MTP Transcript for Dec. 3

(Videotape, November 28, 2006):

PRES. BUSH: There’s a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because of these attacks by, by al-Qaeda, causing people to seek reprisal.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: And yet when the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency two weeks ago testified before Congress, this is his exact testimony.

(Videotape, November 15, 2006):

LT. GEN. MICHAEL MAPLES: Attacks by terrorist groups like al-Qaeda in Iraq account for only a fraction of the insurgent violence.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: “Only a fraction.” Your own book, “Victory in Iraq,” says al-Qaeda makes up the smallest enemy group. Why does the president keep bringing up al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda when your own military and your own reports say that they’re the smallest component of the enemy?

MR. HADLEY: Because it’s true, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT: It’s true, what?

MR. HADLEY: It’s true. If you look at what Zarqawi said, who was the lead al-Qaeda operative in Iraq, he’s articulated very early on a strategy for provoking sectarian violence by attacking Shia, so they in turn would attack Sunni. This was part of their strategy, to sow chaos, to thwart the advance of democracy and make al—and make Iraq a safe haven for terror.

MR. RUSSERT: But is al-Qaeda the smallest...

MR. HADLEY: They are a—they are a small fraction of the total of incidents, but they are responsible for some of the most heinous incidents—the car bombings and other things that result in the massive—the large civilian casualties. And it is those casualties and those incidents that have provoked the reprisals that the president has talked about. It’s very important for the American people to understand that there is a key al-Qaeda piece in all of this, and that is why one of the principal responsibilities we have, the challenges we have, is to deal with al-Qaeda in Iraq.

MR. RUSSERT: What’s the more dangerous component, the Shiite death squads or al-Qaeda?

MR. HADLEY: It’s in, in some sense it’s both. The efforts by al-Qaeda have provoked a Shia response. That is taking a form of the death squads. And what I think was very important is when you hear Prime Minister Maliki, he is talking about the need for a rule of law in, in Iraq that a—the police and the army can only report to the Iraqi government. And those forces, whether they be Sunni, Shia, or other groups that operate outside the law and kill innocent civilians, need to be brought under the law. And he said very clearly it is the responsibility of the Iraqi government to do that. We can help them. We can help manage the security situation, we can help train their forces, but he has said that it is important that, that groups outside have justice brought to them by Iraqis. He makes no distinction.

So the answer is, we’ve got to do both. We’ve got to go after al-Qaeda, we go—have to go after Sunni death squads, have to go after Shia death squads. And the Iraqi...

MR. RUSSERT: So Mr.—Prime Minister Maliki will take apart Sadr’s militia?

MR. HADLEY: He has said that those acting outside the law have to be brought to justice, and Iraqis have to take the lead on that. That’s an important statement.

MR. RUSSERT: The president’s going to meet with Mr. Hakim, the Shiite leader tomorrow. Are we going to cast our lot with the Shiites and exclude the Sunnis?

MR. HADLEY: Absolutely not. One of the—what we’ve been working for, of course, as I said—as the president said, is a democratic Iraq. Democratic Iraq which, for the first time in the history of Iraq and first time in the history of the region, have Sunni, Shia, Kurds and other groups working together in partnership to try and bring in a democratic Iraq. Terribly important.

MR. RUSSERT: The Sunnis will be a full partner?

MR. HADLEY: Absolutely.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about the...

MR. HADLEY: And that’s what the Iraqis want. That’s what Maliki’s talked—that’s what his reconciliation program is all about.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask...

MR. HADLEY: To bring all moderate forces behind the government and then to go after those extremists.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about the Baker-Hamilton study group that you brought up. And here’s the way The Washington Post reported it on Friday:

“The bipartisan Iraq Study Group plans to recommend withdrawing nearly all U.S. combat units from Iraq by early 2008 while leaving behind troops to train, advise and support the Iraqis. ...

“Panel members concluded that it is vital to set a target to put pressure on Iraqi leaders to do more to assume responsibility for the security of their country.”

And then we read this in The New York Times from you. It says: “On the way home from Jordan, Mr. Bush’s national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said Mr. Maliki was told that the Baker-Hamilton report ‘was going to be one input’ - a clear signal that no matter how senior the group’s members, no matter how bipartisan the group, no matter how close Mr. Baker is to the president’s father, the recommendations would not be regarded as sacrosanct.”

Which prompted Newsweek to put a cover on the magazine saying, “Will Bush Listen?” Will the president listen to the Baker-Hamilton bipartisan group that has, has achieved a bipartisan consensus?

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