Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
'International News Desk'
Aired September 08, 2003 - 05:38 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to be following several international stories throughout the day here on CNN. Let's see what else is going on in the world that we are watching with our senior international assignment editor.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Hi, David.
CLINCH: Hi.
Good morning.
Well, President Bush's speech still the headline, and we're getting a lot of reaction to that from all of our locations around the world, specifically Baghdad, obviously. And one of the most interesting things, President Bush asserting right from the beginning of his speech last night that Iraq and the war on terror are now the same thing, indicating that Iraq -- the same story, that is -- indicating that Iraq is the central front in that war against terror.
Now, I could argue with him, but he's the president...
WHITFIELD: Well, there are a lot of critics who are arguing, who are saying that the war on terror there only began after...
CLINCH: Right.
WHITFIELD: ... this war because the borders are now too porous...
CLINCH: Well...
WHITFIELD: ... and foreign terrorists are making their way in.
CLINCH: That certainly is part of the story. But there are two reasons I'm not going to argue with him. One, he is the president.
WHITFIELD: All right.
CLINCH: And, two, really, it is an argument that maybe it was not a war on terror story when they went into Iraq, but there's really very little doubt, even in the minds of Iraqis, as our reporters have been telling us this morning, that there is a war against terror right now with foreign terrorists attacking U.S. troops in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: Right. CLINCH: So he's right.
I would even go beyond him, though, and say that there are three stories that are connected right now, the war on terror, the war on Iraq and the economy, as well. When you're talking about this many billion dollars being allocated, $87 billion being allocated now, as well as, I think, it's $79 billion already allocated, so $116 billion total now allocated for the war against terror, the war in Iraq, altogether, that then brings those stories together.
WHITFIELD: Sure.
CLINCH: When you ask people in America what they care about, do they support the president in Iraq, do they support him in the war against terror, they say yes. But then when you ask them what they're concerned about, they say the economy. Well, those two things are wrapped together now. The amount of money that's being dedicated...
WHITFIELD: Right.
CLINCH: I mean just to give you an example, the amount of money now being appropriated for the future war in Iraq and the war against terror in Afghanistan is greater than the combined GDP, gross domestic product, of Iraq and Afghanistan before conflict started in those two locations.
WHITFIELD: And that's going to be part of the argument on Capitol Hill. However, we heard from the president that he's also appealing to the international community...
CLINCH: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: ... and this is part of the whole U.N. resolution and why they're asking for more international help.
CLINCH: Right. There is, there are a couple of things on the positive side that may break the cycle or change the direction we're going in here. One is this idea of a U.N. resolution. And the French this morning -- I'll come back at six and talk a little bit more about this -- the French are saying, apparently, this morning that they heard -- I didn't hear it -- but they say they heard some indications of a further softening in the stance of President Bush in regard to this U.N. resolution.
Now, he didn't say he was going to change the wording. We talked about this last week. There is really nothing in the wording so far that's different...
WHITFIELD: But that's what they were adding to it?
CLINCH: ... from what they rejected already. But they apparently are so keen to come together with the United States that they're saying they heard a change in tone. And, also, just today in Cairo, the Arab League talking about whether to accept a representative of the Iraqi Council there into an Arab League meeting.
Both of those things could see some significant change.
I'll come back at six and talk about both of those things a little bit more.
WHITFIELD: All right, David Clinch, we'll see you in a few.
CLINCH: OK.
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 September 8, 2003 - 05:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to be following several international stories throughout the day here on CNN. Let's see what else is going on in the world that we are watching with our senior international assignment editor.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Hi, David.
CLINCH: Hi.
Good morning.
Well, President Bush's speech still the headline, and we're getting a lot of reaction to that from all of our locations around the world, specifically Baghdad, obviously. And one of the most interesting things, President Bush asserting right from the beginning of his speech last night that Iraq and the war on terror are now the same thing, indicating that Iraq -- the same story, that is -- indicating that Iraq is the central front in that war against terror.
Now, I could argue with him, but he's the president...
WHITFIELD: Well, there are a lot of critics who are arguing, who are saying that the war on terror there only began after...
CLINCH: Right.
WHITFIELD: ... this war because the borders are now too porous...
CLINCH: Well...
WHITFIELD: ... and foreign terrorists are making their way in.
CLINCH: That certainly is part of the story. But there are two reasons I'm not going to argue with him. One, he is the president.
WHITFIELD: All right.
CLINCH: And, two, really, it is an argument that maybe it was not a war on terror story when they went into Iraq, but there's really very little doubt, even in the minds of Iraqis, as our reporters have been telling us this morning, that there is a war against terror right now with foreign terrorists attacking U.S. troops in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: Right. CLINCH: So he's right.
I would even go beyond him, though, and say that there are three stories that are connected right now, the war on terror, the war on Iraq and the economy, as well. When you're talking about this many billion dollars being allocated, $87 billion being allocated now, as well as, I think, it's $79 billion already allocated, so $116 billion total now allocated for the war against terror, the war in Iraq, altogether, that then brings those stories together.
WHITFIELD: Sure.
CLINCH: When you ask people in America what they care about, do they support the president in Iraq, do they support him in the war against terror, they say yes. But then when you ask them what they're concerned about, they say the economy. Well, those two things are wrapped together now. The amount of money that's being dedicated...
WHITFIELD: Right.
CLINCH: I mean just to give you an example, the amount of money now being appropriated for the future war in Iraq and the war against terror in Afghanistan is greater than the combined GDP, gross domestic product, of Iraq and Afghanistan before conflict started in those two locations.
WHITFIELD: And that's going to be part of the argument on Capitol Hill. However, we heard from the president that he's also appealing to the international community...
CLINCH: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: ... and this is part of the whole U.N. resolution and why they're asking for more international help.
CLINCH: Right. There is, there are a couple of things on the positive side that may break the cycle or change the direction we're going in here. One is this idea of a U.N. resolution. And the French this morning -- I'll come back at six and talk a little bit more about this -- the French are saying, apparently, this morning that they heard -- I didn't hear it -- but they say they heard some indications of a further softening in the stance of President Bush in regard to this U.N. resolution.
Now, he didn't say he was going to change the wording. We talked about this last week. There is really nothing in the wording so far that's different...
WHITFIELD: But that's what they were adding to it?
CLINCH: ... from what they rejected already. But they apparently are so keen to come together with the United States that they're saying they heard a change in tone. And, also, just today in Cairo, the Arab League talking about whether to accept a representative of the Iraqi Council there into an Arab League meeting.
Both of those things could see some significant change.
I'll come back at six and talk about both of those things a little bit more.
WHITFIELD: All right, David Clinch, we'll see you in a few.
CLINCH: OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
