Sen. Biden, staffer, queried on pre-war hearings
These questions took place outside of the studios of NBC News in Washington, D.C. on January 7, 2007.
Transcript
Sam Husseini: Let me read you what Scott Ridder wrote on July 30th, 2002 about the hearings that you were just about to convene as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “For Senator”–you were head of foreign relations at that time as well–”For Senator Biden’s Iraq hearings to be anything more than a political sham used to evoke a modern day Gulf of Tonkin resolution equivalent for Iraq, his committee will need to ask hard questions and demand hard facts concerning the real nature of the weapons threat posed by Iraq.” Ridder seems to obviously have been correct about this. Do you agree?
Senator Joseph Biden: What’s your question?
SH: Do you agree that Ridder was right about that, that you presided over hearings that didn’t ask the necessary questions–
JB: No, I don’t agree with that. We did ask the necessary questions–
SH: –And, and, and in effect for a Gulf of Tonkin resolution–
JB: No, I don’t agree with that. Your question, Mam?
–
JB: Thank you all very much.
SH: Why isn’t Ridder correct, Sir? Wasn’t it in effect a Gulf of Tonkin resolution?
Aide: Have you even read the hearing transcripts?
SH: Yeah, I’ve read chunks of them.
Aide: You’ve read them?
SH: Are you with him?
Aide: Yeah, I’m Tony Lincoln. How — you are?
SH: Hi Tony.
Aide (Tony Lincoln): What’s your name? I’m sorry?
SH: Sam Husseini, I’m with-Now, so, I’m mean what’s wrong with that? Wasn’t it, in effect, a Gulf of Tonkin resolution?
Aide (Tony Lincoln): Read the hearing transcripts–
SH: No, no, no! I’m talking–
Aide (Tony Lincoln): Every hard question was answered–
SH: Who was there–
Aide (Tony Lincoln): He said there was no yellowcake–
SH: Who? Who? Who was there–
Aide (Tony Lincoln): He said there was no aluminum tubes–
SH: Who was there?
