Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Robert Novak's Inside Buzz
Aired October 17, 2003 - 15:20 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now Bob Novak is here with some "Inside Buzz."
All right, Bob, first of all, what was the president's role in the run-up to these Iraq aid debates?
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Judy, he was working very hard to prevent the aid from going as loans instead of grants. He was successful so far in the House, but not in the Senate.
In the House, he worked one and one on these people. He brought Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee down to the principal's office, as his colleagues said it, to get a lecture from the president, turned Zach Wamp around. But I hear a lot of complaints that the president is just too intractable on this subject. A lot of very strong Bush supporters voted against him in both the Senate and the House.
WOODRUFF: All right, let me ask you about a confirmation that may be in trouble. And that is the governor of Utah, Mike Leavitt, up to be the EPA administrator. What's going on with that?
NOVAK: Yes.
He's highly qualified and a good man, but he's not an environmentalist, in the opinion of the Democrats. They put him out. They let him come out of committee this week, but there's a very poor prognosis for his chances on the floor. He may go the way of all those judges, because the Democrats think the environment is one of the really good issues for 2004. And they're going to make a test case in defeating Mike Leavitt.
WOODRUFF: All right, let's talk about the Oklahoma Senate, since Don Nickles announced that he's not going to run for reelection. What are you hearing from there?
NOVAK: It's wide open.
You remember Tom Coburn? He was in for three terms, a very colorful -- he's a doctor from Oklahoma, very big vote-getter. He's thinking of running, if his health permits. He has cancer. But the person who seems to have the party nod is Mayor Humphreys of Oklahoma City. Coburn is not endorsing him. And he may go on himself. The man who replaced Coburn in Congress, Brad Carson, a Democrat, has a good chance to actually be a Democratic senator from Oklahoma. It's going to be a tight race.
WOODRUFF: All right, let's move all to the way to the West Coast. Arnold Schwarzenegger, what are you hearing about the governor-elect and how he's doing?
NOVAK: Well, looking from the standpoint of the conservatives, good news and bad news. The bad news, from the standpoint of conservatives, is that governor-elect Schwarzenegger is joining some liberal attorneys general in the Northeast in possibly suing the EPA to get them to declare carbon monoxide as a poisonous emission. They're not happy about that.
They're overjoyed, however, the conservatives are, that Governor Schwarzenegger is coming out for constitutional amendments to limit taxes and spending. What do you think of that?
WOODRUFF: I think that's going to win friends among Republicans every day.
NOVAK: Anytime, Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Bob Novak, thanks very much. And we'll see you on CROSSFIRE.
NOVAK: Thank you.
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 October 17, 2003 - 15:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now Bob Novak is here with some "Inside Buzz."
All right, Bob, first of all, what was the president's role in the run-up to these Iraq aid debates?
ROBERT NOVAK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Judy, he was working very hard to prevent the aid from going as loans instead of grants. He was successful so far in the House, but not in the Senate.
In the House, he worked one and one on these people. He brought Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee down to the principal's office, as his colleagues said it, to get a lecture from the president, turned Zach Wamp around. But I hear a lot of complaints that the president is just too intractable on this subject. A lot of very strong Bush supporters voted against him in both the Senate and the House.
WOODRUFF: All right, let me ask you about a confirmation that may be in trouble. And that is the governor of Utah, Mike Leavitt, up to be the EPA administrator. What's going on with that?
NOVAK: Yes.
He's highly qualified and a good man, but he's not an environmentalist, in the opinion of the Democrats. They put him out. They let him come out of committee this week, but there's a very poor prognosis for his chances on the floor. He may go the way of all those judges, because the Democrats think the environment is one of the really good issues for 2004. And they're going to make a test case in defeating Mike Leavitt.
WOODRUFF: All right, let's talk about the Oklahoma Senate, since Don Nickles announced that he's not going to run for reelection. What are you hearing from there?
NOVAK: It's wide open.
You remember Tom Coburn? He was in for three terms, a very colorful -- he's a doctor from Oklahoma, very big vote-getter. He's thinking of running, if his health permits. He has cancer. But the person who seems to have the party nod is Mayor Humphreys of Oklahoma City. Coburn is not endorsing him. And he may go on himself. The man who replaced Coburn in Congress, Brad Carson, a Democrat, has a good chance to actually be a Democratic senator from Oklahoma. It's going to be a tight race.
WOODRUFF: All right, let's move all to the way to the West Coast. Arnold Schwarzenegger, what are you hearing about the governor-elect and how he's doing?
NOVAK: Well, looking from the standpoint of the conservatives, good news and bad news. The bad news, from the standpoint of conservatives, is that governor-elect Schwarzenegger is joining some liberal attorneys general in the Northeast in possibly suing the EPA to get them to declare carbon monoxide as a poisonous emission. They're not happy about that.
They're overjoyed, however, the conservatives are, that Governor Schwarzenegger is coming out for constitutional amendments to limit taxes and spending. What do you think of that?
WOODRUFF: I think that's going to win friends among Republicans every day.
NOVAK: Anytime, Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Bob Novak, thanks very much. And we'll see you on CROSSFIRE.
NOVAK: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
