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American Morning
Could Administration End Up Abandoning Entire New Resolution Altogether?
Aired March 13, 2003 - 08:09 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: Let's get to Iraq right now. Yet again today, U.S. officials saying the president still wants that vote in the U.N. Security Council this week. That could come tomorrow with the time right now running out for this week.
Could the administration, though, end up abandoning the entire new resolution altogether?
To the White House this morning, the front lawn and Dana Bash -- and, Dana, reports yesterday at this time said the White House was just a vote away from getting a majority.
Do they feel that way today? How close do they believe they might or might not be now?
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, they do feel that privately, at least, they have a number of commitments to vote for this resolution. But the concern, of course, is that a lot of these countries, none of these countries have said so publicly. So far at least publicly there are four committed countries including the United States.
So it's really fluid here and the White House, you talk to officials, they admit that it's very fluid. One called all of this a diplomatic muddle.
So what they're talking about still, at least publicly, trying to get this vote by the end of the week. That would be tomorrow. But they are admitting privately that could fall into next week. The other thing that they are saying privately, that it is likely at this point, despite the fact that the president himself said one week ago today that he wants all of the countries at the Security Council to show their cards, it is likely that there couldn't be a vote at all, perhaps. And that would probably happen if a leader from another capital, namely Tony Blair, would call and say look, we don't have the votes, it would be detrimental if we got a lot fewer than the majority at the Security Council and we shouldn't have the vote at all.
But one thing we do know, Bill, is that the president, when all is said and done at the United Nations, we do expect the president to give a speech to explain to the American people what is going on and to give an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein -- Bill. HEMMER: Put this in a calendar for me, if you could, if that speech is going to come. What is your understanding right now, whether or not there is a vote in the U.N., at what point on this time line toward war, how does it stack up right now based on the calendar that you see in the next week or two to come?
BASH: Bill, I wish I could answer that. It is so fluid. So much depends on where the votes fall, when they, what the language will be in the end, whether they will get the votes. There's a lot up in the air right now and that's why the president today, for the fourth day in a row will continue to make phone calls. And I should note that today we will see the president for the first time in a week. He has not been out publicly. He has had no real public appearances at all since one week ago today. That was his prime time press conference. The White House is saying that it's better, they have felt that it's better for him to keep a low profile publicly as he is working the phones diplomatically, because they don't want anything he says publicly to disturb or hurt some of the private diplomatic channels.
So we will see him. He will have a meeting with the prime minister of Ireland and other events surrounding St. Patrick's Day today.
HEMMER: Just four days away.
Thank you, Dana.
Dana Bash at the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Resolution Altogether?>
Aired March 13, 2003 - 08:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get to Iraq right now. Yet again today, U.S. officials saying the president still wants that vote in the U.N. Security Council this week. That could come tomorrow with the time right now running out for this week.
Could the administration, though, end up abandoning the entire new resolution altogether?
To the White House this morning, the front lawn and Dana Bash -- and, Dana, reports yesterday at this time said the White House was just a vote away from getting a majority.
Do they feel that way today? How close do they believe they might or might not be now?
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, they do feel that privately, at least, they have a number of commitments to vote for this resolution. But the concern, of course, is that a lot of these countries, none of these countries have said so publicly. So far at least publicly there are four committed countries including the United States.
So it's really fluid here and the White House, you talk to officials, they admit that it's very fluid. One called all of this a diplomatic muddle.
So what they're talking about still, at least publicly, trying to get this vote by the end of the week. That would be tomorrow. But they are admitting privately that could fall into next week. The other thing that they are saying privately, that it is likely at this point, despite the fact that the president himself said one week ago today that he wants all of the countries at the Security Council to show their cards, it is likely that there couldn't be a vote at all, perhaps. And that would probably happen if a leader from another capital, namely Tony Blair, would call and say look, we don't have the votes, it would be detrimental if we got a lot fewer than the majority at the Security Council and we shouldn't have the vote at all.
But one thing we do know, Bill, is that the president, when all is said and done at the United Nations, we do expect the president to give a speech to explain to the American people what is going on and to give an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein -- Bill. HEMMER: Put this in a calendar for me, if you could, if that speech is going to come. What is your understanding right now, whether or not there is a vote in the U.N., at what point on this time line toward war, how does it stack up right now based on the calendar that you see in the next week or two to come?
BASH: Bill, I wish I could answer that. It is so fluid. So much depends on where the votes fall, when they, what the language will be in the end, whether they will get the votes. There's a lot up in the air right now and that's why the president today, for the fourth day in a row will continue to make phone calls. And I should note that today we will see the president for the first time in a week. He has not been out publicly. He has had no real public appearances at all since one week ago today. That was his prime time press conference. The White House is saying that it's better, they have felt that it's better for him to keep a low profile publicly as he is working the phones diplomatically, because they don't want anything he says publicly to disturb or hurt some of the private diplomatic channels.
So we will see him. He will have a meeting with the prime minister of Ireland and other events surrounding St. Patrick's Day today.
HEMMER: Just four days away.
Thank you, Dana.
Dana Bash at the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Resolution Altogether?>
