Tucker-Transcript

Tucker-Transcript

CARLSON: With reports that President Bush is planning on moving the first wave of reinforcement troops into Iraq by the end of this month, and Democrats are still trying to figure out how to fight it, who has got the upper hand? And more important, why can‘t the Democrats unite on just this one front?

Here to help us answer that question, Democratic congresswoman from California, Maxine Waters.

Congresswoman, thanks a lot for joining us.

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: You‘re certainly welcome.

CARLSON: So why can‘t Democrats get their act together to do the one things voters wanted them to do when they elected them—elected you all last November?

WATERS: How do you know Democrats don‘t have their act together?

CARLSON: Because the leadership of your party has basically already rolled over and said he is the commander in chief, we have no authority to stop this surge. They have already given up.

WATERS: No, that‘s not really what they said. What they said was they were going to give the president an opportunity to document, to prove, to make his case. I think that‘s being very generous, but that did not conclude that we don‘t have a position.

CARLSON: OK. Well, how about—you‘re right, of course, that we don‘t know the entirety of the president‘s case. He‘s going to say things we don‘t know about. But we‘re pretty certain at this point he‘s going to call for new troops, an escalation, as Democrats are calling it.

WATERS: Yes, but the point that the speaker has...

CARLSON: Are you going to allow that?

WATERS: The point that the speaker has made is, how is he going to justify that request? What is he going to say? How is he going to make the American public believe that he‘s telling us the truth?

Don‘t forget, this is the president who lied to us about weapons of mass destruction. He and Rumsfeld both told us we were winning the war. They were training troops, we were going to get profits from the oilfields to rehabilitate and to reconstruct Iraq.

We have not been able to hold them to any of the promises that they have made.

CARLSON: OK. OK.

WATERS: And so let‘s hear what he has got to say.

CARLSON: Well, wait a second.

WATERS: Yes?

CARLSON: Why would you—wait a second. You just made the case yourself.

You‘re, I think, with all due respect, making a pretty inconsistent argument. You‘re, on the one hand, saying this president is a liar who has misled you over the last six years about foreign policy.

WATERS: That‘s right.

CARLSON: You‘re also saying, let‘s wait to hear what he has to say.

Why are you wait to go hear what he has to say if he‘s a liar?

WATERS: Listen—well, let me just say this—I certainly do not trust the president of the United States to be able to lay out a case that is believable and one that I would support. I think the speaker is being consistent in what she said about trying to work with the opposite side of the aisle, trying to give them an opportunity to make their case. I commend her for that.

CARLSON: OK.

WATERS: I don‘t trust him. I don‘t believe him. I won‘t be supporting it for sure.

CARLSON: OK. But she is naive enough to believe him. I think I understand the point you‘re making.

WATERS: Oh, I don‘t think she‘s naive at all. She‘s the speaker, and she didn‘t get there by being naive.

CARLSON: Right. OK. But on the other hand, you‘re saying you‘re sophisticated enough not to believe him, but she is not.

But let me—let me ask you this.

WATERS: What I‘m saying is I have lived long enough and I have heard enough from the president of the United States.

CARLSON: OK.

WATERS: And it‘s turned out that everything that he said about this war has been false.

CARLSON: OK.

WATERS: He has mismanaged the war, the American public knows it.

CARLSON: Right.

WATERS: They want us out. That‘s what I‘m saying.

CARLSON: OK. So—and the speaker is too callow to reach the same conclusion.

But can you imagine any circumstances under which he would support an increase in troops in Iraq?

WATERS: I certainly would not. I don‘t speak for my caucus. I speak for myself.

CARLSON: OK.

WATERS: And I will be discussing this with the 73 members of the out-of-Iraq caucus. But I certainly do not support an expansion of this war. I do not support the idea that the president of the United States, who has mismanaged this war, is going to come to us one more time when the deterioration is profound in Iraq and make us believe that somehow he has got the magic answer with 20,00 more troops. It doesn‘t ring true.

CARLSON: OK. Then you are entitled to your opinion. I believe it‘s heartfelt.

WATERS: Yes.

CARLSON: And I don‘t begrudge you that opinion.

WATERS: Yes.

CARLSON: I‘m a little surprised, though, Congresswoman, that believing what you do about this president and the effects he is having on our nation, you and your fellow Democrats are standing by idly and allowing him to do it.

Why aren‘t you sponsoring legislation to cut of funding for this war right now?

WATERS: Well, let me just say this, that‘s your conclusion. And I know...

CARLSON: Well, it‘s a pretty obvious conclusion.

WATERS: ... I know that you would like to make that case. But you can‘t make the case because you don‘t have all of the information about my caucus. My caucus has not indicated a position relative to this expansion of this war by the president.

CARLSON: I know. It‘s pretty shocking. That‘s my point. How can you not have a position on one of the most important issue of our time?

WATERS: We have got time. We have got time.

Let‘s hear what the president is going to say. We have got new members who are coming in. Let them understand what he is saying and how it all works. We have got time.

CARLSON: OK.

WATERS: So don‘t—don‘t say that you know what we‘re doing at this point.

CARLSON: OK. Well, as soon as you figure out what you‘re doing, give me a call.

I appreciate it.

WATERS: I certainly will. Any time.

CARLSON: Thank you, Congresswoman.

WATERS: You‘re welcome.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16561144/