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Bush Discusses His $2.5 Trillion Budget; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Names U.S. Security Coordinator for Palestinians

Aired February 07, 2005 - 11:30   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and listen to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is my first Cabinet meeting of the year 2005. I welcomed new members of our Cabinet to the table and congratulated them on their confirmations.

Today we discussed a lot of issues. I reminded them that the war on terror goes on, but mainly discussed the issue of the budget.

We're submitting our budget today. OMB Director Josh Bolton will be presenting the budget at noon.

It is a budget that sets priorities. Our priorities are winning the war on terror, protecting our homeland, growing our economy.

It's a budget that focuses on results. The taxpayers of America don't want us spending our money into something that's not achieving results.

It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that is a lean budget.

People on both sides of the aisle have called upon the administration to submit a budget that helps meet our obligations, our goal of reducing the deficit in half over a five-year period and this budget does just that.

Discretionary spending will increase at a rate less than inflation. Plus we begin some reforms on the mandatory side.

Congress needs to look at this budget and Congress needs to act on this budget in a fiscally responsible way.

BUSH: I'd be glad to answer some questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, what do you hope to accomplish by inviting Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas to Washington separately? And why do you think there's a better chance of success now than earlier efforts like the Red Sea summit?

BUSH: First of all, Prime Minister Abbas comes to the table with a mandate from a lot of Palestinians. He has been through an election. He was endorsed by the Palestinian people. Secondly, any meeting is part of a process, because in order to achieve the objective of two states living side by side in peace, there needs to be a level of trust between all parties -- all parties being, obviously, Israel and the Palestinians -- but trust with the United States, trust with the United Nations, trust with Europe, trust with the parties who are going to be investing in a Palestinian state, for example.

And so, what you're watching is a process unfolding where people are becoming more trustworthy.

I've been impressed by Prime Minister Abbas' commitment to fighting off terror. I've been impressed by what he has -- his public statements.

I've also been impressed by the fact that Israel helped the Palestinians have an election, went out of their way to make sure that people were allowed to go to the polls.

And the meetings just indicate that there is more work to be done, and I look forward to meeting with them.

QUESTION: How hard is it going to be to get Congress to go along with your budget when it cuts some popular programs that Congress has refused to go along with in the past?

BUSH: Well, that's a great question. I look forward to explaining to the American people why we made some of the requests that we made in our budget.

I fully understand that sometimes it's hard to eliminate a program that sounds good. But by getting people to focus on results, I'm saying to members of Congress, "Show us the results as to whether or not this program is working." I think we'll get a pretty good response.

I will tell you, we go into this process upbeat, because we've worked closely with the Congress the last four budget cycles. And Congress and the appropriators met our budget requests.

I mean, there's a collaborative effort. We've had a history of being successful in terms of passing good, strong budgets. And so I'm very optimistic that we can do so again this year.

Josh Bolton will be up outlining the budget. Our Cabinet secretaries will be talking about certain aspects of their respective budgets. And I think people will see that it's a common-sense approach to the budgets.

April?

QUESTION: Yes, Mr. President. I'm ready, too.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Did somebody tip you off that I might call upon you? QUESTION: I'm tricky. I've been watching you lately.

BUSH: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: First of all, you're talking about equality and keeping everything on a level playing field for everyone. Many people are saying that this budget proposal is not even. You're cutting out many programs for the disadvantaged. And, also, what was one of the main programs that you cut that you really had a hard time in cutting as you looked at things that were copies of another?

BUSH: I'm going to let Josh answer the degree of difficulty question, because we're asking for Congress to cut and/or reduce 150 different programs.

BUSH: The important question that needs to be asked for all constituencies is whether or not the programs achieve a certain result. Have we set goals and are those goals being met?

And the poor and disadvantaged absolutely ought to be asking that question, too. In other words, what is the goal of a particular program? And if that goal isn't being met, the question ought to be asked why isn't the goal being met?

And that's the questions we've been asking. And after a while, we get tired of asking that question so finally it is to take resources and direct them to programs that are working. And that's what you'll find in the education budgets and the health budgets, for example.

And those are very legitimate questions and the people deserve to have them answered, which this administration will answer in a forthright fashion.

Thank you all for coming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: There is the president once again, taking some questions from reporters, meeting with his new cabinet for one of the very first times.

