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American Morning
'Gimme a Minute'
Aired October 31, 2003 - 08:33 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, which is time for our weekly 'Gimme a Minute' segment, where our fast-talking panelists race the clock on four different topics in the news, and there will be parting gifts for everybody. Well, not really.
In Washington, Jonah Goldberg of the National Review Online, Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist, also in Washington. And regular panelist Andy Borowitz was not available today, so his understudy is here. We had to find another Andy. Andy Serwer here in New York with us.
And let's begin with -- some of calling it "bannergate," but why not, anything "gate."
Jonah Goldberg, let's talk about the famous banner on the aircraft carrier.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: I think this is one of the most nonsensical stories. Let's just say Bush is guilty of everything they're accusing him of in terms of this banner. So what? What an unbelievable side issue when people are dying in Baghdad, when we know we have to be there, we know the mission isn't accomplished. I mean, it is such a silly, silly distraction.
O'BRIEN: It's almost like making the American flag or the Pledge of Allegiance a campaign issue, huh?
GOLDBERG: We can get into that another day.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Donna Brazile?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, it's just like the Bush administration, one day they're disinvolved, the next day they blame someone else, this time the sailors. I don't it's the sailor's fault. I think someone else paid for that time.
O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, button it up. Banngergate, they call it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE": You know, I really think the president's plane was a little bit off course here. I think he was looking for Mission San Juan Capistrano. He was looking to swoop in with the swallows that come there every year.
O'BRIEN: It's a rite of spring, isn't it?
SERWER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about the economy, the raging economy. The GDP numbers are good. GDP stands for what? Gosh darn politicians or what? Gross domestic publicity, Donna?
BRAZILE: Well, absolutely. Tom Daschle said it best, the best GDP is a J-O-B. Until every American who wants to find work can find a job, I don't think this is so good news.
O'BRIEN: Jonah?
GOLDBERG: Well, look, If this news got any better they'd be confiscating belts and shoelaces at the DNC and putting the whole place on suicide watch. The idea that we're not going to start generating jobs before the summer of this presidential election strikes most people as fanciful.
This is huge news. Yes, it would be nice to get job growth going. But the best way to do that is to stir up economic activity, which is going gangbusters.
O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer?
SERWER: Well, Miles, you know, some people were skeptical of that number, 7.2 percent growth. But when I saw Enron's Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling creeping around out back of the Treasury, I knew that not only were these numbers unimpeachable, but that no one would be indicted about them.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about the plastic gun that sent the Capitol in to a complete tailspin yesterday. There's actually a serious story buried in here I'm sure about security and the problems with it.
I forget who goes first now, is it Donna, next?
Donna, let's talk about the plastic gun. Are the Capitol Police doing their job?
BRAZILE: Well, I think it's back to the drawing board for the Capitol police, and for those toy-toting Capitol Hill staffers, I think they should get some community service at a nearby shelter.
O'BRIEN: All right. And, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: It seems to me this is the logical consequence of taking security seriously, which is to say you have false alarms when stupid people do stupid things. These kids are going to get so razzed on Capitol Hill for years, that's punishment enough. You know, this is just one of these things that happened.
O'BRIEN: It's not exactly something you put on your resume, is it, Andy Serwer?
SERWER: Well, you know, some people thought it was Donald Rumsfeld on a rampage. But you know, and they do have a nice Halloween mask, a Rumsfeld mask. But I understand it was Dennis Kozlowski who was looking for the guy who videotaped his party in Sardinia and then turned it over to the Feds. That's who the guy with the gun was.
O'BRIEN: All right. And with that, we will ring the bell. Thank you very much, "Gimme a Minute."
Gentlemen and lady, thank you very much. Andy Serwer, you did a good job in the role of Andy. All right, thanks for being with us.
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 31, 2003 - 08:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, which is time for our weekly 'Gimme a Minute' segment, where our fast-talking panelists race the clock on four different topics in the news, and there will be parting gifts for everybody. Well, not really.
In Washington, Jonah Goldberg of the National Review Online, Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist, also in Washington. And regular panelist Andy Borowitz was not available today, so his understudy is here. We had to find another Andy. Andy Serwer here in New York with us.
And let's begin with -- some of calling it "bannergate," but why not, anything "gate."
Jonah Goldberg, let's talk about the famous banner on the aircraft carrier.
JONAH GOLDBERG, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: I think this is one of the most nonsensical stories. Let's just say Bush is guilty of everything they're accusing him of in terms of this banner. So what? What an unbelievable side issue when people are dying in Baghdad, when we know we have to be there, we know the mission isn't accomplished. I mean, it is such a silly, silly distraction.
O'BRIEN: It's almost like making the American flag or the Pledge of Allegiance a campaign issue, huh?
GOLDBERG: We can get into that another day.
O'BRIEN: All right.
Donna Brazile?
DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, it's just like the Bush administration, one day they're disinvolved, the next day they blame someone else, this time the sailors. I don't it's the sailor's fault. I think someone else paid for that time.
O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, button it up. Banngergate, they call it.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE": You know, I really think the president's plane was a little bit off course here. I think he was looking for Mission San Juan Capistrano. He was looking to swoop in with the swallows that come there every year.
O'BRIEN: It's a rite of spring, isn't it?
SERWER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about the economy, the raging economy. The GDP numbers are good. GDP stands for what? Gosh darn politicians or what? Gross domestic publicity, Donna?
BRAZILE: Well, absolutely. Tom Daschle said it best, the best GDP is a J-O-B. Until every American who wants to find work can find a job, I don't think this is so good news.
O'BRIEN: Jonah?
GOLDBERG: Well, look, If this news got any better they'd be confiscating belts and shoelaces at the DNC and putting the whole place on suicide watch. The idea that we're not going to start generating jobs before the summer of this presidential election strikes most people as fanciful.
This is huge news. Yes, it would be nice to get job growth going. But the best way to do that is to stir up economic activity, which is going gangbusters.
O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer?
SERWER: Well, Miles, you know, some people were skeptical of that number, 7.2 percent growth. But when I saw Enron's Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling creeping around out back of the Treasury, I knew that not only were these numbers unimpeachable, but that no one would be indicted about them.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's talk about the plastic gun that sent the Capitol in to a complete tailspin yesterday. There's actually a serious story buried in here I'm sure about security and the problems with it.
I forget who goes first now, is it Donna, next?
Donna, let's talk about the plastic gun. Are the Capitol Police doing their job?
BRAZILE: Well, I think it's back to the drawing board for the Capitol police, and for those toy-toting Capitol Hill staffers, I think they should get some community service at a nearby shelter.
O'BRIEN: All right. And, Jonah?
GOLDBERG: It seems to me this is the logical consequence of taking security seriously, which is to say you have false alarms when stupid people do stupid things. These kids are going to get so razzed on Capitol Hill for years, that's punishment enough. You know, this is just one of these things that happened.
O'BRIEN: It's not exactly something you put on your resume, is it, Andy Serwer?
SERWER: Well, you know, some people thought it was Donald Rumsfeld on a rampage. But you know, and they do have a nice Halloween mask, a Rumsfeld mask. But I understand it was Dennis Kozlowski who was looking for the guy who videotaped his party in Sardinia and then turned it over to the Feds. That's who the guy with the gun was.
O'BRIEN: All right. And with that, we will ring the bell. Thank you very much, "Gimme a Minute."
Gentlemen and lady, thank you very much. Andy Serwer, you did a good job in the role of Andy. All right, thanks for being with us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
