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American Morning
Interview With Mark Mellman
Aired February 12, 2004 - 09:08 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: John Kerry goes back to work today after a rare day off from campaigning. The Kerry camp is now in defense mode concerning a photograph of Jane Fonda at a 1970 anti-war rally that shows Kerry in the background. Fonda tells CNN any attempt to suggest an association between the two at the time is just hog wash.
Mark Mellman is a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign. He joins us from Washington. Nice to see you, Mr. Mellman. Thanks for being with us.
MARK MELLMAN, SENIOR KERRY ADVISER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with this photograph taken in a 1970s anti- war rally. Jane Fonda sitting in the foreground. Several rows behind a little bit to her right is John Kerry. When you first heard that this photograph had surfaced, what was your reaction?
MELLMAN: The reality is John Kerry went to Vietnam, served his country for four years. Won medals for bravery on the battlefield. Was wounded himself.
For this picture to come out, taken two years before Jane Fonda went to Hanoi, showing John Kerry several rows away from Jane Fonda is just the kind if scurrilous, negative politics that Americans hate.
You know George Bush came to Washington saying he wanted to change the tone of politics in this country. If he's really serious about that, he ought to condemn this kind of campaigning instead of allowing his minions to put out this kind of scurrilous, negative attack.
O'BRIEN: That photo was published in a newspaper, but where do you believe it came from?
MELLMAN: You know I don't know where it came from. But I'd like to see the president and his people condemn that kind of campaign activity.
O'BRIEN: Many people say it's an indication of just how testy that this race is going to get. And in fact, when it comes to the issue of military records we saw Secretary of State Colin Powell responding to questions about the budget taking some questions as well about President Bush's military record.
So first let's listen to an exchange between the secretary and also Congressman Brown of Ohio. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: First of all, Mr. Brown, I won't dignify your comments about the president because you don't know what you're talking about.
Second, let me get to the points that you were raising.
REP. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean, Mr. Secretary.
POWELL: You made reference to the president --
BROWN: Said he may have been AWOL.
POWELL: Mr. Brown, let's not go there. You know let's just not go there. Let's not go there in this hearing.
If you want to have a political fight on this matter, that is very controversial and I think is being dealt with by the White House, fine. But let's not go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: How big of an issue do you believe military service should be?
MELLMAN: Well, the reality is there are a lot of important issues in this campaign, a lot of important differences between John Kerry and George Bush on issues like keeping jobs in the United States versus outsourcing, on reducing health care cost versus the Bush administration who wants to give subsidies, tax payers' money to HMOs and drug companies.
What John Kerry has said very clearly and very explicitly this issue is not one he chooses to raise.
O'BRIEN: He also said, though -- other people around him, though, have made it an issue and have raised it. And in fact, at one point John Kerry did specifically speak to the issue when he said that they're having some evidence is not indicative of actually having served. An honorable discharge doesn't necessarily mean that you were there.
So sometimes he comments on it to some degree. Other times it seems that he steps back and allows other people to comment on it.
MELLMAN: The truth is, the people that are commenting on it are not people that are affiliated with our campaign. They may be people who are supporting John Kerry, they may not be. People are talking about it.
But John Kerry said very clearly and very explicitly that he's not choosing to make this an issue. He's my boss so I don't make it an issue either. O'BRIEN: With the last seconds we have left, Howard Dean says that your candidate engages in politically corrupt fund raisers and has many other areas which he is blasting Senator Kerry. What are your responses to that?
MELLMAN: Well you know Howard Dean is an increasingly desperate candidate. Again, these kind of scurrilous negative attacks really don't have any place in our process.
The reality is John Kerry stood up to special interests over and over again, stood up to oil companies to prevent drilling in Alaska, stood up to drug companies to prevent give aways -- taxpayer give aways to those drug companies.
When it really counts John Kerry's been on the side of the American people. And I think Howard Dean really knows that. I think he's just trying to score political points.
O'BRIEN: Mark Mellman is a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign, joining us this morning. Thanks a lot.
