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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview With Neal Boortz

Aired September 17, 2002 - 06:32   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq, Saddam Hussein and the United Nations -- subjects on the mind of our next guest, nationally- syndicated radio talk show, Neal Boortz.
Good morning, Deal (sic).

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi. How are you?

COSTELLO: I kept getting confidence wrong this morning. Did I call you Deal? I meant Neal.

BOORTZ: Maybe so. It's tough getting up this early.

COSTELLO: It is.

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Isn't it? But we're glad you're here.

BOORTZ: Oh, thanks.

COSTELLO: It's time to debate now. Saddam Hussein, do you believe his -- well, Iraq's letter to the United Nations? It didn't directly come from Saddam Hussein.

BOORTZ: No. Do I believe it?

COSTELLO: Yes.

BOORTZ: No, I don't start drinking this early. No, I don't come anywhere close. The first time those inspectors say, we want to go in that mosque, we want to go in that palace, the first time -- it's delaying tactic. It's simply a delaying tactic and nothing else.

COSTELLO: And I guess there is some question of how the timetable is going to be worked out, who the inspectors will be. Will they be the inspectors that, you know, inspected after the Gulf War, or will they be a new team?

BOORTZ: Well, the United Nations inspectors, I cannot think of the man that heads up that team right now, but he's not exactly a favorite of the Bush administration. And remember, the Iraqis say now, before the inspectors come in, we must have discussions to set up the procedures for the inspection. Look for those to drag out for several weeks, at least if the Iraqis get their way.

One of the winners in this, though, is the Democrats, because they'll now -- you'd be able to use this to delay, which they dearly wanted to do, to delay a vote on backing up the president until after the November elections.

COSTELLO: Couldn't you argue the other way that the Republicans are doing the same thing? I mean, it's 60 days before the mid-term elections, and President Bush is pushing a vote to get through Congress about war.

BOORTZ: Pushing a vote? He has been saying this for how long? Six months, eight months, a year? And now, all of a sudden, it gets close to the elections, so he's pushing for a vote? This is something Congress could have acted on a long time ago.

COSTELLO: Well...

BOORTZ: You see, the Democrats said, we want to vote on this. The...

COSTELLO: Now, the Democrats wanted to open a debate on the issue.

BOORTZ: Well, so finally, Bush says, OK, fine, I'll take this to Congress. I don't have to. I already have the authorization from 1991. So, I'll take it to Congress.

And then the Democrats, see, you're trying to push things now to get them through before the election.

COSTELLO: But don't you think the president should take it to Congress and to the American people?

BOORTZ: To the American people, no.

COSTELLO: Why?

BOORTZ: We're not a democracy.

COSTELLO: Well, since you're going to send American sons and daughters to fight a war, don't you think...

BOORTZ: No.

COSTELLO: ... the American people have a say in this?

BOORTZ: No.

COSTELLO: Or at least Congress, who represents the people (ph).

BOORTZ: Our say was when we elected a president. He is made the commander-in-chief. He does not pass his battle plan by the American public before he implements it.

Did you see Truman go to the American public? Look, we've got this bomb here we're going to drop on Japan. What do you think?

You don't run your battle plan by the American people. If they don't like the way the commander-in-chief is handling things, they change it when the next election comes along.

COSTELLO: But what about when your enemy has exhibited no active aggression towards you? I mean, it was a whole different story when Truman was in there, don't you think?

BOORTZ: In many ways, of course, it was. But your term, "active aggression," I think the act of trying to stockpile -- build, develop and stockpile nuclear weapons while you're rattling sabers against the West, for me, Carol, that's active enough. I don't -- you know, when the guy cocks back like this, I don't need to sit there and say, come on, hit me so I can retaliate.

COSTELLO: Yes.

BOORTZ: The minute that hand goes back, you go into action. His hand is back.

COSTELLO: Well, that's an argument many people have, and we'll see if the U.N. weapons inspectors are, indeed, allowed in without conditions.

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Neal Boortz. We have to stop the debate right now, unfortunately.

BOORTZ: Well, come over to my place later.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's...

BOORTZ: The radio show, we'll continue it there.

COSTELLO: OK.

BOORTZ: OK.

COSTELLO: I'd love that. Thank you, Neal Boortz.

