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American Morning
Postwar Iraq
Aired October 09, 2003 - 07:07 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn to Iraq now and new violence in Baghdad. At least eight Iraqi police officers are dead after a suspected suicide bomber plowed past a police checkpoint just hours ago -- this, in addition to the death of another U.S. soldier in a convoy attack. It all comes six months to the day since Baghdad fell and the statue of Saddam Hussein came down in the Iraqi capital, and just as the White House is trying to tout positive news out of Iraq.
We've got two reports this morning. Harris Whitbeck will update us out of Baghdad, and also John King is live for us at the White House.
Let's begin with Harris. Harris -- good morning.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
A U.S. Army soldier belonging to the 4th Infantry Division was traveling in a convoy near Ba'qubah north of Baghdad, when the vehicle he was in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was injured, taken to a combat hospital, but he died about three hours after the attack. He died of his wounds.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, a violent morning. A car bomb ripped through a police station near Sadr City, a Shia stronghold in Baghdad. A suicide bomber was apparently behind that attack. According to the Iraqi police, eight people dead, 32 injured, some of them in critical condition, and the police do expect the death toll to rise. Among those who are injured are some civilians, construction workers who were inside the police station when the attack occurred -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Harris Whitbeck updating us on the latest violence there. Harris, thanks.
Let's go back to John King now at the White House for us.
John -- good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
The administration is mounting this new public relations offensive to defend its strategy -- first, its decision to go to war, now its post-war strategy in Iraq.
The president himself will take the lead today in a speech in New Hampshire. He will mark six months to the day from when Saddam Hussein fell from power. And the president will make the case, not only that his decision to go to war was right, but that things on the ground in Iraq are better than they might appear.
Now, of course, today's bombing will exacerbate the president's problem and difficulty in trying to get that message through. His national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, took the lead role yesterday in this new offensive by the White House in a speech in Chicago. She not only defended the decision to go to war, but she said if you set aside these bombings, everyday life for the Iraqi people is getting better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The war on terror is greatly served by the removal of the source of instability in the world's most unstable region. And the people of Iraq are free and working toward self-government. Step by step, normal life in Iraq is being reborn, as basic services are restored, in some cases for the first time in decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, obviously it is a difficult case to make. You have the death of that U.S. this morning. That is 92, I think by my count, Americans killed in action since the president declared major combat operations over on May 1. But the president will deliver his speech today.
The vice president has a major speech on Iraq tomorrow, regional television interviews by the president on Monday, all part of this new White House offensive. The White House says it wants to better explain the policy to the American people. Critics of this administration say a PR campaign won't help. They say what needs to change is not the sales pitch, but the policy itself -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us. John, thanks.
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 October 9, 2003 - 07:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn to Iraq now and new violence in Baghdad. At least eight Iraqi police officers are dead after a suspected suicide bomber plowed past a police checkpoint just hours ago -- this, in addition to the death of another U.S. soldier in a convoy attack. It all comes six months to the day since Baghdad fell and the statue of Saddam Hussein came down in the Iraqi capital, and just as the White House is trying to tout positive news out of Iraq.
We've got two reports this morning. Harris Whitbeck will update us out of Baghdad, and also John King is live for us at the White House.
Let's begin with Harris. Harris -- good morning.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
A U.S. Army soldier belonging to the 4th Infantry Division was traveling in a convoy near Ba'qubah north of Baghdad, when the vehicle he was in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was injured, taken to a combat hospital, but he died about three hours after the attack. He died of his wounds.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, a violent morning. A car bomb ripped through a police station near Sadr City, a Shia stronghold in Baghdad. A suicide bomber was apparently behind that attack. According to the Iraqi police, eight people dead, 32 injured, some of them in critical condition, and the police do expect the death toll to rise. Among those who are injured are some civilians, construction workers who were inside the police station when the attack occurred -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Harris Whitbeck updating us on the latest violence there. Harris, thanks.
Let's go back to John King now at the White House for us.
John -- good morning.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
The administration is mounting this new public relations offensive to defend its strategy -- first, its decision to go to war, now its post-war strategy in Iraq.
The president himself will take the lead today in a speech in New Hampshire. He will mark six months to the day from when Saddam Hussein fell from power. And the president will make the case, not only that his decision to go to war was right, but that things on the ground in Iraq are better than they might appear.
Now, of course, today's bombing will exacerbate the president's problem and difficulty in trying to get that message through. His national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, took the lead role yesterday in this new offensive by the White House in a speech in Chicago. She not only defended the decision to go to war, but she said if you set aside these bombings, everyday life for the Iraqi people is getting better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The war on terror is greatly served by the removal of the source of instability in the world's most unstable region. And the people of Iraq are free and working toward self-government. Step by step, normal life in Iraq is being reborn, as basic services are restored, in some cases for the first time in decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, obviously it is a difficult case to make. You have the death of that U.S. this morning. That is 92, I think by my count, Americans killed in action since the president declared major combat operations over on May 1. But the president will deliver his speech today.
The vice president has a major speech on Iraq tomorrow, regional television interviews by the president on Monday, all part of this new White House offensive. The White House says it wants to better explain the policy to the American people. Critics of this administration say a PR campaign won't help. They say what needs to change is not the sales pitch, but the policy itself -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: John King at the White House for us. John, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
