Return to Transcripts main page

State of the Union

Hillary Makes The Case To Be President; Interview With Former President Bill Clinton; Interview With Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Panel Discusses 2016 Politics. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired June 14, 2015 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:13]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hillary Clinton makes the case for moving back into the White House.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have been called many things by many people.

(LAUGHTER)

H. CLINTON: Quitter is not one of them.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

TAPPER: As she swaps her low-key Scooby van for a massive rally in New York City. Bill didn't take the mike, but he had plenty to say to us, defending Hillary as Americans question her trustworthiness.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I trust her with my life.

TAPPER: And rating her Republican rivals.

B. CLINTON: Well, they got a lot of youth. They have got a lot of energy. They have got some significant diversity. And they're no dummies.

TAPPER: Plus, Jeb Bush makes it official tomorrow. But, first, he faces our questions about his shaky start and the baggage that comes with that last name.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Jeb is different than George, and Jeb is -- Jeb is who he is.

TAPPER: The best political team on television will be here with insights from the trail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, D.C., where, today, the STATE OF OUR UNION is dynastic. This Sunday, we're sandwiched between two major presidential rollouts,

one from a Clinton, one from a Bush. And you will hear directly from both camps this morning.

First up, Hillary Clinton, who appeared before an enthusiastic New York crowd officially explaining why she wants to be president.

Jeb Bush gets his chance tomorrow in Miami, when he announces his candidacy and tries to reclaim the mantle of Republican front-runner.

Two families, one crown, the house Clinton and the house Bush. It's all very "Game of Thrones." And, as they say on that show, when you play the game of thrones, you die or you win. There is no middle ground. All right, that might be a little stark, but only one can win.

The Clinton rally was also our first look at Bill playing the role of campaign spouse in this go-round, not speaking, but sitting front row with Chelsea. However, as we learned in our interview with the 42nd president at his Clinton Global Initiative, that hardly means he has nothing to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: I want to address a couple issues having to do with the Clinton Foundation, since it has been in the news a lot lately.

I know you have said -- I have heard you say that there's no evidence that any of the donors who have given to the foundation received anything in response from the State Department while Secretary Clinton was there.

B. CLINTON: Nobody even suggested it or talked about it or thought about it until the political season began and somebody said, well, what about this?

No one had ever asked me for anything or any of that.

TAPPER: Well, let me ask you about that, because I think a lot of people might say, OK, you say there's no evidence that anything was done for them, but can you really say that these companies, these wealthy individuals, these governments, none of them sought anything? I mean, some of them did have business before the State Department.

B. CLINTON: I don't know.

I can say the one thing where I think there's really nothing to it is the -- Algeria giving half-a-million dollars to the Haiti earthquake, because we put -- I was a United Nations coordinator for Haiti before the earthquake.

And we put out the word that, if people who didn't know anything about Haiti wanted to give money and know it would be well-spent, and wanted to put it in some place where 100 percent of the money would go to Haiti, that is where nobody would take a penny off the top for administrative costs, they could send it to us, and we would move it. So, that Algerian money, we didn't report that not because we were

ashamed of it, because it came in two days after the earthquake, and they were still performing amputative surgery on the lawn outside the major hospital with a flashlight at night, and vodka for anesthesia and antiseptic.

I mean, nobody thought about it. So, I think -- I know of no example. But I -- you never know what people's motives are. But, in this case, I'm sure everybody that gave to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake saw what they saw on television, were horrified and wanted to make a difference.

And I announced early on that I would -- we would never make any money out of that. We'd never take any even administrative overhead. And, in fact, we raised money and invested it, and still do, in Haiti.

TAPPER: But just to put a button on this, you're not saying -- you say you don't know if anybody sought any favor, just that there was no...

B. CLINTON: No, and I don't think Hillary would know either.

She -- you know, she was pretty busy those years. And I don't -- I never saw her study a list of my contributors or -- and I had no idea who was doing business before the State Department.

