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CNN Live Sunday
Is Bush Losing PR War Over Iraq?
Aired March 02, 2003 - 18:09 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Is President Bush losing the public relations war with Iraq before any shooting or any war is even declared? CNN's Chris Burns has been following this week for the president.
And Chris, it seems like the White House is probably boiling over this latest move by Turkey?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, President Bush keeping his schedule relatively light, his public schedule, anyway for -- during this coming week because he's got a lot cut out for him, a sales job not only to the American people but also abroad. He's looking ahead to a narrowing diplomatic window.
Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, giving his next report on March 7 and the Bush administration hoping to get this second U.N. resolution passed by mid-March.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS (voice-over): President Bush returns from a weekend at Camp David, facing a week trying to overcome setbacks in his war plans. The White House seeks clarification from Ankara after the Turkish parliament failed to OK the stations of more than 60,000 U.S. troops aimed at Northern Iraq. There's a more complicated and costly Plan B.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are contingency plans by airlift to do the same thing. It's much more difficult. So we would prefer it, obviously, with the help of the Turks, but it isn't that damaging in regards to the war plan.
BURNS: President Bush has all but said war is inevitable, accusing Saddam Hussein of refusing to disarm. But he still faces an uphill battle to persuade U.N. Security Council members to approve what amounts to a war resolution. Russia has joined France in threatening to veto it, though French foreign minister remains noncommittal.
DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: It is true that we will take our full responsibility and the French position is exactly the same as Russia's. And what we're saying, have we tried everything before using force?
BURNS: Meanwhile, polls indicate Americans want a new U.N. resolution before waging war, even though President Bush has said he could do without it. Some Democratic presidential candidates suggest continuing with inspections.
FORMER GOV. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we can win this war of disarmament without sending our kids over there to die, then, I think, we're far ahead of the game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: So the president has a tough sales job, both here and abroad, trying to persuade that despite these latest attempts to show cooperation on the part of the Baghdad government, that there's still not enough reason to stop a march toward ward -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Well, Chris, the White House had called Iraq's destruction of missiles games of destruction. Now that Iraq says that it has destroyed six more missiles, now bringing it to 10 in all, is the White House responding to whether they are more apt to believe that the destruction, the dismantling of the missiles is indeed taking place?
BURNS: Well, Fredricka, the Bush administration having said in the last couple days that they did predict that Saddam Hussein would begin destroying those missiles, that it was only a part of this propaganda ploy that Saddam Hussein is trying to show to prevent war from being waged against him, that there are plenty of other unaccounted for iceberg, if you will -- parts of the iceberg that have not been shown, the weapons like VX, weapons like anthrax that have not been accounted for, and those remain to be shown whether they are destroyed or whether they still exist. So the Bush administration is still very skeptical despite the destruction of the missiles -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chris, thank you very much from the White House.
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 March 2, 2003 - 18:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Is President Bush losing the public relations war with Iraq before any shooting or any war is even declared? CNN's Chris Burns has been following this week for the president.
And Chris, it seems like the White House is probably boiling over this latest move by Turkey?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, President Bush keeping his schedule relatively light, his public schedule, anyway for -- during this coming week because he's got a lot cut out for him, a sales job not only to the American people but also abroad. He's looking ahead to a narrowing diplomatic window.
Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, giving his next report on March 7 and the Bush administration hoping to get this second U.N. resolution passed by mid-March.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS (voice-over): President Bush returns from a weekend at Camp David, facing a week trying to overcome setbacks in his war plans. The White House seeks clarification from Ankara after the Turkish parliament failed to OK the stations of more than 60,000 U.S. troops aimed at Northern Iraq. There's a more complicated and costly Plan B.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are contingency plans by airlift to do the same thing. It's much more difficult. So we would prefer it, obviously, with the help of the Turks, but it isn't that damaging in regards to the war plan.
BURNS: President Bush has all but said war is inevitable, accusing Saddam Hussein of refusing to disarm. But he still faces an uphill battle to persuade U.N. Security Council members to approve what amounts to a war resolution. Russia has joined France in threatening to veto it, though French foreign minister remains noncommittal.
DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER: It is true that we will take our full responsibility and the French position is exactly the same as Russia's. And what we're saying, have we tried everything before using force?
BURNS: Meanwhile, polls indicate Americans want a new U.N. resolution before waging war, even though President Bush has said he could do without it. Some Democratic presidential candidates suggest continuing with inspections.
FORMER GOV. HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we can win this war of disarmament without sending our kids over there to die, then, I think, we're far ahead of the game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: So the president has a tough sales job, both here and abroad, trying to persuade that despite these latest attempts to show cooperation on the part of the Baghdad government, that there's still not enough reason to stop a march toward ward -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: Well, Chris, the White House had called Iraq's destruction of missiles games of destruction. Now that Iraq says that it has destroyed six more missiles, now bringing it to 10 in all, is the White House responding to whether they are more apt to believe that the destruction, the dismantling of the missiles is indeed taking place?
BURNS: Well, Fredricka, the Bush administration having said in the last couple days that they did predict that Saddam Hussein would begin destroying those missiles, that it was only a part of this propaganda ploy that Saddam Hussein is trying to show to prevent war from being waged against him, that there are plenty of other unaccounted for iceberg, if you will -- parts of the iceberg that have not been shown, the weapons like VX, weapons like anthrax that have not been accounted for, and those remain to be shown whether they are destroyed or whether they still exist. So the Bush administration is still very skeptical despite the destruction of the missiles -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chris, thank you very much from the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
