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Inside Politics Sunday

Interview With Senators Nelson, Snowe; Interview With Ken Mehlman

Aired January 23, 2005 - 10:00   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.


DANA BASH, HOST: INSIDE POLITICS today, moving forward. We will debate the president's ambitious second-term agenda with two members of the U.S. Senate, Bill Nelson and Olympia Snowe. Pushing the GOP agenda, we have an exclusive interview with the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. And it's not the Golden Globes, but we have the best political ads of the campaign season, straight ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

BASH: Much of the Northeast and Midwest are under a blanket of snow. It's exactly one week to elections in Iraq, and 10 days until President Bush gives the first State of the Union address of his second term.

Good morning, I'm Dana Bash in Washington. Politics does not take weekends off, and neither do we.

Today's top story, what could be one of the biggest snowstorms of the past century. We have got wind and several inches of snow here in the nation's capital, but there are blizzard conditions in the Northeast. In New York City, more than a foot of snow is on the ground in places. They're going to spend the day trying to clear the streets for tomorrow morning's rush hour.

Nearly 300 flights have been canceled at New York's La Guardia Airport. Some 400 more are canceled at Kennedy and Newark.

Almost three feet of snow is expected in New England. The winds are gusting past 55 miles per hour, and all that blowing snow has led to whiteout conditions.

Boston is in the middle of the blizzard. Those whiteout conditions closed Logan Airport overnight. And it will stay closed for some time.

For more on the winter blues in Boston, or a winter wonderland, depending on your perspective, let's turn to CNN's Chris Huntington -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dana, hi. Well, a winter wonderland for the hardy and well insulated. There really are not too many folks out here. In downtown Boston, it's quite chilly, about 10 degrees right now. The wind, as you can see, pretty much the story here. It makes plowing and clearing extraordinarily frustrating, because the guys can come through and plow, and then bingo, within 20 minutes you are pretty much right back to the same accumulation.

They are expecting record accumulation here in downtown Boston, up to 20 inches already; they are expecting to supersede the current record, which is 27.5 inches set back in 2003, and pretty much close to that in the big blizzard of '78, which by the way is sort of the benchmark in these parts for how bad a storm can get. That '78 storm, Massachusetts was declared a disaster area by President Jimmy Carter.

Governor Mitt Romney here in Massachusetts now has declared a state of emergency here, which basically puts at the ready National Guard and other -- other apparatus, in case of any serious emergencies. The real concern, coastal flooding, because you've got high tide just about right about now along much of the coastal regions, and particularly those areas that are facing north into the wind, are seeing storm surges of several feet above normal high tides. There is concern out in the outlying areas of Cape Cod and some of the southern shore areas, Scituate, the town of Scituate, a great deal of snowfall there and a great deal of wind. As we have been telling you all day, winds in excess of 70 miles an hour reported up and down the coast of Massachusetts -- Dana.

BASH: Chris, it is making some of us wimps here in Washington feel a little sheepish to see you out there, but what can you tell us about the concern about high tides there?

HUNTINGTON: Well, it is -- as we speak right now, tide crested here in Boston Harbor just a few minutes ago. I don't know if you can see these boats behind me, but they're essentially floating -- their water lines are just barely below where my feet are standing. The water is right up to the edge of the pier.

This area is really quite well protected, relatively speaking. Where they are concerned about that, though, about storm surges, of course, are in the unprotected areas out on the Cape and the islands and so forth. And that is where there is concern about the need to potentially evacuate people. Hence the National Guard is at the ready to do so if need be.

We have not heard, thankfully, of any dire situations. About the most sort of emergency-prone situation, we heard about a woman being evacuated to a hospital to have a baby. All went well, we are told -- Dana.

BASH: Chris, thank you. Get dry. Get warm, and be careful out there. And we will have a check of more about the weather at the bottom of the hour. But now it's back to our favorite subject, and that is politics.

President Bush's inaugural address calling for the end to tyranny is stirring up some worried reaction among critics, who say it signals a tough new U.S. policy, one that will be hard to carry out. But the speech has its defenders, including the president's father. He said it does not signal a new aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They certainly ought not to read into it any arrogance on the part of the United States. They ought to see that here is a president who wants to deal with them and has wanted to deal with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The former president made his comments in a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room.

With the Iraq election now just one week away, insurgents have attacked another polling station, and terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi reportedly is declaring war on democracy. And now "Time" magazine's cover story out today asks the question, after the Iraqi election, how soon can we get out? U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, spoke about the elections last hour on NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: As security measures are very well in hand and in place, and that the expectation is that there will be large voter participation. So I think rather than just focusing on some of the problematic areas, I think one has to look at the country as a whole and the situation in its overall context.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You can learn more about the Iraq election and the U.S. future in Iraq in Wolf Blitzer's interview with Ambassador Negroponte. That's at noon Eastern, on CNN's "Late Edition."

Two months of bitter political wrangling have come to a close in Kiev, Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in today as president, calling it a victory of freedom over tyranny. Yushchenko overcame massive election fraud and survived an apparent poisoning attempt. He says his victory brings the Ukraine closer to Europe, while keeping some ties with Russia.

Among the observers, Secretary of state Colin Powell, who says the U.S. will do everything it can to help the new leader.

And coming up next on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY, the president is moving forward on his second-term agenda. How much will Congress support him or stand in his way? We'll ask two top senators next.

And later, new chairman of the Republican National Committee reveals his plans and challenges for his party's future. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview. And don't miss our world-famous "Late Night Laughs." Here's a sample of the week's best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: I George Walker Bush.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I George Walker Bush.

REHNQUIST: Do solemnly swear.

BUSH: Do solemnly swear.

JON STEWART, HOST, DAILY SHOW: At which point 49 percent of the country also solemnly swore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: We are looking -- that was a shot of a snowy Capitol, just down the street from us.

Here in a very warm studio, however, to talk about the president's second term agenda are two senators. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine.

And Senators, first I want to talk about the president's inaugural address. He set out an ambitious goal of ending tyranny around the globe, essentially put out some questions about what this may mean for U.S. relations with countries like China, Russia and Pakistan. Whether or not that meant a change. The White House later said, well, we didn't exactly mean that there should be a policy shift. But I want you to listen to part of the president's speech. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Senator Snowe, that sounds pretty specific. So, is this a confused or mixed message?

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: No, I don't think so. I think it gave the president the opportunity in his inaugural address to describe in philosophical terms about America's purpose and America's vision for the 21st century. And I think it's also consistent in the context of our times, the aftermath of September 11th. And as the White House has indicated, it's not a shift in policy, but rather it is an expansion of his vision for the future in terms of freedom and liberty. And I think that that's appropriate, in reaffirming the ideals of our country, which so often we don't have a chance to explain.

And I think in this inaugural address, he was able to do that.

BASH: And Senator Nelson, Ronald Reagan talked about tearing this wall down, Mr. Gorbachev, that was something that was big and bold. People sort of winced at it at the time, and in the end it actually happened. So what's wrong with giving a speech with bold ideas?

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Well, Ronald Reagan was successful. I wish that the rest of the world agreed with what President Bush said, but we don't necessarily deal with the rest of the world, and insist that they have to have a democracy.

For example, Pakistan. What are we going to do in our relationship where we have to be successful, for example, in Iran and North Korea? We have to get nuclear weapons out of there. And the long and short of it is I think this is a new philosophy of the neoconservatives. It's a lofty ideal...

BASH: Is it dangerous? Do you agree with it?

NELSON: I don't think it's practical, because, for example, Saudi Arabia, are we going to insist that they become a democracy? It would certainly be great if they didn't have any human rights abuses, but what is the alternative? Is democracy the alternative in Saudi Arabia? Do you want an Islamic, radical Islamic government sitting on top of all of that oil?

BASH: Let me change topics quickly to Iraq. Elections are one week from today. The White House is trying to downplay the idea that this is the end all, be all, saying that perhaps this is just the first step. How critical, though, are the elections to the ultimate success in Iraq, Senator Snowe?

SNOWE: Well, in the final analysis, it is, and it's up to the Iraqi people to participate, to broadly participate in these elections. It is certainly their chance to seize their destiny, and to exercise this most basic right for the first time. And thanks to American men and women who have served on the frontlines of freedom, they're able to do that.

And I think it's very critical that there is broad participation. And some of the pollings recently are encouraging, saying that 80 percent of the Iraqi people are committed to being part of these elections. It remains to be seen.

