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CNN Live Sunday
Bremer: 'We Got Him'
Aired December 14, 2003 - 16:00 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB. PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: That is the headline. Hello, I'm Judy Woodruff.
In this hour, we will have the latest on the capture of former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. We'll also look at the political fallout, the impact on the presidential election campaign in the United States.
But first, let's go to Baghdad directly and to CNN's Jane Arraf.
Jane, the latest from there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Judy, hours later, a lot of Iraqis are still trying to absorb this, the incredible image of Saddam Hussein, this man who had been feared, who held this country in an iron grip, emerging from a hole underground, dazed and shaken, unkempt, clearly powerless. Now, Iraqis were celebrating in the streets. Some of them dancing, many of them firing weapons in the air. Scattered pockets, if you will, of celebration all throughout the city, and gunfire continued for hours.
Still, there's an element here of caution. People aren't quite sure what's going to happen next. All they are sure of is that this was truly an extraordinary day -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: The question so many are asking right now is to what extent was Saddam Hussein directing the resistance that has been so strong against American troops in Iraq. What are you hearing about that? How strong is this resistance going to be without him?
ARRAF: We've essentially been told all the way through from people combating this resistance that he wasn't really believed to be directing the operations, that that was a job that fell much more to mid-level Fedayeen, those former Saddam fighters. In the north, we're told that it has been orchestrated by his right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri, who is still at large. So he isn't seen to have played a decisive role in actually commanding these attacks be carried out. But clearly, he would have inspired some of them. Not all of them, certainly. There's a variety of reasons, a variety of groups, it seems, that he would definitely have been an inspiration while he was still out there -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: So Jane, if the inspiration behind what they were doing is gone, is the sense that frankly their reason for being is going to be gone?
ARRAF: Likely not, because the people who would have supported him are the same people who would feel they have no place in this Iraq. And there are quite a few people, a disturbingly high number of people out there.
Now, it's not just the people carrying out the attacks, because that is believed to be a variety of factors. Foreign fighters, former Ba'ath Party loyalists, common criminals, but there's still quite a large segment of the population that has been shut out of this new Iraq -- former army officers, for instance. And it's a challenge to assimilate them back in.
So they are really feeling their weight -- this whole country is. But the fact that Saddam is gone, that he was captured, that he has been seen in this way is absolutely extraordinary and unsettling to many people -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: No question about that. Jane Arraf reporting to us just about 12 hours after the news broke of Saddam Hussein's capture and captured alive.
Jane, thanks very much.
President Bush says that Iraqis "will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again." Here now, a replay of Mr. Bush's address to the nation about four hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: December the 13th, at around 8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein alive.
He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.
The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks the end of the road for him and for all who bullied and killed in his name.
For the Baathist hold-outs largely responsible for the current violence, there will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they once held.
For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.
And this afternoon I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again.
All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the same as your goals: sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture and, for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life.
In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.
The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts, who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country.
The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force.
Our service men and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks.
Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our armed forces and I congratulate them.
I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.
We've come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action, and that is our strategy moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell and victory by victory. Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is won.
May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: President Bush speaking to the nation from the cabinet room at the White House just after noon Eastern Time on this Sunday. CNN White House correspondent, Dana Bash, has been reporting from there all day long.
Dana, the president seems -- maintaining a serious demeanor. Why is that on a day when you would think they would be celebrating at the White House?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, you know full well about the game of expectations, and so do officials here at the White House. They understand as momentous and remarkable as this day has been for the president, and certainly on the ground in Iraq, they do understand how quickly things can change.
They know from experience that when a president -- and this president even -- makes a grand statement that has perhaps some pomp and circumstance, that that might come back to haunt them. So in this particular case, as you mentioned, the president did certainly applaud the fact that Saddam Hussein has been captured and gave that message directly to the Iraqi people that they should know now that their period of dark and painful era is over.
But he was, as you mentioned, very, very careful to have his message to the American people quite different. And that is that they should not expect the violence to necessary end now. That they have to wait and see what happens in the days and weeks to come to find out exactly how things will change on the ground.
