former prime minister. There's a new head of the economic planning agency, which is an important to Ministry Amanda name. Sakaja, who is an economist. They brought him in from outside. The government has is highly respected. And there's another Nat man named Torey. Lovullo Gilton who was once Vice Minister of Finance highly regarded in the United States by our leaders and so on. So I think they have a fairly impressive team. But you know, that's not the end of it there. This is what they need to do is number. And stimulate the economy to get it moving again. They need to reform their bank. So that their banks are back in business operating because right now there overburdened by bad debts that have been cleared and they need to deregulate an open up their economy to permit others to get greater access to us. I think there's agreement in Japan and Elsewhere on those outlines, but there's a lot of details yet to be worked out. I know Wendy's tax cuts will go in place. Just what the elements of the tax cut will be and even more disagreement or questioning about whether they're going to put in place Bank reforms that are really clear clean up their banking mess. Their banks are thought to have something like 680 billion dollars a bad paper many the banks are considered to be insolvent or nearly insolvent and most of them are reluctant to land and this is this is a major impediment to the rest. Duration of economic health in Japan and the we're pressing them as hard as we can to get going as are many other countries because Japan is the second largest economy in the world the ability of Asia to get out from underneath its mass depends upon growing markets in Japan for these other nations. All of us need a growing healthy Japan. That's not the case today. These reforms are essential. Let's hope they get it done in layman's terms missed Mondale other than the fact of its course, it's harder for us companies to sell things to the Japanese if they don't have any money to buy it. Is there any other reason we should care one way or the other what happens to Japan or any of these Asian economies will Boy, you know, you could you can spell out a what's called a meltdown scenario here. That's very scary. I don't think it's going to happen, but I'm some people are talking about it. If you pick up the paper today, the Russian economy is staggering badly. The banks have begun to falter and almost not function yesterday short-term interest rates were 230% The many Latin American countries are in trouble course, the Asian nations are in trouble if if we can't get a healthier growing International economy this whole thing could tip into a severe downward deflation Arie spiral that's beyond the capacity of the United States and the world financial institutions to handle the end. And is it the one country that really stands out there used to pan because it's It's so enormous, you know, it's it's five to eight times larger than China. It's twice as large as the rest of Asia put together the United States and Europe cannot be the only sources of markets for these countries. And and so what Japan does and how she does it is very very important to moving away from this dangerous precipice or this possibility of a meltdown that people are fearing. I mean the stories out of Russia Today are very scary. President Clinton as a matter of fact, I just got word that he apparently talked to Boris Yeltsin Russian president Boris Yeltsin today saying urging at y'all seem to take with her. She would have called decisive steps in the Russian economy in the next few days. What does that mean in diplomatic speak get with it on the promise and Russia is that there's a deep split between the president and the and the Parliament and the Parliament doesn't the president and his officials have made agreements with the IMF international monetary fund to reform their tax system. So they get the revenues they need to balance the budget that take pressure off their credit markets. It's to clean up the state-owned companies that are draining the cup Country Dry and privatizing them and other things that may Make the market more open more reliable restores confidence and they have agreed to do that. But the but the diet I'm not that diet for me the wrong country that Parliament there has not been as not put a lot of that stuff in place. So the market I think is responding to the loss of confidence there. And then I think the call from the president to Yeltsin was to urge him to move ahead and try to get that stuff done at a very personal level highest level here. In this case. The President Clinton calls up Yeltsin and Heap. Tell him to get with it now. I would think just a personal level. Yeltsin would say wow, get off my back. I'm a I'm a big shot to what are you telling me to do? Why you telling me why you don't call and give these conversations are nuanced and respectful. It's it's 2 L of two great countries facing a common problem and talking about what needs to be done Yeltsin, I think knows full. Well what these problems are and probably uses the presents call. Intern with the Parliament and with others to say look here's what are friend. The United States is telling us what has to be done calls go. The other way to Nelson will call and say I need IMF support. I need to this and I need that so at the calls go both ways and they're they're so it's not up here is a Bigfoot telling you what you have to do today. Does it make a difference though? If the to tell our friends as opposed to just asking people are working Arrangements? Yes, it does but it's a lot more than friendship. Another words what Russian plays do is very deep. Very basic much of it is kind of virtual and painful. It involves some very difficult systemic failures men that Russia is, you know, just starting to shape a democratic system based on laws, and there's a lot a lot of problems here. Reflect the beginning and almost primitive nature of some of their is to tional structures, you know, the crime rate the mafia types of stuff are terrible over there. There's a lot of corruption in the political system and so on so it shows you how difficult it is to get what must be done done and all the president can do is to call Yeltsin others call their counterparts in Russia and in and push them as fast as you as you can to restore some kind of Health to the economic system. I guess this hour is former vice president former Ambassador, Japan for Minnesota. Senator Walter Mondale talking about a wide range of issues this hour and if you'd like to join our conversation to 276 thousand to 276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. 