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CNN Live Saturday
Divide Deepens Between France, U.S.
Aired March 15, 2003 - 17:28 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: The clock ticks towards a possible war with Iraq, and the divide deepens between France and the U.S., a friendship fractured by France's staunch opposition to war. CNN's Whitney Casey joins us now live from Ellis Island, home of what has been a proud symbol of the French-U.S. bond since 1886 -- Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Renay, we are just right across the street from Ellis Island, just across the Hudson, actually. But 1886, you mentioned -- actually, it was 1876 when this torch was brought here first from the French. Can you believe that she's been standing here ever since then?
Well, anyway, this is not the real deal, but this is certainly capitalism right here, and we have been here all day, down here just across the Hudson from the real deal. And I'm going to take you and show you what the real deal is across the street. This is the beautiful Statue of Liberty that the French did give us.
And we have been asking people -- about 4,500 people came here today just to go to the Statue of Liberty -- if all of this scuttlebutt about the French has made them a bit sort of remiss about coming here to see the Statue of Liberty? And everybody we talked to have said that despite the fact that some of the people didn't even know that the French were the ones that gave us this beautiful statue, they said it didn't matter to them. And actually, we have got a group of -- a gaggle of 14-year-olds here from Shreveport, Louisiana. And you guys came down here. I'm going to get on the other side of you. You came down here to see ground zero.
You have heard a bit of this scuttlebutt about the French. What have you heard?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that the French are going against our plans with the war on Iraq, and that we aren't agreeing on stuff like we used to.
CASEY: And what about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've heard the same too, but I really wish that we could have the same strong relationship that we used to with the French when they gave us the Statue of Liberty as a gift.
CASEY: So when you look at the Statue of Liberty and all that you've heard and you've heard on the news and, you know, the impending war possibly with Iraq. What do you think of the Statue of Liberty?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just it's a great source of pride and patriotism and freedom for our country.
CASEY: What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it brings hope to the country that we will always have our freedom.
CASEY: Very, very, interesting. Thank you, guys. And enjoy your trip here. Enjoy your trip back to Shreveport also.
So that's what you hear. We have heard most of that down here today. And actually I had an interesting conversation with some Frenchmen down here and they said that they realized that they came here and -- they came here under certain circumstances, where people said to them, if you go to America now, there is going to be a lot of French bashing. And they said actually here in New York, home of quite a few cynical people, they were very well-received -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Whitney Casey live in New York City. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired March 15, 2003 - 17:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: The clock ticks towards a possible war with Iraq, and the divide deepens between France and the U.S., a friendship fractured by France's staunch opposition to war. CNN's Whitney Casey joins us now live from Ellis Island, home of what has been a proud symbol of the French-U.S. bond since 1886 -- Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Renay, we are just right across the street from Ellis Island, just across the Hudson, actually. But 1886, you mentioned -- actually, it was 1876 when this torch was brought here first from the French. Can you believe that she's been standing here ever since then?
Well, anyway, this is not the real deal, but this is certainly capitalism right here, and we have been here all day, down here just across the Hudson from the real deal. And I'm going to take you and show you what the real deal is across the street. This is the beautiful Statue of Liberty that the French did give us.
And we have been asking people -- about 4,500 people came here today just to go to the Statue of Liberty -- if all of this scuttlebutt about the French has made them a bit sort of remiss about coming here to see the Statue of Liberty? And everybody we talked to have said that despite the fact that some of the people didn't even know that the French were the ones that gave us this beautiful statue, they said it didn't matter to them. And actually, we have got a group of -- a gaggle of 14-year-olds here from Shreveport, Louisiana. And you guys came down here. I'm going to get on the other side of you. You came down here to see ground zero.
You have heard a bit of this scuttlebutt about the French. What have you heard?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that the French are going against our plans with the war on Iraq, and that we aren't agreeing on stuff like we used to.
CASEY: And what about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've heard the same too, but I really wish that we could have the same strong relationship that we used to with the French when they gave us the Statue of Liberty as a gift.
CASEY: So when you look at the Statue of Liberty and all that you've heard and you've heard on the news and, you know, the impending war possibly with Iraq. What do you think of the Statue of Liberty?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just it's a great source of pride and patriotism and freedom for our country.
CASEY: What about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it brings hope to the country that we will always have our freedom.
CASEY: Very, very, interesting. Thank you, guys. And enjoy your trip here. Enjoy your trip back to Shreveport also.
So that's what you hear. We have heard most of that down here today. And actually I had an interesting conversation with some Frenchmen down here and they said that they realized that they came here and -- they came here under certain circumstances, where people said to them, if you go to America now, there is going to be a lot of French bashing. And they said actually here in New York, home of quite a few cynical people, they were very well-received -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Whitney Casey live in New York City. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
