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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush Speaks in Orlando, Florida

Aired December 05, 2001 - 06:07   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: President Bush took his message on the road to Orlando. The message he can manage both a war and a slumping economy if he gets help from Congress. Let's get details on the president's town meeting from CNN senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The standing ovation is for an idea that back in Washington is quite controversial. Using secret military tribunals to try some suspected terrorists.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In a court of law there would be all kinds of questions that might compromise our ability to gather incredibly important intelligence to prevent the next attack from happening to America.

KING: A wartime president gets a lot of leeway and a lot of support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to thank you for your Godly leadership in serving this country.

KING: This boy asked about the morning of September 11th. Mr. Bush recalled watching the first plane hit the World Trade Center.

BUSH: I used to fly myself and I said well there's one terrible pilot. And I said it must have been a horrible accident.

KING: But then word a second plane had hit the towers.

BUSH: I knew that when I got all the facts that we were under attack, there would be hell to pay for attacking America.

KING: Travel and tourism drives the economy here in Orlando and the impact of September 11th has been devastating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was forced to close my doors putting 252 employees out of work.

KING: One goal of this town hall meeting was for Mr. Bush to make the case he is not to blame that Washington has not done more to help.

BUSH: I urge the United States Congress to stop talking and to get an economic security bill to my desk.

KING: Another goal was to make clear he is well aware that times are tough for some.

BUSH: There's nothing that hurts me more than to know as we head into the holiday season that some of our citizens and some of their families hurt because they've been laid off as a result of 9-11.

KING: This tour of a training center for displaced workers was to reinforce the point. If nothing else, it was vivid proof that this president is more than mindful of family history. His father emerged from the Persian Gulf War with sky-high approval ratings, only to lose his reelection bid because voters thought he had lost touch during a punishing recession.

This President Bush is determined to show he can manage a war and a struggling economy at the same time. John King, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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