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American Morning

President Bush Heads to Missouri Today

Aired February 09, 2004 - 08:14   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush heads to Missouri today, trying to turn the political spotlight to gains in the U.S. economy. In an hour long TV interview yesterday morning with NBC's Tim Russert, he defended his discuss to invade Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS")

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I strongly believe that inaction in Iraq would have emboldened Saddam Hussein. He could have developed, you know, a nuclear weapon over time -- I'm not saying immediately, but over time -- which would have then put us in what position? We would have been in the position of blackmail. In other words, you can't rely upon a madman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Yes, that "Meet The Press" interview considered to be, by many, a bold political move.

David Frum, a former speechwriter for the president, wrote the book, the "axis of evil" line in the president's 2002 State of the Union address.

Frum is coauthor of "An End To Evil: How To Win the War On Terror."

He's back with us on AMERICAN MORNING live in D.C.

Good morning, Mr. Frum.

How are you today?

DAVID FRUM, FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER: I'm well.

Thank you for having me.

HEMMER: What did you think of the question and answer session from yesterday, 60 minutes in length?

FRUM: Well, I'm really glad the president did it. The Bush administration does not always make the president available for a really lengthy viewing by his employers, the American people. And it's good to do so, especially, I'm glad that they chose this format. People often complain, journalists often complain that the president doesn't do enough televised press conferences. But, as you know, televised press conferences have become ritualized stunts more for show -- so that journalists can show off so that the country can hear the president.

This was a format that allowed the president to be given some tough questions and to answer one after another in a sequential way, explaining his thinking to the public. I think he should do more shows like this historically.

HEMMER: David, do -- as you were sitting at home yesterday morning watching this, did you feel he made a connection to that television screen?

FRUM: President Bush is not a natural TV performer. I mean he's not, he's not one of the Roosevelts and the Reagans, even the Clintons. But I think what people see in him is reality. And they see, at the best moments in the interview, you got to see the spine and you got to see the person that people who work for him see when the camera is off. He's a very steely person, a person very clear in his own mind, very determined.

HEMMER: Yes, I take it from your answer the, that you could have said not entirely or not exactly that connection was made. I don't mean to paraphrase your words here, but that's the impression I get based on your answer. And I'm wondering, in your time at the White House, how is it that this particular job as president of the United States can essentially insulate and isolate an individual from the American people, from making that connection, etc.?

FRUM: Well, of course the job always creates that problem. That's one of the things, the challenges you have to face on the job. But the ability to project the personality through the camera is a skill that some people have, whether they're president or a politician or not. It's a very special kind of skill. And obviously in this day and age it's a very desirable skill to have.

It's not ultimately what we hire presidents for.

HEMMER: Would that have been your preferred venue, David?

FRUM: I think it was the perfect venue. As I say, I don't like these...

HEMMER: Perfect venue.

FRUM: I don't like these press conferences. I think that they are, the press goes up, they ask one question after another that goes on way too long. As you know, as a professional interviewer, the best questions are the shortest questions, whereas at press conferences you always get the longest questions and then they jump around the room and they have no relationship to one another.

So to have -- and from, and not just from the president's point of view, from the country's point of view, to have a fair-minded but very knowledgeable questioner going point by point by point following up a line of questioning, I think that makes -- allows the president to make his case and it allows the country to judge it.

As I say, I wish the president would do more of these things with a variety of interviewers.

HEMMER: In the second half of the interview, it touched on his military record, National Guard early 1970s.

Listen to how he addressed that yesterday with Tim Russert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS")

BUSH: They're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise I wouldn't have been honorably discharged. In other words, you don't just, you know, say I did something without there being verification. The military doesn't work that way. I got an honorable discharge and I did show up in Alabama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: What did you think of his defense yesterday, David?

FRUM: Well, I think it's sort of a specious -- I think the whole issue is kind of a specious issue. Look, there are questions you ask about somebody before you know them and there are questions that you ask after you know them. So the country just, the country had to factor in all of these questions about President Bush's per -- Governor Bush's personal life in 2000 in order to judge the kind of president he might be. But we're now at four years to see the kind of president he is. And then people can evaluate that. Did he do a good job being president? Is he the person to defend the country in the next four years?

And I'm sure, I mean, look, no one is going to make the case that George W. Bush was a model of personal responsibility for the first 40 years of his life, least of all him. And so he answered the question. But it's a kind of first term question, not a second term question.

HEMMER: David Frum, thanks for your time.

FRUM: Thank you.

HEMMER: The speechwriter, a former speechwriter within the White House.

