Interview with Terry McAuliffe

hughhewitt.com ^ | 08-31-2004 | Hugh Hewitt

[crushelits]

HEWITT: Sitting across from me Terry McAuliffe. Strike me dead. It’s so good to see you here Mr. Chairman. It’s good to have you at the Democratic National Convention and at the Republican National Convention

MCAULIFFE: Who would have thought that I’d be going around with a credential at the Republican Convention.

HEWITT: Can you stay for a couple of hours?

MCAULIFFE: Love to. Love it here. Everybody is being hospitable to me.

HEWITT: I want to start with some very easy questions.

MCAULIFFE: Yeah.

HEWITT: Do you believe that John Kerry took a CIA man into Cambodia and kept his hat?

MCAULIFFE: Uh, I have no idea.

HEWITT: You have no idea that he made that story to the Washington Post and that he made it again in 2004 to the LA Times?

MCAULIFFE: If John Kerry said he did something, I’ll take John Kerry at his word.

HEWITT: Do you think that he ran guns to anti-communists in Cambodia which he told the U.S. News & World Report on May of 2000?

MCAULIFFE: I don’t know. You’d have to ask John Kerry about that. I don’t know what he did in Cambodia or didn’t. That was a war 35 years ago. I want to talk about this year.

HEWITT: Did he go to Cambodia on Christmas Eve --your understanding-- in 1968?

MCAULIFFE: I think he probably did and probably George Bush when he was in the Alabama National Guard was driving the boat.

HEWITT: Obviously though, George Bush never made that claim but John Kerry has made numerous claims about his record in Cambodia. Does that matter to you?

MCAULIFFE: Oh sure, everything matters what people say. Absolutely. George Bush also said that he showed up in the Alabama National Guard and never showed up.

HEWITT: You’re still holding that story that he never showed up . . .

MCAULIFFE: Hugh, wait a minute. They’ve released the documents and all we’ve got is more questions. He had one dental appointment. Big deal.

HEWITT: Now, should John Kerry meet with the press and answer all the questions about the Cambodia stuff?

MCAULIFFE: I think John Kerry ought to go before the press and answer any questions they put out there. I’m always for that. Absolutely. I also want George Bush to answer some questions why he said he now miscalculated the war in Iraq. He says that we can’t win the war on terror. I have a lot of questions for Bush.

HEWITT: Why hasn’t John Kerry met with the media since the Chris Wallace interview on the Sunday after the convention for extensive questions? He’s had a couple passerby’s on the airplane but nothing on film and he hasn’t met with the press.

MCAULIFFE: This is all news to me, Hugh. I don’t know. I will be glad to ask Senator Kerry why he’s not met with you or any other the other . . .

HEWITT: Not me, but anybody. But Chairman of the party aren’t you concerned he’s hiding from the press?

MCAULIFFE: John Kerry is out campaigning every single day. There are press on his plane, 40 press, there’s a backup plane loaded with press, he talks to them on the rope line going in and out of the plane. I’m on the plane. I see him talking to press every single day.

HEWITT: He hasn’t answered any of these questions about Swift Vote Veterans ads. People want to ask about the CIA man in Cambodia in 2003. Don’t they have a right . . .

MCAULIFFE: First of all, he shouldn’t have to answer questions about Swift Boat ads when you now have all the major publications have now come out and have now said first of all, that these guys are lying and not telling the truth. One gentleman admitted the other day last week what he had said was not actually himself seeing it, it was based on hearsay, so he was caught in a lie. There’s another gentleman come out and say that there was no enemy fire. He got a citation and his medal for enemy fire at the same incident as John Kerry. These Swift Boat ads are riddled with lies.

HEWITT: But Senator Kerry told the Washington Post in the June interview with Laurie Blumenfeld that he had taken this CIA man deep into Cambodia and . . .

MCAULIFFE: You keep asking me about Cambodia and I don’t know the answer.

HEWITT: But that’s not about Cambodia, it’s having made that mistake . . .

MCAULIFFE: What do I look like, Bob McNamara? I don’t know.

HEWITT: Do you think Bob McNamara would know that?

MCAULIFFE: Ask him.

HEWITT: Do you think anyone else who would have gone with him would have stepped forward by this . . .

MCAULIFFE: You’re going to ask him yourself. I just know the issues which relate to Cambodia.

HEWITT: Would you agree with me that he ought to sit down with a reputable member of the press and answer as many questions as possible?

MCAULIFFE: I’d like George Bush to sit down and answer questions too. They both should.