BASH: Quickly, to both of you, is it time now for the administration to announce an exit strategy, when the U.S. troops are finally going to come home?

NELSON: Well, I think our exit strategy that ought to be enunciated is that we are going to stabilize Iraq. And the sooner the better. But we have got to get serious about the training there of the Iraqi army and the police, and then we'll be able to exit.

BASH: Senator Snowe, should the administration start to tell the American people when troops are going to come home?

SNOWE: Well, I think it's very difficult to commit a timetable. I think we certainly will know the outcome of the election, where we go from there. I think the exit strategy is going to be the security and stability and the willingness of the Iraqis to allow us to continue, but I think obviously that will firmly be established once these elections are over.

BASH: Talking now about the president's second-term agenda on the domestic side. Social Security reform is front and center. I want you both to look at a poll recently by "The L.A. Times," asking about the president's central tenet of his plan, which is diverting payroll taxes for private investment accounts. It shows that only 42 percent approve of this idea, while 52 percent disapprove.

Senator Snowe, you're a very important member of the Senate Finance Committee, which will be crafting this. I would imagine you are hearing a lot of similar concern from your constituents?

SNOWE: I am. And I think that public discussions thus far, without a specific proposal, has created and enhanced a lot of confusion and fear among seniors, wondering if their benefit now are going to be cut.

This requires a very thoughtful approach by Congress. I know it's going to be unusual for Congress to engage in thoughtfulness, but I think that that's what we need to do. We should not be acting precipitously to undermine the basic tenet of this program, that has worked well for 70 years by providing a defined, guaranteed benefit.

BASH: Sounds like you are very reluctant to support what the president is pushing.

SNOWE: Well, I'm certainly not going to support diverting $2 trillion from Social Security into creating personal savings accounts. I don't object to personal savings accounts per se, but that's got to be a part of a larger retirement security picture, as one dimension. But the existing program, as it has been developed in the last 70 years, provides a stable monthly income that has prevented seniors, almost 50 percent, from falling into poverty. I don't think we want to erode the principles of that system.

NELSON: And I would say amen to that.

BASH: Well, I wanted to ask you, Senator Nelson, though, President Clinton, back in the mid-'90s, said that he thought that Social Security needed to be fixed now and not wait. So, what's wrong with addressing this issue now?

NELSON: Well, we can address it. But you can do so without cutting the benefits of senior citizens, or cutting the benefits and undermining a system that has worked well for half a century to give senior citizens a lifeline.

What I'm exploring right now is the way of creating these private accounts over and above Social Security, so that the benefits are not cut.

BASH: Would you support anything that shows benefit cuts? The president says he won't cut anybody's benefits near or at retirement. But what about those before?

SNOWE: Well, that's an important statement to make, and I think that certainly has to get out there, because I think it is still -- there is a lot of fear among seniors.

I think we have to look at, you know, many issues. And first of all, we have to reach a consensus on the level of urgency and the magnitude of the problem before we develop a long-term solution.

BASH: You don't think it's that urgent, I take it?

SNOWE: Well, you know, there's various scenarios and interpretations about that urgency. I think first we have to get the facts. There are too many interpretations of the facts, and those scenarios could change based on the variables incorporated in those projections. So I think as a member of the Finance Committee, I will certainly look at the entire question, as should all of Congress.

BASH: Senator Nelson, Senator Snowe, thank you very much both for joining us. We really appreciate it.

NELSON: Thanks very much.

BASH: And up next, another update on that record winter storm hitting the Northeast.

Plus, he helped lead President Bush to an election victory. So how does he plan to push the president's agenda through Congress? We'll profile the new man in charge of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman.

Also, as President Bush starts his second term, will he be a uniter or a divider? Bill Schneider has "The Story Behind the Story" on how America is divided on just that question. INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: In his inaugural address this week, President Bush called for national unity. He pledged to heal the political divide so sharply defined during the campaign. So how divided is America? CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has "The Story Behind the Story."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In 2000, after the bitter divisions of the Clinton years, George W. Bush ran for president on this promise.

BUSH: If you're tired of this business about pitting one group of people against another, why don't we have a uniter not a divider as a leader.

SCHNEIDER: Americans did see Bush as a uniter when he took office in 2001. He was not part of the Newt Gingrich crowd in Washington. He had nothing to do with President Clinton's impeachment. He had worked with Democrats in Texas.

Now, as President Bush prepares to take office for a second term, uniter no more. A new CNN-"USA Today" Gallup poll shows Americans are divided over whether President Bush is dividing the country.

President Bush made another pledge in 2000.

BUSH: Mine is a compassionate conservative message that will unite the Republican Party, and bring our country a new day, full of promise for every single American.

SCHNEIDER: What happened to compassionate conservatism? The conservatism is still there. In fact, it's stronger. When he first took office, 48 percent of Americans described Bush as a conservative. Now, 58 percent do.

But the public sees less compassion. In early 2001, 56 percent said they thought Bush cared about the needs of people like themselves. Now only 45 percent believe he does.

In January 2001, when President Clinton left office, peace and prosperity reigned. Both Republicans and Democrats were overwhelmingly satisfied with the nation's economy. Republicans still are. But not Democrats.

In January 2001, both Republicans and Democrats were satisfied with America's role in world affairs. Republicans still are. Democrats are not.

At the end of his term, 55 percent of Republicans said they disapproved of President Clinton's job performance. Now, 75 percent of Democrats disapprove of Bush.

When Bush first took office, Americans were asked whether they thought the new president would heal the political divisions in the country. Fifty-three percent said no. Four years later, do people think President Bush did heal those divisions? Sixty-eight percent say no.

Do people think President Bush will heal those divisions in his second term? Sixty-four percent say no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: It sounds absurd to call the Clinton era the era of good feelings, but compared to the present, it sort of was. Now what we have looks like the era of ill will -- Dana.

BASH: Well, Bill, in the president's inaugural address, he talked about unity. So is he going to end the era of ill will, as you call it, or is this going to fly?

SCHNEIDER: Not with that speech. That speech was heard around the world and in the United States as a call to interventionism. He repackaged the war on terrorism as a war on tyranny. Democrats listened to that speech and said, oh, no, more Iraqs. And a lot of people around the world listened to that speech and they saw a certain amount of arrogance and hubris, which is why his father came out in the White House, of all places, his father came out to say, no, no, this wasn't about arrogance and hubris, it's not a departure from my international policy, but a lot of people think it was.

BASH: You mentioned the Iraqi elections. Some Republicans I've talked to even have said you cannot overstate how critical these elections are for the president's domestic political viability. What do you make of that?

SCHNEIDER: I make of that that he wants to get the Iraq controversy off the agenda. Because right now, it's the number one political issue in the country. Americans are getting killed over there every day. And it's going to be hard for him to make much headway on his domestic agenda as long as the Iraq controversy continues to grow. He is counting on the elections to dampen that controversy. Maybe it will, but I'd say it's a long shot.

BASH: Bill, thank you. Stay safe in the snow.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

BASH: And let's go now to CNN world headquarters in Atlanta for a look at the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BASH: Thanks, Betty. A conservative columnist recently compared Ken Mehlman to Wal-Mart magnate Sam Walton, because of his 2004 strategy to go into exploding ex-urbs, to appeal to new Republican voters. This week, the president's 38-year-old campaign manager took the helm of the Republican National Committee. With a new big job and his candidate's inauguration, his spirits are high, but there are tensions and challenges for him ahead. We stopped by his Capitol Hill office to bring you this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Ken Mehlman, congratulations.

KEN MEHLMAN, RNC CHAIRMAN: Thank you. Thanks a lot.

BASH: Thank you for inviting us into your office.

MEHLMAN: My pleasure. My pleasure.

BASH: One of the first things I noticed, just one of them, coming in was this letter over here. Not something that many people have in their office, from the president, thanking you essentially for helping him mastermind the win that he just had.

MEHLMAN: Well, it was an honor to serve the president. It was an honor to work on this campaign. I think our country faced a number of hugely important issues, and I think that reelecting this president and reelecting the majorities we have in Congress will help us deal with those issues in the right way for the future.

BASH: You are coming into this role second youngest RNC chairman. Lee Atwater was the youngest, and also the first political operative to run the RNC since (UNINTELLIGIBLE). How is that going to dictate how you intend to run this committee based on some of your recent predecessors?

MEHLMAN: Well, what I hope to try to do is to use my time here to do several things. First, I want to work hard to use the tools we used to reelect the president to now help pass the agenda, to now help move the agenda that's before Congress, the Bush-Frist-Hastert agenda.

