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American Morning
Capture of Saddam Hussein Very Big Political Victory for Bush
Aired December 15, 2003 - 07:21 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the capture of Saddam Hussein is a very big political victory for President Bush and the Democratic candidates for president are well aware of that.
Candy Crowley has some of the Democratic reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First off, they'll need to rewrite some stump speeches.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president can't find Saddam Hussein. He can't find Osama bin Laden. He can't even find the leaker in the White House.
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MS), MINORITY LEADER: He can't even find Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. They've vanished.
CROWLEY: Two days for the books. On the 13th, they find Saddam. On the 14th, the president gets a free pass from the men who want his job.
KERRY: Obviously today is a big day, a monumental event, capturing Saddam Hussein. We are thrilled, all of us.
CROWLEY: Presently, sources in several campaigns concede the president's reelection stock is up. Said one, he's got a Medicare bill, a rebounding economy and Saddam in cuffs, a December trifecta. Any criticism now, said one Democrat, would be shouting into a hurricane. So all the '04s went with the wind.
DR. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think President Bush deserves a day of celebration. We have our policy differences, but we won't be discussing those today.
CROWLEY: They were less deferential to each other.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today, not in prison.
CROWLEY: Several campaigns hoping to slow the hard charging front runner insist any good news from Iraq is bad news for the anti- war campaign of Howard Dean.
(on camera): Political implications are most accurate seen in hindsight. What's clear is that one day can change the political dynamic, and there are 323 days till the election.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, one of those Democratic candidates, Senator John Kerry, will join us in our next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired December 15, 2003 - 07:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the capture of Saddam Hussein is a very big political victory for President Bush and the Democratic candidates for president are well aware of that.
Candy Crowley has some of the Democratic reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First off, they'll need to rewrite some stump speeches.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president can't find Saddam Hussein. He can't find Osama bin Laden. He can't even find the leaker in the White House.
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MS), MINORITY LEADER: He can't even find Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. They've vanished.
CROWLEY: Two days for the books. On the 13th, they find Saddam. On the 14th, the president gets a free pass from the men who want his job.
KERRY: Obviously today is a big day, a monumental event, capturing Saddam Hussein. We are thrilled, all of us.
CROWLEY: Presently, sources in several campaigns concede the president's reelection stock is up. Said one, he's got a Medicare bill, a rebounding economy and Saddam in cuffs, a December trifecta. Any criticism now, said one Democrat, would be shouting into a hurricane. So all the '04s went with the wind.
DR. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think President Bush deserves a day of celebration. We have our policy differences, but we won't be discussing those today.
CROWLEY: They were less deferential to each other.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Howard Dean had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power today, not in prison.
CROWLEY: Several campaigns hoping to slow the hard charging front runner insist any good news from Iraq is bad news for the anti- war campaign of Howard Dean.
(on camera): Political implications are most accurate seen in hindsight. What's clear is that one day can change the political dynamic, and there are 323 days till the election.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, one of those Democratic candidates, Senator John Kerry, will join us in our next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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