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Morning News

Impact of Bush's Past DUI Arrest Will be Discovered on Election Day

Aired November 3, 2000 - 11:03 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bush campaign aides are assessing the impact that that DUI report might have on the presidential race in the final days before Tuesday's election.

Time.com managing editor Rick Stengel joining us now from New York to ponder that and, also, other news from the election.

Rick, good to see you once again.

RICK STENGEL, MANAGING EDITOR, TIME.COM: Nice to see you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting twist of how this news is coming out: here it is, some 20 years after this thing happened -- the news about George W. Bush and yet it seems like this could be more of a political hit for Al Gore.

STENGEL: So what are we doing now -- we're blaming the whistle- blower, Daryn, about this? This is often what happens when somebody comes up with a story about something that's important people focus on the timing of the story rather than what the story is about. I don't know, the timing of it doesn't really bother me, I have to say.

KAGAN: Well, and we should also point out that there is no evidence that this does come directly from the Gore camp -- actually from a democratic activist in Portland, Maine.

STENGEL: Well, I mean, it could have easily come from a Republican. I mean, I think the point is is whether the story is significant or not. Whether it's significant that he didn't talk about it for a long time. Those are the issues, not who pointed the finger, who uncovered it, I think.

KAGAN: Why do you think this took so long to come out? You know, it's not like this is a leak or revelation, this was public record. Where were all the reporters all these years if there were suspicions about George W. Bush's behavior?

STENGEL: Well that's a good question; I'd love to know the answer to that as well. I assume, though, for example, certain misdemeanors and records like that are expunged from your record, they're not easy to find. Things like this just don't come up, you know, you have to know what you're looking for to find the needle in the haystack. You don't just find it by stumbling on it. KAGAN: Well, having this needle now pop up, do you think, in a way, it could hurt George W. Bush down the line? He has chosen to take the tack: in the past, and is sticking with that, saying, I didn't choose to talk about specifics, I don't want to talk about specifics. Do you think this will make some hungry reporters wonder, well I wonder what other specifics might be out there?

STENGEL: I guess. I'm sure it will make reporters wonder a little bit. It is only, as you said, down the line; the line is almost over. It can't help him. I'm sure they're not happy about it. You know, his last weekend -- I'm looking at, you know, the "USA Today" headline today, he says, trust my judgment. So what I'm wondering is, is this going to make some people question his judgment.

KAGAN: Rick, hold on, I'm going to have you standby, we're going to bring you back in just a second. Right now we're going to have sound from Karen Hughes, she is the campaign communications spokeswoman for the Bush campaign. They've just landed in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we do expect the sound to be coming from her.

Once again, the Bush campaign coming out and saying that they don't, necessarily, think this is newsworthy; that this is something that was on George W. Bush's record. He stood up; we've heard sound from the Texas governor from last night where he did admit, saying that it was an accurate story; saying that he did, over 20 years ago, have a drunken driving incident in Kennebunkport, Maine -- this is the summer home of his parents and he said he was very forthcoming at the time but chose not to come out with it, not for political reasons, the Texas governor says, rather, he didn't want to discuss it with his children. Saying that he thought it would be a bad example for his daughters to talk about something that he had done in past -- rather choosing just to talk to his daughters about the evils of drinking and driving.

But he says now that it has come out, he did have a talk with his daughters last night, and that's what he had to say to the country. Now we have sound from Karen Hughes, the communications director from the Bush camp. Let's go ahead and listen in to what she said just minutes ago from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

(INTERRUPTED BY COVERAGE OF A LIVE EVENT)

KAGAN: Once again, those comments coming from Karen Hughes, she is the communications spokeswoman for the Bush campaign -- those comments as they just landed on the ground in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And, in fact, we're standing by, waiting for a Bush event to take place in Grand Rapids, and when the Texas governor begins to speak you will see his comments live here on CNN.

Want to add that Vice President Al Gore, with the chance to comment on this, has chosen not to comment and just to let the story speak for itself.

Now we go to your e-mails that you've been sending in; this first one coming from David Nash, his comment that, "If Governor Bush didn't see fit to be honest with his daughters until forced to, how can the American people seriously expect him to be trustworthy if elected?"

That one is followed by Jenny Woolsey, who wrote in: "I am an independent. I feel that this matter has no relevance. It is something that happened 24 years ago and everyone makes mistake. The fact that he has not had a sip in 14 years says a great deal about this man's priorities.

Let's bring back in Rick Stengel from time.com; had to interrupt you there, Rick. Any comments from what you heard from Karen Hughes or from those e-mails?

STENGEL: Well, Karen Hughes is trying to put the best possible face on it. You know, let's be honest about it: They're not happy that this came out. They were hoping that it wouldn't come out, and the reason that you talk about this early on, when you announce that you're running for president, is just because something like this might happen. You know, the rule since Watergate is it's not the crime, it's the cover-up, right?

Nobody is wondering that President Bush is going to start drinking if he's elected president. That's not the issue here; the issue here is, why did he choose not to be forthcoming about this when he was running for president? He was asked all the time -- when he said, when I was young and irresponsible I did things that were young and irresponsible, what were some of those thing? Certainly, every time he was asked that question, this must have gone through his mind and he chose not to talk about it.

KAGAN: No matter what the motives were here, do you think that this reinforces stereotypes, sort of, images of these two men on the campaign? It gives George W. Bush a chance to, once again, appear human and, I'm kind of like one of you, he can say to the American people. And it could make Al Gore look like, if people believe that this is where the information came from, a man who is mean and will do anything that it takes to win the presidency?

STENGEL: Well, Daryn, I think, from Governor Bush's perspective it's made him look a little too human. Yes, I think they want to try and spin it out as, you know, this is the evil Al Gore, you know, doing this to me at the last second. But you know, as politicians always say, the voters will make this decision and they'll decide.

KAGAN: And that they will. Rick Stengel, thanks for stopping by -- time.com.

STENGEL: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

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