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CNN Live Today
Twelve Soldiers Killed in Crash
Aired March 21, 2003 - 10:01 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Paula Zahn in New York. Joining me are my colleagues Bill Hemmer in Kuwait City, Judy Woodruff in Washington, Leon Harris in Atlanta, who gets things started now with a look at what is happening at this hour -- Leon.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here's what's happening at this hour.
Following a line in the sand straight to Baghdad. These are CNN's exclusive pictures of the U.S. Army's 37th Cavalry in southern Iraq. So far it's met relatively little resistance on this rush to Baghdad, but there have been some losses to report this morning.
The Pentagon confirms the first U.S. combat death. A member of the First Marine Expeditionary Force has died today.
Meanwhile, in Kuwait, eight British and four U.S. troops died in the crash of a Marine CH-46 helicopter. That's believed to have been an accident, no hostile fire involved in that case.
And senior U.S. military officials say that there have been strategic gains made, the allied capture of two airfields and the seizure of oil fields in the south, to be specific.
Now, as the allied ground invasion moved north, some Iraqis traveled south to meet them, not to fight but to surrender, as you see here. These men carried white flags into northern Kuwait and were taken into custody.
At least 250 Iraqi soldiers surrendered to U.S. troops today, and dozens more gave themselves up to British forces. Military planners are hoping the sporadic resistance they're meeting will allow forces to reach Baghdad in just a few days.
Meantime, U.S. intelligence officials now believe that the man on the left is indeed Saddam Hussein as purported. This is a video from the speech that he released after the first strikes on Iraq, they believe. "The Washington Post" today took -- is quoting, rather, an administration official as saying that there is evidence that Saddam Hussein was at least hurt in the opening missile barrage.
A Kuwaiti military spokesman says an Iraqi missile fired down on northwestern Kuwait was brought down harmlessly by three Patriot missiles. The Patriot antimissile defenses have been credited with shooting down several Iraqi rockets now, and it appears, Paula, that those new and improved Patriots are definitely that, they are new and improved. ZAHN: Thanks so much, Leon. See you in a little bit.
We have CNN correspondents posted around the region, working to bring you unparalleled coverage of the strike on Iraq.
We start this morning with two very important images from the war today, U.S. Marines along with British marines at Umm Qasr raising the American flag, plus CNN exclusive pictures from the front lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine for a moment a giant wave of steel sweeping across the southern Iraqi desert, and imagine that almost hourly, that wave grows in strength and numbers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: History in the making. For the first time, TV viewers are seeing live images of the front lines of war. You will see these images first on CNN. Our Walt Rodgers accompanying the U.S. Third Squadron, Seventh Cavalry, as it charges across the southern Iraqi desert toward Baghdad.
Bill Hemmer is standing by in Kuwait City.
Bill, I know you have been just as captivated by these images and hearing Walt Rodgers' description of seeing this armor for miles on both sides. And fortunately, for the men and women taking place in this part of the campaign -- or taking part in this part of the campaign, they have not endured any kind of enemy fire over the last 12 hours.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I tell you, the other thing it shows, Paula, for those who are skeptical about this embed program put on by the Pentagon, taking more than 500 journalists into battle with them, to this point, it has been the single greatest source of information for us covering this war.
Our journalists embedded with the Marines, embedded with the U.S. Army, giving us this up-front and very personal image about how the U.S. military goes into battle right now in Iraq.
A little local flavor for you, Paula. Quickly here, "Arab Times," the headline today, "America Invades Iraq." Quite clear, the headline going left to right.
Also, the "Kuwait Times" saying, "It's War at Last." Many Kuwaitis will tell you that they only thought their country would start to prosper again once the regime of Saddam Hussein had been taken out.
It appears right now, with the ground war under way, as the troops move toward Baghdad, yet again even closer by the hour, that that hour, that day may be sooner at hand than many Kuwaitis may have thought in the past. A couple of news items for you quickly. One of the big headlines today has been these oil fires raging in southern Iraq. At one point, the Kuwaiti government told us here at CNN that at least 30 different fires were burning.
We've got some videotape shot by CNN's Martin Savidge, embedded with the U.S. Marines, along with photographer Scott McGuinea (ph). Clearly, you can see the darkened skies in the background with these oil fires burning. We know of at least those 30.
We can tell you, of four of those 30 have been handled by U.S. Marines, two completely extinguished earlier today. Last check, one was still being worked on, and a fourth was still burning. But we're told that it should have been extinguished at sometime very soon.
Back to the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. It took upwards of seven, almost eight months to put out the oil fires that were raging here in the country of Kuwait. We saw the smoke this morning when we rolled out of bed at dawn. The blackened skies outside of our hotel, thick with smoke, a clear indication that the smoke was drifting south to Kuwait.
What's interesting, though, is, right now we've seen a clearing throughout the afternoon. It could be that the winds have shifted. It could also mean that the success of the U.S. military has been just that, it's been successful putting out these fires. That may be why we see the lightening of our skies here.
Talked about the embed program. Listen to this. Walter Rodgers right now has been moving sometimes at 40 miles an hour alongside Bradley fighting vehicles, along M1-A1 70-ton tanks moving up through southern into the central part of Iraq. Walter Rodgers feeding a live picture to us throughout the day.
It's been amazing access. It's been amazing technology as well. He's along the ride there with Jeff Barwise (ph) and the photographer, Charlie Miller. He filed this report with the Seventh Cavalry, part of the Third Infantry Division.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS (voice-over): You don't sleep. You really don't sleep out here. Of course, you're on an adrenaline high. But racing across the desert, you know that you're traveling toward the jaws of what could be a major military battle, as the Seventh Cavalry and the Third ID move towards Baghdad.
That being the case, there's no -- there's not going to be much sleep. The only nap I saw any of the soldiers get was during the refueling, as other tanks were in line ahead of them. They would lie inside the tank or on the flat portion of the tank.
I want you to know that the preferred corner of the tank to sleep in is on the aft turret, because -- aft of the turret, on that back part over the engine, because aft of the turret, on that back part over the engine, because on cool desert nights, that stays warm for about four hours.
