Interview with Rob Portman, Adam Smith

SHOW: FOX HANNITY & COLMES

HEADLINE: Interview With Rob Portman, Adam Smith

GUESTS: Rob Portman, Adam Smith

BYLINE: Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes

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REP. ADAM SMITH ®, WASHINGTON: I think the more important issue is what we do now in Iraq. Certainly you can look back on the aircraft carrier mission accomplished instant and see it as a political stunt that perhaps was premature and not well thought out in terms of their longer mission.

But the biggest is mistake of assumption that were made going into Iraq and can we correct those now to protect our troops. We need to be supportive of our troops, figure out how to get out of this situation in the first place.

And what I'm more concerned about than the "missions accomplished" banner was the assumption going in that the Iraqis would simply greet us as liberators and that planning for the post war period wasn't that important because it wouldn't be that difficult.

I think the planning was short-sided; a number of mistakes were made. We need to revisit those issues and try to figure out how to get...

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SMITH: Now, first of all, Senator Kerry has been-Sorry. Senator Kennedy has been speaking up on his own for a long time. He certainly isn't doing this just for John Kerry's campaign.

HANNITY: I didn't ask that question.

SMITH: Well, you made that statement, and I was trying to do that.

Do I think it's wrong? I think if sore of his language go over the top. I will tell you, I read his comments today. It seemed like an assessment. I didn't necessarily agree with all of it.

But I don't thing the language that was put out today was over the thing. I think it was a critique of the job...

HANNITY: As a Democrat...

SMITH: And there's Republicans who said that. Republicans...

HANNITY: I'm not talking about Republicans. I'm asking Ted Kennedy. I understand-Ted Kennedy-Ted Kennedy was over the top when he calls the president a liar every day and accuses him of manufacturing the war, putting troops in harm's way. That's wrong, right?

SMITH: Well, I think some of the way it's wrong, when Republicans start.

HANNITY: All right. I don't want-I don't care...

SMITH: I know you don't want to hear me.

HANNITY: That's not my point. I've got another question for you.

SMITH: Your point is that you don't want to hear me.

HANNITY: No, my point is I talk about Ted Kennedy and you want to...

SMITH: And I answered. I answered your question. You asked that question.

HANNITY: It's a simple one? Is it a good thing that we toppled Saddam Hussein? Is it a good thing he's been captured?

SMITH: Yes.

HANNITY: is it a good thing...

SMITH: I'm going to go on and make another point, as well. And my other point is that Republicans take to the floor of the House and call John Kerry "Hanoi John"...

And says that he aided and abetted the enemy.

HANNITY: Congressman took the floor this week and said that. Johnson, I believe, is...

SMITH: He said that? I would argue-I would. I would argue that - - I would say that that's wrong.

SMITH: And that's over the top.

HANNITY: But here's-here's...

SMITH: It happens on both sides. We should debate the issues.

HANNITY: ... Kerry that. But the point is here we now have a lot of good things in Iraq, but I never hear the likes of Kennedy or any prominent Democrats. All I heard is a daily barrage of attacks against the president.

SMITH: That's absolutely not true.

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SMITH: I just want to say that there are many Democrats-John Kerry, who said we had to stick it out. He's very supportive of the troops. The idea that there are no Democrats speaking in favor of the...

HANNITY: Does this save the embarrassment?

SMITH: I think some of the longs Robert Byrd says, I disagree with. Some of the things all this day...