Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Interview With Senator Sam Brownback

Aired May 14, 2003 - 15:08   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.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, many Republicans, as you've just heard, accuse the Democrats, like Senator Graham, of trying to use the war on terror as a campaign weapon against the president. So now let's get the other side of the debate. With me now, also from Capitol Hill, Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas.
Senator, before we get to the political piece of this, Senator Graham reiterates as he's been saying for the last few days that the United States in essence dropped the ball in the war on terror by focusing so much on Iraq.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Well, I disagree with that, and I think the world of Bob Graham. He's a wonderful man and I think he's done a good job in the Senate. But I think you have to look at the totality of the circumstances we're in that region of the world, and you have a number of countries that have been state sponsors of terrorism.

Until you really deal with the entire region, you're not going to be able to deal with the terrorist war that we're in. And I think this was a key part of the piece of it. It was what's taking place in Iraq and continues to take place in Iraq. But we're going to have to continue to see this on through around the world.

WOODRUFF: Well, another point that Senator Graham is making, when I cited to him the comment from the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, that the Saudi government had not put forward the security that the United States was asking for, Senator Graham's point is that Saudi Arabia has been an uneven and an unpredictable ally. So, in other words, we shouldn't have counted on them here.

BROWNBACK: Well, Saudi Arabia, we've had up and down relationships -- I guess is the way I would put -- with them. We've worked very closely with the government at times and yet we've been frustrated by working with this government at other times that they've not worked closely or carefully with us.

I think one of the groups, one of the countries we have to keep a strong focus on is Saudi Arabia. The 9/11 attackers, a good portion of them from Saudi Arabia. A lot of the very militant Islamic movement is taking place and rooted in Saudi Arabia, and we've got to press this government more.

WOODRUFF: Well, was it a mistake then for the U.S. government to sit back and wait for the Saudis to provide additional security?

BROWNBACK: Well, I think we have to press them. And we provide a certain amount of security. But we have to press them to provide a lot more security for us to continue to operate and work with that Saudi government.

WOODRUFF: But my question is, was it a mistake for the U.S. to rely on the Saudis here?

BROWNBACK: I don't think one could draw that conclusion from the information we know today. But that may come forward some time in the future. And we're going to have to look at that very carefully.

WOODRUFF: All right. Senator Sam Brownback, thank you very much. It's good to talk to you.

BROWNBACK: Thank you.

WOODRUFF: We appreciate it.

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 May 14, 2003 - 15:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, many Republicans, as you've just heard, accuse the Democrats, like Senator Graham, of trying to use the war on terror as a campaign weapon against the president. So now let's get the other side of the debate. With me now, also from Capitol Hill, Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas.
Senator, before we get to the political piece of this, Senator Graham reiterates as he's been saying for the last few days that the United States in essence dropped the ball in the war on terror by focusing so much on Iraq.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Well, I disagree with that, and I think the world of Bob Graham. He's a wonderful man and I think he's done a good job in the Senate. But I think you have to look at the totality of the circumstances we're in that region of the world, and you have a number of countries that have been state sponsors of terrorism.

Until you really deal with the entire region, you're not going to be able to deal with the terrorist war that we're in. And I think this was a key part of the piece of it. It was what's taking place in Iraq and continues to take place in Iraq. But we're going to have to continue to see this on through around the world.

WOODRUFF: Well, another point that Senator Graham is making, when I cited to him the comment from the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, that the Saudi government had not put forward the security that the United States was asking for, Senator Graham's point is that Saudi Arabia has been an uneven and an unpredictable ally. So, in other words, we shouldn't have counted on them here.

BROWNBACK: Well, Saudi Arabia, we've had up and down relationships -- I guess is the way I would put -- with them. We've worked very closely with the government at times and yet we've been frustrated by working with this government at other times that they've not worked closely or carefully with us.

I think one of the groups, one of the countries we have to keep a strong focus on is Saudi Arabia. The 9/11 attackers, a good portion of them from Saudi Arabia. A lot of the very militant Islamic movement is taking place and rooted in Saudi Arabia, and we've got to press this government more.

WOODRUFF: Well, was it a mistake then for the U.S. government to sit back and wait for the Saudis to provide additional security?

BROWNBACK: Well, I think we have to press them. And we provide a certain amount of security. But we have to press them to provide a lot more security for us to continue to operate and work with that Saudi government.

WOODRUFF: But my question is, was it a mistake for the U.S. to rely on the Saudis here?

BROWNBACK: I don't think one could draw that conclusion from the information we know today. But that may come forward some time in the future. And we're going to have to look at that very carefully.

WOODRUFF: All right. Senator Sam Brownback, thank you very much. It's good to talk to you.

BROWNBACK: Thank you.

WOODRUFF: We appreciate it.

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