19 February 1998
TRANSCRIPT: RUBIN COMMENTS TO PRESS AFTER INT'L TOWN MEETING
(Says despite protesters, most in audience supportive) (940) Columbus, Ohio -- Despite some protesters, most of the audience attending the February 18 international town meeting on Iraq involving top Clinton Administration officials at Ohio State University was "generally supportive" of the efforts the President is making to contain Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, according to State Department spokesman James Rubin. White House organizers selected central Ohio as the site of the meeting because the region is traditionally considered to typify the so-called "heartland" of the United States. During the discussions, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen, and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger sought to explain why the United States is considering military action against Iraq. The meeting was broadcast live worldwide by the Cable News Network (CNN) both on television and radio. Listeners from around the United States and from countries as far away as Holland, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates phoned in questions to the participants. According to Rubin, "80 to 90 percent of the audience were interested in a serious discussion and were generally supportive of the efforts the Administration was making." Despite the heckling, Albright, Cohen, and Berger "felt quite comfortable with the level of support in the room and the seriousness of the discussion," Rubin reported. "They all felt like they were welcomed to the democratic process here in Ohio." Rubin gave this assessment to the press following the event while still at Ohio State University. Albright will speak on Iraq February 19 at Tennessee State University in Nashville and the at University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Following is the State Department transcript: (begin transcript) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman February 18, 1998 Remarks to the Press by James P. Rubin, Spokesman French Field House Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio February 18, 1998 RUBIN: I had a chance to talk to the three participants in the hold room after the event. I think they all felt like they wanted to come to Ohio to talk to the American people. They feel like they were welcomed to the democratic process, they enjoyed it, and they felt that although 5 to 10 percent of the audience were quite loud, 80 to 90 percent of the audience were interested in a serious discussion and were generally supportive of the efforts the Administration was making. Their general reaction was that someone in the room, who I shall not name, said that the protesters couldn't even organize themselves very well. They remember much better organized protests from the 60's. QUESTION: Were you expecting this, Jamie? RUBIN: Well, we picked a large audience because we felt it was very important. We all do a lot of interviews in Washington. Washington is a very insulated environment, and all of the principals rarely get a chance to talk to a large group of people. So we promoted the idea of a very large audience. When there is a large audience, there is a recognition that there will be a chance of disruptions. But they felt it was more important to talk to a large number of the American people and risk the disruptions. So, they all felt like they were welcomed to the democratic process here in Ohio. They enjoyed it, and felt quite comfortable with the level of support in the room and the seriousness of the discussion, other than the 5 to 10 percent that was quite loud. Q: (Inaudible) on television, to a worldwide audience and Saddam Hussein watching? RUBIN: We recognize that the democratic process can seem loud, that there can seem like many voices. But I think when Secretary Albright made clear that we were all (inaudible). Q: (Inaudible) said that you felt the audience was generally supportive. Do you also mean to say you thought the audience was supportive of a strike on Iraq should that happen? RUBIN: Supportive of the goals of the Administration. In other words, it was a very tiny percentage of people who weren't interested in having a serious discussion, that were interested in having the opportunity to state -- how would I call this -- counter-establishment views. The overwhelming majority were very supportive of the goals of the Administration. You know, it's hard to know exactly who's for what, but I think they came away feeling that the overwhelming majority of the audience was supportive of their goals and asked the kind of legitimate questions they came here to answer. Q: Do you think the three feel as though, having come to the heartland, that they would have the support from the American people for a strike on Iraq, should it happen? A thumbs-up, if you will? RUBIN: The judgment that the President has to make will take into account very many factors, but the impression that all of them got from the audience, from the work they've done on Capitol Hill, from the discussions they've had in other fora is that by and large the American public and Congress supports what the Administration is doing. That doesn't mean there aren't hard questions. There were some hard questions today. They expected that; that's why they came here. They feel that the general reaction was supportive of the goals and supportive of the Administration's determination to act. The general view of Secretary Albright, I know for one, is that the Congressional leadership and the members of Congress that she has spoken to are generally supportive of what the Administration is doing. (end transcript)
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