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'Meet the Press' transcript for August 9, 2009
James Jones, Michael Bloomberg, Cory Booker, David Brooks, Erin Burnett, Jon Meacham
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 Netcast Our next steps in North Korea now that two American journalists are finally free. How was their freedom ultimately won? We'll find out from the president's national security adviser, Gen. James Jones (Ret.). As economists predict unemployment will reach a 27 year high, how and when will things finally start to recover? Two key big-city mayors -- New York City's Michael Bloomberg and Newark, NJ's Cory Booker -- join us for a special discussion. Plus a roundtable offers their analysis. |
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MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, the happy homecoming.
(Videotape)
MS. LAURA LING: When we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: Now the backstory. How the White House and the former president secured the release of two journalists held in North Korea. Did Washington pay an unacceptable price, or is this an opportunity for finding a new way forward with the world's most secretive nuclear power? Our guest, the man in the middle of it all, the president's national security adviser, General James Jones.
Then, the Obama economy.
(Videotape)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: Today we're pointed in the right direction.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: Job losses slow, pointing to signs of recovery. But when can we expect to see Americans back at work? Is the president's stimulus plan reaching the front lines quickly enough? Joining us, two big city mayors--Michael Bloomberg of New York and Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey--on jobs, housing and fears of the swine flu hitting their cities this fall.
Finally, Congress leaves for the summer and finds a lot of heat over health care back home. The politics of healthcare reform and how each side plans to wage the battle this month. Our roundtable puts it in perspective: New York Times columnist David Brooks; anchor of CNBC's "Street Signs," Erin Burnett; and editor of Newsweek magazine, Jon Meacham.
But first, General James Jones, welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.
GEN. JAMES JONES (RET.): Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.
MR. GREGORY: Big news; North Korea, the two American journalists back home. This was the scene as it played out in Los Angeles on Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton accompanying the two journalists back home. He has since come back east and you have been able to fully debrief him. What can you say you have now learned about North Korea and specifically Kim Jong Il?
GEN. JONES: Well, I think that first of all I want to emphasize this was a private mission. And we can get into that if you'd like. But this was a private mission where--in, in which there were no official or unofficial messages sent by this government or by President Obama. So we celebrate the fact that we've had these--this great reunion and--but we can say that--we can also report that the president did--former president did spend time with the Korean leader, that he appeared to be in control of his government and, and his--he sounded very, very reasoned in terms of his conversation.
MR. GREGORY: His health is a big issue, right?
GEN. JONES: His health is a big issue, but obviously we didn't have any time to make an assessment there. But he seemed in control of his faculties. And the president, the former president was able to engage him on a number of subjects. As you know, he had very--relationship with his father and--when he was in the--when he was--when the president was in office, and so he was able to convey his own, his personal views with regard to the importance of the issues of the moment, which is making sure that nuclear weapons do not appear on the Korean Peninsula.
MR. GREGORY: Well, let's talk about that, the nuclear issue. It must have come up during their conversations. What was said?
GEN. JONES: Well, I think--I don't want to speak for President Clinton. We're in, in the process of getting, getting his thoughts as well, we haven't completely finished with that. But, but it's clear thus far that he did press home the fact that if North Korea really desired to rejoin the family of nations in a, in a credible way, that the, the, the way forward is not to, to build nuclear weapons and to rejoin the, the six party talks, and within the context of those talks that they could have a dialogue with the United States.
MR. GREGORY: So North Korea has said they don't want to be part of these six party talks anymore. Just a couple of weeks ago they were exchanging insults with the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.
GEN. JONES: Right.
MR. GREGORY: Do--did they give an indication to the former president that that's changed, that they might be willing to come back now?
GEN. JONES: I, I think time will tell on that, David, to be honest. But I, I'm quite sure the former president was very articulate and persuasive, that the North Koreans know exactly what the world, the global community, particularly the members of the six party talks expect, and there is a path for them to, to, to move forward.
MR. GREGORY: Any positive signs, though, from the talks?
GEN. JONES: We'll have to wait and see.
MR. GREGORY: Is there a deadline, in your mind, for when they need to come back?
