Quick Guide & Transcript: Senate committee opposes Iraq troop buildup, Bush supporters speak out

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(CNN Student News) -- January 25, 2007

Quick Guide

After the Speech - Hear how some members of a Senate committee voiced their opposition to a presidential plan.

Fact Check - Find out about the challenges and changes that other presidents faced in their second terms.

Standing Firm - See how three of the president's supporters responded to Tuesday night's State of the Union speech.

Transcript

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

MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hi! Glad to see you've tuned in to CNN Student News. I'm Monica Lloyd. Following his State of the Union speech, the nation's commander-in-chief tries to keep up his momentum. But some of his policies are a tough sell with his critics. Following up with the audience, we joined three Republican viewers for their take on the president's plans. Find out how they saw the speech when they saw the speech. And following a play based on her groundbreaking novel, a reclusive author joins some young actors, in a show of companionship and character.

First Up: After the Speech

LLOYD: First up, there's no doubt that the biggest issue facing President Bush today is the war in Iraq. Democrats say it was a major reason why they won control of Congress in last November's elections. Because Americans don't like how the war's been going. Vice President Dick Cheney points out the progress: Getting rid of Saddam Hussein's regime; installing a Democratic government in its place. But Kyung Lah tells us what some critics are saying after the president's State of the Union speech Monday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYUNG LAH, CNN STUDENT NEWS: This is the fuel of the future, says the former Texas oil man. President Bush hit the road Wednesday morning selling his energy plan and trying to re-focus the nation on his domestic agenda. Then in the evening, the president welcomed his Joint Chiefs to the White House.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I'm looking forward to our discussion about the new way forward in Iraq.

LAH: But while the president says he needs time for his Iraq plan to work. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers clashed with insurgents on Baghdad's Haifa Street. And the Democratic controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution rejecting the president's plan to send additional troops to Iraq.

SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAIRMAN: I believe every aspect of the President's policy has been a failure.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL, (R) NEBRASKA: This is a ping-pong game with American lives. We'd better be ... sure we know what we're doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder.

LAH: The vice president pointed out a Senate resolution would be non-binding.

VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: We are moving forward. The Congress has control over the purse strings. They have the right obviously if they want to cut off funding, but in terms of this effort, the President's made his decision.

LAH: The resolution now heads to the Senate floor where there is much disagreement on how strong the wording should be. But Republican Senator Chuck Hagel urged senators to go on the record saying if they wanted a safe job, to quote: "go sell shoes." In Washington, I'm Kyung Lah for CNN Student News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Word to the Wise

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: A Word to the Wise... lame duck (noun) a president who is completing a term of office and is ineligible to run for re-election

Source: www.dictionary.com

Fact Check

DON LEMON, CNN REPORTER: The Cold War, Vietnam, Watergate, a sex scandal, these are just a few examples of events that have embroiled some of the nation's presidents in their second terms since World War II. Harry Truman faced withering attacks for failing to end the Korean War after winning election to a full term in 1948. It was near the end of president Eisenhower's second term that the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 spy plane, scuttling any chance of success at a long-anticipated summit on disarmament. The Vietnam War was the spear that wounded president Lyndon Johnson. Facing rising battlefield deaths and massive anti-war demonstrations at home, LBJ decided against running for a second term.

PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON: I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party as your president.

LEMON: The Watergate scandal not only derailed Richard Nixon's second term but led to his resignation.

PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON: I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow.

LEMON: Ronald Reagan --- in his second term --- barely recovered from his own controversy -- Iran-Contra. In one of the most extraordinary second term setbacks on record, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Bill Clinton --- accused of perjury in testimony about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate and able to serve out the rest of his term.

Standing Firm

LLOYD: It may not sound like a nice phrase, but that definition applies to every president in his second term. And historically, this period has been tough for many presidents. The recent loss of a Republican majority in Congress has hurt President Bush's ability to set policy. But for a look at other hardships faced by other second-term leaders, here's Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN REPORTER: The Brooks family home sits in the countryside just south of Atlanta. It's a place where the president can count on solid support.

JOEY BROOKS, REPUBLICAN SUPPORTER: I think he's under tough circumstances. I think he's doing a great job for the circumstances.

BUSH BEING INTRODUCED AT THE STATE OF THE UNION: The president of the United States.

MANN: We joined Joey Brooks, and two of his friends for the State of the Union address. Brooks is 38. He works in real estate and describes himself as a Christian and a conservative. John Souders, 36, is a sales executive who says he's a Christian voter too. Erik Manning, a project manager, describes himself as a fiscal conservative. When the president talked about the U.S. economy and plans for a balanced budget, they liked what they heard.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: We can do so without raising taxes.

BROOKS: That's good. I like that.

BUSH: So tonight I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance.

MANN: His health insurance plan got only faint praise.

BROOKS: It would certainly be better than socialized medicine.

MANN: Souders spent two years in the Navy, Manning spent six. All three men talked most about the war in Iraq... supporting the president's plans to send more troops and increase the size of the Army overall.

SOUDERS: Right, wrong or indifferent we're there. We need to increase our ability to take the war to the enemy on their land. And again, cut off the funnel of terrorists who are coming into Iraq.

ERIK MANNING: Winning the hearts and souls of the Iraqi people is just not going to happen in a five-year period.

BROOKS: I don't know if we're going to solve the issues in Iraq, but I don't think we can just pull out and leave. We've got all those terrorists fighting right now. Where they gonna go? Are they coming over here to get us over here?

MANN: They know that public opinion polls are running against the war and against the president. Manning said the speech alone won't change much.

MANNING: So, I don't think that this speech in particular is going to change the hearts and minds of Americans. It's going to be more of a long process and I think as we start seeing more progress in Iraq, the turnaround in Iraq is what's going to be the focal point in shifting American opinion on the president.

MANN: After the president spoke, they listened as Democrat Jim Webb presented his party's response.

BROOKS: What new policy does he have. What new policy does, do the Democrats have. All they are is critical. You don't hear any policies. You know, cut and run isn't a policy, it's just leaving.

MANN: So you're sticking with the president?

BROOKS: I'm sticking with the president.

MANN: Three men who haven't lost their faith in George Bush. Jonathan Mann, CNN, Fairburn, Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Your Opinion

LLOYD: Of course, those aren't the only opinions after the president's State of the Union speech. In a CNN opinion research poll of people who watched the speech, 41 percent said they had an overall 'very positive' reaction. Thirty-seven percent said 'somewhat positive,' and twenty percent said they had a 'negative response. If you watched the speech, what did you think? Send us an email, and tell us what you liked, what you didn't like about the president's State of the Union address. You can use the 'contact us' link on our home page...CNN.com/Education.

Promo

LLOYD: And while you're there, since February is Black History Month, we want to hear how your school is marking the month long celebration of achievements of African-Americans. Drop us an e-mail at our Web site, detailing what kinds of displays or activities your school is planning. And if you've got a photo or video to share, let us know! What you send in could appear in February on CNN Student News!

Before We Go

LLOYD: Before we go, does the name "Harper Lee" ring a bell? It may if you've read "To Kill a Mockingbird." The book's 80-year-old author doesn't give many speeches. But she was on hand for a special educational event in Alabama. Lee attended a high school play based on her classic novel. The event brought together black and white high school students, who celebrated diversity in Lee's own home state.

Goodbye

LLOYD: And that's all for this Thursday edition of CNN Student News. More Headline News is straight ahead.

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