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CNN Live Saturday
The President's Message: 'Time of Great Challenge'
Aired December 27, 2003 - 12:31 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: It's home for the New Year's Day week for President Bush. He's at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. From there today, he issued greetings, with a nod to the tough times many Americans will be facing.
For more on that, we go live to Texas with White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.
President Bush at his Western House. He is spending the holiday here with his family, the first lady and his daughters. They'll be here through the New Year. The president, of course, enjoying some downtime. It was at Camp David that he exchanged gifts with the first lady. But he is also, as well, receiving his latest intelligence and security briefings on a daily basis.
The president taking stock in the year's accomplishments. Really a mixed message to his domestic policy, pushing through some things -- medicare reform. But the energy bill stalled. But Republican strategists really see the president's primary strength is still in defense and homeland security. Polls indicating that more than 60% percent of Americans believe that the Iraq war was the right thing to do. And President Bush, using his final weekly radio address, gave a special - special thanks to the troops.
Republicans, of course, look at this and they say that they believe the war on terror is a good thing for -- in terms of poll numbers. Republicans showing that 63% percent of Americans believe that Mr. Bush is doing his job well. Democrats see that there is an opening in the year to come, when they say, Look at the economic numbers, they are mixed --Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne, let me just shift gears with you, if I could, about the mad cow case. Now the USDA is confirming that they have traced the one confirmed case now to Alberta, Canada, and that perhaps meat products may have gone to four western states.
Is the White House in any way responding to the newest developments of this investigation?
MALVEAUX: Well, they're not responding yet. But certainly the president is being updated on all the developments regarding mad cow. And, as you brought up -- a very good point is that there are more details that are coming out. And it's one of the things that the Bush administration was facing, some criticism why it was they were not able to find the origin, where that cow was born, whether or not there were other cows, just how many that were born, in that same herd, and whether or not there were other cows that had actually fed from that infected feed. Those were unanswered questions. It seems as if the USDA is at least answering some of them at this time. The administration under a great deal of pressure to come up with those answers as quickly as possible -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Suzanne, another big international story, the earthquake in Iran. International aid coming from all over to try to help out there. The death toll now possibly rising, as high as 20,000. What does the -- What does the White House say U.S. aid groups should do?
MALVEAUX: Well, right now, they're planning on just how they're going to map that out. But yes, the administration says that they are going to be sending humanitarian aid, whether it's food, blankets, water, and additional supplies in the days to come. Of course, they're also -- administration officials, particularly in the State Department that are saying, Yes, this is a humanitarian effort. But this does not necessarily mean that they're opening the door to formal diplomatic relations, that there are still a lot of things that Iran has to prove, give a lot of signals to this administration before that actually happens. But they do want to help the people out.
WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux from Crawford, Texas. Thanks very much. With the president.
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 December 27, 2003 - 12:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's home for the New Year's Day week for President Bush. He's at his Crawford, Texas, ranch. From there today, he issued greetings, with a nod to the tough times many Americans will be facing.
For more on that, we go live to Texas with White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.
President Bush at his Western House. He is spending the holiday here with his family, the first lady and his daughters. They'll be here through the New Year. The president, of course, enjoying some downtime. It was at Camp David that he exchanged gifts with the first lady. But he is also, as well, receiving his latest intelligence and security briefings on a daily basis.
The president taking stock in the year's accomplishments. Really a mixed message to his domestic policy, pushing through some things -- medicare reform. But the energy bill stalled. But Republican strategists really see the president's primary strength is still in defense and homeland security. Polls indicating that more than 60% percent of Americans believe that the Iraq war was the right thing to do. And President Bush, using his final weekly radio address, gave a special - special thanks to the troops.
Republicans, of course, look at this and they say that they believe the war on terror is a good thing for -- in terms of poll numbers. Republicans showing that 63% percent of Americans believe that Mr. Bush is doing his job well. Democrats see that there is an opening in the year to come, when they say, Look at the economic numbers, they are mixed --Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne, let me just shift gears with you, if I could, about the mad cow case. Now the USDA is confirming that they have traced the one confirmed case now to Alberta, Canada, and that perhaps meat products may have gone to four western states.
Is the White House in any way responding to the newest developments of this investigation?
MALVEAUX: Well, they're not responding yet. But certainly the president is being updated on all the developments regarding mad cow. And, as you brought up -- a very good point is that there are more details that are coming out. And it's one of the things that the Bush administration was facing, some criticism why it was they were not able to find the origin, where that cow was born, whether or not there were other cows, just how many that were born, in that same herd, and whether or not there were other cows that had actually fed from that infected feed. Those were unanswered questions. It seems as if the USDA is at least answering some of them at this time. The administration under a great deal of pressure to come up with those answers as quickly as possible -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And Suzanne, another big international story, the earthquake in Iran. International aid coming from all over to try to help out there. The death toll now possibly rising, as high as 20,000. What does the -- What does the White House say U.S. aid groups should do?
MALVEAUX: Well, right now, they're planning on just how they're going to map that out. But yes, the administration says that they are going to be sending humanitarian aid, whether it's food, blankets, water, and additional supplies in the days to come. Of course, they're also -- administration officials, particularly in the State Department that are saying, Yes, this is a humanitarian effort. But this does not necessarily mean that they're opening the door to formal diplomatic relations, that there are still a lot of things that Iran has to prove, give a lot of signals to this administration before that actually happens. But they do want to help the people out.
WHITFIELD: All right. Suzanne Malveaux from Crawford, Texas. Thanks very much. With the president.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
