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American Morning
'Gimme a Minute'
Aired January 17, 2003 - 08:32 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Saddam Hussein is vowing to stand up against the U.S. Hussein voiced defiance yet again today during a speech to his country on the 12th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War.
Back to Baghdad and Rym Brahimi who joins us now live from there.
Rym, hello.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Well, that's an anniversary that President Saddam Hussein mentioned, mentioning that war, in fact, as a victory of Iraq against the United States, saying it was a political, moral and military victory.
Now the president sent a very firm message, a very clear message in that speech today, saying that, in short, Iraq, his regime or rather Baghdad, the seat of power, would not stand down, resist any attempts to attack, basically warning the United States not to even try, otherwise, it would be suicide, he said.
Now this comes at a tense time for Iraq. As you know, Bill, it's a moment just following discovery by U.N. weapons inspectors. They found yesterday some 11 chemical warheads. These warheads were empty. The United Nations weapons inspectors say they need further evaluation and they're still checking to see whether or not these warheads have been reported in Iraq's weapons declaration.
Now, Iraq has just maintained again today that these chemical warheads were not only reported, an envoy of President Hussein actually says they were registered, listed and even pictured in documents belonging to the commission, meaning the U.n. weapons inspectors -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
"Give Me a Minute" is the name of a new segment we are trying out today. Here is the idea. We bring three people together with strong opinions, throw a question at them, and they've got a minute to dazzle us with their brilliance.
Rising to the challenge this week Christopher Caldwell of "The Weekly Standard" and Tish Durkin of "The National Journal" and Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker." Good morning, everyone. Glad to see you all. Thank you for joining us this morning.
Christopher, I'm going to start with you this morning.
Are we going to go to war with Iraq?
CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": I think we are and I think a lot of what you see this week, George Bush's language, reflects the language he now has to sell the policy now to the world much more than he does to Americans. He is interested in building a consensus with the French, among others. So yes, I think it's only a matter of time.
ZAHN: Tish?
TISH DURKIN, "THE NATIONAL JOURNAL": I agree. I think it's only a matter of time. I think recent events have somewhat implicated the picture insofar as the discovery of those chemical capable warheads have made it more difficult for the international community to dismiss the concerns of the United States and perhaps bring them closer to cooperating in an American-led coalition.
But, at the same time, it argues further for the idea that the U.N. ought to be given a longer timetable, because it gives you the impression that the inspections are actually getting somewhere.
ZAHN: We don't always expect Christopher and Tish to agree.
Andy, where do you fall on this one?
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Well, I think we probably will. I think that Saddam will probably claim he had those chemical warheads, because he was doing research for a film role where he was going to play a guy who had chemical weapons. I don't think Bush will buy it, something tells me.
ZAHN: All right, we got to move on to the next subject. Tish, start with you this time. The president's job approval is down considerably from when it was first checked on 9/11, 2001. Why the drop?
DURKIN: Not really a surprise. I think the previous numbers were something of an artificial high, and I also think it reflects the seriousness of problems at home and abroad, and I think that that is a good thing. I think insofar as people make the argument that the president's actions and words vis-a-vis Iraq is a function of flattering poll numbers, then that's going to be slighted now.
ZAHN: Christopher, I guess put this in perspective, we should make it clear he own enjoys higher poll ratings two years into his presidency than a lot of other sitting presidents. Christopher, your thoughts on how concerned the administration should be about these numbers dropping?
CALDWELL: I'm pretty concerned. I think President Bush's natural level of popularity is somewhat lower in the absence of big deals like September 11th, somewhat lower than say President Reagan or President Clinton. But I think the big thing that has happened this week to cause the five-point drop is this dividend tax cut, this new financial plan. I think that the public is a lot more onto it than Republicans realize.
ZAHN: Andy?
BOROWITZ: I agree. I don't think enough of us have dividends to make a dividend tax cut all that valuable, but I do think we ought to keep it in perspective. President Bush is still more popular than I am.
ZAHN: Give you five more seconds. You got cheated there.
BOROWITZ: Well, it's OK. That's all I wanted to say really.
ZAHN: You get to tackle this one. English police arrested Mr. Pete Townsend on Monday on suspicion of possessing child pornography. We have seen all of the songs he's ever written analyzed to give us clues. Do you think the media went overboard on this story?
BOROWITZ: The lyrics in talking about my generation are not I hope I die before I download, I think we ought to make that very clear. But you know, again, it's another showbiz guy using the research use. Next time I borrow a rake from my neighbor, I'm going to say that as researching a play I'm writing about a guy who borrows a rake and doesn't give it back.
ZAHN: Christopher?
CALDWELL: Well, it's like the old Prime Minister Gladstone, who used to go into the East End to rescue prostitutes, even during his prime ministership. I'm very confused with this, I got to say. The guy has not been arrested or charged. There could be an innocent explanation. Until he is arrested or charged, I'm inclined to take him at his word.
