MTP Transcript for Oct. 1

MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Only 37 days until the midterm elections. The Democrats must gain six seats to take control of the U.S.  Senate. This morning, our Senate Debate series continues with another one of the most closely watched races of the year, Ohio, where incumbent Republican Senator Mike DeWine faces off against Democratic challenger Congressman Sherrod Brown. A new poll out this morning shows the race nearly a dead heat.  Republican Mike DeWine vs. Democrat Sherrod Brown, only on MEET THE PRESS.

What a week in Washington. Bob Woodward’s new book, “State of Denial,” about the Bush administration in Iraq; Republican Congressman Mark Foley of Florida resigns after sending salacious e-mails to a Capitol Hill page; Democrats and Republicans demanding an investigation as to who knew what when. All that and our U.S. Senate Debate from Ohio.

But first, on Wednesday evening, President Bush hosted a dinner with the two leaders crucial in helping to capture Osama bin Laden: the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The two men have been increasingly critical of each other. Earlier that day I sat down with Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, and asked him about his differences with the president of Afghanistan.

President Musharraf, welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.

PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF: Thank you very much.

MR. RUSSERT: Last Sunday on this very program: President Karzai of Afghanistan. And I asked him the following question:

(Videotape, September 24, 2006):

MR. RUSSERT: Where is Osama bin Laden?

PRES. HAMID KARZAI: He is not in Afghanistan. I can tell you that for sure.

MR. RUSSERT: Is he in Pakistan?

PRES. KARZAI: Probably he is there.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Is he?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: I wouldn’t be saying—I wouldn’t follow his example of not knowing anything and yet talking. I don’t know where he is. And who is informing him I would like to know. I would like to ask him how to substantiate whatever he says. I don’t know it. How can I say that he’s on this side or that side? He could possibly—I can only guess—he could possibly in the—be in the border area.

MR. RUSSERT: In your book on page 221 you say, “I have said, half-jokingly, that I hope he is not caught in Pakistan.” In all seriousness, are you fearful that if you captured Osama bin Laden, your government could topple?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: No, no. Never. That will never happen, and I am not fearful. But yes, indeed, it could cause some certain—it probably will cause waves within the extremists. Extremists will get more active. But these are my apprehensions. I’m not fearful. And not at all the government—my government doesn’t get toppled. People support me. People know what I’m doing, and it’s not that fragile.

MR. RUSSERT: There was a big rumor last week of a coup. Why did so many people in Pakistan listen to that rumor for so long?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: Well, they don’t listen. It’s a—a rumor always has publicity value when it starts spreading. But the very fact that I’m sitting here for since the last 18 days and not bothered at all should tell you how confident I am about the situation in Pakistan.

03:36

MR. RUSSERT: There’s been a lot of discussion about an agreement, a treaty that you signed with some of the tribal leaders in north Waziristan. Some have said you’ve now given sanctuary to dissidents, to militants, the Taliban in that area. Why did you, in fact, withdraw the military from there after suffering substantial losses of some of your young men? Are you now going to give sanctuary to the terrorists?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: No. There are two misperceptions. When you say we—“Why have we withdrawn the military?” Well, the unfortunate part is, this is being spread by people with vested interests. Not one soldier has been moved out.  They’re—not one battalion, one soldier has been relocated. And what is anyone talking of? The military is there. And we think what we are doing will lead to success.

We are only involved in military operations. A military operation is—are not a—not an—a solution in themselves. They will only buy you time and create an environment, which our army did on our side. And having that environment, now these tribals themselves have pushed the governor, that “We want to reach a peace agreement.” And we put a bottom line for them laid down by me to the governor, which is not negotiable: No al-Qaeda activity, no Taliban activity, on our side or across the border. And they signed this, and they agreed to this.

Now what is the problem? This is a strategy which has a ray of hope, a ray of success. And we should emulate this on the front side instead of criticizing it and not coming up with a counterstrategy.

MR. RUSSERT: The concern is in many circles that the Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI and the Taliban are in cahoots. “Seth Jones, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation, said ... ‘The evidence suggests the [Pakistani intelligence] is involved [in assisting Taliban insurgents] in several ways.’ ... Pakistani intelligence agents have provided intelligence to the Taliban about coalition plans and tactical operations, he said, tipping off Taliban forces and allowing them to flee. Western military forces have intercepted the tips and know they are from people connected to Pakistani intelligence, Mr. Jones said. ... ‘The U.S. government also believes they have given monetary assistance and maybe weapons.’”

Financing, tipping off, weapons? The ISI helping and assisting the Taliban, the very people who housed Osama bin Laden?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: I would—I think—I totally disagree with this. They don’t know the realities on ground, they are not conscious of the reality that I’m seeing, the extreme danger of this becoming a people’s movement.

MR. RUSSERT: So nobody in the ISI is helping the Taliban?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: Now, nobody in the ISI helps. Now, there—I have some reports that some dissidents, some people, retired people who were in the forefront, in ISI, during a period of ‘79 to ‘89 may be assisting with the leaks somewhere here and there. We are keeping a very tight watch, and we’ll get all of them if at all that happens.

MR. RUSSERT: Finally, Iraq. You write in your book that you never favored the invasion of Iraq, because you feared “it would exacerbate extremism, as it has most certainly done. The world is not a safer place because of the war in Iraq; the world has become far more dangerous.” Have you said that to President Bush?

PRES. MUSHARRAF: Well, we discussed—we haven’t discussed it in such detail, and I look more—instead of talking of what it has become, we are talking of what is the present, and what is the solution to the problem. That is more important to me, and I don’t get—whatever’s happened has happened in Iraq.

MR. RUSSERT: Should the U.S. get out of Iraq?

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