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I must say to you that the
state of the Union is not good.
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Will these people somehow
translate politics into power
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and make a government work?
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We are privileged to witness a significant
achievement in the cause of peace.
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What was once a distant foreign policy
issue has become a domestic issue.
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There is no malaise in the
spirit of this country.
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It's just Mr. Carter!
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We can turn this country around
and we can turn our economy around.
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And the time to do it is now.
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Sync, corrected by icephoenix
www.addic7ed.com
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In just a few moments now,
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President Nixon will be
appearing before the people
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perhaps for the last time as
President of the United States.
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Jail to the chief!
Jail to the chief!
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Good evening. I shall resign the Presidency
effective at noon tomorrow.
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In turning over direction of the government
to Vice President Ford,
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I know that the leadership of America
will be in good hands.
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In those first few days and weeks
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when Gerald Ford ascended
to the Presidency,
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you could say
if you were casting someone
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to play the role of a President
to heal a nation,
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that Gerald Ford
would have been that person.
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Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President
of the United States, and Mrs. Ford.
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Gerald Ford was one of
the most popular people in Congress,
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conservative and Republican to the core,
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but always willing to talk,
always willing to compromise.
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My fellow Americans,
our long national nightmare is over.
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Part of what Gerald Ford wanted to do
was move beyond Watergate.
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And so to say,
"our long national nightmare is over,"
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was to try to tell the nation,
"my main job as President
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will be to heal this country."
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May our former President,
who brought peace to millions,
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find it for himself.
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David, what do you think?
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I would guess that in his term we may see
a little of what we were promised
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in the preamble to the Constitution
but seldom see.
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That is a little bit of
domestic tranquility.
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When Gerald Ford became President,
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he understood the public needed
something completely different.
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He seemed to be the right man
for those times.
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The change from Nixon to Ford is likely to give
the nation's economy a psychological lift.
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But it's going to take more than
a new President to cure the economy.
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It was an extremely difficult time.
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Ford inherited the deepest
recession since the 1930s.
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But he was spending 25% of his time
on leftover Nixon matters.
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Ford's in a brand new job and faces
this really consequential choice.
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Pardon Nixon and try to put Watergate
behind the country,
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or let the investigation run its course.
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This year,
especially the past few months and weeks,
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have been filled with extraordinary days.
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Today was another one that historians will be
writing about and thinking about for years to come.
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I, Gerald R. Ford,
President of the United States,
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do grant a full, free and absolute pardon
unto Richard Nixon
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for all offenses against the United States.
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- Do you think President Ford's action is wrong?
- It's wrong, absolutely wrong.
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Ford did the generous thing.
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I think the American people
must forget about Nixon.
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I think it raises as a political issue the
whole question of equal justice under law,
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except for Presidents,
who seem to get special treatment.
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Good morning.
We are about to see something
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which as far as we know, may never have
been seen before in American history.
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A sitting President of the United States
testifying before a Congressional committee.
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The subcommittee will be in order.
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I had just just been
out of law school for a few years.
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I was the last person on that subcommittee
to ask a question.
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And I thought for sure somebody in the
subcommittee would ask President Ford
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the tough questions about the pardon.
Nobody asked the questions.
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I would like to point out, Mr. President,
that the circumstances
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of the pardon which you issued,
the secrecy with which it was issued
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made people question whether or not
in fact it was a deal.
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Mrs. Holtzman, I repeat with emphasis
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that if we had had an indictment,
a trial, a conviction,
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that the attention of the President,
the Congress, and the American people
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would have been diverted from
the problems that we have to solve.
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Ford now looks very smart
in history for issuing the pardon.
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It did not look that great at the time.
He took a beating for it.
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Justice gone!
Justice gone!
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If we'd had a trial of Nixon,
the country would have been stopped.
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You've got to remember,
Presidents are there to govern.
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And we hadn't had much governing.
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Wherever you look
across the United States,
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plants are closing,
industries are slowing down,
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businesses are failing.
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At least 6 million people
are out of work.
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Unemployment in the United States
is at its highest level in thirteen years.
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Economically, the country
began to pay a very heavy price
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for the long Vietnam war,
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for which tax increases
had not been passed to pay for it.
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We have stag-flation.
It's a new disease.
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It's stagnation with inflation.
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The chuck steaks have gone up.
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They're usually 0.68 a pound
or around 0.79 a pound.
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Now they're 0.94 this week,
which is ridiculous. And I can't afford it.
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For many pensioners,
the struggle is to find enough to eat.
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From garbage, if necessary.
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Inflation went through the roof.
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People would come into my
Congressional office and they'd be crying.
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Americans were feeling poorer and poorer.
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Their salaries weren't going up
as quickly as the cost of milk and cheese.
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Something was wrong with the system.
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There is only one point on which
all advisers have agreed.
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We must whip inflation right now.
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Unless every able American pitches in,
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Congress and I cannot do the job.
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Gerald Ford is a conservative Republican,
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so he's trying to figure out
how do you deal with economic problems
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without strong government?
So he puts together this program
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which relies on voluntary action
by Americans.
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There was no program.
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Basically the President was saying,
"buy less."
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The "win" buttons were
part of the propaganda.
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There were also pamphlets
and posters.
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I object to distracting people's attention
away from the principal goals,
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the principal methods,
of coping with inflation.
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Are you suggesting, sir,
that buttons and flags are trivial?
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Yes.
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ABC News presents live coverage
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of the President's State of the Union
message to Congress.
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The President of the United States.
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When he goes to give the State of the Union
address, he is under tremendous pressure.
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I remember being there,
and it was palpable. You could feel it.
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A lot hangs on this, this being his
very first State of the Union.
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26 years ago, a freshman Congressman
who was out to change the world
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stood at the back of this great chamber.
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As President Truman said,
"I am happy to report to the 81st Congress
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that the state of the Union is good."
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Today, millions of Americans
are out of work,
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recession and inflation are eroding
the money of millions more.
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Prices are too high
and sales are too slow.
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And I must say to you
that the state of the Union is not good.
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Former California Governor Ronald Reagan is about
to hold a press conference here in Washington,
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where he is expected to announce that he is a
candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination.
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One of the things that was a problem for Ford is the
fact that his party was coming apart at the seams.
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Reagan was able to mount a formidable challenge
to Ford in the '76 Republican nomination contest.
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I'm running because I have grown
increasingly concerned about
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the course of events in the United States
and in the world.
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Reagan was the great two-term
Governor of California,
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and he goes after Gerald Ford
as being weak.
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I am quite critical of our
foreign policy right now.
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Matter of fact, I think that it is
almost anchor-less and almost aimless.
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He's a good actor,
but he also is a formidable challenger.
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Ronald Reagan was challenging
a sitting President in his own party,
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a relatively conservative President, and he
was basically calling him a liberal sellout.
