Phillips: Sir I don't know if you can see these live pictures or not. This is videotape from throught the day today and yesterday. Long lines for gasoline. People waiting in line for water. People waiting in line for ice, people aruging and shouting. You'd think we'd learn so many lessons from aktrina and it seems like we're seeing this all over again. Maybe the scale is like what we have seen in some ways in Louisiana. It is happening before our eyes and these people need help.
Grassley: It's quite obvious that money is not standing in the way because we put up $62 billion of money of which only about $20 billion has been sput thus far. We have the resources.
Phillips: We've got the resources so what do we need to do.
Grassley: What we need to do is... action.
Phillips: How do we put that action forward, how do we take action.
Grassley: I'm going to stop this because there's no sense in my having a confrontation with you, you're a friend and I appreciate what you're doing and I'm not going to give an on the spot answer because these things...
Phillips: I don't want to argue with you sir.
Grassley...these things take some thought. And I'm not going to make public policy on television.
Phillips: Could I ask you a question? Is there anything you could do right now as a senator as someone who does have a very good repurtion and you're right. You and I have a great reputation. I don't want to argue with you. I want to make that straight. I'm just asking. Is there anything you can do? Is there any kind of influence? Can you use your abilties as a senator to, whether it's getting the national guard activated, talkng with governor bush, getting DOD assets, any way you can get involved in helping these people in Florida or influencing others to do so.
Grassley: I started to tell you how I was trying to help an Iowa family in Cancun and we called the International Red Cross and the State Department and tried to get things moving and before we were able to help them, there was only about two or three hours passed, That family did make it back home in iowa and they were able to get out on a commercial flight.
(Kyra Phillips asks him if there's anything else he can do to help other people stranded in Cancun)
Grassley: I'm limited to this but I can do this. I can call the State Department.
Phillips: Do you think that they, is there anything else they can do? Do they have the resources, do they have the ability to get into the country and get those Americans out?
Grassley: Operating within the US our federal government can do almost anything. In the foreign country you're guests of the foreign country. So you just could not willy-nilly do things at least with some military people without violating international law.
Phillips: Senator Charles Grassely, I think this was a very healthy conversation.I hope you're not upset with me. We are good friends. I appreciate your time sir but you know there are so many people that just want answers and we want to just see things get done. Americans should not suffer like this sir.
Grassley: I hope you appreciate the fact that when it comes to making public policy that I want to be cautious that I don't make it on television. I want to make it in the debate of congress.
Phillips: I understand sir, with all respect.
Bizarre all the way through.