GEN. JONES: I, I think this is such, this is such a big issue that--and we're making such good progress with our relations with China and Russia and other countries to, to, to show them the, the, the, the wisdom of making the right decisions here. But it, it is up to them, and we--they know exactly what, what the end stage should look like.
MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you a little bit about the backstory. How did this first come up, the idea of sending President Clinton over there? You did a lot of vetting of this idea. What were your concerns and how did it come up?
GEN. JONES: Well, it, it actually came up through a private channel, through the communication from the two girls to their families. And evidently, the North Koreans implied that if former President Clinton were to take on this mission, that they would guarantee the release of, of the two girls.
MR. GREGORY: But it had to be Bill Clinton; couldn't be Al Gore, couldn't be somebody else?
GEN. JONES: They specified Bill Clinton. And, and so the president said, well, let's see if former President Clinton'd be willing to do this thing.
MR. GREGORY: So there were no reservations in your mind or the president's mind?
GEN. JONES: I, I think the, the president, from day one, gave us the task of trying to get those girls back. And, and that was, that really was job number one. And we thought that--and, and, and President Clinton, former President Clinton said he would be, he would take this on in a private way, and that's exactly what happened.
MR. GREGORY: But, but you're experienced with this. I mean, the North Koreans say things all the time and they don't live up to their agreements. How did you test that in fact he wouldn't come back empty, empty-handed?
GEN. JONES: Well, you know, ultimately, regardless of all of the, the, the, the backwards and forwards on this--and we did, we did have, we do have channels to talk to the North Koreans. We, we received a personal assurance of the leader that they would grant, in their terms, special amnesty, and that if former President Clinton came to North Korea that he would leave with those two girls. And ultimately, you say OK.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
GEN. JONES: Let's see, let's see which--let's see if they'll live up to their word. And they did.
MR. GREGORY: There's been some criticism of this mission, and it centers around this photograph. This was the picture that experts say Kim Jong Il wanted, and he got it. There is the former president sitting right next to him. Henry Kissinger writes this this morning in op-ed piece in The Washington Post: "A visit by a former president, who is married to the secretary of state, will enable Kim Jong Il to convey to North Koreans, and perhaps to other countries, that his country is being accepted into the international community--precisely the opposite of what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has defined as the goal of U.S. policy until Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons program." Did this president just hand Kim Jong Il a propaganda victory?
GEN. JONES: I, I don't think so. I mean, maybe in Kim Jong Il's mind, and he'll play it out inside of North Korea anyway he wants. But we vetted this, this mission with the South Koreans, with the Japanese, the Chinese, with the Russians, and we have 100 percent support by all these countries. We--the president also--the former president also asked for the release of a South Korean detainee and the, the, the Japanese abductees, which we think would be also a great picture to see the reunification of those families, which we're very concerned about. So no, I don't--I, I, I just think that, you know, we wanted to get those girls out. The North Koreans gave us a, a path to that and the president of the United States said, "Look, we want these families reunified. They shouldn't be held in captivity." And, and by the way, if we hadn't done that, we'd be having a different conversation tonight because--today, because they would have--they would have said, "Well, you had an opportunity just, just to send the, the former president."
MR. GREGORY: All right. Well, to that point, former President Clinton, he goes to Pyongyang, he goes to North Korea, gets this result. If you want a breakthrough with North Korea, a breakthrough that's been so elusive to previous administrations, should President Obama go to North Korea and talk to the North Koreans now?
GEN. JONES: That's a--that, that is the--the future relationship of our two countries wholly dependent upon the ability of the North Koreans to understand where they are in terms of not only just the United States, but, but this big issue of nuclear weapons and...
MR. GREGORY: All right, but would you, would you rule that out as a potential for breakthrough?
GEN. JONES: I, I wouldn't speculate on, on hypotheticals. I--we are doing, we're doing the right thing with a whole family of nations. Proliferation is a big issue. It's a big issue in North Korea, it's a huge issue in Iran, and we are at the, at the center point of this, this, this debate. And it's a global debate, it is not just about bilateral relations. This is a very serious problem.
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