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CNN Live Today

Congressional Debate Heating Up over Iraq

Aired September 05, 2002 - 13:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: ... basement of the U.S. Capitol where they get on the elevator to go up to fourth floor. They are going up to this fourth floor room that they use for classified, confidential briefings. It is a soundproof room. Just the four of them in there, along with, as you mentioned, Vice President Cheney and CIA Director George Tenet.

Senator Daschle said earlier this morning that he hopes that Cheney and Tenet will bring them some new information about the threat that Iraq poses. Senator Lott says they are keeping it to just those four leaders in that room on purpose.

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SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MINORITY LEADER: I am sure we'll get some additional information, some more up-to-date information. I presume there is still more that we'll get later. And I got a problem in the Congress. If you tell senators, it is going to be leaked. Unfortunately, we're not very trustworthy, apparently. And so, you have got to be, you know, you have got to be careful about what you give out, because it does tend to put in jeopardy how we get that intelligence. When you reveal what you know, you quite often reveal how you got it.

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SNOW: Now, despite what U.S. sources are telling our Barbara Starr, that there may not be additional evidence out there, certainly Democrats and even some Republicans here on Capitol Hill say they need more evidence. They have been hammering the administration, saying they want more proof. Senator Daschle said again today he wants proof that they have weapons capabilities, specifically nuclear capabilities. He said he wants to know more answers to questions about what kind of a regime would replace Saddam Hussein. He wants to know how the U.S. allies would fit in to any kind of plan for military action against Iraq. Mr. Daschle warning, rather bluntly, that the administration need to do more to make a public case.

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SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: We learned the lessons of secrecy during Vietnam. We learned the lessons of what it is to move without public support in Vietnam. And I would hope that we would not lose one American life because the American people were left in the dark and were not told things that they should know up front about how long we are going to be there, what is it going to cost, how many lives are at stake.

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SNOW: Last night, Senator Lott told reporters he took home a copy of the Persian Gulf War resolution to look it over, refresh his memory. He says Republicans are starting to talk broadly, starting to talk broadly about the form a resolution of support might take here on Capitol Hill.

Kyra, no word yet, no sense of when that resolution would come to Capitol Hill. Senator Daschle then said that he thinks it is more important to do it right than to do it quickly -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kate Snow on the Hill. Thanks, Kate.

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