[Shields:] Welcome back. President Clinton delivered his 8th count them State of the Union Address, and painted a vision for America.
[William J. Clinton, President Of The United States:] Every child will begin school ready to learn, and graduate ready to succeed.
[Shields:] He scolded the Republican-controlled Congress for not keeping up.
[Clinton:] For too long, this Congress has been standing still on some of our most pressing national priorities.
[Shields:] Among the president's initiatives was this
[Clinton:] I propose a plan to ensure that all new handgun buyers must first have a photo license from their state, showing they passed the Brady background check and a gun safety course before they get the gun.
[Shields:] Kate O'Beirne, is this not a popular agenda from a popular president?
[O'beirne:] Mark, it's an unpopular proposal from a disgraced president. A few weeks ago, Bill Clinton was talking about a proposal to reduce gun crimes that George brought support, enforced the tough laws already on the books something his administration hasn't done. Now he's abandoned that to help Al Gore by giving him a Bradley-like sort of proposal. The intensity on the gun issue is on the side of the gun rights people. And if this new threat energizes them, he could actually help the Republicans keep the House.
[Shields:] Margaret Carlson, 65 to 30, favorable job rating in the country Bill Clinton has right now, 92 to 5 favorable rating among Democrats. Is he a help to Al Gore?
[Carlson:] I want to see George Bush have to defend the concealed weapon against the Gore-licensed gun owners in the general election, and Texas; then he's going to have to be out there depending that. Listen, we all think these State of the Union messages are too long, it's like State of the Union, the miniseries people like these; they like the laundry list of programs. They like what Clinton has done. The disgraced president has a job approval rating of 65 percent. And you will see the candidates coming back right where Clinton lives for the general election.
[Shields:] I say this, Margaret is absolutely right on the concealed weapons. George Bush hasn't mentioned it once during this entire campaign. He's not boasted about it in "The Texas Miracle." What about the State of the Union, Bob? You've seen a few.
[Novak:] This was a everybody wondered what would happen if you ever had a big surplus and a liberal president. What they'd do is having, by one count, over 90 new initiatives, and a program for America which says, nobody has is people have a chance to succeed. Everybody has to succeed. But I was disgusted with it. But I'll tell you what was more disgusting: two very able senators Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee with a terrible response, did not mention the surplus, did not mention the tax cuts terrible.
[Hunt:] Well, I had one disappointment, Mark. And that was he spoke for an hour and 30 minutes. Had he gone for another 79 minutes, he could have been the first president to give a State of Union over two days, and I realized I was disappointed in that. I was pleased, though, Bob after the State of the Union, he said it was 61 promises. It's up to 90. I think by next week, we'll clearly be in triple digits.
[Novak:] He's still working it.
[Hunt:] Bob, there is no demand for smaller government, I'm sorry.
[Novak:] Well, that wait a minute, I just want to respond if that is true, it's a shame for the American people. If they like that, it's a terrible thing.
[Shields:] They are all the moral lepers. All right Margaret.
[Carlson:] And actually, he is allowed to do one more State of the Union, and make it a two-hour one, yes. Well, we learned tonight, you hate the working man, and the common man should not succeed. Thanks, Bob.
[Novak:] I say everybody can't succeed. Everybody can't succeed.
[Shields:] THE GANG will be back with outrage of the week.
[Announcer:] Our reviewer outrage of the week is from John Ludtke. He writes, "It is an outrage that no presidential candidate has proposed a population policy for this country, even as we encourage developing countries to develop such policies. Our annual growth rate is almost three times that of most developed countries, 10 times the rate of Europe, and we have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the industrialized world. Given the environmental burden we impose by our consumption habits, I believe this American formula for Earth's destruction deserves at least a campaign mention."