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President Bush Says $87 Billion Needed for Iraq, Afghanistan

Aired September 10, 2003 - 05:09   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: President Bush says $87 billion is needed for Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's not going to be that easy selling Congress. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz learned that the hard way.
Jonathan Karl has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president may ultimately get the billions of dollars he wants to spend in Iraq, but at the first hearing on his budget request, Democrats beat up on his Iraq team over their handling of the reconstruction.

Democrat Ted Kennedy demanded to know why the Pentagon had not done more to protect U.S. troops on the ground.

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: You and other officials in the administration responsible for this war were warned. Yet you put tens of thousands of American troops in harm's way without adequate planning. I'm going to be interested in how that could have happened and who's accountable.

KARL: In response, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz chided Kennedy for being too negative about what's happened in Iraq so far.

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Confidence is part of winning. We need to project confidence and we have every reason to project confidence because we've done a fantastic job. We've liberated a country from a horrible dictator. We are cleaning up the remnants of that regime. We have the people with us. We'll get the electricity fixed.

KARL: Not all the criticism came from Democrats. Republican John McCain insisted that the Pentagon needs more U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. He said that's because international troops are not getting there fast enough.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Do you have any idea as to when we could expect the first international troops to arrive in Iraq?

WOLFOWITZ: No, sir.

MCCAIN: You have no idea?

WOLFOWITZ: Well... MCCAIN: Thank you.

WOLFOWITZ: ... sir, I only have no idea because, as, it would depend upon the Security Council resolution, and I can only say to you, sir, we're trying to get it passed.

MCCAIN: So we cannot count on an immediate infusion of international forces into Iraq?

KARL: The president next sends up Secretary of State Powell and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to meet privately with members of Congress, as he sends up the big guns to make the case for the $87 billion he wants to spend in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Jonathan Karl, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And you heard Senator John McCain in that piece. Well, in just two hours you can hear him live when he appears on AMERICAN MORNING. That's at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

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 September 10, 2003 - 05:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush says $87 billion is needed for Iraq and Afghanistan. But it's not going to be that easy selling Congress. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz learned that the hard way.
Jonathan Karl has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president may ultimately get the billions of dollars he wants to spend in Iraq, but at the first hearing on his budget request, Democrats beat up on his Iraq team over their handling of the reconstruction.

Democrat Ted Kennedy demanded to know why the Pentagon had not done more to protect U.S. troops on the ground.

SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: You and other officials in the administration responsible for this war were warned. Yet you put tens of thousands of American troops in harm's way without adequate planning. I'm going to be interested in how that could have happened and who's accountable.

KARL: In response, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz chided Kennedy for being too negative about what's happened in Iraq so far.

PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Confidence is part of winning. We need to project confidence and we have every reason to project confidence because we've done a fantastic job. We've liberated a country from a horrible dictator. We are cleaning up the remnants of that regime. We have the people with us. We'll get the electricity fixed.

KARL: Not all the criticism came from Democrats. Republican John McCain insisted that the Pentagon needs more U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. He said that's because international troops are not getting there fast enough.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Do you have any idea as to when we could expect the first international troops to arrive in Iraq?

WOLFOWITZ: No, sir.

MCCAIN: You have no idea?

WOLFOWITZ: Well... MCCAIN: Thank you.

WOLFOWITZ: ... sir, I only have no idea because, as, it would depend upon the Security Council resolution, and I can only say to you, sir, we're trying to get it passed.

MCCAIN: So we cannot count on an immediate infusion of international forces into Iraq?

KARL: The president next sends up Secretary of State Powell and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to meet privately with members of Congress, as he sends up the big guns to make the case for the $87 billion he wants to spend in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Jonathan Karl, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And you heard Senator John McCain in that piece. Well, in just two hours you can hear him live when he appears on AMERICAN MORNING. That's at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

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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