This is a rush transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," May 13, 2008. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: We get right to our top story tonight.
So who is the real Barack Obama? Now over the last few months the press has finally started scrutinizing his record and his background and the results, well, they have been startling. Now, forget Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers for a minute, and instead focus on Barack Obama's record.
What has started to come into focus is a picture of a man with a left-wing record that could challenge Kennedy and Kerry from foreign policy to abortion. The man who says he wants to change Washington appears increasingly out of line with main street American values.
Now take a look at something that he said back in 2004 about decriminalization of marijuana:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In terms of legalization of drugs, I think that the battle — the war on drugs has been an utter failure and I think that we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.
But I'm not somebody — but I'm not somebody who believes in it — legalization of marijuana.
What I do believe is that we need to rethink how we are operating in the drug wars and I think that currently we are not doing a good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And joining us now is Republican strategist, Kevin Madden, and Democratic strategist, admitted friend of Sean Hannity, both FOX News contributor, Bob Beckel.
Guys, good to see you.
BOB BECKEL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: You too.
KEVIN MADDEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Same to you, Sean.
• Click here to watch this interview
HANNITY: Bob, I just got to disarm you. I know all your weapons, as you do mine. So I appreciate you being here.
BECKEL: Yes.
Kevin, let me start with you because I kind of have a good position — good idea where Bob is coming from. He doesn't think the Wright stuff, the San Francisco stuff, he doesn't think any of these controversies — William Ayers — is going to matter.
But when people scrutinize his record, there's also tape of him supporting needle exchange, do you think that will impact the race?
MADDEN: I do. Look, there's — if — for anybody who's wondering why Barack Obama was listed by National Journal as the number one liberal in the Senate, it's votes like this, it's a world view like this when it comes to law enforcement issues like the criminal laws that relate to marijuana.
This crystallizes, for a lot of Americans out there, in middle America exactly who Barack Obama is and what he would do as president.
HANNITY: Yes. You know — but, Bob, look, you make some good points and you've made them on this program, you've made them on our radio program. You know, the numbers for Republicans aren't great, but nor are they great for the Democratic Congress. As we begin to examine this record, though, this is where you and I disagree.
I think Ayers is going to be an issue. I think Wright is going to be an issue. I think his, you know, bitter people with guns and religion will be a big issue but also this extremely left liberal record. Why should the American people go left of Jimmy Carter and George McGovern?
BECKEL: Well, first of all, let me just make a point here — he — to Kevin. He did not — he said he was against legalizing marijuana, number one.
HANNITY: Decriminalize.
BECKEL: Needle exchanges, by the way, actually saves life but you guys are too in Jurassic Park to think about that other side.
HANNITY: Jurassic Park?
BECKEL: The — yes. Because what you're running is a Jurassic Park strategy here. If you think for a minute that these old right-wing attacks.
HANNITY: Yes.
BECKEL: ...about, you know, is guilt by association and who his minister was, and who — and his flag pins from China.
HANNITY: Hey, Bob.
BECKEL: And wait a second. Wait a second.
HANNITY: Look, Bob, wait, wait.
BECKEL: If you think you're going to get a way with that this time around...
HANNITY: Hang on a second.
BECKEL: ...in the face of this country's problem, you are crazy!
HANNITY: Bob, Bob, hang on. Let me go to my Jurassic Park, you know, litany. Number one liberal, raise taxes, double capital gains, retreat in Iraq, nationalize health care, liberal judges. And by the way, he's friendly with a guy who blew up the Pentagon, blew up the Capitol and blew up New York City police headquarters, stomped on the American flag and declared war on his country.
That's a Jurassic Park issue?
BECKEL: Well, first of all, that really is Jurassic Park because I don't remember the Capitol being blown up or the Pentagon before 9/11.
HANNITY: Yes, he admitted to it.
BECKEL: If you have — he admitted to it but it's still there.
HANNITY: He admitted to it. No. William Ayers admitted to that.
ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: The Pentagon's still there.
HANNITY: No, no, admitted to bombing. Excuse me. He admitted to bombing, if we need to parse words...
BECKEL: Listen, William Ayers, literally, is two years away from an assisted living center. If you think that a 1960's radical.
