December 7th, 2003...

John Roberts is apparently stunned that not all Republicans think exactly alike; that some are willing to express their own opinions on things. I'm not sure why freedom of thought is so hard for the media to grasp.

From Face The Nation, CBS TV, DECEMBER 7, 2003, Interview with Andrew Card

JOHN ROBERTS: And welcome to the broadcast. Bob Schieffer is off this morning. Joining us now from the White House is White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Mr. Card, good morning.

MR. CARD: Good morning. Good to see you John.

MR. ROBERTS: Good to see you as well. So Newsweek magazine today carries an interview with Newt Gingrich who is now a member of the Defense Policy Board, who says that in the post-war period the administration has gone off a cliff in Iraq, that coalition provisional authorities CPA stands for Can't Produce Anything. Those are pretty harsh words coming from a member of your own party, a supporter of Don Rumsfeld.

MR. CARD: Well first of all I think things are going very well in a very tough situation in Iraq. The president has as his goal first of all to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein. And we've done that. He is no longer the threat to his own people or to the world that he was when he was in office. The second thing is he is working to bring democracy and hope to the Iraqi people and all around Iraq there are dramatic signs of improvement in life. Schools are open. Small businesses are working. Yes we have to do more work on the security front, but it's really limited to kind of the Tikrit, Mosul, Baghdad area and we're working hard to address that problem. But we're making significant progress. The life for the average Iraqi is much better today than it was under Saddam Hussein.

MR. ROBERTS: So how was it though that some members of your own party see it quite differently than that?

MR. CARD: Well, Newt Gingrich is not all knowing. And I'm sure he has opinions and he's always expressed them. But I can tell you from the perspective of the generals who are on the ground and Ambassador Bremer who is running the provisional authority over there things are going better than they could have been expected to go at this time and we're making great progress. More has to be done and we are committed to staying there until it's done right. We would like to see the Iraqi people have more opportunities for self-government, but we're going to stay there until the job is done.

In his hard-hitting crusading journalist style, Roberts then attacks the security measures in place in Iraq, comparing it to the oppression his Palestinian comrades' experience under the boot heel of the evil Jews:

MR. ROBERTS: You're being accused in some parts of Iraq for lack of a better word barbwire diplomacy, ringing entire villages in razor wire. Making people pass through checkpoints. Detaining family members of suspected Iraqi insurgents. Destroying buildings that the insurgency has been using. Some people in Iraq are saying this is very much like the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians. And I'm wondering is this the way to win hearts and minds in Iraq?

MR. CARD: Security is very important and we are winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people by improving their life. Again the schools are opening. Small businesses are working and more and more Iraqis are part of the security solution in Iraq and they are part of the governing structure in Iraq. We're making progress, but we are going to work to secure their communities and we'll have to work hard to do that as they build their own security forces. And this is just one step, and it's a transitional step, but security is important in order to have these other habits of a healthy and hopeful life to take place.

MR. ROBERTS: Are you concerned though that trying to provide security in this fashion could engender the same type of anger that the Palestinians feel?

MR. CARD: I think that is a too far a place to go. I think first of all the Iraqi people understand that they are much better off today without Saddam Hussein, and they're finding the opportunity to govern themselves. We're making great progress so I do not view this as a road toward something that would look like the Palestinian- Israeli situation at all.

But I have a suspicion you'll see more from Al Jazeera and CBS on that comparison.

MR. ROBERTS: All right. The Chief Civil Administrator there, Paul Bremer, said recently that he expects attacks are going to increase as you make this transition toward severty (sic). That these hold outs - these dead enders will try to stop the process by stepping up attacks. Do you agree with that assessment?

MR. CARD: Well the more and more that the old Baathist regime loses their authority the more they're going to fight back. But the will of the people is most important in Iraq. And the people want to see a road toward security and hope and opportunity, and that's what the coalition is working to help provide. But I think that we will find that the security situation is still a challenge, but the good news is the United States is up to that challenge.

MR. ROBERTS: If indeed attacks are going to escalate as Mr. Bremer suggests shouldn't the president be out there warning the American people that this could happen?

Time out: Are there any American's out there that need that warning? Do you really think, Mr Roberts, that some Americans are that stupid?

MR. CARD: Well the president has said all along that this is a difficult task, but it's one that can be met. And he is very supportive of the work that is done by our troops and you should be supportive too because they are carrying out the most important mission and that's to help rid the world of a horrible regime and create hope and opportunity for democracy.

<...>

MR. ROBERTS: Andy Card White House Chief of Staff. We'll be back in just a moment with New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Stay with us.

But first, this quick summary from me.

Mr. Card's key points:

What we're doing, where we're headed:

The president has as his goal first of all to remove the regime of Saddam Hussein. And we've done that.

The second thing is he is working to bring democracy and hope to the Iraqi people and all around Iraq there are dramatic signs of improvement in life. Schools are open. Small businesses are working.

Security:

We have to do more work on the security front, but it's really limited to kind of the Tikrit, Mosul, Baghdad area and we're working hard to address that problem. But we're making significant progress.

Iraqis are part of the security solution in Iraq and they are part of the governing structure in Iraq. We're making progress, but we are going to work to secure their communities and we'll have to work hard to do that as they build their own security forces.

The more and more that the old Baathist regime loses their authority the more they're going to fight back.

I think that we will find that the security situation is still a challenge, but the good news is the United States is up to that challenge.

Our determination:

Things are going better than they could have been expected to go at this time and we're making great progress. More has to be done and we are committed to staying there until it's done right.

The president has said all along that this is a difficult task, but it's one that can be met. And he is very supportive of the work that is done by our troops and you should be supportive too because they are carrying out the most important mission and that's to help rid the world of a horrible regime and create hope and opportunity for democracy.

Okay, sounds realistic to me. A tough road, but we'll stay the course. Got it, now back to you, John:

MR. ROBERTS: And with us now is New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Good to see you this morning. Thanks for coming in.

SEN. CLINTON: Thank you. Good to be here John.

MR. ROBERTS: So Andy Card paints a pretty rosy scenario of what's going on in Iraq. Do you agree with him?

SEN. CLINTON: I think rosy scenario is alive and well in the White House these days based on what Mr. Card had to say.

I'm not sure, but does this mean that anyone expressing hope for anything other then complete American failure in Iraq is "painting a rosy scenario?"

Part II here.