But what -- I will say this. The -- she believed -- and I did too -- I did the same thing when I was president, so I'm not -- she believed that part of the job as secretary of state was to advance America's economic interests around the world.

[09:05:00]

And, for much of the time -- she was secretary for a number of complex reasons. We didn't have commerce secretary. And now we have got Penny Pritzker. And she's very vigorous and very good, I think. But we didn't have one.

And so, if she hadn't been doing this economic diplomacy work, nobody would have been doing it. And -- but I never thought about whether there was any overlap.

TAPPER: There are polls that show that fewer and fewer Americans think that your wife is honest and trustworthy. And this has happened at the same time as these questions about the foundation, questions about her e-mail.

And that must really bother you.

B. CLINTON: Yes, but, I mean, we're used to it.

And the only thing I would say about this is, number one, I'm glad it's happening now, because I trust the American people. And I trust her with my life, and have on more than one occasion. I think that anybody -- the more people find out about her -- anybody who is still really close to their best friend in grade school is by definition trustworthy, unless they were robbing stores together at 6 or 7.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: Anybody who has got the friends of their lifetime is trustworthy. The people who know, know that.

And there had been a lot of discussion in this period about disclosure. You know, everybody wants disclosure, even -- and there's -- but I think what's good for the goose is good for the gander here. I think -- for example, I remember when Hillary was completely exonerated, when I was in the White House, in all that Whitewater business, when an official federal inquiry said that her billing records, they wished for her sake could have been found earlier, because they completely corroborated everything she'd said.

And the next day, there was nothing in the media about it. There was stunning nondisclosure. So, now we have got social media, and we can have disclosure. And we can all live under the same rules. And it's going to be fine.

And I literally -- A, I know her. B, I know the truth. And, C, I trust the American people. And it's not happening 15 hours before the election. So, I feel good about it. I think that, you know, free speech in politics. And I think when people go to personal attacks this far before the election, it means that they're scared of you.

And they should be.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: She would be a -- she would be a very good president, and I think she's proven out to be a pretty good candidate. I'm very proud of that.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Could I just follow up on something you said?

B. CLINTON: Yes.

TAPPER: You said you trusted her with your life on more than one occasion. What were you talking about?

B. CLINTON: I don't mean I was facing physical death, although I might have been when I had my heart trouble.

I mean, even when we were going together, I just relied on her when I was -- you know, I don't know if you had this, but I had some tough years in my late 20s. You know, I didn't -- when you're starting out in life, you're plagued by self-doubt. And I was always rushing around because my father died before I was born.

And she was always -- whenever I had trouble, she was the rock in our family. I was the youngest former governor in American history in 1980 on election night. I got killed in the Reagan landslide. And people I had appointed to office would walk across the street, they were so afraid of the new regime in Arkansas, to not shake hands with me.

My career prospects were not particularly bright. And she never blinked. She just said: "Hey, it will turn around. I believe in you. You have got to."

And we built a life together based on, you know, the things we cared about and the things that we loved. And we were blessed with a daughter who turned out pretty well, I would say.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: And we have been very blessed.

So, you know, the other thing is, it's different when you're our age. I mean, we will be fine, whatever happens here. You know, we're going to come out of life ahead. And I think she -- you know, she wants to serve. And I want her to have a chance to serve, if the majority of the American people agree.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Coming up: lots more with former President Bill Clinton.

The big dog will weigh in on the crowd of contenders in the GOP presidential field.

[09:10:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. CLINTON: There's a lot of them. It looks more like the Kentucky Derby than Belmont.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper.

When we were discussing this interview, President Clinton agreed that we could ask him about anything. We agreed that we'd also bring up issues he's working on with the Clinton Global Initiative.

And here's that part of the conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: So, it seems obvious that income inequality and the fact that there is a greater chasm in America today than in a long, long time is going to be a big issue for the country in 2016 and beyond.

B. CLINTON: And it should be.

TAPPER: Someone recently described the Clinton Foundation's purpose as using the powerful to help the powerless.

Who do you see as the powerless in America today?

