MTP Transcript for Feb. 18, 2007

MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: The House says no to the Bush plan for more troops in Iraq. And the president sends a message to Iran.

(Videotape):

PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: We do know that they’re there and I intend to do something about it.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: What now? With us, the president’s official spokesman, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. Then, two senators who strongly disagree with the president’s Iraq policy, Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island. And what is it really like to live in Baghdad? With us, NBC News war correspondent Richard Engel, who has been in Iraq for the last four years.

But first, the man you see practically every day articulating, sometimes defending the president’s policies, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is here. Welcome.

MR. TONY SNOW: Thanks, Tim.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me show you and our viewers the exact resolution that was before the House of Representatives on Friday, and here it is:

“Disapproving of the decision of the president announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq. Resolved by the House of Representatives ... That -

“(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States armed forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

“(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.”

Two hundred and forty-six members of Congress voted for that. Led to headlines like this: “House rebukes Bush on Iraq.” What message does that send to the world?

MR. SNOW: It’s hard to say, Tim. I think—one of the things people see is democracy in action. As you know yesterday, there was an attempt to get an identical resolution up for a vote on the Senate floor, and on a procedural basis, it failed. I think now what’s going to happen is, you know and I know, is that there’s going to be a turn in the debate to, if you support the troops, are you, in fact, going to provide the reinforcements they need and our commanders think that they need in order to get the job done in Iraq? So there has been an expression of sentiment on the parts of members of Congress. And the president’s made it clear, he doesn’t doubt anybody’s patriotism, but on the other hand, he thinks it’s absolutely vital to bring in 21,000 reinforcements into Iraq, not to do the same old mission but in support of an entirely different kind of a mission and one that offers the hope of securing Baghdad, creating conditions where the Iraqis themselves can do very important political and economic work, and at the same time, build confidence, not only in the United States, but also the government of Iraq itself.

MR. RUSSERT: But if you have a majority of the House, and in the Senate on Saturday, there were 56 senators expressing support for a resolution against the president, isn’t that saying to the world, we oppose our commander in chief on his Iraq policy?

MR. SNOW: Well, I think—yeah, I think there’s—well, it’s going to be interesting, because again, you heard Jack Murtha the other day, for instance, say, “Well, this is just a trial vote, this is not the real vote.” And I think what the world needs to understand is that this was a nonbinding vote and there is going to be a binding vote, not merely on the Congress and president, but on the people who are in the field right now, those who are expecting reinforcements to come to help them with a new security plan in Baghdad and in Anbar province and Diyala and other places in Iraq where there is violence. And so this is a time now for the United States also to send a message, yeah, we can have disagreements, but when it comes time to show determination against an enemy and show determination in support of our forces as they try to pursue success in Iraq, we can also stand behind them and provide the funding and flexibility the president thinks is essential.

MR. RUSSERT: But when both houses of Congress disagree with the president sending more troops, that doesn’t trouble the president?

MR. SNOW: Well, the president also understands that—look, the way the president’s put it is pretty simple. If you ask the American people, do you like the way things are in Iraq right now, the answer is no, we don’t. We think they ought to be better. We would like to see more success. We want the Iraqi government standing up in terms of taking a higher profile on security, taking a higher profile on reconstruction, being more serious about political reconciliation and reaching out to its neighbors, doing the hard work of becoming a democracy that can stand on its own. So we understand that sentiment. Interestingly, if you also take a look at polls, Tim, and they ask people, well, do you support continued funding for the forces, 67 percent say yes. They say, do you, do you oppose efforts to take away funding for the additional 21,000, 60 percent say, no, we don’t support that. So it’s an interesting debate in the country. I—look, the president understands that war’s tough, they’re unpopular. He doesn’t like having to be at war and would love to be able to return the forces home. But the cost of leaving before we’ve succeeded is too high for this president or any president to risk.

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