© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS CBS TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "CBS NEWS' FACE THE NATION. " CBS News FACE THE NATION Sunday, September 3, 2006 GUESTS: HOWARD DEAN Chairman, Democratic National Convention Senator MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY) Assistant Majority Leader KAREN TUMULTY National Political Reporter, Time magazine DOYLE McMANUS Washington Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times MODERATOR: RUSS MITCHELL - CBS News This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with FACE THE NATION - CBS NEWS 202-457-4481 BURRELLE'S INFORMATION SERVICES / 202-419-1859 / 800-456-2877 Face the Nation (CBS News) - Sunday, September 3, 2006 1 RUSS MITCHELL, host: Today on FACE THE NATION, just weeks to go before the vital midterm elections, and both parties are revving up their campaign machines. With many Senate and House races too close to call, can the Democrats capitalize on discontent with the war in Iraq, and retake control of Congress? Will Republicans convince voters to stay the course this time around? And will individual races reflect national sentiment? We'll ask Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Plus, Congress returns to Washington to wrap up unfinished business, with controversial issues high on the agenda. We'll get perspective from Karen Tumulty of Time magazine, and Doyle McManus, Washington bureau chief of The Los Angeles Times. But first, the 2006 midterm elections on FACE THE NATION. Announcer: FACE THE NATION with chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. And now from Washington, substituting for Bob Schieffer, CBS News correspondent Russ Mitchell. MITCHELL: And good morning, and welcome again to the broadcast. Bob is off this morning. Joining us now from Burlington, Vermont, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, and with us from Louisville, Kentucky, Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell. Going to begin first with Governor Dean. Governor, good morning to you. Mr. HOWARD DEAN (Chairman, Democratic National Committee): Russ, thanks for having me on. MITCHELL: Since September 11th, 2001, the Republican election playbook has pretty much been, `Take the national security issue and hammer Democrats with it.' It worked in 2002, it worked in 2004 against all odds. What makes you think that things are going to be different this time around? Mr. DEAN: Because the truth is that the Republicans look increasingly incompetent in defending our nation. Five years in to the Bush presidency and a Republican majority, we see Iran is about to get nuclear weapons, North Korea not only has them, but is expanding the number of nuclear weapons, Osama bin Laden is still at large. And I think the American people realize that Iraq was a war of choice, and that the real war is the war on terror. The Democrats want a new direction in our defense policy. We want to fight the war on terror. That means capturing or killing Osama bin Laden, focusing on the terrorists in northwest Pakistan. And we don't think that the Iraq war is the right way to fight the war on terror, because it simply was--has nothing to do with the war on terror. MITCHELL: Governor, Republicans say the Democrats are quick to criticize, but BURRELLE'S INFORMATION SERVICES / (202)419-1859 / (800)456-2877 Face the Nation (CBS News) - Sunday, September 3, 2006 2 thus far they've had no plan of their own, no specific plan as to how to fight the war on terror, how to end the war in Iraq. Will you announce... Mr. DEAN: That's actually... MITCHELL: Will you announce a specific plan before Election Day? Mr. DEAN: That's actually completely untrue, and I think you can ask Senator McConnell, who voted against a Democratic proposal to increase money for first responders so they can synchronize their radio, voted against the proposal--with many of the other Republicans--for more port security, more aviation security, more rail security. In many ways, the Republicans have turned down the suggestions that the Democrats have for improving our ability to defend our homeland, and we think it's time for a new direction. MITCHELL: When you see what happened with Senator Joe Lieberman in Connecticut, a moderate Democrat who lost the Democratic Party nomination there, do you see moderate Republicans have--or Democrats, rather, having a rough time over this Iraq issue? Mr. DEAN: I think anybody who's supporting President Bush's policy's going to have a rough time, and that includes an awful lot of Republicans. You see them scrambling to get away from the idea that--I think somebody this morning said that--a leading Republican said that Rumsfeld should resign; Chris Shays has said that we ought to have a timetable to get out of Iraq. Republicans are leaving a sinking ship, and the sinking ship is the Republican approach to the war in Iraq, and to the war on terror. MITCHELL: Well, do you think Secretary Rumsfeld should resign? Mr. DEAN: Of course I think he should resign. He's fundamentally incompetent, and he's also not very smart politically. Sixty percent of the American people believe the war in Iraq was a mistake. Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney have gone on television saying people who disagree with the president are essentially like Nazi appeasers. You know, when you start attacking voters out of your frustration, that is not a good thing for winning elections, and I think that's one of the reasons the Republicans are in trouble. We need a new direction. Staying the course for a failed strategy is not a good direction. MITCHELL: In your mind, do you want Rumsfeld to stay in there? In the Democrats' mind, does he have a target on his back? Is he going to be a whipping boy for the Democrats this time around? Mr. DEAN: What we want is a new direction for this country, and not just a new direction in the war on terror. I think what we haven't talked is about the Republicans' war on the American family. We've seen real wages go down $2300 since the president's been in office. Every year a million new American--middle class Americans lose their health insurance. The Republican majority has reduced Pell Grants and made it harder for middle class kids to go to college. We need a new direction, both at home and in defending BURRELLE'S INFORMATION SERVICES / (202)419-1859 / (800)456-2877 Face the Nation (CBS News) - Sunday, September 3, 2006 3 America. MITCHELL: In your mind, what is the biggest hurdle the Democratic candidates are going to have to overcome this election? Mr. DEAN: I think, you know, the Republicans have a good machine. They know--they may not know how to govern, but they do know how to win elections. For a long time we were not fighting back. Now we are. We know what we want, but we've got a lot of work to do. We've got great candidates, but we've got a lot of work to do. We have--you know, we're a little rusty at winning elections. MITCHELL: Your party needs 15 seats to gain control of the House. When you look at the landscape right now, how realistic is that? Mr. DEAN: I think it's very realistic because we're going to win in places like Indiana, we're going to win in places like Arizona where we've got a couple of seats across the board. And of course, the Northeast, everybody talks about, but there's some real potentials for winning all across the country. MITCHELL: Let's talk about the Senate now. You need six seats in the Senate to gain control of that. When you look at that, how optimistic are you? Mr. DEAN: Well, again, I'm optimistic. It's going to be a tough fight. You know, the--you know, the Republicans are a worthy opponent. When it comes to elections, they know what they're doing. They've been working on this for 30 years. We need to bring our party back into the fray, and I think we are. We've raised a lot of money. We've put in a good field organization. We've got terrific candidates--better, than I--better, I think, than the Republicans. And they're in trouble because they've got the culture of corruption they have to contend with in Montana. I think Senator Burns has taken an enormous amount of money from Jack Abramoff and his folks. But this is a tough race, make no mistake about it. These races are going down to the wire. MITCHELL: Now, when you look at these races across the country, are Democratic candidates going to be able to win, in your mind, on individual or local issues, or are these national issues going to be in large part at play? Mr. DEAN: This is going to be like 1994. People want a new direction. Sixty-seven percent of the people in this country think we need a change. So this is a national election and it's a referendum on the Republican rule. The Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House and I think people want a different direction, and we want a different direction. We want real change in this country. MITCHELL: The fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks is coming up next week. Republicans are expected to pass several bills in Congress commemorating that and other activities will take place as well.