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CNN Live Sunday

Bush Wraps Up Visit to Texas Ranch

Aired May 04, 2003 - 16:06   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Just a few days after declaring combat largely over in Iraq, the Bush administration faces the enemy of time in its search for weapons of mass destruction. None have been found, but the Bush administration maintains the evidence will surface. CNN White House correspondent Chris Burns has a view from Crawford, Texas where President Bush is wrapping up a visit to the ranch, and Chris, yesterday, it was the president insisting there are WMDs. Today, it was members of the cabinet.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely, those correct questions are rising now nearly a month after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad. These questions are arising and these questions are being answered over the weekend by President Bush himself. Yesterday, when he hosted the Australian prime minister, John Howard, he was asked by the media about WMDs, and he said, well it's going to take time. It's a country as big as California, and Iraq has a lot of caves and tunnels to check. More questions today for President Bush. The president's chief aides, the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, saying it's going to take sometime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The task is a big one. There are many teams of people that are out looking at the sites that we're aware of, but I don't think we're going to stumble over something. I think people are going to come up finally say, here's what happened, here's what they have done. And, already, there are things that have been related to us that have been helpful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And there are -- were questions, also, to the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who also talked about how there needs to be more time, more patience, but also, somewhat perhaps even lowering expectations of what could be found, a lot of talk even from the president about how certain weapons may be, or elements of weapons could have been stolen, they could have been smuggled out of the country, they could have been destroyed. Very hard to find. Also, Secretary of State Colin Powell saying that, well, perhaps there is the infrastructure, the brain power, there could be elements of those nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons programs that would be found, and that would indicate there was a WMD program of Saddam Hussein -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Chris, what's next for the president in what is likely to be a very busy week up ahead?

BURNS: Well, absolutely. The president shifting over to economic, domestic issues. He is riding high in the polls as a wartime president. But some of the latest polls show that he is fallen below 50 percent on approval on the economy. Now, he's going to be pushing his tax cut program of over half a trillion dollars over the next ten years. He is trying to push that through Capitol Hill. A lot of difficulties, especially with that dividend tax that he wants to scrap. It is a very controversial question.

He's going to be traveling to Little Rock, Arkansas, tomorrow to meet with small business owners. He hopes to pick up support from them. On Tuesday, he addresses the American Chamber of Commerce, the tax relief organization, association, that hopefully he will get support from them, as well. So he is hoping to build support from various angles in the country to try to push that through congress, though it is an uphill battle -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Chris, 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






Aired May 4, 2003 - 16:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Just a few days after declaring combat largely over in Iraq, the Bush administration faces the enemy of time in its search for weapons of mass destruction. None have been found, but the Bush administration maintains the evidence will surface. CNN White House correspondent Chris Burns has a view from Crawford, Texas where President Bush is wrapping up a visit to the ranch, and Chris, yesterday, it was the president insisting there are WMDs. Today, it was members of the cabinet.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely, those correct questions are rising now nearly a month after the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad. These questions are arising and these questions are being answered over the weekend by President Bush himself. Yesterday, when he hosted the Australian prime minister, John Howard, he was asked by the media about WMDs, and he said, well it's going to take time. It's a country as big as California, and Iraq has a lot of caves and tunnels to check. More questions today for President Bush. The president's chief aides, the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, saying it's going to take sometime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The task is a big one. There are many teams of people that are out looking at the sites that we're aware of, but I don't think we're going to stumble over something. I think people are going to come up finally say, here's what happened, here's what they have done. And, already, there are things that have been related to us that have been helpful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And there are -- were questions, also, to the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who also talked about how there needs to be more time, more patience, but also, somewhat perhaps even lowering expectations of what could be found, a lot of talk even from the president about how certain weapons may be, or elements of weapons could have been stolen, they could have been smuggled out of the country, they could have been destroyed. Very hard to find. Also, Secretary of State Colin Powell saying that, well, perhaps there is the infrastructure, the brain power, there could be elements of those nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons programs that would be found, and that would indicate there was a WMD program of Saddam Hussein -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Chris, what's next for the president in what is likely to be a very busy week up ahead?

BURNS: Well, absolutely. The president shifting over to economic, domestic issues. He is riding high in the polls as a wartime president. But some of the latest polls show that he is fallen below 50 percent on approval on the economy. Now, he's going to be pushing his tax cut program of over half a trillion dollars over the next ten years. He is trying to push that through Capitol Hill. A lot of difficulties, especially with that dividend tax that he wants to scrap. It is a very controversial question.

He's going to be traveling to Little Rock, Arkansas, tomorrow to meet with small business owners. He hopes to pick up support from them. On Tuesday, he addresses the American Chamber of Commerce, the tax relief organization, association, that hopefully he will get support from them, as well. So he is hoping to build support from various angles in the country to try to push that through congress, though it is an uphill battle -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Chris, 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