00:00: Charlie Rose: We begin this evening with a conversation recorded earlier today at the White House in Washington. RAHM EMANUEL is the senior adviser to President Clinton. He began with the president in the '92 campaign, raised a lot of money, and has served in the White House since then, rising to his present position. It is one of the most powerful positions in the White House, second perhaps only to chief of staff. He is leaving next week. Tonight there is a party for him, given by the president and the first lady. We took today to talk about his experience and how he feels about the man he has served. In a week, less than a week, you leave here.
00:53: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
00:58: Charlie Rose: Tell me about what you're gonna miss the most. Tell me about what difference this experience has made. Tell be about what you've learned here.
01:06: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, well, that's-- I mean, three-- How much time we got?
01:12: Charlie Rose: We got enough time.
01:14: Rahm Emanuel: OK.
01:17: Charlie Rose: Tell me what you're gonna miss most?
01:20: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I think what you miss most is-- and what I find most rewarding is it's one of the few places in the world-- or at least-- where you can leave your thumbprint on life and our collective life, our public life, and the ability to impact and influence policy, how people perceive the world they live in and their collective government life. And I think that, you know, this gives you a unique position to have an influence and steer the direction and the flow of the stream-- the river the way you want it to go in the sense of-- not you, personally, but the president and help him see through his agenda. So, I will miss--- you know, the other day I was on the phone and I-- you know, he called, and I was trying to get something he wanted and reported back to him. There'll be the times in the Oval Office with him. There'll be the times with the staff, if you try to work it through and craft a problem as we're doing right now on the balanced budget-- all that kind of-- and given-- being a middle child of a Jewish family, of three boys with a double-type-A personality.
02:18: Charlie Rose: Yes. I mean, are you gonna find that there is not--
02:22: Rahm Emanuel: It's combat for--
02:23: Charlie Rose: --enough adrenaline rush in normal life for you after being here?
02:27: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, I think when you have two kids under two years old--
02:31: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
02:32: Rahm Emanuel: --I think you got enough adrenaline for you. My two kids are enough match for the president. No, I think I'll find that. I find my-- I mean, one of the things I try to do is-- having as my life experiences, is try to really squeeze the most pulp out of the experiences you have. And I think what I try and what my parents taught me -- and sometimes I'm good at it, sometimes I'm bad at it -- is that what-- you know, what you're doing is not a destination. It's a journey. And, if you view it like that, this was a rich experience. And, when I was telling the president I was leaving, I said, ''Look, I've given you seven years of service, and you've given me a lifetime of memories. And I can't thank you enough for it.'' You know, my father came to this country as an immigrant, my grandfather on my mother's side. And to think that I can be in this position within a single generation, to have an influence is something-- I think-- I know my whole family takes a great deal of pride in. So, I think it will be an accomplishment that, I think, all my family can share.
03:27: Charlie Rose: What did he say to you when you told him that?
03:28: Rahm Emanuel: Well, you didn't have to say much. We looked at each other. He knew what I was meaning. He knew-- after seven years, we kinda know each other. We know-- we don't have to have to start at ground one. Our conversations start at point six. He understood. He knows me. He knows my background. And I'm-- will always be grateful that he gave me this opportunity to do this.
03:50: Charlie Rose: What do you regret the most about being here? What-- what didn't you do? What mountain did you want to climb that didn't happen?
04:01: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, I mean, there's a couple levels to answer that, Charlie. I mean, you can do that on a-- you know, on a policy level. I think we've made a lot of headway on health care, but I think, in the end of the day, I still think with 40 million people without health insurance, we're the family-- my brother's a doctor, my wife-- my sister-in-law is a doctor. My mother's a nurse. My father's a doctor. I think there's a need for that. There are other things, but on a personal level I feel the time is right for me to go, but there's always more struggles there. And there will always be more struggles. That's what makes politics interesting. I think, but on the policy level I would say health care. One of the things I'm most satisfied with is the accomplishment of having helped put for this president, which is his landmark, I think-- which is that he put ideas back in the center of politics and left the battlefield of insults.
04:48: Charlie Rose: All right. Let's talk about that. I mean, let's-- we'll come back to you in a minute. But let's talk about this man because of what he -- A -- is going through, and what this White House is going through. Do you believe that the president of the United States -- A -- has what legacy to leave his occupation of the Oval Office?
05:11: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, I think that he has changed, without a doubt, the direction of this country for the better. And I think that there is no doubt that, if you look at the state of the country, both economic and socially, on when he came in-- And, remember, he still has two years left on his term. There is no doubt the direction of this country, the health of this country, is much better. And I think that, whether you go through it's economic house, the fact that he's now made college not a right for a select few, but basically an entitlement for Americans in the sense they can afford it, on children's health, on trade, on NAFTA and GATT, on peace in both Bosnia, the Mideast and Ireland. I mean, I can go through a number of other areas -- on crime, on the welfare legislation. He has changed the direction of this country. And I think that he has also shown, through-- there's no doubt that the fights on the scandal front have shown that insults do not count in politics, that ideas do. And I do think that will be a lasting piece of his legacy, and his building his legacy is not done. He's got 500 remaining days to that term, to his term-- or two years. And I think that-- so that is not done. I think that there is no doubt that, I think, the scandals will be part of how people look at the presidency, but there is no doubt that what he has done has changed the direction of this country. And, I think, as we were talking earlier-- you look at the Wall Street Journal today from England to Germany to the Netherlands to Portugal to Italy-- to, now, the Republican Party -- all are following the footsteps the president laid out -- in a sense, the message about responsibility and opportunity but also the points of the policies of a new way of thinking about policies and politics, abandoning the orthodoxies--
07:07: Charlie Rose: This is the ''third way'' idea that so much is being written about?
07:11: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, but I do-- But there is a third way, but it's also he has changed dramatically politics in this country. And they are now mimicking, not just the words but trying to come up with the ideas. And I think that-- you know, they started off with the politics of insults, thinking that only through scandals they could try to get this president. And they've now realized the value of ideas. And I think that's a legacy this president leaves because he stood by these principles politically through those scandals and that's why the American people stood by-- He said in New Hampshire -- I'll never forget this, going all the way back, I think it was Dover -- ''It doesn't matter how many hits I'll take.'' This is when all this stuff was starting.
07:47: Charlie Rose: This was the Gennifer Flowers business.
07:49: Rahm Emanuel: Gennifer Flowers-- it was also the interpretation on the draft letter. He said, ''It doesn't matter how many hits I take. They'll be nothing like the hits your children take if we don't change this country.'' And that has been true for six years, that he has made this -- his presidency -- about the American people. And that's what I think has stood him well.
