Representative ryan zinke your grandmother had a huge influence in your life, how so . Representative zinke she grew up on a small farm, she went to school, this is during the 1930s. Not many females went to college, so she worked as a handmade and got a teaching certificate. The only job she could find during the depression was a one room schoolhouse in montana. She is always my guide, growing up she was very independent and she met my grandfather when he was working on a dam. It was a cute story. There was a camp there and it was near the school. There were two suitors who competed for my grandma. And my grandpa chopped better would and they got married. My grandmother was a tremendous influence. A lot of ants and uncles, correct representative zinke yes, i grew up in montana, it is enormous. And it is a diverse state, a lot of people, but i have always said i can speak east and west of montana and my family stretches across the whole state. What do you remember about growing up, the experiences that shaped who you are today as a teenager, as a young boy . Representative zinke i come from a small town, very bluecollar. They were three generations of plumbers, so we didnt have a lot of money around the house. But there was a lot of spirit. We had a hard work ethic and you woke up before the sun came up and you work hard. That idea of hard work sacrifice, family, that is part of the values that stick with me today. And as i move forward, when i was a kid at the gym 15 minutes before the coach at 5 00 in the morning, i think i worked harder than those around me. Even though i didnt have as much talent. Throughout my life, as a seal i was probably not the best jumper , shooter, sniper, but i always knew who i was and i surrounded myself with the finest count. I have always been honored to be surrounded by men and women who had unbelievable commitment and sacrifice, on the most complex missions. Your parents separated, how old were you . Representative zinke i was young, the separation was not a happy separation. With my daughter, i always wanted to maintain a cordial and friendly relation with her father. It helped in that way. My relationship with my daughter , when both myself and her father walked her down the aisle , it meant a lot. When did you first have an interest in politics . Representative zinke probably third or fourth grade. I always would it kid around about being governor of montana. I was always in Student Council class president multiple years. Looking back, i ran some pretty good campaigns, i listened a lot. But i like the idea of service and i like the idea of doing things for others and getting accomplishing goals. So at an early age i thought about service and i have been on a team most of my life, between a Football Team in high school, we were successful state champions, undefeated. I ended up going to oregon, had a successful career on that team. And the seals teams, you are only as strong as your weakest link. Politics is very much a team sport, for a higher purpose. You cannot operate independently, you can, but you dont operate well. If you operate as an individual more than a team, i think the end result is you will not bring the ball to the field, you will not be successful. You will not be a successful politician. You will not get things done for a higher purpose, which is to make america more secure, make sure our future for children is more secure, to make sure that we protect opportunity and it is about equal opportunity and not equal outcome. That is an important part of the American Value system, that is worth fighting for. You went to oregon, play football, why their . There . Representative zinke growing up in whitefish, oregon was in the pac10 you are playing against other teams that you watch on saturday. It was a good program, some of my best friends today are a result of my college career. And the Coaching Staff at that time, they were as much of a coach, mentor, father. So being in a forest type community, outdoors, it was a good fit for me. As somebody who played football, what are your thoughts about concussions, should parents be aware that their son or daughter plays football and those in the professional leagues . Representative zinke i think it is a concern. The head contacts can be limited successfully. The way you handle the ball, certainly when i was playing the helmet and head were a lot bigger and a more pronounced part of the game. I think a lot of those techniques. Making sure that at an early age you do not use the head as a battering ram. He take the coaching has to be right. The game can involve default where we see less eve all of where we see less concussions and hopefully go back to its origins. It was deftly iraqi type of game. When you wear a helmet, that can be used as much as a weapon as protection. Any injuries along the way . Representative zinke i was undersized as a center. I had zimmerman next to me, and amazing athletic ability, Scott Shepherd played at left guard. I had ankle problems going through my last game and i started my last college game in football i was 212 pounds. I used to wear sweatpants so i look like i was heavier than i was. I have long days and when you face a 300 pound guard and you are only 212 pounds, it makes for a long day. Did you ever think about the nfl . Representative zinke not really. I didnt think the opportunity was there. Early on, you have aspirations. A lot of my friends played in the nfl. I was probably not the best player, but i know who was and i surrounded myself with great great people, a great team. I dont think that my play was at that caliber to be successful in the nfl. Why the navy and why navy seals . Representative zinke i had a mentor at oregon who commanded the enterprise during the vietnam war and had a graduate degree and i had a graduate degree in geology. He asked me what i was going to do. I told him that i would be specializing in deepsea operations. He said, if youre going to dive, have you considered being a navy seal . He said, i think it fits your personality. At that time, nobody really knew what a seal was. You saw it in maybe movies. He brought a recruiter down, i