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CNN Live At Daybreak

Talking Points: President Bush Holds 8th News Conference

Aired July 31, 2003 - 06:37   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to politics now. If you caught President Bush's news conference, he was on a roll, shooting from the hip and talking about re-election.
Live to the White House now and correspondent Dana Bash.

Maybe the president was on because he's about to go on vacation.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps. He is leaving at the end of the week for his beloved ranch in Crawford, Texas, Carol.

But it was a 52-minute news conference. It was, you're right, at times playful and at times upbeat. But the president was asked a wide range of issues, 17 questions in all. He urged patience in the rebuilding of Iraq, saying that he didn't think Thomas Jefferson was going to emerge there in 90 days.

But he also went into the question of gay marriage, and this is an issue that presents one of his biggest challenges in walking that line between conservatives in his party and the compassionate conservative agenda that he has espoused. He said that -- he made clear that people should be tolerant, but he also said that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. And he is having his staff look into a way to make that legally codified, if you will.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. And that's really where the issue is headed here in Washington, and that is the definition of marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the president also for the first time took responsibility -- personal responsibility, he said, for using those 16 words that his staff now says was suspect in making his case for war with Iraq in his State of the Union address. He said not only does he take responsibility, but his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, who also later in the day took responsibility. He has defended her, saying that she is somebody who America should be happy in serving them as one of the senior members of his staff -- Carol. COSTELLO: And the heat is finally off George Tenet. Dana Bash reporting live from the White House this morning.

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 July 31, 2003 - 06:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to politics now. If you caught President Bush's news conference, he was on a roll, shooting from the hip and talking about re-election.
Live to the White House now and correspondent Dana Bash.

Maybe the president was on because he's about to go on vacation.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps. He is leaving at the end of the week for his beloved ranch in Crawford, Texas, Carol.

But it was a 52-minute news conference. It was, you're right, at times playful and at times upbeat. But the president was asked a wide range of issues, 17 questions in all. He urged patience in the rebuilding of Iraq, saying that he didn't think Thomas Jefferson was going to emerge there in 90 days.

But he also went into the question of gay marriage, and this is an issue that presents one of his biggest challenges in walking that line between conservatives in his party and the compassionate conservative agenda that he has espoused. He said that -- he made clear that people should be tolerant, but he also said that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. And he is having his staff look into a way to make that legally codified, if you will.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. And that's really where the issue is headed here in Washington, and that is the definition of marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the president also for the first time took responsibility -- personal responsibility, he said, for using those 16 words that his staff now says was suspect in making his case for war with Iraq in his State of the Union address. He said not only does he take responsibility, but his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, who also later in the day took responsibility. He has defended her, saying that she is somebody who America should be happy in serving them as one of the senior members of his staff -- Carol. COSTELLO: And the heat is finally off George Tenet. Dana Bash reporting live from the White House this morning.

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