08:08: Charlie Rose: OK, but we raised this issue. Let me engage in this way. It-- in the end -- you and everyone else -- the president has brought on himself the investigation he now finds himself embroiled in--
08:22: Rahm Emanuel: See, that is--
08:24: Charlie Rose: His own actions, his own-- he's accountable for that situation. That didn't come from somewhere else. It came from here.
08:31: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I-- There's a slight in the presumption of that question. I don't believe he brought this investigation on himself -- number one. I don't believe that. And I don't-- And my parents and my grandparents did not come to this country to have the law enforcement communities of this country investigating somebody's private life. That's not what they thought America was about. So, I do not believe for me-- that-- the premise of that question, Charlie. He did not bring this investigation on himself.
08:58: Charlie Rose: But--
09:01: Rahm Emanuel: But let me-- and the second thing--
09:03: Charlie Rose: But without what the president--
09:04: Rahm Emanuel: His actions--
09:05: Charlie Rose: Right.
09:07: Rahm Emanuel: His actions-- and he knows he's accountable for his actions, and he is responsible, and there is nobody harsher on him than himself for that. But the fact is he did not bring the investigation on himself. He knows the wrong he's done. He has apologized for it. He needs-- himself accountable for it.
09:20: Charlie Rose: How is he harsh on himself? Give us a sense of what impact it's had on him because I asked one of his colleagues, and I said, ''Is he a changed man?''
09:30: Rahm Emanuel: Colleagues or friends?
09:32: Charlie Rose: Colleagues, someone who works here in the White House. ''Is he a changed man?'' And the said to me, ''He's on his way.'' You know, he's not completed that journey, but he's on his way. How has he changed? How is he paying the price?
09:49: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I think that-- first of all, I think-- I'm doing that as an observer of a close-- a close observer-- somebody who works with him closely-- I don't-- I'm not gonna pretend-- and I don't think anybody should-- that I can somehow have a view of that on a personal nature.
10:03: Charlie Rose: Right.
10:06: Rahm Emanuel: That's something for him, his spiritual advisers-- or I don't want to say ''advisers''-- spiritual guidance and his own religious sense that's very deep and runs very personal in him and Hillary. So, that's a zone I don't pretend to-- or-- nor do I belong to kinda analyze and illicit-- On the public level, on what I can see, I think-- I mean, I think he answered it best at his own press conference where he talked about his character and his reputation and the difference between the attacks on him and how they may affect his reputation, but they will not impact his character. And I think he understands-- and I'm not giving a full picture because I can't provide you that full picture, nor should I-- the sense that the impact of his actions and his sense of-- I don't know if remorse is the right word, but his own sense of the consequences of what he's done. And he understands that. And it's deeply felt about that. And I can't say that it manifests itself in any particular behavior or any particular way or any words or things he has said to me. And I wouldn't want to violate that trust.
11:12: Charlie Rose: OK, but here's what I'm trying to get at. You saw him in New York last night -- crowds applauding in approval at fund-raisers for Chuck Schumer. You see someone who is much admired by the audience that he was addressing. At the same time, you know, most of us want to know what does this do to someone who has what he-- the power that he has, the opportunity to do well that he has-- what does it do in terms of-- to have to go through this?
11:38: Rahm Emanuel: I mean, it's--
11:40: Charlie Rose: I mean, it's almost Shakespearian in terms of its dimensions.
11:45: Rahm Emanuel: That's true for all of us. But I think-- not because of this, but I think all our lives--
11:51: Charlie Rose: Sure.
11:53: Rahm Emanuel: --have a Shakespearian quality to it.
11:55: Charlie Rose: Sure.
11:57: Rahm Emanuel: Let me see if I can't try to answer the first and second question in one way. I think he knows that he has kinda let people down, and that he bears that responsibility because of his own actions. And he knows he has a lot of responsibility in the sense of what he's trying to do. And so, in a certain sense, it's the feeling that he let people down, not just on a political level--
12:17: Charlie Rose: People like you.
12:20: Rahm Emanuel: Well--
12:24: Charlie Rose: Come on, why can't you acknowledge that? I mean, you clearly had to be let down.
12:34: Ok: And to say that you've been let down is not to deny that.
12:36: Rahm Emanuel: Yeah. There's that--
12:41: Charlie Rose: Those two things are not contradictory.
12:43: Rahm Emanuel: Here's the difference. That's not for me to say here, if I do feel that -- and I'm saying I do or don't -- that's something I'll say with him personally.
12:51: Charlie Rose: Have you expressed that--
12:52: Rahm Emanuel: And I have a lot--
12:54: Charlie Rose: --those kinds of feelings.
12:56: Rahm Emanuel: I'm gonna stay consistent. That's something I will to him, if I have or haven't said. And the reason I'm being like that is you have the trust-- he has to have a trust in me, given my position. And I can't talk to him one way and then do something else otherwise. And I think that's the basis of our relationship and the basis of our level of trust. He's gotta have that and I will never ever in my life violate it.
13:12: Charlie Rose: So--
13:14: Rahm Emanuel: He's put something in me, and I'm not gonna tread on it. I just will not do it.
13:18: Charlie Rose: He's put something in you?
13:19: Rahm Emanuel: He's put-- He put some trust in me and a level of trust -- given the position, the responsibilities I have -- I would never violate that trust.
13:27: Charlie Rose: Those of us who look at these things say, ''This is an extraordinary story of human beings in the end. A -- human beings trying to do good. Human beings trying to lead. And also human beings with frailties and with-- making mistakes, and that they ask forgiveness for.'' And I'm just asking you to help me understand what--
13:43: Rahm Emanuel: Let me say--
13:45: Charlie Rose: What this person has been through and what you've been through. Without--
13:51: Rahm Emanuel: I will say--
13:53: Charlie Rose: And it's not asking you to violate and somehow tell me something that's embarrassing to him. Just be honest as you leave the White House about this relationship.
14:00: Rahm Emanuel: Maybe I'm not-- I think I'm being honest. Maybe I'm not being very good at my honesty.
14:03: Charlie Rose: OK.
14:05: Rahm Emanuel: Let me see-- We're dancing around a question here.
14:10: Charlie Rose: Sure.
14:17: Ok: Why is that?