Having said that, this is not a time for sleep. These are young men who know how to burn the candle at both ends. And they're burning it at both ends in this race toward Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Interesting to note, Walter tells us that the amount of dust clogging the air filters on these vehicles has not been that significant of a problem. But part of the difficulty moving that fast across the desert is that sometimes you might outrun your resupply fuel behind you.
Walt Rodgers, again, with some exclusive videotape with the Seventh cavalry in southern and central Iraq.
Also in southeastern Iraq right now, Jason Bellini. He's embedded with the 15th MEU, Marine Expeditionary Unit. We're told right now that some sort of fire fight, some sort of military bombing does continue there.
Here's Jason now by way of videophone to tell us what he is seeing and hearing right now -- Jason.
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, for the last 15 minutes or so, it's been quiet here. And as you can see, behind me, things are pretty relaxed here at the port.
Just a moment ago I had a chance to talk to an officer with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He gave me some new information I want to share with you right now.
He said when they came in here, they -- there were pockets of resistance, and they're now just mopping things up. Those were his words. He also said that they captured a senior Iraqi army official with the Iraqi 45th Infantry Brigade. He said once they came in here, into the port area, they encountered no resistance. It was only on the outskirts that they encountered that resistance.
Here inside the port, they -- when they encountered the 45th Infantry Brigade, the Iraqi 45th Infantry Brigade, they were waving white flags. They gave up peacefully. They put down their weapons just as they were told.
And now, most of those enemy prisoners of war, EPWs, as they're calling them, are in this building that's right next to me here. It's a warehouse-type facility here at the port.
But again, things have been very quiet here. Things went pretty much according to plan, especially for the division that I was with, the Gulf Company. We came in by helicopter. And as we came in, we were able to see some people waving at us from the ground. We flew in very low as we came up across the gulf and across the border, and then traveled over the water a bit, and then landed here very safely.
There was another division from -- there was another division that arrived here before we did, and they had secured this airfield, so that it was safe for us to land. And since then, these Marines have been continuing this mop-up effort here at the port, Bill.
HEMMER: Jason Bellini, traveling and embedded with the 15th MEU, now in the port city of Umm Qasr, a critical point for the military to move on shore into that port city. And also later, at some point, for humanitarian aid to come as well.
More from Kuwait City in a moment, but for now, here's Paula again in New York.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Bill.
Actually, I'm going to go back to a little bit more detail about what happened in Umm Qasr earlier this morning, because CNN has just received some of the first pictures of the Marine flag and the U.S. flag being raised over that important strategic port, and important for a number of reasons, not only because it's Iraq's only access to the Persian Gulf, it also happens to be the gateway to Iraq's oil fields in southern Iraq, 30 of them on fire at this hour.
Now, we were later told that the Marines brought down the American flag, in addition to the Marine flag. Someone said that the Pentagon had told them to do that out of respect for some of the local people.
Now, that's in sharp contrast to what British and American forces experienced as they started their operation. The British defense secretary, Geoffrey Hoon, said that they met intense resistance at the launch of that campaign. The coalition forces calling it all a success, saying the port city of Umm Qasr now under complete control of coalition forces.
Now on to the issue of Kuwait. It is a major staging area for the coalition attack on Iraq. That is partly because of its strategic position, and partly because of its strong support for the war. As you might remember, it was Kuwait that was invaded by Iraq during the last Gulf War.
And right now, Gary Tuchman is talking with some worshipers before going in before evening prayers at a mosque in downtown Kuwait City.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning to you.
And the sun has just set here in Kuwait City, and people are in very good moods, because it's now been several hours since the last missile alert. So everything has been relatively calm here in Kuwait City. Muslims are getting ready to go into the mosque behind me. This is the Al Sharazi (ph) Mosque. And you can hear the imam now, talking over the minaret which is on top of the mosque.
So everyone is about to go inside. Before they go inside, we want to talk to two gentlemen standing next to me, asking you, sir, what are you going to pray for when you go inside the mosque?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope that all this is finished soon, and that the regime in Iraq is finished. Also that people of Iraq to have their freedom quickly. And also, quick here, people feel good that it will be finished quickly also.
TUCHMAN: Now, your friend next to you, Adnan, doesn't speak much English. He speaks Arabic. But the reason I want to talk to him is because he is from Iraq. He moved here 23 years ago. Tell me in Arabic -- have him tell me in Arabic what his prayer is, and then you can translate it for me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaks in Arabic)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaks in Arabic)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said that, well, the regime in Iraq of Saddam Hussein finished, and all the regime is gone, and we hope that all these things success, and feel good about that.
TUCHMAN: Gentlemen, thanks for talking with me. We'll let you go in right now, because we don't want the imam to get angry at us, because we hear him calling you right now.
We can tell you that this gentlemen we just talked to from Iraq hasn't been back to his home country, despite the fact that it's only 90 minutes away, the border, he hasn't been back there since he left 23 years ago.
Paula, back to you.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Gary.
Now, we're going to travel to a different part of the region, the northern part of Iraq, which is controlled by the Kurdish population there. Ben Wedeman is our man on the ground there. What's the very latest, Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it's been quiet for the last 20 minutes or so. But really, for several hours this afternoon, we've been hearing sporadic gunfire, antiaircraft fire, rocket-propelled grenades being fired near this -- near the village of Kalak (ph) behind me.
And, of course, our day started with the bombing of Mosul, which is just up the road here. That occurred at about 4:30. Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq, is 47 kilometers up this road across this bridge.
Now, you may be able to see there's an earth barrier at the far end. That is where the Iraqi troops are, probably about half a mile up there. At night, the Iraqi troops normally withdraw to positions on the ridge above this bridge.
Today, as I said, it's been a fairly tense day, with a good amount of gunfire. Fortunately, all over near the village of Kalak, which has been more or less abandoned by its inhabitants, many of them afraid that, with the outbreak of war, the Iraqi army will use chemical weapons on them, Paula.
ZAHN: A question about some of what is going on diplomatically. The -- there is a dispute over the possible presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, and apparently that is put all on hold, a decision by Turkish lawmakers to actually allow U.S. war planes to use Turkish air space. Any reaction from there to this news?