took exams both physical and written and he said, this is a volunteer program. If you dont like it, you can leave anytime. It was very truthful. He was a pilot. But the program itself, he was truthful. You can leave anytime. The program was hard and it should be. If you are a navy seal, there was expectation that he would never quit. Hard, rigorous, tough training, so what do you remember about the training before you became a seal and what was the most difficult thing for you personally . Representative zinke in my life i was an instructor and student. It is a lot more humorous on the teachers had. The course as a student lasted about six months. You would look at candidates and whittle them down. We graduate with maybe 100, 150 people. About 90 will leave the program voluntarily. You had to have skills, the aptitude attitude, the school said to be a seal. Some chose to quit. A lot of seal training is mental. Never to quit, keep persevering. I can teach a kid to do pushups, pullups, to swim, but is much more difficult to look at the heart and make sure he doesnt quit. And that is what the seal training, the toughest part of it, that is important. Deed did you hear your grandmother talking in your year to not give up . Representative zinke well, the knights were cold. I grew up in montana and we didnt have a swimming pool. We swam in a lake, that was glacial waters. So, swimming was fine, but i never was colder than what i was in seal training. And i was never colder in actually doing operations as a seal as quoted training was cold as training was. Some of those operations were in which was a testament of why the training is so hard. You ditto that you did a number of missions something behind you is from saddam husseins palace, can you explain . Representative zinke that is a panel from a door in saddam husseins bedroom. It is a small part. That was definitely part of the attack in 2004. That was one of the nonvalue items that were brought back. What was that like to be in iraq and what was going to your mind during that mission . Representative zinke iraq is a complicated country, it is safe a sophisticated in some terms of the very basic and others. Iraq has a sunni population which is very proud and currently has been disenfranchised. It has a majority shia population that for many years was put to a sod assad. The Current Crisis of what we face, to a degree was creating a vacuum. It is a battle within islam as it is a battle between east and west. It will not go away unless america leads by example, unless the admin estrogen acts to resolve and those folks there were committed to peace and committed to being successful. How did the iraqi people view American People . Representative zinke the people there, in all parts, there was a great deal of respect between everyone. A new we were not there to colonize. We spent a lot of effort looking at how to make their lives better. How to make the area stable in the longterm and being stable and in the middle east is good for the world. Was it the right war . Representative zinke it was a difficult call. I was looking at going into iraq from the point of view of someone who was executing policy, not making policy. You need to make sure that when we engage in a mission, our job is to make sure that everyone had all the right equipment, the right training, the rules of engagement are decisive on the field of battle. And it has to do with Collateral Damage. We are on a lot of missions where there was Collateral Damage and i would sit down and talk about what happened. The koran is very different from the bible. Ultimately, it is about people. And as a u. S. Commander, you are obligated that what you do is for the force and the mission. What is more difficult serving as a navy seal or raising money for a Political Campaign . Representative zinke being a navy seal is a great job. Being a congressman, i laugh sometimes, it saying it is more difficult. As a seal, you can watch things get done. You can engage, you have a Terrific Team around you. Normally, you have resources and you can watch the progress being made. On the helm, on the current polarization, there is a progress being made. Progress is not as rapid as you would like, you need to exercise patience, and some is just political rhetoric. Some people dont want the facts. They care about an agenda. I never looked through life through a red blue lens. It has always been red white blue. I never asked the political affiliation of those folks around me, as a navy seal. I only care about how good they were, were they skilled, committed, did they have the right training, and did they have the right guide . And the grit to do what was necessary. The political landscape, the Freshman Group coming in, they have an anonymous amount of talent. On both sides of the aisle. But again, my job is to surround myself with a good team. Make sure we have the right resources to move the ball forward. Lets say democrats want to raise taxes and you want budget cut in other areas, can you hold firm to principles but also compromise on spending, taxes, the method matters . Representative zinke there are some values that are nonnegotiable. The constitution, family, being safe. I hope that my background, as a seal commander, i defend the constitution against threats foreign and domestic. That is at his i was proud to give that both in congress. The constitution is nonnegotiable. How we approach making america more secure and making the economy prosperous, so we can afford a strong military, so we can afford to keep promises we have made, infrastructure, social security, medical, it will take a strong economy. I will sit down and reach across the aisle on how to get there but i dont think that you need to sacrifice your values to do it. Are there places where tax reform should be done, absolutely. But my philosophy, has three components in the economy taxes, you have cutting spending. And you have growth. It is much better to grow the economy, you will gain more in a shorter amount of time if we grow the economy. Growth is about energy and independence. My experience in the middle east , think about the change that