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In the Texas primary, Reagan wiped out
the President in a stunning victory.
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In August of 1974,
this country had some very difficult
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and formidable obstacles ahead of us.
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We blew it in the right direction,
young man.
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And those of you...
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This was the period of time
right in the wake of Watergate.
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Americans were very,
very suspicious about government
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and about people who had spent
too much time in Washington, D.C.
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00:10:13,032 --> 00:10:16,446
So Jimmy Carter could run as
someone who called himself an outsider.
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As a guy who wasn't tainted by Washington,
D.C. and its corruption and its culture.
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I remember when I announced for President, there
was a major headline on the editorial page
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of the Atlanta Constitution that said,
"Jimmy Carter is running for what?"
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I'm running...
I'm running for President.
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- Jimmy Carter?
- Jimmy who?
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I don't know who he is.
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I picture him like one of us.
One of the common people.
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Jimmy Carter grew up in a very small town
in the South, Plains, Georgia.
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He had grown into a family of farmers.
Became a peanut farmer himself.
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And from Georgia, he really basically
started his political ascent.
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The idea that somebody from that region could
aspire to that kind of national office...
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You know, people didn't even try.
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Yesterday about 50,000 Democrats in Iowa
met in caucuses
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to choose delegates for their
State Party Convention.
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Former Georgia Governor
Jimmy Carter did extremely well.
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The Iowa Caucus was something
no one ever paid attention to.
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But Carter and his team said,
"hey, if we go and we win,
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the media is going to treat us like
a serious political front-runner."
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Mr. Carter is also deeply religious.
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He prays in public and speaks
openly about his religious beliefs.
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Carter was a person
who you thought would lead America
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to some kind of spiritual redemption,
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which at the time we really needed.
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Nothing has happened tonight
to change the feeling that Jimmy Carter
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is on his way to a kind of coronation
in Madison Square Garden.
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The battle for the Republican nomination
turned out to be really close.
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00:12:03,825 --> 00:12:07,533
It was close enough to make
the Ford people's fingernails sweat.
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00:12:07,577 --> 00:12:10,857
But by a whisker,
Gerald Ford got the nomination.
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When Ford was nominated,
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Reagan's supporters staged a demonstration
on the Convention floor.
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And it went on and on
and on and on.
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By the end of that Convention,
it's clear
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that although Gerald Ford
may be the nominee,
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Ronald Reagan has won the hearts
and minds of conservatives.
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Reagan did great damage to Ford.
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Look at the poll numbers. You'll see
that Jimmy Carter starts surging,
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over 30 points ahead of Gerald Ford.
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Ford had a weak position in the national race,
so he challenged Jimmy Carter to a debate.
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Mr. President, I would like to explore a little
more deeply our relationship with the Russians.
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00:13:03,699 --> 00:13:08,054
Max Frankel asked Ford a question
about whether the United States
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was accepting of Soviet domination
of Eastern Europe.
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00:13:12,747 --> 00:13:20,747
There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and
there never will be under a Ford administration.
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Uh, I'm sorry, could I just follow...
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Did I understand you to say, sir,
that the Russians are not
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00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:31,088
using Eastern Europe
as their own sphere of influence?
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Everybody's jaw just dropped.
Are you alive? Are you aware?
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00:13:36,373 --> 00:13:40,937
What he meant to say was, "I will not accept
any Soviet domination of Eastern Europe."
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00:13:40,973 --> 00:13:43,586
Governor Carter, have you a response?
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00:13:44,703 --> 00:13:47,157
Charitably, that was a momentary slip.
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00:13:47,192 --> 00:13:50,614
Uncharitably,
it was a loss of touch with reality.
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00:13:50,658 --> 00:13:54,426
Clearly a huge moment where
the country makes the judgment,
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00:13:54,461 --> 00:13:58,058
you know what, maybe we do need to go in a
different direction and replace the President.
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00:14:04,704 --> 00:14:07,035
Ford had never lost an
election in his life.
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00:14:07,062 --> 00:14:09,004
Won fifteen straight terms
in the House,
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00:14:09,048 --> 00:14:13,847
and here all of the sudden, he's beaten
by this one-term Governor of Georgia.
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00:14:13,873 --> 00:14:15,290
And he was crushed.
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My voice isn't up to par.
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00:14:18,341 --> 00:14:24,102
Let me call on the real
spokesman for the family, Betty.
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00:14:24,138 --> 00:14:27,825
It's been the greatest honor
of my husband's life
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00:14:27,860 --> 00:14:30,790
to have served his fellow Americans
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00:14:30,825 --> 00:14:35,804
during two of the most difficult years
in our history.
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00:14:35,831 --> 00:14:37,928
I think the real test comes now.
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00:14:37,963 --> 00:14:41,276
Whether these people
who have taken apart the old system
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00:14:41,293 --> 00:14:46,044
can somehow translate politics into power
and make a government work.
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00:14:46,062 --> 00:14:50,249
That's their real test, and we're on the
threshold of possibly the greatest change
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00:14:50,285 --> 00:14:52,669
since the New Deal in 1932.
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00:15:04,396 --> 00:15:06,965
The parade has started.
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He is out of the car.
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00:15:09,335 --> 00:15:12,878
This is a change in the schedule.
He is walking.
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00:15:12,901 --> 00:15:17,814
Most Presidents in our time
have wanted to do this.
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But in recent years
after our various tragedies,
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00:15:21,414 --> 00:15:24,574
it has been discouraged
and there has not been very much of it.
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00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,796
Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn
get out of the car.
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00:15:27,831 --> 00:15:29,942
It was game-changing.
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00:15:29,980 --> 00:15:33,061
People looked at that and said
"this is what we need.
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00:15:33,096 --> 00:15:35,779
A real person as President."
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00:15:35,814 --> 00:15:38,288
Carter was a man of the people.
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Glamor was not what we were in the market
for. We were looking for a redeemer.
231
00:15:43,184 --> 00:15:46,223
I'd like to take a little look
around, you know. I haven't seen it.
232
00:15:46,241 --> 00:15:49,232
Supposed to have a meeting with some of
the Cabinet officers in a few minutes.
233
00:15:49,267 --> 00:15:51,854
Are you actually going upstairs,
taking a look at the living quarters?
234
00:15:51,871 --> 00:15:52,971
Yeah, for the first time.
235
00:15:52,997 --> 00:15:57,159
President Carter knew he had four years to
do things that he thought were important.
236
00:15:57,194 --> 00:16:00,682
Fix the economy,
try to bring some peace to the Middle East,
237
00:16:00,726 --> 00:16:03,232
fix energy, and some other things.
238
00:16:03,275 --> 00:16:10,662
We will have available for public scrutiny
and for Congressional action by April 20th
239
00:16:10,730 --> 00:16:14,146
a comprehensive,
long-range energy policy.
