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White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer gestures as he speaks to reporters at the White House briefing room April 2, 2003 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Ari & I: September 19, 2002
Russell Mokhiber questions White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer
Sep 19, 2002
Russell Mokhiber: Ari, you said earlier that "Democracy is God-given." Didn't Thomas Jefferson have something to do with it?
Ari Fleischer: I cited the Declaration of Independence and the author of our inalienable rights.
Mokhiber: Who is the author of our inalienable rights?
Ari Fleischer: That's what I said -- it's Jefferson.
Mokhiber: Oh, I thought you said "Democracy is God-given"?
Ari Fleischer: Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independent rights that we hold these truths, these self-evident truths that these rights were created by, given by the creator. Our Declaration of Independence says that.
Mokhiber: Second question. Has the Bush Administration estimated how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed in the event of an invasion?
Ari Fleischer: The question the President worries about -- and much of the world worries about -- is how many people will be killed if Saddam Hussein is allowed to develop nuclear weapons. And he has a history of showing that once he gets his hands on a weapon, he uses it.
Mokhiber: But has the estimate been made by the Administration of how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed if we invade?
Ari Fleischer: I'm not aware of it, I don't know, I'm not aware.
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Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
Russell Mokhiber: Ari, you said earlier that "Democracy is God-given." Didn't Thomas Jefferson have something to do with it?
Ari Fleischer: I cited the Declaration of Independence and the author of our inalienable rights.
Mokhiber: Who is the author of our inalienable rights?
Ari Fleischer: That's what I said -- it's Jefferson.
Mokhiber: Oh, I thought you said "Democracy is God-given"?
Ari Fleischer: Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independent rights that we hold these truths, these self-evident truths that these rights were created by, given by the creator. Our Declaration of Independence says that.
Mokhiber: Second question. Has the Bush Administration estimated how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed in the event of an invasion?
Ari Fleischer: The question the President worries about -- and much of the world worries about -- is how many people will be killed if Saddam Hussein is allowed to develop nuclear weapons. And he has a history of showing that once he gets his hands on a weapon, he uses it.
Mokhiber: But has the estimate been made by the Administration of how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed if we invade?
Ari Fleischer: I'm not aware of it, I don't know, I'm not aware.
Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. He is also founder of singlepayeraction.org, and editor of the website Morgan County USA.
Russell Mokhiber: Ari, you said earlier that "Democracy is God-given." Didn't Thomas Jefferson have something to do with it?
Ari Fleischer: I cited the Declaration of Independence and the author of our inalienable rights.
Mokhiber: Who is the author of our inalienable rights?
Ari Fleischer: That's what I said -- it's Jefferson.
Mokhiber: Oh, I thought you said "Democracy is God-given"?
Ari Fleischer: Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independent rights that we hold these truths, these self-evident truths that these rights were created by, given by the creator. Our Declaration of Independence says that.
Mokhiber: Second question. Has the Bush Administration estimated how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed in the event of an invasion?
Ari Fleischer: The question the President worries about -- and much of the world worries about -- is how many people will be killed if Saddam Hussein is allowed to develop nuclear weapons. And he has a history of showing that once he gets his hands on a weapon, he uses it.
Mokhiber: But has the estimate been made by the Administration of how many American soldiers and Iraqi civilians will be killed if we invade?
Ari Fleischer: I'm not aware of it, I don't know, I'm not aware.
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