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30-day Review Period By Congress; White House Vowing To Veto Bill; Israel's Right To Exist; Clinton Kicking Off Campaign; Reaching Out To Everyday Americans; Rubio Says Yesterday Is Over; Age When Took Office; Rubio Tells Hillary Clinton "Yesterday is Over"; Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Talks Hillary Clinton. Aired at 1-1:30p ET
Aired April 14, 2015 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1 P.M here at Washinton. 6 P.M in London. 8 P.M in Riyadh. 9:30 PM in Tehran. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.
The faith of the Iran nuclear deal could depend on what happens next hour, right here in Washington on Capitol Hill. The senate Foreign Relations Committee is taking up a bipartisan bill that forces the White House to like Congress review the deal. The White House opposes to bill.
Earlier, the Secretary of State John Kerry paid a visit to senators to discuss the framework agreement with Iran. The GOP sponsor of the bill, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee is the Chairman of the Relations Committee, spoke to CNN this morning. He says Congresses just doing its job. And then Kerry and President Obama would do exactly the same thing if they were back in the U.S Senate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR ROBERT PHILLIPS "BOB" CORKER: Every administration would like for, you know, Congress not to be involved. I will say that Secretary Kerry, when he was a senator, President Obama, when he was a senator, attempted to do the same exact thing as it relates to the status of forces agreement in Iraq.
So, you know, a lot of times, Chris, where you stand is where you sit. This is the rightful role for Congress to play on behalf of the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: It's also a fact that there are many members of Congress who see this potential pact with Iran as simply as unacceptable.
I'm joined now by CNN Jim Sciutto up in Capitol Hill, Athena Jones. Athena, first to you, well, what is in this new bill, this compromise version I'm told that the Republicans and the Democrats and members of the committee have worked on.
[12:59:58] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Wolf. Well, as you mentioned, there been a lot of negotiations to try to find common ground on this bill. The bill that we believed will be voted on and voted out of committee later
[13:00:00] this afternoon. It requires the president to submit the final Iran deal to Congress. It gives Congress up to 52 days to review the deal. During that period, the president would not be able to wave the sanctions that have been imposed by Congress on Iran.
Now, there is an initial 30-day review period during which Congress is able do that review. And another 12 days get added if Congress does vote on a bill and sends it to the president's desk, and then another 10 days if the president vetoes it. So, a total of 52 days.
Now, if the deal is submitted late, according to this bill, it means after July 9th, then the review period automatically reverts back to 60 days. That means that for a period of two months, the president would not be able to lift any of those congressionally imposed sanctions.
Under this bill, the president is also required to certify every 90 days that Iran is complying with the deal as laid out. It also requires a series of detailed reports on a -- on a -- on a range of issues, everything from Iran's nuclear program to its ballistic missiles and also any sort of terrorism it may be sponsoring around the world.
So, that's what's in the bill that they're going to be discussing in committee just over an hour from now and that's the language we expect to see coming out of the bill when they vote on it later today -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Yes, we assume the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will pass it. It'll then go to the Senate. There's no deal yet, though. They have until June, June 30th, to work out a deal. And as Secretary Kerry and President Obama keep on saying, until they work out everything, there is no deal.
And the Iranians, including the grand Ayatollah, he keeps saying that on the day it's signed, all sanctions have to be lifted. This legislation says that's not happening.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Clearly, they are still bridges -- gaps to be bridged here on the sanctions relief. One of them, the interpretation of when that happens. Does it happen immediately? Does it happen phased in over time? And as with many of those issues of contention in this agreement, it appears that two sides left some wiggle room at this recent framework agreement, clearly because they have to do some work before the June 30th deadline.
I find it interesting hearing Athena there that senators have put in a sort of enforcement of this June 30th deadline by saying, if it's late, if they push that deadline to July 9th -- and keep in mind, some Iranian officials and others have said, listen, we may not have to do this by June 30th. We have a little extra wiggle room that if they don't make it by July 9th, then they have 60 days to review it as opposed to 30 plus 22 extra days. Anyway, so Congress is trying to enforce that deadline. And as you
know, wolf, we've seen a lot of these deadlines get passed in the last several months.
BLITZER: And it's clear, Athena, the White House is not backing down at all from its veto threat, that if the Congress passes this legislation, requiring this kind of vote by the U.S. Congress and the -- and they approve it, the president is going to veto it. And then, they would need, what, a two-thirds override. We don't know if they're -- the Democrats and the Republicans would be able to override a presidential veto.
JONES: Well, it certainly looks as though they're moving to the point where they have at least those 67 votes. That's what Senate Democratic aide told my colleague, Ted Barrett, after this disagreement, this bipartisan compromise was announced between Chairman Corker and the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin. And that's been the goal all along, at least for some of the Democrats who have supported this bill, that just -- they're just saying Congress has a right and an obligation to weigh in on a deal as important as this.
And so, at least, according to some folks around here, they were already very, very close to that 67. And now, with some of these changes making it more palatable, potentially, to more Democrats, the thinking here is that there would be enough people, enough votes to override that veto.
And I should mention that Senator Menendez who was, until recently, the ranking member on this committee, said that the White House should embrace this, because it's going to have a strong vote in the committee. And he predicted also a strong bipartisan vote on the Senate floor when it comes up for a vote. I'm told that it's a priority and that after it passes through committee, it will come to a vote on the Senate floor, quote, "soon," according to an aide to the majority leader -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, and I'm sure it will pass on the Senate as well, at least this legislation.
Jim, one amendment that Marco Rubio, who announced yesterday he's running for the Republican presidential nomination, he wanted an amendment attached that Iran, as part of any deal, would have to recognize Israel's right to exist. I don't know if that's going forward or not going forward. What are you hearing?
SCIUTTO: Well, the latest on that is that he may pull that back, that amendment back, because of his concern that if he put that in, it would take away what appears to be building bipartisan support for their latest iteration of this Corker bill.
So, this may not be an issue now. But we do know, bigger picture, that this is something that Iran would not accept. You know, these negotiations, from the beginning, have been very focused on the nuclear program, other issues, whether it be terrorism, recognition of Israel or something that the west, the U.S. have agreed to keep off the table.
One other point I would just make is that, you know, regardless of what happens with this legislation, and it does look like it'll pass, and even if Congress blesses this agreement when it happens, you know, this is a foreign policy legacy defining achievement of this administration, in its view. It is something that they consider and the president considers his own territory.
[13:05:02] And to have Congress thrust itself into this space is something the administration was clearing battling back. And if they lose on this, that's a loss. That's taking it on the chin from the administration. It doesn't mean that they lose the deal, but it puts Congress in a place where the president feels he should have his prerogative.
BLITZER: Yes, the president clearly sees this as a legacy issue and he does the opening towards Cuba, as well, in the final two years of his administration.
All right, guys. We'll see what happens on the -- in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a little while. Jim Sciutto, Athena Jones, guys, thanks very much.
Let's get to the race for the White House. Hillary Clinton has arrived at the first destination of her campaign road trip, that would be Iowa. She's been on the road since Sunday, soon after she declared her candidacy. Her first official event is next hour. But she made an unannounced stop just a little while ago.
Our Senior Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar is covering the road trip for us. She's joining us now from Monticello in Iowa. Brianna, fill us in on the latest Clinton sighting. Give us a little preview of the event she's got scheduled in the next hour.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Hillary Clinton stopped at a coffee shop in Le Claire, Iowa. This is a town of less than 4,000 people so a pretty small place. And while there, she ordered a couple of coffee drinks and a water. She talked with some of the patrons in the shop about how there's been this long, cold winter.
And then, she sat down and talked with three people, two of them college students, and then a woman who works with -- at Planned Parenthood and also has a young daughter. So, no doubt they'll find some common ground there now that Hillary Clinton is a grandmother and really talks about that at every opportunity that she can.
Then, she's going to be coming here for her first formal campaign event. And check out this building behind me. This isn't a building on campus. This is the entire campus. This is the satellite campus of Kirkwood Community College. And she'll be having a round table in the auto tech lab. It's going to be very small, just with about 22 people who are students, who are faculty, who are young people in the area.
And I think you can definitely say, Wolf, that the press, the secret service and her aides, will greatly outnumber just the number of people she'll be talking to. This is, of course, following a couple days of this road trip that she's taken from New York.
And I will say, having spoken with some Democratic Iowa operatives, Wolf, they were a little perplexed by her stop yesterday in Ohio. Like Iowa, it's a swing state. She stopped at a Chipotle and there's actually pictures of the security camera video where she's there ordering her burrito bowl with her sunglasses on. They're perplexed by this because it seemed that she didn't really schmooze with voters in this swing state. One operative saying to me, you know, that's not going to fly in Iowa if she's out here really trying to show that she's trying to connect with people, she needs to take every opportunity that she can -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, that's a good point. And as you remember, as I remember, a lot of our viewers remember, in 2007-2008, Iowa was not all that kind to Hillary Clinton during her run for the Democratic presidential nomination. She finished third in the Iowa caucuses behind Barack Obama, John Edwards. And some Iowans complained, at the time, she was arrogant, detached. She's trying to change that this time, right?
KEILAR: She is trying to change that. The other thing was that she was so out organized by President Obama. He just got so many more people to the caucuses. That's where her organization is stepping in this time. And they're trying to be a little more strategic, certainly a lot more strategic I think you could say, than 2008. But, sure, she's coming into Iowa and she's showing some humility. It's why she's rolling up on four wheels instead of coming in a plane. And it's why she's having these small events.
It's intriguing that she's having events, Wolf, like you might see a really low-tiered candidate who's just trying to get to know people start to have. And she obviously has a huge name recognition. Everyone knows who she is. But she's trying to start really small and show them that she's listening to them and that she's fighting for them. And this is what her campaign says, she wants to make it clear that she's not taking any of their support for granted.
BLITZER: And we'll see what she does in the next hour at this first campaign stop.
Brianna Keilar, thanks very much.
Just ahead, Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio calls Hillary Clinton a leader from yesterday. He says he represents a new generation. Is that a risky strategy? We'll ask our political panel.
And in Yemen, air strikes by the Saudi Air Force continue to reign down on Houthi rebels. We're going to take a rare inside look inside the Saudi military. One of the most powerful in that region.
[13:09:37]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Hillary Clinton's out there campaigning. She's now on the road. And Marco Rubio is also campaigning. He's on the offensive. The latest 2016 presidential candidates, they're off and running.
Let's get some insight on the race for the White House, joining us, our CNN Political Director and our Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger. Gloria, Marco Rubio campaigning as someone who clearly thinks he's the new generation going after Hillary Clinton. Jeb Bush, for that matter, as the old generation. So yesterday, yesterday, yesterday, in his words. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[13:15:00] SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday, began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday. Yesterday is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Yes, that comment, he was clearly going after Hillary Clinton. He wasn't going after Jeb Bush. There was another -- there was another reference, there was a little veiled reference to people from position of power or whatever he was emerging as someone of a very different background. Is that at all risky, though, to suggest that he's 43, Hillary Clinton is 67, Jeb Bush is 63, that this age issue could be a factor?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: As Ronald Reagan might say, he's decided to make a virtue of his youth and inexperience. And he has got no choice. He's 43 years old. People are asking the question, what have you done in your life, right? And, you know, ironically, now after these Obama years when you look at the polling, over half of Republicans are saying they want someone with experience over vision. And so, he's got to kind of say, I'm the man with new ideas. I'm the man for the future. I think it's -- I think it is the only choice he has, at this point, because it is something that distinguishes him and he can only hope that it -- that it works for him.
BLITZER: We did some checking. He's, what, 43 years old. Hillary Clinton, as I said, 67 years old. Let's take a look at some of the ages of other presidents when they took office. Ronald Reagan, first term, he was 69; George H. W. Bush, 64; Dwight Eisenhower was 62; Gerald Ford, 61.
[13:15:03] Here's the question. And you know this well, David, older voters, older people, vote in much higher percentages than younger people vote. Does he risk, Marco Rubio, by suggesting Hillary Clinton may be too old or even Jeb Bush may be too old, does he risk alienating the people who go out there and vote in the biggest numbers, which are older Americans?
DAVID CHILAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: In the cost/benefit analysis, he may risk some of that but he decided as Gloria was saying this was the path to go to make the generational argument. I would say to Marco Rubio, when Ronald Reagan the hero of the
Republican Party, visionary in the party, was 69, did he lack some ability to lead a generation through the end of the 20th century? I would imagine Marco Rubio would say no to that. He has to be a little careful about making this purely about a generational shift, purely being the youngest guy in the field. But I think in that analysis, Wolf, he is OK with potentially alienating a few older voters if it means he can build a groundswell in the rest of the Republican Party.
BORGER: But I don't -- there is no evidence that younger voters would not vote for somebody who's older. I mean, if that person's ideas appeal to them. One thing you have to consider with Hillary Clinton is that she's a woman. And there are lots of younger voters who are attracted to the gender issue and think OK, it's time for a woman so I don't care how old she is. She's the most famous woman in the world, one might argue, and I care about her ideas, so who cares about her age.
BLITZER: As you know, the Republicans have gone after Barack Obama, the president of the United States, saying when he took office, he was a freshman Senator. He really didn't have a whole lot of experience. Listen to Rubio on this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R), FLORIDA & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, we both served in the state legislature, he as a back bencher and a minority and I as speaker of the House in the third-largest state in the country. I will have served a full it term in the president before I become president of the United States. During that time, I've been engaged and have publicly shown my judgment on issue after issue, whether it was what we should have done in Syria 2011, what we did in Libya 2011, and what we should be doing now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Actually, all three of the Republican presidential candidates, who have already announced, are first-term U.S. Senators.
CHILAN: And I expect on a debate stage when all these Republicans line up one next to the other, that you may hear Jeb Bush or Rick Perry or Rick Santorum, some of the other folks in the field, might make that argument, do we really want to go down this route again of a first-term Senator as our sort of path to taking back the Oval Office. I don't think that's just going to be a critique you'll hear elsewhere. You will hear it on the debate stage as divides exist.
BLITZER: Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor, might say that as well.
BORGER: Also, there's a divides on the experience front between those who have been executives and those who have been legislatures. Again, the polling shows by a three-to-one margin people don't love you if you've been in Congress or been a state legislature. In the Republican Party in particular, they think government is not work. What they're looking is executive experience and that would play to a governor certainly more than Marco Rubio.
BLITZER: It was also interesting, we did fact checking at CNN Politics, interesting item we posted, 1999, the reference to 1999, in Marco Rubio's speech last night, we don't want to go back to 1999, that was the last year of the Bill Clinton administration when there was a budget surplus, when there was surpluses as far as the eye could see.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: So maybe on that particular note it's not so bad to go back to 1999.
CHILAN: I have a feeling Democrats will be making that point often.
[13:20:04] BLITZER: A significant surplus in 1999.
All right, guys, thanks very much.
We may soon have another name on the official list of Republican presidential candidates. Dr. Ben Carson will make an announcement on May 4th in Detroit. He's expected to kick off his campaign there. Dr. Carson is a noted pediatric neurosurgeon, hinted at a run in the past, expected to do it in May.
For our North American viewers, by the way, don't miss CNN's "The Lead." Jake Tapper will interview Senator Marco Rubio, live at 4:00 p.m. eastern.
A quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Hillary Clinton's website features the words "new adventures, next chapter," but the GOP says her campaign feels more like a rerun. Earlier, we heard Marco Rubio the newest GOP presidential candidate describing Hillary Clinton as a leader of yesterday. Will voters see her that way as well?
Let's talk about what's going on. Joining us, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, also chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Congressman, thanks very much for coming in.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ, (D-CA) CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION: My pleasure. Thank you.
BLITZER: I think he said, "Yesterday is over, we're never going back." How does Hillary Clinton sell herself as the leader of not yesterday, but of the future?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: You know, Wolf, I think what's quite telling about the contrast between the launches of the various candidates for president is whether it was Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, they all spent their first day, hours of their presidential campaigns, attacking Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton, when she launched her presidential campaign on Sunday, talked about families, talked about being a champion for the middle class, and to help people climb those ladders of success. And now she's crisscrossing across the Midwest to speak with people where they are at their doorstep and to really get a sense from people about what they want for their future.
BLITZER: In her announcing videos, just a two and a half, three- minute video, she didn't say much but said she's beginning, announcing she's the candidate today.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: She's talking about families.
BLITZER: The next hour, we're going to hear a little bit more from her.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: The Republicans are talking about her.
BLITZER: It's her first campaign event.
Your counterpart, Reince Priebus, was here yesterday. He had this to say about Hillary Clinton. I'll play it for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: You've got a group of Democrat activists that are pretty concerned ate the fact that the Democrats are putting their eggs in one basket. I actually feel good about where we're at, Wolf. You've got Hillary Clinton at near 100 percent name I.D., losing to our candidates in battleground states with a third of her name I.D. across the country. So I actually like the idea of running against Hillary Clinton.
BLITZER: Your reaction to Reince Priebus?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: That's adorable spin on the part of Reince Priebus, but the reality is they have a clown car of Republican presidential wannabes and --
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: A what car?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: A clown car. You know whole bunch of people coming out of a clown car. That's what their primary is going to look like.
BLITZER: And battleground state polls in three that we had the other day, she wasn't doing that well in states like Colorado, which is a key battleground state.
[13:25:02] WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Ultimately, whoever our nominee is, there is going to be a very clear contrast between any of the Republican candidates, no matter how they try to repackage themselves as fresh and new, that embrace tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and tax increasing for the middle class, the same old tired Republican playbook, repealing the Affordable Care Act, taking away people's health care, trying to -- shutting the government down in order to achieve that, ending Medicare as we know it and turning night a voucher system. They have a backwards economic policy that didn't work before, that won't work again, and all of them fully embrace it.
BLITZER: You endorsed her. You worked hard for her back in 2000.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: I do.
BLITZER: You with her again this time?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: As the DNC chair, I'll have to manage neutrally our primary nominating contest. I expect us to have a primary and no matter who ends up coming out at the end as our nominee that we'll have a full throated support ready for our nominee. And our nominee is going to be elected the 45th president of the United States because they embrace the issues that matter the most to Americans.
BLITZER: You think she would be better off in a general election if she have some serious challengers for the Democratic nomination?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: We have a number of really potentially strong candidates talking about running. I think that we will have a primary in which she'll -- she and others will have a chance to debate the ideas and draw that contrast, regardless of who our nominee is, Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley, whoever it is. We will draw a stark contrast because our candidates are going to talk about being the champions of the middle class, helping people be able to afford to go to college when they can't now. Marco Rubio, yesterday, he tried to package himself as fresh and new, but still, gave full-throated support to the stale old ideas that all of the Republicans have supported and try to out right wing each other. And that's what we'll see during the primary.
BLITZER: You and another Republican president candidate, Rand Paul, the Senator, you had a tough exchange last week. And I'll remind our viewers what was going on. On abortion rights for women, he said this, he said, "Ask Debbie Wasserman-Schultz if it's OK to kill a 7- pound baby in uterus." And you responded to that, "I support letting women and their doctors make this decision without government getting involved, period. End of story. And I would appreciate it if you would respond without shushing me."
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Right.
BLITZER: To which he said this, when I interviewed him last week. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL, (R), KENTUCKY & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a bit of doubt and discussion earlier in pregnancy, but Debbie's position, which I guess is the Democratic Party position, that an abortion all the way to the day of birth would be fine. I think really most pro choice people would be a little uncomfortable with that. So I don't know. I really think that she's got some explaining to do. And if that's the position of the party, a lot of pro choice people are going to be uncomfortable with her position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Is that your position and the position of the party?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Rand Paul spends his entire first day as a candidate for president arguing with me over a woman's right to make her own reproductive choices. The Democrat Party's position is that decision is best left between a woman and her doctor. And the reason he deflected that question to me and said he would answers the question he'd be asked as soon as I did, we're still waiting for him to answer, does Rand Paul support exceptions for rape, incest of the life of the mother, in his opposition to a woman making her own reproductive choices. He still refuses to answer that question. And I am quite sure that his strategist didn't want him spending the whole day debating me, who is not a candidate for president of the United States, over a woman's right to choose.
BLITZER: But is he right when he says it's OK from your perspective to kill a 7-pound baby in uterus? Is that your position?
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: We have very different definitions of personal liberty. I made that clear in my response. The Democratic Party's position is that we are pro choice. We believe that a decision on a woman's reproductive choices is best left between a woman and her doctor. And I am still waiting for Rand Paul to say whether or not he support exceptions when a woman is raped. Are we going to force a woman to carry a baby to term and not allow her to make that choice? Are we going to, when she's a victim of rape, when she's a victim of incest, are we going to let a woman die? Would Rand Paul let a woman die because she is carrying a baby or is he going to let her make that choice with her doctor? We're still waiting on that.
But Rand Paul's first day out of the gate as a candidate for president was then not talking about issues that matter the most to Americans, the economy, jobs and helping us help people meet the middle class. It was debating me on abortion.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: You've got a lot of pick up on that. As I recall, what happened, he was asked by a reporter in New Hampshire and then in his response, he mentioned you.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Ultimately, at the end of the day, it is unlikely that voters are going to be deciding who they are going to vote for for president and whether a candidate has their back on this issue, it's more going to be on jobs and the economy, on who is going to make sure that they -- if you work hard and play by the rules that you'll have a chance to succeed. Rand Paul failed that test on the first day of the candidacy.
BLITZER: Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is the chair of the DNC.
Thanks very much for coming in.
WASSERMAN-SCHULTZ: Thank you, Wolf.
[13:30:04] BLITZER: Up next, a very different story we're following here in Washington. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al Abadi is over at the White House asking for more ammunition for his fight against ISIS.
