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CNN Live At Daybreak
Tonight President Bush to Announce End of Combat in Iraq
Aired May 01, 2003 - 07:03 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back now to the latest on the president's speech tonight. He is expected to make an announcement this evening that the major fighting in Iraq has wrapped, but he'll stop short of actually declaring the war over.
Dana Bash live at the White House Front Lawn with a preview of what is ahead later tonight.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Well, you know, it was just 43 days ago that the president said to the American people that he had launched the first airstrike in Baghdad. And today, as you mentioned, he will say that at least the combat phase of the war in Iraq is over.
Now, the White House says the reason why he is not fully declaring victory is because, first of all, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. That was a key-stated goal of this war. And also because there are still skirmishes going on. We've seen over the past few days that very thing in Fallujah.
Now, the way the president is going to make this speech is going to be quite dramatic. He will be on the deck, as you said, of the USS Abraham Lincoln. That will be just offshore of California with more than 5,000 Marines and sailors there, just about to see their loves ones for the first time months. They will, of course, be coming back from the Persian Gulf.
And also, the way the president will arrive on the carrier will be quite a sight. Usually, presidents get onto carriers like this by helicopter, but the president will be on a Navy airplane. He will be on a Viking, a four-seater aircraft, and he will be, we are told, in the co-pilot seat.
The White House is emphasizing he will not be flying the plane at all. Of course, the president is a former member of the Texas Air National Guard, but the president himself joked yesterday that folks on the landing strip should stay clear -- Bill.
HEMMER: I bet that was a joke, and I'm sure they appreciated it.
Listen, within the hour, we will see and hear from the president. What's happening with the prayer breakfast -- Dana?
BASH: The president is going to give a speech here at the White House just before he leaves for the West Coast. He will be talking, giving a major speech on the National Day of Prayer. This, of course, is a major event for the president, who is certainly a man of faith. It's expected to be a ceremony with lots of songs and lots of speeches by people from all faiths. So that's what we will see from the president right before he leaves this morning -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash 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 May 1, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back now to the latest on the president's speech tonight. He is expected to make an announcement this evening that the major fighting in Iraq has wrapped, but he'll stop short of actually declaring the war over.
Dana Bash live at the White House Front Lawn with a preview of what is ahead later tonight.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Well, you know, it was just 43 days ago that the president said to the American people that he had launched the first airstrike in Baghdad. And today, as you mentioned, he will say that at least the combat phase of the war in Iraq is over.
Now, the White House says the reason why he is not fully declaring victory is because, first of all, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. That was a key-stated goal of this war. And also because there are still skirmishes going on. We've seen over the past few days that very thing in Fallujah.
Now, the way the president is going to make this speech is going to be quite dramatic. He will be on the deck, as you said, of the USS Abraham Lincoln. That will be just offshore of California with more than 5,000 Marines and sailors there, just about to see their loves ones for the first time months. They will, of course, be coming back from the Persian Gulf.
And also, the way the president will arrive on the carrier will be quite a sight. Usually, presidents get onto carriers like this by helicopter, but the president will be on a Navy airplane. He will be on a Viking, a four-seater aircraft, and he will be, we are told, in the co-pilot seat.
The White House is emphasizing he will not be flying the plane at all. Of course, the president is a former member of the Texas Air National Guard, but the president himself joked yesterday that folks on the landing strip should stay clear -- Bill.
HEMMER: I bet that was a joke, and I'm sure they appreciated it.
Listen, within the hour, we will see and hear from the president. What's happening with the prayer breakfast -- Dana?
BASH: The president is going to give a speech here at the White House just before he leaves for the West Coast. He will be talking, giving a major speech on the National Day of Prayer. This, of course, is a major event for the president, who is certainly a man of faith. It's expected to be a ceremony with lots of songs and lots of speeches by people from all faiths. So that's what we will see from the president right before he leaves this morning -- Bill.
HEMMER: Dana Bash 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.
