August 31, 2006

Hotline After Dark -- Shays Says He Knows More About Iraq Than Any Member Of Congress

NBC/MSNBC showed more highlights from NBC's Williams' interview with Pres. Bush.

Bush, on Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld's speech: "I didn't know he was giving a speech today. The secretary of defense is saying what we all have been saying, that is if we lose our nerve and leave the Middle East before the job is finished, the world will be much worst off."

On Iraq: "I will tell you here, getting rid of Saddam Hussein has made the world safer. Now people will say, well, look at how dangerous Iraq is. What's happening is that a young democracy is battling an ideology of hatred. And I believe the unity government in Iraq will succeed. I believe that you're beginning to see the Iraqi government using their own forces to fight off militia."

Williams: "Do you see the argument that some on the left make that the war in Iraq has amounted to a colossal recruitment poster in the fundamentalist world?"

Bush: "No, I don't see that at all. The fundamentalist world attacked the United States and killed 3,000 people before I even thought about removing Saddam Hussein from power. I just don't buy that argument. It is an argument that's not based upon fact."

On the troops: "All I can tell you is, is that we have a volunteer army full of motivated, decent, honorable citizens, wearing our uniform, and morale is high. Morale is really high. You talk to the families, and you talk to these kids who are fighting for this country, and they understand the stakes, and they're proud to be doing it. And this country owes them a debt of gratitude."

On the world's view of the U.S.: "People don't like my policies, necessarily. They didn't like the fact that I didn't join the international criminal court. They didn't like the fact that I wouldn't sign the Kyoto Protocol, both of which I thought were not good for the country. Many people didn't like the fact that we went after Saddam Hussein, after resolution after resolution. I understand that. ... I would tell you, America is respected. And I would also say, I'd readily concede our policies may not be beloved. But I'll tell you what is the policies that are: we feed the hungry. When the tsunamis hit, it was the United States of America who took the lead. On HIV/AIDS, we're spending $15 billion of taxpayers' money to help people suffering. And so, you know, this country is a country that is doing a lot of good. And my job is to remind the people of the world of the good we're doing."

On his last years in office: "I think the two biggest challenges I would like to see solved in the next two years are, one, the unfunded liabilities inherit in Social Security and Medicare. Baby Boomers are retiring. Fewer people are paying into the system, and the system is going broke. And it's going to require both Republicans and Democrats coming together to reform these systems so that they keep their promise. ... And the other is energy. ... I mean, I stood up and said,
we've got a problem; we're addicted to oil. That's a pretty strong statement for a guy from Texas to make."

More: "We're spending billions of dollars on new technologies. And technology is going to lead us away from dependency on oil. ... Technology doesn't happen overnight. But this administration is laying the foundation for technological change" (NBC/MSNBC, 8/30).

THE CHAIRS HAVE THE FLOOR

RNC Chair Ken Mehlman, on Rumsfeld's Nazi analogy: "I can't explain why Secretary Rumsfeld used it. I've used it too. I think it's very much accurate, and here's why, I think, it is important to explain it in those terms. What we face today is a movement that's united by ideology and that's empowered by technology, and the American people need to understand that. ... It is important that people understand when you are fighting a movement and you're fighting an ideology, that very much affects your tactics and it explains why this is a challenging war to win" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 8/30).

DNC Chair Howard Dean: "Republicans are big on politics, but they're not very good at policy. They're good at winning elections, they're not very good at governing" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 8/30).

And Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) discussed his Iraq remarks: "I will just go where the truth takes me. And I will live with the silly criticism. But I have been there 14 times. I know more about Iraq than any member of Congress, any senator. I go there every three months."

More Shays: "I think the president does have timelines. He's just not sharing it with people, the way he needs to" ("PZ Now," CNN, 8/30). [EMILY GOODIN]

Posted at 07:21 AM

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