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Bush's Bipartisan Banter

Aired September 26, 2002 - 13:07   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is President Bush politicizing or just passionate, when it comes to Iraq and seeking a congressional resolution for war? The president met with lawmakers for a bit of bipartisan banter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Each passing day could be the one on which the Iraqi regime gives anthrax or VX nerve gas or, someday, a nuclear weapon to a terrorist ally. We refuse to live in this future of fear. Democrats and Republicans refuse to live in a future of fear. We are determined to build a future of security. All of us long for peace -- peace for ourselves, peace for the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live from the White House with more -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the Bush administration really extending an olive branch to Congress. Earlier, the president, meeting with House Republicans and Democrats here at the White House stressing the need for a strong congressional resolution holding Saddam Hussein accountable.

The president also praising Democrats and Republicans for making a strong case against Saddam Hussein.

As you know, the flap of whether or not this has become politicized, the White House really trying to put it behind them. Earlier, the president, expressing some frustration with the Senate of their refusal to pass the version of homeland security that he would like to see, but also the president saying that not all senators were to blame, really trying to present a united front to the world.

The president making the case against Saddam Hussein, the strategy of this White House not providing more evidence, but rather more details about Saddam Hussein's alleged misdeeds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to terrorist organizations, and there are al Qaeda terrorists inside Iraq. The regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material could build one within a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: The Bush administration in its strongest case yet, again trying to make the link between al Qaeda and Iraq, between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist organization.

The national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, saying that there have been some attempts, some meetings inside Baghdad to harbor some al Qaeda terrorists, as well as some attempts to train al Qaeda with a chemicals weapons program; that this is something that they are learning about. They learned about it the last couple of years, but they believe that this makes a stronger case linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda.

Now, they also are stressing, and it was very interesting to note, that the president said that the U.N. Security Council resolution must require for Iraq to disarm. He did not talk about regime change. He said, rather stressing disarmament. This is a much more palatable and popular idea among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, suggesting that this is the kind of language that we are going to see coming out of the U.N. Security Council on that resolution against Saddam Hussein -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, 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 September 26, 2002 - 13:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is President Bush politicizing or just passionate, when it comes to Iraq and seeking a congressional resolution for war? The president met with lawmakers for a bit of bipartisan banter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Each passing day could be the one on which the Iraqi regime gives anthrax or VX nerve gas or, someday, a nuclear weapon to a terrorist ally. We refuse to live in this future of fear. Democrats and Republicans refuse to live in a future of fear. We are determined to build a future of security. All of us long for peace -- peace for ourselves, peace for the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live from the White House with more -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the Bush administration really extending an olive branch to Congress. Earlier, the president, meeting with House Republicans and Democrats here at the White House stressing the need for a strong congressional resolution holding Saddam Hussein accountable.

The president also praising Democrats and Republicans for making a strong case against Saddam Hussein.

As you know, the flap of whether or not this has become politicized, the White House really trying to put it behind them. Earlier, the president, expressing some frustration with the Senate of their refusal to pass the version of homeland security that he would like to see, but also the president saying that not all senators were to blame, really trying to present a united front to the world.

The president making the case against Saddam Hussein, the strategy of this White House not providing more evidence, but rather more details about Saddam Hussein's alleged misdeeds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The regime has longstanding and continuing ties to terrorist organizations, and there are al Qaeda terrorists inside Iraq. The regime is seeking a nuclear bomb, and with fissile material could build one within a year.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: The Bush administration in its strongest case yet, again trying to make the link between al Qaeda and Iraq, between Saddam Hussein and the terrorist organization.

The national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, saying that there have been some attempts, some meetings inside Baghdad to harbor some al Qaeda terrorists, as well as some attempts to train al Qaeda with a chemicals weapons program; that this is something that they are learning about. They learned about it the last couple of years, but they believe that this makes a stronger case linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda.

Now, they also are stressing, and it was very interesting to note, that the president said that the U.N. Security Council resolution must require for Iraq to disarm. He did not talk about regime change. He said, rather stressing disarmament. This is a much more palatable and popular idea among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, suggesting that this is the kind of language that we are going to see coming out of the U.N. Security Council on that resolution against Saddam Hussein -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, 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.