WEDEMAN: Well, from the Kurds' point of view, they're very happy about that. They really do not want the Turks to come in here. And they have made it very clear to the United States that if the Turks enter northern Iraq, they will fight not Iraqi forces, but rather the Turks. And that goes -- that's a very ancient conflict going back hundreds of years.
People here, though, have a very long historical memory, and we've spoken -- I remember speaking to one old gentleman, who told me about his grandfather, whose crops were burned by Ottoman forces.
So really, people here do not want to see the Turks come in. If they were to come in, the whole idea, the whole concept of a northern front would simply evaporate in what would be a Turkish-Kurdish war.
So if it looks -- as it looks like now, there will be no Turkish forces in northern Iraq. That is to the unbridled delight of the Kurds, Paula.
ZAHN: Ben, what is the concern about any refugee problem you might end up with there?
WEDEMAN: Well, actually, they already have something of a refugee problem, in fact, a double refugee problem. They have a rather old one that comes from earlier, the last Gulf War. Many Kurds who were driven out by Iraqi forces, about 120,000 of them, living in the cities of northern Iraq.
Now, the second refugee problem, that's really been sparked by the outbreak of fighting, many people have moved out of the cities, out of the towns in this area, basically going up toward the Iranian border to the countryside to get away, because they're very terrified. The Kurds are traumatized by the idea, the possibility that the Iraqis will once more use chemical weapons on them.
As far as the possibility of refugees coming up from the Iraqi occupied parts -- or rather, the Iraqi army-occupied parts of the country, that really hasn't materialized yet.
Now, going back to the Turkish question, and I hope I'm not getting too confused here, the Turks have said one of the pretexts for their intervention would be to prevent the sort of flood of refugees, of Kurdish refugees, into Turkey that occurred after the 1991 Gulf War. But that was because the Iraqi army had basically -- had crushed a Kurdish rebellion.
There doesn't seem to be that dynamic here on the ground. So really, there's not as much talk about a refugee problem here as there is the possibility of a massive movement of those 120,000 Kurdish refugees back into places like Mosul and Kirkuk, where they were driven out of after the 1991 Gulf War, Paula.
ZAHN: You have a lot to keep track of, there. Ben Wedeman reporting from the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Thanks so much. We'll probably be getting back to you in the next hour or two.
Right now, we're going to check in with Tom Mintier, who joins us from Qatar, where he has just attended a very important coalition briefing. Hello, Tom. What did you learn?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the briefing was not held here in the briefing center, but it was in the parking lot next door. And it was limited to Australian journalists. So far, General Tommy Franks has not made an appearance here in the coalition media center. The only thing we've gotten so far was a release, his message to the troops, and it's about three paragraphs, very supportive message to the troops.
But the Australians held a briefing today. At first, it was going to be here inside the briefing room. But at the last minute it was changed, apparently a bit of protocol going on. Brigadier Maurie McNarm (ph), he is the Australian commander of Australian defense forces that are involved in this operation in Iraq. They have about 500 special forces personnel that are working inside Iraq, and they also have a large contingent that are on patrol missions.
And in that briefing, he talked about a tug that was intercepted, an Iraqi tugboat that was apparently loaded with sea mines. They're what they call a rigid-hulled inflatable, apparently that the special forces use along with their Navy SEALs, intercepted this tugboat, and apparently a joint coalition effort, that was laden with sea mines that were about to be laid.
The general also said that Australian special forces are deep inside Iraq, and denied reports that they had been in for some time, saying that the Australians have only been in for a couple of days.
He also made one historical point. One of their ships fired their shells into Iraq, the first time since Vietnam that Australia has fired a shell in anger, he said.
So Australian journalists receiving a briefing from the commander of Australian forces involved in the coalition, but so far the Americans have been mum as far as information here inside the coalition briefing room, Paula.
ZAHN: Tom, can we come back to that intercepted Iraqi tugboat for a moment? Have they given us any indication exactly where that happened?
MINTIER: They have been involved in enforcing the U.N. sanctions and patrolling in the Persian Gulf. So it's quite possibly this occurred in the Persian Gulf somewhere. But they did not provide the exact location, just saying that a tugboat was intercepted by the coalition forces, led by Australia, and they found that the tugboat was laden with sea mines, and apparently preventing them from putting those sea mines out. It was captured.
Also saying that the Australian soldiers have been involved in several firefights with the Iraqi military, that there have been casualties inflicted by the Australian military. But at the same time, they have also stopped to treat wounded Iraqi soldiers that they have found as they advance, Paula.
ZAHN: You've certainly got a lot of information there. I'm curious why the briefing was limited to Australian journalists. Is there a good answer for that?
MINTIER: Well, there is, I guess, an answer. I wouldn't call it a good answer. Journalists here at the coalition briefing center have been waiting all day, for the last two days, for some type of information here. As I showed you earlier, the only thing we received was a message from General Tommy Franks that was sent to the troops.
As far as hour-by-hour information briefings, they haven't occurred here. No idea why the Americans have decided not to use this briefing room, at least not yet. Mr. Rumsfeld spoke from the Pentagon. The president has spoken. But General Tommy Franks, so far, has not appeared here.
There was talk that the Americans prevented the Australians from using this coalition briefing room, so they moved their briefing to the parking lot outside the building. But I don't know the ins and outs. That's a bit of inside baseball. We did get some very good information from the Australian journalists who did attend the briefing with the Australian commander, and the tugboat was definitely the headline.
ZAHN: Tom Mintier, thanks for sharing that with us this morning. We'll get back to you a little bit later on in our coverage.
Right now, we head to the CNN Center, where Leon Harris is standing by -- Leon.
HARRIS: Hello, Paula.
Yes, we're going to go to Washington right now, and Judy Woodruff is standing by. We've been hearing this morning that President Bush is going to be sitting down with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders to talk about things on Capitol Hill and in Washington as well.
Hello, Judy. By now, we understand that...
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
HARRIS: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the leadership is now on board with President Bush. What was the meeting this morning about, then?
WOODRUFF: Well, Leon, we're waiting to find out. We know the president does -- has said that he wants to check in regularly with the congressional leadership.
