00:00:28.140 - 00:01:06.460

from Gainesville, Florida five. Live presents conversation from the University of Florida, a discussion of social, political, scientific and religious interests of the day. Your host is Dr Michael Began in professor of History and Ethics, an assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida.

00:01:07.760 - 00:01:33.890

Hello and welcome to another conversation. My guest this time is Congressman Larry Smith, who represents the 16th Congressional District in Congress at Washington. He was formerly a representative and state government in our state and for 11 months now is occupied. His new position in Congress. Uh, congressman welcome very much.

00:01:33.890 - 00:01:47.860

The conversation, thank you very much exposed to be here. I want to mention that you are a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and would like to talk about the foreign policy of our country and some of the more critical areas in which the United States finds itself today.

00:01:48.140 - 00:02:06.120

But before I do that, I'd like to ask some of your reflections on 11 months. What are some of the differences between being in Congress at Washington and being in the state legislature in Tallahassee? Well, there are a lot of differences. Are some similarities. And I'm very grateful for the experience that I had in Tallahassee.

00:02:06.120 - 00:02:27.150

I think it stood me well and stands, uh, any person Well, if they come to the federal government having worked in state government, But I think the major differences are, uh, Tufo One is that as a freshman, and subsequently as you get older, you still have less opportunity to be involved directly in leadership at an earlier age and point of service than you would if you were in Tallahassee.

00:02:27.160 - 00:02:44.050

Uh, I spent four years in the state Legislature and after my first two was chairman of a very major committee, the Criminal Justice Committee in the House, which in the early 19 eighties, as you know and still is a very large focus in Florida and this particular part of Florida with the Florida State Prison nearby, absolutely.

00:02:44.050 - 00:03:04.510

And in South Florida as well. The the situation in Washington just does not allow for that. Seniority is an extremely important element in the way things work in Washington. The second thing is the diversity of the people who are in the House of Representatives. There are 435 as opposed to the 120 in the Florida House.

00:03:04.940 - 00:03:21.550

And while we think that we have a dichotomy here between the North and the South and Florida, you have no idea how unique the diversity is when you get people together trying to coalesce on opinions on issues and votes who are from New Mexico and Main and Wyoming and Florida.

00:03:21.560 - 00:03:38.410

Uh, I came there and sit on the immigration refugee subcommittee at the judiciary level, and, uh, I thought everybody would be interested in immigration refugee problems. And you go to somebody from Wyoming or Utah Montana and talk to them about it and there more interested in the price of wheat or grain.

00:03:38.410 - 00:03:53.850

And you know how much the PIC program is going to give them this month rather than on immigration refugees. So those are some of the real differences. I should mention that the 16th Congressional District, which you represent, covers part of Dade County and part of Broward County.

00:03:53.860 - 00:04:16.160

Apart from immigration, what would be some of the other special interests of that part of our state Social Security Medicare? We have a large elderly population about 28 or 29% of my district is elderly. Uh, we have a large portions of retired senior citizens, So those problems that are kind of unique to South Florida are all present in my district.

00:04:16.540 - 00:04:38.100

What is your appreciation of the quality of people who represent this country in the House of Representatives? Well, frankly, I wasn't surprised having served in Tallahassee and having seen what kind of people come from what areas. Uh, but I am really impressed by most of the people I served with extremely bright and very dedicated.

00:04:38.540 - 00:04:55.000

Uh, sometimes it doesn't appear to the public that people really care. But let me tell you, there are many decisions you're making. You agonize over them for long periods of time. Nobody just snaps their fingers and makes judgments. These are people that really care about making the the United States better and having a better government but government itself.

00:04:55.000 - 00:05:13.040

In a country of 250 million people, it's just not easy. It's a very difficult process, but most people are dedicated and in the national sense to making America better. It's hard all the time to get a string of everybody coming along on the same line, wanting to make it better exactly the same way.

00:05:13.040 - 00:05:45.240

That's the diversity. I talked about this, and that leads me to ask, Are there not many trade offs that congressman has to experience in order to get enacted his own special legislation? As you said, there are so many different interests represented by the membership of Congress in order to get one thing done, Do you have to go to one or more persons and say, Look, I'll, I'll vote for your special project if you vote for mine, is there that kind of I don't mean to put you on the spot, but is that the way Congress works?

