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American Morning
Bush Faces Challenges After Return from Crawford
Aired September 30, 2002 - 07:31 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is monitoring the U.S. meetings in Vienna very closely this morning, but its skepticism remains very high as it continues to make the case at home and abroad to back up inspections with the threat of force.
Kelly Wallace is standing by at the White House. She joins us now with more -- good morning, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, a number of challenges facing President Bush as he returns to the White House later today after spending the weekend at his Crawford, Texas ranch. Number one for the president, convincing still skeptical allies -- France, China and Russia, all with veto power on the U.N. Security Council -- to support a tough new U.N. resolution which basically sets up a 30 day timetable for Iraq to comply with U.N. disarmament demands and threats military action of Iraq does not comply.
The challenge though, here, one of the president's top envoys has been in Beijing and Paris and Moscow and so far all three capitals still cool to this new resolution idea.
The second challenge for the president, getting a congressional resolution which would give the president the authority to use military force to deal with Saddam Hussein. Now, White House and congressional negotiators expected to continue talking, debate on resolutions likely to take place this week and a prominent Republican saying yesterday on CNN's "Late Edition" that ultimately the president will get what he wants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe you will see at the end of this coming week or early in the next week an overwhelming majority support vote in both houses of Congress to support the president if we have to go in and orchestrate a regime change militarily, a significantly majority vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And the president over the weekend in his radio address said that he hoped to get a resolution passed soon. The strategy for this administration, it hopes that Congress will pass this resolution and that will send a message to skeptical U.N. allies that if the U.N. does not deal with Saddam Hussein, the U.S. and its allies will go ahead and do it -- Paula. ZAHN: Kelly, could you share with us some behind-the-scenes conversations that are taking place as everybody tries to cobble together a compromise here?
WALLACE: Exactly, that is the key. And you heard that a little bit from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sort of put out there that there is a possibility of s compromise. You know, France has been talking about having two resolutions, number one, calling for inspectors to get inside Iraq, and then a second resolution down the road if the Iraqis do not comply.
So the sense we're getting is there are, there is room for compromise. The hope, though, from the United States and from Britain is that there is this new resolution. But still an uphill battle getting one -- Paula.
ZAHN: Kelly, thanks so much.
Appreciate it.
It is football season, of course, and we're heading into the peak political season. So what better time to get our Monday morning quarterbacking into action? Sunday is, of course, a big day on the talk show circuit and what news makers say there is often the stuff of front pages everywhere on Monday.
And starting today, senior analyst Jeff Greenfield will be here at about this time to offer his take on the byplay.
Jeff joins us now.
Good morning.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, we'll see if Colin Powell can beat the spread, as we say in the football term. But the dominant topic, as you know, was, of course, Iraq. And the dissenters had their first say. Vermont Governor Howard Dean, the only announced presidential contender, weighed in with his criticism of the president and from Iraq a couple of Democratic congressmen, the same ones you just had on, Paula, continue to pound away at the president's policies.
Washington State's James McDermott, who has previously suggested that this would be a war for oil, argued again for giving Iraq a chance to cooperate with the weapons inspectors, said the president might be misleading the American people and this drew a very tough response on ABC's "This Week" from Republican Senate Whip Don Nickles of Oklahoma.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DON NICKLES (R), OKLAHOMA: I'm really troubled by what I just heard. Congressman McDermott said well, I think the president would mislead the American people. And basically he's taking Saddam Hussein's lines. They both sound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government. (END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: But, as if to illustrate the divided nature of the Democratic Party on the Iraq issue, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, on CBS's "Face The Nation" was far more temperate than Congressman McDermott. He suggested there might well be a congressional resolution and also suggested that at some point unilateral U.S. action might well be necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: If the United Nations just turns its back on this -- and I think that would be a huge mistake for the United Nations -- if it walks away from this and says we're just not going to do anything about it, then I don't think we have any choice but to act here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, just as Senator Dodd was much more conciliatory than Congressman Bonior or McDermott, Senate Republican leader Trent Lott was pouring a little oil on the troubled partisan waters of last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MINORITY LEADER: As senators, every now and then, we're human beings. We get a little fired up. But as the week went on, on Thursday and Friday, Senator Daschle and I were talking about the process and the wording, how do we get this job done? Some people think we're probably feuding now and not even talking. It's just not true. You've got to do your job. And we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, these temperate tones of Senators Dodd and Lott reflect, I think, a very powerful sense of uncertainty, both about where a confrontation might lead and how the public might respond to it.
Now, I have to add one more critically significant piece of television from yesterday. There was no "Meet The Press" yesterday. Why? Because viewers were watching an event that at least within some segments of the American male population in particular was of far more concern than war and peace or the economy, the Ryder Cup golf tournament. Paula, we have no word yet on how Europe's victory over America could affect Washington's attempt to forge a broad coalition of allies. We'll keep our eye on this for you.
ZAHN: We're counting on you to do just that.
GREENFIELD: That's right.
ZAHN: Lots of competition for American families yesterday, Ryder Cup, the most spectacular day probably the Northeast has seen in ages and then the Sunday talk shows.
GREENFIELD: And football, this is the season, as Russell Baker once said, that the networks declare total sport on the American viewing public. So between that and actually getting outdoors and living a life, there was a lot to do on Sunday. We'll be keeping a watch.
ZAHN: Thanks for helping us out.
GREENFIELD: All right.
ZAHN: Our quarterback, Jeff Greenfield. Appreciate it.
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 30, 2002 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is monitoring the U.S. meetings in Vienna very closely this morning, but its skepticism remains very high as it continues to make the case at home and abroad to back up inspections with the threat of force.
Kelly Wallace is standing by at the White House. She joins us now with more -- good morning, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, a number of challenges facing President Bush as he returns to the White House later today after spending the weekend at his Crawford, Texas ranch. Number one for the president, convincing still skeptical allies -- France, China and Russia, all with veto power on the U.N. Security Council -- to support a tough new U.N. resolution which basically sets up a 30 day timetable for Iraq to comply with U.N. disarmament demands and threats military action of Iraq does not comply.
The challenge though, here, one of the president's top envoys has been in Beijing and Paris and Moscow and so far all three capitals still cool to this new resolution idea.
The second challenge for the president, getting a congressional resolution which would give the president the authority to use military force to deal with Saddam Hussein. Now, White House and congressional negotiators expected to continue talking, debate on resolutions likely to take place this week and a prominent Republican saying yesterday on CNN's "Late Edition" that ultimately the president will get what he wants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe you will see at the end of this coming week or early in the next week an overwhelming majority support vote in both houses of Congress to support the president if we have to go in and orchestrate a regime change militarily, a significantly majority vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And the president over the weekend in his radio address said that he hoped to get a resolution passed soon. The strategy for this administration, it hopes that Congress will pass this resolution and that will send a message to skeptical U.N. allies that if the U.N. does not deal with Saddam Hussein, the U.S. and its allies will go ahead and do it -- Paula. ZAHN: Kelly, could you share with us some behind-the-scenes conversations that are taking place as everybody tries to cobble together a compromise here?
WALLACE: Exactly, that is the key. And you heard that a little bit from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who sort of put out there that there is a possibility of s compromise. You know, France has been talking about having two resolutions, number one, calling for inspectors to get inside Iraq, and then a second resolution down the road if the Iraqis do not comply.
So the sense we're getting is there are, there is room for compromise. The hope, though, from the United States and from Britain is that there is this new resolution. But still an uphill battle getting one -- Paula.
ZAHN: Kelly, thanks so much.
Appreciate it.
It is football season, of course, and we're heading into the peak political season. So what better time to get our Monday morning quarterbacking into action? Sunday is, of course, a big day on the talk show circuit and what news makers say there is often the stuff of front pages everywhere on Monday.
And starting today, senior analyst Jeff Greenfield will be here at about this time to offer his take on the byplay.
Jeff joins us now.
Good morning.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, we'll see if Colin Powell can beat the spread, as we say in the football term. But the dominant topic, as you know, was, of course, Iraq. And the dissenters had their first say. Vermont Governor Howard Dean, the only announced presidential contender, weighed in with his criticism of the president and from Iraq a couple of Democratic congressmen, the same ones you just had on, Paula, continue to pound away at the president's policies.
Washington State's James McDermott, who has previously suggested that this would be a war for oil, argued again for giving Iraq a chance to cooperate with the weapons inspectors, said the president might be misleading the American people and this drew a very tough response on ABC's "This Week" from Republican Senate Whip Don Nickles of Oklahoma.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DON NICKLES (R), OKLAHOMA: I'm really troubled by what I just heard. Congressman McDermott said well, I think the president would mislead the American people. And basically he's taking Saddam Hussein's lines. They both sound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government. (END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: But, as if to illustrate the divided nature of the Democratic Party on the Iraq issue, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, on CBS's "Face The Nation" was far more temperate than Congressman McDermott. He suggested there might well be a congressional resolution and also suggested that at some point unilateral U.S. action might well be necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: If the United Nations just turns its back on this -- and I think that would be a huge mistake for the United Nations -- if it walks away from this and says we're just not going to do anything about it, then I don't think we have any choice but to act here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, just as Senator Dodd was much more conciliatory than Congressman Bonior or McDermott, Senate Republican leader Trent Lott was pouring a little oil on the troubled partisan waters of last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MINORITY LEADER: As senators, every now and then, we're human beings. We get a little fired up. But as the week went on, on Thursday and Friday, Senator Daschle and I were talking about the process and the wording, how do we get this job done? Some people think we're probably feuding now and not even talking. It's just not true. You've got to do your job. And we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GREENFIELD: Now, these temperate tones of Senators Dodd and Lott reflect, I think, a very powerful sense of uncertainty, both about where a confrontation might lead and how the public might respond to it.
Now, I have to add one more critically significant piece of television from yesterday. There was no "Meet The Press" yesterday. Why? Because viewers were watching an event that at least within some segments of the American male population in particular was of far more concern than war and peace or the economy, the Ryder Cup golf tournament. Paula, we have no word yet on how Europe's victory over America could affect Washington's attempt to forge a broad coalition of allies. We'll keep our eye on this for you.
ZAHN: We're counting on you to do just that.
GREENFIELD: That's right.
ZAHN: Lots of competition for American families yesterday, Ryder Cup, the most spectacular day probably the Northeast has seen in ages and then the Sunday talk shows.
GREENFIELD: And football, this is the season, as Russell Baker once said, that the networks declare total sport on the American viewing public. So between that and actually getting outdoors and living a life, there was a lot to do on Sunday. We'll be keeping a watch.
ZAHN: Thanks for helping us out.
GREENFIELD: All right.
ZAHN: Our quarterback, Jeff Greenfield. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
