Posted on 01/27/2004 5:24:28 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
If one reasonably fair-and-balanced Today Show interview is a fluke, could two be a trend?
Back on January 15th, I reported on Katie Couric's interview with Ted Kennedy in which she had been remarkably tough on the senior splasher from Massachusetts regarding his speech on Iraq.
This morning, it was Matt Lauer's turn to offer, dare I say it, a thoroughly fair performance in his interview of former chief US weapons inspector in Iraq David Kay.
From a national security and political perspective, what was much more important than the tone of Lauer's questions was the substance of Kay's remarks. Democrats looking to exploit Kay's earlier remarks to accuse the Bush administration of misleading the American people will come away from this interview bitterly disappointed, their arguments in tatters.
For on every issue down the line, Kay forcefully made the case that the Bush administration acted in good faith, that Saddam was indeed a threat, and that war against him was absolutely justified.
Began Lauer: "Some people have relied on your earlier statement to say that the US misled the American people into war on the basis of a claim that Saddam had WMDs. Do you think the US misled the American people?"
Kay: "It wasn't only the US who came to that conclusion. The French, Germans, and UN all thought Saddam had WMDs."
Lauer: "If you didn't find WMDs, does that mean they never existed, or could they have been moved prior to war?"
Kay: "We looked at that possiblity but we didn't find evidence that there were large stockpiles prior to the war."
Lauer than ran a clip from Pres. Bush's State of the Union Address from one year ago, in which he stated that Saddam had been employing huge resources to develop WMDs and had built up a large stockpile.
Lauer: "Was that inaccurate?"
Kay: "It was inaccurate in terms of the reality we found on the ground now, but it was accurate in terms of the intelligence at the time.
"It was also accurate in the sense that Saddam did spend large sums of money trying to get WMDs but he simply didn't get what he paid for.
"There was lots of corruption in the Iraq WMD development program."
Lauer: "So scientists lied to Saddam, they told him they could develop WMDs, took huge sums of money and didn't deliver?"
Kay: "Right. There was widespread corruption, lots of money wasted. People were concerned about the money, not about working."
Lauer: "But the intent to develop WMDs was there?"
Kay: "Absolutely, Saddam surely wanted to get WMDs and spent a lot of money trying to do so."
Lauer then showed a clip from Colin Powell at the UN saying Saddam had at least 500 tons of WMDs. Again, Kay explained that Powell was not being intentionally misleading and that his statement was based on the best intelligence available at the time.
Added Kay, responding to what some of the Dems are alleging: "To say there must have been pressure from the White House on the intelligence community is wrong. We've also been wrong about Iran and Libya. We clearly need better intelligence."
Lauer then quoted from Kay's earlier interview with Tom Brokaw in which Kay had said that "if anyone was abused (by faulty intelligence) it was the President of the US rather than the other way around."
Kay confirmed the accuracy of that remark.
Lauer: "Is it true that in 2000 and 2001 Saddam was pushing his nuclear progarm?"
Kay: "Yes, he was pushing hard for nuclear and long range missiles. Look, it's clear the man had the intent. He simply wasn't successful."
"He clearly lied to UN and was in material brach."
In a key moment in the interview, Lauer asked: "Based on everything you now know, was it prudent to go to war against Saddam?"
Kay: "It was absolutely prudent to go to war. The system was collapsing, Iraq was a country with desire to develop WMDs, and it was attracting terrorists like flies to honey."
Lauer: "Are your earlier comments being exploited for political reasons?"
"Inevitably yes, but what we have is a national security issue that shouldn't be exploited as a political issue."
Lauer: "Should we continue to search for WMDs as VP Cheney has suggested?
Kay: "Absolutely."
Clinton of course. Intelligence forces were decimated during his tenure.
No answer though as to why German, Israeli, Brit, French and UN intel also was flawed. I sorta think it wasn't so flawed......
Prairie
When I highlighted it, some wondered what it could mean. The only thing I could think of was terrorist ties and evidence of plots being assembled. One anti-Bush person assured me it was spin.
Glad to see Kay keep repeating this. Finally heard him in the Brokaw interview point to robust missile production and terrorism. I see on Today he says "terrorists attracted to Iraq like flies to honey" (my quotes all paraphrased from memory). The truth of that will come out---is coming out---and prove that the dem line that "going into Iraq strenghtened terrorists" as wrong.
I agree .. and I think that is the point that Kay was trying to make in this interview
He didn't completely knock them .. just said that we need better intelligence over in that area of the world ..
One anti-Bush person assured me it was spin.
LOL!
Thanks, Praire
There could be a jewel that was sent to Syria to be smuggled to DC. If it exists, it will be DC.
Thanks to the Today Show for realizing how dangerous this is. Thanks to Kay and the Today Show for not putting the priority on getting fellow Liberals back in the White House. It literally might not be there if the worst is true.
Okay, maybe I was isogeting Lauer's approach a bit. Was Matt having "Fair and Balanced" moment?
I'd say you're exactly right, and indeed at one point Lauer even quoted from Kay's interview with Brokaw.
Would DEAN Edwards Karey Clinton(either) Gore put it this way if they had a shot at a poll improvement?
I think he was. It will be interesting to see if this reoccurs, or if the NBC honchos will take him aside and warn him "look, we Dems have an election to win. Get on the team, or get off the bus!"
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