ZAHN: Are you going to cut him that much slack, Tish?
DURKIN: Yes, these allegations are so disturbing, that if they're true, they're terrible, but if untrue, they really need to be given a chance.
If we are going to give the U.N. weapons inspectors a chance, let's give the British authorities a chance to come forth with what they actually know before we start saying about Pete Townshend.
ZAHN: What about that, Andy.
BOROWITZ: Well, I think both Saddam and Pete Townshend need to go back to hiding school to learn how to hide things better, that is for sure.
ZAHN: You really believe he's done something wrong.
Tish, you get to wrap up our final round here on the most unreported story of the week.
DURKIN: Paula, I've really cheated. This is not a story from this week, and it's not totally unreported, but given the soon -- given the fact that there is going to be a war protest in Washington this week, I just really wanted to call attention to a small fact that I think really encapsulates the dilemma faced by this administration in the context of Iraq.
Which is that for a number of years now, Iraq has been allowed under lightened sanctions to import the antidote to chemical weapons, so what that -- which is also a substance that is used to treat heart attack victims.
So basically, the choice that we're now facing is, do we continue to deprive innocent Iraqis of heart medication? Or, on the other hand, supply Saddam Hussein -- or, rather, remove one of the main obstacles to Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons, or, on the other hand, as some of these protesters will want, lift the sanctions altogether and sit back for the floodgates to open on Saddam's power.
ZAHN: All right, Christopher, your turn?
CALDWELL: Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee may be the hottest young congressman that Democrats have, and the closest thing in the black caucus to a Clinton new Democrat, is meeting with a Republican group in Tennessee this week, and when confronted with this fact, admitted to reporters that he has been approached by Republicans about switching parties.
ZAHN: Interesting. Andy, what is your favorite underreported story of the week?
BOROWITZ: This is true that I guess 1,500 patients a year in major operations have surgical equipment left somewhere in their bodies before they are sewn up, and I think it's sort of raises homeland security questions. These people are going to be setting off a lot of metal detectors.
ZAHN: No one can get the vision of that X-ray out of their mind yesterday. You actually saw the scissors resting right near the rib cage.
BOROWITZ: We are sort of turning into human Crackerjack boxes, little prizes in there for everybody.
ZAHN: Andy Borowitz, Tish Durkin, Christopher Caldwell, thank you all for your time. You did more than a minute. We appreciated it.
BOROWITZ: Thank 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 January 17, 2003 - 08:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Saddam Hussein is vowing to stand up against the U.S. Hussein voiced defiance yet again today during a speech to his country on the 12th anniversary of the Persian Gulf War.
Back to Baghdad and Rym Brahimi who joins us now live from there.
Rym, hello.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Well, that's an anniversary that President Saddam Hussein mentioned, mentioning that war, in fact, as a victory of Iraq against the United States, saying it was a political, moral and military victory.
Now the president sent a very firm message, a very clear message in that speech today, saying that, in short, Iraq, his regime or rather Baghdad, the seat of power, would not stand down, resist any attempts to attack, basically warning the United States not to even try, otherwise, it would be suicide, he said.
Now this comes at a tense time for Iraq. As you know, Bill, it's a moment just following discovery by U.N. weapons inspectors. They found yesterday some 11 chemical warheads. These warheads were empty. The United Nations weapons inspectors say they need further evaluation and they're still checking to see whether or not these warheads have been reported in Iraq's weapons declaration.
Now, Iraq has just maintained again today that these chemical warheads were not only reported, an envoy of President Hussein actually says they were registered, listed and even pictured in documents belonging to the commission, meaning the U.n. weapons inspectors -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.
"Give Me a Minute" is the name of a new segment we are trying out today. Here is the idea. We bring three people together with strong opinions, throw a question at them, and they've got a minute to dazzle us with their brilliance.
Rising to the challenge this week Christopher Caldwell of "The Weekly Standard" and Tish Durkin of "The National Journal" and Andy Borowitz of "The New Yorker." Good morning, everyone. Glad to see you all. Thank you for joining us this morning.
Christopher, I'm going to start with you this morning.
Are we going to go to war with Iraq?
CHRISTOPHER CALDWELL, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": I think we are and I think a lot of what you see this week, George Bush's language, reflects the language he now has to sell the policy now to the world much more than he does to Americans. He is interested in building a consensus with the French, among others. So yes, I think it's only a matter of time.
ZAHN: Tish?
TISH DURKIN, "THE NATIONAL JOURNAL": I agree. I think it's only a matter of time. I think recent events have somewhat implicated the picture insofar as the discovery of those chemical capable warheads have made it more difficult for the international community to dismiss the concerns of the United States and perhaps bring them closer to cooperating in an American-led coalition.
But, at the same time, it argues further for the idea that the U.N. ought to be given a longer timetable, because it gives you the impression that the inspections are actually getting somewhere.
ZAHN: We don't always expect Christopher and Tish to agree.
