Fresh off his visit to the climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, Oklahoma’s senior U.S. Senator James Inhofe paid a visit to Oklahoma Forum. We discussed federal cap and trade legislation (definitely dead in Congress, according to Sen. Inhofe), the purpose of his short trip to Copenhagen, health care reform and the future of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which houses suspected terrorists.

It had been some time since I had interviewed Senator Inhofe, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he did not disappoint. He is steadfast and passionate about his policy positions, and doesn’t mind challenging the premise of a question (which makes for a lively interview). Clearly, he has his detractors, but they disparage him at their own risk. He is a proven vote-getter, a savvy politician (he predicted the victory of Scott Brown in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race off-camera), and has clearly done his homework on the issues he resolutely champions.

Senator Inhofe doesn’t miss many opportunities to tweak the mainstream media and pointed out that despite numerous stories that he was not especially well-received by the international press while in Copenhagen (which I cited during the interview), about a hundred microphones were in front of him as he gave his position on global warming and cap and trade in Copenhagen. As evidence, he pointed to the above photo from his Senate website.

Senator Inhofe also discussed his views on the future of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility (he does not want it closed and believes the suspected terrorists housed there should not be moved to the United States or tried here), the war strategy in Afghanistan and health care reform. He thinks that if Republicans are able to defeat President Obama’s agenda it will give them a political bump in 2010 - comments similar to those he made on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show last summer (July 23, 2009) in which he said, “We can stall it. And that’s going to be a huge gain for those of us who want to turn this thing over in the 2010 election.” Senator Inhofe thinks that Republicans will regain control of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in the elections of 2010.

It’s an interesting program, and I hope you will watch Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Until next time,
Dick Pryor