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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bush to Make Case Against Iraq Tonight
Aired October 07, 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: President Bush has already made his case for possible military action against Iraq to the U.N., allies and law makers. Well, tonight it's your turn.
CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush, back at the White House putting the finishing touches on his Monday night address. Aides say he will make the case to the American people and to the Congress for a possible war with Iraq and answer questions such as why now, something prominent Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy argues the president has failed to do.
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: What we are asking in the Congress, what has changed in the last several months that makes this an immediate threat. And that case has not been made.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: Not in our name!
WALLACE: Thousands who turned out in New York's Central Park agree, demonstrating against any military invasion of Iraq. But that view is not shared by most lawmakers, as Congress prepares to vote on an historic war powers resolution.
TRENT LOTT (R-MS), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I don't think there's any doubt that the House and then the Senate, in overwhelming votes, will pass the resolution giving the president the authority he needs to use force if it is necessary as a last resort.
WALLACE: Still, the Senate Democratic leader says he will try to narrow the president's authority to wage war.
SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Most of us want to make sure that we clarify the purpose of the use of force is to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.
WALLACE: In Iraq, a show of force. Thousands turn out north of Baghdad for the military parade, while the Iraqi government signals a possible shift on its willingness to allow U.N. inspectors access to Iraq's eight presidential complexes.
MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I don't think that we will have a problem on that equation, on that issue. Certainly we can accommodate ourselves with the U.N. to have free access to residential sites. WALLACE (on camera): The timing of the president's speech is significant, coming on the one year anniversary of the military campaign in Afghanistan. Mr. Bush hoping his words convince the American people and skeptical allies at the U.N. that Iraq should be the next focus of the war on terror.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And as you might expect, CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's speech tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific Time. Before that, join our Wolf Blitzer today at noon Eastern. He'll take a look at the stakes of tonight's speech with former Reagan Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein and former NATO Commander General Wesley Clark.
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 7, 2002 - 05:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has already made his case for possible military action against Iraq to the U.N., allies and law makers. Well, tonight it's your turn.
CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush, back at the White House putting the finishing touches on his Monday night address. Aides say he will make the case to the American people and to the Congress for a possible war with Iraq and answer questions such as why now, something prominent Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy argues the president has failed to do.
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: What we are asking in the Congress, what has changed in the last several months that makes this an immediate threat. And that case has not been made.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: Not in our name!
WALLACE: Thousands who turned out in New York's Central Park agree, demonstrating against any military invasion of Iraq. But that view is not shared by most lawmakers, as Congress prepares to vote on an historic war powers resolution.
TRENT LOTT (R-MS), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I don't think there's any doubt that the House and then the Senate, in overwhelming votes, will pass the resolution giving the president the authority he needs to use force if it is necessary as a last resort.
WALLACE: Still, the Senate Democratic leader says he will try to narrow the president's authority to wage war.
SEN. THOMAS DASCHLE (D-SD), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Most of us want to make sure that we clarify the purpose of the use of force is to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.
WALLACE: In Iraq, a show of force. Thousands turn out north of Baghdad for the military parade, while the Iraqi government signals a possible shift on its willingness to allow U.N. inspectors access to Iraq's eight presidential complexes.
MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I don't think that we will have a problem on that equation, on that issue. Certainly we can accommodate ourselves with the U.N. to have free access to residential sites. WALLACE (on camera): The timing of the president's speech is significant, coming on the one year anniversary of the military campaign in Afghanistan. Mr. Bush hoping his words convince the American people and skeptical allies at the U.N. that Iraq should be the next focus of the war on terror.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And as you might expect, CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's speech tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific Time. Before that, join our Wolf Blitzer today at noon Eastern. He'll take a look at the stakes of tonight's speech with former Reagan Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein and former NATO Commander General Wesley Clark.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
