As CNN founder Ted Turner appeared as a guest on Sunday's Meet the Press, after NBC host Tom Brokaw expressed concerns about trying to deal with Vladimir Putin's Russia after what happened when President Carter tried to deal with former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Turner compared the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan to America's invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq, and called the Iraq invasion "naked aggression" by the United States. Turner even tried to argue that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was more defensible than America's invasion of Afghanistan because "at least it's on the border of the former Soviet Union." When NBC host Tom Brokaw took him to task for trying to "justify" the USSR's actions, Turner responded, "Why can't I try and justify it?" Turner also contended that the old Soviet KGB was "an honorable place to work" like America's FBI, and claimed that it gave Soviet citizens "an opportunity to do something important and worthwhile."
TED TURNER: Well, we invaded Afghanistan, too, and it’s a lot further, at least it’s on the border of the Soviet Union, or the former Soviet Union or Russia. A lot of these countries have changed names several times.
TOM BROKAW: But, Ted, don’t try to go there in terms of justifying that. I mean, it was, the fact is that the Russians, it was a naked aggression.
TURNER: Why can’t I try and justify it?
BROKAW: Well, it was naked aggression on the part of the Russians at the time.
TURNER: Well, going into Iraq was naked aggression on the part of the United States.
The discussion of the former Soviet Union began as Turner was talking about trying to work with Russia to eliminate nuclear weapons. Partially quoting John McCain, Brokaw brought up the concerns some have about Putin's history of being a KGB agent. Turner defended the "honor" of the KGB: "Well, [Putin] had that background, but, you know, we have an FBI, and we’re not prejudiced against somebody who’s worked at the FBI. It’s got an honorable place to work. And the KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work And it gave people in the former Soviet Union, a communist country, an opportunity to do something important and worthwhile."
Brokaw pointed out that after President Carter tried to form a friendly relationship with Brezhnev, the former Soviet leader ordered an invasion of Afghanistan, prompting Turner to make his aforementioned rationalization of the USSR's behavior.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Sunday, November 30, Meet the Press on NBC:
TOM BROKAW: You met Vladimir Putin when he was just an aide to the mayor of St. Petersburg. He picked up you and Jane Fonda, to whom you were married at the time, but as you have watched him since then, most people see not in his eyes a soulful person, but the eyes, "three letters," as someone has put it, "K-G-B," that he is-
TED TURNER: Well, he had that background, but, you know, we have an FBI, and we’re not prejudiced against somebody who’s worked at the FBI. It’s got an honorable place to work. And the KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work And it gave people in the former Soviet Union, a communist country, an opportunity to do something important and worthwhile.
BROKAW: But in the meantime, it appears that he’s very much more interested in just causing difficulty for the United States, getting in our face, in a manner of speaking-
TURNER: Well, wait, we’re the ones, in my opinion, we’re the ones that started that. We’re the ones that started it by putting the Star Wars system in Czechoslovakia and Poland when they wanted to be part of it. We said that that system is only to protect us from Iran, or protect Europe from Iranian missiles, so why didn’t we cooperate with the Russians? Why have we constantly been pushing, we’ve been pushing on the Russians all the time.
BROKAW: Your friend Jimmy Carter tried to be friendly with Leonid Brezhnev. And for his friendliness, what did Brezhnev do?
TURNER Well, I don’t remember.
BROKAW, AS HE AND TURNER CROSS TALK: He invaded Afghanistan.
TURNER: That was before I got involved.
BROKAW: He invaded Afghanistan.
TURNER: Well, we invaded Afghanistan, too, and it’s a lot further, at least it’s on the border of the Soviet Union, or the former Soviet Union or Russia. A lot of these countries have changed names several times.
BROKAW: But, Ted, don’t try to go there in terms of justifying that. I mean, it was, the fact is that the Russians, it was a naked aggression.
TURNER: Why can’t I try and justify it?
BROKAW: Well, it was naked aggression on the part of the Russians at the time.
TURNER: Well, going into Iraq was naked aggression on the part of the United States.
