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Bush in Britain

Aired November 18, 2003 - 13:02   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 SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: CNN senior White House correspondent John King is live in our London bureau. Now we want to get to him to find out the very latest.
John, what can you tell us that's happening right now?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, a sense of anticipation. Mr. Bush just an hour or so away from arriving here in London, amazing, unprecedented security preparations across the town. Some predicting 60,000, perhaps as many as 100,000 demonstrators here to voice their opposition to Mr. Bush's visit, mostly to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq. Mr. Bush calls that a fantastic display of democracy in his view, but there is a great sense of a political moment. Prime Minister Blair, by all accounts, here in London, and White House officials, taking quite a political risk, having Mr. Bush come at this moment.

The first day pretty low key. Mr. Bush will be met at the airport by Prince Charles. he will have a private reception with the royal family at Buckingham Palace. He and the first lady will stay there tonight, then a much more formal, ceremonial welcoming ceremony tomorrow, and a big speech, Heidi, from the president here tomorrow, in which he will try to explain, and public opinion here is stiffly against him, his reasons for going to war in Iraq, and the reasons, more broadly, why this president of the United States believes that sometimes the use of military force is necessary. That will be a big speech for the approximately here in London -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Talk to us a little bit, John if you could, about the security concerns. We understand the political concerns. What about the security concerns?

KING: Well, there was some talk a few weeks back of actually cordoning off large portions of the city, and that runs counter to the normal practice here. Many of the protesters complain, the police got together, the Secret Service did put some pressure on the British police to try give the president some space, if you will, from the protesters. By all accounts now, they have made it a much more orderly process. Even some of the demonstrators saying they are happy that the police will let them have their way and let make their indication.

So Mr. Bush will encounter them on the streets as he drives through no doubt. He is well aware they are to be here by the tens of thousands. Again, he has to put the best face on it, saying he welcomes them, and that is a sign that free speech is welcomed here; $8.5 million the price tag for the security effort here in great Britain. Many complaining about that, so much money being spent essentially to keep pro-Democracy demonstrators from airing their opposition to a president who says democracy, of course, should be the beacon of hope around the world -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John King live for us in London today. We know you will be there the rest of the day. Thanks, John.

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 November 18, 2003 - 13:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: CNN senior White House correspondent John King is live in our London bureau. Now we want to get to him to find out the very latest.
John, what can you tell us that's happening right now?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, a sense of anticipation. Mr. Bush just an hour or so away from arriving here in London, amazing, unprecedented security preparations across the town. Some predicting 60,000, perhaps as many as 100,000 demonstrators here to voice their opposition to Mr. Bush's visit, mostly to voice their opposition to the war in Iraq. Mr. Bush calls that a fantastic display of democracy in his view, but there is a great sense of a political moment. Prime Minister Blair, by all accounts, here in London, and White House officials, taking quite a political risk, having Mr. Bush come at this moment.

The first day pretty low key. Mr. Bush will be met at the airport by Prince Charles. he will have a private reception with the royal family at Buckingham Palace. He and the first lady will stay there tonight, then a much more formal, ceremonial welcoming ceremony tomorrow, and a big speech, Heidi, from the president here tomorrow, in which he will try to explain, and public opinion here is stiffly against him, his reasons for going to war in Iraq, and the reasons, more broadly, why this president of the United States believes that sometimes the use of military force is necessary. That will be a big speech for the approximately here in London -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Talk to us a little bit, John if you could, about the security concerns. We understand the political concerns. What about the security concerns?

KING: Well, there was some talk a few weeks back of actually cordoning off large portions of the city, and that runs counter to the normal practice here. Many of the protesters complain, the police got together, the Secret Service did put some pressure on the British police to try give the president some space, if you will, from the protesters. By all accounts now, they have made it a much more orderly process. Even some of the demonstrators saying they are happy that the police will let them have their way and let make their indication.

So Mr. Bush will encounter them on the streets as he drives through no doubt. He is well aware they are to be here by the tens of thousands. Again, he has to put the best face on it, saying he welcomes them, and that is a sign that free speech is welcomed here; $8.5 million the price tag for the security effort here in great Britain. Many complaining about that, so much money being spent essentially to keep pro-Democracy demonstrators from airing their opposition to a president who says democracy, of course, should be the beacon of hope around the world -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John King live for us in London today. We know you will be there the rest of the day. Thanks, John.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com