Rahm Emanuel: "Blame Is Not The Issue"

(CBS)

Excerpts of the transcript of the interview, which appeared on the CBS Evening News, follows:

KATIE COURIC: How much more time do you need before this administration starts to get blamed for this crisis?

RAHM EMANUEL: Well, first of all, it's not-- blame is not the issue… We don't walk around -- sitting here and having conversations, "Well, we got to avoid blame." The president's been very clear about taking responsibility to make sure we're gonna make the right decisions. That's where his focus and energy is. Not to how -- figure out how to avoid blame. …We have an important role in setting the policy choices to make sure that we get out of this.

COURIC: Why do you think the president is more popular than many of his policies? Fifty-eight percent of Americans disapproved of the administration's--

EMANUEL: Because he's a good guy--

COURIC: -- financial aid to the banking industry, only 47 percent approved of his plan for the auto industry. And yet-- and yet, his approval rating is 68. Why is that?

EMANUEL: You know, I study polls unfortunately. I go through the opinion data.… The American people know that this is a president who's taken-- that-- two things. One, their challenges seriously. And ran on a set of pledges and, surprisingly, unlike other politicians or in past, didn't change those pledges when he got to Washington. And said, "Well, that was just a bunch of campaign pledges." He ran on a-- idea that he had to turn the economy around and meet the challenge head on. That's what happened with the recovery act. …He actually has followed through on what he ran on. Is what I think the American people are responding to. And two, that he's having an honest discussion with them.

COURIC: Arlen Specter is now a Democrat. What do you think that says about the state of the GOP?

EMANUEL: I don't think the Democrats should go running around saying, "Oh, this makes everything, you know, we've ever wanted." The reason we have grown as a party in the last two elections is because we've offered s-- real solutions to the challenges the American people face every day. …If we're not attentive to why we got elected, what is our job here in public service, the American people will have us on a short leash. I think the Republican party has to really look inside and say-- what is it that we offer the American people as they face these challenges?

COURIC: What is the biggest mistake you all have made in the first 100 days?

EMANUEL: Thank god you didn't ask my wife that question. She's got a long list. You got another half hour? (LAUGHTER) I think that-- you know, Katie, here-- here's the way I look at it. …Even in successes, in the recovery act, there were things that we could've done different. …The key thing of any process growing up, it's not different in government. Do you learn from your mistakes? I-- you know, even in-- I think we've had a good set of 100 days. The question is did we learn anything from that 100 days to make the next 200, the next 300 days better and improve the way we do it?

COURIC: What's your greatest accomplishment?

EMANUEL: A new renewed sense of hope in America. In a sense that we can actually meet these challenges. They weren't so big that we couldn't do 'em. …And we've helped give America that sense of confidence again, that we can meet these challenges and this country is headed, finally, in the right direction.

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