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CNN Live Today
Reaction to President Bush's Trip to Baghdad
Aired November 28, 2003 - 19:01 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It looks like President Bush spent the day back at his Texas ranch, but I guess you just never really know when he's going to sneak out again. The shock has worn off just a little bit, though, from his top-secret, history-making Thanksgiving. But it's still making a lot of buzz.
CNN's Dana Bash has the story. Hi, Dana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush back in Texas, back at the ranch, so we're told, basking in the afterglow of his cloak and dagger Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad. White House chief of staff, Andy Card, pitched the idea to his boss in Asia last month. But it wasn't finalized until hours before he left, almost scrapped several times because of security concerns.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The president finally, on Wednesday morning, with Vice President Cheney, with Andy Card and myself, looked at the arrangements one last time and said, yes, he thought it was a go.
BASH: The White House carefully made this trip and all its images about the troops, not the war, making it hard for Democrats to criticize. Senator Hillary Clinton in Baghdad on her own meet and greet with troops.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Any time that a president can meet with troops who are in an active conflict situation, it makes a real difference.
BASH: From deep in the political trenches, mostly praise.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The commander in chief was in the place he should have been yesterday, with the men and women in uniform.
BASH: From Richard Gephardt's camp, it's a wonderful idea. "The commander in chief should spend time in the field with our troops," said retired General Wesley Clark. The White House may be hoping these images replace this one, a reminder for many of a post-war conflict much harder than expected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Landing on carriers and bucking up the troops does not substitute, unfortunately, for a policy that may be failed.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BASH: So on another day an American soldier was killed in Iraq, Democrats are trying to stay on message. Howard Dean, the presidential candidate, saying that they shouldn't be there in the first place. And John Kerry, also running for president, saying that they're in a shooting gallery because of the president's policies -- Heidi.
COLLINS: He certainly did seem genuinely overwhelmed, though, when he was here, Dana. What's the take from the rest of the Democrats on that, his genuineness?
BASH: Well, that is exactly why they are being very careful to -- not to criticize the president for the trip per se, to say almost all of them -- actually all of the candidates did say that the president should be visiting the troops, he should be supporting the men and women in the military. It's important for their morale.
But they are also trying to stay on their policy message, which is that they believe that the president has not done a good enough job in planning for post-war Iraq. So they're trying to be very, very careful, walking a very thin line there -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash live from Crawford tonight. Thanks so much, Dana.
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 November 28, 2003 - 19:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It looks like President Bush spent the day back at his Texas ranch, but I guess you just never really know when he's going to sneak out again. The shock has worn off just a little bit, though, from his top-secret, history-making Thanksgiving. But it's still making a lot of buzz.
CNN's Dana Bash has the story. Hi, Dana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush back in Texas, back at the ranch, so we're told, basking in the afterglow of his cloak and dagger Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad. White House chief of staff, Andy Card, pitched the idea to his boss in Asia last month. But it wasn't finalized until hours before he left, almost scrapped several times because of security concerns.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The president finally, on Wednesday morning, with Vice President Cheney, with Andy Card and myself, looked at the arrangements one last time and said, yes, he thought it was a go.
BASH: The White House carefully made this trip and all its images about the troops, not the war, making it hard for Democrats to criticize. Senator Hillary Clinton in Baghdad on her own meet and greet with troops.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Any time that a president can meet with troops who are in an active conflict situation, it makes a real difference.
BASH: From deep in the political trenches, mostly praise.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The commander in chief was in the place he should have been yesterday, with the men and women in uniform.
BASH: From Richard Gephardt's camp, it's a wonderful idea. "The commander in chief should spend time in the field with our troops," said retired General Wesley Clark. The White House may be hoping these images replace this one, a reminder for many of a post-war conflict much harder than expected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Landing on carriers and bucking up the troops does not substitute, unfortunately, for a policy that may be failed.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BASH: So on another day an American soldier was killed in Iraq, Democrats are trying to stay on message. Howard Dean, the presidential candidate, saying that they shouldn't be there in the first place. And John Kerry, also running for president, saying that they're in a shooting gallery because of the president's policies -- Heidi.
COLLINS: He certainly did seem genuinely overwhelmed, though, when he was here, Dana. What's the take from the rest of the Democrats on that, his genuineness?
BASH: Well, that is exactly why they are being very careful to -- not to criticize the president for the trip per se, to say almost all of them -- actually all of the candidates did say that the president should be visiting the troops, he should be supporting the men and women in the military. It's important for their morale.
But they are also trying to stay on their policy message, which is that they believe that the president has not done a good enough job in planning for post-war Iraq. So they're trying to be very, very careful, walking a very thin line there -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash live from Crawford tonight. Thanks so much, Dana.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
