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CNN Live Saturday

Bush Attends Army-Navy Football Game

Aired December 01, 2001 - 17:26   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now back to the U.S., our attention to the nation's sagging economy is weighing heavily on President Bush's mind this weekend, as he tries to get some R&R at Camp David.

CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace now near the presidential retreat in Maryland and files this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The commander in chief puts his economic battle with Congress on the back burner to oversee a battle of a different sort, the annual duel between Army and Navy in Philadelphia. Mr. Bush making clear this visit is about more than football.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My mind is on the game, but my mind is elsewhere, too. My mind is with the men and women who wear our uniform as we wage a noble cause. And that is to fight terror.

WALLACE: And the fight against terror also includes tending to an economy officially in recession since March. In his weekly radio address, Mr. Bush presses Congress to pass a measure to stop the economic slowdown.

BUSH: We must bring quick help to those who need it most. And we must restore our economy's growth.

WALLACE: The President advocates a series of tax cuts, extending unemployment benefits, and providing block grants to states to help laid off workers, but Senate Democrats want more federal funding to help the unemployed and say the $100 plan passed by the House mainly gives the helping hand to big business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The plan passed by House Republicans would give billions of dollars to multinational corporations, almost $2.5 billion dollars to IBM, General Electric, and Enron alone, but do virtually nothing to help laid off workers.

WALLACE: And as the holiday shopping season heats up, House Democrats plan to take their message to the radio, running their first political ad since the terrorist attacks.

SEN TRENT LOTT (R), MINORITY LEADER: I think what the Democrats are doing is shameful, absurd, and very poorly timed.

WALLACE: Republicans say the move could hurt Democrats and help President bush, who continues to enjoy a sky high approval rating. But if the economy continues to sag, the White House knows those numbers can come down quickly. And so, aides plan to have the President continue talking about the economy, careful not to repeat the mistakes of Mr. Bush's father, who it is believed lost reelection, in part, due to his handling of an economic slowdown.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, near Camp David, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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