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Kerry In Baghdad To Build Support Against ISIS; Obama to Lay Out ISIS Game Plan Tonight

Aired September 10, 2014 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We do begin with breaking news. As I said at the top of the last hour, Secretary of State John Kerry is in Baghdad shoring up support to defeat and destroy ISIS.

He was talking to the Iraqi prime minister just about an hour ago. Well, finally he came out of the American Embassy in Baghdad and made some official remarks, so let's listen to what he had to say.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: -- forming the government. The fact that the Iraqis were able to overcome such deep sectarian and ethnic divides and approve a new and inclusive government is really a great accomplishment. They're able to do this -- the fact that they were able to do this peacefully in the midst of unspeakable terror and violence and bloodshed is nothing short of historic.

And it's a true signal that Iraq and the leaders they've chosen are committed at this moment to the democratic future that so many Iraqis have sacrificed everything to bring about. Obviously, the hard work is very far from over. We all know that. In many ways, it's just beginning.

Establishing a government doesn't mean a lot if it is not able to govern effectively or doesn't govern inclusively. And it particularly needs to govern inclusively in order to represent the interests of all the Iraqi people.

I was encouraged, very encouraged, as a matter of fact, because I've been here many times in many meetings and I have never in any of those meetings seen unanimity without complaint of the sense of direction and commitment to the concept of inclusivity and of addressing the unaddressed issues of the last eight years or more.

I was encouraged by the commitment that I heard from all of the leaders that I met with today, but a particular clarity from Prime Minister Abadi, from President Massoum and from Speaker Juburi.

Each of them restated their deep commitment to coming together in order to solve the immediate problems of inclusivity, of oil, of federalism, of the budget, of debafication, all of those issues that have confounded Iraq for these past years and divided it.

They understand the road traveled and they understand the road they want to travel. And they don't want to go backwards. They all stated their commitment to the national plan, and that plan was developed specifically to address these long-standing grievances that have been an obstacle to Iraq's prosperity and security for far too long.

Including, I might add, issues with respect to their security forces, the nature of those security forces, the makeup of those security forces. The inclusivity of those forces itself. The regional autonomy issues. The devolution of power.

Questions of the constitution and particularly the allocation of Iraq's budget. The national plan also calls for the establishment of locally rooted security structures that are directly integrated into the Iraqi security forces. This national guard, as it has been called, will protect the population of Iraqi cities and towns and it will also deny space for ISIL.

As it does that, it is going to be the key to guaranteeing that Iraq's territorial integrity can be kept intact and, in fact, unthreatened. I was also encouraged to learn today that Prime Minister Abadi is very focused on this national guard and plans to accelerate its formulation during his first cabinet meeting this week.

The United States is prepared to provide technical advice and assistance in order to help the Iraqis move this very important initiative forward. It's going to require patience and further compromise, but it's the only way Iraq has any hope of securing the effective inclusive government that the Iraqi people demand and deserve.

Now, today President Obama asked me to come here not just to build the coalition, not just to talk to the Iraqis about the road forward here at this moment, but also to underscore to the people of Iraq that the United States will stand by them in this effort.

We stand by Iraq as its continues to build a government that meets the need of each Iraq's diverse communities and we stand by them as we fight to overcome the single greatest threat that their government, their families, and their neighbors face today and that's ISIL.

ISIL claims to be fighting on behalf of Islam, but the fact is that it's hateful ideology has nothing do with Islam. ISIL is a manifestation of evil, a vicious terrorist organization and it is an organization that achieves its goals only through violence, repression, and destruction.

Fed by illicit funding and a stream of foreign fighters, it has seized territory and terrorized the people who live there regardless of their sect or ethnicity. There is literally no place for their barbarity in the modern world. This is the night the Iraqi people must win, but it's also a fight the rest of the world needs to win with them.

It's a fight the United States and the rest of the world need to support every single step of the way. As President Obama has made clear from the beginning a new and inclusive Iraqi government has to be the engine of our global strategy against ISIL.

And now that the Iraqi parliament approved a new cabinet with new leaders and representation from all Iraqi communities it's full speed ahead and President Obama a few hours from now will lay out his strategy for taking America, Iraq, the region, and the world forward with respect to this challenge.

We need to continue to drive this strategy over these next few days with intensity. Already we and nearly 40 other countries even as I speak now are already contributing military, humanitarian, and other assistance to aid the campaign against ISIL.

And to date with the help of our international partners the United States has launched more than 150 air strikes in order to weaken ISIL and protect the innocent people that it seeks to harm and also to specifically help to break the siege at Amerli, broke the siege at Mosul Dam and at Sinjar Mountain with success in each of those instances.

In addition, together with willing allies, the international community has dropped, air dropped food and medical supplies to Iraqi families, including the 1.8 million people who had been displaced due to ISIL's brutality.

And today I can tell you we'll be providing another $48 million to U.N. agencies, other international organizations and NGOs that are working tirelessly to save lives and alleviate suffering.

