American Morning

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT, OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a very hopeful day for the Iraqi people and a hopeful day for the American people, because the American people want to see a free Iraq as well. They understand what I know. A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East is going to be a game changer, an agent of change. It’s going to send a clear signal that the terrorists can’t win.

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HEMMER: The president from yesterday. Time today for Kamber and May in D.C. Democratic strategist Victor Kamber back with us.

Vic, good morning.

VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning, Bill. How are you?

HEMMER: I’m doing just fine, thanks.

Former RNC communications director Cliff May also with us as well.

Cliff, you start. Has the U.S. turned a corner in Iraq as of yesterday?

CLIFF MAY, FMR. RNC COMM. DIR.: Yes, I think you can say that. It’s certainly a big step forward. What you’ve seen in recent days in Iraq is startling. It’s Iraqi leaders actually exercising leadership, making decisions, deciding to take responsibility. That is a great sign of moving forward. You’ve got a government coming into power now that will be representative of all of the diverse communities in that country. I think we are slowly, and with great difficulty, and despite mistakes, we are making some progress.

HEMMER: You are saying that statement with a bit of reservation. Victor, where do you come down on this? Have we turned the corner or not?

KAMBER: Well, I’m sure we’ve turned the corner. I just don’t think we know which direction we’re going in and whether we’re going down the wrong block.

The problem is, it sounds great that there’s a regime change there, that there are some leaders there. We don’t know what power the leaders have. We don’t know what role the American government is going to play there, our troops are going to play. Who calls the shots, who doesn’t call the shots. We didn’t get our choice for the leader. We got someone that was acceptable to us, but we have no idea what role he will really play.

So I think there’s a lot of unknowns. and so when you say, have we turned the corner, it’s a step in the right direction, but it could then path down the wrong or the path up the right road. We’re not going to know for quite a while.

MAY: What we’re trying to do in Iraq is historic. It’s pretty much unprecedented. There is no way that this is going to be easy and smooth. It’s going to be stumbling. We’re going to make mistakes. Hopefully the Iraqis now will have a chance to make their own mistakes. But the point is that we make progress little by little, that more importantly, that the Iraqis make progress little by little in terms of governing themselves, having human rights for the first time in generations, having the freedoms that we have helped them get ensured for the future.

HEMMER: Back up here just a little bit, if I could. Take that soundbite we just played with the president yesterday. Do you believe in what he says, about a stable and free Iraq, a Democratic Iraq is what will unleash the chains of democracy all over the Middle East and the Arab world?

KAMBER: Well, I think that would be the goal. It would be wonderful to see in the Mideast there a second country like Israel that is Democratic, that is free, that has choices. That would change every bit of history that this country and that part of the world has ever known. Whether it can happen or not again, only time will tell. It’s interesting that Cliff says we’ve had mistakes and we’re trying to make changes. He’s the first Republican I know that so far has admitted to any mistakes over there. There are plenty of mistakes, and there’s going to be plenty more, and I’m afraid plenty more lives lost before we get to a resolve in this situation.

HEMMER: One more word on this, Cliff, and then I want to talk to the election.

MAY: Yes, I’d like to just say, that if we could get a democracy, if the Iraqis could get a democracy, going similar to Turkey, I think we’d be satisfied by that.

KAMBER: Turkey is a dictatorship; it’s not a democracy.

MAY: I’d be satisfied to see Iraq be where Turkey is at this point, in terms of choice and freedoms. It’s not ideal. It’s not Israel, you’re right, but I’d be satisfied with that.

KAMBER: Let me jump in here. I’ve got about a minute left here. John Kerry yesterday talking about nuclear proliferation. Listen to him on the stump.

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SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: While we’ve been preoccupied in Iraq, next door in Iran, a new clear program has been reportedly moving ahead. Let me say it plainly, a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable.

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HEMMER: Continues his 10 or 11-day speech about foreign policy, how to keep America safe going into the future. Victor, why vote for John Kerry on the issue of Iraq? what would he do differently than this administration is engaging in at this point?

KAMBER: I think clearly reach out to other leaders in the world to try to bring about a world solution to the problem. He’s made that clear from the beginning. While he has supported the freedom of Iraqi people, he has said it can’t be done by America being the new leader of Iraq. We’ve got to surround ourselves with other world leaders to clear out terrorism. He’s also set the scepter down that while we’re deal with Iraq, we cannot let the rest of the world grow to be our enemies, ala Iran, Korea continues to be out there, et cetera.

MAY: Let me say, if I may, Bill, that John Kerry gets points from me, because he’s talking about serious problems, Iran and its development of nuclear weapons, North Korea. This is not what Al Gore is talking about. It’s not what Howard Dean would be talking about, or Ralph Nader. John Kerry is taking serious and responsible positions, and he’s telling the Democrats that they need to get serious about national security, and I got to give him high marks for that.

KAMBER: And you may vote for him, Cliff.

MAY: Listen, until November, you don’t know how I’ll vote, and I don’t know either.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys, see you next week, Kamber and May.