00:05:45.580 - 00:06:07.360

Not exactly in the short time I've been there. What I found is that generally what happens is that rather than you having to trade off a special project for their special project or having to give up something to get something because of the fact that most legislation is not shaped by individual members, but rather by committee and by the older members again, the seniority system.

00:06:07.940 - 00:06:28.040

Although you do have an input, you know, as a freshman you're not just told to keep quiet and sit in the corner like a mushroom and being the dark. Uh, you do have some input, but the reality is, what you're probably being asked to do most of the time is to vote on bills, some of which is good and some of which you want and a portion of which is not so good and that you don't want.

00:06:28.330 - 00:06:50.350

And you're time and again having to swallow a little bit harder and accept some of what you wouldn't vote for ordinarily, because it's in that portion of piece of legislation that you want. They do that on purpose on both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat, so that they get things that they need at the same time giving away things that people need.

00:06:50.520 - 00:07:05.680

And that's the way it works. That's the system. But again, in order to accommodate so many diverse interests and to have anything move forward, you need to have the art of compromise as part of the art of politics. Do you think it would be good for the country if members of the House had longer terms?

00:07:05.880 - 00:07:25.240

I asked the question because I have the impression that many members of Congress spend half their time running for office? Well, I instead of serving the country well, since I have not run as a congressman, but only around last time seeking to get into a newly created district, it was There was no incumbent in the C.

00:07:25.330 - 00:07:49.550

I really can't tell you, but I will say this. I don't believe that people sacrifice what they need to do as the congressman publicly their job for running for office. But I will say that it is a very difficult job, given the time frame that you have and the attention that's focused on you all the time to, uh, have to run every two years.

00:07:49.550 - 00:08:02.840

But that's what the Constitution says. And in Florida, we did it also every two years, and I'm kind of used to it. Uh, I think the framers of the Constitution had the right thing in mind when they made Senate terms longer and they made the house two years.

00:08:02.850 - 00:08:27.570

Uh, we are supposed to be the closest representative people have. We're supposed to be the most subject to the way the wind is blowing in the country. Many of the media beat you over the head for being subject to that. But I think the fact that the constitutional framers gave only two year terms was an indication that they felt that there ought to be somebody in government who needed to be not insulated from the public but directly responsive to the way the public was leaning on.

00:08:27.570 - 00:08:38.740

Any given issue should be nice to have a nice say, a three year term. But I've been living with a two year term, and most of the people in Congress I know are living with it. And frankly, I don't see any great movement to change it.

00:08:38.750 - 00:08:52.470

It would take a constitutional amendment. I don't see any great support for that. That's a very thoughtful answer. I'd like to move now to your responsibilities as a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. And by the way, were you surprised when you earned a seat on that committee?

00:08:52.470 - 00:09:09.130

It's one of the more prestigious, uh, committees in the house. Well, I don't know if I could be characterized the surprise. I was rather happy when you get to Washington rather than in Tallahassee, where you right to speak, or a letter telling him what committees you want to serve on in Washington you literally lobby for your committee's.

00:09:09.130 - 00:09:25.990

You have to go and plead with the members of the steering and Policy Committee who make committee assignments. Uh, and there was some difficulty in getting on it, but we did expand the committee slightly, and, uh, I was one of those that was asking for it to be expanded, and as a result, I got a seat and I was very happy about it.

00:09:26.000 - 00:09:38.800

Uh, it is popular with certain constituencies not popular with others. So there is. There are some who don't want to serve on it because they feel it would not be an asset in their district. One of the critical areas of the world is the Middle East.

00:09:38.800 - 00:09:56.450

If it is not the most critical area, and there are various wars underway there now, Iran and Iraq, the Lebanon mess. And it's hard to determine exactly who's warring with whom at the present time, because we even have the P. L O divided in a carnage around Tripoli.

00:09:57.040 - 00:10:18.480

Um, I'd like to ask first what, you and your committee, thanks in the long run, is going to be the principal danger coming out of those various conflagrations and then I'd like to ask about the place of Israel and all of that. But first, what do you see as the principal danger in that region now, vis a vis world peace and the place of the United States?

00:10:18.480 - 00:10:35.000

Well, I think sitting on the Europe and Middle East subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I have a rather unique ability to get information in terms of the Middle East. And I have been appointed by the speaker to serve on his task force in Lebanon, the only freshman on that committee.

