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President Obama Meets With Iraqi Prime Minister; McConnell and Boehner Call for President Obama to Scrap Current Bill for Health Care Reform
Aired July 22, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez with the next generation of news for new-geners. This is a conversation. It is not a speech. And it's your turn to get involved.
The conversation continues about whether the president of the United States is, in fact, a citizen of the United States. That president, by the way, is about to hold a joint news conference with Prime Minister al-Maliki of Iraq.
As soon as the two men come out, you will see what they have to say for yourself.
And, by the way, it's interesting to point out, this may be the first two -- first time the men will hold a joint news conference, and we are going to be covering it in full.
But back to this question about the president and his legitimacy as a citizen of the United States, today, on the House floor, at least one man stood up and addressed this, saying that maybe this is not something that should be talked about, at least not in this measure, even though there is now also a bill by four men who are sponsoring it to try and make sure that in the future the law is changed as to how people have to come forward to show that they are citizens or non- citizens.
Here now, I want you to hear from Bill Pascrell. He is the one I told you about moments who stood up on the House floor and made this statement. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BILL PASCRELL JR. (D), NEW JERSEY: I bring you a copy and I hold it up of his birth certificate, which has been authenticated in the state of Hawaii by the Department of Health.
And I also hold up an announcement in the newspaper in -- August the 14th. Yet, despite being proved categorically untrue, time and time again, this rumor stays alive because of tacit acknowledgment embodied in this legislation from legislators in this room, anything to bring the messenger down.
These rumors hurt America. They hurt the strength of our country. The fact that some members of the minority would embrace this hateful rhetoric stuns me. These allegations have no grounding in fact. And this bill is nothing more than a shameful ploy to stir up fear and dissension in the minds of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: OK, what bill is he talking about?
Well, that bill I told you about just a little while ago. We did some research on it after talking to my colleague yesterday who had told me about it. Here it is. It's HR-1503.
My colleague is Mark Preston. He's good enough to join us once again.
What is HR-1503, if you would, Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Rick, what it is, it is a bill that doesn't address the situation that we're seeing right now about whether President Obama is in fact a citizen or not a citizen.
What it does is, going forward, it is requiring any candidate who is running for president to show proof that in fact he or she is a citizen.
SANCHEZ: It is interesting, because I had a conversation just a little while ago. I want you to listen to this. And we have got Roland Martin who is going to be joining us in just a little bit. I would like to see his take because I know he has been blogging about it.
I talked to Tom Coburn, Senator Dr. Tom Coburn from Oklahoma. We were talking about the health care provisions. But I also asked him about this, because he is telling me now that he would be willing to vote for this, although he also told me in the same breath that he believes that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, is a citizen of the United States. Here is the conversation now in its entirety.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: What we need is bills that bring us together, not things that divide us. So, this is about the future. It is not about now. It is about the future.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Doesn't this really divide Americans? Doesn't this feed into this whole crazy notion that some Muslim guy from some African country is coming over to take us over, because he is not really...
(CROSSTALK)
COBURN: I don't think so at all.
(CROSSTALK)
COBURN: No, I don't think so. Look... SANCHEZ: You have seen these people. You don't think so?
COBURN: No.
Look, I have gotten a lot of letters on this. They are mad at me because I won't stand up and go after it right now.
SANCHEZ: I bet they are.
COBURN: I understand that. The point is, he was legitimately recognized by every secretary of state as having a valid...
(CROSSTALK)
COBURN: So, he is our president. And there is no question about it.
And all these bills are about the future.
SANCHEZ: Is there any question in your mind, because I here you keep saying...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: ... that he is a citizen in the United States.
COBURN: There is no question in my mind that he was born in Hawaii.
(CROSSTALK)
COBURN: You bet. There's no question in my mind.
SANCHEZ: That he is legitimately a citizen of the United States?
COBURN: You bet.
SANCHEZ: So when people call you, call your office and say, Senator Tom Coburn, why don't you join our -- I think they're called the Birthers -- why don't you join us, the Birthers, who are trying to remove this guy because he is an illegitimate president, you say to them what?
COBURN: Well, first of all, I say what I just said. He is recognized by all 50 states. They determined -- Oklahoma, my state, determined he was eligible. So, therefore, he is.
And I have no doubts that he was born here. The question really is, is, we need to build confidence in government, rather than tear it down. And this -- although these people are very serious, very worried, they think there is a conspiracy. And I can't -- you can't disprove a conspiracy on the basis of anything other than I have just said to you.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Well, you can. You can. You can show what I'm showing right now. You can show a birth certificate.
COBURN: Well, and that's what I have said.
(CROSSTALK)
COBURN: In my state and all 50 states, they do recognize that.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: You know what? I could show you right now and I can read it to you the announcement put in the Honolulu newspaper in 1964 on the day that he was born.
COBURN: I don't have any doubt.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Sorry, August 24, 1961.
COBURN: I have no doubt about that.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COBURN: The point is, how do we assure people for the future so we rebuild confidence? And so you make the standard a tougher standard. There is nothing wrong with that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Roland Martin is joining us well now.
Look, all he is saying, this is to avoid any conflict or controversies in the future, so let's put a new bill in.
You take -- you take him at his word?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No, that's stupid.
