Mitchell: "Good morning, Ann. The White House says that the Vice President remains the President's most trusted counsel but many are now asking how badly has the conviction of his closest aide hurt Dick Cheney? He is the most powerful Vice President in history but is he beginning to lose his clout? Critics caractiture Dick Cheney as the Darth Vader of the Bush White House. They say wrong on everything from the treatment of prisoners to Saddam Hussein's weapons."
Vieira: "You heard what Andrea just said and along with that we still don't know about the Vice President's role in the CIA leak case. Has he become too much of a political liability for this administration?"
Russert: "Well obviously the relationship between the President and Vice President is different now than it was six years ago but the President's favorable rating across the country is at 30 percent. The hard core Republican base is all George W. Bush has left. And that's the exact same base that Dick Cheney appeals to. So absent some kind of physical difficulty or incapacity Dick Cheney will stay as Vice President."
Vieira: "So you don't foresee any scenario in which he would either willingly resign or be asked to resign?"
Russert: "I don't think he'll step down voluntarily. I think it would have to be something physical because Meredith, remember with our Constitution now if the Vice President did step down the President would have to go to a Democratic Congress to seek confirmation of a replacement which could result in very interesting hearings and the Democrats would try to have some serious input on that choice."
Vieira: "Tim as Andrea mentioned before in Friday's issue of Time magazine is gonna feature a cover story on the Vice President. It's written by Michael Duffy. And among other things Duffy writes, 'Cheney has become the administration's enemy within, the man whose single-minded pursuit of ideological goals, creaking political instincts and love of secrecy produced an independent operation inside the White House that has done more harm than good.' You understand the workings of the White House. What is your reaction to that assessment?"
Ann Curry: "Turning now to politics. Vice President Dick Cheney has long been seen as the major powerbroker in the Bush administration but now that Cheney's former chief-of-staff is a convicted felon has power shifted at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? NBC's Andrea Mitchell's been taking a look at this for us. Andrea, good morning."
[On screen headline: "VP Under Fire, Has Cheney Lost His Clout?"]
Andrea Mitchell: "Good morning, Ann. The White House says that the Vice President remains the President's most trusted counsel but many are now asking how badly has the conviction of his closest aide hurt Dick Cheney? He is the most powerful Vice President in history but is he beginning to lose his clout? Critics caractiture Dick Cheney as the Darth Vader of the Bush White House. They say wrong on everything from the treatment of prisoners to Saddam Hussein's weapons."
Dick Cheney: "We believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."
Mitchell: "And then that embarrassing shooting accident last winter when he shot a friend in the face. Bush aides whispered that Cheney waited too long to alert the President."
Todd Purdum, Vanity Fair magazine: "There has to be some part of him that is irritated that Vice President Cheney has caused him a certain amount of trouble. He's caused him trouble in the Libby case, he's caused him policy trouble. Some of his advice has clearly turned out to be, I think, objectively, bum advice."
Mitchell: "After the election losses last fall Cheney could no longer protect his closest ally Donald Rumsfeld."
Cheney: "Don Rumsfeld is the finest Secretary of Defense this nation has ever had."
Mitchell: "And Condoleezza Rice started winning battles over Iran, Syria and North Korea. Did that signify a split? Perhaps when Cheney praised former UN ambassador John Bolton, who had just blasted those decisions."
Cheney: "I especially want to recognize Ambassador John Bolton who did a superb job for America at the United Nations."
Mitchell: "Even though Bolton clearly infuriated the President."
George W. Bush: "I strongly disagree, strongly disagree with his assessment."
Mitchell: "But Mr. Bush still relies on his Vice President for crucial talks with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Cheney says his value to the President is he has no political ambition for himself."
Cheney: "I'm not worried about what the folks in Iowa are gonna say in the caucuses in January of next year. I'm there to do a job and that's to call them as I see them."