00:10:35.070 - 00:10:59.810

So I feel very appreciative of the ability I have to get all this information. Problem is, of course, it's very saddening all the time when you have to go through the process and see what happens when you are dedicated to preserving peace around the world. As you know, the tragedy in Beirut, both the bombing of the embassy a number of months ago and now the tragedy with the Marines, it makes one pause and wonder.

00:10:59.810 - 00:11:24.360

Maybe what we're doing isn't always the right thing, But you have to be very optimistic about what we're doing. And I am, uh I think that, uh there are some danger points in the Middle East. But I'm rather optimistic over the long haul, given the scenario we have now, that we're going to do quite well in terms of being able to bring peace and stability and the democratic process to some degree, not exactly the way we know it, but some form of it to the Middle East.

00:11:24.840 - 00:11:43.650

Lebanon is a situation which I think we have shown that the United States can be very successful. We have diplomatically been most successful in the Mideast in the last few years as a country, and that's why the Syrians and the Russians have resorted to the military violence that was their only answer left to them, they could not win diplomatically.

00:11:43.660 - 00:12:00.900

Uh, if you go to Syria, of course the maps of Lebanon just say Greater Syria. There are no boundary lines and they believe that it's theirs. But we are standing firm and we are doing a very good job. I believe in coalescing world opinion. We are in a multinational force in Lebanon.

00:12:01.060 - 00:12:21.140

We have brought some semblance of stability to the point where the players in the game the Druze, the Muslims, the Shiites the various Christian, Filan's and other Christian forces are all sitting at a table now talking in Geneva and making some headway. Uh, there will be power sharing in that government and the eventuality.

00:12:21.140 - 00:12:39.260

Maybe that the Jamal a family will lose their influence over the long term because the Muslims, in fact are a majority. Christians are no longer the majority. But be that as it may were there early. We've identified the players, and I think we have a lot of people who are sympathetic to what the United States is doing in concert with its allies Britain, France, Italy in that area.

00:12:39.840 - 00:12:58.370

The real danger, I think, is that we will not overplay. I think if we deal with Syria appropriately and we can, some of their concerns will have to be given some weight. There's no question about it. You need to give them a place to move to, and right now we are in attempting to find that middle ground.

00:12:58.380 - 00:13:16.700

We miscalculated. Did we not when we asked Israel to withdraw, thinking that Syria would have to withdraw to Well, That miscalculation, I think, was based to some degree on Syria's, uh, statement that they would. And in fact they really went back on their word. They made that word publicly around the whole world, and they went back on it.

00:13:16.710 - 00:13:32.660

That's to some degree the intransigence of the Soviet Union, who has Syrian hours, their only real voice in the Middle East. They've been kind of shut out of the process. That's one of the diplomatic, uh, winds we've had as we've kept the Soviet Union's influence at a very, very small minimum.

00:13:33.040 - 00:13:58.450

The problem is, especially when you brought up Tripoli. Of course, the reality is that the Russians did not want Arafat swallowed up. That was another voice that they would have at the table if there was a table given for the purpose of discussion and Syria acting on their own, showing us that maybe they're not as controlled by the Russians as we thought are in attempting to swallow Arafat, removing what Russia wants, which is a voice other than Syria in the Middle East.

00:13:58.840 - 00:14:13.120

Um, but I think we're going to be successful even around Tripoli. They've now started to talk and negotiate again, and it's a problem for us, and there is a lot of hot little spots rather than an ongoing war. But I'm very hopeful about the long term effects.

00:14:13.300 - 00:14:32.960

As long as we keep cooperating with our allies, I think we're going to be in good shape, and it's more like a chess game now in Lebanon, it's, I don't think it's gonna erupt into a major conflagration. I think there is a problem in the Middle East is the Iran Iraq war, because right now what you're dealing with is a war which is basically between two countries that do not tend to answer to anyone at all.

00:14:33.440 - 00:14:50.060

Even Syria restrains itself. Given the situation with the Marines on the ground and the Israelis below the Awali River, they are not sure exactly what the other parties on the other side may do. And the Syrians are very cautious. They won't move until they know exactly what the response is going to be.

00:14:50.410 - 00:15:05.400

And having the Marines there and having the Israelis there and having the other MNF forces has kept Syria to some degree in a quandary, and so they have not really made any big military move, even though they have threatened to do so, including the bombing of our ships offshore well, they have threatened and they'll continue to threaten.

