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CNN Live At Daybreak
War in Iraq: View From the White House
Aired April 09, 2003 - 06:47 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: Let's go to Washington right now and check in with Dana Bash for more on what's being said about what's happening in some parts of Baghdad this morning.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well these are the pictures that the Bush administration has been waiting for, pictures of jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets and doing what they're doing to pictures of Saddam Hussein now.
We've heard over the past few weeks the Bush administration, really from the president on down, talking in graphic detail about the brutality of Saddam Hussein's regime to explain why we hadn't seen these pictures so far because they were making -- they were making it very clear that they thought that we hadn't seen these pictures because people were so frightened of Saddam Hussein and his tortuous regime, as they would call it.
But I spoke to an administration official just a little while ago who said that now clearly the Iraqi people feel that they are not in danger from what they are calling here in Washington the "death squads" of Saddam Hussein. They clearly feel that they are much more liberated, but there is a lot of caution coming from the White House.
They are saying that although these pictures clearly show a different kind of Iraqi, no question, there is danger ahead. They are being very, very cautious, cautioning what the official told me was a rational exuberance, saying that there are still pockets of resistance, that there are still dangers ahead for the coalition forces and there is still fighting left ahead. So they are being -- they are certainly very happy about these pictures, but they are being pretty cautious -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well you got to believe President Bush might come out and talk about what's happened this morning sometime today.
BASH: No plans to do that yet, but you never know.
COSTELLO: That's true. Dana Bash, thanks very much. Dana Bash reporting live from Washington.
Again, those pictures are from east central Baghdad and that's only one small part of the city of Baghdad where there is cheering and a joyous reception for U.S. Marines and there's also much looting in parts of the city. 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 April 9, 2003 - 06:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Washington right now and check in with Dana Bash for more on what's being said about what's happening in some parts of Baghdad this morning.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well these are the pictures that the Bush administration has been waiting for, pictures of jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets and doing what they're doing to pictures of Saddam Hussein now.
We've heard over the past few weeks the Bush administration, really from the president on down, talking in graphic detail about the brutality of Saddam Hussein's regime to explain why we hadn't seen these pictures so far because they were making -- they were making it very clear that they thought that we hadn't seen these pictures because people were so frightened of Saddam Hussein and his tortuous regime, as they would call it.
But I spoke to an administration official just a little while ago who said that now clearly the Iraqi people feel that they are not in danger from what they are calling here in Washington the "death squads" of Saddam Hussein. They clearly feel that they are much more liberated, but there is a lot of caution coming from the White House.
They are saying that although these pictures clearly show a different kind of Iraqi, no question, there is danger ahead. They are being very, very cautious, cautioning what the official told me was a rational exuberance, saying that there are still pockets of resistance, that there are still dangers ahead for the coalition forces and there is still fighting left ahead. So they are being -- they are certainly very happy about these pictures, but they are being pretty cautious -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well you got to believe President Bush might come out and talk about what's happened this morning sometime today.
BASH: No plans to do that yet, but you never know.
COSTELLO: That's true. Dana Bash, thanks very much. Dana Bash reporting live from Washington.
Again, those pictures are from east central Baghdad and that's only one small part of the city of Baghdad where there is cheering and a joyous reception for U.S. Marines and there's also much looting in parts of the city. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
