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CNN Live Event/Special

President Bush Gives Speech To Men Serving In Iraq

Aired November 27, 2003 - 13:26   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.


O'BRIEN: And, Doug, we should explain to our viewers, we saw briefly what we thought was the beginning of this pool tape, which is about to be fed, which will show the president's remarks in their entirety. We're waiting for that to happen. Stay tuned. It's coming any minute. It looks like they were just kind of queuing up the tape there. A matter of fact, is this what we're seeing now? All right. The feed is just about to occur. We're monitoring it. As soon as they get things kind of stabilized and we see the president's introduction, we're going to bring that to you.
In any case, Doug Brinkley, this -- the rhetoric is so key here. You know what, I think we should show this. Let's bring this up right now, because there's General Sanchez. And beside him is L. Paul Bremer, they call him Jerry, he's the civilian administrator there. I believe this is the run-up to the introduction. Let's listen for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL RICARDO SANCHEZ: Your families that are putting up and giving us a source of strength. As I talked to our soldiers, there's nobody more dedicated than you are. I want to now introduce Ambassador Bremer. A special welcome for the Governing Council Members here that are here for you tonight - Ambassador.

L. PAUL BREMER, IRAQ CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you, General. And happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I can't tell you how much those of us on the civilian side appreciate the sacrifices all of you are making to make this place safer for us. Now General Sanchez, it says here I'm supposed to read the president's Thanksgiving proclamation. But I thought the deal was it was the most senior person who reads it. Is that you ...

SANCHEZ: I don't know ...

BREMER: Let's see if we have anybody more senior here to read the president's Thanksgiving speech -- is there anybody back there who is more senior than us?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Thanks for inviting me to dinner. General Sanchez, thank you, sir, for your kind invitation and your strong leadership. Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace. I want to thank the members of the Governing Council who are here. Thank you for joining us for one of our nation's great holiday, a chance to give thanks to the almighty for the many blessings we receive. Particularly proud to be with the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd ACR and the 82nd Airborne. I can't think of a finer group of folks to have Thanksgiving dinner with than you all. We're proud of you.

Today, Americans are gathering with their loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. And this year, we're especially thankful for the courage and the sacrifice of those who defend us -- the men and women of the United States military.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: I bring a message on behalf of America -- we thank you for your service. We're proud of you. And America stands solidly behind you.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Together, you and I have taken an oath to defend our country. And you're honoring that oath. The United States military is doing a fantastic job. You are defeating the terrorists here in Iraq so that we don't have to face them in our own country. You're defeating Saddam's henchmen so that the people of Iraq can live in peace and freedom. By helping Iraqi people become free, you're helping change this troubled and violent part of the world. By helping to build a peaceful and Democratic country in the heart of the Middle East, you are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: You are engaged in a difficult mission. Those who attack our coalition forces and kill innocent Iraqis are testing our will. They hope we will run. We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator, and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will prevail. We will win because our cause is just. We will win because we will stay on the offensive. And we will win because you're part of the finest military ever assembled.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: And we will prevail because the Iraqis want their freedom.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Every day, you see first hand, the commitment and sacrifice that the Iraqi people are making to secure their own freedom. I have a message for the Iraqi people. You have an opportunity to seize the moment and rebuild your great country, based on human dignity and freedom. The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone forever.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: The United States and our coalition will help you, help you build a peaceful country so that your children can have a bright future. We'll help to find and bring to justice the people who terrorized you for years and who are still killing innocent Iraqis. We will stay until the job is done.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: I'm confident we will succeed. Because you, the Iraqi people, will show the world that you're not only courageous but that you can govern yourself wisely and justly. On this Thanksgiving, our nation remembers the men and women of military, your friends and comrades who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. We ask for God's blessings on their families, their loved ones and their friends. And we pray for your safety and your strength, as you continue to defend America and to spread freedom. Each one of you has answered a great call, participating in an historic moment in world history. You live by a code of honor. Service to your nation for the safety and the security of your fellow citizens.

Our military is full of the finest people on the face of the earth. I'm proud to be your commander in chief. I bring greetings from America. May God bless you all.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Well, that moment when Paul Bremer was ostensibly to read a proclamation from the president of the United States, and said, geez, do we have anybody more senior here -- he's not going to get an Oscars for his acting performance by the way. But, nevertheless, that moment when the president suddenly appeared, and the reaction of that crowd is something to remember. I don't know if we have the capability of reracking that as we say in our business.