B. CLINTON: Well, I would say this. We -- we try to get people who have money to give it to people who don't, and to give it to them in a way that's empowering, so that it actually changes their lives.

But I think that people who are working as hard as they can who don't have enough money to support their kids and meet basic human needs are powerless.

[09:15:06]

I think people who would die, give anything to go to work, and can't get employment or are stuck in part-time jobs. I think people who live in pockets of America which have been totally untouched by the recovery, rural, coal country in the eastern part of the country, the Native American reservations that don't have casinos, that don't have enough population density, many places in the Mississippi Delta, and in other parts of the country.

I think there are a lot of people who feel pretty powerless, like, no matter what they do, they can't change the future that every tomorrow, it is going to be just like yesterday. That's how I define powerlessness, not poverty alone, not adversity alone, but the inability to alter your condition.

TAPPER: One of your breakout sessions this week is about connecting youth with employment.

If you look at a city of like Baltimore, where there's been a lot of press coverage recently, the unemployment rate for young black men in Baltimore between 20 and 24 is 37 percent. For their white equivalents, it's 10 percent.

But you can't look at Baltimore, where Martin O'Malley was the mayor, and where there have been a lot of Democrats and Democratic rule trying to improve the lot of people in Baltimore, where they spend a great deal per pupil, you can't look at that city and say nobody's been trying.

What are some of the things that can be done that haven't been tried?

B. CLINTON: Well, first, I believe we ought to try to accelerate development opportunities and jobs near where these young people live.

You know, the -- Baltimore's great shining jewel of a company is now Under Armour. It's a local company, with a local leader who didn't move the jobs out of Baltimore. I think there are 1,700 jobs there or something like that.

I would go get that guy from Under Armour, and I would bring all these leaders and a lot of these kids in. I would figure out what to do and come up with a strategy. And you don't have to solve it all overnight. You just have to make it better than it was. What's killing all these communities is, everybody thinks every

tomorrow is going to be like yesterday. You're toast. You can deal with poverty, adversity, anything, as long as they think it could be different.

The Baltimore thing came on the heels of what happened in Ferguson and what happened in New York City and all these other places. And there's the big national movement about whether the lives of young African-American men count.

TAPPER: Yes, #blacklivesmatter, yes.

B. CLINTON: Yes. You can't have a bunch of people walking around with guns.

I used to tell people whenever -- when we did Bosnia, Kosovo, anything like that, you get enough people with weapons around, and there will be unintended consequences. People will make mistakes. People will do wrong. Things happen.

The -- to hold a community together, you have got to have a high level of community trust. If somebody that's in your family gets shot, you want an answer from somebody you know. And you want to be able to ask questions and get them answered and resolve that.

So, I think, in addition to the economics, we need to look at the places in America where these things happen, and they don't drive people into the streets, because they actually trust the process for resolving them.

We -- there is so -- there's such a trust deficit in America today. Somebody jumped on "The New York Times" because they accepted a contribution from our family foundation. Did you see that?

TAPPER: Yes.

B. CLINTON: As if...

TAPPER: Wasn't it the Neediest Cases Fund, "The New York Times"' Neediest Cases Fund?

B. CLINTON: Yes, did we -- yes, we gave them some money.

Hillary told me that George Soros had given a substantial amount of money to "The New York Times"' Neediest Cases Fund to help the people who had who -- who had worked on 9/11 and had residual health problems.

And I like that Neediest Cases Fund a lot. And I really -- and that was a very important priority for her as a senator. So, she said, please, let's give them some money. And we sent it in. Had nothing to do with anything.

But even somebody accuses the newspaper of, you know, were we trying to buy the endorsement? But it's a metaphor for all this trust deficit in the country. TAPPER: I want to ask you about veterans, because I know that's an

issue that CGI America has been working on, and that you got commitments from two groups, ServiceNation and Got Your 6, to help veterans transition.

Things have certainly improved from the days when you were younger, and veterans, Vietnam veterans were being spit upon in the streets. But, today, it's a different kind of tragedy. It's veterans committing suicide. It's veterans suffering in silence. It's the VA scandal.

