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America's New War: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld Addresses Press

Aired September 24, 2001 - 14:03   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.
AARON BROWN, CBS ANCHOR: The secretary of Defense is talking to reporters, so we will go to that now -- Donald Rumsfeld.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We don't have any announcements to make with respect to the activities either with the Afghan Northern Alliance or with the various tribes in the southern part of the country.

QUESTION: Is that under consideration?

RUMSFELD: Well, I think as the president said, we are considering a whole range of things, the purpose being to attempt to create a situation where it becomes in peoples' interest to not support terrorists or terrorist networks and where they exist, to attempt to make life uncomfortable for them and expel them or turn them in.

QUESTION: So does the United States welcome this move on the part of the Russians to militarily support the opposition?

RUMSFELD: My impression is that they have been in close contact with the Northern Alliance for some time.

I don't know that there is any change in policy.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, understanding this is more than just a military campaign, and as you've noted the lack of conventional military targets, can you just give us some general idea how you can hit the terrorists and the people that support them militarily, given the lack of conventional targets? Is there a general way to speak about how you get to them militarily?

RUMSFELD: It seems to me that what we've said is correct -- that we are looking at the full range and spectrum of things that can be done, both from a military standpoint, as well as the president announced today, from a financial standpoint and diplomatic. Clearly, the decision by the United Arab Emirates to sever their relationship with the Taliban is an example of the kinds of things that can be very helpful.

QUESTION: Can you at least tell us the new name of this operation? RUMSFELD: I may do that tomorrow.

(LAUGHTER)

RUMSFELD: I'd like to let it build a little.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what evidence does the U.S. government have that the Taliban may not only harbor Osama bin Laden, but could actually be directly involved in the sponsorship or in terrorism itself? And if so, doesn't that make the Taliban a legitimate military target in this new war on terrorism?

RUMSFELD: Well, there's no question but that, again, we've been very explicit about this; that the only way we can defend the way of life of Americans, free people, is to not think you can defend against every conceivable terrorist everywhere in the world using any technique. The only way to do it is to carry the effort to them. And when you say, "to them," it means to the terrorists, the terrorists networks, the people that help them, the people that sponsor them, the people that finance them and the people who tolerate them. And it means that you have to undertake a host of things all across the spectrum. And clearly, the president said, I think in his speech, I can't remember the exact words, but he said that if you're in that position as a terrorist or someone assisting terrorists, then you're not with us.

QUESTION: Does that mean then, Mr. Secretary, that the U.S. is intent on overthrowing the Taliban regime?

RUMSFELD: It means what I said. We're intent on altering behavior. We're intent on attempting to take the steps so that the American people and our interests and friends and allies and deployed forces can go about our business not in fear.

And that means that we want countries to stop behaving in the way that I've just described, and we intend to do things that will help encourage them, and the kinds of things we would do would run across the full spectrum.

We'll make this the last one.

QUESTION: OK. I wonder if you could take -- since it was so crucial in the Vietnam War to define what we were trying to do -- could you take another stab at what would constitute victory in this war against terrorism? Would it be to stamp it out? Would it be to reduce the threat? How would you define it?

RUMSFELD: Well, first to say what it isn't. I think the idea of eliminating it from the face of the earth is setting a threshold that's too high. I think human beings are human beings and there are going to be people who will attempt to terrorize their neighbors and their friends and the people in their regions.

What we are attempting to do is to assure that we can prevent people from adversely affecting our way of life. We are a free people. We need to be able to go out of the door in the morning and not be fearful for our lives. Children have to go off to school and we have to have reasonable expectation that they'll be coming home from school. And people have to be able to say what they think and go where they think and engage in the kinds of legal activities that they wish to engage in. And that is what this is about.

This terrorism problem in the world strikes at the very heart of what we are as a free people. And a victory is that, in my view, has to be characterized as the kind of an environment where we can, in fact, fulfill and live those freedoms.

QUESTION: Well, one last thing, would that mean the operative verb would be stamp out terrorism or to reduce terrorism?

RUMSFELD: I think what we need to do is to deal with terrorism so that it does not threaten our way of life. I think trying to stamp it out in every single locale all across the globe...

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, describing once again what the goal is here. He said to try to wipe it out from the entire Earth is unrealistic.

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