Hewitt: Dr. Rice, let’s talk a little politics. Last time we actually spoke on this show was the Fall of 2000. You were advisor to then candidate Governor George Bush, now he’s the President and you’re helping him run the world. Will you be participating in the campaign or does the position of National Security Advisory preclude such participation?

Rice: Well by tradition the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury and I do not participate in campaigns. I think that’s a very good thing, because foreign policy of the United States is not a partisan matter. It is a matter of the security of our country, about the spread of freedom. It’s absolutely the case that we should have debates in the campaign about our foreign policy. The American people should be able to look at the record of this President and to see how its gone and to debate that, but I think it’s a good thing that the principle officers for foreign policy do not get involved in the campaign.

Hewitt: With that in mind as we approach the campaign season, will the participation in the rebuilding of Iraq necessarily be politicized by the swirling of politics here. We’re headed towards elections, the UN’s agreed with the position that the Administration has about the timing of those, but it is inevitable that politics will color how the occupation proceeds?

Rice: I certainly hope that politics will not color in any way what we’re doing in Iraq. It’s simply too important. This is a generational commitment to do something that will bring about a positive development in the Middle East which is a region that is desperately in need of positive development, and I hope that everybody will step back and recognize that this is a time when we need to send as a country strong messages to the Iraqis. For instance, that they are not going to be abandoned. That we are going to stay there until the job is done, that whatever happens the United States is committed to the course that it has begun. I think it is important that we have a debate about the role of the United States in the world that we not send mixed signals that terrorists might read as a weakening of our resolve to fight this war on terrorism. And it is war on terrorism. This is not a law enforcement action against a few criminals who happen to call themselves Al Qaeda. This is a disciplined army, a network that is determined to destroy the civilization that we all enjoy and all love, and so we need to be sure that we are not sending mixed signals.

• Last night there were a number of questions at the press conference regarding the capture of Abu Mohammed Hamza. We thought we’d provide some questions and some answers with regards to some of the items that have been picked up.
  These are pictures taken directly at the location. This was a set of photographs of Zarqawi that were picked up at the location. As you can see, this is a suicide vest that was found inside the house at which Hamza was killed, contains a plastic explosive, ball bearings, blasting caps, a trigger device and a hand grenade. This satchel is made to loop over the neck and be detonated by hand.
  Inside of the house, you can see an extensive amount of explosives. There was a pre-made improvised explosive device, a container full of plastic explosives over here. These were a number of suitcases that were found with wires, batteries, items that would be necessary for triggering explosive devices.
  Outside the house were found some barrels of sodium nitrate, some crates with some Soviet Cyrillic writing on the side, some more bags of sodium nitrate, and other items unknown. Samples have been taken by our explosive ordnance detachments, and they’re being analyzed at this time.
  
• In the central-south zone of operations, coalition forces conducted a search-and-seizure operation southwest of Karbala. The unit arrested 11 suspected anti-coalition personnel and confiscated six AK-47s, two shotguns, one sniper rifle, a satellite phone, one FM transceiver and one global positioning system. Additionally, 150 packages of suspected drugs were found.
  
• A patrol detained 90 personnel who tried to illegally cross the Iran-Iraq border northeast of Al Kut and confiscated 8 minibuses, five AK-47s and two other small-arms weapons. All of the persons and the minibuses were turned over to the Iraqi border police.
  
• I’m not aware of any redeployments of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. We have a routine transportation going back and forth. That is all part of the same CENTCOM area of operations. We have some shared assets that work for both commands. But large numbers of troops redeploying from Iraq to Afghanistan? Not aware.
  
• Q (In Arabic, Through Translator.) Husam Munaf (ph), (inaudible) news agency. We can see that most of the helicopters are flying low profile. So this might cause some panic and terrify the children of Iraq or are you intended to annoy the Iraqis by this action. Is it a challenge to the Iraqis especially since they are terrifying the children of Iraq?
  GEN. KIMMITT: What we would tell the children of Iraq is that the noise they hear is the sound of freedom. Those helicopters are in the air to provide safety, provide security. Certainly our helicopter pilots do not fly at an altitude intentionally to distract the children of Iraq. They’re there for their safety. They’re there for their protection. And just as my wife, who is a schoolteacher, tells the children when they’re sitting in the classroom that, when they hear the artillery rounds go off at Fort Bragg, she says, "Children, that’s the sound of freedom." They seem to be quite pleased with that explanation. We would recommend that you tell the same thing to the children of Iraq, that that helicopter noise you hear above you ensures that they don’t have to worry for the future.

Short replied: "Well indeed, but these things are done, and in the case of Kofi’s office it’s been done for some time."

Interviewer: "Let me repeat the question. Do you believe Britain has been involved in it?"

Short: "Well, I know. I’ve seen transcripts of Kofi Annan’s conversations. In fact I’ve had conversations with Kofi in the run-up to war, thinking: ’Oh dear, there will be a transcript of this and people will see what he and I are saying’."

Interviewer: "So in other words, British spies ... have been instructed to carry out operations within the UN on people like Kofi Annan."

Short: "Yes, absolutely."

Interviewer: "Did you know about this when you were in government?"

Short: "Absolutely. I read some of the transcripts of the accounts of his conversations."

Interviewer: "Is this legal?"

Short: "I don’t know. I presume so. It’s odd. I don’t know about the legalities." She went on to say that the real issue, in her opinion, was the broader legality of the Iraq war.