14:20: Rahm Emanuel: Well, because you-- in a weird way as you rise in power -- or ''influence,'' that could be another word -- you realize your own humility. My rabbi comes in every other week. We spend some time just reading parts of the Bible and doing discussion of what its interpretations mean-- is. And one of the things I've struggled intellectually and morally with is-- I mean-- not the only-- pretty much the last nine months, but also my seven years with him. And one of the things I've come to, I think, understand and I believe and I work through it constantly. Intellectually you're constantly going through it in your head is, ''How do you define a person and what they've done?'' And I think in the end I think all of us are judged on by the totality of our actions and our words. That's true for CHARLIE ROSE. It's true for RAHM EMANUEL. That's true for President Clinton. That's true for Speaker Gingrich. That's true for President Bush, former president Bush. That's true for all of us, that in our collective words and deeds that make up our life and our character we will be judged. And I believe that this president will be judged, yes, for the Lewinsky matter-- be part not just of his legacy but of his character. It is. But that takes nothing away from a president who has, rather than used race to divide this country, tried to find ways to bridge it. That is part of his character.
15:53: Charlie Rose: Absolutely.
15:55: Rahm Emanuel: Let me go on. A person who, where others have walked away from taking risk for peace in Ireland-- what he did, that's part of his character. So, as we face -- not just God -- but our own conscience, it is the totality of what we have done that will make up who we are and what we are. What we've done and what we've said. So, for him, I think he understands what this means. But it doesn't diminish anything else. And I think the biggest mistake going on is somehow to define somebody by one act, one word, as that makes up the totality of their lives. And that is not true for any one of us who face our God. And so I say to you-- so, when you're dealing-- when we're talking about, you know, ''How does this mean? Were you disappointed or so?'' I mean, one struggles through and thinks through this, but ultimately we are a composite of our life-action and -words. And that's true for every one of us. And I will tell, as I look at the seven years I've done here, I am proud of those memories I will have because of a difference in both its good days and bad days, in the totality that it makes up. And I will always be proud of what I've done to help this president. And I think that's gonna be true for him as his presidency. It will be judged as a totality, not by one thing.
17:08: Charlie Rose: Did this experience change the way you look at him? You've just said that.
17:17: Rahm Emanuel: Did it change? Charlie, I don't-- I don't know if I have the full answer to that. I can give you a kind of a half answer. I don't believe it's really fundamentally changed why-- as I said to you, 'cause the question is, ''Would have I have gone-- if I had known what I know now, would I have gone back to--'' No, you gotta ask the question, ''Would I have done what I've done over the seven years?''
17:37: Charlie Rose: Right, right.
17:39: Rahm Emanuel: And I can answer that ''yes.''
17:41: Charlie Rose: You would?
17:42: Rahm Emanuel: Yeah.
17:44: Charlie Rose: Even if you knew where-- even if you knew that awful night that you found that what was gonna appear about the revelations about the Monica Lewinsky affair, whenever-- how you came to grips with that--
17:50: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
17:52: Charlie Rose: You remember that night?
17:54: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I remember the morning.
17:55: Charlie Rose: The morning?
17:57: Rahm Emanuel: Yes.
17:58: Charlie Rose: What'd you think then?
17:59: Rahm Emanuel: Well, since I was reading The Washington Post and riding out on the bike, I was probably going faster than I've ever gone before. I probably did the-- my 12 miles faster than I've ever done. You know, I don't remember everything about that experience, but I was-- you know? It was like one of those waves that come over you. So.
18:20: Charlie Rose: What is it important-- you take away from this experience the fact that you, coming from a father who's a pediatrician, a mother who's a social worker, a father who came from Israel, settled in Chicago, a family that's certainly overachievers, fair to say. Right? You had this--
18:44: Rahm Emanuel: Highly caffeinated.
18:46: Charlie Rose: You had this wonderful experience. Highly caffeinated. You had this wonderful experience. About it-- you know? Is there one achievement for you that's gonna stand above all others?
19:01: Rahm Emanuel: Oh, it's-- yeah, I mean, it's pretty hard for me to get-- without getting too emotional about it, but, if I could do it in a quick way, I would that, you know, well, two-- but definitely one is that my father being able to be on the South Lawn on September 13th, 1993, to witness the signing of a peace agreement--
19:19: Charlie Rose: And the shaking of hands between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat.
19:24: Rahm Emanuel: Personal-- that stands with the first among all equals.
19:30: Charlie Rose: I-- and what's second? So, it's just so far above that it doesn't even comprehend--
19:36: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I mean, second on the pers-- if you're staying personal, rather than kind of political, for myself it would be NAFTA. That was right at the tail-end of a turbulent period for me here at the White House. And, having taken literally a rabbit out of the hat for him, given everybody was bettin' against it, having worked with Bill Daley to help this president pass, I think, a significant trade agreement. It had a lot of deal-- It had a lot of ramifications both politically as well as policy-level. But it came for me personally at the end of a turbulent period, and I think proving the ability to get something that was-- people basically said was impossible to reach-- to get it done. In the end, I think it's also been the right policy.
20:17: Charlie Rose: Was there any job, any job that the president could have offered you that would have made you say, ''I'll stay.''
20:23: Rahm Emanuel: No.
20:26: Charlie Rose: Why go back to Chicago?
20:28: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I'm leaving Disney-on-the-Potomac for the City of Big Shoulders. I have a-- well, you want to answer that a couple ways. One is that's the city I want to raise-- not I-- my wife and I want to raise our children. Two -- I have a--
20:41: Charlie Rose: Get close to their grandparents.
20:43: Rahm Emanuel: Close to their grandparents, close to their nieces, close to one of their uncles and aunts.
20:47: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
20:49: Rahm Emanuel: It's a-- It's a community that both Amy and I have that we want to re-establish. And, I think, after my experience in Washington, I think one of the ways-- I don't-- to disengage, to go to another city. I want to start a new chapter and to really effectively start a new chapter--
21:05: Charlie Rose: Where do you think the new chapter's going?
21:07: Rahm Emanuel: If I knew that, I'd be there. I think it's a-- I want to tackle-- I've tackled something in public life. I don't think my days in public life are over. I think somewhere, someplace-- I'm 38. I think I'll be back in public life in another capacity. I want to accomplish something in the business world and leave a land-- a signature effectively there and rise in a certain sense of accomplishment. I don't think the only measure will be financial, but make an imprint on business.
21:35: Charlie Rose: Have you ever thought, ''Wouldn't it be great a United States senator from Illinois?''
21:42: Rahm Emanuel: No.
21:43: Charlie Rose: Haven't had that idea?
21:45: Rahm Emanuel: Huh-uh (negative).
21:47: Charlie Rose: Don't even think about elective office?
21:49: Rahm Emanuel: Correct.
21:52: Charlie Rose: George Stephanopoulos, whose office you succeeded to, clearly thinks about being a senator from New York or Ohio or somewhere. You don't think about elective office?