240
00:16:15,712 --> 00:16:20,142
The winter of 1977 is one of the worst
the country had experienced,
241
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,743
and this comes at a time
the economy is still doing poorly.
242
00:16:24,810 --> 00:16:28,865
The severe weather has already led to
a serious shortage of natural gas.
243
00:16:28,900 --> 00:16:32,346
Federal Power Commission
estimates at least 200,000 layoffs
244
00:16:32,381 --> 00:16:35,344
due to industrial gas curtailments so far.
245
00:16:35,370 --> 00:16:39,772
In the Dayton area,
school districts must close for 30 days.
246
00:16:39,790 --> 00:16:43,481
Congress will consider this week
emergency gas legislation.
247
00:16:43,516 --> 00:16:46,824
Good evening, President Carter
is about to speak to the nation
248
00:16:46,868 --> 00:16:48,612
from the White House
on the subject of energy.
249
00:16:48,647 --> 00:16:51,340
Tonight,
I want to have an unpleasant talk with you.
250
00:16:51,375 --> 00:16:56,903
The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed
us, but it will if we do not act quickly.
251
00:16:56,971 --> 00:17:01,949
We need to shift to plentiful coal, while
taking care to protect the environment.
252
00:17:01,984 --> 00:17:06,983
And to apply stricter safety standards
to nuclear energy.
253
00:17:07,017 --> 00:17:11,505
This difficult effort will be
the moral equivalent of war.
254
00:17:11,523 --> 00:17:15,066
The policies that he rolls out
around the speech really don't go anywhere.
255
00:17:15,092 --> 00:17:19,968
One of the key reasons for this is that Jimmy
Carter really had poor relations with Congress.
256
00:17:20,004 --> 00:17:24,746
For the producing states I think it would
be a catastrophic, cataclysmic calamity.
257
00:17:24,777 --> 00:17:29,832
What he's trying to do is prepare the public mind to
accept only the Carter proposal and nothing else.
258
00:17:29,876 --> 00:17:33,195
Carter alienated the powers
that be in Congress.
259
00:17:33,221 --> 00:17:39,044
So when Jimmy Carter begin to falter, he didn't
have friends coming out and speaking for him.
260
00:17:39,079 --> 00:17:44,200
In fact, I was getting calls
from Democrats criticizing him.
261
00:17:44,235 --> 00:17:48,989
I've always heard about the advise
and consent role of the Congress.
262
00:17:49,056 --> 00:17:53,260
So far they've been a little stronger
on the advice than they have the consent.
263
00:17:53,924 --> 00:17:59,141
Carter inherits a financial mess
and there was no magic wand to cure it all.
264
00:17:59,168 --> 00:18:02,124
He needed a big
feather in his cap quickly.
265
00:18:02,151 --> 00:18:05,906
It's almost a White House cliche that
when a President is in trouble at home,
266
00:18:05,973 --> 00:18:08,175
his counselors advise a trip abroad.
267
00:18:08,192 --> 00:18:10,012
A President on the road.
268
00:18:10,038 --> 00:18:14,147
His first long overseas trip
to the Middle East and Western Europe.
269
00:18:14,173 --> 00:18:17,340
Mr. Carter met not only with
Anwar Sadat of Egypt,
270
00:18:17,384 --> 00:18:23,383
but also with King Hussein of Jordan, King
Khalid of Saudi Arabia, and the Shah of Iran.
271
00:18:23,419 --> 00:18:26,519
The United States had always
backed the Shah of Iran
272
00:18:26,536 --> 00:18:28,696
and that goes back to 1953
273
00:18:28,731 --> 00:18:32,747
when in fact, America essentially
put the Shah into power.
274
00:18:32,762 --> 00:18:36,411
Iran is an island of stability
275
00:18:36,438 --> 00:18:39,679
in one of the more troubled
areas of the world.
276
00:18:40,885 --> 00:18:43,771
Even though Western
governments loved the Shah,
277
00:18:43,797 --> 00:18:46,885
they weren't really paying attention
to the facts on the ground.
278
00:18:46,929 --> 00:18:49,627
And there were many people who
were discontented with the Shah,
279
00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:53,462
in part because of his extremely
oppressive policies.
280
00:18:53,498 --> 00:18:57,418
Iran was seen as important
for its oil resources,
281
00:18:57,444 --> 00:19:03,133
but also because the shah was an ally
when it came to regional goals.
282
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,116
This was a natural alliance
for the United States.
283
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:10,340
The President and the Shah of Iran spent a
long time talking about the Middle East.
284
00:19:10,366 --> 00:19:13,630
And it was brought up
by other leaders in other countries.
285
00:19:13,656 --> 00:19:18,798
Jimmy Carter saw the Middle East
and the settlement of the conflict
286
00:19:18,815 --> 00:19:21,745
between the Israelis and Arabs
287
00:19:21,776 --> 00:19:26,782
as central to any kind of stability
for the next generation.
288
00:19:26,817 --> 00:19:31,139
Hopes for a Middle East peace settlement were
never higher than they were last November,
289
00:19:31,167 --> 00:19:33,710
when Sadat went to Jerusalem
to meet Begin.
290
00:19:33,736 --> 00:19:37,768
And then after Begin returned the visit,
the enthusiasm began to drop off.
291
00:19:37,795 --> 00:19:40,793
While the world watched,
Sadat and Begin took to bickering
292
00:19:40,820 --> 00:19:42,773
and negotiations broke down.
293
00:19:42,808 --> 00:19:48,064
Jimmy Carter took advantage of Sadat's
willingness to talk to the Israelis.
294
00:19:48,099 --> 00:19:53,705
I think he thought he might be able to do
something that his predecessors couldn't.
295
00:19:53,740 --> 00:19:55,438
It was a huge gamble.
296
00:19:55,474 --> 00:19:57,799
Good afternoon,
the stage is set and the participants
297
00:19:57,843 --> 00:20:00,586
are now beginning to arrive
here in the Washington area.
298
00:20:00,621 --> 00:20:04,939
President Carter, Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
299
00:20:04,966 --> 00:20:08,423
will sit down in
the lonely solitude of Camp David
300
00:20:08,450 --> 00:20:11,397
and attempt to work out
a peace settlement for the Middle East.
301
00:20:11,415 --> 00:20:16,137
Failure here would just increase the impression
that is being reflected in the public opinion polls
302
00:20:16,164 --> 00:20:19,269
that Mr. Carter is a nice man,
but an inept President.
303
00:20:19,313 --> 00:20:22,737
There are hundreds of reporters here,
largely interviewing each other.
304
00:20:22,763 --> 00:20:26,676
What the three are discussing,
whether the talks are friendly or tense,
305
00:20:26,703 --> 00:20:30,046
we just don't know
because of the unprecedented secrecy.
