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CNN Live At Daybreak

President Bush in Australia

Aired October 23, 2003 - 05:01   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush arrives in Honolulu just about nine hours from now. He left Australia after things got, well, they got a little raucous during his speech to parliament.
Our Dana Bash tells you about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The main event of President Bush's day long trip here to Australia was a speech to a special session of parliament, where just as he is still having to do at home, the president made the case for war, defended his case for war in Iraq, which Australia supported with 2,000 troops, and also defended his controversial policy of preemption.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America, Australia and other nations acted in Iraq to remove a grave and gathering danger instead of wishing and waiting while tragedy drew closer.

BASH: Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been a strong backer of President Bush, not only in the war with Iraq, but also in his war against terrorism, despite healthy opposition at home. More than a thousand protesters marched outside parliament and also at the U.S. Embassy, depicting Howard as the president's lap dog. The president came face to face with that opposition thanks to the tradition of the parliamentary system. Forty-one senators had written him a letter saying he should have given the U.N. more time in Iraq. His speech was interrupted twice by senators from Australia's Green Party protesting his policies and the second time the president, who aides say was warned by the prime minister that this could happen, laughed it off as all part of democracy.

BUSH: I love free speech...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president...

BASH: The protesting senators were kicked out of the chamber but stood in the back and refused to leave. They said they were speaking out against the U.S., in part, for holding Australian detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Dana Bash, CNN, Canberra, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And shortly before boarding Air Force One earlier today, President Bush laid a wreath at Australia's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was there to honor Sergeant Andrew Russell, the first Aussie soldier killed in Afghanistan.

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 October 23, 2003 - 05:01   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 arrives in Honolulu just about nine hours from now. He left Australia after things got, well, they got a little raucous during his speech to parliament.
Our Dana Bash tells you about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The main event of President Bush's day long trip here to Australia was a speech to a special session of parliament, where just as he is still having to do at home, the president made the case for war, defended his case for war in Iraq, which Australia supported with 2,000 troops, and also defended his controversial policy of preemption.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America, Australia and other nations acted in Iraq to remove a grave and gathering danger instead of wishing and waiting while tragedy drew closer.

BASH: Australian Prime Minister John Howard has been a strong backer of President Bush, not only in the war with Iraq, but also in his war against terrorism, despite healthy opposition at home. More than a thousand protesters marched outside parliament and also at the U.S. Embassy, depicting Howard as the president's lap dog. The president came face to face with that opposition thanks to the tradition of the parliamentary system. Forty-one senators had written him a letter saying he should have given the U.N. more time in Iraq. His speech was interrupted twice by senators from Australia's Green Party protesting his policies and the second time the president, who aides say was warned by the prime minister that this could happen, laughed it off as all part of democracy.

BUSH: I love free speech...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president...

BASH: The protesting senators were kicked out of the chamber but stood in the back and refused to leave. They said they were speaking out against the U.S., in part, for holding Australian detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Dana Bash, CNN, Canberra, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And shortly before boarding Air Force One earlier today, President Bush laid a wreath at Australia's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was there to honor Sergeant Andrew Russell, the first Aussie soldier killed in Afghanistan.

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