Bill Frist Interview

What do you see as your greatest accomplishment in life, thus far, be it personal or professional?

I would say that my family is my most important accomplishment. I’m tremendously proud that Karyn and I have raised three wonderful boys. Beyond that- I would say that I have been blessed and humbled to be able to serve- both as a doctor and as a Senator, and that I hope what people take from my service is that one person can make a difference- whether its one on one as a doctor – or in a larger context as a Senator, but that service is important.

What do you like to do when you are not serving the country as Senate Majority Leader? 

I like to keep busy. I’m a licensed pilot, I like writing, and I really enjoy going hunting with my boys. Most of all, I like spending time with my family.

Of your several visits to Israel, is there any one thing that stands out the most for you?

Every time I’ve been there, it’s touched me in a very personal way. One memory stands out in my mind—my visit to of Rambam Medical Center -- comes to mind. Rambam is a 900-bed hospital in northern Israel. It’s also the main health care facility in the Middle East for the treatment of victims of chemical or biological attack.

On my tour, I saw the decontamination units where poisonous agents are washed from victims. But what struck me most was an everyday procedure at that hospital -- the birth of a child. 5,000 babies are born every year at Rambam. And each gets an infant gas mask and antidotes to protect against biological attack.

More than anything else, it showed me how Israel has survived, and even thrived, in the face of enormous challenges.

While intelligence services overestimated Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction capabilities, they also underestimated how advanced Libya’s nuclear program was – a program that Qaddafi dismantled after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.  Had it not been for the Iraq War, Libya would now be arguably past, or very close to, the so-called “point of no return.”  Why is this positive consequence of the war totally ignored by both Democrats and Republicans?

You make an important point that is always glossed over by critics of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  While I’m not sure it’s fair to say that our intelligence agencies were unaware of Libya’s nuclear weapons program, it certainly is fair to say that Qaddafi paid very close attention to what we did in Iraq and came to the eminently rational conclusion that he didn’t want to end up like Saddam Hussein.  We forced Qaddafi to recognize, in other words, that the efforts he was undertaking to develop weapons of mass destruction were not making him safer, but rather were endangering him and his regime.  So he gave up those weapons in a very public and verifiable way.  This is precisely the kind of behavior President Bush wanted to encourage when he set out to disarm Saddam Hussein, and it has to count as one of the most important dividends of his policy.  In the case of Libya, that dividend is on public display for all to see.  What we may never know is whether there are other examples not on public display—other dictators that have drawn the same lesson and either abandoned ongoing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, or decided against seeking them in the first place.

The Bush administration fully supported Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.  Since then, Hamas has come to power, the rain of Palestinian rockets on Israeli communities has intensified, and poverty among the Palestinians has increased.  In hindsight, was the so-called “disengagement plan” a historical mistake? Are further Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank consistent with the global war on terror?

It’s hard to say. In the long term, I support a two-state solution that will almost certainly involve further Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank. The Palestinian people should have their own state. 

Obviously, the extent and precise timing of these withdrawals is the choice of the Israeli government. Given the recent circumstances you describe, I do not believe that the United States should pressure Israel into making any sort of withdrawal or one-sided compromise. Given that Israel is a key American ally with a democratically elected government, the decisions should be those of the Israeli government. 

Egypt faces no external military threats, yet about 2/3 of the aid it receives from the United States is military and only 1/3 economic.  Since poverty is a far greater threat to the stability of Egypt, shouldn’t these ratios be reversed?

We have made an aid commitment to Egypt and we should keep it. For the most part, it’s best to let the administration decide precisely how to distribute our aid.  There are lots of delicate issues involved. That having been said, I do think we should consider whether we can do more to reduce poverty in Egypt. 

Has Israel’s failure to convincingly defeat Hizballah had any impact on its standing with the White House, in Congress, in the Pentagon or among the American people?

No. I don’t think it has. Israel remains our most vital ally in the Middle East and a strong relationship with Israel remains a key element of American security policy. I think that the administration, members of both parties in Congress, and the American public all recognize this.

In the aftermath of the Lebanon War II, a few opinion makers in Israel, most prominently Defense Minister Amir Peretz, have been publicly advocating a “dialogue” with Syria.  At the same time, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been urging other nations to join Washington in imposing sanctions on Syria.  Whose position do you support, and why?

Israel has to make its own decision about dialog with Syria. Israel shares a border with Syria and we do not. I do not believe, however, that the United States has anything to gain through dialog or negotiations with Syria so long as it continues to promote terrorism and actively works to destabilize Lebanon and Iraq. I strongly supported the Syria Accountability Act that Congress passed two years ago and have called for increased efforts to promote democracy there.  Sanctions are an entirely appropriate tool to use as part of a comprehensive strategy to compel Syria to change course.

How concerned are you about Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and is there more the United States can do to stop it?

I believe that Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile programs represent one of the biggest threats we face in the world today.  And I do believe we can do more to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons.  Most importantly, we need to persuade Russia to stop blocking action at the UN Security Council against Iran.  We need to put this issue at the top of our bilateral agenda with Russia, and use all the leverage we have with them to persuade them to join with us in confronting the Iranian threat.

Final question, from one physician to another.  What is the likelihood that the first physician to be chosen as Senate Majority Leader will also be the first physician to be elected President of the United States?

Obviously, it’s something I’ve considered. What I do know, is that I’ve kept my pledge to be a true citizen legislator and only serve two terms. When my time in office is up in January, I’m going to return to Tennessee and the house I grew up in. There--along with my wife and family--I will determine the best way to serve. It may be in politics, it may be in medicine, and it may be in a humanitarian field.