'Meet the Press' transcript for August 24, 2008

MR. BROKAW:  Part of the reason you're here in Denver, Ms. Kennedy, is that tomorrow night there'll be a tribute to your family.  Last time I checked with Senator Kennedy, I was told that things were going as well as can be expected, even better in some instances.  But they're taking it one day at a time.  Is that a fair characterization yet of, of his condition?

MS. KENNEDY:  I think so.  I've seen him a number of times over the course of this summer and he's just amazing.  People have seen pictures of him on the boat.  But, you know, he's, he's really doing incredibly well.  And he's got a sense of humor, and he, you know, loves to talk about politics, and I know he really wants to go back to the Senate and work on all the causes that he cares about.

MR. BROKAW:  And will we see him in the film that will appear here?

MS. KENNEDY:  Oh definitely.  He was interviewed for the film.  Vicki was interviewed, his wife.  Out sailing, as well as a number of other people who he works with.  And it was--Ken Burns and Mark Herzog did a great job.  So the film is really moving, and I think the fact that he's the subject of this tribute means a lot, certainly to me.  I'm so happy I get to be part of it, so it'll be great.

MR. BROKAW:  It'll be a pretty emotional moment for you as well, won't it?

MS. KENNEDY:  It will.  It will, but you know...

MR. BROKAW:  And your three children are here.

MS. KENNEDY:  My three children are here, lots of cousins are here, obviously many of the Robert Kennedys are here, it's the 40th anniversary of his campaign, so I think for all our family, this is incredibly emotional.

MR. BROKAW:  There's going to be a lot of speculation about your own political future.  Tim raised this with you when you appeared here in 2002, and we thought we would share that moment as well if we...

MS. KENNEDY:  Oh.  Oh, good.  Oh, good.

MR. BROKAW:  Let's take a look at that.

(Videotape)

MR. TIM RUSSERT:  Might you ever run for elective office?

MS. KENNEDY:  I don't know, we'll see.  I, I have no plans.

MR. RUSSERT:  That keeps the door open.

MS. KENNEDY:  That's right.

(End videotape)

MS. KENNEDY:  Oh god.

MR. BROKAW:  Well, you have a...

MS. KENNEDY:  Well, you know what, why don't I come back in six years, and then maybe we'll, we'll see where we are.

MR. BROKAW:  But are you closing the door on running for office yourself?

MS. KENNEDY:  You know, I, I also take things one day at a time.  Nobody believes that.  I'm, I'm jealous of people who have a long range plan.  So I--I'm happy to be part of this campaign.  This is a great amount of politics for me, and to the extent that I--you know, I really admire Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and, and feel that I have the obligation to do whatever I can to, to help put this country back on track and to speak after things that I believe in.  I think that's important.  But I also believe and have been raised to believe that there's so many ways that we can contribute, so I've been working in education in New York and hope to continue doing that.

MR. BROKAW:  Well, those of us who live in New York know about your passion and your commitment to public education.  If Senator Obama were to be elected, would you think about moving to Washington and taking that on as a very active and high-profile role, the repair of American public education?

MS. KENNEDY:  Well, I don't think there's a more important cause.  I have absolutely no--right now I'm concentrating on, on tomorrow night, so you know, I'll come back.

MR. BROKAW:  Caroline Kennedy, thanks very much for being here.  We'll let you go now and get the call from Maria Shriver reviewing your performance on MEET THE PRESS.

MS. KENNEDY:  Yeah, right, exactly.  I know.

MR. BROKAW:  We appreciate it, and we want you to know that we'd be happy to have you back any time.

MS. KENNEDY:  Thank you.  I'll come with Maria.

MR. BROKAW:  Thank you.  OK.

MS. KENNEDY:  OK.

MR. BROKAW:  Thanks a lot.  Thanks, Caroline.

Coming up next, the chairwoman of this convention, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  Also, insights and analysis from our political roundtable, Gwen Ifill, Jon Meacham, and Chuck Todd, when we return live from Denver.

(Announcements)

MR. BROKAW:  We're back from the Pepsi Center, site of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and pleased to be joined now by the chairwoman of the convention, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

Madame Speaker, welcome.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA):  Good morning.

MR. BROKAW:  The selection of Joe Biden, the senator from Delaware, as the vice presidential candidate, the running mate for Senator Obama, is getting a lot of attention.  Most of the analysis up to this point has been this is what Senator Obama needed, someone who is experienced in foreign affairs, who's been around a long time, who's been to Iraq and Afghanistan a long time.  But it also says to a lot of people that, in the final analysis, Senator Obama blinked, he didn't pick an agent of change.  Because Senator Biden has been in the Senate now 35 years, he's a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party establishment.  Isn't that a fair analysis?

REP. PELOSI:  I don't think so.  First of all, let me say it's an excellent choice.  It's a real sign of the leadership of Senator Obama that he would choose Senator Biden, recognizing the issues of the day are the economic and personal security of the American people.  Senator Biden, as you know, is chair of the--was chair of the Judiciary Committee, wrote the crime bill, personal safety of people in their neighborhoods.  This is our first responsibility as elected officials is to protect the American people.  Then he went on to chair the Foreign Relations Committee, where he's an, an expert on national security.  It isn't a question of what Senator Obama needs.  He's the full package.  He has great judgment and knowledge and can draw upon expertise.  This is what brings balance and brings reinforcement. Senator--anyone who knows Senator Biden knows that he is a, a disrupter.  This is not your standard Washington fare.  This is a person, a senator who goes home every night, lucky for him, to Delaware.  This is a person who has challenged the status quo.  And he's even criticized Senator Obama, so it's a tribute to Senator Obama that he's not just choosing a "yes man," but a person who will speak what he believes.

