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June 24, 2006

Hot Stories: GOP Turns the Tables on Iraq, Homegrown Terror in the U.S.

Beltway Boys

FRED BARNES, "WEEKLY STANDARD": Coming up on "The Beltway Boys," after months of bad news, the GOP is now embracing the Iraq war heading into the midterm elections.

MORT KONDRACKE, "ROLL CALL": We'll tell you how the Democrats are losing the political advantage on the war and how this week's debate could hurt them in the fall.

BARNES: North Korea threatens to test a long-rang missile any day now.

KONDRACKE: And the FBI uncovers a potential terror plot by homegrown terrorists right here in the United States.

BARNES: "The Beltway Boys" are next, right after the headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

KONDRACKE: I'm Mort Kondracke.

BARNES: And I'm Fred Barnes, and we're "The Beltway Boys."

KONDRACKE: Well, the "Hot Story" of the week is turning the tables. That's what the Republicans have been doing to the Democrats on Iraq, at least - at least temporarily. President Bush's approval rating - disapproval rating - disapproval rating on - on Iraq has actually fallen over the - the past month from 62 percent in May to 54 percent now, and it's partly because of good news - Zarqawi's death, the new government, Bush's trip there and stuff like that

But also what the - the Republicans have decided to do is embrace the problem of Iraq, defend what they're doing there robustly, and then depend on the Democrats looking weak on the issue in order to advance politically. So Karl Rove's set it all in motion with his speech in New Hampshire in which he accused the - the Democrats of being the "cut and run" party.

BARNES: Yes.

KONDRACKE: And this was like waving a red flag in the face of Jack Murtha the - you know, congressman from Pennsylvania when it was played on "Meet the Press." And here's - here's Murtha's response.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: When we went to Beirut, I said to President Reagan, Get out. The other day we were doing a debate and they said, Well, Beirut was a different situation. We cut and ran. We didn't cut and run; President Reagan made the decision to change direction because he knew he couldn't win it. Even in Somalia, President Clinton made the decision we have - we have to change direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KONDRACKE: Now, as - as everybody reminded everyone else the next day, Somalia and Beirut were cited as two of the primary examples by Usama bin Laden for the fact that the United States is a cut-and-run country, and therefore we can be attacked with impunity. I mean, that - so Murtha's just playing right into the - into the game plan of the Republicans.

Then - then along comes John Kerry with a - with a resolution designed to advance his presidential campaign, calling for a deadline withdrawal. First it was the end of this year, now it's the middle of next year, which the Democrats had to run away from because they didn't want to be accused of - of putting the country in that kind of position. So the Kerry resolution gets only - what? - 13 votes in the Senate. The alternative resolution lost by something like 60 to 39. So this is a - this helps the administration. I think they'll probably get another bump from it.

But what really counts in the end and in the November elections as well is not gamesmanship in - in Washington, even though it's important for the psychology for the country, et cetera - but events on the ground. I mean, do - do - are we winning against the insurgency? Is the government able to govern, all that kind of stuff. If the answer is yes, then Bush, I think, is OK. Because Republicans will be OK in November.

BARNES: Yes, I think - I agree. But I think all that - all that stuff is the most important. But it's still important what goes on here in the United States for sure, and I think this so-called debate among Democrats is a little deceptive. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York at that New Democratic Network that I think you went to.

KONDRACKE: I did.

BARNES.and probably heard her speech. She puts a high gloss on this so-called debate. Watch what she said - well, actually, you've heard it already. But I haven't.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I want to start by saying that although unity is important, it is not the most important value. It is, I think, a tribute to the Democratic Party at this moment in time that we are honestly and openly struggling with a lot of the difficult issues facing our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNES: Did anybody break into laughter when she said that?

KONDRACKE: No.

BARNES: No. All right.

But the truth is, she's wrong, Mort. As you have pointed out, the truth is that, broadly speaking, the Democrats agree in getting out of Iraq as fast as possible. And what they're arguing is when and how to do that. That's what their debate's about. It's not about getting in or out.

Now - look, President Bush and Karl Rove didn't dream up this strategy on Iraq in the last few weeks. It goes well back before that speech in New Hampshire. And the reason is that they really had no choice. I mean, they are stuck with Iraq, whether they like it or not. The war in Iraq is - is Bush's war. And so he and other Republicans better defend it and attack Democrats for their position on it, because otherwise they'll suffer even more. So they decided to really go after the Democrats.

And what helps them particularly is simply this: that the American people prefer the Republican-Bush position of staying the course and winning in Iraq to the Democratic position, which is getting out as soon as you can. Or as Republicans say, cutting and running. And the truth is, staying - staying the course trumps cutting and running. It's as simple as that.

KONDRACKE: Yes. Well.

BARNES: And listen to John McCain a minute though. He's good on this, and - and was in the whole debate over Iraq in the Senate this past week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: And the sponsors of these amendments seem to be based on the premise that if we begin withdrawing, the Iraqi government will somehow get serious and fight the insurgency on its own without our help. That - that makes the assumption, incredibly, that the present government in Iraq and the military who are out there fighting all the time and their police are somehow not serious. Of course they're serious. They're just not capable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KONDRACKE: You know, one of the best analyses of - of the situation that I've seen actually was made by a Democrat. And the quote begins, "A war initiated on faulty intelligence must not be followed by a premature withdrawal of our own troops based on a political timetable." And this - this person went on to say, "an untimely exit would rapidly devolve into a civil war, which would leave America's foreign policy in disarray, as countries question not only America's judgment, but also its perseverance." I think that's brilliant. You know who said it?

BARNES: I don't.

KONDRACKE: John Murtha in 2004. I mean, that was before he got.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNES: .at the time.

