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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Sneak Preview of State of Union Speech; Mike Tyson Seeks Reinstatement in Nevada
Aired January 29, 2002 - 17:00 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: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States!
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BLITZER: A sneak preview of the State of the Union speech. Which countries will President Bush put on notice tonight? The war on terrorism: protecting the home front and economic recovery. What does the president need to say?
Another Bush family embarrassment: Governor Jeb Bush's daughter is charged with trying to fill a false prescription.
And out of the flames of September 11th, a remarkable story of survival.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put on burn sheets, oxygen, took care of her, and then the priest came over and administered her last rites.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't want to die.
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BLITZER: It's just down the street from the White House, but this is no neighborhood trip for the resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. There will be strong words tonight from President Bush, not all of them aimed at allies. But, will he say what you want to hear? First, a check of stories in our news alert.
In just a few hours, President Bush will spell out to the nation the priorities of his administration. Aides say Mr. Bush will focus most of his first State of the Union address on the war against terrorism, homeland security and the economy. We'll have much more on what to expect in just a moment.
With the Winter Olympics set to begin in less than two weeks in Salt Lake City, the Attorney General John Ashcroft is calling for better security arrangements. Ashcroft called for improvements after touring the Olympic site last week. Sources say, among other things, he asked organizers to deploy 50 more law enforcement officers to "plug gaps" in the existing plan.
A critically-burned victim of the World Trade Center attack says her strong faith in God helped her survive. Elaine Duch was released from a New York burn center today. She suffered burns over 77 percent of her body. She'll continue her recovery at a rehabilitation hospital.
And in the West Bank, an Israeli military raid near Bethlehem resulted in the arrest of an Islamic Jihad activist and two other terrorist suspects. The Israelis, backed by tanks, came under fire, but suffered no causalities. The Palestine Red Crescent says six Palestinians were wounded.
Now back to our top story: tonight's presidential State of the Union address. Together with other television anchors, I had lunch today at the White House with the president and some of his top advisers. It was clear Mr. Bush has worked hard on his remarks, and is eager to deliver them. It's expected to take about 45 minutes. In the process, he'll update us on where the U.S. war against terrorism stands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): When President Bush addresses tonight's joint session of Congress, he'll put three countries on notice, warning Iran, Iraq and North Korea, by name, to end their support of international terrorists. Why those thee countries?
Administration officials say Iran continues to support Hezbollah terrorists in the Middle East. Iraq refuses to permit U.N. weapons inspectors to come back in, and North Korea has engaged in missile proliferation. Says one top U.S. official, "they need to know we're watching them." While singling out those nations for condemnation, the president will heap praise on others for moving in the right direction, specifically citing Pakistan's President Perez Musharraf by name.
While insisting the war on terror has been successful, administration officials say President Bush will acknowledge more work is needed. He'll note that 100,000 terrorists have been trained over the years at al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, but only a fraction of them have been captured or killed. He'll also refer to the discovery of planned terror operations, including diagrams of U.S. nuclear facilities.
On the U.S. economy, Mr. Bush will spell out his proposals to create jobs. He'll urge Congress to pass his energy plan, and accelerate already approved tax cuts. One word the president will not mention: Enron. But administration officials say he will propose pension and 401(k) reforms, and urge corporations to practice higher business standards.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And joining us now for more on what we can expect to hear from the president, our senior White House correspondent John King. He's at the White House. John, the president is not going to speak, as I said, about Enron, but he will make it clear that he is concerned about what has happened, won't he?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You will hear the president talk about the need for corporate responsibility -- that, an indirect reference to what the administration and just about everyone in Washington looking into, this perhaps illegal conduct by Enron officials in disclosing the company's finances, not only from investors, but also from employees.
So you will hear the president talk about that, and you will also hear the president say it is imperative in this environment -- without saying the word Enron, we are told, that the Congress and the administration work together to toughen those disclosure laws, the laws governing 401(k) programs and other pension programs. So an indirect reference to what the president understands is a business scandal at the moment. He of course hopes very much to keep it from becoming any sort of a political scandal, especially anyone that singles out his administration or the Republicans.
BLITZER: On another sensitive issue, he will discuss energy. He will talk about the need for the United States to have a firm energy policy. But he won't talk about the battle that's brewing between the White House and the General Accounting Office, the investigatory arm of Congress, over whether documents related to Vice President Dick Cheney's energy plan should be made available. In fact, top administration officials are saying if they have a problem with that, the GAO, bring on the lawyers, let it go to court. Why are they so concerned about this issue?
KING: Well, the Democrats say perhaps there's something to hide. The Bush administration says nothing could be further from the truth. And it is the president and the vice president leading this charge. Some of the political team says privately, well, maybe we could make this go away. We don't need this in an election year. The president and the vice president, we are told, say no.
They will go to court, they will fight and they believe they will win, on the principle that a president must be able to have, and in this case, the vice president, because he led the energy task force, secret meetings with people to develop policy. They say the report is public, the energy report. Anyone can see that. It has been voted on in the House of Representatives. But they say presidents have done this for years. They will go to court and defend this principle. They understand it could be a bit of a political dust-up. But we are told it is both the president and the vice president who are most adamant about that.
And, Wolf, on that note, let me make this point. Behind the president tonight, you will hear the head of the president's energy task force, the vice president. There has been some debate about whether he should go to the speech because of security. CNN, though, is told by two senior administration officials, Dick Cheney will be in that chair behind the president tonight.
BLITZER: And as we show our viewers, John, some pictures, some White House photos, of the president preparing his remarks, meeting with his aides in the Oval Office, who else will be honored guests up in the gallery sitting next to the first lady Laura Bush?
KING: A very diverse group. In part, the president wants to focus on the war on terrorism, so he will salute members of the U.S. special forces. They will be on hand with the first lady. He will also discuss the ongoing reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, and he will salute the new chairman, Hamid Karzai, of the interim government in Afghanistan. He will also salute two American Airlines flight attendants. They are the two flight attendants most directly involved in subduing the alleged shoe bomber, Richard Reed. And we were just discussing energy policy a moment ago.
We are also told Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the Teamsters Union, a man who, on most economic issues, is more in line with the Democrats. He'll also be up there in the first lady's box, and to be saluted by the president. He of course has endorsed the Bush energy proposal, believes there are thousands of jobs for the Teamsters Union if you get about the business of drilling and exploring for oil and natural gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
BLITZER: Do we know yet at this point, John, which member of the cabinet will be left behind? Who won't be going up there? They always leave someone outside of the U.S. Congress.
KING: We do not have that name yet, but you are correct, and especially in this environment. We look at what they call continuity of government protocol. One member of the cabinet taken away to a secure location. That is a "just in case" precaution. It is done every year, but of course, a lot more focus on it because of the events of September 11 this year.
BLITZER: John King at the White House, thank you very much.
And this note: CNN's prime-time State of the Union coverage begins with me, and with the top members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin and John Warner. We'll discuss the war on terrorism at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific. Then, Congressmen J.C. Watts and Charlie Rangel are in the "CROSSFIRE." That's at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
And Judy Woodruff, Aaron Brown and Jeff Greenfield will pick up our coverage at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific. Among those joining the discussion, Bill Bennett and Michael Kinsley. And of course, stay with CNN following the president's address for a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Among Larry's special guests tonight, Bob Dole. And turning now to one of the president's goals: winning the war against terrorism. Joining me here is Samuel Berger, the former national security adviser in the Clinton administration. Is it wise, Mr. Berger, for the president to single out three countries for condemnation because of their policies?
SAMUEL BERGER, FMR. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, first, I'm sure the president will report on the progress that's been made in Afghanistan against al Qaeda. And I'm sure he'll point out that that job is not done, both with respect to al Qaeda and with respect to Osama bin Laden. We cannot forget that he has still not been apprehended. We don't want him to pop up six months from now as a symbol of defiance, rather than the defeat of this.
Beyond that, I'm sure the president will make clear this is a long-term struggle. Certainly, we have distinct problems with each of those countries. They're each somewhat different, and I'm not sure that one size fits all, in terms of the nature of the response. But with each case there are problems that we have to deal with.
BLITZER: Karen Hughes, the White House communications director, earlier today made it clear that this war against terrorism is still very much going forward. And she previewed specifically one point the president will make. Listen to what she said.
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KAREN HUGHES, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: What we've learned is that up to 100,000 people have been trained, trained killers, in the camps of Afghanistan. And they're now spread throughout the world in more than 60 different countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Sounds like the mission is just beginning.
BERGER: Well, there are -- obviously remain al Qaeda-trained individuals that exist. We have to stay at this. This is going to be an ongoing matter, Wolf. This is a little bit like lumpy oatmeal. Even after we've disassembled these cells, they can come back together again. So we have to continue to stir the pot, and continue to take down the remnants, No. 1.
No. 2, there are state sponsors that we have to be concerned about. No. 3, I hope the president tonight points out that America's role going forward after September 11th not only has a military dimension, but also has a political dimension. We have to use our moral authority as well as our military power to try to make the world a more peaceful, more stable, less divided place.
BLITZER: Based on what I heard at the White House today, he will have a major portion of his speech talking about U.S. values around the world in his remarks. We asked some of our viewers in the days leading up to the speech to tell us what they want to hear from the president tonight. One of our viewers sent us an e-mail. And let me put it up on the screen. "The American people have great praise for what has been done in the war so far. But I think the concern here is, when it is all said and done, will we have troops stationed everywhere in the world?"
BERGER: Well, that's I think a concern of the American people, that we get overextended. But the fact is that we have to have a wide-ranging presence in the world. We have to stay at this until we've dismantled al Qaeda. And we're not here alone. The peacekeeping function in Afghanistan, for example, is largely going to consist of troops of other nations. So, burden-sharing is also important.
