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CNN Sunday Morning
Security Extremely Tight for V.P.'s Trip
Aired March 10, 2002 - 11:02 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: More now on Dick Cheney's first overseas mission as Vice President, the trip is an effort to rally support for the War on Terrorism, as well as help end Middle East violence. Security officials are taking extraordinary steps to insure the Vice President's safety during the trip. CNN White House Correspondent Major Garrett joins us now with more on that. Good morning.
MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka. As you said security incredibly intense for the Vice President's trip; traveling reporters have been told by military aides working with the Vice President's office to be ready to move at a moment's notice and do not waste any time and follow all orders. They're being told that they will be entering, in many cases, very insecure environments.
The military aide who briefed reporters here at the White House on Friday said that in his experience, he'd never been on a trip with any dignitary of the United States Government where security was more of an issue. The reporters have been told to follow the orders the military gives them and follow them quickly.
The agenda, as you mentioned, the Middle East of course, the ongoing War on Terrorism, but don't leave out Iraq. The Vice President will be meeting with several key leaders throughout the Middle East region, talking to them about the United States' insistence that Iraq open itself up to United Nations weapons inspectors.
The United States wants those inspectors to have full and unfettered access to all potential sites of weapons of mass destruction within Iraq, and if that is not obtained, there's a very clear indication from senior administration officials that a confrontation between the United States and its coalition partners may well loom with Iraq over this very issue. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Major, Vice President Cheney is going to be boarding, or is on board Air Force One, being called Air Force Two. Why the change in the aircraft? Security being one reason but what is so significant about this change?
GARRETT: Well first of all, it's a 747. It is by far the biggest jet that is available to the President or the Vice President. It is also the most secure aircraft. It has a longer range. It has the most updated communications system, and really in ways I can't describe, provides a security envelope for the Vice President and whoever travels with him that is more robust, let us say, than on maybe a 757 or a smaller aircraft that the Vice President might typically fly on.
And also, Fredricka, you have to understand the symbolic importance of seeing the President's plane arrive in these various places around the Middle East. They will know that the Vice President comes with the full heft of the President behind him, not only symbolically with this plane, but they know he'll be speaking for the President with them directly, carrying U.S. policy at the highest levels in their conversations in the Middle East. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Major, you touched on the people traveling with him. Among them usually a pretty significant contingent of the White House Press Corps, but this time that number has been whittled down quite a bit, hasn't it, for security reasons?
GARRETT: Absolutely, Fredricka. Basically, what you typically have, when I travel with the President, or when our Senior White House Correspondent John King or Kelly Wallace do, we always take several cameramen, several sound men, some producers, a lot of other folks to help us do our jobs.
On this trip, John is by himself. There is what we call one pool photographer. That is one cameraman for all correspondents on this trip, one soundman. Typically there would be redundancies, several redundancies built in for each network. The reason that's not happening, this press corps needs to move quickly, needs to be very mobile, very small, all for security reasons, so very, very tight indeed. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Major Garrett from the White House this morning.
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