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American Morning
Bush Expected to Announce End to Combat in Iraq
Aired May 01, 2003 - 08:03 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: There's going to be an amazing sight later tonight, too, in primetime. You'll see it at nine o'clock here live on CNN. The president will address the country regarding Iraq and Mr. Bush will speak from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. He's expected to announce an end to the combat in Iraq, but not to speak of victory.
Dana Bash at the White House can work her way through this for us -- good morning, again.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Well, the president actually just in the past few minutes wrapped up an event here at the White House this morning. He was talking about the power of faith and prayer in a speech honoring the 52nd Annual National Day of Prayer. But as you mentioned, the major presidential event of today will be a hundred miles off the coast of California tonight. He will be with more than 5,000 sailors and Marines who have been at sea for nearly a year. And tonight's address to the nation the White House is calling a milestone, but not a formal declaration of victory because, White House aides say, there are still weapons of mass destruction yet to be found, still senior members of the Iraqi leadership yet to be found and there are still skirmishes going on.
But the key and dramatic event of tonight that we will look for prior to that speech is the way the president will be getting onto the USS Abraham Lincoln. Usually presidents get onto carriers by helicopter. Today, the president will be taken by a Viking four seater plane. He will be landing by what's called a tail hook landing. That will be traveling at 150 miles an hour. It hooks onto a steel wire and they only have about 400 feet in which to land. It is certainly going to be a dramatic landing and the Navy says that they will have an air sickness bag on the plane for the president. But the White House says that he, of course, is a former pilot. He was trained in the Texas Air National Guard. So they say he is unlikely to need it -- Bill.
HEMMER: I've had some experience with that, by the way, Dana.
BASH: How was it?
HEMMER: It's always good to have one on board.
Listen, from a serious standpoint, in the world of politics, always trying to stay one step ahead of the game. After the speech tonight, what is the focus for the White House, trying to put things back on the domestic agenda for America?
BASH: You know, this speech tonight allows the White House to turn the corner, to pivot, as Republicans are calling it, to talk more openly about the economy. The president certainly has been focusing on it over the past few weeks. But he will be able to politically get back into the game, pushing his domestic agenda and knowing that he has sort of provided some closure for the American people in terms of the war -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Dana.
And we apologize to our viewers for the visual, but it is a fact.
Thank you much there.
At nine o'clock Eastern time you'll see it live here on CNN.
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 May 1, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There's going to be an amazing sight later tonight, too, in primetime. You'll see it at nine o'clock here live on CNN. The president will address the country regarding Iraq and Mr. Bush will speak from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. He's expected to announce an end to the combat in Iraq, but not to speak of victory.
Dana Bash at the White House can work her way through this for us -- good morning, again.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.
Well, the president actually just in the past few minutes wrapped up an event here at the White House this morning. He was talking about the power of faith and prayer in a speech honoring the 52nd Annual National Day of Prayer. But as you mentioned, the major presidential event of today will be a hundred miles off the coast of California tonight. He will be with more than 5,000 sailors and Marines who have been at sea for nearly a year. And tonight's address to the nation the White House is calling a milestone, but not a formal declaration of victory because, White House aides say, there are still weapons of mass destruction yet to be found, still senior members of the Iraqi leadership yet to be found and there are still skirmishes going on.
But the key and dramatic event of tonight that we will look for prior to that speech is the way the president will be getting onto the USS Abraham Lincoln. Usually presidents get onto carriers by helicopter. Today, the president will be taken by a Viking four seater plane. He will be landing by what's called a tail hook landing. That will be traveling at 150 miles an hour. It hooks onto a steel wire and they only have about 400 feet in which to land. It is certainly going to be a dramatic landing and the Navy says that they will have an air sickness bag on the plane for the president. But the White House says that he, of course, is a former pilot. He was trained in the Texas Air National Guard. So they say he is unlikely to need it -- Bill.
HEMMER: I've had some experience with that, by the way, Dana.
BASH: How was it?
HEMMER: It's always good to have one on board.
Listen, from a serious standpoint, in the world of politics, always trying to stay one step ahead of the game. After the speech tonight, what is the focus for the White House, trying to put things back on the domestic agenda for America?
BASH: You know, this speech tonight allows the White House to turn the corner, to pivot, as Republicans are calling it, to talk more openly about the economy. The president certainly has been focusing on it over the past few weeks. But he will be able to politically get back into the game, pushing his domestic agenda and knowing that he has sort of provided some closure for the American people in terms of the war -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Dana.
And we apologize to our viewers for the visual, but it is a fact.
Thank you much there.
At nine o'clock Eastern time you'll see it live here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
