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CNN Live Today

Interview With Majority Leader Tom Dacshle

Aired September 06, 2002 - 10:12   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Getting back to the historic event taking place in New York city today, inside the corridors of power, as Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle joins us. He is in New York City for this historic meeting.
Senator, good morning.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you for taking time for us before you go into this session.

DASCHLE: Glad to be here.

KAGAN: Your on Democratic colleague Bob Byrd says this is kind of a dumb idea, you have already gone and paid your respects and talked about why 9-11 is important, and that this is kind of a waste of time. Do you agree with him?

DASCHLE: Well, I have a lot of respect for Senator Byrd, but no I don't, I think it's important that we here. I think our message is one of solidarity. It's helping to bring closure, not only to New York, but to the country, and I think that's exactly what we should be doing.

KAGAN: While I have you here, I need to ask you questions on Iraq. You have been critical of the Bush administration and its urgency to do something about Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but you had a closed-door session meeting yesterday, where you were briefed on some private information. Has that changed your mind at all?

Well, Daryn, I really haven't made up my mind at all. I don't want to categorize the information we were given yesterday. It was all in a classified setting, and I think it was very helpful, but it wasn't conclusive. But it really began the discussion, and began the case that the president needs to make, not only to us but to the American people.

And this is an ongoing process. There isn't any one event, or one briefing or one piece of information, it's a collective judgment that we'll make over a period of time, and that is a constructive process.

KAGAN: And Congress has agreed to have hearings. I think there are going to three separate Senate hearings, is that correct, on that matter? DASCHLE: That's correct. The foreign relations, the armed services and the intelligence committee are all holding hearings, and selecting information and getting this understanding that most of us want prior to the time we have to come to any conclusion.

KAGAN: I hear you use words like time and take place over time, but perhaps the Senate and the congressional timeline is not in keeping with what the Bush administration would like to see happen.

Well, the Bush administration has, I think for good reason, not been specific with regards to their own time. What I've said is I'd rather do it right than do it quickly. I think it is important for us to be very deliberative, very cautious, very prudent.

Preemptive strikes are not something we do, and so for us to depart from this practice and take that action requires, I think, very careful deliberation, and that's what we're going to give it.

KAGAN: It's going to be done in time by the November elections.

DASCHLE: Well, I really don't know. If we come to some collective judgment by then, of course. We don't what to politicize this issue. We have to make the right decision over due course. It may be before the election, it may be after, but we will make it when the time is right.

KAGAN: And you're not concerned that that could hurt the mobilization of troops or deploying weapons, as some inside the Bush administration have suggested?

DASCHLE: As I say, we will working in very close concert with the administration, and they have not indicated that they have a I particular timeframe in mind. So we will be consulting with them as we work through this and making their own decisions, but clearly, this is a step-by-step process that will take some time, and they acknowledge that as well.

KAGAN: And finally, before we let you go into the session of Congress. What kind of feeling do you have being in New York City today, a year after 9/11?

DASCHLE: I think my feeling is one of satisfaction, one of a recognition of the tremendous year it has been. I have been here several times, ground zero, as you have, and it is an incredible feeling. You can look around and see how vibrant the city is, and there are people all over. It is a beautiful, sunny day. New York is healing, and the country is healing, and it is gratifying to be a part of that process, that healing process.

KAGAN: We will let you go be a part of that. Cameras will be watching inside of Federal Hall. Thank you for joining us in New York City today -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Washington, President Bush launched a new diplomatic effort to rally international support for military action against Iraq. Today, Mr. Bush lobbied by phone, and in coming days, he will deliver his arguments face-to-face.

For more on the lobbying efforts, let's check in with White House correspondent Kelly Wallace.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.

Well, President Bush started working the phones very early this morning. In fact, he started calling leaders at 7:15 a.m., reaching out to the presidents of France, China and Russia, and the three phone calls lasted in total about 30 minutes altogether. The significance of these countries, all have veto power on the United Nations Security Council. And all have expressed deep skepticism about any military action against Iraq. Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, saying that the president told the leaders that he would be consulting with them, told them that Saddam Hussein is a threat. And also told them no decisions have been made about next step.

He said that U.S. officials would be sent each country following the president's speech to the United Nations next week.

Now we are seeing the president in many ways trying to make the case that Saddam Hussein must go. We saw him yesterday on the road in the Midwest, trying to get that message to the American people. He will be meeting tomorrow with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

On Monday, he will be meeting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and as we know, a big speech next week for the United Nations.

Democrats are saying look, they appreciate the president consulting Congress, but they still say more evidence must be shown to prove that a military attack may be necessary.

Senator Chuck Schumer appearing earlier today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" saying the president will have to make this case to the American people, the Congress and the world leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: You don't go to war casually. And if president lays out a compelling case, my guess is he will have the support certainly the Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, but also the world. But he has yet to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And you see Senator Chuck Schumer there, standing alongside New York's other Democratic senator, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. As part of the administration making the case, you will have top advisers fanning out on the Sunday interview programs, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and you also are expected to have administration officials testifying before Congress, and, Anderson, you heard Senator Daschle talking about the briefing yesterday, Vice President Cheney, CIA director George Tenet briefing leaders in secret. We're told to expect more of those briefings in the weeks ahead.

Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Kelly, we heard positive response from British Prime Minister Tony Blair about U.S. actions in Iraq. He is really the only one so far that has sort of come out publicly with some positive statements, isn't that right?

WALLACE: Key point, exactly, Britain really the only one to kind of voice support for the president's approach to Saddam Hussein. It is believed that regime change must come to Iraq, and also lose support for the possibility of military action. You have an uphill battle, Anderson, for this president. When we asked Ari Fleischer if any of these world leaders he spoke with today expressed opposition, Ari said he would not comment on what world leaders said. All they said is they appreciated the president consulting them. -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Kelly Wallace, thank you very much, at the White House.

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