Going back to Dana Bash now, picking up on some themes that we starting to allude to at the beginning. There is word -- as you heard the president mention just moments ago -- that there would be some cuts in education. When you consider that this president once was running as an education candidate, may this end up being, as I suppose William Shakespeare would say, the unkindest cut of all, Dana? Will you expect to see a big battle in that area?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can expect to see a big battle, Rick, in most of the areas, because for every one of the programs that the president just described, there are 150 programs that he wants to eliminate completely, or at least scale back on, there is somebody -- or at least a constituency that is likely to support it, and that is what you just heard the president talking about, that it is going to be hard. He called his budget a lean budget, but admitted to reporters asking questions about how he's actually going to do this when he's tried in the past and failed to cut back a lot of these programs. He said that that is going to be incumbent upon him to try to explain why he thinks that the programs that they will say here at least more extensively later on today, that they went through in a pretty detailed fashion to try to figure out if there are in fact working. The president you heard him calling it a results-oriented kind of approach.

So it is certainly -- for example, education, going to be difficult. I'll give you an example. We know they are going to propose cutting $225 million literacy program called Even Start. Now that is something that they say here at the White House they've had three studies on. It simply does not work. But there will be some people who will push to keep it.

On the other hand, you mentioned education. The president -- that is one area, at least a little bit of an area, where the president is going to increase -- or propose one increase, and that is in Pell Grants, at least a loan program for Pell Grants. That of course is a college loan program. The president is going to propose an increase in that. So again, you hear from the president that he's talking about results-oriented programs, and making sure that nothing is wasted, but certainly it's going to be a big fight, no matter how you cut it, on Capitol Hill -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Yes, expect it. Dana Bash following things there for us from the White House. Thanks for getting ready for us so soon there. We certainly appreciate it.

We're going to be back with a lot more news, including some news from overseas, right here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Now in the news, Iraq's election commission concedes today that large blocks of voters did not get to cast ballots on January 30th. Fifteen thousand people were unable to vote in the Mosul area. Poll workers did not show up in some cases, and others, gunmen stole ballots and election materials from polling stations.

President Bush submitted his 2006 budget to Congress this morning. He proposes spending $2.5 trillion, with a deficit projected at $427 billion. The new Bush blueprint eliminates or cuts back at least 150 programs. The budget does not include big-ticket costs such as the Iraq war and Social Security reform.

A jury is deliberating the case against former Catholic priest Paul Shanley today in Massachusetts. He is among the most notorious figures in the church sex abuse scandal. Shanley is charged with raping a boy in the 1980s.

And money, gas prices are on the rise again, as if we had to tell that you. A national survey finds the average price for self-serve regular gas rose more than 6 cents over the past two weeks.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

SANCHEZ: Here is the latest on the ongoing struggle in Iraq. A suicide bomber detonates his explosives in front of a hospital in Mosul. Twelve people are dead, all of them policemen. Four others were hurt. In Baqubah, 15 civilians are dead after a car bomb explodes in front of a police station. Officials say the bomber set off the explosives as men milled about the area looking for work. Sixteen others are hurt.

And CNN has learned that Iraqi insurgents tried to shoot down two U.S. military aircraft over the weekend, but you did not success in either case -- did not. In both cases the planes proceeded, in fact, without incident.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named a U.S. security coordinator for the Palestinians today. He is Lieutenant General William Kip Ward. And our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

What do you know about him.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, this is one of those cases where there is an awful lot of generals you never hear about until you do hear about them. Lieutenant General William Kip Ward today, appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as her Palestinian security coordinator. General Ward is currently the No. 2 man for the U.S. army in Europe. Secretary of State Rice earlier today spell out the duties that she wants general ward to perform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: General ward will also work with Egypt, Jordan and others to coordinate assistance to the P.A. as it rebuilds its security capacity to end violence and terror and restore law and order. General Ward will travel to the region to make an initial assessment in the next few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now General Ward was in his office in Heidlburg (ph) today, again, where he serves as the No. 2 man for the U.S. Army in Europe. But he has long experience in peacekeeping-type missions. He served at the U.S. embassy in Egypt, where he headed the U.S. military mission there, furthering the compliance on the implementation of Israeli/Egyptian peace accords. He also recently served as the U.S. commander of the stabilization force in Bosnia, overseeing peacekeeping in the Balkans.

So he has a lot of experience in these types of non-combat missions. He will travel to the region shortly, we are told. And then he will begin reporting directly to Dr. Rice on compliance on both the Israeli and the Palestinian side with the security accords -- Betty. NGUYEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you, Barbara. Rick.

