and we gave saddam hussein, just as jim did many years earlier, a chance to avoid this. but the risks, we felt, were too high at this point just to let him slip away from this and let him continue to violate the u.n. resolutions. >> mr. vice president, on the subject of disagreements, they go all across this table, they're all throughout this room and in the air. gentlemen at this table have said that's not the dick cheney i knew. he's unrecognizable to me. it was the transition between gulf one and gulf two and all the changes. the nature of gulf two that was seen as an elective war in the wake of 9/11, have you made peace, if not with some of the men at this table with whom you haven't enjoyed casual conversation heretofore until today for years and do you feel the need to? >> i prefer to think of it as a truce, brian. >> we have agreement on that from everyone? >> yes. we're going hunting, jim and i are. we haven't invited anybody else, but the two of us are going to go. no, i -- clearly we had differences on subsequent policy issues. from my perspective, and i looked

april ninth two thousand and three that was the david a statue of saddam hussein was brought down to baghdad's fair dos square now we now know the truth of how that moment was created but a battalion of marines found themselves near a hotel that was a journalist hangout though one man sergeant leon lambert took it upon himself to tell his captain that iraqis wanted the statue taken down so he was given permission to lend them his sledgehammer but as much flak as the military received perhaps it's more important as peter maass of the new yorker has done in a long investigation to point fingers at the media for their embury saying overreaction that date brit hume of fox saying this transcends anything i've ever seen c.n.n.'s bill hemmer calling it a seminal moment a nation in a nation's history like the fall of the berlin wall but why do we really care about the media's reaction to that one event because i'm wondering if they've learned anything here this guy with me is jamie mcintyre former c.n.n. senior pentagon correspondent who now blogs on military and media issues at line of depa

and they're even wondering was there a romantic novel by saddam hussein? >> reporter: we first met cohen that is borat a few years ago. nice to meet you. >> you remind me of my sister. are you also a prostitute? >> well, no, i'm actually a reporter with "good morning, america." >> i like very much this lady diane sawyer. wa-wa-woo-wa. >> reporter: his films have courted controversy but also generated huge profits. in fact, cohen's movies have grossed hundreds of millions worldwide, but are audiences ready for a satire about saddam hussein and the oppression of the iraqi people? >> when people are still sensitive about subjects, he presses on the wound in a funny way. >> so the headline -- there are many headlines out of that piece but it's good to know that even in kazakhstan, diane sawyer and "good morning america" are well known. >> your interview with him was one of the funniest things i have seen. >> i was like six months into my career here at abc. i was like, oh, my gosh. >> you handled the interview well. >> you don't know what to expect from that g

restrictions, all these other things, trying to bring in saddam hussein. so are you still confident that there is no rationale at all for toppling saddam hussein? >> guest: the state of rational turned out to be long as you know. wmd was the big thing, the weapons of mass destruction. i don't deal with that much in the book because it has been dealt with hussain were linked and the reason that is part to to see how to make several -- if saddam hussein was going to be a threat to the united states and had several things. you have to say the things you just said. you have to say he had wmd. but because he didn't have ballistic missile system that could deliver these wmd in the united states you have to say he was linked to terrorists including al qaeda unai diskette this wmd to al qaeda, and one of the most persuasive elements at the time when i saw secretary powell speech to the united nations was the idea that saddam hussein was trading on weapons of mass destruction. unfortunately that turned out to be the fruit of an extraordinary rendition. he was taken

it doesn't go broader than that. >> you explained for you the decision to house saddam hussein's regime by force was not predetermined and if saddam backed down which you didn't expect him to do so, then invasion would not be necessary. a critical decision was therefore your decision that we should be prepared to join the americans in using force, and we should prepare to use force ourselves. can you tell us at what point you took that decision? >> i think september 11th i said in the statement in september of 2001 i think this issue of wmd is going to take on a different meaning now, and, of course, the americans had already a policy of regime change. that was a policy in fact articulated by president clinton passed in 1998 following the military action we took against iraq, u.s., and u.k. in 1998. it was only agenda, and i was going to make it clear with the shoulder of america with the threat and how we do with it is an open question. that we were going to deal with was clear from that moment on. the cap innocent paper on conditions for military action which was issued on the 19th of

in order to oust saddam hussein from his invasion of kuwait harry truman used the u.n. to put in u.s. troops it collectively with other player in countries to stop the invasion of south korea by north korea these are real realities this is what the u.n. has achieved.