[09:20:08]

You are somebody who has actually sent men into battle, some of whom didn't make it back. What can be done to help these people who have given so much and have such a tough time and don't seem to know what to do after they leave the military?

B. CLINTON: A positive, but mixed blessing is, many of these veterans who have sustained brain injuries particularly survived roadside bombs which in an earlier era would have killed them.

And battlefield medicine has improved so much that a lot of people who were surviving were previously killed. But then they bring big challenges home. And they have to be dealt with. And then they come home to a country that has not fully recovered from the searing economic problem, so they find that the veterans unemployment rate for most of the last decade was 25 percent higher than the overall unemployment rate.

So, you have physical challenges, psychological challenges, and economic realities. And we have done what we could to support, like, Team Rubicon, that great veterans group...

TAPPER: Yes.

B. CLINTON: ... that goes to disaster sites.

They did that. I think they knew that it was good therapy for these guys, as well as something they needed, because it says you developed a skill in the military and we really, really need it at home. And you matter. You're important. This isn't -- this matters a lot.

I don't think there's a silver bullet here, either. But, again, I think the main thing is that you have got to convince people that the future can be better than today. You have got to convince them that we care. And there has to be a high trust level.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Political junkies, don't go anywhere. We saved the best for last.

Whatever you think of Bill Clinton, he is pretty universally regarded as one of the keenest political minds in the biz. And, after this short break, he's going to give you his surprisingly unbiased take on his wife's potential Republican rivals.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:26:32]

TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper.

When it comes to predicting who will be sitting in the White House come January 2017, Bill Clinton is hardly neutral, but ask him to play political prognosticator in the GOP primary, and he's pretty generous to his wife's Republican rivals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: I know a lot of people in this audience would love for you to put on your political analyst hat. I know you can't look at the Democratic side right now, for obvious reasons.

But size up the Republican field. What do you like? What do you not like? What do you think is going on there?

B. CLINTON: Well, there's a lot of them. It looks more like the Kentucky Derby than Belmont.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: It's -- it's -- and I like that horse American Pharoah. That was amazing.

(LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: The -- first of all, they have got a lot of youth. They have got a lot of energy. They have got some significant diversity.

And there are no dummies. I mean, it's interesting. You know, they got -- it's a pretty -- and they believe what they believe. They still believe trickle-down economics works better than investment. And their convictions are so great that they're undeterred by evidence. And I -- that's always amazing to me.

But they're impressive. And they have some differences of opinion on, like the national security issues and -- and the incarceration issues and all that. It will be interesting to watch them debate.

I sympathize with the question of how the primary voters are going to decide who to vote for, and whether it's fair or unfair for some people to be eliminated from the televised debates.

I don't know how you listen to 12 people in a televised debate. But...

TAPPER: Or 16.

B. CLINTON: Yes, or however many they got. (LAUGHTER)

B. CLINTON: The -- but here's what I think, that, generally, Republican primary voters, since you and I have been doing this, wind up voting for the person they think has the best chance to win, in spite of the -- because they figure the Tea Party's taken over the House. They have got all their ideological dreams fulfilled.

And the reason I'm saying this is, it may be harder this year than before to figure out who is the most electable candidate. But I predict that, at some point during this process, whatever they're debating and whatever the stories are, they will be a move by people who think they can influence the process to settle on the one that's most electable, because they figure they already got what they need.

They got the Congress, and they just want to win the White House so bad, they could, you know, just -- I -- I get that. I mean, I understand that.

But that's what makes it -- for an outsider who doesn't understand all the ins and outs of it, it will make it difficult to predict, because I think they don't know. Do they need somebody who is new? Do they need somebody who is seasoned? Do they need somebody who has got a forward-leaning position on immigration, or will it disillusion their people and they will stay home? Do they need all this kind of -- you know, they got all these decisions to make.

But, in the end, it's going to come down to who is the most electable candidate, because they want to win.

