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Obama To Honor JFK; Obama Lays Wreath

Aired November 20, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

ELEANOR CLIFT, CORRESPONDENT, "THE DAILY BEASTYou know, that was huge news. The country was eager for all of that. And, of course, the press, as an institution, we weren't uncovering the dirt then. I mean, we didn't really do anything to sully the wonderful image that this young family put forward.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It was a whole different era.

CLIFT: That's right.

BLITZER: A whole different journalistic ethic, if you will. Cathy Horyn, you have written really an amazing article in the "New York Times" about Jacqueline Kennedy and that pink suit that she was wearing that awful day in Dallas, a Chanel suit. Tell our viewers about the suit, about what happened to it because it's a -- it's a powerful indication of that moment.

CATHY HORYN, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well -- good afternoon, Wolf. She -- it was a Chanel suit. She wore it six times before that for sort of working events. She wore it in London. She wore it to meet the prime minister of Algeria and his wife at the White House. She -- according to William Manchester, their -- before they left on the Texas trip, the president took an exceptional interest, in fact the first time in their marriage, to ask Mrs. Kennedy what she planned to wear, to take with her to the Texas trip. And the pink suit was one of the outfits that she brought out. And she -- of course, you know, when the assassination occurred, it was quite bloodied, her stockings, her shoes, her bag.

And she -- when they were on the plane, on Air Force One, coming back, actually before they departed, there was some concern that she try to clean up her appearance a little bit or when they asked -- people asked her, I think there was President Johnson or soon to be President Johnson made some suggestions to that end. Some of her aides did as well. And finally, after a fair amount of pressure, she said -- she said, no, let them see what they've done. And she returned to Washington. She was photographed, of course, for the swearing in of President Johnson. She was photographed getting off the plane with her brother-in-law, Robert Kennedy. And she stayed in that suit and the whole outfit until she returned to the White House early in the morning of the 23rd.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting -- and we're showing our viewers live pictures of the gravesite right there. People are coming up, saluting and remembering JFK. That Chanel pink suit, Kathy, tell our viewers, because you write about it, what happened to it? HORYN: Well, then afterwards, she apparently took the suit off and it was -- according to Manchester, it was put into a bag by her personal maid. And then, at some point in the next six to seven months, it ended up in a dress box, I think in the original dress box that it came in. And it found its way we think to Janet Auchincloss's attic, which is her mother, in Georgetown. And sometime around or just before July of 1964, the whole ensemble, including the stockings which were wrapped in a white towel, they were all sent to the national archive with Janet Auchincloss's stationary saying Jackie's suits and bag worn November 22nd, 1963, and there they stayed in protected -- you know, in a climate controlled environment. And sometime in the late 1990s, I believe, one of the archivists there, you know, said, look, these garments still belong to the Kennedy family. And so, in 2003, Caroline Kennedy did a deed of gift to the national archives. So, that's where they --

BLITZER: With the stipulation though that it not be made available to be seen by the public, right?

HORYN: For 100 years, so that's 2103.

BLITZER: So, we're not going to actually see that pink Chanel suit for another 100 years or so. All right, I -- we have a lot to discuss. A lot of memories to come forward.

You're looking at live pictures of the grave site there at Arlington National Cemetery. The president and first lady there now, the motorcade, they've left the White House. They're driving across the Potomac River to Arlington National Cemetery. Our coverage continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The current president of the United States and a former president of the United States, they will honor the legacy of the late President, John F. Kennedy. You're looking at live pictures at Arlington National Cemetery. Today's ceremony comes only two days before the nation marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination.

I'm Wolf Blitzer here in Washington along with our panel of correspondents and commentators. We also want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world to this special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

As we take a look at what's going on, the presidential historian, Douglas Brinkley, is with us. Give us your reflections a little bit about what we're about to see as the current president, the former president, they're getting closer to the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy. They will -- they will approach the eternal flame. The president will place his hands on the wreath, taps will be played. There will be a moment of silence. It's a moment that all of us, of course, who lived through that era remember 50 years ago, but it's a powerful moment for the country right now -- Douglas.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PROFESSOR, RICE UNIVERSITY: Absolutely. Well, after Kennedy was killed in Dallas, the question was, as you mentioned, where is he going to be buried? And part of the reason Jackie Kennedy picked Arlington was because of the scenic view. It's so beautiful but mainly because it's surrounded by war dead. And he's so -- was so proud, John F. Kennedy, of his naval career. He built it around the PT-109 incident in the Pacific. So, it's really a remarkable place. And anybody who goes to Washington needs to go to Arlington and they do and they go and look at the grave of President Kennedy. It's deeply moving.

