Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Bush's Whirlwind Tour

Aired November 28, 2003 - 07:35   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: For more about the possible fallout from the president's trip, we are joined by CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein of the "Los Angeles Times."
Good morning to you, Ron.

I'm going to ask you to stand in the shoes of the Democratic presidential candidates for a moment while we listen to part of the president's speech in Iraq yesterday.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: OK.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: How would someone compete with the power of the presidency when it comes to creating that kind of moment, Ron?

BROWNSTEIN: That was direct reprise of a line he used in London. That to me was the essence of sort of the two-sided nature of this trip and indeed, of the entire Iraqi enterprise for President Bush. What you saw on this trip and in that sound bite was a president who's greatest strength, domestically and in foreign policy, is his resolve. It's what the people who like him like most about him. He deeply believes in his causes, he fights for them tenaciously, and he's not easy to move.

On the other hand, I think what Democrats will say, while praising the trip, and I spoke with several of the candidates' campaigns yesterday, while praising the gesture, they will argue what he needs to do is change strategy. And what you see here, the flip side of resolve, Heidi, is someone who at times digs in his heels even when events would argue for a different approach. So that will be in essence the competing contesting images and portrayals of President Bush that flow out of this trip, someone who has great resolve or someone too stubborn to change course.

COLLINS: And certainly some other issues we've been talking about for quite some time in all of this, the transfer of power in Iraq. Do you think the president's visit will have any sort of effect on that whatsoever and the disagreements surrounding it?

BROWNSTEIN: Perhaps temporarily. John King had it exactly right. Look, this is a very powerful image that the president has created here, and it's one I think that whether directly or indirectly the White House is hoping will replace the sort of more swaggering image of him on the Abraham Lincoln on May 1st, which now seems tremendously out of touch with what's going on there.

But in the long run, what's going to matter most for the president's electoral health is the actual conditions on the ground in Iraq. There are some signs they are making progress on getting the transfer of power, but even if they do, whether that produces stability and security in the country is the next question, and one that I think ultimately will weigh the most.

COLLINS: Let's talk about that for a moment. On his trip, as you know, Mr. Bush made time to not only meet with the American troops, but also with members of the Iraqi Governing Council in just the two hours that he was there, yet criticism from the Democrats, particularly the presidential candidates, is that that will have nothing to do with the success of a policy in Iraq. Is that true or false?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, no, I mean, clearly if he can get the governing situation there straightened out, that will help him in his policy to bring more security to Iraq. What the Democrats are arguing is a slightly different tact. They are saying that he needs to bring in more support from allies. He has to internationalize. President Bush is looking more toward transferring security authority to the Iraqis themselves. The Democrats seem to be talking much more about bringing in additional security forces from other nations, but whatever the strategy, clearly, the real choice, the real challenge is to improve the situation.

Heidi, the polls have really deteriorated for President Bush on Iraq since that landing last spring. Americans increasingly anxious about the course of events, and how could they not be with what they're seeing on their television everyday.

COLLINS: Approval ratings sitting at 57 percent at least according to ABC News and "The Washington Post" polls. Ron Brownstein, thanks so much this morning, our CNN political analyst. We appreciate it.

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 November 28, 2003 - 07:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: For more about the possible fallout from the president's trip, we are joined by CNN political analyst Ron Brownstein of the "Los Angeles Times."
Good morning to you, Ron.

I'm going to ask you to stand in the shoes of the Democratic presidential candidates for a moment while we listen to part of the president's speech in Iraq yesterday.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: OK.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq, pay a bitter cost of casualties, defeat a ruthless dictator and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: How would someone compete with the power of the presidency when it comes to creating that kind of moment, Ron?

BROWNSTEIN: That was direct reprise of a line he used in London. That to me was the essence of sort of the two-sided nature of this trip and indeed, of the entire Iraqi enterprise for President Bush. What you saw on this trip and in that sound bite was a president who's greatest strength, domestically and in foreign policy, is his resolve. It's what the people who like him like most about him. He deeply believes in his causes, he fights for them tenaciously, and he's not easy to move.

On the other hand, I think what Democrats will say, while praising the trip, and I spoke with several of the candidates' campaigns yesterday, while praising the gesture, they will argue what he needs to do is change strategy. And what you see here, the flip side of resolve, Heidi, is someone who at times digs in his heels even when events would argue for a different approach. So that will be in essence the competing contesting images and portrayals of President Bush that flow out of this trip, someone who has great resolve or someone too stubborn to change course.

COLLINS: And certainly some other issues we've been talking about for quite some time in all of this, the transfer of power in Iraq. Do you think the president's visit will have any sort of effect on that whatsoever and the disagreements surrounding it?

BROWNSTEIN: Perhaps temporarily. John King had it exactly right. Look, this is a very powerful image that the president has created here, and it's one I think that whether directly or indirectly the White House is hoping will replace the sort of more swaggering image of him on the Abraham Lincoln on May 1st, which now seems tremendously out of touch with what's going on there.

But in the long run, what's going to matter most for the president's electoral health is the actual conditions on the ground in Iraq. There are some signs they are making progress on getting the transfer of power, but even if they do, whether that produces stability and security in the country is the next question, and one that I think ultimately will weigh the most.

COLLINS: Let's talk about that for a moment. On his trip, as you know, Mr. Bush made time to not only meet with the American troops, but also with members of the Iraqi Governing Council in just the two hours that he was there, yet criticism from the Democrats, particularly the presidential candidates, is that that will have nothing to do with the success of a policy in Iraq. Is that true or false?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, no, I mean, clearly if he can get the governing situation there straightened out, that will help him in his policy to bring more security to Iraq. What the Democrats are arguing is a slightly different tact. They are saying that he needs to bring in more support from allies. He has to internationalize. President Bush is looking more toward transferring security authority to the Iraqis themselves. The Democrats seem to be talking much more about bringing in additional security forces from other nations, but whatever the strategy, clearly, the real choice, the real challenge is to improve the situation.

Heidi, the polls have really deteriorated for President Bush on Iraq since that landing last spring. Americans increasingly anxious about the course of events, and how could they not be with what they're seeing on their television everyday.

COLLINS: Approval ratings sitting at 57 percent at least according to ABC News and "The Washington Post" polls. Ron Brownstein, thanks so much this morning, our CNN political analyst. We appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com