CBS The Early Show Transcript

November 10, 2003 Monday

HEADLINE: Dick Gephardt discusses the presidential race

ANCHORS: HARRY SMITH

BODY:
HARRY SMITH, co-host:

According to a new poll from The Des Moines Register, Congressman Dick Gephardt has moved into the lead in Iowa, the first state that will officially test the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls with caucuses in mid-January, and Congressman Gephardt is with us here this morning.

Good morning.

Representative RICHARD GEPHARDT (Democratic Presidential Candidate): Good morning.

SMITH: Ahead in the polls in Iowa, which is probably where you ought to be. Not doing so well in the polls in New Hampshire. Can you guarantee that this campaign's still gonna be going in February?

Rep. GEPHARDT: I'm gonna win this nomination.

SMITH: Yeah?

Rep. GEPHARDT: It's a long marathon. I'm kind of the turtle in this race, not the rabbit, but we're edging ahead in Iowa. We got a good 7-point lead, and I'm gonna get a good top-tier finish in New Hampshire. Then it goes to the West and the Midwest...

SMITH: What do you have to have in New Hampshire to stay alive, do you think?

Rep. GEPHARDT: Just in the top-I've got to be in the top four. And-and I'll do that. And then we go on to the Western states, the Midwestern states where I'm strong and got-that's where I'm from. I have great labor union strength in those states. I'm gonna win this race.

SMITH: You're the one who brought it up. Biggest union in the AFL-CIO last week gave their endorsement to Dean; another huge union is gonna give its endorsement to Dean this week. You're supposed to be the-the labor guy. How come you're not getting those endorsements?

Rep. GEPHARDT: I'm getting those endorsements. I have 21 international unions for me. Howard...

SMITH: Two of the biggest ones have turned their back on you. Why not?

Rep. GEPHARDT: I've got-I've got huge unions for me. I've got little unions and big unions and I've got the union people out there. When I go out in the country, it's not just the leadership, it's that rank-and-file worker that's excited about my campaign. They are participating, they're coming to events. I'm gonna win this nomination. I'm gonna beat George Bush.

SMITH: If-OK, here's the question. With that union support, is that an albatross or in the end is that-is that a plus for you in an election against the president?

Rep. GEPHARDT: It's a big plus. Look, if you have rank-and-file union members out there who are excited about what you're saying and what you're gonna do-I mean, they want to be covered by health-care insurance that can never be taken away. It's these kind of big bold ideas that contrast me with George Bush, that excite that working family out there.

SMITH: Let's talk about foreign policy for a minute. Thirty-five American soldiers-actually 36 as of this morning-have lost their lives in Iraq this month. The administration keeps saying they have enough people on the ground there. Are there? How would you prosecute this war differently if you were to take office this moment?

Rep. GEPHARDT: Harry, this president is failing us and he's failing us because he's not gotten the help that we need from NATO, from the UN. If I were president, a long time ago I would have gotten the civil reconstruction of Iraq turned over to the UN, and I would have gotten the help of all the NATO countries in securing the country and...

SMITH: They've been trying to do that over the last couple of months and people are not helping.

Rep. GEPHARDT: He doesn't work well with others. He does not work well with our allies. These are our friends! The French and the Germans, even the Russians are our friends. We need our friends with us. This is a world problem, not just an American problem, and my frustration is that this president's not leading in the right way.

SMITH: Let's switch subjects to a-something completely different, which is the war against terrorism. Al-Qaida appears to be alive and well in Saudi Arabia. The war against terrorism, two years old, who's winning it?

Rep. GEPHARDT: Well, again, the president is not doing the right things to get to the root causes of terrorism. We should be having a long-term energy policy. I have a plan I call Apollo 21 to get us to be independent of Middle Eastern oil. And he needs to lead a world alliance to confront the Saudi royal family, to change their behavior. If we don't get that to happen, we're never gonna get to the root causes of this problem.

SMITH: Congressman Dick Gephardt, we thank you very much for being with us this morning. We'll see you down the road.

Rep. GEPHARDT: Thank you.

SMITH: Thank you. Now here's Hannah.

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