Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Bush's Approval Rating Soars

Aired September 23, 2001 - 18:33   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We have some new information on how Americans rate their president as the country embarks on a new war against terrorism. CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider is here to talk about some of these numbers, and let's look at them.

First of all, job approval rating for President Bush. Look at this. Ninety percent of the American public believe he's doing a good job, only 6 percent don't.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is a very significant figure. It's as high as any president has ever been and in fact, it matches his father's rating at the end of the Gulf War. And this President Bush hasn't even begun to fight. But what he has done is, he's found a vision. His presidency has really been reborn with an effective message that is compelling for him personally as well as for the country. He's found an agenda that he's organizing his presidency around.

At 90 percent approval, a president basically can do anything he wants. There is no resistance. The danger of course is, whatever he does has to work. Because his father can tell him how fleeting a 90- percent approval rating can be.

BLITZER: And in the new CNN/"USA TODAY"/Gallup Poll, look at these numbers. Should the U.S. -- would you favor U.S. military action in Afghanistan? Eighty-two percent say they favor it, only 13 percent oppose.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. And at the same time, over 70 percent say we should make strikes against Iran -- or, sorry -- Iraq at the same time. Now, Iraq is a pre-sold enemy. George Bush, the father, compared Saddam Hussein with Hitler, and he's a known supporter of terrorists. There is a debate within the administration over whether the administration's initial military action should be against both Iran and -- sorry -- both Afghanistan and Iraq, or just Afghanistan. It would be very hard to hold the coalition together if we make a strike against Iraq.

So this president is going to do something interesting. He says he's going to have a phased military action, where first we strike against the terrorist networks in Afghanistan, and if that is successful, then we expand it later, to Iraq.

BLITZER: And 73 percent, as our viewers see, do favor U.S. military action in Iraq. Finally, as far as the U.S. economy is concerned, Americans seem to be rather optimistic about the future. Look at this. Will the U.S. economy be prosperous in the long term? Ninety-one percent say they're confident it will be, only eight percent are not confident.

SCHNEIDER: Americans are very confident about the future, but right now most Americans say the country's in recession and right now they don't think it's a good time to go out and spend money. And the stock market is responding to what people are doing right now. But there is powerful pressure from Democrats who look at these numbers, and the Democrats are saying, -- you know what this country needs, is a short-term economic stimulus, because in the long run, from these figures, confidence is very high. That's the beginning of a partisan debate on Capitol Hill.

BLITZER: OK. Bill Schneider.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

BLITZER: Always knows the numbers. Thanks for joining us. Thank 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