You're right, they are on board, but it did take the House of Representatives a bit longer than it took the Senate to come to some agreement on language supporting a resolution -- or a resolution supporting the president. The Senate came together despite the fact that some Democrats were critical of the president's handling of the diplomacy leading up to this war. I'm thinking particularly of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
But the senators did come together yesterday. They did agree on a resolution. They passed it 99 to nothing. In the House, however, they were arguing over just how supportive, just how much credit they should give the president for his leadership leading up to the war. They finally agreed on some language. There were 11 Democrats, though, who voted against that resolution and 22 others who abstained.
So a little bit of dissension still in the House. Having said that, the president does have the majority of the Congress before him.
Leon, we're waiting -- I've just been told we've got a little over a minute before we're going to get -- we're going to be able to show you the picture of the beginning of that meeting that the president is having at the White House. He's meeting with the Senate leadership.
It's Senator Bill Frist, who is the Republican leader, Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader. Over in the House, he's meeting with Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, and then Tom DeLay, who's the majority leader, and then Nancy Pelosi, who is the Democratic leader in the House.
This has been a very interesting process, because while Democrats don't want to look unpatriotic, certainly, they have had serious misgivings about how the president, as we were just saying, handled the diplomacy here.
While we're waiting for these pictures of the meeting, let's bring in quickly our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, we know that Ari Fleischer talked to you and other reporters this morning with some pretty sobering comments about the duration of this war.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he said, Judy, the American people should be well aware, despite the progress so far, and we're just seconds away from hearing the president, that the American people should be prepared that this could go on quite some time, and that there could be more sacrifice, a reference to the casualties overnight.
Now we're going to take you inside the Oval Office. The president, the vice president, meeting with the congressional leadership.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Members of my administration can keep the leadership up to date as the war to liberate Iraq and to remove the weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq proceeds.
The military briefings, of course, will continue to be given out of the Pentagon. Secretary Rumsfeld will be briefing this afternoon.
I also really want to thank the members of Congress, both House members, Senate members, members of both political parties, for the strong resolutions that came off the floor of their respective bodies, resolutions which said loud and clear, our country supports the men and women in uniform. Not only do we support those brave souls who are sacrificing on our behalf, but we want to thank their parents and their families for their dedication as well.
As Secretary Rumsfeld said, we're making progress. We will stay on task until we've achieved our objective, which is to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and free the Iraqi people so they can live in a society that is hopeful and democratic and at peace in this neighborhood.
All of us involved here in Washington are extremely proud of the skill and bravery of our young Americans, who are willing to sacrifice for something greater than themselves.
So it's my honor to welcome the members here. We will continue to keep them briefed as we -- as this war progresses. And I want to thank them for the unity, the message of unity. Thank you all for coming.
WOODRUFF: ... just moments ago, meeting...
KING: Judy, go ahead.
WOODRUFF: Yes, John, I was just saying, the president just moments ago talking with the congressional leadership. And we didn't see -- we saw him sitting there next to the vice president.
John, the president repeating the same themes that he's determined to push forward, but adding the thought today that our thoughts are with the sacrifices being made by these young men and women.
KING: And Judy, the president deliberately not taking questions. The tape ended there, as we were escorted out of the room twice. We tried to ask the president what he could tell us about the known condition of Saddam Hussein. Mr. Bush both times put up his hands and said that Secretary Rumsfeld would brief later at the Pentagon.
On the way out, a bit of small talk with reports. The president was asked how he's holding up, and he said, I'm doing very well.
An interesting scene in the Oval Office, you don't see it on this particular tape. We will see it later when the additional camera shots feed. Sitting across from the president on the sofas are the -- is the congressional leadership.
On one side, Senator Tom Daschle, a man who said this president botched the diplomacy in the days and weeks in advance of this conflict. On the other couch, the Democratic leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She too sharply critical of this president and his diplomatic efforts in the run-up to war.
Obviously the message today, in the wake of those new congressional resolutions, is the president trying to say Congress is standing with him, Democrats, Republicans speaking with one voice.
But there is still some dissent and criticism among the leading Democrats as to how the president has handled the run-up to war. No dispute now that everyone in both parties is supporting the troops, at least. Still some criticism of the president.
But this meeting going on under way here, an interesting scene in the Oval Office. Seated just to the left of Senator Tom Daschle, who was sharply critical of the president, is the House majority leader, Tom DeLay of Texas, someone who has been harshly critical of Senator Daschle for being so critical of the president, Judy.
WOODRUFF: Yes, the atmosphere in that room might have been very interesting, John. Maybe that's why they didn't let us see it on camera.
John, the president does go to Camp David this afternoon. How does that affect, if at all, his ability to follow what's going on?
KING: Well, the White House says not at all. One, number one, they tell us, his father, the former President Bush, went to Camp David the first week of the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. We (begin audio interrupt) and indeed from the Clinton administration during the (end audio interrupt) Kosovo conflict. (begin audio interrupt) there is a secure conference facility, (end audio interrupt) Camp David, during which the president and from which the president can conduct National Security Council meetings.
We are told in the case of tomorrow, most of his war council, as they now call it here at the White House, will most likely travel up to Camp David to do the briefing in person. National security adviser Rice will be in touch with the president up there.
And because of the sophisticated technology available, if, for example, the president wants to talk to General Tommy Franks in the Persian Gulf region, all he has to do is pick up a phone, and he can look face-to-face with General Franks or anyone else he wants to speak to out in the field through this secure videoconferencing facility they have up at Camp David.
WOODRUFF: Almost like a little White House.
KING: It is, in some ways it's more secure. And also it offers the president a chance to get out and take a jog, something he cannot do on the grounds here at the White House. Occasionally he does on the track out back, but he does not like it. So in terms of the president perhaps getting a little chance to think and reflect, it is a much more secure environment, it is also a much more peaceful environment, if you will.
WOODRUFF: Well, we are told the president enjoys that much more than he does the glass house aspect of the White House.
All right, John King reporting for us.
So Paula, the president does plan to get away, but, of course, he's never really very far away at all from what's going on.
ZAHN: All right, thanks, Judy.
