Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Joking About Bush's First 100 Days
Aired April 29, 2001 - 08:43 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.
JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: After 100 days of the Bush presidency, one political comedian has gathered a wealth of material and polished his impersonation of George W. Bush.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, our favorite comedian, Jim Morris, joins us again this morning. Would you say you're polished this morning, sir?
JIM MORRIS, POLITICAL COMEDIAN: Would you say I'm your favorite comedian at this hour?
PHILLIPS: Look, I just took the 20 you slipped under my door. All right, so let's talk about grading the president here. How would you grade him, Jim?
MORRIS: Well, I'd give him pretty good marks. I mean he seems to be comfortable within himself. His management style is more like Reagan than -- it's interesting, the piece that you're going to run tonight. Piece, it's a full hour, isn't it, "CNN PRESENTS"?
PHILLIPS: That's right.
MORRIS: Interesting to hear that clip of, I believe it was Andy Card, was it?
PHILLIPS: Yes.
MORRIS: OK. I'm pretty good with Boston accents. I don't have a monitor here, but he was saying that Bush comes in all, you know, pressed and groomed and everything and that's sort of like Reagan wanted everybody to -- I remember Gary Bauer saying that Ronald Reagan never came into the Oval Office without a jacket and tie.
Well, of course, sometimes that's all I had besides my cowboy boxers there.
But I think that well, I'm going to appeal to your better angels, not your darker impulses. And I go up to Congress. They're good people, clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, but here I am stuck in the middle with you, Kyra, and the American people. And I believe my tax plan is good for all Americans, all Americans.
Interesting also to see the difference not only in management style but social style. With Bill Clinton we had, it was very interesting to see who the overnight guests were at the White House, you know, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty, people like that. George W. will probably be like Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bachman, Turner, where's Overdrive? Which one are you? Three Dog Night. We could have them in there and I could learn a great deal. For instance, Jeremiah was a bull frog. I never knew that.
But I'm picking up on the, you know, the facial quirks and idiosyncrasies and that sort of thing and just, you know, all these years ago I never would have imagined, Kyra, you know, one day a dozen years ago in the Oval Office, you know, Barbara, I want to have a word with the boy here? You know something, W., someday all this will be yours. What, the hostile press and the inability to complete a sentence?
I think we've done a pretty good job. I think it was best put by our great philosopher Rene Descartes when he said -- or maybe, or maybe it was Neil Diamond when he said I think, therefore I am I said or something like that.
I noticed you were talking about me, Kyra. I was talking about you just the other day. I can't understand how come you never call me anymore.
PHILLIPS: You know why?
MORRIS: And you know...
PHILLIPS: Because Bush, I feel is restoring morality back into the White House, sir.
MORRIS: Well, if you're ever looking for a little walk on the wild side, you keep me in mind.
PHILLIPS: Jason, help me out.
CARROLL: I think this is the time to switch back to George W. here. Let's see if we can bring him back in here. George W., let's get your feel on how the press has been treating you so far.
MORRIS: I think they've been pretty good. Of course, you know, I think it's important to remember that, you know, talking about faith-based executions and that sort of thing, I sent Dick Cheney up there to the Hill to do the heavy lifting and I'm talking to the school kids and photo opportunities like talk about prayer in the schools, why god has been expelled from the classroom. I've got no idea. Was he caught cheating on his SATs? I don't think -- god wouldn't cheat. He doesn't have to. He knows all the answers.
But Laura likes being first lady. She gives me a lot of those thick books on my way to the helicopter. I'm reading a book now, it's "The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization" or something like that. It's by Gibbons (ph). It's an easy read. It's -- what was his name? Yul (ph), Yul Gibbons.
CARROLL: All right, Jim, I think we've had just about enough of you this morning. Thank you very much. MORRIS: Well, you won't have Mr. Morris to kick around any more.
PHILLIPS: Mr. Morris, we'll all be praying for you. Thank you, sir.
MORRIS: God bless 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