306
00:20:30,072 --> 00:20:32,064
By the end of the second day,
307
00:20:32,108 --> 00:20:36,630
Rosalynn says you could hear them screaming
at each other at the top of their lungs.
308
00:20:36,657 --> 00:20:40,522
Carter had to physically separate them.
He had to block them from leaving.
309
00:20:40,557 --> 00:20:43,456
The Middle East Summit at Camp David
is a week old today,
310
00:20:43,492 --> 00:20:48,315
and there's still no official word on how
those talks are going or when they might end,
311
00:20:48,350 --> 00:20:51,735
but their length already has given rise
to reports of a stalemate.
312
00:20:51,758 --> 00:20:55,009
Carter had a photograph
made of the three men,
313
00:20:55,045 --> 00:21:00,465
and had made up copies
for Begin's nine grandchildren,
314
00:21:00,500 --> 00:21:03,875
and had signed each of them,
"Love, Jimmy Carter."
315
00:21:04,913 --> 00:21:08,433
Very reluctantly,
Carter went back to see Begin.
316
00:21:08,477 --> 00:21:11,389
Carter handed him the photographs
and he said,
317
00:21:11,415 --> 00:21:16,878
"I had hoped to write that, 'this is where
your grandfather and I made peace'."
318
00:21:16,916 --> 00:21:19,881
And Begin began to weep.
319
00:21:19,916 --> 00:21:24,296
Carter went back to his cabin
to tell Sadat that the signing was off,
320
00:21:24,323 --> 00:21:25,897
and the phone rang.
321
00:21:25,924 --> 00:21:29,601
And it was Begin saying that
he would sign.
322
00:21:37,529 --> 00:21:41,791
We are privileged to witness tonight
323
00:21:41,826 --> 00:21:44,742
a significant achievement
in the cause of peace.
324
00:21:44,777 --> 00:21:49,980
An achievement
none thought possible a year ago.
325
00:21:50,007 --> 00:21:55,099
The peace treaty changed the
tenor of politics across the region.
326
00:21:55,125 --> 00:21:58,880
An Arab country which accounted for
a quarter of the Arab world population
327
00:21:58,906 --> 00:22:01,889
recognized Israel's right to exist.
328
00:22:01,915 --> 00:22:03,915
And it changed the dynamics
of the Middle East.
329
00:22:03,950 --> 00:22:07,901
Aren't we in bliss.
What a picture, what a picture.
330
00:22:07,927 --> 00:22:11,106
And the room of course
has erupted in cheering.
331
00:22:11,150 --> 00:22:12,760
Applause.
332
00:22:12,804 --> 00:22:16,820
As Menachem Begin said,
"peace now celebrates a great victory."
333
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,887
The Camp David Accord was
Carter's crowning achievement.
334
00:22:35,905 --> 00:22:41,945
But it was very shortly thereafter
diminished by the crisis with Iran.
335
00:22:41,980 --> 00:22:45,418
Ayatollah Khomeini, the rebel priest,
now exiled in Paris,
336
00:22:45,436 --> 00:22:48,128
has called on his supporters
to depose the Shah.
337
00:22:48,163 --> 00:22:53,154
Khomeini called for the building of
an Islamic state not dependent on the West.
338
00:22:53,190 --> 00:22:56,277
I don't think the United States,
as a secular country, really understood
339
00:22:56,303 --> 00:22:59,379
that Islam, a religion,
could oust a monarchy
340
00:22:59,446 --> 00:23:03,283
that had prevailed as a system of
government for two and a half millennia.
341
00:23:03,318 --> 00:23:07,587
We support the Shah, but we don't try to
interfere in the internal affairs of Iran.
342
00:23:07,655 --> 00:23:10,961
We did put the Shah in,
but you're saying we can't keep him in?
343
00:23:10,988 --> 00:23:14,549
I think that's a decision to be made
by the people of that country.
344
00:23:16,027 --> 00:23:19,134
Good evening.
The Shah of Iran is in Egypt tonight.
345
00:23:19,178 --> 00:23:22,571
His countrymen are deliriously
rejoicing at his departure.
346
00:23:22,588 --> 00:23:26,099
And all around the world, government
leaders are trying to come to grips
347
00:23:26,116 --> 00:23:29,896
with the fall of the man
known as "The King of Kings."
348
00:23:29,923 --> 00:23:34,181
The old chant of "death to the Shah"
was replaced today by a new one,
349
00:23:34,216 --> 00:23:35,764
"death to Carter."
350
00:23:35,808 --> 00:23:38,885
We want Jimmy Carter
to know that we want freedom
351
00:23:38,953 --> 00:23:44,458
and we don't want
his human rights anymore.
352
00:23:44,502 --> 00:23:47,493
Obviously, the source of energy
for the 1970s was a core question.
353
00:23:47,528 --> 00:23:50,873
The Iranian revolution is drying up
our energy supply.
354
00:23:50,909 --> 00:23:52,958
We're literally running out of gas.
355
00:23:53,980 --> 00:23:56,136
Your attention please.
356
00:23:56,178 --> 00:24:00,781
There has been a state of emergency
declared on Three Mile Island.
357
00:24:00,807 --> 00:24:03,979
At a nuclear power plant near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
358
00:24:03,996 --> 00:24:06,464
the cooling system broke down this morning.
359
00:24:06,506 --> 00:24:09,488
Some radioactive steam
escaped into the air.
360
00:24:09,517 --> 00:24:13,520
Radiation passed through
the four-foot concrete walls
361
00:24:13,555 --> 00:24:16,197
and was detected
a mile away from the plant.
362
00:24:16,317 --> 00:24:18,947
This was the first big nuclear disaster
363
00:24:18,974 --> 00:24:22,282
at a time when the country was
increasingly reliant on nuclear power.
364
00:24:22,317 --> 00:24:26,246
And the federal government and the state government
couldn't do much about it. It was scary.
365
00:24:26,269 --> 00:24:30,166
It's the beginning of mistrust
of nuclear power
366
00:24:30,210 --> 00:24:33,675
as the magic salve
to the energy problem.
367
00:24:33,701 --> 00:24:36,622
The President said today
that he believes this incident
368
00:24:36,666 --> 00:24:41,707
will make it necessary to reassess the
country's present nuclear safety regulations.
369
00:24:41,742 --> 00:24:46,831
That comes from a President who has been
claiming that more nuclear reactors are needed
370
00:24:46,866 --> 00:24:49,985
to offset the demand for foreign oil.
371
00:24:50,011 --> 00:24:52,398
The energy crisis which had
been going on all decade
372
00:24:52,416 --> 00:24:55,090
only gets worse
with Middle Eastern turmoil.
