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Interview With Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch

Aired September 11, 2003 - 12:07   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get some perspective now on New York City, how it's been affected over the course of these past two years. And for that, I am joined by the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. He's joining us live.
Mr. Mayor, once again, thank you very much for joining us. How has your beautiful city, a city so many of us love, no one more than you yourself, how has it changed?

ED KOCH, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: Well, the aftermath -- the immediate aftermath we were overwhelmed with sorrow. Now, while we are still sorrowful, we are also proud of how we responded and how we are rebuilding.

And I will tell you that when I entered the area, there was a picket group that just revolted me, not very many. But they had a sign which said, "The Bush regime engineered 9/11." It is such an outrage.

I happen to think that President Bush and his team deserve enormous credit. They had a monumental but short war with minimal casualties, and I think they should be commended and not attacked by the Democratic candidate, and I'm a Democrat.

I'm not suggesting anybody is unpatriotic by having a different position, but it seems to me that you have an obligation not to weaken America by denigrating the president of the country.

BLITZER: In your opinion, Mr. Mayor, how much safer is New York City, New Yorkers today, than they were two years ago, assuming you do believe that they are, in fact, safer?

KOCH: I do believe. And on the other hand, you could have a terrorist act anywhere in the world, including again in New York or anyplace else within the next hour. Nobody can guarantee about that.

But also, there you've got the media attacking Ashcroft for wanting to have the Patriot Act, which gave him additional tools extended. Now, you can discuss individual provisions that you may think are not worthy of being extended, but the people who are smearing Ashcroft and smearing the law, they're nuts. Their lives are in danger, too, but they don't care.

BLITZER: Well, you could have an honest debate on the Patriot Act, you could have an honest debate on post-war planning without questioning the sincerity of those politicians, Democrats or others who may be raising those questions. KOCH: Absolutely, and that's what I said. But it's the way you do it. You don't engage in the ad hominem personal invective that they are using against Ashcroft and the president and Cheney and everybody in his cabinet.

When Dave Obie (ph) -- and I served in the Congress -- said that Rumsfeld should resign, I thought that Dave Obie (ph) disgraced himself. And I like Dave Obie (ph). But occasionally, people I like disgrace themselves.

BLITZER: But David Obie (ph), who has been in the Congress, as you well know, for 34 years, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, someone highly-regarded, when he comes to the conclusion that Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, should resign, not because of the way they prosecuted the war, but the way they apparently failed to understand the implications of winning the war that quickly, that's a conclusion he comes down to in all sincerity.

KOCH: And my answer is this sincerity doesn't make it right. And the fact is that what Rumsfeld has done in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country has been magnificent. Yes, there are continuing casualties, because we're still at war. But the major war has been won. There is a guerrilla war going on, and it has to be faced.

So, what I believe is wrong is the -- not the argument. You can argue. It's the demeaning. When he says you should resign, now, he knows they're not going to resign. But he just seeks to reduce his status in the world, and that's just wrong.

Yu know, there are lots of countries that resent us, hate us, because we are so successful, not only our standard of living, but our willingness, as President Bush has been willing to declare the Bush doctrine. It's equal to the Monroe Doctrine. What he said was, we're going to go after the terrorists and the countries that harbor them. No other country has been willing to do that except Great Britain on the battlefield joining with us.

I think our administration -- and I'm a Democrat, but I'm voting for Bush. I think that people who are demeaning Bush, you can disagree with him...

BLITZER: All right...

KOCH: ... but who seek to demean him are just dead wrong.

BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, I'm going have to wrap it up. But a quick question. You're going to vote for President Bush for re-election irrespective of who the Democratic nominee turns out to be...

KOCH: Well, we're going to assume...

BLITZER: ... whether it's Howard Dean or Joe Lieberman or anyone else?

KOCH: Yes, Howard Dean is "McGovern 2," the worst. And I believe that his support comes from that one-third of the Democratic Party that is ultra-left. And everybody knows that.

BLITZER: Well, what about Joe Lieberman?

KOCH: I like Joe Lieberman. He came to see me when he was deciding whether or not to run. And I said, I love you, you are the conscious of the United States Senate, go back there because if you run for president you're going to lose. I'm voting for Bush. I told him that.

BLITZER: All right, that's good. Ed Koch, we heard it here.

KOCH: And I don't have to agree with the domestic program of Bush. I don't.

BLITZER: All right, Ed Koch always speaking out very forcefully, directly, never leaving us in any doubt where he stands. Thanks for joining us on this important day.

KOCH: Thank you.

BLITZER: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City.