HEWITT: Should John Kerry do it soon?

MCAULIFFE: Listen to this. We have three presidential debates where people are going to ask whatever things they want. So, Hugh, the moderators have already been determined. I think you ought to call them and if this has really got you so stoked up, then you ought to call them and have John Kerry in front a national – 100 million people ask him at the debate. How’s that?

HEWITT: There are lots of Americans who are interested in this and there is plenty of media who would ask if he would only come out from hiding. Don’t you think that presidential candidates should be meeting with the press on at least a weekly basis?

MCAULIFFE: Hugh, he’s not hiding. This man has had the most extensive travel schedule. The press are on his plane. He’s with press constantly. I don’t know why you think he’s hiding.

HEWITT: When was the last time that he took questions on camera from journalists?

MCAULIFFE: I have no idea.

HEWITT: It was over a month.

MCAULIFFE: I will tell him that you are very concerned about this . . .

HEWITT: Does that tell you that the campaign is collapsing and he’s afraid to meet . . .

MCAULIFFE: Were you like this with Ronald Reagan when you could never get near him for eight years and he used to bring his car into the back door . . .

HEWITT: [laugh] I was his lawyer. I couldn’t . . . I was in the White House Counsel’s office.. Let me switch . .

MCAULIFFE: Alright.

HEWITT: John Edwards yesterday said that he should sell the Iranians nuclear fuel. Do you agree with that, Terry McAuliffe?

MCAULIFFE: What did John Edwards say?

HEWITT: That we ought to do a deal with the Iranians that if they don’t get to produce their own nuclear fuel but that we will sell it to them in exchange for strict controls. Do you think that’s an answer to the situation on terror?

MCAULIFFE: If John Edwards said that’s what John Edwards feels and I’m sure that he talked to John Kerry about it.

HEWITT: Do you think that’s a good policy?

MCAULIFFE: If John Edwards is promoting that on behalf of the Kerry/Edwards team, I’m clearly going to let our two candidates talk about how we should be handling the issues as it relates to Iran and the nuclear issue. I would also at the same time, as long as we’re talking about this, why is George Bush as it relates to North Korea continually allowed them to continue to build a nuclear stock piles in Korea . . .

HEWITT: Should we return to the policy of 1994? Clinton/Albright?

MCAULIFFE: Possibly.

HEWITT: Do you think that’s a good idea? Did the policy serve us well?

MCAULIFFE: Well, they clearly were not continuing down the path that we have today. They are a much more dangerous country today than they were in 2000 when George Bush came into office.

HEWITT: Is it your impression that North Korea honored the agreement that Madelyn Albright negotiated and Bill Clinton signed?

MCAULIFFE: No. I wouldn’t say that they met all their agreements. No . . .

HEWITT: So, was it a good idea to enter into that agreement?

MCAULIFFE: I think it’s always important, Hugh that you have discussions with world leaders. I think it’s always important that we have people who are little -- the leader of North Korea’s a lot of questions and you can’t trust him, but I think it’s always good to sit and at least have conversation with them because you can never get to an agreement until you have some type of discussion and dialogue. I think dialogue is good.

HEWITT: Before the 2002 election I remember watching you on with Russert and you said that you were going to crush Jeb Bush in Florida –

MCAULIFFE: Right --

HEWITT: that you were going to him out by 15 points.

MCAULIFFE: I never said 15 points. That’s just not true, Hughie. I think you’re puffing a little bit.

HEWITT: Was it 10?

MCAULIFFE: It was no number. I never said a number.

HEWITT: It was a fake number – you said you were going to blow him out – take him out.

MCAULIFFE: No, no. We never say blow out.

HEWITT: Okay, I’ll go back in a minute. Do you think you’re predictions about this cycle are as accurate as that cycle.

MCAULIFFE: Let me – Hugh, let me not make this too complicated. I’m Chairman of the Democratic party. When a commentator asks me about an election let me be clear so that you have no illusions. I will say that we are going to win every single race –

HEWITT: Even if you don’t believe it?

MCAULIFFE: I’m going to say we’re going to win every single race –

HEWITT: Even if you don’t believe it and you’re going to tell people –

MCAULIFFE: I’m the ultimate optimist. We’re going to win every race. I think I should go on Sunday before a major election and go on Tim Russert and say, Tim, I think we’re going to lose this one Democrats – are you nuts? That’s what the Chairman of the party does.

HEWITT: But you can say something like it’s a tough race but we could pull it out as opposed to we’re going to bury him or whatever it was –

MCAULIFFE: Please don’t be putting words into my mouth, Hughie.

