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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iranian-American Sitting in Oval Office of 'White House'
Aired December 23, 2002 - 05:53 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: There is an Iranian-American sitting in the Oval Office of the White House. You don't believe me?
Well, CNN's Bruce Burkhardt shows us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House, you know, it's often called the people's house. I'm people. It's my house, then, right? No reason I shouldn't be able to just go right in. I don't see any Secret Service around. Why wait in line for the tour, huh? I think I'll just go right in.
FRED MILANI (ph): Hello, Bruce.
How are you?
BURKHARDT: Nice to see you.
FRED MILANI: My wife, Yvonne.
YVONNE MILANI (ph): Hi.
BURKHARDT: You guys don't look like George and Laura.
(voice-over): How far the country has come. We now have an Iranian-American, Fred Milani, and his wife Yvonne, an African- American, occupying the White House. Except this White House isn't on Pennsylvania Avenue, but on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta, Georgia.
YVONNE MILANI: This is called the Lincoln Bedroom. It's named after President Abraham Lincoln and the bed that you see here is a replica of the Abraham Lincoln bed.
BURKHARDT: Fred and Yvonne say it was never their original intention to copy the White House. It just turned out that way.
(on camera): Why in the heck did you build a White House? How'd that happen?
YVONNE MILANI: Well, I wanted columns.
BURKHARDT: She wanted columns?
(voice-over): When an architect drew up the house with columns, everyone noticed a resemblance to the White House. So they decided to build on that idea, even including the Truman balcony on the back. (on camera): The Rose Garden.
(voice-over): The inside, no resemblance to the White House, though there are a few loosely copied rooms.
YVONNE MILANI: We just call it the Queen's Room. It's our own design.
BURKHARDT (on camera): The Oval Office? It's not an exact replica.
FRED MILANI: Right.
YVONNE MILANI: No, it's not an exact replica, but we have picked up some things, like the molding is a replica, the desk is a replica.
BURKHARDT: And the sea.
FRED MILANI: I'm happy to just be able to say I am sitting in the Oval Office.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): Seven years ago, Fred says he was saved, converted from Islam to Christianity. Now devout Christians, Fred and Yvonne opened up their house to tours this holiday season to raise money for their church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe it.
BURKHARDT (on camera): What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's awesome. It's just breathtaking.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): At 16,000 square feet, it's not nearly as big as the Washington White House. But then again, it has some of its own special features.
(on camera): Like this. This White House has a two car garage. The view is different from the White House.
(voice-over): And even though the view from the Truman Balcony is not of the Washington Monument but a Georgia subdivision, this is a place of fantasy, not just for its residents, Fred and Yvonne, but also for the occasional reporter, who always wanted to say...
(on camera): Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, the White House, in Atlanta, Georgia. Take that John King.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 23, 2002 - 05:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: There is an Iranian-American sitting in the Oval Office of the White House. You don't believe me?
Well, CNN's Bruce Burkhardt shows us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The White House, you know, it's often called the people's house. I'm people. It's my house, then, right? No reason I shouldn't be able to just go right in. I don't see any Secret Service around. Why wait in line for the tour, huh? I think I'll just go right in.
FRED MILANI (ph): Hello, Bruce.
How are you?
BURKHARDT: Nice to see you.
FRED MILANI: My wife, Yvonne.
YVONNE MILANI (ph): Hi.
BURKHARDT: You guys don't look like George and Laura.
(voice-over): How far the country has come. We now have an Iranian-American, Fred Milani, and his wife Yvonne, an African- American, occupying the White House. Except this White House isn't on Pennsylvania Avenue, but on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta, Georgia.
YVONNE MILANI: This is called the Lincoln Bedroom. It's named after President Abraham Lincoln and the bed that you see here is a replica of the Abraham Lincoln bed.
BURKHARDT: Fred and Yvonne say it was never their original intention to copy the White House. It just turned out that way.
(on camera): Why in the heck did you build a White House? How'd that happen?
YVONNE MILANI: Well, I wanted columns.
BURKHARDT: She wanted columns?
(voice-over): When an architect drew up the house with columns, everyone noticed a resemblance to the White House. So they decided to build on that idea, even including the Truman balcony on the back. (on camera): The Rose Garden.
(voice-over): The inside, no resemblance to the White House, though there are a few loosely copied rooms.
YVONNE MILANI: We just call it the Queen's Room. It's our own design.
BURKHARDT (on camera): The Oval Office? It's not an exact replica.
FRED MILANI: Right.
YVONNE MILANI: No, it's not an exact replica, but we have picked up some things, like the molding is a replica, the desk is a replica.
BURKHARDT: And the sea.
FRED MILANI: I'm happy to just be able to say I am sitting in the Oval Office.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): Seven years ago, Fred says he was saved, converted from Islam to Christianity. Now devout Christians, Fred and Yvonne opened up their house to tours this holiday season to raise money for their church.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can't believe it.
BURKHARDT (on camera): What do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's awesome. It's just breathtaking.
BURKHARDT (voice-over): At 16,000 square feet, it's not nearly as big as the Washington White House. But then again, it has some of its own special features.
(on camera): Like this. This White House has a two car garage. The view is different from the White House.
(voice-over): And even though the view from the Truman Balcony is not of the Washington Monument but a Georgia subdivision, this is a place of fantasy, not just for its residents, Fred and Yvonne, but also for the occasional reporter, who always wanted to say...
(on camera): Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, the White House, in Atlanta, Georgia. Take that John King.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