BLITZER: While the president will single out Iran, Iraq and North Korea for condemnation, he will praise President Musharraf of Pakistan for what he has done. How significant has this position taken by the Pakistani leader been?
BERGER: I think extremely significant, and I think we have an enormous stake now in President Musharraf's success. He has done exactly what we've asked him to do -- that is, to take on terrorism within, both on his western flank, with the Taliban, and now on his eastern flank, much more difficult, with Kashmir. He must succeed. We don't want the result of the last four months to be bringing down the Taliban, but only to find a radical regime in Pakistan with nuclear weapons. So we have now an enormous stake in Musharraf's success. And whatever it takes for us to support him, we need to do that.
BLITZER: Samuel Berger, thank you very much.
And another key theme tonight is expected to be promoting homeland security. To discuss that, we turn to Republican Congressman Saxby Chambliss. He is chairman of the subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.
Is there one key word or phrase you want to hear from the president to reaffirm his commitment to protecting homeland security tonight?
REP. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: I think the key word is going to be authority, and the authority he gives the Governor Ridge I think will be very evident tonight. And you know, budgetary authority is one thing. But authority to carry out the actions the president wants to see carried out is what we're looking for tonight.
BLITZER: We heard from the Vice President Dick Cheney outline some of the things. I want you to listen to what he said about homeland security, and I'll ask you a specific question in response. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We think it's more important that we expend funds to improve our defenses against biological warfare, or the possibility of some other kind of weapon of mass destruction. There are new demands that didn't exist before, and those are reflected in the budget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: No one in Congress knows more about these threats than you do. What is he referring to when he says there are new threats involving biological warfare, for example?
CHAMBLISS: Well, we have strong suspicion that there are countries out there that have been manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. I think it has been very apparent that Iraq is one of those countries that we think may be manufacturing them. And we're going to insist at some point in time, when the president makes a decision, that we be allowed to go in and do inspections. And that may or may not be part of the president's message tonight, I don't know. But there's no question but what we can't allow weapons of mass destruction to be in the hands of anybody who has the capability and inclination to deliver those weapons.
BLITZER: Is it fair to say that those 100,000 fighters who were trained at al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, that Karen Hughes talked about earlier, that the president will mention tonight, only a few hundred are really under the control of the United States. We don't know how many were killed, but presumably there are thousands, tens of thousands, still out there roaming around at large. How concerned should we be about that?
CHAMBLISS: Well, that's the difficulty of this war, because there was a lot of open space over there for these folks to kind of intermingle and blend back into the populous. And that makes it extremely difficult. And it makes it difficult from our standpoint now, to go back in and try to root out these folks and take them out one at a time. We can spend all our time doing that, and that's not where our best effort needs to be.
BLITZER: Is the United States getting the cooperation from the allies and other countries that it needs, to deal with these tens of thousands of suspected terrorists who are roaming around in what Karen Hughes says are 60 countries?
CHAMBLISS: Well, the cooperation at this point, Wolf, I think, could only be described as very courageous and exemplary. There are some weak spots in some parts of the world. But overall, I think the coalition that the president and Secretary Powell put together is just remarkable. I truly think that's one of the great accomplishments of the Bush administration in the past 12 months. And it's sort of gone by the wayside. But because of that coalition, we have been very successful in Afghanistan. And we're going to continue to be successful around the world.
BLITZER: You mentioned earlier that you were hoping that the homeland security director, Tom Ridge, would have the authority that he needs. Now there's talk of a homeland commander-in-chief, a military component being brought into the mix for the first time here in the United States. Is that a good idea?
CHAMBLISS: Well, I think it may have some benefits. But I still think that the president is right on target with the White House edict that Governor Ridge should have the budgetary as well as the actual authority to carry out the desires of the presidency, with respect to this war on terrorism. And as of right now, I have no reason to think that everything that Governor Ridge has asked for, he's gotten. All the power he needs is going to be available to him.
But I do think that the American people just need to get some reassurance from time to time. And if we need to have a military component, I feel comfortable that we'll pick the right man to do that.
BLITZER: OK, Congressman Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, thank you so much for joining us.
CHAMBLISS: Thank you.
BLITZER: And tonight marks the first live Webcast of a State of the Union speech. Whitehouse.gov will carry the speech and feature State of the Union quizzes.
And later this hour, the critical point of the Bush speech: how to get the economy going again. Is another tax cut the right way to go? I'll ask Pat Buchanan and former Clinton chief economist, Gene Sperling.
But first, Jeb Bush's daughter, facing a serious charge. Why was she arrested?
And Mike Tyson asking for mercy after throwing punches. Will he get it? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. I want to go to Las Vegas, where they're considering whether Mike Tyson should be allowed to box again. Let's go in, he's about to speak, Mike Tyson, the heavyweight.
