Mike Hurley

From: Warren Bass

Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 5:08 PM
To: Team 3
Subject: Wag the Dog: SecDef Cohen on Nightline

FYI. The fact that Nightline--the classiest show on broadcast TV--was playing footsie with
"wag the dog" allegations is telling in and of itself. Might be useful for the monograph
on Aug. 20/98. Warren

SHOW: ABC NIGHTLINE (11:35 pm ET)

AUGUST 20, 1998

Transcript # 98082001-jOV

TYPE: PACKAGE

SECTION: NEWS

LENGTH: 3760 words

HEADLINE: AMERICA STRIKES BACK

BYLINE: JOHN DONVAN, TED KOPPEL

HIGHLIGHT:
AMERICA ATTACKS SUDAN AND OSAMA BIN LADEN

BODY:

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: August 20, 1998.

TED KOPPEL, ABC News: (voice-over) On a day that the U.S. military hits terrorist targets
in two countries, questions of political timing.

(interviewing) You told me that you would never have participated in anything if you
thought it was being done for political reasons. I want to dot the I on that one. Would
you have resigned?

WILLIAM COHEN, Secretary of Defense: Oh, absolutely.

TED KOPPEL: (voice-over) Tonight, America strikes back, a conversation with the secretary
of defense.

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, this is Nightline. Reporting from Washington, Ted Koppel.

TED KOPPEL: There was a time when insoluble disagreements between tribes were resolved by
hand to hand combat between champions. Not so very long ago in our own history, civilians
might safely gather on hilltops to watch the unfolding of battles between armies. It is
only in our own time, in this century, that civilians have become deliberate targets of
warfare. In recent years, the practice of war has degraded even further. Now civilians
are frequently the only targets. That kind of warfare, which we have labeled terrorism,
targeted a pair of U.S. embassies only two weeks ago and the casualties equaled those of
some battles, nearly 300 dead, more than 4,000 injured.

Today, the U.S. military struck back, hitting targets in Afghanistan and Sudan. The
United States acted alone. It gave neither prior notice nor did it seek prior approval
from any other government. And, under normal circumstances, few Americans would have