MTP Transcript for April 22, 2007

MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: A school, a nation mourn the deaths of 32 members of the Virginia Tech community. Students and teachers, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, senselessly killed by this student, Seung-Hui Cho. What lessons can be learned from this horrific event about security at our schools, the diagnosis and treatment of students with mental illness, and the purchase of firearms?

With us, exclusive interviews with two members of the panel established by the governor of Virginia to review the tragedy: the chairman, retired Virginia state police superintendent Colonel Gerald Massengill; and the former secretary of homeland security, Tom Ridge; plus, the two Bush administration Cabinet secretaries who will conduct a nationwide review of the broader issues, the secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt, and the secretary of education, Margaret Spellings. Massengill, Ridge, Leavitt and Spellings only on MEET THE PRESS.

Then, the attorney general under fire from his fellow Republicans.

(Videotape)

SEN. TOM COBURN (R-OK): I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation.

(End of videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: And the Democratic Senate leader under fire for his comments on Iraq.

(Videotape)

SEN. MAJ. LEADER HARRY REID (D-NV): This war is lost.

(End of videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: Insights and analysis from presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; NBC News White House correspondent David Gregory; the editor of Newsweek magazine, Jon Meacham; and NBC News Justice correspondent Pete Williams.

But first, joining us from the Virginia Tech campus is the president of the university, Dr. Charles Steger.

Dr. Steger, welcome. On behalf of all of us, our deepest sympathies for all that has occurred, particularly to the families of those who have lost their loved ones.

I’d like to...

DR. CHARLES STEGER: Thank you very much.

MR. RUSSERT: Thank you, doctor. I’d like to begin by asking you to reflect upon the last seven days at Virginia Tech.

DR. STEGER: I think we find ourselves still in a stage of shock, but we also draw a great deal of strength from the enormous outpouring of support that we’ve received from around the world. And what we’re trying to do now is to focus our attention on supporting these families and also getting the school back on track with the classes opening tomorrow.

MR. RUSSERT: As you well know, doctor, back in August of 2006, the very first day of class at Virginia Tech...

DR. STEGER: Right.

MR. RUSSERT: ...there was a gunman loose at Blacksburg, and the campus was shut down.

DR. STEGER: Right.

MR. RUSSERT: Have you thought about that reaction as—and compared it to what happened last week when, after the first shooting, the campus was not shut down?

DR. STEGER: Well, in the first shooting that occurred, as soon as the police found a witness, we had a suspect identified who was pursued and taken into custody. I was advised that it looked like the event was contained to that dorm room, and we had a suspect being questioned at the moment, so we focused our energy on dealing with that particular incident. We had no way of anticipating what was yet to come in a matter of minutes.

MR. RUSSERT: In terms of campus alert, the University of Texas has a system where text messages are sent to every student, member and faculty immediately in case of a crisis.

DR. STEGER: Right.

MR. RUSSERT: Will Virginia Tech consider something like that in the future?

DR. STEGER: Actually, we are—were in the process of putting in place such a system when this event occurred.

MR. RUSSERT: And it will be in place relatively soon?

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