22:01: Rahm Emanuel: No.
22:03: Charlie Rose: Because you're not equipped for that? That's not your personality? Your drive?
22:10: Rahm Emanuel: (crosstalk) I got a-- There was a Tribune article-- Well, I have a-- we're just different people, different places in our life and different people-- and George is more adept-- will be more adept at that and I've got sharp elbows. You have to-- I'm like an old wine. You have to learn-- it's why (crosstalk)
22:24: Charlie Rose: All right. Well, let's talk about that. That's gotten you in trouble, too. I mean, when you first came here--
22:31: Rahm Emanuel: My legal trouble.
22:33: Charlie Rose: You got in trouble? Yeah.
22:36: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
22:37: Charlie Rose: What happened? Too brash? Too aggressive? Too what?
22:43: Rahm Emanuel: Too-- I would use ''brash.'' Or I'd use ''aggressive.'' ''Sharp elbows.'' All in a good cause, but that doesn't-- that doesn't give it-- that doesn't erase it.
22:48: Charlie Rose: Some insecurity there then? Or just, ''I want to get my way and that's the only way I know how to act''? ''I want to do'' what?
22:57: Rahm Emanuel: I'm glad this chair doesn't recline into-- where does it come from? Make it-- desire to make an imprint. Ego.
23:07: Charlie Rose: Say, ''Hear me, I got something to say.''
23:10: Rahm Emanuel: Want to do it yesterday, rather than, you know, later.
23:14: Charlie Rose: It is said by some that in the Oval Office you were the one that would speak up and tell the president things he did not want to hear.
23:22: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
23:25: Charlie Rose: Is that true?
23:27: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I mean, one of the things you gotta do-- you gotta do a couple things. One is-- yeah, I will-- I will tell him the unvarnished truth. I'll decide whether I want to say it in front of other people or just he and I alone, depending on what you're talking about -- content and material. Two is, I think, also to ask questions of others in front of him to force other--
23:52: Charlie Rose: Things that- to be candid?
23:54: Rahm Emanuel: To get the-- to get-- so, he can get the candid information.
23:58: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
24:00: Rahm Emanuel: I'm not the only one that does that. But I'm also--
24:03: Charlie Rose: What is--
24:04: Rahm Emanuel: There's a lot of people that do that, but sometimes you have to-- you have to be the one that asks-- you know, be the skunk at the party.
24:10: Charlie Rose: Right.
24:11: Rahm Emanuel: And to also debate a point when you think consensus is too quickly reached. And so you have to-- you have to judge constantly in the meeting, you know, what chair you want to sit, where you want to-- I refer-- we have actually-- it's an interesting thing--
24:21: Charlie Rose: It's great stuff.
24:23: Rahm Emanuel: I mean, we have-- when we're meeting in the Oval--
24:25: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
24:27: Rahm Emanuel: I don't think I'm defying any secrets here--
24:28: Charlie Rose: No, but just the sense of ''this is the reality of the place.''
24:30: Rahm Emanuel: You have a president in his chair, and the gold chair. If the VP's there, the vice president sits in his. If he's not, that's empty. And then there's the couch. And usually the couch is laden with the policy people, (unintelligible) and there's a number of us who-- something I've started and John Podesta started and Doug Salsnik (sp) had started, but we'd lean up against his desk. And I would call it ''hack row.''
24:51: Charlie Rose: Yes.
24:52: Rahm Emanuel: So, what we would do is we would take advantage because we'd actually have the direct eye-contact with the president, so we could kinda give a--
24:59: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
25:01: Rahm Emanuel: But then-- that's half-joke, but half-true-- is you'd wait for the policy piece to be debated and have the integrity of the policy, but you have a role there to debate a final point, to make sure that we have not rushed over a point-- you ask a question of one who doesn't want to do-- who may not feel comfortable saying something-- a lot of these policy people come from cabinet departments and agencies, so this is the first time they're there with the president and may not feel comfortable speaking up. And you want to press a point and you want to press the assumption, so you literally have taken the assumption out of the argument and had it freshly on the table for everybody to dissect. 'Cause if we make this step as the assumption-- is there a coherence to the assumption that allows you to go to the next level. And one of the things I try to do-- I think, to some level and sometimes successful-- not, is either tell the president a truth, ask a truthful-- a factual-- a question that tries to strip away the presumptions around the assumption. So, you have to change your role based on who's in the meeting, what is the content of the meeting and what role the president wants. And also-- day or time of the meeting.
25:59: Charlie Rose: Is there anything about your experience here in which you think you failed this president? That you wished-- you pray to your God, ''I wish I could-- had that moment over?''
26:10: Rahm Emanuel: Yes.
26:12: Charlie Rose: Where-- What would it be?
26:13: Rahm Emanuel: There's a political calculus going on (pointing to his head)
26:17: Charlie Rose: I know. I know. It's-- I can't get you past that. And I thought I could.
26:23: Rahm Emanuel: I don't-- you know?
26:25: Charlie Rose: In other words, what? Why can't you tell me? Why are you so guarded? Why do you-- Here's a guy who comes into this place, who admits that he is the most--
26:37: Rahm Emanuel: ''I'm guarded.'' Nobody's ever said I'm guarded. I gonna lean over and kiss you on
26:42: Tv: That's all right. Kick me.
26:43: Rahm Emanuel: All right.
26:45: Charlie Rose: Here you are, a guy--
26:46: Rahm Emanuel: I was talking about kissing, but I'll kick if you want.
26:49: Charlie Rose: You're the most-- as you say -- ''sharp elbows''--
26:52: Rahm Emanuel: Uh-huh (affirmative).
26:54: Charlie Rose: Speaks his mind, and yet here on national television, you know, you are self-editing like no one I've ever seen. You are.
27:00: Rahm Emanuel: You sound like you got my notes from my wife.
27:02: Charlie Rose: She says the same thing.
27:03: Rahm Emanuel: That's a great experience. I'll tell you a great story.
27:07: Charlie Rose: All right.
27:09: Rahm Emanuel: I don't know remember what the situation was, but I got a call from a reporter at midnight. And we were goin' through something-- I've forgot the-- Do you-- It was about the-- some Jones stuff. It was right before-- it was not the Jones stuff. It was during the-- about part of the deposition. It was midnight. And he was going over it, and he's, like, you know, ''Are you guys gonna do a national address or just try to run through it?'' And after about 30 minutes without naming the reporter he says, ''You know, Rahm, I always learn and know more-- know less at the end of a conversation than I did going into this conversation.'' I said to the reporter, who's a friend, and I said, ''Do you mind telling my wife that?'' And so-- because, you know, he told here and we were all laughing. I mean, just the two of us in bed and him on the phone. But we were all laughing-- the fact is-- you know, look, I take what I do seriously for the president. I mean, there is advice, which I had given him, that I hadn't on one particular one-- that, if you asked me one and I isolated it-- One of the things I-- you know, I get back to the level of trust. He's gotta know that I'm not ever trading on it or trampling on it.