in order to oust saddam hussein from his invasion of kuwait harry truman use the u.n. to put in u.s. troops it collectively with other countries to stop the invasion of south korea by north korea these are real realities this is what the u.n. is achieved the u.n. has sanctions now on both north korea and iran because that's the way of trying to prevent them from developing a nuclear capacities all these things don't answer.

in order to oust saddam hussein from his invasion of kuwait harry truman used the u.n. to put in.

in order to oust saddam hussein from his invasion of kuwait harry truman used the u.n. to put in u.s. troops it collectively with other foreign countries to stop the invasion of south korea by north korea these are real realities this is what the u.n. has achieved the u.n. has sanctions now on both north korea and iran because that's the way of trying to prevent them from developing a nuclear capacities all these things don't necessarily work all the time but there simply is no other organization that has the capacity to do these kind of a gentleman and it is settled thank you see me jump in here and i'm sure we can discuss the united nations and people will discuss united nations for a long time many thanks to my guest today in new york greensboro and in hong kong and thanks to our viewers for watching this here darkie see you next time.

all that saddam hussein wanted to do finally was to leave kuwait with his troops. without any concessions in the bush the first said we will see him in baghdad. in other words, but war wasn't about getting saddam hussein out of kuwait, it was about destroying the iraqi forces and occupying iraq through the sanctioning iraq. so the negotiation is sometimes doesn't exist because we don't want it to. but even when we do negotiate or we are willing to negotiate some times we consistently confuse negotiation with conflict resolution, or to put a different way a more generous way people haven't learned yet washington with the conflict resolution is. that is in sitting down at a table with a gun under the table instead of on top of the table and bargaining from strength. it's analyzing the problem that brought the conflict about so that you can do something about that you can eliminate the causes of conflict. it has been used in northern ireland and throughout eastern europe but it was used in macedonia and is being used with the turks and armenians of the moment and geor

>> the first thing would i do is take out saddam hussein. that's unfinished business that should have happened during the gulf war. >> came him personally out? >> take him and his government personally out. >> kill them? >> yes, or imprison -- get them out of power. which would by now mean killing them. and their gua and their supporters and get them out of there. it wasn't for israel that we wento fht that war. >> what did we do it for? >> well, the off the ensybil reason was to -- ostensible reas was to get them out of kuwait, but that was -- tt country was a source of terrible anti-western agitation and plotting and building weapons and all that. it was the enemy. we d have enemies, you know. and we went to war against this one. and then stopped >> how far would you go? if you are going to kill innocent civilians in the process, what do you do about that? >> we killed a lot of innocent civilians. that's whatar ds. that's what war does. we killed a lot of innocent germans and a lot of innocent japanese, after all. and would have had it com

the bombs and missiles targeted saddam hussein's palace. the communications centers.et. the iraqi defenders were spectacular in their intensity. but where was iraq's iron fist? its air force and much-boasted defense plan? to all intents and purposes it was nonexistent in this crucial phase of the war. by first light over baghdad the mayhem had silenced. the attack formations and incoming missiles had stopped. there was an eerie calm. this was a city stunned by the gravity and speed of action. roads were virtually empty. but some motorists were speeding away. it was impossible to report accurately at this stage of the conflict on how much fight was left in iraq's war machine. all potential if any remained in iraq's plans to enlarge the war zone with a strike on israel. the city itself was by no means physically devastated but it was in mental shock, that saddam hussein was not expecting this to happen after invading kuwait. he made a historic miscalculation. brent sadler, itn, baghdad. >> weird how the implications of war here, literally iraq still owes kuwait $20 bill