HANNITY: Why did he give speeches.
BECKEL: ...when Barack Obama is 6 years old is going to impact on America's.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Wait a minute. Why does give speeches with him? Why does he sit on a board with him?
BECKEL: This is — I hate to say this because I love you, but this is dinosaurs for dinosaurs.
COLMES: Hey, by the way, Bob, you'll be happy to know there are Republicans on that board, too, that actually sat with William Ayers. They should never run for office, those horrible Republicans who sat on that board, sitting next to William Ayers.
BECKEL: Darn right. You know what else? Nobody whoever who ever went to Trinity, to that church.
COLMES: All right. All those little kids that went to Trinity can never run for president.
But Kevin, let me get back to this horrible, this extreme revelation, oh, my heavens, this is the guy who supports needle exchange, which is supported by the National Institutes for Health and supported by the Center for Disease Control and is prevalent in almost every civilized country they have a needle exchange program which had been proven to be — and by the way, in terms of decriminalization of marijuana, William F. Buckley was for that, is he going to be — was he categorized as a liberal?
MADDEN: The problem with all this, Alan, is that it is entirely out of the mainstream with what average Americans want to see their tax dollars spent on.
COLMES: Needle exchange?
MADDEN: They don't want to see — when you're looking at law — look, when you're looking at law enforcement priorities, people don't want a politician who's going to be in there advocating that the federal government start to decriminalize marijuana laws.
When they're looking to prioritize their efforts to spending taxpayer dollars, they're not looking for number one on the list to be needle exchanges — that federal tax dollars go into needle changes? And look.
COLMES: OK. If you actually look at science, Kevin.
MADDEN: And here's the biggest, Alan.
COLMES: Seventy-four percent.
MADDEN: Let me just finish this point. Let me just finish this point.
COLMES: Go ahead. Go ahead.
MADDEN: This is just the tip of the iceberg.
COLMES: Yes.
MADDEN: Barack Obama has a number of extremist views that are not...
BECKEL: Like what?
MADDEN: ...going to comport with where the American people are.
COLMES: But they're not extreme.
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: For example, he's voted for — he's voted against — he's voted for procedure like partial birth abortion. He has voted in favor of...
COLMES: Mayor Giuliani was for that, too.
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: ...in favor of teaching kindergartners sex education. I mean these are very extreme issues.
(CROSSTALK)
COLMES: Let me give Bob Beckel a chance to respond.
BECKEL: You know, let me — Kevin, first of all, let me tell you something, man. This is — you're frozen in the 1950s here, buddy. There are some things — you know, it would not hurt for kids at a very young age — let me tell you something about needle exchange.
MADDEN: Kindergartners, Bob?
BECKEL: Wait a second. I work with addicts all the time...
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: If you want to have a debate around kindergartners, that's one that I think we welcome.
(CROSSTALK)
COLMES: Hold on, Kevin.
BECKEL: Do you know a number of addicts who have gotten Hepatitis or HIV because of dirty needles? I do. I work with them. And I would — if you ask American people on Main Street if a needle exchange would save somebody from getting AIDS and the cost of $200,000 to take care of them, they are a lot of smarter than you right-wing Republicans.
You guys think you're going to get away with it this. You're not going to get away with this this time. It's over. Finished.
COLMES: By the way, they try.
BECKEL: You're actually — right. Dinosaurs.
COLMES: Kevin, Kevin, they tried using the L word against every Democratic candidate. They do it every time. Obama.
(CROSSTALK)
MADDEN: Hey, look, Alan, I agree with you on that. I don't you just stop at the "L" word, I think you use the "W" word. I think you say Barack Obama is wrong. He's wrong on how he approaches law enforcement. He's wrong on how he approaches spending taxpayer dollars.
COLMES: That's a legitimate debate.
(CROSSTALK)
BECKEL: Kevin, he's got the endorsement of virtually every police association in this country. What does that say about him?
COLMES: All right, guys, we appreciate your being with us tonight.
MADDEN: It says unions are strong.
Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!
Copy: Content and Programming Copyright 2008 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2008 Voxant, Inc. (www.voxant.com), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon Fox News Network, LLC'S and Voxant, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox