Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell was back in Maine earlier this month for several speaking engagements. With residences in Washington and New York, he said he hoped to join his wife and two children often at their new summer home in Seal Harbor, Maine.

During a phone interview before one of those appearances, Mitchell answered questions on a variety of subjects of interest to him, including:

• being co-owner of the currently second-place Boston Red Sox.

• his peace-broker role in Northern Ireland and the Middle East during the Clinton administration.

• being chairman of the board at The Walt Disney Co.

• being U.S. Senate majority leader during reauthorization of the Clean Air Act.

The Red Sox: Premature pessimism’

Q: With the Red Sox now falling back into their customary second-place position behind the Yankees, is the Red Sox ownership group ready to spend even more than its $120 million-plus salary payroll to acquire new players?

A: Obviously, we continually assess the situation. But it’s only early June and I think it’s premature to suggest the Red Sox are are going to finish second. They’ve been in and out of first place for most of the season. I think that … question is being pessimistic.

Q: With new ways of sharing revenue, is Major League Baseball getting any closer to parity than it was when you were part of the group that examined the sport?

A: The report that my committee presented was in part incorporated into the subsequent labor agreement. Revenue sharing is one part of a larger series of measures that we recommended. The fundamental problem that remains, particularly with respect to the Yankees, is that its revenues and payroll are so much higher than anybody else’s. But the steps that we’ve taken are in the right direction.

Northern Ireland: Good and bad

Q: Has recent U.S. foreign policy unraveled or threatened to undo your various peace-building efforts?

A: U.S. policy has not had any effect in Northern Ireland. The situation there remains mixed from the negative standpoint that the terms of the peace agreement have not been fully implemented and the local government set up pursuant to the peace agreement has been in suspension for some time.

On the good side, there has been little or no conflict. The war that raged for so long appears to be over. Although there still is an unfortunate high level of violence, it is not lethal violence in terms of people being killed. I’ll be in Northern Ireland in a couple of weeks in my capacity as chancellor of The Queen’s University in Northern Ireland. I’ll have a chance to meet with government officials and political leaders and get a better assessment of the situation. But the other good news is the economy’s doing well and the public appear to be way ahead of the politicians in terms of wanting to normalize and stabilize the situation.

Q: Does a good economy bode well for lasting peace?

A: It not just bodes well, it’s essential. I’ve consistently argued that economic growth and job creation are essential in order to change societies, particularly societies engaged in conflict. And I think there has been a necessary emphasis on security measures. … It’s very hard to maintain stability in the absence of economic growth and job creation.

The Middle East: Ripe for an initiative

Q: What is your assessment of the recent position President Bush has taken on the Middle East? Is it likely to lead to a peaceful coexistence between the Israelis and Palestinians?

A: I was in Isreal for a week in January and met extensively with government officials and private citizens from Isreal, Palestinians, Jordanians, Turks and many others. There was a sense that little will happen this year in the peace process because of the U.S. presidential election and because of the uncertain leadership on both Israeli and Palestinian sides. …That’s unfortunate because I think that the situation, while extremely difficult and dangerous, is also ripe for an intense initiative, one that is led by the United States government and that is patient and persevering. In Northern Ireland, one of the critical factors that led to a peace agreement after many years of war was that people on both sides became sick of war. They recognized that the continued death and destruction was not bringing them any closer to their goals.

I think the same realization (will occur among citizens in Middle East.) The Israelis have a state. What they want is security. The Palestinians don’t have a state. And they want one. … I believe that neither can attain its objective by denying the other its objective. That is to say, the Palestinians are not going to get a state until the Israelis have security. And Israelis are not going to get a durable security until the Palestinians get a state. I think that there is a widespread and growing sense of that and I hope that the administration does undertake an initiative there. It’s very unfortunate that the administration has come to believe that Iraq is the central problem in the region, because no matter what happens in Iraq, even if things go very much the way we want them to, there won’t be stability in the Middle East until the Israeli /Palestinian problem is resolved.

On Disney: Staying out of politics . . . and the theater

Q: Has the consolidation of corporations made it harder for smaller but worthy movies to get made and distributed?

A: No. I think that distribution is still wide open and there are a lot of smaller and successful movies being made all the time…

Walt Disney company has a policy of political nonalignment. We’re not involved in the political process. … It’s a sensible policy in our situation. When the Disney Company learned that one of its companies, Miramax (Films,) had agreed to distribute (Michael) Moore’s film (“Fahrenheit 9/11”) more than a year ago … (Disney) notified Miramax in writing and also notified Moore at the same time that it would not be involved in the distribution of the film because of the policy. (“Fahrenheit 9/11” critiques the Iraq war and the Bush administration’s foreign policy.) The Disney Company was under the impression that the Miramax Company was in the process of disposing of its (interest in the film). So we were very much surprised a few weeks ago when we learned that Miramax was still involved … At that point it became public. And most of the press reports were completely inaccurate because they stated and gave the impression that the Disney Company was preventing the film from being distributed in the United States. … All we did was to say that we won’t distribute the film. Of course, alternative methods of distribution have always been available to him. At any time. And, in fact, he’s now arranged for alternative distribution. So, he is within his rights to make and distribute a film and the Disney Company is within its rights to refuse to distribute a film that is not consistent with its policy.

Q: Having been Senate majority leader for the Democrats, do you hope Moore’s new movie will have an influence on the upcoming presidential election? Do you plan to see his movie?

A: I support John Kerry and have attended many functions in his behalf and will vote for him. And I think he’s going to be elected.

I’ve not seen the film, and as far as I’m concerned any individual can make up his mind on his own how to vote and the reasons for it.

Q: Have you taken your kids (Andrew, 6, and Claire, 4) to the theater to see any Disney movies?

A: No. My kids have seen Disney videos, but have never been to the theater. My son went to one IMAX documentary about pandas.

The future: No hypothetical questions, please

Q: If offered a cabinet post (such as secretary of state) or the vice presidency in a Kerry administration, would you consider it?

A: You always ask me those questions and I also give you the same answer: I never answer hypothetical questions. It’s a very long way off and I’m enjoying what I’m doing.

Q: Having headed up reauthorization of the Clean Air Act, are you concerned that the current administration is letting electricity plants off too easy?

A: Yes, I am. I believe that the environmental policies pursued by this administration are not the right ones for the country. And I think it’s unfortunate that environmental issues are not gaining attention in the presidential campaign.

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