we invaded iraq under i think nothing but lies there were no weapons of mass destruction and saddam hussein had absolutely nothing to do with nine eleven however the bush administration was really successful in lying to the public and making them believe that saddam hussein was behind nine eleven and you know invading iraq turned out to be one of the biggest disasters in u.s. history and no i don't think the republicans were right at all by the end of the twenty eleven fiscal year we will have spent one point two twenty nine trillion dollars on these wars at the same time the infrastructure in the united states is falling apart cities like camden new jersey have to layoff half of their police force because they can't pay for it no the republicans were not right and right now obama's industry and their foreign policies are also not right well that's why i don't think that you know the glen was saying that the republicans were actually right or all along i definitely don't think so i know you definitely don't think so but if the obama. ministrations actions that almost make it look that way r

has a lot of obligations that kept saddam hussein in power. if we had stopped that, i think it's quite likely that the government that remained in power in be iraq would have been a very different kind of government. that would have been much better for the people of iraq. >> host: next call for phyllis bennis, beaverton, oregon. go ahead, josephine. >> caller: hi, ms. bennis. i want to complement you, first, on your high intelligence and your knowledge of the issues. >> guest: thank you. >> caller: and, but i would like to know more of a personal question, is if you believe in a god, and if you do, do you believe that people that do believe in a god should be in control of the world, or do you think that it should be more people who would like to control the world because of their intelligence or their knowledge of the issues and of that sort? >> guest: that's a different kind of question than i'm used to getting, i suppose. i don't believe in god. i believe in people. i have a great deal of faith. i consider myself a person of faith in a sen

so are you really still confident that there was no rationale at all for toppling saddam hussein? >> guest: the stated rationale turn out to be wrong as you know. wmd was the big thing weapons of mass destruction. i don't deal with that well in the book because it's been dealt with elsewhere but i do go into some detail about the notion that al qaeda and saddam hussein were linked, and the reason that's important is you have to make several -- if it of using was going to be a threat he had to say several things not just one. you have to say the things you just said. you have to say that he had wmd, but because he didn't have the ballistic missile system to deliver these wmd to the united states you have to say he was linked to terrorists including al qaeda and he might get the wmd to al qaeda and one of the most persuasive element at the time when i saw secretary paul's of the united nations was the idea that he was treating them on the weapons of mass destruction. unfortunately that turned out to be the fruit of an extraordinary rendition. he was taken to egypt and ordered not to

saddam hussein's regime was terribly repressive. but for ordinary iraqis day-to-day life went on.there were, there were hundreds of thousands of people who were imprisoned at various points, political prisoners, repression. but for most iraqis life went on. iraq had the most advanced health care system anywhere in the region. it's where wealthy saudis would go when they needed heart surgery or brain surgery. iraqis had the best education system, free right up through university and postgraduate work. in fact, iraqis traveled all over the world and then went home. they weren't all trying to escape their country. so life was hard in terms of political repression, but the social and economic rights of iraqis at that time were much better than during the war when we've seen over a million people killed as a result of this war. the years of sanctions killed hundreds of thousands. we know, we remember the famous statement from madeleine albright back in 1996 when she was asked on "60 minutes" what about the 500,000 children who have died as a result of u.s.-imposed sanctions, and withou

transported to other cities because the local facilities could not cope with much residual loyalty to saddam husseinthey see them as traitors. there is no shortage of recruits. >> let's bring you some other news. civil service has blocked the iraq war inquiry from publishing and home of its descent from tony blair house to whom george bush -- to president george w. bush. they are disappointed by the decision. they said it would harm britain's international relations. during his 15-year rule, he was deposed in 1986. he was detained and charged after the supplies returned to haiti. the prime minister has retained the leadership of his party, choosing to back him in a secret confident valid. the polish investigation of a plane crash has accused russia of failing to warn pilots. the official russian inquiry has accused polish officials of putting the pilots under psychological pressure to land despite bad weather. tunisia's new government looks to be in tatters. the streets erupted again. protesters are angry at the survival of the old regime under a new guise. will that be enough to ensure their supply

