President Bush Governor Schwarzenegger PODCAST VIDEO

President Bush Tours Fire Damaged Southern California, Rancho Bernardo Neighborhood, San Diego, California. FULL STREAMING VIDEO 11:28 A.M. PDT. PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE and GALLERY

THE PRESIDENT: The Senator and the Congressman and the Governor and I have come up here to survey firsthand the terrible devastations done by the fires here in the San Diego area. We've met the Jeffcoats, who came up this hill, and went to what was their home. And we know how tough it is for you; 39 years of marriage -- that's something that you didn't think you'd be dealing with after all this time. So we want to let you know that the American people care for people like you who are suffering. We appreciate your spirit; we really do. I think all of us who met you were very impressed by your determination to deal with this tough moment in your life, and rebuild your lives.

To the extent that people need help from the federal government, we will help. I am here, really, to make sure that the federal effort works hand-in-glove with what the Governor has been doing. The Governor has taken the lead down here, and he's done a fine job. The thing I like about Governor Schwarzenegger, he says, you show me a problem, I'll charge it; if you show me a hill, I'll go up it -- and that's exactly what he's done.

And my job is to make sure that FEMA and the Defense Department and the Interior Department and Ag Department respond in a way that helps people get the job done. And that's what I'm here to listen to.

I want to thank the Senator for joining me. On the flight down we had a good conversation. She's deeply concerned about the citizens of California. She asked the right kind of questions, and, you know, we're going to give her the answers.

And Congressman, thank you for joining us. This is his district. It's got to be tough for you to represent the good people here and know that people are suffering.

But anyway, thanks for being here, and God bless you all. God bless the people of this state. Thank you.

Q Mr. President, a lot has been made about the contrast between this response and the Katrina response. Do you have any thoughts on that, and how you're doing?

THE PRESIDENT: You better ask the Governor how we're doing. I will tell you this: On all these responses, the thing that has amazed me most is the courage of our first responders. The firefighters here in this part of the world are incredibly brave people. The police force has done a fabulous job.

And same in the Katrina area. I mean, I know there was a lot of criticism of effort, but remember, there was 33,000 people pulled off roofs by brave Coast Guard men and women flying those choppers. A lot of people's lives were saved.

CONGRESSMAN BILBRAY: San Diego County has a centralized disaster response team made up of the County Chairman as the Chairman of the Disaster Council, and every police chief and fire chief and mayor, so there's a network here that those of us in the federal and the state level are able to come supplement. But the backbone of this response was the local providers, because they were organized. So the real heroes here are the providers, are the men and women working for the counties and the cities and the fire districts that really were here first and foremost, and we're just supplementing.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, see, that's an interesting question. I appreciate you asking it. My hearts are with the Jeffcoats right now, that's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking about people whose lives turned upside-down. The experts can try to figure out whether the response was perfect or not. All I can tell you is when the Governor calls, I answer his phone. When the Governor says we need this help, think about sending these troops here, I got on the phone, I called the appropriate people. I'm interested in helping him solve problems and helping the folks here at the county level. There's all kinds of time for historians to compare this response or that response, but those of us who are here from government, our hearts are right here with the Jeffcoats, that's where we are.

And I'm looking forward, and I know the Senator and Governor and Congressman is, to eating lunch with the firefighters. We can't thank people enough for putting their lives at risk to help a neighbor, and that's exactly what's taking place. If there needs to be more firefighters, we'll send more firefighters. Those are the kind of questions that we're asking; what does it take to get the job done?

Q Mr. President, Congressman Hunter tried to get some of the C-130s here, and they are here, but they are still on the ground and the National Guard won't let them fly. What seems to be the problem? We really need those because the flames continue to fan.