COSTELLO: We're going to step away from Secretary of State John Kerry. You heard him addressing actually the world, but mostly the people of Iraq and you heard him say, Elise Labott, full steam ahead, America is ready to stand by Iraq and the world to defeat ISIS. Strong words.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Strong words, Carol. It was really the formation of this government that was seen as a condition of additional U.S. support and now the that the government is in place the U.S. sees it as the centerpiece of its strategy in combating ISIS.

Because it feels as if there is a new Iraqi government that is more inclusive that would bring along the Sunni Iraqis that had been so marginalized under Prime Minister Al-Maliki, they will in effect feel that they have a stake in the country.

That they will shun ISIS and that they will, in fact, join part of an Iraqi power sharing government. Not only is the prime minister putting more Sunnis in his government, but he's looking to add Sunni Arabs to a national guard in which, just like that you have Sunni awakening years ago during the Iraq war.

Where Sunni forces teamed up with American forces really to combat al Qaeda he's hoping he can enlist Sunni Arabs to in effect feel more of a steak in their country and beat back ISIS.

So now the job of Secretary Kerry is to go to Saudi Arabia, meeting with gulf nation to enlist their help in helping this fledgling government get on its feet with military support, with diplomatic support, with economic support.

So much to do to combat ISIS, but the secretary is saying this is a major milestone for the Iraqis and now the U.S. feels it can give its full support to the new prime minister -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labbott, thank you so much.

Let's head to the White House now and check in with Jim Acosta because as you well know, President Obama will address the nation at 9:00 p.m. Eastern tonight and he'll lay out his strategy to degrade and defeat ISIS. It sounds like that strategy is already in place and already under way -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. You know, the president does want to frame this threat posed by ISIS, that is a big part of his speech tonight, how it's become a core national security priority, how they feel the terror group cannot be allowed to secure a safe haven as they're calling in the both Iraq and Syria.

So the president will lay out a strategy, which involves building on this international coalition that Elise was talking about including Arab partners in the region that they feel are important.

And also beefing up support, training and equipment for Iraqi and potentially Syrian rebel forces. That is going to be a component of the president's strategy. I understand from talking to various officials here at the White House that the president.

While he may not be seeking additional authority from Congress tonight, he will be in the future asking for what's called Title 10 authority and that is the legal authority to equip and train Syrian rebel forces.

So it does appear that using Syrian rebel forces is a component of the president's strategy for dealing with ISIS in eliminating that safe haven that they have on the ground in Syria.

Now, senior administration officials say the president will lay out a series of proposals, new proposals, tonight, on how to take the fight to ISIS and ultimately destroy this terror group.

Officials say the president is open to air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria. Of course, Carol, the big question is whether or not we'll hear the president say he has ordered those air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.

But consider this quote from a White House official, I think it's pretty descriptive, it shows you where they are right now. It says "tonight you will hear from the president how the United States will pursue a comprehensive strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, including U.S. military action and support for the forces combating ISIL on the ground.

Both the opposition in Syria and a new inclusive Iraqi government." So, you know, a lot of people, Carol, just want to hear the president say whether or not the air strikes have begun in Syria. I think it's going to be much more complicated than that.

And I think president wants to sort of layer various components of this strategy. Yes, they want to work with international partners so it doesn't look like the U.S. going in there unilaterally and launching a military operation against another Arab Muslim country.

They don't want that image to get out there. That's why he's building this international coalition. That's why he's looking for air partners and going to the United Nations later this month so they want to stress that as part of the total package for going after ISIS at this point.

And I think we're going hear more of that from the president tonight. But I can tell you, Carol, officials have said privately and publicly that to deal with ISIS you have to deal with both sides of that Iraqi/Syrian border. So I think you'll hear the president talk a lot about that tonight -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jim Acosta reporting live from for the White House for us.

For full coverage of the president's speech on ISIS, keep it right here on CNN. We'll bring you those remarks tonight starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: So we've been telling you that President Obama will make remarks 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. He'll lay out his strategy to degrade and destroy ISIS. What does Mr. Obama need to say tonight to get lawmakers and the American public on board?

Let's talk about that with Ron Christie, he is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush. We're also joined by CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona and CNN chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash. Welcome to all of you.

OK, so here's what I'd like that do if it's possible. I'd like us to talk in a non-partisan way about what the country needs to hear because here's the thing -- Americans are scared and confused.

When you look at the polls, a majority of Americans say ISIS poses a threat to the United States. I mean, Americans are really scared. And I want to talk in a non-partisan way, but I noticed the look on Dana Bash's face, you looked skeptical. Because I think the partisanship has already started on the Senate floor.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's so shocking, isn't it? That is true. But before we get to that, I want to report a little bit of news and part of what you were talking about with Jim Acosta last hour, Carol.

And this is this whole concept of what's called Title 10 authority. That is authority that the president does believe that he needs from Congress in order to legally arm a foreign group. In this case it would be to arm some Syrian rebels for Syrian fighters to go after ISIS on the ground.

I am told that that is authority that he has already asked for after the White House meeting with congressional leaders late yesterday. He did send up a formal request. So a Democratic source tells me that is already in the works. He is asking for authority.

And along with that he is going to need some money, I'm told, about $500 million to support that. Now, this is different from the broader discussion that we've been talking about, whether he needs congressional authority or approval for a use of force broadly to send U.S. troops. That's not what this is about.