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 21, 2003 - 10:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Paula Zahn in New York. Joining me are my colleagues Bill Hemmer in Kuwait City, Judy Woodruff in Washington, Leon Harris in Atlanta, who gets things started now with a look at what is happening at this hour -- Leon.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Here's what's happening at this hour.
Following a line in the sand straight to Baghdad. These are CNN's exclusive pictures of the U.S. Army's 37th Cavalry in southern Iraq. So far it's met relatively little resistance on this rush to Baghdad, but there have been some losses to report this morning.
The Pentagon confirms the first U.S. combat death. A member of the First Marine Expeditionary Force has died today.
Meanwhile, in Kuwait, eight British and four U.S. troops died in the crash of a Marine CH-46 helicopter. That's believed to have been an accident, no hostile fire involved in that case.
And senior U.S. military officials say that there have been strategic gains made, the allied capture of two airfields and the seizure of oil fields in the south, to be specific.
Now, as the allied ground invasion moved north, some Iraqis traveled south to meet them, not to fight but to surrender, as you see here. These men carried white flags into northern Kuwait and were taken into custody.
At least 250 Iraqi soldiers surrendered to U.S. troops today, and dozens more gave themselves up to British forces. Military planners are hoping the sporadic resistance they're meeting will allow forces to reach Baghdad in just a few days.
Meantime, U.S. intelligence officials now believe that the man on the left is indeed Saddam Hussein as purported. This is a video from the speech that he released after the first strikes on Iraq, they believe. "The Washington Post" today took -- is quoting, rather, an administration official as saying that there is evidence that Saddam Hussein was at least hurt in the opening missile barrage.
A Kuwaiti military spokesman says an Iraqi missile fired down on northwestern Kuwait was brought down harmlessly by three Patriot missiles. The Patriot antimissile defenses have been credited with shooting down several Iraqi rockets now, and it appears, Paula, that those new and improved Patriots are definitely that, they are new and improved. ZAHN: Thanks so much, Leon. See you in a little bit.
We have CNN correspondents posted around the region, working to bring you unparalleled coverage of the strike on Iraq.
We start this morning with two very important images from the war today, U.S. Marines along with British marines at Umm Qasr raising the American flag, plus CNN exclusive pictures from the front lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine for a moment a giant wave of steel sweeping across the southern Iraqi desert, and imagine that almost hourly, that wave grows in strength and numbers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: History in the making. For the first time, TV viewers are seeing live images of the front lines of war. You will see these images first on CNN. Our Walt Rodgers accompanying the U.S. Third Squadron, Seventh Cavalry, as it charges across the southern Iraqi desert toward Baghdad.
Bill Hemmer is standing by in Kuwait City.
Bill, I know you have been just as captivated by these images and hearing Walt Rodgers' description of seeing this armor for miles on both sides. And fortunately, for the men and women taking place in this part of the campaign -- or taking part in this part of the campaign, they have not endured any kind of enemy fire over the last 12 hours.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I tell you, the other thing it shows, Paula, for those who are skeptical about this embed program put on by the Pentagon, taking more than 500 journalists into battle with them, to this point, it has been the single greatest source of information for us covering this war.
Our journalists embedded with the Marines, embedded with the U.S. Army, giving us this up-front and very personal image about how the U.S. military goes into battle right now in Iraq.
A little local flavor for you, Paula. Quickly here, "Arab Times," the headline today, "America Invades Iraq." Quite clear, the headline going left to right.
Also, the "Kuwait Times" saying, "It's War at Last." Many Kuwaitis will tell you that they only thought their country would start to prosper again once the regime of Saddam Hussein had been taken out.
It appears right now, with the ground war under way, as the troops move toward Baghdad, yet again even closer by the hour, that that hour, that day may be sooner at hand than many Kuwaitis may have thought in the past. A couple of news items for you quickly. One of the big headlines today has been these oil fires raging in southern Iraq. At one point, the Kuwaiti government told us here at CNN that at least 30 different fires were burning.
We've got some videotape shot by CNN's Martin Savidge, embedded with the U.S. Marines, along with photographer Scott McGuinea (ph). Clearly, you can see the darkened skies in the background with these oil fires burning. We know of at least those 30.
We can tell you, of four of those 30 have been handled by U.S. Marines, two completely extinguished earlier today. Last check, one was still being worked on, and a fourth was still burning. But we're told that it should have been extinguished at sometime very soon.
Back to the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. It took upwards of seven, almost eight months to put out the oil fires that were raging here in the country of Kuwait. We saw the smoke this morning when we rolled out of bed at dawn. The blackened skies outside of our hotel, thick with smoke, a clear indication that the smoke was drifting south to Kuwait.
What's interesting, though, is, right now we've seen a clearing throughout the afternoon. It could be that the winds have shifted. It could also mean that the success of the U.S. military has been just that, it's been successful putting out these fires. That may be why we see the lightening of our skies here.
Talked about the embed program. Listen to this. Walter Rodgers right now has been moving sometimes at 40 miles an hour alongside Bradley fighting vehicles, along M1-A1 70-ton tanks moving up through southern into the central part of Iraq. Walter Rodgers feeding a live picture to us throughout the day.
It's been amazing access. It's been amazing technology as well. He's along the ride there with Jeff Barwise (ph) and the photographer, Charlie Miller. He filed this report with the Seventh Cavalry, part of the Third Infantry Division.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODGERS (voice-over): You don't sleep. You really don't sleep out here. Of course, you're on an adrenaline high. But racing across the desert, you know that you're traveling toward the jaws of what could be a major military battle, as the Seventh Cavalry and the Third ID move towards Baghdad.
That being the case, there's no -- there's not going to be much sleep. The only nap I saw any of the soldiers get was during the refueling, as other tanks were in line ahead of them. They would lie inside the tank or on the flat portion of the tank.
I want you to know that the preferred corner of the tank to sleep in is on the aft turret, because -- aft of the turret, on that back part over the engine, because aft of the turret, on that back part over the engine, because on cool desert nights, that stays warm for about four hours.