TAPPER: Mr. President, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

B. CLINTON: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: It's been a really nice interview.

(APPLAUSE)

B. CLINTON: Thank you.

TAPPER: Nice talking to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: So very much to chew over.

[09:30:02] Luckily, we have our roundtable standing by, or sitting by, for analysis, Dana Bash, Donna Brazile, S.E. Cupp, and Bob Woodward, next.

Plus an interview with Jeb Bush on the change he says he is going to make to turn his campaign around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: It's something that took a little getting used to for me personally to be able to show my heart because I'm kind of introverted but it's important to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H. CLINTON: I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but, I will be the youngest woman president in the history of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:34:55] TAPPER: That was Hillary Clinton at her first big rally of the campaign in New York. Subtly reminding voters of what might separate her from most of her rivals. Let's break down the speech with the best political team in television.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Bob Woodward. CNN Republican contributor, S.E. Cupp. CNN Democratic contributor, Donna Brazile, and CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

You know what? I was struck by in the speech was she was at FDR park with the Four Freedoms Park and -- Roosevelt Island's Four Freedoms, she had her four fights. And the fights that she talked about were for the economy, families, world leadership, reforming our government but it seemed, Donna, like a very conscious effort by the campaign to embrace this image of her as tough, and a fighter, and not a quitter, which of course is an image that cuts both ways.

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think resiliency. I think that's the one word I would describe Hillary Clinton.

The speech was a very good speech. It laid out what I believe the reason why she's running for president, the reason why she will fight and champion those issues that she believes will help America grow stronger and more prosperous, but also I think she laid a marker. She said, I am going to be the candidate that will be the champion for the middle class. But make sure that no Americans fall behind.

It was a good speech, a good beginning. As you know, Jake, the road to winning the Democratic nomination goes through (INAUDIBLE) New Hampshire and those early states. She now has to put the pedal to the metal so to speak and go out there and convince people that she cannot just win, but she can change America.

S.E. CUPP. CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The reason Hillary's numbers are now upside down in terms of approval are, I think, three-fold.

One, she hasn't really laid out substantively specifics on these policies. She has rattled off policy ideas but nothing specific. She has limited access to the press. And I don't think she's done enough to address the accountability issues on the e-mails, on the foundation. None of that changed yesterday. So it might have been a good speech but I don't think it's the campaign change-up shake-up that she really needs.

TAPPER: Bob, we talked about that obviously with President Clinton, the foundation issues. What was your take?

BOB WOODWARD, PULITZER PRIZE WINNING JOURNALIST: He talks about the trust deficit, that's true. I think if you distill what people are looking for now in a president it's somebody who can govern, somebody who thinks about them, and Hillary Clinton made a credible case on that. But they want somebody who is a truth teller and she's got some distance to cover on that.

And when I did books and involved her one of her little mottos, personal mottos was not tees was fake it until you make it. And you know, that's clever and that means I'm going to gut it out but you can't fake your way into the presidency. So she's got to say, and convince people, I'm really going to tell you the truth.

TAPPER: Speaking of faking it until you make it. Dana, I wanted to get your take on this, because on Friday, President Obama was handed a crushing defeat when it comes to his trade legislation. When I was talking to members of Congress, Democrats on Friday, the Clinton name kept coming up.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mm-hmm.

TAPPER: One Democratic House member told me that Obama takes Democrats and progressives for granted. Ms. Clinton should be on notice. Take a listen to Bernie Sanders talking about this trade bill with our own Jeff Zeleny just yesterday in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You just can't run away from that issue. It's too big an issue. Given the 40-year collapse of the American middle class, this is not a time for safe political positions. We need bold leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: As Sanders goes on to say, Dana, every member, every Democrat, and Republican in the House and Senate has taken a position on this trade bill. I had Karen Finney her spokeswoman on the show yesterday and I thought I was going to like have an aneurysm trying to get an answer from her on what Hillary Clinton's position is.

