Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Bush Presidency Pleasantly `Low-Key'

Aired May 04, 2001 - 10:40   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.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: The kind of comparisons we heard in John's report, they're -- to presidential predecessors -- is inevitable for anyone who assumes the role of commander-in-chief.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve is joining us again now with an expert -- a journalist who has written about the American presidency for, hard to believe, more than 30 years now -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Stephen -- every president since Dwight Eisenhower.

Hugh Sidey is here. He is "TIME" magazine's columnist on the presidency. Let me ask you what you think is the most distinctive facet of the Bush presidency.

HUGH SIDEY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, they got Hollywood out of the White House. I think that is probably the most dramatic invisible part of it. It is not the national soap opera every day. It is rather low-key. I rather like that.

Then another thing that, perhaps, is even more important: They make decisions in this White House. We've -- in the past years, they've been talked to death and sometimes we weren't sure which side of an issue they were on and they wouldn't engage in things -- Social Security being one and then, after the failed Medicare, that element, the missile defense and others. These people come out of the corporate world and they decide.

Now, that doesn't mean you like their decisions or even that they're right or will work. But decision-making -- that is coming up and saying yes or no, we'll do this or that -- I think, is a terribly important part of leadership.

MESERVE: How similar or dissimilar is this Bush presidency from the first one?

SIDEY: Well, it's quite different; and it's kind of got an abruptness that the father didn't. The father was, as you know, the most experienced president, probably, that we've ever had who came up. And I think he had a wonderful kind of human network all over the world and these were friends of his. And I think, probably, you see some of the abrupt language and the kind of west Texas patois that No. 43 uses. It's a little harsher than his father. There's that difference, but a lot similar, though. MESERVE: There's a high charm quotient to this president and some people compare him to Ronald Reagan; would you?

SIDEY: Well, Ronald Reagan came out of Hollywood and, you know, he'd been kind of conditioned by that. But I suppose there are some similarities. I don't think this president is as articulate and able to reach out to people and convince them like old Ronald Reagan was. I mean, my goodness, he was a physical phenomenon, Reagan was, as Hollywood found out.

But yes, there are some things that are similar; no question, the sense of humor, which I think every great president needs.

MESERVE: You know, some people are saying that George W. Bush is, perhaps, a little too self-deprecating. Would you agree with that?

SIDEY: No, I like it. And he'll get over that. These fellows have a hard time, as you know, after they've been in office awhile of really being humble and so I think if he starts down there, we're probably ahead of the game. No, I don't mind that. He laughs at himself and these are small things. And I think it's probably fine.

MESERVE: And now the president says he has changed the tone in this town. Would you agree?

SIDEY: I would agree. I would think that's a very important thing. It's hard to write about that. We're so locked into this idea of the 100 days. And that's a quantitative measure. It's bills passed, billions of dollars appropriated -- it goes back to FDR's time. It doesn't apply today.

And so when you talk about mood, you talk about environment, you talk about tone. Those things are harder to come by. I think he has changed it. I think the rhetoric has been lowered. I think it's a little bit more of a civil town. And I hope it becomes even more.

MESERVE: Hugh Sidey, on that note, we'll conclude. Thanks for joining us.

Daryn and Stephen, back to you in Atlanta.

FRAZIER: Jeanne, 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