Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Michael Smerconish, John McIntyre

Aired March 09, 2003 - 08:12   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The showdown with Iraq versus the war on terror, too many enemies at the same time? That's what some people think. That is the topic for our guests this morning. CNN contributor Michael Smerconish live in Los Angeles, and John McIntyre, the host of "Night Talk," joins us live from Pittsburgh.
Gentlemen, thanks for being with us today.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning, Anderson.

COOPER: Michael, I want to start off with you. Can the U.S. battle all these fronts at once? Are we taking on too much?

SMERCONISH: Well, it's not as if someone hands a menu to the president and says, please pick your selections, which trouble spots you'd like to handle at any particular time. Unfortunately, on this president's watch we have all sorts of things flaring up: North Korea, the fight against al Qaeda, now a situation with Iran.

I think that the administration's doing incredibly well in juggling all of them. And, frankly, I think there's a common denominator to much of this, and it's terrorism.

COOPER: John, what do you think?

JOHN MCINTYRE, TV TALK SHOW HOST: I think we are woefully underprepared for homeland security. I think, unfortunately, we'll find that up when the inevitable retaliatory terrorist strike occurs after we attack Iraq. George Bush wanted $3.5 billion for homeland security, to his credit. Congress for some reason only appropriated $1.3 billion.

He can't even lead his Republican Congress to get all the money we need. I think we have a mediocre Department of Homeland Security chief, Tom Ridge; a mediocre Pennsylvania governor who wasn't much of a success here in the state. I'm not quite sure why we got an amiable, nice fellow and not a leader in that position in the first place.

We have Attorney General John Ashcroft raiding head shops in Pittsburgh and confiscating bongs instead of trying to use all of his resources to try to find terrorist al Qaeda cells. I think we're woefully under-prepared when it comes to homeland security.

SMERCONISH: Well, Anderson, this gentleman can't have it both ways. I mean on one hand he's saying that we're woefully under- prepared for homeland security, and then he's applauding the fact that the president didn't get all that he was looking for in terms of funding.

MCINTYRE: I'm not applauding it.

SMERCONISH: You're going to have to pick your path.

MCINTYRE: I can't believe that he couldn't get the Republican Congress to give him all of the money he says he thinks we need for homeland security. I think that's lousy leadership. I think that's typical President Bush.

COOPER: Well, John, what's the answer here? I mean, as Michael pointed out, the president can't pick and choose what comes down the pike in terms of...

MCINTYRE: Actually, he can, because there's no imminent threat to the United States of America, so he doesn't have to surround Iraq with 300,000 troops and get ready to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a war and an occupation for the next decade. He can put that up and shore up the homeland security first. And then, if and when we need to attack, and it's proven that there is an imminent threat down the road, then use those resources to attack Iraq. But right now, now let's worry about the homeland, and we're not ready.

COOPER: I want to switch gears here a little bit and talk about some of the protests that have been going on, demonstrations across the country, really around the world. Michael Smerconish, what do you think when you see a lot of these videos? Yesterday there was this Pink protest. There was the naked Raelians stripping out in L.A.? What do you think?

SMERCONISH: I'm disgusted. I mean I'm appalled by what I see. And, also, Anderson, I'm appalled by the coverage, because the coverage would suggest that this is a cross section of America that has come out. I see a cross section of malcontents, and I wonder, where are the signs that say, "To hell with Hussein," or "Saddam, disarm now?" Because these are individuals, from what I can see, who have just been waiting for some reason to attack this president.

They've never liked him and they're seizing this as an opportunity. The good news is that there are rallies all across this country now unfortunately under-reported, where people are coming out and waving the flag and saying, we support our troops. Imagine if in you're in the Persian Gulf and you're watching CNN and see the film footage and you get the spin that says, hey, this is a cross section of America. You'd really feel distraught at your fellow countrymen -- I don't like it.

COOPER: John McIntyre, is it disgusting or democracy in action?

MCINTYRE: Well, you can't beat the naked Raelians. It's quality family fun for the whole "Hee Haw" gang. But most of the people in the world are against the war; most of them are demonstrating against the war. And it just doesn't matter to George W. Bush. I don't even know why he's going back to the U.N. He's decided he was going to go in come hell or high water months ago. They act as if the decision hasn't been made to go to war. It's been made. That's why they're giving this short deadline and the proposed British compromise of March 17.

He's going in, and I agree that some people are for the war and some people are protesting it. I don't think there's any vast liberal media conspiracy to under-report it. But most of the people in the world today are against the war and George Bush doesn't care.

COOPER: All right. John McIntyre, interesting point. Although, I must say, hard to pay attention to it, because actually on the other side of the screen there were naked Raelians. So...

MCINTYRE: Oh, man. I couldn't even see it. That's not fair.

COOPER: Sorry, John. John McIntyre, Michael Smerconish, appreciate you joining us on this Sunday morning. Thanks very much.

SMERCONISH: OK, Anderson.

