Transcript for July 2

MS. MITCHELL: But why won’t you commit today to supporting Joe Lieberman, the former vice presidential nominee?

SEN. SCHUMER: Because...

MS. MITCHELL: You’re basically saying that you will support the Democrat, whoever wins?

SEN. SCHUMER: I am saying that we are supporting Joe Lieberman in the primary...

MS. MITCHELL: But only for the primary.

SEN. SCHUMER: ...and we’re not going to speculate about things afterwards because that undermines your candidate. We’re supporting Joe. He’s going to win.

MS. MITCHELL: Are you suggesting that you might not support the Democratic winner?

SEN. SCHUMER: As I said, I am not going to speculate on the future because we’re for Joe Lieberman in this primary.

MS. MITCHELL: We’re talking about what the definition of “is” is here, but...

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, there you go.

MS. MITCHELL: So, Joe Lieberman up through the primary, and then he’s on his own?

SEN. SCHUMER: We’re not speculating after the primary.

MS. MITCHELL: What if he runs as an independent?

SEN. SCHUMER: We’re not speculating after the primary. It doesn’t make sense. When you have a candidate you’re supporting, you don’t say, “What happens if he doesn’t win?”

SEN. McCONNELL: Andrea?

MS. MITCHELL: Yes.

SEN. McCONNELL: Could I just say, this illustrates the nature...

SEN. SCHUMER: I’m sure you’ll want to. Weigh in.

MS. MITCHELL: Weigh in on this one.

SEN. McCONNELL: ...the nature of the Democrats’ problem. Joe Lieberman voted against all of their cut-and-run proposals. All of them. He supports the president in his war on terror and in the Iraqi chapter of that, and it creates a real dilemma. The Democrats are obviously totally divided on the issue of how to handle the war on terror.

MS. MITCHELL: Well, let me help you get off the...

SEN. SCHUMER: But, Andrea, wait, I don’t agree with that. If you look at every poll, who do the American people have more faith in in terms of Iraq? It’s the Democrats. Who do the American people—do they want to see a change in direction in Iraq? Absolutely.

MS. MITCHELL: But, Senator...

SEN. SCHUMER: And I think they respect the fact that Democrats do have divisions and are debating this, and not just marching in lockstep to whatever the president does, because they’re not happy with what the president is doing, and that’s going to help us.

SEN. McCONNELL: The debate that Chuck and I are having—this debate that Chuck and I are having is likely to be the big issue in the fall campaign. We’re going to have this debate with the American people.

SEN. SCHUMER: (Unintelligible).

MS. MITCHELL: Speaking of debates and rivalries, Roll Call Newspaper reports, Senator Schumer, that you and your fellow New York senator, Hillary Clinton, have such an intense rivalry that this week you and Harry Reid, your majority leader—your Democratic leader, rather—tried to exclude her from a news conference to announce one of her pet issues. Is it that intense, the rivalry between you and Hillary Clinton?

SEN. SCHUMER: No, it’s absolutely journalistic chatter. Ted Kennedy’s been our leader on minimum wage. Hillary Clinton came up with a great idea: tie minimum wage to the pay increase and Harry Reid—and Harry Reid...

MS. MITCHELL: So why didn’t you—why didn’t you schedule the news conference when she could show up?

SEN. SCHUMER: ...and Harry Reid—as we did, and she showed up. And then we had another one where she showed up. Harry Reid, as our leader, has done a very good thing here. He has said that as a party, we’re going to support Hillary’s idea that there be no pay raise until there’s a minimum wage increase, and we’ve had two news conferences. We—with Hillary, Ted Kennedy, Harry and myself. It’s worked out extremely well.

MS. MITCHELL: Let me cut to the chase here. If she announces that she’s running for president...

SEN. SCHUMER: Is that what...

MS. MITCHELL: ...will you do what is customary and support your fellow New York senator for president of the United States?

SEN. SCHUMER: Hillary Clinton is running for the Senate of the United States of New York. She is doing a great job running; we spent all day Friday together going through the flood-torn areas...

MS. MITCHELL: Will you support her for president if she chooses to run for president?

SEN. SCHUMER: ...and she is focused on New York, and what—I will wait till after she wins for the Senate to decide what to do.

MS. MITCHELL: But if she announces that she’s going to run for president, will you support her?

SEN. SCHUMER: Well, let’s let her announce first.

MS. MITCHELL: All right. Well, we’re going to have to leave it right there.

Thank you very much.

SEN. SCHUMER: Thank you.

SEN. McCONNELL: Thank you.

MS. MITCHELL: Senator Schumer, Senator McConnell, and happy Independence Day to both of you.

SEN. SCHUMER: Same to you.

MS. MITCHELL: And coming next, freedom of the press vs. national security. Our roundtable with radio host and author Bill Bennett, William Safire of The New York Times, Dana Priest of The Washington Post, and John Harwood of The Wall Street Journal. All coming up on MEET THE PRESS.

(Announcements)

MS. MITCHELL: Our round table on balancing press freedoms and national security, after this brief station break.

(Announcements)

MS. MITCHELL: Welcome all.

Well, first the firestorm over leaks. For years the president and the Treasury have been trumpeting their success in following terror money.

So, Bill Bennett, what is the harm in what The New York Times and other newspapers did last week in publishing their stories?

MR. BILL BENNETT: Well, there are a lot of people who are saying there’s a lot of harm. Ask the undersecretary of the Treasury, Stuart Levy, who is very upset about it. Ask the secretary of the Treasury, departing secretary, Secretary Snow. Ask Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, the co-chairmen of the 9/11 Commission. They’re not exactly Bush camp followers. Tom Kean said in an interview, he said a very successful program, which has been very successful, successful in the war against terror, has been lost, compromised because of this.

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