Secondly, obviously, we want to keep trying to win elections, and we are going to work as hard as we can as a national committee to help identify and recruit and support the best candidates we can.

BASH: In your speech this past week, you used the word "mandate," talking about not only you have the White House, you have Congress, 28 governor's mansions, but the reality is in a lot of polls, for example, in the latest CNN-"USA Today" Gallup poll, it shows the president's approval rating at 51 percent, disapproval at 46 percent. So the question is, how do you capitalize on an electoral mandate that you think you have, when the president's public support is so low?

MEHLMAN: Well, I think the way you ultimately capitalize on the results of the election is by doing what you say you're going to do and this is a president that is very committed to reforming the Social Security system so we save it for our children, to making sure that we reduce the amount of frivolous lawsuits so health care is more affordable, fundamental tax reform.

BASH: I want to talk about the inaugural address. One theme was unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes and I will strive in good faith to heal them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That's an olive branch, so explain how he's going to turn that into the practical.

MEHLMAN: Well, I think that there's two things. First of all, if you look at what was accomplished, almost every one of the accomplishments for America was achieved by Democrats and Republicans working together but here's what we need to do in my judgment.

Both sides need to take the rhetoric down and so we need to be able to disagree, Democrats and Republicans. We're going to disagree on issues. That's what America is all about. That's good for our country. We need to do it in a way that is not personally disagreeable.

BASH: Another theme, the biggest theme in the president's address was his promise to root out tyranny.

MEHLMAN: Yes. BASH: Across the globe even apparently in countries where there are friendly, that the United States is friendly with the governments. As a political operative, is it a little bit risky to have such a bold speech, such bold ideas and such a big forum and something that might be pretty hard to follow through on?

MEHLMAN: Well, a couple things. My personal interest in politics, I first volunteered in 1980 at 14 for Ronald Reagan, was because of the fact that he had bold policies. I reject the notion that small ball politics is good politics. I think at the end of the day people are motivated by a leader who they think wants to do the right thing regardless of the difficulty of doing the right thing.

BASH: Peggy Noonan who worked here at the RNC during the campaign wrote today that she thought that there was too much God in the speech. She wrote: "The president's speech seemed rather heavenish. It was a God-drenched speech. This president, who has been accused of giving too much attention to religious imagery and religious thought, has not let the criticism enter him." What does that say to you?

MEHLMAN: I reject that criticism. I like Peggy Noonan. I think she's a very smart lady and she obviously has a long history of being a good speech writer. I disagree with that.

Remember one of the reasons this president's leadership is so powerful, one of the reasons that America is different is we recognize that, in fact, freedom is God's gift to mankind. It is a right, a God given right of every man, woman and child not to have to live in slavery.

And so, I think that it was absolutely appropriate for a president talking about the power of freedom and the danger of tyranny to reference God because the fundamental right to freedom comes from God, not from the government.

BASH: Social Security reform.

MEHLMAN: Yes.

BASH: You've got a big campaign planned in order...

MEHLMAN: Yes.

BASH: ...to try to sell the ideas, first of all the need for reform and how the president intends to reform. During the campaign you had all the Republicans behind you. There are many Republicans who are very skeptical about the need for reform or how the president intends to do it. How are you going to galvanize people when they're split?

MEHLMAN: Well, certainly there are some in Washington who are uncertain of how best to tackle this issue but the grassroots is not in Washington. The grassroots is around the country and the millions of Americans around the country that came out and volunteered and came out and went door-to-door, the seven and a half million e-activists, they very much believe that we need to save Social Security.

BASH: Howard Dean.

MEHLMAN: Howard Dean.

BASH: Is likely to be your counterpart at the DNC. You were preparing to go up against Howard Dean but in a very different capacity sometime ago.

MEHLMAN: I don't know who will be the DNC chairman. I'm happy I'm the RNC chairman. I don't know who it will be.

BASH: If it's Governor Dean, what does that say about the Democratic Party?

MEHLMAN: Again, I think that ultimately the Democratic Party is a big and diverse party. I think that the challenge, I think who the party chairman is, and this is against my self interest to say, ultimately is important but at the end of the day it's what the party stands for.

BASH: Speaking of Democrats, they shot a symbolic shot across the bow to Republicans, to the president this past week by delaying Condoleezza Rice's nomination.

MEHLMAN: Yes. I think they have to make a decision. I mean I think that certainly in my judgment if you look at the political history of Tom Daschle, of Jean Carnahan, of Max Cleland obstructionism is not good politics standing against someone who is so qualified, as Condoleezza Rice, who is so historic a nominee as Condoleezza Rice just to make a statement that's the old politics that's the politics that says "I'm going to try to foul you. I'm going to try to stick my finger in your eye." I don't think that is effective politically.

BASH: That wasn't a warning to Democratic Senators that they could go the way of Jean Carnahan meaning that you would use the same tactics because some (UNINTELLIGIBLE) looked at those and thought they were (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MEHLMAN: Look, people's records as legislators, as Senators are ultimately what voters decide on and certainly if you believe that blocking lots of judicial nominees, if you believe that blocking the president's choice for secretary of state is a good tactic then you're going to have to explain it back home to the voters.

BASH: One last question.

MEHLMAN: Sure.

BASH: There's a lot of talk about the fact that Democrats have to find their way that they're essentially a lost party right now, not about Republicans. The expectations are actually pretty high for you. Is that a challenge that you think about?

MEHLMAN: The danger of high expectations. Look, I think first of all, all of the talk about the death of the Democratic Party is premature. It's a very strong party. The Democrats out-raised us in the last campaign. They did a good job. They were very unified. They fielded a strong candidate who ran an incredibly aggressive campaign in 2004.

BASH: And what about your challenge?

MEHLMAN: I think our challenge is several fold. First it is to make sure -- the American people have provided us with a trust. We need to make sure we take advantage of that trust.

Secondly, we can't sit on our laurels. We had a good campaign in '04. So did the Democrats. We need to look at everything we did tactically as a political organization, the RNC, and the state parties and improve it and make it even better going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And coming up next we'll check in with some of Washington's best political reporters on the inaugural address that was and the upcoming State of the Union speech.

And we've got your late night laughs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)_

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: This is a rare opportunity now for a lot of really otherwise intelligent people to spend as much as $250,000 and come here and freeze their ass off for about (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: After a week of political pomp, Washington gets down to business. As President Bush sets his second term agenda into motion, Democrats are getting their own house in order.

Here with today's on the record report on CNN Political Editor John Mercurio, Jim Vandehei of "The Washington Post," and Jill Zuckman, National Correspondent for the "Chicago Tribune."

Let's talk first about the big speech, the inaugural address. The whole them, which we didn't realize would be this big, was freedom and liberty. It sounded like a sweeping new policy. Let's listen to one sound byte.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation, the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom which is eternally right.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Jim Vandehei, the White House is now saying well that wasn't a policy shift. We didn't mean that but this isn't some off the cuff remark. This is his inaugural address, so what's the deal?

JIM VANDEHEI, "WASHINGTON POST": It certainly sounded breathtaking in scope to move from terrorism to tyranny. That's a pretty dramatic shift in policy. What the White House has said over the last two days, including using the president's father, is that it's not, that basically this is a reaffirmation of his policies and a policy that looks out over decades, not years and ending tyranny.

I do think it was another shot at Iran and North Korea and those that we've identified as part of the axis of evil. I don't think it reflects a shift in policy towards Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, those that have these track records for abusing human rights but are also allies in the war on terror.

BASH: John, was it too big, too vague perhaps or was it exactly what the president's supporters love, which is hearing what they call bold ideas from him?

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I have to be honest with you. I actually wasn't that struck by these sorts of bold themes that we're talking about. I think we've all heard millions of political speeches over the years that talk about the need to eradicate tyranny, to eradicate oppression and spread freedom and democracy.

So, I really wasn't that struck by more than that I think was the particularly grim tone that the president took, I mean especially in a second term inaugural. Usually the president takes that opportunity to talk about the great four years how he's turned this country around, a very realistic I thought outlook on sort of where we are right now.

BASH: Political cartoons can sometimes frame things the way neither of us, none of us can. I want you to take a look at a political cartoon from this past week from the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" up on the screen. You see "Yo, down in front" someone screaming for Iraq to get out of the way trying to watch the inaugural address."

Jill Zuckman how much is Iraq going to overshadow everything the president wants to do on Capitol Hill?

