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CNN Live Today

Dr. Gupta Reports with Group of Marines

Aired March 20, 2003 - 10:04   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: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who's been embedded with a troop of Marines. Let's check in with him. He was actually reporting live this morning and he was actually one of the first to actually see any rockets flying overhead. We had reports of missiles being launched from Iraqi territory into Kuwait, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta was there to see it all happen. Sanjay, are you there?
GUPTA: Yes, Leon. We are in the middle of a bunker call right now. This is what we've been talking about all day, just about a minute ago, we heard bunker, bunker, bunker, that came over the PA system, This is the bunker, this is what we've been talking about. Behind me about 50 Marines, They're located in that bunker. I'm standing out here just to talk to you for a minute. The message that we're getting over the PA system is missiles inbound. Missile inbound. Mark Diasma (ph), my photographer, he's standing here, he's about to jump in the bunker, too. But this is -- this is, what, the sixth bunker call that we've heard all day today and in as many hours, Leon. So definitely people are on edge, no question. They have to put on their flak jackets, their helmets, they've run in there. For this particular bunker call, we did not have to put on our gas mask, at least not yet, but that's certainly something that might come up as well. But I wanted to give you a sense, Leon, of sort of what the day has been like here, and you caught us right as this is happening, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Sanjay, give us an idea, what is it that you do in the meantime now? What instructions are you given in the meantime, while you are waiting for something like this?

GUPTA: Well, there is a lot of stop and go, a lot of stop and go. We can be in this bunker for up to an hour, sometimes even longer, sometimes all that time with our masks on. In the meantime, basically it's just been a lot of waiting around. But again, with six bunker calls, what we're seeing is all of a sudden, people will be walking around and all of a sudden sprinting, 100 meter dashes with their flak jackets, putting on their helmets. I have to wear this now, because they've told me I have to wear this along with my flak jacket, at least until we're given the all clear sign.

Again, six of these bunker calls over the day today. Leon, as you mentioned earlier, we actually saw one of the missiles, we saw the concern, we saw it fly 300 feet over our head, that was about 10:20 local time here in Kuwait. We're eight hours ahead, so about 2:20 in the morning your time, we saw one of those first missiles actually fly right over our heads very fast, not that high, only 300 feet, but a big grayish/green missile with yellow stripes. And that certainly got everyone's attention here, Leon. HARRIS: All right, Sanjay, we'll let you get back to it. We'll try to check back with you. You get back to us of course immediately once you see or hear anything new there at your location. We would appreciate that report.

Let's go down now to Judy Woodruff, who's standing by in Washington.

Judy?

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Leon. Of course, one of the places we don't take our eyes off at a time like this is the White House. Our senior correspondent John King is there. where, John, I gather you and other reporters have just had a session with Ari Fleischer and maybe others?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Judy, Ari Fleischer briefing us this morning off camera, two major headlines out of that discussion. One, Ari Fleischer telling reporters the president has signed a broad execute order, not just authorizing the missions we are reporting on that happened last night on the Iraqi leadership targets around Baghdad, but the president has signed a broad execute order that gives the generals in the field the authority to carry out the full sweep of the attack. That does not mean the president will not give a mission to mission approval or be consulted before things launch, especially the major wave, but the orders are in place so military commanders in the field have broad authority now to carry out the battle plan.

Also here at the White House, Ari Fleischer saying the United States government from the president on down, are reaching no conclusions about who is on that tape that was broadcast on Iraqi TV, reportedly to be the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, or when that tape was made. We were told that internally at the White House because of a briefing from the CIA director and others, there remains some doubts in the United States government as to whether that is actually Saddam Hussein or even, if it is, as to whether perhaps that tape was recorded before the assault, even though the Iraqi leader or whoever it is on that tape says it was the 20th of March.

Other quick issues here, the president involved in urgent rounds of consultations, his military team, planning team, due here at the White House today including Secretary Rumsfeld, consultations with Congress as well.

