Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
Saddam Hussein Captured In "Spider Hole"
Aired December 14, 2003 - 15:02 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The capture of the deposed Iraqi leader actually took place last night Baghdad time at a remote farmhouse just South of Tikrit, and as President Bush noted this afternoon, Saddam Hussein now faces the justice he denied millions of Iraqi citizens. CNN White House correspondent, Dana Bash has a timeline of events for us.
Hello, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, miles and that timeline began yesterday, Saturday afternoon about 3:15 p.m. President Bush was at Camp David when he got a call from his defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, saying -- starting out the phone call by saying, "Mr. President, initial reports aren't always accurate," to which the president immediately said, "wow, you must have good news for me," and that's when the defense secretary told him there is a feeling, that it was Saddam Hussein, that they did capture in a raid in Tikrit just a short time before he made the phone call and it was not until this morning, at 5:15 this morning, that the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice called the president in his residence. He had just gotten up, we are told, and explained that it was in fact Saddam Hussein who was in U.S. custody. Now, since then, all know in private, certainly there is no question that this White House and the aides who did come in on this Sunday, as you can imagine, many of them are elated. This is incredibly momentous and great news for this Bush -- for the administration. Whichever way you look at it, but in terms of the public face, and that, of course, given by the president himself in a brief just three-minute speech has been quite cautious. And, in that speech he had a message, not only for the Iraqi people, but for the American people, and in terms of the Iraqis, he said that Saddam Hussein will be brought to justice, and in his words, he said, "it is the end of the road for him and for all to who killed and bullied in his name."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now again, this administration has been trying to lower expectations and we certainly heard that from the president in the message he said he was giving to the American people and that is that although there was essentially dancing in the streets of -- in Iraq and the fact that they captured Saddam Hussein is a huge, huge accomplishment, if will you, for this administration in the nine-month war in Iraq. The fact that he has been captured does not mean that the violence in Iraq will end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So, the bottom line, Miles, is that the administration has certainly learned its lesson that, they've gotten excited, for example, in the past with the deaths, the killing of Saddam Hussein's two sons. They were hoping that that would change things on the ground, make things less violent in the end, actually the violence increased, so they are holding their breath, but they are hoping to harness the fact that Saddam Hussein was captured and hope this will change things on the ground in Iraq -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Certainly seems the mission to manage expectations has been accomplished. Dana, thank you very much -- Carol.
END
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 - 15:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The capture of the deposed Iraqi leader actually took place last night Baghdad time at a remote farmhouse just South of Tikrit, and as President Bush noted this afternoon, Saddam Hussein now faces the justice he denied millions of Iraqi citizens. CNN White House correspondent, Dana Bash has a timeline of events for us.
Hello, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, miles and that timeline began yesterday, Saturday afternoon about 3:15 p.m. President Bush was at Camp David when he got a call from his defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, saying -- starting out the phone call by saying, "Mr. President, initial reports aren't always accurate," to which the president immediately said, "wow, you must have good news for me," and that's when the defense secretary told him there is a feeling, that it was Saddam Hussein, that they did capture in a raid in Tikrit just a short time before he made the phone call and it was not until this morning, at 5:15 this morning, that the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice called the president in his residence. He had just gotten up, we are told, and explained that it was in fact Saddam Hussein who was in U.S. custody. Now, since then, all know in private, certainly there is no question that this White House and the aides who did come in on this Sunday, as you can imagine, many of them are elated. This is incredibly momentous and great news for this Bush -- for the administration. Whichever way you look at it, but in terms of the public face, and that, of course, given by the president himself in a brief just three-minute speech has been quite cautious. And, in that speech he had a message, not only for the Iraqi people, but for the American people, and in terms of the Iraqis, he said that Saddam Hussein will be brought to justice, and in his words, he said, "it is the end of the road for him and for all to who killed and bullied in his name."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now again, this administration has been trying to lower expectations and we certainly heard that from the president in the message he said he was giving to the American people and that is that although there was essentially dancing in the streets of -- in Iraq and the fact that they captured Saddam Hussein is a huge, huge accomplishment, if will you, for this administration in the nine-month war in Iraq. The fact that he has been captured does not mean that the violence in Iraq will end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: So, the bottom line, Miles, is that the administration has certainly learned its lesson that, they've gotten excited, for example, in the past with the deaths, the killing of Saddam Hussein's two sons. They were hoping that that would change things on the ground, make things less violent in the end, actually the violence increased, so they are holding their breath, but they are hoping to harness the fact that Saddam Hussein was captured and hope this will change things on the ground in Iraq -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Certainly seems the mission to manage expectations has been accomplished. Dana, thank you very much -- Carol.
END
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