00:15:05.400 - 00:15:32.960

But I'm not so sure that those threats are as completely believable as they would want us to be. They do, of course, utilize the Shiite Muslim extremist groups to their own advantage. And we do believe that the bombing of the embassy and ultimately of the Lebanese, uh, forces the Marines was in fact Shiite, uh, Muslims being utilized by Syria and and we need to put a stop to that and and we're dealing on that basis now also.

00:15:32.970 - 00:15:54.510

But the problem that's hot, that continues to be hot and that could lead to the major conflagration is is the Iran Iraq war and especially the country of Iran. What you have there is a leader who has no, uh, control over or I'm sorry, is not controlled by anyone who has control over his country on a religious basis, is basically a religious fanatic.

00:15:54.520 - 00:16:19.170

This is humane, right? And the Ayatollah has no, uh, concern about what anybody else thinks about him or his country. Uh, he's rather fanatic when it comes to a lot of issues, and really, what's the problem? Is that all the other moderate Arab states are scared to death of the Ayatollah because a lot of those countries are countries that do not practice the kind of fanatic religion that he is preaching.

00:16:19.640 - 00:16:35.040

And some of those governments could not stay in power if some of those fanatic groups were ultimately going to take control. And while Khomeini has no special regard for world opinion, he probably feels justified interior Lee, by the fact that it was Iraq that precipitated the war invaded Iranian territory.

00:16:35.040 - 00:16:56.780

So it becomes a holy war for him to repel the invaders and perhaps push them back as far as Baghdad. Well, of course, that's one of the major themes of his war, in addition to the fact that he is bringing Islam as the religious confrontation into the camps of the heathens, those who do not practice what he considers to be the clean, holy religion of the Shiites.

00:16:56.790 - 00:17:25.390

Uh, and that's a major problem because a lot of the governments, including Syria, they are based upon small minority parties. He's not Assad, for it's not a Shiite. There's a different set of parties that are involved in the religious affiliations, so you really have a problem and then to, as I said, a man who's not responsible to anyone who operates under his own theories, who has, uh, some rather good, strong, capable war machine and is not afraid to use it on the other side.

00:17:25.390 - 00:17:44.660

Iraq, which, uh was over the last few months getting rather desperate and losing the battle could at any time extend the battle using the new French jets, which have been delivered, uh, use the threat that they had of bombing the Ayatollahs. Uh, and the Iranian oil works on the various islands could precipitate the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz.

00:17:44.670 - 00:18:09.830

Were you surprised when the French sent those Superintendent Superintendent fighters, fighter bombers that made it possible for Iraq to destroy the Iranian oil capability? Well, I wasn't really surprised. And, uh, I don't think for our purposes as a country, it was all that bad because it tended to now stalemate the war to some degree because the rock gained a slightly more of an advantage than they had previously.

00:18:09.840 - 00:18:28.550

Uh, the intend odds are capable of doing that, but with the Exorcist missiles, which they talked about, they're not really that capable. Exercises are much better against the ships than they are against targets on land. Uh, and I don't think they could ultimately get to the point where they would be able to inflict great damage on Iran to the point of stopping the war.

00:18:29.040 - 00:18:52.740

But what it did was put the Iranians to some degree in a position of having to now understand that retaliation could be bigger than they would want. Yes, the retaliation they'll made a little bit more of the war. Well, Iranian retaliation would take the form not only of attacks against Iraq but attacks against the whole free world by the blocking of the Straits of Hormuz.

00:18:53.220 - 00:19:11.070

And I wonder, with those straits blocked with oil shipments frustrated not only to the West but to Japan and the Orient as well with the United States, take military action to clear. The Straits is that are so much in our vested interest that we would go to war over the Straits of hormones.

00:19:11.940 - 00:19:25.970

I don't know that we would they go to war or be take military action ourselves. It is certainly a possibility. And on paper I'm sure they've already developed the plans for doing that. They don't tell that to Congressman, I want you to know that what you're asking now is more suitable planning.

00:19:25.980 - 00:19:47.680

Well, it's more acceptable in the Department of Defense of the Joint Chiefs rather than a congressman. But I would say that if we were ever to get involved in trying to prevent or break up a blockade of the Straits, we should only do it in cooperation and in coordination with our other allies whose strategic interests coincide just like ours in that area.

