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American Morning

Interview with Joseph Lieberman

Aired December 26, 2002 - 07:21   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Joe Lieberman is on a ten-day Middle East trip that he is calling a fact-finding mission. Earlier this week, he met are Palestinian leaders in Ramallah where he voiced support for the creation of a Palestinian state. He also met with Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon. He spent Christmas Day with U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and this morning, he is joining us from Qatar.
Senator Joe Lieberman -- Senator, good morning or good afternoon or evening where you are in Doha. Thanks for joining us.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, good to talk to you. By Wolf Blitzer time in Doha, it is afternoon.

KAGAN: By the Wolf clock. We appreciate that. We will pass on that there is now an official time. We will pass that on to Wolf.

LIEBERMAN: By the Wolf clock. Right. OK.

KAGAN: On a serious note here, Senator, as we mentioned, you spent Christmas Day in Saudi Arabia, today in Qatar. I think the No. 1 foreign policy question for Americans here on this day after Christmas, they want to know, is the U.S. going to war with Iraq?

LIEBERMAN: Well, the first thing to say is that I came here to say thank you to the American men and women in uniform here so far away from their families at Christmas time doing a mission of critical importance to the United States. Thank you and merry Christmas to them.

And let me say to their folks back home, they look good and their morale is very high. They are ready for battle if necessary. And whether it is necessary, of course, depends on what is happening in Iraq, and what Saddam Hussein will do to make clear to us that he doesn't have the weapons of mass destruction that we are convinced he does have.

KAGAN: But how much time do you think the U.S. is willing to give Saddam Hussein to come clean on that? Are we talking about a matter of weeks, months, or never?

LIEBERMAN: This is a call for the president as commander in chief. I'd say it's a matter of weeks, although I do think the president has been quite patient, surprisingly patient to some, in pursuing or watching the implementation of the United Nations resolution, but we are coming to a point where the U.S. has got to give some of the evidence that we have over to the United Nations and perhaps begin to talk about it a little more publicly, so that the public and America, throughout the world will have a better idea of why we are so committed to seeing Saddam Hussein disarm.

KAGAN: Have you seen that information, and would you suggest that President Bush is being too patient with Iraq?

LIEBERMAN: Well, I received several classified briefings throughout the fall and early winter, and it convinced me, along with information that the United Nations already had made public based on what Saddam had in '98, when the inspectors left Iraq four years ago, that he's got weapons of mass destruction and is dangerous to his people, to his neighbors, to the world, including the United States.

So I want to be supportive of the president as commander in chief. He is being patient. You can only be so patient, and then you reach a point where you've got to make a decision, and I don't think we've reached that point yet.

KAGAN: As the U.S. does get ready for that possible war, I know another stop on this tour for you is Saudi Arabia. Are you getting any kind of sense that the Saudis are going to be any more helpful in the war against Iraq, if that happens, or on the war on terrorism?

LIEBERMAN: Well, in addition to saying thank you to the American military here in the Gulf, my main purpose has been to say to the nations, the leaders of the Gulf nations that I've visited, if we need to go to war in Iraq, we need your help. You are our allies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, we can't do this without the kind of support only you can give us.

And I'd say the answer I got was encouraging, though not yet explicit, but when the time comes, I'm confident we are going to have the support we need from the Saudis, the Qataris, and the Bahrainis as well.

KAGAN: We will be tracking that. There are some who would say they appreciate that you go over and visit the troops during this holiday time. But also some who would suggest this is all part of a image building to get ready for that possible presidential campaign. Anything you want to share with us today, Senator, about future plans for -- let's just say, 2004?

LIEBERMAN: Well, no. I mean, this is a long scheduled trip, and I've been so busy and what I've been doing here, that, fortunately, I haven't had any time to think about politics. But I will when I get back, and I intend to make a decision by the middle of January. Plenty of time for that.

KAGAN: All right. We will be looking for that. Senator Joe Lieberman joining us from Doha, Qatar. Sir, thank you, and safe travels during this holiday season. Appreciate it.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Best to you.

