Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Political Impact of Bush Decision on Middle East

Aired April 04, 2002 - 13:25   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.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush's decision to send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East comes on the heels of quite-heated debate on all sides, from the European nations, Arab states as well as from inside the Beltway here in the States. And our own CNN political analyst Bill Schneider has been keeping tabs on all of it.

Let's talk about the heat coming from inside the Beltway. Bill, how is this decision being perceived, as a political one?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't think it's seen as political. It's seen as necessary because the president was under pressure to do something from everywhere except from some conservatives who thought his policies were just fine.

Look, you mention the storm of criticism that's been directed at President Bush. It's come from Arab friends. It's come from European allies. It's come from some critics in Congress. It hasn't come from the American people. That's kind of interesting. But when we polled the American people last night, 55 percent of them said they didn't think President Bush should get personally involved in the peace negotiations. That has not been, not been a source of criticism. Americans like caution in international affairs, and they appreciate the fact that President Bush has approached this matter quite cautiously. I think sending Secretary Powell to the Middle East is a step forward and it's a departure, but not in-cautious.

WHITFIELD: At the same time, Bill, there were some rumblings of a request or an invitation, if you will, kind of being circulated on Capitol Hill, that some might believe that former Presidents Clinton, Carter and even Bush should make their way abroad and try to get the peace process going.

SCHNEIDER: Oh, come on. I mean, look, sending three former presidents to deal with very detailed and delicate negotiations, I think that would be crazy. And there's no chance that this administration would ever get involved in that.

I think the problem here is that Americans don't see -- don't see Israel as a surrogate for the United States in the war on terrorism. In fact, when we asked them most Americans said that they thought Israel's military actions were hurting the United States in the war on terrorism. Now that's important because some people have said, some Israelis, some conservatives in this country, that Israel is doing what we did in Afghanistan. They're rooting out terrorists so we should give them our full support. But that's not the way the American people see it, and that's not the way the President Bush apparently sees it.

WHITFIELD: How are political insiders seeing this move as a direct response, particularly to Arab nations who said that they were feeling some resentment and may not be participating cooperatively in the war against terrorism if the Bush administration maintains the kind of policy it was?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it was certainly a response to our Arab friends who have said to us, you've got to do something. You've got to restrain Israel. You have got to stop the violence because you are losing your Arab friends and supporters in the war on terrorism. We, Egypt, Jordan, Saudis are saying to the United States, we cannot continue to side with the United States, to be seen as pro-American in the war on terrorism because we risk being overthrown ourselves. There are enraged masses of Arabs in all those countries. Not so much in Saudi Arabia because they can't demonstrate.

But in Egypt and Jordan and throughout the Arab world, there are massive demonstrations against the United States. And any Arab regime that's seen as too friendly to Americans is in danger of being overthrown. And that's why President Bush felt he had to act because it was a matter of not just our success in the war on terrorism, but our allies' survival.

WHITFIELD: And these demonstrations that we've been seeing pictures of all morning and throughout the week have been quite verbal and quite potentially dangerous and very threatening.

SCHNEIDER: Very threatening to those regimes whose support we need. That is why Americans surprisingly said they don't think that Israel is a surrogate to the United States in this, and they believe the violence has to be stopped. And that's why they're willing even to see Powell and Zinni -- I would imagine -- talk to Yasser Arafat even though under the terms of the Bush doctrine, he could be called a terrorist and an enemy of the United States. Nevertheless, they believe something has to be done. And the policy that the president articulated, which is essentially to the Palestinians, you give up terror and there will be hope for a Palestinian stale, Israelis say that's negotiating with terrorists. But I think Americans say that's the only way this conflict can be brought to an end.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks very much, Bill Schneider, for joining us from Washington this afternoon.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com