SANCHEZ: Here now are stories making news overseas in this morning's world wrap. Three armed men who took over the Spanish consulate in Bern, Switzerland this morning remain at large. The hostage standoff ended several hours after it began when Swiss police stormed the building. Three people taken hostage are free. Spain's foreign minister said the men apparently were trying to rob a safe there.

Now in Japan, the Sapporo Snow Festival is under way, as millions gather to admire the intricate and ambitious carvings. Take a look at this. It's a replica of Oslo's city hall. It marks the 100th anniversary of diplomat ties between Norway and Japan. More than 300 snow statues lined the streets and squares on the island.

Turning up the heat in Rio De Janeiro. Sensual rhythms, swaying hips and spectacular costumes marked the annual Carnival Samba Parade. Look at this, two nights of highlights, this Brazil's pre-Lenten festival, as in Lent, Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Rio's 14 top samba groups made up some 4,000 dancers engaged in the intense, and they judged competition. No cash prizes, but the prestige, priceless.

Also the reggae beat sent dreadlocked Rastafarians into rapture in Ethiopia, where thousands gathered to mark what would have been the 60th birthday of reggae legend Bob Marley. Marley was a Jamaican as you know, by birth anyway, but he considered Ethiopia the spiritual home of his faith.

NGUYEN: Are you stuck in winter blues? Do you want to get somewhere warm and cozy?

SANCHEZ: Stick around, because we're going to have somebody who can tell you what you need to do if you are feeling like you just need a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. And go ahead, you can tell winter to take a hike. The calendar may say early February, but you can vacation like it's June. Sounds like a song, doesn't it? Today's "Getaways" looks at vacations to bust the cold weather blahs, accent on 'bl.'

Bill Sertl is the travel editor for "Gourmet" magazine. He's joining us now from the Time Warner Center in New York to tell us what we can do.

Mr. Sertl, it's very nice to have you with us, sir.

BILL SERTL, "GOURMET" MAGAZINE: It's nice to be here. Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: One of the first suggestions you make is, get together with some friends and rent a villa. SERTL: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Sounds like fun.

SERTL: Yes, you know, It's winter here. I'm waiting for the daffodils. It's 50 degrees yesterday. I realize they're two months away. Holidays are over. Get some friends together, rent a villa in the Caribbean. It sounds extravagant. It's really not. You'll be living extravagantly, but you can get a three-bedroom villa in most places in the Caribbean for $5,000 to $6,000. You split that among three couples, that works out to be a lot cheaper than a deluxe hotel.

SANCHEZ: Just to clear that up, you're saying $5,000 to $6,000 a week.

SERTL: Oh, yes.

SANCHEZ: Just let's be clear on it.

SERTL: Let's be clear on that.

SANCHEZ: Let's not scare people.

SERTL: Let's not scare people.

SANCHEZ: You need a little extra money left over for the umbrella that you put in your drink.

SERTL: And if you do the math, that gets down to about $200 a day per couple, which is about half what you'd pay at a deluxe hotel. And you might even get a cook with that villa, too.

SANCHEZ: You could go the other way, too, because you mentioned that instead of going south, revel in winter, experience it, right?

SERTL: Some people can't get enough of it. If you like to snowshoe, if you like to cross country ski, a place that I recommend is Canoe Bay in northwestern Wisconsin. This is a place where you're going to have snow well into March, I think. You get a cozy cabin, a fireplace, a great chef, and a great place to hole up after a day outside in the snow.

SANCHEZ: I have one here. We're down to about a minute. We can maybe get a couple of them in. There's one that sounds really dumb to me. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. Go to New York and eat chocolate for a weekend? What is that, a chocolate vacation?

SERTL: Hey! It's Valentine's Day next Monday. So I thought there's going to be some people, romantics, who want to go to Paris, go to New York, have a weekend. And at the Four Seasons here in New York, which is a beautiful skyscraper hotel in the middle of the shopping area, they will give you a chocolate-tasting menu from the pastry chef, a chocolate martini and all kinds of little chocolate extras thrown in with your valentine package.

SANCHEZ: It's great. Bill Sertl. By the way, the ones we didn't get to, take a volunteer vacation. Do Europe. A little expensive right now. And take a cruise, some dependable ones. Great stuff.

Bill, travel editor, "Gourmet" magazine. Thanks for being with us.

NGUYEN: And, Rick, so you know, there is nothing dumb about chocolate, all right? Get that straight.

