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CNN Live At Daybreak
Nation's Chief Executive Acknowledging Some Possible Intelligence Lapses
Aired February 09, 2004 - 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 says Saddam Hussein may not have had weapons of mass destruction, but he was still a threat and the war in Iraq was necessary. The nation's chief executive is acknowledging some possible intelligence lapses.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash has more for you on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his poll numbers sliding, the president thought it was time to hit back against Democrats, especially allegations he misled Americans by going to war in Iraq over stockpiles of weapons that may not exist.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I expected to find the weapons. Sitting behind this desk, making a very difficult decision of war and peace, and I based my decision on the best intelligence possible, intelligence that had been gathered over the years.
BASH: Mr. Bush acknowledged some intelligence may have been flawed and some of his prewar statements wrong. Like this one just two days before launching air strikes.
BUSH: That the Iraqi regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.
TIM RUSSERT, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": That apparently is not the case.
BUSH: Correct.
BASH: With that concession, a new White House rationale for war. Saddam Hussein may not have had actual WMD, but was still a threat and the war was necessary.
BUSH: He had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network.
BASH: Test driving his campaign message, the president repeatedly said his decision for war must be looked at in the context of fighting terrorism. But Democrats say links between Saddam Hussein and terrorists were over blown and Democratic front runner John Kerry, who voted for the Iraq war in Congress, was quick to criticize the shifting reasons for military action. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now the president is giving us a new reason for sending people to war and the problem is not just that he is changing his story now, it is that he -- it appears that he was telling the American public stories in 2002.
BASH: With national security front and center this election year and the leading Democrat a decorated Vietnam veteran, the president said he did his duty in the National Guard, denying renewed allegations he did not put in all his time.
BUSH: It's just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise I wouldn't have been honorably discharged.
BASH (on camera): On politics, the president said he didn't know John Kerry from their days at Yale and while he was careful to note the Democratic nominee has not yet been chosen, he predicted with confidence he is not going to lose the election.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Intelligence Lapses>
Aired February 9, 2004 - 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 says Saddam Hussein may not have had weapons of mass destruction, but he was still a threat and the war in Iraq was necessary. The nation's chief executive is acknowledging some possible intelligence lapses.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash has more for you on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With his poll numbers sliding, the president thought it was time to hit back against Democrats, especially allegations he misled Americans by going to war in Iraq over stockpiles of weapons that may not exist.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I expected to find the weapons. Sitting behind this desk, making a very difficult decision of war and peace, and I based my decision on the best intelligence possible, intelligence that had been gathered over the years.
BASH: Mr. Bush acknowledged some intelligence may have been flawed and some of his prewar statements wrong. Like this one just two days before launching air strikes.
BUSH: That the Iraqi regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.
TIM RUSSERT, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": That apparently is not the case.
BUSH: Correct.
BASH: With that concession, a new White House rationale for war. Saddam Hussein may not have had actual WMD, but was still a threat and the war was necessary.
BUSH: He had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network.
BASH: Test driving his campaign message, the president repeatedly said his decision for war must be looked at in the context of fighting terrorism. But Democrats say links between Saddam Hussein and terrorists were over blown and Democratic front runner John Kerry, who voted for the Iraq war in Congress, was quick to criticize the shifting reasons for military action. SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now the president is giving us a new reason for sending people to war and the problem is not just that he is changing his story now, it is that he -- it appears that he was telling the American public stories in 2002.
BASH: With national security front and center this election year and the leading Democrat a decorated Vietnam veteran, the president said he did his duty in the National Guard, denying renewed allegations he did not put in all his time.
BUSH: It's just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise I wouldn't have been honorably discharged.
BASH (on camera): On politics, the president said he didn't know John Kerry from their days at Yale and while he was careful to note the Democratic nominee has not yet been chosen, he predicted with confidence he is not going to lose the election.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Intelligence Lapses>