1 800 to +422-828-227-6102 for 22828 Warren your question Senator Mister Vice President we go back a long ways. The last time I talked to you. You said to call me Fritz so for you to name again, sir, Warren? Got a last name. Okay. Nice to talk to you a question for you. Your your last answer just reinforce the fear of this been going through me over the last several weeks and the report on Russia last night really sort of sun calm. Might my light my question to you sir is you know, I'm retired working like the Dickens to get into full retirement. And Carmen is going to depend upon what happened to the stock market locally and it's clear to me over the last several days that not only the TV. Chaos in Asia, but the portent of even greater chaos in Russia is having a fairly significant effect and they Talking Heads on CNBC at Sarah really I get the sense. They have no idea what they're talking about. And then you know, everybody's got their own opinion. My question is what kinds of signals or signs or what criteria should we use to make a decision that perhaps Japan which is sort of the bully in the block here. It's going to get their act together understand they have a new president who hasn't done much very dramatic since then in office, but look for some sort of helpful signs that give us a little faith in our own in our own economy over here. Very good question, and I don't know that anybody can give you a precise answer. I think the work that word that defines what is needed is confidence. There's what reassures. People to invest in a nation and its businesses and so on to trust the strength of its currency. It's there's a single word confidence. It's very hard to Define. I know there's a lot of confidence in the American market for many many reasons, but right now, the confidence level in Japan is very thin and it do know the people are not investing in the stock market people are taking a lot of of their currency in Yen converting it to dollars or to Marks because they think there's more to be gained and doing that. It's in the end is now getting cheaper and cheaper that's another very complex problem. They have to restore confidence and they the elements are getting the economy moving through substantial tax cuts. Restructuring the bank. So they're healthy with a policy something like we did with Savings and Loans a few years ago where you close down the bad ones for you clear the assets out and sell them getting back in the market where the crooks go to jail and sort of thing that strikes you is as you know, dealing with the problem will they do that? It's not clear and then finally opening the markets more so that foreign products Investments can get in there. This new government is committed in in principle to all of that and if they are really get going and get moving, I think you'll see a much better tone in the Japanese market and that will have a lot to do with the health of the rest of us and the security of your retirement and that's why how we deal with a country like Japan is so important. That's one of the reasons I was Privileged to be the ambassador there because we're finding once again that what happens there affects our Lives who made this is a country with 3m is reported lower earnings because of business there Northwest Airlines u.s. Largest carrier in Japan has suffered from these difficulties and many other Minnesota businesses. Are you look at the price for American farm products and dropping all the time. We've now got a crisis developing and Rural Minnesota and Rural America because of the precipitous drop in the value of the prices that they're receiving for farm products. All these things are related in one of the reasons is the markets in Japan have become very soft. So we need to get Japan back on her feet. We can we can push we can press we can control but it's up to them to fundamentally to restore confidence in their hold. The good news is I think they know they've got to do it. There are under severe political and economic pressure. Now, let us hope they get it done. Is there any danger of major political disruption in Japan that mean if things don't get better and perhaps get worse any chance that some dictator Tech Guy, I'll take over anything like that. No, I think Japan is very stable political e it has had a lot of turnover but there's a difference between turnover in the stable political system on the one hand and the fear of some Thug taking over some demagogue taking over on the other that is not a real risk in Japan. They're going through some deep political changes in this last election where the ldp the majority party in the lower house got taken to the cleaners the ldp didn't When a single seat in any major metropolitan area in all of Japan, so it's under very severe risk of becoming losing its majority party status. That's one of the reasons why a little hopeful that they'll move faster than usual to producer Wilson your question, please yes. Ambassador Monday with the left me finish what I have to tell I have profound respect for you and President Carter attempt to be always a Democrat. However, it's absolutely the country with the present president of United States. I don't agree with you when you say that the scandals have not the harm the reputation of this country abroad only wants one months ago. We had the prime minister of Greece calling