Oh, let's rebuild confidence. This is a small group of nutty people, OK? There are people right now, Rick, who don't believe the Holocaust happened -- Ahmadinejad, who runs Iran. There are people who do not believe we actually landed on the moon.
There are people who don't believe that John McCain is an American citizen. There are people who still to this day believe the Clintons were involved in killing Vince Foster. You deal with crazy people every election. You don't sit here and pass a bill for a small minority...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: ... people.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: No, look, they are admitting, though, Roland, that this bill has nothing to do with Barack Obama. That's what they say. They are saying this bill is for people in the future, so we don't have this kind of problem again.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: In the words of Joe Jackson, Bull-S. That's exactly what this is. OK? It is all about President Barack Obama.
And, so, come on. You know what? Senator Coburn, you have got a lot more stuff to deal with, especially when it comes to health care, than this silly story, which is nothing but a bunch of people who have nothing else to do who want to try to say, he is not a legitimate president. It's as simple as that.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Let's leave it right there for a break. You know what we are going to do, because we have the president coming up with Prime Minister al-Maliki as well? Mark Preston, I know you're chewing at the bit. You are the one who made me aware of this new bill that we're talking about today, a story that doesn't seem to want to go away. I want to bring you back into the conversation when we come back.
Roland Martin, always a spitfire, we will bring him in as well.
There is the shot that we are talking about of where the president will come but and talk to the prime minister.
Stay with us, because we are going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
Here is it, House Resolution 1503. It says that, in the future, presidents or candidates for the presidency are going to have to show not only 50 states all their documents that they are citizens of the United States, but also federal agencies as well.
Is it necessary? And Roland Martin, my colleague, just made a comment moments about the fact that this is just a small number of people.
I wonder, Mark Preston, if it really is just a small number of people, given that there is now a House Resolution 1503, and given that there are broadcasters out there on the radio and even on television who are telling people or insisting that the president prove this to his constituency, the nation.
PRESTON: Rick, this is the story that seems to not want to go away. We have been talking about this for over a year right now.
This was actually brought up about John McCain back in the presidential election. Was he, in fact, a citizen of the United States? Look, I am not going to question people's motivations, but I think you can make an educated guess and say that the folks out there right now who are saying that President Obama is not a citizen either don't like President Obama personally or they don't like his policies.
As for this legislation now, there are only nine co-sponsors. The head cosponsor, Bill Posey out of Florida, is not pushing this bill, so to speak. He introduced it. It's now sitting in a House committee. The chances of this really being addressed and hitting the House floor, I think, are probably zilch to zero.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: Rick...
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Go ahead.
MARTIN: ... do you know how much bills are introduced every day that will never see the light of day? This is one of them.
And let me tell you something. All those individuals in the U.S. -- in the military who are refusing their orders because they, themselves, are questioning whether he is president, they should be dishonorably discharged for disobeying a direct order from the commander in chief. This is absolute nonsense.
SANCHEZ: But, to a certain extent, they are feeding off their constituency. And here is one of the constituents just the other day.
This is Delaware Congressman Castle trying to talk about health care reform at a town hall meeting in his town, when this woman jumps up and she seems to get the support of everybody else in the audience. Let's watch that.
MARTIN: Nut job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to go back to January 20, and I want to know why are you people ignoring his birth certificate.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is not an American citizen. He is a citizen of Kenya.
REP. MIKE CASTLE (R), DELAWARE: If you're referring to the president there, he is a citizen of the United States.
(CROSSTALK)
CASTLE: He is a citizen of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prove it.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: She goes on to say a couple of things that I found noteworthy. She mentions the fact that one of her relatives was in World War II. Well, interestingly enough, one of the president's relatives was also in World War II. And then she says these words: "I want my country back."
MARTIN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: What does that mean to you?
MARTIN: Yes. What that means is, how is this black guy all of a sudden running the country? What's going on?
Look, Mark said earlier you have some people who cannot get over the fact that he won. Real simple. Suck it up. He won. Take your shot in 2012. You might beat him.
But the bottom line is, it is ridiculous. And let me tell you something. On the left, there are also some nut jobs on the left. All this stuff about John McCain, that was ridiculous as well.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
MARTIN: Get over it. The election is over. You lost.
SANCHEZ: Yes, not to mention the fact that this country or the Bush administration blew up the Twin Towers on 9/11 because -- anyway, you could go on and on.
MARTIN: Another conspiracy theory.
SANCHEZ: Exactly. But look at this, all right? Here is a tweet right from the very top. These are people who are having a conversation with us from the left and the right, because is the national conversation every day at 3:00.
"You know, Rick, the president could just produce a full birth certificate," accent on full there, "like I have that details hospital, physician."
MARTIN: No.
SANCHEZ: Well, but let me show you -- let me tell viewers what he is talking about.
Here is the birth certificate, right? Robert, swing around and shoot this for me. All right, let me try and hold steady here. Are my hands pretty steady? You see what it says right there:? Certification of live birth. Some folks are saying, that is not a birth certificate, because it is a certification of live birth.
It sounds crazy, but that's the point they're making.
MARTIN: Here's the conversation, Rick. Here's the president. Here's my birth certificate. Oh, it's fake. It's not real. He doctored that. He got somebody to actually produce it. He will never be able to disprove a conspiracy theory. It never happens. They will simply come up with something else. So, you are the president. You don't address this. The president doesn't even stoop down to this kind of silly thing.
