Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Possible Military Action Against Iraq

This is a partial transcript from The O'Reilly Factor, September 10, 2002. Click here to order the complete transcript.

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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the Impact segment tonight, House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, says the Bush administration has still not persuaded her that military action is necessary against Saddam Hussein. She joins us now from Capitol Hill.

So congresswoman, in 1998, you were OK with a preemptive strike by President Clinton in Afghanistan and the Sudan. You said unfortunately it was necessary for the U.S. to make this preemptive strike to prevent future attacks against Americans.

But now you don't preemptive action against Saddam Hussein?

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SELECT INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, it's not against Saddam Hussein. I think make no mistake, I think Americans and those in Congress are unified in wanting and joining the president in wanting a regime change in Iraq.

If we knew a target to make a preemptive strike against, as we had targeted certain facilities in the Sudan and Afghanistan, then that would be a different story. But the problem is, is that we don't know where to make the strike, because we don't know where the facilities are. And that's why we want to have more information...

O'REILLY: All right.

PELOSI: ... we want to have inspections.

O'REILLY: But what's wrong with just removing the guy?  It would take us about a week to do that if we used all our military power.

PELOSI: Maybe. Maybe. I think that, I think that it's not excluded. It's a situation, though, where the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) information that was presented to us this morning was not qualitatively different from what I, as a member of the Intelligence Committee, had heard before. I think...

O'REILLY: All right. Well, look...

PELOSI: OK, go ahead.

O'REILLY: You know, I'm not a member of the Intelligence Committee. All I know is that yesterday the Center for Strategic Studies come out and confirms he's working on nuclear weapons, confirms he has germs and chemicals. And that's really all I need to know...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ... he's violated the terms of the Gulf War, which means that we can legally go in and remove him. So why should we not?

PELOSI: Well, the -- you know, there are other countries that meet that criteria in terms of developing weapons of mass destruction, and...

O'REILLY: But not violating...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ... the terms of the Gulf War. You see, that's...

PELOSI: Well...

O'REILLY: ... the big, that's the big thing here. We kept him in power because he signed a paper saying that he would allow weapons inspectors, and he wouldn't develop weapons of mass destruction any more.

PELOSI: Surprise, surprise.

O'REILLY: He has violated that.

PELOSI: Surprise, surprise. He's unreliable. But the fact is, is the problem to us is the security of the world, and the challenge that weapons of mass destruction, wherever they exist, present.

I think that if the president presents a framework for making this decision, that is to say, what type of military action, and not to be shared generally, we have to have a strategy that he is not aware of, but all -- but the case has to be made to Congress about the nature...

O'REILLY: Well, I think he's going to do that.

PELOSI: ... of the military action...

O'REILLY: But I'm, I want you, I'm...

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: ... military action...

O'REILLY: I'm still, I...

PELOSI: ... and the...

O'REILLY: ... you're a smart woman...

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: ... the military action, the -- what is the alternative? (UNINTELLIGIBLE) change of regime to what? The length of stay of an occupation, and what is...

O'REILLY: Well, but wait a minute, wait a minute...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ... anyway. You want the whole war scripted like they do it in Hollywood. You can't do that. But look...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ... you're a smart woman. And I still don't know why you don't want to remove this guy tomorrow. See?

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: I want to remove him tomorrow. And I think that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the American -- the United States has the power to do that. I believe that we could come up with another Karzai to take his place. I believe we could change the Iraqi people will celebrate when he's gone. And why not remove a threat to the world?

See, you don't seem to see the urgency of it...

PELOSI: No, I see...

O'REILLY: ... and I do.

PELOSI: ... the urgency. I see the urgency, and I've been talking about stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction for a long time.

O'REILLY: Well, let's start here.

PELOSI: But, but, but the thing is, is that you're saying, Let's take him out tomorrow. If that were possible without exposing hundreds of our young people to his treachery, without putting them in harm's way, then...

O'REILLY: You're going to have to put them...

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: ... in harm's way.

PELOSI: ... then it's an easier decision.

O'REILLY: That's what war is. You see, look. This risk adverse stuff lost us Usama bin Laden, as we just heard from Colonel Hunt. We have to stop this. I don't want to see dead Americans. I believe that American air power can knock this guy out anyway, and we won't lose a lot of infantry.

But, you know, a person like you is sending...

PELOSI: Maybe so, maybe so.

O'REILLY: ... is sending a mixed mess... Congressman, don't you know...

PELOSI: Maybe so.

O'REILLY: ... the message you're sending to the world is that America is not together and unified in trying to remove...

PELOSI: No, that's not true.

O'REILLY: ... this terrible man?

PELOSI: That's not true. You may want to say that, but that's simply not true.

What we are saying is, we are together, and perhaps what the president is doing in threatening military action will increase the likelihood of real inspections and the world coming around his call for inspections of...

O'REILLY: Why give him another chance?

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: He's already violated...

PELOSI: Because...

O'REILLY: ... the Gulf War agreement. The inspections are a game.

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: You hide here, we go there.

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: Why give him another chance?

PELOSI: Because you and I disagree. I think before we put our young people in harm's way, we should exhaust every diplomatic remedy.

O'REILLY: Why?

PELOSI: I'm very eager to hear the president's speech on Thursday...

O'REILLY: Well, Miss Pelosi...

PELOSI: ... to the U.N.

O'REILLY: ... wait a minute. With all due respect, if we defeated him in war, and he signed a treaty, and he violates the treaty, why not, why give him another chance? For what reason?

PELOSI: To avoid...

O'REILLY: I'll give you the last word.

PELOSI: To avoid the loss of life. And let's hope that the president's speech to the United Nations will bring about what we want, which is a real pressure on Saddam Hussein to allow the weapons inspectors...

(CROSSTALK)

PELOSI: ... in...

O'REILLY: All right.

PELOSI: ... elimination of his weapons of mass destruction...

O'REILLY: But you know that...

PELOSI: ... without placing our young people at risk.

O'REILLY: Congresswoman, just, just as an aside, you know that if it's to avoid a loss of life, then we are operating out of weakness. And as the 1930s showed us...

PELOSI: Wrong. Wrong.

O'REILLY: ... we cannot do that.

PELOSI: Wrong.

O'REILLY: All right.

PELOSI: If we go in, we'll show our power. If we stay out, we may show our strength...

O'REILLY: Thank you, congresswoman...

PELOSI: ... to make that decision.

O'REILLY: ... congresswoman, thank you...

PELOSI: Thank you, Bill.

O'REILLY: ... we'll let the audience decide.

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