The Situation Room-Transcript
The Situation Room-Transcript
BLITZER: There's been already a certain amount of ethnic cleansing in neighborhoods trying to clean out, as they say, some of those groups. It's a brutal situation.
Tom, thanks very much for that.
And as President Bush prepares to go before the nation with his case for a renewed effort in Iraq, Democrats already lining up to strongly oppose him. Their ranks may be bolstered by some Republicans who also have become critical of the president's policies.
Joining us now from Capitol Hill, though, is a staunch supporter of the president, Republican senator John Cornyn of Texas.
Senator, thanks very much for coming in.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: You know what the critics are saying about the president's new strategy, which he'll unveil tomorrow night. They're insisting, you know what? He's been so wrong on so many other assumptions he's made over the course of three and a half years, why believe him now? Why give him the benefit of the doubt, in other words? His credibility' is on the line.
CORNYN: Well, I understand the skepticism, because what we're doing now is not working. And that's why we need a new strategy. And that's what I think the president will announce tomorrow night.
And contrary to some early reports, this won't be strictly an American or a coalition strategy, this is going to be the Iraqis taking the lead. And the Maliki government has got to take the lead in responsibility, supported by a surge in American forces to help stiffen their spine to do what they say they're going to do. And that's high-stakes drama, no question about it.
BLITZER: You really believe that the prime minister, Nuri al- Maliki, will get tough with Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who really controls, what, 20 or 30 seats in the parliament that support Nuri al-Maliki? You think there's going to be Shiite-versus- Shiite fighting in Iraq?
CORNYN: I share your skepticism, Wolf, because of the political realities on the ground. But we -- this is a test for the Maliki government. If they don't do this, then they are not going to be successful at all. But we cannot risk a failed state in Iraq which will endanger the United States, draw a regional conflict in, and perhaps require even greater effort by the United States to try to clean up the mess months and weeks hence.
BLITZER: Because you remember, it was only a few weeks ago that U.S. forces were poised to move into Sadr City. This is the Shiite stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr. They were looking for some bad guys in there who may have captured American troops.
The government of Iraq, of Nuri al-Maliki, said, don't go in there. And the U.S. backed down, didn't go into Sadr City.
That's raising a lot of serious questions about whether Nuri al- Maliki -- he may talk the talk, but will he walk the walk?
CORNYN: Well, you're exactly right. And this is the test. And I think we would have been better off a long time ago, Iraq would have been better off a long time ago, if al-Sadr had been eliminated from the picture, because, frankly, he's been the sponsor of so much sectarian violence, as you point out, against Sunnis and created a lot of the instability that we current have in Iraq.
BLITZER: Given the role that the Senate of the United States plays in oversight, do you think Harry Reid, the new majority leader's idea of having a sense of the Senate resolution in the coming days on the president's plan for a boost in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, additional funding for new efforts in Iraq, that that's a good idea? A formal roll call in the Senate on this sensitive issue?
CORNYN: I would have preferred if Harry Reid and the Democrats, who actually won the election on November the 7th, are now in the majority, in charge, would offer a constructive alternative rather than just strictly criticize. That's not what leadership requires.
But, no, I don't think we ought to threaten to cut off the funding for American troops because some people in Congress happen to disagree with the tactics that the president will announce tomorrow. And the fact is, while we've been given some preview of what the president will announce, we haven't heard the whole -- the whole presentation, the whole program. And I would hope that there are some who would at least keep an open mind and listen to what the president proposes before prejudging that it's doomed to failure.
BLITZER: Listen to what Gordon Smith, Republican senator from Oregon, said earlier today on this sensitive matter of whether Congress should vote on the president's proposal.
Listen to Gordon Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GORDON SMITH (R), OREGON: It allows the Congress to participate in the decision of the surge, it doesn't put you in the catch-22 of having to vote away the bullets when they're in a dangerous place. And you can't honorably do that. But the more the Congress can be involved in the decision-making, the better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Do you agree or disagree with your colleague?
CORNYN: Well, I respect Senator Smith, but what this demonstrates is the Republicans, like Democrats, are somewhat divided. And certainly many skeptical of our chances for our success.
But I think if we show some progress as a result of this new plan, which is the result of lot of deliberation and consultation over the last weeks, including with the bipartisan Iraqi Study Group, that the American people will get behind it, because they realize that the danger of failure, in terms of what that means to our national security, in terms of what that means about the possibility of another 9/11-type attack on our own soil, realize what's at stake here. And what's at stake is our success and our ability to stabilize a very important region because of the oil and gas resources in the Middle East.
So I think the American people want to see us succeed. And, of course, time will only tell.
BLITZER: Senator Cornyn, I appreciate your coming in. CORNYN: Thanks, Wolf.
BLITZER: Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
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