SANCHEZ: But, Mark, what are the politics of this?
PRESTON: Look, the politics are that the loudest folks in the political game are those on the very ends, the very liberals and the very conservatives. They are the ones who are the loudest. That's what we just saw happen to Mike Castle, who was that congressman who had to deal with that woman.
The fact of the matter is, Rick, at this point, let's just try to separate this legislation from the Birthers. Was it triggered by this whole thing about Barack Obama being a citizen? Yes, it was. But you know something? It doesn't say Barack Obama's name at all in the legislation. Let's just -- let's let Congress deal with the bill.
MARTIN: They won't even deal with it.
Look, Rick, you tell me that our process has worked for 43 presidents. And, all of the sudden, President Obama is in the White House. Oh, now, we need to have absolute proof.
We already have a system. It works. He is legitimate. He is an American citizen. The people who are complaining are simply the people who are just the wing nuts on the left and the right. And just you know what? Get over it. The election is over. You lost.
SANCHEZ: How about feeding who? And I am just wondering. By the way, we just got a two-minute warning that the president is going to be coming on with al-Maliki.
Are the politicians feeding the citizenry, or is the citizenry feeding the politicians here?
MARTIN: Yes.
PRESTON: Well, on this issue, I think the politicians are being very careful about what they say publicly, because they don't want to look like one of those wing nuts or nut jobs.
But the fact is, it is the politicians who feed the bases, whether it's some of the Republicans who are trying to do it with their conservative base or Democrats doing it with the liberal base.
MARTIN: Right. They're feeding it. That's exactly what's going on. And that's why you have to have confident people who frankly say we are not going to get stuck in this mess of even trying to address this stuff. You simply ignore it and you move on. And you let those nuts on radio and television who want to drive this thing on -- that's what they do. It is about ratings, OK?
They want to sit here and stir it up, because the same people say, see, so-and-so talked about it; it must be legitimate.
No, it's not.
SANCHEZ: And they forced everybody else to have to talk about it now by making it a bill, by putting it on the air, and by having events like the one that Castle had that were interrupted.
By the way, the president...
MARTIN: Let's just keep exposing crazy folks, Rick. It's not big deal.
SANCHEZ: Well, what are you going to do? You also can't ignore it.
I mean, it's one of those stories, like Mark and I were talking about yesterday in the after-show, where you're going to be joining us today at 4:00, if people are saying something that is untrue, our responsibility as journalists is to shine a light on it and say, that's not true.
MARTIN: Absolutely. Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: If something says it is raining, outside, all I have got to do is say, hey, folks, go look outside. Look, it is not raining. If I have got a birth certificate in front of me that says he is in fact born in Honolulu, I need to show it to people and say, here is the birth certificate. He was born in Honolulu.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That was fabricated, Rick. That's a false birth certificate. How dare you? You know it is not right. Oh, come on.
SANCHEZ: Well, no, but it is tough. This is the thing the things that Rick Davis (ph) in our standard and practices have to work with on, deal with every day. Do you do more harm by covering a story or not?
By the way, let's talk about another story real quick. Al- Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, this it first time, as I understand it, these two men are going to standing side by side in a joint news conference.
What's the significance here, Mark?
PRESTON: Well, I think this is the next step forward. We have moved our combat troops out of the cities and towns. And the fact is, the American people, right now, Rick, don't want to send our troops back in if that violence escalates.
Al-Maliki is over here talking obviously about this issue with the president, but also talking about the next step, and that's investment into his country.
SANCHEZ: Is this just something that presidents have to do, Roland,, or do you think that these guys have had a conversation, are going to make some news out of this thing?
MARTIN: Well, look, I think it shows confidence in that, first of all, we are no longer playing big brother to Iraq. Al-Maliki is simply saying, it is now us taking control of our destiny of our country. And so it is the proper transfer of authority, frankly, if you will.
And so for the American public, we want to see the Iraq leader saying, it is time for us to be in control of our own destiny. So, frankly, it's a good thing for all of us, because, yes, run their own country. Our troops need to come home.
SANCHEZ: One of the guys on my staff reminded me today that the last time al-Maliki was sitting side by side at a joint news conference with the president of the United States, a shoe flew.
PRESTON: And let's not forget that President Bush was very adept to getting out of the way when that shoe came by.
SANCHEZ: He sure was. I have got to tell you, if there is a president of the United States that will go down for best reactions, I'm voting for him.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: That's the way we are raised in Texas, Rick. You have got to move a little quick.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: The interesting thing about this is, it's almost a little passe for the American people, because Afghanistan is now in the headlines where Iraq used to be, isn't it?
PRESTON: Well, that's the next battle right now.
And, of course, the administration is getting lots of questions about that. What is our goal in Afghanistan?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: Well, what I mean, though, Mark, is, it is almost like the exigency is now on Afghanistan. That's where we're going in. Iraq is a story where we're coming out.
PRESTON: Well, and some would say, we're just shifting. We're just shifting all our resources, all our money, all our military from Iraq into Afghanistan.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: And, of course, others would say that had we actually dealt with Afghanistan in the first place, there would be no need for us to go into Iraq, because, frankly, we were thrown off in terms of the actual goal, but the people who actually brought down the Twin Towers, they came from Afghanistan in terms of the training, as opposed to Saddam Hussein and Iraq.
