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CNN SATURDAY NIGHT
Bush White House Preoccupied With Iraq
Aired September 6, 2003 - 22:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: The Bush White House has been mostly preoccupied with Iraq. And that's where Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has been for the past few days, getting a firsthand look at the situation there.
CNN's Ben Wedeman covered the Secretary's visit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's been upbeat from the moment he hit the ground in Iraq. On the third day of his unannounced visit, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld continued to defend an Iraq policy, increasingly under fire at home, and under fire literally in Iraq.
Saturday, Mr. Rumsfeld toured the site of a mass grave south of Baghdad. The grave contains as many as 15,000 bodies of Shi'ite rebels, who rose up against the Saddam Hussein regime after the 1991 Gulf War.
Many Iraqis have not forgiven that U.S. led coalition for failing to come to the aid of the rebels at the time. The Iraqi army crushed the uprising, killing in the process tens of thousands of people.
At a press conference in Baghdad, Mr. Rumsfeld skirted questions on the progress of the CIA led team, searching for traces of Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Rather than dribbling out pieces of information in a way that oh, causes confusion or debate or discussion, it strikes me that it's useful to let the leadership of that team proceed in an orderly way.
WEDEMAN: And the secretary seemed to chide Iraqis for not playing a greater role in restoring security.
RUMSFELD: Instead of pointing fingers, it seems to me, at the security forces of the coalition because there are acts of violence taking place against Iraqi people in this country, it's important for the Iraqi people to step up and take responsibility for the security.
WEDEMAN: Under international law, the occupying power is ultimately responsible for maintaining law and order.
Mr. Rumsfeld is expected to travel to Afghanistan after leaving Iraq. Another country, where the United States led a war to topple a regime, and is now trying to rebuild.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Well, with criticism mounting, and his poll numbers slipping, President Bush plans to address the nation tomorrow night on the situation in Iraq. His speech comes at a crucial time.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash has more on what the president plans to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): May 1, the last time the president formally addressed the nation about Iraq under a banner, "Mission Accomplished."
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
BASH: Four months later, the commander in chief will make clear the mission may have changed, but is far from over. Throughout the summer, near daily reports of U.S. troops dying, devastating terrorist attacks.
A new CNN/"TIME" poll shows a majority of Americans, 53 percent, are ambivalent about whether the Iraq military campaign has been successful. Which is why Bush advisers call this a critical juncture in clarifying the mission, and asking Americans for their patience. Experts agree.
DAVID GERGEN, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: This is a classic speech in which a president seeks to gain enough public support, shore up his public support, at a time when there's a real threat, to give himself time, time to explore other options.
BASH: One goal for the presidential address, say aides, to report progress in Iraq, which several frustrated GOP sources complained the administration had not sufficiently relayed. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave a preview in Baghdad.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I must say that I've noticed a good many changes since April. For one thing, there's a free Iraqi press here. Another thing is that Iraq schools, universities and hospitals are open for business.
BASH: Mr. Bush will not only talk of successes of the past in the war on terror and Iraq, but also break the country for what is needed in the future. And there will be some announcements.
White House and congressional sources tell CNN the president will use the speech to tell Congress how much more money he will request to pay for U.S. operations in Iraq. Around $60 billion, but the numbers are still being crunched. The president will also prepare Americans for the long haul, but a detailed prescription to accomplish his goals in Iraq is what many are hoping to hear.
LEE HAMILTON, FMR. CHAIR HOUSE CMTE., INTL. RELATIONS: Let them know that he has a plan for the execution of his vision in Iraq. The president has been very reluctant to speak out on his plans for Iraq. Now he must do so.
BASH (on camera): Those plans include turning to the U.N. for more international help in Iraq, a decision the president hasn't explained yet, but is expected to in his televised address.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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