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Congress Moves Toward Vote for Bush's Iraq Policy
Aired October 03, 2002 - 10:35 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush appears to be close to getting most of what he wants in a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. House leaders have signed on to the deal, and today the Senate is expected to begin debating the issue, and it could be a very long, highly contested debate.
CNN's Kelly Wallace joins us with the latest. The Senate will be a little bit different in terms of how the house handles things.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A little bit different, Fredricka, but the White House still very confident that in the end, the measure that will come out of the Senate will look a lot like this resolution the president hailed yesterday in the Rose Garden.
In fact, Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, saying that he believes momentum is really behind that bipartisan resolution and that in the end, the president will have strong support. What we are seeing this president do now is try to send a message to nervous allies and members of the United Nations as the work goes on for this tougher task for this administration, getting a tough new U.N. resolution in place before weapons inspectors go back inside Iraq.
A short time ago, the president was speaking to a group of Hispanic leaders, and he was sending a message to nervous allies, but he was also saying the U.N. must do its job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My intent is to put together a vast coalition of countries who will understand the threat of Saddam Hussein. The military option is my last choice, not my first. My last choice, but Saddam has got to understand, the United Nations must know that the will of this country is strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And this administration will be watching very closely a meeting going on up at the United Nations. You see the president there. He and his aides will be watching, because Hans Blix, the head of the U.N. weapons inspections team, will be briefing U.N. Security Counsel members about his meetings with the Iraqis and the agreement the Iraqis made paving the way for inspectors to go back inside Iraq. We understand that Hans Blix will come to Washington on Friday to brief U.S. officials.
We also know that Russia has spoken out publicly rejecting this draft resolution being pushed by the United States and Great Britain, which calls for a timetable for Iraq to comply with disarmament demands and military action if Iraq does not comply. The White House still downplaying any concerns there, saying different leaders will be saying different things on different days. The private discussions go on, Fredricka. The administration still confident it can get a new resolution before those inspectors go back inside Iraq -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Kelly, that timetable being 48 hours, which is what the House seemed to be able to comply on, and perhaps the Senate might be wrangling a little bit more, at least some analysts are expecting that. It will take them a little bit longer before they might agree, if it even comes to that, even though they've only got until October 11, even before there is a recess.
WALLACE: Exactly. The House is expected to mark up this measure in a committee, and then really debate it and vote on it next week. The Senate, as you said, expected to begin debate today. Definitely a little more complicated, because you have some Senate Democrats and even some Republicans who want to restrict the president authority a little bit, narrow the authorization to use force solely to deal with Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
Again, though, the administration feeling that there is a lot of support from Republicans and for Democrats to that resolution agreed on yesterday with House leaders. That one would authorize the use of force to deal with the threat posed by Iraq, and also to enforce previous U.N. Security Council resolutions, so we'll have to see how the debate goes. White House officials, though, Fredricka, very confident right now.
Kelly Wallace from the white house, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 3, 2002 - 10:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush appears to be close to getting most of what he wants in a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. House leaders have signed on to the deal, and today the Senate is expected to begin debating the issue, and it could be a very long, highly contested debate.
CNN's Kelly Wallace joins us with the latest. The Senate will be a little bit different in terms of how the house handles things.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A little bit different, Fredricka, but the White House still very confident that in the end, the measure that will come out of the Senate will look a lot like this resolution the president hailed yesterday in the Rose Garden.
In fact, Ari Fleischer, the president's spokesman, saying that he believes momentum is really behind that bipartisan resolution and that in the end, the president will have strong support. What we are seeing this president do now is try to send a message to nervous allies and members of the United Nations as the work goes on for this tougher task for this administration, getting a tough new U.N. resolution in place before weapons inspectors go back inside Iraq.
A short time ago, the president was speaking to a group of Hispanic leaders, and he was sending a message to nervous allies, but he was also saying the U.N. must do its job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My intent is to put together a vast coalition of countries who will understand the threat of Saddam Hussein. The military option is my last choice, not my first. My last choice, but Saddam has got to understand, the United Nations must know that the will of this country is strong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And this administration will be watching very closely a meeting going on up at the United Nations. You see the president there. He and his aides will be watching, because Hans Blix, the head of the U.N. weapons inspections team, will be briefing U.N. Security Counsel members about his meetings with the Iraqis and the agreement the Iraqis made paving the way for inspectors to go back inside Iraq. We understand that Hans Blix will come to Washington on Friday to brief U.S. officials.
We also know that Russia has spoken out publicly rejecting this draft resolution being pushed by the United States and Great Britain, which calls for a timetable for Iraq to comply with disarmament demands and military action if Iraq does not comply. The White House still downplaying any concerns there, saying different leaders will be saying different things on different days. The private discussions go on, Fredricka. The administration still confident it can get a new resolution before those inspectors go back inside Iraq -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Kelly, that timetable being 48 hours, which is what the House seemed to be able to comply on, and perhaps the Senate might be wrangling a little bit more, at least some analysts are expecting that. It will take them a little bit longer before they might agree, if it even comes to that, even though they've only got until October 11, even before there is a recess.
WALLACE: Exactly. The House is expected to mark up this measure in a committee, and then really debate it and vote on it next week. The Senate, as you said, expected to begin debate today. Definitely a little more complicated, because you have some Senate Democrats and even some Republicans who want to restrict the president authority a little bit, narrow the authorization to use force solely to deal with Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
Again, though, the administration feeling that there is a lot of support from Republicans and for Democrats to that resolution agreed on yesterday with House leaders. That one would authorize the use of force to deal with the threat posed by Iraq, and also to enforce previous U.N. Security Council resolutions, so we'll have to see how the debate goes. White House officials, though, Fredricka, very confident right now.
Kelly Wallace from the white house, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
