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CNN Sunday Morning
President Bush Participates in Planning War Against Terrorism
Aired September 23, 2001 - 10:09 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.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president is spending the weekend at Camp David, planning the war against terrorism. Also participating today in a special flag-raising ceremony. Keeping track of the president's movements for us, our Kelly Wallace. She joins us now from Hagerstown, Maryland, near Camp David with the latest -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, a couple of messages definitely coming from the Bush administration. And one is to try to encourage Americans to get back to some sort of normalcy.
As you noted, President Bush, at this very hour, presiding over a ceremony at which the flag, which is now at half-staff at Camp David, will be returned to full-staff. President Bush issued a proclamation calling for flags on all federal buildings to be at half-staff through sunset last night. And so we did last night, shortly after sunset, the flag at the White House, on top of the White House, slowly raised to full-staff.
Also, we understand the flag at the U.S. capitol now at full- staff. The message here, as all federal buildings around the country follow suit on this day, is to try to get Americans to go on with their lives, that there has been this grieving process. Americans will continue, of course, to remember those who lost their lives. But the president's message really just urging Americans to go on with their lives.
Another message though coming from the administration, John, is so many senior administration officials hit the Sunday talk shows. Secretary of State Colin Powell giving a message and an important message as this administration tries to develop its broad coalition, including Arab countries and Muslim nations. Secretary Powell, again, naming Osama Bin Laden as the prime suspect behind those deadly terrorist attacks. And he basically is saying, again, that this not a war against Islam but a war against terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are not interested in going after the Afghan people. We are interested in going after Osama Bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network, murders of over 6,000 people in this incident, murders in earlier incidents and frankly, we should stop finding some way to generate sympathy for these murderers. They are unfaithful to their own fundamental beliefs.
We are proud of the relations we have with Arabs and believers in the Islamic faith, both overseas and fellow Americans who believe in Islam.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Secretary Powell also saying what Bin Laden has done is a -- quote -- "travesty to Islam." John, President Bush returning to Washington later. He'll have a full week ahead, including more on the diplomatic front with meetings with the leaders of Canada and Japan.
Jack, back to you.
KING: Kelly, you also reported a bit earlier in the day that the president get out of Washington, take a trip or two out into the country at this very difficult time. Is that an effort there, by the president, to maintain the overwhelmingly positive public support for military strikes and perhaps a very lengthy campaign, as he discussed in that speech to Congress the other night?
WALLACE: Absolutely, John. Talking to senior aides, they say definitely consideration of some travel around the country because the administration wanting to continue to educate the American people. Aides feel like the president definitely did that Thursday night. But they feel that he needs to continue kind of getting that message out over and over again, explaining to the American people who the enemy is, what this campaign is all about, that it's not just going to be a military campaign but a political and economic campaign and John, to prepare the American people for sacrifice.
In fact, Secretary Powell also appearing again earlier today, making it clear that -- he said war is war. And there will be casualties here. That's an important message that the president and his top aides will continue to get out for this campaign, that they say, won't last days or weeks. It'll be months and years, John.
KING: An important message, a sobering message as well. Kelly Wallace keeping track of the president near Camp David, Maryland this morning. Thank you, we'll check back in just a little bit.
And as Kelly noted, the military deployment intensifying. And as U.S. troops are sent overseas, the Pentagon more and more asking for help, sometimes from traditional U.S. allies, sometimes from nations that don't have such a long history of cooperating with the United States military. Keeping track of all the military developments for us this morning, over at the Pentagon, Kathleen Koch. She joins us now with the latest -- Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, Secretary of State Colin Powell this morning shot down reports, print reports, that Saudi Arabia may not be cooperating fully in this new U.S. campaign against terrorism. Current reports had implied that Saudi Arabia was resisting a U.S. request to use a new command center on the Prince Sultan Air Base. Obviously, Saudi Arabia, in the Persian Gulf region by merit of its location, is very, very strategic in this new effort. U.S. warplanes have flown out of the Prince Sultan Air Base, south of Riyadh, to patrol the southern no-fly zone over Iraq since the Persian Gulf War. And Secretary Powell, this morning, said that he now is satisfied with Saudi efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POWELL: The level of Saudi cooperation has been fine. I know there's been a lot of discussion of it. But I am in almost daily, several times a day, contact with the Saudi officials. And every request we have made to them, they have responded to favorably. It doesn't always have a headline to it or a ticker along the bottom of the television screen. But we're satisfied with the cooperation they have provided to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And John, as you said, the new deployments in this new campaign against terrorism do continue. The latest one, the call up of more than 5,000 National Guard and reservists to help the deploying troops with things like communication, security and refueling -- John.
KING: Kathleen Koch keeping track for us at the Pentagon this morning. Thank you very much.
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