HEWITT: It was close.

MCAULIFFE: We’re going to win it.

HEWITT: It was a big statement –- and didn’t it ______ lose by how much?

MCAULIFFE: I think he lost by 8 points. And let me tell you, I put a lot of money into that race.

HEWITT: So, it wasn’t close?

MCAULIFFE: Let me tell you. Jeb Bush was never over 50% until 10 days before until they had a debate. As you know, Mr. McBride admitted that it was not his finest moment when they asked him how much the costs of his education plan would be and he said I don’t know.

HEWITT: So extrapolating out from that – Terry McAuliffe, would it be fair to say that if you’re prediction was that wrong about Florida 2002 that we ought not to really pay attention to your prediction about Florida in 2004?

MCAULIFFE: We’re going to win Florida. Just take the polls today. I mean we’re up. You know what? We’re going to win all 50 – let me make it easy for you, Hughie. We’re going to win all 50 states.

HEWITT: All –

MCAULIFFE: We’re going to win the House. We’re going to win the Senate. We’re going to win everything. You bet!

HEWITT: Now if –

MCAULIFFE: 50 state sweep. How’s that?

HEWITT: In GQ in the interview that’s out today –

MCAULIFFE: Yeah --

HEWITT: John Kerry called the President – I want to get it right – craven, stupid, and pathetic. Good choice of words for a nominee?

MCAULIFFE: I haven’t seen it. What’d he call the President of the United States?

HEWITT: Craven, pathetic and stupid.

MCAULIFFE: Well, what was it in the context of, Hughie?

HEWITT: Craven, pathetic and stupid.

MCAULIFFE: I mean here’s a president that just said that we can’t win the war on terror and we’ve got a 140,000 troops in Iraq –

HEWITT: Do you agree with that kind of characterization?

MCAULIFFE: He said that he miscalculated the war in Iraq. I think that George Bush has come up with some bad, stupid things.

HEWITT: But do you agree with that characterization – pathetic?

MCAULIFFE: Unless you show it to me, I’m just not going to comment to something that you say on the air. You’re a lawyer. I’m a lawyer.

HEWITT: Terry McAuliffe, can you stick around?

[FesterUSMC]

McAuliffe is a dishonest man.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Bookmarking!

[weegee]

HEWITT: You have no idea that he made that story to the Washington Post and that he made it again in 2004 to the LA Times?

MCAULIFFE: If John Kerry said he did something, I’ll take John Kerry at his word.

HEWITT: Do you think that he ran guns to anti-communists in Cambodia which he told the U.S. News & World Report on May of 2000?

MCAULIFFE: I don’t know. You’d have to ask John Kerry about that. I don’t know what he did in Cambodia or didn’t. That was a war 35 years ago. I want to talk about this year.

Hey, Terry! If it is so irrelevant, why does John f. Kerry keep bringing it up in the present???

[mnehring]

Before the 2002 election I remember watching you on with Russert and you said that you were going to crush Jeb Bush in Florida – They have said this over and over and over, always to be proven wrong.. They said this about the Senate races in 02, they said this about Jeb.. If the anger in the US about Bush was really so strong, they should have been right on at least Jeb, but no, Florida voted him back and gave the Republicans the House and Senate..

[mnehring]

McAuliffe is a dishonest man. I believe if there are any decent dems left they really need to look at replacing this guy.. He is doing nothing but profiteering from the party while he runs it into the ground..

[TheClintons-STILLAnti-American]

"HEWITT: John Kerry called the President – I want to get it right – craven, stupid, and pathetic. Good choice of words for a nominee?"

Would McAuliffe be talking about ANYTHING ELSE if Bush, or ANY national figure, was quoted as saying these things about Kerry?

He'd be parading around in his well worn righteous indigniation costume demanding apologies and resignations, pretending once again that those with no honor should be allowed to hold others to standards they don't even respect let alon follow...but what does he say when it's HIS guy??: "What was the context?"

What a slime bucket. The perfect representative of the current Democratic Party.

[weegee]

MCAULIFFE: "I mean here’s a president that just said that we can’t win the war on terror and..."

We won the Cold War against the Soviet Union but we did not end the threat from communism or socialism. Shutting down Al Qaida, the KLA, Hezbollah, and Hamas won't necessarily erradicate Islamic terrorism. There can always be a lone nut and just because they aren't attacking on "US soil", US embassies ARE for all intensive purposes US soil. Also hitting discos in Bali and other places that are frequented by Westerners still put us at risk. "Winning" the War On Terror will mean that free people are safe around the world from terrorism. The US can't police all of that, it may take several generations of no attacks in order for "victory" to be visible.

