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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bush May Announce End to Combat in Iraq
Aired April 26, 2003 - 11:11 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.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush may announce next week an end to the combat in Iraq. CNN White House correspondent Chris Burns joins us to pick up the story. Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kelli. The president's going to be taking part in some of those homecomings. Next Thursday he is going to be traveling to San Diego to witness the arrival of USS Lincoln aircraft carrier and to welcome the sailors back home. The president is expected to make some kind of a statement there, though it is not clear whether he will actually say the war is over. The White House has been very cautious about that.
And you witnessed what happened in Baghdad in the last few hours, that explosion over there, showing that things are still very, very dangerous as the White House has been saying. They've been reluctant to declare an all-in-all-out victory. They do say that want to wait for word from their commanders, including General Tommy Franks, ahead of CENTCOM, the head of that war effort, before they make any definitive declaration. Here is Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has says that he will be guided by the reports that he receives from his commanders, principally General Franks. He has not received that final report from General Franks, yet, and at the appropriate time, when the president is ready, the president will have more thoughts to share with the nation about the mission, what was accomplished in the mission, that the combat phase of the operation has come to a conclusion and that a new phase, a reconstruction of freedom is beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, Gulf War II has given a real boost to the president's rating and at last word in the 70 percent rating area, the president is trying to capitalize that on his domestic program trying to get through a tax cut of at least $550 billion. The Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate would like to cut that to $350 billion over 10 years. Amid worry that this could be bloating the deficit at the same time that the cost of war continues to linger and the reconstruction. Now, the president using his radio address this weekend and to address that and put even more pressure on that Republican-controlled Congress to try to push that through when they come back from Easter recess on Monday. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With a robust package of at least $550 billion and across-the-board tax relief, we will help create more than a million new jobs by the end of 2004. Some members of Congress support tax relief, but say my proposal is too big. Since they have already agreed that tax relief creates jobs, it doesn't make sense to provide less tax relief and therefore create fewer jobs.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: The Democrats' response in their radio address this weekend also on the tax cut, calling it "reckless" and a sop to the rich. It's going to be a big debate in this coming week. Back to you.
ARENA: Thanks, Chris.
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 April 26, 2003 - 11:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush may announce next week an end to the combat in Iraq. CNN White House correspondent Chris Burns joins us to pick up the story. Good morning, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kelli. The president's going to be taking part in some of those homecomings. Next Thursday he is going to be traveling to San Diego to witness the arrival of USS Lincoln aircraft carrier and to welcome the sailors back home. The president is expected to make some kind of a statement there, though it is not clear whether he will actually say the war is over. The White House has been very cautious about that.
And you witnessed what happened in Baghdad in the last few hours, that explosion over there, showing that things are still very, very dangerous as the White House has been saying. They've been reluctant to declare an all-in-all-out victory. They do say that want to wait for word from their commanders, including General Tommy Franks, ahead of CENTCOM, the head of that war effort, before they make any definitive declaration. Here is Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has says that he will be guided by the reports that he receives from his commanders, principally General Franks. He has not received that final report from General Franks, yet, and at the appropriate time, when the president is ready, the president will have more thoughts to share with the nation about the mission, what was accomplished in the mission, that the combat phase of the operation has come to a conclusion and that a new phase, a reconstruction of freedom is beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, Gulf War II has given a real boost to the president's rating and at last word in the 70 percent rating area, the president is trying to capitalize that on his domestic program trying to get through a tax cut of at least $550 billion. The Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate would like to cut that to $350 billion over 10 years. Amid worry that this could be bloating the deficit at the same time that the cost of war continues to linger and the reconstruction. Now, the president using his radio address this weekend and to address that and put even more pressure on that Republican-controlled Congress to try to push that through when they come back from Easter recess on Monday. (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With a robust package of at least $550 billion and across-the-board tax relief, we will help create more than a million new jobs by the end of 2004. Some members of Congress support tax relief, but say my proposal is too big. Since they have already agreed that tax relief creates jobs, it doesn't make sense to provide less tax relief and therefore create fewer jobs.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: The Democrats' response in their radio address this weekend also on the tax cut, calling it "reckless" and a sop to the rich. It's going to be a big debate in this coming week. Back to you.
ARENA: Thanks, Chris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
