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Bush Begins Campaign Aimed at Rallying World Around U.S. Policy of Regime Change in Iraq

Aired September 04, 2002 - 12:01   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: But first, President Bush begins a flurry of meetings, phone calls and speeches aimed at rallying the world around U.S. policy of regime change in Iraq. The campaign includes a pledge to seek congressional approval before beginning a new Gulf War.
CNN's Kelly Wallace joins us from the White House with more on that. Lots of talk, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Lots of talk, Kyra. This administration certainly was facing a great deal of criticism from U.S. lawmakers, U.S. allies, even members of the previous Bush administration, all these officials saying this administration has not presented or made a case for U.S. policy in Iraq. Well, this administration now mounting a counter-offensive. You have the president inviting House, Senate Republican and Democratic leaders, key leaders to the White House today.

The headline coming out of this meeting, that the president will definitely seek a resolution of support from both houses of Congress before pursuing any military action in Iraq. This after White House leaders told the president he did not need congressional approval for any military campaign. But listening to the president, he clearly has decided he must get Congressional support for any offensive to be successful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At the appropriate time, this administration will go to the Congress to seek approval for necessary to deal with the threat. At the same time, I will work with our friends in the world.

I have invited Prime Minister Blair to come to Camp David on Saturday, and he will come. I have looked forward to talking with him about our mutual concerns about how to make the world more secure and safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And also the administration planning to have administration officials, testifying before congressional committees over the next several weeks. In fact, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be up on Capitol Hill later today. This was a previously scheduled session, but he is expected to talk a great deal behind closed doors about Iraq, and possibly presenting more intelligence information about the nature of the threat.

Kyra, coming out of meeting. Lawmakers saying they expect the president to seek this Congressional resolution soon, before lawmakers recess for the November elections, and you have two schools of thought. You have House Republican leader Tom DeLay saying he believes military action is inevitable, but when we talked to House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, he believes it still might be possible to exhaust other diplomatic options, and prevent any military action -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kelly, a lot of people want to know, what's the timetable, will we attack Iraq? And if so, when? Has there been any discussion about when we definitely will know? Vice President Dick Cheney has made it very clear that time is not on our side.

WALLACE: The sense is President Bush still has not made a decision and lawmakers coming out of this meeting today say the president has said he will consult with Congress, that their opinions are important. Look for the president's speech next week, Kyra, to the United Nations general assembly on September 12th. That is where we are told the president will really articulate his thinking when it comes to policy in Iraq, but then the administration knows it needs get support of the American people, the support of the United States Congress, and the support of U.S. allies before any military campaign, so no sense anything is imminent.

But again, a congressional resolution likely before lawmakers recess in a couple weeks for the November elections -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A speech on the 12th, just one day after September 11th, the irony there.

Kelly Wallace at the White House. Thanks, Kelly.

The top Senate Democrat says the issue still needs clarity, but a Republican who is often a thorn in the president's side pledges robust support. We get more on the view from Capitol Hill from CNN congressional correspondent Kate Snow.

Hi, Kate.

KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. I'm down here on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue from where Kelly Wallace is and the leaders of House and Senate have just now returned to Capitol Hill. I spoke with some of those House leaders as they got back here. House speaker Dennis Hastert said indeed the president made his case. He says he didn't get nitty gritty of policy in Iraq. He didn't lay out any war plans or anything to that extent, but he says he made the case broadly.

Hastert says once this resolution that Kelly just mentioned gets here to Capitol Hill, he says it will be at the point where it already has broad support. That is the idea, for the president to build the support and then send over this resolution, as Kelly mentioned, sometime before they leave here, probably in early October. Senator John McCain spoke just outside the White House, echoing what the House Speaker said, that he thinks there is support for a resolution on Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), ARMED SERVICES CMTE.: On a bipartisan basis, I believe that there will be strong support for an expression of congressional approval, for the president to take whatever action necessary for regime change in Iraq, and I support him, and I believe that he will receive a significantly majority vote in the Congress of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: House majority whip Tom DeLay, as he returned here, made the point that the president doesn't necessarily need in his view a resolution of support, that he could go ahead with military plans without this kind of resolution, but again, he says, he would expect it would pass once it gets to the Hill. He did warn, though, in his words that we can't conduct a war on terrorism by committee. He said the president needs to be able to lead this. He says if we try to do by consensus and committee -- quote -- "We will lose."

But Democrats in the room today I'm told did offer some concerns. House minority leader Dick Gephardt told me that he told the president that we've got to work together, Congress and the White House, coming up with a plan and telling explaining it to the American people. Mr. Gephardt saying the American people need to know why an attack on Iraq would affect -- why it would be necessary, to protect their personal security, he said we've got to bring it home, to the American people.

One member in the room told me that the most critical voice in there was House minority whip Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California. This member says that Nancy Pelosi may never be convinced that it's the time to attack Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), PELOSI: I have traveled throughout the country politically, in this past five weeks, and I think the American people, people you see in airports -- I'm not talking about people you see at political events, just people you come up to on the streets are just wondering what is the case for our putting our young people in harm's way.

I have not seen the intelligence that would indicate that the threat is imminent. Is he an evil person? Yes. Is he a person who does all that the president says? Represses his own people, used chemical weapons on them, is he -- sometimes it is a wonder that he is even one of God's children, he is so...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Those are the kind of concerns that you are hearing here on Capitol Hill, not just from Democrats, but also, Kyra, from some Republicans, saying the president needs to make a more clear case, needs to make it clearer why exactly the administration believes president -- Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction before they can go any further -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kate, knowing what you know thus far, does the president have enough Congressional support that would lead him to an official approval to go ahead and attack Iraq.

SNOW: It's funny, just a few minutes ago I asked Tom DeLay that, and he said, well, I don't know, we can't guess at that, and I said, well, the anchors keep asking me that. Can you give me an answer? I think anyone you ask up here will give a different assessment. Democrats say the support, particularly in Senate, is not there at this point. You've got some key Republicans senators, saying that they are not ready to jump on some kind of resolution.

But again, I go back to White House speaker Hastert Said, which is that by the time they get a resolution here, which could be weeks from now, they will have built the support. That's what the Republicans are clearly hoping, is that the support will build over the coming weeks as they hold congressional hearings -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Kate, I guess that makes sense. Congressional leaders are putting pressure on the president. We are putting pressure on the congressional leaders. It all makes sense, right?

SNOW: It's all a big circle.

PHILLIPS: There you go. Kate Snow on the Hill. Thanks, Kate.

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