Transcript from Good Morning America

Reviews from this morning's GMA appearance are good, according to comments on the O-blog. I didn't get to see the show since I was already at work (!), so here's a transcript:

ABCNEWS' CHARLIE GIBSON: Are we any closer today to getting assistance from other nations in Iraq?
GOVERNOR HOWARD DEAN: I don't think so. I think the president poisoned the well and now he's going to have a hard time getting help. His father had over 100,000 troops in Iraq, and that's the right way to go about it. Now all Americans, including our soldiers, are paying the price.
GIBSON: Would you cede control to the U.N. for the rebuilding effort?
DEAN: I would not cede control of American troops, but I would bring in the U.N. I think ultimately both Afghanistan and Iraq have to be international reconstruction efforts.
GIBSON: But that's not a popular political move in this country. and you're giving control in Iraq to countries that opposed the war in the first place?
DEAN: It is a popular political move in this country, because people want out and we can't get out. We can't lose the peace in Iraq but we didn't afford to get out without somebody taking up the slack. If we do, al Qaeda, which is not in Iraq, which wasn't in Iraq before … or somebody else will take over. And since they're likely to be friendly to the Iranians, that's a huge problem to the United States. I think having a United Nations force in Iraq makes sense. The Americans will play a significant role there, but this business of $87 billion out of the deficit to continue to finance this is going to be …
GIBSON: Would you vote for the $87 billion?
DEAN: If the president will begin to balance the budget. Take that $87 billion from somewhere, mainly from the tax cuts, then I think you have to support the troops.
GIBSON: Absent tax cuts, would you vote for?
DEAN: Unlikely. You can't continue to tell the American people that you can go to war, do something about education, have health care and continue to finance these enormous deficits.
GIBSON: Do you agree with Senator Kennedy that the reasons for going to war were a fraud?
DEAN: Nobody has any way of knowing that, but I think the president was not truthful. He told us Iraq was buying uranium from Africa and admitted there was no obvious connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein. Those are the reasons he gave us for going to Iraq and turns out he admits they were not true. That's a serious problem.
GIBSON: You said in a rally in Boston this week, democracy is itself is at stake and then you said the extreme right wing has shown nothing but contempt for democracy. Do you think the extreme right wing is in control of this administration?
DEAN: I think the right wing is in control of this administration, and I do think they show contempt for democracy. The Supreme Court wouldn't count he votes again in Florida. I think that was a mistake. The impeachment of the president, which had nothing to do with his administration, but that was clearly political. Now we have reapportionment in Texas and Colorado with the delivered intent of taking votes way and the California recall election, which is about taking or undoing an election that took place in 2002. These folks believe they have a god-given right to run the country the way they want.
GIBSON: And you think this administration shows contempt for democracy?
DEAN: I do. I do not believe that the rest of us have a voice and this is our country.
GIBSON: Let me turn to the Wesley Clark phenomena. New man in the race. Some people thought you were the frontrunner, all of a sudden he is. How do you explain that?
DEAN: I never get into saying who the frontrunner is. You guys all like to do the horse race thing. I think he's got good credentials.
GIBSON: Is he a true democrat?
DEAN: I think we have to find out about that. we don't know what his positions are.
GIBSON: He said he voted for Nixon and Reagan. Does that disqualify him?
DEAN: It doesn't, but I am surprised. I spent a fair amount of time with him before he got in, because I thought he has very good credentials on foreign policies.
GIBSON: do you think the clintons are behind him?
DEAN: I don't think there's much evidence of that.
GIBSON: We've been asking candidates some sort of frivolous questions but interesting in showing perhaps their character. Your favorite movie?
DEAN: Oh, gosh, there's a lot of them. I would say Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid.
GIBSON: Favorite book?
DEAN: All The Kings Men.
GIBSON: And favorite car?
DEAN: Favorite car? Oh, my goodness. Well, the politically correct answer is a Toyota Prius, but I would have to say Chevy Blazer.
GIBSON: Good to have you with us, covering all the bases.

Notice how Charlie gave Howard two opportunities to tear into Clark, and our man took the high road. No circular firing squad here, and if possible, it should remain that way.
Notice also that Dean comes out firmly against giving Bush yet another blank check for war. You know, something occured to me the other day. We've got an $87 billion dollar request, plus that $75 billion from early on. Didn't Bush's "disgraced" former National Economic Council Director Larry Lindsey say before the war that it was going to cost us $200 billion dollars? Oh that's right, he did, and shortly thereafter he was forced into resigning. So... $75 billion + $87 billion = $162 billion. So I'm assuming we'll get another bill down the line for about $36 billion. Ah, yet another example of BushCo crushing the dissent of anyone in the administration who actually lives on this planet. *sigh* What happened to those oil revenues that were supposed to pay for the occupation?
Anyway, sorry I got off on a tangent there, but the numbers have really been bothering me as of late. We must unseat the Boy King and replace him with a chief executive who not only knows how to handle a budget, but who'll also be able to reverse Bush's diastrous foreign policy and get us some help in Iraq. Unfortunately, it takes money to do that (remember Bush's $200 million dollar warchest?), so if you haven't done it yet this quarter, go take a swing at the bat. Do it for your country. Do it for the future.