the world would look at, the change in our lives is american, if we work energy work Energy Independent and not held hostage by the middle east. Our critics for our allies in europe, they would not be held hostage by your by russia. That is part of a vision. I am a huge fan of teddy roosevelt. I was as a kid. And going forward, what i like about roosevelt was he thought that he bought the pam account built in the panama can now. Montana enjoys a lot of federal lands for public use. Over 100 years ago, he had the vision of what america should be and could be. We were not a great power at that time. We are today. A lot of that foundation was because of him and i like the idea that roosevelt thought that america has to be big again. The problems are real, but we need to think big enough to find solutions. The american spirit is it still strong. How do you structure your life here in washington, back in montana and with your family . Representative zinke i travel a lot. When folks from montana, knock at the office, i try to be here. I walk up committees and say hello. It is important to meet that we have a conversation over coffee, we talk about things i to i. Montana is one small town with very long streets, that is what i joke. And my family, i try to stay in touch with what is going on. We skype. Cell phone coverage in iraq is that her than cell phone coverage in montana. That needs to be fixed. I spend a lot of time on the road. My family is here in washington which is important. I make sure that i am my father. I am a father. I see my children, my grandchildren. My daughter is a diver my son is a navy seal. It is nice to have the grandkids appear. I am proud to have them with me. Is it the job you expected . Representative zinke to agree. I have had to readjust my expectations on how fast we get things done. It is bureaucratic. I wasnt surprised at the amount of bureaucracy in washington dc, the view from here is a lot different from yellowstone. Part of the hurdle we will need to get over is that decisions being made in washington, by the bureaucrats, they are not bad people but they do not know the issues on the ground. They cannot tell you where montana is on the map, these decisions are being made that affect people across america from people who dont understand what it is to be out in america. We see these victims, these regulations, how they affect normal people and their lives. I think the further we can push those decisions, or if youre going to make a decision, i think it is a fair request that if you make a decision, you should understand what the consequences will be on the ground. And decisions are made every day that will that are onesizefitsall, but it doesnt work. It is stifling what the one value that america has done better than any other nation, is think out of the box. Innovate. Onesizefitsall, topdown management, it stifles the thing that has made america a shining light. It is our ability to innovate and think out of the box. Bring new products, click a things differently, the american way. That is what we need to protect. You talk about your grandmother, family members, but was there somebody in your life that influenced you and sent you on the path you are today . Representative zinke my high school coach, he taught me that if you work hard you could be successful. He gave me an indication that i had talent, if i worked hard he was always a coach, there has always been a coach relationship. There were vietnam instructors that had been to combat, and they were always very kind. They were mentors. I have some great leaders that have gone out of their way, to bring them bring me under their wing. This is the path that we see for you, if you want to go on this path you have to earn it. They would say you have a great opportunity. As a result, i try to put discipline in my message, and a football sense i try to use a between the s. Try to stay between the has hmarks. I represent not only the republican side, but the democratic side, the tea party side every person in montana. I think of we take that value set for forward, congress represent america and i want to article he values and needs of the district, but the purposes the purpose is to make america better. There are a lot of ways to obtain our goals. We are all here for one purpose, make sure that america is strong secure, and prosperous. Could we see you in leadership down the road . Representative zinke yes i am always interested in contributing when i can. Leadership, i think if i work hard, that is probably obtainable. It is about where i can fit in and help the team. Congressman ryan zinke. Thank you. On newsmakers, dr. Robert wah talks about the Affordable Care act in its second year and other health care issues. Sunday 10 00 a. M. On cspan. This sunday, Senior Editor for the Weekly Standard talks about the gop president ial candidates and what voters are looking for in a candidate. They want somebody who looks like he has stood up for them. I am amazed at the degree to which primary voters on both sides are motivated by resentment and the sense of being put upon. Those people dont understand us. Here is a guy, who does understand us and he will stick it to them. That happens on both sides. Hillary clinton gives her own version of that type of thing. I dont think that that was actually true for 30 years ago. Resentment has always been part of politics, but to the degree to which it is exclusively the motivating factor in truly committed republicans and democrats sunday night on cspan. Coming up next, a look at the legacy of laura bush. Then a debate on the merits and impact of employee unions. And from des moines iowa, jim webb and martin omalley. Hofstra university looks at former First Lady Laura Bush. This was part of a conference on the bush presidency. This event welcome to hofstra. And to depend on leadership, the First Lady Laura Bush . We have two terrific papers. The session will include two scholarly papers, which i immensely enjoyed reading. Wiesel also had a presentation by two administration officials. I will tell you a little bit about the papers and bios of the speakers today. The first paper