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American Morning
Discussion with Senator Daschle, Chuck Hagel
Aired January 29, 2003 - 07:33 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: Upside down economics, that's what Democrats call the president's plan to stimulate the economy. During his State of the Union speech last night, Mr. Bush said getting the economy moving is his one top domestic priority. He also spent a lot of time laying out his case against Iraq.
So what are Democrats saying this morning about the president's speech?
Joining us from Capitol Hill, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle.
Good to see you again.
Thanks for joining us this morning, sir.
SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: First of all, what did you think of some of the conclusions that the president arrived at last night about Saddam Hussein and Iraq's defiance of international resolutions?
DASCHLE: Well, Paula, we share the same conclusions that the president's articulated last night. There's no doubt that he poses a threat and that we have to take him seriously. The question is what do we do about it and how imminent that threat is for the United States.
I think it's critical that the president lay out whatever evidence to suggest that he poses a more imminent threat now than he did five years ago. I think it is important, as well, that we work through the international community to the maximum degree possible.
ZAHN: Well, let me ask you this, you no doubt know that Hans Blix unleashed a stinging report about Saddam Hussein and the fact that his inspectors are being harassed. They're not being able to see stuff. There's a report this morning in "USA Today" that somehow there is a belief that the Iraqis have penetrated the U.N. inspection system, where sites are sanitized two days before the inspectors even get there.
Do you have any faith in the inspection process?
DASCHLE: Well, I do believe that the inspection process needs to continue. It may not be perfect and we're certainly not getting the cooperation on all fronts that we are right to expect from Saddam Hussein and his government, but clearly I think they are providing a very important service. That inspection process ought to continue and I think that's what the international community feels very strongly about. I hope that that will continue and I think the president supports it.
ZAHN: But what gives you reason to believe it'll be any more successful when you have Mohamed ElBaradei on our air yesterday saying you know what? The Iraqis do have to do a much better job of allowing our inspectors the chance to have one-on-one visits with Iraqi scientists without minders?
DASCHLE: Well, there's no question that we have to continue to put pressure on the Iraqis to do exactly that. We can't complete this work without it being entirely successful and we're a far cry from that today. But I think that's exactly what the international community is supposed to do, to continue to put pressure on them, to continue to make the effort, to continue to try to find what evidence does suggest before we make some decision in some final form about whether we ought to commit American troops.
ZAHN: One of your colleagues, Senator Kennedy, released a statement last night saying he will introduce a measure requiring the president to get new congressional authorization for a declaration of war. Now, everybody else -- a lot of other people are saying this morning, wait a minute, what did you all agree to in the fall.
Would you support such a measure?
DASCHLE: Well, I think what Senator Kennedy and others are saying is that there has to be a lot more consultation with the Congress, a lot more consultation internationally. We ought to have one last opportunity to think very carefully about what our options are before we make that commitment. I don't think that has to take the form of a resolution, but I do believe, as the first resolution dictated, that there has to be the kind of partnership created with the Congress and in the international community before we make a final decision about committing troops, Paula.
ZAHN: When you say it doesn't have to take the form of a resolution, does that mean you're not going to support Ted Kennedy, then?
DASCHLE: Well, I haven't seen the resolution and I'm not sure that a resolution in this case is called for. But as I say, we're going to take a look and try to determine what the circumstances are with regard to the evidence that the president suggests that he has and that will be unveiled on the fifth of February. We'll have to look at that. We'll have to see what kind of a compelling case the president can make.
If that case can't be made, then I think it is important for him to work with us to see what our alternatives are. But committing troops is a very significant act. We've got to be very careful before we do that and address the concerns, the anxieties, the lack of confidence that the American people have with regard to this course of action. ZAHN: Senator Tom Daschle, we're going to have to leave it there this morning, because we need to visit with another one of your colleagues right now.
Thanks for your time this morning.
To a leading Senate Republican for his take on the president's speech. And that would be Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
He joins us from Washington this morning.
Good to see you, as well.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NB), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Thank you.
ZAHN: Thanks for joining us this morning.
HAGEL: Hi, Paula.
Thank you.
ZAHN: Were you able to hear anything that Senator Daschle just had to say?
HAGEL: I did hear everything Senator Daschle said and I think, staying in the wake of the Iraqi discussion you just had with the senator, it is the right course of action that the president has us on and he's continuing to play out. I think it's important that Secretary Powell have an opportunity, as he will next week, to lay out some intelligence, new information, to our partners in the Security Council and play this out.
This is not an indefinite process. I think we all understand that. I don't know if we're two or three or four weeks away from some final resolution or a decision of that resolution, but it's important that we stay close to our allies and work within the Security Council process that the president put on us on that track, responsibly so, in September of last year.
