William Cohen Talks Iraq Strategy
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. pulled out because Nouri al Maliki, the former Iraqi prime minister, refused to give immunity from Iraqi prosecution. The administration does say that they have that commitment now. They will not be prosecuted by Iraqi courts, if you will. They do have that immunity.</s>WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: They have an agreement in writing, presumably?</s>BLITZER: That's what they say. They say they have an agreement from the new prime minister, from the new government. And it didn't have to go back to parliament because if it went back to the Iraqi parliament, they don't know what would have happened. There you have it. So this new prime minister, who may be new wine in an old bottle or simply old wine with a new bottle coming into it, he hasn't decided yet.</s>COHEN: Yes, but he has said he will not allow any U.S. combat forces on the ground in Iraq. So he's consistent with what President Obama is saying. So I have a question. What happens if some of those forces come under fire, maybe taken hostage? What do we do at that particular point? I think we have to level that point. And this is why Congressman McKeon and others, Ed Royce, have said, we need to have the flexibility to say, they may not have a combat mission specifically but they are going to be in combat. And we need to be flexible enough to say, if we need to go in, we have the authority to go in. I think the president is making a mistake by not getting that.</s>BLITZER: McKeon and others say, don't take any options off the table. If you're going to war, keep the enemy guessing. Don't send in combat forces. The other side of the argument is the president wants to be transparent with the American people and Congress. If he doesn't deploy combat forces, he should tell them.</s>COHEN: He can be transparent but, if this is successful, it will need tactical American forces on the ground. You're now going to conduct air campaigns and air strikes, and if you don't have those specialists on the ground calling in those strikes, you might very well start killing lots of people, which rebound against us. We're going to have people on the ground calling those strikes. I think that's why the president has to be more transparent on that particular issue.</s>BLITZER: What about the Iranian countries, and Turkey, for that matter? Are they stepping up to the plate? Because they are threatened, much more than the United States.</s>COHEN: I think you'll find the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, is stepping up a great deal in Kosovo. They volunteered in Kosovo. They've been with us in Afghanistan. I think you'll find members of the Arab community --</s>BLITZER: They'll use some air power, the UAE. Qatar, too, maybe? The UAE and Qatar used air power against Gadhafi in Libya at the request of the United States.</s>COHEN: We need to see Arab participation, visible Arab participation. Otherwise, it's going to be seen as a bunch of white guys. The Western countries coming in, white man's burden coming in, attacking a Muslim country again. Then it becomes something of a crusade. That's the reason we need to have a visible presence participating and going after this evil called</s>ISIS. BLITZER: It hasn't happened yet. But maybe it will, starting with the UAE. Do you think the Saudis are going to step up to the plate?</s>COHEN: I don't know but we need to provide some visible sign of assistance so they are not hiding behind any kind of --</s>BLITZER: Turkey has been very disappointing.</s>COHEN: I'm very disappointed in some of the NATO countries, period. NATO has a long step of stairs you have to climb to get into NATO. There's no back door. Once you're in, you're in. Even if you don't measure up to the kind of requirements that are necessary to be a member of NATO. I'd like to see them consider a way out for those countries who want the benefit of having NATO security, not willing to bear the burdens of it, I'd like to have that considered as an exit door as well.</s>BLITZER: I spoke with the NATO supreme allied commander, and unlike Afghanistan where there was a NATO contingent deployed to Afghanistan, there's no talking about that as far as Iraq and Syria is concerned.</s>COHEN: We're carrying the burden. I'd like to see some of the NATO countries really share that burden and be willing to belly up and show that they are willing to provide benefits and burdens and bear them equally.</s>BLITZER: Secretary Cohen, thanks for joining us.</s>COHEN: Thank you.</s>BLITZER: Congress won't be debating new authorization of military force against ISIS at least for a while, maybe two months. Instead, they are heading home, at least for six weeks. Dana Bash chasing down lawmakers as they rush for the exits. That's next.