Transcript for Aug. 13

MR. DAVID GREGORY: Our issues this Sunday: the threat of terror. Nearly five years after the September 11 attacks, a chilling new plot: terrorists planning to blow up airplanes bound for the U.S.

(Videotape):

SEC’Y MICHAEL CHERTOFF: This plot appears to have been well-planned and well-advanced with a significant number of operatives.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: Their plan thwarted, dozens were arrested, but the investigation continues. Was this an al-Qaeda operation? With us, the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff.

Then, the lingering questions in this age of terror: How vulnerable are we? And has enough been done since 9/11 to improve our nation’s security? Our guests in an exclusive interview: chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission and authors of the new book, “Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission,” Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton.

And six years ago he was the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice president, but on Tuesday the three-term senator and supporter of the Iraq war, Joe Lieberman, was soundly defeated in his Democratic Senate primary by anti-war political newcomer, Ned Lamont. Should Lieberman continue his Independent bid for re-election, and what does his loss mean for both political parties in the upcoming midterm elections? We’ll ask Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee.

But first, the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff.

Mr. Secretary, welcome.

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Good to be here.

MR. GREGORY: The big question this morning: Has this plot indeed been thwarted? Your counterpart in Great Britain, John Reid, spoke to the BBC just this morning on this topic. This is what he had to say:

(Videotape, this morning):

MR. JOHN REID: We think we have the main suspects in this particular plot. I have to be honest and say that, on the basis of what we know, there could be others out there, perhaps people we don’t know, perhaps people who are involved in other plots. So the threat of a terrorist attack in the United Kingdom is still very substantial.

(End videotape)

MR. GREGORY: “Very substantial.” Is the threat of terror “very substantial” in the United States as well?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Well, the priority for us at this point is reviewing all the evidence and information to see if there’s any indication of plotting in the U.S. or an attempt to initiate an attack in the U.S. We haven’t at this point seen anything coming out of the British investigation that points to that, but that is the number one priority we have in terms of our continual review.

MR. GREGORY: Was there contact made between any of those who were arrested and persons in the United States at any point?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: We are in the process of reviewing a huge volume of information about all kinds of transactions and communications, and there may be some contact, but thus far we’ve not found anything that’s meaningful in the sense of suggesting plotting or operational actavity—activity in the U.S. itself.

MR. GREGORY: Some two dozen arrests thus far. Do you believe the plot has been thwarted?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: I’ve been talking to Home Secretary Reid every day, sometimes several times a day, and I agree with him. I think the likelihood is the main elements of the plot have been scooped up. We don’t know, however, if there’s some lines that lead into pockets that have not yet been arrested. We also have to be mindful of other groups that may think they have an opportunity to exploit our focus on this plot in order to carry out their own plots.

MR. GREGORY: Let’s talk about the, the threat terror level that, of course, has been raised in this country. We’ll put it up on our screen for our viewers to see. It remains at the highest level, severe risk of terrorist attacks for all flights coming from the United Kingdom, more than 100 a day into this country. How long will that last?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: I think that’s going to be very closely coordinated with the British government. They obviously have measures they’ve put in place on their side. We have to be synchronized with them, and so I would not anticipate our doing anything different from what they’re doing.

MR. GREGORY: But there’s some confusion about this for a lot of Americans when they see this, that there’s a severe risk of a terrorist attack from these flights. Why not just prohibit those flights from coming to the U.S. until you’re satisfied?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Well, the reason we are able to keep the flights running is precisely because we’ve put measures into effect, working with the British government, that keeps those flights safe.

Let me assure you David, and the American public, the number one priority here by a country mile is protecting travelers and American citizens. On the other hand, when we can put measures in place that keep us safe, we ought to do that and keep the trans-Atlantic routes open.

MR. GREGORY: It’s at the second-highest level of terrorist attack for those flights coming from other parts of the world. Is it safe to fly, in your view?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Absolutely. And the reason it’s safe is because we’ve put in a comprehensive series of measures. Some of them are visible, some of them are less visible. But when you add them up together, they create not just one line of defense, they create multiple lines of defense, and that’s what assures airline security.

MR. GREGORY: There has been an arrest of a man named Rashid Rauf in Pakistan. Is he the ringleader, and are you satisfied that you have the top levels of this operation?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: I don’t think we’re prepared to say he’s the ringleader or prepared to say we’ve got all of the scope of this investigation. Clearly this is transnational and involves activity operationally in Britain but links to other parts of the world. And we’ve only been a couple of days since we’ve had the takedown. We have a lot of material to go through. So until we’ve completely got our arms around this, we’re going to assume that we have to keep looking to flesh out this scheme.

MR. GREGORY: Do you think this is al-Qaeda?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: It has the hallmarks or the earmarks of an al-Qaeda plot in the sense of the scope, the transnational reach, the fact that it is very similar to a 1994 plot that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed had intended to carry out in the Pacific. But I—again, I don’t want to definitively conclude it’s al-Qaeda until we’ve had some opportunity to look at all of the facts.

MR. GREGORY: Given those hallmarks, what does it say to you about the operational capacity of al-Qaeda at this juncture? Is it centralized, or is it decentralized in a way that it, it doesn’t have to order attacks from, from a central location?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: Well, I think it is moderately decentralized. But I have to say, David, it actually always was decentralized, that there’s always been a tendency to look at al-Qaeda as almost a hierarchal organization. But it’s always been a network with a core of people who pledge a loyalty to bin Laden, but then other circles that bin Laden may support or fund, but that actually do their own independent targeting.

MR. GREGORY: But this level of coordination and sophistication, doesn’t it belie the notion that al-Qaeda has been significantly degraded?

SEC’Y CHERTOFF: I actually think not, because it’s been five years since they’ve been capable of putting together something of this sort, assuming this is an al-Qaeda plot. So what that tells us is we actually have done a lot to degrade them. We’ve destroyed their training camps, we’ve killed a lot of their leaders, we’ve captured a lot of their leaders, we’ve gathered a lot of intelligence. But they are still out there. They’re trying to adapt their tactics, and they’re a very constant presence.

MR. GREGORY: I mentioned Pakistan, a big area of investigative focus in Pakistan now. It’s where Osama bin Laden and other top leaders are thought to be hiding out. Is this becoming the new Afghanistan in terms of an area to train and to plot?

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