'Meet the Press' transcript for August 24, 2008

MR. BROKAW:  You just mentioned natural gas, and you emphasized it as well in your last radio address...

REP. PELOSI:  Yeah.

MR. BROKAW:  ...talking about the energy plan.  And then we read in The Wall Street Journal that you and your husband have made a substantial investment in the plan that T.  Boone Pickens has put forward, which has a heavy emphasis on natural gas as well.

REP. PELOSI:  But let me see if you call substantial 03 three percent of our investments.

MR. BROKAW:  Oh, it's what, between 100 and $200,000.

REP. PELOSI:  No, no, it was between 50 and $100,000, and it's part of an, you know, entrepreneurial package.  This is the package we sign up for, this is what they invest in.  But that's not the point.  I'm, I'm, I'm investing in something I believe in.  I believe in natural gas as a clean, cheap alternative to fossil fuels.

MR. BROKAW:  But you're also in a position to influence where the emphasis will be in where we're moving.

REP. PELOSI:  Well, that's not--that is, that is the marketplace.  The fact is, the supply of natural gas is so big, and you do need a transition if you're going to go from fossil fuels, as you say, you can't do it overnight, but you must transition.  These investments in wind, in solar and biofuels and focus on natural gas, these are the real alternatives.  You have to ask yourself why, why is the administration not doing this?  This is the challenge of our generation.  It's a national security issue.  President Nixon said we must end our dependence on foreign oil.  President Carter said it's a moral equivalent of war.  It's a national security issue, it's an economic issue, it's an environmental health issue, and it is a moral issue to protect this environment.

MR. BROKAW:  As we wrap up this discussion of energy, I was struck by the fact that you did not mention in any fashion former Vice President Al Gore's plan to take electrical power generation completely off the grid that it's now on...

REP. PELOSI:  Right.

MR. BROKAW:  ...within 10 years, and do it based primarily on solar and keep in place nuclear power where it is right now.  Do you think that that's a practical idea?

REP. PELOSI:  Well, I think that it's a challenge that we should try to meet. We had passed in the House--not in the Senate; part of the problem, the Senate obstruction of the Republicans in the Senate.  But we passed in the House our renewable electricity standard which would have us by 2020 reducing--taking 15 percent of our electricity and making that on renewable and efficiency resources.  Senator--Vice President Gore's proposal is much grander.  Our platform, the Democratic platform, calls for 20 percent by 2025.  We must move in this direction.  And, Tom, when we do, it's just going to take off.

MR. BROKAW:  But do you think his is beyond reach, or do you think it's achievable?

REP. PELOSI:  Well, it's achievable if the decision is made to do it.  And then...

MR. BROKAW:  And are you prepared to be part of that decision making?

REP. PELOSI:  Well, we are--we have already gone down that path in the House with the renewable electricity standard, and our platform goes a step farther than that in the Democratic platform.  A hundred percent, that would be a tall order, but it's a, it's a big goal; and we have to have vision about this and goals.  But it is, it's pretty exciting and it affects everything in our society, and we have to make the fight and cannot be led astray by some political ploy that the Republicans have to keep us where we are.  This is about people.  Do you want to know something?  You know when the Republicans were doing their what I call war dance of the handmaidens of the oil companies on the floor of the House a couple of weeks ago?  Well, on that--one of those Thursdays was primary day in Tennessee, and one of the Republicans on the floor was up for re-election in Tennessee, and he lost in his primary to a Republican who said that Davis, the incumbent, was the candidate of big oil and offshore drilling.  In a Republican primary, he lost.  So again, we have to talk to the American people about this.  What we have to do is what is right for the consumer, for the taxpayer, and for the environment.  And we know how to do that.  If they want to put that in the mix, give us royalties, take away--have standards and no subsidies, give us royalties, revisit the relationship between the oil that belongs to the American people and the profits of big oil.  Let's have that discussion.

MR. BROKAW:  Sounds like we're going to have offshore drilling.

REP. PELOSI:  No, no, no.

MR. BROKAW:  Let's talk politics for just a moment, if we can.  Here's a poll that the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey of last week showed Senator Obama has--his lead over Senator McCain was cut in half to about 3 points in the Y universe.  But here's a surprising number.  When we did Hillary Clinton as a matchup against Senator McCain, she ran much more strongly than Senator Obama did against Senator McCain.  As you can see, she leads by six points there. Do you think it was a mistake for Senator Obama not to select her as the vice presidential candidate?

