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CNN Live Today

Bush Asia Tour

Aired October 17, 2003 - 10:10   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: President Bush is in Tokyo this morning. Or actually, it's later in the day for him. He begins an eight-day whirlwind tour of Asia. It is centered on the Annual Asia Pacific Economic Summit. Has travels begin, as we said, in Japan, then he goes on to the Philippines. The next stop for Mr. Bush is Thailand, then Singapore and nearby Indonesia, and then finally, Australia.
Our senior White House correspondent John King is along for the ride. He joins us today from Tokyo.

John, hello.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening from Tokyo, Daryn, Friday night here.

Mr. Bush is resting now. He's in Tokyo for just 17 hours, leaves for the Philippines, as you noted, in the morning. Mr. Bush here to say thank you to a key ally, Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan, who not only supported President Bush when it came to going to war in Iraq, but now has put forth the most generous contribution so far in terms of the reconstruction of Iraq. The Japanese prime minister promising an immediate contribution of $1.5 billion. U.S. officials say they expect Japan's package to grow to about $5 billion over the next several years when that Iraq reconstruction donor's conference is held next week.

The Japanese prime minister also considering sending perhaps as many as 1,000 Japanese troops eventually to help in Iraq as well. So Mr. Bush certainly has reason to be grateful as he visits here just briefly in Tokyo tonight. Some of these positions have the prime minister in a bit of hot water.

Some demonstrators on the street today mainly to voice their opposition to President Bush and the war in Iraq, but many are also not happy their tax dollars and perhaps their troops will be going into the post-war effort as well.

So Mr. Bush here to say thanks. But there was a bit of a diplomatic dust-up over the language the administration is using to characterize this 17-hour stop here. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at one point called it a layover, to rest-up on the way to the Philippines.

Then A senior administration on Air Force One earlier today tried to recharacterize it by saying, when you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies. Yet a short time after the Bush-Koizumi meeting tonight, still another administration official once again, Daryn, called it a layover, to make it easier to get to the Philippines. When told of the Air Force One retraction of that characterization, the official shrugged and said, "Call it what you want" -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Semantics can make a big difference in the making or breaking of a trip apparently, John. Quick question about what was a layover, and that was the stop in California where President Bush met for the first time, not the first time meeting the man, but the first time meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor-elect of California. How did that meeting go?

KING: Well, both camps are saying the meeting went quite well. The key issue for governor-elect Schwarzenegger is will he get the massive infusion of federal aid he says will help his state with their budget crisis. White House officials say that's unlikely to happen because the federal government doesn't have the money to give California right now.

But from a political standpoint, the White House is quite happy. They believe governor-elect Schwarzenegger has energized the party out in California, perhaps made some new voters available to the Republican Party when it comes to California in the 2004 presidential election. The Bush campaign says it believes it is much more competitive now in California now that state will very soon have a very famous Republican governor -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John King joining us, we should say tonight, because that's where it is where you are in Tokyo. Appreciate that. Safe travels, along with the president.

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 October 17, 2003 - 10:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is in Tokyo this morning. Or actually, it's later in the day for him. He begins an eight-day whirlwind tour of Asia. It is centered on the Annual Asia Pacific Economic Summit. Has travels begin, as we said, in Japan, then he goes on to the Philippines. The next stop for Mr. Bush is Thailand, then Singapore and nearby Indonesia, and then finally, Australia.
Our senior White House correspondent John King is along for the ride. He joins us today from Tokyo.

John, hello.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening from Tokyo, Daryn, Friday night here.

Mr. Bush is resting now. He's in Tokyo for just 17 hours, leaves for the Philippines, as you noted, in the morning. Mr. Bush here to say thank you to a key ally, Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan, who not only supported President Bush when it came to going to war in Iraq, but now has put forth the most generous contribution so far in terms of the reconstruction of Iraq. The Japanese prime minister promising an immediate contribution of $1.5 billion. U.S. officials say they expect Japan's package to grow to about $5 billion over the next several years when that Iraq reconstruction donor's conference is held next week.

The Japanese prime minister also considering sending perhaps as many as 1,000 Japanese troops eventually to help in Iraq as well. So Mr. Bush certainly has reason to be grateful as he visits here just briefly in Tokyo tonight. Some of these positions have the prime minister in a bit of hot water.

Some demonstrators on the street today mainly to voice their opposition to President Bush and the war in Iraq, but many are also not happy their tax dollars and perhaps their troops will be going into the post-war effort as well.

So Mr. Bush here to say thanks. But there was a bit of a diplomatic dust-up over the language the administration is using to characterize this 17-hour stop here. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at one point called it a layover, to rest-up on the way to the Philippines.

Then A senior administration on Air Force One earlier today tried to recharacterize it by saying, when you go to Japan, it is never a layover. This is one of our best friends, one of our best allies. Yet a short time after the Bush-Koizumi meeting tonight, still another administration official once again, Daryn, called it a layover, to make it easier to get to the Philippines. When told of the Air Force One retraction of that characterization, the official shrugged and said, "Call it what you want" -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Semantics can make a big difference in the making or breaking of a trip apparently, John. Quick question about what was a layover, and that was the stop in California where President Bush met for the first time, not the first time meeting the man, but the first time meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor-elect of California. How did that meeting go?

KING: Well, both camps are saying the meeting went quite well. The key issue for governor-elect Schwarzenegger is will he get the massive infusion of federal aid he says will help his state with their budget crisis. White House officials say that's unlikely to happen because the federal government doesn't have the money to give California right now.

But from a political standpoint, the White House is quite happy. They believe governor-elect Schwarzenegger has energized the party out in California, perhaps made some new voters available to the Republican Party when it comes to California in the 2004 presidential election. The Bush campaign says it believes it is much more competitive now in California now that state will very soon have a very famous Republican governor -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John King joining us, we should say tonight, because that's where it is where you are in Tokyo. Appreciate that. Safe travels, along with the president.

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