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American Morning

Interview with Representatives Dennis Kucinich, John Mica

Aired June 06, 2003 - 07:16   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: Thirty members of Congress are insisting that the White House turn over intelligence to back up the administration's claim about Iraq having banned weapons. Those claims, a key reason for the war, are still unproven.
The Resolution of Inquiry was introduced by Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and -- Kucinich -- and he is with us to talk about the intelligence controversy. And also from Washington, Republican Congressman John Mica of Florida. And from Cleveland, we have Congressman Kucinich.

Gentlemen, congressmen, good morning and thanks for being with us.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: Good morning.

REP. JOHN MICA (R), FLORIDA: Good morning.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

KAGAN: Sorry for the little stumble into the intro there. Let's get right to work here.

Congressman Kucinich, I'll start with you. You have had big doubts all along about the reasoning for this war, but tell me about this Resolution of Inquiry that you're asking for.

KUCINICH: The Resolution of Inquiry is now signed by 33 members of Congress. And it requests the administration to provide full information that would back up the assertions -- the repeated assertions that were made as the basis for war in Iraq, and that would be specifically that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that it was prepared to use, constituting an eminent threat to the United States.

I think it's really important for the administration to produce this information in order to regain public confidence with respect to their course of action against Iraq.

KAGAN: But you've had your doubts all along. You were using this same system to get information about the report that the Iraqis turned in that 12,000-page document.

KUCINICH: Well, I think it's important if a nation goes to war that the cause of war be well-established. And also what it does is informs us as to what would be the threshold for this administration going to war against anyone. And if they can't make this case that they were, in fact, well-informed with respect to going to war against Iraq, then it kind of casts doubt as to their plans to attack any other nation, notwithstanding the fact that they still have time to produce this evidence.

KAGAN: Congressman Mica, let me bring you in here. This clearly has not unfolded postwar as the administration had hoped in terms of finding weapons of mass destruction. Aren't you the least bit curious about why things aren't adding up as the prewar intelligence would have indicated?

MICA: Well, they added up even before the first troops that landed in Iraq. Anyone who doubts that Saddam Hussein had weapons is either deaf, dumb or blind. The question is moot, in my mind. I've seen the weapons of mass destruction that he used on his own people. We've seen the uncovering of bodies. He may have used a single bullet in the back of the brain, but go talk to those people in Iraq, the loved ones that he was murdering there, their people.

So, we know this is a dictator who had weapons of mass destruction, used them on his own people, and used other horrible means of intimidation and terror on a whole population. And that's ended.

KAGAN: Congressman Kucinich, let me bring you in here and respond to that. What about those like Congressman Mica who is saying, OK, well, what if things didn't exactly add up like we thought they were going to add up? The end justifies the means. You have Saddam Hussein out of power, you have a reordering of the Middle East and you have other developments like what's happening with the talks between the Israelis and Palestinians; that in the end it was worth it, even if exactly what the administration promised before isn't panning out.

KUCINICH: Well, I think my good friend, Congressman Mica's, response kind of gives you a view as to one of the attitudes that exists in Washington, and that is that since Saddam Hussein is a bad man and they had a bad track record, that therefore it was justified to invade his nation and to bomb his nation and to put American lives at risk.

I think that there is another view, though, and that is that we did not have to go to war against Iraq, that in fact the U.N. inspectors were in there. They hadn't found anything, but the U.N. inspectors were in there to be able to disarm Iraq to the extent to which they had any weapons of mass destruction.

I think before a nation is committed to war, there has to be a very high threshold, and that threshold cannot just be that there is an individual who is unpalatable and that he committed actions in the past that were unsavory or were wrong or even murderous. We need to make sure there is an eminent threat. That's what we were told. The administration has not backed up its assertions. And that's why we are proceeding with a Resolution of Inquiry to determine the information they had that they then used as the basis to go to war. KAGAN: Well, let me get one other question, one other topic in here, and that is the rescue of Jessica Lynch. Congressman Kucinich, I'm going to bring you in, in a second.

But back to you, Congressman Mica, do you buy the story as the military has told it? There are those who are saying that this was a big hype, that they basically perhaps even exploited this young woman, and that the rescue didn't take place like many believed. Is that important to you to find out...

MICA: Well...

KAGAN: ... exactly what happened with Jessica Lynch?

MICA: I think this is sort of a pitiful attempt by the left and a few folks that are running for higher office to try to embarrass the military. They don't like the military in the beginning. What did they expect, you know? To call a welcome wagon and deliver a bouquet of roses? Was that their approach?

This was inside enemy territory. They used whatever means they needed, and I think it was justified and they rescued her. And in my mind, they're heroes and so is she.

KAGAN: And one final word to Congressman Kucinich. I think he called you "pitiful." Do you want to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

KUCINICH: Well, I'm not...

KAGAN: I think I heard that.

MICA: In the class.

KUCINICH: You know, John is a friend of mine.

KAGAN: Yes.

KUCINICH: And I know he's a strong advocate for the...

KAGAN: With friends like that, Congressman...

KUCINICH: He's a strong advocate for the administration. Let's say that we're all glad that Jessica Lynch is safe, and she is a hero, as were the people who rescued her. The question is: What was the cameraman about? The question is whether or not the administration will produce the outtakes that will demonstrate this was not overly dramatized as a way of trying to to promote the war to the American people.

KAGAN: Congressmen, thank you for your time this morning on this Friday morning. Appreciate it. Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Congressman John Mica, appreciate your, time, sirs.

