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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Podesta's View on President's Resolve

Aired September 18, 2001 - 10:43   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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now here in Washington a man who was in a key position of power the last time the United States government targeted Osama bin Laden and his organization in Afghanistan, John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Clinton.

Back in 1998, when President Clinton decided to launch cruise missile, among the options presented to him was using U.S. ground troops. As President Bush mounts his options now, take back in history: Why was that viewed as not the right option in 1998?

JOHN PODESTA, FORMER W.H. CHIEF OF STAFF: Well, I think in 1998 the provocation was there, we wanted to go after him, it was out top intelligence target. We worked on this on almost a daily basis. But he's elusive, he was hard to find, and I think that there was some intelligence that he and his lieutenants would be at the camps where the cruise missiles were launched to, and we thought that was the right option. We didn't stop there. We, as I said, on virtually daily basis tried to find him and try to think of alternatives to try get Osama bin Laden. And there was some planning done, including, as you said, the use of forces there, but it's a very difficult place to deal with.

And you know, everything changed last Tuesday. I think that not only did it raise the stakes here and raise the commitment to take casualties, put people into a place like that, but changed the world with regard the way people in the region are reacting to this, how the Pakistanis are reacting, the Uzbekistanis are reacting, et cetera.

KING: At a time when the world is watching so closely, every word the president says obviously is carefully measured. This president, George W. Bush, some pretty tough rhetoric in recent days, almost talking like the Texan he is of frontier justice: wanted dead or alive. That appropriate or excessive in your view?

PODESTA: No, I think that comment in it's particular I thought was appropriate. I think that, you know, he has got to show resolve. I think he's doing a great job leading the American people, and I think that quite, frankly, he is wanted dead or alive. And I think that he has got to set -- he's got to explain to the American people exactly what the aims of this are. There have been -- you know, I guess what my one caution would be that some of the rhetoricians are throwing out things like, we're going to wipe out evil in the world. I mean, that's not going to happen. He has got to state with particular how to go after these groups, they operate in over 40 countries, obviously including the United States of America. And he has to set a goal that he can achieve, and I think he's doing a good job in explaining that to the American people and preparing for the consequences of this, which are going to be substantial for this country.

KING: This threat obviously unprecedented, but take us behind the scenes in the White House when you have a moment of military alert this high, potential terrorist strikes. We have heard in the past week things we have never heard before, that the vice president was taking to a -- it's now out in the public domain, but a previously classified nuclear-proof bunker underneath the White House. The president of the United States bopped around to different military bases because of a concern he couldn't go back.

Take us behind the scenes of the White House into the degree you can, explain how this communication works and the security system.

PODESTA: Well, let me start by saying, we dealt with chasing terrorist and trying to hunt them down after the embassy bombings, Pan Am 103, the Cole. We dealt with consequences of national grief at Columbine and Oklahoma City. We dealt with war plans in Kosovo. We dealt with natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods to hurricanes. They have to deal with this all at the same time, simultaneously, and it is a tremendous challenge to get every agency of government, every senior official in government working as a team, working in harmony trying to create those communications link that bring the intelligence in so that you can operate on it, try to create the plans that the president needs to make the hard decision that he's going to have to make. And I think they are doing pretty good job of taking that centrifugal force, which is natural, and bringing into the White House, centering it, and moving forward for the America people.

KING: All right, John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Clinton, we thank you for your thoughts today.

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