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 February 9, 2004 - 08:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush heads to Missouri today, trying to turn the political spotlight to gains in the U.S. economy. In an hour long TV interview yesterday morning with NBC's Tim Russert, he defended his discuss to invade Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS")

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I strongly believe that inaction in Iraq would have emboldened Saddam Hussein. He could have developed, you know, a nuclear weapon over time -- I'm not saying immediately, but over time -- which would have then put us in what position? We would have been in the position of blackmail. In other words, you can't rely upon a madman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Yes, that "Meet The Press" interview considered to be, by many, a bold political move.

David Frum, a former speechwriter for the president, wrote the book, the "axis of evil" line in the president's 2002 State of the Union address.

Frum is coauthor of "An End To Evil: How To Win the War On Terror."

He's back with us on AMERICAN MORNING live in D.C.

Good morning, Mr. Frum.

How are you today?

DAVID FRUM, FORMER BUSH SPEECHWRITER: I'm well.

Thank you for having me.

HEMMER: What did you think of the question and answer session from yesterday, 60 minutes in length?

FRUM: Well, I'm really glad the president did it. The Bush administration does not always make the president available for a really lengthy viewing by his employers, the American people. And it's good to do so, especially, I'm glad that they chose this format. People often complain, journalists often complain that the president doesn't do enough televised press conferences. But, as you know, televised press conferences have become ritualized stunts more for show -- so that journalists can show off so that the country can hear the president.

This was a format that allowed the president to be given some tough questions and to answer one after another in a sequential way, explaining his thinking to the public. I think he should do more shows like this historically.

HEMMER: David, do -- as you were sitting at home yesterday morning watching this, did you feel he made a connection to that television screen?

FRUM: President Bush is not a natural TV performer. I mean he's not, he's not one of the Roosevelts and the Reagans, even the Clintons. But I think what people see in him is reality. And they see, at the best moments in the interview, you got to see the spine and you got to see the person that people who work for him see when the camera is off. He's a very steely person, a person very clear in his own mind, very determined.

HEMMER: Yes, I take it from your answer the, that you could have said not entirely or not exactly that connection was made. I don't mean to paraphrase your words here, but that's the impression I get based on your answer. And I'm wondering, in your time at the White House, how is it that this particular job as president of the United States can essentially insulate and isolate an individual from the American people, from making that connection, etc.?

FRUM: Well, of course the job always creates that problem. That's one of the things, the challenges you have to face on the job. But the ability to project the personality through the camera is a skill that some people have, whether they're president or a politician or not. It's a very special kind of skill. And obviously in this day and age it's a very desirable skill to have.

It's not ultimately what we hire presidents for.

HEMMER: Would that have been your preferred venue, David?

FRUM: I think it was the perfect venue. As I say, I don't like these...

HEMMER: Perfect venue.

FRUM: I don't like these press conferences. I think that they are, the press goes up, they ask one question after another that goes on way too long. As you know, as a professional interviewer, the best questions are the shortest questions, whereas at press conferences you always get the longest questions and then they jump around the room and they have no relationship to one another.

So to have -- and from, and not just from the president's point of view, from the country's point of view, to have a fair-minded but very knowledgeable questioner going point by point by point following up a line of questioning, I think that makes -- allows the president to make his case and it allows the country to judge it.

As I say, I wish the president would do more of these things with a variety of interviewers.

HEMMER: In the second half of the interview, it touched on his military record, National Guard early 1970s.

Listen to how he addressed that yesterday with Tim Russert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM NBC'S "MEET THE PRESS")

BUSH: They're just wrong. There may be no evidence, but I did report. Otherwise I wouldn't have been honorably discharged. In other words, you don't just, you know, say I did something without there being verification. The military doesn't work that way. I got an honorable discharge and I did show up in Alabama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: What did you think of his defense yesterday, David?

FRUM: Well, I think it's sort of a specious -- I think the whole issue is kind of a specious issue. Look, there are questions you ask about somebody before you know them and there are questions that you ask after you know them. So the country just, the country had to factor in all of these questions about President Bush's per -- Governor Bush's personal life in 2000 in order to judge the kind of president he might be. But we're now at four years to see the kind of president he is. And then people can evaluate that. Did he do a good job being president? Is he the person to defend the country in the next four years?

And I'm sure, I mean, look, no one is going to make the case that George W. Bush was a model of personal responsibility for the first 40 years of his life, least of all him. And so he answered the question. But it's a kind of first term question, not a second term question.

HEMMER: David Frum, thanks for your time.

FRUM: Thank you.

HEMMER: The speechwriter, a former speechwriter within the White House.

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