President Clinton outlier. We now have to take advantage of the next Monday. LOL the hustle to do again what he wants to do. We have the phone being of to embassies and they'll be more to come while we we have this President. I would like to hear your comments. Well, first of all, let's hear what he has to say. Maybe we're a fair Society. He's got his day in court and let's let's hear with that is what I was commenting on was I think this government is functioning. I think as we've seen in this latest tragedy in Africa and they're doing what they have to do. And then I think they're doing it very competently. I don't happen to think that these bombings had anything to do with the question you raised. I think when you're dealing with insane people that are willing to take the lives. Does any one life let alone the two or three hundred they've destroyed you're not dealing with rational people here. They're doing calculations of the kind of your question implies on the domestic front to forgetting about what happens to Bill Clinton. Can we expect now future presidents to be regularly investigated wide variety of fronts and not just president for that matter of congressional leaders, and the rest is kind of routinely grilled about their personal life. Well, that's your business. So you guys have been drilling them for years, but it's one thing for the press to ask the questions. It's another for a prosecutor official prosecutor to be investigating. I have been fairly silent on this issue because I think people say well your big hypocrite because I was for the special prosecutor when Nixon was around and so on so they say why are you change your mind now Democrat on I don't think so in when this is over. I'd like to see a bipartisan committee. Of maybe former independent prosecutors. There's big story The New York Times Daily about this other day about this because almost everyone that's been in and around this system is beginning to wonder about it. And what we what are support our democratic system always assumes is that no matter who you are in the government you're accountable to somebody you're accountable to the present who's up for election or your member the Congress your constables American people your public servant York Honorable in that way. We've got it. We've got up a new will not so new but independent prosecutor's office now that's accountable to no one. It doesn't run for office. It doesn't have a budget problem. The money just kept coming in. There doesn't seem to be a limit on what kinds of issues it can pursue it can be political and nobody can get to it. It's a it's a runaway institution beyond the reach of any of the normal Avenues of accountability in American life. So what I like to do when this is over is to see people now we've had almost 30 years experience with this. What should we do? Well, these former prosecutors all said number one the special prosecutor should only look into matters were the president the vice-president say, maybe the Attorney General involved. It shouldn't look into matters were others involved the regular prosecutor should deal with that. It should only deal with issues of public abuse matters that go fundamentally to the Constitutional and governmental system in our country and the abuse of that system. and there's a couple other reforms but I think I think we ought to take another look at this when this is over and when we can do so beyond partisanship and ask whether it hasn't gotten out of control back to the phones lots of callers on the line with questions for vice president Mondale Bob your next good place must admit that last comment some are certainly what we here at The Rotary clubs in at the cafes and so on about this crisis worry, and now you're a domestically and I welcome the words of one day. I would like to ask it seems that the same Bunch I'm talking about the kind of people who vote the kind of people go to and participate in communities are asking today at the international level. How does the United States if it is indeed to be a world power in that brings responsibility of being a policeman and many other things. How does it make the decision of what countries? Are in the interest of the United States the community of Nations to become involved in a police action or what-have-you. It seems we're more involved in some countries and less than others the less in others, maybe Africa and maybe we're leaving that to Europe. But this latest thing in Bosnia, maybe you'd want to dress that how does the process at the state department and at the executive level. The Congress level but the executive level make its decisions on where to put efforts money is and maybe even troops the the process is fairly easy to describe but the line which I think is your real question. Okay. When do you decide to go in when don't you is very difficult to summarize because it keeps changing. We have a National Security Council. It was a National Security Council director housed in the white house today at Sandy Berger one time. We was Henry Kissinger and Saud very high position. And that agency is Works under the direct authority of the president and it has authority to call in the defense department the State Department of Treasury Department the CIA with all those agencies in any one of them to prepare advice to the president on issues that involve security and foreign policy matters, so whenever we gets close to The use of power that system goes into effect and of course a great deal of attention and concern is always brought to bear whenever you're going to put an American In Harm's Way, you know, we we had an awful time trying to figure out whether we're going to get involved in Bosnia and we took what two or three years maybe more depending on how you count them before we got involved with in got involved and I think we made a difference. I think we're probably talking with our friends around the world about Kosovo. And what do we do now? That's getting more and more serious. There's