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American Morning

Interview with Rudy Giuliani

Aired February 12, 2003 - 07:42   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: In some ways, Rudy Giuliani's experiences, like those of many others who once left office, once controversial, now much admired. We all remember that he was a symbol of healing and strength on 9/11, leading New York and the nation through some very dark days. You might say he wrote the book on leadership. He has been a fixture on the best seller list for many weeks now.
Rudy Giuliani also faced a personal struggle with prostrate cancer while a candidate for the Senate, and is here this morning to talk about what Senator John Kerry faces in his battle with prostrate cancer; also to talk about the renewed threats of terrorism here at home.

Good to see you. How are you doing these days?

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: How are you feeling?

GIULIANI: I'm feeling great. Thank you.

ZAHN: Doctors say you're doing well?

GIULIANI: Yes, I'm doing very well.

ZAHN: I know you spoke with Senator John Kerry yesterday about the surgery he's going to have today. Are you able to share any of that conversation with us this morning?

GIULIANI: I empathized with him. I told him that those of us who have gone through this -- and he also said this -- have kind of a bond. I mean, we understand what you go through and the fears that you have and how you have to overcome them and figure out the treatment that you need.

And Senator Kerry is a good example to men, you know, to get an examination, get it early, keep getting it, and then you'll pick it up at an early stage, and you'll be able to do something about it.

That's the key to really curing prostrate cancer. It's men getting PSA tests and examinations, and then picking it up at an early stage. And then you have a number of therapies available, the operation, seed implantation, external radiation, hormones. And there are a lot of ways to deal with it to cure the disease.

ZAHN: I remember once talking to General Norman Schwarzkopf about his own battle with prostrate cancer.

GIULIANI: Sure.

ZAHN: And he said, here I am, I can train Marines, I can train soldiers, and he said, the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my life was convince men not to be intimidated by the PSA tests.

GIULIANI: Yes, it's...

ZAHN: Just a final thought before we move on about the importance of early detection.

GIULIANI: ... critically important.

ZAHN: It's not a fun test.

GIULIANI: The PSA test is just a blood test.

ZAHN: Right.

GIULIANI: They take blood out of you. It's no different than if you get tested for cholesterol.

ZAHN: But he was saying the digital exam...

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: The digital examination is a different thing. There's a psychological barrier. It's worth it; it's necessary. It's not nearly as bad as people think it is, and once you get used to it -- it's a way to keep you with your health, and then you...

ZAHN: It can save your life.

GIULIANI: You save your life. And you give yourself a great chance of being cured. You do it every year, then you'll pick it up at an early stage. You'll be able to track it, and you'll be able to cure it. And you know, and as we move ahead with these surgical procedures and medical procedures, probably, you know, the chances are even going to go up greater, so it's really worth doing it.

ZAHN: Yes, it's a very important message to hear.

Let's move on to what the American public is dealing with today. We have seen the level of threat rise to orange now, and there was an interesting survey that came out by the American -- or National League of Cities saying that about only a third of all cities even did anything after hearing the last time that the code had been raised. How concerned are you that particularly those cities are feeling financially strapped?

GIULIANI: I'm concerned for the country, because these warnings are all based on information, and the government does this for very, very serious reasons. At the same time, the individual risk is so diffused, it's very, very hard to give people advice about what to do about it. The risk for the country is great, the risk for the individual is small in any one place, because you don't know where it is.

So, you have to take reasonable precautions. Every city, every state, every large institution, business has to have a plan, has to have some idea of what you would do to try to prevent a terrorist attack, what you would do in the case of a terrorist attack. Those are very prudent things to do.

And then, the contradictory message, which is relax and go ahead with your life.

ZAHN: Yes.

GIULIANI: It's very hard. It's very hard. People have got to be more prepared, better prepared, doing a lot more, think about what to do. And then at the same time, since the risk is so broad and so diffused and the risk to any one individual small, although to the country great, go forward with your life. Don't let them psychologically gain some kind of an advantage over it.

ZAHN: But you acknowledge that's tough to do, when the government is telling you to buy duct tape, plastic sheets, batteries for radios, stock up on water, stock up on food.

GIULIANI: It is very, very difficult to do, and it's something we're going to have to get used to. It's something that's going to -- we're not going to be able to figure out how to do this, even the year-and-a-quarter that we've had to kind of deal with it. It's going to take a couple of years. It's a change in our culture in the way we have to -- the way we're more vulnerable. We feel more vulnerable. We are more vulnerable as the result of -- you're seeing on September 11 and things after that.