JILL ZUCKMAN, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": You know it's been the elephant in the room for the last couple of years and it's the thing that keeps popping up and getting in the way of other things.

And, Congress has a history of only being able to do a couple big things at a time and Iraq is just not going away, so, you know, they're talking about revamping Social Security. I think that's going to be extremely difficult. That has problems in and of itself but with Iraq always present people get distracted.

MERCURIO: I think we'll know a lot more about, you know, the sort of abilities to do Social Security and a lot of other domestic things after January 30th, after these elections next week.

BASH: And how important, Jim, are these elections? As I said to Bill Schneider, you can't overstate, according to many Republicans how critical they are for the president.

VANDEHEI: Hugely important. Iraq has its tentacles in all policy now and foreign policy we can't do anything against Iran or North Korea or anywhere else if all of our troops are in Iraq and need to be in Iraq for the next four years.

Domestically, the money that goes towards Iraq makes it that much harder to do something like Social Security reform. If you can take the most optimistic assessment that the transition costs of Social Security reform are $100 billion to $200 billion a year, it's almost impossible to see how you reform that system when we continue to have to spend so much money in Iraq.

BASH: One person who would have preferred to have been preparing for and involved in his own inauguration, of course, was John Kerry. He was back on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue this week at the Condoleezza Rice hearings with a high profile. Let's listen to one greeting he got.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: And I also want to note that some of us are overjoyed to have Senator Kerry back here with us today. I also want to be...

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: There's going to be a certain unanimity over there. Just pass a quick resolution and move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: John, the Senator obviously trying to use a little humor there but what are you hearing about what he wants his role to be?

MERCURIO: Yes, this was definitely not the week I think that John Kerry has been dreaming about all of his life but, you know, I mean I don't think he's like Al Gore. I don't think he's going to sort of disappear, grow a beard and gain weight. I think, you know, he still has four years left in his Senate term. There's a lot he wants to do. We saw that last week in the Condi Rice vote against her nomination.

We know tomorrow he's going to introduce a bill that he talked a lot about on the campaign trail, which was expand health care for children, something he talked about paying for by repealing part of the Bush tax cuts. He also wants to expand military personnel by about 40,000, which is a bill he's going to talk about.

So, he's not going away. He's here for another four years. Is he going to run in '08? You know who knows? We'll see more of that. ZUCKMAN: But it's not as if he's never had a high profile on Capitol Hill. He's always -- what he doesn't want to do now is melt back in and be one of 100 Senators.

BASH: And one of the wraps on his has been that he has such a thin legislative history.

ZUCKMAN: That's right.

BASH: So, is he going to try to correct that?

ZUCKMAN: Yes. I think so. I mean I think he's going to be trying to address some of those weaknesses that people complained about and he's trying to establish a record to run on in four years, at least to keep that door open if he wants to run again.

BASH: Jim, four years ago I remember I was at the president's first inauguration in the rotunda. Senator Kerry was there wearing these big boots and I sort of joked, "Senator, are those your New Hampshire boots" and he said "You bet your (bleep) they are." And that just sort of struck me. Four years later, there he was still a Senator at the president's second inauguration.

VANDEHEI: Right.

BASH: You were there.

VANDEHEI: Right. What struck me were a couple of things. One was the juxtaposition of having Kerry on stage with President Bush and thinking about what John Kerry would have talked about. It would have been a dramatically different inaugural address. It would have been probably about healing both domestically and internationally.

I also thought, you know, he was on stage and twice he was booed by the Republican crowd. As he stood there his view was obstructed by a big cowboy hat. I thought there was a little bit of ironic symbolism there.

So, I question how much power he really has in the Senate because no one came to him to be party leader after the election and no one came to him to run DNC either, so I think it remains to be seen if he can actually build that base because the election never was about John Kerry it seemed. It was about an anti-Bush fervor that was driving the Democratic Party.

BASH: Speaking of the DNC, John, Howard Dean seems to be the frontrunner right now but is this going to be sort of like the primary's redux? He is ahead at the beginning and then he flames out?

MERCURIO: I think in a lot of ways it is sort of a redux of the Democratic primary. He's defining the race. I mean you're either Dean or you're anti-Dean. Martin Frost, Tim Roemer, a lot of the other candidates are defining themselves as the anti-Dean candidate.

It's different though in the sense there's no sort of come from behind energy that Dean had during the presidential primary and he's talking actually in this race much more about centrism.

He actually was in Sacramento yesterday talking about the need for the party to move to the middle, which is definitely new. And also the issue of abortion rights playing heavily in this race and definitely didn't play in the primary.

BASH: Jill Zuckman, the future of the Democratic Party in Howard Dean's hands?

ZUCKMAN: You know, I don't know. I think the future of the Democratic Party is in the hands of the members of Congress who have to deal with President Bush and the Republicans and find a way not just to react but to be proactive and they're struggling to figure that out on Capitol Hill and I'm not sure that just electing a party chair is going to put an imprimatur on the entire party.

BASH: You covered Howard Dean.

MERCURIO: Right.

BASH: Do you think he's the right guy for the job based on your intimate knowledge of him?

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Do you think he has an organization -- no, it's a different kind of job.

VANDEHEI: Right, it is. What strikes me about it is if you look back at Howard Dean's campaign he was widely criticized for running a pretty poor campaign organizationally. He spent money like a rock star without an accountant and that was really a wrap on him.

So to bring him in at the end of the day the DNC job is an organizational job. You have to take 50 state parties, bring them together, create an organization where you can then challenge Republicans down the road. So, it will be interesting to see if he can transform himself into that type of leader.

BASH: Thank you, Jim, Jill, John, appreciate it. Thanks for coming in on this snowy Sunday.

VANDEHEI: Thank you.

BASH: And coming up just when you thought the presidential campaign season was over we've got the highlights of this year's political ads for better or worse. That's straight ahead on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Checking our "Political Bytes," yesterday marked the 32nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S. Both anti-abortion and abortion rights activists were out in force holding demonstrations and providing escorts for women entering Planned Parenthood clinics. Tomorrow, anti-abortion demonstrators gather in Washington for the annual March for Life.

And, one week after causing a stir, the president of Harvard, Lawrence Summers, has started a new program to recruit and support women at the university. Summers sparked a controversy when he told an academic conference that innate differences between men and women may explain why fewer women succeed in science and math careers.

According to the "Boston Globe," Summers is creating a task force as early as next week and the recommendations will be implemented by the end of the semester.

And, for all you political junkies out there awards were handed out last night for the best political ads of the year. The ads were judged by 200 members of the American Association of Political Consultants and you probably won't be surprised which campaign commercial won. Yes, it was the Bush-Cheney ad that showed John Kerry windsurfing or, as the narrator said, changing directions whichever way the wind blows.

This was a very special week for politics, the inauguration ceremony, the balls, the fancy dresses and, of course, the late night comedians. We'll bring you some of the best political punch lines when INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Time now for the "Late Night Laughs" of the past week with the Bush inauguration ceremonies providing plenty of raw material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO: As you know, President Bush had his swearing in yesterday. It was a very emotional moment. Laura Bush had tears in her eyes. The president's mother Barbara Bush she had tears in her eyes. John Kerry he had tears in his eyes. It was sad.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I was sitting next to John McCain.

JON STEWART: And how did he -- underneath was he muttering at all during it?

LIEBERMAN: Well, funny you ask because when the president took the oath, John and I were lip synching.

CONAN O'BRIEN: President Bush is being criticized because his inaugural celebration cost $40 million. Now, when asked about it the president said "Sorry, but my daughters insisted on an open bar."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell that you are obviously giddy about this inauguration. I mean you can barely contain yourself.

MCCAIN: Well, it's a chance to see, you know, some of my colleagues are older and as cold as it may be, this may be a chance for me to move up in seniority. If the speech is exceedingly long, you may even see some of them right there on the platform. STEWART: A moving benediction from a minister filling the hearts of the gathered crowd with pure thoughts of their maker. Oh my God, he's dead, Cheney's dead. Someone put a mirror under his nose. Somebody, oh my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: OK. Well that was certainly just a snippet of the laughs that we saw over the past week.

And coming up next what's ahead on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: That's it for this edition of INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

Coming up in 30 minutes "RELIABLE SOURCES" takes a critical look at the inauguration, the pageantry and the press.

For now thanks for watching. I'm Dana Bash in Washington.

CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues right now.

