CNN The Situation Room - Transcript

CNN THE SITUATION ROOM - Transcript

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: My pleasure.

BLITZER: You just came from the White House.

PELOSI: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: You were with the president.

PELOSI: Yes.

BLITZER: Were you impressed? Were you encouraged? What's your reaction?

PELOSI: The war of Iraq, of course, is a matter of debate in our country. It's being debated all over the country, in fact, except in the Congress of the United States.

Finally, tomorrow, we will have a chance to have a small amount of time to debate it. I had hoped, when we went to the White House, that the president would have brought us some good news from Iraq, that there was reason to think that it's time for responsible redeployment of our troops.

He's upbeat about the people he met there. He said he went to take a measure of them, and he was impressed by them. But I haven't seen anything in what the president has to say that's anything less than, stay the course. And...

BLITZER: So, nothing he said in private to you was different than what he said at his news conference earlier in the day?

PELOSI: Well, we were -- I didn't see his news conference.

But, again, he was just talking about taking the measure of the leaders in Iraq. Democrats are calling for a new direction in Iraq. We have said over and over again, 2006 must be a year of significant transition in Iraq, where the Iraqi people take responsibility for their government and for their security.

BLITZER: But that's what the president is saying. He managed -- he won that commitment from this new Iraqi leadership.

PELOSI: But here's where I'm concerned.

After forming a government, the next step was supposed to be to deal with the constitution, in order to allay some of the fears of various sectarian groups in Iraq, that they would deal with this in the constitution. That would help stop the violence. That would help bring reconciliation.

What the president said to us was, when I asked them, are they going to move on the constitution now?, he said, oh, they don't seem to be in a hurry to do that. I don't think we should insist that they do that. So, it's going to be a longer, longer period of time.

And I think the American people have serious concerns about how the war is conducted, how long we're going to stay there. And I think the American people, as do the Democrats, 100 percent support the troops.

BLITZER: Here's what the president said at the news conference earlier today, referring to the Democratic Party. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: There's an interesting debate in the Democrat Party about how quick to pull out of Iraq. Pulling out of Iraq before we accomplish the mission will make the world a more dangerous place. It's bad policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. You're -- and there is a debate within the Democratic Party, because Democrats are -- there are moderate Democrats, more liberal Democrats. They seem to be all over the place as well.

PELOSI: But Democrats agree that 2006 must be a year of serious, significant transition. And the president...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Well, let me interrupt you on that point, because Steny Hoyer, who is the number-two Democrat in the House, he says this.

Let me read it to you. He says: "A precipitous withdrawal of American forces from that country could lead to a disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists, and damaging our nation's security and credibility."

PELOSI: Now, when did he say that?

BLITZER: Steny Hoyer said that in recent weeks.

PELOSI: No, no. He said that last fall. He said that last fall.

BLITZER: Well, we will double-check the exact time he said that.

PELOSI: He said that last fall.

BLITZER: Go ahead.

PELOSI: Since then, Democrats have come together on a real security agenda for a new address -- direction in our securing America, and, again, significant...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, you're saying Steny Hoyer has changed his stance since then?

PELOSI: I'm saying that Steny Hoyer, along with everyone else, stood with us when we went forward with our real security agenda.

But that's not the point. The point is, is, the president is -- I think what he said was really beneath the dignity of this debate. Our men and women in harm -- are in harm's way. When I talk to my caucus about this, I say, we have to think about one thing, our troops and their safety. We have to think about -- also about the security of America. I contend that the war in Iraq is not making the American people safer.

BLITZER: Well...

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: It is not making our military stronger. And it is harming our reputation in the world to do those things.

BLITZER: So, sort of pinpoint any of this. Do you think the Democratic Party -- and you're the leader in the House of Representatives -- is aligned with Congressman John Murtha or with Senator Hillary Clinton?

PELOSI: Well, I think they're much closer to Senator -- to Congressman Murtha.

But here's the point. Our Democratic Party has never said to members, on a war vote, there's a party position. We are representatives. We're independent reflection of our districts. And, so, members, at different times, have come to the place where we're saying serious transition in Iraq, and, with that, responsible redeployment, responsible...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Because that's what Murtha -- that's -- Murtha wants a redeployment over the next several months. John Kerry does.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, doesn't. But you're saying that Democrats and you are more in line with Murtha than with Senator Clinton.

PELOSI: Well, exactly. Yes, no, I don't think they're -- in the House, there isn't very much support. I don't exactly know what Senator Clinton's position is. So, don't let me speak to that.

BLITZER: Well, she says it would be a mistake to have a timetable.

PELOSI: Yes.

Well, it -- the -- but there are milestones that, if they are achieved, then we should be able to move on, because we have just passed the mile -- the sad milestone of 2,500 American troops died, 20,000 injured, 10,000 of those permanently, an enormous cost in reputation to us in the world, enormous impact on our readiness to protect America's interests and our security at home or wherever our interests are threatened, enormous cost in dollars, hundreds of billions of dollars, a trillion-dollar war before it's over.

