CNN American Morning - Transcript

CNN

SHOW: AMERICAN MORNING 07:00

April 21, 2004 Wednesday

HEADLINE: Powerful Explosion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Interview with Representative David Dreier

GUESTS: David Dreier

BYLINE: Bill Hemmer, Soledad O'Brien, Sanjay Gupta, Jack Cafferty, Andy Serwer, Hussein Shoboski Asharo Al Sawat

O'BRIEN: Joining us this morning to address that criticism and some other major political topics is California Republican Congressman David Dreier.

Nice to see you.

REP. DAVID DREIER ®, CALIFORNIA: Nice to be back.

O'BRIEN: We've heard from both Republicans and Democrats that they want to hear a clear plan for the June 30th handover. Are you concerned that at this point, really just 10 weeks away, there is no crystal clear idea of what's going to happen and who the U.S. is going to hand authority over to in Iraq?

DREIER: Well, Soledad, there is a clear plan and few people are actually reporting it. Mr. Brahimi from the United Nations has come forward with a plan that calls for a president, a prime minister, two vice presidents, and I believe that if you look at this argument that is out there that somehow planning has not gone into this handover, it's really inaccurate. No one knows with absolute certainty.

I mean, we are dealing with-and this tragic news that we've just gotten from Basra and Riyadh this morning shows that we are in the midst of a global war on terrorism. And as Prime Minister Blair and President Bush said in their press conference last week, as we approach June 30th, there are still going to be tremendous forces that will seek to undermine this plan for a handover. But it is set for June 30th.

I will tell you that last night we had a leadership meeting with the president of the United States and we saw in him a man who is concerned, but very confident. One of the points that he made is that as we look at this difficulty, the difficulty that we're facing is in large part because of the success that we are seeing there as we move toward June 30th.

So I feel that if you compare that, the strong, confident leadership that the president has, of course, addressing concern for those who have suffered and been victimized, but at the same time I look at this morning's Washington Post and see a headline that an old school team is going to be turning John Kerry into a modern-day centrist and they are already talking about the sale of John Kerry and how that's going to come about; I think that there's a really incredible juxtaposition here.

So I found from having just visited 12 countries in the last 12 days leading a delegation of my colleagues, strong confidence on the part of the international community toward President Bush and the leadership we are showing, and that was throughout southern Europe, Central and South Asia.

O'BRIEN: No administration official appeared at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday. Senator Biden said it was arrogance on the part of the administration. Do you think it's arrogance? Do you think somebody should have been there?

DREIER: You know, I'll tell you something, it's very interesting.

Yesterday afternoon I had lunch with the chairman of the International Relations Committee in the House, Henry Hyde, and he had-in talking about the 9/11 commission and frankly, a lot of this, he said, "It's incomprehensible that at a time of war we're seeing all of this scrutiny of strategies and exactly what's taking place."

You know, this is a very challenging time for our country, and it's true that those of us in the United States Congress have the responsibility for congressional oversight.

But I believe that having this administration focusing on winning the global war on terrorism and doing what we can to ensure the safety and security of the United States and keeping this battle off our shores is really the highest priority, and there will be plenty of time for people to scrutinize and analyze and go through these challenges with which we're having to contend.

O'BRIEN: But I guess some of the criticism is that it appears, and there's been word, again, on both sides of the aisle, that it appears that the administration-I think I'm quoting Senator Hagel actually-he's baffled by the administration's continuing pushing away of the Congress. So it's less that someone didn't show up, but more an indication, I think is what they are trying to say of a lack of respect and a lack of a willingness to work with Congress.

DREIER: I will tell you, last night, we spent nearly two hours, the bicameral leadership, Republican leadership with the president of the United States talking about this issue of Iraq, talking about the challenges with which we have to contend.

The president has tremendous regard-I mean, I've known him for a quarter century. Twenty six years ago this spring, he and I ran for Congress together. He understands that. We both lost those elections, by the way, Soledad.

But he understands the importance of the United States Congress. His father served as a member of Congress. And so, this view that somehow there's arrogance on the part of this administration toward the Congress, I've never seen it and I know that it's not there.

O'BRIEN: My condolences on losing that election, although it looks like it turned out all right for you.

A quick question about Bob Woodward's new book. Lots of issues have come out. But $700 million, it looks, as if were diverted from money that was due to be spent in Afghanistan for the build-up of war in Iraq apparently, or so Bob Woodward says, without the knowledge of Congress. Do you believe it's true? Are you concerned? Do you want to investigate this further?

DREIER: Bob Woodward's work is a very, very serious document and it's one which-you know, he's one of the most highly regarded reporters and writers in this town.

I will say this: Since September 11th of 2001, $159 billion in supplemental appropriations have been provided for the global war on terror. The $700 million about which we speak was, in fact, provided as part of a supplemental appropriations bill. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee made it very clear that flexibility was provided to the administration and that was a decision that the United States Congress made.

Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution places that responsibility for taxing and spending in the House of Representatives, and we made that decision.

The president did not take money specifically targeted for Afghanistan. They are resources for the global war on terror. So it was done very correctly, and I understand that Democrats have said the same. But we will continue with our proper constitutional role of oversight.

O'BRIEN: Congressman David Dreier, nice to have you as always.