Interview with Rep. Dick Gephardt
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is giving the green light to weapons inspectors, but President Bush is not taking yes for an answer. This morning Mr. Bush talked with congressional leaders over breakfast. The main item on the menu, a resolution that would allow war against Iraq. Fresh from that meeting, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt. He joins us from the White House. Welcome.</s>REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: Good morning.</s>ZAHN: Good of you to join us on our first day in our new home here.</s>GEPHARDT: Good morning.</s>ZAHN: I know the president expressed some optimism that he thinks Congress will successfully come up with a resolution that -- he didn't say this, but sort of intimidated that it might be satisfactory to him. But it appears to me that the two sides are pretty far apart. The president wants broad authority to go in and some Democrats are suggesting a much more limited authority. Who's going to compromise?</s>GEPHARDT: Well, we're going to work that and try to find a bipartisan consensus as best as that can be done. He's going to give us language or suggestions for language in the next few days. We're going to work in the days after that to see what we can come up with. I think this is an important time for both the American, for both the United States and the rest of the world to be united in trying to solve this problem. We've been dealing with this problem for over 10 years. We haven't made a lot of progress. It's time to make progress and I think we can.</s>ZAHN: There are many Democrats saying that once you go through the process, you are essentially forcing the president to share more of his strategy with you. Do you feel that way?</s>GEPHARDT: Well, they are doing that. There are going to be hearings all this week, all next week. All of his top people are going to be on the Hill explaining what they think about the problem, their intelligence, what the strategies are. I think the president is still committed, and this is very important, after his U.N. speech, to trying to get the United Nations to come together to do a stern and effective resolution to try to get this settled diplomatically if we possibly can. I support that effort. I think that effort will continue. But we've got to be together in the United States supporting both the diplomatic and militarily, if we must, to solve this problem.</s>ZAHN: What do you think the resolution will ultimately say?</s>GEPHARDT: I'm not sure, Paula. That's why we're going to enter into these talks and work on it. I think it needs to be a balanced resolution. It needs to say what it needs to say. We have some models to look at. We have the 1991 Persian Gulf resolution. We have resolutions from the Bosnia-Kosovo bombing. So we've got things to look at. Everything's not always the same, so you've got to tailor it and work on it to fit it to these circumstances. But I'm convinced that if we work hard together, we can do it. I told the president on 9/12 we've got to work together, these are life and death issues, national security issues, our highest responsibility is to keep the people safe.</s>ZAHN: So it's just a matter now of trying to figure out who's going to compromise first here. But let's move on to another political point here. A Gallup poll just came out which suggested -- and it was done in the week of September 5 -- that found that voters overwhelming believe Republicans are more capable of protecting the U.S. from terrorism and military threats and the Democrats now, according to the "USA Today," are going to try to change the page and focus relentlessly on the economy going into the midterm elections. Is this true?</s>GEPHARDT: Well, Paula, both issues are important. People are worried about security and after 9/11 it's no wonder that they are. And so we have to deal with those issues. We have a big homeland security bill on the floor of the Senate. We're trying to get that bill done before we leave, as well. But the domestic agenda is always of utmost importance to people -- the economy, jobs, investors' rights, prescription drugs, privatizing Social Security. These are very, very important issues and people are going to be looking at all those issues, as well. We've got to do what we've got to do. We've got to talk to the people, but first we have to get the work done here in Congress, and we're going to try very hard to do that in the responsible, sensible way.</s>ZAHN: Back to the issue of Iraq before we let you go. There's another fine point, I guess, in the negotiations that's going to take place where some Democrats are suggesting that they want to limit the president's options by requiring that the U.N. sanction military action as well as the U.S. Do you support that idea?</s>GEPHARDT: Well, I don't think we ought to go into a negotiation with preconditions or saying this is what I've got to have. We'll have ideas to bring to the table. I'm sure the president will. I'm sure Republican members will. The important thing is that we try our level best to come up with something that has broad bipartisan support in the Congress. I'll say it again. There's no more important issue we deal with than people's personal safety and national security, and we've got to do our best to come together, be united and do the right thing for the American people. And that's what we're going to try to do.</s>ZAHN: House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, thank you so much for joining us this morning.</s>GEPHARDT: Thank you.</s>ZAHN: Appreciate you joining us.