CNN The Situation Room-Transcript

Interview

CNN The Situation Room-Transcript

I'm Wolf Blitzer, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

My interview with the head coach of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, on the Don Imus uproar, that's coming up shortly. But let's move on to another important story we're following right now. President Bush still doesn't have the emergency war funding he wants from Congress. That's because lawmakers in both houses have attached timetables for an Iraqi pullout. Something the president has said he will veto. Mr. Bush now says he's ready to talk things over, Democrats are saying, he better be ready to compromise on this issue. Joining us now is the House Majority Leader, Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Thanks very much for coming in.

REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD), MAJORITY LEADER: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Listen to what the president said today about reaching out to the majority -- that would be the Democrats -- in the House and Senate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It's time for them to get the job done. So I'm inviting congressional leaders from both parties, both political parties, to meet with me at the White House next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Is there a compromise in the works here, Congressman?

HOYER: Well, I hope so. I think that's a positive step that the president has taken. But his language wasn't very positive when he said, in effect, he's inviting us down to tell us what he will do. What we really need to do, and I think we are certainly willing to do, and go down to the White House and discuss what we together as policymakers need to do, A, to support the troops. As the president knows, we've given him all the money he asks for in our bills. In fact, we gave him more money for fighting terrorism in Afghanistan than he asked for, and the bill does not in any way impede the strategy or tactics that commanders on the ground in Iraq might want to use to be successful.

What the question really is, is, are we going to have a new direction in Iraq? Our old direction hasn't been successful. We need a new direction.

We need the Iraqis to step up. We need to reach out to neighboring states as the Iraq Study Group said. So, yes, we are willing to sit down with the president. We want to see the troops funded.

BLITZER: Let me just press you on this point, though, Congressman. Is there any way you would agree to remove that timeline, that timetable from funding legislation?

HOYER: Well, I don't want to prejudge what we will agree to. That would not be wise on my part. I don't want to negotiation with myself. But certainly, we want to talk about how we pass legislation, have the president sign it, make sure that we have the funds sufficient to support our troops in harm's way.

BLITZER: All right.

HOYER: Let me take an observation, though, Wolf. Last year, when the Republicans were in charge of the House, when the Republicans were in charge of the Senate, it took them 114 days to pass the president's request for a supplemental appropriation. We are now at about half that time now, so, it's not that we're delaying this piece of legislation.

BLITZER: All right. Let's talk a little bit about the president's strategy in Iraq. He has a line, he says it often, he said it once again today in his speech in Virginia. I want to play it for you because I want to ask you a specific question to this.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I made a decision to remove a dictator, a tyrant who was a threat to the United States, a threat to the free world, and a threat to the Iraqi people. And the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right, so the question is this: Is the world better off? Is the United States better off in the Middle East right now without Saddam Hussein, or is it worse off right now four years later? HOYER: Well, I don't think it's better off, that's for sure. Was it worthwhile removing Saddam Hussein? Yes. Seen on its own, I think the answer to that is yes. The ramifications of that have, however, been pretty dire.

I noticed that an Iraqi businessman or person in business, a small businessman, was quoted yesterday in the paper as saying, "When you removed Saddam Hussein, I was ecstatic. Right now, I think we'd probably would be better off with Saddam Hussein back." What he meant, of course, was stability back, security back, not having car bombs in the plazas, not happening.

I think the president certainly is right in the abstract, but in the -- in the administration of this policy, he has not been successful, our efforts have not been successful. We need a new direction.

BLITZER: We don't pay enough attention to what's happening in Darfur. You were just in that region, in Africa. Did you come back encouraged or discouraged?

HOYER: Well, I certainly wasn't encouraged by the government of Sudan's actions. Clearly, I was encouraged when you have some very conscientious people on the ground, not only in terms of the African Union's force that's about 5,800 people on the ground -- they need closer to 25,000. They're badly undermanned, they're under-supplied and under-gunned. The rebels have far more forces, and obviously the government of Sudan does, as well.

It also appears the government of Sudan is not -- not appears, it's self-evident that the government of Sudan is not helping the peace effort, and not helping the African Union troops on the ground.

In addition to that, I was discouraged when I talked to the NGOs who were delivering humanitarian flood, clothing, medical services to those ravaged by this terror, and murder, and rape, in Darfur, in saying that the government of Sudan is undermining their efforts to move around the country, undermining their efforts to come in and out of the country. I just talked to the deputy secretary of state about this issue, and I know that he will follow up on it.

BLITZER: I know you will as well.

Mr. Leader, thanks very much for coming in.

HOYER: Thank you, Wolf. Good to be with you.

BLITZER: Appreciate it.

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