Virginia's Sen. Kaine grows as a foreign policy expert

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tim Kaine has a list of global concerns, but that list is topped by the threat posed by the terrorist group ISIS.

Since June, Virginia's junior U.S. senator has argued that Congress needs to authorize military force against ISIS. That policy stand received a boost when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-8 earlier this month for the use of military force against ISIS. Because the full Senate didn't vote before adjournment, similar action on ISIS will be needed by the Foreign Relations Committee when the 114th Congress takes office next month.

Kaine, D-Va., interviewed recently in his Washington office, said the authorization is clear and simple. Many of the provisions Kaine suggested are in the committee's action. "It defines the scope of the mission. This is Congress meeting its constitutional authorization,'' he said. The authorization calls for air strikes, prohibits U.S. ground troops except to rescue troops and U.S. citizens and offers humanitarian aid. The authorization also has a three-year sunset.

ISIS poses the most serious immediate international challenge to the United States, said Kaine, a member of both the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees. He also considers the stopping of an Iranian nuclear program a significant challenge, and said Russia's ambitions are serious.

And there is the wild card of North Korea, Kaine said. He said the Asian country has "a degree of unpredictability." He is concerned about what North Korea might trigger among its neighboring countries.

A week after the interview with Kaine, North Korea was suspected by the United States of a cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment that forced canceling of a Christmas movie release, "The Interview."

While Kaine has focused much on becoming a foreign and defense policy expert in his first two years in the Senate, those areas also spill over into the domestic economy of the United States.

"Every effort to slash the federal budget hurts Virginia more,'' said Kaine, who said sequestration cuts are a  "foolish way'' to deal with the federal deficit.

Kaine supports the nomination of Ashton Carter as defense secretary to replace Chuck Hagel. Kaine worked with Carter when he was a deputy defense secretary and said Carter brings Pentagon expertise and how to deal with global crises.

The senator said the Pentagon is a "complicated management task. Ash Carter has a deep knowledge of how the Pentagon operates. He can manage the internal budget and other challenges as well as the outside challenges, such as how to deal with Russia."

Since he came to the Senate, Kaine has worked on assisting America's veterans. He is particularly proud of the Troop Talent Act of 2013, a piece of legislation that activates a civilian work credential for veterans and helps them with employment. "Vets have some amazing skills and talents,'' said Kaine, who continues to work for helping vets find work.

While Republicans in both the House and Senate have questioned President Obama's executive action on immigration, Kaine said the president's authority is clear. He said it is up to the U.S. House to pass an immigration bill and work with the Senate.

"The House should pass an immigration bill,'' he said. "If you don't like what the president did pass your own bill, have a conference and hammer out a compromise." Kaine said Senate legislation on immigration has been sitting in the House since the middle of 2013 without action.

As for Obama's authority, Kaine said presidents dating back to Dwight Eisenhower have used the authority to defer immigration enforcement. "What I see is that the House has done nothing on immigration since 2013,'' Kaine said. "I hope the president's action will get the House to pass its own immigration bill. Let's sit down and hammer out a compromise."

Kaine said life in the Senate continues to be a formidable challenge, much like his time serving as a private attorney, mayor of Richmond and lieutenant governor and governor of Virginia.

"I have frustrations but not any complaints,'' he said. "What I love about every day is that I get to work on things that are really important -- support for veterans, our troops and on foreign relations. I am working on issues that matter to the commonwealth."

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