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American Morning
Sound Off: Former President Tries to Insert Himself into Mideast Peace Process
Aired April 24, 2002 - 09:20 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: A former president tries to insert himself into the Middle East peace process. An Arabian-crowned prince comes to Texas and a prominent voice in the president's ear will soon be missing from the West Wing. Add them all up and that is a full plate today for our "Sound Off" team this morning.
Joining us from Washington Bob Beckel, Democratic Political Strategist. Woo, you are looking so hip.
BOB BECKEL, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL STRATEGIST. Thank you, Paula. I just wanted ...
ZAHN: ... Blues Brothers routine.
BECKEL: Well I'll explain it to you. Somebody who watches your show got a hold of a friend of mine who said that - they liked Cliff said they said I was the thug and he was the wonk. So I thought I would say to her, thank you very much, you're right.
ZAHN: Playing in that role (INAUDIBLE) and look at the wonk, Cliff May with the Foundation for the Defensive Democracy, good morning.
BECKEL: Instead of the Blues Brothers, could we be the News Brothers? We both wear dark glasses.
ZAHN: I like the News Brothers. All right, gentlemen, let's talk about the op-ed piece that President Carter wrote in the New York Times over the weekend. Basically saying that the if U.S. was wants to be serious about getting Israel to do what it wants it to do, they should cut funding off. Cliff May, that would have gotten some attention; wouldn't it have?
CLIFF MAY, FORMER RNC COMMUNITY DIRECTOR: I would think so. It's - I found it to be a peculiar piece because President Carter, who's a very good man and I hope he has long retirement building houses for the homeless, he is sort of - he suggests that he understands that there people who - Hamas, Yasser Arafat who want to destroy the entire state of Israel and who are using terrorism to try to accomplish that. And then he says what we have to is apply some pressure but he only suggests we apply pressure and punishment to one side, once again, to the Israelis. Now maybe that's because there's nothing you can do about Hamas or he thinks there's nothing you can do about Hamas and about Arafat and about their ambition. That has never changed for a minute over the last 20 years, 30 years to destroy Israel and do it via terrorism. But that's what he says. Let's hold Sharon's hands behind their back. Let's hold Israel's behind their back while Israel gets pummeled by terrorism and demands some more concessions. That has been tried as a root to peace. It hasn't worked. We need to try something else.
ZAHN: Bob Beckel?
BECKEL: Well I had the privilege of working in the White House with President Carter. And let me just point out; he was the last president who secured for Israel probably the only security that, that country has had. And that is by the Camp David peace accords taking Egypt out of the mix and Jordan out of the mix, Israel became a much more secure nation as a result.
Jimmy Carter knows more about the Middle East in his sleep than the Bush Administration knows in a month. So the fact of the matter is what Jimmy Carter says people ought to listen to. He is the only one, the only one with tangible evidence that's been brought to the table that has actually helped Israel. Everybody else has talked and when he says - when he says this level of frustration, Cliff, he means it. He knows what he's talking about. Forget about building ...
MAY: Yeah. I know. Let me get a word in edgewise. Look, in a way you're right Bob. He was able to help bring peace between Egypt and Jordan because Egypt and Jordan gave up the ambition of destroying all of Israel. They had that ambition at one point. They give up it up. They gave up terrorism. And guess what? Israel was willing to give up land for peace. You don't have that same equation right now with Arafat. He hasn't given up the dream of destroying Israel. He is still utilizing terrorism. By the way, Jimmy Carter did some things that were useful but Ayatollah Khomeni came to power under his watch. I was in Iran when that happened and that began militant Islam's rise in the senatacy (ph), which left us where we are today and don't forget the hostage crisis. Carter ...
ZAHN: OK. I don't want this to turn into a treatism (ph) of Carter presidency. I want to really talk about the role of ex- presidents and all this. So while you welcome the involvement of President Carter in this Bob Beckel, what about Former President Bill Clinton who made it clear to Associated Press this week that he would love to be called to service in some way in the Middle East? Bob?
