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CNN Live At Daybreak
'International News Desk'
Aired December 17, 2003 - 05:35 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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more follow-up on Saddam's capture and other developments in Iraq, we turn to our senior international editor, David Clinch.
What's on the menu this morning?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, Carol, good morning.
Well, that's great stuff from Alfonso again this morning in Tikrit. Obviously, the soldiers were thrilled the other day after capturing Saddam, although, as you say, I think for some of them, first of all, there were hundreds out there and some of them weren't intimately involved right there and perhaps didn't know until they got back that he had been captured. So it was sinking in as we shot those pictures of them and as they were shooting pictures of themselves.
Interestingly, though, we're hearing from U.S. commanders, you know, that the happiness obviously will continue. But one other thing that will continue is the momentum. They feel like they've got a real momentum here against not only obviously getting Saddam, but the insurgents who have been carrying out attacks.
They want to continue that momentum and we've seen that over the last couple of days with Samarra, in Ba'qubah, all of these towns around -- all around Baghdad. They're hitting hard. The best offense is not -- sorry. The best defense is offense, is basically what they're saying, get in there and hit these insurgents before they can hit the Americans.
And I think we're going to see that. We're told, at least, that we will see that continuing for the time being in all of those Sunni Triangle towns. So Nic Robertson and Alfonso up there covering that through the day today.
And, interestingly, of course, hearing President Bush saying that Saddam should pay the ultimate penalty. He didn't use the word death penalty. And then, this is a key thing, he may very well have meant death penalty, but the death penalty, of course, is an awkward issue for some, even U.S. allies, particularly Britain, which does not have a death penalty. So it's somewhat of an awkward issue as we look forward to the idea and the planning stages of a trial. I mean we still really don't have any idea what kind of a trial there will be.
COSTELLO: And the other interesting thing that came out of this, and I want to get into this a little bit, the Iraqi Governing Council, some members met face to face with Saddam. CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: We heard one of them on Wolf Blitzer's show. That was fascinating.
CLINCH: Right. Interestingly, they say they basically taunted him, is what they said. I mean they obviously were brought there for one reason alone, was to identify him, clearly. Theses were people who had met him before or had seen him up close before. But they took the opportunity, they say, or at least one member of the group that saw him, to taunt him and basically to point out to him that after all of these years of having his own way, the Iraqi people were going to have their own way with him now.
And, again, the details of what kind of a trial is THE story going forward here of who will get a decision, although, of course, the details on the interrogation are very interesting. The White House pointing out yesterday that the CIA will take over -- or the Pentagon saying that the CIA will take over the interrogation. We won't be privy to that investigation or to the interrogation, but we'll be waiting to hear the details of whether he does start to talk.
COSTELLO: All right.
CLINCH: One other, I shall talk quickly about at 6:00 a.m., will be now, of course, the big question, Osama bin Laden, where is he, how close are they to getting him?
COSTELLO: And will they ever get him.
CLINCH: We'll talk a little bit more about that at 6:00 a.m.
COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.
CLINCH: OK.
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 December 17, 2003 - 05:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more follow-up on Saddam's capture and other developments in Iraq, we turn to our senior international editor, David Clinch.
What's on the menu this morning?
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hey, Carol, good morning.
Well, that's great stuff from Alfonso again this morning in Tikrit. Obviously, the soldiers were thrilled the other day after capturing Saddam, although, as you say, I think for some of them, first of all, there were hundreds out there and some of them weren't intimately involved right there and perhaps didn't know until they got back that he had been captured. So it was sinking in as we shot those pictures of them and as they were shooting pictures of themselves.
Interestingly, though, we're hearing from U.S. commanders, you know, that the happiness obviously will continue. But one other thing that will continue is the momentum. They feel like they've got a real momentum here against not only obviously getting Saddam, but the insurgents who have been carrying out attacks.
They want to continue that momentum and we've seen that over the last couple of days with Samarra, in Ba'qubah, all of these towns around -- all around Baghdad. They're hitting hard. The best offense is not -- sorry. The best defense is offense, is basically what they're saying, get in there and hit these insurgents before they can hit the Americans.
And I think we're going to see that. We're told, at least, that we will see that continuing for the time being in all of those Sunni Triangle towns. So Nic Robertson and Alfonso up there covering that through the day today.
And, interestingly, of course, hearing President Bush saying that Saddam should pay the ultimate penalty. He didn't use the word death penalty. And then, this is a key thing, he may very well have meant death penalty, but the death penalty, of course, is an awkward issue for some, even U.S. allies, particularly Britain, which does not have a death penalty. So it's somewhat of an awkward issue as we look forward to the idea and the planning stages of a trial. I mean we still really don't have any idea what kind of a trial there will be.
COSTELLO: And the other interesting thing that came out of this, and I want to get into this a little bit, the Iraqi Governing Council, some members met face to face with Saddam. CLINCH: Right.
COSTELLO: We heard one of them on Wolf Blitzer's show. That was fascinating.
CLINCH: Right. Interestingly, they say they basically taunted him, is what they said. I mean they obviously were brought there for one reason alone, was to identify him, clearly. Theses were people who had met him before or had seen him up close before. But they took the opportunity, they say, or at least one member of the group that saw him, to taunt him and basically to point out to him that after all of these years of having his own way, the Iraqi people were going to have their own way with him now.
And, again, the details of what kind of a trial is THE story going forward here of who will get a decision, although, of course, the details on the interrogation are very interesting. The White House pointing out yesterday that the CIA will take over -- or the Pentagon saying that the CIA will take over the interrogation. We won't be privy to that investigation or to the interrogation, but we'll be waiting to hear the details of whether he does start to talk.
COSTELLO: All right.
CLINCH: One other, I shall talk quickly about at 6:00 a.m., will be now, of course, the big question, Osama bin Laden, where is he, how close are they to getting him?
COSTELLO: And will they ever get him.
CLINCH: We'll talk a little bit more about that at 6:00 a.m.
COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.
CLINCH: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