28:08: Charlie Rose: But nobody's asking you to do that. I'm not asking you to violate trust.
28:12: Rahm Emanuel: Well, given the nature of the subject matter, you just may be. And you don't know that. No insult, Charlie. You just may not know that. I think it's a fair question to ask, and it's not-- and I'm trying to edit myself. And at the end of the day we'll laugh. Don't get frustrated with that.
28:27: Charlie Rose: I'll give you laugh--
28:29: Ok: Maybe I'll get 50-- I'm probably gonna get 15 minutes on this interview now for that.
28:33: Charlie Rose: One question that I'm particularly-- If I was you--
28:36: Rahm Emanuel: I mean--
28:38: Charlie Rose: In 1996, you get a new title -- ''senior adviser to the president of the United States,'' a man you know well, you've served, you've helped bring to the White House and you've worked for the first four years. You're gonna stay-- You're not gonna have-- raise money for the campaign. That's another job. You're moving into a different place -- senior adviser. You come into the second term with-- full of dreams and aspirations and making a difference. ''We don't have another election to run. We can let it go.'' Right?
29:04: Rahm Emanuel: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
29:07: Charlie Rose: We have defeated the Republican revolution that we thought might do better than it did after the victories of 1994.
29:14: Rahm Emanuel: And did better.
29:16: Charlie Rose: And you have spent most of your time mired in scandal. It would seem to me that you just-- that must be the most frustrating thing--
29:24: Rahm Emanuel: Oh--
29:26: Charlie Rose: To be so distracted by this business that clearly the American people are fed up with.
29:29: Rahm Emanuel: But, Char-- Well, first of all, I mean, ''Am I frustrated?'' If I didn't say ''yes,'' I'd be one of the--
29:34: Charlie Rose: Of course. You'd sound.
29:38: Rahm Emanuel: I'd be more than self-editing at that point.
29:40: Charlie Rose: Right.
29:42: Rahm Emanuel: Two -- let me say this. There is an inherent pleasure out of the fact that-- did we have scandal? Yes. That doesn't diminish that this president because of his fortitude forced a Republican Congress to create a new entitlement for children's health. A Republican Congress created a new entitlement. It doesn't diminish what he has done on the balanced budget. And so it's not just policy--
30:03: Charlie Rose: I understand-- I understand. And that you've got a surplus that you can work with-- and you're now deciding--
30:08: Rahm Emanuel: And, Charlie, it's like--
30:09: Charlie Rose: --you're now deciding how you're gonna spend that money on education.
30:12: Rahm Emanuel: But, so-- But see-- But I'm not gonna-- do I-- am I frustrated by the fact-- is there lost opportunities because of the scandal?
30:17: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
30:18: Rahm Emanuel: Yeah. Do I think there's a political design behind that? Yes.
30:22: Charlie Rose: Right.
30:24: Rahm Emanuel: On the other hand, I don't-- I'm not gonna let it take away from what has done-- I'm gonna realize what it has taken away from, but I will not let it be so reduced that you cannot think of what else has been accomplished. There are other things. And you either find that balance or you don't.
30:33: Charlie Rose: Or you don't get--
30:35: Rahm Emanuel: And I'll tell you this. I don't think anybody-- you find-- every individual, that's true for you, Charlie, that's for me. It's true for everbody. You find your own nourishment and your own way. There's an-- I mean, if it was easy, somebody else would have done it. You know, governing-- President Kennedy, I think, said -- now he may be quoting somebody else, but I think the quote attributes to Kennedy -- ''Governing is to choose between bad and worse.''
30:56: Charlie Rose: Right.
30:58: Rahm Emanuel: And that's true. And every day you're making those choices, and you're helping the president make those choices. And you gotta-- You remember both your humility in the presence of the awesome and what you can decide. And you try to give that guidance. And, I think, as you face every crisis or every decision you try to-- you remember that it's a choice between easy-- It's a choice between bad and worse. And you try to give the most reasoned arguments you can for your advice. I don't know where my answer's leading now because I'm trailing off from what the question was you asked. So, I think that you-- you know, I think on the scandal problem is-- It is-- it-- Has it occupied a lot of time. It has. But it has not-- and I'm being honest. It has not occupied every piece of my mental energy and emotional energy. It hasn't. And I wouldn't let it. That would be giving in to something. And I'm not going to.
31:48: Charlie Rose: And-- nor is the president?
31:50: Rahm Emanuel: Uh-uh (negative). And I'll tell you. I'll tell this. There isn't a person in the White House who doesn't feed off of his energy and commitment to what he's done.
31:58: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
32:00: Rahm Emanuel: You can't do these jobs-- I mean, I'm playing-- you have no idea on the grueling sense of time and what this takes from you. And you-- and your spouses give tremendous amount of time so you can do this. And, if all you did was get reduced down to acts, you'd almost be allowing the -- I don't want to say ''the enemy'' or ''the opposition'' -- but those who see the scandal as everything, win. And the fact is it isn't everything.
32:22: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
32:23: Rahm Emanuel: And it never will be.
32:25: Charlie Rose: OK. You leave this building in a week. This is my last question 'cause you've got to go to a meeting with somebody over in the Oval Office, whoever's gonna be there.
32:33: Rahm Emanuel: Right.
32:35: Charlie Rose: Is it--
32:36: Rahm Emanuel: It's Buddy.
32:37: Charlie Rose: It's Buddy?
32:38: Rahm Emanuel: Yeah. Buddy and I. I'm gonna throw the ball.
32:41: Charlie Rose: How's Buddy taking this business?
32:43: Rahm Emanuel: Buddy's fine. Socks is the one you gotta worry about.
32:46: Charlie Rose: Do you ever think, ''It'll never be this good again, in terms of this opportunity, this place, to work in this building?'' You have this one time in your life. (crosstalk) And it's like the RAF pilots who saved London in World War II, nothing will ever be as exciting, nothing will ever be as thrilling, ''Never will I make such a--'' You know? ''Never has so few--''
33:03: Rahm Emanuel: Well, I hope--
33:05: Charlie Rose: ''--done so much for so many,'' was what Winston Churchill said.
