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CNN Live At Daybreak
Cheney Says Terrorist Attacks Inevitable
Aired May 20, 2002 - 05:02 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Vice President Dick Cheney says another terrorist attack against the United States is not a matter of if, but when. But Cheney says U.S. intelligence doesn't have specific information about targets, locations or methods of any possible future attacks.
Bush administration officials say intelligence agencies have picked up more communication in the last month indicating another al Qaeda operation could be in the works. And there are a lot of theories out there as to where terrorists could strike next, like the New York City water system. It is still vulnerable to terrorist attacks. That is the conclusion of a report by New York State law makers. That report focused on five water supply sites and concluded 21 security recommendations made after September 11 have not been followed.
New York City officials question the study because only five states we're chosen and state law makers refused to cooperate with them.
They're worried about water in Florida, too. A threat to Orlando's water supply has led to increased security at water purification and distribution facilities. FBI agents describe the threat as uncorroborated and vague. An official with the Orange County Sheriff's Department says there is no evidence the water supply has been compromised. More than 300,000 people get their water from the Orlando system.
And if you live in an apartment building, the FBI is asking your managers to watch for any suspicious activity. The guidance is based on indications al Qaeda leaders have discussed the possibility of renting apartments and then rigging them with explosives. The FBI has not issued a formal alert because the information is uncorroborated and not specific to any city or region.
We're going to be hearing a lot about that today.
And while the Bush administration continues to warn us of possible terrorist attacks, damage control is continuing, too, about those unspecified terror warnings before 9/11.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president under fire, the Bush team's heavy hitters went on the offensive Sunday, first warning the war on terror is far from over.
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The prospects of a future attack against the United States are almost certain. I'd like to be able to say it's never going to happen again, but I don't think anybody who has really looked at it can say that. We don't know if it's going to be tomorrow or next week or next year.
KOCH: A sobering prediction, though not deflecting calls from law makers for an independent inquiry into why action wasn't taken on pre-9/11 warnings about possible al Qaeda airline hijackings.
REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: You can call it what you want, a task force, a working group, a commission, but it's purpose should be to make, to analyze what happened in the past and to make valid recommendations to the agencies, to the president, to the Congress for how we can better coordinate all the information that's out there.
KOCH: Other law makers warned against painting such an inquiry as un-American.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Republicans in the administration have to be careful not to be so defensive that they end up calling any reasonable questions about September 11 unpatriotic.
KOCH: The Bush administration Sunday said it will not release the August briefing warning President Bush of al Qaeda hijacking threats. It's also against anything other than a closed door intelligence committee inquiry into the 9/11 attacks. The reason? Not politics, say top officials, but national security.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: In the context of this ongoing war, it is extremely important to protect the sources and the methods and the information so that we can try and disrupt further attacks.
KOCH: But one historian says the rhetoric is all too familiar.
ALLAN LICHTMAN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: This is what we heard all those years during the Vietnam War. We know what is best. We should operate in secret. We should withhold and keep things from the American people.
KOCH (on camera): Still, this weekend senior administration and government officials are acknowledging a vague terrorist threat, intelligence agencies noting a spike in activities that could indicate another al Qaeda attack is in the works, that openness driven some belief by officials not wanting to be accused of making the same mistake twice.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: And if you want to get more, get the next issue of "Time" magazine. In a special report called "While America Slept," "Time" looks at the pattern of intelligence information and the disconnect in Washington. According to "Time," last summer President Bush told CIA director George Tenet, "Give me a sense of what al Qaeda can do inside the United States."
In response, the CIA prepared the August 6 intelligence briefing that warned of possible hijackings by Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization.
"Time" magazine goes onto newsstands today so you can buy it after work today.
And join us three hours from now as "American Morning" takes up the question were warnings of terror ignored? We'll talk with Senator Richard Shelby, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the Committee's Chairman, Senator Bob Graham.
For more details on the terror warnings past and present, log onto our Web site. There you will find the latest developments, a time line of events leading to September 11 and details on current terror alerts and concerns. All that at cnn.com, AOL keyword, of course, CNN.
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