373
00:24:55,125 --> 00:24:59,266
Californians sat fuming in their cars,
waiting impatiently in long lines,
374
00:24:59,301 --> 00:25:01,634
wondering who and what
had put them there.
375
00:25:01,651 --> 00:25:04,748
Somehow there wasn't
enough gasoline to go around.
376
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:08,337
But prices rose elsewhere
and lines began forming,
377
00:25:08,373 --> 00:25:11,844
and Americans began realizing
that California was not unique.
378
00:25:11,912 --> 00:25:13,791
California was first.
379
00:25:13,826 --> 00:25:18,351
People in this country always worry about the price of
gas, but this was a worry about the availability of gas.
380
00:25:18,419 --> 00:25:21,775
While the oil producers were
getting ready for another price increase,
381
00:25:21,807 --> 00:25:24,837
the oil consumers
were beginning to meet in Japan.
382
00:25:24,863 --> 00:25:27,190
President Carter's state visit began today.
383
00:25:31,967 --> 00:25:36,701
My information is that in the
next few weeks, hopefully sooner,
384
00:25:36,737 --> 00:25:41,189
there will be an increase in supply
of gasoline to the affected areas.
385
00:25:41,215 --> 00:25:44,300
I think it's phony. I think they're trying
to get the prices jacked up.
386
00:25:44,335 --> 00:25:46,283
That's my personal opinion.
387
00:25:46,301 --> 00:25:51,041
What was once a distant foreign policy
issue has become a domestic issue.
388
00:25:51,077 --> 00:25:53,496
A truck strike has driven
food prices upward,
389
00:25:53,514 --> 00:25:56,681
slowed industry and resulted in violence.
390
00:25:56,707 --> 00:25:59,401
The bloodiest episode
in Levittown, Pennsylvania.
391
00:25:59,427 --> 00:26:04,261
32 people were injured when motorists joined
the truckers in protesting the fuel shortage.
392
00:26:04,287 --> 00:26:08,879
The crowd of two to three thousand, mostly
young teenagers, packed the intersection.
393
00:26:08,915 --> 00:26:11,096
Then it turned violent.
394
00:26:11,131 --> 00:26:13,489
Police brutality!
395
00:26:13,515 --> 00:26:18,246
This is Levittown, Pennsylvania. This is the
perfect, quintessential symbol of middle America.
396
00:26:18,247 --> 00:26:21,180
And middle America is in torment
about the gas crisis.
397
00:26:21,206 --> 00:26:23,916
Sunday, July 1.
Because of the gas lines,
398
00:26:23,925 --> 00:26:27,347
President Carter flies straight home
from the Tokyo Economic Summit
399
00:26:27,375 --> 00:26:30,551
and announces a television speech
to the nation Thursday.
400
00:26:30,569 --> 00:26:35,839
Then to Camp David by helicopter,
presumably to work on that energy speech.
401
00:26:35,871 --> 00:26:37,815
But then, a sudden change.
402
00:26:37,850 --> 00:26:40,461
The energy speech is canceled
with no explanation.
403
00:26:40,479 --> 00:26:42,780
Critics speak of indecision.
404
00:26:42,815 --> 00:26:47,015
Carter decides that he wants to meet
with advisers from all walks of life.
405
00:26:47,059 --> 00:26:50,829
The latest group shuttled to Camp David
includes Energy Secretary Schlesinger,
406
00:26:50,864 --> 00:26:54,128
several non-government oil experts
and three Governors.
407
00:26:54,145 --> 00:26:57,371
Well now he's been up there for eight days,
and there is still no word
408
00:26:57,397 --> 00:26:59,878
on when the Camp David
Domestic Summit will end
409
00:26:59,896 --> 00:27:02,631
and the President will
come down from the mountain.
410
00:27:02,649 --> 00:27:05,901
One almost expects the President
to alight from his chopper
411
00:27:05,945 --> 00:27:08,603
carrying with him two tablets of stone.
412
00:27:08,620 --> 00:27:13,521
Sources say Mr. Carter will address what
he calls a malaise affecting the nation.
413
00:27:13,547 --> 00:27:16,521
This is an ABC News Special Report.
414
00:27:16,530 --> 00:27:18,632
Fifteens seconds, sir.
415
00:27:19,775 --> 00:27:21,139
Stand by.
416
00:27:22,036 --> 00:27:24,268
Good evening.
I want to speak to you first tonight
417
00:27:24,294 --> 00:27:28,561
about a subject even more serious
than energy or inflation.
418
00:27:29,369 --> 00:27:33,053
It is a crisis of confidence.
419
00:27:33,344 --> 00:27:35,657
For the first time
in the history of our country
420
00:27:35,675 --> 00:27:39,983
a majority of our people believe
that the next five years
421
00:27:40,748 --> 00:27:43,766
will be worse than the past five years.
422
00:27:44,658 --> 00:27:49,690
Too many of us now tend to worship
self-indulgence and consumption.
423
00:27:49,963 --> 00:27:55,100
Human identity is no longer
defined by what one does,
424
00:27:55,786 --> 00:27:58,647
but by what one owns.
425
00:27:59,166 --> 00:28:02,810
So the President has concluded his speech
and what a remarkable speech it was.
426
00:28:02,837 --> 00:28:04,355
It was almost a sermon.
427
00:28:05,956 --> 00:28:08,208
Afterwards,
he gets a bump in the polls.
428
00:28:08,252 --> 00:28:09,563
People are like, "hey, this is good."
429
00:28:09,607 --> 00:28:12,135
But then the op-eds begin to drip in.
430
00:28:12,170 --> 00:28:15,577
I think the President and his advisers
are making a mistake
431
00:28:15,621 --> 00:28:20,392
if they think out there in the country people feel
there is a crisis of confidence in themselves.
432
00:28:20,425 --> 00:28:24,065
They feel there is a crisis of confidence
in the President.
433
00:28:24,101 --> 00:28:27,832
It was analysis of the speech that really
began to turn things for him.
434
00:28:27,875 --> 00:28:31,660
And right after the speech
he then basically fired his Cabinet.
435
00:28:31,686 --> 00:28:34,304
When members of the Cabinet
gathered at the white house this morning
436
00:28:34,322 --> 00:28:37,675
for a two-hour meeting with the President,
they seemed to be in good spirits.
437
00:28:37,701 --> 00:28:40,218
But by the time they left,
things had changed.
438
00:28:40,244 --> 00:28:44,188
Along with the senior White House staff,
their resignations were requested.
439
00:28:44,223 --> 00:28:46,703
Don't you think someone should
come out and assure the country
440
00:28:46,713 --> 00:28:49,053
that we don't have to worry
about this crisis?
441
00:28:49,121 --> 00:28:50,401
I think... I think that...
I don't think there is a crisis.
