This partial transcript of The Beltway Boys, April 13, was provided by the Federal Document Clearing House. Click here to order the complete transcript.
FRED BARNES, CO-HOST: Welcome back to The Beltway Boys.
Mort's in the hot seat, and here's our tip sheet for next week's action.
Item number one, President Bush travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, next week for a tax day event.
MORT KONDRACKE, CO-HOST: Well, he's got $1.6 trillion in tax cuts, but that's not enough, he wants more. Give me more tax cuts...
BARNES: So do I.
KONDRACKE: ... and what's more...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... the House Republicans are going to give it to him...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... but the Senate Democrats, fortunately, are going to protect...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... our fiscal integrity...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... and not give it to him.
BARNES: Have you noticed how many times Bush has been to Iowa in, in recent months? Big place in 2004.
KONDRACKE: He wants to control the Senate.
BARNES: And he wants to, he wants to win in 2004, is the main thing.
Item number two, look for the Senate to bring ANWR to a final vote next week. Now, you know what ANWR is.
KONDRACKE: I do, the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.
BARNES: Very good.
KONDRACKE: Do I pass? OK. Now, it, it — they don't have 40 votes. The Republicans...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... don't have 40 votes to open up ANWR for, for drilling...
BARNES: They need 60 votes.
KONDRACKE: ... there's — Sixty votes.
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: Yes. So I don't think there's going to be an energy bill this year. You know who that helps?
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: Saddam Hussein.
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: You know, his birthday is April 28, and he's going to have a present.
BARNES: Yes. Yes, I think you're right.
Item three, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will meet with Iraq's foreign minister next week. Topics, weapons inspectors and oil production.
KONDRACKE: Please, please, please, Saddam, let inspectors in. I hope Saddam says no, because that would just lead to endless negotiations...
BARNES: Right.
KONDRACKE: ... over (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we want to hit him and, and have causis belli.
BARNES: In other words, inspectors are a trap.
KONDRACKE: Right.
BARNES: Very good.
Item four, Attorney General John Ashcroft will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee next week to discuss homeland security.
KONDRACKE: So Senator Byrd, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... will visit on Ashcroft all the wrath that he would visit...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... on...
BARNES: Right.
KONDRACKE: ... Tom Ridge, the homeland security director...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... who will not testify.
BARNES: Yes, and they — it'll be good on TV, though.
Tom — Mort, remember last week, when I said Ashcroft was making a mistake to go on the Letterman show, he'd be in trouble? I was wrong...
KONDRACKE: That was a mistake.
BARNES: That was a mistake. Watch this, and you'll understand.
(VIDEO CLIP, LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS)
BARNES: All right. See what I mean?
KONDRACKE: I do.
BARNES: He wowed them. All right.
Item number five, the House (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the House Ethics Committee will meet next week to consider disciplinary measures for convicted Representative Jim Traficant.
KONDRACKE: Jim Traficant ends all his speeches on the House floor, these rantings, with "Beam me up." What they should do...
BARNES: Yes.
KONDRACKE: ... is beam him out.
BARNES: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Mort...
KONDRACKE: He's...
BARNES: ... he's appealing. I mean, let it go through the whole appeal process...
KONDRACKE: Yes, his appeal will fail.
BARNES: ... please. Well, probably, but...
KONDRACKE: He should be, he should be out.
BARNES: ... but let's have it.
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