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Aired January 23, 2005 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DANA BASH, HOST: INSIDE POLITICS today, moving forward. We will debate the president's ambitious second-term agenda with two members of the U.S. Senate, Bill Nelson and Olympia Snowe. Pushing the GOP agenda, we have an exclusive interview with the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. And it's not the Golden Globes, but we have the best political ads of the campaign season, straight ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Washington, this is INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

BASH: Much of the Northeast and Midwest are under a blanket of snow. It's exactly one week to elections in Iraq, and 10 days until President Bush gives the first State of the Union address of his second term.

Good morning, I'm Dana Bash in Washington. Politics does not take weekends off, and neither do we.

Today's top story, what could be one of the biggest snowstorms of the past century. We have got wind and several inches of snow here in the nation's capital, but there are blizzard conditions in the Northeast. In New York City, more than a foot of snow is on the ground in places. They're going to spend the day trying to clear the streets for tomorrow morning's rush hour.

Nearly 300 flights have been canceled at New York's La Guardia Airport. Some 400 more are canceled at Kennedy and Newark.

Almost three feet of snow is expected in New England. The winds are gusting past 55 miles per hour, and all that blowing snow has led to whiteout conditions.

Boston is in the middle of the blizzard. Those whiteout conditions closed Logan Airport overnight. And it will stay closed for some time.

For more on the winter blues in Boston, or a winter wonderland, depending on your perspective, let's turn to CNN's Chris Huntington -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dana, hi. Well, a winter wonderland for the hardy and well insulated. There really are not too many folks out here. In downtown Boston, it's quite chilly, about 10 degrees right now. The wind, as you can see, pretty much the story here. It makes plowing and clearing extraordinarily frustrating, because the guys can come through and plow, and then bingo, within 20 minutes you are pretty much right back to the same accumulation.

They are expecting record accumulation here in downtown Boston, up to 20 inches already; they are expecting to supersede the current record, which is 27.5 inches set back in 2003, and pretty much close to that in the big blizzard of '78, which by the way is sort of the benchmark in these parts for how bad a storm can get. That '78 storm, Massachusetts was declared a disaster area by President Jimmy Carter.

Governor Mitt Romney here in Massachusetts now has declared a state of emergency here, which basically puts at the ready National Guard and other -- other apparatus, in case of any serious emergencies. The real concern, coastal flooding, because you've got high tide just about right about now along much of the coastal regions, and particularly those areas that are facing north into the wind, are seeing storm surges of several feet above normal high tides. There is concern out in the outlying areas of Cape Cod and some of the southern shore areas, Scituate, the town of Scituate, a great deal of snowfall there and a great deal of wind. As we have been telling you all day, winds in excess of 70 miles an hour reported up and down the coast of Massachusetts -- Dana.

BASH: Chris, it is making some of us wimps here in Washington feel a little sheepish to see you out there, but what can you tell us about the concern about high tides there?

HUNTINGTON: Well, it is -- as we speak right now, tide crested here in Boston Harbor just a few minutes ago. I don't know if you can see these boats behind me, but they're essentially floating -- their water lines are just barely below where my feet are standing. The water is right up to the edge of the pier.

This area is really quite well protected, relatively speaking. Where they are concerned about that, though, about storm surges, of course, are in the unprotected areas out on the Cape and the islands and so forth. And that is where there is concern about the need to potentially evacuate people. Hence the National Guard is at the ready to do so if need be.

We have not heard, thankfully, of any dire situations. About the most sort of emergency-prone situation, we heard about a woman being evacuated to a hospital to have a baby. All went well, we are told -- Dana.

BASH: Chris, thank you. Get dry. Get warm, and be careful out there. And we will have a check of more about the weather at the bottom of the hour. But now it's back to our favorite subject, and that is politics.

President Bush's inaugural address calling for the end to tyranny is stirring up some worried reaction among critics, who say it signals a tough new U.S. policy, one that will be hard to carry out. But the speech has its defenders, including the president's father. He said it does not signal a new aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They certainly ought not to read into it any arrogance on the part of the United States. They ought to see that here is a president who wants to deal with them and has wanted to deal with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: The former president made his comments in a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room.

With the Iraq election now just one week away, insurgents have attacked another polling station, and terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi reportedly is declaring war on democracy. And now "Time" magazine's cover story out today asks the question, after the Iraqi election, how soon can we get out? U.S. ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, spoke about the elections last hour on NBC's "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: As security measures are very well in hand and in place, and that the expectation is that there will be large voter participation. So I think rather than just focusing on some of the problematic areas, I think one has to look at the country as a whole and the situation in its overall context.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: You can learn more about the Iraq election and the U.S. future in Iraq in Wolf Blitzer's interview with Ambassador Negroponte. That's at noon Eastern, on CNN's "Late Edition."

Two months of bitter political wrangling have come to a close in Kiev, Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in today as president, calling it a victory of freedom over tyranny. Yushchenko overcame massive election fraud and survived an apparent poisoning attempt. He says his victory brings the Ukraine closer to Europe, while keeping some ties with Russia.

Among the observers, Secretary of state Colin Powell, who says the U.S. will do everything it can to help the new leader.

And coming up next on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY, the president is moving forward on his second-term agenda. How much will Congress support him or stand in his way? We'll ask two top senators next.

And later, new chairman of the Republican National Committee reveals his plans and challenges for his party's future. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview. And don't miss our world-famous "Late Night Laughs." Here's a sample of the week's best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM REHNQUIST, CHIEF JUSTICE, SUPREME COURT: I George Walker Bush.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I George Walker Bush.

REHNQUIST: Do solemnly swear.

BUSH: Do solemnly swear.

JON STEWART, HOST, DAILY SHOW: At which point 49 percent of the country also solemnly swore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: We are looking -- that was a shot of a snowy Capitol, just down the street from us.

Here in a very warm studio, however, to talk about the president's second term agenda are two senators. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine.

And Senators, first I want to talk about the president's inaugural address. He set out an ambitious goal of ending tyranny around the globe, essentially put out some questions about what this may mean for U.S. relations with countries like China, Russia and Pakistan. Whether or not that meant a change. The White House later said, well, we didn't exactly mean that there should be a policy shift. But I want you to listen to part of the president's speech. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Senator Snowe, that sounds pretty specific. So, is this a confused or mixed message?

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: No, I don't think so. I think it gave the president the opportunity in his inaugural address to describe in philosophical terms about America's purpose and America's vision for the 21st century. And I think it's also consistent in the context of our times, the aftermath of September 11th. And as the White House has indicated, it's not a shift in policy, but rather it is an expansion of his vision for the future in terms of freedom and liberty. And I think that that's appropriate, in reaffirming the ideals of our country, which so often we don't have a chance to explain.

And I think in this inaugural address, he was able to do that.

BASH: And Senator Nelson, Ronald Reagan talked about tearing this wall down, Mr. Gorbachev, that was something that was big and bold. People sort of winced at it at the time, and in the end it actually happened. So what's wrong with giving a speech with bold ideas?

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Well, Ronald Reagan was successful. I wish that the rest of the world agreed with what President Bush said, but we don't necessarily deal with the rest of the world, and insist that they have to have a democracy.

For example, Pakistan. What are we going to do in our relationship where we have to be successful, for example, in Iran and North Korea? We have to get nuclear weapons out of there. And the long and short of it is I think this is a new philosophy of the neoconservatives. It's a lofty ideal...

BASH: Is it dangerous? Do you agree with it?

NELSON: I don't think it's practical, because, for example, Saudi Arabia, are we going to insist that they become a democracy? It would certainly be great if they didn't have any human rights abuses, but what is the alternative? Is democracy the alternative in Saudi Arabia? Do you want an Islamic, radical Islamic government sitting on top of all of that oil?

BASH: Let me change topics quickly to Iraq. Elections are one week from today. The White House is trying to downplay the idea that this is the end all, be all, saying that perhaps this is just the first step. How critical, though, are the elections to the ultimate success in Iraq, Senator Snowe?

SNOWE: Well, in the final analysis, it is, and it's up to the Iraqi people to participate, to broadly participate in these elections. It is certainly their chance to seize their destiny, and to exercise this most basic right for the first time. And thanks to American men and women who have served on the frontlines of freedom, they're able to do that.

And I think it's very critical that there is broad participation. And some of the pollings recently are encouraging, saying that 80 percent of the Iraqi people are committed to being part of these elections. It remains to be seen.

BASH: Quickly, to both of you, is it time now for the administration to announce an exit strategy, when the U.S. troops are finally going to come home?

