General Wesley Clark on Fox News Live
February 9, 2006
Transcript by Reg NYC

Jon Scott: ...The former NATO Supreme Commander and Fox New analyst, General Wesley Clark. Also with us former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan. Welcome to both of you.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.

Ambassador Robert Jordan: Morning.

Jon Scott: General Clark, the arrest of Hambali, the Indonesian terrorist apparently is what thwarted this attack that we were just talking about. Why have we not heard more about it until now?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, that's a very good question. I think normally in operations like this, this information - who's been captured and what they've disclosed - is kept secret, because all the, all the ramifications of it haven't been worked out. But I do think it raises an important question, and that is that now that this is out and the people who have been associated with it presumably are in detention, I would hope we'd see them brought to justice. I, I hope they'll be put on trial and their crimes and their efforts to crimes, commit crimes will be exposed in front of the Islamic world, so that the whole world can see the evil of these people.

Jon Scott: Ambassador Jordan, the President didn't say anything about the NSA surveillance program. We thought that we might hear that was part of what lead to the arrest of this guy. Do you suppose that was the case and he's just not saying so yet?

Ambassador Robert Jordan: Frankly, I doubt it. The surveillance program may have been effective, but there are many other means of, of catching and killing these guys. So, we really don't know the, the methods that were used. They will probably be closely held for a while.

Jon Scott: The President, you know, you get the impression sometimes that in the years that have passed since 9/11, time spent without any successful attacks on this country, Ambassador, that, that the President wants to remind the American people that the danger is still out there. Is that part of what the speech is about today?

Ambassador Robert Jordan: Absolutely. He wants us to remember what a tremendous threat exists, not just to the United States, but throughout the world. He pointed to the Spain and the London bombings as well. He wants to remind all of us, I think, that there is danger. He says, "We're safer, but we're not yet safe," and I think that's an important message to continue to, to send out.

Jon Scott: General Clark, there were some critical remarks directed the President's way from New York Senator Hillary Clinton, a woman who is widely believed to be positioning herself to run for the Presidency in 2008. She said she doesn't understand, someone needs to explain to her why we haven't been able to catch Osama Bin Laden. He is after all the tallest guy in Afghanistan. What do you think about that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I think that it's important that we keep Osama Bin Laden's name out there. And I think it's important to keep governments focused on him. And I think we need to put full resources against it. You know, Osama Bin Laden is still a symbol. I don't know how much authority and power he really has over the clones of Al Qaeda who sort of franchise themselves around the world, but if we can detain Osama Bin Laden, it'll be a huge blow against the terrorist movement. So, I think he remains a very important target, and I hope we'll get him.

Jon Scott: You know perhaps better than any of us how the military works. I mean, I can't imagine that there isn't, you know, a full press on in the military and security services of this country to get that guy. I mean, is changing Presidents, no matter who it might be, is it going to somehow make it easier to catch him?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think the real issue here is what can be done with Pakistan and how much pressure Pervez Musharraf can put in that region of Pakistan where we believe Osama Bin Ladin is, assuming he's there, because that region is, is actually consolidating it's, it's relative independence from the government authorities in Pakistan. Actually the army's gone in, the Pakistani Army, they haven't done well. They've taken a lot of casualties, and they've more or less pulled back. The tribal leaders there are holding sway, and they're holding sway despite whatever Musharraf has said to us about trying to help us. So, I think we've got to take measures to undercut the formation of that base area. That base area threatens Afghanistan. It threaten our ability to leave Hamid Karzai there in a secure position in Afghanistan, and of course it threatens a resurgence of the Al Qaeda movement.

Jon Scott: Well Ambassador Jordan, Pervez Musharraf is, is not fan if Al Qaeda after that group tried to kill him two or three times. Is he not doing everything that he could in, in some of those outlaw regions to try to help us find Osama Bin Laden?

Ambassador Robert Jordan: I think he is doing everything he can, but he does not have the full support of his people or even many members of his government. He is not exactly the Lone Ranger, but he's really swimming upstream here. This is a very difficult balancing act that he's got to undertake. So, I think it's realistic to expect him to do everything he can. I think he is, but he does not have the ability to snap his fingers and all of the sudden bring these warlords and these tribes to heel here. It's a very difficult vacuum that exists out there, one that Musharraf is doing his best to deal with, but it's not easy for him.

Jon Scott: Well, is there more pressure or more of a carrot that the United States could send his way to, you know, to move things along?
Ambassador Robert Jordan: I think he needs to maintain as much credibility with his own people and with his own government, and that's the tightrope he's walking, and I think we've put about as much pressure on him as anyone can bear. We can't simply expect him to have all the power he needs to go forward unilaterally here. He's got to be able to muster coalitions. He's got to be able to muster consensus within his own military and his own government. That's not always easy.

Jon Scott: Ambassador Jordan and General Clark, thank you both for being with us.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.

Ambassador Robert Jordan: Thank you.