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CNN Live Today

Bush to Declare End to Major Combat Operations in Iraq

Aired May 01, 2003 - 11:01   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The nation's commander in chief will command attention tonight as he declares an end to major combat operations in Iraq. President Bush is going to address the country from the deck of an aircraft carrier returning from the war.
Our Frank Buckley is onboard that carrier right now, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and there he is.

Hello, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Leon.

It's believed to be the first time the -- a sitting president will be speaking to the nation live from an aircraft carrier at sea. A couple of firsts taking place on this trip. The president also planning to overnight on this ship, and he will, it's believed to be, he's going to be the first sitting president to take a trap on an aircraft carrier, that is he's going to be landing and hooking one of the cables with a tail hook in a jet at a landing that takes place at around noon local time.

The president left this morning from Andrews Air Force Base, flying aboard Air Force One. Of course that won't then aircraft he'll be landing on the Abraham Lincoln with. He'll be landing in an S-3 Viking. The trip out to San Diego aboard Air Force One.

Right now, here on the flight deck, preparation under way. One of the helicopters that will be used to provide cover, search and rescue cover, as the president's plane comes in is on the deck, and preparations are under way on the deck here as well.

Joining me right now, Commander Bill Dooris, who is one of the squadron commanders who is going to be involved in a major fly-off today, three squadrons taking off.

Commander, first of all, tell me about the day, having the president visit you here on the aircraft carrier after nearly 10 months at sea during wartime.

CMDR. BILL DOORIS, U.S. NAVY: It's been a long trip. We appreciate the visit out. I keep trying to tell my folks that work for me how appreciative the nation is, and boy, what a visible symbol to have the president come out here himself to thank us.

BUCKLEY: Let's talk about this dynamic event that we're going to witness here live, with the president coming in. If we can just take a look down here at the flight deck and look back toward the ramp there. Tell us what the president will experience, and what are the challenges he faces as he comes on final.

DOORIS: Well, the pilot, Skip Lucere (ph), will line the airplane up, and he'll have about a 15-second straightaway to square everything away, and he'll be trying to get on glide slope and get his lineup squared away. He'll come across the ramp, and if he's too low, which he won't be, he'll hit the ramp and explode. If he's too high, he'll bolt, or miss all the wires and go around. He'll catch the wire and go to full power, just in case that eventuality occurs.

BUCKLEY: It's my understanding, the president will take a trap, and then hook up to a catapult for a couple more. And there are four cables there. The ideal one, I'm told, is cable number three. And if you go too far, and you were saying it's a matter of just a few feet ass to whether or not you hit any of the cables. They are moving in at 150 miles an hour. and a few feet high is not too bad. It happens fairly routinely, not for Skip of course. He'll catch the three wire, I guarantee.

DOORIS: All right, thank you very much. And as we said, if he misses all those cables, what happens then is the plane then goes all the way down the deck there, and it's called a bolter, and in fact yesterday on the aircraft we arrived on the deck, we were a bolter, which meant we hit the deck, the pilot went to full power, and we took back off again. It's quite an exciting feeling, and as we hear from the commander here, that's not expected to happen here with the president aboard. Certainly the pilot doesn't expect that to happen -- Leon.

HARRIS: Better not happen. Thanks, Frank. Frank Buckley reporting live for us aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

And breaking the news that President Bush is going to be taking off from there a couple of times, more than once now. Stay with us with us her on CNN, live coverage of the president's address from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, tonight at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 Pacific, right here.

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 - 11:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The nation's commander in chief will command attention tonight as he declares an end to major combat operations in Iraq. President Bush is going to address the country from the deck of an aircraft carrier returning from the war.
Our Frank Buckley is onboard that carrier right now, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and there he is.

Hello, Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Leon.

It's believed to be the first time the -- a sitting president will be speaking to the nation live from an aircraft carrier at sea. A couple of firsts taking place on this trip. The president also planning to overnight on this ship, and he will, it's believed to be, he's going to be the first sitting president to take a trap on an aircraft carrier, that is he's going to be landing and hooking one of the cables with a tail hook in a jet at a landing that takes place at around noon local time.

The president left this morning from Andrews Air Force Base, flying aboard Air Force One. Of course that won't then aircraft he'll be landing on the Abraham Lincoln with. He'll be landing in an S-3 Viking. The trip out to San Diego aboard Air Force One.

Right now, here on the flight deck, preparation under way. One of the helicopters that will be used to provide cover, search and rescue cover, as the president's plane comes in is on the deck, and preparations are under way on the deck here as well.

Joining me right now, Commander Bill Dooris, who is one of the squadron commanders who is going to be involved in a major fly-off today, three squadrons taking off.

Commander, first of all, tell me about the day, having the president visit you here on the aircraft carrier after nearly 10 months at sea during wartime.

CMDR. BILL DOORIS, U.S. NAVY: It's been a long trip. We appreciate the visit out. I keep trying to tell my folks that work for me how appreciative the nation is, and boy, what a visible symbol to have the president come out here himself to thank us.

BUCKLEY: Let's talk about this dynamic event that we're going to witness here live, with the president coming in. If we can just take a look down here at the flight deck and look back toward the ramp there. Tell us what the president will experience, and what are the challenges he faces as he comes on final.

DOORIS: Well, the pilot, Skip Lucere (ph), will line the airplane up, and he'll have about a 15-second straightaway to square everything away, and he'll be trying to get on glide slope and get his lineup squared away. He'll come across the ramp, and if he's too low, which he won't be, he'll hit the ramp and explode. If he's too high, he'll bolt, or miss all the wires and go around. He'll catch the wire and go to full power, just in case that eventuality occurs.

BUCKLEY: It's my understanding, the president will take a trap, and then hook up to a catapult for a couple more. And there are four cables there. The ideal one, I'm told, is cable number three. And if you go too far, and you were saying it's a matter of just a few feet ass to whether or not you hit any of the cables. They are moving in at 150 miles an hour. and a few feet high is not too bad. It happens fairly routinely, not for Skip of course. He'll catch the three wire, I guarantee.

DOORIS: All right, thank you very much. And as we said, if he misses all those cables, what happens then is the plane then goes all the way down the deck there, and it's called a bolter, and in fact yesterday on the aircraft we arrived on the deck, we were a bolter, which meant we hit the deck, the pilot went to full power, and we took back off again. It's quite an exciting feeling, and as we hear from the commander here, that's not expected to happen here with the president aboard. Certainly the pilot doesn't expect that to happen -- Leon.

HARRIS: Better not happen. Thanks, Frank. Frank Buckley reporting live for us aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

And breaking the news that President Bush is going to be taking off from there a couple of times, more than once now. Stay with us with us her on CNN, live coverage of the president's address from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, tonight at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 Pacific, right here.

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