MSNBC " Ed Show" - Transcript: Global War On Terror

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

FMR. REP. JOE SESTAK, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: Good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: You bet -- geographically this problem seems to be expanding over
the last six months but now, there is an allegiance coming from Haram.
What do you make of that? Is this something that really be alarmed about
that this could even spiral totally out of control where we couldn`t do
anything against unless we had ground troops?

JOE SESTAK: The presence of terrorist around the globe is absolutely
something we`ve been dealing with for sometime. After all, Ed, as you and
I have talked about, it is a global war of terror. But second, I wouldn`t
make much of this recent declaration.

The ISIS group is very racist. They do not -- and their statements have
said, appreciated all African-Americans -- or Africans, excuse me. Second,
the type of Islam that is practiced in Africa does not meet the tenants of
fundamentalism practiced by ISIS.

This is a contract in name only. Something to excite us to go forward, I
guess. This is not anything that meaningful at all.

SCHULTZ: So how should the United States respond to this? I mean, is this
a new wave of how we need to fight this or what?

SESTAK: No. Way we`ve done this is not pretty smart in the part of the
military. We established a few years ago an AFRICOM command. That command
did not exist when I was in the U.S. Navy. It was just coming about.

And it`s actually has the number, two person in the AFRICOM command, a
State Department, a civilian person recognizing that if we can get involved
in proper way early in Africa, yes, with the military operation and command
that is able to -- with pinpoint precision of Delta forces or others, take
out the real bad spots. To be using drones, if appropriate, with real bad
people that the number two person is doing what we really need to do to win
this global war of terror.

The State Department is out there helping to win the minds and the hearts
of the people. Look, what`s happening out there is no different in Nigeria
than how it happened in Jordan or Egypt. Where there are citizens, Coptic
Christians for Egyptians, and the pilot that was burned alive in a cage,
all of a sudden said, "ISIS is really not something we want around."

That is what`s beginning to happen, I believe, in Africa in our presence
militarily but also, with the proper reach in other elements of our power.
Diplomacy, foreign aide and other areas that we can bring about to help
those be less (ph) hospitable in Africa to ISIS and other types of
terrorist groups, is exactly the right strategy.

SCHULTZ: How much stack would you put into the reports that are out there
that the ISIS is struggling from within? And that there are command and
control issues with them, that there are recruiting issues with them, and
maybe they are starting to unravel, what about all that?

SESTAK: Well, I think that there`s probably a limited supply of martyrs
(ph) for any type of group out there. And I think that the strategy that I
have argued has been a little slow to come about by the administration.
But nevertheless is the correct one of making sure that those other nations
out there begin to turn against ISIS, particularly in Iraq, it`s beginning
to work.

Look, the curves are advancing. Yes -- and the Baghdadi enforces are
advancing with Iran. I got that. But sometimes, when you want to make
sure you win, you are working with an adversary who might be a friend in
this particular situation.

And so I think also what was beginning to happen, is our Treasury
Department is having some victories. $400 million is hoarded by ISIS to do
damage by spending it against us. And they`re slowly but surely squeezing
down on the bloodlines in cutting that off. And just like the Democratic
Party, Republican Party, there`s always internal strife. And I think as
they`re beginning to get squeezed, the strife is beginning.

But this is a global war of terror, and they will take quite some period of
time, potentially years before this particular bad element, these
criminals, really are basically removed from being present in the world.

SCHULTZ: All right. Admiral Joe Sestak, good to have you with us tonight
here on the Ed Show.

SESTAK: Great to be with you, Ed

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source