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Showdown: Iraq; Senate Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing
Aired September 25, 2002 - 10:05 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now we turn to the latest on Iraq. The Bush administration's showdown with Iraq gets more scrutiny on Capitol Hill this morning. The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing this hour. Former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger and former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, they're there. They are scheduled to testify.
Our congressional correspondent Kate Snow is on Capitol Hill with more on that.
Kate, good morning.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
This hearing started about a half an hour ago, and we've just heard the opening statement from Sandy Berger, the former national security adviser to President Clinton. Dr. Schlesinger is talking right now, the former defense secretary under both Nixon and Ford.
In his opening statement, Mr. Berger talked about the threat that Saddam Hussein and Iraq posses. He said the Iraqi regime does pose a threat. But he went on to say that his view is that the way to deal with that threat is to continue to push for a United Nations resolution that would make it clear that "the world" -- in his words -- "not just the United States and the United Kingdom, expect compliance and expect that weapons inspectors will be let in with unfettered access." He also urged the Congress to adopt a resolution, but he said that he had hoped that resolution could be sharpened before it is adopted in a bipartisan fashion.
So you're hearing another voice there in Sandy Berger, who you see there live right now, another voice saying urging for United Nations and multilateral action as opposed to unilateral action. That's something that was echoed by the chairman of this committee, Senator Carl Levin, who spoke in his opening statement taking on the administration in a way saying that he believes that we have to go to the world community before the United States acts alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES CHAIRMAN: I, too, believe that we should focus on mobilizing the world community to give Saddam Hussein a clear ultimatum to disarm and comply with U.N. Council resolutions or face military action by a multinational U.N. authorized coalition of member states to compel compliance. I also believe that we should not announce to the world at this time that we will follow a unilateral go-it-alone policy if the U.N. does not act. Telling friends and potential allies at the time that we're seeking their support that it's our way or the highway will divide the world not unite it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now Senator Levin picking up on some of the comments that President Bush has been making that unilateral action could be taken if it comes to that. Senator Levin, Daryn, has been one of those senators, Democrats, who have been working on possibly changing the language of the congressional resolution that they're looking at now. Remember the White House sent up some language last week, a draft of that resolution. Levin and others are talking about making it less broad. They're worried that as it's written right now it gives the president too much power and too broad of a range. So they want to try to make it more specific, perhaps mention the United Nations in the language of that resolution, spell out that the U.N. has to act and fail before the United States could then take action against Iraq -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kate, what about the timing of this, politically, six weeks before the elections? It seems like the Democrats are having some trouble trying to control the agenda here at all, all Iraq, all the time, when I think the Democrats might like to talk about the economy a little bit more.
SNOW: They would. In fact it was interesting, yesterday, Senator Daschle, the leader in the Senate, came out and did his normal press conference that he does every Tuesday, and he started by talking about economic numbers, unemployment numbers. That's clearly where he wants the focus to be. And then he was asked about the timing. And he said look, we want to get this done. He said we don't want six weeks of all Iraq, all the time. He said not that it's not important, but they feel like the debate needs to happen quickly and be over with well before the elections so that it doesn't become politicized.
Senator Daschle also picking up on something Vice President Cheney did on Monday. Cheney was campaigning for a House candidate out in Kansas and apparently mentioned the war on the campaign trail and Daschle saying that's inappropriate. You can't politicize this war. It's not a political issue, it's one that we have to resolve before the elections -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kate Snow on Capitol Hill. Kate, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Hearing>
Aired September 25, 2002 - 10:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And now we turn to the latest on Iraq. The Bush administration's showdown with Iraq gets more scrutiny on Capitol Hill this morning. The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing this hour. Former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger and former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, they're there. They are scheduled to testify.
Our congressional correspondent Kate Snow is on Capitol Hill with more on that.
Kate, good morning.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
This hearing started about a half an hour ago, and we've just heard the opening statement from Sandy Berger, the former national security adviser to President Clinton. Dr. Schlesinger is talking right now, the former defense secretary under both Nixon and Ford.
In his opening statement, Mr. Berger talked about the threat that Saddam Hussein and Iraq posses. He said the Iraqi regime does pose a threat. But he went on to say that his view is that the way to deal with that threat is to continue to push for a United Nations resolution that would make it clear that "the world" -- in his words -- "not just the United States and the United Kingdom, expect compliance and expect that weapons inspectors will be let in with unfettered access." He also urged the Congress to adopt a resolution, but he said that he had hoped that resolution could be sharpened before it is adopted in a bipartisan fashion.
So you're hearing another voice there in Sandy Berger, who you see there live right now, another voice saying urging for United Nations and multilateral action as opposed to unilateral action. That's something that was echoed by the chairman of this committee, Senator Carl Levin, who spoke in his opening statement taking on the administration in a way saying that he believes that we have to go to the world community before the United States acts alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES CHAIRMAN: I, too, believe that we should focus on mobilizing the world community to give Saddam Hussein a clear ultimatum to disarm and comply with U.N. Council resolutions or face military action by a multinational U.N. authorized coalition of member states to compel compliance. I also believe that we should not announce to the world at this time that we will follow a unilateral go-it-alone policy if the U.N. does not act. Telling friends and potential allies at the time that we're seeking their support that it's our way or the highway will divide the world not unite it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now Senator Levin picking up on some of the comments that President Bush has been making that unilateral action could be taken if it comes to that. Senator Levin, Daryn, has been one of those senators, Democrats, who have been working on possibly changing the language of the congressional resolution that they're looking at now. Remember the White House sent up some language last week, a draft of that resolution. Levin and others are talking about making it less broad. They're worried that as it's written right now it gives the president too much power and too broad of a range. So they want to try to make it more specific, perhaps mention the United Nations in the language of that resolution, spell out that the U.N. has to act and fail before the United States could then take action against Iraq -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kate, what about the timing of this, politically, six weeks before the elections? It seems like the Democrats are having some trouble trying to control the agenda here at all, all Iraq, all the time, when I think the Democrats might like to talk about the economy a little bit more.
SNOW: They would. In fact it was interesting, yesterday, Senator Daschle, the leader in the Senate, came out and did his normal press conference that he does every Tuesday, and he started by talking about economic numbers, unemployment numbers. That's clearly where he wants the focus to be. And then he was asked about the timing. And he said look, we want to get this done. He said we don't want six weeks of all Iraq, all the time. He said not that it's not important, but they feel like the debate needs to happen quickly and be over with well before the elections so that it doesn't become politicized.
Senator Daschle also picking up on something Vice President Cheney did on Monday. Cheney was campaigning for a House candidate out in Kansas and apparently mentioned the war on the campaign trail and Daschle saying that's inappropriate. You can't politicize this war. It's not a political issue, it's one that we have to resolve before the elections -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Kate Snow on Capitol Hill. Kate, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Hearing>
