Sharpton Responds to Farrakhan's Radio Rampage on Obama's Handling of Libya

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," March 24, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Louis Farrakhan's rant against President Obama over his handling of Libya is still making headlines. Now during his tirade, the nation of Islam leader issued a stern warning to the president saying his actions overseas could soon come back to haunt him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM WVON AM 1690 CHICAGO, MARCH 11)

LOUIS FARRAKHAN: This is more complex than what you think. Go into Libya if you want to. The Libyans do not want foreign occupation on their land. And when you make that kind of move, if you are not careful, you unite the Libyan people against you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: And here with reaction to Farrakhan's strong comments from the National Action Network, Reverend Al Sharpton. We're going to be debating in person.

REVEREND AL SHARPTON, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: At our convention --

HANNITY: Sold out in less than 24 hours -- well, free -- the tickets were gone in 24 hours.

SHARPTON: We did it 10 years ago. It was very interesting.

HANNITY: Yes, all right, I'm looking forward to it. All right, what do you make of those comments?

SHARPTON: Well, first of all, I think what he said and I didn't hear the whole interview was his particular counsel to the president. I mean, you called it a rant. And I think it was said before any actions were made, I mean, let's realize this is a moving kind of process. Today, I understand we turned over to the NATO forces --

HANNITY: By the way, do you think this is a war?

SHARPTON: I do not think it is a war. I think --

HANNITY: Do you think -- what is a kinetic military action? Like a man-caused disaster because we don't have a war on terrorism --

SHARPTON: It was called a humanitarian effort to make sure that lives are preserved. I think that when you have threats of human life, the response of the president was to deal with that.

I think the problem that many had is will it turn into an occupation? Will it turn into a war? Many of us would not want to see another war occupation.

HANNITY: Are you concerned about -- first we are going to take out Qaddafi then not. Then we're going to install democracy, then we're not.

Hillary contradicts the president. She contradicts Gates. They contradict Admiral Mullen. The mission keeps changing. The president keeps contradicting himself. We may be supporting Al Qaeda-linked rebels.

SHARPTON: Well, I think that that's the Hannity version of events.

HANNITY: No, no. I mean, we've played the tapes. They've contradicted themselves. It's almost --

SHARPTON: Sean, I can take something that Secretary of State Clinton said Monday that is not true Wednesday because the events have changed. So you have to put in context of what you are talking about and when.

HANNITY: That's all right.

Let's go -- this whole humanitarian issue. I think actually Farrakhan makes a good point here, because this is the Obama doctrine -- in other words, if there's a need for humanitarian assistance, we're going to send the military. Here's what Farrakhan said about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARRAKHAN: Don't tell me and wise black people or white people that you're interested in black suffering. Where were you in Rwanda? Where are you in the Congo? Why did you go to Darfur? Because oil is there. No. You don't want to save the Libyan people, that's your noble motive to hide your wicked agenda.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: In other words, why didn't we go -- there was a slaughter in Rwanda.

SHARPTON: Again, I'm not going to let you Hannitize the conversation.

HANNITY: That Farrakhan and I don't agree with Farrakhan. I don't like him.

SHARPTON: He's referring there is to the country. President Obama was not president then so let's make sure we make the distinction for the audience.

Now, wait a minute. I agree, I went to Rwanda and said why didn't the country come in? I went to Sudan. So I think there has been an inherent inconsistency that he's addressing that many of us are addressing on that you cannot be selective in humanitarian efforts. But you can't lay that at the feet of President Obama who was not the commander in chief.

HANNITY: But, wait a minute, he's contradicted himself. If Qaddafi doesn't go after -- he said repeatedly, Qaddafi's got to go. Doesn't that make him look weak? America look weak? The fact that we're not running this anymore, but he's running for the hills because he's been being criticized by Farrakhan and Democrats?

SHARPTON: I don't think he's running for the hills.

HANNITY: Sure he is, he bailed out.

SHARPTON: The president said in the beginning that he was going to go with a humanitarian effort, after there were others that would come in. It was not a unilateral move like George Bush did in Iraq. They were not talking about weapons of mass destruction, human life.

