Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Bush Will Address American People on Iraq Monday

Aired October 05, 2002 - 18:07   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is getting ready to go on national television Monday night to lay it on the line about Iraq. The president is at the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, where we find CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush raising big bucks for New Hampshire's Republican senatorial candidate, John Sununu. Mr. Bush also raising the stakes for a potential conflict with Iraq. This weekend the president focused on his two top priorities, fighting for Republican candidates and fighting against Saddam Hussein.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We owe this to our children. We owe it to peace. We owe it for a peaceful world, to deal with the threats we see. We cannot ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American.

(APPLAUSE)

MALVEAUX: At his family's Kennebunkport estate, Mr. Bush is crafting a prime-time message he'll deliver Monday night from Cincinnati, Ohio, to the American people, outlining his case against Saddam. White House aides say there will be not smoking gun or new policy initiative announced, but rather the clearest argument yet for the need to force Iraq to disarm.

BUSH: This is a country which 11 years ago promised the world they would have no weapons of mass destruction. And yet, for 11 years they have lied and deceived the world community. This is a country run by one of the most brutal dictators in modern history. Monday night I will make the case to the country on TV.

MALVEAUX: And important week coming up for Mr. Bush. While the White House is now emboldened by chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix's pledge to get a new U.N. resolution calling for tougher inspections regime, still unresolved whether the U.N. Security Council members will authorize using military force.

At the same time anti-war protests are growing around the world. This weekend, thousands in Italy. Now, pressure on the Congress, both the House and Senate are likely to vote in the weeks ahead on their own resolutions giving the president the green light to use force against the Iraqi leader. SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: My hope is that we can do it within a week. My hope is that we can have a very respectful debate. I know that there are senators who wish to offer alternatives and an amendment. I hope we accommodate those and that at the end of the day have a broad coalition, Republicans and Democrats, in support of a resolution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, Mr. Bush is downplaying the prospect of the U.S. acting unilaterally. A White House spokesperson saying that the president will tell the American people that we'll use military force only as a last option and with our allies, if not with the United Nations, then from a loosely knit coalition -- Carol.

LIN: Suzanne, is there any indication that in President Bush's speech tomorrow that he will better or in more detail articulate what the aftermath of any attack should be? What regime might follow and how long U.S. troops would be in Iraq?

MALVEAUX: Well, the president has said over the last week or so he's given clear indication that yes, the United States is going to be invested in the aftermath, a post-Saddam Hussein regime, if you will. The United States will be invested not only monetarily but also that there will be troops there and diplomats for some time to come.

That the United States really reacting to some of the criticism from some allies and other countries very concerned that once this happens, if there is in fact, regime change and forces go in, that there will be this kind of power vacuum. Well, the Bush administration saying that yes, we are invested in the future inside of Iraq. That is something that he is going to address on Monday.

LIN: All right. We look forward to it. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, reporting live.

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 5, 2002 - 18:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is getting ready to go on national television Monday night to lay it on the line about Iraq. The president is at the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, where we find CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush raising big bucks for New Hampshire's Republican senatorial candidate, John Sununu. Mr. Bush also raising the stakes for a potential conflict with Iraq. This weekend the president focused on his two top priorities, fighting for Republican candidates and fighting against Saddam Hussein.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We owe this to our children. We owe it to peace. We owe it for a peaceful world, to deal with the threats we see. We cannot ignore history. We must not ignore reality. We must do everything we can to disarm this man before he hurts one single American.

(APPLAUSE)

MALVEAUX: At his family's Kennebunkport estate, Mr. Bush is crafting a prime-time message he'll deliver Monday night from Cincinnati, Ohio, to the American people, outlining his case against Saddam. White House aides say there will be not smoking gun or new policy initiative announced, but rather the clearest argument yet for the need to force Iraq to disarm.

BUSH: This is a country which 11 years ago promised the world they would have no weapons of mass destruction. And yet, for 11 years they have lied and deceived the world community. This is a country run by one of the most brutal dictators in modern history. Monday night I will make the case to the country on TV.

MALVEAUX: And important week coming up for Mr. Bush. While the White House is now emboldened by chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix's pledge to get a new U.N. resolution calling for tougher inspections regime, still unresolved whether the U.N. Security Council members will authorize using military force.

At the same time anti-war protests are growing around the world. This weekend, thousands in Italy. Now, pressure on the Congress, both the House and Senate are likely to vote in the weeks ahead on their own resolutions giving the president the green light to use force against the Iraqi leader. SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: My hope is that we can do it within a week. My hope is that we can have a very respectful debate. I know that there are senators who wish to offer alternatives and an amendment. I hope we accommodate those and that at the end of the day have a broad coalition, Republicans and Democrats, in support of a resolution.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, Mr. Bush is downplaying the prospect of the U.S. acting unilaterally. A White House spokesperson saying that the president will tell the American people that we'll use military force only as a last option and with our allies, if not with the United Nations, then from a loosely knit coalition -- Carol.

LIN: Suzanne, is there any indication that in President Bush's speech tomorrow that he will better or in more detail articulate what the aftermath of any attack should be? What regime might follow and how long U.S. troops would be in Iraq?

MALVEAUX: Well, the president has said over the last week or so he's given clear indication that yes, the United States is going to be invested in the aftermath, a post-Saddam Hussein regime, if you will. The United States will be invested not only monetarily but also that there will be troops there and diplomats for some time to come.

That the United States really reacting to some of the criticism from some allies and other countries very concerned that once this happens, if there is in fact, regime change and forces go in, that there will be this kind of power vacuum. Well, the Bush administration saying that yes, we are invested in the future inside of Iraq. That is something that he is going to address on Monday.

LIN: All right. We look forward to it. Thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, reporting live.

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