BASH: You're not going to do (ph) it. You're not going to get one because, look, I mean, we all want answers. That's our job. But for them they believe and they're probably right that it's smart politics not to wade into this right now. Because it will only hurt her politically with the base that she needs to shore up. I mean, she's probably going to be fine but she still needs to shore them up.

And it's not so much about her being challenged in the short-term, it's about getting the base excited about her when she needs them, when you're looking at these key states, where trade matters. Ohio, maybe Michigan, maybe Wisconsin, depending on, you know, what we're talking about. And they just think that at this point not wading in is the best thing to do.

Down the road --

(CROSSTALK)

WOODWARD: Tactically (ph) --

BRAZILE: First of all let's be honest and because you used the word truth.

WOODWARD: Yes.

BRAZILE: I have never seen a politician who has laid out more information about herself. We have read her e-mails. We have seen all the donors.

WOODWARD: Not enough. Not enough.

BRAZILE: OK. Truth and veracity -- no, no. I'm going to get -- I'm going to get to the trade issue. Because I think on trade she's laid out her principles.

She has said we want tough worker standards, worker protection, workers health and she also talked about currency manipulation. So, I think if she had to vote, because she's not a member of the Senate like Bernie Sanders, she would have voted no. That's an (INAUDIBLE) --

[09:39:54] WOODWARD: But if she's president she's going to have to take a position and this is the whole truth issue. Clearly she knows what she thinks about all of this trade legislation. And if she was president, she would do it one way or the other. Let's tell us now.

CUPP: And in real time. People want a real time response to what's going on. Not at your leisure. Not when it's convenient or (INAUDIBLE) --

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: More about substance in the sound bites that we've heard from Republicans. The sound bites make you feel good. But at the end of the day I know more about her position on immigration, climate change and all these other big, broad issues. But she's not taking a vote on Capitol Hill.

BASH: But the point is that this issue matters.

BRAZILE: Of course.

BASH: You know that better than anybody, Donna. To the base, to core parts of her own base that she's going to need to be excited about.

BRAZILE: Now remember, this has been a fight for 22 years within the Democratic Party. I've been involved in every trade fight, 22 years. I'm a labor Democrat. It divides the Democratic Party.

BASH (ph): Yes. So, she should --

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: But I think she has by laying out her principles she has said exactly where she will stand. And I think on this issue I believe she would have voted against it. Like the majority of the Democrats.

TAPPER: All right. We're going to take a very quick break. Coming up how Jeb Bush plans to break out from the pack. What is his new strategy? He will tell us. Our own Dana Bash after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:12] TAPPER: Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper.

Jeb Bush the former governor of Florida is set to announce his official candidacy tomorrow even though he's been running a shadow campaign for months really, socking away tens of millions in his super PAC. He was supposed to be the breakout star of the Republican pack but so far pundits say he's more fizzle than sizzle. Can he turn it around?

Our own Dana Bash asked him when she caught up with him on his European trip from which he just returned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: You've been out on the campaign trail for six months.

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: What's going to be different after your big speech? How are you going to be able to break away from the pack finally?

BUSH: By working hard, by being strategic. But also by asking people for their vote. I haven't had a chance to do that.

I think this transition to a candidacy will allow me to be more direct about my advocacy of the leadership skills necessary for the next president to fix a few things. And as a candidate, contrary to being someone who was listening and learning alone the way, I'll offer up alternatives to the path we're on, as well. So I'll be more specific on policy.

BASH: But it sounds like you have been kind of preparing people for a long haul. Do you see a long haul for yourself? Is that because Iowa is going to be tough for you, New Hampshire has been kind of mixed for the Bushes, historically, and that it is going to maybe take awhile for you to be able to break out?

BUSH: Yes, I think so. I think, look, there's how many people are running, last count there's double digits. That's a very competitive field. It will take time. It always does. People make up their mind in the last weeks of these primaries. So my expectation is that we'll have slow, steady progress. That's been the expectation all along.

BASH: One of your friends recently said to me, one of your challenges is for you to become known as Jeb and not just another Bush.

