Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Wesley Clark Enters Presidential Race
Aired September 17, 2003 - 15:01 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: I'm Judy Woodruff live in Little Rock this afternoon, where General Wesley Clark, retired four-star general, just a short time ago, announced that he is running for president. He got started with a military-style command: We're moving out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why has America lost 2.7 million jobs? Why has America lost the prospect of a $5 trillion surplus and turned it into a $5 trillion deficit that deepens every day? Why has our country lost our sense of security and feels the shadow of fear? Why has America lost the respect of so many people around the world?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: In anticipation of today's announcement, I spoke yesterday with General Clark and talked to him, among other things, about his opposition to the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARK: What we need to do is, we need to go back and reassess the security situation there. There is a requirement for greater security. Whether that's going to be met by foreign troops, U.S. troops, or Iraqis needs to be looked at.
Without going over there, I can't say definitively it has to be U.S. troops. But I can say this. Security is inadequate. And if you can't get foreign troops to do the job and you can't bring the Iraqis up soon enough, then we need to do that. We need border security. We need highway security.
WOODRUFF: More troops, is that what you're saying?
CLARK: We need highway security. We need border security.
WOODRUFF: Even if they're stretched thin, you're saying?
CLARK: Well, yes, the troops are stretched thin. But we're not going to pull out of Iraq and cause it to fail.
There's nothing in Iraq that's going to run us out. It's a question of getting the balance right. In other words, what you want to do is, you want to have sufficient security that you can move ahead with the political and economic development of the country. Now, where that balance is, that has to come up from inside the armed forces. But here's what I hear inside. I hear a lot of people saying that, yes, there are these problems, but there are no more troops.
Well, there are troops. Now, it might not be palatable to access those troops, but we've got lots of troops in the U.S. Army, National Guard.
WOODRUFF: You mean stationed around the world?
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: The U.S. Army, National Guard, they're here for emergencies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: Well, meantime, one of Clark's leading rivals is weighing in on his candidacy. In Vermont, Howard Dean had this to say about the 10th Democrat to get in the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he'll be a great candidate. He's smart. He knows certainly defense and military issues. And, of course, he's getting a late start, but I think he would be a great addition to the race.
QUESTION: Hurt your campaign?
DEAN: I don't think so. But we'll find out. I did not ask him to be my running mate.
QUESTION: Would you be his if he takes the lead?
DEAN: We're a long, long way from any of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: We're going to have reaction to the Clark candidacy from another '04 Democratic candidate, Senator John Edwards. We're going to have that at 4:00 Eastern on "INSIDE POLITICS."
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 17, 2003 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Judy Woodruff live in Little Rock this afternoon, where General Wesley Clark, retired four-star general, just a short time ago, announced that he is running for president. He got started with a military-style command: We're moving out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why has America lost 2.7 million jobs? Why has America lost the prospect of a $5 trillion surplus and turned it into a $5 trillion deficit that deepens every day? Why has our country lost our sense of security and feels the shadow of fear? Why has America lost the respect of so many people around the world?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: In anticipation of today's announcement, I spoke yesterday with General Clark and talked to him, among other things, about his opposition to the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARK: What we need to do is, we need to go back and reassess the security situation there. There is a requirement for greater security. Whether that's going to be met by foreign troops, U.S. troops, or Iraqis needs to be looked at.
Without going over there, I can't say definitively it has to be U.S. troops. But I can say this. Security is inadequate. And if you can't get foreign troops to do the job and you can't bring the Iraqis up soon enough, then we need to do that. We need border security. We need highway security.
WOODRUFF: More troops, is that what you're saying?
CLARK: We need highway security. We need border security.
WOODRUFF: Even if they're stretched thin, you're saying?
CLARK: Well, yes, the troops are stretched thin. But we're not going to pull out of Iraq and cause it to fail.
There's nothing in Iraq that's going to run us out. It's a question of getting the balance right. In other words, what you want to do is, you want to have sufficient security that you can move ahead with the political and economic development of the country. Now, where that balance is, that has to come up from inside the armed forces. But here's what I hear inside. I hear a lot of people saying that, yes, there are these problems, but there are no more troops.
Well, there are troops. Now, it might not be palatable to access those troops, but we've got lots of troops in the U.S. Army, National Guard.
WOODRUFF: You mean stationed around the world?
(CROSSTALK)
CLARK: The U.S. Army, National Guard, they're here for emergencies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: Well, meantime, one of Clark's leading rivals is weighing in on his candidacy. In Vermont, Howard Dean had this to say about the 10th Democrat to get in the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he'll be a great candidate. He's smart. He knows certainly defense and military issues. And, of course, he's getting a late start, but I think he would be a great addition to the race.
QUESTION: Hurt your campaign?
DEAN: I don't think so. But we'll find out. I did not ask him to be my running mate.
QUESTION: Would you be his if he takes the lead?
DEAN: We're a long, long way from any of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOODRUFF: We're going to have reaction to the Clark candidacy from another '04 Democratic candidate, Senator John Edwards. We're going to have that at 4:00 Eastern on "INSIDE POLITICS."
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
