Kucinich to U.S.: Get Off the Sidelines and Get in the Game!

This is a partial transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto," July 24, 2006, that was edited for clarity.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: My next guest is calling for an immediate cease-fire by all sides in this conflict. He also says that the White House is issuing statements that could contribute to the escalation and the violence that we have already seen.

With us now is Ohio Congressman, former presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat out of Ohio.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH, D-OHIO: Hi.

CAVUTO: Congressman, good to have you back.

KUCINICH: Thank you, Neil.

I mean we have a widening war. There are innocent civilians getting killed. And the United States is essentially standing on the sidelines.

That’s why I have put in House Resolution 450, which is now backed by 23 members, that says, look, let’s have the U.S. play a leading role in calling for an end to the hostilities and bringing all the parties together, without pre-conditions, and coming up with a negotiated settlement.

I mean the United States is standing apart from the world right now. The world wants to see an end to this violence. And the U.S. should, too.

CAVUTO: Well, what is Condi Rice doing, just twiddling her thumbs?

KUCINICH: Well, she’s trying to establish conditions, which I think are not going to bring parties together.

Bring the parties together without conditions. Get them talking. You have a dialogue. And then the real diplomacy can be effective.

CAVUTO: What did you make recently, Congressman, of Hezbollah renouncing the idea of releasing those kidnapped soldiers, as a way toward moving toward the end of hostilities when they rejected that things did escalate?

KUCINICH: Well, certainly, if you bring parties together, you can talk about the release of soldiers.

I mean, you have to remember, in 2004, Hezbollah, through German negotiators, were able to negotiate with Israel. It’s not that Israel has never negotiated with them before.

The point is — and this is what the Resolution 450 is all about — bring the parties together. Have the United States play the role that it can play best. And that is as the leading power in the world that shows that we can bring parties together, no matter what their differences are, and point the way to a resolution of the differences that are resulting in so many people getting killed right now.

CAVUTO: But, Congressman, both Democratic and Republican administrations have tried that approach, right, to little avail, because they keep killing each other there. So, what would your approach solve?

KUCINICH: Well, we have to be honest brokers. And the United States has the power to do that. That’s what...

CAVUTO: What does that mean...

KUCINICH: ... my resolution stresses.

CAVUTO: ... honest brokers? What does that mean?

KUCINICH: What it means is that we’re seen as trying to bring about a resolution that recognizes the importance of preserving the state of Israel, and keeping it safe and secure, and, at the same time, looking at the differences that exist in a region, and bringing parties together. We have the ability to do that. We have done it before.

CAVUTO: Congressman, does that mean that...

KUCINICH: Jimmy Carter showed...

CAVUTO: ... Hezbollah is an organization that’s not terrorist, in your eyes, and whose rights should be respected, as we do respect the rights of Israel? Is that part of it?

KUCINICH: Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Everyone knows that. But it’s also a part of the government of Lebanon.

So, what we need to do is to bring the parties together, bring the governments together, find a way to negotiate a settlement. Why should the United States stand on the sidelines, while all this violence is going on? It’s escalating. A wider war could be in the offing.

Why would the United States stand on the sidelines? I mean, we have power to the extent that we’re showing our ability to bring people together. And that’s what my resolution is about. That’s why I think the American people are moving in a direction of wanting to see an end to this violence. There are so many who are people dying, as we’re standing on the sidelines.

CAVUTO: Could I ask you this, though, Congressman?

KUCINICH: We have to stop doing that.

CAVUTO: Do you think that the world would be better off if there was no Hezbollah?

KUCINICH: The world would be better off without war. And war should not be inevitable.

CAVUTO: No, on Hezbollah, sir.

KUCINICH: And we need to...

CAVUTO: On Hezbollah, would we be better off without it?

KUCINICH: The people of Lebanon chose Hezbollah to be part of their government.

You have to recognize why. And we need to know why. And that’s why you bring parties together. We need to make sure that Israel is safe and secure. We also need...

CAVUTO: All right.

KUCINICH: ... to find a way to stop the end of the violence. The United States cannot stand on the sidelines. That’s what my resolution is all about, House Joint Resolution 450.

CAVUTO: All right. Dennis Kucinich, thanks for joining us.

KUCINICH: Thank you.

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