DR. TONY ALAMO JR., NEVADA STATE ATHLETIC COMM.: The referee, the spectators and the people in your camps. It's about obeying the rules of boxing, the rules of Nevada. This is not about the scuffle that happened last week. This is about what happened after the scuffle, the recurrent theme. I don't condone what happened, in terms of the scuffle, the face-off. We don't want that here. It's not good for boxing, and we're going to try very hard that it doesn't happen again here in Nevada.
I'm worried about what I saw afterwards. The poor impulse control, the lack of inhibition, the poor judgment. Mr. Tyson, I'm a physician and also a commissioner. You need to prove to me that you're in control of your emotions and in control of your life. I eagerly await the questions of the other commissioners and the answers to my questions, because you yourself got yourself into this position, and only you can get yourself out. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
AMY AYOUB, NEVADA STATE ATHLETIC COMM.: Mr. Chairman, I have no statement to make. I have questions of Mr. Tyson. Is this the time that we're starting our questions? Or do you want to -- were the other commissioners giving statements, or we're going into questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're prepared -- go ahead and respond.
AYOUB: First of all, I want to make it clear, Mr. Tyson, that I have the same concerns today that I had before the press conference. So there might be a disagreement of why we're here. I have questions. In fact, the weekend before the press conference, I was advised that you would not be available to ask for questions to the entire commission, for questions at this scheduled meeting. And when I heard that, since I did have concerns, I called your adviser, Mr. Finkel, and requested that I be allowed to talk to you, as commissioners do all the time if they have a question of an applicant, that maybe the other commissioners don't have.
I will say one of the reasons that I thought that you would be here, there were a lot of quotes in 2000. There was always talk that maybe you would come here to get a license again. A doctor in 2000 was quoted as saying, "I promise we'll make sure Tyson's behavior is acceptable and is in the best interest of boxing. We'll make sure that we go to his training camp. We'll make sure that we talk to him and his people, his manager and his trainers."
He said whether it's going to be held in Nevada will be based on things we know about him. I'm not sure which way the board would vote on this. We have to look at Tyson and his last bout and his history. We have to look at it based on what could happen. We don't want to have a repeat performance of breaking rules. He said he will come before the five commissioners and he will be able to present a case of why he should be licensed, and the commission can ask any questions they need to.
There's other quotes of -- and last time you were here from -- Lorenzo Fertita (ph), asking the A.G. that if you came back, in deciding that day after the Morris event, that they asked the A.G., in deciding whether or not to grant Mike Tyson a license again, is it fair to say we can bring up his past actions. It just goes on -- every quote was indicating to me that if you ever came here for licensing, you would certainly appear before this commission.
So I asked Mr. Finkel to give me that opportunity to talk to you, and he said that he doubted that you would agree to that, but he would call you and ask you. He got back to me as he promised the next morning, which was Monday, the day before the press conference, and said that he talked to you, and that you said you would not talk to me. So it's my first, that you would not communicate to me.
My first question, Mr. Tyson, is did Mr. Finkel relay directly to you that I wanted to speak to you?
MIKE TYSON, FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Did you want to speak to me personally?
AYOUB: Yes, a commissioner is allowed to call an applicant and ask questions on licensing. It happens all the time.
TYSON: I was not aware. AYOUB: You were not aware of that? I'm not going to get interrupted during my questions, am I, Mr. Chairman?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. But we want to make sure we keep this non-combative.
AYOUB: It's not combative. I'm asking...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we want to wait and continue the question...
AYOUB: No, I would like to know, Mr. Finkel, since I understood that Mr. Tyson would not talk. I'd like to know.
SHELLEY FINKEL, MIKE TYSON'S MANAGER: From what I remember, you did call me. I referred your call. You said to me, "will I be able to speak with Mr. Tyson?" I said I would get back to you. I did not say I was going to ask Mr. Tyson. I asked our attorneys and other people involved with me.
AYOUB: My question was, would you -- that's -- I will not argue the semantics. You know better. And you did call me back and say he would not talk to me.
(CROSSTALK)
AYOUB: OK, so the point is that then you refused to have your client, Mr. Tyson, answer questions to a member of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
FINKEL: On the advice of our attorneys, yes.
AYOUB: Mr. Tyson, I think you should be aware of that. You might want to talk to your advisers and make sure that -- that they're advising you in your best interests. I'm absolutely not blaming you. I brought this up to make sure that you're aware of the fact that things might be being said that aren't true, or insinuation.
You refused to take a mandatory drug test before the Golota fight. And for reasons that only they know, that commission decided to let that fight go on -- maybe economic impact -- but they let that fight go on. Could you just explain the circumstances that led up to you refusing to follow the rules of a commission that did license you?
TYSON: No one made me aware of that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) test. I believe I took the test already.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry I can't hear you. Could you speak up?
