Fox Hannity & Colmes - Transcript

Fox News March 5, 2004

SHOW: FOX HANNITY & COLMES (21:55)

HEADLINE: Congressman A Vote for Kerry is a Vote for bin Laden

GUESTS: Tom Cole

BYLINE: Monica Crowley, Alan Colmes

BODY:
COLMES: Well, Republican Congressman Tom Cole was recently quoted as saying if George Bush loses the election, Osama bin Laden wins the election. His remarks have caused a firestorm of controversy.

Congressman Cole has said that his comments were mischaracterized, so what was he really trying to say?

Here to explain the comments, Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole. You did say that, didn't you Congressman?

REP. TOM COLE ®, OKLAHOMA: Absolutely. And I think that's absolutely the case. No question.

COLMES: Does that mean a quote for John Kerry is a vote for Osama bin Laden?

COLE: That's just my point. No question the commander in chief loses an election in the middle of the war, that's going to be a benefit to the adversary.

COLMES: So is a vote for John Kerry a vote for Osama bin Laden?

COLE: No, I didn't say that. I said that if George Bush loses-no, that's not the implication at all.

In 1864 if Lincoln had lost the election there's no question that it would have been a good thing for Jefferson Davis and the confederacy.

In 1944, if we'd lost the-If FDR had lost the election, there's no question that the Japanese and Germans would have drawn comfort from that. I think the same thing applies...

COLMES: The election is 1944 is like saying Tom Dewey, a vote for Dewey was a vote for Hitler. Did that stop the murder of six million Jews?

COLE: Not at all. The fact that we-the fact that we have elections in the middle of a war is a great strength of our democracy and the fact that you can see a collective expression of the public will in the United States is important. Elections have consequences.

COLMES: Are you suggesting that John Kerry would not stand up to our enemies?

COLE: I'm not suggesting that at all. I just think George Bush has been a very bold, very successful and very aggressive wartime president and I think if he were to lose the election our adversaries would take comfort in that. IN fact, they would draw the conclusion that the country had lost its resolve.

CROWLEY: Congressman, what you're essentially saying is that if the commander in chief is replaced through this election in the middle of a war that the perception by our enemies would be that essentially this was a vote of no confidence in his leadership and they would take heart. And I think you're absolutely right on that and this is why.

Because over the past few weeks the North Korean state media-North Korea, the axis of evil-has been singing the praises of John Kerry. They've been playing his speeches. They've been touting John Kerry as the next president.

Now if our adversaries want to see John Kerry as president, doesn't that tell you something?

COLE: Well, I think it tells us George Bush has been extraordinarily successful, extraordinarily strong in standing up for this country and, frankly, people that wish us ill don't necessarily want him to remain in office.

And if he were to lose I don't have any doubt that it would be interpreted by our enemies as a loss of will by the American people.

CROWLEY: Well, what about John Kerry? He's got a pretty dismal voting record on national security. He was for the war, then he was against the war. He's got 38 votes against weapons systems and programs that are helping us win the war on terror, win the war in Iraq.

He's got to answer for that record at some point, doesn't he?

COLE: Well, I think John Kerry is a great patriot with bad judgment. Frankly, having voted to go to war and then voted against the supplemental that funded that war raises serious questions about his judgment.

And I think there's a whole string of votes related to defense issues, weapons systems, intelligence funding throughout his career that he'll be defending over the course of this election.

CROWLEY: Right. And based on that voting record, no wonder America's adversaries want to see John Kerry elected.

Do you think that if Kerry were to be elected that he would prosecute the war on terror as vigorously as President Bush has?

COLE: Well, I just think we can look at the voting record. I think the failure to support the supplemental appropriation that actually funded our troops once they were in combat suggests that he wouldn't be as aggressive. And I think he has genuine doubts about the course that we're on today.

I think it's been very successful. The fact that this president has taken the war to the enemy I think has been an enormous surprise to al Qaeda and our enemies around the world.

He's beginning to change the climate in the Middle East, I think, much for the better for the average person. He's been a very successful wartime president. We shouldn't forget that during the course of this campaign.

COLMES: We welcome the debate during the campaign. Congressman, thank you very much for being with us.

You aren't suggesting that our opponents, our adversaries are campaigning for John Kerry? Are they?

CROWLEY: No, I'm not saying that at all. But I am saying that America's enemies are watching this election very closely.

COLMES: And they've taken sides?

CROWLEY: And would rather have a Democrat who is perceived as being soft on national security.

COLMES: So you know which candidate our enemies are supporting?

CROWLEY: North Korea, Kim Jong-Il is clearly supporting John Kerry.

COLMES: I didn't know he came out on it. We'll see if there are any Kim Jong-Il in the commercials.

That's all the time we have left for tonight. Let's check in with Greta Van Susteren.

Nice working with you, Monica.

CROWLEY: Thanks, Alan.

COLMES: We'll find out what's coming on next "ON THE RECORD."