And at the same time, the risk is a generalized one. It helped me a lot on and after September 11 to think of the people of London who had to go through bombings, you know, during the battle of Britain in 1940...

ZAHN: Sure.

GIULIANI: ... and the people of Israel now. They've got to go forward with their lives, and we're not facing that. We're not -- thank goodness, at least at this point, we're not facing something like that.

ZAHN: How vulnerable do you think New York City is to this day?

GIULIANI: It's a cause of great concern. I mean, but you know, so is the whole country. There's no way -- so far at least, the information, although, you know, it's sufficient to create this kind of warning, is not specific enough to pinpoint where. If we knew where, then you could actually put even extra attention to that particular area. But right now, it's a very generalized warning, and I think it's being handled appropriately by the government, and they're dealing with it.

ZAHN: As I hear you speak today, I'm wondering if I hear any missing of public life in your language.

GIULIANI: Not yet, no. No, I know I will at some point, but it's only been a year and a couple of months that I've been out of office, and I'm having a very, very really fulfilling time, and the book and the business that I'm running, you know, has really -- has been an education for me. There's a whole new area to explore and to grow in, but I'm sure I'm going to want to be back directly in public life. But indirectly...

ZAHN: Like when? In what?

GIULIANI: Oh, in a couple of years. You know, we'll see.

ZAHN: And you're not going to tell us what job you're going to be in.

GIULIANI: Because I haven't figured it out yet.

ZAHN: When you figure it out, will you come back and tell us?

GIULIANI: When I figure it out, I'll come right here, Paula, and tell you about it.

ZAHN: Thank you. Great to see you looking so well, Mayor Giuliani.

GIULIANI: Thank you. Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Appreciate your dropping by.

GIULIANI: And good luck to you, John Kerry. We'll be praying for him.

ZAHN: Yes, everybody is rooting that he'll come out of this...

GIULIANI: Yes, absolutely.

ZAHN: ... whole and back to his normal sense of energy.

GIULIANI: He will.

ZAHN: Thank you.

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 12, 2003 - 07:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: In some ways, Rudy Giuliani's experiences, like those of many others who once left office, once controversial, now much admired. We all remember that he was a symbol of healing and strength on 9/11, leading New York and the nation through some very dark days. You might say he wrote the book on leadership. He has been a fixture on the best seller list for many weeks now.
Rudy Giuliani also faced a personal struggle with prostrate cancer while a candidate for the Senate, and is here this morning to talk about what Senator John Kerry faces in his battle with prostrate cancer; also to talk about the renewed threats of terrorism here at home.

Good to see you. How are you doing these days?

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: How are you feeling?

GIULIANI: I'm feeling great. Thank you.

ZAHN: Doctors say you're doing well?

GIULIANI: Yes, I'm doing very well.

ZAHN: I know you spoke with Senator John Kerry yesterday about the surgery he's going to have today. Are you able to share any of that conversation with us this morning?

GIULIANI: I empathized with him. I told him that those of us who have gone through this -- and he also said this -- have kind of a bond. I mean, we understand what you go through and the fears that you have and how you have to overcome them and figure out the treatment that you need.

And Senator Kerry is a good example to men, you know, to get an examination, get it early, keep getting it, and then you'll pick it up at an early stage, and you'll be able to do something about it.

That's the key to really curing prostrate cancer. It's men getting PSA tests and examinations, and then picking it up at an early stage. And then you have a number of therapies available, the operation, seed implantation, external radiation, hormones. And there are a lot of ways to deal with it to cure the disease.

ZAHN: I remember once talking to General Norman Schwarzkopf about his own battle with prostrate cancer.

GIULIANI: Sure.

ZAHN: And he said, here I am, I can train Marines, I can train soldiers, and he said, the toughest thing I've ever had to do in my life was convince men not to be intimidated by the PSA tests.

GIULIANI: Yes, it's...

ZAHN: Just a final thought before we move on about the importance of early detection.

GIULIANI: ... critically important.

ZAHN: It's not a fun test.

GIULIANI: The PSA test is just a blood test.

ZAHN: Right.

GIULIANI: They take blood out of you. It's no different than if you get tested for cholesterol.

ZAHN: But he was saying the digital exam...

