GOP's Graham: Military Parade "Cheese and a Sign of Weakness".
COOPER: Some Republicans tonight are raising concerns about President Trump's request for a military parade to the streets of Washington. Senator Lindsey Graham says it would be, "Cheesy and a sign of weakness." There are also questions about the cost. According to the reports, the President suggesting a parade that he witnessed last summer in Paris and later called it "One of the great parades." Today in a rare appearance in White House briefing room, Defense Secretary Mattis said, the Pentagon is putting together some options. He believes the proposal for a parade reflects the President's fondness and respect for the Armed Forces. Back now with our panel. Congressman Kingston, is a parade a great idea?</s>KINGSTON: I think it's a great idea. And I'll tell you why. We have seen so many news clips of the Korean and the Russian military.</s>COOPER: You got envy?</s>KINGSTON: We're not the audience, that's an international message to other nations. We know as long as ISIS's win and they were able recruit, I think sending a signal internationally is not a bad thing.</s>COOPER: Wait, wait. So let me just stop you there. So you want to send the same kind of signal that the Chinese military and the Russian military sends to the world?</s>KINGSTON: No. I want people around the world to be reminded of what a great military we have. And I also want to say --</s>COOPER: Because to me when I see the Russian and Chinese military, to me the message is, we can crush you.</s>KINGSTON: But you're an intelligent guy. And you're not the audience.</s>KINGSTON: Just think about this.</s>ISIS -- BERNSTEIN: Who's the unintelligent audience?</s>KINGSTON: ISIS could recruit when they were seen as winning. And I think it is good for the world to see what a strong military we have.</s>POWERS: Does anybody really think that we don't have a strong military?</s>KINGSTON: Yes, I think they do. Let me say this, having served on the committee and having represented five installations, there are a lot of people who do not know soldiers personally. You know, in my part of the country we do. Many of them were deployed. We've been to some of the funerals, very sadly. I think there's still a big gap between what the military does, who they are, and the common citizens in America. And I think it's a good thing. I don't think this horrible thing.</s>COOPER: OK.</s>KINGSTON: When you see how the military spends money sponsoring NASCAR or sponsoring military flyovers and domed stadium, they do a lot to promote their brand. And they do it in the name of recruitment. Remember when the Vietnam veterans came back and people booed? This --</s>POWERS: But Jack, nobody is -- you're talking about military parades, which I think most people would say if you -- I mean, for troops, like, if you want to honor the troops, that's not what Donald Trump is talking about. He's talking about how the French do it, where they bring out, you know, the tanks and --</s>KINGSTON: Used to be the force --</s>POWERS: Yes. And that's an entirely different thing. And look, France, it's kind of interesting because France actually doesn't have a really major military. They used to, and so they're probably doing it to kind of hearken back to a time when they were strong. Strong countries don't usually do this, actually. It's why the Soviets did it, because they actually didn't have an amazing military.</s>KIGSTON: I think it would be a great recruitment. I think it would give people a great feeling of patriotism.</s>COOPER: Chairman Rogers, what do you think?</s>ROGERS: You know, I don't think it's the end of the world. I just don't think it's a great idea. It's going to cost a lot of money. You're going to have a lot of time and talent in the building, the Pentagon, figuring out how this thing is going to work, when we're trying to figure out military contingencies for North Korea. They're looking at what do they ramp up or ramp down in Afghanistan. They've got significant deployments in places, you know, special capability forces around the Middle East that are doing their work. You have Africa that's kind of a little bit hot right now. I just -- I'm arguing, is there probably a better way to do this than have a big military parade? You know, but I will say, and to Jack's point, we have separated ourselves. They call it the warrior society.</s>COOPER: Yes.</s>ROGERS: And the odds are, if you're in the military, you knew personally someone or someone from your family was in the military. That's really not a sustainable way to maintain a strong and healthy military force. So a broader experience is probably OK. You know, that is why they do the flyovers for stadiums because you want kids in there going, boy, that is cool, I want to be a pilot of that.</s>BERNSTEIN: Maybe we want to look at who is advocating for this and why. And this is a president of the United States, with all his draft evading, who nonetheless wants to appear as a strong man. That is his appeal to his base. This is constant and consistent with his message throughout, his muscular message to the little Marco, to little this, to little that. We are strong, I am strong, watch how big and strong I can be. That's really the message here. The idea that we have to look like Red Square is just absurd. We have really come so far in honoring our military the way that our military people ought to be honored, by their service, by their humanity. We don't need to show how many big weapons we have and march them down Pennsylvania Avenue to do that.</s>COOPER: Paul?</s>BEGALA: Rogers, I just lost five bucks because Jack didn't blame Hillary Clinton.</s>BEGALA: What President Clinton said is that the world is always more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power. And that's why the United States doesn't have to parade --</s>KINGSTON: There is no example in parading.</s>BEGALA: But I'm -- I just -- I wouldn't want to put the troops out. It seems to me a whole lot of work and hassle so that President Trump -- look, we'll buy him a pair of sunglasses and some epaulets and, you know --</s>KINGSTON: Yes. I wouldn't --if I was the Democrat Party I'd be very careful about this because I think --</s>KINGSTON: -- baited into a position that's not a good one.</s>COOPER: All right.</s>COOPER: We're going to be right back. More news ahead.