MELLMAN: 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, 2004 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: John Kerry goes back to work today after a rare day off from campaigning. The Kerry camp is now in defense mode concerning a photograph of Jane Fonda at a 1970 anti-war rally that shows Kerry in the background. Fonda tells CNN any attempt to suggest an association between the two at the time is just hog wash.
Mark Mellman is a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign. He joins us from Washington. Nice to see you, Mr. Mellman. Thanks for being with us.
MARK MELLMAN, SENIOR KERRY ADVISER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with this photograph taken in a 1970s anti- war rally. Jane Fonda sitting in the foreground. Several rows behind a little bit to her right is John Kerry. When you first heard that this photograph had surfaced, what was your reaction?
MELLMAN: The reality is John Kerry went to Vietnam, served his country for four years. Won medals for bravery on the battlefield. Was wounded himself.
For this picture to come out, taken two years before Jane Fonda went to Hanoi, showing John Kerry several rows away from Jane Fonda is just the kind if scurrilous, negative politics that Americans hate.
You know George Bush came to Washington saying he wanted to change the tone of politics in this country. If he's really serious about that, he ought to condemn this kind of campaigning instead of allowing his minions to put out this kind of scurrilous, negative attack.
O'BRIEN: That photo was published in a newspaper, but where do you believe it came from?
MELLMAN: You know I don't know where it came from. But I'd like to see the president and his people condemn that kind of campaign activity.
O'BRIEN: Many people say it's an indication of just how testy that this race is going to get. And in fact, when it comes to the issue of military records we saw Secretary of State Colin Powell responding to questions about the budget taking some questions as well about President Bush's military record.
So first let's listen to an exchange between the secretary and also Congressman Brown of Ohio. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: First of all, Mr. Brown, I won't dignify your comments about the president because you don't know what you're talking about.
Second, let me get to the points that you were raising.
REP. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean, Mr. Secretary.
POWELL: You made reference to the president --
BROWN: Said he may have been AWOL.
POWELL: Mr. Brown, let's not go there. You know let's just not go there. Let's not go there in this hearing.
If you want to have a political fight on this matter, that is very controversial and I think is being dealt with by the White House, fine. But let's not go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: How big of an issue do you believe military service should be?
MELLMAN: Well, the reality is there are a lot of important issues in this campaign, a lot of important differences between John Kerry and George Bush on issues like keeping jobs in the United States versus outsourcing, on reducing health care cost versus the Bush administration who wants to give subsidies, tax payers' money to HMOs and drug companies.
What John Kerry has said very clearly and very explicitly this issue is not one he chooses to raise.
O'BRIEN: He also said, though -- other people around him, though, have made it an issue and have raised it. And in fact, at one point John Kerry did specifically speak to the issue when he said that they're having some evidence is not indicative of actually having served. An honorable discharge doesn't necessarily mean that you were there.
So sometimes he comments on it to some degree. Other times it seems that he steps back and allows other people to comment on it.
MELLMAN: The truth is, the people that are commenting on it are not people that are affiliated with our campaign. They may be people who are supporting John Kerry, they may not be. People are talking about it.
But John Kerry said very clearly and very explicitly that he's not choosing to make this an issue. He's my boss so I don't make it an issue either. O'BRIEN: With the last seconds we have left, Howard Dean says that your candidate engages in politically corrupt fund raisers and has many other areas which he is blasting Senator Kerry. What are your responses to that?
MELLMAN: Well you know Howard Dean is an increasingly desperate candidate. Again, these kind of scurrilous negative attacks really don't have any place in our process.
The reality is John Kerry stood up to special interests over and over again, stood up to oil companies to prevent drilling in Alaska, stood up to drug companies to prevent give aways -- taxpayer give aways to those drug companies.
When it really counts John Kerry's been on the side of the American people. And I think Howard Dean really knows that. I think he's just trying to score political points.
O'BRIEN: Mark Mellman is a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign, joining us this morning. Thanks a lot.
MELLMAN: 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