33:08: Rahm Emanuel: Well--
33:09: Charlie Rose: Like the best part of your life you've just completed, the most exciting, the most--
33:12: Rahm Emanuel: Well, there's just-- I mean, yes. I'm looking forward to my fut--
33:15: Charlie Rose: Whatever's next.
33:16: Rahm Emanuel: Right. It is-- there is no doubt-- but, I mean, I'm sure my children will do for me what my did for my children-- both give 'em the greatest moments and also the greatest disappointments. On the other hand, I will -- as I said to the president when we looked at each other -- ''I've given you seven years, and you've given Amy and I a lifetime of memories. And I can't thank you enough.''
33:34: Charlie Rose: RAHM EMANUEL, senior adviser to the president of the United States, reflecting on his experiences at the White House as he departs that institution to go to Chicago to begin another chapter in his life. Coming up next, the wife of the man the president defeated in 1996,
33:58: Elizabeth Dole: ELIZABETH DOLE is the only woman to have served in the cabinets of two presidents -- transportation secretary for Ronald Reagan, labor secretary for George Bush. In 1991, she became the president of the American Red Cross. She took a brief leave from that post to support her husband, Bob Dole, in his campaign for the presidency in 1996. There has been much speculation about her own run for the presidency in the year 2000. I'm pleased to have her on this program to talk about the Red Cross and a lot of other subjects. Welcome (crosstalk). Thank you, and I'm delighted to be with you.
34:40: Charlie Rose: Fellow North Carolinian.
34:41: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, indeed. You and I don't need an interpreter when we talk.
34:45: Charlie Rose: That's right. I've got somebody here who can understand me.
34:49: Elizabeth Dole: Right, exactly.
34:51: Charlie Rose: And also we both went to Duke.
34:52: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, indeed. You bet.
34:55: Charlie Rose: And then you went on to Harvard Law School?
34:57: Elizabeth Dole: Right. That's right.
35:00: Charlie Rose: And I went on to Duke Law School.
35:01: Elizabeth Dole: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
35:02: Charlie Rose: And look what happened?
35:04: Elizabeth Dole: Neither one of us is practicing law, but it's a great background, isn't it?
35:08: Charlie Rose: It is. It is. And we did the law a favor, I think. Let me talk about the American Red Cross.
35:14: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, indeed.
35:15: Charlie Rose: One of the people I admire most in the world is Frank Stanton.
35:18: Elizabeth Dole: Yeah.
35:20: Charlie Rose: Dr. Frank Stanton, a former president of the American Red Cross. I know a little bit at-- but there is, I think, not much understanding-- we know the symbol of the Red Cross. We know that somehow you're involved somehow in refugee relief in some way. Tell me about the Red Cross.
35:30: Elizabeth Dole: The Red Cross is an almost $2-billion corporation, Charlie. And it's a wonderful mission field. I feel a great sense of mission about what I do because we meet the needs of victims of 60,000 disasters a year on average. We provide almost half of America's blood supply.
35:41: Charlie Rose: Right.
35:42: Elizabeth Dole: And we've just completed a $287-million state-of-the-art system for how we test blood in America. It's the best in the world. We also train about 12 million people a year in life-saving, health and safety courses, like CPR, first aid, HIV-AIDS prevention. Four thousand messages a day we transmit between members of the armed services and their families when they're separated -- emergency messages. And there's much more.
36:04: Charlie Rose: Funding comes from where?
36:07: Elizabeth Dole: It's from charitable contributions. And we are so grateful to the American public. And I want them to know that 92 cents of every dollar we spend goes to our programs and services, so we'll be good stewards of that money.
36:23: Ok: That's--
36:25: Charlie Rose: Is there anything that ties Red Cross in America to the Red Cross in a European country to the Red Cross--
36:29: Elizabeth Dole: Oh, yes. In fact, there are two international organizations -- one is called The International Committee of the Red Cross, and they are active in wartime-- crossing enemy lines to visit prisoners of war and doing tremendous work around the world, headquartered in Geneva. And that's under the Geneva Conventions. And then there's the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies -- 170 societies around the world, like the American Red Cross. And we meet the needs of victims of disasters worldwide -- the Armenian earthquake in 1988, we're still providing services to help with the many, many people who need homes in Armenia, for example.
37:07: Charlie Rose: You could have had almost any job in the private sector that was open when you left government, but you chose the Red Cross. Why?
37:16: Elizabeth Dole: It's a mission field. The mission of the Red Cross is to meet the needs of people on a daily basis. In other words, dire human needs. And I find, as I look back through my career that I've always gravitated to those who are vulnerable, those who may not have a voice. And this is such a wonderful mission field. You know, you see things as president of the Red Cross that will haunt you the rest of your life -- children in Rwanda whose parents had been hacked to death with machetes when the million people crossed the border, you know, getting away from the bloodshed. And I saw thousands of children there that Red Cross had, who'd seen their parents killed. They had nothing, no food, no clothes, no parents, no home, no hope, no future, nothing but the Red Cross to meet their every need. And you see that, and it hurts so. You know, you want to make a difference. So, obviously you can't solve all the problems. But, if you can be a part of aiding people who are suffering so, it's very rewarding work.
38:19: Charlie Rose: With that kind of commitment to mission fields, with that kind of passion to make a difference, with the kind of political background you have, how can you avoid those who want to draft you to run for president?
38:31: Elizabeth Dole: Charlie--
38:34: Charlie Rose: And to take over the--
38:36: Elizabeth Dole: One thing about the Red Cross--
38:39: Charlie Rose: Yeah?
38:41: Elizabeth Dole: Red Cross is nonpartisan--
38:43: Charlie Rose: Right.
38:44: Elizabeth Dole: Neutral, impartial--
38:46: Charlie Rose: Right.
38:47: Elizabeth Dole: It's a part of our fundamental principles. And our board of governors would not be happy to have me discussing politics on your program. Let me just say that I feel very humbled, very honored that people would consider me for this awesome responsibility. And I appreciate that. And I guess I've learned in this world never to say ''never.''
39:01: Charlie Rose: OK.
39:03: Elizabeth Dole: That's about as far as I can go.
39:05: Charlie Rose: And we'll-- All right. I know you are. But I'm gonna-- bear with me for a second here. All right. This is not partisan politics. I'm not asking you to criticize an administration -- one or the other. I'm not asking you how you would campaign. But the idea of service is strong. And at some point you will have to decide as to whether you want to make that leap. You've thought about that?
39:31: Elizabeth Dole: I've thought about it.
39:33: Charlie Rose: All right. And what does your spouse say? ''Go, Elizabeth, go. Run, Elizabeth, run.''
