American Morning

MAY: Well, it was effect for me. I can’t tell you what polls are going to show. I can’t necessarily say how Victor feels about it. I guess he will. But Rumsfeld went. It was a surprise visit. He saw the troops. I think it was clear, watching the footage, that he was moved to be with among them, that they were very supportive of him. He understands how challenging their job is in Iraq fighting the kind of war we never really prepared for, didn’t want to fight, now have to learn to prevail in.

I think it was a good thing by a secretary of defense who really understands how historic and how vital his mission is and is working very hard at it.

SANCHEZ: Vic, effect or transparent?

KAMBER: Both, I think, frankly. I think effective from the standpoint of the troops that have one of our highest people in government there to sing their praises, to make them feel good; transparent because, clearly, we know he’s under assault and attack, and this is his way of sort of saying, hey, I’m with it, I understand it, I know what’s going on.

SANCHEZ: Why is it that none of what the secretary of defense is criticized for rubs off on other parts of the administration, including the president? Vic, start us off.

KAMBER: Well, mostly because the criticism is coming from Republicans, and they’re very unlikely to attack their own president, so they’ve needed a scapegoat, and the scapegoat has been George Bush.

Democrats have been very clear about the policy and many of them unhappy with the policy, and Rumsfeld is only a manifestation of that policy. But Republicans, who have disliked the policy, are uncomfortable going after the president so they go after Rumsfeld.

SANCHEZ: Why is that, Cliff?

MAY: In part, I think Victor is right, but I don’t think – I think it is a bad idea to be scapegoating. What we need to do be doing is having a constructive debate about how to get it right. Understand that last week in Mosul, we were attacked by Ansar Al- Sunnah. This is a franchisee, as it were, of al Qaeda. We have to be able to defeat that enemy in Iraq. If we lose to that enemy in Iraq, we will fight that enemy somewhere else. This is not easy.

SANCHEZ: Y, what’s interesting? What’s interesting is that here are the three of us talking about Iraq. And, obviously, it’s a huge story, but this administration would like to put a couple other things at the forefront, you know, Medicaid, Social Security, Tax reform, and it’s hard to do that. It’s like this giant elephant in the room. How will the administration, if at all, be able to shake off Iraq enough to be able to deal with some of these other things? Vic, back over to you.

KAMBER: Well, I think you said it correctly. It’s very tough to take on major, major legislation while Iraq is so unsettled. Clearly, the president has an agenda. He’s announced his agenda, and it’s a very serious one. I think he has a bigger problem than Iraq, also, which is bipartisanship in the Congress.

He’s not going to accomplish anything this year unless he’s able to bring some Democrats back and corral his own Republicans in. He’s got a fight within his own party, conservatives, neoconservative, moderates. They don’t agree on what the president necessarily wants, and the president doesn’t listen. This is one of the most non-curious men in – that’s ever assumed the White House. He knows what he wants, but he doesn’t want to listen to what others want. So between Iraq and his own infrastructure problems of his own party, he’s got a tough row to hoe this next year.

SANCHEZ: Your perspective. Let’s go over to the other side now and hear what Cliff has to say.

MAY: What Victor sees as stubborn, I see as firm. Very often, second terms are laid back, if not lethargic. It’s not going to be that way for this president. He has set himself an incredibly challenging agenda. As you say, there’s Iraq, there the war on terrorism, but he also wants to take on such things as Social Security, the proverbial third rail in politics, Medicare, all sorts of very, very tough issues.

I think it’s very hard. I think, in that sense, Victor is right. It’s very hard to succeed when everything you’re setting your sights on is so difficult to do. And I also think Victor is right, that if you want to solve a puzzle like Social Security, you need to bring Democrats into it at the beginning. If Daniel Patrick Moynihan was alive, he’d be the perfect person. Former Senator John Bro (ph) is somebody else to think about for that.

KAMBER: Yes. MAY: This is going to be a very active administration this next four years.

KAMBER: And one thing…

SANCHEZ: Mr. May, Mr. Kamber, you guys seem to agree an awful lot today. It must have been something I did wrong, but…

MAY: It’s the holidays.

SANCHEZ: The holidays, Christmas spirit. We thank you both for being with us. We’ll look forward to having you again. You’re great guys. Appreciate.

MAY: Thank you.

KAMBER: Thank you.