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CNN Live Sunday
Congress Takes Up Issue of Iraq
Aired September 29, 2002 - 17:01 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The debate over Iraq is expected to heat up even more this week, as Congress begins work on a resolution that would give President Bush the power to attack Iraq. CNN White House correspondent John King is traveling with the president from Crawford, Texas. Good evening, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Fredricka. White House officials say the negotiations on the language of that resolution are going well. Bipartisan support for the president. It is clear if you were listening today to lawmakers making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, both parties expect the president to win a lopsided, bipartisan vote when that resolution comes up in both the House and the Senate, probably in a week to 10 days from now.
But tempers are flaring a bit, as the congressional debate intensifies. There are a number of House Democrats who have been in Iraq the past several days. One of them is Congressman Jim McDermott of Washington state. He accused the president today of exaggerating the threat posed by Saddam Hussein to justify a war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM MCDERMOTT (D), WASHINGTON: If they were serious, they'd let the inspectors come in from the United Nations, do their job, and then we'll decide what needs to be done. But the administration keeps pushing some way that they can start something before the inspection ever get done. That's not right. It's wrong to create war is the only way to deal with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That accusation that President Bush is deliberately exaggerating the threat brought this angry retort from the Senate's top Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MINORITY LEADER: Congressman McDermott once again has shown just how irresponsible he is. For him to be in Baghdad, the center of one of the most dangerous dictators in the world, with all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, to be questioning the voracity of our own American president is the height of irresponsible. He needs to come home and keep his mouth shut.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Still some negotiations for the administration, but things looking up for the president when it comes to the congressional resolution. Things much more uncertain when it comes to the United Nations debate. China, Russia and France still objecting to what the United States and Great Britain want -- a tough resolution setting strict deadlines on Saddam Hussein to comply.
We have not seen the president this weekend. He is at his ranch here in Crawford, but his top ally in this debate, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair saying today that he remains optimistic that they will ultimately get a resolution through the Security Council. Prime Minister Blair saying the United Nations must at this moment keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The most important thing if we want to avoid a conflict is to maintain the maximum pressure on Saddam and Iraqi regime. Now, I think the sensible thing, therefore, is to get the resolution, but to make it clear to Saddam, there is no way of avoiding disarmament. It will happen either through the United Nations inspection route, or it will happen otherwise, but it will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: President Bush heads back to Washington in the morning. Some Democrats saying perhaps he should get involved in the final stages of the negotiations on that congressional resolution. White House officials also tell us, do not be surprised at all if the president picks up the phone in the days ahead to lobby other world leaders as he continues to make his case for the United Nations to act as well -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: John, let me ask you about the Middle East crisis right now. In Ramallah, the Israelis have allegedly partially pulled out of the compound there of Yasser Arafat. Palestinians are calling it all very cosmetic. How is the White House responding to any pressure they may have brought upon the Israelis?
KING: Well, the White House -- in a statement earlier, a spokesman said the president was pleased that the Israelis at least partially lifted the siege of the Arafat compound in Ramallah. We ran the comments by the Palestinians by the White House spokesman, the Palestinians calling this a sham. All the White House will say is that the president is pleased so far, that he is monitoring the developments. This, of course, came after a personal message was delivered directly from President Bush to Prime Minute Ariel Sharon, urging him to end the siege.
The administration doesn't say so publicly, but privately officials say not only does the siege in their view complicate efforts to get the Palestinians and the Israelis back toward a dialogue, but it also complicates the president's diplomacy in the Arab world when it comes to Iraq -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, John King from Crawford, Texas.
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 September 29, 2002 - 17:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The debate over Iraq is expected to heat up even more this week, as Congress begins work on a resolution that would give President Bush the power to attack Iraq. CNN White House correspondent John King is traveling with the president from Crawford, Texas. Good evening, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Fredricka. White House officials say the negotiations on the language of that resolution are going well. Bipartisan support for the president. It is clear if you were listening today to lawmakers making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, both parties expect the president to win a lopsided, bipartisan vote when that resolution comes up in both the House and the Senate, probably in a week to 10 days from now.
But tempers are flaring a bit, as the congressional debate intensifies. There are a number of House Democrats who have been in Iraq the past several days. One of them is Congressman Jim McDermott of Washington state. He accused the president today of exaggerating the threat posed by Saddam Hussein to justify a war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JIM MCDERMOTT (D), WASHINGTON: If they were serious, they'd let the inspectors come in from the United Nations, do their job, and then we'll decide what needs to be done. But the administration keeps pushing some way that they can start something before the inspection ever get done. That's not right. It's wrong to create war is the only way to deal with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That accusation that President Bush is deliberately exaggerating the threat brought this angry retort from the Senate's top Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MINORITY LEADER: Congressman McDermott once again has shown just how irresponsible he is. For him to be in Baghdad, the center of one of the most dangerous dictators in the world, with all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, to be questioning the voracity of our own American president is the height of irresponsible. He needs to come home and keep his mouth shut.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: Still some negotiations for the administration, but things looking up for the president when it comes to the congressional resolution. Things much more uncertain when it comes to the United Nations debate. China, Russia and France still objecting to what the United States and Great Britain want -- a tough resolution setting strict deadlines on Saddam Hussein to comply.
We have not seen the president this weekend. He is at his ranch here in Crawford, but his top ally in this debate, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair saying today that he remains optimistic that they will ultimately get a resolution through the Security Council. Prime Minister Blair saying the United Nations must at this moment keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The most important thing if we want to avoid a conflict is to maintain the maximum pressure on Saddam and Iraqi regime. Now, I think the sensible thing, therefore, is to get the resolution, but to make it clear to Saddam, there is no way of avoiding disarmament. It will happen either through the United Nations inspection route, or it will happen otherwise, but it will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: President Bush heads back to Washington in the morning. Some Democrats saying perhaps he should get involved in the final stages of the negotiations on that congressional resolution. White House officials also tell us, do not be surprised at all if the president picks up the phone in the days ahead to lobby other world leaders as he continues to make his case for the United Nations to act as well -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: John, let me ask you about the Middle East crisis right now. In Ramallah, the Israelis have allegedly partially pulled out of the compound there of Yasser Arafat. Palestinians are calling it all very cosmetic. How is the White House responding to any pressure they may have brought upon the Israelis?
KING: Well, the White House -- in a statement earlier, a spokesman said the president was pleased that the Israelis at least partially lifted the siege of the Arafat compound in Ramallah. We ran the comments by the Palestinians by the White House spokesman, the Palestinians calling this a sham. All the White House will say is that the president is pleased so far, that he is monitoring the developments. This, of course, came after a personal message was delivered directly from President Bush to Prime Minute Ariel Sharon, urging him to end the siege.
The administration doesn't say so publicly, but privately officials say not only does the siege in their view complicate efforts to get the Palestinians and the Israelis back toward a dialogue, but it also complicates the president's diplomacy in the Arab world when it comes to Iraq -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, John King from Crawford, Texas.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
