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Bush Goes on Tour; Satcher Expected to Take Morehouse Position

Aired January 14, 2002 - 13:06   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We've got to start now with the president's trip to the heartland, beginning this morning in East Moline, Illinois, and continuing this afternoon in Aurora, Missouri, and finally winding up in New Orleans.

Mr. Bush is out making his case for free trade and tax cuts. And also, chewing carefully before swallowing. More on that now from John King, who is standing by at the White House -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good afternoon to you. The president making his way down the mighty Mississippi as he put it earlier today in a sense of humor and a sense of urgency.

The urgency focusing on the president's economic message. He is trying to win a debate with Democrats in Congress over an economic stimulus package, defending his big tax cut of last year.

First and foremost, though, the president this morning trying to put aside any questions about his health. He fainted for a spell here at the White House yesterday while watching a football game. He blames pretzels. He was eating pretzels at the time. He says one didn't go down quite right, and that he believes that what has caused his fainting for what he believes, again, to be only a matter of seconds.

Now is trying to make light of this, the president on the flight out on Air Force One, sent a bag of pretzels back to the press corps. You could read on that bag, "From POTUS," president of the United States, "chew slowly."

The president made another joke as he was at the John Deere Factory in East Moline, Illinois. Again, there to promote his economic message, but he was given a gift by workers there, a John Deere jacket. He made a joke that he thought, perhaps, he would be presented with some pretzels. Get used to it. We are likely to hear these jokes for the next few days as the president tries to put this incident bind him. His doctors say he is fine, so the president took this two-day trip.

In his speech at the John Deere plant, Mr. Bush served notice he is prepared for the coming debate with the Democrats. Some Democrats say perhaps the final years of the Bush tax cut should be scaled back, if not repealed. Other Democrats haven't that far, but the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, says he thinks the Bush tax cut made the recession worse, and it is singularly the most responsible for turning Washington's financial situation from one of surplus to one of deficits.

The president will deliver his State of the Union address in a few weeks. This will be a major debate in next year's budget battle, and the president says he is prepared to defend that tax cut as the right policy, especially in a time of recession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's going to be a debate when we go back to Washington about tax relief, but I've made up my mind. The tax relief plan we passed, which you are now beginning to feel the effects of, is going to be permanent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You will also hear the president on this trip talking more about trade and energy policy, two priorities that were put aside after the events of September 11th, that he hopes to get through the Congress this year. Both issues sometimes divide, even internally within the Democratic and the Republican parties, so the president hoping to move on trade and energy very early in the new year before -- it is an election year -- before politics tend to effect just what you can, and how fast you can get anything through the Congress -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, John, before we let you go, I want to ask you if there is any word from the White House about this report that is just now crossing the wires about a possible new appointment now for Surgeon General David Satcher. Is there any word there?

KING: We are told, Leon, by a senior administration official that the surgeon general, David Satcher, will announce in the next day or so, we believe tomorrow, from our sources, that he is leaving the administration to take a job at Morehouse college there in Atlanta, Georgia, and no word at all yet on a replacement. This news just making its way up through the White House.

Dr. Satcher, of course, a holdover from the Clinton administration. Very highly regarded, though, by Republicans and Democrats alike in the Congress as well as by senior officials in this White House. We understand Dr. Satcher got a job offer to lead a new health care center. He said it was just something he couldn't refuse, and so he will announce his departure from the administration, again, we believe tomorrow.

HARRIS: That's a homecoming for Dr. Satcher. He's got long ties to Morehouse University. John King, thank you very much.

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