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CNN Live At Daybreak

What's on Tap for D.C. Today?

Aired August 26, 2002 - 06:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's time to head to D.C. to catch our deputy bureau chief before he heads on to the CNN Bureau.
Steve Redisch is on the phone.

Good morning -- Steve.

STEVE REDISCH, CNN WASHINGTON DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Ooh, that topic, Iraq, popped up again this weekend, didn't it?

REDISCH: It will pop up for quite a while as well -- this weekend, next weekend -- until some decision is made as to whether to go after Saddam Hussein.

COSTELLO: Well, now that we've heard that the president doesn't have to consult with Congress if he decides to attack Iraq, do you think he'd really go ahead and do that without the consent of Congress?

REDISCH: Well, I think that's some -- that's the opinion of some attorneys within the White House, as well as perhaps the president and other peoples' opinions. There are other opinions here in Washington that say the president should consult Congress, he should get a resolution from both Houses to act. More fodder for the political debate.

COSTELLO: Oh, you're not kidding there.

Let's talk about campaigning. He's done a lot of campaigning out West. Just how important is the West to Republicans?

REDISCH: The West has been solidly Republican for quite a while. California went to Al Gore in the 2000 race, but for the most part, before Bill Clinton, the West was considered solid Republican country. And in fact, I believe Bill Clinton only took Oregon and the very far West Coast, while the rest of the West is solidly Republican. So being able to count on the western states is part of the Republican strategy.

COSTELLO: And he's just out there campaigning, because the Republicans really want to shore up that part of the country.

REDISCH: Well, right now, he's back in Crawford, but he spent three days -- Thursday, Friday, Saturday -- raising just under $5 million for Republican candidates in Oregon, California and New Mexico.

COSTELLO: The scrapings for news are very thin in Washington, so I must ask you about this. The new public service spots are out. Could you tell me about them?

REDISCH: Betty White from "Mary Tyler Moore" fame, the former wife of Allen Ludden, is going to be appearing in some public service announcements targeted toward senior citizens. It will be unveiled today. An effort by the Postal Service -- the Postal Inspector's Office of the Postal Service and the Federal Trade Commission in order to crack down on telemarketer fraud. Senior citizens are usually the targets of such fraud, and they're trying to crack down on it.

COSTELLO: Got you -- good idea there. Steve Redisch, thanks for joining this morning by phone. We'll catch you again tomorrow.

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