ZAHN: Final question for you, sir. Your candidate, Governor Dean, has made several references to -- about President Bush having alleged advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks from the Saudis. Should someone who wants to be president be trading on rumors?
TRIPPI: That's not what the governor said at all. In fact, you're trading on rumors when you keep saying that.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: I haven't said it yet. I'm just repeating what...
TRIPPI: Yes, you're repeating the rumor.
Yes, what happened was the governor said that, when the president and the administration mislead people in the war and the American people start asking questions, there's these rumors out there and that we need to talk about them to shut them down, because he didn't believe it. And he said that on the air in the interview.
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: But there was another interview on NPR that has gotten a lot of attention, where he basically said, you know, whether this can be proven or not, he suggested that the president had had advance knowledge of what might unfold on 9/11.
TRIPPI: No.
No, the governor said he didn't believe that and that it was part of the problem. We have this right now with black-box voting. You'll find across the country that there are people all over this nation who believe these paperless computer voting machines are a way that the Bush administration will steal the election, OK? What's not important here is whether that's a rumor or not.
What's important here is that we shut that down, that we prove to people that there's no way that anybody -- that these paperless machines are going to rob people of their vote.
ZAHN: All right.
TRIPPI: Repeating that is not repeating that you believe it. I don't necessarily believe that those machines do that or not.
But if we're going to have a democracy, we have to say so and air it out.
ZAHN: Let me just repeat exactly what came off the transcript of the NPR radio show. And this is Governor Dean's remark -- quote -- "The most interesting theory that I have heard so far," he responded -- quote -- "is that he was warned ahead of time by the Saudis."
TRIPPI: And then can you keep reading, please?
ZAHN: Well, I could go on for the next five minutes for the interview, but you were saying that he didn't say that. I've got it right here.
(CROSSTALK)
TRIPPI: No, no, no. I said that -- if you keep reading, you'll say he said he didn't believe that.
ZAHN: Yes, there is a point at which -- but you were denying that he had suggested...
(CROSSTALK)
TRIPPI: You're forgetting that part, Paula.
ZAHN: No, I'm not forgetting it.
(CROSSTALK)
TRIPPI: Keep reading there.
ZAHN: I just wanted to clarify that he had, in fact, repeated something. And he did say later on...
TRIPPI: Could you keep reading the interview and you'll get to the part where he says he did not believe it.
ZAHN: No, I am not denying that, but I wanted to challenge
(CROSSTALK)
TRIPPI: OK, well, that's not how you started the interview.
ZAHN: Well, I think our audience has a pretty good sense now of what was said and what wasn't said. And, Joe Trippi, thank you for your time.
Saturday, January 10
Trippi Takes Paula Zahn To The Woodshed
Joe Trippi Is My Hero. Holy CRAP, did Dean's Campaign Manager ever take it to Paula Zahn on CNN tonight. She tried Heathering it up by rehashing Dean's comments about Bush's prior knowledge of 9/11. Trippi absolutely plastered her up one side and down the other - and gave her a lesson in old fashioned journalism. Here's the CNN transcript of Paula's education:
