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CNN Saturday Morning News

Bush to Confer With National Security Team

Aired October 13, 2001 - 08:11   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.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is at Camp David for the weekend and is expected to confer by teleconference later today with his national security team.

Our White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us from Camp David with the latest -- Kelly, what's up?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Jeanne.

Yes, it's become very standard on Saturday mornings for the president to do a video teleconference with his national security council advisers, obviously to go over military developments, but also likely to focus on the domestic front and the latest, really, on these investigations into anthrax in New York and in Florida.

Now, President Bush left for Camp David Friday afternoon and before he left he had to do what he's really had to do for many days since September 11, and that is walk a delicate balancing act. He talked about this incident of anthrax in New York. He said it is a reason for concern, but he said the government is doing everything it possibly can and he also encouraged Americans to go on with their normal lives.

Now, in another development, administration officials so far have said that they have not found a link between the anthrax case in New York, the Florida case and the September 11 terrorist attacks.

But Vice President Dick Cheney is going a bit further. He did an interview Friday with PBS' "The News Hour With Jim Lehrer," and he did say that suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and his associates definitely have trained to use these substances and so he says he's a bit suspicious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You start to piece it all together, again, we have not completed the investigation and maybe it's coincidence. But I must say I'm a skeptic. I think we, I think the only responsible thing for us to do is to proceed on the basis that it could be linked and obviously that means you've got to spend time, as well, as we've known now for some time, focusing on other types of attacks besides the one that we experienced on September 11. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And we certainly know the FBI issued an alert Thursday saying that it had general information, nothing specific, that there could be terrorist attacks in the United States or against American interests overseas over the next several days.

And so, Jeanne, again, the delicate balancing act, the administration trying to encourage Americans to be on alert but to go about their normal business. And also, another message really coming from the administration and that is for Americans to be vigilant, especially if they receive something unusual, an unusual letter or package in the mail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: If individuals receive mail of which they are suspicious, they should not open it. They should not shake it. They should leave the area of the mail, call the local law enforcement authorities, public health authorities so that the mail can be appropriately dealt with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And we know there are additional security measures in place at the Capitol over the past several days. Mail is being screened for any chemical substances and now we see in the president's motorcade and also on the White House grounds a van which can detect chemical substances in the air.

Jeanne, we also understand the administration working and could notify law makers of a plan to devote several billion dollars to try to beef up defenses in the United States when it comes to chemical and biological attacks -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Kelly, this week President Bush offered the Taliban another chance to hand over Osama bin Laden. That has now been rejected. Any reaction from the White House?

WALLACE: Yes. Definite reaction, but not a lot of surprise, Jeanne. Administration officials did not necessarily expect the Taliban to sort of accept this second chance offer by the administration. The senior, an administration official telling CNN that the military objectives will continue until basically the president's demands are reached or the objectives are reached, whichever comes first.

So no real surprise. The military campaign continuing. The sense is that this offer was sort of put out there in part to try to maybe put out to skeptical nations that the president is being fair and if the Taliban did what he wanted to do, turn over Osama bin Laden, his associates, close those terrorist training camps, that the military campaign could come to an end -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Kelly Wallace with the latest from Camp David, thanks.

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