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American Morning

Bush to Spend Easter Weekend at Texas Ranch

Aired April 13, 2001 - 11:41   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: Having dealt with his first major international challenge, President Bush is now at his Texas ranch for the Easter weekend.

Our White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is also in Texas, but she's in nearby Crawford. She joins us now live -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, that is right. President Bush likely to be doing lots of resting and relaxing this weekend. We're not likely to see him until about Sunday when he and his family attend Easter day services.

And to update you, we still have a bit of a developing situation here in Crawford, Texas. Something locals here say they have never quite seen before. We still have three environmental activists from Greenpeace who have climbed on top of the Crawford water tower and they are hanging a banner there that reads, "Bush the Toxic Texan: Don't Mess With the Earth." These environmental activists protesting Mr. Bush's environmental policies, accusing him of not supporting the global warming treaty, for not enforcing tougher drinking water standards, for supporting oil drilling on public lands and not regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

Again, developing situation here. We have the mayor of Crawford, the county sheriffs, Secret Service all urging these activists to come down, saying they don't have a permit to be there, they are trespassing on private party. We talked to a little bit ago -- a colleague talking to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. His comment: "It's a free country."

Now switching gears, as we mentioned Mr. Bush arriving here last night after delivering a statement in the rose garden at the White House. The president, aides say, wanting to deliver a clear signal to the Chinese that this incident, this standoff, is not consistent with having a productive relationship between the two countries. Mr. Bush also, a senior administration official saying, wanting to make clear that the U.S. military is quite concerned about the Chinese challenging U.S. surveillance flights.

Now, before coming out to the rose garden Mr. Bush did get on the phone and talk with the 24 crewmembers after they arrived in Hawaii; and he told them he was very proud of them. He saluted their fine work and he said, as a pilot himself, he commended Lieutenant Shane Osborn for bringing that plane down safely. Now at this time, White House officials say there are no plans for Mr. Bush to go out to Washington state for that homecoming ceremony for the crewmembers tomorrow. Again, the White House, though, very much looking forward to these crewmembers getting back and being reunited with their families while senior officials start looking ahead to that meeting next week on April 18 when focus will be trying to get that American surveillance plane back and also pressing the case that the U.S. plans to continue those surveillance flights.

For now, though, I'm Kelly Wallace reporting live from Crawford, Texas.

HARRIS: All right, thanks, Kelly; we'll talk with you later on.

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