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American Morning

'Sound Off' with Bob Beckel, Cliff May

Aired August 08, 2002 - 09:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: What to do about Iraq? The defiant words from Saddam Hussein today will likely have little effect on the White House. They sort of expected what came their way today. President Bush has made clear that he is committed to ousting the Iraqi leader. The only questions that seem to be remaining now are how and when, and can we get support for this action outside of the United States. Can the U.S. afford to strike while engaged in a search for Middle East peace?
Joining us now to "Sound Off," from Washington, Bob Beckel, Democratic political strategist, and Cliff May, former RNC communications director-- good morning, gentlemen.

CLIFF MAY, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Good morning, Paula.

BOB BECKEL, DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Hi, Paula.

ZAHN: All right. First off, Brent Scowcroft, who was the national security adviser to the first President Bush basically says that you need to solve the crisis in the Middle East before the U.S. should attack -- or would attack Iraq. is that the way to go, Cliff?

MAY: I think it is -- with all due respect, just the opposite. As long as you have Saddam Hussein showing -- out there funding terrorism, fueling terrorism. Trying to keep the flames of the Middle East conflict going, I don't see how you have that. If Iraq, on the other hand, if Saddam Hussein is out, and there's a democratic regime and the liberation of Iraq, then I think you move rather quickly towards the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

ZAHN: Oh, I hear Bob sighing. What is the problem with that, Bob?

BECKEL: Well, you know, Cliff wants to go to war so badly in Iraq. Cliff, volunteer for the Army, man. You're young enough still.

Look, the fact of the matter is, if we go into Iraq, there is no possibility of a Mideast peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, number one. Number two, our dear friends the Saudis, which I've been pointing out to you, Cliff, now for about a year, these people are the worst friends you ever had. You know, it's because of oil. They won't let us take off from an airstrip that we built because we went in there to protect them, you know, these big, rich, fat, emirs in their castles. I mean, the fact of the matter is, we don't have a place to launch a military strike. We are stretched out, and the world community is not with us. It is not worth doing it now.

MAY: Bob, you've got some good points there, but understand...

ZAHN: Wait, wait, wait. Come back -- a good point. Do you agree that the Saudis are foes?

MAY: The Saudis are playing a double game. They are financing and encouraging terrorism around the world, while they're making believe that they are our good friends. Saudi Arabia is a country with no religious freedom. There is not a single church there. Our military people there can't even say a prayer, wear a cross, or a star of David in public, and women's rights are totally nonexistent.

The great illustration was a girl's school that was on fire. The girls ran out. The religious police made them run back in because they were improper attired, and many perished in that fire. This -- we cannot make-believe this is some cute, quaint, medieval regime. It is a despotism, and Bob is right about that, but let me just suggest to you, Bob, that if we say that until we get peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis we can't worry about Saddam Hussein, it's been 50 years that this conflict has been going. It could go for another 50 years. We can't let that conflict -- we can't let everything in the world be hostage to the Middle East conflict.

ZAHN: What about that, Bob?

BECKEL: First of all, Cliff, when did you finish your call with the White House this morning for your talking points? The fact of the matter is that in order -- we had a hard time, if you remember, convincing a lot of countries in this world to help us after the World Trade Centers went down. And now, if we had some evidence that we could put before the world about Hussein -- I don't like the guy.

MAY: Bob...

BECKEL: I mean, I understand all that. But it wasn't -- it was another Bush that didn't go get him. So, the fact of the matter is, you have got to convince people to come with you, and there is not enough evidence to do it.

ZAHN: All right. Bob, Bob, Bob. I can't let you get away with that. I mean, is that what the coalition agreed to do, to take Baghdad? That was never part of the agenda.

BECKEL: You know, I was injured last week, Paula. I don't know why you are jumping on me like that. I -- you're -- you're right...

ZAHN: That was not the express purpose of going into Iraq. Yes, Bob.

BECKEL: As usual -- as usual, Paula, you know your facts very well, and you are right. But when you are there, the fact is that they could have made a decision to keep going on the spot because they thought it was going to go on for a year, remember? It got over in whatever it was, 100 days. MAY: All the experts said he would fall if he lost in Kuwait, and the experts were wrong, the experts are often wrong. What we heard from Saddam Hussein last night was important. He essentially said he didn't accept that he had lost the war, the gulf war, and surrendered. He essentially said this has been a cease-fire, and during this cease-fire, he intends to build up weapons of mass destruction that at some point he is likely to give to terrorists, and we can't let that happen.

ZAHN: All right...

MAY: As far as going it alone goes, don't forget, in World War II, it was us and the Brits. Who else was on our side?

ZAHN: Gentlemen, quick yes or no. Dick Cheney says he would be happy to be on the ticket in 2004 with President Bush. You think he will be, Bob?

BECKEL: Well, no. I'm actually -- believe it or not, I like Dick Cheney. I don't think he should for his health, and I want to recommend to George Bush right now if Cheney doesn't run, that he choose Jesse Jackson as his running mate.

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: Oh, boy. Cliff, you get the final word. Five seconds worth.

MAY: Five seconds. I hope Cheney will run. He is the most influential and consequential vice president we have ever had, most experienced. He's doing a great job, and I wish people wouldn't slander him, and the Jesse Jackson quote, I hope will have a chance to discuss again some time. I don't get it.

ZAHN: Bush-Jackson. Right. OK, gentlemen. Good to see you looking so well, Bob, after being injured. Glad you're healing, and Cliff, great to see you as well.

BECKEL: Thank you.

MAY: Thank you.

BECKEL: Bye-bye.

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