Having said that, this is not a time for sleep. These are young men who know how to burn the candle at both ends. And they're burning it at both ends in this race toward Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Interesting to note, Walter tells us that the amount of dust clogging the air filters on these vehicles has not been that significant of a problem. But part of the difficulty moving that fast across the desert is that sometimes you might outrun your resupply fuel behind you.
Walt Rodgers, again, with some exclusive videotape with the Seventh cavalry in southern and central Iraq.
Also in southeastern Iraq right now, Jason Bellini. He's embedded with the 15th MEU, Marine Expeditionary Unit. We're told right now that some sort of fire fight, some sort of military bombing does continue there.
Here's Jason now by way of videophone to tell us what he is seeing and hearing right now -- Jason.
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, for the last 15 minutes or so, it's been quiet here. And as you can see, behind me, things are pretty relaxed here at the port.
Just a moment ago I had a chance to talk to an officer with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. He gave me some new information I want to share with you right now.
He said when they came in here, they -- there were pockets of resistance, and they're now just mopping things up. Those were his words. He also said that they captured a senior Iraqi army official with the Iraqi 45th Infantry Brigade. He said once they came in here, into the port area, they encountered no resistance. It was only on the outskirts that they encountered that resistance.
Here inside the port, they -- when they encountered the 45th Infantry Brigade, the Iraqi 45th Infantry Brigade, they were waving white flags. They gave up peacefully. They put down their weapons just as they were told.
And now, most of those enemy prisoners of war, EPWs, as they're calling them, are in this building that's right next to me here. It's a warehouse-type facility here at the port.
But again, things have been very quiet here. Things went pretty much according to plan, especially for the division that I was with, the Gulf Company. We came in by helicopter. And as we came in, we were able to see some people waving at us from the ground. We flew in very low as we came up across the gulf and across the border, and then traveled over the water a bit, and then landed here very safely.
There was another division from -- there was another division that arrived here before we did, and they had secured this airfield, so that it was safe for us to land. And since then, these Marines have been continuing this mop-up effort here at the port, Bill.
HEMMER: Jason Bellini, traveling and embedded with the 15th MEU, now in the port city of Umm Qasr, a critical point for the military to move on shore into that port city. And also later, at some point, for humanitarian aid to come as well.
More from Kuwait City in a moment, but for now, here's Paula again in New York.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Bill.
Actually, I'm going to go back to a little bit more detail about what happened in Umm Qasr earlier this morning, because CNN has just received some of the first pictures of the Marine flag and the U.S. flag being raised over that important strategic port, and important for a number of reasons, not only because it's Iraq's only access to the Persian Gulf, it also happens to be the gateway to Iraq's oil fields in southern Iraq, 30 of them on fire at this hour.
Now, we were later told that the Marines brought down the American flag, in addition to the Marine flag. Someone said that the Pentagon had told them to do that out of respect for some of the local people.
Now, that's in sharp contrast to what British and American forces experienced as they started their operation. The British defense secretary, Geoffrey Hoon, said that they met intense resistance at the launch of that campaign. The coalition forces calling it all a success, saying the port city of Umm Qasr now under complete control of coalition forces.
Now on to the issue of Kuwait. It is a major staging area for the coalition attack on Iraq. That is partly because of its strategic position, and partly because of its strong support for the war. As you might remember, it was Kuwait that was invaded by Iraq during the last Gulf War.
And right now, Gary Tuchman is talking with some worshipers before going in before evening prayers at a mosque in downtown Kuwait City.
Good morning, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning to you.
And the sun has just set here in Kuwait City, and people are in very good moods, because it's now been several hours since the last missile alert. So everything has been relatively calm here in Kuwait City. Muslims are getting ready to go into the mosque behind me. This is the Al Sharazi (ph) Mosque. And you can hear the imam now, talking over the minaret which is on top of the mosque.
So everyone is about to go inside. Before they go inside, we want to talk to two gentlemen standing next to me, asking you, sir, what are you going to pray for when you go inside the mosque?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope that all this is finished soon, and that the regime in Iraq is finished. Also that people of Iraq to have their freedom quickly. And also, quick here, people feel good that it will be finished quickly also.
TUCHMAN: Now, your friend next to you, Adnan, doesn't speak much English. He speaks Arabic. But the reason I want to talk to him is because he is from Iraq. He moved here 23 years ago. Tell me in Arabic -- have him tell me in Arabic what his prayer is, and then you can translate it for me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaks in Arabic)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaks in Arabic)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said that, well, the regime in Iraq of Saddam Hussein finished, and all the regime is gone, and we hope that all these things success, and feel good about that.
TUCHMAN: Gentlemen, thanks for talking with me. We'll let you go in right now, because we don't want the imam to get angry at us, because we hear him calling you right now.
We can tell you that this gentlemen we just talked to from Iraq hasn't been back to his home country, despite the fact that it's only 90 minutes away, the border, he hasn't been back there since he left 23 years ago.
Paula, back to you.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Gary.
Now, we're going to travel to a different part of the region, the northern part of Iraq, which is controlled by the Kurdish population there. Ben Wedeman is our man on the ground there. What's the very latest, Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it's been quiet for the last 20 minutes or so. But really, for several hours this afternoon, we've been hearing sporadic gunfire, antiaircraft fire, rocket-propelled grenades being fired near this -- near the village of Kalak (ph) behind me.
And, of course, our day started with the bombing of Mosul, which is just up the road here. That occurred at about 4:30. Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq, is 47 kilometers up this road across this bridge.
Now, you may be able to see there's an earth barrier at the far end. That is where the Iraqi troops are, probably about half a mile up there. At night, the Iraqi troops normally withdraw to positions on the ridge above this bridge.
Today, as I said, it's been a fairly tense day, with a good amount of gunfire. Fortunately, all over near the village of Kalak, which has been more or less abandoned by its inhabitants, many of them afraid that, with the outbreak of war, the Iraqi army will use chemical weapons on them, Paula.
ZAHN: A question about some of what is going on diplomatically. The -- there is a dispute over the possible presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, and apparently that is put all on hold, a decision by Turkish lawmakers to actually allow U.S. war planes to use Turkish air space. Any reaction from there to this news?