When WWII ended, it was still dangerous in Germany, Italy, and Japan. I don't fear any threats from these nations today. Change can come. John Edwards has been out there claiming that he can win the War On Terror in 4 years or less.

[TheClintons-STILLAnti-American]

"HEWITT: Even if you don’t believe it and you’re going to tell people – MCAULIFFE: I’m the ultimate optimist. We’re going to win every race. I think I should go on Sunday before a major election and go on Tim Russert and say, Tim, I think we’re going to lose this one Democrats – are you nuts? That’s what the Chairman of the party does."

This character thinks its his JOB to lie.

The Democratic Party doesn't have a prayer of serving the people they dupe as long as this guy is in charge.

[crushelits]

I think McAuliffe is distancing himself from John Kerry

[Mike Darancette]

Drink up Terry

[Blue Highway]

Mcauliffe meant swept not sweep for the deomocrats. They are going to be swept aside or under the rug, whatever the case, the Democrats are in a world of hurt.

[Sonny M]

He is doing nothing but profiteering from the party while he runs it into the ground..

From reading this, do you get the feeling, he really is wondering what the hell kerry and edwards are thinking when they talk, and asking himself, is it really worth the money to have to defend these two idiots?

[Sonny M]

McAuliffe is a dishonest man.

I'm cracking up right now, at least, I can partially understand why the DUmmies hate him so much, he writes fund raising letters to them to get there money, and they believe him.

I wonder if he laughs when he reads letters or suggestions from them or just takes the check and laughs some more.

[Sonny M]

This character thinks its his JOB to lie.

Now you know why some many liberals hate him.

He sends out fundraising letters, convinces them of impossible prospects, get there hopes up and cashes there checks, spends there money (or steals it), then does stuff like this.

[Sonny M]

I think McAuliffe is distancing himself from John Kerry.

I don't think he's distancing himself, I think he is wondering what the hell is wrong with those 2, why are they the ticket this year, and is it really worth the money to sacrifise your dignity to have to answer questions about what they said and defend these 2.

[TBarnett34]

MCAULIFFE: If John Kerry said he did something, I’ll take John Kerry at his word.

And therein lies your problem, you idiot.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Just wait until it comes out about all of eFing's trips to Paris in 1971...

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[Sonny M]

HEWITT: John Edwards yesterday said that he should sell the Iranians nuclear fuel. Do you agree with that, Terry McAuliffe?

MCAULIFFE: What did John Edwards say?

Right now Terry's thinking, My god, what an idiot, why god why, am I an atheist?

MCAULIFFE: Let me – Hugh, let me not make this too complicated. I’m Chairman of the Democratic party. When a commentator asks me about an election let me be clear so that you have no illusions. I will say that we are going to win every single race –

HEWITT: Even if you don’t believe it?

MCAULIFFE: I’m going to say we’re going to win every single race –

Right now he's thinking fast, hmmm, maybe I'll make them think I'm crazy, yes, save my dignity by acting looney, what can I do to make myself look crazy instead of just a liar, I got an idea.

MCAULIFFE: We’re going to win Florida. Just take the polls today. I mean we’re up. You know what? We’re going to win all 50 – let me make it easy for you, Hughie. We’re going to win all 50 states.

HEWITT: All –

MCAULIFFE: We’re going to win the House. We’re going to win the Senate. We’re going to win everything. You bet!

Heh, he, heh, Now he won't ask me anything serious, I'm either a compulsive liar or crazy man. This will stop him.

HEWITT: John Kerry called the President – I want to get it right – craven, stupid, and pathetic. Good choice of words for a nominee?

MCAULIFFE: I haven’t seen it. What’d he call the President of the United States?

HEWITT: Craven, pathetic and stupid.

MCAULIFFE: Well, what was it in the context of, Hughie?

HEWITT: Craven, pathetic and stupid.

What did I do to Kerry, why does he make me humiliate myself so, I'll give him a couple of dumb sentences and leave, if that doesn't work, I'll foam at the mouth, strip and run howling outside.

[goldstategop]

If Terry McAwful thinks John F*ckin' will win a 50 state sweep AND secure a Democratic Congress, I will gladly eat lunch at a restaurant of his choice. I feel safe in making this offer because I don't think I will ever have to make good on it.