PRESTON: Well, and, Rick, and you do know that the administration's line about Afghanistan is, is, their goal is to go in and try to wipe out al Qaeda as we know it.
SANCHEZ: And you know that many of our analysts and many of our correspondents who have been covering that story say that is all but impossible.
(CROSSTALK)
PRESTON: I will leave that to...
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: You might call it impossible, but you actually have to make the effort, because you cannot allow them to reconstitute themselves and to gain power. So, you must destroy their economy. You must destroy where they are getting their money from.
And, look, you cannot sit on the sidelines. They killed 3,000 American citizens. You must do all you can to take them out.
SANCHEZ: We got your point.
By the way, we are looking at the camera. We saw a little bit of a shift.
Let me take you in another conversation now. This is an important one as well. It is all about health care in the United States. And the president is taking it full-tilt. Is he going to get this thing done by August?
Both of you.
PRESTON: I would say no. I don't know where Roland stands on it. I think this is very difficult, very complicated. And he is having problems with his own party on this issue.
SANCHEZ: Roland, I'm going to hold your thoughts until after this.
Here is the president now and the prime minister.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody. I am very pleased to welcome Prime Minister al-Maliki back to Washington. We just concluded a very productive discussion about a wide range of issues.
We meet at an important moment. Substantial progress has been made since Prime Minister Maliki's first visit to Washington in 2006 and since the prime minister and I had a chance to sit down together in Baghdad.
Violence continues to be down, and Iraqis are taking responsibility for their future.
This progress has been made possible by the resilience of the Iraqi people and security forces, and also because of the extraordinary service of American troops and civilians in Iraq.
Now we're in the midst of a full transition to Iraqi responsibility and to a comprehensive partnership between the United States and Iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect.
The success of this transition is critically important to the security and prosperity of our people and it is a top priority of my administration.
Recently, we took an important step forward by transferring control of all Iraqi cities and towns to Iraq's security forces. This transition was part of our security agreement and should send an unmistakable signal that we will keep our commitments with the sovereign Iraqi government.
As I said before, we seek no bases in Iraq, nor do we make any claim on Iraq's territory or resources.
Going forward, we will continue to provide training and support for Iraqi security forces that are capable and nonsectarian. We'll move forward with our strategy to responsibly remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of next August and to fulfill our commitment to remove all American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.
As we move forward, Prime Minister Maliki and I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead. There will be attacks on Iraqi security forces and the American troops supporting them. There are still those in Iraq who would murder innocent men, women and children. There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict.
But make no mistake, those efforts will fail.
The Iraqi people have already rejected these forces of division and destruction. And American troops have the capability, the support, and flexibility they need to stand with our Iraqi partners on behalf of a sovereign, secure, and self-reliant Iraq. Because we believe that the future does not belong to those who would destroy; it belongs to those who would build.
To that end, America strongly supports efforts by the Iraqi government to promote national unity, which will help ensure that people in all parts of Iraq can live in peace and prosperity.
Prime Minister Maliki and I discussed issues like the hydrocarbons law and disputed internal boundaries that will be fundamental to the future of a united Iraq.
I reiterated my belief that Iraq will be more secure and more successful if there is a place for all Iraqi citizens to thrive, including all of Iraq's ethnic and religious groups. That's why America continues to support efforts to integrate all Iraqis into Iraq's government and security forces. And we have increased our assistance to help displaced Iraqis return to their homes.
Prime Minister Maliki and I also agreed to build a broader basis for cooperation between our nations. The United States and Iraq have known difficult times together. Now both of us agree that the bonds forged between Americans and Iraqis in war can pave the way for progress that can be forged in peace.
The strategic framework agreement agreed to last year helped lay the groundwork for this progress.
America stands ready to help the Iraqi government build their capacity to provide basic services and to promote the rule of law.
And together, Americans and Iraqis can expand economic cooperation and trade that opens new doors of opportunity. Together, we can broaden our educational, our cultural and scientific engagement to make a positive difference in the lives of our people. And together, we can take steps to advance security and prosperity throughout the region and around the globe.
And Prime Minister Maliki and I are both deeply humbled by the sacrifices that have been made by Iraqis and Americans to create this opportunity.
There are many important meetings that will take place over the course of the prime minister's visit. I am especially pleased that he intends to visit Arlington National Cemetery. That hallowed ground is the final resting place for so many young Americans who have paid the ultimate price to help forge this hard-earned progress. they have set an example of selfless sacrifice that all of us must strive to meet, as do the Americans serving in Iraq today.
And I want to thank Ambassador Chris Hill who is here and is doing outstanding work. Under the most difficult circumstances imaginable, they have completed every mission they have been given and they have forged countless partnerships and friendships with the Iraqi people.
I know that this story is one that can be told by people in both our countries, and that the Iraqi people have endured extraordinary hardship in their pursuit of a brighter day. So many Iraqis and Americans have made so many sacrifices on behalf of a better future. Now, as we work to end this war and to look beyond it, we must live up to their example and live up to our own responsibilities to see that their legacy is truly one of greater peace and prosperity.
I thank you, and with that, I would like to welcome Prime Minister Maliki and give him the opportunity for some remarks.
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): In the name of God, the most merciful, the passionate, thank you. I thank the president of the United States, Mr. Obama, for your warm hospitality and regarding all the issues that relate to the positive relationship, as well as the aspiration to deepen that relationship.
