Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

'Gimme a Minute'

Aired February 06, 2004 - 08:44   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: It is Friday, time for "Gimme A Minute." Our panel from D.C., in Washington, Jonah Goldberg, editor of the "National Review" online.
Jonah, happy Friday. Good morning to you.

JONAH GOLDBERG, EDITOR, "NATIONAL REVIEW" ONLINE: Good to see you.

HEMMER: CNN political analyst, Democratic strategist, Donna Brazile.

How are you, Donna, from Des Moines and Manchester?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm good.

HEMMER: Back to D.C.

BRAZILE: Atlanta.

HEMMER: OK, well, Atlanta, too. I take that back.

Also from New York City, Christopher John Farley, senior editor of "TIME" magazine.

Nice to have you, Christopher. Good morning to you.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SENIOR EDITIOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

HEMMER: Well, it's good to have you here. And now with all three, you have climbed out of your spider holes, let's get it on.

Jonah, George Tenet makes his report yesterday. You've got this report brewing in the Senate committee, the president is going to name his commission a bit later today. Where does the buck stop ultimately on WMD in the case for war in Iraq?

GOLDBERG: I think it's going to stop with Bush, and that's what the election is ultimately going to be about, is did he make the right call. I think Tenet's speech yesterday was absolutely persuasive that the intelligence wasn't cooked, but I don't think will silence the critics either.

HEMMER: Donna?

BRAZILE: You know, no one in Washington, D.C. accepts blame anymore, but I agree with Jonah. Ultimately, the buck stops with the president of the United States. He must take responsibility.

HEMMER: All right, Christopher, are you going to make it three for three?

FARLEY: Well, I think people are going to wonder after this statement, well, why were we there? And if the threat wasn't eminent, you know, why were all these U.S. casualties? You know, was it worth the cost? I think it's going to raise a lot more questions than really it answers.

HEMMER: Many, many questions out.

Let's move on to Howard Dean. He put an e-mail out Wednesday night saying if he doesn't win in Wisconsin on the 17th of February, he's essentially out of the race. Donna, can he win in Wisconsin?

BRAZILE: Well, the fat lady is now singing a tune, if he continues to go scoreless, he's going to have a one-way ticket back to Vermont.

HEMMER: Jonah, can he?

GOLDBERG: You know, even when you cut a chicken's head off, it still runs around for a little while. I don't really see -- this seems to be a lot of to-do. I think there's a conceivable chance that Democrats can get buyer's remorse with Kerry, but I think it's all out of Dean's hands.

HEMMER: The Cheeseheads may determine that political fate. Christopher, do you think it's over, like Jonah does?

FARLEY: Well, listen, the Republicans -- George Bush has, like, more then $200 million as a war chest. It's basically enough money to make a Republican "Lord of the Rings." The Democrats are going to be left with enough money to make a Democratic "Lost in Translation." They've got to make a decision: Are we going to pick a winner and go with it, or are we going to keep fighting it out?

HEMMER: Well, the Oscars are right around the corner. Well set out, Christopher. This was supposed to be a huge week for Janet Jackson. It was, and for all the wrong reasons. Jonah, what happens at the Grammys on Sunday night? There's a lawsuit floating out there. How do you weigh in?

GOLDBERG: I think it's time for us to all stop talking about this, to be brutally honest. I think that Timberlake and Jackson looked, like, ridiculous. I think they were trying to go for some shock and awe, and they gave us some schlock and yawn. And it's time to put this all behind us.

HEMMER: Well, you know, Donna had that poster of Michael Jackson growing up on her wall.

GOLDBERG: That's right.

HEMMER: Did you a Janet one also, Donna, or not? BRAZILE: No, I did this the whole time. I never saw it. I didn't see it. I'm like Jonah. I didn't play it over and over and over again. No, let me just tell you, I now understand why Britney Spears never walked down the aisle with Justin Timberlake. Any man who would rip my wardrobe would still be in the hospital today.

HEMMER: Well, yes, they would actually. Christopher, how about it? Tape delay on Sunday night?

FARLEY: Well, here's what I don't get. Janet Jackson, she's banned from the Grammys. Justin Timberlake, he ripped off her bra. He gets to play at the Grammys. Is the Taliban making these decisions? You know, what's happening here?

HEMMER: Two days to go. Version 9.0 we got yesterday. A different version comes out every day.

Under-reported, under the radar? Donna, start us off. What's on your mind?

BRAZILE: Well, you just reported that unemployment went down, and this week Congress finally extended the unemployment benefits for many jobless workers. You know, it's funny. Congress continues to pass laws, but nothing that really creates jobs.

HEMMER: Jonah?

GOLDBERG: Not a cheery one. This week the BBC released -- aired a special on the state of the horror that is North Korea. It's becoming increasingly clear that the industrialization of cruelty in North Korea rivals only the Holocaust, and yet it barely crosses the radar in America.

HEMMER: Christopher, how about you?

FARLEY: Well, people need to talk more about this, Bono wanted to perform at half time at the Super Bowl. He wanted to do a duet with Jennifer Lopez to raise awareness about AIDS. The NFL said no, we don't want any message music. So, they could have had class. They went for trash. I think it's really too bad. I think it's the NFL's fault that all of this happened.

HEMMER: Yes, in hindsight, Outkast should have played their song anyway, huh, don't you think?

FARLEY: I agree with you. That would have been great.

HEMMER: Hey, listen, have a great weekend. Back in your spider holes now, OK? Donna, Jonah, Christopher John Farley, great to see you all three, OK? Have a good Friday.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

GOLDBERG: Thanks.