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







Aired September 17, 2002 - 06:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq, Saddam Hussein and the United Nations -- subjects on the mind of our next guest, nationally- syndicated radio talk show, Neal Boortz.
Good morning, Deal (sic).

NEAL BOORTZ, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi. How are you?

COSTELLO: I kept getting confidence wrong this morning. Did I call you Deal? I meant Neal.

BOORTZ: Maybe so. It's tough getting up this early.

COSTELLO: It is.

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Isn't it? But we're glad you're here.

BOORTZ: Oh, thanks.

COSTELLO: It's time to debate now. Saddam Hussein, do you believe his -- well, Iraq's letter to the United Nations? It didn't directly come from Saddam Hussein.

BOORTZ: No. Do I believe it?

COSTELLO: Yes.

BOORTZ: No, I don't start drinking this early. No, I don't come anywhere close. The first time those inspectors say, we want to go in that mosque, we want to go in that palace, the first time -- it's delaying tactic. It's simply a delaying tactic and nothing else.

COSTELLO: And I guess there is some question of how the timetable is going to be worked out, who the inspectors will be. Will they be the inspectors that, you know, inspected after the Gulf War, or will they be a new team?

BOORTZ: Well, the United Nations inspectors, I cannot think of the man that heads up that team right now, but he's not exactly a favorite of the Bush administration. And remember, the Iraqis say now, before the inspectors come in, we must have discussions to set up the procedures for the inspection. Look for those to drag out for several weeks, at least if the Iraqis get their way.

One of the winners in this, though, is the Democrats, because they'll now -- you'd be able to use this to delay, which they dearly wanted to do, to delay a vote on backing up the president until after the November elections.

COSTELLO: Couldn't you argue the other way that the Republicans are doing the same thing? I mean, it's 60 days before the mid-term elections, and President Bush is pushing a vote to get through Congress about war.

BOORTZ: Pushing a vote? He has been saying this for how long? Six months, eight months, a year? And now, all of a sudden, it gets close to the elections, so he's pushing for a vote? This is something Congress could have acted on a long time ago.

COSTELLO: Well...

BOORTZ: You see, the Democrats said, we want to vote on this. The...

COSTELLO: Now, the Democrats wanted to open a debate on the issue.

BOORTZ: Well, so finally, Bush says, OK, fine, I'll take this to Congress. I don't have to. I already have the authorization from 1991. So, I'll take it to Congress.

And then the Democrats, see, you're trying to push things now to get them through before the election.

COSTELLO: But don't you think the president should take it to Congress and to the American people?

BOORTZ: To the American people, no.

COSTELLO: Why?

BOORTZ: We're not a democracy.

COSTELLO: Well, since you're going to send American sons and daughters to fight a war, don't you think...

BOORTZ: No.

COSTELLO: ... the American people have a say in this?

BOORTZ: No.

COSTELLO: Or at least Congress, who represents the people (ph).

BOORTZ: Our say was when we elected a president. He is made the commander-in-chief. He does not pass his battle plan by the American public before he implements it.

Did you see Truman go to the American public? Look, we've got this bomb here we're going to drop on Japan. What do you think?

You don't run your battle plan by the American people. If they don't like the way the commander-in-chief is handling things, they change it when the next election comes along.

COSTELLO: But what about when your enemy has exhibited no active aggression towards you? I mean, it was a whole different story when Truman was in there, don't you think?

BOORTZ: In many ways, of course, it was. But your term, "active aggression," I think the act of trying to stockpile -- build, develop and stockpile nuclear weapons while you're rattling sabers against the West, for me, Carol, that's active enough. I don't -- you know, when the guy cocks back like this, I don't need to sit there and say, come on, hit me so I can retaliate.

COSTELLO: Yes.

BOORTZ: The minute that hand goes back, you go into action. His hand is back.

COSTELLO: Well, that's an argument many people have, and we'll see if the U.N. weapons inspectors are, indeed, allowed in without conditions.

BOORTZ: Oh, yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Neal Boortz. We have to stop the debate right now, unfortunately.

BOORTZ: Well, come over to my place later.

COSTELLO: Oh, that's...

BOORTZ: The radio show, we'll continue it there.

COSTELLO: OK.

BOORTZ: OK.

COSTELLO: I'd love that. Thank you, Neal Boortz.

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