442
00:28:50,424 --> 00:28:52,896
Don't the American people have a right
to know who is running the government?
443
00:28:52,922 --> 00:28:56,002
Well, they do have a right to know.
They do know who's running the government.
444
00:28:56,035 --> 00:28:58,714
The American public isn't confused about
who's running the government.
445
00:28:58,749 --> 00:28:59,910
The President is running it.
446
00:28:59,946 --> 00:29:03,611
Sometimes perception is more
important than reality.
447
00:29:03,629 --> 00:29:05,173
And the perception became that
448
00:29:05,190 --> 00:29:09,229
Jimmy Carter made one big
mistake after another.
449
00:29:17,126 --> 00:29:20,176
The Shah of Iran is in
a New York City hospital tonight.
450
00:29:20,202 --> 00:29:22,525
An American government source
in Washington says
451
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,969
the deposed Iranian monarch is suffering
from cancer and a blocked bile duct.
452
00:29:27,008 --> 00:29:29,365
The Shah was admitted to this country
on condition
453
00:29:29,392 --> 00:29:32,124
that he not engage in any
political activity while here.
454
00:29:32,172 --> 00:29:34,603
The present Iranian government
was assured of that.
455
00:29:34,629 --> 00:29:37,418
Meanwhile, tighter security measures
have been put into effect
456
00:29:37,462 --> 00:29:39,521
at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran
457
00:29:39,556 --> 00:29:43,185
as a precaution against possible actions
by anti-Shah fanatics.
458
00:29:45,208 --> 00:29:50,479
Carter agreed to allow the Shah to come
to the United States for medical treatment.
459
00:29:50,517 --> 00:29:55,520
And at that point it was the match
that lit this conflagration.
460
00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,436
The American Embassy in Tehran
is in the hands of Muslim students tonight.
461
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,403
Spurred on by an anti-American speech
by the Ayatollah Khomeini,
462
00:30:04,447 --> 00:30:07,643
they stormed the Embassy,
fought the Marine guards for three hours,
463
00:30:07,669 --> 00:30:11,191
overpowered them,
and took dozens of American hostages.
464
00:30:12,123 --> 00:30:16,142
The Iranians burned the United States flag
and denounced the U.S. government,
465
00:30:16,191 --> 00:30:21,014
saying they would stay until the U.S.
sends the deposed Shah back to Iran.
466
00:30:21,041 --> 00:30:23,891
What I remember,
and this was the second day,
467
00:30:23,917 --> 00:30:28,985
was that the provisional government
of Dr. Bazargan, the Prime Minister,
468
00:30:29,029 --> 00:30:33,067
which was essentially the people
we dealt with, had resigned.
469
00:30:33,111 --> 00:30:37,334
At that point I remember thinking,
"we are definitely in the soup,"
470
00:30:37,378 --> 00:30:40,527
because there was no one to talk to.
471
00:30:40,554 --> 00:30:44,310
There was no government
for our government to talk to.
472
00:30:44,377 --> 00:30:46,399
In Tehran it is Tuesday morning.
473
00:30:46,417 --> 00:30:49,548
The hostages at the American Embassy,
more than 60 of them,
474
00:30:49,574 --> 00:30:54,024
have spent another night, their ninth,
as prisoners of their Iranian captors.
475
00:30:54,059 --> 00:30:58,090
And today President Carter made
his first public response to their ordeal.
476
00:30:58,158 --> 00:31:01,538
I am ordering that we discontinue
477
00:31:01,573 --> 00:31:06,152
purchasing of any oil from Iran
for delivery to this country.
478
00:31:06,187 --> 00:31:09,122
High administration officials believe
that through today's action
479
00:31:09,148 --> 00:31:14,500
they have removed a bargaining tool that can no
longer be used in dealing with the hostages.
480
00:31:14,567 --> 00:31:18,237
Other officials say candidly that
today's announcement was also intended
481
00:31:18,304 --> 00:31:22,004
to dampen the outrage and frustration
expressed by Americans
482
00:31:22,039 --> 00:31:24,758
over the country's seeming helplessness.
483
00:31:24,792 --> 00:31:28,267
How they treated our diplomats
was humiliating.
484
00:31:28,302 --> 00:31:32,662
That put extraordinary pressure
on Jimmy Carter.
485
00:31:32,697 --> 00:31:35,320
The meeting is on,
but there is nothing to suggest
486
00:31:35,388 --> 00:31:38,366
those meetings have produced
any new ways of solving the crisis.
487
00:31:38,410 --> 00:31:41,548
Any encouraging news from Iran,
Mr. President?
488
00:31:42,129 --> 00:31:45,718
- Status quo, sir?
- Yes, I'm afraid so.
489
00:31:45,744 --> 00:31:49,731
The first sign of hope in two weeks
from the American Embassy in Tehran.
490
00:31:49,757 --> 00:31:53,541
The students holding the hostages there
promised to obey an order today
491
00:31:53,568 --> 00:31:57,928
from the Ayatollah Khomeini
to free all women and blacks.
492
00:31:57,945 --> 00:32:02,684
The Ayatollah explained, "Islam has
a special respect for women and the blacks,
493
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:06,242
who have spent ages under
American pressure and tyranny."
494
00:32:06,277 --> 00:32:09,420
As he departed for Thanksgiving week
at nearby Camp David,
495
00:32:09,456 --> 00:32:15,223
the President was apparently confident that at
least some of those hostages will soon be free.
496
00:32:15,267 --> 00:32:17,306
"We are thankful," said his statement,
497
00:32:17,332 --> 00:32:22,278
"the ordeal may be over for them and that they
may be soon reunited with their families."
498
00:32:22,313 --> 00:32:25,373
But it went on to urge
that the authorities in Iran
499
00:32:25,391 --> 00:32:29,870
now move to secure the safe release
of all those still being held.
500
00:32:29,905 --> 00:32:33,296
What can you do? You bring pressure.
You can bring sanctions,
501
00:32:33,331 --> 00:32:36,265
you can go to the United Nations,
you can send emissaries.
502
00:32:36,283 --> 00:32:38,377
But America can't do a damn thing.
503
00:32:38,394 --> 00:32:41,519
Ted Koppel on ABC News,
Walter Cronkite,
504
00:32:41,587 --> 00:32:44,633
"America, Day fifteen,"
"Day one hundred,"
505
00:32:44,668 --> 00:32:46,964
"Day two hundred."
It started wearing on people.
506
00:32:46,987 --> 00:32:52,462
And Carter started becoming
the symbol of lost American prestige.
507
00:32:54,767 --> 00:32:56,971
Ronald Reagan is running officially.
508
00:32:56,997 --> 00:33:00,261
He got in the race tonight in
New York City at a fund-raising dinner.