MCINTYRE: You bet.

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 March 9, 2003 - 08:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The showdown with Iraq versus the war on terror, too many enemies at the same time? That's what some people think. That is the topic for our guests this morning. CNN contributor Michael Smerconish live in Los Angeles, and John McIntyre, the host of "Night Talk," joins us live from Pittsburgh.
Gentlemen, thanks for being with us today.

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning, Anderson.

COOPER: Michael, I want to start off with you. Can the U.S. battle all these fronts at once? Are we taking on too much?

SMERCONISH: Well, it's not as if someone hands a menu to the president and says, please pick your selections, which trouble spots you'd like to handle at any particular time. Unfortunately, on this president's watch we have all sorts of things flaring up: North Korea, the fight against al Qaeda, now a situation with Iran.

I think that the administration's doing incredibly well in juggling all of them. And, frankly, I think there's a common denominator to much of this, and it's terrorism.

COOPER: John, what do you think?

JOHN MCINTYRE, TV TALK SHOW HOST: I think we are woefully underprepared for homeland security. I think, unfortunately, we'll find that up when the inevitable retaliatory terrorist strike occurs after we attack Iraq. George Bush wanted $3.5 billion for homeland security, to his credit. Congress for some reason only appropriated $1.3 billion.

He can't even lead his Republican Congress to get all the money we need. I think we have a mediocre Department of Homeland Security chief, Tom Ridge; a mediocre Pennsylvania governor who wasn't much of a success here in the state. I'm not quite sure why we got an amiable, nice fellow and not a leader in that position in the first place.

We have Attorney General John Ashcroft raiding head shops in Pittsburgh and confiscating bongs instead of trying to use all of his resources to try to find terrorist al Qaeda cells. I think we're woefully under-prepared when it comes to homeland security.

SMERCONISH: Well, Anderson, this gentleman can't have it both ways. I mean on one hand he's saying that we're woefully under- prepared for homeland security, and then he's applauding the fact that the president didn't get all that he was looking for in terms of funding.

MCINTYRE: I'm not applauding it.

SMERCONISH: You're going to have to pick your path.

MCINTYRE: I can't believe that he couldn't get the Republican Congress to give him all of the money he says he thinks we need for homeland security. I think that's lousy leadership. I think that's typical President Bush.

COOPER: Well, John, what's the answer here? I mean, as Michael pointed out, the president can't pick and choose what comes down the pike in terms of...

MCINTYRE: Actually, he can, because there's no imminent threat to the United States of America, so he doesn't have to surround Iraq with 300,000 troops and get ready to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on a war and an occupation for the next decade. He can put that up and shore up the homeland security first. And then, if and when we need to attack, and it's proven that there is an imminent threat down the road, then use those resources to attack Iraq. But right now, now let's worry about the homeland, and we're not ready.

COOPER: I want to switch gears here a little bit and talk about some of the protests that have been going on, demonstrations across the country, really around the world. Michael Smerconish, what do you think when you see a lot of these videos? Yesterday there was this Pink protest. There was the naked Raelians stripping out in L.A.? What do you think?

SMERCONISH: I'm disgusted. I mean I'm appalled by what I see. And, also, Anderson, I'm appalled by the coverage, because the coverage would suggest that this is a cross section of America that has come out. I see a cross section of malcontents, and I wonder, where are the signs that say, "To hell with Hussein," or "Saddam, disarm now?" Because these are individuals, from what I can see, who have just been waiting for some reason to attack this president.

They've never liked him and they're seizing this as an opportunity. The good news is that there are rallies all across this country now unfortunately under-reported, where people are coming out and waving the flag and saying, we support our troops. Imagine if in you're in the Persian Gulf and you're watching CNN and see the film footage and you get the spin that says, hey, this is a cross section of America. You'd really feel distraught at your fellow countrymen -- I don't like it.

COOPER: John McIntyre, is it disgusting or democracy in action?

MCINTYRE: Well, you can't beat the naked Raelians. It's quality family fun for the whole "Hee Haw" gang. But most of the people in the world are against the war; most of them are demonstrating against the war. And it just doesn't matter to George W. Bush. I don't even know why he's going back to the U.N. He's decided he was going to go in come hell or high water months ago. They act as if the decision hasn't been made to go to war. It's been made. That's why they're giving this short deadline and the proposed British compromise of March 17.

He's going in, and I agree that some people are for the war and some people are protesting it. I don't think there's any vast liberal media conspiracy to under-report it. But most of the people in the world today are against the war and George Bush doesn't care.

COOPER: All right. John McIntyre, interesting point. Although, I must say, hard to pay attention to it, because actually on the other side of the screen there were naked Raelians. So...

MCINTYRE: Oh, man. I couldn't even see it. That's not fair.

COOPER: Sorry, John. John McIntyre, Michael Smerconish, appreciate you joining us on this Sunday morning. Thanks very much.

SMERCONISH: OK, Anderson.

MCINTYRE: You bet.

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