Remember, Barack Obama loves the Kennedy family. Ted Kennedy was his closest ally. But really, if it wasn't for Ted Kennedy, it's not clear Barack Obama would have won in 2008 when he backed Obama over Hillary Clinton. And now, you get the specter of the two titans of the Democratic party, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, after being at an awards ceremony for the presidential medal, now going there to together to pay respects. It's going to be a poignant moment and an important moment. And I think it's -- it's important I think to remember Arlington and remember the flame, not just Dallas and conspiracy theories on this 50th anniversary.

BLITZER: And let me bring Eleanor Clift into this part of the conversation. Eleanor, as you take a look at this somber ceremony that we're about to see, the laying of the wreath, playing of taps, there are not going to be any remarks. No one's going to talk. They're just going to remember and reflect. What goes through your mind as you think about the 50 years later, if you will?

CLIFT: This is a powerful Democratic, small D and big D, tradition. And you have Jack Kennedy which really, I think, woke the country up and showed us all what is possible in terms of public service. Bill Clinton picked up that mantle. He had some setbacks as president but he is now enormously popular. And I think he thinks of himself in the Kennedy tradition. And you have Barack Obama now really at a very low point in his presidency, looking both to the deceased president and the very live Bill Clinton I think for inspiration and for, you know, solidarity going forward that what is possible, what was accomplished. And I -- you know, I think you have some say that Kennedy was more about promise than reality. But I --

BLITZER: There we see, by the way, the two presidents there as they get ready to lay that wreath and they're walking closer. Maureen (ph), you see what's going on over there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I do. And you know, I was reminded about how powerful the image of the grave is to everyone. I was talking to a friend of mine who told me that five years ago, in a little town outside of Bogota, Columbia, she was horseback riding. And when the (INAUDIBLE) who was helping her asked her where she was from, she said, Arlington. He goes, oh, yes, that's where President Kennedy is buried. So, from a small town far, far away all over the world, this is very much remembered and known.

To just -- I said Kennedy is thought of sometimes as more promise than reality. But having lived through the assassination, also having lived through the Cuban missile crisis and feeling, you know, the world could have been blown up. And he got us out of that. If he had done nothing else, and he did lots of other things, I think he should be remembered and is remembered.

BLITZER: All right, let's listen -- watch the president now, the current president, pay his respects. So there's the president, the first lady. They're speaking with some Kennedy family friends and relatives. The tall young man you saw is Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy now the United States ambassador to Japan. She only left a few days ago, so she's not here in the United States during this 50th anniversary of her father's assassination. She was a young little girl, as a lot of us remember, at the time. But Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, is there. And you also saw Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, who was standing next to Jack Schlossberg as well.

John King is watching what's going on.

John, as we see all of these Kennedy family members and other invited guests at this I guess it's a memorial over at the gravesite, it brings back powerful memories of what's going on.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a sacred place not just for the Kennedy family but for the country. And if nothing else, a moment like this should remind us all to study our history and to cherish our history. Imagine this family. There is a president who was assassinated buried there. There was his brother, a senator, Robert Kennedy, buried there. His brother, a senator, Ted Kennedy, buried there. Remember, these three men, three brothers, very competitive, defined by enormous expectations. Then, in each generation, each years that followed, magnified by tragedy. It wasn't supposed to be Jack Kennedy. It was supposed to be his older brother, Joe, who was killed in World War II. Then it passed to Jack. Then it passed to Bobby. Then it passed to Teddy. And so the history of this family is the history of our country in the last 50, 60 years, if you will, the political history. You know, ups and downs, huge triumphs, remarkable personalities and that gravesite, just incredible tragedy.

BLITZER: Yes. And you look at the family, Douglas Brinkley, you look at the grandson, Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline -- Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. You see he is a Kennedy. He looks like a Kennedy, doesn't he?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, he does. And you would think he is. And tonight's he's going to be presiding over a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institute with the Medal of Honor -- Presidential Medal, I'm sorry, Presidential Medal winners. And so he's having a very active role in this memorial.

BLITZER: He certainly is.

Maureen Orth is with us as well. You know, you see the Kennedy family and the children, the grandchildren, when they've gone on and done all sorts of stuff.

MAUREEN ORTH, AUTHOR, "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FAMOUS": Yes. They're really very much defined by service in terms of what they do. Tim Shriver, for example, you know has -- he works with intellectual disabilities and Special Olympics. And then his brother Mark is - works for Save the Children. And Kerry Kennedy works with human rights. And throughout the whole generation, that is what's preached to them, that they are supposed to serve. So -- and it's now going down to the third and sometimes the fourth generation.

BLITZER: He inspired, right, Maureen, he inspired Maureen to join the Peace Corps 50 years ago and he's inspired -- even current generation of young people are inspired, Eleanor, by JFK.