TYSON: No one approached me and told me I had to take a test. My experience under the fighting, since I've been fighting 22 years, there's no way I would have been able to participate in the match without taking this drug test. So I couldn't understand why they made the statement I didn't take this drug test.
AYOUB: You tested positive for marijuana after that fight?
TYSON: That's what someone said.
AYOUB: The commission?
TYSON: Yeah.
AYOUB: So, do you smoke marijuana other than that, or that was that one time?
TYSON: No, ma'am.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's keep it on -- we think you want to make sure that we keep this on the right probe here.
FINKEL: Mr. Chairman, if I may, my apologies. My job here is to protect Mr. Tyson. I'm not adding involvement in anything that the attorney mentioned. But I think, to be fair to him, that the matter you mentioned in Michigan, there was the report of the positive test. And Mr. Tyson's staff and attorneys were prepared to contest that, as inappropriate and not the correct result. Michigan dropped that, did not pursue it.
Mr. Tyson has been fighting for 22 years, as he said. There's no other occasion I know of that he's ever tested positive. He's fought here for 20 or 30 times, never tested positive. And I just think it's inappropriate to suggest going into an area where there's no reason where the state involved itself found no reason to go forward -- with all due respect.
AYOUB: And with all due respect, I believe that I can ask any question. And if you answer, you answer, and if you don't, you have that right, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me. A point of order. Keith, what are the guidelines on this? Where do you want to go with this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each commissioner has the right to ask any question they deem fit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Mr. Tyson -- legal advice of Mr. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that Mr. Tyson has the right not to answer that question, he can so state it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Thank you.
AYOUB: I'll also say, because I resent the insinuation that any commissioner is trying to provoke anyone. But it's insulting to think that I can't, or any other commissioner cannot ask a question without fear that we will be accused of provoking someone. You know, that's just...
FINKEL: I made no such accusation at all.
AYOUB: You brought it up, and now I brought it up.
I don't have a lot of questions, but I'd like to be able to ask my questions. Mr. Fethitz (ph), did you state that we cannot talk about the recent trip to Cuba? Is that on the legal end or just the -- or also the behavior that was reported there, the violent...
FINKEL: We will not let Mr. Tyson respond to any question in that area. For him to answer at all may well be a waiver of his constitutional rights and is simply ethically cannot (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that.
AYOUB: Because I'm sure nobody is making a political statement on whether it's -- you know, which side of the law, or if it's the law or anything else. It all goes to the core of behavior and of wanting to make sure, Mr. Tyson, that you are ready to follow the rules and regulations.
How can we be assured, Mr. Tyson, that if you're allowed to fight here, that you would follow the rules and regulations of this commission?
TYSON: Well, this is the most important moment of my life as far as my fighting career is concerned. And I'm just -- I'm truly interested in doing and being successful in it. And I've been punished before severely for one infraction of the law with Evander Holyfield. And I don't want to experience that again.
AYOUB: I know you're well aware of people, including myself, that have made comments -- or I'm assuming you are aware of people who say they fear your behavior at times being able to incite problems. Doctor Gonum (ph) in 1998 said to you that he was prepared to give you: "one last chance in Nevada, if that's the will of this commission.
"But I warn you" -- I'm quoting Dr. Gonum -- "through my view, this will indeed be the last chance. You must take the responsibility for yourself and act like the champion you once were. You will either conduct yourself in accordance with our rules and regulations or you will probably never fight again in Nevada. We can't have riots. We can't have fights outside the boxing ring rules."
Do you ever worry about that, about hurting an innocent person, inciting a riot?
TYSON: My intention is not to hurt anyone. My intention on that particular night on that particular day in New York, I thought I was violated. I was struck. And I was humiliated and embarrassed and I struck back.
AYOUB: And I understand. I'll just remind you, Mr. Tyson, I absolutely have the same questions today that I would have had had that press conference not had any problems. When Doctor Gonum said that was your last chance, you still had an incident where you admitted that you tried to break a fighter's arm after the first round.
There was the Norris questions about after hitting after a bell. Savarese you hit after the bell -- or the referee had jumped in to stop the fight. The referee had got knocked down at that time. There's just other incidences. So I'm not talking just about...
TYSON: Yes. And some of those incidents, one incident concerning the referee, it was inappropriate what he did in stopping the fight. He didn't stop the fight in an appropriate way, in which he was supposed to grab me and the other guy and he was around me. The other guy was down. And he was about to stop the fight, which I wasn't aware of. And he didn't grab me. He should have grabbed me and pushed me off the referee, off the opponent.
AYOUB: With all due respect, you've been in a lot of fights. And if the referee has jumped in between you, don't you think that that would be the time to stop fighting, stop hitting?
TYSON: It was the heat of the moment and very difficult. It was a heated fight. (OFF-MIKE) It's almost impossible, when the bell rings, to stop a punch once in motion.
AYOUB: Well, some of those comments I made from the quotes from the commissioners having concerns and wanting to talk to you were made after that fight. They were directly related to comments after that fight.
