Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
President Bush Gives Saddam Hussein Ultimatum
Aired March 18, 2003 - 07:04 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to go to the White House now, where the president is expected to have a very busy day getting ready for a potential war.
Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with the very latest.
Good morning -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, President Bush is not likely to come out in public until that ultimatum expires. It is fair to say here at the White House the mood is mixed. White House aides telling us that the president is confident and relaxed in his decision. Of course, it is also a somber mood here.
White House aides say that now is the time for the president to sell his war. He believes that he has the confidence of Congress behind him, but the president's main message here is that the threat of Saddam Hussein is so great to the administration that the U.S. must strike first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed. The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as commander-in-chief by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.
Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq. America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat, because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Paula, a strike could begin as early as Wednesday, 8:00 in the evening Eastern Standard Time. The next time that we will see the president, he'll be in the Oval Office addressing the American public after he has ordered the troops to go into combat -- Paula.
ZAHN: And what kind of contact will he have with members of Congress in the days to come? MALVEAUX: We expect that he'll be working the phones, that there will be an open line to members of Congress who have questions about this.
We saw his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, coming into the White House this morning, as he is going to be holding high- level meetings with his national security team. We expect, however, that he will not come before the public until he has actually made that determination, the authority to use troops in going to war with Iraq.
ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.
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 March 18, 2003 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to go to the White House now, where the president is expected to have a very busy day getting ready for a potential war.
Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with the very latest.
Good morning -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, President Bush is not likely to come out in public until that ultimatum expires. It is fair to say here at the White House the mood is mixed. White House aides telling us that the president is confident and relaxed in his decision. Of course, it is also a somber mood here.
White House aides say that now is the time for the president to sell his war. He believes that he has the confidence of Congress behind him, but the president's main message here is that the threat of Saddam Hussein is so great to the administration that the U.S. must strike first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Before the day of horror can come, before it is too late to act, this danger will be removed. The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me as commander-in-chief by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep.
Recognizing the threat to our country, the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly last year to support the use of force against Iraq. America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat, because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, Paula, a strike could begin as early as Wednesday, 8:00 in the evening Eastern Standard Time. The next time that we will see the president, he'll be in the Oval Office addressing the American public after he has ordered the troops to go into combat -- Paula.
ZAHN: And what kind of contact will he have with members of Congress in the days to come? MALVEAUX: We expect that he'll be working the phones, that there will be an open line to members of Congress who have questions about this.
We saw his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, coming into the White House this morning, as he is going to be holding high- level meetings with his national security team. We expect, however, that he will not come before the public until he has actually made that determination, the authority to use troops in going to war with Iraq.
ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