So certainly as happy as they are, privately this is a very disciplined White House. And even on this day they are staying quite true to form -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. All right, Dana Bash reporting once again from the White House.
Thank you, Dana.
And whatever the mood might be publicly at the White House, we know that around the world many people are celebrating the news of Saddam Hussein's capture. But what about in his hometown of Tikrit?
Let's get the latest from there from CNN's Nic Robertson in Saddam's hometown -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Judy, well, this is a community in Tikrit that benefited greatly under Saddam Hussein's rule. This was his hometown. The people of this city enjoyed better electricity, better social amenities, better schools, better hospitals than the rest of Iraq.
The mood that we found on the streets here today somewhat sullen, if you will. People have said to us that Saddam Hussein was just one man, governments come and go, presidents rise and fall. But it makes no difference that he is gone.
Another person said, look, these anti-Iraqi -- anti-coalition attacks are not going to end just because Saddam Hussein has been captured. They said -- they described em as being Iraqi resistance fighters. They said the Iraqi resistance is not fighting for Saddam Hussein, it's fighting for Iraq. And the people are fighting to free Iraq from an occupation.
So the indication from the streets here not the jubilation that's been seen in Baghdad, but a level of defiance. The coalition commanders based here with the 4th Infantry Division that led the raid capturing Saddam Hussein believe that behind this front, if you will, there is quiet acceptance that Saddam Hussein has been captured.
They say themselves, however, they don't know how the situation is going to develop. And they say they're in a wait-and-see mode to see what the people of this area, to see what the people of Tikrit do in the coming days and weeks -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, is it possible to separate whatever of that is, hometown loyalty to this man, and to separate that from what may be a broader anti-American sentiment spread across the country?
ROBERTSON: Yes, I think it is possible to separate the two. There is a broad sentiment in some parts of the country, in some communities, that they want the United States, the coalition to leave Iraq. It's broadly viewed as an occupying force.
Some communities are more tolerant. They say they will give the coalition more time to leave Iraq. Some communities, particularly this one, particularly others in the so-called Sunni Triangle in the center of Iraq, tend to want to give the coalition less time.
This town, perhaps you would find people less willing to speak out. There will probably be more people in this town who are loyal to Saddam Hussein, more who have tribal connections, more who have family connections. And for that reason -- and this is something that's troubled the coalition -- for that reason, many people here probably wouldn't want to speak publicly perhaps about their true feelings.
So perhaps this town is a little bit different from the rest of the country. Nevertheless, underneath the feelings in the rest of the country is a feeling that the sooner the coalition can leave the better. Above that, there is also, I have to say, a realization that if the coalition leaves too soon the country could descend into chaos -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, any comments people making about the way Saddam Hussein was treated in those pictures? The fact that he appeared disheveled, the fact there were pictures taken while the DNA evidence -- swipe was taken apparently out of his cheeks? You know, using the tongue depressor and so forth. Any comment on those pictures?
ROBERTSON: Judy, from the people that we talked to in Tikrit so far, nobody has directly addressed what they have seen in those pictures. I suspect that as people get a chance to digest, get beyond just the very fact that Saddam Hussein has been captured, I think one has to remember here the fact that he has been captured is a surprise to people.
Exactly how that capture is now being displayed by the coalition, who have obviously chosen very carefully which images to show of Saddam Hussein, showing him disheveled, showing him in a very unflattering light, this is perhaps something people are going to digest over the next few days -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. Nic Robertson reporting from the hometown of Saddam Hussein, finding that the sentiments there somewhat different from what we saw in Baghdad a little while ago. Nic, thank you very much.
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 December 14, 2003 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB. PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: That is the headline. Hello, I'm Judy Woodruff.
In this hour, we will have the latest on the capture of former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. We'll also look at the political fallout, the impact on the presidential election campaign in the United States.
But first, let's go to Baghdad directly and to CNN's Jane Arraf.