This is more targeted, smaller. But it is significant that the president has already asked for it. We expect them to talk about it tonight. But that is what's going on. Now, on that note, Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, mentioned this idea, this concept on the Senate floor this morning.

He said he supported it, but that was right before, as you said, Carol, he went into some partisanship accusing Republicans of following a former vice president who he doesn't think led them very well in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm amazed, Mr. President, amazed that some members of Congress want to rush to war. Because that's what they're talking about is a war. How did that work out for us last time? Not so well. The Bush/Cheney strategy of rushing to conflict doesn't work. It didn't work then and it won't work now. Let's be cautious, let's be deliberate.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: We have a duty as a superpower without imperialistic aims to help maintain international order and balance of power. And in my view that international order is maintained by American military might. Indeed, American military might is its backbone. But that is not a view this president seems to share.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And, Carol, Mitch McConnell talked about the fact that the Americans don't need a lecture tonight, a clear allusion to the fact that Republicans think the president is too professorial and said he doesn't think the president is comfortable as commander in chief. Already strong words from these two leaders who just about 12 hours ago were sitting in the oval office with the president.

COSTELLO: Here's the thing. Our country is in danger. Don't we have to come together? Why not wait until after the president's speech, Ron, to criticize?

RON CHRISTIE, FORMER SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I absolutely agree with you, Carol. I think this is a time we need to come together as Americans, not Republicans and Democrats. We need to hear from our commander-in-chief. We need to hear a clear articulation of what the dangers are.

Why ISIS is a force that needs to be defeated. They need to be defeated decisively and how the president intends to take out that mission. I think he'll have broad-based support by Republicans, by Democrats, by independents but, by most importantly, the American people if he can articulate exactly why we need to take out this threat and how he intends to do it.

COSTELLO: So let's imagine if we will, Maria, that the president's speech helps Americans understand the threat and allows them to understand the strategy for getting rid of the threat. So will that stop the partisan sniping?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, let's also realize that this -- we're going into midterm elections and I think a lot of it is being fuelled, a lot of those comments that we just heard, is being fuelled by that. But I'm going to be hopeful here, Carol.

And Mitch McConnell in a great interview that you did with him, Dana, said that Congress would be there, Republicans would be there for him if he asked for support. And if he laid out a strategy. I think tonight the president needs to do four things very well.

The first one, in order to assuage Americans fears is to repeat what he said on "Meet the Press" that right now there is no clear intelligence that we are facing an imminent danger to the homeland.

Then he needs to follow that with why, then, do we need to go into this region and make sure to destroy ISIS. I think Americans do feel that because of the beheadings.

Then the other things he needs to do is talk about the Iraqi government coming together because I think that's critical, talk about the international coalition and, thirdly, hopefully he will address this issue that we're talking about here, which is hopefully we're on the cusp of some sort of national unity.

And I think that will help Americans also breathe somewhat of a sigh of relief knowing that Washington can come together in something as important as protecting Americans.

COSTELLO: Here's the thing, Dana. The president is expected to talk about air strikes over Syria. He doesn't feel he needs congressional approval to do that. Might bit a better idea for him to at least approach Congress about getting its approval in a show of unity?

BASH: Possibly. The problem is, what if there isn't unity? You know, the arms services chair, Karl Levin, who we were told to find because he was a good barometer of where the Democratic caucus is in the Senate.

He said yes, in a perfect world it probably would be better for Congress to vote to give the president the broad authority, but the reason is because the hope would be that it does show the world that the Congress, country, is united behind the president.

But what if the vote shows the Congress is split? And guess what? Talking to the lawmakers that we have, it probably would show that Congress is split. So it would be dangerous to do so on a policy and a leadership level, never mind the raw politics.

Which is that there are a lot of Democrats in tough re-election campaigns who would say -- who are saying you know what, Mr. President? No, thanks, we don't need to take that vote right now.

COSTELLO: Dana Bash, Ron Christie, Maria Cardona, thank you so much. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: As we learned more tonight about the president's plan to target ISIS, there's word this morning that part of his strategy could include a plan to train and possibly arm moderate rebels in Syria. Let's talk about that. CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins me now. Good morning, Sir.

LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Carol, how are you?

COSTELLO: I'm pretty good. So it sounds like a good idea, you train moderate Syrian rebels to fight the extremists within Syria and maybe you win except who are the moderate rebels and can we trust them?

HERTLING: It's hard pulling the various group apart. There is some leadership within the Free Syrian Army that we have contacts with. I would suggest our intelligence resources and some of the folks who have been watching this very closely both inside and outside of Syria can help us connect with those.

And the training and equipping potentially is going to be done by more than U.S. forces, I think, if the president pull this is coalition together. There's going to be a lot of other multinational partners contributing to this operation.

COSTELLO: Before we get into the multinational partners, I wanted to ask you, too, about this idea of air strikes over Syria because supposedly that's going to be brought up in the president's speech tonight, too. It's kind of a scary proposition because the government of Syria has air power of its own.

HERTLING: Yes, they do and it is a scary proposition.