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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Senator George Allen
Aired December 14, 2003 - 14:39 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The detention of Saddam Hussein changes many things, one of them, U.S. relations with other nations. The war put a strain on our relationship with many countries. Senator George Allen, the Republican from Virginia, is our guest. And he is a member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Sen. Allen, thank you very much for being with us today.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), FOREIGN RELATIONS CMTE.: Good to be with you all.
LIN: Let's get to foreign relations in a minute. First I want to find out how you found out that Saddam Hussein was indeed captured?
ALLEN: I got a call this morning, early on, before 7 o'clock from my staff. And it was great news. And everyone in our family woke up, all the kids and said, guess what? So, everyone's very, very happy and celebrating. As I think is the case and households across America and, indeed, the world.
LIN: Let me ask you what you think at this point the United States actually gets out of this capture? Here's a man, disheveled, rather pathetic, actually, without any communication equipment or any indication he was leading any sort of insurgency, a rather pathetic figure. If he's not been involved in these recent attacks on coalition forces, what do you hope that the United States is going to get out of this capture other than some good publicity?
ALLEN: More than good publicity. He is clearly the head of that regime that was tormenting and terrorizing the people of Iraq. The people of Iraq realize he's a dangerous figure. When you cut off the head of a venomous snake, you know the snake is less dangerous.
The other things that we might get out of Saddam Hussein if he wants to maybe keep his life, as justice goes forward, is information as to where stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons may be. He may also be to inform us of others aspects in our war in combating terrorism.
So he's certainly is bound to know something. The fact that the rats and mice stayed in that spider hole with him shows something of what a pathetic position he was in. But still this man is culpable for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And that's why you're seeing those great celebrations all through Iraq.
It also is a symbol, I would think, to these remnants of the regime that he's not going to come back and shows how desperate it would be if they continue with their terrorist attacks.
LIN: If you would, take a big picture now. Now that Saddam Hussein is in custody, how might this translate to more international assistance for U.S. coalition forces? I mean, are other countries despite the increasing possibly of more attacks, there was just one again today, with another casualty of an U.S. soldier. Is the international community more likely to step up to the plate and give forces and support?
ALLEN: Very good question. We're all celebrating the capture of Saddam Hussein. The approach at the Bush administration and our coalition forces has been taking to take sequential steps to turn over Iraq to the Iraqi people. I would hope that this will expedite and quicken those steps for the Iraqis to constitute their own government.
But also as you get closer to that day of the Iraqis taking over their own destiny and security, I would hope with the celebrations that it also will be an occasion for us to get more international support not only militarily, but also financially so that Iraq can become that model nation of freedom and tolerance of individual rights in the Middle East.
LIN: Then senator, do I hear you also saying along with that, that the United States should expedite the exit from Iraq now that Saddam Hussein is in custody?
ALLEN: Our goal is a peaceful and secure and free Iraq. This can help expedite those days. We don't want to leave before that time. But we have been trying to -- this administration's been trying as best they can to expedite as practically as possible, the training of security forces in Iraq.
Some of those killed today were Iraqi police officers, but we want to do that. And we have realized it takes in some ways longer than we originally approached it, which was to convene a constitutional convention, we're not going to go more on the Afghan model. And in that model we have tremendous international support from all quarters of the world.
And so I think that what you'll see here is celebrations, but also a sober reality that this is part of the war on terrorism and while a great victory, we have a tough way to go in Iraq.
LIN: Yes, the president today saying that the war on terror is different. That it is going to be a war against cell by cell, one at a time.
Thank you very much, Senator George Allen.
ALLEN: Thank you. You're welcome.
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 December 14, 2003 - 14:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The detention of Saddam Hussein changes many things, one of them, U.S. relations with other nations. The war put a strain on our relationship with many countries. Senator George Allen, the Republican from Virginia, is our guest. And he is a member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Sen. Allen, thank you very much for being with us today.
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), FOREIGN RELATIONS CMTE.: Good to be with you all.
LIN: Let's get to foreign relations in a minute. First I want to find out how you found out that Saddam Hussein was indeed captured?
ALLEN: I got a call this morning, early on, before 7 o'clock from my staff. And it was great news. And everyone in our family woke up, all the kids and said, guess what? So, everyone's very, very happy and celebrating. As I think is the case and households across America and, indeed, the world.
LIN: Let me ask you what you think at this point the United States actually gets out of this capture? Here's a man, disheveled, rather pathetic, actually, without any communication equipment or any indication he was leading any sort of insurgency, a rather pathetic figure. If he's not been involved in these recent attacks on coalition forces, what do you hope that the United States is going to get out of this capture other than some good publicity?
ALLEN: More than good publicity. He is clearly the head of that regime that was tormenting and terrorizing the people of Iraq. The people of Iraq realize he's a dangerous figure. When you cut off the head of a venomous snake, you know the snake is less dangerous.
The other things that we might get out of Saddam Hussein if he wants to maybe keep his life, as justice goes forward, is information as to where stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons may be. He may also be to inform us of others aspects in our war in combating terrorism.
So he's certainly is bound to know something. The fact that the rats and mice stayed in that spider hole with him shows something of what a pathetic position he was in. But still this man is culpable for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And that's why you're seeing those great celebrations all through Iraq.
It also is a symbol, I would think, to these remnants of the regime that he's not going to come back and shows how desperate it would be if they continue with their terrorist attacks.
LIN: If you would, take a big picture now. Now that Saddam Hussein is in custody, how might this translate to more international assistance for U.S. coalition forces? I mean, are other countries despite the increasing possibly of more attacks, there was just one again today, with another casualty of an U.S. soldier. Is the international community more likely to step up to the plate and give forces and support?
ALLEN: Very good question. We're all celebrating the capture of Saddam Hussein. The approach at the Bush administration and our coalition forces has been taking to take sequential steps to turn over Iraq to the Iraqi people. I would hope that this will expedite and quicken those steps for the Iraqis to constitute their own government.
But also as you get closer to that day of the Iraqis taking over their own destiny and security, I would hope with the celebrations that it also will be an occasion for us to get more international support not only militarily, but also financially so that Iraq can become that model nation of freedom and tolerance of individual rights in the Middle East.
LIN: Then senator, do I hear you also saying along with that, that the United States should expedite the exit from Iraq now that Saddam Hussein is in custody?
ALLEN: Our goal is a peaceful and secure and free Iraq. This can help expedite those days. We don't want to leave before that time. But we have been trying to -- this administration's been trying as best they can to expedite as practically as possible, the training of security forces in Iraq.
Some of those killed today were Iraqi police officers, but we want to do that. And we have realized it takes in some ways longer than we originally approached it, which was to convene a constitutional convention, we're not going to go more on the Afghan model. And in that model we have tremendous international support from all quarters of the world.
And so I think that what you'll see here is celebrations, but also a sober reality that this is part of the war on terrorism and while a great victory, we have a tough way to go in Iraq.
LIN: Yes, the president today saying that the war on terror is different. That it is going to be a war against cell by cell, one at a time.
Thank you very much, Senator George Allen.
ALLEN: Thank you. You're welcome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
