Transcript from John King USA aired June 8,2011
You've been critical of the administration essentially taking a back seat, letting others in the NATO alliance be on the front lines of the fighting. You wrote this, this morning, I was among those who would have preferred stronger, more assertive American leadership, but if Gadhafi falls, Obama will have bragging rights that his way worked better than critics like me thought.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, John, I think there have been a lot of signs here in recent days that Gadhafi is coming toward his end. I think we've entered -- remember when Nixon's final days in that famous book by Woodward and Bernstein?
I think we've entered Gadhafi's final days. Don't know how long they're going to last. I think it could end quickly despite his sort of raging. But the intensification of the airstrike on Tripoli, they've basically destroyed much of his compound. He's essentially a fugitive in his own capital now. Trying to get away from any place they can bomb him.
The Russians have turned against him. The Turks have turned against him. Russia has now sent an envoy there to begin negotiations, to mediate, to get him out of there and very importantly, the inner circle is starting to crumble. There are more people who are now -- generals and others who are defecting, as well as ministers.
So I think he's getting down to his, as I say, I think he's going down to his final days. In terms of interpreting how this was done, if -- Obama took a risk. If Gadhafi had been there for six months, I think he would have lost that gamble and he would have been seen as ineffectual. If he brings him down soon, I think it's going the other way. John, you know, they got Bin Laden. If they get Gadhafi too, that's a pretty good summer for President Obama.
KING: About three months right now. What's interesting, David, I don't think any tears will be shed if Gadhafi goes. No tears will be shed. The question would be, how is the transition plan, but do you find it at all striking -- you just heard the NATO secretary- general there, Mr. Rasmussen, saying that essentially it's time to plan for the post-Gadhafi era.
This comes after they dropped 50 bombs in one day on Tripoli, 40 of them aimed at the compound of Gadhafi. The United Nations resolution says nothing about regime change and yet NATO now openly, even though at the beginning it said the mission was not about regime change, openly talking about we're going to bomb you until you go.
GERGEN: John, it's a really good point. This mission has clearly morphed. It's been done without, you know, without anybody really questioning it. That's one of the reasons why it's important that the Russians have turned against Gadhafi.
Because they were the ones who were, you know, along with the Chinese who were really protesting the NATO mission to start with. And said, you know, this is going to morph and now it's morphed and they're coming with us. A lot of things have changed.
You have to say that if we get him, if he is toppled -- and I do think he's going to be toppled, either dead or alive, I think he's going down and going down fairly soon. That with U.S. playing a secondary role, one which I have gone the other way, I would prefer the U.S. in a more muscular role, but if the Obama approach works, you have to give him credit for it.
There is, John, this continuing question about who's going to run the place after it's over. I do not think our intelligence knows as much as they would like about who the rebels are and what kind of government they'll have.
We've been, you know, there's been disappointment in the administration about the directions that Egypt is tending toward. And there could easily be disappointment on Libya.
KING: Post-Gadhafi Libya would present a whole new set of challenges. I think, David, you're right, the administration would prefer to deal with those than continued Gadhafi holding on.
Our senior analyst, David Gergen. Appreciate your insights tonight.