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CNN Live Today

Interview with Lee Bandy

Aired December 05, 2002 - 11:45   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: There's one thing being here and to be alive for half the length the United States has been around, but it's quite another thing to have been so effective in developing its history.
Back when Strom Thurmond was elected to the Senate back in 1954, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Thurmond retires from the Senate in January after 48 years. And today, he marks another milestone. Today is his 100th birthday. The longest serving senator in U.S. history is going to celebrate his birthday, where else, on Capitol Hill.

Lee Bandy is chief political writer for the state newspaper, and he's covered Senator Thurmond for more than 40 years. He joins us this morning from Washington. Good to see you, Lee, how are you?

LEE BANDY, POLITICAL WRITER: Fine, Leon, how are you?

HARRIS: I'm curious about what you're going to do once the senator retires. If you've been following him for 40 years, what do you do?

BANDY: It's going to leave a void in my life.

HARRIS: Well, you sat down and talked with him. How is he doing these days?

BANDY: I think he's doing quite well. Of course, he's 100 years old, and he's frail, and his mind is not as sharp as it once was, but I had an interview with him yesterday, and he was on. In fact, his chief of staff told me that that was the sharpest he had seen the senator in some time. Maybe I pulled it out of him.

HARRIS: No kidding. Well, what did he talk about with you? Did he look back with you over the last, you know, 50 years or so there in the Senate? Did he talk to you at all about his legacy?

BANDY: Not a heck of a whole lot. I asked him how he would like to be remembered, and he said he would like to be remembered as the South Carolina senator who cared. And as he put it, he says helping people has been his motto for all of his political life. That's true. And his strongest suit is his constituency service.

HARRIS: What you say, then, if you've been following him, you have been watching him for some 41 years, what would you say was his most significant achievement there in the Senate? BANDY: Well, I don't think -- in fact, his name is not attached to any monumental legislation. I don't think you can identify Strom Thurmond with any legislation. He was a super politician, the best. People say he's the best, bar none. He has a lot of interesting events in his life. When you look at his life, in 1948, he ran against President Truman on the Dixiecrat ticket, and he carried several states, and so he got some electoral votes. Then in 1954, he won his seat in the Senate on a write-in, the only person in history to do that.

HARRIS: That's true. That's true.

BANDY: And then in 1964, of course, he switched parties, and then he became the oldest senator, and the longest serving senator. And in 1957, he held the Senate spellbound for over 24 hours. He has a record filibuster record.

HARRIS: Listen, we've got to move on, but I want to ask you a couple of real quick questions if I can. We know he has got a birthday celebration today, but I have to ask you about a couple of personal things I have heard about him. Is it true that he really still is a ladies man?

BANDY: Oh, yes. I asked him that yesterday. I said, Is that a fair assessment? And he said, Lee, he said, I have a crush for the ladies. He says, I love the ladies and that makes me feel like I'm 21.

HARRIS: That's great. We're just hoping he sees 121, at least. Finally, got to ask you real quick too, I also heard that when he goes to receptions, he puts food in his pockets. Is that true?

BANDY: You got to witness that, Leon. He goes around the order table, he picks up shrimp, whatever, wraps it in a napkin, puts it in his pocket. One time, I asked him about that. He said he was taking it back to his secretary, but I found out he really took it home.

Once, at the Republican Convention in Dallas, Texas, there was some artificial fruit on the table, and so he saw this apple and he picked up this apple and put it in his pocket and walked away, not knowing it was attached to the tablecloth.

HARRIS: Well, I bet you've got a ton of stories like that. Wish we had more time to talk about it. Lee Bandy, thanks very much, and here's hoping you can find something else to do for the next 41 years.

BANDY: Thank you, Leon.

HARRIS: Take care.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 5, 2002 - 11:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: There's one thing being here and to be alive for half the length the United States has been around, but it's quite another thing to have been so effective in developing its history.
Back when Strom Thurmond was elected to the Senate back in 1954, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House. Thurmond retires from the Senate in January after 48 years. And today, he marks another milestone. Today is his 100th birthday. The longest serving senator in U.S. history is going to celebrate his birthday, where else, on Capitol Hill.

Lee Bandy is chief political writer for the state newspaper, and he's covered Senator Thurmond for more than 40 years. He joins us this morning from Washington. Good to see you, Lee, how are you?

LEE BANDY, POLITICAL WRITER: Fine, Leon, how are you?

HARRIS: I'm curious about what you're going to do once the senator retires. If you've been following him for 40 years, what do you do?

BANDY: It's going to leave a void in my life.

HARRIS: Well, you sat down and talked with him. How is he doing these days?

BANDY: I think he's doing quite well. Of course, he's 100 years old, and he's frail, and his mind is not as sharp as it once was, but I had an interview with him yesterday, and he was on. In fact, his chief of staff told me that that was the sharpest he had seen the senator in some time. Maybe I pulled it out of him.

HARRIS: No kidding. Well, what did he talk about with you? Did he look back with you over the last, you know, 50 years or so there in the Senate? Did he talk to you at all about his legacy?

BANDY: Not a heck of a whole lot. I asked him how he would like to be remembered, and he said he would like to be remembered as the South Carolina senator who cared. And as he put it, he says helping people has been his motto for all of his political life. That's true. And his strongest suit is his constituency service.

HARRIS: What you say, then, if you've been following him, you have been watching him for some 41 years, what would you say was his most significant achievement there in the Senate? BANDY: Well, I don't think -- in fact, his name is not attached to any monumental legislation. I don't think you can identify Strom Thurmond with any legislation. He was a super politician, the best. People say he's the best, bar none. He has a lot of interesting events in his life. When you look at his life, in 1948, he ran against President Truman on the Dixiecrat ticket, and he carried several states, and so he got some electoral votes. Then in 1954, he won his seat in the Senate on a write-in, the only person in history to do that.

HARRIS: That's true. That's true.

BANDY: And then in 1964, of course, he switched parties, and then he became the oldest senator, and the longest serving senator. And in 1957, he held the Senate spellbound for over 24 hours. He has a record filibuster record.

HARRIS: Listen, we've got to move on, but I want to ask you a couple of real quick questions if I can. We know he has got a birthday celebration today, but I have to ask you about a couple of personal things I have heard about him. Is it true that he really still is a ladies man?

BANDY: Oh, yes. I asked him that yesterday. I said, Is that a fair assessment? And he said, Lee, he said, I have a crush for the ladies. He says, I love the ladies and that makes me feel like I'm 21.

HARRIS: That's great. We're just hoping he sees 121, at least. Finally, got to ask you real quick too, I also heard that when he goes to receptions, he puts food in his pockets. Is that true?

BANDY: You got to witness that, Leon. He goes around the order table, he picks up shrimp, whatever, wraps it in a napkin, puts it in his pocket. One time, I asked him about that. He said he was taking it back to his secretary, but I found out he really took it home.

Once, at the Republican Convention in Dallas, Texas, there was some artificial fruit on the table, and so he saw this apple and he picked up this apple and put it in his pocket and walked away, not knowing it was attached to the tablecloth.

HARRIS: Well, I bet you've got a ton of stories like that. Wish we had more time to talk about it. Lee Bandy, thanks very much, and here's hoping you can find something else to do for the next 41 years.

BANDY: Thank you, Leon.

HARRIS: Take care.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com