Dr. Nave, in 1999, the last time that you appeared here, said: "I'm a little concerned in looking at the future of Mike Tyson being able to able to follow the rules. He particularly seems to have trouble right at the end of a round. Is he undergoing intentional medical treatment of controlling himself in situations like that?" He didn't receive an answer from Mr. Gussin (ph) at that time.
Can you give me an answer to that?
TYSON: Well, I'm not the only person in the history of sports who has ever hit someone after the bell. And I'm sure that's been happening in the 110 years we've had this sport.
AYOUB: I'm sorry, the question...
TYSON: I didn't need no medical attention. That was just something happening in the sport. I hit the guy after the bell. It wasn't something that was intentional. I've been hit after the bell, too.
AYOUB: I don't want to speak for Dr. Nave, but I think he was concerned with more than one action in asking about your behavior and some uncontrolled violent behavior that you have shown. Are you on medication today?
TYSON: No, ma'am. AYOUB: I'm going to give my fellow commissioners an opportunity to ask questions and then respectfully request that I have an opportunity to follow up.
I do want to say that I know that we can't control situations. And I know that you're not the only one. I know that, you know, in soccer games, other sports, violence can break out. But, to me, there's a time that maybe we have to see that patterns of uncontrolled violent behavior force us to look at how high that risk is of something happening. And our concern is safety.
If you'd just give me one second, just on the medicine, one more question. In an interview you said: "I'm on the Zoloft thing. I'm on that to keep me from killing you all. It has really messed me up and I don't want to be taking it. But they are concerned about the fact that I'm a violent person, almost an animal. And they only want me to be an animal in the ring."
We don't want you to be an animal in the ring. We want you to be a professional. And I have stated in other interviews that it's quite disgusting to me when I hear someone refer to you as an animal. And it's very sad to me to hear you referring to yourself as that. And I was happy to see in some of the transcripts that you referred -- that you said: I am not an animal. I'm a human being.
And I want you to know I certainly recognize that. And if you need help...
TYSON: That's really nice that you do, because I haven't been treated that way and I haven't been written about like people are concerned that I've been glorified as an animal. If you're really concerned about it and really mean it, well, thank you very much.
AYOUB: I really do mean that. That doesn't mean that I think you're a victim. I think that you had tough times in your life, like a lot of people do. But I think you've had more chances than most people do. Most of the kids you counsel sometimes and help, they haven't had the chances and may never have the chances that you've had.
They haven't had the opportunity to make the money. They have not had the opportunity to make close to $200 million in their career. So, Mr. Tyson, I think that you -- I know you're a human being, but I also feel deeply that you are not a victim anymore.
TYSON: You are, ma'am -- your last name again?
AYOUB: Ayoub.
TYSON: Ayoub.
You don't know me, ma'am. You don't know if I'm a victim or not. You know nothing about me. You know only what you read. You don't know my horror stories. You don't know nothing about me. You don't know if I'm a victim or not. AYOUB: I know my opinion of that, feeling that all of us -- I'm not a victim either. I have to take responsibility for myself. And I just think all of us at some time have to take the responsibility for our own action. And that's just my opinion.
BOB FAISS, ATTORNEY FOR MIKE TYSON: Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. I'm sorry to say, but he's prepared to respond to questions, not to express your feelings to him, Commissioner. Obviously, you can do anything you want, but I think -- and I see the other commissioners nodding. We mean no disrespect to you. He's prepared to answer the questions, but not debate with you as to which of you is correct about...
AYOUB: And he doesn't have to do that. But I also would just say that I'm not asking or saying anything that I haven't read in, you know, mounds of transcripts from other people. And also other commissioners have had the opportunity to make statements.
I am finished with my time right now. And the other commissioner...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
Keith (ph), I look for you to help us coordinate these legal briefings, if you could.
BLITZER: Mike Tyson, the heavyweight boxer, facing tough questions and comments from commissioners from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, as he seeks a license to box Lennox Lewis in early April, on April 6, in Las Vegas -- Mike Tyson declaring: "This is the most important moment of my life in my fighting career" -- no word yet, of course, whether the Nevada Athletic Commission will grant him that license.
We'll continue to monitor the hearing. We'll bring you news, of course, when it becomes available.
And when we return: We'll speak to Pat Buchanan and Gene Sperling on the president's economic message tonight. Also, Jeb Bush's daughter: Why is she in trouble with the law?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Police in Tallahassee, Florida say Governor Jeb Bush's 24-year- old daughter Noelle was arrested early this morning after she allegedly tried to fill a false prescription at a pharmacy. Police say she was attempting to obtain the drug Xanax, which is considered a controlled substance.
CNN's Mark Potter is in our Miami bureau.
Mark, first of all, has the governor commented on this yet? MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he has, Wolf.
After the arrest, he said that his daughter is doing fine. But he also stressed that this is a private family matter.