and they were happy to be free from the oppression of saddam hussein but at the same time they wanted to regain control of their country. they didn't want an extended occupation. the. first real confrontation happened at the town hall and. that's where we had our first combat experience and there was a demonstration in support of that and against george bush. on. one of the. first there was no violence the demonstrators were shouting their slogans nothing more than seeing. after forty five minutes of protest. they started throwing grenades and it all became very violent. and the my unit was ordered to take defensive positions on the roof of the town hall. we were told to open fire if anyone threw grenades at us. the. one point silence of complete silence all of the demonstrators about two hundred people started moving from one place to the other. one corner we saw a young man coming towards us he was holding something in his hand. through the telescope. been specifically ordered to shoot to kill if anyone threw something that young man was holding something and he threw it at us. it w

that saddam hussein has weapons of mass destruction vs. nerve agent terrorism cyber attacks nuclear program biological weapons or to prepare for new and emerging threats this is the epicenter of violent extremism. this is no idle danger. the question with all of this as we look at the fear charged political landscape is whether the images of a mean world spiraling out of control threatening to do us harm at every turn have contributed to a sense of anxiety and fear that is overwhelming our ability to think clearly and rationally beyond a reasonable concern for security and the need to defend ourselves. what mattered most to was that the violent imagery that fills up every day mainstream television and film and news and reality programming is likely to create in most regular viewers a sense of fear and mistrust with implications that reach far beyond media entertainment into the very depths of how we perceive the world and our place in it . from hollywood movies and primetime drama to children's programs and video games straight through to

police and hospital officials in iraq say 60 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in saddam hussein's former home town. more than 100 other people were injured. it is the deadliest bombing in more than two months. it is the first major attack since the formation of the new government four weeks ago. meanwhile amid the inquiry into the war has resumed with the resolution of the civil senior servant that is blocking messages between tony blair in former president george w. bush. >> a year before the invasion of iraq, tony blair said frequent in private letters to george bush, setting out his determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with the americans. last month, the chairman of the iraq inquiry wrote to the cabinet secretary seeking permission to published extracts from his letters. he wrote "the material requested provide important and often unique insights into the thinking and commitment seem made that are not reflected. it cannot publish it. today, he expressed the committee's frustration. but they are disappointed that he is not willing to exceed 2 the request. in means that an

poorest country in the americas. 45 people have been killed in a suicide bombing in the hometown of saddam hussein. more than 100 others were wounded in the attack. they targeted a police recruiting station. the munich international curity conferenchas widraw the invitation to the belarus foreign minister. they said that the move condemned the crackdown on opposition groups following last month's presidential elections. 600 people were jailed in december. opposition parties and international observers say that it was great. finance ministers is what i am trying to say. >> the european debt crisis continues to drag on. we will be talking about this for a while. seriously, the euro zone finance ministers are starting to move towards some sort of agreement or compromise on the rescue fund. they want to be well prepared if the crisis weidman's. they are prepared to restore market confidence. what the juggling act considering the views of the nations involved. member states have agreed on introducing stricter rules for lenders. >> banks will have to face tougher stress tests while underlying capital an

guess who's playing saddam hussein? sacha baron cohen. the "borat" fame.'ll notice a lot of changes. we're very excited. a lot of work has gone into a lot of these. >> a whole new look, new graphics, new feel of the show. we're going to change desks. all kinds of stuff. if you're a fan of the show, stay tuned next week. >> did you see that? we gave you a brief -- that's what "the skinny's" going to look like. >> all new. . ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] tide with acti-lift technology helps remove many dry stains as if they were fresh. dad may try to ruin your style but dry stains won't. / ♪ ♪ tide with acti-lift. style is an option. clean is not. / get acti-lift in these tide detergents. / hó >>> and here are some stories to watch today on abc news. attorney general eric holder pays tribute to the man who had his job 50 years ago. holder leads a ceremony today remembering robert f. kennedy's role as nation's attorney general. >>> president obama will be in upstate new york today to visit a ge plant and make a major announcement. the plant is naming general e