Jane, the latest from there.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Judy, hours later, a lot of Iraqis are still trying to absorb this, the incredible image of Saddam Hussein, this man who had been feared, who held this country in an iron grip, emerging from a hole underground, dazed and shaken, unkempt, clearly powerless. Now, Iraqis were celebrating in the streets. Some of them dancing, many of them firing weapons in the air. Scattered pockets, if you will, of celebration all throughout the city, and gunfire continued for hours.
Still, there's an element here of caution. People aren't quite sure what's going to happen next. All they are sure of is that this was truly an extraordinary day -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: The question so many are asking right now is to what extent was Saddam Hussein directing the resistance that has been so strong against American troops in Iraq. What are you hearing about that? How strong is this resistance going to be without him?
ARRAF: We've essentially been told all the way through from people combating this resistance that he wasn't really believed to be directing the operations, that that was a job that fell much more to mid-level Fedayeen, those former Saddam fighters. In the north, we're told that it has been orchestrated by his right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim Al-Duri, who is still at large. So he isn't seen to have played a decisive role in actually commanding these attacks be carried out. But clearly, he would have inspired some of them. Not all of them, certainly. There's a variety of reasons, a variety of groups, it seems, that he would definitely have been an inspiration while he was still out there -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: So Jane, if the inspiration behind what they were doing is gone, is the sense that frankly their reason for being is going to be gone?
ARRAF: Likely not, because the people who would have supported him are the same people who would feel they have no place in this Iraq. And there are quite a few people, a disturbingly high number of people out there.
Now, it's not just the people carrying out the attacks, because that is believed to be a variety of factors. Foreign fighters, former Ba'ath Party loyalists, common criminals, but there's still quite a large segment of the population that has been shut out of this new Iraq -- former army officers, for instance. And it's a challenge to assimilate them back in.
So they are really feeling their weight -- this whole country is. But the fact that Saddam is gone, that he was captured, that he has been seen in this way is absolutely extraordinary and unsettling to many people -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: No question about that. Jane Arraf reporting to us just about 12 hours after the news broke of Saddam Hussein's capture and captured alive.
Jane, thanks very much.
President Bush says that Iraqis "will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again." Here now, a replay of Mr. Bush's address to the nation about four hours ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: December the 13th, at around 8:30 p.m. Baghdad time, United States military forces captured Saddam Hussein alive.
He was found near a farmhouse outside the city of Tikrit in a swift raid conducted without casualties. And now the former dictator of Iraq will face the justice he denied to millions.
The capture of this man was crucial to the rise of a free Iraq. It marks the end of the road for him and for all who bullied and killed in his name.
For the Baathist hold-outs largely responsible for the current violence, there will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they once held.
For the vast majority of Iraqi citizens who wish to live as free men and women, this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.
And this afternoon I have a message for the Iraqi people: You will not have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein ever again.
All Iraqis who take the side of freedom have taken the winning side. The goals of our coalition are the same as your goals: sovereignty for your country, dignity for your great culture and, for every Iraqi citizen, the opportunity for a better life.
In the history of Iraq, a dark and painful era is over. A hopeful day has arrived. All Iraqis can now come together and reject violence and build a new Iraq.
The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts, who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country.
The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force.
Our service men and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks.
Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our armed forces and I congratulate them.
I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.
We've come to this moment through patience and resolve and focused action, and that is our strategy moving forward. The war on terror is a different kind of war, waged capture by capture, cell by cell and victory by victory. Our security is assured by our perseverance and by our sure belief in the success of liberty. And the United States of America will not relent until this war is won.
May God bless the people of Iraq, and may God bless America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: President Bush speaking to the nation from the cabinet room at the White House just after noon Eastern Time on this Sunday. CNN White House correspondent, Dana Bash, has been reporting from there all day long.
Dana, the president seems -- maintaining a serious demeanor. Why is that on a day when you would think they would be celebrating at the White House?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, you know full well about the game of expectations, and so do officials here at the White House. They understand as momentous and remarkable as this day has been for the president, and certainly on the ground in Iraq, they do understand how quickly things can change.
