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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Under Attack: Bush Gathering World Support

Aired September 13, 2001 - 08:34   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.
MILES O'BRIEN CNN ANCHOR: At the White House, Kelly Wallace is on the North Lawn, giving us a sense of what the president is up to today; obviously, more consultations with the national security team, more considerations of the options that lie ahead, some of them grim options, right, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, this whole situation very grim and very difficult for this administration, Miles.

What we are seeing the president and his top team do, though, is try to built, in their words, an international coalition against terrorism. And that is to continue today. Mr. Bush in the Oval Office shortly after 7:00 a.m., getting his normal national security and intelligence briefings. And then aides say, telling us, that the president expected to be telephoning other world leaders, and also to be talking to local officials in some of the area affected, including certainly New York City.

We know the president, Miles, was on the phone yesterday, calling the leaders of the Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. And what you are seeing is this White House trying to get some international backing; A, potentially for whatever response this U.S. administration might decide to take, but even broader, an international backing for perhaps a worldwide fight against terrorism.

We know the White House, Miles, was quite gratified by that statement coming out of NATO on Wednesday, that statement saying that an attack on one member of the alliance is the same as an attack on the entire alliance. And of course, in your interview with Congressman Gephardt, we certainly know this administration, White House officials have been talking with U.S. lawmakers trying to work on the language of a possible congressional resolution, which would allow or give the authority for the U.S. to retaliate for these deadly terrorists attacks.

We also know, Miles, certainly, that the White House continuing to talk to lawmakers about an emergency spending bill, as much as $20 billion, to go ahead and pay for search-and-rescue efforts, as well as the investigation and the rebuilding efforts in the cities involved.

So, potentially, other meetings with congressional leaders. The president working the phone, though, again, trying to build international support. U.S. official, Miles, as you certainly very well know, publicly not at all speculating or talking about any response this White House might take or when that response could come. Privately, though, some U.S. officials telling CNN that the administration and the president's national security meetings yesterday at least beginning discussion of possible U.S. responses, possible steps the administration could take.

Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: Well, Kelly, before you get away, they don't call it the World Trade Center for nothing. There are reports this morning that 100 British nationals, 75 Australians, 100 Japanese nationals, 27 Koreans, we could go down the list...

WALLACE: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: ... are missing in the wake of these attacks. And I presume that makes it a little easier to build this coalition?

WALLACE: It certainly does. I mean, when you do see these countries involved losing citizens from those countries it does make it easier. Obviously, you have heard world leader after world leader come out and condemn the violence and the terrorism, saying that that country is standing directly side by side by the U.S. You've heard the prime minister of Great Britain. You've the Australian prime minister, who happened to be in Washington, I believe, earlier in the week, coming out on the floor at the Capitol, pledging to cooperate and work with the U.S. So that does make it easier.

And, again, one question we've been asking U.S. officials is: Does the U.S. -- is it looking for any kind of tangible support, actual military support perhaps from other nations when and if the U.S. decided to retaliate. U.S. officials publicly and really even privately not sort of speculating about that.

But clearly, you are seeing this White House trying to build some coalition, some backing, for any steps it takes in the immediate future and then maybe for a long-term fight, again, against terrorism.

O'BRIEN: Well -- and certainly there would be tremendous amount of symbolism should it be, for example, a NATO attack when and if that were to occur. But you get the sense that given the drama here and given the extent of the casualties that, really, all bets are off in a sense; there are no constraint, really, as far as potential reprisals. The White House doesn't need to be bridled in any way. Do you get that the sense there?

WALLACE: Well, certainly. And I thought your interview with Congressman Gephardt quite telling, how he sort of -- you asked him that great question, I thought about the comparison with the 1991 situation, Congress having to come forward, deciding on a resolution to give Mr. Bush's father the go-ahead for using force against Iraq when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait. Congressman Gephardt saying there's really no division here, no controversy here. Democrats, Republicans united, definitely standing together. Obviously, there is pressure on the administration to respond. You've been reporting American people very, very angry. But, Miles, this administration: A, wants to certainly get the facts, get the case together, makes sure it gets the right people; also make sure whatever steps it takes it can sort of knock out that organization or organizations or whatever it is so that those groups can't attack again. And then there is this longer concern to try to somehow convey to the American people that the White House, the administration, that these organizations have taken steps so that something like this could never happen again. That's obviously the big hurdle for this White House.

O'BRIEN: Kelly, what about the timing, though? Is there a sense that there is a window of opportunity that is opened now for a reprisal and in a certain point in time it becomes too late to do that? In other words, the coalition may become freight at the edges?

WALLACE: Well, that's a good question. You have heard a lot of people talking about the tremendous anger on the streets of New York City, certainly in Washington, all around the country, anger for retaliation, for the administration to do something to -- a show of force really, because of the magnitude and the destruction and the tragedy. So there seems to be certainly growing pressure for the administration to act quickly. You get the sense that the president, he is certainly known as a decisive leader, who certainly wants to once he makes a decision go forward and go forward quickly. But at the same time, if you look at language the president has used, the secretary of defense, they sort of make the case that this can be may be a sustained or prolonged battle. The president saying that the battle will take time and resolve. But in the end, we will win.

So you get the sense that while there is pressure to act quickly and while maybe when the U.S. could be planning to act quickly, that, as well, U.S. leaders kind of making the case in the U.S. for a maybe longer-term battle, again, against terrorism around the world.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Kelly Wallace at the White House keeping us posted. We will of course be checking in with her as our continuing coverage presses on.

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