As his new book criticizing Congress and the Bush administration hit stores Tuesday, former Senator Lincoln Chafee '75, a distinguished visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, sat down with The Herald to discuss his inspiration for the book, his life after the Senate and the 2008 presidential campaign.
The Herald: What was your purpose in writing the book? What were your goals?
Chafee: I think the main goal was (to show) the role of Congress, because it's so easy for the public and the media to focus on the executive branches, which is one or two people. Congress is 535 people. I do feel very strongly that Congress didn't exercise their constitutional duties to balance a rogue president, a rogue executive. ... I tried to focus on the failure of Congress to do their constitutional duty.
In the book, did you attempt to explain why you changed your political affiliation?
I looked at a lot of political books and too many of them wanted to tell their own personal story. I decided I wanted to do everything possible to not bore people with my own personal story. I tried to explain more of what happened in Congress during those years that I was there and the effect on the country. I don't think I even mention in the book that I changed my affiliation.
What is your take on current politics and the presidential election, and what made you decide to endorse Barack Obama?
I was watching very carefully the campaigns, and I served with many of the candidates, and I just sort of saw Senator Obama emerge. I served with him for only two years, and I served with him on two committees. You get to know each ... other on committees.
(On the campaign trail,) he acquitted himself so well. The best campaign of the bunch and the best message.
(Obama's message) was the way that I felt after enduring Bush-Cheney. I think he represented the best message that that's not the America that we want to present to the world.
What made you decide to come back to Brown?
Well, after you lose an election, as I did in 2006 ... you don't know what you are going to do. I had several offers from universities, but this was by far the most attractive. International issues, which I like, and being close by after all the travel I'd done for the Senate back and forth. I wasn't anxious to do that again.
And (the Watson Institute) couldn't have been better placed as students of today gravitate toward international issues. (International Relations is), I think, the largest concentration at Brown now. That's phenomenal.
What made you stay with the Republican Party for so long, despite diverging from it on so many issues?
There are two answers. We were the majority, except for the time when (Vermont Senator Jim) Jeffords left (the Republican party to become an Independent), and that had consequences for Rhode Island. I had to take that seriously.
With no other Republicans in our delegation (from Rhode Island), of our four-member delegation, we wouldn't have had any representation in the majority. That's why it's important for my state, which I care deeply about.
The second reason was the Republican Party ... was much more comfortable here in Rhode Island, much more comfortable than the Republican Party of Washington. I had a loyalty to the party here locally. It's a fun, good group, by and large.
If you ever decided to run for office again, how do you think your chances would be affected, now that you're an Independent?
Locally here in Rhode Island, favorably. It's so hard to run as a Republican, especially with the shadow the Bush-Cheney administration has cast. Many people say that's why I lost (in 2006), because I was a Republican. People liked the job I was doing, so it's just gotten exponentially harder to run as a Republican here in Rhode Island.
You've been mentioned as a possible candidate for Rhode Island governor in 2010. Any interest?
I'm just starting to think about the political opportunities (in 2010), the governor being one.
You pretty much have to know by the end of this year what you want to do, with political fund raising, you need a good two years. I still have the luxury of a few more months to think about it.