Mitchell: "But others say that is also a weakness, making Cheney, who is now on the cover of the new Time magazine out tomorrow less sensitive to the political fallout from his own advice. And this footnote. Instead of expressing disappointment over the Libby verdict, as Dick Cheney did, the President said he respected the jury's decision. Ann."
Meredith Vieira: "I'll take it actually, Andrea. Thank you very much."
Mitchell: "I'm sorry Meredith, to you."
Vieira: "That's okay."
Mitchell: "Tim Russert is NBC's Washington bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press and he also played a pivotal role in the Libby case. Tim, good morning to you."
Russert: "Good morning, Meredith."
Vieira: "You heard what Andrea just said and along with that we still don't know about the Vice President's role in the CIA leak case. Has he become too much of a political liability for this administration?"
Russert: "Well obviously the relationship between the President and Vice President is different now than it was six years ago but the President's favorable rating across the country is at 30 percent. The hard core Republican base is all George W. Bush has left. And that's the exact same base that Dick Cheney appeals to. So absent some kind of physical difficulty or incapacity Dick Cheney will stay as Vice President."
Vieira: "So you don't foresee any scenario in which he would either willingly resign or be asked to resign."
Russert: "I don't think he'll step down voluntarily. I think it would have to be something physical because Meredith, remember with our Constitution now if the Vice President did step down the President would have to go to a Democratic Congress to seek confirmation of a replacement which could result in very interesting hearings and the Democrats would try to have some serious input on that choice."
Vieira: "Tim as Andrea mentioned before in Friday's issue of Time magazine is gonna feature a cover story on the Vice President. It's written by Michael Duffy. And among other things Duffy writes, 'Cheney has become the administration's enemy within, the man whose single-minded pursuit of ideological goals, creaking political instincts and love of secrecy produced an independent operation inside the White House that has done more harm than good.' You understand the workings of the White House. What is your reaction to that assessment?"
Russert: "Well those are important words and I think Andrea's report is exactly on the money. We have a situation where Dick Cheney lost his ideological soul mate Donald Rumsfeld. And now you see the reemergence of Condi Rice, the Secretary of State, reaching out to Iran, reaching out to Syria through Iraq, but nonetheless she has done it. The arrangement, the agreement with North Korea. Something that was ascribed by many as very similar to what President Clinton had done. So clearly the President now is looking at more pragmatic views than ideological views when it comes to some aspects of his foreign policy. And that would be an emphasis more on Condoleezza Rice than on Dick Cheney."
Russert: "That's very dismal news for our country and certainly for this administration, Meredith, because you have to take a country to war, you can't just send an army. And more than, close to half of Republicans now, have a very pessimistic view about those wars. George Bush described himself as a war president, he bet his presidency on the outcome of the war in Iraq and now these kind of dismal numbers really do, I think, have a profound effect upon how history will look at him."
Vieira: "But given what you said about Condoleezza Rice seeming to direct foreign policy a little bit more right now than Cheney, do you expect that will bleed over into the way the President deals with Iraq and Afghanistan?"
Russert: "I do. I think that's why you see this meeting with Iraq, Iran and Syria, Condoleezza Rice is, is involving it, involved in it. I think more and more the President realizes that you can't just have a military solution to the situation in Iraq. Diplomacy is central to it. The acknowledgement by the President, we needed more troops in Iraq. I think there's a growing sense within the White House and certainly within the Oval Office that there has to be a course correction when it comes to the war."
Vieira: "Back to the poll and this time politics. The 2008 presidential race. 73 percent of respondents say that they are already following the race closely and we're 10 months away from the Iowa caucuses. What does that say to you that so many people are paying so much attention so early?"
Russert: "It's an astounding number. Here we are in March of '07 more than 600 days before the election. I think, in part, it's because of a lot of dissatisfaction with President Bush's performance. As I mentioned his approval rating is 30 percent. But I also think that the fact there are 16 candidates in the Democratic/Republican parties running, everyone has a horse and they're kind of enjoying watching it."
Vieira: "Okay Tim, thanks very much."
Russert: "Alright Meredith."