HANNITY: Wait a minute, let me correct the record. George Bush had more countries supporting him in that effort, number one. Number two, George Bush -- hang on, let me finish. He went to the United Nations twice, which I don't think we should have to do. And number three, he got the approval of Congress for both Iraq and Afghanistan. The authorization to use force --

SHARPTON: -- the United Nation with graphs and photos of weapons of mass destruction that were not there.

HANNITY: Yeah the same ones that Hillary said they had, Ted Kennedy said we had and Bill Clinton said we had and Tony Blair and everybody else.

SHARPTON: And Sean Hannity and everybody else said we had them and they were not there.

HANNITY: But I got images of dead people, Kurds that were slaughtered with chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein. It's a historical fact.

SHARPTON: Were there weapons of mass destruction?

HANNITY: They didn't find them, but it doesn't mean they weren't there.

SHARPTON: Are we still looking for them? Are we still looking for them?

HANNITY: Let me show you more Farrakhan -- he used them in the past and that was a good indicator why he was allowing U.N. inspectors in.

Let me go to Farrakhan and this is where he gets really harsh on Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARRAKHAN: You can't order him to step down and get out. Who the hell do you think you are? That you can talk to a man that built a country over 42 years and ask him step down and get out? Can anybody ask you?

Well there's a lot now going to ask you to step out of the White House, because they don't want no black face in the White House.

Be careful, brother, how you handle this situation because it is coming to America. It has already started.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: He said America will be bathed in blood. Who the hell do you think you are he says to Obama?

SHARPTON: I tell you. First of all, you put another quote into the tape --

HANNITY: No, I have it right here.

SHARPTON: But I'm saying don't redo what he said.

HANNITY: I'll play it.

SHARPTON: I did not hear the entire interview so I don't know the context of where you are playing --

HANNITY: You are dodging.

SHARPTON: No, I'm not dodging.

HANNITY: Who the hell do you think you are is pretty clear.

SHARPTON: What you are trying to do is put in where you want. I don't think the battle --

HANNITY: I've listened to the entire interview.

SHARPTON: OK, fine. I do not think the battle in Libya is about any of the polemics or any of those that would counsel or give advice whether it is Dennis Kucinich who I worked with in the Congress or others. I think that it is going to be based on whether the president does what he says. So far that's what he has done.

HANNITY: Get rid of Qaddafi, not get rid of Qaddafi, which one --

SHARPTON: -- they said get rid of Mubarak. They said the people were against Mubarak, Mubarak is gone.

HANNITY: First he supported Mubarak. He can't make up his mind.

SHARPTON: He can. First of all, show me where he's been inconsistent.

HANNITY: He is incoherent.

SHARPTON: Very coherent. I think we have a problem hearing what he's saying.

HANNITY: Mubarak he supported. He supported then he was neutral then he opposed him. Boom. Same thing here. Qaddafi's got to go, now he doesn't got to go.

SHARPTON: From what I saw, and what most of the American people that were watching objectively saw, was he said that when the people made their choice that he goes with the will of the people in terms of Egypt.

HANNITY: That's not what he said.

SHARPTON: What did he say?

HANNITY: He must go, quote, unquote.

SHARPTON: He said the people in Egypt have clearly rejected Mubarak and he can no longer continue to lead. We are going to have a great debate.

HANNITY: When's this debate? April 7 in New York?

SHARPTON: The problem you got is I happen to listen to words.

HANNITY: I'll play the whole tape. You have to listen. You have to come prepared.

SHARPTON: Bring the tapes, let's go to the tapes, not the Hannity version.

HANNITY: The Hannity version!

Let not your heart be troubled. Our Great, Great American ---

SHARPTON: If you believe in God believe also in me. I know St. John's 14 too.

HANNITY: Listen, I know that too.

SHARPTON: The problem is, that I know scriptures too.

HANNITY: And know the truth and the truth shall set you free, Reverend. The truth shall set you free.

SHARPTON: The great debate, the Christian right against the right Christian.

HANNITY: Right. All right.

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