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CNN Live Today
Dearborn's Arab-Americans Celebrate Fall of Baghdad
Aired April 28, 2003 - 10:37 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: Now, let's go to Dearborn, Michigan, where President Bush is actually going to be on his way in just a matter of moments now. Jeff Flock standing by, awaiting the president's arrival.
Hello, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, hello to you.
Interesting community here, about 120,000 Iraqi-Americans in and around Dearborn, Michigan. It's the largest Iraqi community in the U.S. Headline interesting in "The Detroit Free Press" this morning, "Support for Bush Turns to Suspicion."
And indeed, on the part of some people, that is the way they feel, but others still, when the president comes today, very, very thankful about what the president has done. These Iraqi-Americans are people we've been spending time with the last month or so. What would you tell the president today if you could?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's our savior, besides God. He saved so many Iraqis from Saddam and his regime. If Saddam was in power right now, so many Iraqis could have been gone. We are very, very thankful for him.
FLOCK: For people that were victims of the regime, this gentleman, I know you have scars. You have scars from Saddam's torture?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No good Saddam.
FLOCK: He was tortured?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam and his regime used against Iraqis in Iraq.
FLOCK: So you are very, very supportive of President Bush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very, very supportive for President Bush.
FLOCK: But there are other members of community here that the wary, we saw the story in the "Free Press," suspicion about the U.S. motives are. Anything that worries you about the U.S. effort?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, as long as there is no more Saddam in Iraq, we are safe. Saddam was worst thing that ever happened to Iraqis. Let's say Americans after the oil, they could have got the oil even if Saddam was in power. They could tell Saddam stay president and give us the oil, Saddam would do that; Saddam wouldn't care about that.
FLOCK: I want to take you back a couple of weeks ago to when the statues fell. You guys were literally in the streets of Dearborn, celebrating. Do you still have that same fervor today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have that. We are going to be off even harder when they catch Saddam, because Saddam is our main problem. We'll celebrate even more.
FLOCK: And as you point out is Saddam Hussein's, or would be if he is alive, his 66th birthday. And you are not ready to rest until they are sure that he is in fact gone. So some real support here, at least in this pocket, for the president today. And he'll be here.
HARRIS: Thank you. Very interesting. Should be an interesting day there in Dearborn, Michigan.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired April 28, 2003 - 10:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's go to Dearborn, Michigan, where President Bush is actually going to be on his way in just a matter of moments now. Jeff Flock standing by, awaiting the president's arrival.
Hello, Jeff.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, hello to you.
Interesting community here, about 120,000 Iraqi-Americans in and around Dearborn, Michigan. It's the largest Iraqi community in the U.S. Headline interesting in "The Detroit Free Press" this morning, "Support for Bush Turns to Suspicion."
And indeed, on the part of some people, that is the way they feel, but others still, when the president comes today, very, very thankful about what the president has done. These Iraqi-Americans are people we've been spending time with the last month or so. What would you tell the president today if you could?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's our savior, besides God. He saved so many Iraqis from Saddam and his regime. If Saddam was in power right now, so many Iraqis could have been gone. We are very, very thankful for him.
FLOCK: For people that were victims of the regime, this gentleman, I know you have scars. You have scars from Saddam's torture?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No good Saddam.
FLOCK: He was tortured?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam and his regime used against Iraqis in Iraq.
FLOCK: So you are very, very supportive of President Bush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are very, very supportive for President Bush.
FLOCK: But there are other members of community here that the wary, we saw the story in the "Free Press," suspicion about the U.S. motives are. Anything that worries you about the U.S. effort?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, as long as there is no more Saddam in Iraq, we are safe. Saddam was worst thing that ever happened to Iraqis. Let's say Americans after the oil, they could have got the oil even if Saddam was in power. They could tell Saddam stay president and give us the oil, Saddam would do that; Saddam wouldn't care about that.
FLOCK: I want to take you back a couple of weeks ago to when the statues fell. You guys were literally in the streets of Dearborn, celebrating. Do you still have that same fervor today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we have that. We are going to be off even harder when they catch Saddam, because Saddam is our main problem. We'll celebrate even more.
FLOCK: And as you point out is Saddam Hussein's, or would be if he is alive, his 66th birthday. And you are not ready to rest until they are sure that he is in fact gone. So some real support here, at least in this pocket, for the president today. And he'll be here.
HARRIS: Thank you. Very interesting. Should be an interesting day there in Dearborn, Michigan.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
c
