Reply #50: Here's the Transcript:

[mbali]

JUDY WOODRUFF: I spoke during the last half hour with the chairman of the Bush/Cheney campaign. I am joined now by John Kerry's campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill.

Mary Beth Cahill, first of all, this new "TIME" magazine poll showing that George Bush has moved into an 11 point lead, higher than anything we've seen in this campaign.

What's your reaction?

MARY BETH CAHILL, KERRY CAMPAIGN MANAGER: My reaction to that, Judy, is that there are three polls that I know of out today, one of which has us even, one of which has the president two points ahead and then this.

I don't think we know yet what the real poll numbers are going to be, as we go forward, but I think that, you know, a bounce is a bounce. You go up and then you go down. And this race will go back to where it's been, even and with both campaigns fighting over the undecided voters.

WOODRUFF: Well, let's talk about this convention. Today, John Kerry has already hit back at the criticism that he said he received during the campaign.

Among other things he's talked about how dare they, in essence, challenge me on being commander in chief when Vice President Cheney didn't even serve at all in Vietnam?

Is this a line of attack that your campaign is going to continue to rely on?

CAHILL: You know, actually, I think it's a line of attack that we have been exposed to over the last six weeks or a month. And this is the first time that we've responded to it.

It's -- Obviously, John Kerry wants to talk about the future. He wants to talk about the economy. He wants to talk about healthcare. He wants to talk about keeping jobs in this country.

But you know, the Bush/Cheney campaign and their allies want to talk about the past, and they want to talk about fitness for service. John Kerry takes a back seat to nobody in this country in his devotion to patriotism and leading this country.

WOODRUFF: You said he wants to talk about the economy. Let's talk about these new numbers out today.

The Bush campaign is saying 144,000 new jobs. They're saying 1.7 million new jobs added in the last year. The rate of unemployment is down, and they're saying President Bush's tax cuts are largely responsible for this.

CAHILL: You know, this is actually fewer jobs created this month than it is people coming to the work force. Once again, it's a net job loss for this president.

I think, you know, as -- with 60 days to go to the election, there's a scorecard on the Bush economic plan. And it's an "F."

WOODRUFF: Well, let me ask you about one of the themes, Mary Beth Cahill, coming out of the Republican convention. And that is that John Kerry does not take consistent positions.

They not only criticized him, they ridiculed him. For example, New York governor, George Pataki, I just want to read you very briefly what he said last night in introducing President Bush, talking about John Kerry and the voting for and against the war.

He said, "He was for it, and he wouldn't fund it. He would fund it but he wasn't for it. He was for the Patriot Act until he was against it, or was he against it?" In sort of a singsong delivery.

Are you concerned that this is an impression setting in with voters or could set in, and if not, how do you turn it around?

CAHILL: I think, actually, that is that tactic on the part of the Bush/Cheney administration, because they don't want to talk about the real issues.

And they certainly don't want to talk about their own record: a net job loss, people unable to pay for their health care, people concerned about children's education, the real issues that affect people in America day-to-day in their lives.

I think that ridicule is something that they fall -- they fall to because they can't talk proactively about a positive agenda. John Kerry and John Edwards can, and that's what they'll do from now until election day.

WOODRUFF: So when Vice President Cheney himself says that John Kerry's liveliest disagreement, he said, is with himself, and he talks about a habit of indecision, I mean, these are very tough charges. And again, if that "TIME" magazine poll, you know, holds up, some of this must be taking hold on the public.

CAHILL: Well, as I said previously, there are two other polls that I know out today that disagreed violently with this poll. We'll see what happens. We've heard that, you know, there are problems inside of this poll.

But regardless, this election is about the future. And the thing is, voters think that elections are about them and about their choices, not about what a vice president might charge in a convention.

WOODRUFF: Very quickly, Mary Beth Cahill, the reports this week of possible staff changes in the Kerry campaign. You're staying where you are?

CAHILL: I'm staying where I am, happily stay right where I am.