Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Bush to Address Iraq Question in State of Union Speech
Aired January 25, 2003 - 18:04 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: And now from Baghdad to the White House. CNN's Dana Bash is standing by there.
Dana, the president has a big audience to convince to go to war, both the allies, as well as the American public. What is he doing about it?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the White House says the president will not use Tuesday's address to declare war. But he will say that America is in this final diplomatic phase with Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice over): In Davos, Switzerland, the summit is about economics, but there is no escaping the talk of war.
COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I will bring a message of American determination to work with the international community to deal with the most important threat. A threat presented by Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.
BASH: Attempting to pressure reluctant allies to attack militarily if necessary, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the U.S. has at least a dozen countries who would, with or without the United Nations. But he did not say who they were or what kind of support they are offering.
The administration's talk is tough, but just 48 hours before U.N. weapons inspectors deliver a much anticipated progress report, senior officials have not ruled out giving those inspections more time. Time is what countries like France and Germany are asking for.
Powell lashed out at hesitant U.N. members saying the potential for military action has always been part of the deal.
POWELL: It is a message that everybody signed up to when they voted unanimously for 1441. And you cannot now start shrinking because the going is getting tough.
BASH: The former general worked diplomatic channels to lay the groundwork for war. Meeting with the prime minister of Turkey, Iraq's neighbor to the north, where the U.S. hopes to base troops. But some Turks, like some allies -- and a majority of Americans, want to see more evidence that Saddam Hussein has such dangerous weapons before sending in troops to get rid of him. EDWARD DJEREJIAN, FORMER STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: There is also another complicating factor in all of this, this is the perception that there has to be a smoking gun.
There has to be some dramatic revelation of Saddam's material non-compliance. This is complicating the administrations diplomacy and efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have very convincing evidence.
BASH: U.S. officials talked this week about Iraq possessing 30,000 warheads and deadly gasses that could kill thousands. And Powell said, "The case will be laid out soon."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And Carol, a senior administration official says that the president will not explicitly talk about the declaration of war, but he will potentially lay out some evidence at his speech on Tuesday.
One thing for sure, Mr. Bush will do is warn America that the threat of war is very real -- Carol.
LIN: Dana, is there any estimation from the White House's point of view, what the very first window of opportunity will be to actually have a military strike, the timing of it?
BASH: Well, publicly Carol, you know, they're not going there. They are saying that it is not something that they have decided on for sure. It is something that is the last possible, potential - possibility out there for sure.
That they want to first deal with this very important week, next week, at the U.N. You know, on Monday, of course, we have this deadline. Tuesday the speech, and then on Wednesday they are going in for a consultation. I think a couple of days for consultations at the U.N. to deal with the allies there. To talk about what to do next. That is really what their focus is right now, Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Dana Bash reporting live from the White House tonight.
Well, if it has to, can the U.S. go it alone in a war with Iraq? CNN military analyst, General Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme commander, joins us live from Davos, Switzerland. He is also the author of "Waging Modern War". And comes to us via satellite, so please forgive some of the delay in some of the audio.
General, I'm just wondering from your perspective, what would be the first window of opportunity that the Bush administration and the Pentagon could actually strike Iraq? When would we be ready?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, the strike against Iraq could begin -- it could begin now, if there was a reason to begin it now. There are aircraft here. I'm sure they have targets. And there are some ground troops, enough to defend Kuwait. But the most reasonable estimate is at least three to four weeks from now when more of the ground troops would arrive.
LIN: And from not necessarily a from diplomatic standpoint, but strictly from a military standpoint, the United States is fully capable of going it alone in this war, isn't it?
CLARK: That's correct. As long as, of course, it has the use of the base in Kuwait. We'd like to be able to go through Turkey, and be able to stabilize northern Iraq. And we would need some facilities somewhere in the Persian Gulf. We think we'll have those. We'd like Saudi air space. It would be even better if we had Saudi basing facilities.
But the United States, with its forces, with the help from the Brits would have the forces that were necessary. But we know we will have more than that with us.
