Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Bush Presidency Moves Into Second Year

Aired January 20, 2002 - 09:18   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: One year ago today, where were you? Well, you might have been watching George W. Bush take the oath of office. Gosh, that seems like ancient history.

CNN's Major Garrett was just a young lad a year ago. Look at him now. He's had a long year at the White House.

Major, it's hard -- you know, really, it seems like ancient history, doesn't it?

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really does, Miles. I was here. A lot of us were here. One thing I remember most from that day, a driving wet, obviously cold, steady rain.

At the time, it felt like a metaphor for the stormy political season the nation had just gone through. The president took the Oath of Office, gave an inaugural address, chalk full of unifying themes, civility, courage, compassion and character.

Now you know how narrative history is written, Miles. Some time in the future a historian might look back on that day and also describe that storm, those brooding dark clouds as maybe a harbinger, an omen of the dark times this president and the nation would face in the year ahead.

Whatever the case, after the inaugural address, the president moved on to his agenda, focusing very much on the economy. He wanted tax cut approval from Congress, but it came at a heavy price. He lost a Republican, James Jeffords of Vermont, over the tax issue. He switched parties. Democrats took control of the Senate, and from that point on, much of the Bush domestic agenda was blocked.

Now, 9/11 occurred, war came, terrorism struck, the president and his administration responded and Congress responded, great unity, great national purpose.

Now we're in a different situation, preparing for the State of the Union, preparing for a political year, and over the weekend at the Republican Committee Meeting, the president's top political adviser, Karl Rove, began to frame this election year debate about this administration and its conduct of the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KARL ROVE, BUSH SENIOR ADVISER: We're winning in Afghanistan, but we're winning only in the first theater of a long contest that will take a long time and a lot of treasure and a lot of challenge for this country.

And we can also go to the country on this issue because they trust the Republican Party to do a better job of protecting and strengthening America's military might and thereby protecting America, and we should be proud of the record of our party in doing just that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Democrats, of course, took great umbrage at the idea that one party is carrying out the war in Afghanistan, that one party is protecting America. Democrats say they are complete unified with this administration on that point. They want to focus understandably on the economy, bringing it all full circle.

The Democratic leader of the House, Richard Gephardt, said at a Democratic National Committee meeting here in Washington yesterday, that much has changed and all of it, virtually for the worse, when it comes to the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO), MINORITY LEADER: And so where are we today? We've been in a recession since March. Unemployment is up over 5.5 percent and rising. People are being laid off from good- paying jobs all over this country. Our automakers and our largest companies are laying people off. The numbers come by the day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: So the economy will be the domestic issue of choice for the Democrats and, of course, will be of profound interest to the Bush Administration and the Bush White House. But, of course, through it all prosecuting the war in Afghanistan the very first phase in the War on Terrorism, one that the president has said over and over again will last many years, possibly well beyond his administration, whether that's one term or two. Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Major Garrett at the White House, again sort of giving us a first draft of history today. We appreciate that. Thank you very much.

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