39:42: Elizabeth Dole: Oh. Let's say that he would not be unhappy to be serving as-- what title would it be?
39:48: Charlie Rose: Well, I don't know. First husband.
39:52: Elizabeth Dole: First man? First man? I don't know.
39:57: Charlie Rose: First man. First man.
40:01: Elizabeth Dole: So, I think he feels obviously it's something that I would have to decide. Only I could make that decision.
40:06: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
40:07: Elizabeth Dole: But he would be supportive.
40:09: Charlie Rose: Is he glad he made the run in 1996?
40:11: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, yes.
40:12: Charlie Rose: As that kind of capstone to a distinguished career in public service?
40:17: Elizabeth Dole: Yes. I think, clearly he is glad that he did it. Obviously he would have preferred a different outcome.
40:25: Charlie Rose: Yeah. What'd he-- I saw where he said the other day what he thinks is they ought to have the election over. Forget talk about impeachment, forget talk about resignation. Let's have another election.
40:35: Elizabeth Dole: Well, you know he has this irrepressible sense of humor. It comes right off the top of his head. And I don't really-- when he's out there speaking, heaven knows, you know, what he's saying about all of this because he does have a great sense of humor.
40:47: Charlie Rose: When you think about the country-- I mean, and you have a sense that we're on the right track in this country? That things, in terms of the direction where we're headed, in terms of how we're doing economically, how we're doing--
40:54: Elizabeth Dole: Well, Charlie, I had to say that in the last 30 years or so, I'd say we've been reaching a point which I think many people in America feel that we're on the wrong track, that we've gotten off the track.
41:02: Charlie Rose: How so?
41:03: Elizabeth Dole: Well, let's look back at when you and I were in school, what were the worst problems we had in school? Kids gettin' out of line, running in the halls, throwing spitballs in class.
41:09: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
41:10: Elizabeth Dole: I can remember Miss Helen Jenkins marching down the aisle to rap my knuckles because I've always loved to talk, you see.
41:16: Charlie Rose: No kidding?
41:18: Elizabeth Dole: So, I'd be talking in class, and I'd get this, you know, ruler on my knuckles. But today it's drugs, gangs, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, you know, just so--
41:24: Charlie Rose: Kids having children, right?
41:26: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, guns in school. Alcoholism, all the rest. You look at the fact that--
41:30: Charlie Rose: And it's not limited to urban areas, too, as you notice and you see what's happening in--
41:35: Elizabeth Dole: No, it's not at all.
41:36: Charlie Rose: --in smaller communities--
41:38: Elizabeth Dole: Rural areas.
41:39: Charlie Rose: --around the country. I mean, it just--
41:40: Elizabeth Dole: That's right. And, you know, when you look at our education system. Again, we used to have the system that was the best in the world. And today I think we spend more money per child than any country, but look what's happening. One in four high school seniors is considered functionally illiterate today.
41:57: Charlie Rose: Why do you think this is? Why do you think we got off the track?
42:02: Elizabeth Dole: I think there are many problems. I really do. But I think all of us have to be concerned that, I think, truly it's a matter of-- we've lost our moral compass in some respects. You know? And I think it's very important--
42:16: Charlie Rose: The sense of the difference in right and wrong?
42:17: Elizabeth Dole: That's right.
42:19: Charlie Rose: And the sense of accountability for your actions?
42:22: Elizabeth Dole: There are some over-arching truths. There's a difference between right and wrong. And basic values -- honesty, integrity, respect for your fellow man, you know, love of-- love of God, love of family, those basic values that are so important. And I think-- I think it's time for us to just look at where we are in this country and what's happened--
42:36: Charlie Rose: And they should be part of the national debate as to who we are and where we're going? And--
42:44: Elizabeth Dole: I think so, Charlie, yes. I truly do.
42:47: Charlie Rose: You know there are some friends of Bob Dole -- Alan Simpson and others -- who wish that he had made those issues more a part of the '96 campaign.
42:55: Elizabeth Dole: Well, he did. He really did. And he kept saying, you know-- for example, I remember two trips to Hollywood where he was speaking up about the need--
43:06: Charlie Rose: Movies and lyrics.
43:09: Elizabeth Dole: Right, right. That our kids are hearing all this constantly through television, through movies. And, you know, that has to have an impact. There's no question it has an impact in terms of the values of our children. And I do think the future of this country depends on the conscience and the character of our children. And, as parents, we have to be concerned about it. Parents can't hover over the television all the time to-- you know-- we have to be concerned about it as teachers. I think our pastors-- I think, in some cases our churches and our synagogues have not spoken out as much as they should.
43:48: Charlie Rose: But are you saying that the churches and the synagogues and the cathedrals ought to be-- and the religious institutions ought to be more involved in the public debate in America? And ought to be out there?
44:01: Elizabeth Dole: I think-- I think that-- I think that--
44:03: Charlie Rose: Articulating their sense of principles and standards?
44:08: Elizabeth Dole: Well, here's what I think that, when we're-- when we-- our children are going to Sunday school and so on that there's certainly a place to talk about honesty and to talk about the values, the basic values -- respect for your fellow man, integrity-- Oh, my, this is-- this is up to all of us most definitely, and certainly there is a place for it in our churches and synagogues.
44:26: Charlie Rose: So, those that criticize the Christian Coalition, for example, for being too heavily involved in politics, would not find-- you know, you wouldn't share that criticism?
44:34: Elizabeth Dole: No, I think-- you know, let's look back to the beginnings of our country. You know? What did those pilgrims stand for? From the very beginning there's been a concern for these people came to America with a belief in God and a desire for religious freedom. That was a part of the founding of our country. Look at our money -- ''In God we trust'' -- you know? You see every day in the Senate they start with a prayer. So, I do think a solid moral foundation-- a moral compass is obviously very important. And it's something that we do-- we've been silent too long. It's time to talk about those basic values. I mean, how could anyone be opposed to stressing honesty and integrity and, you know, love of family and concern for your fellow man, respect for your fellow man--
45:24: Charlie Rose: But you would assume that everybody would agree with that-- I mean, I'm not sure anybody would disagree with those values and say, ''Are you for family? Are you for love for fellow man? Are you for telling the truth? Are you for raising your kids to appreciate America? To appreciate--''
45:46: Elizabeth Dole: I'm gonna say something to you that may sound a little unusual, but I wish that-- I wish that children in this country could really be helped to understand that the Bible is the best book they could possibly read for a guide to their lives. The values reflected-- Old Testament, New Testament. It's quite a guide for life.
46:06: Charlie Rose: You had--
46:08: Elizabeth Dole: You would-- you would avoid a lot of problems in life, young people, if you-- if you would really, really just take a look at what's inside the covers of that particular book.
