White House celebrates 'historic moment,' but urges caution
Fleischer: "Freedom's taste is unquenchable'
From Chris Burns and Dana Bash
CNN Washington Bureau
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Iraqis celebrate in the streets of a Baghdad suburb, cheering the apparent end of Saddam's regime.
A U.S. senior officer says the majority of Iraqi troops inside Baghdad 'have now given up.' CNN's Walter Rodgers reports.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House Wednesday called the jubilant street scenes from Baghdad a "historic moment" as Iraqis celebrated the deterioration of Saddam Hussein's regime.
"Freedom's taste is unquenchable," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. "You're seeing what you see in mankind everywhere, given a chance to be free.''
Earlier, a senior administration official described President Bush as ''heartened'' by the latest developments, but the official cautioned dangerous times are still ahead.
''The president continues to get good reports'' from the field, a senior administration official said. But Bush ''reminds the American people ... this is still a military mission, that lives are at stake.''
The official said the White House still doesn't know if Saddam is dead or alive. But reacting to a report Saddam may seek passage to Syria, the official said ''That's a no-go. He's had his chance to leave.''
U.S. officials have been emphasizing the brutality of Saddam's regime to explain why the Iraqi people did not immediately welcome coalition forces with open arms.
"As long as the Iraqis thought there were death squads, they did not feel free to cheer their liberation," said another administration official.
But the administration also is urging caution from "irrational exuberance," saying there is still conflict going on, along with the continued presence of Fedayeen fighters.
"There is still a lot of risk to coalition troops and risk to people," said the official.
