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American Morning

Over There: War Support, 70-Year-Old Scandal

Aired January 31, 2003 - 07:52   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.


JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It's Friday here on AMERICAN MORNING, which means it's time to go "Over There," across the pond and check in with our friend Richard Quest, see what's in the British newspapers. Now this morning, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is over here.
And, Richard, one can only imagine what the -- what the British folks on Fleet Street are doing with that story. There is a growing problem with British support for this -- for the Blair support of Mr. Bush and this thing with Iraq, correct?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no question, Jack. Tony Blair has often been called George Bush's poodle dog, if you like, for the way he's followed, some say, slavishly the line of this. Look at this from the "Daily Mirror" earlier this week. This is the newspaper. Tony Blair: Blood on his Hands, and that is a straightforward reference to the fact that he is supporting this war. Put another way, this is how another newspaper says that there is the current 84 percent of British people saying no to military action. That's what they are saying as well. By and large, this is the message from "The Times" newspaper, don't go it alone America urges Prime Minister Blair.

So the prime minister, your side of the pond, meeting your president, talking about possible action, but not necessarily any support back here at home.

CAFFERTY: Why are the Brits -- the people of your country so opposed to this idea? Everybody agrees that Saddam Hussein is a bad guy.

QUEST: All right, you want me to be blunt?

CAFFERTY: Yes.

QUEST: The blunt reason is that the British people, and indeed large numbers of Europeans, remember Iraq redraws the map of Europe, they don't believe, firstly, that the U.S. president is up to the job in many ways. They do not necessarily see that he's made a case for what is about to take place being that these reasons are true, they see it as necessarily about oil and think -- and let's be blunt, there's a large number of people that see the current U.S. president as finishing off what his father failed to do.

CAFFERTY: All right.

QUEST: Blunt, unfair perhaps, but that's what a lot of people believe it's about. CAFFERTY: All right. That's fair enough. Now, let's move on to the juicier part of this report which would be the scandal that you're talking about. I just can't wait.

QUEST: She was a strumpet.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: What is a strumpet? I think I know.

QUEST: Well, it's a word I can't use on family television...

CAFFERTY: Yes. Yes, I was right.

QUEST: ... and in a variety of -- variety of words I can't.

Wallis -- Wallis Simpson, she was an American divorcee, it was 1935, she was having an affair with a man called Guy Trundle, a used car salesman. By the way, for some reason -- she was also, of course, going out with the Prince of Wales. For some reason again and again we're told that Guy Trundle worked for the Ford Motor Company.

CAFFERTY: Why is -- why does that matter?

QUEST: I have no idea, but it's in the police report that this man who was having an affair with the mistress of Edward and for some reason that's considered. But listen, what's fascinating about this, 70 odd years after that scandal happened and new facts come out which still absolutely enthrall us. This was a man who gave up his throne for a woman who was having an affair with a car salesman from the Ford Motor Company.

CAFFERTY: That's outrageous.

QUEST: Absolutely.

CAFFERTY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Thank you, Richard, good to see you. You have a nice weekend, and I'll talk to you next Friday. Richard Quest "Over There."

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 31, 2003 - 07:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: It's Friday here on AMERICAN MORNING, which means it's time to go "Over There," across the pond and check in with our friend Richard Quest, see what's in the British newspapers. Now this morning, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is over here.
And, Richard, one can only imagine what the -- what the British folks on Fleet Street are doing with that story. There is a growing problem with British support for this -- for the Blair support of Mr. Bush and this thing with Iraq, correct?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no question, Jack. Tony Blair has often been called George Bush's poodle dog, if you like, for the way he's followed, some say, slavishly the line of this. Look at this from the "Daily Mirror" earlier this week. This is the newspaper. Tony Blair: Blood on his Hands, and that is a straightforward reference to the fact that he is supporting this war. Put another way, this is how another newspaper says that there is the current 84 percent of British people saying no to military action. That's what they are saying as well. By and large, this is the message from "The Times" newspaper, don't go it alone America urges Prime Minister Blair.

So the prime minister, your side of the pond, meeting your president, talking about possible action, but not necessarily any support back here at home.

CAFFERTY: Why are the Brits -- the people of your country so opposed to this idea? Everybody agrees that Saddam Hussein is a bad guy.

QUEST: All right, you want me to be blunt?

CAFFERTY: Yes.

QUEST: The blunt reason is that the British people, and indeed large numbers of Europeans, remember Iraq redraws the map of Europe, they don't believe, firstly, that the U.S. president is up to the job in many ways. They do not necessarily see that he's made a case for what is about to take place being that these reasons are true, they see it as necessarily about oil and think -- and let's be blunt, there's a large number of people that see the current U.S. president as finishing off what his father failed to do.

CAFFERTY: All right.

QUEST: Blunt, unfair perhaps, but that's what a lot of people believe it's about. CAFFERTY: All right. That's fair enough. Now, let's move on to the juicier part of this report which would be the scandal that you're talking about. I just can't wait.

QUEST: She was a strumpet.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: What is a strumpet? I think I know.

QUEST: Well, it's a word I can't use on family television...

CAFFERTY: Yes. Yes, I was right.

QUEST: ... and in a variety of -- variety of words I can't.

Wallis -- Wallis Simpson, she was an American divorcee, it was 1935, she was having an affair with a man called Guy Trundle, a used car salesman. By the way, for some reason -- she was also, of course, going out with the Prince of Wales. For some reason again and again we're told that Guy Trundle worked for the Ford Motor Company.

CAFFERTY: Why is -- why does that matter?

QUEST: I have no idea, but it's in the police report that this man who was having an affair with the mistress of Edward and for some reason that's considered. But listen, what's fascinating about this, 70 odd years after that scandal happened and new facts come out which still absolutely enthrall us. This was a man who gave up his throne for a woman who was having an affair with a car salesman from the Ford Motor Company.

CAFFERTY: That's outrageous.

QUEST: Absolutely.

CAFFERTY: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Thank you, Richard, good to see you. You have a nice weekend, and I'll talk to you next Friday. Richard Quest "Over There."

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