And the White House says yes, the president is aware of the criticism from capitals around the world and that he respects those leaders, but that he disagrees their judgment.

The White House also says it will have new names to add today to the list of roughly 35 countries that have publicly said they are part of what the president calls the coalition of the willing.

One last point, Judy, Ari Fleischer says the executive order banning the assassination of foreign leaders remains in place but that the White House believes it is a moot point at this point because hostilities are under way. The White House says Saddam Hussein is a legitimate target as the commander in chief of the Iraqi military forces.

Judy?

WOODRUFF: John, there's been some conversation about the fact that when the president authorized last night's strike, it was actually before the 48 hours was up. Did the White House have the ability to turn anything around if by some miraculous change Saddam Hussein had decided to leave Iraq?

KING: We are told that was -- yes, that that was a possibility but that by the time the president issued the orders they said they had very solid evidence that Saddam Hussein had no plans to leave the country and indeed they had intelligence that they believe to be accurate that he was hunkered down with other senior commanders at one of the targets ultimately struck by the cruise missiles and the bunker busting bombs.

So, could the president have stopped it? We are trying to get more of the exact details. but White House officials are telling us that if you go through the sequence of events, it was after the president received definitive word that Saddam Hussein was still in Iraq that the actual bombing took place. Certainly the operation was conceived and in the early stages prior to that deadline passing.

But that in and of itself, Judy, a dramatic development. We are told by sources the president moved up the begin of the war by as much as 48 hours. He could have launched it as much as two days later, but when George Tenet came to White House yesterday afternoon and said they believed they had a lock on Saddam Hussein and other key leaders, Mr. Bush gave the go ahead and juggled the battle plans.

WOODRUFF: But now it turns out, though, that that intelligence either was wrong or that they didn't get close enough, of course these are all questions we're trying to get answers to.

John?

KING: That assumes that it is Saddam Hussein on that tape. The White House says they are not sure just yet.

WOODRUFF: That's right, John King at the White House.

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 March 20, 2003 - 10:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who's been embedded with a troop of Marines. Let's check in with him. He was actually reporting live this morning and he was actually one of the first to actually see any rockets flying overhead. We had reports of missiles being launched from Iraqi territory into Kuwait, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta was there to see it all happen. Sanjay, are you there?
GUPTA: Yes, Leon. We are in the middle of a bunker call right now. This is what we've been talking about all day, just about a minute ago, we heard bunker, bunker, bunker, that came over the PA system, This is the bunker, this is what we've been talking about. Behind me about 50 Marines, They're located in that bunker. I'm standing out here just to talk to you for a minute. The message that we're getting over the PA system is missiles inbound. Missile inbound. Mark Diasma (ph), my photographer, he's standing here, he's about to jump in the bunker, too. But this is -- this is, what, the sixth bunker call that we've heard all day today and in as many hours, Leon. So definitely people are on edge, no question. They have to put on their flak jackets, their helmets, they've run in there. For this particular bunker call, we did not have to put on our gas mask, at least not yet, but that's certainly something that might come up as well. But I wanted to give you a sense, Leon, of sort of what the day has been like here, and you caught us right as this is happening, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Sanjay, give us an idea, what is it that you do in the meantime now? What instructions are you given in the meantime, while you are waiting for something like this?

GUPTA: Well, there is a lot of stop and go, a lot of stop and go. We can be in this bunker for up to an hour, sometimes even longer, sometimes all that time with our masks on. In the meantime, basically it's just been a lot of waiting around. But again, with six bunker calls, what we're seeing is all of a sudden, people will be walking around and all of a sudden sprinting, 100 meter dashes with their flak jackets, putting on their helmets. I have to wear this now, because they've told me I have to wear this along with my flak jacket, at least until we're given the all clear sign.

