Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Rethinking Iraq?

Aired June 17, 2003 - 15:06   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, President Bush may reject revisionist history, as you just heard him call it on Iraq, but are Americans having second thoughts about the war and about Mr. Bush's international leadership? Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, joins us now with some new poll numbers -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Judy, President Bush's rating on world affairs has fallen 10 points over the last month. Fifty-eight percent approval is still pretty high, but the euphoria of the war victory seems to be wearing off.

Now, are Americans bothered by the failure of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Not a great deal, the polls suggest. More likely, they're bothered by the news of continuing chaos in Iraq and the fact that Americans are still getting killed there at the rate of about one a day.

But the criticism that President Bush is facing on Iraq from political opponents and from the press is extraordinarily mild, especially if you compare it to the firestorm erupting around his closest ally, and that's British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): In Britain, the attacks on Tony Blair have been merciless, screaming headlines, charges of lying and exaggeration and manipulation of evidence. The opposition leader didn't mince any words.

IAN DUNCAN-SMITH, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: The truth is nobody believes a word now that the prime minister is saying.

SCHNEIDER: Members of Blair's own party have joined in. A former member of Blair's government testified at a parliamentary inquiry into whether Blair misled Britain into going into war.

ROBIN COOK, FMR. BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: I think it would probably be fair to say that there was a section of evidence to support the conclusion, rather than a conclusion that arose from a full consideration of the evidence.

SCHNEIDER: The most sensational charge? That Blair's claim last year that Saddam Hussein could launch chemical or biological weapons in 45 minutes was based on unreliable or doctored evidence.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There was no attempt at any time by any official or minister or member of Number 10 Downing Street staff to override the intelligence judgments of the joint intelligence committee.

SCHNEIDER: President Bush, by comparison, is disdainful of criticism.

BUSH: This nation acted to a threat from the dictator of Iraq. Now there are some who would like to rewrite history.

SCHNEIDER: Because the criticism, even from his political opponents, has been mostly mild and respectful.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that what we need to do is calmly evaluate where we are. First, we need to finish the process of searching in Iraq to make sure that there are not things there that we have not found.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Lying, exaggerating, manipulating the evidence? You hear those charges against Tony Blair, but rarely against George W. Bush.

WOODRUFF: And why is that?

SCHNEIDER: Well, there's an obvious reason. The war was far more controversial in Britain than in the United States. Mostly because the 9/11 trauma was so much greater in the U.S. But it's also because an American president is a symbol of the nation.

A British prime minister is more a symbol of his party. Now who symbolizes the British nation? Well, that is the queen's job -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: And we don't have one of those here.

SCHNEIDER: Nope.

WOODRUFF: All right. Thank you, Bill Schneider.

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 June 17, 2003 - 15:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, President Bush may reject revisionist history, as you just heard him call it on Iraq, but are Americans having second thoughts about the war and about Mr. Bush's international leadership? Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, joins us now with some new poll numbers -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Judy, President Bush's rating on world affairs has fallen 10 points over the last month. Fifty-eight percent approval is still pretty high, but the euphoria of the war victory seems to be wearing off.

Now, are Americans bothered by the failure of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Not a great deal, the polls suggest. More likely, they're bothered by the news of continuing chaos in Iraq and the fact that Americans are still getting killed there at the rate of about one a day.

But the criticism that President Bush is facing on Iraq from political opponents and from the press is extraordinarily mild, especially if you compare it to the firestorm erupting around his closest ally, and that's British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): In Britain, the attacks on Tony Blair have been merciless, screaming headlines, charges of lying and exaggeration and manipulation of evidence. The opposition leader didn't mince any words.

IAN DUNCAN-SMITH, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: The truth is nobody believes a word now that the prime minister is saying.

SCHNEIDER: Members of Blair's own party have joined in. A former member of Blair's government testified at a parliamentary inquiry into whether Blair misled Britain into going into war.

ROBIN COOK, FMR. BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: I think it would probably be fair to say that there was a section of evidence to support the conclusion, rather than a conclusion that arose from a full consideration of the evidence.

SCHNEIDER: The most sensational charge? That Blair's claim last year that Saddam Hussein could launch chemical or biological weapons in 45 minutes was based on unreliable or doctored evidence.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There was no attempt at any time by any official or minister or member of Number 10 Downing Street staff to override the intelligence judgments of the joint intelligence committee.

SCHNEIDER: President Bush, by comparison, is disdainful of criticism.

BUSH: This nation acted to a threat from the dictator of Iraq. Now there are some who would like to rewrite history.

SCHNEIDER: Because the criticism, even from his political opponents, has been mostly mild and respectful.

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that what we need to do is calmly evaluate where we are. First, we need to finish the process of searching in Iraq to make sure that there are not things there that we have not found.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: Lying, exaggerating, manipulating the evidence? You hear those charges against Tony Blair, but rarely against George W. Bush.

WOODRUFF: And why is that?

SCHNEIDER: Well, there's an obvious reason. The war was far more controversial in Britain than in the United States. Mostly because the 9/11 trauma was so much greater in the U.S. But it's also because an American president is a symbol of the nation.

A British prime minister is more a symbol of his party. Now who symbolizes the British nation? Well, that is the queen's job -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: And we don't have one of those here.

SCHNEIDER: Nope.

WOODRUFF: All right. Thank you, Bill Schneider.

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