My meeting with the president was positive and constructive. Meeting reflected the deep conviction on the part of both sides to establish a strategic friendship and in order to continue the successes that we have achieved and perhaps we refer to the security successes that led to the stability in Iraq.
We have also referred to the sacrifices by our sons and daughters on both sides to confront al Qaeda members, those who are outlawed and those who voice sectarian wars. If they succeeded in their efforts, they would not have been killing only Iraq, but the entire region, through the danger of sectarianism.
Our sons and daughters succeeded both -- on both sides, which led to stability and the return of the strength of the Iraqi government under full sovereignty.
And we can -- among the things that we can refer to in a positive way is the positive commitment in following up with the commitments that were signed by both sides, either those that are related to the status of forces or those are related to the strategic framework agreement that will govern the relationship in the future.
I have discussed today with President Obama about ways in order to activate the strategic relationship on the economic front, cultural front, educational front, commercial front, and in every possible area where the United States can play a role in supporting the Iraqi government and the efforts of the Iraqi government to build a state of law, a state based on constitution and federalism, that works for the -- for the aspiration of its own people using the wealth of that country and that nation. We are about to activate such a strategic framework agreement.
Efforts on both sides are there in order also to convene an investment conference in October of this year that will combine all foreign investors and all companies that would like and wish to work in Iraq.
All of this comes as a natural reaction to the stability and to the direction of the Iraqi national unity government to provide what it's needed for rebuilding, reconstruction of a country that was destroyed by wars, by dictatorship, and by adventures, affected its infrastructure, affected the services that should have gone to the Iraqi people.
Therefore, the relationship between the two sides, as it did see and witness progress on the security fronts and in combating terror, it will see great cooperation in the areas of economic, commercial and cultural activities.
Our forces, as it proves its successful role and at -- it proves when it received the security file, that these forces proved to be capable of performing.
And those who thought that the Iraqi forces, if the American forces can leave, will be incapable of imposing peace and security, these people proved to be wrong. Our forces benefited from working closely with the American forces and multinational forces. Our forces became now highly capable.
And they will continue to do their role and their part to provide the opportunity needed for reconstruction and rebuilding and developing Iraq.
Iraq has suffered a great deal from being marginalized, from the policies of sectarianism, and from wars. We will work very hard in order not to allow any sectarian behavior an opportunity to flourish.
We will work on a national plan where all sons of Iraq and all daughters of Iraq are equal in their contribution and in their services. They will be unified by Iraq. They will not be divided by other elements. We will strengthen that relationship between the people of Iraq.
This is the direction of the Iraqi national unity government, and that made us work very closely in meeting all the challenges that we are facing. It helped us on the security front. It will help us in reconstruction, and we will benefit from the strategic relationship with the United States.
Thank you very much.
QUESTION (via translator): Thanks, Mr. President. I would like to ask about what you spoke about that U.S. forces still have in Iraq. Since the handover of control in the cities, the Iraqi government has imposed new limits on how U.S. patrols can operate. They can't patrol on their own, they can't conduct raids on their own.
Did you raise this to Prime Minister Maliki, did you object to this, or do you think this is a great sign of increasing Iraqi sovereignty?
OBAMA: I think we have seen both improved capacity and greater confidence on the part of the Iraqi security forces. We're very pleased with that.
I'm in communications with General Odierno on a regular basis. He provides me a weekly report of how this transition has proceeded. He has been extremely positive about the progress that's been made.
Now, what we've seen is that they are going to be at times differences in strategy in the interest of the Iraqi security forces in setting up a checkpoint at some point. And our armed forces suggesting that from our experience, a checkpoint might create a target for AQI. And so it's better to be more mobile and to go after them.
There will be those kind of strategic and tactical discussions that are continually taking place between the two sides. But overall, we have been very encouraged by the progress that's been made.
It doesn't mean that there aren't still dangers in Iraq. And obviously, we've seen that in some circumstances, those who want to sew sectarian division inside of Iraq are going to still resort to the killing of innocents and the senseless bombings that plagued Iraq for such a long time after Saddam Hussein was deposed.
But what we have seen is that the violence levels have remained low much, the cooperation between U.S. forces and Iraqi forces has remained high.
And we have every confidence that we will continue to work together cooperatively and make adjustments where necessary to assure that as we move into the national elections, that Iraq continues on the progress of stability and that Iraqi security forces are continually ramping up their capabilities so that, ultimately, we are going to be able to fulfill our commitment to pull out our troops entirely and interact with Iraq as a full sovereign country that it is.
AL-MALIKI: First of all, excuse me. The relationship between the Iraqi forces and the Iraqi forces from cities and towns are good, constant cooperation.
There is the support coming from the American forces next to the Iraqi forces that are operating. It is normal that the responsibility is bigger and the role is bigger as a result of the security agreement, but also based on the agreement of the withdrawal.
If the Iraqi forces would require the support from the American forces, they will ask the American side through coordinating communities that organize these operations.
And I believe what's happening is organizing the roles between the two sides and cooperation. It is not to marginalize the role of any side. Based on the agreement, we are still under a joint responsibility to face any threats Iraq is facing.
OBAMA: My translation is not coming through here guys, and my Arabic is a little shaky.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION (via translator): Based on the agreements, based on the agreements, the security agreement between the United States and Iraq, the United States should help Iraq to get out of Chapter 7. What steps will you be doing in order to help Iraq to get out of Chapter 7?