46:17: Charlie Rose: This is not-- You're not seeing this as a partisan issue at all. You're seeing this as, in a sense, that there ought to be more concern on both sides of the political aisle for these kinds of principles. That nobody in America seems to have a monopoly on those values that you just articulated.
46:31: Elizabeth Dole: Right. Mm-hmm (affirmative).
46:34: Charlie Rose: Correct?
46:36: Elizabeth Dole: Yes. I think this is something that we just need to-- We need to be willing to speak up. In other words, this is important. It-- we've got to get the country back on the right track. And I do think that to some extent we have lost our moral compass over the last 30 years or so.
46:52: Charlie Rose: But isn't it, therefore -- I'm coming to the Red Cross and its hurricane efforts in just a minute -- isn't it, therefore, incumbent on people like you and like Bob Dole and Democrats as well to be speaking out, to be raising these issues as important for this country as it enters the next millennium as the sole superpower in the world with the economic might that we have? I mean, it seems to me ever more necessary--
47:21: Elizabeth Dole: I--
47:23: Charlie Rose: --for those of you with a public forum to speak out.
47:27: Elizabeth Dole: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I have developed a speech-- I call it ''An America We Could Be.''
47:34: Charlie Rose: Yeah.
47:36: Elizabeth Dole: And basically I do deal with issues in a way that I think is compatible with my position at the American Red Cross. But I talk about the fact that, while we cannot go back to an age of innocence, we can move on to an age of rediscovery.
47:47: Charlie Rose: Tell me finally about the Red Cross and hurricanes.
47:51: Elizabeth Dole: Yes.
47:53: Charlie Rose: What do we need to know?
47:55: Elizabeth Dole: Oh, you really need to help us on this because it's very important to get the word out to the American public. When they know, they open their hearts, they open their pocketbooks, and they help. We are dependent on charitable donations. And Hurricane Georges-- this has turned out to be the most widespread disaster-relief effort in Red Cross history. It is going to be the most expensive relief effort in Red Cross history, probably $104 million. Now, imagine a path of destruction from New York to Omaha that's 40 feet wide-- 40 miles, excuse me, 40 miles wide. Imagine that, and all of the hundreds of thousands of families whose lives have been really--
48:39: Charlie Rose: Schools destroyed, people homeless--
48:42: Elizabeth Dole: Oh. It's just-- they're--
48:44: Charlie Rose: Towns wrecked, the commerce upset.
48:47: Elizabeth Dole: Yes, absolutely. So, New York to Omaha, 40 miles wide, that's what we're looking at in terms of the breadth of the--
48:55: Charlie Rose: But where is the federal government on that? Isn't that a role for the federal government?
49:00: Elizabeth Dole: Well, but let's look at Red Cross because, you see, our emergency needs-- certainly the government's involved, very much so. But Red Cross does not receive government funds. Oh, just a tiny bit when we provide some temporary housing. Hurricane Andrew, for example, it was $1 million, but we expended $81-1/2 million on Hurricane Andrew. Now, this is going to be $104 million. And what we do is provide the emergency needs -- shelter, food, clothing, medical supplies. If a person needs eyeglasses-- they lost them in the hurricane or dentures. And then we help them get back on their feet, to get into an apartment, put down a month's rent, some basic household items -- food, again, groceries, occupational tools. So, in about three different waves of assistance, we help people with their emergency needs. We're the first to arrive, the last to leave.
49:46: Charlie Rose: And your mission here and as you sweep around the country is to raise the consciousness of the mission--
49:56: Elizabeth Dole: We have a $50-million campaign.
50:00: Charlie Rose: And the need-- to raise $50 million.
50:03: Elizabeth Dole: For Hurricane Georges, 1-800-
50:06: Help Now. For Spanish Speaking Persons: All right.
50:09: Elizabeth Dole: Now, we truly need the help, and remember 92 cents of every dollar we spend goes to the programs and services. It will be well-used. But it's desperately needed because, you know, this is an enormous problem. A lot of the damage is in the interior or the mountains of Puerto Rico. And it's an opportunity to help people with dire human needs. So, please call that number -- 1-800- HELP-NOW is easy to remember.
50:38: Charlie Rose: Good luck to you in that effort.
50:40: Elizabeth Dole: Thanks very much. Appreciate it.
50:42: Charlie Rose: And let me just remind you that the train is leaving the station for the year 2000, and if you want to be involved in this process now is the time to get out there.
50:48: Elizabeth Dole: Thank you, Charlie. Message received.
50:53: Charlie Rose: Wouldn't this be great a Dole-Bush race, hunh?
50:55: Elizabeth Dole: It's a pleasure to be with you.
50:57: Charlie Rose: Wouldn't it be fun? To get a chance to that--
51:01: Elizabeth Dole: I've enjoyed our visit--
51:02: Charlie Rose: --get a chance to do that number again that you did at the convention, except this time you could be speaking for--
51:07: Elizabeth Dole: Oh, walking the floor?
51:08: Charlie Rose: You'd be speaking the floor, yeah. I mean, that was an extraordinary performance by you.
51:13: Elizabeth Dole: Thank you.
51:15: Charlie Rose: It came from the heart.
51:16: Elizabeth Dole: I appreciate--
51:18: Charlie Rose: I mean, therefore, it was easy to do.
51:19: Elizabeth Dole: It's very much from the heart. The man I love.
51:22: Charlie Rose: All right. And here's what we-- here's the scenario I want you to think about. It is the Republican nominating convention in the year 2000, and there on the floor with a microphone in hand is the distinguished former majority leader of the United States Senate--
51:34: Elizabeth Dole: I love it.
51:36: Charlie Rose: --speaking on behalf of his candidate.
51:37: Elizabeth Dole: Wonderful.
51:39: Charlie Rose: Can you-- can you-- can you fantasize about this for a moment?
51:41: Elizabeth Dole: He's got-- he's got two-- He's got two years to practice.
51:46: Charlie Rose: ''Go, Bob, go. I'm gettin' ready.''
51:50: Elizabeth Dole: Right, yeah.
51:52: Charlie Rose: Thank you very much.
51:54: Elizabeth Dole: Thank you. It's been a real pleasure.
51:56: Charlie Rose: The Red Cross is a very important effort, and you bring important resources to that fight. Thank you very much.
52:03: Elizabeth Dole: Thank you.
52:05: Charlie Rose: ELIZABETH DOLE, former member of the cabinet of President Reagan, former member of the cabinet of President Bush, now with the American Red Cross. Thank you for joining us.