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 December 26, 2002 - 07:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator Joe Lieberman is on a ten-day Middle East trip that he is calling a fact-finding mission. Earlier this week, he met are Palestinian leaders in Ramallah where he voiced support for the creation of a Palestinian state. He also met with Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon. He spent Christmas Day with U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and this morning, he is joining us from Qatar.
Senator Joe Lieberman -- Senator, good morning or good afternoon or evening where you are in Doha. Thanks for joining us.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, good to talk to you. By Wolf Blitzer time in Doha, it is afternoon.

KAGAN: By the Wolf clock. We appreciate that. We will pass on that there is now an official time. We will pass that on to Wolf.

LIEBERMAN: By the Wolf clock. Right. OK.

KAGAN: On a serious note here, Senator, as we mentioned, you spent Christmas Day in Saudi Arabia, today in Qatar. I think the No. 1 foreign policy question for Americans here on this day after Christmas, they want to know, is the U.S. going to war with Iraq?

LIEBERMAN: Well, the first thing to say is that I came here to say thank you to the American men and women in uniform here so far away from their families at Christmas time doing a mission of critical importance to the United States. Thank you and merry Christmas to them.

And let me say to their folks back home, they look good and their morale is very high. They are ready for battle if necessary. And whether it is necessary, of course, depends on what is happening in Iraq, and what Saddam Hussein will do to make clear to us that he doesn't have the weapons of mass destruction that we are convinced he does have.

KAGAN: But how much time do you think the U.S. is willing to give Saddam Hussein to come clean on that? Are we talking about a matter of weeks, months, or never?

LIEBERMAN: This is a call for the president as commander in chief. I'd say it's a matter of weeks, although I do think the president has been quite patient, surprisingly patient to some, in pursuing or watching the implementation of the United Nations resolution, but we are coming to a point where the U.S. has got to give some of the evidence that we have over to the United Nations and perhaps begin to talk about it a little more publicly, so that the public and America, throughout the world will have a better idea of why we are so committed to seeing Saddam Hussein disarm.

KAGAN: Have you seen that information, and would you suggest that President Bush is being too patient with Iraq?

LIEBERMAN: Well, I received several classified briefings throughout the fall and early winter, and it convinced me, along with information that the United Nations already had made public based on what Saddam had in '98, when the inspectors left Iraq four years ago, that he's got weapons of mass destruction and is dangerous to his people, to his neighbors, to the world, including the United States.

So I want to be supportive of the president as commander in chief. He is being patient. You can only be so patient, and then you reach a point where you've got to make a decision, and I don't think we've reached that point yet.

KAGAN: As the U.S. does get ready for that possible war, I know another stop on this tour for you is Saudi Arabia. Are you getting any kind of sense that the Saudis are going to be any more helpful in the war against Iraq, if that happens, or on the war on terrorism?

LIEBERMAN: Well, in addition to saying thank you to the American military here in the Gulf, my main purpose has been to say to the nations, the leaders of the Gulf nations that I've visited, if we need to go to war in Iraq, we need your help. You are our allies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, we can't do this without the kind of support only you can give us.

And I'd say the answer I got was encouraging, though not yet explicit, but when the time comes, I'm confident we are going to have the support we need from the Saudis, the Qataris, and the Bahrainis as well.

KAGAN: We will be tracking that. There are some who would say they appreciate that you go over and visit the troops during this holiday time. But also some who would suggest this is all part of a image building to get ready for that possible presidential campaign. Anything you want to share with us today, Senator, about future plans for -- let's just say, 2004?

LIEBERMAN: Well, no. I mean, this is a long scheduled trip, and I've been so busy and what I've been doing here, that, fortunately, I haven't had any time to think about politics. But I will when I get back, and I intend to make a decision by the middle of January. Plenty of time for that.

KAGAN: All right. We will be looking for that. Senator Joe Lieberman joining us from Doha, Qatar. Sir, thank you, and safe travels during this holiday season. Appreciate it.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Best to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com