NELSON: Well, I think our exit strategy that ought to be enunciated is that we are going to stabilize Iraq. And the sooner the better. But we have got to get serious about the training there of the Iraqi army and the police, and then we'll be able to exit.

BASH: Senator Snowe, should the administration start to tell the American people when troops are going to come home?

SNOWE: Well, I think it's very difficult to commit a timetable. I think we certainly will know the outcome of the election, where we go from there. I think the exit strategy is going to be the security and stability and the willingness of the Iraqis to allow us to continue, but I think obviously that will firmly be established once these elections are over.

BASH: Talking now about the president's second-term agenda on the domestic side. Social Security reform is front and center. I want you both to look at a poll recently by "The L.A. Times," asking about the president's central tenet of his plan, which is diverting payroll taxes for private investment accounts. It shows that only 42 percent approve of this idea, while 52 percent disapprove.

Senator Snowe, you're a very important member of the Senate Finance Committee, which will be crafting this. I would imagine you are hearing a lot of similar concern from your constituents?

SNOWE: I am. And I think that public discussions thus far, without a specific proposal, has created and enhanced a lot of confusion and fear among seniors, wondering if their benefit now are going to be cut.

This requires a very thoughtful approach by Congress. I know it's going to be unusual for Congress to engage in thoughtfulness, but I think that that's what we need to do. We should not be acting precipitously to undermine the basic tenet of this program, that has worked well for 70 years by providing a defined, guaranteed benefit.

BASH: Sounds like you are very reluctant to support what the president is pushing.

SNOWE: Well, I'm certainly not going to support diverting $2 trillion from Social Security into creating personal savings accounts. I don't object to personal savings accounts per se, but that's got to be a part of a larger retirement security picture, as one dimension. But the existing program, as it has been developed in the last 70 years, provides a stable monthly income that has prevented seniors, almost 50 percent, from falling into poverty. I don't think we want to erode the principles of that system.

NELSON: And I would say amen to that.

BASH: Well, I wanted to ask you, Senator Nelson, though, President Clinton, back in the mid-'90s, said that he thought that Social Security needed to be fixed now and not wait. So, what's wrong with addressing this issue now?

NELSON: Well, we can address it. But you can do so without cutting the benefits of senior citizens, or cutting the benefits and undermining a system that has worked well for half a century to give senior citizens a lifeline.

What I'm exploring right now is the way of creating these private accounts over and above Social Security, so that the benefits are not cut.

BASH: Would you support anything that shows benefit cuts? The president says he won't cut anybody's benefits near or at retirement. But what about those before?

SNOWE: Well, that's an important statement to make, and I think that certainly has to get out there, because I think it is still -- there is a lot of fear among seniors.

I think we have to look at, you know, many issues. And first of all, we have to reach a consensus on the level of urgency and the magnitude of the problem before we develop a long-term solution.

BASH: You don't think it's that urgent, I take it?

SNOWE: Well, you know, there's various scenarios and interpretations about that urgency. I think first we have to get the facts. There are too many interpretations of the facts, and those scenarios could change based on the variables incorporated in those projections. So I think as a member of the Finance Committee, I will certainly look at the entire question, as should all of Congress.

BASH: Senator Nelson, Senator Snowe, thank you very much both for joining us. We really appreciate it.

NELSON: Thanks very much.

BASH: And up next, another update on that record winter storm hitting the Northeast.

Plus, he helped lead President Bush to an election victory. So how does he plan to push the president's agenda through Congress? We'll profile the new man in charge of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman.

Also, as President Bush starts his second term, will he be a uniter or a divider? Bill Schneider has "The Story Behind the Story" on how America is divided on just that question. INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: In his inaugural address this week, President Bush called for national unity. He pledged to heal the political divide so sharply defined during the campaign. So how divided is America? CNN's senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has "The Story Behind the Story."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In 2000, after the bitter divisions of the Clinton years, George W. Bush ran for president on this promise.

BUSH: If you're tired of this business about pitting one group of people against another, why don't we have a uniter not a divider as a leader.

SCHNEIDER: Americans did see Bush as a uniter when he took office in 2001. He was not part of the Newt Gingrich crowd in Washington. He had nothing to do with President Clinton's impeachment. He had worked with Democrats in Texas.

Now, as President Bush prepares to take office for a second term, uniter no more. A new CNN-"USA Today" Gallup poll shows Americans are divided over whether President Bush is dividing the country.

President Bush made another pledge in 2000.

BUSH: Mine is a compassionate conservative message that will unite the Republican Party, and bring our country a new day, full of promise for every single American.

SCHNEIDER: What happened to compassionate conservatism? The conservatism is still there. In fact, it's stronger. When he first took office, 48 percent of Americans described Bush as a conservative. Now, 58 percent do.

But the public sees less compassion. In early 2001, 56 percent said they thought Bush cared about the needs of people like themselves. Now only 45 percent believe he does.

In January 2001, when President Clinton left office, peace and prosperity reigned. Both Republicans and Democrats were overwhelmingly satisfied with the nation's economy. Republicans still are. But not Democrats.

In January 2001, both Republicans and Democrats were satisfied with America's role in world affairs. Republicans still are. Democrats are not.

At the end of his term, 55 percent of Republicans said they disapproved of President Clinton's job performance. Now, 75 percent of Democrats disapprove of Bush.

When Bush first took office, Americans were asked whether they thought the new president would heal the political divisions in the country. Fifty-three percent said no. Four years later, do people think President Bush did heal those divisions? Sixty-eight percent say no.

Do people think President Bush will heal those divisions in his second term? Sixty-four percent say no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: It sounds absurd to call the Clinton era the era of good feelings, but compared to the present, it sort of was. Now what we have looks like the era of ill will -- Dana.

BASH: Well, Bill, in the president's inaugural address, he talked about unity. So is he going to end the era of ill will, as you call it, or is this going to fly?

SCHNEIDER: Not with that speech. That speech was heard around the world and in the United States as a call to interventionism. He repackaged the war on terrorism as a war on tyranny. Democrats listened to that speech and said, oh, no, more Iraqs. And a lot of people around the world listened to that speech and they saw a certain amount of arrogance and hubris, which is why his father came out in the White House, of all places, his father came out to say, no, no, this wasn't about arrogance and hubris, it's not a departure from my international policy, but a lot of people think it was.

BASH: You mentioned the Iraqi elections. Some Republicans I've talked to even have said you cannot overstate how critical these elections are for the president's domestic political viability. What do you make of that?

SCHNEIDER: I make of that that he wants to get the Iraq controversy off the agenda. Because right now, it's the number one political issue in the country. Americans are getting killed over there every day. And it's going to be hard for him to make much headway on his domestic agenda as long as the Iraq controversy continues to grow. He is counting on the elections to dampen that controversy. Maybe it will, but I'd say it's a long shot.

BASH: Bill, thank you. Stay safe in the snow.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

BASH: And let's go now to CNN world headquarters in Atlanta for a look at the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BASH: Thanks, Betty. A conservative columnist recently compared Ken Mehlman to Wal-Mart magnate Sam Walton, because of his 2004 strategy to go into exploding ex-urbs, to appeal to new Republican voters. This week, the president's 38-year-old campaign manager took the helm of the Republican National Committee. With a new big job and his candidate's inauguration, his spirits are high, but there are tensions and challenges for him ahead. We stopped by his Capitol Hill office to bring you this exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Ken Mehlman, congratulations.

KEN MEHLMAN, RNC CHAIRMAN: Thank you. Thanks a lot.

BASH: Thank you for inviting us into your office.

MEHLMAN: My pleasure. My pleasure.

BASH: One of the first things I noticed, just one of them, coming in was this letter over here. Not something that many people have in their office, from the president, thanking you essentially for helping him mastermind the win that he just had.

MEHLMAN: Well, it was an honor to serve the president. It was an honor to work on this campaign. I think our country faced a number of hugely important issues, and I think that reelecting this president and reelecting the majorities we have in Congress will help us deal with those issues in the right way for the future.

BASH: You are coming into this role second youngest RNC chairman. Lee Atwater was the youngest, and also the first political operative to run the RNC since (UNINTELLIGIBLE). How is that going to dictate how you intend to run this committee based on some of your recent predecessors?

MEHLMAN: Well, what I hope to try to do is to use my time here to do several things. First, I want to work hard to use the tools we used to reelect the president to now help pass the agenda, to now help move the agenda that's before Congress, the Bush-Frist-Hastert agenda.