We'll have a check of the forecast when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

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Aired February 7, 2005 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and listen to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is my first Cabinet meeting of the year 2005. I welcomed new members of our Cabinet to the table and congratulated them on their confirmations.

Today we discussed a lot of issues. I reminded them that the war on terror goes on, but mainly discussed the issue of the budget.

We're submitting our budget today. OMB Director Josh Bolton will be presenting the budget at noon.

It is a budget that sets priorities. Our priorities are winning the war on terror, protecting our homeland, growing our economy.

It's a budget that focuses on results. The taxpayers of America don't want us spending our money into something that's not achieving results.

It's a budget that reduces and eliminates redundancy. It's a budget that is a lean budget.

People on both sides of the aisle have called upon the administration to submit a budget that helps meet our obligations, our goal of reducing the deficit in half over a five-year period and this budget does just that.

Discretionary spending will increase at a rate less than inflation. Plus we begin some reforms on the mandatory side.

Congress needs to look at this budget and Congress needs to act on this budget in a fiscally responsible way.

BUSH: I'd be glad to answer some questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, what do you hope to accomplish by inviting Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas to Washington separately? And why do you think there's a better chance of success now than earlier efforts like the Red Sea summit?

BUSH: First of all, Prime Minister Abbas comes to the table with a mandate from a lot of Palestinians. He has been through an election. He was endorsed by the Palestinian people. Secondly, any meeting is part of a process, because in order to achieve the objective of two states living side by side in peace, there needs to be a level of trust between all parties -- all parties being, obviously, Israel and the Palestinians -- but trust with the United States, trust with the United Nations, trust with Europe, trust with the parties who are going to be investing in a Palestinian state, for example.

And so, what you're watching is a process unfolding where people are becoming more trustworthy.

I've been impressed by Prime Minister Abbas' commitment to fighting off terror. I've been impressed by what he has -- his public statements.

I've also been impressed by the fact that Israel helped the Palestinians have an election, went out of their way to make sure that people were allowed to go to the polls.

And the meetings just indicate that there is more work to be done, and I look forward to meeting with them.

QUESTION: How hard is it going to be to get Congress to go along with your budget when it cuts some popular programs that Congress has refused to go along with in the past?

BUSH: Well, that's a great question. I look forward to explaining to the American people why we made some of the requests that we made in our budget.

I fully understand that sometimes it's hard to eliminate a program that sounds good. But by getting people to focus on results, I'm saying to members of Congress, "Show us the results as to whether or not this program is working." I think we'll get a pretty good response.

I will tell you, we go into this process upbeat, because we've worked closely with the Congress the last four budget cycles. And Congress and the appropriators met our budget requests.

I mean, there's a collaborative effort. We've had a history of being successful in terms of passing good, strong budgets. And so I'm very optimistic that we can do so again this year.

Josh Bolton will be up outlining the budget. Our Cabinet secretaries will be talking about certain aspects of their respective budgets. And I think people will see that it's a common-sense approach to the budgets.

April?

QUESTION: Yes, Mr. President. I'm ready, too.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: Did somebody tip you off that I might call upon you? QUESTION: I'm tricky. I've been watching you lately.

BUSH: All right.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: First of all, you're talking about equality and keeping everything on a level playing field for everyone. Many people are saying that this budget proposal is not even. You're cutting out many programs for the disadvantaged. And, also, what was one of the main programs that you cut that you really had a hard time in cutting as you looked at things that were copies of another?

BUSH: I'm going to let Josh answer the degree of difficulty question, because we're asking for Congress to cut and/or reduce 150 different programs.

BUSH: The important question that needs to be asked for all constituencies is whether or not the programs achieve a certain result. Have we set goals and are those goals being met?

And the poor and disadvantaged absolutely ought to be asking that question, too. In other words, what is the goal of a particular program? And if that goal isn't being met, the question ought to be asked why isn't the goal being met?

And that's the questions we've been asking. And after a while, we get tired of asking that question so finally it is to take resources and direct them to programs that are working. And that's what you'll find in the education budgets and the health budgets, for example.

And those are very legitimate questions and the people deserve to have them answered, which this administration will answer in a forthright fashion.

Thank you all for coming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: There is the president once again, taking some questions from reporters, meeting with his new cabinet for one of the very first times.