They know from experience that when a president -- and this president even -- makes a grand statement that has perhaps some pomp and circumstance, that that might come back to haunt them. So in this particular case, as you mentioned, the president did certainly applaud the fact that Saddam Hussein has been captured and gave that message directly to the Iraqi people that they should know now that their period of dark and painful era is over.
But he was, as you mentioned, very, very careful to have his message to the American people quite different. And that is that they should not expect the violence to necessary end now. That they have to wait and see what happens in the days and weeks to come to find out exactly how things will change on the ground.
So certainly as happy as they are, privately this is a very disciplined White House. And even on this day they are staying quite true to form -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. All right, Dana Bash reporting once again from the White House.
Thank you, Dana.
And whatever the mood might be publicly at the White House, we know that around the world many people are celebrating the news of Saddam Hussein's capture. But what about in his hometown of Tikrit?
Let's get the latest from there from CNN's Nic Robertson in Saddam's hometown -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Judy, well, this is a community in Tikrit that benefited greatly under Saddam Hussein's rule. This was his hometown. The people of this city enjoyed better electricity, better social amenities, better schools, better hospitals than the rest of Iraq.
The mood that we found on the streets here today somewhat sullen, if you will. People have said to us that Saddam Hussein was just one man, governments come and go, presidents rise and fall. But it makes no difference that he is gone.
Another person said, look, these anti-Iraqi -- anti-coalition attacks are not going to end just because Saddam Hussein has been captured. They said -- they described em as being Iraqi resistance fighters. They said the Iraqi resistance is not fighting for Saddam Hussein, it's fighting for Iraq. And the people are fighting to free Iraq from an occupation.
So the indication from the streets here not the jubilation that's been seen in Baghdad, but a level of defiance. The coalition commanders based here with the 4th Infantry Division that led the raid capturing Saddam Hussein believe that behind this front, if you will, there is quiet acceptance that Saddam Hussein has been captured.
They say themselves, however, they don't know how the situation is going to develop. And they say they're in a wait-and-see mode to see what the people of this area, to see what the people of Tikrit do in the coming days and weeks -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, is it possible to separate whatever of that is, hometown loyalty to this man, and to separate that from what may be a broader anti-American sentiment spread across the country?
ROBERTSON: Yes, I think it is possible to separate the two. There is a broad sentiment in some parts of the country, in some communities, that they want the United States, the coalition to leave Iraq. It's broadly viewed as an occupying force.
Some communities are more tolerant. They say they will give the coalition more time to leave Iraq. Some communities, particularly this one, particularly others in the so-called Sunni Triangle in the center of Iraq, tend to want to give the coalition less time.
This town, perhaps you would find people less willing to speak out. There will probably be more people in this town who are loyal to Saddam Hussein, more who have tribal connections, more who have family connections. And for that reason -- and this is something that's troubled the coalition -- for that reason, many people here probably wouldn't want to speak publicly perhaps about their true feelings.
So perhaps this town is a little bit different from the rest of the country. Nevertheless, underneath the feelings in the rest of the country is a feeling that the sooner the coalition can leave the better. Above that, there is also, I have to say, a realization that if the coalition leaves too soon the country could descend into chaos -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, any comments people making about the way Saddam Hussein was treated in those pictures? The fact that he appeared disheveled, the fact there were pictures taken while the DNA evidence -- swipe was taken apparently out of his cheeks? You know, using the tongue depressor and so forth. Any comment on those pictures?
ROBERTSON: Judy, from the people that we talked to in Tikrit so far, nobody has directly addressed what they have seen in those pictures. I suspect that as people get a chance to digest, get beyond just the very fact that Saddam Hussein has been captured, I think one has to remember here the fact that he has been captured is a surprise to people.
Exactly how that capture is now being displayed by the coalition, who have obviously chosen very carefully which images to show of Saddam Hussein, showing him disheveled, showing him in a very unflattering light, this is perhaps something people are going to digest over the next few days -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. Nic Robertson reporting from the hometown of Saddam Hussein, finding that the sentiments there somewhat different from what we saw in Baghdad a little while ago. Nic, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