WEDEMAN: Well, from the Kurds' point of view, they're very happy about that. They really do not want the Turks to come in here. And they have made it very clear to the United States that if the Turks enter northern Iraq, they will fight not Iraqi forces, but rather the Turks. And that goes -- that's a very ancient conflict going back hundreds of years.
People here, though, have a very long historical memory, and we've spoken -- I remember speaking to one old gentleman, who told me about his grandfather, whose crops were burned by Ottoman forces.
So really, people here do not want to see the Turks come in. If they were to come in, the whole idea, the whole concept of a northern front would simply evaporate in what would be a Turkish-Kurdish war.
So if it looks -- as it looks like now, there will be no Turkish forces in northern Iraq. That is to the unbridled delight of the Kurds, Paula.
ZAHN: Ben, what is the concern about any refugee problem you might end up with there?
WEDEMAN: Well, actually, they already have something of a refugee problem, in fact, a double refugee problem. They have a rather old one that comes from earlier, the last Gulf War. Many Kurds who were driven out by Iraqi forces, about 120,000 of them, living in the cities of northern Iraq.
Now, the second refugee problem, that's really been sparked by the outbreak of fighting, many people have moved out of the cities, out of the towns in this area, basically going up toward the Iranian border to the countryside to get away, because they're very terrified. The Kurds are traumatized by the idea, the possibility that the Iraqis will once more use chemical weapons on them.
As far as the possibility of refugees coming up from the Iraqi occupied parts -- or rather, the Iraqi army-occupied parts of the country, that really hasn't materialized yet.
Now, going back to the Turkish question, and I hope I'm not getting too confused here, the Turks have said one of the pretexts for their intervention would be to prevent the sort of flood of refugees, of Kurdish refugees, into Turkey that occurred after the 1991 Gulf War. But that was because the Iraqi army had basically -- had crushed a Kurdish rebellion.
There doesn't seem to be that dynamic here on the ground. So really, there's not as much talk about a refugee problem here as there is the possibility of a massive movement of those 120,000 Kurdish refugees back into places like Mosul and Kirkuk, where they were driven out of after the 1991 Gulf War, Paula.
ZAHN: You have a lot to keep track of, there. Ben Wedeman reporting from the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Thanks so much. We'll probably be getting back to you in the next hour or two.
Right now, we're going to check in with Tom Mintier, who joins us from Qatar, where he has just attended a very important coalition briefing. Hello, Tom. What did you learn?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the briefing was not held here in the briefing center, but it was in the parking lot next door. And it was limited to Australian journalists. So far, General Tommy Franks has not made an appearance here in the coalition media center. The only thing we've gotten so far was a release, his message to the troops, and it's about three paragraphs, very supportive message to the troops.
But the Australians held a briefing today. At first, it was going to be here inside the briefing room. But at the last minute it was changed, apparently a bit of protocol going on. Brigadier Maurie McNarm (ph), he is the Australian commander of Australian defense forces that are involved in this operation in Iraq. They have about 500 special forces personnel that are working inside Iraq, and they also have a large contingent that are on patrol missions.
And in that briefing, he talked about a tug that was intercepted, an Iraqi tugboat that was apparently loaded with sea mines. They're what they call a rigid-hulled inflatable, apparently that the special forces use along with their Navy SEALs, intercepted this tugboat, and apparently a joint coalition effort, that was laden with sea mines that were about to be laid.
The general also said that Australian special forces are deep inside Iraq, and denied reports that they had been in for some time, saying that the Australians have only been in for a couple of days.
He also made one historical point. One of their ships fired their shells into Iraq, the first time since Vietnam that Australia has fired a shell in anger, he said.
So Australian journalists receiving a briefing from the commander of Australian forces involved in the coalition, but so far the Americans have been mum as far as information here inside the coalition briefing room, Paula.
ZAHN: Tom, can we come back to that intercepted Iraqi tugboat for a moment? Have they given us any indication exactly where that happened?
MINTIER: They have been involved in enforcing the U.N. sanctions and patrolling in the Persian Gulf. So it's quite possibly this occurred in the Persian Gulf somewhere. But they did not provide the exact location, just saying that a tugboat was intercepted by the coalition forces, led by Australia, and they found that the tugboat was laden with sea mines, and apparently preventing them from putting those sea mines out. It was captured.
Also saying that the Australian soldiers have been involved in several firefights with the Iraqi military, that there have been casualties inflicted by the Australian military. But at the same time, they have also stopped to treat wounded Iraqi soldiers that they have found as they advance, Paula.
ZAHN: You've certainly got a lot of information there. I'm curious why the briefing was limited to Australian journalists. Is there a good answer for that?
MINTIER: Well, there is, I guess, an answer. I wouldn't call it a good answer. Journalists here at the coalition briefing center have been waiting all day, for the last two days, for some type of information here. As I showed you earlier, the only thing we received was a message from General Tommy Franks that was sent to the troops.
As far as hour-by-hour information briefings, they haven't occurred here. No idea why the Americans have decided not to use this briefing room, at least not yet. Mr. Rumsfeld spoke from the Pentagon. The president has spoken. But General Tommy Franks, so far, has not appeared here.
There was talk that the Americans prevented the Australians from using this coalition briefing room, so they moved their briefing to the parking lot outside the building. But I don't know the ins and outs. That's a bit of inside baseball. We did get some very good information from the Australian journalists who did attend the briefing with the Australian commander, and the tugboat was definitely the headline.
ZAHN: Tom Mintier, thanks for sharing that with us this morning. We'll get back to you a little bit later on in our coverage.
Right now, we head to the CNN Center, where Leon Harris is standing by -- Leon.
HARRIS: Hello, Paula.
Yes, we're going to go to Washington right now, and Judy Woodruff is standing by. We've been hearing this morning that President Bush is going to be sitting down with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders to talk about things on Capitol Hill and in Washington as well.
Hello, Judy. By now, we understand that...
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
HARRIS: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the leadership is now on board with President Bush. What was the meeting this morning about, then?
WOODRUFF: Well, Leon, we're waiting to find out. We know the president does -- has said that he wants to check in regularly with the congressional leadership.
