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CNN Live Saturday
No Results Back From President Bush's Annual Checkup
Aired August 02, 2003 - 12:06 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Before he left town, the president had his annual physical exam. And CNN White House Correspondent, Chris Burns, joins us with a medical update on the president -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka.
No immediate results yet from his latest annual checkup. But if the first two are any indication, it is enough to put most of us to shame. The president, 57-years-old, can still jog a seven minute mile. He had a bit of trouble with a muscle tear in his right calf back in April. But he is said to be almost fully recovered from that. He stands at the top 1 percent physically in physical condition among his age group. Some immediate reaction to Liberia where the president there, Charles Taylor, said he's going to leave power on August 11. A senior administration official says that they'll believe it when they see it. Once again, saying President Bush has made clear that Taylor has got to leave the country before there is any further progress on bringing in a peacekeeping mission and possibly involving U.S. forces.
The president's radio address today focused on the issue that could very well likely determine whether he is re-elected next year, on the economy. The president reacting cautiously to the latest figures showing that growth is up, yes, unemployment is down. However because half a million americans have decided not look for jobs anymore, the president looking at those figures with mixed reaction saying that the figures could have been worse and to give his economic policies more time.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're starting to see results from our actions. My administration's economists believe that if we had not passed tax relief, our unemployment rate would have been nearly one percentage point higher. And as many as 1.5 million Americans would not have the jobs they have today.
This week, three members of my cabinet, Treasury Secretary John Snow, Commerce Secretary Don Evans, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, visited business owners and their workers in the Midwest. They received reports the economy is picking up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, if the Democrats come back and say this say jobless recovery. 3 million jobs lost during the president's tenure here at the White House. They say those policies had failed and the tax cut is only helped the rich.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Democrats know that the way to restore our economic strength is to help families right now by securing access to health care, by creating good paying jobs and strong schools for our kids, not by borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to give tax breaks to the wealthiest among us and passing on the debt to our kids. Trickle down economics just does not work.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: Again the Bush administration arguing, look, the refund checks on the tax child credit are in the mail, that the payroll checks will be fatter in the coming months because of the tax cut. And that will boost the economy, and fuel more jobs. Back to you -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Chris, we mentioned the president already en route to Texas now.
What will he be doing for next month or so while on his working vacation?
BURNS: Well, no plans until next Friday, but things get under way again. Quite a few appearances. He will be meeting with his economics chiefs, with his defense chiefs, over these next few weeks. Also make something trips around the Midwest and the West, fund- raising events, six of them in five states across the West and Midwest. He'll also be making some appearances at some national parks trying to showcase his environmental policy. Keep in mind some of the polls indicate that Americans are very skeptical about his environmental credentials -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Burns, thank very much from the White House.
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 August 2, 2003 - 12:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Before he left town, the president had his annual physical exam. And CNN White House Correspondent, Chris Burns, joins us with a medical update on the president -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka.
No immediate results yet from his latest annual checkup. But if the first two are any indication, it is enough to put most of us to shame. The president, 57-years-old, can still jog a seven minute mile. He had a bit of trouble with a muscle tear in his right calf back in April. But he is said to be almost fully recovered from that. He stands at the top 1 percent physically in physical condition among his age group. Some immediate reaction to Liberia where the president there, Charles Taylor, said he's going to leave power on August 11. A senior administration official says that they'll believe it when they see it. Once again, saying President Bush has made clear that Taylor has got to leave the country before there is any further progress on bringing in a peacekeeping mission and possibly involving U.S. forces.
The president's radio address today focused on the issue that could very well likely determine whether he is re-elected next year, on the economy. The president reacting cautiously to the latest figures showing that growth is up, yes, unemployment is down. However because half a million americans have decided not look for jobs anymore, the president looking at those figures with mixed reaction saying that the figures could have been worse and to give his economic policies more time.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're starting to see results from our actions. My administration's economists believe that if we had not passed tax relief, our unemployment rate would have been nearly one percentage point higher. And as many as 1.5 million Americans would not have the jobs they have today.
This week, three members of my cabinet, Treasury Secretary John Snow, Commerce Secretary Don Evans, and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, visited business owners and their workers in the Midwest. They received reports the economy is picking up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: Now, if the Democrats come back and say this say jobless recovery. 3 million jobs lost during the president's tenure here at the White House. They say those policies had failed and the tax cut is only helped the rich.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Democrats know that the way to restore our economic strength is to help families right now by securing access to health care, by creating good paying jobs and strong schools for our kids, not by borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to give tax breaks to the wealthiest among us and passing on the debt to our kids. Trickle down economics just does not work.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BURNS: Again the Bush administration arguing, look, the refund checks on the tax child credit are in the mail, that the payroll checks will be fatter in the coming months because of the tax cut. And that will boost the economy, and fuel more jobs. Back to you -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Chris, we mentioned the president already en route to Texas now.
What will he be doing for next month or so while on his working vacation?
BURNS: Well, no plans until next Friday, but things get under way again. Quite a few appearances. He will be meeting with his economics chiefs, with his defense chiefs, over these next few weeks. Also make something trips around the Midwest and the West, fund- raising events, six of them in five states across the West and Midwest. He'll also be making some appearances at some national parks trying to showcase his environmental policy. Keep in mind some of the polls indicate that Americans are very skeptical about his environmental credentials -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Burns, thank very much from the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
