Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

President Bush in North Carolina Today Rallying Troops and Promoting Defense Budget

Aired March 15, 2002 - 11:01   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is in North Carolina today, where he is rallying the troops and promoting his defense budget. The president is visiting with special forces members stationed at Fort Bragg.

Our White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us once again live from Fayetteville, North Carolina.

She's got more.

Hi, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Leon.

Well, the president also using this trip to send a message to House lawmakers back in Washington, calling on the house to pass his budget, which includes more than $48 billion dollars in new spending for the military, the largest increase in almost two decades. The president saying that, you know, the price of freedom is always high, but never too high, and calling on House lawmakers not to play politics and make the defense spending the first order of business.

But the president also coming here, Leon, as you said to give a bit of a pep talk to the men and women here, servicemen and women, members of the military and their families, you know, a number of people here, very much connected to the special forces units, which are playing a very key role in the war in Afghanistan, and the president really, for the second time in just a week or so, having to recognize the loss of life during this war, military campaign in Afghanistan.

On Friday, we saw the president getting very choked up talking about two men from Florida who were killed. The president, once again, getting visibly moved as he talked about two men who lost lives earlier this month in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Two young men from the special forces were recently laid to rest, Chief Warrant Officer Stanley Hairman and Air Force Text Sergeant John Chapman. I want their families to know that we pray with them, that we honor them and they died in a just cause, for defending freedom, and they will not have died in vain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: The president, though, also using his speech here to outline what he calls the second stage of this war on terror, saying the United States, the world's community, must deny sanctuary to terrorist anywhere around the world. They must be denied safe haven, even a safe place to sleep, and as we have Vice President Cheney in the Middle East meeting with Arab allies talking about how to deal with Iraq, President Bush did not mention Iraq, but he did say he's committed to dealing with countries pursuing weapons of mass destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have made it clear that we will not let the most dangerous regimes in the world team up with killers, and therefore, hold this great nation hostage. Whatever it takes to defend the liberty of America, this administration will do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And, Leon, on the homeland security front, the president mentioning the situation dealing with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, what U.S. Officials are calling a major embarrassment. Student visas notices going out just days ago to two of the terrorist hijackers. The president talking about this, the crowd laughing, responding, knowing what he meant. The president, reform is needed, and he is going to push for that at the INS -- Leon.

HARRIS: Yes, I was watching that and noticed the same thing. The crowd got a big rise out of that. Hey, you know, it seemed to me, Kelly, watching President Bush here with the troops like this it seems he's getting as much out of this, if not more, as the troops are getting out of these visits that he's making. Is he going to be keeping this up and doing this quite a bit now?

WALLACE: Exactly. That's the observation I sort of have. Every time we go to an event where he is talking to the men and women of the military. You know, he's coming there to give them a pep talk and making major sacrifices, but at the same time, he's getting an incredible reception, a very big boost. We saw right before his trip to Asia, he was in Alaska, getting an incredible ovation from the troops there, right before a very challenging trip overseas. So it seems like the president gets quite a lot out of these talks, a lot of his resolve, a lot of his commitment to doing what he's doing certainly comes from meeting the men and women who are obviously serving their country -- Leon.

HARRIS: Let me ask you one last question real quickly, if I can, Kelly. When the president is with you with the press, does he talk at all about Vice President Cheney's trip through the Middle East right now? Because I'm curious about his reaction to some of the public statements that have been made by these leaders who have been really discouraging Mr. Cheney from pursuing this issue with Iraq. What are you hearing on the plane there with President Bush?

WALLACE: Well, the last time we were able to really get questions to the president, as you know, we had that news conference, and that is really earlier this week, when we had an opportunity to ask him. We have not been able to get questions to him since then, and you heard the president, he took questions about the vice president's trip, about concern from Arab allies that military action against Iraq would be destabilizing. The president's message, he sort of tried to calm allies, Leon. He tried to say, we will consult with U.S. allies, but he also seemed to send a message to Iraq and even those allies that the U.S. will act, that it will deal with Saddam Hussein. So clearly, there's a message there. You have some countries like Egypt, really hopeful that weapon's inspectors will be back inside that country. The U.S. is calling for unlimited access those inspectors should have in Iraq. Most believe Saddam Hussein will never agree to that, setting the stage really for an inspection crisis in the spring.

The president's message, he will consult with U.S. allies, but he says inaction is not an option -- Leon.

HARRIS: Kelly Wallace, thank you very much. We'll see you later on.

WALLACE: Sure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com