Going back to Dana Bash now, picking up on some themes that we starting to allude to at the beginning. There is word -- as you heard the president mention just moments ago -- that there would be some cuts in education. When you consider that this president once was running as an education candidate, may this end up being, as I suppose William Shakespeare would say, the unkindest cut of all, Dana? Will you expect to see a big battle in that area?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can expect to see a big battle, Rick, in most of the areas, because for every one of the programs that the president just described, there are 150 programs that he wants to eliminate completely, or at least scale back on, there is somebody -- or at least a constituency that is likely to support it, and that is what you just heard the president talking about, that it is going to be hard. He called his budget a lean budget, but admitted to reporters asking questions about how he's actually going to do this when he's tried in the past and failed to cut back a lot of these programs. He said that that is going to be incumbent upon him to try to explain why he thinks that the programs that they will say here at least more extensively later on today, that they went through in a pretty detailed fashion to try to figure out if there are in fact working. The president you heard him calling it a results-oriented kind of approach.

So it is certainly -- for example, education, going to be difficult. I'll give you an example. We know they are going to propose cutting $225 million literacy program called Even Start. Now that is something that they say here at the White House they've had three studies on. It simply does not work. But there will be some people who will push to keep it.

On the other hand, you mentioned education. The president -- that is one area, at least a little bit of an area, where the president is going to increase -- or propose one increase, and that is in Pell Grants, at least a loan program for Pell Grants. That of course is a college loan program. The president is going to propose an increase in that. So again, you hear from the president that he's talking about results-oriented programs, and making sure that nothing is wasted, but certainly it's going to be a big fight, no matter how you cut it, on Capitol Hill -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Yes, expect it. Dana Bash following things there for us from the White House. Thanks for getting ready for us so soon there. We certainly appreciate it.

We're going to be back with a lot more news, including some news from overseas, right here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Now in the news, Iraq's election commission concedes today that large blocks of voters did not get to cast ballots on January 30th. Fifteen thousand people were unable to vote in the Mosul area. Poll workers did not show up in some cases, and others, gunmen stole ballots and election materials from polling stations.

President Bush submitted his 2006 budget to Congress this morning. He proposes spending $2.5 trillion, with a deficit projected at $427 billion. The new Bush blueprint eliminates or cuts back at least 150 programs. The budget does not include big-ticket costs such as the Iraq war and Social Security reform.

A jury is deliberating the case against former Catholic priest Paul Shanley today in Massachusetts. He is among the most notorious figures in the church sex abuse scandal. Shanley is charged with raping a boy in the 1980s.

And money, gas prices are on the rise again, as if we had to tell that you. A national survey finds the average price for self-serve regular gas rose more than 6 cents over the past two weeks.

Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.

SANCHEZ: Here is the latest on the ongoing struggle in Iraq. A suicide bomber detonates his explosives in front of a hospital in Mosul. Twelve people are dead, all of them policemen. Four others were hurt. In Baqubah, 15 civilians are dead after a car bomb explodes in front of a police station. Officials say the bomber set off the explosives as men milled about the area looking for work. Sixteen others are hurt.

And CNN has learned that Iraqi insurgents tried to shoot down two U.S. military aircraft over the weekend, but you did not success in either case -- did not. In both cases the planes proceeded, in fact, without incident.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named a U.S. security coordinator for the Palestinians today. He is Lieutenant General William Kip Ward. And our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

What do you know about him.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, this is one of those cases where there is an awful lot of generals you never hear about until you do hear about them. Lieutenant General William Kip Ward today, appointed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as her Palestinian security coordinator. General Ward is currently the No. 2 man for the U.S. army in Europe. Secretary of State Rice earlier today spell out the duties that she wants general ward to perform.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: General ward will also work with Egypt, Jordan and others to coordinate assistance to the P.A. as it rebuilds its security capacity to end violence and terror and restore law and order. General Ward will travel to the region to make an initial assessment in the next few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now General Ward was in his office in Heidlburg (ph) today, again, where he serves as the No. 2 man for the U.S. Army in Europe. But he has long experience in peacekeeping-type missions. He served at the U.S. embassy in Egypt, where he headed the U.S. military mission there, furthering the compliance on the implementation of Israeli/Egyptian peace accords. He also recently served as the U.S. commander of the stabilization force in Bosnia, overseeing peacekeeping in the Balkans.

So he has a lot of experience in these types of non-combat missions. He will travel to the region shortly, we are told. And then he will begin reporting directly to Dr. Rice on compliance on both the Israeli and the Palestinian side with the security accords -- Betty. NGUYEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you, Barbara. Rick.