REP. PELOSI:  I think that Senator Obama chose the vice presidential candidate that brought balance to his ticket.  It's his choice.  We're going into the future.  That isn't even that--I mean, it's a close poll in either way.  But I'm very confident about Senator Obama's success because these polls are about likely voters.  They're people who vote in the last two elections. Senator Obama has a--and Senator Clinton, too, has attracted millions more people to the political process, some who have never voted, some who haven't voted for a long time.  So I don't think that the--I think it's a OK poll, he's ahead and that's good, but I think that his support is much stronger than that.  And as we leave this convention united, stronger than ever, organized, focused and disciplined, to have the grassroots organization, to have the clarity of message, of this great ticket, Obama-Biden, I'm very confident about the success that we'll have in November, and then the success for jobs and health care and education in--come January.

MR. BROKAW:  Well, we learned some other things in the poll.  We're going to share those with you as well.  When it comes to economic issues, the country is very much in favor of Senator Obama in terms of solving the problems or improving the economy, as you can see, by a factor of 42 to 30 percent.  They believe that he's the stronger candidate.  But, when it comes to the man who's best equipped to be commander in chief, Senator Obama comes up well short of Senator McCain, there by a factor of 50 to 39 percent.  That's a lot of making up that Senator Obama has to do.  Despite all the rhetorical cheering on that will go on this week, the hard reality is that a week from now the country still has many question about whether he's equipped to be commander in chief. Don't you agree?

REP. PELOSI:  Well, the fact of the matter is, that on the biggest national security issue of our day, the decision to go into the war in Iraq, Senator McCain supported that and still supports that war in Iraq.  And so if you're...

MR. BROKAW:  And the people that we interviewed in the poll say that he is best equipped to be the commander in chief.

REP. PELOSI:  Well, the point is, is this is what campaigns are about.  What is the difference the policy--the leader will make in terms of policy, and you'll be--I think you will see a very clear message coming forth, and Joe Biden will be a great messenger in that regard, because he will be a--not--as I say, Senator Biden's message is--Senator Obama's message is a clear one. But Senator Biden will amplify that.  He is well-respected throughout the world.  Not only does he know the leaders of other countries, they know him and they respect him.  So I believe that on that issue when it comes to the security of our people, whether it's in their neighborhoods or in the security of our country, we will see a strong message coming from the Democrats.

And one of the most important points of it is how we treat our veterans.  It took a Democratic Congress to get the biggest increase in veterans benefits in the 77-year history of the VA.  Something the Republicans had rejected over and over.  So let's take this issue apart and see what it means in the security of our country.

MR. BROKAW:  Let's talk about Iraq.  Almost no Democrats that I know of at the national level are willing to acknowledge that the surge was successful by most objective standards.  Other analysts are saying that it probably was. When you were interviewed on this broadcast in 2004...

REP. PELOSI:  Yeah.

MR. BROKAW:  ...by Tim Russert, he asked you about the need for additional American troops.  Let's just share with the audience, and I'll have you review, what you had to say at that time.

(Videotape, May 30, 2004)

MR. TIM RUSSERT:  Would you put more American troops on the ground?

REP. PELOSI:  Clear and present danger facing the United States is terrorism. We have to--we have to solidify, we have to stabilize the situation in Iraq. We have a responsibility now in Iraq there, and we have to get more troops on the ground.  We have to...

RUSSERT:  Would you send more American troops in order to stabilize the situation?

REP. PELOSI:  Yes.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  You said yes in 2004 to the idea of more American troops on the ground.  That was, in effect, what happened with the surge.  The surge appears to be successful.  Democrats who were opposed to it are now having a hard time saying it worked.

REP. PELOSI:  No.  Let's make a distinction.  What was the purpose of the surge?  The purpose of the surge was to create a secure time so that the political solutions could emerge, that the Iraqi government could have room to make those political decisions.  So the--yes, you put more troops on the ground, you're going to get more security.  Our military, our men and women in uniform, have done everything that has been asked of them very well, excellently and well.  But the point is, that it has not succeeded in its purpose because the Iraqi government has not stepped up to the plate to do what it needed to do in reforming the constitution, de-Baathification, the carbon law, you name it.  So our sacrifice of our troops has not been met in any, in any step of the way.

