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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Did Colin Powell Make his Case?

Aired February 06, 2003 - 06:35   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: We want to wake up our political analyst, Bill Schneider, right now to talk more about this.
Bill Schneider, are you on the phone?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm here.

COSTELLO: You're awake?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, I am.

COSTELLO: And spunky, I hope.

SCHNEIDER: We'll have to see about that.

COSTELLO: OK. Mr. Powell's presentation was very dramatic and very powerful, but was it enough?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think it definitely achieved one big thing that he had to do. It shifted the burden of proof from the United States and its allies to Iraq. In the comments of the Russians, the Chinese, even the French, they accepted the view that Powell was promoting, that Iraq is guilty. They are not disarming. And that means that the United States has proved something, but Iraq now has the burden of proving that it is committed to disarmament, because the clear evidence from Powell's statement is, Iraq is not disarming. So, I think that is a big achievement.

COSTELLO: What will Colin Powell do now? I know he's to meet with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. What will he tell them?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think he will repeat a lot of what he said, and he will elaborate I think to them more than to the U.N., the answer to the question on American's minds, which is: Why now?

I thought the most important statement that he made yesterday was his answer to that question. He said, should we take the risk that Saddam will not someday use these weapons at a time and place of his choosing when the world is in a weaker position to respond? In other words, should we wait until he commits an atrocity? The lesson of 9/11 is, no, we can't wait.

The American people need to hear that clearly and definitively, and I think he'll elaborate on that point to the Senate.

COSTELLO: You know, something interesting, Bill, and I don't know if you know this, but you probably do, because you seem to know everything. Donald Rumsfeld is going on an eight-city tour, along with Richard Armitage, and they're going to appear on local television stations in big cities across the country to try to convince the American people of the U.S. policy on Iraq.

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's right. Americans are still wary of war, and I think that's because they haven't yet heard the answer to the question: Why now? Powell's answer was the one I just quoted. We can't wait until Saddam commits an atrocity.

And the argument is, this kind of preemptive war may be necessary because of our experience of 9/11. In fact, Senator Joe Biden yesterday, when he was talking about Powell's comments, said the war would not be preemptive, it would be an act of enforcement, because now that Powell has clearly demonstrated Iraq is not disarming under the U.N.'s orders to disarm, which have been in place for 12 years, resorting to force would simply be enforcing the common will of humanity as expressed by the U.N.

COSTELLO: All right, Bill Schneider, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK. We 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 February 6, 2003 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to wake up our political analyst, Bill Schneider, right now to talk more about this.
Bill Schneider, are you on the phone?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm here.

COSTELLO: You're awake?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, I am.

COSTELLO: And spunky, I hope.

SCHNEIDER: We'll have to see about that.

COSTELLO: OK. Mr. Powell's presentation was very dramatic and very powerful, but was it enough?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think it definitely achieved one big thing that he had to do. It shifted the burden of proof from the United States and its allies to Iraq. In the comments of the Russians, the Chinese, even the French, they accepted the view that Powell was promoting, that Iraq is guilty. They are not disarming. And that means that the United States has proved something, but Iraq now has the burden of proving that it is committed to disarmament, because the clear evidence from Powell's statement is, Iraq is not disarming. So, I think that is a big achievement.

COSTELLO: What will Colin Powell do now? I know he's to meet with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. What will he tell them?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think he will repeat a lot of what he said, and he will elaborate I think to them more than to the U.N., the answer to the question on American's minds, which is: Why now?

I thought the most important statement that he made yesterday was his answer to that question. He said, should we take the risk that Saddam will not someday use these weapons at a time and place of his choosing when the world is in a weaker position to respond? In other words, should we wait until he commits an atrocity? The lesson of 9/11 is, no, we can't wait.

The American people need to hear that clearly and definitively, and I think he'll elaborate on that point to the Senate.

COSTELLO: You know, something interesting, Bill, and I don't know if you know this, but you probably do, because you seem to know everything. Donald Rumsfeld is going on an eight-city tour, along with Richard Armitage, and they're going to appear on local television stations in big cities across the country to try to convince the American people of the U.S. policy on Iraq.

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's right. Americans are still wary of war, and I think that's because they haven't yet heard the answer to the question: Why now? Powell's answer was the one I just quoted. We can't wait until Saddam commits an atrocity.

And the argument is, this kind of preemptive war may be necessary because of our experience of 9/11. In fact, Senator Joe Biden yesterday, when he was talking about Powell's comments, said the war would not be preemptive, it would be an act of enforcement, because now that Powell has clearly demonstrated Iraq is not disarming under the U.N.'s orders to disarm, which have been in place for 12 years, resorting to force would simply be enforcing the common will of humanity as expressed by the U.N.

COSTELLO: All right, Bill Schneider, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK. We 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