OBAMA: Well, this is an area that Prime Minister Maliki emphasized. And we have made a strong commitment to work with Iraq to get out of the Chapter 7 constraints that were imposed after the Gulf War.
As I stated before, it, I think, would be a mistake for Iraq to continue to be burdened by the sins of a deposed dictator.
Now, in order to do that, we're going to have to obtain cooperation from various members of the United Nations. I think there are going to have to be some specific disputes that are resolved between Iraq and some of its neighbors. We intend to be very constructive in that process, but we have said clearly, and I have repeated today to the prime minister, that we will work diligently with Iraq so that, in fact, Iraq is no longer within Chapter 7.
AL-MALIK: President Obama and the American administration agree with us that Iraq is no longer representing a threat to international peace and security because there is a democracy in Iraq, not a dictatorship.
Iraq is looking to a positive and constructive relationship with its Arab neighbors and with the international community and to deal through a law internally and justice internally.
I have seen a clear commitment from the president and the administration to support Iraq and to be committed to all elements of the agreement and to help Iraq to get out of Chapter 7 and international sanctions, which were imposed as a result of the ventures and the wars that were led by Saddam's regime, including occupying the neighboring state of Kuwait.
Iraq has come a long way and will continue to solve all problems. And there are so many problems that we are paying the price for from the previous regime in order to have friendly relations with all members of the national community.
(END OF COVERAGE)
SANCHEZ: And there you have it, the president of the United States with Prime Minister Al Maliki. Our guests are still with us.
I was struck with something the prime minister said. I wasn't sure if he was using the word "we'll" or "weave." Listen to this. I wrote it down as best as I could as I was listening to it.
"People who believe that when Americans leave Iraq we will be in chaos," he said, declared, "We" or "We've proven them wrong."
Mark Preston, are you still with us?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I am, Rick, I'm here.
SANCHEZ: The point he is making is that, given what we've seen in the last year, this is going to turn out to be a stable country when it is left in the hands of the Iraqis themselves.
PRESTON: And he has to say that, because he is the one who is leading that country right now, so of course he is going to try to instill some confidence as they are moving forward.
But we heard President Obama himself say there are going to be some tough days ahead. No question, there are going to be. I mean, this is still a country divided along religious lines and both of these leaders addressed that in this news conference.
SANCHEZ: Did you get the sense, Roland Martin, as you were listening to these two men that they are confident that this thing, will, in the end, work out? Because I could show you poll after poll that shows that Americans are very, very uncertain about this.
ROLAND S. MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Again, obviously, polls are one thing, but they have to project confidence, because the prime minister, he is trying get his security forces and his citizens to understand that we have to take control of our own destiny.
At the same time, Americans also have to hear that kind of statement, because the last thing that we want to see are our troops being pulled out, something blows up, and all of a sudden we have to go back in.
So this transfer of authority is critically important as they take on more responsibility. Yes, that indeed builds confidence as well.
SANCHEZ: We've got a lot of stuff going on. Among those, here we have John Boehner. He's coming out. He's going to rebut the president's health care plan.
And there is Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Let's listen in.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, (R) SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The subject du jour, and it seems virtually every day it's health care, and it certainly should be the subject.
I continue to hear suggestions that members of the Republican conference and the Senate are not for health care. I can't find a single member who is not for trying to improve America's health care system.
Most all of us agree with the American people who overwhelmingly say in polls that they like the quality but they are concerned about the cost and the access, and, of course, cost and access are related issues.
The administration does continue to mention these unnamed people who seem not to want to make progress on this. And I have been unable to find anyone, not a single, solitary soul, as I indicated, of the Republican conference in the Senate is in favor of no action.
What we do think is that we ought to target the problems. And there are ways to do that that could be achieved, I think, on a large, bipartisan basis.
For example, why should we, any longer tolerate junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals?
Example, why would we not want to incentive plans like the Safeway plan that demonstrates you can cap the cost of health care by incentivizing your employees by going after the preventable causes of health care problems in this country, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise.
They have demonstrated that by incentivizing their employees to change their behavior, they can have an impact.
We know that one of the reasons we have such a large number of uninsured is because if you are an individual purchasing health care, it is not deductible on your tax return. If your company is providing it for you, it's deductible on the corporate tax return. Why would we not want to equalize the tax treatment for individuals and corporations?
These are the kinds of things that would have a positive impact on improving the cost issue and access. I noticed that the CBO director was sort of called down to the White House yesterday.
It strikes me as somewhat akin to the owner of the team asking the umpires to come up to the owner's box. I mean, if the CBO is to have credibility, they are the umpire. They are not players in this game.
And I don't think we ought to be tampering with an organization that is arguably controlled by the majority here in Congress but nevertheless tries to function as an independent arbiter and estimator of the cost of what we do.
So we look forward to being able to move a health care proposal this year on a truly bipartisan basis and one that doesn't increase the deficit, one that doesn't put the government in charge of our health care, one that doesn't produce a system that in the end delays care in many instances and denies care, and, of course, in order to do that, would be rationing care.
I don't think the American people want any of that, nor should we be trying to pass it.