(CROSSTALK)

GIULIANI: The digital examination is a different thing. There's a psychological barrier. It's worth it; it's necessary. It's not nearly as bad as people think it is, and once you get used to it -- it's a way to keep you with your health, and then you...

ZAHN: It can save your life.

GIULIANI: You save your life. And you give yourself a great chance of being cured. You do it every year, then you'll pick it up at an early stage. You'll be able to track it, and you'll be able to cure it. And you know, and as we move ahead with these surgical procedures and medical procedures, probably, you know, the chances are even going to go up greater, so it's really worth doing it.

ZAHN: Yes, it's a very important message to hear.

Let's move on to what the American public is dealing with today. We have seen the level of threat rise to orange now, and there was an interesting survey that came out by the American -- or National League of Cities saying that about only a third of all cities even did anything after hearing the last time that the code had been raised. How concerned are you that particularly those cities are feeling financially strapped?

GIULIANI: I'm concerned for the country, because these warnings are all based on information, and the government does this for very, very serious reasons. At the same time, the individual risk is so diffused, it's very, very hard to give people advice about what to do about it. The risk for the country is great, the risk for the individual is small in any one place, because you don't know where it is.

So, you have to take reasonable precautions. Every city, every state, every large institution, business has to have a plan, has to have some idea of what you would do to try to prevent a terrorist attack, what you would do in the case of a terrorist attack. Those are very prudent things to do.

And then, the contradictory message, which is relax and go ahead with your life.

ZAHN: Yes.

GIULIANI: It's very hard. It's very hard. People have got to be more prepared, better prepared, doing a lot more, think about what to do. And then at the same time, since the risk is so broad and so diffused and the risk to any one individual small, although to the country great, go forward with your life. Don't let them psychologically gain some kind of an advantage over it.

ZAHN: But you acknowledge that's tough to do, when the government is telling you to buy duct tape, plastic sheets, batteries for radios, stock up on water, stock up on food.

GIULIANI: It is very, very difficult to do, and it's something we're going to have to get used to. It's something that's going to -- we're not going to be able to figure out how to do this, even the year-and-a-quarter that we've had to kind of deal with it. It's going to take a couple of years. It's a change in our culture in the way we have to -- the way we're more vulnerable. We feel more vulnerable. We are more vulnerable as the result of -- you're seeing on September 11 and things after that.

And at the same time, the risk is a generalized one. It helped me a lot on and after September 11 to think of the people of London who had to go through bombings, you know, during the battle of Britain in 1940...

ZAHN: Sure.

GIULIANI: ... and the people of Israel now. They've got to go forward with their lives, and we're not facing that. We're not -- thank goodness, at least at this point, we're not facing something like that.

ZAHN: How vulnerable do you think New York City is to this day?

GIULIANI: It's a cause of great concern. I mean, but you know, so is the whole country. There's no way -- so far at least, the information, although, you know, it's sufficient to create this kind of warning, is not specific enough to pinpoint where. If we knew where, then you could actually put even extra attention to that particular area. But right now, it's a very generalized warning, and I think it's being handled appropriately by the government, and they're dealing with it.

ZAHN: As I hear you speak today, I'm wondering if I hear any missing of public life in your language.

GIULIANI: Not yet, no. No, I know I will at some point, but it's only been a year and a couple of months that I've been out of office, and I'm having a very, very really fulfilling time, and the book and the business that I'm running, you know, has really -- has been an education for me. There's a whole new area to explore and to grow in, but I'm sure I'm going to want to be back directly in public life. But indirectly...

ZAHN: Like when? In what?

GIULIANI: Oh, in a couple of years. You know, we'll see.

ZAHN: And you're not going to tell us what job you're going to be in.

GIULIANI: Because I haven't figured it out yet.

ZAHN: When you figure it out, will you come back and tell us?

GIULIANI: When I figure it out, I'll come right here, Paula, and tell you about it.

ZAHN: Thank you. Great to see you looking so well, Mayor Giuliani.

GIULIANI: Thank you. Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Appreciate your dropping by.

GIULIANI: And good luck to you, John Kerry. We'll be praying for him.

ZAHN: Yes, everybody is rooting that he'll come out of this...

GIULIANI: Yes, absolutely.

ZAHN: ... whole and back to his normal sense of energy.

GIULIANI: He will.

ZAHN: Thank you.

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