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HANNITY

Is the War in Iraq Like the Cold War?

By Fox News
Published | Updated

This is a partial transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," Sept. 22, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.

Watch "Hannity & Colmes" weeknights at 9 p.m. ET!

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Sen. John Edwards took an especially tough shot at the president today. In a press release, Edwards said the American people deserve better than a president who doesn't do his homework for four years, then does a bad job of copying someone else's when he's running for re-election.

I think he was referring to John Kerry, but he may have been referring to the president's education policy, but it's also clearly a swipe at the president's intelligence and the second one this week. On Sunday, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin had this to say about George Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM HARKIN, D-IOWA: Kids follow examples. And the president of the United States is an example. Perhaps one of the best things we can do is to get a president that knows how to speak English.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: So why is it the Democrats invariably think that if you don't agree with them, you must, of course, be stupid? Whether or not you agree with our next guest, politically or not, he knows first hand just how lucky Americans are to live in a free and democratic society because, in 1990, he was elected as the first non-Communist president of Poland.

He joins us now from Washington, the former president of Solidarity and the founder, Lech Walesa, accompanied by his translator tonight, Magda Iwinska.

Mr. Walesa, let me ask you this quick question. Do you see similarities in the battle against evil in the Cold War and the battle we're facing against terrorism today?

LECH WALESA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF POLAND (through translator): As much as there is a struggle in both cases, there was a different situation. There was a division of the world. Half of the world was fighting against the other half. Whereas now, almost the whole world needs to be fighting against the terrorism.

HANNITY: Well, the one difference I would say is that we don't have enough European support. Like, for example, President Reagan stood against evil and galvanized the world against it. We don't have the support of countries like France and Germany. They're not standing up with us.

WALESA: Well, if you're thinking of selecting your friends, it seems like the United States is not actually picking the best of its friends. I don't think the United States has had a better friend than Poland for at least the last decade, whereas the way the United States has been treating Poland does not really prove that it appreciates the friendship of Poland.

Actually the Polish people, with the visa requirement, when they want to enter this country, testify, so the fact that they are treated like a second cousin...

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: President Walesa, it's Alan Colmes. Is our invasion of Iraq the right way to bring democracy to the Middle East? Is that the right way to go about it?

WALESA: No, I don't think that this is the best way. Because the point is: The world is not properly organized to face the challenges of today. And therefore we need to very swiftly reorganize ourselves, rearrange the structural framework so that we can face these challenges.

HANNITY: Mr. Walesa, I know you're going to be featured in a movie about Reagan and from the book "Reagan at War." It's coming out in October. I look forward to seeing it. You're a great warrior for liberty, and it was good to have you on the program. Thank you for being with us.

WALESA: Thank you.

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