Fox News The O'Reilly Factor - Transcript

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SHOW: THE O'REILLY FACTOR (20:29)

HEADLINE: "Unresolved Problem"
Spies Captured

GUESTS: Charles Schumer

BYLINE: Bill O'Reilly

BODY:
O'REILLY: In the "Unresolved Problem" segment tonight, even though we sometimes forget, because of our very busy lives, we are right in the middle of World War III. You just heard Dr. Rice. And it's pretty bad out there. The war on terror is all over the place.

And here's a very disturbing report. American airman Ahmad al Halabi has been arrested and charged with espionage and aiding the enemy. He was a translator at Guantanamo Bay. Also Muslim Army Chaplain James Yee is under suspicion of spying as well.

Joining us now from Washington is New York Senator Charles Schumer, who is speaking out hard on this. So what say you, senator?

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Well, I find it almost incredulous, Bill, that at Guantanamo, which has hundreds of al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners, that security was breached, not once, but twice. I don't know what the heck is going on. I mean, we should have background checks before anyone can get to Guantanamo. We should make sure that the - - that it's really safe.

And if it's happening at Guantanamo, where they probably check security more thoroughly than in most other bases, what's happening in the other military bases?

O'REILLY: Well, you know, we had the Muslim soldier kill...

SCHUMER: Right.

O'REILLY: ... another soldier in Kuwait, before the war started, with a grenade, and I think what it has to do with is that there are so few American military that speak Arabic that, you know, when they get somebody, they bring them on in.

But you're right. I mean it's shocking. I was down in Guantanamo Bay. It's a lockdown situation, very stringent security, and I -- my eyebrows went up.

But you know what's encouraging? They caught the guys so that they must be on the ball, you know?

SCHUMER: Well, let's hope. I mean maybe there are others. I hope not, I pray not, but maybe.

And one other thing, Bill -- and this is interesting -- with the chaplains, which is Captain Yee, the two groups that are allowed to choose chaplains in the Army are both militant Muslim groups under investigation for terrorism. Their records have been subpoenaed, their offices have been raided, and yet the Army continues...

O'REILLY: Well, explain that to me. That's very interesting.

SCHUMER: It's wacky.

O'REILLY: The...

SCHUMER: In other words...

O'REILLY: Explain that to me.

SCHUMER: Yes.

O'REILLY: So -- so these two groups under investigation -- they nominate Muslim chaplains to the Army?

SCHUMER: And nominated Yee. And nominated Captain Yee who is just now...

O'REILLY: Why would the Army do that? Why doesn't the Army pick their own chaplains?

SCHUMER: Well, God knows. But they -- no, they do this for all chaplains. You know, they let Christian groups choose Christian chaplains, Jewish groups choose Jewish chaplains, but, usually, there's a pluralism. You know, they'll have a Baptist, a Methodist, you know, a...

O'REILLY: Yes.

SCHUMER: ... an Episcopalian.

O'REILLY: Well, there's a hole in the system right there. So you just isolated that, and...

SCHUMER: Yes.

O'REILLY: ... that's got...

SCHUMER: And they have -- yes, they just had these -- this Wahhabi militant Muslim group -- they choose all the chaplains. It makes no sense.

O'REILLY: Yes.

SCHUMER: And we wrote to them six months ago, and, two days ago, they told us, well, we're not looking into this. Now, of course, they are with...

O'REILLY: So this is an Army problem then, you think?

SCHUMER: It sure is. And I think they're -- they just -- I don't know what it is, but they look the other way. They're not paying attention.

O'REILLY: All right. Well, you know what bureaucracy is. That's for sure.

Now I want to -- now that I have you as a captive audience here, Senator...

SCHUMER: Sure, yes.

O'REILLY: ... I want to ask you about -- I talked to Condoleezza Rice.

SCHUMER: I'm not getting up.

O'REILLY: Well, you might after this question. We talked with Condoleezza Rice about Senator Kennedy's comments. Now he accused the president and Ms. Rice by design of fraudulently starting the war, and I said when I heard that that, unless you have pretty solid proof to back that up, that is a, let's say, controversial statement.

SCHUMER: It is.

O'REILLY: What do you think?

SCHUMER: And, as you know, my views -- I supported the president on the war, and I might have done it differently, but I still say today to some of my friends that, given everything Bush has done up until now, given everything we know up to know, I rather would have done what Bush did than do nothing, which is what...

O'REILLY: So why don't...

SCHUMER: ... some on the left say.

O'REILLY: What did you say to Kennedy when you heard that?

SCHUMER: Well, you know, I don't -- I didn't hear exactly what Kennedy said, but I've got to tell you -- and you and I will disagree on this -- I find him just an amazingly good senator. He has an incredible sense of integrity.

O'REILLY: But is that -- is that responsible, though, to...

SCHUMER: Well, I think what he's saying...

O'REILLY: ... you know, in the middle of World War III, to call your commander-in-chief a fraud and a liar without any evidence. We haven't seen the evidence.

SCHUMER: I -- well, here's what I think he said. I don't know. I haven't read it, to be honest with you. But here's what I think he said.

O'REILLY: You should.

SCHUMER: I will, I will. You have importuned me to read it.

O'REILLY: OK.

SCHUMER: I'm too busy with this thing. But the bottom line is, you know, my belief -- I believed it then when I vowed for it, that going into Iraq was opportunistic, but it was right.

In other words, I never believed the weapons of mass destruction stuff because, once it was clear that there were no nuclear weapons, they can -- they can't do real damage with us, at least at that time with chemical and biological, or they could do equal damage, you know, with 10 suicide bombers.

O'REILLY: Yes. Well, look, I know -- I know where you're coming from. We -- we don't...

SCHUMER: So...

O'REILLY: We have to go.

SCHUMER: OK.

O'REILLY: But I know where you're coming from. It helps stabilize the region. It helps Israel. Your...

SCHUMER: No, no, no. I'll tell you what it does. It said to the terrorists...

O'REILLY: Real quick.

SCHUMER: It said to the terrorists who we ignored in '93, '98, and '00...

O'REILLY: Yes, we're serious.

SCHUMER: ... don't mess with us...

O'REILLY: That's right. We're serious.

SCHUMER: ... and that will have positive benefits for 20 years.