Now, earlier in the day, the governor did issue a written statement. And I will quote from it. He said: "Columba and I" -- referring to his wife -- "are deeply saddened over an incident that occurred last night involving our daughter Noelle. This is a very serious problem. Unfortunately, substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation. We ask the public and the media to respect our family's privacy during this difficult time so that we can help our daughter. We will have no further comment on this issue. Thank you for your understanding."
The White House spokesman later in the day was asked about it and said that this is also considered there to be a private family matter -- Wolf.
BLITZER: So what's likely to happen to Noelle, Mark?
POTTER: Well, this is third-degree felony, which, in a worse- case scenario for the defendant, could lead to a five-year jail term. But, again, I want to stress very clearly, everyone we are talking to says that is not going to happen.
What is most likely to happen is that she will enter some sort of drug diversion program, a drug court program, where she will be subjected to and presented with rehabilitation counseling, maybe some community service. And, when all is said and done and she completes that successfully, she probably won't even have an arrest record.
BLITZER: And, Mark, tell our viewers why someone would want to get a prescription for Xanax.
POTTER: Well, it has a legitimate use. It is used to treat anxiety disorders. But the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman here in Miami also says that, increasingly, agents are seeing young people using it illicitly in the club scenes to counter the effects of Ecstasy. Ecstasy gives a rapid high and a rapid fall. And some young people take Xanax on the fall to soften the effects of Ecstasy, earning it the name a "parachute" drug.
But, again, we don't know why she may have tried to get it in this particular case -- back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Mark Potter, in Miami.
And when we come back: Pat Buchanan. He is author of a new best- seller. What does he want to hear from President Bush tonight in his war against recession? Also, former President Clinton's economic adviser, Gene Sperling.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Welcome back.
Recent polls show many voters are more concerned these days with the state of the economy than they are the threat of terrorism. President Bush is expected to address that in just a few hours.
Here to talk about it now from our New York bureau, the former presidential candidate, Pat Buchanan. He is also the author of a new best-seller: "The Death of the West."
First of all, Pat, congratulations on the new book.
But the president's got a problem tonight in dealing with his remarks. I want to put up on the screen what's happening to the economy right now in terms of the budget deficit. This year was earlier forecast for a surplus -- look at this -- of $127 billion. Now there's going to be a deficit of, what, $106 billion. How serious of a problem is this?
PAT BUCHANAN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think the deficit is really a serious problem of $106 billion. That's about 1 percent of GDP, which is very small, Wolf.
What the president has got to do is, to turn this around, get this economy moving, for heaven's sake. The Dow Jones today took another serious hit. It's been wobbling ever since the beginning of the year. If I were the president, I would be very bold not only in defending my tax cuts, but reducing the tax burden on the private sector so this economy can get rolling again.
You get to full employment and the deficit will disappear.
BLITZER: But if he goes ahead and increases tax cuts or accelerates those tax cuts that have already been approved, won't that deficit, at least in the short term, increase?
BUCHANAN: In the short term, it might well do so. But look at what Ronald Reagan did. He came in with those huge deficits. He cut taxes because he said the only way to get rid of them is to grow the economy. It worked. We had almost 20 years of uninterrupted growth.
And I think that is the formula for President Bush. And he ought not to be bullied by Senator Kennedy and others. If Senator Kennedy believes that the health of the economy depends on taking more money from folks out there who have it themselves and giving it to government, then you have got a clear philosophical issue and a clear economic issue. And I think the president is on the right side of both.
BLITZER: Traditionally, the best way to stimulate the economy is to cut interest rates. And those interest rates, as you know, the Federal Reserve have already cut them about as far as they can be cut. And the chairman, Alan Greenspan, seems to say the economy is beginning to show some signs of improvement. Why bother with an economic stimulus package right now?
BUCHANAN: Well, there is a good reason. Alan says -- or Mr. Greenspan says that it is improving.
But there is also -- if you read the economists, there is talk of a double-dip, Wolf. That is the economy starting up and then dropping back because there really is not enough energy and fire out there to really get it ignited and going again. As a clear insurance policy and because -- look, we had two huge tax increases, one from Mr. Bush's father, the other from Bill Clinton. I think the best thing the president could do is eliminate both of those tax increases, hold domestic spending, rebuild the military.
And I think that's the formula for success, economically and politically and every other way.
BLITZER: One word the president won't use tonight in his speech is Enron, although he will talk about pension reform, 401(k)s, ethics for big business. How concerned should the White House be about this investigation?
BUCHANAN: Wolf, I mean, from what I have seen -- look, the Enron was trying to buy friends all over town. It poured money into Republicans. It poured less into Democrats. And it even had journalists on the payroll. But I think this: When push came to shove and the Enron boys came and said, "Look, we helped you guys and now we are dying," the Bush people said, "Sorry, we can't help you."
