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American Morning

Interview with Rep. Bob Ney

Aired March 12, 2003 - 07:28   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to Washington right now. The refusal of France to support the U.S. in Iraq triggering a symbolic protest. Instead of offering French fries, some restaurants across the country are now calling them freedom fries. That message also being heard in Washington, now being served in congressional cafeterias, freedom fries, and instead of French toast, you can get freedom toast.
Ohio Congressman Bob Ney heads a committee that has the authority over the cafeterias in the three House office buildings and he has helped lead the charge to change the name.

Sir, Good morning to you.

REP. BOB NEY (R), OHIO: Good morning.

How are you?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine.

I know you speak French fluently. You come from French descent and you trace your ancestry to France.

What's the statement you're trying to make by leading this?

NEY: Well, I'm not fluent, but I try my best, which hopefully is acceptable in France.

Walter Jones came to me and he has a little diner in Buford, North Carolina called Cubby's. They did this. He wrote me a letter. I thought it was a great idea. I had the authority to do it. And it's a symbolic gesture. But you know it's important to veterans and we're just trying to say, you know, we have nothing against French people or the French language. However, we're angry at the French government and we're sending a message to our troops. Look, this is the nation's capital. We passed a resolution giving the president the authority to go in if he needed to, which, of course, our troops are responding to that call if they need to do it. And it needs to be a symbolic gesture.

Walter Jones, the congressman from North Carolina, had a great idea. We did it. And today you can have your toast, just make sure it's freedom toast.

HEMMER: Well, listen, there's a worker in that House cafeteria serving some of that freedom toast. He calls your idea ludicrous. Others suggest that it's a bit silly right now to be pulling word games at a time of war.

What do you say to those who say this idea is, for lack of a better phrase...

NEY: Well, you know what?

HEMMER: ... ludicrous and silly?

NEY: I've had veterans call from all over the country, I've had local councils, I've had people from state governments call. They think it's a good idea. It's not ludicrous. We in the nation's capital need to send a signal. We need to tell our troops we're with you. This is symbolic. Walter knows that. I know it. But I think it's a wonderful gesture and our veterans are very proud. If somebody thinks it's ludicrous, they can go privately eat their French toast. We're going to eat our freedom toast.

HEMMER: I've got you there.

Listen, one more point here. We're hearing stories in New Jersey and California, Illinois, a grocery store in Illinois, they've thrown out the Evian water, the Dijon mustard and the brie cheese. Tom DeLay, a colleague of yours, says there's no need to retaliate like this, the French have isolated themselves already pretty well.

Does he have a point, sir?

NEY: Oh, Tom DeLay is a good friend of mine and, you know, he has a point. Again, we're not trying to pass some trade sanction on the floor. We're doing a gesture. Tom DeLay believes in those gestures and -- but I think he's correct. I mean we're not going to officially pass anything. And I think the French have done it to themselves as a government.

HEMMER: One of our producers wants to know what you're going to do with the French kiss? Tongue in cheek.

NEY: I won't touch that.

HEMMER: Thank you, sir.

NEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: Bob Ney, representative from Ohio.

Thanks for sharing with us today.

NEY: 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 March 12, 2003 - 07:28   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to Washington right now. The refusal of France to support the U.S. in Iraq triggering a symbolic protest. Instead of offering French fries, some restaurants across the country are now calling them freedom fries. That message also being heard in Washington, now being served in congressional cafeterias, freedom fries, and instead of French toast, you can get freedom toast.
Ohio Congressman Bob Ney heads a committee that has the authority over the cafeterias in the three House office buildings and he has helped lead the charge to change the name.

Sir, Good morning to you.

REP. BOB NEY (R), OHIO: Good morning.

How are you?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine.

I know you speak French fluently. You come from French descent and you trace your ancestry to France.

What's the statement you're trying to make by leading this?

NEY: Well, I'm not fluent, but I try my best, which hopefully is acceptable in France.

Walter Jones came to me and he has a little diner in Buford, North Carolina called Cubby's. They did this. He wrote me a letter. I thought it was a great idea. I had the authority to do it. And it's a symbolic gesture. But you know it's important to veterans and we're just trying to say, you know, we have nothing against French people or the French language. However, we're angry at the French government and we're sending a message to our troops. Look, this is the nation's capital. We passed a resolution giving the president the authority to go in if he needed to, which, of course, our troops are responding to that call if they need to do it. And it needs to be a symbolic gesture.

Walter Jones, the congressman from North Carolina, had a great idea. We did it. And today you can have your toast, just make sure it's freedom toast.

HEMMER: Well, listen, there's a worker in that House cafeteria serving some of that freedom toast. He calls your idea ludicrous. Others suggest that it's a bit silly right now to be pulling word games at a time of war.

What do you say to those who say this idea is, for lack of a better phrase...

NEY: Well, you know what?

HEMMER: ... ludicrous and silly?

NEY: I've had veterans call from all over the country, I've had local councils, I've had people from state governments call. They think it's a good idea. It's not ludicrous. We in the nation's capital need to send a signal. We need to tell our troops we're with you. This is symbolic. Walter knows that. I know it. But I think it's a wonderful gesture and our veterans are very proud. If somebody thinks it's ludicrous, they can go privately eat their French toast. We're going to eat our freedom toast.

HEMMER: I've got you there.

Listen, one more point here. We're hearing stories in New Jersey and California, Illinois, a grocery store in Illinois, they've thrown out the Evian water, the Dijon mustard and the brie cheese. Tom DeLay, a colleague of yours, says there's no need to retaliate like this, the French have isolated themselves already pretty well.

Does he have a point, sir?

NEY: Oh, Tom DeLay is a good friend of mine and, you know, he has a point. Again, we're not trying to pass some trade sanction on the floor. We're doing a gesture. Tom DeLay believes in those gestures and -- but I think he's correct. I mean we're not going to officially pass anything. And I think the French have done it to themselves as a government.

HEMMER: One of our producers wants to know what you're going to do with the French kiss? Tongue in cheek.

NEY: I won't touch that.

HEMMER: Thank you, sir.

NEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: Bob Ney, representative from Ohio.

Thanks for sharing with us today.

NEY: 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