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CNN Live At Daybreak
Saddam Hussein's Capture Having Impact on Democratic Presidential Race
Aired December 16, 2003 - 05:02 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: Saddam Hussein's capture is having an impact on the Democratic presidential race. Howard Dean is feeling the heat more than any of the others.
Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The capture of Saddam Hussein means double duty for Howard Dean, fending off rival Democrats who think they've found a soft spot and keeping up the case against George Bush and the war against Iraq.
DR. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The capture of Saddam has not made America safer.
CROWLEY: That statement, responded Senator Joe Lieberman, says to me that Howard Dean has climbed into his own spider hole of denial. Make that a double from Max Cleland, a supporter of Senator John Kerry who told reporters, "Dean had a chance to learn about the military but he decided to go skiing in Colorado."
Lieberman, the most hawkish of the '04 Democrats, and Kerry, a decorated war hero, both voted yes on the resolution to use force in Iraq. They have paid for it in fading fortunes during this decidedly anti-war Democratic primary season.
Howard Dean, with no foreign policy experience to speak of, has dominated the primary season with his anti-war stance. Saddam in cuffs doesn't change that.
DEAN: The difficulties and the tragedies which we have faced in Iraq show that the administration launched the war in the wrong way at the wrong time with inadequate planning, insufficient help, at the extraordinary cost so far of $166 billion.
CROWLEY: Still, Dean's rivals hope Saddam's capture and the glow it put around the White House will give Democrats pause.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what this does is it says that we need an experienced hand as the nominee of our party.
CROWLEY: In a foreign policy speech scheduled before Saddam's capture and designed to calm fears about his inexperience, Dean likened his credentials to candidate Bill Clinton. DEAN: I think that what molds my view is the personal friendships that I developed with other people around the world, some of whom are now in leadership positions in countries around the world.
CROWLEY: Beyond the resume, Democrats worry that an anti-war candidate reinforces voter perceptions that Republicans are better able to handle national security and defense, another reason the anti- war candidate gave this speech.
DEAN: As president, I will never hesitate to deploy our armed forces to defend our country and its allies and to protect our national interests.
CROWLEY (on camera): As one source in a non-Dean camp put it, it boils down to two questions. If a war goes well, would the country vote for an anti-war candidate? And in a post-9/11 world, are foreign policy credentials now a requirement?
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Presidential Race>
Aired December 16, 2003 - 05:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein's capture is having an impact on the Democratic presidential race. Howard Dean is feeling the heat more than any of the others.
Our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The capture of Saddam Hussein means double duty for Howard Dean, fending off rival Democrats who think they've found a soft spot and keeping up the case against George Bush and the war against Iraq.
DR. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The capture of Saddam has not made America safer.
CROWLEY: That statement, responded Senator Joe Lieberman, says to me that Howard Dean has climbed into his own spider hole of denial. Make that a double from Max Cleland, a supporter of Senator John Kerry who told reporters, "Dean had a chance to learn about the military but he decided to go skiing in Colorado."
Lieberman, the most hawkish of the '04 Democrats, and Kerry, a decorated war hero, both voted yes on the resolution to use force in Iraq. They have paid for it in fading fortunes during this decidedly anti-war Democratic primary season.
Howard Dean, with no foreign policy experience to speak of, has dominated the primary season with his anti-war stance. Saddam in cuffs doesn't change that.
DEAN: The difficulties and the tragedies which we have faced in Iraq show that the administration launched the war in the wrong way at the wrong time with inadequate planning, insufficient help, at the extraordinary cost so far of $166 billion.
CROWLEY: Still, Dean's rivals hope Saddam's capture and the glow it put around the White House will give Democrats pause.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think what this does is it says that we need an experienced hand as the nominee of our party.
CROWLEY: In a foreign policy speech scheduled before Saddam's capture and designed to calm fears about his inexperience, Dean likened his credentials to candidate Bill Clinton. DEAN: I think that what molds my view is the personal friendships that I developed with other people around the world, some of whom are now in leadership positions in countries around the world.
CROWLEY: Beyond the resume, Democrats worry that an anti-war candidate reinforces voter perceptions that Republicans are better able to handle national security and defense, another reason the anti- war candidate gave this speech.
DEAN: As president, I will never hesitate to deploy our armed forces to defend our country and its allies and to protect our national interests.
CROWLEY (on camera): As one source in a non-Dean camp put it, it boils down to two questions. If a war goes well, would the country vote for an anti-war candidate? And in a post-9/11 world, are foreign policy credentials now a requirement?
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Presidential Race>