I don't think this is a scandal of the Bush administration. It is really a scandal of people -- of corporate capitalism, which has lost its paternal aspect, where, when one guy suffered in the corporation, we all suffered in sacrifice. Nowadays, it's cut them loose and let the workers go under and let's get our $20 million and get out.
It was an appalling example of personal behavior. It has more do with the seven capital sins than it does with capitalism.
BLITZER: All right, Pat Buchanan, never mincing any words, the author of the new best-seller "The Death of the West." And I think that's the title. Yes, it is, "The Death of the West." Congratulations.
BUCHANAN: And I think you are going to move it up the charts, Wolf. You're going to move it up the charts. Keep showing that book.
BLITZER: All right, Pat Buchanan, thanks for joining us.
BUCHANAN: Thank you.
BLITZER: When we come back: We will hear a Democratic view on the economy. Gene Sperling, former President Clinton economic adviser, he will join me live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're looking to President Bush's State of the Union address tonight. We turn now to Gene Sperling. He's a former national economic adviser to former President Bill Clinton. Gene, thanks for joining us.
GENE SPERLING, FORMER CLINTON ECONOMIC ADVISER: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: The president is going to make a major pitch to get the economy going, to fight the recession, to create jobs by passing this economic stimulus passage to accelerate the implementation of the tax cuts which were already approved. Good idea?
SPERLING: I think it is a good idea. Where I do agree with President Bush is, I still think we probably do need more of an insurance policy against a prolonged recession, but more likely against a very weak recovery.
Where I disagree with him is that he has not had tax cuts that have been designed in the stimulus to really jump-start the economy, to really get us going. And I think Senator Daschle has reached out to him and said: Let's work on some of the things we agree on that the Congressional Budget Office and others thinks will actually jump- start the economy now. Those should be more temporary tax cuts.
So I think what I would like to hear him say is that: Let's get some juice into the economy now and we can fight about our longer differences later.
BLITZER: He will continue to support providing a tax rebate, that $500 credit, that rebate check to those low-income Americans who didn't get it the first time around. Do you support that?
SPERLING: I do. And that's been one area where he has listened to the Democrats. And that's been good.
And there is another area, which is to give businesses a 30 percent expensing bonus. And there the difference is, Democrats want to limit it to one year to help jump-start the economy. He wants it over three years. I think a lot of Democrats and I think other people worry that that is going to have out-year effects that are just going to hurt the deficit and maybe keep interest rates higher.
So I think, again, if we could agree on the stuff that has a short-term impact, goes into people's pockets because they are unemployed or low income, meaning they're going to spend the money, help buy products, services, keep people on the jobs, or give businesses a reason to accelerate their investment and help the economy now.
BLITZER: Out years is Washington speak for years to come down the road.
SPERLING: Right.
BLITZER: We have an e-mail. We asked our viewers to let us know what they want to hear from the president.
This one from George in Boston: "I'm wondering how the U.S. economy is going to fare when Bush is promising so much aid to countries in the Middle East. Why aren't other Muslim and Arab nations asked to contribute?"
SPERLING: Well, I think that the larger issue is that the United States, as generous as we are in our heart, have not been as generous of a country in dealing with AIDS, with universal education in poor countries around the world, in development.
And what I think that there could be bipartisan support is, is doing more of that. And I think more Americans now would realize that that is not just a humanitarian issue. There are some security issue there. So I think that could be something that President Bush and Democrats could agree on if he reaches out for, beyond the Muslim and Arab countries, to a more compassionate fight against world poverty.
BLITZER: Gene Sperling, you are probably happy you are now -- you did it for eight years.
SPERLING: Eight years in a row.
BLITZER: You were tinkering with these speeches up until the last moment. This president is much more organized, apparently, than your boss was.
SPERLING: We were usually a little tired at this point, but we were usually exhilarated afterwards.
BLITZER: And now you can just sit back and relax and enjoy the speech.
SPERLING: Exactly.
BLITZER: Thanks for joining us.
SPERLING: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Gene Sperling.
And let's go to New York now get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins, of course, at the top of the hour -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.
Coming up: the economy, war, the biggest bankruptcy in history. We will tell you what the president plans to talk about tonight in his State of the Union address. We will also be joined by Senator Jeff Bingaman, his committee looking into the effect of Enron's collapse on consumers. We'll also be talking with the Wall Street analyst who warned investors about Enron and who lost his job.
And stock prices plunge today. It's a crisis of confidence on Wall street that we will be taking a look at tonight -- all of that and more coming up at the top of the hour. Please join us -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We certainly will. Lou Dobbs, thanks very much.
And when we come back, we will tell you what's in store, an important night of television here on CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Before we go this hour, a reminder to stay with CNN for President Bush's State of the Union address. Our coverage begins at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, with Aaron Brown, Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield.
And please join me one hour from now. Both the chairman and the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin and John Warner, will preview what they want to hear from the president. That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. CNN's coverage of America's new war continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins right now.
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