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America's New War: Developments in Washington, D.C.

Aired September 20, 2001 - 00:20   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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go down to Washington, where our White House Correspondent, Kelly Wallace, is standing by. And our guest in the studio, Kelly, sends his regards. Mr. Hormats, from Goldman Sachs, says, "Say hello."

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Send him my hellos.

CAFFERTY: Yes. I got the sense watching the news that it was a very intense day down there today.

WALLACE: It was.

CAFFERTY: Tell me a little bit about the city and kind of how it felt there today.

WALLACE: It was. A lot of activity at the White House. It was full of diplomacy. The president meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia. Also with President Megawati, of Indonesia, again. You know, trying to shore up this worldwide coalition.

Also, we learned the president -- when he was meeting with congressional leaders -- that he would be going before a joint session of Congress to deliver a speech Thursday evening.

Jack, the Congress invited the president to do this, but the administration, gladly accepting the invitation. Because there is still some concern within the administration that Americans might not still realize that this campaign against terrorism won't be solved overnight. It won't even be solved in months. The White House saying this will be a long-term struggle.

So expect to see the president going before the American people with that message. His National Security Adviser, Dr. Condoleeza Rice, said he would not be announcing that a military attack is imminent. Basically, he would be laying out what the threat is, what his options are; and, again, that the American people should be patient. This will be a long-term struggle -- Jack.

CAFFERTY: It's a -- it's a big night for the president tomorrow night, too, isn't it? I mean, this is a chance for him to go a long way toward getting the country behind his policies, speaking to the international community -- I mean, he's got a lot of pressure on him.

WALLACE: Absolutely. We've been talking about this. He obviously continues to try to urge the American people to be patient; and, obviously, he wants to have the support of the American people behind him. Clearly, he has it now. He's also, as you said, talking to leaders and trying to shore up that international coalition.

So not likely to have a new message from the president, Jack, but kind of a bigger forum; a lot more attention to this. The American people will be watching. So it is an opportunity for him to sort of make a more thorough case, get the American people behind him for whatever this campaign will be.

CAFFERTY: What's this been like for you for the last eight -- seven or eight days?

WALLACE: Well, it's been really hard. I think, Jack, it's been hard for all of us. I actually happened to be in New York on that Tuesday. My days off are Monday and Tuesday. I was up in New York and I was about 15 blocks from the World Trade Center.

So I got out on the street and I saw -- it was about four blocks when that second tower came down and -- I mean, it's -- I'm from New York, it's hard for all of us to sort of watch this story unfold. And you still have to report about it, of course, but I won't -- I just talked to so many firefighters that day and so many people who were coming out of the building who kept saying, "All those firefighters were going up into the building as we were coming out." And so, so many stories of heroism and you just -- images that you just can't get out of your mind. It's difficult, but we're trying to do our jobs, right?

CAFFERTY: Well, Yes, absolutely. And you're doing a fine one, I might add.

It's funny, though, the attachment you don't even realize that you have to something like the World Trade Center. The day that happened, my wife actually got emotional. At one point, she said, "Well, that was our World Trade Center." And, I mean, it was a very possessive moment that -- you know, how dare they take something like that away from us. That was my building.

WALLACE: I know. I mean, I grew up with it; I grew up in Brooklyn, so I've seen the twin towers all my life. I thought -- I don't have children yet -- but I thought my kids -- if I ever have them -- won't ever know what the twin towers were all about. So I do -- we do feel like it was a part of us that had been taken away that day.

CAFFERTY: Yes. There's not a postcard, I guess, in the city at any of the souvenir shops anymore. They're all sold out.

I was looking, thinking that if there was one thing that might do a little bit to heal the ills of the nation's capital, it might be a Redskins game. They do love their football down there. But, sadly, the Redskins play Monday night, and they're in Greenbay, so we don't -- we won't have them at RFK Stadium. But I guess Washington will be tuned into the television Monday night to watch the Redskins.

WALLACE: Absolutely. As you know, that is one thing that really brings this strange city together ...

CAFFERTY: Yes.

WALLACE: Washington Redskins. So, certainly, it's too bad it won't be a home game, but you can count on the people of Washington will tune in on Monday night.

CAFFERTY: Just in case you're a betting woman there, an eight and a half point underdog. I'll talk to you later.

WALLACE: Not a gambling woman. OK.

CAFFERTY: All right.

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