ZAHN: Well, let's talk about where Congress fits into all of this. Senator Daschle saying he doesn't necessarily think there has to be another resolution coming from Congress authorizing military action. But he does think there needs to be more interaction between the Bush administration and Congress.
Have you felt cheated in the Senate by the administration when it comes to the case that the administration is trying to build against Iraq?
HAGEL: No, I haven't felt cheated. I am one senator who has had ample opportunity for discussion and consultation. I obviously cannot speak for all my colleagues. But I think there has been a good interaction with the administration. We will have to get closer if, in fact, we are preparing to go to war in the last stage, and maybe that's where the administration is at this point. Certainly if the president intends to take this nation to war, he is going to want and require the support of the United States Congress and he shouldn't have to carry the burden himself, just as the United States should not have to carry the burden against Iraq itself. That's why we have coalitions and that's why we have partners and allies.
ZAHN: You heard Senator Daschle also say that he continues to have faith in the inspections process in spite of the fact that our inspectors or U.N. inspectors are being routinely harassed and not, perhaps not given the access they need to Iraqi scientists.
Do you have any faith that extending the inspections process three to four weeks will make any difference at all?
HAGEL: I don't know. It may not. But I think it's important that the world see a good faith effort on behalf of the United States, that we are not in a rush to go to war. Let's not forget why we were successful in 1991. In 1991, a different situation, different time, different reasons for going to war, but in 1991, we had the world with us. We had the United Nations with us. Most of the nations of the Arab community were with us.
If we go to war, then we want that kind of coalition. We want the high ground of morality, of world force, world opinion with us, not just the military capability, but it's important because after this is over, and it will be over and Saddam will be gone, if that's the course of action we take, then someone, some group of people, nations, people, are going to have to help rebuild Iraq, help govern Iraq. That's going to have an impact on the stability of the Middle East and an impact throughout the world.
And we do not, the United States, want to be isolated with that with just one or two -- that responsibility with just one or two allies. We want the full force of the world community with us.
ZAHN: Senator, I can only give you time for a quick yes or no answer. Do you believe that a month or two from now the United States will be at war with Iraq?
HAGEL: I don't know, but I think we are preparing, as we must prepare, for that eventuality, that option.
ZAHN: Senator Chuck Hagel, always good to have you drop by AMERICAN MORNING.
HAGEL: Thank you.
ZAHN: Appreciate your time this morning.
HAGEL: Thanks, Paula.
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 29, 2003 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Upside down economics, that's what Democrats call the president's plan to stimulate the economy. During his State of the Union speech last night, Mr. Bush said getting the economy moving is his one top domestic priority. He also spent a lot of time laying out his case against Iraq.
So what are Democrats saying this morning about the president's speech?
Joining us from Capitol Hill, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle.
Good to see you again.
Thanks for joining us this morning, sir.
SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: First of all, what did you think of some of the conclusions that the president arrived at last night about Saddam Hussein and Iraq's defiance of international resolutions?
DASCHLE: Well, Paula, we share the same conclusions that the president's articulated last night. There's no doubt that he poses a threat and that we have to take him seriously. The question is what do we do about it and how imminent that threat is for the United States.
I think it's critical that the president lay out whatever evidence to suggest that he poses a more imminent threat now than he did five years ago. I think it is important, as well, that we work through the international community to the maximum degree possible.
ZAHN: Well, let me ask you this, you no doubt know that Hans Blix unleashed a stinging report about Saddam Hussein and the fact that his inspectors are being harassed. They're not being able to see stuff. There's a report this morning in "USA Today" that somehow there is a belief that the Iraqis have penetrated the U.N. inspection system, where sites are sanitized two days before the inspectors even get there.
Do you have any faith in the inspection process?
DASCHLE: Well, I do believe that the inspection process needs to continue. It may not be perfect and we're certainly not getting the cooperation on all fronts that we are right to expect from Saddam Hussein and his government, but clearly I think they are providing a very important service. That inspection process ought to continue and I think that's what the international community feels very strongly about. I hope that that will continue and I think the president supports it.
ZAHN: But what gives you reason to believe it'll be any more successful when you have Mohamed ElBaradei on our air yesterday saying you know what? The Iraqis do have to do a much better job of allowing our inspectors the chance to have one-on-one visits with Iraqi scientists without minders?
DASCHLE: Well, there's no question that we have to continue to put pressure on the Iraqis to do exactly that. We can't complete this work without it being entirely successful and we're a far cry from that today. But I think that's exactly what the international community is supposed to do, to continue to put pressure on them, to continue to make the effort, to continue to try to find what evidence does suggest before we make some decision in some final form about whether we ought to commit American troops.
