‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Nov. 18, 2007

SHAH OF IRAN:  (1973) As far as we are concerned, we are not the toys of any country, including the United States.

KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN:  (1985) If peace is achieved, if there is progress towards it in my lifetime, it will be the crowning achievement of my life.

PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR:  (2004) The attack on America was an attack on us, too, because we stand for the same things.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  Debates, investigations, partisanship—Washington is a tough town with some tough players, and they aren’t shy about making their positions known.

(Videotape)

MR. JIMMY HOFFA:  (1961) I wonder whether or not you would enjoy being investigated for the pure sense of power to investigate.

MR. JAMES CARVILLE:  (1998) There’s going to be a war.

MR. RUSSERT:  (1998) A war between whom?

MR. CARVILLE:  (1998) Between the friends of the president and the independent counsel.  That’s exactly who it’s between.

MR. NEWT GINGRICH:  (1995) It’s inconceivable to me that this president would deliberately refuse to negotiate and deliberately prefer to just have the whole system break down.

SEN. TED KENNEDY:  (2004) The administration said nuclear weapons, tie-in to al-Qaeda.  That’s the distortion, that’s the misrepresentation, that’s the lie!

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  The bread and butter of MEET THE PRESS is politics, but we’re also here to talk about social change, religion and the welfare of the American people.

(Videotape)

REV. BILLY GRAHAM:  (1957) We have a great deal of churchgoing in America, but we’re not relating this churchgoing to our personal, daily lives.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.:  (1963) I do feel that if we are to be truly Americans and citizens of this nation, then we must not have any barriers standing before us on the bases of race.

MR. DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN:  (1965) And you can’t do anything about a family life if men don’t have jobs, if their, if their children don’t have good schools, if, if people live in ghettos.

MS. GLORIA STEINEM:  (1972) What kind of choice is it, after all, to be able to go out and earn half as much as a man for doing the very same work?

MR. MICHAEL JORDAN:  (1997) When your parents are there every day, they have a much more influence on that kid that what we do.

BONO:  (2005) There’s a tsunami happening every month in Africa, but it’s an avoidable catastrophe.

MR. AARON BROUSSARD:  (2005) Nobody’s coming to get us.  The secretary’s promised, everybody’s promised.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  MEET THE PRESS has a unique role in American society, a vital role in democracy in wartime, peacetime and times of national uncertainty.

(Videotape)

MR. THOMAS DEWEY:  (1951) We’re not attacking Korea, but we were pledged to the establishment of a free and independent Korea.  And we responded, and the whole American people was for it.

SEN. JOHN KERRY:  (1971) This war can be ended, and it should be ended now.

MS. JANE FONDA:  (1979) Everything that I did during the war was to try to bring it to a close.

GEN. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF:  (1991) It’s never been the American policy to go after a single individual or try to kill anyone.

MS. LAURA BUSH:  (2001) We thought it was an accident, a strange accident. And then on the drive to Capitol Hill, we heard about the second plane.  So then we knew, of course, it was a terrorist attack.

MR. RUDY GIULIANI:  (2001) I remember stopping—I didn’t have a lot of time to stop and think, I just remember saying to myself this is something that—this is something much worse than we’ve ever experienced before.

VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY:  (2003) I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do believe we will be greeted as liberators.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  I view MEET THE PRESS as a national treasure, and I’m the temporary custodian.

(Videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  (October 1996) Filegate, Travelgate, Whitewater—what’s wrong with those as legitimate issues?

MR. AL GORE:  (October 1996) Well, look at all this Whitewater stuff.  What’s come out of it?  Absolutely nothing.

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 1992) You have said that part of your $40 billion debt reduction plan...

MR. ROSS PEROT:  (May 1992) Wait.  Now, I have also told your...

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 1992) ...is $180 billion dollars.

MR. PEROT:  (May 1992) Yes.  May I finish?

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 1992) May I finish?  It was a simple question.

MR. PEROT:  (May 1992) Well, you’ve already finished.

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 1992) I, I, I...

MR. PEROT:  (May 1992) Well, go ahead and finish again.  It’s your phone. It’s your program, you can do anything you want to with it.

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 2004) Finally, Mr. Secretary, in February of 2003, you...

OFFSCREEN VOICE #1:  (May 2004) He’s still asking a question.

OFFSCREEN VOICE #2:  (May 2004) Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 2004) I think that was one of your staff, Mr. Secretary. I don’t think that’s appropriate.

VOICE #2:  (May 2004) Get—Emily, get out of the way.  Bring the camera back, please.

GEN. COLIN POWELL:  (May 2004) I think we’re back on, Tim.  Go ahead with your last question.

MR. RUSSERT:  (May 2004) Thank you very much, sir.

(March 2006) There’s a lot of concern that the judgments made about the war before we went in have just proven not to be correct.  We were told we’d be greeted as liberators, that there would not be a long, protracted, bloody insurrection.  How could we have been so wrong?

(April 2006) John McCain, thanks for joining us and sharing your views.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN:  I haven’t had so much fun since my last interrogation.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  I believe I have to be aggressive, but I also have to be civil. And, if I can always remember that, I will have fulfilled my role as moderator in the proud tradition of Martha Rountree and Larry Spivak and the 60 years of MEET THE PRESS.

(Videotape)

ANNOUNCER:  Miss Martha Rountree, moderator of MEET THE PRESS.

MS. MARTHA ROUNTREE (Moderator 1947-1953):  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another session of MEET THE PRESS.

MR. NED BROOKS (Moderator 1953-1965):  This is Ned Brooks, inviting you to MEET THE PRESS.

MR. LAWRENCE SPIVAK (Moderator 1966-1975):  I’m Lawrence Spivak, and this is MEET THE PRESS.

MR. BILL MONROE (Moderator 1975-1984):  This is Bill Monroe, inviting you to MEET THE PRESS.

MR. MARVIN KALB (Co-Moderator 1964-1985/Moderator 1985-1987) Good day.  I am Martin Kalb.

MR. ROGER MUDD (Co-Moderator 1984-1985):  I’m Roger Mudd.

MR. CHRIS WALLACE (Moderator 1987-1988):  And that’s MEET THE PRESS for this Sunday.  I’m Chris Wallace.

MR. GARRICK UTLEY (Moderator 1989-1991):  I’M Garrick Utley.  I hope you’ll join us again next week for “Sunday Today” and MEET THE PRESS.

MR. RUSSERT:  (Moderator 1991-Present):  I’m Tim Russert.  That’s all for today.  We’ll be back next week.

(Montage of MEET THE PRESS graphics and guests)

MR. RUSSERT:  If it’s Sunday, it’s MEET THE PRESS.

(End videotape)

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT:  During this week of Thanksgiving, let our troops know we’re thinking about them through the Pentagon’s America Supports You program.  You can send your message of thanks by texting to 89279, 89279.  And our 60^th Anniversary celebration continues on our Web site.  Senator Ted Kennedy, who has the longest tenure on MEET THE PRESS, first appearing here 45 years ago, and the reporters with the most appearances, David Broder and Robert Novak, they all share their memories of MEET THE PRESS.  You can also view a slide show of the important MEET THE PRESS milestones from the past six decades, all at mtp.msnbc.com.

That’s all for today.  We’ll be back next week.  If it’s Sunday, it’s MEET THE PRESS.  And if Boston College can beat Clemson in Happy Valley, the Bills—get ready America!--80,000 crazy fans in Buffalo holding these towels.  Happy Thanksgiving.  Tonight on NBC.  Bills!

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