LoungeMachine
06-25-2005, 07:17 PM
This is a transcript from Correspondents Report. The program is broadcast around Australia on Sundays at 08:00 on ABC Radio National.
US public opinion turns against Iraq war
Correspondents Report - Sunday, 26 June , 2005
Reporter: Leigh Sales
HAMISH ROBERTSON: But first to the United States, where there's growing public hostility to America's involvement in Iraq.
With opinion polls showing that most Americans now believe the war in Iraq wasn't worth it, the Bush administration has a major public relations problem on its hands.
Members of Congress are becoming increasingly nervous, and have accused the Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, of grossly mismanaging Iraq, and turning it into an "intractable quagmire".
Both Democrats and Republicans are urging the administration to come up with a credible exit strategy.
Here's our North America Correspondent Leigh Sales.
LEIGH SALES: The White House is listening to the crescendo of disapproval coming out of the US Congress and hopes to placate members.
Early in the week, the President held a policy lunch for Senate Republicans, something prominent Congressman John McCain said was unsurprising.
JOHN MCCAIN: The polls are showing, obviously, that there's an eroding support for the war. Then the communications on the part of the White House, both with Congress and the American people, has to go up. And that's a logical reaction.
LEIGH SALES: Senator John Warner, the Chair of the influential Armed Services Committee, believes the President needs to do more to make his case to the American people as to why US troops are still needed in Iraq.
JOHN WARNER: There's no alternative for America but to turn this nation over to the Iraqi people and let them govern it at their earliest possible time. But we shouldn't set a timetable. But we've got to renew our commitment to achieve that basic goal.
LEIGH SALES: During last year's Presidential election campaign, Democrats weren't sure how to deal with Iraq – worried that criticism would seem unpatriotic and portray them as soft on national security.
Eventually, candidate John Kerry did harshly criticize the President, but it was after a slow start.
Now Democrats are looking at the polls and seeing an opportunity to be more dogged in their attacks.
Senator Joseph Biden.
JOSEPH BIDEN: There is a concern that there is this wide gap between the rhetoric and reality, and the American public is leaving the President on this.
And so how do we regain the confidence of the American public? Because if that goes, you're going to end up in a position where the Republican Congress is going to be talking about bringing the troops home.
LEIGH SALES: Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy savaged Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, in an Armed Services Committee hearing.
TED KENNEDY: Secretary Rumsfeld, as you know, we are in serious trouble in Iraq, and this war has been consistently and grossly mismanaged, and we are now in a seemingly intractable quagmire. Our troops are dying, and there really is no end in sight.
Our troops deserve better, Mr Secretary, I think the American people deserve better. They deserve competency, and they deserve the facts. In baseball it's three strikes, you're out. What is it for the Secretary of Defence?
LEIGH SALES: Donald Rumsfeld described Senator Kennedy's attack as, "Quite a statement".
DONALD RUMSFELD: First, let me say that there isn't a person at this table who agrees with you that we're in a quagmire, and that there's no end in sight. The suggestion by you that people – me or others – are painting a rosy picture is false. I think that the comments you made are certainly yours to make, and I don't agree with them.
TED KENNEDY: Well, my time has just expired, but Mr Secretary, I'm talking about the misjudgements and the mistakes that have been made, the series which I've mentioned. Those are on your watch. Isn't it time for you to resign?
DONALD RUMSFELD: Senator, I have offered my resignation to the President twice, and he's decided that he would prefer that he not accept it. And that's his call.
LEIGH SALES: The Bush administration believes Iraq is making progress both politically and with its security forces. But there's no sense as to when the United States will consider leaving the country to the full control of Iraqis.
This is Leigh Sales in Washington, for Correspondents Report.
US public opinion turns against Iraq war
Correspondents Report - Sunday, 26 June , 2005
Reporter: Leigh Sales
HAMISH ROBERTSON: But first to the United States, where there's growing public hostility to America's involvement in Iraq.
With opinion polls showing that most Americans now believe the war in Iraq wasn't worth it, the Bush administration has a major public relations problem on its hands.
Members of Congress are becoming increasingly nervous, and have accused the Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, of grossly mismanaging Iraq, and turning it into an "intractable quagmire".
Both Democrats and Republicans are urging the administration to come up with a credible exit strategy.
Here's our North America Correspondent Leigh Sales.
LEIGH SALES: The White House is listening to the crescendo of disapproval coming out of the US Congress and hopes to placate members.
Early in the week, the President held a policy lunch for Senate Republicans, something prominent Congressman John McCain said was unsurprising.
JOHN MCCAIN: The polls are showing, obviously, that there's an eroding support for the war. Then the communications on the part of the White House, both with Congress and the American people, has to go up. And that's a logical reaction.
LEIGH SALES: Senator John Warner, the Chair of the influential Armed Services Committee, believes the President needs to do more to make his case to the American people as to why US troops are still needed in Iraq.
JOHN WARNER: There's no alternative for America but to turn this nation over to the Iraqi people and let them govern it at their earliest possible time. But we shouldn't set a timetable. But we've got to renew our commitment to achieve that basic goal.
LEIGH SALES: During last year's Presidential election campaign, Democrats weren't sure how to deal with Iraq – worried that criticism would seem unpatriotic and portray them as soft on national security.
Eventually, candidate John Kerry did harshly criticize the President, but it was after a slow start.
Now Democrats are looking at the polls and seeing an opportunity to be more dogged in their attacks.
Senator Joseph Biden.
JOSEPH BIDEN: There is a concern that there is this wide gap between the rhetoric and reality, and the American public is leaving the President on this.
And so how do we regain the confidence of the American public? Because if that goes, you're going to end up in a position where the Republican Congress is going to be talking about bringing the troops home.
LEIGH SALES: Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy savaged Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, in an Armed Services Committee hearing.
TED KENNEDY: Secretary Rumsfeld, as you know, we are in serious trouble in Iraq, and this war has been consistently and grossly mismanaged, and we are now in a seemingly intractable quagmire. Our troops are dying, and there really is no end in sight.
Our troops deserve better, Mr Secretary, I think the American people deserve better. They deserve competency, and they deserve the facts. In baseball it's three strikes, you're out. What is it for the Secretary of Defence?
LEIGH SALES: Donald Rumsfeld described Senator Kennedy's attack as, "Quite a statement".
DONALD RUMSFELD: First, let me say that there isn't a person at this table who agrees with you that we're in a quagmire, and that there's no end in sight. The suggestion by you that people – me or others – are painting a rosy picture is false. I think that the comments you made are certainly yours to make, and I don't agree with them.
TED KENNEDY: Well, my time has just expired, but Mr Secretary, I'm talking about the misjudgements and the mistakes that have been made, the series which I've mentioned. Those are on your watch. Isn't it time for you to resign?
DONALD RUMSFELD: Senator, I have offered my resignation to the President twice, and he's decided that he would prefer that he not accept it. And that's his call.
LEIGH SALES: The Bush administration believes Iraq is making progress both politically and with its security forces. But there's no sense as to when the United States will consider leaving the country to the full control of Iraqis.
This is Leigh Sales in Washington, for Correspondents Report.