509
00:33:00,279 --> 00:33:02,893
And he taped a speech yesterday
for showing tonight
510
00:33:02,929 --> 00:33:05,726
on about 90 independent
television stations.
511
00:33:05,753 --> 00:33:08,478
I'm here tonight
to announce my intention
512
00:33:08,504 --> 00:33:11,962
to seek the Republican nomination for
President of the United States.
513
00:33:11,988 --> 00:33:16,616
The crisis we face is not the result
of any failure of the American spirit.
514
00:33:16,634 --> 00:33:18,789
It's a failure of our leaders.
515
00:33:18,824 --> 00:33:21,222
The country is looking for optimism,
516
00:33:21,257 --> 00:33:24,398
looking for a new dawn,
new beginnings.
517
00:33:24,424 --> 00:33:28,054
And Ronald Reagan
epitomized all those things.
518
00:33:28,089 --> 00:33:31,846
Between '76 and '80,
Reagan's building a coalition.
519
00:33:31,872 --> 00:33:37,015
Bringing in Christian fundamentalists,
and law-and-order Nixonian people.
520
00:33:37,041 --> 00:33:40,311
Reagan is realizing in order
to sell conservatism,
521
00:33:40,379 --> 00:33:42,059
you've got to do it with a smile.
522
00:33:42,114 --> 00:33:45,757
And you've got to do it in a way that
makes people feel good, not scold them.
523
00:33:45,792 --> 00:33:49,513
We can turn this country around
and we can turn our economy around.
524
00:33:49,548 --> 00:33:52,557
And the time to do it is now.
525
00:33:52,583 --> 00:33:55,894
We want Kennedy!
We want Kennedy!
526
00:33:55,961 --> 00:33:59,519
There are many Democrats who are worried
that Carter is not going to win.
527
00:33:59,554 --> 00:34:02,343
So Ted Kennedy,
who was a Senator from Massachusetts,
528
00:34:02,370 --> 00:34:03,865
decides to take him on.
529
00:34:06,672 --> 00:34:08,679
Today I formally announce
530
00:34:08,723 --> 00:34:11,186
that I am a candidate
for President of the United States.
531
00:34:12,743 --> 00:34:16,262
Many Democrats believed Carter
had moved too far to the center
532
00:34:16,289 --> 00:34:19,889
and that he abandoned
the traditional ideas of the party.
533
00:34:19,907 --> 00:34:23,769
Jimmy Carter and Kennedy
became the polar opposites
534
00:34:23,804 --> 00:34:27,473
within the party and Jimmy Carter
on top of that had a feeling that
535
00:34:27,501 --> 00:34:32,207
the Kennedys felt they were
above we Southerners.
536
00:34:32,234 --> 00:34:35,691
It's a nasty contest. When someone
asked Jimmy Carter in passing,
537
00:34:35,717 --> 00:34:38,119
"what do you think about
being challenged by Ted Kennedy?"
538
00:34:38,137 --> 00:34:40,558
Jimmy Carter says,
"I'll whip his ass."
539
00:34:40,584 --> 00:34:44,332
This is a special report
from CBS News.
540
00:34:44,367 --> 00:34:47,662
The 174th day of the Iran Crisis
541
00:34:47,697 --> 00:34:50,706
has brought a startling
and tragic turn of events.
542
00:34:50,750 --> 00:34:54,630
The United States mounted a
military operation into Iran last night
543
00:34:54,666 --> 00:34:57,826
to rescue the American hostages.
But it failed.
544
00:34:57,865 --> 00:35:01,807
Eight helicopters took off from the deck
of the aircraft carrier Nimitz.
545
00:35:01,834 --> 00:35:07,924
The eight helicopters proceeded toward a desert
staging area 200 miles southeast of Tehran.
546
00:35:07,951 --> 00:35:11,717
Two of the helicopters
experienced problems en route.
547
00:35:11,743 --> 00:35:15,321
But once on the ground,
yet another helicopter malfunctioned,
548
00:35:15,359 --> 00:35:17,175
leaving only five for the mission.
549
00:35:17,243 --> 00:35:20,215
At that moment,
the President scrubbed the mission.
550
00:35:20,259 --> 00:35:25,787
In the rush to pull out, one of the
helicopters taxied into a C-130 fuel tanker.
551
00:35:25,814 --> 00:35:28,107
Both burst into flames.
552
00:35:28,124 --> 00:35:31,882
Eight of our men were killed.
Four others suffered burns.
553
00:35:31,909 --> 00:35:36,979
The bodies of the dead have not
yet been returned.
554
00:35:37,006 --> 00:35:42,117
The Ayatollah Khomeini seemed to enjoy
stage-managing in this grisly theater
555
00:35:42,152 --> 00:35:44,026
as the bodies were shown.
556
00:35:44,061 --> 00:35:47,166
The soldiers obviously took no joy here.
557
00:35:47,193 --> 00:35:51,732
It was my decision to attempt
the rescue operation.
558
00:35:51,759 --> 00:35:56,566
It was my decision to cancel it
when problems developed.
559
00:35:56,593 --> 00:35:59,038
The responsibility is fully my own.
560
00:36:07,292 --> 00:36:09,583
Why do you want to be President?
561
00:36:12,099 --> 00:36:15,583
Well, I'm... Uh...
562
00:36:15,855 --> 00:36:17,747
Kennedy should have been
prepared to answer that question.
563
00:36:17,773 --> 00:36:20,325
In some ways, he'd been preparing to
answer that question his entire life.
564
00:36:20,351 --> 00:36:24,701
And instead, he gives mud.
A stammering, halting answer
565
00:36:24,718 --> 00:36:26,304
that instantly told people
566
00:36:26,330 --> 00:36:28,899
this guy does not know
why he wants the job.
567
00:36:28,916 --> 00:36:33,662
There's more natural resources
than any nation in the world.
568
00:36:33,688 --> 00:36:39,352
The interesting thing is that after it
became clear that Kennedy couldn't win,
569
00:36:39,378 --> 00:36:41,005
he became a great candidate.
570
00:36:41,023 --> 00:36:44,533
There is no malaise
in the spirit of this country.
571
00:36:44,550 --> 00:36:47,286
It's just Mr. Carter!
572
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:49,652
Kennedy's primary challenge
has a big effect,
573
00:36:49,678 --> 00:36:55,643
because many Democrats are not that enthused about
their candidate once the Convention takes place.
574
00:36:55,678 --> 00:37:00,237
Live from New York City,
the 1980 Democratic National Convention.
575
00:37:00,271 --> 00:37:02,405
The Democrats have had their
first day of the Convention.
576
00:37:02,431 --> 00:37:05,476
Senator Kennedy lost
the first and decisive fight.
577
00:37:05,503 --> 00:37:09,048
Jimmy Carter is the nominee of this party.