Secondly, obviously, we want to keep trying to win elections, and we are going to work as hard as we can as a national committee to help identify and recruit and support the best candidates we can.

BASH: In your speech this past week, you used the word "mandate," talking about not only you have the White House, you have Congress, 28 governor's mansions, but the reality is in a lot of polls, for example, in the latest CNN-"USA Today" Gallup poll, it shows the president's approval rating at 51 percent, disapproval at 46 percent. So the question is, how do you capitalize on an electoral mandate that you think you have, when the president's public support is so low?

MEHLMAN: Well, I think the way you ultimately capitalize on the results of the election is by doing what you say you're going to do and this is a president that is very committed to reforming the Social Security system so we save it for our children, to making sure that we reduce the amount of frivolous lawsuits so health care is more affordable, fundamental tax reform.

BASH: I want to talk about the inaugural address. One theme was unity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes and I will strive in good faith to heal them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That's an olive branch, so explain how he's going to turn that into the practical.

MEHLMAN: Well, I think that there's two things. First of all, if you look at what was accomplished, almost every one of the accomplishments for America was achieved by Democrats and Republicans working together but here's what we need to do in my judgment.

Both sides need to take the rhetoric down and so we need to be able to disagree, Democrats and Republicans. We're going to disagree on issues. That's what America is all about. That's good for our country. We need to do it in a way that is not personally disagreeable.

BASH: Another theme, the biggest theme in the president's address was his promise to root out tyranny.

MEHLMAN: Yes. BASH: Across the globe even apparently in countries where there are friendly, that the United States is friendly with the governments. As a political operative, is it a little bit risky to have such a bold speech, such bold ideas and such a big forum and something that might be pretty hard to follow through on?

MEHLMAN: Well, a couple things. My personal interest in politics, I first volunteered in 1980 at 14 for Ronald Reagan, was because of the fact that he had bold policies. I reject the notion that small ball politics is good politics. I think at the end of the day people are motivated by a leader who they think wants to do the right thing regardless of the difficulty of doing the right thing.

BASH: Peggy Noonan who worked here at the RNC during the campaign wrote today that she thought that there was too much God in the speech. She wrote: "The president's speech seemed rather heavenish. It was a God-drenched speech. This president, who has been accused of giving too much attention to religious imagery and religious thought, has not let the criticism enter him." What does that say to you?

MEHLMAN: I reject that criticism. I like Peggy Noonan. I think she's a very smart lady and she obviously has a long history of being a good speech writer. I disagree with that.

Remember one of the reasons this president's leadership is so powerful, one of the reasons that America is different is we recognize that, in fact, freedom is God's gift to mankind. It is a right, a God given right of every man, woman and child not to have to live in slavery.

And so, I think that it was absolutely appropriate for a president talking about the power of freedom and the danger of tyranny to reference God because the fundamental right to freedom comes from God, not from the government.

BASH: Social Security reform.

MEHLMAN: Yes.

BASH: You've got a big campaign planned in order...

MEHLMAN: Yes.

BASH: ...to try to sell the ideas, first of all the need for reform and how the president intends to reform. During the campaign you had all the Republicans behind you. There are many Republicans who are very skeptical about the need for reform or how the president intends to do it. How are you going to galvanize people when they're split?

MEHLMAN: Well, certainly there are some in Washington who are uncertain of how best to tackle this issue but the grassroots is not in Washington. The grassroots is around the country and the millions of Americans around the country that came out and volunteered and came out and went door-to-door, the seven and a half million e-activists, they very much believe that we need to save Social Security.

BASH: Howard Dean.

MEHLMAN: Howard Dean.

BASH: Is likely to be your counterpart at the DNC. You were preparing to go up against Howard Dean but in a very different capacity sometime ago.

MEHLMAN: I don't know who will be the DNC chairman. I'm happy I'm the RNC chairman. I don't know who it will be.

BASH: If it's Governor Dean, what does that say about the Democratic Party?

MEHLMAN: Again, I think that ultimately the Democratic Party is a big and diverse party. I think that the challenge, I think who the party chairman is, and this is against my self interest to say, ultimately is important but at the end of the day it's what the party stands for.

BASH: Speaking of Democrats, they shot a symbolic shot across the bow to Republicans, to the president this past week by delaying Condoleezza Rice's nomination.

MEHLMAN: Yes. I think they have to make a decision. I mean I think that certainly in my judgment if you look at the political history of Tom Daschle, of Jean Carnahan, of Max Cleland obstructionism is not good politics standing against someone who is so qualified, as Condoleezza Rice, who is so historic a nominee as Condoleezza Rice just to make a statement that's the old politics that's the politics that says "I'm going to try to foul you. I'm going to try to stick my finger in your eye." I don't think that is effective politically.

BASH: That wasn't a warning to Democratic Senators that they could go the way of Jean Carnahan meaning that you would use the same tactics because some (UNINTELLIGIBLE) looked at those and thought they were (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MEHLMAN: Look, people's records as legislators, as Senators are ultimately what voters decide on and certainly if you believe that blocking lots of judicial nominees, if you believe that blocking the president's choice for secretary of state is a good tactic then you're going to have to explain it back home to the voters.

BASH: One last question.

MEHLMAN: Sure.

BASH: There's a lot of talk about the fact that Democrats have to find their way that they're essentially a lost party right now, not about Republicans. The expectations are actually pretty high for you. Is that a challenge that you think about?

MEHLMAN: The danger of high expectations. Look, I think first of all, all of the talk about the death of the Democratic Party is premature. It's a very strong party. The Democrats out-raised us in the last campaign. They did a good job. They were very unified. They fielded a strong candidate who ran an incredibly aggressive campaign in 2004.

BASH: And what about your challenge?

MEHLMAN: I think our challenge is several fold. First it is to make sure -- the American people have provided us with a trust. We need to make sure we take advantage of that trust.

Secondly, we can't sit on our laurels. We had a good campaign in '04. So did the Democrats. We need to look at everything we did tactically as a political organization, the RNC, and the state parties and improve it and make it even better going forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And coming up next we'll check in with some of Washington's best political reporters on the inaugural address that was and the upcoming State of the Union speech.

And we've got your late night laughs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)_

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: This is a rare opportunity now for a lot of really otherwise intelligent people to spend as much as $250,000 and come here and freeze their ass off for about (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: After a week of political pomp, Washington gets down to business. As President Bush sets his second term agenda into motion, Democrats are getting their own house in order.

Here with today's on the record report on CNN Political Editor John Mercurio, Jim Vandehei of "The Washington Post," and Jill Zuckman, National Correspondent for the "Chicago Tribune."

Let's talk first about the big speech, the inaugural address. The whole them, which we didn't realize would be this big, was freedom and liberty. It sounded like a sweeping new policy. Let's listen to one sound byte.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation, the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom which is eternally right.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASH: Jim Vandehei, the White House is now saying well that wasn't a policy shift. We didn't mean that but this isn't some off the cuff remark. This is his inaugural address, so what's the deal?

JIM VANDEHEI, "WASHINGTON POST": It certainly sounded breathtaking in scope to move from terrorism to tyranny. That's a pretty dramatic shift in policy. What the White House has said over the last two days, including using the president's father, is that it's not, that basically this is a reaffirmation of his policies and a policy that looks out over decades, not years and ending tyranny.

I do think it was another shot at Iran and North Korea and those that we've identified as part of the axis of evil. I don't think it reflects a shift in policy towards Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, those that have these track records for abusing human rights but are also allies in the war on terror.

BASH: John, was it too big, too vague perhaps or was it exactly what the president's supporters love, which is hearing what they call bold ideas from him?

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: I have to be honest with you. I actually wasn't that struck by these sorts of bold themes that we're talking about. I think we've all heard millions of political speeches over the years that talk about the need to eradicate tyranny, to eradicate oppression and spread freedom and democracy.

So, I really wasn't that struck by more than that I think was the particularly grim tone that the president took, I mean especially in a second term inaugural. Usually the president takes that opportunity to talk about the great four years how he's turned this country around, a very realistic I thought outlook on sort of where we are right now.

BASH: Political cartoons can sometimes frame things the way neither of us, none of us can. I want you to take a look at a political cartoon from this past week from the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" up on the screen. You see "Yo, down in front" someone screaming for Iraq to get out of the way trying to watch the inaugural address."

Jill Zuckman how much is Iraq going to overshadow everything the president wants to do on Capitol Hill?

