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American Morning
The Big Question: Is President Bush Alienating Political Right?
Aired April 17, 2002 - 08:15 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Our big question this hour, is President Bush alienating the political right? A group of prominent Christian conservatives led by former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer is warning the president that doing business with Yasser Arafat puts his terror doctrine in great jeopardy.
And joining us this morning from Washington is Gary Bauer, president of the group American Values.
Good to see you again. Welcome.
GARY BAUER, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN VALUES: Good morning, Paula. How are you?
ZAHN: I am fine, thanks.
First of all, your reaction, sir, to what Secretary of State Colin Powell said at his news conference today, saying there will be no cease-fire, he thinks, until Israel withdraws its troops from West Bank towns?
BAUER: Well, Paula, he's been a Johnny one note on this for several weeks now and I think that's part of the problem. I think the reality is there's not going to be any peace in the Middle East until the people that live around Israel accept their right to exist. And I think that's something that Colin Powell and the bureaucrats at the State Department and a whole lot of other people are unwilling to admit, which is that Israel is in a very bad neighborhood.
It's the only democracy. It's our only true friend. And it is surrounded by people that are dedicated to the idea that Jews ought to be killed and the state of Israel ought to be destroyed.
And so I think it's been unseemly the last couple of weeks for the United States to somehow be critiquing Israel or lecturing it about what it can do when it comes the time to defend itself.
ZAHN: You don't see Secretary of State Powell lecturing Yasser Arafat? He made it very clear today that in spite of the fact that Yasser Arafat has renounced terror, he wants to see some progress being made.
BAUER: Sure. But, look, you don't lecture both your enemies and your friends. And I think most Americans remember that on September 11 when a great deal of sore, sorrow and destruction was brought to the United States, there was dancing in the streets in those Palestinian camps in celebration of the pain that America was experiencing. In Israel, they lowered the flags to half mast and they declared a national day of mourning.
So, you know, great nations stand with their friends and I think President Bush, with the Bush doctrine on fighting terrorism, ought to be consistent and realize that Israel has the right of self-defense, too.
ZAHN: There is no one within the administration that's believed to support Israel more than Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary.
BAUER: Yes.
ZAHN: And he made some comments at a pro-Israel rally that some people were quite embarrassed by the reaction to.
Let's replay a small part of what he communicated to the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Innocent Palestinians are suffering and dying in great numbers, as well. It is critical that we recognize and acknowledge that fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And then he went on to say many things that should have made Israelis happy. Were you embarrassed by the response of those folks in the crowd?
BAUER: Well, look, I guess it would have been better if there hadn't been the boos, but I understand the boos. Paula, what would have been the reaction of Americans if after 9/11 some government official would have made a statement that, well, American, innocent Americans have died and innocent Afghans are going to die?
Well, I guess that's true, because innocent people die in war. That's one of the reasons war is hell. But it doesn't tell you anything about the conflict. And the fact of the matter is that innocent Israelis are dying because their enemies target civilians. It's intentional. It's Arafat's policy. It's the policy of the PLO.
It is also true that innocent Palestinians have died, but hot as a matter of policy of the state of Israel. Innocent Palestinians have died as the inevitable consequences of military action, which always happens in war.
ZAHN: You have alleged in a report that President Bush has shown sympathy with Yasser Arafat -- and I'm going to put this up on the screen now to reinforce what you said -- because, "He is being buffeted by the old hands that served in the Bush administration."
What do you mean?
BAUER: Well, I'm guessing, obviously. I'm not privy to these conversations. But, look, it's no secret that the first Bush administration was fairly pro-Arab and pro-Muslim states in the Middle East. The former secretary of state in the first Bush administration made some fairly unseemly comments about not worrying about Israel because Jewish-Americans don't vote Republican, which I think was one of the most embarrassing things a top Republican official has ever said. And I think it's no secret that those old hands in the first Bush administration have been weighing in on some of the foreign policy developments in this administration.
I would urge this president, this George Bush, to be himself, follow his own instincts. The Bush doctrine is outstanding. It's marked a major change in the way that we look at terrorism. And I think if he follows his own instincts that history will record that we won the war on terrorism and we did it by standing with our friends like Israel, not abandoning them.
ZAHN: All right, Gary, we're going to have to leave it there for this morning.
Thank you very much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING.
BAUER: Thank you. Glad to be here.
ZAHN: I think this is the first time you've been with us since the show started.
BAUER: It is.
ZAHN: We look forward to having you back.
BAUER: I've been missing you.
ZAHN: Thanks.
BAUER: Thank you.
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