00:19:47.690 - 00:20:08.670

France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Germany, All of those countries are all at risk by virtue of that problem, not just the United States. We have to get off of this terrible complex we have about being the world's policeman by ourselves, while we have a responsibility as a democracy to maintain peace, freedom, etcetera.

00:20:09.240 - 00:20:33.270

There's nothing wrong with other countries helping us in that fight, and up until Lebanon and the multinational force. We've had some difficulty in bringing on allies into that process, and there's nothing wrong with us now continuing to compel them to be in that process. They certainly have the capability, the French and the Germans and the Italians and the British, etcetera to cooperate with us in those areas and collectively their forces are very strong.

00:20:33.540 - 00:20:47.960

In fact, they're much closer to the problem than we are. So if we can get that kind of cooperation, I would say that at that point that we would be much more inclined to do something in cooperation with our neighbors and not go at it unilaterally, which I think would be a mistake.

00:20:48.340 - 00:21:20.110

Let's talk about Israel, Congressman Very recently, there has been much talk in the press about Washington developing what is called quote unquote, a more evenhanded policy toward Israel. This language is used to denote a lessening of our regard for or alliance with, the Arab states. Um, I wonder if you believe that we really are moving towards what is called an evenhanded policy, or whether we have not fallen back from the strong U.

00:21:20.110 - 00:21:43.290

S. Israel alliance that characterized our foreign policy of just five years ago. Well, let me say what we're talking about now in terms of Israel is probably the realization by this administration, as was realized previously, that there is only one democracy in the Middle East, and that's Israel, that if we're going to achieve peace and stability.

00:21:43.720 - 00:22:06.460

We can't privately help Israel and give it a and give it military aid and economic support, etcetera, but publicly continue to shy away from any kind of strategic cooperation or agreement with Israel. Because the Arabs, the moderate quote, moderate Arabs don't like it. I mean, we have to have a policy that is enunciated once and for all on a long term basis.

00:22:06.460 - 00:22:23.360

And get off this roller coaster of of changing or shifting our policy as one event after the other dictates. And we need to be more less event oriented and more long term goal oriented. And this moving towards an evenhanded policy, I don't think is is anything new.

00:22:23.360 - 00:22:42.760

We've really been there. Uh, we've been giving Israel a We've been giving Egypt Day. We've been giving Jordan a We've been giving Saudi Arabia. We've even given Syria aid over the last few years, although by a recent enactment in the continuing resolution this year we have removed all aid from Syria, and I frankly, I will tell you that I had a great deal to do with that.

00:22:42.840 - 00:22:57.020

I don't think that while we're fighting that country in terms of trying to bring peace to the Middle East. We ought to be giving them a lot of money so they can build a military highway from Damascus to the Jordanian border. So if they wanted to invade Jordan, they would have a highway built by us to do it on.

00:22:57.030 - 00:23:14.430

Uh, but we have been even handed. What we need to do now is publicly make that even handed approach, uh, the centerpiece of our policy and what the Arab countries know, that we're no longer going to be using what people laughingly referred to as the carrot and stick approach.

00:23:14.440 - 00:23:28.360

And that was we used to give the Arabs a lot of carrots. And then we would beat ourselves over the head with a stick. Because no matter what we gave to our friends, they ultimately did not do what we needed done in the Middle East in terms of bringing peace and stability.

00:23:28.840 - 00:23:51.270

Just you don't have to go back beyond last September's peace initiative to look in 1982 and find out that the Jordan, who was a centerpiece of that policy and knew about the peace plan before it was ever unveiled, Hussein had been intimately involved in making it up couldn't bring themselves to get involved in the peace plan and ultimately turned it down.

00:23:52.120 - 00:24:07.830

And yet we continue to give Jordan great gobs of foreign aid and military equipment. Egypt. We give them almost as much as Israel gets. And yet look, where is Egypt? Are they on the front page all the day, every day, how they're helping the United States, what they're doing?

00:24:07.840 - 00:24:25.150

They They've been practically non players in the game, except that they claim they're sending their ambassador around to facilitate. We need them to cooperate with us. Saudi Arabia. While they've been of some help diplomatically, they have shied away almost completely from taking a very strong active role.