With that, let me call on my friend and colleague, Leader Boehner.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: Let me thank you, Senator McConnell for your work over in the Senate, and your work, really, with your Republican colleagues in the House, on dealing with the issues that are coming at us like a machine gun.
Listen, the American people want us to work together to reform health care in America so that it costs less and we can then provide better access for more Americans.
But I think, as Americans look up today at what they see is big government takeover of health care that's on the table and a plan that, frankly, they don't support.
Tonight we will hear the president likely say some -- repeat some of the myths that he has been repeating over the last several months.
First, he will say, if you like your plan, you can keep it. But clearly under the Congressional Budget Office estimates, 23 million Americans will be forced out of their private health insurance into a government-run plan. And Louin (ph) and Associates, a consulting firm, health care experts, estimate that number could be as high as 114 million people.
He will say that the Democrat plan will reduce health care costs in America. But it's pretty clear that the director of the Congressional Budget Office says the health care curve not only will not decrease, that the health care curve will increase.
And at a time when we are trying to get the cost out of the system, there is nothing in their proposal that will reduce costs in our health care system. I don't know how you can spend $1.6 trillion over the next ten years and say that we are going to spend less on health care.
The President is likely to say that any plan that passes will not add to the deficit. Well, the Congressional Budget Office has made clear that the plan that is on the table in the House will increase the size of the deficit by $239 billion over the next 10 years.
Beyond all this, the White House chief of staff this morning said that the president, he was reviewing the president's speech when he said that the president is likely to say that we have rescued the economy.
Well, I'd like to ask my folks back in Ohio where the unemployment rate is at 11.2 percent whether they have been rescued by their economy. And if they try to fix our health care system like they have tried to rescue our economy, I think we are in really, really big trouble.
Listen, it's time for the president to scrap the plan that they have been working on in the House. It's time to bring both parties together to have real health care reform that will reduce the cost of the system, will reduce the cost of health insurance for Americans, and provide better access.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Questions?
(INAUDIBLE)
MCCONNELL: Well, as I said earlier, I'm not aware of a single member of our conference, not one, who is not in favor of doing health care reform in a very positive way and for one plan or another. There are plans that are around.
So, you know, we want to do the right thing here. This is not about the president. I think there are some who think everything is about the president. This is about the country and about a huge issue that affects all of our lives and our health and is 16 percent of our economy.
In a country of 300 million people, obviously, their representatives may have some different points of view about the best way to fix the problem.
But this is not about any individual. This is about the issue and taking the time to get it right, as Leader Boehner indicated. We had an experience with rushing a major bill earlier this year. They said we had to get the stimulus through yesterday.
With interest, that's going to be about $1 trillion. We are spending $100 million a day in interest on it. And it was sold to those who enthusiastically embraced it as a way to keep unemployment from going above 8 percent. Now, it's headed to 10 percent, and in Kentucky, it's 10.9 percent.
We don't need a do-over of that kind of procedure. This is too important to be rushed. We need to take our time and do it right.
(INAUDIBLE)
MCCONNELL: I hate to repeat what I just said, but this is about getting a policy right. This is about getting the policy right. We don't wish anyone ill. We want to get the policy right.
(INAUDIBLE)
MCCONNELL: Yes, we have plenty of discussions. But, in the end, the question will be how bipartisan is the product. I mean, we've had plenty of interaction with the president. I like him. He's a good man. But the test of whether or not this is a bipartisan product will be the product itself.
(INAUDIBLE)
SANCHEZ: We've just learned that -- here's what we're going to do. Bill Burton has just told us he's going to join us. He's the deputy press secretary for the president of the United States.
We're going to give him an opportunity to respond to what these fine senators have just said about scrapping -- one senator, one congressman, I should say. Thanks for the catch, Angie -- about scrapping the plan, as John Boehner suggested, about junk lawsuits, about the incentive plan, and about Mitch McConnell saying there just moments ago that this is not about the president. This is about policy.
All those when we come back and, of course, Roland Martin stays with us as well.
By the way, before we go to break, I should let you know that tonight we're going to be running a special that you need to know about. This is the continuation of "Black in America." It's "Black in America II." It starts at 7:00 p.m., and then the president speaks at 8:00.
You'll be seeing that right here. And I know a lot of you have been twittering me asking when this will finally get started. Well, here it is. Of course, my colleague Soledad O'Brien will be bringing that to you.
I'll be back in just a moment with reaction from the White House grounds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez here at the world headquarters of CNN.
Bill Burton is the deputy press secretary for the president of the United States. He's good enough to join us now. He's going to be talking about some of the things he just heard.
I take it you were able to hear these two lawmakers, right?
BURTON: I heard a little bit of it. I didn't hear the full context of their statement.
SANCHEZ: Let's start at the back then. Let's start about when Senator Mitch McConnell, minority leader, said that, look, this is not about the president. This is about policy.
Is he belied by the comments made by Jim DeMint the other day about this being Republicans' Waterloo?
BILL BURTON, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think if you've seen the strategy memos coming out of the Republican and the comments made by some folks on that side, people who are opponents of reform aren't necessarily viewing it from a substantive standpoint. It's been political in large part.
There are people who are working constructively towards reform on Capitol Hill on both the Republican and the Democratic side, and we think we've been able to make a lot of progress with them. And if we don't, this country is in a lot of trouble.