LIN: That's right. In fact, the Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that 12 unnamed countries are already siding with the United States. Do you know who they are? And what are their resources in terms of what they can add to the battle plan?
CLARK: Well, Spain would come in with us, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, some of the Baltic states, some of the new NATO announced members. Australia will be with us. Britain, I said. And the Gulf States will give some basing and access facilities.
All of these states together, counting the U.K, you might increase -- you might get 20 percent of the forces that the U.S. is going to put in there. But that's less important than the diplomatic throw weight and the legitimacy that these partners could bring with us, Carol.
LIN: So what would be the repercussions if the United States were to act unilaterally, even with the help of these other nations, but not with the support of the U.N. Security Council?
CLARK: I think the primary repercussions are not military, but they have to do with the aftermath; and who is going to participate in the clean up, and the peacekeeping, and the reconstruction? And who is going to help maintain stability in the region afterwards?
Of course, we know in the military that the stronger that the U.N. voice, the greater the legitimacy for the operation, the more it will erode Iraq's will to resist. So, you might think that the stronger the coalition and the greater the U.N. support, the shorter the war would be and the easier the war would be.
LIN: What do you make -- speaking of repercussions -- what do you make of Saddam Hussein son, Uday, whom we rarely see, coming out in public and issuing a very specific threat. Basically, saying that what you saw on September 11 would be nothing compared to what you would actually see if the United States were to actually attack Iraq?
CLARK: Well, the purpose of these statements is both to rally domestic support and to bring Arab states in line and chill their possible support with the United States. It doesn't work, at least not with the Arabs. They know the strength that Saddam Hussein has. They know that it is really no contest at all.
But it may contribute to the moral of some of Uday's associates. It may strengthen their resistance to the Republican Guards, for example.
LIN: All right. Well, we shall see what happens next. The U.N. is getting its final report from Hans Blix on Monday.
Thank you very much, General, for joining us from Davos, Switzerland. It sure looks like a lovely scene behind you.
CLARK: Good to be with you, Carol. Thank you.
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 January 25, 2003 - 18:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now from Baghdad to the White House. CNN's Dana Bash is standing by there.
Dana, the president has a big audience to convince to go to war, both the allies, as well as the American public. What is he doing about it?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the White House says the president will not use Tuesday's address to declare war. But he will say that America is in this final diplomatic phase with Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice over): In Davos, Switzerland, the summit is about economics, but there is no escaping the talk of war.
COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I will bring a message of American determination to work with the international community to deal with the most important threat. A threat presented by Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.
BASH: Attempting to pressure reluctant allies to attack militarily if necessary, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the U.S. has at least a dozen countries who would, with or without the United Nations. But he did not say who they were or what kind of support they are offering.
The administration's talk is tough, but just 48 hours before U.N. weapons inspectors deliver a much anticipated progress report, senior officials have not ruled out giving those inspections more time. Time is what countries like France and Germany are asking for.
Powell lashed out at hesitant U.N. members saying the potential for military action has always been part of the deal.
POWELL: It is a message that everybody signed up to when they voted unanimously for 1441. And you cannot now start shrinking because the going is getting tough.
BASH: The former general worked diplomatic channels to lay the groundwork for war. Meeting with the prime minister of Turkey, Iraq's neighbor to the north, where the U.S. hopes to base troops. But some Turks, like some allies -- and a majority of Americans, want to see more evidence that Saddam Hussein has such dangerous weapons before sending in troops to get rid of him. EDWARD DJEREJIAN, FORMER STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL: There is also another complicating factor in all of this, this is the perception that there has to be a smoking gun.
There has to be some dramatic revelation of Saddam's material non-compliance. This is complicating the administrations diplomacy and efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have very convincing evidence.
BASH: U.S. officials talked this week about Iraq possessing 30,000 warheads and deadly gasses that could kill thousands. And Powell said, "The case will be laid out soon."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And Carol, a senior administration official says that the president will not explicitly talk about the declaration of war, but he will potentially lay out some evidence at his speech on Tuesday.