00:24:25.540 - 00:24:47.910

Well, if we're going to have and evenhanded policy, its even handed on both sides, our allies, to whom we give money, who look to us for help and who want peace and stability in the Middle East, that includes Israel and those Arab countries need to respond to us the same way that Israel does, Israel does not turn us down on basic needs, and that's an important issue.

00:24:47.930 - 00:25:10.250

Did we tilt toward the Arab States because of the leadership position of Caspar Weinberger, secretary of defense, who seemed to side with the Arab position against that of the Israelis at the beginning of this administration when he and Secretary of State Haig were jousting for authority and, uh, clout with the Reagan administration.

00:25:10.470 - 00:25:35.910

Well, that's frankly, that's very perceptive. The reality is, I think, that we did to some degree towards the Arabs. Uh, when Haig was replaced by Schultz, there was a fear that that tilting would be a full scale movement over towards that. And as it turns out, Schultz has become, I think, very even handed in his approach and very fair in wanting to find the right solutions.

00:25:36.540 - 00:25:54.960

No matter who it is that we have to deal with, we will deal with them if they'll help us ultimately get peace and stability. And he's been much more open in terms of Israel than Caspar Weinberger ever was. And I think Mr Weinberger needs to continue to remember that he's the secretary of defense, not the secretary of state, and he can't be both.

00:25:55.140 - 00:26:14.730

And he's not supposed to run foreign policy. He has had the president's ear along with national security adviser clock who's now about ready to leave to become interior secretary. And I think having Mr McFarlane now is the national security adviser Mr. Schulz over in the State Department has made our policy much more believable around the world.

00:26:14.830 - 00:26:31.450

And I think Mr Schulz has been an asset. What do you think of the new leadership team in Israel? And I'm thinking of Shamir, the new premier, and Moshe Arens, Who's the defense minister? Do you think they will measure up to the strong leadership that Menachem Begin gave to Israel for so many years now?

00:26:31.640 - 00:26:46.090

Well, I think they're going to measure up to strong leadership, but I don't know that they're going to continue all of the policies that Mr Begin had, although they're basically members of the same party and are the same, uh, political philosophy. Uh, Mr Errands, of course, was the ambassador in Washington.

00:26:46.090 - 00:27:01.460

He's very well liked here. He was born in this country. He was a sergeant in the U. S. Army. He understands the American political process, and I think that bodes well for relations between the United States and Israel. Mr. Shamir has been in government for a very long time.

00:27:01.470 - 00:27:17.520

and he's a very fine man, a man who understands the problems of Israel but also understands the problem diplomatically around the world vis a vis Israel and the United States and the Arab states. So I'm hopeful that we can, and with this visit that Mr Shamir and errands are making this week to the United States.

00:27:17.540 - 00:27:32.450

Look for a new degree of cooperation between the United States and Israel, and you know Israel is one of the only 17 other democracies around the world. There are many of us left, and you figure there's over 100 and 50 countries at the U. N. And only about 18 democracies.

00:27:32.450 - 00:27:55.870

You understand that the democracies have to really band together to protect themselves from all of the things that are going on in the world today. And we can't afford among friends to be fighting. And that doesn't mean that we have to exclude anyone. We can be friends with the moderate Arab countries and should be we should be friendly with Jordan and we should be friendly with Saudi Arabia and with all the other countries.

00:27:55.870 - 00:28:30.900

Lebanon, hopefully when they get a solid firm foundation and we are friendly now, obviously. But when they have a government, we should seek to help it and recognize it and all the other Arab countries that that quote so called moderate. But in doing that, they also have to understand that in order to be part of the larger group, they need to make sure that Israel is recognized as a country and its security is, uh, protected and that, frankly, that they have a reason to exist and they're going to exist and that the United States is going to protect that right that they have when all the parties can coalesce on just these basics.

00:28:30.900 - 00:28:47.670

And I don't know anybody that would argue that those basics are wrong. I think we have the beginnings, hopefully of of a long term stability in that region. Thank you, Congressman. My guest on this conversation has been Congressman Larry Smith, representing the 16th Congressional District in Florida.

00:28:48.040 - 00:29:05.350

That includes parts of Dade and Broward County in our state, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House and, uh, 11th month new Congressman, and I'm delighted that you came by to share your experiences and thoughts on conversation. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, and I appreciate it.

00:29:09.940 - 00:29:10.770

I think there