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Saturday Morning News

Presidential Debate Season in Full Swing

Aired January 8, 2000 - 9:06 a.m. ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: Turning now to national politics, the new year means the presidential campaign season is in full swing. Republicans gathered last night in South Carolina for a debate running up to next month's state primary.

CNN's Bruce Morton was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maybe they've practiced too much. This debate, featuring short answers and little new information, Texas Governor George Bush and Arizona Senator John McCain clashed on tax policy again.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's fiscally irresponsible to promise a huge tax cut that is based on a surplus that we may not have. My tax plan is fiscally conservative. It's about the same as yours for middle-income and lower-income Americans. It places a top priority on saving Social Security. It offers a needed tax break for middle-income people, and it begins paying down the national debt.

My friends, we ought to pay down the national debt.

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fundamental difference is that the additional $1,006, the difference, will go to Washington under your idea. And under my idea, it goes into people's pockets.

MORTON: Bush said he would use force to keep the Panama Canal open if he believed the U.S. national interest required it.

BUSH: But when I'm the president, if I find in any way, shape, or form the canal is closed to world interests, I will do whatever it takes to keep the canal open. It is in our national strategic interests.

MORTON: Orrin Hatch, prompted by a question from Bush, attacked McCain over his campaign finance proposals.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Why should I or any other Republican be for a bill that is unconstitutional, that leaves all the First Amendment rights for the public interest groups to speak and do whatever they want to and raise any kind of monies they want to, and takes away those First Amendment rights from the two political parties? That's ridiculous.

MORTON: One questioner asked, What was your worst adult mistake? And some of the answers were funny.

BUSH: Well, as you know, I've had a perfect background.

MODERATOR: Haven't we all, sir?

BUSH: After all, I was raised by Barbara Bush.

MORTON: But overall, this was a debate with little heat and little light, mostly a restatement of well-used campaign themes. They do it again in Michigan on Monday.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Columbia, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The Republicans don't face off again until Monday up in Michigan. But Democrats Al Gore and Bill Bradley will debate later today in Iowa.

Here with a preview is CNN's Jonathan Karl from Johnston.

Hi, Jonathan.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

With Iowa's critical first-in-the-nation caucuses just 16 days away, Al Gore and Bill Bradley have been working the state hard. Today's debate will be the first time the two Democrats have faced off here in Iowa, and this is a state where Bill Bradley remains the clear underdog, consistently trailing Gore in the polls.

But Bradley in recent weeks has been gaining, and he's also grown more aggressive in attacking Gore and in responding, firing back when the vice president attacks him.

If that trend continues, we could be in for a lively debate today. Whatever the case is, though, this is a critical day for the Democrats in what is increasingly shaping up to be a hotly contested battle for the Democratic nomination -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, Jonathan Karl, thank you very much.

Our coverage of today's Democratic debate in Iowa does begin at 1:50 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

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