MR. BROKAW:  Madame Speaker, there are so many issues in play during this election, and one of them is the Democratic Congress that you have presided over for the last two years.  And the latest Gallup poll shows that, in the Y universe of American voters, 14 percent expressed their disapproval of Congress.  There it is on the screen.

REP. PELOSI:  Their approval.

MR. BROKAW:  Fourteen, 14 percent of--expressed their approval...

REP. PELOSI:  Right.

MR. BROKAW:  ...and 75 percent expressed their disapproval.  That's the lowest number that Gallup has ever reported.

REP. PELOSI:  Yeah.

MR. BROKAW:  So isn't Senator Obama carrying a very heavy load with the Democratic Congress on his back, and isn't it...

REP. PELOSI:  I don't think...

MR. BROKAW:  ...something for Senator McCain to run against?

REP. PELOSI:  I don't think so.  Here's the thing.  Those numbers are about the Congress, and the Congress, I think the main issue in the last election in November '06 was to end the war.  Congress has been unable to do that because the president won't sign any bills that would allow that to happen.  So from my standpoint, I disapprove of the way Congress functioned in, in that respect.  But we--I'm pleased with the numbers that the Democrats have.  We're double digits in every area that you can name:  creation of jobs, expansion of health care, protecting the environment, energy independence, homeland security, any issue you can name.  So this is what the argument will be:  We can only do so much unless we have a Democratic president to do all the things we want to do more, in addition to raising the minimum wage, the biggest increase in veterans' benefits in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration, cafe standards for emission--for, for automobiles.  We have a record of achievement, all eclipsed by the fact that we did not end the war. And we need a Democratic president to do that and much more.

MR. BROKAW:  Well, we're going to get to the war in just a moment, but let me just also show you where the country is in terms of one of the principal issues of the day, and that is the high price of gasoline.  I was surprised by this.  When asked who they thought was responsible for the high price of gasoline, here are the numbers that we have that we can show you on the screen.  Not surprisingly, big oil companies...

REP. PELOSI:  Mm-hmm.

MR. BROKAW:  ...price gouging by the American public, they thought that that was the big reason for it.  Lack of effective action by Congress almost as high, so Congress is bearing the responsibility in the eyes of the American public...

REP. PELOSI:  We'll, that's...

MR. BROKAW:  ...for not doing something about gasoline prices.

REP. PELOSI:  That's that poll, and--but the fact is, is that the, the, the oil companies, the, the administration, they all ranked higher than Congress in most of those polls.  But the point is this.  People--we have to look after the consumer, we have to increase the supply of energy.  And the president, even as recently as yesterday, said if you drill offshore, you're going to bring down the price at the pump.  It is simply not true, But if the president wants to put that on the table and we can revisit the relationship between our oil--this oil belongs to the American people.  It has been--the big oil is making profits from it, they're not paying royalties to the taxpayer, and they're asking--and the taxpayer is subsidizing it.  So just because they have made a political point doesn't mean that we have to follow that.  We'll put it all on the table, comprehensive, offshore drilling, if that is worth it, but renewable energy resources so that we do not get in this situation again.  And Congress has acted over and over again in this regard.  One in particular that has brought down the price per barrel, and that is to insist that the president not fill the strategic petroleum reserve.  So again, protect the consumer, increase the supply, focus on renewables, revisit the relationship between our oil, their profits, they're owing us the royalties, and our not subsidizing.

MR. BROKAW:  That's a big change for you, you're talking about offshore drilling.  You have been adamantly opposed to it, and just a week ago, I was listening to John Kerry saying this is a canard, offshore drilling...

REP. PELOSI:  What is...

MR. BROKAW:  ...it will not do us any good, but there's a political reality that the country thinks it's time to do that.

REP. PELOSI:  Well, the fact of the matter is--and the president knows this--is that if you drill offshore today, you won't have any impact at the price at the pump for 10 years, and then, it's 2 cents.  We can move much quickly by releasing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve and having an impact at the pump in 10 days, in 10 days.  So why is--this is the oil company position, to drill offshore without any comprehensive approach to other aspects of it.  So this is the fight we have to make, popular or not, and we have to give, again, relief to the consumer, increase the supply, but not fold just because they're misrepresenting what would happen with offshore drilling. So, again, I say--I'm--as speaker, I have to put everything on the table.  Put that on the table.  I don't think it's a good alternative, but if they can prove that it is and they want to pay royalties to the taxpayer, let us use those royalties to invest in renewable energy resources, then we have something to talk about.

MR. BROKAW:  But the bottom line is, as speaker, you're prepared to preside over legislation that would reactivate offshore oil drilling.

REP. PELOSI:  I'm prepared to preside over legislation that will take a comprehensive approach to it, include that, let it compete, and see where we come down on it.  And if that, in fact, is a, a, a, a good alternative, then that is something that we should do.  But not to misrepresent to the hard-strapped American people for gas prices and other reasons in our economy that if we do that, it's going to reduce the price at the pump.  It simply will not.

MR. BROKAW:  Well, I think most people understand that, but at the same time, if we work our way off carbon-based fuels, in the meantime, this is not going to happen overnight.

REP. PELOSI:  No, it isn't, but you could--again, you could reduce the price at the pump immediately with...(unintelligible).  You can have a transition with natural gas.  You can have a transition with natural gas.  That, that is cheap, abundant and clean compared to fossil fuels.  So, so there is a way to transition this instead of doing more of the same.  The Bush administration, two oil men in the White House, they want us to believe that the status quo is what we should do and more of it--and more of it, when it will just only keep us in the same place that we are now.

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