ZAHN: One of your colleagues, Senator Kennedy, released a statement last night saying he will introduce a measure requiring the president to get new congressional authorization for a declaration of war. Now, everybody else -- a lot of other people are saying this morning, wait a minute, what did you all agree to in the fall.
Would you support such a measure?
DASCHLE: Well, I think what Senator Kennedy and others are saying is that there has to be a lot more consultation with the Congress, a lot more consultation internationally. We ought to have one last opportunity to think very carefully about what our options are before we make that commitment. I don't think that has to take the form of a resolution, but I do believe, as the first resolution dictated, that there has to be the kind of partnership created with the Congress and in the international community before we make a final decision about committing troops, Paula.
ZAHN: When you say it doesn't have to take the form of a resolution, does that mean you're not going to support Ted Kennedy, then?
DASCHLE: Well, I haven't seen the resolution and I'm not sure that a resolution in this case is called for. But as I say, we're going to take a look and try to determine what the circumstances are with regard to the evidence that the president suggests that he has and that will be unveiled on the fifth of February. We'll have to look at that. We'll have to see what kind of a compelling case the president can make.
If that case can't be made, then I think it is important for him to work with us to see what our alternatives are. But committing troops is a very significant act. We've got to be very careful before we do that and address the concerns, the anxieties, the lack of confidence that the American people have with regard to this course of action. ZAHN: Senator Tom Daschle, we're going to have to leave it there this morning, because we need to visit with another one of your colleagues right now.
Thanks for your time this morning.
To a leading Senate Republican for his take on the president's speech. And that would be Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
He joins us from Washington this morning.
Good to see you, as well.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NB), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Thank you.
ZAHN: Thanks for joining us this morning.
HAGEL: Hi, Paula.
Thank you.
ZAHN: Were you able to hear anything that Senator Daschle just had to say?
HAGEL: I did hear everything Senator Daschle said and I think, staying in the wake of the Iraqi discussion you just had with the senator, it is the right course of action that the president has us on and he's continuing to play out. I think it's important that Secretary Powell have an opportunity, as he will next week, to lay out some intelligence, new information, to our partners in the Security Council and play this out.
This is not an indefinite process. I think we all understand that. I don't know if we're two or three or four weeks away from some final resolution or a decision of that resolution, but it's important that we stay close to our allies and work within the Security Council process that the president put on us on that track, responsibly so, in September of last year.
ZAHN: Well, let's talk about where Congress fits into all of this. Senator Daschle saying he doesn't necessarily think there has to be another resolution coming from Congress authorizing military action. But he does think there needs to be more interaction between the Bush administration and Congress.
Have you felt cheated in the Senate by the administration when it comes to the case that the administration is trying to build against Iraq?
HAGEL: No, I haven't felt cheated. I am one senator who has had ample opportunity for discussion and consultation. I obviously cannot speak for all my colleagues. But I think there has been a good interaction with the administration. We will have to get closer if, in fact, we are preparing to go to war in the last stage, and maybe that's where the administration is at this point. Certainly if the president intends to take this nation to war, he is going to want and require the support of the United States Congress and he shouldn't have to carry the burden himself, just as the United States should not have to carry the burden against Iraq itself. That's why we have coalitions and that's why we have partners and allies.
ZAHN: You heard Senator Daschle also say that he continues to have faith in the inspections process in spite of the fact that our inspectors or U.N. inspectors are being routinely harassed and not, perhaps not given the access they need to Iraqi scientists.
Do you have any faith that extending the inspections process three to four weeks will make any difference at all?
HAGEL: I don't know. It may not. But I think it's important that the world see a good faith effort on behalf of the United States, that we are not in a rush to go to war. Let's not forget why we were successful in 1991. In 1991, a different situation, different time, different reasons for going to war, but in 1991, we had the world with us. We had the United Nations with us. Most of the nations of the Arab community were with us.
If we go to war, then we want that kind of coalition. We want the high ground of morality, of world force, world opinion with us, not just the military capability, but it's important because after this is over, and it will be over and Saddam will be gone, if that's the course of action we take, then someone, some group of people, nations, people, are going to have to help rebuild Iraq, help govern Iraq. That's going to have an impact on the stability of the Middle East and an impact throughout the world.
And we do not, the United States, want to be isolated with that with just one or two -- that responsibility with just one or two allies. We want the full force of the world community with us.
ZAHN: Senator, I can only give you time for a quick yes or no answer. Do you believe that a month or two from now the United States will be at war with Iraq?
HAGEL: I don't know, but I think we are preparing, as we must prepare, for that eventuality, that option.
ZAHN: Senator Chuck Hagel, always good to have you drop by AMERICAN MORNING.
HAGEL: Thank you.
ZAHN: Appreciate your time this morning.
HAGEL: Thanks, Paula.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
