A Powerful Discussion: Read The Transcript Here

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http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/20/pzn.00.html Open up this link for the full transcript
PAULA ZAHN NOW
CBS Admits Mistake in Bush Report; Kerry Attacks Bush Over Iraq Aired September 20, 2004 - 20:00
ET ZAHN: Did John Kerry help himself on the Iraq issue today? Joining me from Washington is U.S. Senator Jon Kyl, a Republican of Arizona. And with me here in New York is Richard Holbrooke. He's a former U.N. ambassador to the United Nations and a foreign policy adviser to Senator Kerry. Welcome, gentlemen. Glad to have both of you with us. Senator Kyl, I am going to actually start with something that House Speaker Dennis Hastert had to say over the weekend. He essentially told reporters that al Qaeda could operate with more comfort if John Kerry were elected president. Do you really think that's the case?
SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: I'm not going to get into that question because that's taking us away from the real question, which is...
ZAHN: But that's the question I asked you.
KYL: I know, but I'm not...
ZAHN: Is that a useful question to throw out in this debate?
KYL: No, what I want to talk about and what I know what my friend Richard Holbrooke wants to talk about are, what are the best policies to ensure that we win the war against terror? And during an election, it is true that critique of the policy can get us into a situation where we send the wrong message to our enemies. And that's why I want to steer it away from that, Paula.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: All right, so I gather by your nonanswer there, you don't think that that was an appropriate thing for House Speaker Hastert to have said?
KYL: What I'm saying is that we want to send a message not just to our troops and to out allies, but also to our enemies. And whether we disagree or agree with exactly how the war is being conducted, we need to send a consistent message that our enemies are not going to be able to wait us out, that we will prevail, and that whatever differences there may be between us are unimportant compared to the ultimate commitment to defeat the terrorists.
ZAHN: Mr. Holbrooke, Richard, please react to what the senator just said about this comment by House Speaker Hastert.
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: I think Jon Kyl said it perfectly. That was an inappropriate comment. Al Qaeda should draw no conclusions that either candidate would be less vigorous in his commitment to the war on terror. They have different points of view on homeland security and how effective it's going. John Kerry laid his views out today in New York. President Bush will be laying them out here in New York at the U.N. tomorrow. That is the central issue, in my view, of the remaining weeks of the campaign, because we are now in only the fourth election since the Civil War taking place in a time of war. The war isn't going well. We all recognize that. President Bush has admitted it. The issue before the American public is whether or not they wish to give this administration four more years because they're satisfied with how Iraq is going or they wish to change course, as Senator Kerry suggested today.
ZAHN: In Senator Kerry's speech today, Senator, he was highly critical of the president's prewar planning, postwar planning. And the president also has to deal with the criticism of senators from within his own party, Senator McCain saying Bush is not being -- quote -- "as straight as we'd like to see him."Another one of your colleagues, Senator Lugar, referring to incompetence in the administration. The president has a problem, doesn't he?
KYL: It's not the president's job I think to stand up every morning and announce the number of casualties. He's recognized how serious it is and how much it bothers him that we're having to put people in harm's way. It's important, especially if we're going to get more allies into the conflict, as Senator Kerry would like to do, to have a president who can be positive and who can be resolute in ensuring that we see this through to the end.
ZAHN: Senator Kerry is also being criticized by people within his own party, the most recent from Leon Panetta, the former chief of staff of President Clinton, who basically said in an editorial, pick a message, any message. And the vice president out there beating up Senator Kerry today for continuing what he says flip-flopping on the issue of Iraq.
HOLBROOKE: Well, it's good politics to accuse your opponent of flip-flopping. The fact is, it's the Bush administration, the president and vice president, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and company who have done a lot of flip-flopping. They predicted democracy. They predicted dancing in the streets. They predicted that we'd be down to 40,000 troops by now. They called it an accomplished mission when the casualties were mounting. It is the administration that has got a policy that has failed.And, as you just pointed out, some of the most important Republicans in the country have said the same thing.
ZAHN: Senator, I want to close with what got us to this point. The president was asked, if he had to go back and do it all over again, knowing what he knows today, knowing that no weapons of mass destruction were found, knowing that there were no operational ties confirmed between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, would he go back and wage war in Iraq? He said yes. Is that a mistake for the president to answer the question that way?
KYL: No, both he and Senator Kerry were asked the same question and they both said, yes, they would go back and do it again. Now, you can argue about whether knowing now what they didn't know at the time, they might have done some things differently. That would be a legitimate question. But hindsight is always great. Both candidate Kerry and President Bush said that, knowing what we know today, they still would have voted to take Saddam Hussein out. And, in fact, during the presidential debates, when Howard Dean was questioning that decision, Senator Kerry was very clear. He said those who doubted whether Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein and those who believe we are not safer with this capture don't have the judgment to be president or the credibility to be elected president. Now, that does conflict with what he said today, which is that we're not safer off today without Saddam Hussein.
ZAHN: Can you explain that contradiction?
HOLBROOKE: Very quickly, it is a misrepresentation of Kerry's position. He said very clearly he doesn't regret the vote to give the president the authority.The authority is what got the U.N. to get the inspectors into Iraq. President Bush premised the war on the weapons of mass destruction. Senator Kerry said again today, if we had let the inspectors finish the job, they would have found that there was no weapons of mass destruction and it would not have been necessary to go to war at that time in that way without a sufficient coalition. So, Jon Kyl is correct. They both supported the resolution. What John Kerry is saying repeatedly is, I would have done a different thing with that and we would have not had 1,000 dead and we would be able to focus Osama bin Laden, still missing and still dangerous, and al Qaeda.
ZAHN: All right, gentlemen, I need 10-second answers apiece. Where do you think Iraq will be as a campaign issue come Election Day?Richard Holbrooke.
HOLBROOKE: For the undecided voter, the central issue, who has a better chance of success in Vietnam -- in Vietnam, I'm sorry, a Freudian slip with a lot of under-text -- and what will be the plan to succeed without -- a war without any light at the end of this tunnel.
ZAHN: Senator Kyl, you get the last word tonight.
KYL: I agree with Richard that it will be a central issue because both campaigns have made it a central issue. And the question will be, do you want to change horses in the middle of the stream? Do you want to change commanders in chief, one who is obviously resolute, the other who has a difficult time making up his mind?
ZAHN: Got to leave it there.Senator Kyl, Ambassador Holbrooke, you'll have to come back and answer that one the next time. Thank you both.

posted by Joshua P. Angell  @ 22.9.04

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