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American Morning

Talk with 'Time' Magazine Editor-at-Large Michael Elliot

Aired March 15, 2002 - 07:32   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: We have a lot to talk about with "Time" magazine editor at large, Michael Elliot, including today's developments in the Middle East, why rock star Bono was all over Capitol Hill. And what happens if you come out of the closet and nobody cares? The case of Rosie O'Donnell.

Michael Elliot here -- happy Friday morning -- TGIF.

MICHAEL ELLIOT, "TIME" MAGAZINE: TGIF, Paula.

ZAHN: Nice tie.

ELLIOT: Thank you.

ZAHN: Pineapples and all.

ELLIOT: Pineapples are Tibetan symbols of the dead. So now you know.

ZAHN: Oh.

ELLIOT: Now you know. Now you know.

ZAHN: Is this a bad luck omen or what? No matter what, it wards off evil.

ELLIOT: No, no, it's good luck. It's good luck. Absolutely.

ZAHN: All right. Let's start off in the Middle East, because they need every piece of luck they can find over there. How significant is it that the Israelis have withdrawn from these four West Bank cities, Anthony Zinni on the ground, talk of potential cease-fire?

ELLIOT: Highly significant. Obviously a long, long way to go -- very, very high bar before we kind of get a cease-fire, never mind moving on to the sort of proposals that Senator Mitchell was talking about on the program just a few minutes ago -- so a long, long way to go.

But plainly, if you read the reports in today's newspapers, "The New York Times," Secretary of State Powell was absolutely at the center of insisting to the Israelis that if the Americans were going to show (ph) willing (ph) in terms of really engaging in the peace process, the Israelis themselves had to go some way to meet American demands by withdrawing from Israeli towns. It looks as if that's happening.

But a long, long way to go -- many hurdles to jump through before we ever get to anything that looks like a substantive peace talk.

ZAHN: Let's talk about what could come out of these meetings between Mr. Zinni and Arafat later today. Those are expected to take place in just about three hours from now.

ELLIOT: Yes.

ZAHN: They are supposed to drag on for many, many hours. This after all was the guy that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pretty much called irrelevant.

ELLIOT: Yes.

ZAHN: And of course, the Bush administration basically saying the same thing.

ELLIOT: But of course, he's not irrelevant. I mean, he is the chairman of the Palestine Authority. He has the legal authority that no one else has. It's an open question whether he controls all the terrorist activities that are going on. I mean, he obviously doesn't control all of them. I don't think anyone is complaining -- maintains that.

But you know, he is more than a symbol. He is the person who has been the spokesman and leader of the Palestine National Liberation Movement for many, many years. So I mean, of course, people have to speak to him. They would be foolish not to.

ZAHN: All right. We want to move on to another subject. We have some video here of Bono, the rock star, visiting with President Bush.

ELLIOT: Right.

ZAHN: Now, I know you put this guy on your cover many, many weeks ago.

ELLIOT: Sure did.

ZAHN: And I know it sold well too.

ELLIOT: It sold very well. It sold very well.

ZAHN: It's interesting that Bono is talking about what an odd relationship this is when so many Hollywood and rock star liberals would never been seen with someone from the Republican administration.

ELLIOT: Well, I spoke to Bono last night, just before...

ZAHN: You name dropper you. ELLIOT: I'm sorry. I thought I had to get that in, because I talked to him for a long, long time about his role in trying to help poor counties, trying to help AIDS in Africa. I think he is an absolutely great guy. I think he has done incredibly good work for a long, long time.

So I spoke to him last night. He is actually thrilled with the way the meeting went with the president. President Bush offered an extra $5 billion in aid to the poorest counties. Bono said to me, he said, "You know, I'm not a cheap date."

ZAHN: No, he's not.

ELLIOT: So I'm going to kind of keep on the administration's case, and see that...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: ... Treasury Secretary O'Neil was so enamored of him, he may be taking a road to trip to Africa with Bono.

ELLIOT: Sure. I mean, you know, I hope I'm not entirely star- struck here. But I mean, the thing that distinguishes Bono from other celebrities who get involved in causes is that he is a guy who really does his homework. He is a guy who really knows every which way of the issue that he is talking about.

So he goes to someone like Treasury Secretary O'Neil, who is not the kind of guy who listens to U2, I think, and he really impresses them with the depth of knowledge that he has.

ZAHN: We've got to leave it there this morning, unless you want to make a five second comment on the long coming out of Rosie O'Donnell last night on ABC.

ELLIOT: You know, I really enjoyed it. I sat and watched the whole thing, and I thought she was very, very impressive.

ZAHN: Very good. Michael Elliot, have a good weekend.

ELLIOT: You too, Paula.

ZAHN: I hope that tie does the trick. I figured everything you wear has to have some sort of significance.

ELLIOT: You bet.

ZAHN: Take care.

ELLIOT: OK.

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