The First 100 Days: President Bush To Visit State Department Today
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to President Bush and his first 100 days in office. After spending the first part of the week visiting U.S. military bases, the president now focuses on diplomacy. He visits the State Department later today. For the latest on this and some other items on Mr. Bush's agenda today, we turn to our White House correspondent Major Garrett. Good morning, Major.</s>MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. As you said, after a week devoted to military policy, the president also wants to balance that week with an emphasis on diplomatic policy. It's a balance he's going to strike continuously throughout his presidency. He goes to the State Department to deliver a speech and sort of outline the familiar outlines or broad thrust of the Bush international policy, which is to emphasize humility, but also peace through strength. But the real important part of this strip is the symbolic importance of it. The president wants to reenergize the State Department, and he's going to swear in a new class of diplomats. Part of his mission over there is to get those people in the State Department bucked up. They often felt shunted to the sidelines during the Clinton administration. The Bush White House is well aware that the career diplomats at the State Department far outnumber the political appointees he will be able to place over there, so he wants to make sure the career diplomats are on his team and respond as favorably to him as they do to their new leader, Secretary of State Colin Powell. You might recall when the secretary of state started his first day at work at the State Department, he got a rousing welcome, almost a hero's welcome from the State Department employees who do feel they will have a much bigger role in Bush international policy -- Miles.</s>O'BRIEN: All right, that's CNN's Major Garrett at the White House. Thanks very much. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com