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CNN SHOWDOWN: IRAQ
Bush Expected to Give Update on War in Iraq, Discuss Homeland Security
Aired March 31, 2003 - 12:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is expected to give an update on the war in Iraq and discuss homeland security when he pays tribute this afternoon in Philadelphia to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Our senior White House correspondent John King is joining us now.
John, a lot of diplomacy under way as well.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Quite a bit of diplomacy, Wolf.
Some of it a warning shot, if you might call that diplomacy, other, a trip coming up by the U.S. secretary of state. Let us start first with the warning shot. You might think on the one hand that the Bush administration has enough on its hands at the moment -- an ongoing war in Iraq has proved perhaps more difficult than some had expected, ongoing military operations in Afghanistan and the war on terrorism as well, yet over the weekend very tough words from Secretary of State Powell. He says that he served notice during his speech to an Israeli political action committee here in the United States that both Syria and Iran need to make tough choices. Secretary Powell repeating assertions for some time that both the governments in Damascus and Tehran supporting terrorist groups. He specifically mentioned Hezbollah, a terrorist group that has launched many attacks on Israel.
Secretary Powell serving notice, even as the war in Iraq goes on, that the Bush administration is watching others in the region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECY. OF STATE: Syria also now faces a critical choice. Syria can continue direct support for terrorist groups and the dying regime of Saddam Hussein, or it can embark on a different and more hopeful course. Either way, Syria bears the responsibility for its choices and for the consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, as for diplomacy, Secretary Powell will be leaving Washington to travel to Brussels to meet with key NATO allies. Obviously, there was a divide in the alliance in advance of the war beginning in Iraq. He then will move to Turkey, where there is great disappointment here in Washington with the Turkish government's failure to win approval of a plan to let U.S. ground forces launch a northern front from originally being staged from Turkish bases, so Mr. Powell with diplomacy in the day ahead.
And as for President Bush, he will deliver what we are told is a relatively upbeat assessment of the war effort so far. He will be in the port of Philadelphia, talking in part about homeland security here in the United States, saluting the Coast Guard's role, not only here in patrolling the coast lines the United States, but also for taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mr. Bush will try to link the war against terrorism here at home to the war now underway nearing the two-week point inside Iraq -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John, first the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld the other day publicly goes out and warns the Syrians not to let military equipment slip through their border into Iraq, specifically nightvision goggles. He warns the Iranian government not to allow its supporters into Iraq to fight U.S. troops.
Now the secretary of state continuing that sort of hard line. You suggested earlier, they've got the Iraqis on their hands, and why antagonize the Syrians and the Iranians at this point? What is the strategy behind this kind of public threat, if you will, being leveled at two of Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran? .
BLITZER: Both a short term and a long-term strategy. In the short term, U.S. officials voicing any alarm that might complicate the battlefield inside Iraq, whether it is anti-Saddam militia coming over Iran into Iraq, and potentially either fighting U.S. forces, or simply getting in their way. The United States says that would not be helpful, and more seriously, the administration says there's evidence that Syria is allowing military supplies to be shipped into Iraq for Iraqi forces. That of much more concern to the United States. So that is the short-term concern.
And also in the long term, the Bush administration is poised to release within the next week or two its road map, an effort to finally get the Palestinians and the Israelis back to the bargaining table, and as the administration looks more long term to somewhat optimistic hope of perhaps getting the Middle East peace process back on track, is once again is trying to get Syria and Iran to decrease, if not eliminate, what the administration says is long-term support of terrorism in the region -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, John, what time is the president's speech, because I know CNN is going to be carrying it live.
KING: It's in the 2:00 hour up in Philadelphia. He gets a briefing first on the Coast Guard operations, and then he and the Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will both speak. Governor Ridge, now Secretary Ridge, introducing the president.
BLITZER: All right, we're going to try to carry that live. We also have a Pentagon briefing at 2:00 we're going to be carrying as well. So we'll juggle between the two of them, assuming they're on at the same time.
John King, our White House correspondent, thanks very much.
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