Candy Crowley's spectacular view of the inauguration
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Candy Crowley
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CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley watched the
inauguration of President Bush from a vantage point few could
match: the platform on the front of the Capitol where
Bill Clinton handed over power to his successor.
Q: What was the mood on that stage?
CROWLEY: The podium was a spectacular place to be if you're a
journalist and probably if you're an American. It was the
most fascinating mix of politicos that I've ever seen
collected in one place. It gave new meaning to the term "seat
of power."
Seated on the platform was the 39th president of the United
States, Jimmy Carter; the 41st president of the United
States, George H.W. Bush; the 42nd president of the United
States, William Jefferson Clinton; and the 43rd president of
the United States, George W. Bush. Almost all 50 governors
were there, along with Supreme Court justices, the House of
Representatives and the Senate and political dignitaries
ranging from retired Sen. Bob Dole to retired House Speaker
Tom Foley to Newt Gingrich.
And I couldn't tell you enough about the sight looking out
over the Washington Mall, from the Capitol up to the
Washington Monument, and seeing the people who came out
despite the fact that it was so cold and so rainy.
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Q: What was the crowd like?
CROWLEY: The picture that I'll keep in my head was when
George Bush walked up to take the oath of office, as corny as
it sounds, it was like all of a sudden a million diamond-like
flashes went all across the crowd -- the width of the crowd
and the depth of the crowd. It just was an extraordinary
sight. It just lit up the crowd on the Mall area -- the only
bright spot on an otherwise dreary day.
Q: This followed years of bitter partisan battles and a very
contentious process in Florida. Did you see any of that
reflected among the politicians there today?
CROWLEY: I can't tell you, obviously, what was in their
hearts. This was clearly a difficult moment for Vice
President Gore, who sat on the stage, and obviously a
melancholy moment for Bill Clinton. But it looked like a
bitter-free zone.
There are lot of little vignettes, including Chelsea Clinton
walking over to the Bush daughters, Jenna and Barbara, for a
quick conversation. There were conversations, a couple of them, between Bill Clinton and
George Bush -- both, actually. There were people there like
James Baker, the Bush point man in Florida, shaking hands
with Bill Clinton. It really was an extraordinary amalgam of
people.
Q: What were your impressions of Bush's inaugural address?
CROWLEY: What Bush wanted to do was reach out to the people
who didn't vote for him. To me, the rhetoric and the nature
of that speech was very much in line with the first part of
the Bush campaign, when the emphasis was all on
"compassionate conservatism." This was in many ways
designed to define for the country what a compassionate
conservative is -- how he views what that is -- and it was
designed by Bush and his team to try to reach out in part to
minority communities where the election and the way it was
settled has exposed a lot of raw nerves.
I will say while many of the rhetorical flourishes about not
allowing anyone in need to go in need and about those whom
the economic boom has left behind, this crowd -- and remember
these are Republican faithful who come -- cheered the loudest
for tax cuts.
Q: Were there any surprises in the speech?
CROWLEY: I think what's interesting is when you look at the
speech and parse it, that it really could have been written
by a Democrat. If there was something surprising, I think
what may have surprised people about the speech was that so
much of it was aimed at reaching out to the people who have
been so critical of George Bush, and reaching out to those in
need -- those whose experiences are far different from this
son of privilege, telling them that he's listening and he
cares.
Q: George W. Bush is now officially president. What's next?
CROWLEY: While up there I had the opportunity to speak to a
number of people named to Bush's Cabinet. They feel this next
week is extremely important for George Bush to show that he
is on the move, that there is no time to waste acclimating
oneself or sort of easing in. They feel they need to hit the
ground running, and in fact they would hold their first staff
meeting Sunday.
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