NBC Today Transcript - Senators Edward Kennedy and Richard Shelby Discuss the Controversy Over the Intelligence in Bush's State of the Union Address

NBC News Transcripts

SHOW: Today (7:00 AM ET) - NBC

July 15, 2003 Tuesday

HEADLINE: Senators Edward Kennedy and Richard Shelby discuss the controversy over the intelligence in Bush's State of the Union Address

ANCHORS: KATIE COURIC; MATT LAUER
Now let's turn to Senator Richard Shelby.

Senator Shelby, I guess the basic—basic question is why did the president include this assertion about Niger in his State of the Union Address when CIA Director George Tenet advised the White House to drop the reference when the president gave a speech in Cincinnati in October, which was a few months before the State of the Union in January 28th? And when Secretary of State Colin Powell felt so uncomfortable with the information, he didn't even use it during his presentation to the United Nations. Can you understand why this has raised some eyebrows?

Senator RICHARD SHELBY (Republican, Alabama): Well, we all understand what intelligence is. It's information. And I believe that the CIA, headed by George Tenet, didn't serve the president very well in this instance. I do believe that the policy of the Bush administration dealing with Iraq overall is very sound and was necessary. But in this instance, this should not have been in there. But all of us kind of believe, but we don't know, that Saddam Hussein was trying to obtain everything in Africa, anywhere, to build a nuclear program. But in this instance, the CIA did not tell them to delete this at the end of the day, and I think that's a failing. That's a failing.

COURIC: But Senator Shelby, that—but the CIA, George Tenet, did tell the White House not to use it in October. Is it George...

Sen. SHELBY: That was October. We're talking about January.

COURIC: But is it—is it his fault or the White House's fault if they kept it in in January after he had already warned them that it was inaccurate information?

Sen. SHELBY: Well, I can tell you they vet that speech at the—at the CIA, and somebody's responsible and somebody's passing the buck. I think the president should be able to rely on certainty here and it was not, in this instance, the same thing. It was not certainty.

COURIC: Let me ask you about a—an editorial entitled "Uranium Quicksand" in the New York Times today. It says "The British made us do it defense," because, as you know, the administration is citing British intelligence as the reason for including this in the State of the Union Address, "The British made us do it defense might be more compelling if London had a better track record when it came to assessing Iraq's unconventional weapons programs. In fact, parts of the British dossier on Iraq's arms that was published with great fanfare in February were lifted verbatim from unsubstantiated Internet sources. Prime Minister Tony Blair's warning last September that front line Iraqi military forces could launch chemical or biological weapons on short notice proved to be embarrassingly misinformed once the war in Iraq began." What do you think about the White House's actions in terms of basically saying the British—that British intelligence justified the inclusion of this assertion in the State of the Union Address?

Sen. SHELBY: Well, it's—it's where they got the basic intelligence, from the British. And—and the British are still—I know Tony Blair is still maintaining that it's right. Maybe it will be right at the end of the day. Maybe they can prove it, and I hope so. But the policy of the Bush administration is sound. I just believe they were not served well by the CIA.

COURIC: There are new questions now about the second accusation President Bush made about Iraq's pursuit of nuclear weapons in this year's State of the Union Address. Let's listen and then we'll discuss it.

Pres. BUSH: (From file footage) Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high pressured aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production.

COURIC: Now if these tubes, Senator Shelby, were not part of a nuclear weapons program, the intelligence turns out to—to be dubious. Is this a pattern of deception by the Bush administration in your view?

Sen. SHELBY: Absolutely not. I believe the Bush administration has—has been forthright with the American people. This is political season, you've got a presidential race coming up, and I think you got to look at things as what they are and look at the political reasons of people that are—are fighting the president now. They're wrong. His policy is sound.

COURIC: Senator Richard Shelby.

Senator Shelby, thanks for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

Sen. SHELBY: Thank you, Katie.