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CNN Live At Daybreak
Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi on Two-Day Visit to Crawford
Aired July 21, 2003 - 06:33 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: The American president has a lot on his plate today -- Iraq, North Korea and the Italians.
Live to Washington and CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. A lot on his plate, that's for sure.
And yesterday, the president went in his own white pickup truck to pick up the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, in Crawford, Texas. It's just the latest in a series of invitations to say thank you, high-profile invitations to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. And the two men are going to have a press conference later this morning, where they will face questions, undoubtedly the same questions that President Bush has been facing for two weeks now about pre-war intelligence in Iraq, and also about post-war planning -- what is going on, on the ground in Baghdad as we speak.
Now, the White House has tried to put this controversy behind them. Last Friday, they revealed some previously classified information. They say that that is what speechwriters for the State of the Union address used to write the president's lines about Iraq's potential nuclear capabilities, or the fact that Saddam Hussein, they believe, was trying to get a nuclear capability. But it has raised more questions than answers perhaps.
And some senior senators yesterday on the Sunday talk shows, Carol, made clear that they still have questions for the White House, even Republicans, saying that America's credibility is on the line here.
COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you, too, about those reports in "The New York Times" that a second nuclear facility is being built or is built in North Korea. What can the White House do about that?
BASH: That's a good question. The White House is not confirming for the record that they believe that this second facility exists. The senior U.S. defense official, however, does say that the U.S. understands that perhaps this could be built, and this is just the latest in some unnerving news coming from North Korea, Carol. The White House is saying at this point they are staying the course on their policy, which is multilateral diplomacy, working with North Korea's neighbors to pressure them to stop its nuclear program.
But they are getting, again, more and more criticism, from Democrats especially, saying that they don't believe the White House has a particularly clear North Korea policy, and they are being encouraged to talk one on one with North Korea as the North Koreans are asking. The White House calls that nuclear blackmail -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Dana Bash reporting live from the White House this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Crawford>
Aired July 21, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The American president has a lot on his plate today -- Iraq, North Korea and the Italians.
Live to Washington and CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash.
Good morning -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. A lot on his plate, that's for sure.
And yesterday, the president went in his own white pickup truck to pick up the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, in Crawford, Texas. It's just the latest in a series of invitations to say thank you, high-profile invitations to his ranch in Crawford, Texas. And the two men are going to have a press conference later this morning, where they will face questions, undoubtedly the same questions that President Bush has been facing for two weeks now about pre-war intelligence in Iraq, and also about post-war planning -- what is going on, on the ground in Baghdad as we speak.
Now, the White House has tried to put this controversy behind them. Last Friday, they revealed some previously classified information. They say that that is what speechwriters for the State of the Union address used to write the president's lines about Iraq's potential nuclear capabilities, or the fact that Saddam Hussein, they believe, was trying to get a nuclear capability. But it has raised more questions than answers perhaps.
And some senior senators yesterday on the Sunday talk shows, Carol, made clear that they still have questions for the White House, even Republicans, saying that America's credibility is on the line here.
COSTELLO: I wanted to ask you, too, about those reports in "The New York Times" that a second nuclear facility is being built or is built in North Korea. What can the White House do about that?
BASH: That's a good question. The White House is not confirming for the record that they believe that this second facility exists. The senior U.S. defense official, however, does say that the U.S. understands that perhaps this could be built, and this is just the latest in some unnerving news coming from North Korea, Carol. The White House is saying at this point they are staying the course on their policy, which is multilateral diplomacy, working with North Korea's neighbors to pressure them to stop its nuclear program.
But they are getting, again, more and more criticism, from Democrats especially, saying that they don't believe the White House has a particularly clear North Korea policy, and they are being encouraged to talk one on one with North Korea as the North Koreans are asking. The White House calls that nuclear blackmail -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Dana Bash reporting live from the White House this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Crawford>