JILL ZUCKMAN, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": You know it's been the elephant in the room for the last couple of years and it's the thing that keeps popping up and getting in the way of other things.

And, Congress has a history of only being able to do a couple big things at a time and Iraq is just not going away, so, you know, they're talking about revamping Social Security. I think that's going to be extremely difficult. That has problems in and of itself but with Iraq always present people get distracted.

MERCURIO: I think we'll know a lot more about, you know, the sort of abilities to do Social Security and a lot of other domestic things after January 30th, after these elections next week.

BASH: And how important, Jim, are these elections? As I said to Bill Schneider, you can't overstate, according to many Republicans how critical they are for the president.

VANDEHEI: Hugely important. Iraq has its tentacles in all policy now and foreign policy we can't do anything against Iran or North Korea or anywhere else if all of our troops are in Iraq and need to be in Iraq for the next four years.

Domestically, the money that goes towards Iraq makes it that much harder to do something like Social Security reform. If you can take the most optimistic assessment that the transition costs of Social Security reform are $100 billion to $200 billion a year, it's almost impossible to see how you reform that system when we continue to have to spend so much money in Iraq.

BASH: One person who would have preferred to have been preparing for and involved in his own inauguration, of course, was John Kerry. He was back on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue this week at the Condoleezza Rice hearings with a high profile. Let's listen to one greeting he got.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. NORM COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA: And I also want to note that some of us are overjoyed to have Senator Kerry back here with us today. I also want to be...

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: There's going to be a certain unanimity over there. Just pass a quick resolution and move on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: John, the Senator obviously trying to use a little humor there but what are you hearing about what he wants his role to be?

MERCURIO: Yes, this was definitely not the week I think that John Kerry has been dreaming about all of his life but, you know, I mean I don't think he's like Al Gore. I don't think he's going to sort of disappear, grow a beard and gain weight. I think, you know, he still has four years left in his Senate term. There's a lot he wants to do. We saw that last week in the Condi Rice vote against her nomination.

We know tomorrow he's going to introduce a bill that he talked a lot about on the campaign trail, which was expand health care for children, something he talked about paying for by repealing part of the Bush tax cuts. He also wants to expand military personnel by about 40,000, which is a bill he's going to talk about.

So, he's not going away. He's here for another four years. Is he going to run in '08? You know who knows? We'll see more of that. ZUCKMAN: But it's not as if he's never had a high profile on Capitol Hill. He's always -- what he doesn't want to do now is melt back in and be one of 100 Senators.

BASH: And one of the wraps on his has been that he has such a thin legislative history.

ZUCKMAN: That's right.

BASH: So, is he going to try to correct that?

ZUCKMAN: Yes. I think so. I mean I think he's going to be trying to address some of those weaknesses that people complained about and he's trying to establish a record to run on in four years, at least to keep that door open if he wants to run again.

BASH: Jim, four years ago I remember I was at the president's first inauguration in the rotunda. Senator Kerry was there wearing these big boots and I sort of joked, "Senator, are those your New Hampshire boots" and he said "You bet your (bleep) they are." And that just sort of struck me. Four years later, there he was still a Senator at the president's second inauguration.

VANDEHEI: Right.

BASH: You were there.

VANDEHEI: Right. What struck me were a couple of things. One was the juxtaposition of having Kerry on stage with President Bush and thinking about what John Kerry would have talked about. It would have been a dramatically different inaugural address. It would have been probably about healing both domestically and internationally.

I also thought, you know, he was on stage and twice he was booed by the Republican crowd. As he stood there his view was obstructed by a big cowboy hat. I thought there was a little bit of ironic symbolism there.

So, I question how much power he really has in the Senate because no one came to him to be party leader after the election and no one came to him to run DNC either, so I think it remains to be seen if he can actually build that base because the election never was about John Kerry it seemed. It was about an anti-Bush fervor that was driving the Democratic Party.

BASH: Speaking of the DNC, John, Howard Dean seems to be the frontrunner right now but is this going to be sort of like the primary's redux? He is ahead at the beginning and then he flames out?

MERCURIO: I think in a lot of ways it is sort of a redux of the Democratic primary. He's defining the race. I mean you're either Dean or you're anti-Dean. Martin Frost, Tim Roemer, a lot of the other candidates are defining themselves as the anti-Dean candidate.

It's different though in the sense there's no sort of come from behind energy that Dean had during the presidential primary and he's talking actually in this race much more about centrism.

He actually was in Sacramento yesterday talking about the need for the party to move to the middle, which is definitely new. And also the issue of abortion rights playing heavily in this race and definitely didn't play in the primary.

BASH: Jill Zuckman, the future of the Democratic Party in Howard Dean's hands?

ZUCKMAN: You know, I don't know. I think the future of the Democratic Party is in the hands of the members of Congress who have to deal with President Bush and the Republicans and find a way not just to react but to be proactive and they're struggling to figure that out on Capitol Hill and I'm not sure that just electing a party chair is going to put an imprimatur on the entire party.

BASH: You covered Howard Dean.

MERCURIO: Right.

BASH: Do you think he's the right guy for the job based on your intimate knowledge of him?

(CROSSTALK)

BASH: Do you think he has an organization -- no, it's a different kind of job.

VANDEHEI: Right, it is. What strikes me about it is if you look back at Howard Dean's campaign he was widely criticized for running a pretty poor campaign organizationally. He spent money like a rock star without an accountant and that was really a wrap on him.

So to bring him in at the end of the day the DNC job is an organizational job. You have to take 50 state parties, bring them together, create an organization where you can then challenge Republicans down the road. So, it will be interesting to see if he can transform himself into that type of leader.

BASH: Thank you, Jim, Jill, John, appreciate it. Thanks for coming in on this snowy Sunday.

VANDEHEI: Thank you.

BASH: And coming up just when you thought the presidential campaign season was over we've got the highlights of this year's political ads for better or worse. That's straight ahead on INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Checking our "Political Bytes," yesterday marked the 32nd anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S. Both anti-abortion and abortion rights activists were out in force holding demonstrations and providing escorts for women entering Planned Parenthood clinics. Tomorrow, anti-abortion demonstrators gather in Washington for the annual March for Life.

And, one week after causing a stir, the president of Harvard, Lawrence Summers, has started a new program to recruit and support women at the university. Summers sparked a controversy when he told an academic conference that innate differences between men and women may explain why fewer women succeed in science and math careers.

According to the "Boston Globe," Summers is creating a task force as early as next week and the recommendations will be implemented by the end of the semester.

And, for all you political junkies out there awards were handed out last night for the best political ads of the year. The ads were judged by 200 members of the American Association of Political Consultants and you probably won't be surprised which campaign commercial won. Yes, it was the Bush-Cheney ad that showed John Kerry windsurfing or, as the narrator said, changing directions whichever way the wind blows.

This was a very special week for politics, the inauguration ceremony, the balls, the fancy dresses and, of course, the late night comedians. We'll bring you some of the best political punch lines when INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: Time now for the "Late Night Laughs" of the past week with the Bush inauguration ceremonies providing plenty of raw material.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO: As you know, President Bush had his swearing in yesterday. It was a very emotional moment. Laura Bush had tears in her eyes. The president's mother Barbara Bush she had tears in her eyes. John Kerry he had tears in his eyes. It was sad.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I was sitting next to John McCain.

JON STEWART: And how did he -- underneath was he muttering at all during it?

LIEBERMAN: Well, funny you ask because when the president took the oath, John and I were lip synching.

CONAN O'BRIEN: President Bush is being criticized because his inaugural celebration cost $40 million. Now, when asked about it the president said "Sorry, but my daughters insisted on an open bar."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell that you are obviously giddy about this inauguration. I mean you can barely contain yourself.

MCCAIN: Well, it's a chance to see, you know, some of my colleagues are older and as cold as it may be, this may be a chance for me to move up in seniority. If the speech is exceedingly long, you may even see some of them right there on the platform. STEWART: A moving benediction from a minister filling the hearts of the gathered crowd with pure thoughts of their maker. Oh my God, he's dead, Cheney's dead. Someone put a mirror under his nose. Somebody, oh my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: OK. Well that was certainly just a snippet of the laughs that we saw over the past week.

And coming up next what's ahead on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BASH: That's it for this edition of INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY.

Coming up in 30 minutes "RELIABLE SOURCES" takes a critical look at the inauguration, the pageantry and the press.

For now thanks for watching. I'm Dana Bash in Washington.

CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues right now.

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