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American Morning
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle Says Military Campaign Might Not Turn Out to Be Success
Aired March 01, 2002 - 08:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The first sign of political division in the U.S. war on terror. Senate majority leader Tom Daschle says the military campaign might not turn out to be a success, and he is questioning the president's focus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: I think there is expansion without at least a clear direction today, but we will continue to ask the questions required to better understand that direction. And before we make commitments and resources, I think we need to have a clearer understanding of what the direction will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Some Republicans are taking great offense to the Democratic leader's remarks, as Trent Lott: "How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism, especially when we have troops in the field. He should not be trying to divide our country while we are united."
So, should the Democrats be criticizing the president's war strategy, and is it their right to ask questions about where the strategy might go from here?
Joining us now from Washington, Democratic counsel Julian Epstein, and from New York this morning, constitutional lawyer Ann Coulter.
Welcome back to both of you.
Good morning.
JULIAN ESPTEIN, DEMOCRATIC COUNSEL: Good morning, Paula.
ZAHN: All right, Julian, I'm going to start with you this morning. Do you not recognize that there has got to be some sort of fear on the Democrat's minds, and the Democratic front that Americans might find this criticism unpatriotic?
EPSTEIN: Well, Paula, I think it's incorrect to say that it was criticism. I think merely what the Senate majority leader was saying was this. The United States Congress is a coequal branch of government with important responsibilities in the business of war. And as the administration talks about expanding the war into places like Iran, North Korea, even Columbia, or expanding the efforts, that it is important to articulate exactly what the mission, what the objectives is. And I think that that is simply what the Senate majority leader is saying.
The fact that people like...
ZAHN: Hang on, Julian, let's let Ann react to that. Hang on, Julian. Hang on, we don't have time for speeches here. Let's let Ann react to this. He's making the point this isn't criticism. This is asking important questions about where this campaign is going to take us next.
ANN COULTER, CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER: Yes, that is always the Democrat explanation for their naysaying and obstructionism against wars. I mean, this is just another reminder that when America is under attack, you have to have Republicans running the White House, because this is nothing new. They've attacked every aspect of this war. Democrats have gone after military tribunals, detention of suspects, monitoring of conversations in jails, the detention of prisoners of the detainees in Guantanamo. I mean, even going back to the Cold War. It was...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Ann, I want to give you like 20 seconds apiece and then we'll carry on. Ann, are you saying it is inappropriate for any Democrat to ask any tough question of the administration about...
COULTER: No, I mean, I disagree with the point that just because we have troops deployed, you can't question that. I do disagree, Democrat leaders appear to be the only people who aren't aware this is a war against terror. You can go back and look at Bush's speech on September 20th I think it was. This isn't a war against Afghanistan. I think all of America understands this. We are rooting out terrorism across the global. It's going to be a long war. Bush and all the people have said that consistently, and the Democrats consistent response for 50 years is surrender now.
ZAHN: Julian, it's your turn.
EPSTEIN: Amidst all that polemical heat, I know Osama bin Laden has been in a cave for last six months. I didn't realize Ann Coulter has been as well. The Democrats have been entirely behind this war effort. I don't think there's been any dissent on the Democratic side for conducting the war against terrorism. Merely what the Senate leader is saying now, and lot of people are saying this, not just some of the Senate leaders, is that there is some nervousness when we talk of North Korea. There's some nervousness when we talk of going into Colombia.
It's not that we shouldn't do, but if you want to keep this unanimity, that we have had thus far. Ann may not see it, but I think everybody else does, then you should go to Congress and try to build the case and make sure that there is the support to expand the effort. I for one am not opposed to go into a place like Iraq, for example, but I think if you want to do it, it's a dangerous mission. You want to know exactly what the objective is, exactly what the exit strategy is before you commit yourself to it. And I think a lot of Republicans feel the same thing.
The fact that Ann and a couple of Republicans want to criticize that, I think indicates that they want to use this as a political issue. They'd rather have a fight than unanimity, and people ought to be trying to work together.
ZAHN: Ann, Julian just brought up if issue of the exit strategy. Democrats, and then to a certain extent less Republicans are saying, what exit strategy? Button that off, and then we have to move on to Monica Lewinsky. Give me 20 seconds.
COULTER: The exit strategy is that we win the war on terror.
EPSTEIN: Well, I agree.
COULTER: And Julian's explanation of what the argument is simply isn't true. What Senators Byrd, Biden and Daschle are saying is, gosh, we're done in Afghanistan, let's just pull out, it's over now.
(CROSSTALK)
EPSTEIN: You're misrepresenting what they're saying, though.
COULTER: Hang on.
(CROSSTALK)
COULTER: Fortunately, George Bush does not need congressional Democrats any more than we need the Europeans. We're going to win this war on terror, and it will take a while, and we don't need Senator Daschle's approval.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Julian, you know what, I want to take you to your favorite subject, Monica Lewinsky.
EPSTEIN: My favorite subject.
ZAHN: Many a program talking about this. She of course she made an appearance on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night, and she apologized to Hillary Clinton.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONICA LEWINSKY, FMR. WHITE HOUSE INTERN: One side of how I feel about that I have -- that I really taken -- that people blame me more I think for the pain that Mrs. Clinton and Chelsea have gone through. And really what didn't come across, I think, is the fact that I do have sympathy and -- or maybe sympathy is not the right word, but I'm sorry. And I felt sorry, and I have felt bad about what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: The much misunderstood Monica Lewinsky. Julian Epstein, how did that play last night with you?
EPSTEIN: I think you've got it slightly wrong, Paula. This is Ann's favorite subject, not mine.
ZAHN: No, that was a question mark.
EPSTEIN: I understand that. The comment before that, this is Ann's favorite subject, not mine.
I think most of the country has moved on beyond this issue. And I think there's probably not a lot to say at this point.
ZAHN: Ann Coulter, final thought this morning on how this documentary might play, and what, if any, impact it has in Washington as people grow very tired of this scandal.
COULTER: I think it's useful to see Monica on TV as often as possible, and to remember that president Clinton spent more time meeting with this nitwit hussy than he did with the director of the CIA. Keep that in mind when you watch this woman.
ZAHN: Ouch! Oh, Julian.
EPSTEIN: Ann will never let it go.
ZAHN: All right, we've got to leave it there this morning. Ann Coulter, Julian Esptein, always good to have you join us on "Sound Off."
Have a good weekend you two.
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