Cheney Text: ‘We Are in the Very Early Stages’

Here is the text from Thursday morning’s Pentagon briefing by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney .

CHENEY: To date, the operation is going very well. I want, though, at the outset of my remarks this morning to emphasize the importance of being cautious in our comments. I don’t mean to be critical of our friends in the press corps, but I think it’s very, very important for people to remember a number of key things: that this is very serious business, that we are in the very early stages of an operation that may run for a considerable period of time, that there have been casualties and there are likely to be more casualties.

So while we feel very good about the progress to date, it is important, I think, for everyone to be careful about claiming victory or making assumptions about the ultimate cost of this operation in terms of casualties. So far so good, but I would urge all of you to be cautious in your reporting just as we’re trying very hard to be very cautious and very precise in terms of what we say about the status of the operation to date.

We’ve now flown over 1,000 air sorties in the first 14 hours of the operation. There have been over 100 TLAMs--Tomahawk cruise missiles--launched as well. So far, as of 0900 this morning, Washington time, there has been a single American aircraft lost and one British aircraft lost as well.

At present we are in the process of using our intelligence assets to assess the damage that has been achieved. As that process is completed decisions will be made about going back to restrike those targets that require additional attention, while we at the same time continue to pursue and carry out the original plan for mission.

The original plan specifically allowed for this kind of retargeting of targets that need to be hit for a second time. That’s a normal part of the operation.

And as I mentioned last night, the operation will continue until we achieve our objectives of forcing Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait and implementing the United Nations Security Council resolutions.