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American Morning

Bush Military Service

Aired February 11, 2004 - 07:07   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: We want to move to another story now from the White House, trying to put questions about President Bush's military service to rest, the release of payroll documents yesterday not likely to end this election year controversy.
John King is at the White House this morning with more on this.

Good morning there -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Democrats are questioning whether the president went AWOL, as the party chairman put it, during his National Guard service some 30 years ago. The White House bristles at that suggestion.

As you noted, more documents were released yesterday. This issue came up in the 2000 campaign. Here you see the president in a fighter jet back in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Now, the key period in question here is about May, 1972 to May, 1973. That is when the president received permission to transfer from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. He was working on a Senate race up in Alabama. And previously there have been no records at all showing that he actually served in Alabama.

Now, the White House did release documents yesterday that show that the president was paid for several days in that period. If you look at the documents, it shows the president was paid in that period from May, 1972 to May, 1973, when Democrats have questioned whether he showed up at all. There you see those dates in that period where the president was paid.

Now, the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, says this is proof the president fulfilled his obligation, and the questions should stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was proud of his service in the National Guard. He fulfilled his duties. He was honorably discharged. I think there are some that, we're now seeing, are not interested in the facts. What they are interested in is trying to twist the facts for partisan political advantage in an election year, and that's unfortunate.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: But it was quite a contentious briefing in part because the documents do not answer some questions, including why President Bush's superiors at the time said they could not evaluate him because they had not seen him at drills. And why now 30 years later, even though this has been an issue now in two presidential campaigns, no one has stepped forward, Bill, from Alabama and can recall at all serving with George W. Bush.

HEMMER: Hostile questions indeed yesterday.

On another front, later today the president will make a speech about weapons of mass destruction. It's billed as a significant speech. What's in it today, John?

KING: An attempt by the president of the United States to point to what we have learned in recent weeks and months about Pakistan essentially being a black market for nuclear designs and nuclear technology, to Libya, to Iran, and to North Korea. The president will say this is proof that the international agreements in place to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction simply do not work. The president will say the United Nations needs to do more. Other leading nations around the world need to do more.

It is a challenge by the president, if you will, to many of the organizations that he has sparred with on issues like the war in Iraq. The president saying that all of the treaties, all of the interdiction efforts around the world must be strengthened up, and he will specifically detail how the United States learned about the black market out of Pakistan to try to raise this issue around the world -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, thanks. Lots to talk about. John King from the Front Lawn.

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 11, 2004 - 07:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to move to another story now from the White House, trying to put questions about President Bush's military service to rest, the release of payroll documents yesterday not likely to end this election year controversy.
John King is at the White House this morning with more on this.

Good morning there -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

Democrats are questioning whether the president went AWOL, as the party chairman put it, during his National Guard service some 30 years ago. The White House bristles at that suggestion.

As you noted, more documents were released yesterday. This issue came up in the 2000 campaign. Here you see the president in a fighter jet back in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Now, the key period in question here is about May, 1972 to May, 1973. That is when the president received permission to transfer from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. He was working on a Senate race up in Alabama. And previously there have been no records at all showing that he actually served in Alabama.

Now, the White House did release documents yesterday that show that the president was paid for several days in that period. If you look at the documents, it shows the president was paid in that period from May, 1972 to May, 1973, when Democrats have questioned whether he showed up at all. There you see those dates in that period where the president was paid.

Now, the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, says this is proof the president fulfilled his obligation, and the questions should stop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president was proud of his service in the National Guard. He fulfilled his duties. He was honorably discharged. I think there are some that, we're now seeing, are not interested in the facts. What they are interested in is trying to twist the facts for partisan political advantage in an election year, and that's unfortunate.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KING: But it was quite a contentious briefing in part because the documents do not answer some questions, including why President Bush's superiors at the time said they could not evaluate him because they had not seen him at drills. And why now 30 years later, even though this has been an issue now in two presidential campaigns, no one has stepped forward, Bill, from Alabama and can recall at all serving with George W. Bush.

HEMMER: Hostile questions indeed yesterday.

On another front, later today the president will make a speech about weapons of mass destruction. It's billed as a significant speech. What's in it today, John?

KING: An attempt by the president of the United States to point to what we have learned in recent weeks and months about Pakistan essentially being a black market for nuclear designs and nuclear technology, to Libya, to Iran, and to North Korea. The president will say this is proof that the international agreements in place to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction simply do not work. The president will say the United Nations needs to do more. Other leading nations around the world need to do more.

It is a challenge by the president, if you will, to many of the organizations that he has sparred with on issues like the war in Iraq. The president saying that all of the treaties, all of the interdiction efforts around the world must be strengthened up, and he will specifically detail how the United States learned about the black market out of Pakistan to try to raise this issue around the world -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, thanks. Lots to talk about. John King from the Front Lawn.

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