Andy, where do you fall on this one?
ANDY BOROWITZ, "THE NEW YORKER": Well, I think we probably will. I think that Saddam will probably claim he had those chemical warheads, because he was doing research for a film role where he was going to play a guy who had chemical weapons. I don't think Bush will buy it, something tells me.
ZAHN: All right, we got to move on to the next subject. Tish, start with you this time. The president's job approval is down considerably from when it was first checked on 9/11, 2001. Why the drop?
DURKIN: Not really a surprise. I think the previous numbers were something of an artificial high, and I also think it reflects the seriousness of problems at home and abroad, and I think that that is a good thing. I think insofar as people make the argument that the president's actions and words vis-a-vis Iraq is a function of flattering poll numbers, then that's going to be slighted now.
ZAHN: Christopher, I guess put this in perspective, we should make it clear he own enjoys higher poll ratings two years into his presidency than a lot of other sitting presidents. Christopher, your thoughts on how concerned the administration should be about these numbers dropping?
CALDWELL: I'm pretty concerned. I think President Bush's natural level of popularity is somewhat lower in the absence of big deals like September 11th, somewhat lower than say President Reagan or President Clinton. But I think the big thing that has happened this week to cause the five-point drop is this dividend tax cut, this new financial plan. I think that the public is a lot more onto it than Republicans realize.
ZAHN: Andy?
BOROWITZ: I agree. I don't think enough of us have dividends to make a dividend tax cut all that valuable, but I do think we ought to keep it in perspective. President Bush is still more popular than I am.
ZAHN: Give you five more seconds. You got cheated there.
BOROWITZ: Well, it's OK. That's all I wanted to say really.
ZAHN: You get to tackle this one. English police arrested Mr. Pete Townsend on Monday on suspicion of possessing child pornography. We have seen all of the songs he's ever written analyzed to give us clues. Do you think the media went overboard on this story?
BOROWITZ: The lyrics in talking about my generation are not I hope I die before I download, I think we ought to make that very clear. But you know, again, it's another showbiz guy using the research use. Next time I borrow a rake from my neighbor, I'm going to say that as researching a play I'm writing about a guy who borrows a rake and doesn't give it back.
ZAHN: Christopher?
CALDWELL: Well, it's like the old Prime Minister Gladstone, who used to go into the East End to rescue prostitutes, even during his prime ministership. I'm very confused with this, I got to say. The guy has not been arrested or charged. There could be an innocent explanation. Until he is arrested or charged, I'm inclined to take him at his word.
ZAHN: Are you going to cut him that much slack, Tish?
DURKIN: Yes, these allegations are so disturbing, that if they're true, they're terrible, but if untrue, they really need to be given a chance.
If we are going to give the U.N. weapons inspectors a chance, let's give the British authorities a chance to come forth with what they actually know before we start saying about Pete Townshend.
ZAHN: What about that, Andy.
BOROWITZ: Well, I think both Saddam and Pete Townshend need to go back to hiding school to learn how to hide things better, that is for sure.
ZAHN: You really believe he's done something wrong.
Tish, you get to wrap up our final round here on the most unreported story of the week.
DURKIN: Paula, I've really cheated. This is not a story from this week, and it's not totally unreported, but given the soon -- given the fact that there is going to be a war protest in Washington this week, I just really wanted to call attention to a small fact that I think really encapsulates the dilemma faced by this administration in the context of Iraq.
Which is that for a number of years now, Iraq has been allowed under lightened sanctions to import the antidote to chemical weapons, so what that -- which is also a substance that is used to treat heart attack victims.
So basically, the choice that we're now facing is, do we continue to deprive innocent Iraqis of heart medication? Or, on the other hand, supply Saddam Hussein -- or, rather, remove one of the main obstacles to Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons, or, on the other hand, as some of these protesters will want, lift the sanctions altogether and sit back for the floodgates to open on Saddam's power.
ZAHN: All right, Christopher, your turn?
CALDWELL: Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee may be the hottest young congressman that Democrats have, and the closest thing in the black caucus to a Clinton new Democrat, is meeting with a Republican group in Tennessee this week, and when confronted with this fact, admitted to reporters that he has been approached by Republicans about switching parties.
ZAHN: Interesting. Andy, what is your favorite underreported story of the week?
BOROWITZ: This is true that I guess 1,500 patients a year in major operations have surgical equipment left somewhere in their bodies before they are sewn up, and I think it's sort of raises homeland security questions. These people are going to be setting off a lot of metal detectors.
ZAHN: No one can get the vision of that X-ray out of their mind yesterday. You actually saw the scissors resting right near the rib cage.
BOROWITZ: We are sort of turning into human Crackerjack boxes, little prizes in there for everybody.
ZAHN: Andy Borowitz, Tish Durkin, Christopher Caldwell, thank you all for your time. You did more than a minute. We appreciated it.
BOROWITZ: Thank 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