One thing for sure, Mr. Bush will do is warn America that the threat of war is very real -- Carol.
LIN: Dana, is there any estimation from the White House's point of view, what the very first window of opportunity will be to actually have a military strike, the timing of it?
BASH: Well, publicly Carol, you know, they're not going there. They are saying that it is not something that they have decided on for sure. It is something that is the last possible, potential - possibility out there for sure.
That they want to first deal with this very important week, next week, at the U.N. You know, on Monday, of course, we have this deadline. Tuesday the speech, and then on Wednesday they are going in for a consultation. I think a couple of days for consultations at the U.N. to deal with the allies there. To talk about what to do next. That is really what their focus is right now, Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Dana Bash reporting live from the White House tonight.
Well, if it has to, can the U.S. go it alone in a war with Iraq? CNN military analyst, General Wesley Clark, the former NATO supreme commander, joins us live from Davos, Switzerland. He is also the author of "Waging Modern War". And comes to us via satellite, so please forgive some of the delay in some of the audio.
General, I'm just wondering from your perspective, what would be the first window of opportunity that the Bush administration and the Pentagon could actually strike Iraq? When would we be ready?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, the strike against Iraq could begin -- it could begin now, if there was a reason to begin it now. There are aircraft here. I'm sure they have targets. And there are some ground troops, enough to defend Kuwait. But the most reasonable estimate is at least three to four weeks from now when more of the ground troops would arrive.
LIN: And from not necessarily a from diplomatic standpoint, but strictly from a military standpoint, the United States is fully capable of going it alone in this war, isn't it?
CLARK: That's correct. As long as, of course, it has the use of the base in Kuwait. We'd like to be able to go through Turkey, and be able to stabilize northern Iraq. And we would need some facilities somewhere in the Persian Gulf. We think we'll have those. We'd like Saudi air space. It would be even better if we had Saudi basing facilities.
But the United States, with its forces, with the help from the Brits would have the forces that were necessary. But we know we will have more than that with us.
LIN: That's right. In fact, the Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that 12 unnamed countries are already siding with the United States. Do you know who they are? And what are their resources in terms of what they can add to the battle plan?
CLARK: Well, Spain would come in with us, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, some of the Baltic states, some of the new NATO announced members. Australia will be with us. Britain, I said. And the Gulf States will give some basing and access facilities.
All of these states together, counting the U.K, you might increase -- you might get 20 percent of the forces that the U.S. is going to put in there. But that's less important than the diplomatic throw weight and the legitimacy that these partners could bring with us, Carol.
LIN: So what would be the repercussions if the United States were to act unilaterally, even with the help of these other nations, but not with the support of the U.N. Security Council?
CLARK: I think the primary repercussions are not military, but they have to do with the aftermath; and who is going to participate in the clean up, and the peacekeeping, and the reconstruction? And who is going to help maintain stability in the region afterwards?
Of course, we know in the military that the stronger that the U.N. voice, the greater the legitimacy for the operation, the more it will erode Iraq's will to resist. So, you might think that the stronger the coalition and the greater the U.N. support, the shorter the war would be and the easier the war would be.
LIN: What do you make -- speaking of repercussions -- what do you make of Saddam Hussein son, Uday, whom we rarely see, coming out in public and issuing a very specific threat. Basically, saying that what you saw on September 11 would be nothing compared to what you would actually see if the United States were to actually attack Iraq?
CLARK: Well, the purpose of these statements is both to rally domestic support and to bring Arab states in line and chill their possible support with the United States. It doesn't work, at least not with the Arabs. They know the strength that Saddam Hussein has. They know that it is really no contest at all.
But it may contribute to the moral of some of Uday's associates. It may strengthen their resistance to the Republican Guards, for example.
LIN: All right. Well, we shall see what happens next. The U.N. is getting its final report from Hans Blix on Monday.
Thank you very much, General, for joining us from Davos, Switzerland. It sure looks like a lovely scene behind you.
CLARK: Good to be with you, Carol. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