FARLEY: 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 February 6, 2004 - 08:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, time for "Gimme A Minute." Our panel from D.C., in Washington, Jonah Goldberg, editor of the "National Review" online.
Jonah, happy Friday. Good morning to you.

JONAH GOLDBERG, EDITOR, "NATIONAL REVIEW" ONLINE: Good to see you.

HEMMER: CNN political analyst, Democratic strategist, Donna Brazile.

How are you, Donna, from Des Moines and Manchester?

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I'm good.

HEMMER: Back to D.C.

BRAZILE: Atlanta.

HEMMER: OK, well, Atlanta, too. I take that back.

Also from New York City, Christopher John Farley, senior editor of "TIME" magazine.

Nice to have you, Christopher. Good morning to you.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, SENIOR EDITIOR, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

HEMMER: Well, it's good to have you here. And now with all three, you have climbed out of your spider holes, let's get it on.

Jonah, George Tenet makes his report yesterday. You've got this report brewing in the Senate committee, the president is going to name his commission a bit later today. Where does the buck stop ultimately on WMD in the case for war in Iraq?

GOLDBERG: I think it's going to stop with Bush, and that's what the election is ultimately going to be about, is did he make the right call. I think Tenet's speech yesterday was absolutely persuasive that the intelligence wasn't cooked, but I don't think will silence the critics either.

HEMMER: Donna?

BRAZILE: You know, no one in Washington, D.C. accepts blame anymore, but I agree with Jonah. Ultimately, the buck stops with the president of the United States. He must take responsibility.

HEMMER: All right, Christopher, are you going to make it three for three?

FARLEY: Well, I think people are going to wonder after this statement, well, why were we there? And if the threat wasn't eminent, you know, why were all these U.S. casualties? You know, was it worth the cost? I think it's going to raise a lot more questions than really it answers.

HEMMER: Many, many questions out.

Let's move on to Howard Dean. He put an e-mail out Wednesday night saying if he doesn't win in Wisconsin on the 17th of February, he's essentially out of the race. Donna, can he win in Wisconsin?

BRAZILE: Well, the fat lady is now singing a tune, if he continues to go scoreless, he's going to have a one-way ticket back to Vermont.

HEMMER: Jonah, can he?

GOLDBERG: You know, even when you cut a chicken's head off, it still runs around for a little while. I don't really see -- this seems to be a lot of to-do. I think there's a conceivable chance that Democrats can get buyer's remorse with Kerry, but I think it's all out of Dean's hands.

HEMMER: The Cheeseheads may determine that political fate. Christopher, do you think it's over, like Jonah does?

FARLEY: Well, listen, the Republicans -- George Bush has, like, more then $200 million as a war chest. It's basically enough money to make a Republican "Lord of the Rings." The Democrats are going to be left with enough money to make a Democratic "Lost in Translation." They've got to make a decision: Are we going to pick a winner and go with it, or are we going to keep fighting it out?

HEMMER: Well, the Oscars are right around the corner. Well set out, Christopher. This was supposed to be a huge week for Janet Jackson. It was, and for all the wrong reasons. Jonah, what happens at the Grammys on Sunday night? There's a lawsuit floating out there. How do you weigh in?

GOLDBERG: I think it's time for us to all stop talking about this, to be brutally honest. I think that Timberlake and Jackson looked, like, ridiculous. I think they were trying to go for some shock and awe, and they gave us some schlock and yawn. And it's time to put this all behind us.

HEMMER: Well, you know, Donna had that poster of Michael Jackson growing up on her wall.

GOLDBERG: That's right.

HEMMER: Did you a Janet one also, Donna, or not? BRAZILE: No, I did this the whole time. I never saw it. I didn't see it. I'm like Jonah. I didn't play it over and over and over again. No, let me just tell you, I now understand why Britney Spears never walked down the aisle with Justin Timberlake. Any man who would rip my wardrobe would still be in the hospital today.

HEMMER: Well, yes, they would actually. Christopher, how about it? Tape delay on Sunday night?

FARLEY: Well, here's what I don't get. Janet Jackson, she's banned from the Grammys. Justin Timberlake, he ripped off her bra. He gets to play at the Grammys. Is the Taliban making these decisions? You know, what's happening here?

HEMMER: Two days to go. Version 9.0 we got yesterday. A different version comes out every day.

Under-reported, under the radar? Donna, start us off. What's on your mind?

BRAZILE: Well, you just reported that unemployment went down, and this week Congress finally extended the unemployment benefits for many jobless workers. You know, it's funny. Congress continues to pass laws, but nothing that really creates jobs.

HEMMER: Jonah?

GOLDBERG: Not a cheery one. This week the BBC released -- aired a special on the state of the horror that is North Korea. It's becoming increasingly clear that the industrialization of cruelty in North Korea rivals only the Holocaust, and yet it barely crosses the radar in America.

HEMMER: Christopher, how about you?

FARLEY: Well, people need to talk more about this, Bono wanted to perform at half time at the Super Bowl. He wanted to do a duet with Jennifer Lopez to raise awareness about AIDS. The NFL said no, we don't want any message music. So, they could have had class. They went for trash. I think it's really too bad. I think it's the NFL's fault that all of this happened.

HEMMER: Yes, in hindsight, Outkast should have played their song anyway, huh, don't you think?

FARLEY: I agree with you. That would have been great.

HEMMER: Hey, listen, have a great weekend. Back in your spider holes now, OK? Donna, Jonah, Christopher John Farley, great to see you all three, OK? Have a good Friday.

BRAZILE: Thank you.

GOLDBERG: Thanks.

FARLEY: 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.