578
00:37:09,075 --> 00:37:13,434
I congratulate President Carter
on his victory here.
579
00:37:15,845 --> 00:37:19,169
I am confident that
the Democratic party
580
00:37:19,195 --> 00:37:22,363
will reunite on the basis
of Democratic principles
581
00:37:22,389 --> 00:37:27,430
and that together we will march
towards a Democratic victory in 1980.
582
00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:32,811
People are cheering Kennedy on.
583
00:37:32,826 --> 00:37:38,176
The enthusiasm for what he has to say is much
more than the response that Carter gets.
584
00:37:38,211 --> 00:37:42,593
In good times and bad,
in the valleys and on the peaks,
585
00:37:43,367 --> 00:37:45,155
we've told people the truth.
586
00:37:48,454 --> 00:37:53,169
Carter then wants Kennedy to come onstage
and they can hold up their hands together
587
00:37:53,204 --> 00:37:55,425
to show that this party is unified.
588
00:37:55,469 --> 00:37:58,430
But when Kennedy comes up,
he doesn't really do that.
589
00:37:59,404 --> 00:38:03,964
There will be no pictures in tomorrow
morning's paper, and none for posterity.
590
00:38:03,982 --> 00:38:08,319
Of Ted Kennedy holding Jimmy Carter's
hand aloft.
591
00:38:08,986 --> 00:38:11,731
Well, this is slightly awkward.
592
00:38:11,766 --> 00:38:15,777
Kennedy did not win, could not win.
And yet he had ripped the party apart
593
00:38:15,812 --> 00:38:20,459
when what they needed to win that
election was full Democratic unity.
594
00:38:23,349 --> 00:38:25,276
- We love Reagan!
- Thank you!
595
00:38:25,302 --> 00:38:29,217
This country needs a new administration
596
00:38:29,261 --> 00:38:32,664
with a renewed dedication
to the dream of an American.
597
00:38:32,699 --> 00:38:35,928
An administration that will give
that dream new life
598
00:38:35,945 --> 00:38:37,951
and make America great again.
599
00:38:40,178 --> 00:38:45,026
Ronald Reagan will call Carter out for this
whole idea that we live in an age of limits,
600
00:38:45,061 --> 00:38:49,252
and say no, America's future is
just as expansive as it ever was.
601
00:38:49,296 --> 00:38:51,888
Next Tuesday,
all of you will go to the polls.
602
00:38:51,914 --> 00:38:56,338
I think when you make that decision,
it might be well if you would ask yourself,
603
00:38:56,387 --> 00:39:00,239
are you better off
than you were four years ago?
604
00:39:02,685 --> 00:39:07,004
This is continuing ABC News
election night coverage.
605
00:39:07,072 --> 00:39:11,085
It is beginning to look like,
well, the word is landslide.
606
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:14,046
The word is landslide
for Ronald Reagan tonight.
607
00:39:14,891 --> 00:39:18,216
If they're not breaking out the champagne
at the Reagan headquarters now,
608
00:39:18,251 --> 00:39:21,709
it's only because, well,
they can't find an opener.
609
00:39:23,663 --> 00:39:27,440
Jimmy Carter, though beaten at the polls,
did not act like a beaten man.
610
00:39:27,466 --> 00:39:30,512
He said he didn't feel the people
had turned against him personally,
611
00:39:30,556 --> 00:39:34,386
but had voted their frustrations over
America's lost dominance in world affairs
612
00:39:34,412 --> 00:39:36,638
and lost preeminence in economic affairs.
613
00:39:36,664 --> 00:39:39,365
Mr. Carter showed a flash
of anguish only once,
614
00:39:39,391 --> 00:39:43,274
when he said his wife had seen one of the moral
majority preachers on television this morning
615
00:39:43,309 --> 00:39:48,313
say that the American electorate had acted
to put a true Christian in the Oval Office.
616
00:39:48,354 --> 00:39:50,861
We knew that Reagan had won the election.
617
00:39:50,899 --> 00:39:54,339
The Iranians told us that
certain gloating feeling
618
00:39:54,365 --> 00:39:57,307
that they were responsible
for Jimmy Carter's defeat.
619
00:39:58,291 --> 00:40:02,327
Mr. Carter is back in his office
burning the midnight oil.
620
00:40:02,353 --> 00:40:05,820
And perhaps that's characteristic
of the Jimmy Carter Presidency.
621
00:40:05,855 --> 00:40:09,640
He's doing it here
on his last night in Washington.
622
00:40:09,666 --> 00:40:14,842
Up until the last moment, right before he
actually has to shake Ronald Reagan's hand
623
00:40:14,877 --> 00:40:18,812
during Reagan's inauguration, Jimmy Carter
is doing everything he possibly can
624
00:40:18,838 --> 00:40:21,379
trying to get those hostages home.
625
00:40:21,981 --> 00:40:25,816
Jimmy Carter was perceived in Iran
as the ultimate ally of the Shah.
626
00:40:25,852 --> 00:40:30,074
And they didn't want to give
any rewards to Jimmy Carter.
627
00:40:32,071 --> 00:40:36,720
We had to wait until Ronald Reagan
had taken the oath of office
628
00:40:36,755 --> 00:40:40,817
before the plane was allowed to fly
out of Tehran to Algiers
629
00:40:40,861 --> 00:40:43,732
Everything was delayed,
despite the agreement,
630
00:40:43,767 --> 00:40:48,207
to make sure that Jimmy Carter didn't get
any credit for the freedom of the hostages.
631
00:40:48,224 --> 00:40:52,047
It was a bittersweet moment
as Jimmy Carter, private citizen,
632
00:40:52,082 --> 00:40:56,346
left Andrews Air Force Base outside
of Washington to go home to Georgia.
633
00:40:56,376 --> 00:41:00,297
Luck is a big factor in a Presidency.
634
00:41:00,323 --> 00:41:03,999
And Jimmy Carter
had some very bad luck.
635
00:41:04,026 --> 00:41:06,594
Because of the blow-back
from Vietnam and Watergate,
636
00:41:06,612 --> 00:41:10,769
it will be recognized
that Jimmy Carter inherited
637
00:41:10,778 --> 00:41:15,432
a national and world situation
that was almost completely unmanageable.
638
00:41:15,449 --> 00:41:19,402
A few moments ago on Air Force One,
639
00:41:19,429 --> 00:41:23,535
I had received word
officially for the first time
640
00:41:23,579 --> 00:41:28,060
that the aircraft carrying the
52 American hostages
641
00:41:28,077 --> 00:41:36,077
had cleared Iranian air space
on the first leg of the journey home
642
00:41:37,783 --> 00:41:45,007
and that every one of the 52 hostages
was alive, was well, and free.
643
00:41:45,837 --> 00:41:49,413
Sync, corrected by icephoenix
www.addic7ed.com