Again, six of these bunker calls over the day today. Leon, as you mentioned earlier, we actually saw one of the missiles, we saw the concern, we saw it fly 300 feet over our head, that was about 10:20 local time here in Kuwait. We're eight hours ahead, so about 2:20 in the morning your time, we saw one of those first missiles actually fly right over our heads very fast, not that high, only 300 feet, but a big grayish/green missile with yellow stripes. And that certainly got everyone's attention here, Leon. HARRIS: All right, Sanjay, we'll let you get back to it. We'll try to check back with you. You get back to us of course immediately once you see or hear anything new there at your location. We would appreciate that report.

Let's go down now to Judy Woodruff, who's standing by in Washington.

Judy?

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Leon. Of course, one of the places we don't take our eyes off at a time like this is the White House. Our senior correspondent John King is there. where, John, I gather you and other reporters have just had a session with Ari Fleischer and maybe others?

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Judy, Ari Fleischer briefing us this morning off camera, two major headlines out of that discussion. One, Ari Fleischer telling reporters the president has signed a broad execute order, not just authorizing the missions we are reporting on that happened last night on the Iraqi leadership targets around Baghdad, but the president has signed a broad execute order that gives the generals in the field the authority to carry out the full sweep of the attack. That does not mean the president will not give a mission to mission approval or be consulted before things launch, especially the major wave, but the orders are in place so military commanders in the field have broad authority now to carry out the battle plan.

Also here at the White House, Ari Fleischer saying the United States government from the president on down, are reaching no conclusions about who is on that tape that was broadcast on Iraqi TV, reportedly to be the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, or when that tape was made. We were told that internally at the White House because of a briefing from the CIA director and others, there remains some doubts in the United States government as to whether that is actually Saddam Hussein or even, if it is, as to whether perhaps that tape was recorded before the assault, even though the Iraqi leader or whoever it is on that tape says it was the 20th of March.

Other quick issues here, the president involved in urgent rounds of consultations, his military team, planning team, due here at the White House today including Secretary Rumsfeld, consultations with Congress as well.

And the White House says yes, the president is aware of the criticism from capitals around the world and that he respects those leaders, but that he disagrees their judgment.

The White House also says it will have new names to add today to the list of roughly 35 countries that have publicly said they are part of what the president calls the coalition of the willing.

One last point, Judy, Ari Fleischer says the executive order banning the assassination of foreign leaders remains in place but that the White House believes it is a moot point at this point because hostilities are under way. The White House says Saddam Hussein is a legitimate target as the commander in chief of the Iraqi military forces.

Judy?

WOODRUFF: John, there's been some conversation about the fact that when the president authorized last night's strike, it was actually before the 48 hours was up. Did the White House have the ability to turn anything around if by some miraculous change Saddam Hussein had decided to leave Iraq?

KING: We are told that was -- yes, that that was a possibility but that by the time the president issued the orders they said they had very solid evidence that Saddam Hussein had no plans to leave the country and indeed they had intelligence that they believe to be accurate that he was hunkered down with other senior commanders at one of the targets ultimately struck by the cruise missiles and the bunker busting bombs.

So, could the president have stopped it? We are trying to get more of the exact details. but White House officials are telling us that if you go through the sequence of events, it was after the president received definitive word that Saddam Hussein was still in Iraq that the actual bombing took place. Certainly the operation was conceived and in the early stages prior to that deadline passing.

But that in and of itself, Judy, a dramatic development. We are told by sources the president moved up the begin of the war by as much as 48 hours. He could have launched it as much as two days later, but when George Tenet came to White House yesterday afternoon and said they believed they had a lock on Saddam Hussein and other key leaders, Mr. Bush gave the go ahead and juggled the battle plans.

WOODRUFF: But now it turns out, though, that that intelligence either was wrong or that they didn't get close enough, of course these are all questions we're trying to get answers to.

John?

KING: That assumes that it is Saddam Hussein on that tape. The White House says they are not sure just yet.

WOODRUFF: That's right, John King at the White House.

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