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: What does that mean? Who is Jeb Bush?

BUSH: Well, Jeb is different than George. And Jeb is who he is. My life story's different.

And I got to do that when I ran as governor. And I got to share it -- share my passion for service when I was governor and telling that story is going to be part of this. I don't have to disassociate myself from my family. I love them. But, I know that I'm on -- for me to be successful I'm going to have to show my heart and tell my story.

BASH: Can you give me one little example of who Jeb Bush is that makes you feel like you are the guy who people should choose to be president?

BUSH: Well, I can make decisions. I've made tough decisions. I have a life experience that's full. Full of (INAUDIBLE) and full of successes. It's something that I think has been lacking in the presidency is to have someone who has been tempered by life. And along the way I'll get to share that.

And it's, you know, I've lived overseas. I've worked overseas. I've been in business. I've served as governor.

I can give back to my community. I have a great relationship with my wife and family. And I'll get to share all of that. Part of that, that's important. It's something that took a little getting used to for me personally to be able to show my heart because I'm kind of introverted but it's important to do.

BASH: One last question. Yesterday was your father's birthday?

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: He turned 91 years old. Can you kind of reflect on that given obviously you have a very close relationship with your father personally? But now you're going to embark on a journey to follow in his footsteps politically...

BUSH: Yes.

BASH: ...professionally. What is that going to feel like when you give that announcement speech?

BUSH: Well, I'm not going to try to think about that, because Bushes are known to cry once in awhile. It's very emotional for me. I love my dad. I called him yesterday, and wished him a happy birthday, and he said, I'm having a birthday? You know. So I think he was joking. I hope so. He's just the greatest man alive. And I'll be thinking about him when I'm -- when I'm announcing my decision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: We're back with our panel to chew about that and much more.

Dana, let me start with you. Great interview. What are you hearing from Jeb world as they prepare for his big announcement tomorrow?

BASH: Well, first on the substance. You heard a little bit of a teaser there. I'm told he's going to rely heavily on his record in Florida in order to not only -- to say (ph) what he did but to prove that he actually did something, which from their perspective is different from most of the other people who are running. They're talking about what they would do. He has actually got a record.

But let's just talk about the style. You just heard him there say that he knows that he is an introvert and he has to show his heart. Let me translate that for you inside the Bush world. Which is that they know that he's a low-key guy and that comes across sometimes as not having fire in the belly. And they're going to have to overcome that.

That might not happen in tomorrow's speech because he's not known as an orator at all. But they're hoping that after that speech he's going to go to Iowa, he's going to go to New Hampshire, he's going to go to South Carolina. Have the one on ones, have the town halls, have the meetings with voters and they're hoping that is going to help him overcome that. Just (ph) showing that he's aggressively trying.

[09:50:13] TAPPER: S.E., if I had to make a list of characteristics that would make a good president I don't know that I would put...

(CROSSTALK)

CUPP: (INAUDIBLE) --

TAPPER: ...introverted on that list.

CUPP: No. You've got to be a people person I think.

I think you're right on, Dana. I've been in a number of settings with Jeb Bush recently, private events where the whole field has also appeared. And when you see him one-on-one, he is affable, he is engaging, he is thoughtful. He is great.

When you see when you see him next to people like Marco Rubio, like following Rubio in a speech for example, or someone like Scott Walker with a lot more pep in their step. It has nothing to do with age. It's a personality difference. You just think he looks a little fatigued next to them. And he's going to need to work on, I think, amping up the personality -- (CROSSATLK)

WOODWARD: But there is something authentic about the street car interview...

TAPPER: Yes.

WOODWARD: ...with the cars going right behind him. Can you imagine? Some of the other candidates, all handlers would say, oh no, they'd be stopping traffic.

So you know, the key with Bush is we've got -- when his dad ran 27 years ago in 1988 we did an eight-part series on him in the "Washington Post" and excavated everything. So people could look at it and of course his dad didn't like it because there are, you know, there are some problems there. But we need to do that on Bush.

