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CNN Sunday Morning

Economy Will Dominate Bush's Agenda

Aired May 04, 2003 - 10:05   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.


ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush continues shifting gears this week from waging war in Iraq to battling for his tax cut proposal. The economy expected to top a full agenda for the president. CNN White House correspondent Christopher Burns is in Crawford, Texas and joins us live with more on what is happening.
Chris, good morning.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Robin. The president is taking a day off today. Nothing is planned on his schedule. He is here at the ranch. Not too good a day for a day out but he will be at the ranch spending the day relaxing because he is looking ahead to the coming week for a number of appearances on his tax plan.

Over the weekend he saw off the Australian Prime Minister John Howard, had him over. He was one of the chief allies in the war against Iraq. Australia contributed 2,000 troops. President Bush thanked him with a ride on Air Force One and throwing a couple of beef tenderloin on the barbie.

They also talked about issues. When they came up to talk to the press, the press was asking President Bush about weapons of mass destruction, the president saying, "Well, they will be found. Saddam Hussein did a good job of hiding them over the last 14 years, but that they will be found". Once again, these questions being raised even today in the talk shows in Washington. Secretary of State Colin Powell answering for that and saying that it was not only the United States that was looking for those weapons, but also the United Nations under the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The basis of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 was a judgment on the part of all 15 members of the security council that the Iraqi regime had been in violation of its obligations under all sorts of previous resolutions to account for its weapons of mass destruction.

All 15 nations agreed when they passed that resolution. I am absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And that was the justification, you remember, for this war in the first place, so the White House is under a bit of pressure to come up with those weapons or elements thereof.

Meanwhile, the White House confirming -- a source to the White House confirming that the U.S. forces will be pulled out. More than half of them will be. Three of the five divisions on the ground there, there are altogether 130,000 troops there should be pulled out by this fall if they can stabilize the situation, if they can bring in troops from other countries to fill in that gap. You might look at the polls. There was one run in Newsweek in the last couple of days showing that less than 50 percent of those responding in this country believe that the U.S. troops should stay more than one year.

So, it does appear that the support for a long-term commitment there is waning. Robin?

MEADE: And what about the president's schedule in the coming week, being that this is Sunday.

BURNS: Well, the president is switching gears. On two of the domestic fronts, as you might look at the polls as well. The president in the latest polls showing that less than 50 percent believe that he is doing a great job on the economic front.

He is going to try to repair that. He is pushing ahead with his tax plan. At least $550 billion in tax cuts over the next 10 years, including a very controversial scrapping of the dividend tax and that is something he is going to be pushing ahead now.

On Monday he goes to Arkansas to talk to small business owners. There are tax breaks for small businesses in his tax plan. On Tuesday, he will be in Washington talking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, talking to a tax coalition, a tax cut coalition, once again, seeking their support in getting that bill passed. But it is an uphill battle on Capitol Hill.

MEADE: All right. Chris Burns, live from Crawford, Texas. Our thanks to 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







Aired May 4, 2003 - 10:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush continues shifting gears this week from waging war in Iraq to battling for his tax cut proposal. The economy expected to top a full agenda for the president. CNN White House correspondent Christopher Burns is in Crawford, Texas and joins us live with more on what is happening.
Chris, good morning.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Robin. The president is taking a day off today. Nothing is planned on his schedule. He is here at the ranch. Not too good a day for a day out but he will be at the ranch spending the day relaxing because he is looking ahead to the coming week for a number of appearances on his tax plan.

Over the weekend he saw off the Australian Prime Minister John Howard, had him over. He was one of the chief allies in the war against Iraq. Australia contributed 2,000 troops. President Bush thanked him with a ride on Air Force One and throwing a couple of beef tenderloin on the barbie.

They also talked about issues. When they came up to talk to the press, the press was asking President Bush about weapons of mass destruction, the president saying, "Well, they will be found. Saddam Hussein did a good job of hiding them over the last 14 years, but that they will be found". Once again, these questions being raised even today in the talk shows in Washington. Secretary of State Colin Powell answering for that and saying that it was not only the United States that was looking for those weapons, but also the United Nations under the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The basis of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 was a judgment on the part of all 15 members of the security council that the Iraqi regime had been in violation of its obligations under all sorts of previous resolutions to account for its weapons of mass destruction.

All 15 nations agreed when they passed that resolution. I am absolutely sure that there are weapons of mass destruction there and the evidence will be forthcoming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And that was the justification, you remember, for this war in the first place, so the White House is under a bit of pressure to come up with those weapons or elements thereof.

Meanwhile, the White House confirming -- a source to the White House confirming that the U.S. forces will be pulled out. More than half of them will be. Three of the five divisions on the ground there, there are altogether 130,000 troops there should be pulled out by this fall if they can stabilize the situation, if they can bring in troops from other countries to fill in that gap. You might look at the polls. There was one run in Newsweek in the last couple of days showing that less than 50 percent of those responding in this country believe that the U.S. troops should stay more than one year.

So, it does appear that the support for a long-term commitment there is waning. Robin?

MEADE: And what about the president's schedule in the coming week, being that this is Sunday.

BURNS: Well, the president is switching gears. On two of the domestic fronts, as you might look at the polls as well. The president in the latest polls showing that less than 50 percent believe that he is doing a great job on the economic front.

He is going to try to repair that. He is pushing ahead with his tax plan. At least $550 billion in tax cuts over the next 10 years, including a very controversial scrapping of the dividend tax and that is something he is going to be pushing ahead now.

On Monday he goes to Arkansas to talk to small business owners. There are tax breaks for small businesses in his tax plan. On Tuesday, he will be in Washington talking to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, talking to a tax coalition, a tax cut coalition, once again, seeking their support in getting that bill passed. But it is an uphill battle on Capitol Hill.

MEADE: All right. Chris Burns, live from Crawford, Texas. Our thanks to 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