Bob Schieffer Gives His Input on The Stimulus Package

On a morning of Texans, CBS News's Bob Schieffer joined Imus to chat about President Barack Obama's recent press conference, and why Schieffer was wrong in assuming anybody likes Tom Daschle.

Imus was outraged that a Washington Post reporter had asked the President his thoughts on Alex Rodriguez's admitted steroids use.

"How about asking him how he's going to prevent Nancy Pelosi and the other wackos over there in the House from piling a bunch of Democratic pork back on this bill?" Imus wondered, referring to the economic stimulus plan.

Schieffer thinks the President's problem in passing the stimulus package won't be the Republican opposition, but his own party.

"The problem is the House Democrats," he said. "It's very, very partisan over there. It's a different world than it is over at the Senate."

Schieffer was struck by the depravity of the President's language in yesterday's press conference, where he cautioned that not passing the stimulus bill could "turn crisis into catastrophe."

"I think in the end, he will prevail," Schieffer said about Obama. "The question is, will it work?"

Imus told Schieffer he was concerned about a comment made on last week's Face The Nation, on which Schieffer claimed "everybody likes Tom Daschle."

"I called Charles and I said, 'I don't like Tom Daschle; what in the hell is Bob talking about?'" Imus said.

Always a gentleman, Schieffer promised not to make such candid observations in the future. However, he believes Tom Daschle, who withdrew his nomination last week for Health and Human Services Secretary, is a good man. Daschle withdrew his nomination because of unpaid back taxes on items like personal use of a car and driver provided to him by a private equity firm for which he consulted.

"Always remember: fish are the only ones who don't realize they're wet," said Schieffer. "They've been swimming around for so long they don't know what life is like without water. I think people get to Washington and they swim around in the high life, and they just don't understand how it looks to other people."

-Julie Kanfer