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American Morning
Interview with Sens. Sam Brownback (R), Bill Nelson (D)
Aired October 01, 2002 - 08:04 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: Now back to the issue of Iraq. It will finally get a vote. The Senate is due to start debate tomorrow on the president's call for military action against Iraq.
Kansas Republican Sam Brownback supports a resolution to remove Saddam Hussein by force if necessary. Florida Democrat Bill Nelson says the president hasn't made a strong enough case for war.
And the two law makers join us now from Washington.
Welcome.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Good morning.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Good morning.
ZAHN: Good morning.
Senator Nelson, I'm going to start with you this morning.
You say that President Bush has not made his case to go into Iraq. What about the 16 U.N. resolutions that Iraq has violated over the last decade?
NELSON: Well, Paula, that's not what I've said. What I've said is that the president should come forth with the evidence and that is starting to trickle out. And what I've further said is that we don't want to go this alone unless absolutely necessary. What you want to do is to get our allies behind us and especially our Arab friends in the region. Because if we were to go it alone, it would just give us all kinds of heartburn in the war against terrorism, as well as us trying to strike a peace accord in the Middle East.
ZAHN: But Senator, let's come back to the question I asked you, you say the evidence is starting to trickle out. I mean isn't it evidence enough that there have been some 16 U.N. resolutions on the books for years now that have been violated? Isn't that evidence?
NELSON: Of course it is. And now we're seeing that in intelligence that he is starting to have the capability -- I'm being very careful in choosing my words here -- the capability of delivering some of those weapons of mass destruction. He has the chemical and the biological. He's trying to get the nuclear. He's a bad guy. We need to take him out.
The question is how, and that's got to be with the world community joining us. ZAHN: Sam Brownback, your reaction to what your colleague has just said, particularly about the need for the U.S. to not go it alone?
BROWNBACK: Well, I don't think that's going to be the case. I don't think the U.S. is going to go it alone. The Brits are working aggressively with us. There is a number of countries in the region that are already signed on to help us out. This is not going to be a unilateral action by the United States.
And as far as the making the case to the American public, I think the president has laid out a good case, but I think it would be even more powerful if he would come in front of a joint session of Congress or do an address to the nation and lay out the complete case just the way he did in front of the United Nations, saying here's what Saddam has said, here's what Saddam has done, here is why this is a threat to the United States.
I think that's coming out in the al Qaeda now being in Iraq, the weaponry that he has. And that mixture of terrorist and weapons of mass destruction is so potent and so dastardly and so diabolical for us, and a potential damage to us, that we just can't countenance continuing to let him exist in that type of a setting.
ZAHN: So, Senator Nelson, I'm sure you probably would agree that that is a good idea, if the president would come before a joint session of Congress?
NELSON: Any means of communication. That's been the problem. We've had this disconnect between the sharing of information back and forth. We've had two of the most respected members of Congress, Senator Lugar and Senator Hagel, continuously insist on this dialogue and continuously insist on going out to the world community, most recently they saying in the form of the United Nations resolution.
So any dialogue with the White House, instead of the White House doing this cowboy style alone, is clearly in the interests of the United States.
ZAHN: Sam Brownback?
BROWNBACK: Well, I just don't think we're doing it alone. I don't think the White House is doing it alone. They've been reaching out to the international community. The president addressed the United Nations. He's been aggressively seeking support from around the world. And there's a lot at stake here. Secretary Kissinger was in front of our committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, last week. And he's one of the most noted foreign policy experts in the world, continues to be.
He says this will have a strong impact on the war on terrorism in a positive way if the United States, with a number of allies, works forward and addresses the issue of Saddam Hussein and what he is doing to support terrorists and that mixture of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. He thinks it'll have a positive impact throughout the region on reducing the number of terrorists and their operation throughout the world.
ZAHN: Senator Nelson, what about that notion? Do you think it will have a positive effect if the U.S. goes into Iraq? We don't know who the partners would be at this point. Or would it compromise U.S. efforts to clamp down on terror, as some critics of the president have suggested?
NELSON: Well, there's nothing that breeds success like success, and that's what we want to make sure, that we go in, that we're quickly successful, that this is not a long, protracted kind of thing, and going in that we've got the world community with us.
Then all of our friends in the region, for example, Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, they're going to have cover in that world of their politics that they have to say one thing privately to us and another thing publicly to play to their constituency.
It's going to be so much easier. You just think, Paula, it's just common sense tells you that you want to go into this with the region united instead of the region divided.
ZAHN: A final 10 seconds from the other senator. How ugly are things going to get in the Senate tomorrow, where you try to agree on a resolution?
BROWNBACK: You know, at the end of the day I don't think it's going to be that ugly. I think there's going to be a 65 plus vote in favor of a resolution supporting the president. I think that resolution is going to need to be tightened up some. But at the end of the day he will have the authority to use whatever force, including military, that's necessary, and it'll be broadly bipartisan in support.
ZAHN: Thank you for giving us a preview of that debate, gentlemen.
Senators Bill Nelson and Sam Brownback.
Appreciate your time as you head into this very heated arena you'll be entering tomorrow.
NELSON: Thank you.
BROWNBACK: Thanks.