SANCHEZ: Here now are stories making news overseas in this morning's world wrap. Three armed men who took over the Spanish consulate in Bern, Switzerland this morning remain at large. The hostage standoff ended several hours after it began when Swiss police stormed the building. Three people taken hostage are free. Spain's foreign minister said the men apparently were trying to rob a safe there.

Now in Japan, the Sapporo Snow Festival is under way, as millions gather to admire the intricate and ambitious carvings. Take a look at this. It's a replica of Oslo's city hall. It marks the 100th anniversary of diplomat ties between Norway and Japan. More than 300 snow statues lined the streets and squares on the island.

Turning up the heat in Rio De Janeiro. Sensual rhythms, swaying hips and spectacular costumes marked the annual Carnival Samba Parade. Look at this, two nights of highlights, this Brazil's pre-Lenten festival, as in Lent, Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Rio's 14 top samba groups made up some 4,000 dancers engaged in the intense, and they judged competition. No cash prizes, but the prestige, priceless.

Also the reggae beat sent dreadlocked Rastafarians into rapture in Ethiopia, where thousands gathered to mark what would have been the 60th birthday of reggae legend Bob Marley. Marley was a Jamaican as you know, by birth anyway, but he considered Ethiopia the spiritual home of his faith.

NGUYEN: Are you stuck in winter blues? Do you want to get somewhere warm and cozy?

SANCHEZ: Stick around, because we're going to have somebody who can tell you what you need to do if you are feeling like you just need a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. And go ahead, you can tell winter to take a hike. The calendar may say early February, but you can vacation like it's June. Sounds like a song, doesn't it? Today's "Getaways" looks at vacations to bust the cold weather blahs, accent on 'bl.'

Bill Sertl is the travel editor for "Gourmet" magazine. He's joining us now from the Time Warner Center in New York to tell us what we can do.

Mr. Sertl, it's very nice to have you with us, sir.

BILL SERTL, "GOURMET" MAGAZINE: It's nice to be here. Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: One of the first suggestions you make is, get together with some friends and rent a villa. SERTL: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Sounds like fun.

SERTL: Yes, you know, It's winter here. I'm waiting for the daffodils. It's 50 degrees yesterday. I realize they're two months away. Holidays are over. Get some friends together, rent a villa in the Caribbean. It sounds extravagant. It's really not. You'll be living extravagantly, but you can get a three-bedroom villa in most places in the Caribbean for $5,000 to $6,000. You split that among three couples, that works out to be a lot cheaper than a deluxe hotel.

SANCHEZ: Just to clear that up, you're saying $5,000 to $6,000 a week.

SERTL: Oh, yes.

SANCHEZ: Just let's be clear on it.

SERTL: Let's be clear on that.

SANCHEZ: Let's not scare people.

SERTL: Let's not scare people.

SANCHEZ: You need a little extra money left over for the umbrella that you put in your drink.

SERTL: And if you do the math, that gets down to about $200 a day per couple, which is about half what you'd pay at a deluxe hotel. And you might even get a cook with that villa, too.

SANCHEZ: You could go the other way, too, because you mentioned that instead of going south, revel in winter, experience it, right?

SERTL: Some people can't get enough of it. If you like to snowshoe, if you like to cross country ski, a place that I recommend is Canoe Bay in northwestern Wisconsin. This is a place where you're going to have snow well into March, I think. You get a cozy cabin, a fireplace, a great chef, and a great place to hole up after a day outside in the snow.

SANCHEZ: I have one here. We're down to about a minute. We can maybe get a couple of them in. There's one that sounds really dumb to me. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. Go to New York and eat chocolate for a weekend? What is that, a chocolate vacation?

SERTL: Hey! It's Valentine's Day next Monday. So I thought there's going to be some people, romantics, who want to go to Paris, go to New York, have a weekend. And at the Four Seasons here in New York, which is a beautiful skyscraper hotel in the middle of the shopping area, they will give you a chocolate-tasting menu from the pastry chef, a chocolate martini and all kinds of little chocolate extras thrown in with your valentine package.

SANCHEZ: It's great. Bill Sertl. By the way, the ones we didn't get to, take a volunteer vacation. Do Europe. A little expensive right now. And take a cruise, some dependable ones. Great stuff.

Bill, travel editor, "Gourmet" magazine. Thanks for being with us.

NGUYEN: And, Rick, so you know, there is nothing dumb about chocolate, all right? Get that straight.

We'll have a check of the forecast when we come back.

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