Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Can Bush Administration Bring Stability to Iraq?
Aired August 30, 2003 - 09:07 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The bombing at the U.N. building in Baghdad and the mosque attack brings some new attention to the Bush administration's attempt to bring stability back to Iraq.
CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us now live from the White House to update us from there. Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Thomas.
And it is, indeed, an increasingly difficult task. No comment yet from the White House on these reported detentions of some numbers, apparently, perhaps as many as two Iraqis and two Saudis, for the bombing.
But if, indeed, two of the suspects are, as is said, being reported by the Associated Press, are from Saddam Hussein's former regime, it would certainly confirm the U.S. belief that these attacks are being staged to thwart efforts to bring peace and democracy to the country.
And it does seem that the targets continue to expand beyond U.S. Soldiers, beyond international aid workers, to Iraqis, just like the cleric who was killed yesterday, who are cooperating with the U.S. Obviously this in an attempt to have a chilling effect on any Iraqi cooperation.
President Bush released a statement condemning the attacks, calling -- the attack, calling it a "vicious act of terrorism" that, quote, "demonstrates the cruelty and desperation of the enemies of the Iraqi people."
Mr. Bush said that the forces of terror must and will be defeated, and promised U.S. help in the investigation. To that end, it is expected that FBI investigators will join Iraqi police in sifting through the rubble and trying to get some clues.
Now, this afternoon, President Bush returns to the White House here in Washington from his month-long August vacation in Crawford, Texas. That, of course, a working vacation, where President Bush (UNINTELLIGIBLE) kept up not only on international and domestic affairs, but managed to get out and do a little bit of fund-raising. He raised some $6.6 million for his campaign.
The president, when he returns this afternoon, will find the White House in a bit of a state of disarray. August is the month traditionally, when the president is away, that renovations are made to the White House, new roof tiles on the West Wing and such.
But in this case, due to some overly rainy weather, the area on the west side, west front side of the White House, where the television journalists, such as myself, normally work, is right now a tangle of wires and fencing and dirt.
And so Mr. Bush will have a bit of an eyesore to deal with when he looks out the window for the next month or so. Back to you, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Kathleen, the White House really making no comment as of yet about the U.N. pulling out some of its people there, some of its key personnel, in Baghdad. But the U.N. really not known, or they don't know of any specific threat against their people. This is just a precautionary measure, correct?
KOCH: Correct. Of course, you know, if you recall, Thomas, it was just earlier this week that some at the State Department were floating this idea of bringing a U.N. peacekeeping team into Iraq to help relieve the burden on U.S. forces there. So obviously this is the kind of news that the U.S. will not be pleased to hear.
ROBERTS: Kathleen Koch, live for us this morning at the White House. Kathleen, thank you.
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 August 30, 2003 - 09:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The bombing at the U.N. building in Baghdad and the mosque attack brings some new attention to the Bush administration's attempt to bring stability back to Iraq.
CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us now live from the White House to update us from there. Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Thomas.
And it is, indeed, an increasingly difficult task. No comment yet from the White House on these reported detentions of some numbers, apparently, perhaps as many as two Iraqis and two Saudis, for the bombing.
But if, indeed, two of the suspects are, as is said, being reported by the Associated Press, are from Saddam Hussein's former regime, it would certainly confirm the U.S. belief that these attacks are being staged to thwart efforts to bring peace and democracy to the country.
And it does seem that the targets continue to expand beyond U.S. Soldiers, beyond international aid workers, to Iraqis, just like the cleric who was killed yesterday, who are cooperating with the U.S. Obviously this in an attempt to have a chilling effect on any Iraqi cooperation.
President Bush released a statement condemning the attacks, calling -- the attack, calling it a "vicious act of terrorism" that, quote, "demonstrates the cruelty and desperation of the enemies of the Iraqi people."
Mr. Bush said that the forces of terror must and will be defeated, and promised U.S. help in the investigation. To that end, it is expected that FBI investigators will join Iraqi police in sifting through the rubble and trying to get some clues.
Now, this afternoon, President Bush returns to the White House here in Washington from his month-long August vacation in Crawford, Texas. That, of course, a working vacation, where President Bush (UNINTELLIGIBLE) kept up not only on international and domestic affairs, but managed to get out and do a little bit of fund-raising. He raised some $6.6 million for his campaign.
The president, when he returns this afternoon, will find the White House in a bit of a state of disarray. August is the month traditionally, when the president is away, that renovations are made to the White House, new roof tiles on the West Wing and such.
But in this case, due to some overly rainy weather, the area on the west side, west front side of the White House, where the television journalists, such as myself, normally work, is right now a tangle of wires and fencing and dirt.
And so Mr. Bush will have a bit of an eyesore to deal with when he looks out the window for the next month or so. Back to you, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Kathleen, the White House really making no comment as of yet about the U.N. pulling out some of its people there, some of its key personnel, in Baghdad. But the U.N. really not known, or they don't know of any specific threat against their people. This is just a precautionary measure, correct?
KOCH: Correct. Of course, you know, if you recall, Thomas, it was just earlier this week that some at the State Department were floating this idea of bringing a U.N. peacekeeping team into Iraq to help relieve the burden on U.S. forces there. So obviously this is the kind of news that the U.S. will not be pleased to hear.
ROBERTS: Kathleen Koch, live for us this morning at the White House. Kathleen, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