ZAHN: Appreciate it.
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 October 1, 2002 - 08:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now back to the issue of Iraq. It will finally get a vote. The Senate is due to start debate tomorrow on the president's call for military action against Iraq.
Kansas Republican Sam Brownback supports a resolution to remove Saddam Hussein by force if necessary. Florida Democrat Bill Nelson says the president hasn't made a strong enough case for war.
And the two law makers join us now from Washington.
Welcome.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Good morning.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Good morning.
ZAHN: Good morning.
Senator Nelson, I'm going to start with you this morning.
You say that President Bush has not made his case to go into Iraq. What about the 16 U.N. resolutions that Iraq has violated over the last decade?
NELSON: Well, Paula, that's not what I've said. What I've said is that the president should come forth with the evidence and that is starting to trickle out. And what I've further said is that we don't want to go this alone unless absolutely necessary. What you want to do is to get our allies behind us and especially our Arab friends in the region. Because if we were to go it alone, it would just give us all kinds of heartburn in the war against terrorism, as well as us trying to strike a peace accord in the Middle East.
ZAHN: But Senator, let's come back to the question I asked you, you say the evidence is starting to trickle out. I mean isn't it evidence enough that there have been some 16 U.N. resolutions on the books for years now that have been violated? Isn't that evidence?
NELSON: Of course it is. And now we're seeing that in intelligence that he is starting to have the capability -- I'm being very careful in choosing my words here -- the capability of delivering some of those weapons of mass destruction. He has the chemical and the biological. He's trying to get the nuclear. He's a bad guy. We need to take him out.
The question is how, and that's got to be with the world community joining us. ZAHN: Sam Brownback, your reaction to what your colleague has just said, particularly about the need for the U.S. to not go it alone?
BROWNBACK: Well, I don't think that's going to be the case. I don't think the U.S. is going to go it alone. The Brits are working aggressively with us. There is a number of countries in the region that are already signed on to help us out. This is not going to be a unilateral action by the United States.
And as far as the making the case to the American public, I think the president has laid out a good case, but I think it would be even more powerful if he would come in front of a joint session of Congress or do an address to the nation and lay out the complete case just the way he did in front of the United Nations, saying here's what Saddam has said, here's what Saddam has done, here is why this is a threat to the United States.
I think that's coming out in the al Qaeda now being in Iraq, the weaponry that he has. And that mixture of terrorist and weapons of mass destruction is so potent and so dastardly and so diabolical for us, and a potential damage to us, that we just can't countenance continuing to let him exist in that type of a setting.
ZAHN: So, Senator Nelson, I'm sure you probably would agree that that is a good idea, if the president would come before a joint session of Congress?
NELSON: Any means of communication. That's been the problem. We've had this disconnect between the sharing of information back and forth. We've had two of the most respected members of Congress, Senator Lugar and Senator Hagel, continuously insist on this dialogue and continuously insist on going out to the world community, most recently they saying in the form of the United Nations resolution.
So any dialogue with the White House, instead of the White House doing this cowboy style alone, is clearly in the interests of the United States.
ZAHN: Sam Brownback?
BROWNBACK: Well, I just don't think we're doing it alone. I don't think the White House is doing it alone. They've been reaching out to the international community. The president addressed the United Nations. He's been aggressively seeking support from around the world. And there's a lot at stake here. Secretary Kissinger was in front of our committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, last week. And he's one of the most noted foreign policy experts in the world, continues to be.
He says this will have a strong impact on the war on terrorism in a positive way if the United States, with a number of allies, works forward and addresses the issue of Saddam Hussein and what he is doing to support terrorists and that mixture of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. He thinks it'll have a positive impact throughout the region on reducing the number of terrorists and their operation throughout the world.
ZAHN: Senator Nelson, what about that notion? Do you think it will have a positive effect if the U.S. goes into Iraq? We don't know who the partners would be at this point. Or would it compromise U.S. efforts to clamp down on terror, as some critics of the president have suggested?
NELSON: Well, there's nothing that breeds success like success, and that's what we want to make sure, that we go in, that we're quickly successful, that this is not a long, protracted kind of thing, and going in that we've got the world community with us.
Then all of our friends in the region, for example, Egypt and Jordan, Saudi Arabia, they're going to have cover in that world of their politics that they have to say one thing privately to us and another thing publicly to play to their constituency.
It's going to be so much easier. You just think, Paula, it's just common sense tells you that you want to go into this with the region united instead of the region divided.
ZAHN: A final 10 seconds from the other senator. How ugly are things going to get in the Senate tomorrow, where you try to agree on a resolution?
BROWNBACK: You know, at the end of the day I don't think it's going to be that ugly. I think there's going to be a 65 plus vote in favor of a resolution supporting the president. I think that resolution is going to need to be tightened up some. But at the end of the day he will have the authority to use whatever force, including military, that's necessary, and it'll be broadly bipartisan in support.
ZAHN: Thank you for giving us a preview of that debate, gentlemen.
Senators Bill Nelson and Sam Brownback.
Appreciate your time as you head into this very heated arena you'll be entering tomorrow.
NELSON: Thank you.
BROWNBACK: Thanks.
ZAHN: Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