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: So, the American people, rightfully, have questions about it. And we all support the troops.

BLITZER: Did you ask Congressman Murtha to withdraw his name as a potential majority leader if the Democrats become the majority in the House? Because he had issued a statement earlier, saying he would challenge Steny Hoyer, who is the new -- who is the minority whip right now...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... if the Democrats became the majority. Since then, Murtha has withdrawn.

PELOSI: Mr. -- in the interest of winning the election, and in the party unity that we have, Mr. Murtha said to me that: I will suspend my campaign.

But the reason is, also, we are about to have our new -- our Democratic New Direction for America. You mentioned it, said it was postponed. Out of respect for the president and our troops, when he called the meeting at the White House, we said, we will put that off.

But we haven't postponed putting out our message, a New Direction for America, where we will make America safer by the first day, enacting the 9/11 Commission recommendations, a fairer economy. The first day, we will vote for an increase in the minimum wage.

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: The first day, we will talk about making health care more affordable by giving the secretary the ability to negotiate for lower prices.

The first day...

BLITZER: All right. I will...

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: ... we will move toward energy independence by rolling back the tax subsidies that they have given the oil companies.

BLITZER: I'm going to...

PELOSI: And, so, you know, we -- in the interest of promoting our new -- a new direction, I want all of our members to curb their enthusiasm, in terms of their ambitions, until after the election, and support our New Direction for America.

BLITZER: There's no sense in running for majority leaders if you're still in the minority. I suspect that that's what you're saying.

I'm told, by the way, that you're right. Steny Hoyer did make that comment on November 30 of last year.

PELOSI: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: But, if you go to his Web site today, as we have, it's still right there, right in the middle, smack dab, of his Web site. You can see it right behind you. So, he hasn't withdrawn that comment from his Web site.

PELOSI: Well, let me say that that would not be the majority position in our caucus, but not to get into a debate on that.

I'm talking about what we agree on. And I think that you're seeing a big change now, where the American people are weighing in on this. They want answers. They want answers about the re -- the cost. Look at the reconstruction. Their own inspector general's report said that billions of dollars are mission -- missing in Iraq on reconstruction. The reconstruction hasn't taken place. The president talks about electricity. Three years after he said mission accomplished, they don't have electricity in Baghdad...

BLITZER: All right.

PELOSI: ... to match what they had before the war.

So, it isn't -- it -- this isn't about, the president's in a good mood and he's bouncing around, because he went to Iraq, and he came back, and he likes the people he met there. This is about the fact that we are losing lives. We are losing limbs. We are losing reputation. We are losing readiness. And we're losing dollars in a war that sees no end.

BLITZER: All right.

PELOSI: You talk about the mission. What is the mission?

BLITZER: Let me move on, because we don't have a lot of time, and talk about Congressman William Jefferson.

He's being investigated right now. He's not been charged with anything, has not been indicted. You want him to step down as a member...

PELOSI: Yes.

BLITZER: ... of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Representative Mel Watt, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, says, this is the totally unfair to -- for you to be making this demand of Congressman Jefferson. He says that, "If the only person you have applied it to is a black member of Congress, then our community will legitimately ask, what in the world are you all doing?" -- strong words, suggesting there's a double standard for a black member, a black Democrat, in the House of Representatives, as opposed to white members.

PELOSI: Well, I will tell you this.

I have been critical of Republicans that I have talked about their culture of corruption, incompetence, and cronyism. And if they're -- and if I have criticized the Republicans, I certainly am not going to tolerate corruption in our own caucus.

Whether Mr. Jefferson were black or if he's white, the facts are that I believe he has brought dishonor to the House, and he should step aside from his position on the Ways and Means Committee.

BLITZER: Isn't he innocent until he's proven guilty?

PELOSI: That's ...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: He hasn't even been charged with anything yet.

PELOSI: No, no, no, no. You're talking about a -- the court of law. I'm talking about a higher ethical standard.

And that's -- there are two different things. We -- I believe that members of Congress should be held to a higher standard and a higher ethical standard. And I apply that to all members of our caucus, respecting the magnificent diversity of our caucus.

But, yes, we are high -- having a higher standard now. And any member of Congress who has $90,000 in his freezer can be sure that he's going to hear from me that he or she should step aside.

BLITZER: Nancy Pelosi is the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives.

You would like to become the speaker of the House, I assume.

PELOSI: I would like the Democrats to be in the majority, so we can take the country in a new direction, away from the wrong direction.

The American people, Democrats, Republicans and independents, say the country is going in the wrong direction. We have a new direction. And, if we are elected, we have an agenda to take it there.

BLITZER: We are grateful to you for coming into THE SITUATION ROOM.

PELOSI: My pleasure.

BLITZER: We will do this again. Thank you very much.

PELOSI: I look forward to it. Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/14/sitroom.01.html