ELEANOR CLIFT, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "THE DAILY BEAST": Right. And Bobby Kennedy was cut down on his way to claim the mantle of the presidency. And Ted Kennedy did not pick it up, but went on to become, I think, the most important U.S. senator for 30 years. His name is on every piece of social legislation. And I think if he had lived, President Obama wouldn't be having the trouble with health care that he's having today. So, yes, enormous public service and great contributions.

KING: It's interesting the moment that Caroline is not here, and that's her choice. She just went to Japan to take the ambassadorship, stepping into public service after being reluctant to step in for so many years in an important way. But she, our last direct link to JFK, if you will. You remember the famous pictures of the young Caroline at the funeral and the like and playing in the Oval Office. She doesn't like to talk about this. And this is clearly a choice that she wanted no part of this moment.

BLITZER: Yes.

Douglas Brinkley, you see the former president, Bill Clinton, the first lady there, and the other former first lady, the former secretary of state. The Clintons and the Obamas, they've gathered together to remember 50 years later the assassination of JFK. And you see what's going on in the current political environment between the Clintons and the Obamas and the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, the possibility that Hillary Clinton might run for president once again in 2016. There's a lot to digest here.

BRINKLEY: Well, there is. And, you know, remember, without John F. Kennedy, there may not have been a Barack Obama presidency. Just -- the Kennedys synonymous with civil rights. Yes, Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s appointed Earl Warren to the Supreme Court and a lot of federal judges. And Ike did a good job at Little Rock. But it was really Kennedy who embraced and, in the end, of the spirit of the March on Washington, but also stood up to George Wallace and started putting the idea of civil rights into the parlance of the country in a very real way. And so for -- it has to be an important moving day for Barack Obama.

And Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have had their ups and downs. There's I think at one point the president said he can take Bill Clinton in doses, but not too much of him because he's such an overwhelming figure. But today, they're very bonded I'm sure in reflecting with the Kennedy family on what this anniversary means for our country.

BLITZER: It certainly is. And as we watch the president, it looks like they're getting ready to leave the gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery and head back to the White House. There you see the former president, Bill Clinton, former secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton, as well.

Let's bringing in Dr. Ronald Jones. He was the chief surgical resident at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas when that call came in that the president of the United States had been shot. He was part of the team that worked on the president in a desperate attempt to save his life. Dr. Jones is joining us now from Dallas.

So what do you think when you see these pictures, remembering what happened 50 years ago, Dr. Jones?

DR. RONALD JONES, TREATED PRESIDENT KENNEDY IN DALLAS: Well, I think the emotions are entirely different. Fifty years ago, it was a horrible incident and we were all troubled by it, and particularly in Dallas. And now it's an entirely different emotion that you have, a memorium type thing which we will be celebrating Friday in Dallas. And there will be thousands of people on hand to observe that one hour of solitude set aside in this memory.

BLITZER: Hold on for a moment, Dr. Jones. I want to get your reflections on what happened that day.

But Eleanor Clift is still with us. She's celebrating her 50th year at "Newsweek" magazine. So she's been an observer. She's had a front row seat to all these years.

You see the president, Eleanor, you see the first lady and the former president, former first lady. They're leaving right now. They'll get in the motorcade. They'll presumably drive back to the White House, which is just across the Potomac River. So many people go to Arlington National Cemetery. They want to pay their respects to the U.S. military men and women. But so many of them go because they want to go to that gravesite of JFK.

CLIFT: They want to touch the memory of Kennedy and to remember, I think, when public service was really revered in this country and when people worked together in governing was something that people did as opposed to just scoring political points. It's hard not to watch this and sort of contrast it -- what it was like then to what we see today. And then you look at the two presidents, and maybe a future president in Hillary Clinton, and you realize how essentially they're bonded to each other. The Clinton legacy, Obama's success, what kind of campaign Hillary will run, if she runs. I mean these three people are together in a way that I can't think of any parallel in American history.

BLITZER: And we'll take another quick break. But, John, they're doing this today instead of Friday because of scheduling. I think because they wanted the Clintons to participate in this wreath-laying ceremony. Is that what you heard why they didn't decide to do this on Friday, which is the actual 50th anniversary day?

KING: And to link it as well with the ceremony earlier today at the White House with the Medal of Freedom, something started by President Kennedy that President Obama very much wanted to do as part of this. BLITZER: And this is the historic week. You're looking at the pictures only moments ago when that moment of honor for John F. Kennedy was recalled. We'll take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A flash from Dallas. Two priests who were with President Kennedy say he is dead of bullet wounds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And there it is, the eternal flame at the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy. Only moments ago, you saw the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and the first lady, the former President Bill Clinton, the former First Lady Hillary Clinton. They paid their respects, remembering 50 years ago this Friday the assassination in Dallas, Texas.