THE PRESIDENT: I'll find out. I'll find out.*

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER: I just want to add to this because I want to thank the President for coming out here today. I can tell you that when we saw on Monday the flames going out of control and it becoming really a major disaster, I told my assistant that we got to call the President and ask for help, and before I ever had a chance to make that phone call -- I remember I was in the middle of a briefing -- the President -- I was in -- I got the phone, they said, it's the President on the phone. And he called me, and he told me that he's really concerned about the fires here in California and if anything he can do, anything that we need, we should let him know; that all his entire Cabinet and his whole staff, his team, everyone is available.

So I call this quick action, I mean, quicker than I expected, I can tell you that. And since then we've been talking every day on the phone and we asked him for an emergency declaration; they got it within 24 hours. We asked for a disaster declaration; we got that within 24 hours. And then he called me back and says, I'm going to come out because I'm really concerned about the people in California and what they are going through; we want to make sure that we help them get back on their feet -- and here he is.

So I call this very unbelievable response from the federal government and the Bush administration, from everyone and from Senator Feinstein; I want to thank you also for the great response, and she was calling us every hour and being concerned. So I would say this is really great response, and you cannot do this without everyone working together. And what we have seen here, unlike other disasters, I mean, how quickly the locals, the state and the federal government came together and everyone working together was really extraordinary to watch, so I want to thank everyone, I want to thank you again, President, for coming out here today and helping us.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you all.

END 11:35 A.M. PDT

* "Three fire suppression missions were flown yesterday. All six fire suppression equipped C-130s, four from the National Guard and two from the Air Force Reserve, are operational today and are dropping on the Poomacha fire in southern California this afternoon. For more information, contact Dan Stoneking at 703-607-2554."

For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, October 25, 2007

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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Claire Shipman VIDEO

Claire Shipman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Claire Shipman is the senior national correspondent for the ABC American television show, "Good Morning America". She joined ABC News in May 2001. She also frequently contributes to other ABC News programs such as "World News Tonight," "Nightline," and has appeared as a panelist on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

Before joining ABC News, she was a White House correspondent for NBC News.

She has been a substitute anchor on "Good Morning America" and "World News Tonight."

Claire attended Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio, and graduated in 1980. In 2006, she was recognized by Worthington Schools as a Distinguished Alumni during Convocation.

She is a 1986 graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University and also holds a master's degree from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.

Divorced from former CNN Moscow bureau chief Steve Hurst, she is now married to Time Magazine White House correspondent Jay Carney. They have a son, Hugo, and a daughter.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article, Claire Shipman

Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arnold Schwarzenegger was first elected as Governor of California in the 2003 recall elections and won re-election in 2006. It is the first elected office he has held, but was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, in which he served from 1990 to 1993 and was Chairman of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor Pete Wilson.

Schwarzenegger is a registered Republican, unusual among the often heavily liberal Democratic Hollywood community. He describes himself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate (i.e., he is pro-choice and supports taxpayer-funded embryonic stem cell research). Schwarzenegger backed Republican President Ronald Reagan (another movie star turned politician) while Reagan was in office, and campaigned for George H.W. Bush in 1988. However, he chastised fellow Republicans during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998. Sensing an opportunity to affect the outcome of the 2004 Presidential race, Schwarzenegger campaigned in Ohio for Republican George W. Bush in the closing days of the campaign.

In an interview on October 29, 2002, with MSNBC's Chris Matthews at Chapman University, Schwarzenegger explained why he is a Republican:

"Well, I think because a lot of people don't know why I'm a Republican, I came first of all from a socialistic country which is Austria and when I came over here in 1968 with the presidential elections coming up in November, I came over in October, I heard a lot of the press conferences from both of the candidates Humphrey and Nixon, and Humphrey was talking about more government is the solution, protectionism, and everything he said about government involvement sounded to me more like Social Democratic Party of Austrian socialism.

Then when I heard Nixon talk about it, he said open up the borders, the consumers should be represented there ultimately and strengthen the military and get the government off our backs. I said to myself, what is this guy's party affiliation? I didn't know anything at that point. So I asked my friend, what is Nixon? He's a Republican. And I said, I am a Republican. That's how I became a Republican."

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article, Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger

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