Transcript for May 7

MR. RUSSERT: When you watch him, are you learning every second his mannerisms, his inflection? And are you sometimes surprised by anything you’ve seen when you actually saw him up close? Anything different than you would imagine or had performed?

MR. BRIDGES: I think he’s evolved over the years. He’s, he’s changed a little bit, but there’s some things that are just consistent that’s...

MR. RUSSERT: How has he evolved? Is he, is he more like George W. Bush?

MR. BRIDGES: I think he’s probably refined some of his gestures and mannerisms over the years. That’s one of the things that I’ve noticed. I think he goes through phases where he doesn’t trip over his words much, and then every now and then he’ll fumble a few things. But, but this is a good gesture right there. This has always been a good one. This has been a good one. My eyes get all big. Like he doesn’t do that. That’s kind of my being goofy.

MR. RUSSERT: But he acknowledges—he has a hard time with the word nuclear.

MR. BRIDGES: Yeah. We had fun with it Saturday night.

MR. RUSSERT: And the president’s tried to use it as a strength sometimes when he, he, he mixed metaphors or stumbles words. Does that work with the public?

MR. BRIDGES: I think it’s somewhat endearing, I mean, because the number one—I’ve always been told the number one fear that, that people in America have is the fear of public speaking. So I think in some way they identify with it. People get nervous and tongue-tied. I’ve got friends who are just brilliant dudes, but whenever they’ve got to give some five-minute presentation in front of their peers, they’re just—they’re freaked out for a week.

So it is, it is a fear, and so I think it’s one of the things that might make people sort of endeared to him, like, hey, they can understand. Who wants to get out in front of a crowd, let alone the nation or the whole world, and give a speech, and then be caught on any word you mispronounce during any sentence you didn’t, you know, say perfectly?

MR. RUSSERT: Dan Balz, you have a question for the president?

MR. BRIDGES: Fire away. Go ahead.

MR. BALZ: How are you going to save the Republicans in these midterms?

MR. BRIDGES: I tell you what, we’re going to, we’re going to work hard. I want to hustle. Like I said, I’m not a, I’m not a lame duck. I’m a hard-working duck. I’m going to hustle hard like duck through a goose. We’re going to get it done, son, we’re going to get it done. You watch what happens in ‘06.

MR. RUSSERT: Todd Purdum?MR. PURDUM: Is Vice President Cheney as asset or a liability?

MR. BRIDGES: He’s a fine vice president. He’s an excellent—I just wish I knew where he was. You know, they’re still hiding him at those undisclosed locations.

MR. RUSSERT: What about Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state?

MR. BRIDGES: Excellent secretary of state. Keeps me informed on what’s going on around the world. Reads the newspapers. Because of Condie, I know what to do wherever I’m at, you know? I live by the old saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romanians do.” I believe in that.

MR. RUSSERT: When you walk into a convention or an appearance, how do you start? Do they play the “Hail to the Chief”?

MR. BRIDGES: Yeah, we do. We play “Hail to the Chief,” and I just head right up to the podium, usually have some customized remarks for the group that’s there, just, just get right to it. We just have a ball. It’s great.

MR. RUSSERT: What’s your opening line?

MR. BRIDGES: First, it’s, it’s, it’s good to be here. And third—it’s just a joke, it’s always just a joke.

MR. RUSSERT: But...

MR. BRIDGES: I like this president. I know, teasing him and ribbing him, but I like the guy, really.

MR. RUSSERT: But Republicans and conservatives and Democrats, they all laugh at that line.

MR. BRIDGES: Love it, love it. Yeah, love it. Yeah, they got a really good sense of humor about this president.

MR. RUSSERT: But what is it saying about the president?

MR. BRIDGES: I think it’s a—I think they like him, I really do.

MR. RUSSERT: And how about when you do your Bill Clinton material?

MR. BRIDGES: We just started that and it’s going over really well. So we’re having fun. I mean, we’re in the, we’re in the process of refining it, but it’s, it’s looking really good. I mean Kevin...

MR. RUSSERT: Are you political at all?

MR. BRIDGES: You know what? I’ve had some political leanings, but the more I get involved in this as a living, the more I sort of back away from it and just look at it and think in order to maintain my, my sense of humor, I got to have a sense of humor about everybody. And that’s why I kind of adopted that, “You know what? This is going to be fun, I’m teasing people, I’m having fun making fun of them, but I’m just not going to be mean.”

MR. RUSSERT: Do you go back and look at Vaughn Meader’s JFK, and Rich Little’s Nixon and Dana Carvey’s George Herbert Walker Bush?

MR. BRIDGES: Oh, well, you just, you just mentioned three brilliant, you know, I mean two brilliant performers and a brilliant album, so yeah, they are things that are in the back of my mind, part of my development for my impersonations and political humor, yeah, absolutely.

MR. RUSSERT: And based on your performance Saturday night, you’ll be now celebrating with Ford Theater.

MR. BRIDGES: That’s right. Yeah, on July the 4^th. It’s an American Celebration at the Ford’s Theater, yeah. Big, big event. People ask me, “When can we ever see you on TV?” That’s it, July 4^th. Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Dan Balz, Todd Purdum, an honor to sit with the president of the United States. And two presidents, actually, George W. Bush and, and Bill Clinton.

MR. BALZ: All right. And a governor of California.

MR. RUSSERT: All to boot.

What, what next? What do you do?

MR. BRIDGES: Well, we’re, we’re working, I’m working my tail off, you know.

MR. RUSSERT: Will you be sorry when George Bush leaves office?

MR. BRIDGES: Yeah, sort of. I mean, there’s always sort of that, “Oh, crud, now what do I do?” But like I said, we’re working, we’re always ready to do the next person...

MR. RUSSERT: Do you have a Hillary?

MR. BRIDGES: We’ve got a Bill.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you have John McCain?

MR. BRIDGES: We’ll, we’ll get it, we’ll get it. We will, yeah, if need be, whatever, whoever’s there, we’ll, we’ll get going.

MR. RUSSERT: All right, Mr. President, before we leave why don’t you look into that camera and say goodbye to the American people? George W. Bush:

MR. BRIDGES: I appreciate you watching, appreciate your support. Thanks for watching, God bless you. God bless America. Thank you, bye-bye.

MR. RUSSERT: Steve Bridges. And we’ll be right back after this.

(Announcements)

MR. RUSSERT: That’s all for today. We’ll be back next week with a special exclusive interview with potential presidential candidate, the former Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, right here on MEET THE PRESS next Sunday. Because if it’s Sunday, it’s MEET THE PRESS.

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