You're right, they are on board, but it did take the House of Representatives a bit longer than it took the Senate to come to some agreement on language supporting a resolution -- or a resolution supporting the president. The Senate came together despite the fact that some Democrats were critical of the president's handling of the diplomacy leading up to this war. I'm thinking particularly of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
But the senators did come together yesterday. They did agree on a resolution. They passed it 99 to nothing. In the House, however, they were arguing over just how supportive, just how much credit they should give the president for his leadership leading up to the war. They finally agreed on some language. There were 11 Democrats, though, who voted against that resolution and 22 others who abstained.
So a little bit of dissension still in the House. Having said that, the president does have the majority of the Congress before him.
Leon, we're waiting -- I've just been told we've got a little over a minute before we're going to get -- we're going to be able to show you the picture of the beginning of that meeting that the president is having at the White House. He's meeting with the Senate leadership.
It's Senator Bill Frist, who is the Republican leader, Senator Tom Daschle, the Democratic leader. Over in the House, he's meeting with Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert, and then Tom DeLay, who's the majority leader, and then Nancy Pelosi, who is the Democratic leader in the House.
This has been a very interesting process, because while Democrats don't want to look unpatriotic, certainly, they have had serious misgivings about how the president, as we were just saying, handled the diplomacy here.
While we're waiting for these pictures of the meeting, let's bring in quickly our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, we know that Ari Fleischer talked to you and other reporters this morning with some pretty sobering comments about the duration of this war.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, he said, Judy, the American people should be well aware, despite the progress so far, and we're just seconds away from hearing the president, that the American people should be prepared that this could go on quite some time, and that there could be more sacrifice, a reference to the casualties overnight.
Now we're going to take you inside the Oval Office. The president, the vice president, meeting with the congressional leadership.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Members of my administration can keep the leadership up to date as the war to liberate Iraq and to remove the weapons of mass destruction out of Iraq proceeds.
The military briefings, of course, will continue to be given out of the Pentagon. Secretary Rumsfeld will be briefing this afternoon.
I also really want to thank the members of Congress, both House members, Senate members, members of both political parties, for the strong resolutions that came off the floor of their respective bodies, resolutions which said loud and clear, our country supports the men and women in uniform. Not only do we support those brave souls who are sacrificing on our behalf, but we want to thank their parents and their families for their dedication as well.
As Secretary Rumsfeld said, we're making progress. We will stay on task until we've achieved our objective, which is to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and free the Iraqi people so they can live in a society that is hopeful and democratic and at peace in this neighborhood.
All of us involved here in Washington are extremely proud of the skill and bravery of our young Americans, who are willing to sacrifice for something greater than themselves.
So it's my honor to welcome the members here. We will continue to keep them briefed as we -- as this war progresses. And I want to thank them for the unity, the message of unity. Thank you all for coming.
WOODRUFF: ... just moments ago, meeting...
KING: Judy, go ahead.
WOODRUFF: Yes, John, I was just saying, the president just moments ago talking with the congressional leadership. And we didn't see -- we saw him sitting there next to the vice president.
John, the president repeating the same themes that he's determined to push forward, but adding the thought today that our thoughts are with the sacrifices being made by these young men and women.
KING: And Judy, the president deliberately not taking questions. The tape ended there, as we were escorted out of the room twice. We tried to ask the president what he could tell us about the known condition of Saddam Hussein. Mr. Bush both times put up his hands and said that Secretary Rumsfeld would brief later at the Pentagon.
On the way out, a bit of small talk with reports. The president was asked how he's holding up, and he said, I'm doing very well.
An interesting scene in the Oval Office, you don't see it on this particular tape. We will see it later when the additional camera shots feed. Sitting across from the president on the sofas are the -- is the congressional leadership.
On one side, Senator Tom Daschle, a man who said this president botched the diplomacy in the days and weeks in advance of this conflict. On the other couch, the Democratic leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi. She too sharply critical of this president and his diplomatic efforts in the run-up to war.
Obviously the message today, in the wake of those new congressional resolutions, is the president trying to say Congress is standing with him, Democrats, Republicans speaking with one voice.
But there is still some dissent and criticism among the leading Democrats as to how the president has handled the run-up to war. No dispute now that everyone in both parties is supporting the troops, at least. Still some criticism of the president.
But this meeting going on under way here, an interesting scene in the Oval Office. Seated just to the left of Senator Tom Daschle, who was sharply critical of the president, is the House majority leader, Tom DeLay of Texas, someone who has been harshly critical of Senator Daschle for being so critical of the president, Judy.
WOODRUFF: Yes, the atmosphere in that room might have been very interesting, John. Maybe that's why they didn't let us see it on camera.
John, the president does go to Camp David this afternoon. How does that affect, if at all, his ability to follow what's going on?
KING: Well, the White House says not at all. One, number one, they tell us, his father, the former President Bush, went to Camp David the first week of the Persian Gulf War 12 years ago. We (begin audio interrupt) and indeed from the Clinton administration during the (end audio interrupt) Kosovo conflict. (begin audio interrupt) there is a secure conference facility, (end audio interrupt) Camp David, during which the president and from which the president can conduct National Security Council meetings.
We are told in the case of tomorrow, most of his war council, as they now call it here at the White House, will most likely travel up to Camp David to do the briefing in person. National security adviser Rice will be in touch with the president up there.
And because of the sophisticated technology available, if, for example, the president wants to talk to General Tommy Franks in the Persian Gulf region, all he has to do is pick up a phone, and he can look face-to-face with General Franks or anyone else he wants to speak to out in the field through this secure videoconferencing facility they have up at Camp David.
WOODRUFF: Almost like a little White House.
KING: It is, in some ways it's more secure. And also it offers the president a chance to get out and take a jog, something he cannot do on the grounds here at the White House. Occasionally he does on the track out back, but he does not like it. So in terms of the president perhaps getting a little chance to think and reflect, it is a much more secure environment, it is also a much more peaceful environment, if you will.
WOODRUFF: Well, we are told the president enjoys that much more than he does the glass house aspect of the White House.
All right, John King reporting for us.
So Paula, the president does plan to get away, but, of course, he's never really very far away at all from what's going on.
ZAHN: All right, thanks, Judy.
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