CNN Larry King Live - Transcript

CNN LARRY KING LIVE - Transcript

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KING: We now welcome two prominent members of the United States Senate, co-sponsors of the resolution that passed unanimously in the Senate condemning Hezbollah and supporting Israel's self defense, Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York.

Senator Kyl, what do you make of Secretary Rice's trip?

SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: Well, obviously we hope it's successful in conveying the message that the United States is not going to intervene and call for a ceasefire as long as Hezbollah, the terrorist group, is not willing to perform their part of the bargain, which is to stop what they're doing and to pull back and release the captive Israeli soldiers.

This is remember a situation very much like when we first went into Afghanistan after 9/11 and, if anybody had said after about a week of our activity there, "Why don't you all hold back and let the Taliban regroup and maybe call a ceasefire here," we'd have said "No way. We've got to get rid of those people. They're causing a lot of civilian casualties."

Remember the civilian casualties that have been caused by the Hezbollah here and so it's time -- this is not the time to call a ceasefire unless Hezbollah is ready to meet the conditions of it.

KING: Senator Schumer, earlier today your Minority Leader Harry Reid said, "Hopefully, Secretary Rice's visit to Lebanon is not a continuation of the Bush photo op of foreign policy. I hope it's not a photo op again but a serious effort." Do you think it is a serious effort?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I do think it's a serious effort and I agree with the view that what we're doing is exactly right. No country, if missiles rain down on her from a neighboring country, would tolerate that situation.

And the calls by some for immediate ceasefire, which would allow Hezbollah to have those missiles in place and allow Hezbollah to then shoot them at will, it's sort of like saying "Well, we have a gun at your head."

Now what Secretary Rice is saying is "Take the gun down before you call a ceasefire." Hezbollah is saying "We want to keep the guy right there and just have Israel not remove the gun."

That makes no sense. No country would -- no country would go along with it and Israel shouldn't have to. And thus far at least and I hope the president will stay the course here, American policy is exactly right. Israel doesn't want our troops. They don't want -- they just want the ability to defend themselves. And I'd just make one other point. People say, "Well it's taking time." Yes, it's taking time in part because Hezbollah hides among civilians but in part because the Israelis are trying to do things in a way that minimizes loss of civilian life. They send leaflets and say "We're coming."

Now, of course, the Lebanese civilians read those leaflets but so does Hezbollah and it slows the whole process down but it's the right thing to do and we ought to give Israel the time to defend herself.

KING: Senator Kyl, what about those who might say concerning a ceasefire at least for whatever time it stops killing?

KYL: Well, Larry, the problem is that you've got a terrorist group that's infiltrated the entire southern part of Lebanon. They are in amongst the civilian population. They hide their weapons in mosques because they know they won't be bombed there.

This is a terrorist group that's now killed 30-some Israel citizens. They bombed indiscriminately. It's like the V-1 and V-2 rockets bombing down, raining down on London. Nobody knows where they're going to land but they're going to kill civilians.

And, it seems to me that under those circumstances it is incumbent upon the Israelis to find out where these people are, root them out. If they fled, at least seize their weapons so that innocent Israelis are not going to be subject to this reign of terror in the future. This is not the time for us to cause the Israelis to stop in the middle of the action, which is to destroy the threat of the terrorists.

KING: Senator Schumer, since we know that Syria and Iran are very involved in Hezbollah, shouldn't we be talking to them?

SCHUMER: Well, I have no problem with us talking to them but you can't have that talking be a substitute for allowing Israel to defend their self, particular Syria.

Syria is a little bit different. Syria has a majority of the population that's Sunni and I want to say that for the first time in a long time, and maybe this will change the balance in the Middle East for the better, you heard some of the Sunni countries being critical of Hezbollah, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan.

And Syria is unstable there and talking to them in my judgment will do no harm and perhaps we should but it should not be a substitute for dealing with a group that is a terrorist group that doesn't believe that there should be an Israel at all.

That's Hezbollah. They think that there should be no Israel. It's not where to draw the line. It's not a two state solution. It's none at all. And you can't -- the sine qua non here, the bottom line is that Israel has to be allowed to take this gun away from her head and then things can fall into place.

KING: Public polls seem to indicate, Senator Kyl that the people would like the United States to be interested but not really involved.

KYL: I suspect that's true. We have enough on our plate right now. But remember that all of this terrorist activity is related. Hezbollah has killed Americans and Hezbollah is involved throughout the Middle East.

And, therefore, even though this is not technically our war, it is all part of a larger terrorist activity throughout the world. And that's why even though the United States could intervene and use its power to bring about some kind of resolution, hopefully in the area, it is also the case that we have a dog in this hunt and that is to see that these terrorists can no longer threaten innocent civilians.

That's part of our war on terror. It's part of what the Israelis are dealing with. And so I don't think it's fair to ask the United States to somehow play honest broker between a group of terrorists on the one hand and a threatened Israel on the other.

SCHUMER: I'd just make one other point, Larry. Israel has never asked for our troops. Israel doesn't really want our troops. She's capable of defending herself. The only role that she wishes America to play is to prevent the rest of the world from putting such pressure on her that she can't defend herself, even though every other nation would defend themselves in the same way.

That's all Israel asks of America. I think most Americans are supportive. The resolution in the Senate, there's no partisanship on this one as you can tell. The resolution in the Senate passed 100-0, the resolution in the House 410-8.

I think the American people are quite united here. They don't want to see American troops there but Israel doesn't want them. All they want, all the people want is basically, I think the majority anyway, everyone wants peace.

But I think most Americans have the wisdom there's not going to be peace as long as Hezbollah has the upper hand and Israel and its defense forces are trying to take that upper hand away, which by the way will be not only good for Israel but good for Lebanon as well.

KING: Thank you both very much, Senators Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, and Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, co-sponsors of the bill condemning -- the resolution condemning Hezbollah, which as Senator Schumer just said passed unanimously.

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