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American Morning
Target: Terrorism - Predicting More Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.
Aired October 03, 2001 - 10:15 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back here in the U.S., I want to talk about some transportation news this morning. The nation's two leading airlines enacting some of the safety initiative proposed by the president. This is the wake of the attacks on 9-11.
Both American Airlines and United Airlines the targets of those hijackings, agreed now to install steel door reinforcements on the cockpit doors. The announcement, made yesterday, comes as a Transportation Department task force calls for all airlines to follow suit within 30 days time.
Now in the wake of the attacks, there are of course concerns about the possibility of new acts of terrorism on U.S. soil. Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart cochaired a commission on national security in the 21st century. He believe there is reason for concern.
Senator Hart, hello to you, and good morning.
GARY HART, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Good morning.
HEMMER: You made a speech last night at Yale, talking about the concern that you have for the possibility, again I want to underline that, the possibility of new attacks.
What gives you reason to think that?
HART: I have no special information. What my instincts are basically shaped and formed by the information we collected as members of this commission over the last two and a half years.
I think the intelligence estimates and briefings we received from terrorism and counterterrorism experts, led me at least, to believe that this is not the end of the age of terrorism, but perhaps just the beginning.
But I have no special information.
HEMMER: All right then, to put it in fair context, we don't want to be talking about this in the sense that we are scaring people who may be watching...
HART: No, no, no. HEMMER: ... you talk at this point. And to do that, walk the fine line for us. What do you have that you believe, or the past two or three years based on this study, that takes you on this direction of thought?
HART: Well, first of all, past experience. Just as a previous commentator said, there have been patterns of attacks on American interests, starting with or even before the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, then the embassy bombings in Africa, then the Cole attack and the attack on the American barracks in Saudi Arabia.
So, there has been a pattern of attack on U.S. interest offshore, and now those attacks have come onshore.
If there are in fact networks, and we are led to believe by the experts that there are, these networks are clearly not training for just one mission. If those networks still exist and they have resources, money, and people and weapons, I think it is just common sense to believe that they will try something else, probably sooner rather than later.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Let's get -- I apologize for the interruption. There is a delay on the satellite. But you talk about the new initiative, the homeland security. You say good step, right direction, but more is needed.
To be specific, what more is needed in the U.S.?
HART: Our commission strongly recommended the creation of a free standing, separate new agency that consolidates the 40 or more parts of agencies across the federal government, that have something to do with homeland security.
We think -- many of us think, the office approach or the czar approach, or even the Homeland Security Council approach, will not create the consolidated and integrated agency necessary to coordinate all of these assets.
One hopes we can skip the interim step and go directly to a single individual, in this case Governor Ridge, who will be accountable to the president for all of these homeland security operations.
HEMMER: Given that answer, when you hear the Attorney General John Ashcroft criticize Congress for, in his words, moving too slowly to enact these expanded powers of law enforcement, does John Ashcroft have a point?
HART: No, I think where the constitutional liberties are concerned, we are at the core of what this nation is all about. We shouldn't rush into that, and there should be plenty of time for debate.
If he can demonstrate based on his intelligence estimates, that we are endangering the lives and security of Americans because he does not have this authority, then that's very persuasive. But apparently, at least in terms of sitting members of Congress, he has not done; and therefore, they want more evidence that these steps in the direction of curtailing, possibly curtailing constitutional liberties of Americans, should be taken.
HEMMER: I should mention also, you did your work with also another former Senator Warren Rudman.
HART: Yes.
HEMMER: Gary Hart, thanks for your time. We much appreciate it.
HART: My pleasure.
HEMMER: We will talk with you again.
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