SANCHEZ: Do you think that the Republicans -- are you on the record saying you think many Republicans are just trying to use this as an axe to get at the president, or that they're serious about the policies of this country?
BURTON: Well, you don't have to believe me if you look at what Senator DeMint said. His comment was, "We have to stop him, this will be his waterloo. If we stop health care reform, it will break him." Those are his words, not mine. So I wouldn't say that you would even have to put me on the record.
But what I know is that opponents have said that this is risky to go forward with health care reform. But what's risky is continuing down the same path that leads to higher costs that have grown faster than inflation, faster than wages, and forcing some 14,000 Americans off their health insurance every single day.
If we don't change it, then we're going to have a major fiscal and economic problem.
SANCHEZ: Bill, let me ask you this question. John Boehner said the president, he said it, I'll quote him here, I wrote it down, "Scrap the plan. The president needs to scrap this House plan."
That sounds pretty definitive. He's saying then, you know, when you scrap something, it ain't no good. I mean, it's trash. You've got to get rid of it.
What's the White House reaction to that?
BURTON: Let me say that change is hard. And this is something that we've been trying for some 50 years in this country to get comprehensive health care reform.
The president has been in office for six months. He's had constructive conversations and has been working with Republicans and Democrats, and we're at a point right now where we're as close to health care reform as we have ever been in this country.
We've got the doctors, the nurses, the hospital, even the AARP, folks who were opposed to health care reform the last time around all on board.
So this last test is tough. We're not scrapping the idea of making sure we bring down costs and get Americans covered. What we're doing is we're moving forward so that we can get on a more sustainable path.
SANCHEZ: For what it's worth, I was just handed some new information. This comes in from speaker Nancy Pelosi, who's also -- let me get this thing up here -- Nancy Pelosi, who's also responding to what John Boehner said.
Speaker Pelosi says Wednesday, she intends to move forward with a vote on health care reform, and indicated the Democrats may keep the House in session now past its scheduled summer break if needed.
So, wow, that's the first time I'm hearing this. Have you heard -- what can you tell us about this, Bill?
BURTON: Well, it's obviously encouraging that the house is continuing to move forward, and, importantly, a quick pace in order to get health reform done.
We're sort of in the middle of this process, and once the House and the Senate pass bills, we'll be back in the fall to work out all the final details.
But what's important to the president about this is that we get all the best ideas on board about cutting costs, about getting Americans covered, and, importantly, about keeping it deficit neutral.
SANCHEZ: I think it was Senator Mitch McConnell who I heard -- and Mark Preston, if you're out there, you can back me up on this -- he was talking about incentivizing and that we can do that with American business people, that we don't need the government to come in and do this.
And he was talking about how corporations in his plan should be able to just get people to stop smoking and exercise more. And these are things that corporations can do and employers can do.
One wonders, if they haven't been able to have success with that in the past -- this is what Sanjay Gupta always refers to is preventive care is what we don't do well in this country -- what makes us think that we can get them to do it now? Is that something you can consider, because it's obviously a great idea if we can make it work?
BURTON: This is one of the reasons we're moving forward with health care reform. The way things have gone hasn't worked.
And one of the ideas that is a good idea under consideration to bring down costs is making MEDPAC stronger, this idea of IMAC, which would take a look at some of the best practices in terms of costs, in terms of testing, and all across the board, and see how we can duplicate that in other areas around the country.
If you look at certain places, like the Mayo Clinic, you've got a place where you're getting more for less. And if we can duplicate those kind of efforts around the country, then we think that we can severely bring down the cost of health care.
Mark, you still out there?
PRESTON: I sure am, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Aren't we hearing some of the same arguments about socialized medicine and universal health care and how much this is like what Bill and Hillary Clinton tried to do. We're down to 90 seconds. Is that part of the drumbeat that's going to be hard for this White House to overcome?
PRESTON: The bottom line, it comes down to money, and that's where the big sticking point is. And as we heard, both John Boehner and Mitch McConnell both talk about at length there was this whole idea that this would be a government-run health care plan and Republicans are going to fight against that.
So, the biggest fight for the White House right now is really about costs.
SANCHEZ: Well, how about that, Bill? I mean, Mark just put his finger on it and I heard that today as well. I heard a conversation with Dr. Tom Coburn today, Dr. Tom Coburn, Senator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma, and he seemed to be saying the same thing, that the government doesn't do these things well. Why should we let them get involved now?
BURTON: Well, the private industry hasn't exactly done things well over the course of the last 50 years either. And that's why costs have gone up faster than wages by a rate of three times, have gone up twice the rate of inflation.
SANCHEZ: Is it greed? Is that because of greed?
BURTON: No. I think that there are just some inefficiencies in the system that we can address through a whole variety of measures that are being put forth by these ideas on Capitol Hill.
But the president has said he will not sign a bill that does not do something to bring costs under control, that is not deficit neutral, and doesn't accomplish what he says is important, which is making sure that every American has access to health care.
SANCHEZ: But it's finding that middle ground.
This is going to be a tough haul, let me tell you something. And I know you're watching it. We're going to --
BURTON: Change isn't easy.
OBAMA: Bill, we're going to go to our after show. If you'd love to stick around for a couple of minutes, I'd love to have you. And if you have to go, that's cool, too.
BURTON: I think I'm going to have to go, sorry.
SANCHEZ: No problem, man.
Here's Wolf Blitzer now in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