We think we know Hillary Clinton. Believe me, there's more work to be done. I can come up with a to-do list for anybody who wants to look at these candidates. And that's where journalism can succeed by doing something in-depth, eight-part, 18-part series on both of these candidates.

TAPPER: Donna, I want to ask you. There is a tough quote about Jeb from John McCain, 2008 nominee in today's "New York times" -- this morning's "New York times." Obviously McCain is endorsing Lindsey Graham for president.

"He just hasn't met the expectation level of what we expected of a Bush," McCain said of Jeb, "And that's been a hindrance to him."

It's true that at this point his big brother, George W., had yet cleared the field but he had many more endorsements, a lot more momentum going into the race.

BRAZILE: Well, I have got to give Jeb Bush this. He is trying to run as his own person, being authentic and true to himself. And he is owning to his own -- the issues that he cared deeply about. And I hope he doesn't shrink from the conversation on common core, education standards or immigration reform just because he has to run to the far right in order to win.

He managed to go to Europe without making a mistake. Remember his brother went there and called the Grecians, you know, the Greeks Grecians.

TAPPER: Mitt Romney (INAUDIBLE) with the Olympics.

BRAZILE: But it's a long road to get over 1200 delegates that you need to win the Republican nomination. And he was to do well in Iowa in order to survive New Hampshire. Then he has to do well in South Carolina and Nevada to survive those next states.

BASH: And can I say one thing about the not locking up the endorsements and so forth. What they argue inside Jeb Bush's campaign and I think actually there is a lot to this, is that it is such a different world now. I mean, that was way pre-tea party.

TAPPER: Pre- tea party.

BASH: Way pre, you know, pre-2012 when you had so many people running and at one point or another anybody could have been the Republican nominee. That is very much driving all of these candidates in, and it's also a time when, you know, people are looking for outsiders. And Jeb Bush might not be that guy.

But what I found observing him on this international trip, I rarely got to see him up close and personal. He is comfortable in his own skin. And you know, that could go a long way if people are looking for that authenticity. He doesn't have the --

(CROSSTALK)

WOODWARD: Well for Dana to say he's authentic or (INAUDIBLE) -- I mean, that (ph) said (ph) now people are going to be tweeting (ph) --

(CROSSTALK)

WOODWARD: It's too late to take it back

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Round table. It's so great to have all four of you here. I really appreciate it.

Do not go away. After the break I'm going to take you to my giant wall of cartoons for this week's inaugural "State of the Cartoonian."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:58:48] TAPPER: Welcome back.

On the show I am a political anchor and reporter but what you might not know is that I started out as a political cartoonist. The political cartoon is one the oldest and most enduring forms of expression in democracy. Sometimes it's satire, sometimes it's protest, sometimes it's just fun.

We want to keep it alive. Which is why every Sunday we're going to bring you one. I present to you "State of the Cartoonian."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER (voice-over): Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio found himself in what you might call a boat load of brouhaha this week. A report by "The New York Times" about his finances suggested he had blown $80,000.00 on what the "Times" called a luxury speed boat. It turned out it was more like a fishing boat.

Then there is the issue of the long arm of the law, "The New York Times" also wrote of 17 traffic citations for the senator and his wife. Though most of the citations were hers. Over the course of 18 years. The real number of speeding tickets for the senator was four. Rubio tried to shrug it off and managed to fund raise $100,000.00 from the controversy and so-called liberal media coverage. Who says he's bad with money?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Before we go today an exciting announcement. I will be moderating CNN's Republican debate on September 16th, at the Reagan Library.

And a quick note for me our first STATE OF THE UNION together. I want to thank the previous hosts of show, Candy Crowley, John King, as well as Wolf Blitzer of the predecessor program "LATE EDITION" for guiding the ship so ably for so many years.

I want to hear from you. Send ideas, constructive criticism and suggestions. You are who we're doing this for. Thanks for spending Sunday morning with us.

I will see you on "THE LEAD" tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. eastern.

"FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" starts right now.