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 November 27, 2003 - 13:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
O'BRIEN: And, Doug, we should explain to our viewers, we saw briefly what we thought was the beginning of this pool tape, which is about to be fed, which will show the president's remarks in their entirety. We're waiting for that to happen. Stay tuned. It's coming any minute. It looks like they were just kind of queuing up the tape there. A matter of fact, is this what we're seeing now? All right. The feed is just about to occur. We're monitoring it. As soon as they get things kind of stabilized and we see the president's introduction, we're going to bring that to you.
In any case, Doug Brinkley, this -- the rhetoric is so key here. You know what, I think we should show this. Let's bring this up right now, because there's General Sanchez. And beside him is L. Paul Bremer, they call him Jerry, he's the civilian administrator there. I believe this is the run-up to the introduction. Let's listen for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL RICARDO SANCHEZ: Your families that are putting up and giving us a source of strength. As I talked to our soldiers, there's nobody more dedicated than you are. I want to now introduce Ambassador Bremer. A special welcome for the Governing Council Members here that are here for you tonight - Ambassador.

L. PAUL BREMER, IRAQ CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you, General. And happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I can't tell you how much those of us on the civilian side appreciate the sacrifices all of you are making to make this place safer for us. Now General Sanchez, it says here I'm supposed to read the president's Thanksgiving proclamation. But I thought the deal was it was the most senior person who reads it. Is that you ...

SANCHEZ: I don't know ...

BREMER: Let's see if we have anybody more senior here to read the president's Thanksgiving speech -- is there anybody back there who is more senior than us?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was just looking for a warm meal somewhere.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Thanks for inviting me to dinner. General Sanchez, thank you, sir, for your kind invitation and your strong leadership. Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace. I want to thank the members of the Governing Council who are here. Thank you for joining us for one of our nation's great holiday, a chance to give thanks to the almighty for the many blessings we receive. Particularly proud to be with the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd ACR and the 82nd Airborne. I can't think of a finer group of folks to have Thanksgiving dinner with than you all. We're proud of you.

Today, Americans are gathering with their loved ones to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. And this year, we're especially thankful for the courage and the sacrifice of those who defend us -- the men and women of the United States military.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: I bring a message on behalf of America -- we thank you for your service. We're proud of you. And America stands solidly behind you.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Together, you and I have taken an oath to defend our country. And you're honoring that oath. The United States military is doing a fantastic job. You are defeating the terrorists here in Iraq so that we don't have to face them in our own country. You're defeating Saddam's henchmen so that the people of Iraq can live in peace and freedom. By helping Iraqi people become free, you're helping change this troubled and violent part of the world. By helping to build a peaceful and Democratic country in the heart of the Middle East, you are defending the American people from danger and we are grateful.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: You are engaged in a difficult mission. Those who attack our coalition forces and kill innocent Iraqis are testing our will. They hope we will run. We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost in casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator, and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: We will prevail. We will win because our cause is just. We will win because we will stay on the offensive. And we will win because you're part of the finest military ever assembled.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: And we will prevail because the Iraqis want their freedom.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Every day, you see first hand, the commitment and sacrifice that the Iraqi people are making to secure their own freedom. I have a message for the Iraqi people. You have an opportunity to seize the moment and rebuild your great country, based on human dignity and freedom. The regime of Saddam Hussein is gone forever.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: The United States and our coalition will help you, help you build a peaceful country so that your children can have a bright future. We'll help to find and bring to justice the people who terrorized you for years and who are still killing innocent Iraqis. We will stay until the job is done.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: I'm confident we will succeed. Because you, the Iraqi people, will show the world that you're not only courageous but that you can govern yourself wisely and justly. On this Thanksgiving, our nation remembers the men and women of military, your friends and comrades who paid the ultimate price for our security and freedom. We ask for God's blessings on their families, their loved ones and their friends. And we pray for your safety and your strength, as you continue to defend America and to spread freedom. Each one of you has answered a great call, participating in an historic moment in world history. You live by a code of honor. Service to your nation for the safety and the security of your fellow citizens.

Our military is full of the finest people on the face of the earth. I'm proud to be your commander in chief. I bring greetings from America. May God bless you all.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Well, that moment when Paul Bremer was ostensibly to read a proclamation from the president of the United States, and said, geez, do we have anybody more senior here -- he's not going to get an Oscars for his acting performance by the way. But, nevertheless, that moment when the president suddenly appeared, and the reaction of that crowd is something to remember. I don't know if we have the capability of reracking that as we say in our business.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com