Richard Perle: Pakistan, Iraq, the Economy, and Election '08

(page 2 of 2)

I'm not ready to declare that the Iranian threat is diminished. The CIA National Intelligence Estimate doesn't say what most people think it says because it was predictably badly reported. When you read behind the headlines, it's clear that Iran continues its program to produce nuclear material, enriched uranium. And that is the long pole in the tent of a nuclear weapons program.

Do you find any of the Presidential candidates particularly well-equipped to handle foreign policy challenges?
There's no track record for any of them, and...campaigns are probably the worst way to gather information about the likely performance of a President. Everything is said in a political context, and those contexts disappear very quickly after the votes are counted. Bill Clinton ran for the first time on, among other things, a promise to intervene in Bosnia. It took about a nanosecond after he was sworn in for him to abandon that pledge.

What is the most important issue in the election?
It's almost always the economy. But there is a much more difficult-to-define issue, and that is leadership.

Do you think people worry there's a leadership vacuum?
Yes, I do, and the fact is none of the candidates seems to have really captured the imagination of the national electorate. I'm really struck by the astronomical number of people in polls who say they may change their mind before Election Day.

Do you have thoughts on what this election may look like past March?
I don't, but there are some things about 2008 that are fundamentally new. One is the means by which information about candidates is recorded and delivered. Any foolish remark, any misstep is going to be on YouTube within hours and will flow through to the mainstream media a few hours after that. So there's an element of volatility that we didn't have in previous elections.

Should we be worried about the strength and vibrancy we're seeing in other economies, such as China?
No. Look, one of our great hopes for the emergence of a moderate China has to do with China's increasing wealth and the idea that when people have a real stake in stability, the world becomes safer.

Time magazine made Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year. Is he a friend or foe of the U.S.?
He has certainly not behaved in a friendly manner. In fact, he's barely missed an opportunity to cause us difficulty, and no one should be surprised after his career in the KGB.

Have you spoken to Conrad Black since his sentencing?
No.

Maria Bartiromo is the anchor of CNBC's Closing Bell.