BECKEL: I'm sure he would like to be called to service. I mean I think he would. But is there any possibility of that? No. I mean ...
ZAHN: Would he do any good, Bob?
BECKEL: I think he might do some good. But you know remember when Carter went to Haiti and there was a good deal of friction. Those where two democrats. But nonetheless, Carter did do his job and avoided an invasion of Haiti. I think that - and Bob Strous (ph) was former national chairman of the Democratic Party went to Ambassador of Russia in the first Bush administration. I think there's a role to be played by people in the other party. It certainly would help you on Capitol Hill but in Clinton's case, I just can't imagine the Bush people doing that.
MAY: Well you're right. They wouldn't. And let me tell you very quickly why. That - the approach that Clinton had came to a culmination at Camp David whereas you know, with strong urging from Clinton, some arm twisting, Prime Minister Barak offered Arafat everything he ever said he wanted, an independent state in the West Bank, Capitol in Jerusalem, dismantlement of settlements. Arafat said no. Arafat said no at Taba (ph) when Clinton presented his own plan, which included again everything Arafat said he wanted. Tremendous risks by Israel. Instead what did Arafat do? He launched a wave of terrorism that continued until, until Sharon responded by doing what was terrible but necessary beginning to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism that has grown up in the West Bank under Arafat, after Arafat was brought to the West Bank by Israel, the land for peace deal. Arafat got the land, he never gave the peace.
ZAHN: Let's talk about another former president. Former President Bush. Do we know the extent to which the current president is relying on any sort of input from his father - Bob?
BECKLEY: I - well I mean that's far be it for me to know what's going on ...
ZAHN: I know. You have such a pipeline to the Bush Administration.
BECKLEY: But yeah - but I mean I had to turn my Thanksgiving invitation at Kennebunkport. I'm sure they're upset about that. But I think the fact of the matter is that ex-presidents, his dad would be perfect person. There's a lot of trust there, obviously. And in Carter - going back to that. Carter has a lot of trust in the Middle East among the Arab countries. And I just don't see why for the life of me why we don't make more use, whether it be the democrats or republicans of former presidents. They carry a lot of standing and I think George Bush Senior would be - would be terrific.
MAY: I'm sure that 41, the first president, President Bush, is advising President Bush quietly and carefully. Certainly he is in terms of the meeting, as you know Paula, President Bush is going to have with the Crowned Prince Abdullah in Crawford, Texas. I don't if they're going to serve marketing (ph) selling and don't serve margaritas and ribs, Abby (ph) doesn't like that. But in terms of that, I think it's been very important that President Bush have a very tough plain conversation with Prince Abdullah.
ZAHN: Well he knows what he's been hearing from the Saudi Arabians; right? They hate our policy in the Middle East.
MAY: He - they - yeah, but we also hate their policies. This is nation that has no religious freedom whatsoever. If you convert to Christianity, it's punishable by death. You cannot say a Christian prayer. You cannot have a Christian church. Even the president, the first President Bush couldn't at Christmastime with troops there say a prayer on Saudi soil. Women cannot drive cars. They can't leave the country without a man's permission. If the Saudi's - and by the way, 15 out the 19 hijackers on September the 11th were Saudi's. What does that mean? The Saudi's are pumping out propaganda around the world with anti-American hatred, anti-Semitism, anti-Israel hatred. They're having Jerry Lewis telethons for suicide bomber.
ZAHN: All right.
BECKLEY: You know you put ...
ZAHN: I'm going to have to cut you both off here and give Bob Beckel a disciplined five seconds to respond and then you can save yourself for ...
BECKEL: I think the Saudis continue to send bad people out of their country. We continue to be with them because of oil. And when said that - like me sending my kids to Cliff's house I mean when they get in trouble. The fact of the matter is the Saudis have not been our friends. It's all about oil and military equipment.
ZAHN: OK. Will you put the glasses back on, Bob? I just want to see ...
BECKEL: I certainly will after what I've said just I think I'm out of here.
ZAHN: You're going to have to wear them around town. All right, gentlemen, good to see you all, the News Brothers.
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