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CNN Live Saturday
President Bush Still Occupied By Conflict In Iraq
Aired August 09, 2003 - 14:28 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.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The president is in Crawford, Texas today ending the first week of his working vacation. Our Correspondent Dana Bash is also in Crawford and also working Dana. It has now been over 100 days since the president declared an end to major fighting in Iraq, does the conflict there still seem to be occupying most of his time?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does, and the White House understands that most of the news that we see back here from Iraq tends to be somewhat grim. We have heard about the bombing of the Jordanian embassy there. Dailey attacks on U.S. soldiers, 56 U.S. troops have been killed in combat there since the president flew onto the carrier off the coast of California and declared major combat over.
So the White House is trying to seize on that anniversary, the 100-day anniversary and say there are results going on in Iraq, there has been progress made. The White House put out a 24-page report yesterday detailing some of that progress, banks being opened, the economy getting better, and the president once again today is discussing the issue today in his radio address.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 100 days is not enough time to undo the terrible legacy of Saddam Hussein. There is difficult and dangerous work ahead that requires time and patience, yet all Americans can be proud of what our military and provisional authorities have achieved in Iraq.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: The president says he doesn't know how long U.S. troops will be in Iraq, but he does say they will be there as long as it takes. He also doesn't know how much this is going to cost and all of these unanswered questions is providing some fodder from the president's Democratic critics, many of whom are saying that all of this focus on Iraq is taking away from the greater war on terrorism, particularly Al Qaeda.
The president will say and has said, that Iraq right now in his estimation is the center of the war on terrorism. And that any Democrats who are attacking him saying that perhaps he is not right to be in Iraq right now are attacking him for pure political reasons -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana from Crawford, thanks very much. 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 August 9, 2003 - 14:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The president is in Crawford, Texas today ending the first week of his working vacation. Our Correspondent Dana Bash is also in Crawford and also working Dana. It has now been over 100 days since the president declared an end to major fighting in Iraq, does the conflict there still seem to be occupying most of his time?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does, and the White House understands that most of the news that we see back here from Iraq tends to be somewhat grim. We have heard about the bombing of the Jordanian embassy there. Dailey attacks on U.S. soldiers, 56 U.S. troops have been killed in combat there since the president flew onto the carrier off the coast of California and declared major combat over.
So the White House is trying to seize on that anniversary, the 100-day anniversary and say there are results going on in Iraq, there has been progress made. The White House put out a 24-page report yesterday detailing some of that progress, banks being opened, the economy getting better, and the president once again today is discussing the issue today in his radio address.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 100 days is not enough time to undo the terrible legacy of Saddam Hussein. There is difficult and dangerous work ahead that requires time and patience, yet all Americans can be proud of what our military and provisional authorities have achieved in Iraq.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BASH: The president says he doesn't know how long U.S. troops will be in Iraq, but he does say they will be there as long as it takes. He also doesn't know how much this is going to cost and all of these unanswered questions is providing some fodder from the president's Democratic critics, many of whom are saying that all of this focus on Iraq is taking away from the greater war on terrorism, particularly Al Qaeda.
The president will say and has said, that Iraq right now in his estimation is the center of the war on terrorism. And that any Democrats who are attacking him saying that perhaps he is not right to be in Iraq right now are attacking him for pure political reasons -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Dana from Crawford, thanks very much. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
