Transcript: Ann Richards in Larry King tonight. Great Interview.

[LittleApple81]

snip...

KING: We'll be including your calls, of course. It's always great to have her with us. The former Democratic governor of Texas, senior adviser to Public Strategies Incorporated, proud resident now of New York City. Let's get right to it, Ann. The situation in Iraq. The president will lay out details of the plans for transition in a speech Monday at the Army War College and they're now warning of more violence that may get even worse. How do you assess this?

ANN RICHARDS (D), FMR. TEXAS GOVERNOR: I never saw anything unravel quite as fast as this whole deal has, and it's just amazing to me, Larry, first of all, that we went in there and didn't even have the correct information to sending our men and women in harm's way. Now the very guy who gave us our information, we find out they raided his place today, and he is now in disrepute, and the White House didn't have anything to do with him. They sent a bunch of people who were totally unprepared over there.

You remember, we were in such an all-fired hurry to get there, that we couldn't wait until the United Nations actually completed their search for weapons of mass destruction. We had to go do it ourselves and then we get in there. We can't find them. This guy is gone and we put a bunch of people in charge of the prison. Did you know that the woman in charge of that big prison where the worst of it happened was a woman whose training was hotel management?

I've run a prison system, you know, in the state of Texas, and I can tell you that you have to have very, very specialized people, especially if you're going to interrogate them to try to get information. It was a -- it's been a joke from beginning to now.

more at link:
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0405/20/lkl.00.html

[comsymp]

1. I've loved this woman since 1988- transcript is a must-read!!!

She hits it all: Chalabi, the Clintons, Nader, Dean, Cheney, gay marriage, Texas education... it's breathtaking to read so much common sense coming from one page!

Thanks so much for posting this, LA!

[efhmc]

2. Anne, if we can run the bushes out of Texas, will you return.

We sorely miss you.

[osaMABUSh]

3. About electronic voting being fixed by the Governor of OH, PA?

Here's the text of the electronic voting fix. They kept saying Pennsylvania but, obviously, the caller meant Ohio and the Debold machines. Anne's bottom line: get it on paper.




CALLER: Yes, I do. My question is how are the Democrats going to be able to counter any attempt by Republicans to seal the election through use of voting machines. I have heard rumors that the Pennsylvania governor has already promised his election to George Bush, because they've fixed the machines.

KING: Hold it, hold it, hold it, that's a little irresponsible dear. The governor has told him he's fixed the machines?

RICHARDS: Yes. And besides that, I know the governor of Pennsylvania and he's a Republican, so he ain't going to do that.

But of course, people are worried about the machines. Of course, people are worried whether their vote is going to be accurately counted, and I just have to say that the only thing that I can depend on is that, No. 1, those companies, I think, have been put on notice, and I think they're very concerned about any appearance that they might attempt to fix the election.

No. 2, I think that most local elected officials are very honest, straightforward people, and I think they're going to do everything they can to run this election fairly.

If I had my choice, I'd probably use a pencil and a piece of paper, and I would like it. But I vote on a machine now, and I trust those machines to count my vote.

[AlCzervik]

4. the women that gave the Shrub his tag

I love her! I hope she speaks at the convention this year.

[comsymp]

5. Poor George, he cain't help it, redux?

He was born with a silver spoon up his nose... :evilgrin:

[TacticalPeek]

6. " By the way, Larry, my favorite bumper sticker this time is

No Child's Behind Is Left."


Attagirl!

[Tripper11]

7. I love this paragraph...

it's been my thinking when people ask why Kerry isn't taking advantage of Bush's crap numbers.

".....while the country is distracted by other stuff. And one rule of politics, believe me that is inviolate, Larry, is that when your opponent is in serious trouble and becoming unraveled the way this administration is, don't get in front of it. Don't get in the way of it. Don't distract. You just let that go on and do its thing, and you just continue to talk about the things you want to talk about. Believe me, the public's going to make up its mind which one of these people they want to be president when the time comes."

I love Ann "Tell It Like It Is" Richards

[Cleita]

8. Watching it right now.

:-)

[opihimoimoi]

9. Now there goes a REAL TEXAN

GOOOOOOOOOOO ANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. Love Ya.

[AnnitaR]

10. Ann would have made a wonderful President!

I love her!

You have to know that she is enjoying the hell out of the demise of Shrub's pResidency!