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CNN Live Today

View from White House

Aired May 19, 2003 - 10:23   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You have a lot going on at the White House today. You have the Philippine president in town, you have the prime minister of Israel canceling, and you have news of a key White House staffer saying, see you.
Our John King is just out of the morning informational briefing, and he joins us now with more on all of that.

John -- good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Let's start with the policy, and we'll deal with the personnel on the tail end.

The White House saying today Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary -- who we might mention in just a minute -- saying today that the White House is trying as urgently as it can to reschedule the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Mr. Sharon, of course, saying he could not come to Washington because of the spate of bombings over the weekend, those bombings continuing today in Israel.

White House officials say they hope to get that critical meeting scheduled as soon as possible. It is, of course, critical, because that meeting was to happen just as President Bush tries to push the Israelis and the Palestinians along the early steps of his so-called road map to peace. Prime Minister Sharon saying he cannot come, because of the bombings.

The White House saying it is critical that the new Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, assert himself and prove that he has some control over the security situation at the same time, though, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher saying the enemies of Israel are also the enemies of Abu Mazen, trying to deliberately disrupt these early steps towards trying to create a dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The broader war on terrorism, the president's chief concern at this hour, he is meeting now with the Philippine president, Gloria Arroyo. She is getting full red carpet treatment here at the White House today. She has been a key ally in the war on terrorism. You see the state welcoming ceremony here. She cracked down on the Abu Sayyaf terrorist network.

Mr. Bush using the occasion on the south grounds this morning to say that the Philippines is a strong partner in the war on terrorism that recent events prove is far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Last week's terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia that killed innocent civilians from the United States, the Philippines and many other nations, remind us that the war on terror continues. The world's free nations have the courage and the determination to fight this war. And together, we will defeat the forces of global terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We will hear more from the president and his guest, President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, later this morning a press conference in the East Room. And then President Arroyo gets more red carpet treatment at the White House here, a state dinner tonight, only the third state dinner of the Bush presidency -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, and, of course, there is a lot of pomp and circumstance going with President Arroyo's visit, but she is coming for more than that, isn't she?

KING: She would like some economic aid. She also would like some direct financial assistance to help pay for her effort to crack down on Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist activities. She says she very much wants to help the United States, but that it comes at a price and she needs help.

KAGAN: And before we let you go here, John, Ari Fleischer making other plans besides his daily news briefings at the White House.

KING: And Ari Fleischer planning to step down. He just cracked a joke at the end of the gaggle that he looks forward to spending some time in August in Nantucket. The president, of course, will be in Crawford, Texas. This is a running joke among the White House staff of who gets duty in Crawford, Texas. Ari Fleischer is from New York, so he prefers the Northeast. Others here, of course, very much like Crawford.

But Ari Fleischer announcing after four years of working for Governor and President Bush, more than two-and-a-half years as the White House press secretary, he will be leaving in July. He says it's just simply time. He was recently married. He says it's simply time to get out after 21 years of working in government and politics to make some money in the private sector, spend some time with his new bride, and relaxing as well.

Ari Fleischer, though, says he will try to help the president when he runs for re-election. No word as yet who will take perhaps one of the toughest jobs in Washington when it comes to dealing with the news media. But by all indications, Ari Fleischer's top deputy, Scott McClellan, who has worked with President Bush back to his days as Governor Bush will soon be named the replacement.

KAGAN: All right. Well, Ari has worked very hard, a man who has worked not just with President Bush, but Elizabeth Dole. I'm sure this is not the last we have heard from him.

John, thank you so much.

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 May 19, 2003 - 10:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You have a lot going on at the White House today. You have the Philippine president in town, you have the prime minister of Israel canceling, and you have news of a key White House staffer saying, see you.
Our John King is just out of the morning informational briefing, and he joins us now with more on all of that.

John -- good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Let's start with the policy, and we'll deal with the personnel on the tail end.

The White House saying today Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary -- who we might mention in just a minute -- saying today that the White House is trying as urgently as it can to reschedule the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Mr. Sharon, of course, saying he could not come to Washington because of the spate of bombings over the weekend, those bombings continuing today in Israel.

White House officials say they hope to get that critical meeting scheduled as soon as possible. It is, of course, critical, because that meeting was to happen just as President Bush tries to push the Israelis and the Palestinians along the early steps of his so-called road map to peace. Prime Minister Sharon saying he cannot come, because of the bombings.

The White House saying it is critical that the new Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, assert himself and prove that he has some control over the security situation at the same time, though, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher saying the enemies of Israel are also the enemies of Abu Mazen, trying to deliberately disrupt these early steps towards trying to create a dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

The broader war on terrorism, the president's chief concern at this hour, he is meeting now with the Philippine president, Gloria Arroyo. She is getting full red carpet treatment here at the White House today. She has been a key ally in the war on terrorism. You see the state welcoming ceremony here. She cracked down on the Abu Sayyaf terrorist network.

Mr. Bush using the occasion on the south grounds this morning to say that the Philippines is a strong partner in the war on terrorism that recent events prove is far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Last week's terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia that killed innocent civilians from the United States, the Philippines and many other nations, remind us that the war on terror continues. The world's free nations have the courage and the determination to fight this war. And together, we will defeat the forces of global terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: We will hear more from the president and his guest, President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, later this morning a press conference in the East Room. And then President Arroyo gets more red carpet treatment at the White House here, a state dinner tonight, only the third state dinner of the Bush presidency -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, and, of course, there is a lot of pomp and circumstance going with President Arroyo's visit, but she is coming for more than that, isn't she?

KING: She would like some economic aid. She also would like some direct financial assistance to help pay for her effort to crack down on Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist activities. She says she very much wants to help the United States, but that it comes at a price and she needs help.

KAGAN: And before we let you go here, John, Ari Fleischer making other plans besides his daily news briefings at the White House.

KING: And Ari Fleischer planning to step down. He just cracked a joke at the end of the gaggle that he looks forward to spending some time in August in Nantucket. The president, of course, will be in Crawford, Texas. This is a running joke among the White House staff of who gets duty in Crawford, Texas. Ari Fleischer is from New York, so he prefers the Northeast. Others here, of course, very much like Crawford.

But Ari Fleischer announcing after four years of working for Governor and President Bush, more than two-and-a-half years as the White House press secretary, he will be leaving in July. He says it's just simply time. He was recently married. He says it's simply time to get out after 21 years of working in government and politics to make some money in the private sector, spend some time with his new bride, and relaxing as well.

Ari Fleischer, though, says he will try to help the president when he runs for re-election. No word as yet who will take perhaps one of the toughest jobs in Washington when it comes to dealing with the news media. But by all indications, Ari Fleischer's top deputy, Scott McClellan, who has worked with President Bush back to his days as Governor Bush will soon be named the replacement.

KAGAN: All right. Well, Ari has worked very hard, a man who has worked not just with President Bush, but Elizabeth Dole. I'm sure this is not the last we have heard from him.

John, thank you so much.

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