there's no easy lying there and the tragedy is well the fact is that the United States And this is not bragging but for a lot of historic and other reasons for reasons of the power and influence and a sweep of American Authority in the world. the the status of our country into terminating whether or not the world will react to these issues and try to deal with them responsible our Authority or Prestige. The role of the United States is absolutely unique in the world and in many cases unless we lead nothing will happen. This is true in economics. It's true in security matters. It's true in the environment. It's true in human rights at this time in the world. This country of ours is in a very unique very powerful. position almost unprecedented in world history, but at the same time we get this other side of the downside the cost of this so we can be proud of the fact that our country has achieved this stature, but we should also be so burned by what that means. We have a lot of time left, but call her at least one more caller on the line here with a question Norm birthday. And I'm bad at least one Republican senate representative ramps that had the courage to a buck party leadership. I tend to accused of Representatives and Senators who voted against a bipartisan campaign Finance reform as the holding their self interest. Can you give me advice is that you think that's accurate and how do you feel about that strategy? Well, I feel so strongly about campaign Finance reform. I'm afraid I can't trust myself to characterize it what happened here as you pointed out with some very good news in the House of Representatives the other day where in the final vote 252 members of the House. Voted for campaign Finance reform 179 voted against it despite the overwhelming attempts by the leadership to prevent its adoption. And in that book their strong bipartisan leadership and of the 250 261 we're Republicans. So it's a strong Democratic Republican Alliance of leaders who wanted to disabuse the American system of this incredible flood and river of money that's drowning our system, you know, you know a few months ago the senate had 52 votes. For the same bill, but they filibustered and with you have a filibuster. You got to get 60 votes to close off the bait now that the house is past this I think there's growing evidence of something I've been trying to say people said I didn't know I was talking about probably did but that that that the people that's not only that the public resents big-money corrupting the process, but the decent people that are in politics Republican and Democrat alike are getting sick of the humiliation and the minute-to-minute. Disgusting experience of spending your life trying to raise money money money in a mouse that raise questions instead of serving the public before in this program. We have a system in which are public officers have become full-time fundraisers and part-time public office holders. I think what we're seeing is it public office holders are sick of this they're humiliated by it. It's undermining the dignity and the Integrity of our country and we need to pass this reform measure as quickly as possible after I asked you before we run Miss. Rhondella. I've been talking with the course all the candidates for Governor your son included in one thing that I've been trying to ask. All the candidates is what what to do about the interest in politics these days we have here in Minnesota. For example, real Lively race for governor, all kinds of candidates well-known candidates. But if you believe though experts nobody's going to vote this fall again any any thoughts. I don't know. Why is this money situation? I think the voter sees everything up for sale. They see special interest groups giving millions and millions of dollars worth of money. They figure that their little vote doesn't make any difference if creates a kind of a cynical View and if we change that it might help on the other hand. I think it's deeper than that. I think somehow there's been a disconnect. I can't quite figure it out. But at least Minnesota here that we have up until now usually been the number one or number two state in the Union in voter participation. And I hope that Minnesota's minnesotans will think about it and go to those poles and be good citizens. But thank you sir for coming in today. Really appreciate it. Thank you. I guess this our former vice president former US ambassador to Japan former Minnesota. Senator Walter Mondale joining us today to talk about the whole wide range of issues. She we started on the Embassy Security in the world of diplomacy campaign financing Japan the Asian economic crisis. Anyway, thanks for coming by today. If you miss part of the program will be rebroadcast in this program at the 9 tonight here on Minnesota Public Radio like to thank all of you for joining us this our specially those of you who called in or tried to call in with your questions and comments. We we do appreciate it programming on issues concerning families and children is supported by the Edward are bazinet Foundation. That's it for a midday today matter fact there. That's it for the week Jeremiah is the producer of midday associate producer Michael. Call Peng Grohe at help this week from Randy Johnson. I'm going to take a couple days off next week. John. Raby will be in the chair. We hope you'll be able to tune in Monday 4 Midday here on Minnesota Public Radio. And the next day all things considered will take you to the Northwest angle and look at the intersection of the affordable housing crisis and welfare. Reform All Things Considered weekdays at 3, Minnesota Public Radio. You're listening to Minnesota Public Radio. And let's see your last report. It was sunny and 81 degrees in the Twin Cities. I think it's up a couple of degrees of the weather forecast calls for high today in the 85 Degrees your tunic and revenue FM 91.1 Minneapolis. And st. Paul partly cloudy this afternoon clear tonight, then partly cloudy again tomorrow.