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 September 11, 2003 - 12:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get some perspective now on New York City, how it's been affected over the course of these past two years. And for that, I am joined by the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. He's joining us live.
Mr. Mayor, once again, thank you very much for joining us. How has your beautiful city, a city so many of us love, no one more than you yourself, how has it changed?

ED KOCH, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: Well, the aftermath -- the immediate aftermath we were overwhelmed with sorrow. Now, while we are still sorrowful, we are also proud of how we responded and how we are rebuilding.

And I will tell you that when I entered the area, there was a picket group that just revolted me, not very many. But they had a sign which said, "The Bush regime engineered 9/11." It is such an outrage.

I happen to think that President Bush and his team deserve enormous credit. They had a monumental but short war with minimal casualties, and I think they should be commended and not attacked by the Democratic candidate, and I'm a Democrat.

I'm not suggesting anybody is unpatriotic by having a different position, but it seems to me that you have an obligation not to weaken America by denigrating the president of the country.

BLITZER: In your opinion, Mr. Mayor, how much safer is New York City, New Yorkers today, than they were two years ago, assuming you do believe that they are, in fact, safer?

KOCH: I do believe. And on the other hand, you could have a terrorist act anywhere in the world, including again in New York or anyplace else within the next hour. Nobody can guarantee about that.

But also, there you've got the media attacking Ashcroft for wanting to have the Patriot Act, which gave him additional tools extended. Now, you can discuss individual provisions that you may think are not worthy of being extended, but the people who are smearing Ashcroft and smearing the law, they're nuts. Their lives are in danger, too, but they don't care.

BLITZER: Well, you could have an honest debate on the Patriot Act, you could have an honest debate on post-war planning without questioning the sincerity of those politicians, Democrats or others who may be raising those questions. KOCH: Absolutely, and that's what I said. But it's the way you do it. You don't engage in the ad hominem personal invective that they are using against Ashcroft and the president and Cheney and everybody in his cabinet.

When Dave Obie (ph) -- and I served in the Congress -- said that Rumsfeld should resign, I thought that Dave Obie (ph) disgraced himself. And I like Dave Obie (ph). But occasionally, people I like disgrace themselves.

BLITZER: But David Obie (ph), who has been in the Congress, as you well know, for 34 years, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, someone highly-regarded, when he comes to the conclusion that Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, should resign, not because of the way they prosecuted the war, but the way they apparently failed to understand the implications of winning the war that quickly, that's a conclusion he comes down to in all sincerity.

KOCH: And my answer is this sincerity doesn't make it right. And the fact is that what Rumsfeld has done in Baghdad and elsewhere in the country has been magnificent. Yes, there are continuing casualties, because we're still at war. But the major war has been won. There is a guerrilla war going on, and it has to be faced.

So, what I believe is wrong is the -- not the argument. You can argue. It's the demeaning. When he says you should resign, now, he knows they're not going to resign. But he just seeks to reduce his status in the world, and that's just wrong.

Yu know, there are lots of countries that resent us, hate us, because we are so successful, not only our standard of living, but our willingness, as President Bush has been willing to declare the Bush doctrine. It's equal to the Monroe Doctrine. What he said was, we're going to go after the terrorists and the countries that harbor them. No other country has been willing to do that except Great Britain on the battlefield joining with us.

I think our administration -- and I'm a Democrat, but I'm voting for Bush. I think that people who are demeaning Bush, you can disagree with him...

BLITZER: All right...

KOCH: ... but who seek to demean him are just dead wrong.

BLITZER: Mr. Mayor, I'm going have to wrap it up. But a quick question. You're going to vote for President Bush for re-election irrespective of who the Democratic nominee turns out to be...

KOCH: Well, we're going to assume...

BLITZER: ... whether it's Howard Dean or Joe Lieberman or anyone else?

KOCH: Yes, Howard Dean is "McGovern 2," the worst. And I believe that his support comes from that one-third of the Democratic Party that is ultra-left. And everybody knows that.

BLITZER: Well, what about Joe Lieberman?

KOCH: I like Joe Lieberman. He came to see me when he was deciding whether or not to run. And I said, I love you, you are the conscious of the United States Senate, go back there because if you run for president you're going to lose. I'm voting for Bush. I told him that.

BLITZER: All right, that's good. Ed Koch, we heard it here.

KOCH: And I don't have to agree with the domestic program of Bush. I don't.

BLITZER: All right, Ed Koch always speaking out very forcefully, directly, never leaving us in any doubt where he stands. Thanks for joining us on this important day.

KOCH: Thank you.

BLITZER: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City.

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