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American Morning

Bush Meets with Advisers in Crawford To Talk Iraq

Aired August 12, 2002 - 09:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The president is talking international policy this morning, including what if anything to do about Iraq. He will have some visitors to help him consider the options.
Our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux has details. She is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is on his working vacation -- Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, that is right. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, will both coming out to the Crawford Ranch later this week to talk, among other things, U.S. policy options in Iraq. The president, really, has been stepping up the pressure against Saddam Hussein. It was just this past weekend that called Iraq "an enemy" until proven otherwise, but he also said that he is still consulting with members of Congress, as well as U.S. allies in terms of our options.

But between this kind of sharp rhetoric here from Crawford, Texas, as well as those type of high-level meetings between top Bush administration officials and those Iraqi opposition leaders, really the message has been becoming very clear from the administration delivering to Saddam Hussein that his days are numbered.

Now it was leaders from six different Iraqi opposition groups that met in Washington. They met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers, as well as the vice president, Dick Cheney via a video link to his home in Wyoming. The message that came out of that, they emerged from that meeting saying that yes, they were unified, that they, in fact, shared the goal of the Bush administration for regime change, the ousting of Saddam Hussein, but it is also important to note that administration officials say it is much too early to talk about funding or training or weapons, that it was agreement in principle -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, Texas. Thank you so much.

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