MR. BROKAW:  You don't think the Iraqi government is making progress politically?

REP. PELOSI:  No, I don't.  They--I've just--when I was there a few months ago they told me, "Oh we're going to have elections, we're going to have them by October, they're going to be inclusive, they're going to be transparent, they're going to be fair, and this or that." Now they're next year.  They still haven't completed the carbon law, the, the constitutional reform that was supposed to bring some reconciliation.  They have--what's the other--the constitution, de-Baathification, carbon law and local elections.  They haven't made the commensurate progress in those areas where our troops have sacrificed so much to give them the room to do so.  But the fact is, is that what we must do is have a plan for the redeployment of our troops out of Iraq.  Even the president is saying that has to happen.  Too far out, 2011, but if we're going to bring stability to the region, if we're going to make America more secure, if we're going to be able to fight the real war on terrorism, we must begin that redeployment.  And this, and this surge, for all the success of putting more troops on the ground to make neighborhoods safer, did not produce the political reconciliation that was promised.  And that was its purpose.

MR. BROKAW:  I think there probably will be a continuing dispute about that.

Let me end with something...

REP. PELOSI:  But they haven't, they haven't done it.  I mean, the fact is, they have not done it.  And so the message has to be clear to the Iraqi government, "We're not staying around for ever for you to get around to this. You have to do it now.  Overdue."

MR. BROKAW:  There was a very well publicized and very effective interview by Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church in California of the two candidates recently.  And on the right especially, response from Senator Obama to the question of when life begins has been getting a lot of attention.  We want to just share with you how that went, and then you can take a look at it and, and respond to it for us.

(Videotape, August 16, 2008)

PASTOR RICK WARREN:  At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?

SEN. OBAMA:  Well, you know, I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is, is above my pay grade.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW:  Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade, whether you're looking at it scientifically or theologically. If he were to come to you and say, "Help me out here, Madame Speaker.  When does life begin?" what would you tell him?

REP. PELOSI:  I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time.  And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition.  And Senator--St. Augustine said at three months.  We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose.  Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child--first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester.  There's very clear distinctions.  This isn't about abortion on demand, it's about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and--to--that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god.  And so I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins.  As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who've decided...

MR. BROKAW:  The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it...

REP. PELOSI:  I understand that.

MR. BROKAW:  ...begins at the point of conception.

REP. PELOSI:  I understand.  And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that.  So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy.  But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions.  And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions.  That's why we have this fight in Congress over contraception.  My Republican colleagues do not support contraception.  If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must--it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think.  But that is not the case.  So we have to take--you know, we have to handle this as respectfully--this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been--and I'm not saying Rick Warren did, because I don't think he did, but others will try to.

MR. BROKAW:  Madame Speaker, thanks very much for being with us.

REP. PELOSI:  It's my pleasure.  Thank you.

MR. BROKAW:  We hope you have a great week on the podium.

REP. PELOSI:  It's going to be great.  Democrats are going to come out stronger than ever.

MR. BROKAW:  Do you have a big gavel?

REP. PELOSI:  The big gavel's in the Capitol.

MR. BROKAW:  All right.

I'll be right back with our political roundtable.  That's Gwen Ifill, Jon Meacham and Chuck Todd from here in Denver.

(Announcements)

More from NBC News broadcasts   Town funds soldiers’ holiday trips home   AIG pledge to return bonuses mostly unfulfilled Santa 2.0: Christmas wishes go digital   Axelrod: Congress will pass health bill   Dean: Health bill has ‘long way to go’ Now on msnbc.com: Real-time news Follow on Twitter: Making a Difference

MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS

Meet the Press Section Front

Sunday's Meet the Press guest list Dec. 20: Axelrod, Dean, roundtable Dec. 13: Romer, economic roundtable Dec. 6: Clinton, Gates, McCain, roundtable Nov. 29: Rick Warren, Bill & Melinda Gates Nov. 22: Senate roundtable, Brinker, Snyderman Nov. 15: Clinton, Duncan, Gingrich, Sharpton Nov. 8: Casey, Barbour, Rendell, roundtable, Brokaw Nov. 1: Tim Geithner, David Plouffe, roundtable Oct. 25: Cornyn, Schumer, Burnett, Sorkin, roundtable Meet the Press Section Front   Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: