General Wesley Clark on The O'Reilly Factor

February 26, 2007

transcript by Melange

Bill O'Reilly: Impact Segment tonight - evidence mounting that Iran is providing lethal assistance to terrorists in Iraq and the United Nations says flat out Iran's violating the worldwide ban against developing nuclear weapons. Today in Europe the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany met to discuss the matter, nevertheless Fox News Analyst General Wesley Clark has started a website called StopIranWar.com. The General joins us now. Do you believe that the Iranians are supplying terrorists in Iraq with weapons?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Absolutely, and not only supplying terrorists with weapons but they're also doing everything they can to gain influence inside Iraq.

Bill O'Reilly: Okay.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: At our expense. And they have been for several years now.

Bill O'Reilly: Okay, so you…you buy into the uh…because there are people who don't – you know that there are Americans who you know <crosstalk>

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Look, I've been talking to my military friends for two or three years. Once the <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: So have I.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: They're there.

Bill O'Reilly: I think we have the same friends. I mean I've…I've been talking to them and they say there's no question. So we know Iran then killing American soldiers. We know that. Then, we have the UN um and Barati basically saying ‘look, these guys are defying the world and now it's crunch time.' We're moving carriers in, moving fleet in, we're sending a message that bad things could happen. Israel today asked for US clearance – air clearance, uh to Iran. They got it. So what say you about all that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I think that you have to assume that the Iranians want nuclear weapons and the idea is to stop them from getting the nuclear weapons. Now, the problem is that what the administration is doing is it's using military leverage and it's using others to exert diplomatic leverage. Just as in the case of North Korea - we did this for four years with North Korea - finally the administration authorized direct talks and Ambassador Chris Hill met with the North Koreans in Berlin and suddenly an agreement was reached – after four years, after the North Koreans already tested a nuclear device. So we don't have time to wait four years with Iran. What we need to do is we need to talk directly to the Iranians. Lay it on the line. Tell them what we believe.

Bill O'Reilly: The United Nations can't do that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No, not effectively. Not as effectively as the United States.

Bill O'Reilly: Why can't the UN, if the…if it's the UN sanctions they're violating, why can't the UN do it? Why? You've got to tell me why.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: We're the big power. We're the big dog on the block. We're there.

Bill O'Reilly: [The UN's] a pretty big dog.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: We've got the pistol at their head. We need to talk to them. I'll tell you the danger, Bill is, that if we don't talk soon, what they do is play a game. They've got several different strategies to work on and what we don't want to have happen is the clock run out and say ‘oop, my goodness, we're either going to have to strike them with our military or they're going to have a nuclear weapon.' <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: I don't mind the talking and I assume that some is going on back-channel, just as the North Koreans did but remember, the North Korean agreement came at six nations, not one but you say “StopIranWar.com” and you're basically sending a message to the Iranians, I believe, that you General Clark, a prestigious guy, don't want to fight them no matter what.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I'm not sending that message at all, Bill. That's not the message.

Bill O'Reilly: Yeah, but…but why did you name that that? Why can't it be ‘TalkToIran.com'?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Because I don't believe that war with Iran is inevitable but I believe that if this administration…<crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: Why can't it be ‘I don't believe war with Iran is inevitable.com'?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I don't believe that if this administration doesn't get pushed that it will talk to Iran until it's too late.

Bill O'Reilly: But isn't it the right strategy to put some force off their shore, to send a message to the mullahs?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Sure, it's a great strategy. No problem. <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: Because even the surge strategy according to stratfor.com, which you should check out by the way

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I read it all the time.

Bill O'Reilly: It's excellent. Even the surge strategy has put the Iranians off their game. They don't know

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Not exactly. Not exactly. Stratfor's not always right, Bill. What's actually happening with the surge strategy, the Shiite militia have gone to ground and the US troops are going to concentrate against the Sunnis and the actual impact of the surge strategy is likely be that we deliver total control of Baghdad to the Shias sooner <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: It's possible

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: rather than later.

Bill O'Reilly: It's possible

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's liable to exacerbate the problem. The administration believes that it can gain leverage against Iran by being successful in the surge strategy. That is a fundamentally flawed assumption and they're postponing dialogue waiting for the success from the surge strategy. It's a mistake.

Bill O'Reilly: I don't know if they're postponing it as much as saying United Nations bailiwick, let's see, now you didn't answer my question – why can't the United Nations get it done? Why not? Why…if…if everybody puts sanctions on them, they'd have to stop. You know that.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: The country that can deliver the goods to Iran, positively and negatively, is the United States.

Bill O'Reilly: Now, you're dodging my question. You're dodging the question.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: That's why the United Nations can't get it done.

Bill O'Reilly: No, you're a spin guy.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Listen to me, Bill.

Bill O'Reilly: Why can't the United Nations do it?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: The same reason the six powers couldn't do it with respect to North Korea because it's about the United States. We're the big dog. If we care enough about this, if we don't want to be forced to use a military option against Iran to stop their nuclear program then we should take, right now, the initiative in this dialogue. Why should the United States be afraid to talk to Iran?

Bill O'Reilly: I don't think it's a matter of afraid

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Then why aren't we talking to them?

Bill O'Reilly: I think we are.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Why let this tension go on? There's no evidence that we're talking. I think the Saudis are talking for us, but we are not actually sitting down.

Bill O'Reilly: Nah, there's Americans at that table.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: We are not in an authoritative way talking with Iran.

Bill O'Reilly: Alright I'm going to give you one more chance to answer my question. Why can't the United Nations do this? Why?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Because the United States is not being forthcoming in delivering the pressure and delivering the carrots and the sticks <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: That's no answer

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It is the answer

Bill O'Reilly: It's because Russia and China will not participate in any economic <crosstalk>

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No, it's about the United States. This is about the United States.

Bill O'Reilly: This is about the United Nations being impotent.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: We've taken the United Nations about as far as we can take it on this issue.

Bill O'Reilly: Because they're impotent.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No. They are us. We are the leading power in the United Nations and we should take this step and move forward. I don't think <crosstalk>

Bill O'Reilly: Check out

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Check it out – StopIranWar.com. What you'll see is it's not against military force as an option, it's in favor of a sequence of actions that prevents war.

Bill O'Reilly: A little spin. That's alright.