MICA: Thank you.

KUCINICH: 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 June 6, 2003 - 07:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty members of Congress are insisting that the White House turn over intelligence to back up the administration's claim about Iraq having banned weapons. Those claims, a key reason for the war, are still unproven.
The Resolution of Inquiry was introduced by Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and -- Kucinich -- and he is with us to talk about the intelligence controversy. And also from Washington, Republican Congressman John Mica of Florida. And from Cleveland, we have Congressman Kucinich.

Gentlemen, congressmen, good morning and thanks for being with us.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: Good morning.

REP. JOHN MICA (R), FLORIDA: Good morning.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

KAGAN: Sorry for the little stumble into the intro there. Let's get right to work here.

Congressman Kucinich, I'll start with you. You have had big doubts all along about the reasoning for this war, but tell me about this Resolution of Inquiry that you're asking for.

KUCINICH: The Resolution of Inquiry is now signed by 33 members of Congress. And it requests the administration to provide full information that would back up the assertions -- the repeated assertions that were made as the basis for war in Iraq, and that would be specifically that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that it was prepared to use, constituting an eminent threat to the United States.

I think it's really important for the administration to produce this information in order to regain public confidence with respect to their course of action against Iraq.

KAGAN: But you've had your doubts all along. You were using this same system to get information about the report that the Iraqis turned in that 12,000-page document.

KUCINICH: Well, I think it's important if a nation goes to war that the cause of war be well-established. And also what it does is informs us as to what would be the threshold for this administration going to war against anyone. And if they can't make this case that they were, in fact, well-informed with respect to going to war against Iraq, then it kind of casts doubt as to their plans to attack any other nation, notwithstanding the fact that they still have time to produce this evidence.

KAGAN: Congressman Mica, let me bring you in here. This clearly has not unfolded postwar as the administration had hoped in terms of finding weapons of mass destruction. Aren't you the least bit curious about why things aren't adding up as the prewar intelligence would have indicated?

MICA: Well, they added up even before the first troops that landed in Iraq. Anyone who doubts that Saddam Hussein had weapons is either deaf, dumb or blind. The question is moot, in my mind. I've seen the weapons of mass destruction that he used on his own people. We've seen the uncovering of bodies. He may have used a single bullet in the back of the brain, but go talk to those people in Iraq, the loved ones that he was murdering there, their people.

So, we know this is a dictator who had weapons of mass destruction, used them on his own people, and used other horrible means of intimidation and terror on a whole population. And that's ended.

KAGAN: Congressman Kucinich, let me bring you in here and respond to that. What about those like Congressman Mica who is saying, OK, well, what if things didn't exactly add up like we thought they were going to add up? The end justifies the means. You have Saddam Hussein out of power, you have a reordering of the Middle East and you have other developments like what's happening with the talks between the Israelis and Palestinians; that in the end it was worth it, even if exactly what the administration promised before isn't panning out.

KUCINICH: Well, I think my good friend, Congressman Mica's, response kind of gives you a view as to one of the attitudes that exists in Washington, and that is that since Saddam Hussein is a bad man and they had a bad track record, that therefore it was justified to invade his nation and to bomb his nation and to put American lives at risk.

I think that there is another view, though, and that is that we did not have to go to war against Iraq, that in fact the U.N. inspectors were in there. They hadn't found anything, but the U.N. inspectors were in there to be able to disarm Iraq to the extent to which they had any weapons of mass destruction.

I think before a nation is committed to war, there has to be a very high threshold, and that threshold cannot just be that there is an individual who is unpalatable and that he committed actions in the past that were unsavory or were wrong or even murderous. We need to make sure there is an eminent threat. That's what we were told. The administration has not backed up its assertions. And that's why we are proceeding with a Resolution of Inquiry to determine the information they had that they then used as the basis to go to war. KAGAN: Well, let me get one other question, one other topic in here, and that is the rescue of Jessica Lynch. Congressman Kucinich, I'm going to bring you in, in a second.

But back to you, Congressman Mica, do you buy the story as the military has told it? There are those who are saying that this was a big hype, that they basically perhaps even exploited this young woman, and that the rescue didn't take place like many believed. Is that important to you to find out...

MICA: Well...

KAGAN: ... exactly what happened with Jessica Lynch?

MICA: I think this is sort of a pitiful attempt by the left and a few folks that are running for higher office to try to embarrass the military. They don't like the military in the beginning. What did they expect, you know? To call a welcome wagon and deliver a bouquet of roses? Was that their approach?

This was inside enemy territory. They used whatever means they needed, and I think it was justified and they rescued her. And in my mind, they're heroes and so is she.

KAGAN: And one final word to Congressman Kucinich. I think he called you "pitiful." Do you want to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

KUCINICH: Well, I'm not...

KAGAN: I think I heard that.

MICA: In the class.

KUCINICH: You know, John is a friend of mine.

KAGAN: Yes.

KUCINICH: And I know he's a strong advocate for the...

KAGAN: With friends like that, Congressman...

KUCINICH: He's a strong advocate for the administration. Let's say that we're all glad that Jessica Lynch is safe, and she is a hero, as were the people who rescued her. The question is: What was the cameraman about? The question is whether or not the administration will produce the outtakes that will demonstrate this was not overly dramatized as a way of trying to to promote the war to the American people.

KAGAN: Congressmen, thank you for your time this morning on this Friday morning. Appreciate it. Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Congressman John Mica, appreciate your, time, sirs.

MICA: Thank you.

KUCINICH: 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.