KONDRACKE: That's before he got limelight disease.

BARNES: Yes, right. (INAUDIBLE). Well, Murtha also came up with this crazy idea of deploying our troops from Iraq in Okinawa. Not only is Okinawa 5,000 miles away, which means they obviously were not going to get back to doing anything, but Okinawa's a place where Marines have been for years and clashing with the Okinawans. And finally they're withdrawing from there because the Okinawans don't want them there; they're - they're moving to Guam. Now Murtha wants to send the Marines from Iraq. That's crazy, you know that?

KONDRACKE: Yes, I do. I do. I think he's - as I say, he's got limelight - limelight disease.

BARNES: But that idea is crazy.

KONDRACKE: It is. He said we could fighter planes from Okinawa to Iraq.

BARNES: Yes, right.

KONDRACKE: Coming up, Joe Lieberman's pro-war stance is coming back to haunt him.

And after several black eyes since 9/11, the FBI makes a big-time comeback with those terror arrests in Miami. "Hot Story" number two is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARNES: Welcome back to "The Beltway Boys."

"Hot Story" number two: "Homegrown Terror." And Mort, I'm talking about those seven non-Arabic Muslims who were arrested - I think six of them in Miami and one of them in Atlanta because they were planning to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and the FBI headquarters in Miami.

Listen to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales explain a little about the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The convergence of globalization and technology has created a new brand of terrorism. Today, terrorist threats may come from smaller, more loosely defined cells who are not affiliated with al-Qaida, but who are inspired by a violent jihadist message. And left unchecked, these homegrown terrorists may prove to be as dangerous as groups like al-Qaida.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNES: You didn't know globalization was having this effect, did you, Mort?

KONDRACKE: No, I didn't.

BARNES: I didn't either.

There's good news and bad news in this - arrest of these seven guys. The good news is, their - their plan, to the extent there was one, was thwarted. The FBI got involved and - and - and stopped them from blowing up the Sears Tower, which is obviously a very ripe target for terrorists. And these guys had - had - I mean, they're not Arabs, but they had sworn allegiance to al-Qaida. And so they were serious.

But the bad news is that al-Qaida has that appeal - maybe globalization does have something to do with it - has this appeal to those you wouldn't think. I mean, these people are - non-Arabic Muslims living in South Florida who decided that al-Qaida was doing great things, and they wanted to be a part of it. You know, I mean it - it really is alarming that al-Qaida - which, you know, doesn't have the best PR. I mean, what are they known for? They're known for massacring innocent men and women. And yet, it seemed attractive to these guys. And I think that's scary.

KONDRACKE: Yes. Well, I - look, I'm glad we caught these people. But - but they didn't actually do very much. I mean, they were.

BARNES: Yes.

KONDRACKE: .basically talking amongst themselves, and then they ran into a - into an FBI sting operation. And they got closed down.

Look, it's a good thing that - that they were closed down, even if the Sears Tower is a mighty big target for - for these - for seven guys from Miami. But look at what happened in the London subway. I mean, that was - that was a much easier target. They might have - if they had gotten any explosives, they might have, you know, hit - hit something else.

But the bigger story on the terror front this week is "The New York Times"' decision to expose yet another secret American policy for fighting terrorism, namely the fact that we have access to this international telecommunications system where financial transactions over - overseas are channeled through and we can find out what they are in order to - to attract terrorists.

Now, you know, "The Washington Post" playing catch-up to "The New York Times" story made this seem to be a horrible invasion of everybody's civil liberties. You know, whereas what it really is - is something that we need to do in order to track down terrorists around the world.

Here's John Snow, the treasury secretary, talking about the - the revelation. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SNOW, TREASURY SECRETARY: These disclosures go to the sources and the methods that are used. That can only help the terrorists. That can only make our job more difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KONDRACKE: Exactly so. Exactly so.

I mean, the - I think Congress needs to provide oversight to make sure that - that systems like this aren't misused. But there's no evidence that they have been misused. And for God's sake, "The New York Times" ought to look down the street and remember where 9/11 happened. It really happened in New York City, you know? And - and they act as though it never happened.

BARNES: OK, let me count the things now.

"The New York Times" disclosed the.

KONDRACKE: NSA spying.

BARNES: NSA spying, which was between a caller in the U.S. and a caller overseas, with a terrorist at one end of the line. That was terrible they revealed that, so the terrorists know that.

Then the Times was upset - or was it "The Washington Post"?

KONDRACKE: "Washington Post."

BARNES: OK, "The Washington Post" revealed this program of collecting the telephone records .

KONDRACKE: Oh, that's "USA Today."

BARNES: Oh, that's "USA Today." It's the press, anyway.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNES: OK, so they revealed that. And so.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNES: And "The Washington Post," the secret prisons, although when the Europeans looked into it, they couldn't find any.

And now this. I mean, what's left to the war on terror? I mean, these are the things that obviously have worked. The U.S. hasn't been - faced a serious terrorist attack since 9/11. And - and they're being taken away. Obviously, with this banking thing and when al-Qaida realizes and other terrorist realize that by tracking the money, they can go after them, find them much more easily, they're going to stop doing that. They'll find some other way to send money around.

I mean, don't you think that's scary? I do.

KONDRACKE: Yes, I do. I - you know, I - as I've - I've - it's a parallel that I've made before, but if we - if "The New York Times" had discovered the fact that the German and the Japanese codes were broken by the allies in World War II, do you think they would have published them? Absolutely not, because there - there was a sense of patriotism about that war. These people think that George Bush is more of a danger to American liberty than al-Qaida is, you know? It's - it's crazy.

BARNES: Yes, that's crazy, too.

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