[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] Iraq, of course, faces that December 8 deadline that's next Sunday to fess up to every aspect of its nuclear, biological and chemical program, and the missiles that may be used to deliver those kinds of weapons. With only six days to go, the White House says it remains highly skeptical that will be done. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, is standing by with a little bit of the flavor of what they're thinking over there. John tell us what they are thinking.
[John King, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, you will hear a dose of that skepticism from the president himself. Later this afternoon, Mr. Bush traveling across the Potomac to sign the Defense Authorization Bill, the Pentagon spending bill, at the Pentagon. Mr. Bush in those remarks, we are told, will talk about the coming deadline on December 8, and how important it is, from the White House view, for Iraq to provide a full and complete, honest accounting of its weapons programs. But the White House press secretary, Ari Fleisher, telling us early this morning, Mr. Bush is quite skeptical that Iraq will do that, because of its history in the past. Ari Fleisher saying Saddam Hussein has danced this dance before, and deliberately abused the United Nations process, as he has, in the White House view, misled the world about his programs the weapons of mass destruction programs. So, they are quite skeptical here at the White House. And, in fact, Wolf, they view the past week of inspections or so as almost a preliminary testing period, some sort of a warm-up act. Ari Fleischer saying December 8 is the beginning of the process. So, they are putting little stock in the free access the inspectors have been getting so far. They say the key point is when Iraq files that report to the United Nations. They will, of course, match it up with U.S. intelligence, and if they see what they believe to be lies, look for the White House to point them out.
[Blitzer:] John, are you getting any reaction to Christiane's report on those aluminum tubes Iraqi officials conceding to U.N. officials yesterday they did try to purchase those tubes, which may have been a violation of the U.N. inspection regime?
[King:] Scornful reaction here at the White House, Wolf. I spoke to a senior official a short time ago, who said perhaps some day in the future, the Iraqi government will realize quote "that half- truths are the same as lies." They don't believe almost anything the Iraqi government says here at this White House. They simply do not trust the government of Saddam Hussein. This official saying that even if they were trying to buy those weapons, as the officials are suggesting in Christiane's report, for conventional rockets, that that is a clear violation. Iraq is not permitted to buy dual-use technology, to buy technology that can be used in weapons of mass destruction. The official saying so, it is a violation, period, to begin with. And here at the White House, they say they stand by their own intelligence, which suggests Iraq was trying to buy those tubes, so that it could enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.
[Blitzer:] John King at the White House thanks, John. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.