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CNN Live Today

Bush Defends Use of Uranium Accusation in Speech

Aired July 11, 2003 - 10:31   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: President Bush, as you know, is traveling in Africa. But Iraq is getting much of his attention while he's there. He's facing questions about his use of what turned out to be faulty intelligence information as part of his justification for war.
CNN's Chris Burns is traveling with the president. He joins us now live from Uganda with the very latest -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, this is an absolutely idyllic setting here on Lake Victoria. This a country that is rich in coffee production, a major coffee exporter. And a beautiful setting for the president to talk about his AIDS fighting initiative as well. Also fighting terrorism, also fighting poverty.

But never mind those questions. Those questions aside, the American press, when they had a chance to ask President Bush anything, they asked him about Iraq and especially about what's been going on the last few days. There's questions about the State of the Union speech made back in January, in which the president alleged Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium from Africa. It was later proven to be false. The president asked today whether -- first of all how it managed to find its way into the speech and whether he was upset about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I gave that speech to the nation and it was cleared by the intelligence services. And it was a speech that detailed to the American people the dangers posed by the Saddam Hussein regime. And my government took the appropriate response to those dangers. And as a result, the world is going to be more secure and more peaceful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: But wait a minute. Secretary of State Colin Powell just a week after the State of the Union speech, did not -- did not include that information in his presentation to the U.N. Presentation of evidence that aimed at supporting a possible war against Iraq. Powell was asked about that last night and he said, Well, the information was not corroborated at the time, didn't use it. But there was no intent to deceive the American public.

And today, the -- Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, was asked by the press aboard Air Force One about it as well. Well, Miss Rice said that yes, the information was changed. It was approved by the CIA, but it was changed to read not Niger but to read Africa in that script and also to drop the amount of uranium originally state in the text. So there were revisions asked for by the CIA, but they signed off on it.

But keep in mind, of course, Democrats are looking for more fodder to demand a public investigation of weapons of mass destruction evidence to justify the war against Iraq. And they're obviously going to seize on this, at least until any WMDs are found in Iraq. But it's been at least three months now since the fall of Baghdad and no WMDs yet to be found, or their programs. Back to you, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Chris, but it turns out something was found in there in Uganda, a stowaway. What's the story on that? We hear someone was trying to ride with you press folks.

BURNS: This was a man who managed to -- keep in mind, it was before dawn that we crawled aboard our buses in Pretoria, South Africa to get on the press plane. Somehow, this gentleman, a South African, apparently, got on the bus at the time and then got onto our press plane. Then he got off the plane when we came over here to Entebbe, Uganda. Got aboard the press bus with the rest of the media. And somehow, when he was asked questions by somebody here, it turned out that he was not part of the press group. He was unarmed. He was never near President Bush. But, of course, it does raise some concerns about security among the traveling press -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. I would like to see what kind of story he comes up with. Thanks, Chris. Chris Burns traveling with President Bush now in Entebbe, Uganda. Take care, Chris. Travel safe.

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 July 11, 2003 - 10:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush, as you know, is traveling in Africa. But Iraq is getting much of his attention while he's there. He's facing questions about his use of what turned out to be faulty intelligence information as part of his justification for war.
CNN's Chris Burns is traveling with the president. He joins us now live from Uganda with the very latest -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, this is an absolutely idyllic setting here on Lake Victoria. This a country that is rich in coffee production, a major coffee exporter. And a beautiful setting for the president to talk about his AIDS fighting initiative as well. Also fighting terrorism, also fighting poverty.

But never mind those questions. Those questions aside, the American press, when they had a chance to ask President Bush anything, they asked him about Iraq and especially about what's been going on the last few days. There's questions about the State of the Union speech made back in January, in which the president alleged Saddam Hussein was trying to buy uranium from Africa. It was later proven to be false. The president asked today whether -- first of all how it managed to find its way into the speech and whether he was upset about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I gave that speech to the nation and it was cleared by the intelligence services. And it was a speech that detailed to the American people the dangers posed by the Saddam Hussein regime. And my government took the appropriate response to those dangers. And as a result, the world is going to be more secure and more peaceful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: But wait a minute. Secretary of State Colin Powell just a week after the State of the Union speech, did not -- did not include that information in his presentation to the U.N. Presentation of evidence that aimed at supporting a possible war against Iraq. Powell was asked about that last night and he said, Well, the information was not corroborated at the time, didn't use it. But there was no intent to deceive the American public.

And today, the -- Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, was asked by the press aboard Air Force One about it as well. Well, Miss Rice said that yes, the information was changed. It was approved by the CIA, but it was changed to read not Niger but to read Africa in that script and also to drop the amount of uranium originally state in the text. So there were revisions asked for by the CIA, but they signed off on it.

But keep in mind, of course, Democrats are looking for more fodder to demand a public investigation of weapons of mass destruction evidence to justify the war against Iraq. And they're obviously going to seize on this, at least until any WMDs are found in Iraq. But it's been at least three months now since the fall of Baghdad and no WMDs yet to be found, or their programs. Back to you, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Chris, but it turns out something was found in there in Uganda, a stowaway. What's the story on that? We hear someone was trying to ride with you press folks.

BURNS: This was a man who managed to -- keep in mind, it was before dawn that we crawled aboard our buses in Pretoria, South Africa to get on the press plane. Somehow, this gentleman, a South African, apparently, got on the bus at the time and then got onto our press plane. Then he got off the plane when we came over here to Entebbe, Uganda. Got aboard the press bus with the rest of the media. And somehow, when he was asked questions by somebody here, it turned out that he was not part of the press group. He was unarmed. He was never near President Bush. But, of course, it does raise some concerns about security among the traveling press -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right. I would like to see what kind of story he comes up with. Thanks, Chris. Chris Burns traveling with President Bush now in Entebbe, Uganda. Take care, Chris. Travel safe.

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