iraq are say at least 60 people have been killed, more than 100 injured by a suicide bomber in saddam hussein's old home town. they say the bomber join the crowd outside the police station where potential recruits were waiting for interviews and medical checks. >> it was the deadliest attack in iraq for over two months. the suicide bomber on foot and wearing a heavy best of explosives mingled with a large gathering of several hundred young men waiting outside a police recruiting center. then, he blew himself up, causing horrendous casualties among the densely packed crowd. risky services were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the carnage. while local mosque broadcast appeals for blood donations over their loudspeakers, hospitals in the area were inundated with the wounded. some had to be transported to other cities because local facilities just could not cope. tikrit is a largely sunni area. security forces have been singled out for numerous attacks by suny insurgents, who see them as traitors -- by sunni insurgents. the lack of jobs means there is no shortage of would-be recruits. >> some of the

all of this i absolutely condemn human rights abuses anywhere in the world are condemned under saddam hussein i condemn them what's going on in the present for the purpose of intervention in iran is not about human rights and the whole thing is about iran's position in the world iran is a powerful country has a great deal of oil it has a great deal of military it also has a great sense of position the persian empire the to the tube socket they also have a sense of grievance against the west for the coup in one nine hundred fifty two for the. protection of the oil for the imposition of the shah and also the behavior towards the islamic republic and so i think we have to have a dialogue with iran they don't have nuclear weapons at the moment they are signatories to nuclear nonproliferation treaty they have withdrawn from the voluntary supplementary protocol i think we should be upping in gauge with iran rather than the sanctions policy and the isolation of iran engagement is likely to bring about improvements in human rights engagement is light bring about the prospects of iran working with the

and i think this is where, again, saddam hussein may have been saying things that maybe bush could have actuallysein listened to a little differently if he was a bit more savvy. >> tevy troy, you were nodding your head. >> there is a sense that there's some people that president bush stuck with too long or promoted to pig positions that they might not have been worthy of gettingh or shouldn't have gotten. and there was the sense that he was very loyal the his people, but on the other hand, somepe people didn't serve him as well as they could have.ha >> host: okay. julian zelizer, we have thisse tweet here, and this is from joshua kneelson. is there presidential deify case in recent u.s. culture? where do you see the current political locus of control of the public and presidency? >> guest: in terms of how the public sees the president, i mean, i don't think it's great.k i think it's hard to be president. i think the public culture leans towards destroying you, and that is a bipartisan thing. i think the romance, the honeymoon with presidentses ison actually very short, and i think becau

kuhn's of saddam hussein is revealed that we went to frustration and also cause succumbs to. the cold weather blues as frozen rain or lies is becoming aware of the holidays with thousands stranded on the road and in a pool. party to be in a pool of time condemning all makes you a being is increasingly where we are the growth of a lot of extremism. russia's most famous for what time it could remain the country's most famous prisoner for another six years as all school components and girls have been investing huge amounts of oil. twenty three million small two years after israel's military offensive in gaza while people that is still struggling to cope with the. tensions between the two neighbors are. those the headlines are monists here now with the sports news. hello and welcome just for an artsy comment to you from the russian capital i'm on call sir and let's jump straight to the events that made it so that's all of our bulletin. for played out of staff or bridge where just here is a compact aston villa held on for three three draw. russian football in the twenty tenth seas

. >>> there was a bloody scene this morning in saddam hussein's hometown tikrit. a suicide bomber attacked a crowd of iraqi men lining up outside a police recruiting center hoping to get jobs. an estimated 60 people were killed, another 100 injured. >>> chinese president hu jintao is in washington tonight for a state visit that will be full of photo opes, and will include serious and sober discussions about the economy as china is a critical player along with the u.s. savannah guthrie with us from the white house tonight. savannah, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. some experts say this is the most important visit by a chinese leader in three decades. these are the world's two biggest economic superpowers, sometimes rivals, sometimes partners. president hu arrived this afternoon in washington, greeted by the vice president at andrews air force base. he'll attend a small dinner tonight with president obama in the family dining room. tomorrow a day of meetings, and tomorrow night a full state dinner. both countries are emphasizing the importance of thi